A Picture Paints a Thousand Words...

So, sometimes the hard stuff instead of the fun. For some reason, I haven't been in a creative frame of mind recently, though I have been working hard. This time, though, the medium is me! Somehow, the New Year's Resolution seems to be sticking, and I am so much the better for it!

You see, unsurprisingly, somewhere between

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angiunruh/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

and two of these in two years,

I became

Or, as my toddler loves to say- "Look at that CHUBBY BUNNY!!!!"

Sigh.

Perhaps it was all of the

(via http://jeromes.dk)

that I consumed to "keep my energy" up while nursing my little Vikings.

Who knows.

In any case, I found myself in a bad way.

Then, one day, the skies opened up (as did the calender), and I saw THIS little beauty at Modcloth.com:

http://www.modcloth.com/store/ModCloth/Womens/Swimwear/Some+Like+it+Hot+Bathing+Suit

My oh my, look at that gorgeous bit of crepe and wishes.

Six months to swimsuit season, and I would need two firemen and a shoehorn to get into this, not to mention smelling salts when husband sees the $200 price tag.

Trust me, it would NOT be pretty.

But, with new resolve,  a few

via http://smoothieoperator.net

for breakfast,

and a LOT of

This lady is my heroine- and she is right- this stuff is ADDICTIVE!

I am back on track. Minus four pounds in 2 weeks, thank you very much!

Better than that is the ENERGY! I am feeling so much better, which is the point, isn't it?

And only 5 months left. Now about that $200 price tag???

And yet another- Recessionista does the 12 days of Giveaway!

Recessionista, who is featured in the below post for Simply Modern Mom, is also having a giveaway (the 12 days of Giveaway!!! Woo hoo!

Good Luck, and keep rockin' the Holidays!

One more giveaway- from Simply Modern Mom!

I stumbled upon this one late- and I missed out on some great giveaways! There is still time, though- SMM is giving away gifts from such great sites as Recessionista and Liliash. Check out the remaining giveaways here!

A funny song for a moody day.

It is cold and gray here in orange cone land, and I am feeling a bit off today. Not quite cranky, but getting there fast. Some days my little guys just can't resist landing smack dab in the middle of Santa's Naughty List- and believe me, they get a running start.

When I lived at home (and even long after I moved away), my late Dad, who had a rather dry sense of humor, had a sure fine response when one of us had worked ourselves in to an epic snit around the Holidays. He would raise his eyebrows, point his finger to the sky in a "Eureka!" move, and declare (in a truly ironic tone, of course) - "Tis the Season to be Jolly!".  It seldom failed to shortcircuit a bad mood. I use it on my own family now- especially when one of us is particularly cranky. It never fails to make me smile...I miss him.

As I was struggling to keep LTR (aka, Mr. Two), in Time Out this afternoon, I decided to take a moment of "Mommy Time" to have a breather and comb through my "Daily Inspirations" folder. It was a good thing, because it made my day. scrumdilly-do! is a fun crafty kids site that has a million and one awesome ideas, and today it gave me this little gem. You can catch the "professional" version here on her website. I like this one, which is live. Something about the paddy clapping live just made me smile.

Kristin Andreassen & Megan Downes - Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for your Eyes

Here is the URL if you can't get the player to work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Exw7QAqP9Q

Now, off to wrestle LTR into a much needed nap. Tis the Season, you know.

Is it too early to miss my garden?

When we moved to our first house, now 6 years ago, it was late summer, and all I had time to do was note what was in the garden, and plan for the next season. Well, the only thing that grew in my garden the next year was weeds, as Enormodome was born the following May. As time progressed and Little Round Top came around, I found that I had even less time to devote to my little garden. This past summer was the first time that I actually had more than a few moments to work on things, and with my new-found hobby, I found bliss.

Something about working in the soil just calms me down- seeing the new shoots blossom almost before my eyes is quietly thrilling. I cherish my "alone time", even when it is aimless puttering;  I even love the meditative quality of pulling weeds. I don't have a green thumb by nature (no pun intended), and I have killed a great many plants in my time, but I think that I am finally catching on. I used to think that the garden had to be perfect immediately (like so many of my more established neighbors), and I lacked the patience of an experienced gardener. In my haste, I made a great many costly mistakes, and my early lessons were hard earned.

