Bobbi's Art

Is color in the eye of the beholder?

2012-01-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

Forgive my absence yesterday. In addition to lots of good movies last week, I also picked up another really nasty chest cold. This is the second time since October that I've been flat out sick. I need to be boosting my immune system!

Your comments on Friday got me really curious about how we see color, so I want to run a little test today.

What color is this?

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What color is this?

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Now what color is this?

This isn't a controlled test, I know, because the lighting today is different from Friday. The top and bottom pictures are the same that I posted Friday. The middle photo, I took today, and tried to get the white balance and everything else as close to the others as possible.

The poncho is a royal blue and lavender. In the comments on Friday everyone kept remarking on the blue and white. So I had my daughter look at the photos and tell me what color they were; she answered correctly. Now, a couple weeks ago, I did tell her that Rowan needed a purple poncho. I had DH look at the photos. He has been within a few feet of me crochet this thing; he said, "blue and white."

I see blue and lavender. Is that just because I know that is what color it is? Did my daughter say lavender because I planted a clue in her a couple weeks ago? Did DH say blue and white because he doesn't pay attention?

Now what color do you see?

Granny Square Goodness

2012-01-27T13:43:00.003-07:00

Karen over at Sew and Sow Life spoke about accountability partners earlier this week. She invited her readers to leave a note in the comments about a task or a project they would be happy to complete by Friday (today). I commented that I wanted to finish my granddaughter's poncho I've been working on. I didn't quite finish, but the day is not over! I still need to add about another inch of border all around, then sew in the fiddly ends, and finally block it. I think a matching headband is in order, too, before I ship it. (oh dear! glad I caught that typo before I hit publish! that's all I'm saying)

I found the granny square pattern in this magazine, and interpreted it into a poncho.

I'm pretty sure I need this skirt! What do you think? In sophisticated colors, I think it could be pulled off. Possibly not by me, but.....

We have another Sundance movie tonight. I'll crochet in the car on the way up to Park City.

Have a great weekend!

Sundance Update and Taking a Breather!

2012-01-25T14:30:00.001-07:00

What a week! We have seen some amazing films this week, several of which are sure to be picked up.

Yesterday morning, we saw 2 Days in New York, the sequel to 2 Days in Paris. Julie Delpy and her cast were there after the screening to talk to us about the film.

What a treat it was to see Chris Rock and other cast members!

Then last night we went up to Ogden and saw a film that made me jump out of my skin, Red Lights, with Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro. It's about the conflict between science and the paranormal, and it takes your mind back and forth. Very good film! I have no pics, and there were no celebrity visits for that one. Tonight we have a documentary about Gypsy Davy.

It's been so much fun seeing all of these films. I am very happy today to have a little quiet time to catch up on my work and things around the house, before heading off to another one!

See you Friday!

Monday Sundance

2012-01-23T16:26:00.001-07:00

You will agree, we must be insane! We were up at 5:30am to get to our 8:30am movie up in Park City! It was very worth it. We saw "For a Good Time, Call", a hilarious film that really looks at the kind of deep relationships that women can build together.
Tomorrow we have another early one in PC, then in the evening we head to Ogden for another. It will be an early bedtime for me tonight!
Here are a few glimpses of our morning:)

I am sorry for the poor picture quality! These are with my phone. Tomorrow I will take a real camera;)

This is a test, only a test

2012-01-21T17:40:00.001-07:00

Sundance has begun, so I am seeing if mobile Blogger is going to work for me. If this works, I'll be posting from park city next week.

Till then......

Valentine Busyness

2012-01-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've been making hearts. Heart brooches to be exact. This is the same upcycled red wool that I use for my cardinals.

I made two little brooches and that quick I became a little addicted to it. But, alas, the bag that has my wool in it is no where to be found! I have completely torn my studio apart, which I was going to do anyway, because I'm redoing the closet again. Oh my it's scary in there right now! The wool wasn't in the basement either, which is where I remember leaving it. Can we say "husband"? Oh well. There is a new thrift store down the street. Maybe I'll find some pink wool to felt! Oh that would be wonderful! Or blue, or green, or .... :)

I finally got some of these guys done. Do you remember these xmas tags I made way back when? I did the same thing, but as Valentines this time around. I accidentally did one upside down. It says OX. Anyone have an OX for a valentine?

