Nail polish and a handmade feltie Chihuahua. Cool! And Cute!

K is going to a birthday party for a friend tonight.  She wanted to give her friend something cool and something cute.  She chose Magnetic nail polish, which is too cool, and a Chihuahua feltie from "Felties:  How to make 18 cute and fuzzy friends" by Nelly Pailloux, which is too cute and also very cool.





She even has a little bone!







I helped her finish the feltie last night.  She cut it out and put it together, I only got to sew a couple boring seams.  But we talked while we sewed and that is the whole reason I taught K to sew.  And so she could have the awesome power to make her own stuff.  But mostly the mom daughter time.

My Child of the Library.

    I took K to the local library before she could focus.  Before she could stand, I would carry her in and sit her on the floor next to the book bins and she would spent hours flipping through the pages of the picture books.  She asked for her first library card before she was two, as soon as she could form the sentence. She was the teeny tiny girl at the story times that would answer questions, and then ask questions, and then want to check out the book afterwards.  The wonderful children's librarian, the beautiful and brilliant, Ms. P, who still asks about her every time I see her, always talked to K for as long as K wanted to talk.  The library was where she wanted to go the day before school started, and after school everyday she could, and on the day school let out and all summer long.

      Her love of all things Harry Potter started at a party at the library, when she wore her Mandrake costume to her first Harry Potter Party.  She hadn't even read the first book or seen the movies, but all the little Harry's and Hermione's were so excited over her costume they just had to pull her out of her pot and make her scream with glee.  Books, and cookies, and punch, and crafts, and librarians who loved it all.  She was hooked for life.  Since then she has been Ginny, and Anna Beth, and Hermione, and Luna, and Sarah Jane, and a fairy and Katniss, for parties and dances and story times.  My favorite is still the mandrake, all grown up now, in her t shirt and jeans

A few years ago, she saw older kids volunteering, and asked if she could join them.  Ms. J, who had known K for years, looked at her and whispered "How old are you?"  When she heard the answer, which was a few years shy of the 14 minimum, she said "This will be our little secret."  We've spent the last few summers in the library, she volunteering, me playing with sticks and string, keeping an eye.  Good times.

This year, K has been selected to apply for an internship.  You have to be 15 or in 10th to 12th grade, but she has been grandfathered in, due to the librarians at two branches wanting her.  The librarian at one branch said, she would love to have her, but understands the other branch is closer, and gas is not cheap.  The librarian at the closer branch said "She's Mine!"

Tuesday was K's last day of school.  She was home by 12:30 and at the library at 5:50 for volunteer orientation.  At 7pm she started volunteering.  They dove right in to remodeling the teen room, clearing shelves till 8pm and then she was back the next morning at 7am to start painting.  I picked her up at 11am, covered in primer and monster mash green paint and forced her to go to the orthodontist and a piano lesson.  She's back again this morning, reloading shelves and assembling new furniture.

She was assigned a project before school even finished.  The library has created an outdoor reading garden.  There is a bridge and a counting path and a little house and an outdoor story time area and... it is just wonderful.  They are also making a paver hopscotch game.   K was assigned to paint the first block

As soon as she finished she yelled "Run!  Run!  It's the Clergy!!!!"

As we were driving home yesterday, after she had stopped whinging that she had to leave, she said "Mom, I think I want to be a librarian.  Of course they make even less than musicians."  I told her to do what makes her happy.  She smiled.  "Librarian musician!"

Yup, she'll be happy.

Origami = Peace + Tranquility + SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Seriously, origami is the best cure for the blues I have ever found.  Why?  Because it is frustrating and maddening and incomprehensibly confusing, until that point where you figure out you valleyed instead of mountaining, and then it all comes out perfect and adorable, and it is so cute you just can't help being happy.  Kinda like my average day, condensed into 30 minutes, with pretty colored paper.

I made these Bunny Boxes for Easter.







Bad Kitty!

Cute and easy to store.  Just fold them up and slip them in an envelope.  Instructions to make your own origami bunny box can be found here.

Yum!