Still, my appreciation of Nature's amazing beauty and variety has grown exponentially, and though I still consider myself a novice, I have come a long way. With my new-found knowledge comes a modicum of patience, and while I still feel the need to sneak out in the early morning and urge my plants to move faster, I know that it will be years before my garden is where I want it to be. I love finding odd objects to nestle in between my favorite plants, and dream of building raised beds with old barn stone. My climbing roses are just starting to take off, and it is so lovely to doze in the sun with the bees buzzing amidst their sweet scent.

It has become harder and harder to put the beds to sleep for the season, and though the Fall is my favorite time of year, I am anxious for the Spring, when I can get my hands back in the soil...

Some wonderful sites- sharing the love (hint hint- Giveaways!!!)

I have been stumbling on to some wonderful sites via my wanderings online. Isn't it funny how we are all becoming so connected? Each time a visit one of my Favorites, I find about 5 more, and before I know it, my Christmas cookies are burnt to a crisp, and my sons have already fought, made up, and are asleep on the couch. So goes it!

Anyway, here are a few that are having wonderful giveaways. I am always finding more, so if I find any more, I will post them. Perhaps they will float soundlessly into the atmosphere, but let it be known that the effort was made!

I just found Fantabulously Frugal this morning- this site rocks already. I am always in the mood to save money, and if you like tips, freebies and giveaways, this gal is flush with them! If I never resurface from combing the archives, you will know where to find me.

This Giveaway happens to be called "You Deserve the Best".  I can't argue with that!

http://www.fantabulouslyfrugal.com/2009/11/you-deserve-best-giveaway.html

Next in line of fabulousness is Raisin Toast, and her companion site Red Easel. "Toast" is a more personal site - an online journal filled with interesting stories and ideas, her personal work, and inspiration. while "Easel" is a blog devotes to Art (Featured Artists, their artwork, supplies and other related subjects).

Back to her giveaways- I am almost tempted to keep these to myself, but she is having a 21 days of Christmas giveaway on both sites. She doesn't have a link button, but you can access them here:

http://raisintoast.typepad.com/

http://www.redeasel.com/

UPDATE: as of Wed, Dec 9, she is no longer doing the giveaways. The sites are still up, though, and there are plenty of other things to see!

Don't worry, though- here is another, from Where Women Create!!!

This site is an amazing tribute to Women Artists of all types- you could spend a week just looking at the archived images. More fabulous? You can buy some of the works, too- some even created especially for them. Droolworthy, to be sure.

The giveaway is just incredible, too- one artist is featured daily, with a beautful item to be given away each day for 12 days straight! Sign me up, baby! Plus, you get an extra entry if you blog and add her button (above). Enter once a day until midnight on the last day.

And----another! Yay!!!

How ama-zing is this? I have two little hellraisers myself, so I would adore this in my collection.  Dawn of The Feathered Nest is giving it away- to celebrate her 1200th post.! The giveaway is for one of these fantastic decorative jars, or a gorgeous French journal. Beautiful...

Finally, there is ARTFUL HOME. This is in all caps for a reason, folks. This site is chock full of wonderful eye candy for home and office- clothing, artwork, furniture, oh my!. There are a number of Professional artists that sell from this site, so you know that there are some truly one of a kind objects and gifts. The glasswork alone is enough to give me palpitations.

They are giving away a stunning glass ornament each day through Dec 18th- you can access it from this link.

https://www.artfulhome.com/

For some reason, the link to the contest breaks on me, but you can click on the link in the lower right hand corner to enter.

More to come, as I find them I will pass them on...

The only Christmas song to make me cry....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/caribb/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

I am an emotional mess sometimes- there are times when I can cry at the drop of a hat- or at the first whiff of an emotionally manipulative or otherwise sentimental TV commercial. Sad music? Surreptitiously wiping my eyes. Babies sleeping? Sniff. Puppies looking sad?  Huddled in the corner bawling.

OK, not so much. But the Silent Night commercial for Pampers always did it to me. Still can't watch it.

Ironically enough, though, when it comes to deliberate displays of earnest sentiment, Christmas music on the whole really doesn't float my boat. Don't know why- maybe it was the stack of 33 records that my dad used to play each day (Firestone collections, Mitch Miller, Vienna Boys Choir, etc) that has desensitized me. I must be in the minority, but I can't stand "Silent Night". I also don't like "Away in a Manger", "Little Drummer Boy" and "Deck the Halls". They need to kick me out of the Christmas Club and call me Scrooge, but they just aren't my thing. Know what else I can't stand? Bloated and overly emotional celebrity Christmas albums. I truly believe that the Devil uses them to make disco balls in Hell (John Denver and the Muppets are just about the only exception). OK, so I am sentimental AND a cynic. There are worse things!