And of course I've been crocheting! I made a new heart pattern. Oddly enough, it was harder to work out what I considered the perfect heart shape than these snowflakes I did.

OK, that break was long enough. It's back to that horrendous mess for me. When I'm done, it will be so much easier to work in there! I picked up another shelf unit for the closet, so I can see my supplies better.

Have a great weekend!

2012-01-18T07:50:00.002-07:00

Sign the petition here https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Monday Workspace

2012-01-16T14:45:00.001-07:00

I'm still playing with paper birds.

My need for order is filling my mind with patterns and mandalas.

The inspiration for this pattern came from...

...this wallpaper. I made some alterations.

I keep getting distracted by granny squares on the internet. I decided I just need to make some. I thought a granny-square-a-day project might be fun. It might not be everyday. These are going to be a poncho for my granddaughter. Granny squares are crocheted mandalas.

I've been working on these Valentines a little at a time. They are supposed to be my excuse to play with glitter; I'm just focused on the drawing right now. I'll get these finished in due time.

What is on your workspace?

Happy Friday the Thirteenth

2012-01-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

I had such high hopes for me and my making, my productivity and creating. I was so enthused about my new plan for spending mornings in the studio. Then, SPLAT! I crashed back down to Earth. Then I got back up again.

I can tell that I'm already struggling with the winter blues. I've been monitoring my moods and rhythms. Mondays are good days for me. I start off the week just raring to go, then Tuesday comes. I will often be down on Tuesdays, with much less of the motivation and energy that I have on Mondays. I'm also much better in the mornings, and the more light there is. Late afternoons I start to get blue, and the same with dreary days. Another thing I notice, is I'll have a good day followed by a down day.

My hope is that by monitoring my energy levels I'll be able to go with the flow better, planning my daily activities accordingly. I still intend to start my days in the studio, but I want to go easy on myself if that doesn't work out. And it's not like I ever just sit and watch tv or stare off into space. I always am doing something, maybe just not the thing I planned.

Do you have a fabulous weekend planned? I'm going mattress shopping:) :) :) <----- very happy! Do you have any mattress advice for me?

I'll see you on Monday!

Warning: Excessively Long Post, Musing on Art Making

2012-01-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Focus, Bobbi, focus. My front yard is full of crows and I'm feeling very distracted right now. I did put out some raw hamburger to try to entice them to the porch where I can get a better look. The front door is open to a good view.

I've painted my clothes with gesso, my hands are covered with blue and red paint, and I like it. If you've been reading this blog awhile, you will know that this is a major milestone for me, the one who can't stand dirty hands.

I've been thinking about art making, specifically my art making and what I want to do this year. Last year was all about crocheting. I really did absolutely nothing significant in the way of painting or drawing. I was happy crocheting, really I was; I learned so much and I'll be doing a lot more crocheting this year, but I really do miss drawing. I just want to kick myself when I look through my paints and find all the jars of dried up medium and the hard tubes of dried paint.

I want to find my artistic focus for the year. A lot of it will be about learning, and re-learning. A lot will be about just playing around and allowing myself to do that without feeling bad. I used to art journal a lot. At some point I just started letting that slip away. Over the last couple years I've been admiring the art journals I see on folks' blogs, and I always think, "oh! I want to start doing that again!" and I don't. Today I did. This is very much about just playing with color, texture, shapes, and thoughts and not feeling pressured to make **ART**.

I've also been thinking about how I fit this art making and playing into my days. I was listening to this CraftyPod interview with Lisa Congdon. She was talking about the day-to-day work of being an artist, and said that she schedules her making time for first thing in the mornings, otherwise the more administrative tasks of an art business can seep into your art making time. That is so, so true. I usually do Etsy store related tasks first thing in the morning, just to get them out of the way so I can move on to the making. So often though, some computer issue will come up or I'll get bogged down in photographing and listing products, and pretty soon, my making time has passed and it's time to start making dinner!

