4/1 #34

a daisy for a lilly...

AKA, the worst of 34 things so far. we were on a family trip at IKEA sat., and lillian found the cutest guinea pig stuffed animal. we should've just let her buy it, but instead i told her i'd make one. there are many ways to make a cute stuffed animal...but between the colors, wrong texture and working under the stressful conditions of a 6 yr old slave driver, it looks like a joke.

however, she cannot put Daisy down. i wish i had time and roving to felt her one, it would be awesome...but now i have orders to fill the envious arms of her sisters, more dreaded ugly animals to come.

the best things about daisy are that she has lavender and rose petals inside, so she smells nice on her neck, and that lillian claims to have found her out in the country, "looking for an owner".

she said "at the next show-and-tell, EVERYONE will know that you made this, mom."

great.

SOUP OF THE WEEK: MUSHROOM BUTTERNUT in the amazing, borrowed, Vita-Mix.

3/25 #33

these are the special eggs for this year. yep, i only made the moth and half the butterfly, but Easter is a production with 5 kids! thanks to tom for his help!!

check out the other eggs from past years!

SOUP OF THE WEEK: what? no soup?? no soup. but we did make an amazing homemade rice pudding, egg casserole, chocolate chai coffee cake, fruit salad, hashbrowns, and my first ever Babka. i snuck a piece off the bottom to give tom a taste, and he said it was just like his grandma! (every wife aspires to be just like her husband's grandmother)

3/18 #32

crocheted purse with hand felted star.
i just plain love it. i purchased a zipper to go inside, attached to a liner, but i'm not sure i want to do that.
i am thrilled that hobby lobby now carries felting needles. i don't think i could ever buy their roving, but i had enough scraps from last year's batch of felted eggs to make the star. i adore felting! i love using the hot and cool water, and the anise soap i bought at womanspirit.
picture coming when i get a chance...
SOUP OF THE WEEK: a broth that no one ate, so i froze it.

3/11 #31

i had this old pair of jeans that i loved, but were too big for me. after re-visiting them for a short time after des was born, i decided to morph them into something else i loved that didn't remind me of fatness...tom suggested a bag.

i really love it, except for the long awkward strap. (will revise eventually) the sewing machine and i got to know each other a bit better, and so i decided to make a couple other sewn bags. i love the crocheted bags because they can stretch and go over the shoulder and have made about 10 of them to use, but also need ones with no give that can be held by hand. (and take less time to make)

a good tip for finding great fabric is to buy IKEAs discounted curtains. i've done this many times in the past, getting enormous pieces of thick material for under $3. (middle pic) the bottom pic is of a bag made from a twill-like IKEA fabric, too coarse for a garment. I love that there's a turkey on it.

the best thing was, tom saw the "turkey bag" and asked where i got it. (yes!) when i proudly told him i made it, he then asked where i got the straps. (YES!!)

SOUP OF THE WEEK: Tracey's Tomato Dill

3/4 #30

posting early. this is a blanket made for a friend's baby boy. i love granny squares, the colour, design, and fabulous way they all have a unique effect both by themselves and as a group put together, but i despise the ends that have to be woven back in. i would love to ask a professional's advice about this. i did an expert job on desmond's (top pic) but within weeks of use they started popping up here and there...

SOUP OF THE WEEK: Gabi's Corn Chowder and a Cream of Onion that I added mushrooms to, then added a ton more to the leftovers, plus some flour and Smoked Gouda to make a great pasta sauce (that the twins still didn't eat.) Hey, if you can't please everyone all the time, at least you can please your husband. With homemade soup.

Someone have a baby--quick! I love granny squares.

2/26 #29

i have some Goddess beads I've been meaning to make into jewelry. i made these, and another of the tiny "venus of willendorf" one for my mom, and then started to think that i would like a collection of Goddess beads to make into a collection of necklaces for myself. then i had this burning desire to get back to enameling, but i cannot due to the present living conditions of my working space.

SOUP OF THE WEEK: Kylene's Chicken Noodle

2/19 #28

apron apron apron, i made it out of fabric...

i just have to accept that i work far too intuitively to sew. or i actually do have some sort of microchip or magnet that makes machines go haywire when i come near. anyhow, i was determined to stop feeling bad about a fabric purchase made a couple of years ago that i never did anything with. however, when i was done and held it up, my husband (who is part machine and speaks the language fluently) laughed and asked if i was going to make a dreidel to go with it. well, my applique skills are poor, so i ended up with a 6 pointed star instead.

sew it is. (such a dork)

SOUP OF THE WEEK: Kelly's Keilbasa and Amy's Pumpkin Mushroom Curry