So imagine my surprise when I caught an unfamiliar but haunting song while flipping through the dial one Christmas. It happened to be playing on my very favorite public radio station (WYEP Pittsburgh), or I doubt that I would ever have heard it. I didn't catch the song title, and because they didn't post the playlists at the time, I actually called the station to find out what it was. Then, I ran out and bought the CD on the spot. I traded it the next week (I didn't care for most of the other songs), but I kept a copy of this one because it was the only Christmas song that ever made me want to cry while driving on the parkway. Seriously.

Here are the lyrics, and you can actually hear an alternative version on this link (from getacd.org). I actually prefer the original, from her live album "Child: Music for the Christmas Season".

Jane Siberry- "Are You Burning Little Candle" (original version)

 Are you burning, little Candle?

High upon the Christmas tree
Symbol of a new beginning

Faith and hope and sweet release

remind us

Of the children's faces

full of wonder and surprise

Of the laughter in their voices,

the sweetness in their eyes

When they wake up in the morning

with the feeling in their heart

That there's joy in the air

and they know that they're a part

Shine your light on me, little Candle

Are you shining, little Star?

Shining in the skies above

Lift us up into the heavens

Symbol of the light of love

Are you spinning, little Dreidel?

Spinning tales of long ago

Spinning past the little cradle

Tell us what we used to know

remind us...

Are you watching, little Angel?

High above the Christmas tree

Angels all around the world

Hear us as we pray for peace

remind us...

Are you listening, little pine tree?

Silent midst the glistening snow

Symbol of the forest stillness

Deepest joy that man can know

Are you singing, little Children?

Singing loud and strong and clear

Singing all around the world

Sing it loud so we can hear

Shine your light on me

Little Candle, Little Star,

Little Angel, Little Children

Shine your light on me

 

To me, if ever there were a pure expression of what this Season means to me, it is this song. To me, it is about light, and love, and being a part of the world in a meaningful and hopeful way. It is the innocence of the child (and the Child)- being able to listen to the stillness of silence (whether it be of Nature, or the Silence within), and the blessings of life. I am moved every time I hear it.

My little nose pressed against the glass....

OK, so my nose isn't little. (Thanks, Dad's side of the family), and my nose isn't really pressed against the glass- we have an LCD monitor, and my husband would kill me because I smudged the screen- but you get the idea. Christmas is nearly upon us, I have almost completed my shopping, and, for the sake of my sanity (and my bank account), I doing my best to try bury my head in the sand for the rest of the season- "try" being the operative word.

You see, I love to window shop, and to see lovely things that I could dream of having. I have a house that is pretty nearly bursting at the seams, and the bank account that is the exact opposite, but practicality be damned! There is no harm in looking, is there?

So, I look, and I dream.

Dream about things like this lovely Brandy chair from the Victorian Trading Co.

I love the lines, the scrumptious patterns- the carving....between my two sons and my passive aggressive cats, this poor chair would last a week. Sigh. A cup of strong Earl Grey and a Jane Austen novel, and blessed silence for a moment. Heavenly.

What about these beauties? I do mosaics in glass, tile, and found objects, and I am always looking for my "tessies" (tessera, or the objects being grouted together in the mosaic). I came across these droll worthy lovelies on a wonderful site called Artistica.com. Browse a bit if you love Italian ceramics- their dinnerware is divine.

If the link doesn't work, go to the main site and search under "St. Francis".

These gorgeous creatures are modeled after those found in the St. Francis Church in Deruta, Italy, in 1524. Replicated in the same fashion as the originals, they are handmade and each is one of a kind.

I would love to add some of these to my stash, but, alas, I could probably afford just enough to make a trivet. A very small trivet. It would be one beautiful trivet, though, and I would carry it in my purse so I could accost strangers on the street and show them how lovely it is. Really. That is how beautiful is would be.

And I could quite easily trade in my car for this baby. I just adore drawers, especially little drawers- lots of little drawers filled with treasure. If I ever get around to showing my craft area, you will see what I mean.

Oh my. Just think of all of the things that I could put in those drawers, and the glass knobs? Ohhhh, yeah.

This one is on sale at Painted Porch Country Antiques. Scrumptious.