So today, I decided to turn my day on it's head and I started out in my studio. It was wonderful! I really didn't want to come out of there. I'm just going to sneak back in as soon as I'm done here. My problem is, I feel like I haven't done anything today. You know what I mean? I'm not giving my art exploration the value and respect that it deserves. I have to work on that one. Any suggestions?

Part of my art exploration is about pushing myself, being true to my own artistic voice, and following that voice. I was thinking today that all I ever draw are birds, and wondering how I could get myself to focus on some other subject matter. Then I picked up an old book and started cutting out pictures of birds. Some things you just have to accept as part of who you are:) Did I not start this post off by talking about birds?

Back to the learning and re-learning. Getting back in the habit of drawing will be re-learning. Another thing I want to re-learn is silverwork. A few years ago, I took a class in small metals. I fell in love with silverwork; I went out and bought lots of equipment, tools, and silver. These are some jewelry pieces I was working on back then. They need some serious polishing! When my daughter and grandbaby came to live with us, I put the silver stuff away, because I didn't want the little sweetheart breathing toxic fumes. That was over three years ago; it's time for me to get it all back out. I'm kind of afraid of the acetylene torch to be honest. Not when I'm using it, but it's been sitting there untouched for a long time. I hope it doesn't blow up when I try to light it! Probably it won't. I'm just looking for excuses, aren't I?

A Little Pampering

2012-01-09T15:01:00.001-07:00

One of my goals for this year is to practice better self care. This includes exercising, eating right, and taking care of my hideous feet! I have the most horrid, frightening feet really. People tell me they're cute, but they just haven't been close enough. I have thick, nasty calluses, and toenails that could seriously use some pink nail polish. Eww! I wonder how many people have clicked away already! Ha ha! I promise not to show any pics of my feet:) But I will give you a super simple recipe for some foot pampering.

Get some plain old everyday epsom salts from the store, and some essential oils. I am using tea tree for its anti-fungal and healing properties; it's a really good one for your feet. Also, I'm putting in peppermint because it smells good and feels good. Lavender would be a nice oil to use. You will also need a bowl, a spoon, and a jar with a lid. A pretty ribbon will come in handy, too.

Pour about two cups of epsom salts in the bowl. Add about 15-20 drops of peppermint oil, depending on how much minty freshness you want on your feet. Then add a goodly amount of tea tree oil. I added about a teaspoon.

Stir it up real well.

Next, scoop the salts into your jar.

Tie a ribbon on, and voilà, a present for you! Add about 1/2 cup of the prepared salts to nice, warm water in a basin. Now go soak your feet and read a book. You deserve it!

More Thoughts on Grace

2012-01-05T13:53:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking more on this idea of grace. Indulge me, please, while I share those thoughts with you and ask you for some of your own.

I believe that bringing this sense of grace into my days will involve some taking away and some adding, getting rid of things that annoy me, and adding things that bring beauty.

One area that will make the most difference is how my time and space are organized. I've been making a list of things I can do to make every day proceed more smoothly.

- at the beginning of the week, make menus and do all the grocery shopping for the week.

- always be sure there is plenty of toilet paper stocked up!

- I have hardwood floors and I run barefoot always. I hate to feel stuff on the floor - dust, cat hair, etc. - touch my feet. My solution is to do a daily run through with the dust mop. My house is small; it takes five minutes.

- when I empty my reusable grocery bags, hang them on the front door

- ok, this one may be a little harsh: get rid of things I don't like. We are told to buy people presents they wouldn't buy for themselves. Well sometimes there is a good reason people wouldn't buy that thing for themselves; it's ugly! Just because someone didn't take the time to think about what your likes and preferences are, doesn't mean you should feel obligated to wear or display that hideous thing. (am I missing the point of grace in this one??)

-don't allow myself to get drawn into negativity. There is a lot of negativity on the internet, and I am a curious cat. Sometimes someone will hint at some terrible thing this other person did, and my curious nature wants to know what happened. That is a big waste of time. It's not about me; I should carry on with trying to be graceful.

There are other things I can do that add beauty and joy to the day.

- make time for reading every day.

- do something kind for my partner each day.

- paint my toenails.

- add good smells to the air. This could be a candle, something yummy in the kitchen, or this tea. It smells heavenly, and oh so comforting:)

- write letters. Reading all of those letters from my grandmother made me want to renew my commitment to snail mail. I kind of slacked off last year and I want to revive that hobby again.