I made this luscious Apple Dutch Baby for breakfast this weekend.




K added a bit of powdered sugar

Oh yeah, heaven on a plate!

I only make Dutch Babies a couple times a year, they are not health food. But for a birthday or holiday treat, they are unbeatable. You can find the recipe for a plain dutch baby on the Joy of Cooking site.  I found the Apple Dutch Baby recipe in the latest Family Fun Magazine.  I can't find a link to the recipe, but when I do I'll add it.

Yum!

We have crafted. We are ready. Let the 74th Hunger Games Begin!!!

"OK. She's good."

K did an archery demo last night at the library for the Hunger Games Party. She was a bit nervous, first time she's ever done a demo, about 30 kids and parents watching. She was shooting at 20 meters, outside, with a blustery wind.




Her first shot went wide, in the red (8). A girl in the crowd said, "Well, she's not that good."

The next shot hit dead center, 10X.




"OK, she's good."

K didn't even crack a smile, and put the next 4 in the yellow.



Then her Coach got out his compound bow.  10X at 40 meters.  



K whispered to him "Show off." They laughed.

Spring break + gold polymer clay = Mockingjay pin!!!

K's been busy.

Hunger Games! Origami Mockingjay.

I saw something similar on online and thought I'd give it a try.  This fold is very much like a dragon I like to make.  The head and the wings were easily done, but the tail frustrated me for quite some time.  Till I decided to step back, relax, and keep it simple.  It was very simple in the end, just an open and a few folds.

Happy Valentine's Day! Or meh, it's your call.

This is what K wore to school today.



It's a Steampunk Friendship Necklace.  A couple of weeks ago, I just happened to see an Instructable on how to make a Lego heart friendship necklace.  Those little 2x2 couplers are hard to find in anything but grey, but I managed to score some used ones in a few different colors.  K wanted the black heart, she's very into black these days.  And she's big into keys, so we added the key and the lock.  You unlock the lock



And then you undo the jump ring that holds the two necklaces together





You give the side with the key to your "friend"





And you keep the side with the lock.





Much less embarrassing than wearing some stupid gold heart thing.  If you would like one, let me know and I'll put up a listing on etsy.


K didn't give her key to anyone today, she has a terrible cold and is a bit meh about the whole Valentine's thing.  She's giving out these Valentine's by Beth at shimmering and white tonight at an Anti Valentine's Day Party.


  

Happy Valentine's Day!  Or as K would say, meh.

It's a Pen Valentine! Seriously it's a Pen!

It's that time again!  So we thought we would repost our all time favorite Valentine for you to make for all your friends!

A few years, K and her class were suffering from a severe case of Percy Jackson Mania! K's Valentine's were greeted with near hysteria.

If you are similarly afflicted, you can make your own! You will need:

White pens, cause your labels are white.  I found some this year at Target.
Mailing labels, avery 5160
Card stock
Template for backing card
Template for labels
Clear tape

Here is the template for the labels:

Put a label on one side of each pen as shown, kinda high up, so the clear tape won't be over the label.

Here's the template for the card:

Write your name, cut out the four cards, and tape your pen in place. Tada!  You and your friends will have brains full of kelp in no time!

Happy Valentines day!

May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor.

K made this at the library the other night.




The fabulous librarian at the Children's library is helping her teen group get ready for the Hunger Games premiere.  K's already got the bow and arrows, all she need now is the mocking jay pin.  Gold Fimo for the win!!!!

In response to the absolutely shocking lack of holly shaped dishcloths on the interwebs.

During K's Youth Orchestra rehearsal I sit with Mr. Man and a friend of mine, on the floor, in the back, behind the timpani.  Sometimes we are offical chaperones, but most of the time we just sit and listen.