Well, after spending my son's college funds on my imaginary shopping spree, I am off to climb the wall of laundry that has accumulated in my absence. Maybe I will find a some spare change to put in the old "Wish List" piggy bank! Never hurts to dream, my friends.

An Overdue Thank You!

I meant to write this up last month (I know), but never got around to it. So, a most belated, though completely heartfelt, Thank You! to Dot over at Dabbled.org. She featured the Hammerhead on her latest cluster of Halloween ideas, and was nice enough to devote an entire post to it!

I am very honored to have been included in such great company; she always has a lot of wonderful ideas, and this Halloween was no exception.


I was sorry to disappoint her this year when she asked what I had up my sleeve for this year. My four year old, who has the attention span of, well, a four year old (yes, yes, I wonder where he got it), changed his mind about 100 times before he spotted the Iron Man costume at Target two weeks before Halloween. Since the point of diminishing returns was so close this time, I decided to forgo the sweat and tears and just roll with it. We had a great time, and I finally got to put the garden to bed properly this year.

And Dome had a fun time trick or treating as a Transformer. Sigh.

Overdue, just like my library books.

Once again, I am late in posting, though better late than never, right? I should probably mention that, real life, I am one of those people that is quite easily distracted. Oooh- shiny object! I am much like a cat in that regard, though the fact that I love to eat and then curl up for a nap doesn't help. I have been known to wrestle with with yarn balls once in awhile as well, though I call that needlecraft (the end result is often the same, though).

In any case, what was I talking about? Oh yes, the forgotten blog. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and paid for with overdue library book fines (I must have paid for at least one lane by now). I cherish those stolen moments when I can wholeheartedly "create", but more often than not, the world intervenes. Two small weapons of mass destruction that I call sons, lots of home projects half completed (don't even mention the word "laundry" to me), naps- well, sometimes I just forget. I often wish that I had Dumbledore's magic Pensieve- and a wand to magically capture those wonderful thoughts that come when you don't have a moment to write them down. It always happens- idling at a stop light, making dinner- those last fading moments right before sleep. You know, that magic moment when you review your day and remember all the things that you forgot? I always seem to write my more interesting ideas while drifting off...mmmmm, naptime.

I should get myself a laptop so that I can write in bed. Yeah, and pick up some yarn while I am at it...

On a Roll...

Or, just not having any luck getting my toddler, Little Round Top, to sleep. It is after midnight, and he is still happily chattering at my feet. No crib for me, mama! Poor guy is going to be exhausted tomorrow.

So, no access to projects pics at the moment, so I though that I would give you a glimpse into my tortured artist psyche. OK, into my library account. Better? I absolutely adore my local library- as it supplies me with some of the most wonderful resources imaginable, and at absolutely no cost. Well, until I rack up the fines when I can't bear to give up one of my favorites! My favorite part- if I get a clunker (which happens more that you might think!), I can just return it- no money wasted. Better still, I have a network to request from, and they are delivered right to my local branch - quickly if I am lucky. Can't beat that.

Anyway, here is what I have checked out at the moment. No "War and Peace" for me- at least not with two little mongrels keeping me busy during every waking hour.

The Greatest Hits [sound recording] : Why Try Harder / Fatboy Slim.

We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things [sound recording] / Jason Mraz.

P.S. I Love You [sound recording] : music from the motion picture.

Garden State [sound recording] : music from the motion picture.

Last Night [sound recording] / Moby.

Born-Again Vintage : 25 ways to deconstruct, reinvent + recycle your wardrobe / Bridgett Artise, Jen Karetnick

The New Terrarium : Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature / Tovah Martin and Kindra Clin

Cottage Retreats Decorating Ideas for Every Mood / Lisa Jill Schlang.

The First 30 days : Your Guide to Any Change (and Loving Your Life More) / Ariane de Bonvoisin.

The Closer. The Complete First Season [videorecording] / Warner Bros. Television ; directed by Michael M. Robin ... [et al.]

(The Nest) Home Design Handbook : Simple Ways to Decorate, Organize, and Personalize your Place / Carley Roney and the editors of TheNest.com ; photographs by Ellen Silverman.

Yankee Magazine's Panty hose, Hot peppers, Tea bags, and More--for the Garden : 1,001 ingenious ways to use common household items to control weeds, beat pests, cook compost, solve problems, make tricky jobs easy, and save time / [book editor, Veronica Lorson Fowler].

Easy Compost : the Secret to Great Soil and Spectacular Plants / Beth Hanson, editor.

