Sunday, June 23, 2013

summertime

I updated the tote/purse I made when a friend wanted one with a zipper.  After I made mine I thought that would have been a nice feature to have, so was glad for the chance to see how to put one in.  You may not be able to tell a whole lot from this, but here it is.  I didn't show the bag itself because it's basically the same as mine. The zipper is the inset part where you see the baseball zipper pull.
I really like the baseball zipper pull.  I looked several places for some kind of baseball charm, and finally at a sports store the fellow suggested Party City.  Of course!  Why didn't I think of that?  Luckily it was just a few doors down, and they had terrific party favors.  The baseballs were actually decorations on a beaded whistle lanyard...so I got 2 baseballs for 99 cents. And a whistle.  Heckuva deal. 

I made a quick trip to Arkansas to see my sister, and had a good time.  I stayed at Petit Jean State Park in a cabin.  Beautiful area with lots of scenic views.  If you're into hiking, there are several trails.  

Coming from the mountain to Sue's, I saw these horses in the field and stopped to take a picture.  You've got to love small communities.  A fellow came by in his truck, and slowed down, lowering the window.  He noticed my out-of-state plates and wanted to make sure I was okay. 

A few weeks ago when I was still watching Elise (I only keep her during the school year), she came across a baby blanket that Sue made for Elizabeth when she was a baby.  She was wagging it around, and decided she wanted it hung on the wall, I guess like she sees my wall hangings.  So we hung it up.  It's held up well after all these years.

Guess that's it for now.  Have a good week!


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

staying busy

I generally make my own purses, and I've been carrying around the same one for quite awhile now.  I've had in mind that I wanted a summery tote in patriotic colors, and I wanted to incorporate some Texas Rangers ribbon that I picked up last year, so I started looking around for some ideas.  The Missouri Star Quilt Company has excellent video tutorials on all kinds of projects, so when I saw this tote made with charm packs, I was immediately drawn to it.  I modified it a bit from their version because I wanted it a tad wider and taller, but the instructions lend themselves to adjustments.  I added an inner pocked, and the closure flap.  I will probably go back and shorten the shoulder straps some but want to live with it a week or two first.  If you go to the link, there may be an ad at the beginning, but I think you can click out of it to skip the ad.

I watch Elise during the school year, but David had to go in Friday for a teacher's day after school was out.  Since Lily was out of school, she came over too.  She brought over some paper with the idea of making a cape type thing for her My Little Pony.  As I watched her doing her cutting and taping, I offered to use her pattern and sew it in fabric.  We agreed that it came out well.
And yes, you'll notice that Elise is dressed as Snow White.  She had the dress on earlier in the week when we went to Target, and got a lot of smiles and comments from the other shoppers.  :)

My intentions for this week (though it may take longer) are to clean up the back planting bed and put in some mulch.  I'm doing it with my typical approach...bit by bit, it will get done.  My plans are to be orderly and do one section at a time before it gets too hot in the day, so yesterday I was out there by 7:00 or so working up a sweat and getting dirt over me from head to toe.  Here's the "before" in one section, and an "after" of what I did yesterday (a different section).  I figure there will be about 7 or 8 sections this size.

In other news, you can now call me Madame Plumber.  I had a problem with the toilet the other day, and in looking inside the tank discovered a plastic bar had broken off of the handle.  I took a picture of the problem, went to Lowe's and found a replacement part, and came back home and replaced the handle mechanism.  I know it's a small thing, but it always feels good to do something yourself and not have to ask for help. 

Before and after

As you can see I've added several pictures this time.  I've been having issues with my laptop with the size of pictures I send from my phone and ipad, and also with the USB ports not working consistently to download from my camera.  I went to Best Buy yesterday, and the guy in their Geek Squad was so helpful.  He tinkered with it a bit, and took care of some needed updates (that I assumed was handled automatically).  This may be a temporary fix, but if this can work it's sure better than the price of a new computer.   Who knows, maybe I'll be able to get back to blogging more consistently!

That's it for now, catch you later.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

boot scootin' tree skirt

I think I've mentioned that back in January I decided to make a Christmas tree skirt for Robert and Angela.  I wanted to have plenty of time to get it finished so they can use it this year.  I'm pleased to say "it's done!"   Also, to give proper credit, that pattern was designed by EvelynB on the HGTV quilting/sewing forum, and she graciously gave her blessing for me to use it.  Thanks Evelyn!

I sent it to be quilted by my friend Ty Sonnamker, and upon its return came the hardest part of the whole project...making the slash into the center and cutting the hole so it  can wrap around a tree.  I was telling myself it sure would make a nice table topper, or maybe even a wall hanging, but I stuck with my original intentions, took a deep breath, and started cutting.  One video I saw on YouTube used a small paper plate (dessert size) for the center hole.  That's what I did, though I think using a CD might have worked out even better.  It finished out at approximately 48"x48".

That's it for now, catch you later...