Mr. Man works on his computer, and my friend and I play with sticks and string.  She's completing a cross stitch that she has been working on for a few years, and I spent December crocheting dishcloths for friends.  One day she saw me crocheting one of the wreath dishcloths and she said "Have you ever tried to make a holy leaf dishcloth.  I just love holly."  No, but hey, what a good idea.  I searched the web, couldn't find what I had in mind, quite frankly there is a shocking lack of holly shaped dishcloths.  Loads with holly motifs on a square cloth, but you know, I like cute little things, that look like... well cute little things.  So I decided to design my own.  Took a few tries, but tadaaaaa......  Holly Dishcloth, with a scrubbie berry!



This is actually the second complete one I made, the first was a little longer and thinner.  I'm really rather happy with how it turned out.  I haven't heard if my friend liked it yet, I was wrapped when I gave it too her and we had to run.

I'm very much in a dishcloth mood at the moment.  Toying with the idea of organizing dishcloth swap.  Anyone interested?

Santa brought K six new arrows.

She loved how he delivered them.

Thank you!!!!

I received my two Custom-made Felt Matryoshka Doll Ornaments, made by the ever so talented clumsy_chord, the day before Christmas.  AND THEY ARE BRILLIANT!!!!  #11 and River!  I asked for her to make them traditional, but if you look close, you can see the fandom, and they couldn't be more perfect.  She even added a fez!!!!






The squeeeing was deafening when I opened them Christmas Morning and they are hanging on the tree, to the right of the Plushie Tardis, just above the fez and bow tie, to the left of the Helter Skelter (Not really, what is a Helter Skelter anyway??)





Thank you clumsy_chord!  We love them!!!

Spreading the love!!!

In keeping with our continuing mission to spread the love of all things Harry, we made two young friends Gryffindor scarves for Christmas.






Each scarf took about 2 hours to machine knit on my Bond Fashion Knitter.  I used Red Heart Super saver yarn in Burgundy and gold.  It isn't the softest yarn, but it works very well in the machine.  50 stitches wide, 304 rows long, with 6 inch tassels.  They feel wonderfully thick and are about 60" long, just right for little people who still have to wait a few years to board the Hogwarts Express.

K and I wrapped them in brown paper and strings and covered the packages with Owl post and Madam Malkins stickers.  "Harry" started to bounce as soon as he saw the package.  He wouldn't take his scarf off, even during church that night.  "Hermione" danced around the house and told me about how when they play Hogwarts, sometimes she's Hermione, and sometimes she's Ginny, but sometimes she's herself and that is so much fun!!!!   But they aren't allowed to cast unforgivable curses, cause then they have to go to Azkaban, and that's the basement and that's scary.  She didn't wear hers to church, because it clashed with her dress.

Happy Christmas!

Tardis Pillows have been gifted!!

A tardis pillow fight broke out the moment after I took this picture.  The fez, bow tie and suspenders came out this morning.

Mission Accomplished!!!!

Tardis Pillows!!!!!  

The original Tardis plushie is on the right.  K made the very first for a friend and then made one for herself, I can't remember how long ago.  She's slept with it ever since.  Today, I helped her make 2 more for her New Whovian friends.  Machine stitched, not hand sewn, but we only had a few hours.

The girls are in the living room as I type, emitting high pitched noises.  I guess they're a hit.

Guess WHat We're making!!!

Wanted: Good home for sweet little Angel.

I put this sweet little angel up on ebay last week.

I bought her for K a few years ago, but K was never really into dolls.  I found her the other day, carefully packed in a box, and decided she needed a new home.  She really is soft and cuddly and cute as a bug, I'm sure some little girl or boy would just love her.

If you're interested, you can visit the ebay listing here.

Spiral Christmas Tree Earrings for Grammie

Every year, K and I try to make something special for K's Grannie.   We've made her all kinds of things:  hats, cookies, scarves, pillows, ornaments,... but we think her favorite is always the jewelry we've made her over the years.  She wears it all, and enjoys calling and telling us what she wore where.

This year, we decided to make her some earrings based on a pair we saw at a craft fair here in town.  I bought the supplies, K worked on the prototype, and I helped her make the finished pair.



We used glass beads, and green jewelry wire, which we shaped into a cone by twisting it tightly around a pen.  It was just the right size, and had a rubber grip, very handy.

I'm mailing them today!