Shoestring Chic : Extraordinary Style for Less / Gail Abbott ; with special photography by Mark Scott

Where Women Create : Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women / Jo Packham.

Katie Brown Decorates : 5 styles, 10 rooms, 105 projects / Katie Brown ; photographs
by Paul Wichelo

You might say that I am on a decorating kick, but there are a few interesting garden tomes that I picked up today. Now that I know that it will actually be warm tomorrow (woo hoo!), I am going to try to get out into the garden and do some clean up. And, since I lost the eBay auction (woo hoo times two!), I am hoping to set up my "home made" worm composter in the basement, as well. I am debating the bag vs. the storage container- we will take a vote tomorrow.

Happy Living...

And one more, since I forgot!

Speaking of Freecycle, when I am not doing the "Shady Lady*" porch pick up (the safest way, sometimes- and best when I am feeling antisocial), I meet the nicest people. One of them is my junk buddy, who gamely digs through fun discards at the local reclamation/salvage shop (Construction Junction- what's your function?). Another is a wacky gal that lives in a house under a huge oak tree that Washington planted. She has one of the most amazing English Style cottage gardens that I have ever seen. I owe a large chunk of my tiny garden to her.

I met another one this week, too- met a fellow artist (though admittedly one more committed than I) and got some pretty metal lanterns for my porch. She even sent me her blog to peruse. Though I am not into scrapbooking myself (the one that I started for my wedding and honeymoon is still woefully unfinished after 6 years), she has some wonderful eye candy to look at. By happy coincidence, she had a free giveaway, too! Kismet, I say. Since I do most of my surfing late night, I haven't had a chance to take in much more than a few pages, but I have added her to my growing list of "Idea sites that I fully intend to take advantage of once my life settles down and I have time to breathe". The more the merrier!


Happy living to you.

*Shady Lady porch pick up is when I pick up things that people leave for me on their porch. I generally pick up during the day since I am home (both for safety reasons and to minimize the chances of me getting hopeless lost, which happens frequently), but when most people are at work. I sometimes get suspicious looks from unsuspecting neighbors, hence the name, but if they are anything like my own neighbors, they will get used to having strange people slinking around with odd objects. All part of the fun!

Just because I can.

So, I love free stuff. I am a passionate and active Freecycle user, as well as a late night Craigslist "comber". I love to give things away to people that feel the same way- kind of like Christmas without all the emotional angst. When it works, it works, folks, and we all need that kind of love sometimes.

So, when I see a giveaway on one of my favorite new sites (The Pioneer Woman), I jump on it. Given the fact that she has thousands of entries already, I don't stand a Peep's chance in my Easter Basket in winning. It was fun, though, to contemplate a simple question like "What do you plan to do this weekend"?

So, here is my answer. Wish I could say that I was doing something wildly creative, but, unfortunately, my mojo is a bit slow at the moment, and I am feeling sort of self indulgent and soft. So, I will try to find some creative energy and do SOMETHING (as Dot at Dabbled.com is wont to say). We all need it sometimes.

So, here is the entry- wish me luck!

I am going to have a birthday this weekend. Not a major one, but enough of a milestone towards midlife that it gives me pause. I am going to cry in my soup for a minute, then look at my beautiful sons and feel blessed.

Then I am going to head out to a favorite haunt from my old life and get the biggest boba tea (with monster tapioca pearls- hubby calls them "turd" teas), and then off to my favorite bakery (yes, I have one, hence a few more tears in the soup) for a massive cupcake with more frosting than sense.

I wish that I could get into my tiny garden, but, alas, we are getting some sleet and snow tomorrow. Instead, I fully intend to blow my entire nonexistent income on pretty garden things that I can get online. Like the worm composter that I started bidding on before I realized I could make it myself? C'mom folks! Wake up! I need the money- bid up!

The Internet shopping world is like one big window- and I intend to make some serious nose smudges this weekend. I might even add this as a new post on my god forsaken blog- one that I haven't touched in 2 months. There, one birthday resolution done already. Thanks for the nudge.

Happy living to you.

Better late than never...

Christmas is never a dull time around our house, so it has been tough to get back into the swing of things! I did clean and re-organize my workspace, which was clean for a day before I started on a new project. More about that in another post. Before I forgot, I wanted to show you some of my Christmas presents for my brother- they turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself!

Mosaics are actually a recent interest, but I have really taken to it. I actually have a background in painting, so I love to combine the two media in one. I have found creating mosaics with tempered glass to be the most fun- though they can be hell on my hands!