- eat health giving, delicious food (making those menus will make this easier)

- go for a walk.

- place something pretty or funny in unexpected places. I used to keep a rubber lobster in the dishwasher because it made me laugh. I no longer have the lobster or a dishwasher, but I could put something in the medicine cabinet or my husband's sock drawer;)

What things would you add to these lists?

On Finding a Sense of Grace and Being a Dandy

2012-01-04T15:51:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I mentioned my husband's practice of choosing a word that describes some aspect of the new year. In my travels around the internet, I'm finding this is not unique; a lot of people are doing it. It's new to me, not something I've thought of before. The other day though, I was reading this blog post. When I read "...when we live in a mess, we lose our sense of grace" it hit me; that was what I wanted from this new year. That was my word! Grace. I'm not talking about Amazing Grace here; I'm talking about elegance and beauty in my environment, in my manner of being, in my words and thoughts. These are traits I have to cultivate. For me this means approaching each day with respect for the day in front of me and for myself. I can show this respect by keeping my space neat and tidy, and by getting up in the morning and putting on nice clothes even if I'm staying home alone.

It also means learning not to get so irritated when things don't go exactly as I had planned. This is one that's not going well for me today (and many days). I need to find that safe, quiet spot in my head and act and speak from there. Searching for that sense of grace is going to be an ongoing project. I could hand letter a pretty card and post it up where I'll see it daily. Maybe make a few copies;)

Another focus for this new year is to rediscover my sense of self. It's so easy to lose that in the busyness and hub bub of every day. When I was with my mom, we spent hours reading through old letters to my mother from her mother and from others. These were fascinating to me; I felt the letters gave a back story to my life, as they were written when I was quite young and filled in information that I wasn't privy to back then. They told a story of our family and daily life. It was very interesting to me to read mentions of myself as a very young girl. In one letter, my paternal grandmother quoted my grandfather describing me, saying, "she's a dandy!" I want that too! I want to be a dandy this year. I want to give myself permission to reach back in time and be a precocious, curious, dazzled by the world child.

So that is my goal for this 2012, to be a dandy and live my days in grace. Let's all be dandies! What say you?

Tap tap tap...

2012-01-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

...does this thing work? I've been away from this page so long that I almost forgot to come back! I am back though and ready to jump into this new year feet first!

I'm doing my usual New Year thing and nesting. I've realized that I have developed a little tradition all my own. At the end of every December, I head to Anthropologie and buy myself a little present, that I then tuck away until after January 1. It's usually a bowl or some other small thing for the house. When I got home from Iowa, there was an Anthropologie catalog waiting for me. I saw these mugs and had to have them. DH was so sweet as to accompany me to such a girly store, that I got one with his initial too;)

I have of course been pondering the new year and giving in to my need to make lists about it: lists of things to do around the house; lists of new products for my shops; lists of things I want to accomplish this year. Lists make me happy.

DH and I were talking about New Year's resolutions and such. He told me that he always likes to think of a word that he feels will have meaning in the upcoming year. A word came to me while reading the other day. I'll be back tomorrow with more on this. Until then, what are your New Year traditions? Do you make resolutions?

Happy Yule

2011-12-20T20:03:00.001-07:00

In the northern hemisphere this marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. The solstice occurs at 11:30pm cst tonight. Tomorrow the sun will set one minute later than it does today. Bang your drums and light your candles in the morning before the dawn to call back the sun. It works. Really. Try it:)

I wish you all a blessed solstice. As our days get longer, I hope that all our lives are also filled with light and love.

I have a few days left to spend here with my mom, then I'm heading back to Utah. I'm going to take some time off blogging to get reacquainted with my sweetie, take down the Halloween decorations that are still up at home, squeeze my cat, and ponder the new year that awaits us. Have safe and happy holidays, however you celebrate them. I'll see you next year!

Frank Lloyd Wright's Park Inn Hotel

2011-12-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

I took some really crap pictures yesterday of a very beautiful place. I'm going to subject you to them anyway, because it's all I've got.

