Tiny Tunnel

Our nephew loves tunnels.  Simply turn two, three, or four chair backs together and throw a blanket over the top.  Hours of entertainment for you and the little ones.

Traditions: Our Day

We have decided to create a set of traditions for Winter Break or the end of the year.  One of which is making a list of negatives from the past year.  These do not have to be regrets.  Some of ours focused on good local shops closing.  One of ours was "moving other people's stuff", which is something we tend to do often.  Another was "stress" because we are working on alleviating some of the stress in our lives.  Four of us roommates participated this year.  Each of us wrote down several negatives, each on their own slip of paper, and put them in a bowl.  Then we each lit a match and set it in the bowl at the same time.  Not only does it symbolize relinquishing our own negatives, but also helping others do the same.

Another piece of our new tradition is saying thank you and sorry to each other for three different things during the past year.  We both found it to be an excellent exercise.

Making Monday: Freezer Paper Magic

 

1.  Take a piece of paper.  Draw a design.  We would suggest something not as complicated as our first one, shown here. 

2.  Trace your design in ink or colored pencil so you will be able to trace the design onto the freezer paper clearly.

3.  Cut a piece of freezer paper slightly larger than your design.  Trace the design onto the matte side of the freezer paper by placing your drawing underneath the freezer paper shiny side down.

4.  Tape the freezer paper to a cutting surface and use a crafting knife to cut out the parts of the design you would like to be inked.

5.  Choose a fabric item to affix the design to.
6.  Using an iron on medium-high heat attach the design, shiny side down, to the fabric.  Hold the iron even and flat to press down across the design a few times first so that none of the edges get folded over by the iron.  Then move the iron back and forth a few times to stick the design completely to the fabric.  We also found placing a piece of paper between the iron and design can help keep the corners from folding over.  This process does not take long at all.  Be sure to keep the iron moving and not burn the fabric.
7.  Attach another piece of freezer paper the size of the design on the other side of the fabric to avoid bleed through.  You can do this before or after you attach the design to the fabric.  We did it before the design because we had to turn the t-shirt inside out in order to attach the protective sheet to the inside.
8.  Use fabric paint to paint within the stencil using a brush by dabbing up and down or pulling the paint from the freezer paper to the fabric to avoid getting paint underneath the edges of the stencil.

9.  Wait for the paint to dry.  Add another coat or two if necessary.  Then peel off the freezer paper using a tweezers for any tough spots.  Peel off the back piece as well.

10.  Use a small brush or toothpick to touch up any problem spots.
11.  Heat set with an iron, wash, and use.

The Library

 

We are big fans of the public library here at our house, right now we have a variety of interesting things:

Edible Gardening for the Midwest: Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Seeds

The Essential Neruda Selected Poems

Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations On Life With John F. Kennedy

The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections

 

Sketchbook Project

Only Monster did the Sketchbook Project this year, and the completed sketchbook will be off in the mail to Brooklyn soon and then go on tour!

 http://www.arthousecoop.com/

Making Monday: Winter Scarf

 

It was time for a new winter scarf, so I pulled some new yarn out of my yarn bin, and whipped this lovely, and warm scarf up. I knit it on size 10.5 US needles out of Trabajos Del Peru, 100% Extra Fine Merino Wool. I made a simple pattern, of knitting the middle length wise and than picking up stitches on the ends to add both length and interest. So far it has been perfect, soft, warm, and pretty!

 

Thankful

We are thankful for good food, homemade gifts, and breaks that we can fill with action.

New Old Jars

With mothers getting rid of things we have been gaining things left and right. This new, for us jars, have just found a home in our pantry holding our bulk goods.

Making Monday: The Basket

I began a very intense adventure of trying to use all the t-shirt material left over from making t-shirt quilts. What had started as a medium bowl/hamper thing to hold projects I was in the middle of or latter in life toys the kids had left on the floor, grew into crocheting a basket to hold blankets next to the couches.

The project has now been completed! It is very unwieldy, and huge, and works quite well. It is really very fun to touch and look at.

1...2...3...Break

This picture was taken at the Franconia Sculpture Park.  It is a very summery picture for me.  Although, I am not really looking for summer and still enjoying winter, it does make me thinking of time off to de-stress.  This last week of school has been filled with many emotional and stressed children.  We all need the upcoming break.  School resumes on January 2nd, 2013.  We will gladly fill these next 11 days with not-work.

Shopping Local

Since Black Friday, we have decided to only buy from local shops and locally made whenever possible.  Check out some of our favorites below.

Here is a list of some great local places
Buy Local Twin Cities

Eateries:
Hop Wong
Pizza Luce
Punch Pizza
Seward Cafe
True Thai
Taco Taxi

Grocery Stores:
Hampden Park Co-op

Shops:
Glad Creations
Yarnery
Articulture
Welna II Hardware

Video Rental:
Filmzilla

Making Monday: Soap

With some boiling water and grated, locally-made soap, we created liquid soap.  Mix a few other things to make laundry soap.  We will let you know how the soaps work.  Check out this site for recipes. 

Handmade Bowls

This is my favorite stack of bowls in the house, everyone of these bowls was made by hand, and everyone of these bowls gets eaten out of.

SNOW!

Yay snow! Hurray for big snow falls! Big smiles playing in the white snow with kids.

Making Monday: Project Tote

I was so inspired by my grocery tote that I modified the tote bag pattern a little to make myself a small project bag to make transporting knitting projects smoother. My great aunt Bertie has been cleaning out her fabrics which has meant amazing things for me. The outside of this bag, is made almost only out of pre-cut squares, she gave me, sewn together to make this patchwork fabric. I used some of the leftover ones to make a small pocket on the inside, which is adorable. Now all I have to do is get knitting.

Paper Boat

Sometimes when I'm bored in a classroom at work I'll make little things out of paper I've found on the floor. And then I'll leave it in my pocket, once things start to pick up. When I come home and switch into pajamas I empty my pocket and re-find small treasures. Usually I will leave them somewhere, and every once in a while they will catch the right light, and make me smile, and live in that moment.

GreatGrandma's Sewing Basket

 

I recently received my great-grandmother's sewing basket, with all of it's treasures and curiosities. I have been having a blast going through it and digging up lace, ribbon, wooden spools, and endless buttons.

Making Monday: Tote Bag

I recently sewed up a grocery tote bag and added a quilt square/circle for some fun decoration. It has been holding up really well. I used the tote bag pattern out of the "One Yard Wonders" book, which was fun knowing that I am supporting other crafty Minneapolis women (one of the authors is co-owner of Crafty Planet). And because I want to use it and show it off I actually remember to bring it into the store with me!