The clock was my first attempt- I got the "blank" at Goodwill and stared at it for a few months before I came up with an idea for it. My brother loves Montana- he has been there several times, and I had a nice sunset picture that I used for my color inspiration. The base was sealed already, so I just painted over it with acrylics.

When it was dry I puzzle-pieced the glass over the paint and grouted it as usual. The piece that I broke had a lot of larger clusters, so I used those first, then filled in the gaps. I liked the look of the grout flowing in "rivers", rather than being more regulated, if that makes sense.


I had the table already- it was a castoff from a store that closed in the mall. My brother went to Notre Dame, and loves the Blue/gold combo, so I sort of started with that in mind this time (being mindful of his other decor, of course). I sealed it and painted the base in the same way that I did the clock- though this time I just squirted the paint and sort of free formed it.

Here is a close up of the actual tabletop:

You might be able to see in a few spots that I ran a blade through the paint in a sort of marbling pattern- it ended up adding a lot of interesting effects under the glass. The gold is just faux gold leaf (it is sort of plastic-y, so it was kind of hard to cut into organic shapes). I just shredded it and through it on randomly at first, then moved it around until I was satisfied.

Just experimentation, really- kind of seeing what I could come up with! I grouted with a deep black, and it really came out dramatic- I had a glass round that fit on top, and it sparkles even more when the light hits it. Wish I had another table like it- I was sad to see it head "home" to Vermont. ;-)

Happy Living to you.

At least the tree looks good...

... though the photographs are not the best. Ah well, maybe Santa will bring me a nice camera for Christmas this year!

So the story goes- we have had the same tree since before we were married. A lovely, vintage model that was older than my husband, and a total pain to put together. The base was gerry-rigged, it swayed precariously unless we spent hours tinkering with the various arms- but it was beautiful when I finally finished trimming it. It was lovely this year, too- for the 15 minutes it was up! It didn't take long this year (after about 5 minutes of pretty creative swearing) to decide that we needed a new tradition. So off hubby goes- and comes back with this giant.

A full 9 feet tall, it just fits against the foyer ceiling. I must admit that I was pretty skeptical about how it would look, but I am warming to it. It is a pain to decorate, though- I might just make him do it next year!

One of the reasons that I love decorating the tree is that there are so many memories that we have collected together.

This year, the kids helped make some cinnamon-applesauce ornaments, and Dome has already made several at pre-school. It is so nice to have them really involved for the first time!

Here is one of my favorites- a ceramic "Cat-Fish". Pull the cord and his head and tail bobs! The "Tumbler" from the Dark Knight series - guess who picked that one out? The Dark Knight himself watches over the tree - perched at the angel topper's feet...

My favorite dinosaur (Ankylosaurus)...

My butterfly- picked up during our anniversary trip this year (husband gamely trouped through three towns in search of antiques (ok, junk!)- what a trouper! The pic is from Dome's first visit to Santa- and the only one pic that we have were he isn't completely hysterical...

I made these cherubs for our wedding- they are just plastic wedding cake decorations with a little bit of rub-on gold wax. A bit of ribbon and they look just lovely. The picture of Gromit (from Wallace and Gromit) just behind is from a set that I made for our first Christmas together.

And, of course- last, but not least! No tree would be complete without a Wobbegong shark- he even blends in with the other decorations. Talented, those Wobbes...

Still working on the hats and scarves (if you can call two bags worth of fleece and notions languishing in the trunk of my car "progress"), and hopefully I will have them done this weekend.

Oh my, December already?

It never fails to amaze me just how time speeds up as I get older. Granted, I am not that old, but every year it just goes faster. I was just finishing up my son's costume, then stuffing myself with turkey (did my first one this year, and it turned out great!), now it is time to finish up my Christmas presents.

I was very much inspired by all of the blogs promoting handmade items this year, but I have yet to work out the details. I love this sweet shawl on Laughing Purple Goldfish designs- I practically begged her to post the pattern, as I am not accomplished enough to try my hand at pattern making, and I just can't make heads or tails of some of the "easy" ones that I found online. I am still a novice, but I suspect that I could pull these off with some concerted effort. A few strands of funky eyelash yarn on the ends and I am in business.

I tried to link to the picture, but it crashed my machine twice. You will just have to use that extra calorie to click on the link- sorry!

This project is also on my radar- I have a lot of small kids to buy/make for, and these are fun and work up fairly quickly. I am thinking that I might modify the design into snow angels for two of the little girls- they are 3, and very girly-girl. The extra angel bling just might make up for the fact that they aren't Hannah Montana! The scarf will absolutely have to be purple, though. It is just a "3" thing. I have boys, so what do I know?

If I match up one of these with the sweet handmade fleece scarves over at Dabbled.com, I just might be the bee's knees this holiday season! Of course, robots will not fly with the girls, so I will have to come up with another motif to match the hats, but I am up for the challenge.

Of course, this color scheme would go great with this hat:



I love the repurposed glove idea- if only I could knit them myself! Ok, maybe not. 22 days and counting!

I also confess that I am totally addicted to surfing the offerings at OnePrettyThing. Definitely not for the faint of heart, these postings- or for the professional procrastinator (AKA, me!). Nice to look at, though. I can dream, I suppose- but if they keep coming up with a million good ideas that I desperately want to make but don't have time for? I just might have to kill them. In a very artistic and "homemade" way, of course!

I'm a driver, I 'm a winner...

Thinks are going to change I can feel it!

Ok, just kidding. I got my "button" from Dabbled for winning the Halloween contest. Woo hoo!

Thanks, Dot! And, I have a little treat coming soon, too! I love treats. I have a feeling that the mailman is going to be sick of me next week.

And finally, the Hammerhead!

So, the shark theme marches on. Last year, a Wobbegong, this year, a Hammerhead. Next year? I almost hope that he wants to be something a little more pedestrian. He was talking about a T-Rex, but he is just a little bit fickle about things like this!

So, without further ado, Hammerhead '08!

Now, if you read my earlier post about the Wobbe, I did pretty much the same thing here- sans pattern, of course! I never learn...

The head has two pieces of very lightweight craft foam, and the body and fins are made of craft felt (we were on a budget this year! Both the front and back had two layers of felt, both for extra reinforcement (especially where the fins were sewn in) and to create a pocket for the head stuffing. The head was secured with a head ring from a batting helmet (as was Wobbe's), but the neck was just a tiny bit too tight, so it didn't sit too well. He ended up wearing it like a hoodie for much of the evening! And, since I made it to a generally large scale again, the whole thing is over 6 feet long from tip to tail. I had to tack it up in the back so that he wouldn't trip.

The gills were hand sewn with black yarn (in a modified embroidery stitch), which also reinforced the arm slits (a happy coincidence!). The scallops on the head were just a single large stitch (from front to back) which was pulled tight to create the shape- a technique that I learned in 7th grade home EC when I made one of those crazy "Stumpkin" pantyhose dolls. Good times!

My biggest problem was with the eyes (I will have to add a picture later, sorry!). I struggled to find a way to make them look right, and it took me several tries (it was also the very last thing to be finished, right before they left for Trick or Treat). I ended up using a large glass gem (a larger version of the glass gems that you might find in a glass vase with flowers), which I covered with felt and painted black. I tacked it onto the head, then added a round "ring" of white felt to accentuate the eye and make it more dimensional (plus it looked really weird without it!). I had tried to use the glass gem itself as the eye, but I couldn't figure out how to attach it and still create some dimension (I was trying to "sink" into a makeshift eye "socket", but it kept popping out!). So, not perfect, but it worked, and they stayed on. Well, almost- we lost one of the rings somewhere in the neighborhood.

On of my favorite things about this one is the mouth-I cut a rounded flap for the hole (the flap itself became the lower jaw), and I added teeth around the top and bottom, and a free moving "tongue". Anatomically, the Hammerhead's mouth is actually in the right spot for the head hole, but it ended up looking more like the shark had swallowed him.

Now, since Little Round Top (my younger son) is just 18 months, he didn't have much of a preference this year. I did have an older giraffe costume from Dome (a craigslist find, I must admit- I wasn't attempting that one!), but since LRT is still a bit unsteady on his feet, it was just a bit too heavy this year.


So, he was another jungle creature, courtesy of Freecycle. He was just too cute not to include.


Happy Belated Halloween everyone!

Time off for good behavior!

Today was the first day in such a long time that I actually had a few hours (the whole day, actually!) to devote to crafty stuff. With all that has been going on, I have been mighty frazzled lately. Hubby took the kids to Ohio to visit his sister, so I got going on some early Christmas presents. I am working on my first tempered glass mosaic- a wooden clock form that I painted first with acrylics. It was a bit tough going- I have never worked with this kind of glass, so it took a lot longer than I expected. Now I just need to clean it up, and off to the grouting table it goes!

I also painted up some resin angels that I had picked up at Goodwill - they had been done up in kitchy gold paint and brassy glitter, and needed some new threads. I wanted to crackle the finish, but it didn't seem to take. The nature of experimentation, I guess! I will finish them sometime before Christmas- the next time I have a moment to myself.

It was cloudy and warm here today (who say global warming is a myth- it was almost 70 degrees out!), and I should have been working to finish up in the garden for the season. Still, the time in my studio was well needed, and I am just going to have to make up the time outside another day. Hopefully this sense of accomplishment and well being will last for the next few days- it promises to be a bumpy week...

The Wobbegong is born!

My husband, who in many ways is cosmically trapped in the world of an 11 year old (in a good way, of course!), loves sharks. One of his favorite books on the subject is from his childhood- Album of Sharks by Tom McGowen, and it quickly became on of my son's favorites, as well. My husband has really been instrumental in instilling a love of books into the boys, and this was one of the first books that my son, whome we lovingly refer to as "Dome", really took to. Every time they read it, Dome would push impatiently through the pages, looking for his favorite picture- the Australian Wobbegong. He would giggle each time, pointing and demanding more information on this crazy creature. So, it wasn't too much of a stretch to decide his costume that year. We decided fairly early, too, and I had mad dreams of creating this awesome costume. I had no earthly idea how, but I was going to do it. So, we were set, and arrived in September fairly complacent. We make plans, God laughs, right? OK, so I the fact that I am a compulsive procrastinator probably doesn't help.

Well, things changed. My dad, who had been in a nursing home for almost 5 years, took a turn for the worse. Two really horrible weeks of intensive care, emotional visits, hospice care, and finally, a passing. September came and went, and October was ushered in with a funeral and all the trappings. A long planned trip to New England followed- a blessing that greatly aided the healing process. When we finally turned around, though, Halloween was less than 2 weeks away, and I had nothing. So, I frantically gathered whatever materials I could, as well as my collective wits, and made this "thing".

I don't remember a lot of the process, now, to be honest. I was, understandably, preoccupied at the time. I had a rough sketch, a pile of scrap fleece, and a simple understanding of machine sewing (most of which I had last done in 10th grade home ec!).

Basically, I had my son lie on the floor, I traced the outline of the general shape around him, and went from there. Because I had the extra fleece, I added an extra layer on the back. I sandwiched some quilt batting to add to the dimensional effect of the "back" of the shark, which also made it a bit warmer (it was cold that year). The fins were just drawn and machine sewn (turned and stuffed like a simple pillow) then either attached via the main seams or attached by hand when needed. My husband, the technical consultant, made sure that they were in a reasonably approximation of the correct spot.

The hardest part of the sewing were the "barbels" (the whiskers on the mouth), but I just drew them freehand, cut, then sewed them in the same manner as the fins. The painting on the back was based on the natural camouflage of the shark itself, with some experimental variations on my part. I cut the holes for the head and arms by hand last, and just hand edged them so that they wouldn't stretch too much. It kept slipping down, though, and although it was relatively lightweight, it still slipped over Dome's face when he tried it on. Inspiration struck when I noticed a plastic form inside his toddler sized batting helmet (hubby likes baseball, too!), and with a few securing stitches, the costume was complete.

Now, had I had some notion of creating any sort of pattern, I would have made it closer to his general size. As it was, however, I did not, and the end result was comically huge! I have to say, though, that laughing about these wonderful creatures (both the costume and the little guy wearing it), helped me immeasurably in those early weeks. I would estimate that it took me about 16 hours total (including all of the ripped seams, consultation and swearing) from start to finish. Dome still wears it occasionally, and in the "off season", it lives on the top bunk in his room. The wonder of the Wobbegong has worn off a bit as his interests have changed, but I hope that he will keep the costume for his own little future shark lover.

This year, Dome went out as a Hammerhead shark- and if I ever get around to it, I will post some pictures! In the meantime, the Wobbe got some good press over on Dabbled.com, and Craft.com (via Dabbled, but thanks for picking it up, Michelle!). I am so excited- I just love both blogs, so it is a real honor. Many thanks to Dot and crew- I am so happy that you liked it. ;-)

http://www.dabbled.org/2008/10/halloween-contest-winners.html

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/10/wobbegong_shark_costume.html