Mom and I went to visit the historic Park Inn Hotel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

This hotel is an example of Prairie School design. I love this style, with its clean, straight lines. The orderliness of it is soothing to me. It made me homesick for my Craftsman bungalow.

This furniture would look really good in my living room.

I love this phone. I am not a phone talker at all, but I would talk on this phone just because.

Even the bathrooms were pretty:)

Wise words on the wall.

The ballroom.

Orderly rows of windows....

....squares and rectangles in the glass...

...and this fellow watching over all that happens here.

Knitting Discoveries

2011-12-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

There is this problem I come up against very often when I find a new pattern I want to knit. It seems I'm always wanting to knit in the round - socks, gloves, hats, but every pattern calls for just slightly different sizes of needles, and good knitting needles are expensive. This is another reason I like to crochet; I already own almost every size hook! What often happens to me when I find these patterns I want to knit is that I won't have the right size double point needles, and I will have the right circular needle size, but they'll be too long for the small project I'm attempting.

That happened to me again. I brought with me, to Iowa, a skein of yarn to make my granddaughter some leggings. On the way out, I grabbed what I thought would be the right size needle; I was in a hurry to get here, so didn't think this through much. When I started the pattern the other day, I quickly realized this circular needle was waaaay too long for the itsy bitsy leg warmers I was going to knit! The nearest yarn store is about two hours away from here. How on earth was I going to finish these in time for Christmas?!?

Then I remembered something I saw mentioned in the pattern. Magic Loop! Have you heard of this? Does everyone know about this except me?? I Googled it and discovered that it's a technique you can use to knit small projects, in the round, on long circular needles. This means that all of those circular needles I have already purchased can do double duty for more knitting projects! It took me just a little bit to get the hang of it; I kept stretching my side stitches out. I quickly caught on though, and now I'm breezing through:) And... I'd better go finish so I can mail them on Monday! Have a good weekend:)

More Snippets from the Snowy Woods

2011-12-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

Our days here seem to disappear as quickly as they begin. We get up, turn around, and before you know it, it's dark outside again. Even the daylight hours have been a little dark and gloomy.

I ventured outside to stage some product shots. I may have gotten a little distracted:)

There was a train with graffiti.

And a mossy stump.

(buy now)

I finally drew my attention back to what I was out there for:) I've been working out some new crochet patterns for coasters. I love these:) I love the shape and the color. I'm going to make many more; I want yellow and pink and green! Something to brighten up the gloom!

(buy now)

I did these first. I imagine these with delicate white tea cups with a violet pattern. I looked through Mom's cupboards, but didn't find that!

I've started crocheting hearts. I know we haven't even made it through the December holidays yet, but when you're selling you have to plan ahead. That is something I've actually found hard to do, make xmas stuff in July, etc. I really only am in the mood to make seasonal items during that particular season. So I thought what I should do is make things to sell the following year! Except these hearts of course. Love is good all year 'round;)

I see we've come to the end! See you Friday!

Snippets of My Days

2011-12-12T10:39:00.003-07:00

This is the first thing I see every morning when I wake up, the view from the window.

Jack Frost has been painting the windows.

He's been working overtime.

This was hanging from the ceiling in a little mall we ventured into. Or to be more grammatically correct, into which we ventured;)

My sweetie has been missing me:) He's gone so far as to get crafty and do mail art! He's been making these little wooden postcards and sending them to me. I think these have proven confusing to a couple of the hands they've passed through. The one with the 3 hearts arrived in one of those envelopes that say, "we're sorry we damaged your item". There was no damage to it. I think that the postal carrier just didn't know what to do with a piece of wood with a stamp on it, so he/she put it in an envelope to make more sense of it. It took these forever to get to me. The first and third ones that he sent are still floating around out there someplace; I sure do hope they show up one day soon!

How is your week starting out?

Did I mention it was cold?

2011-12-08T14:42:00.001-07:00

It's turned way cold here. This thermometer lies; it was hogging heat from the house.

Still, every now and then, I pile on as many layers as I can and head outside with the camera.

These are the last four of my cardinals until I get home to my supplies. They were so cute in the tree, I was tempted to leave them there.

I learned that fingerless gloves don't work here. I couldn't feel the buttons on my camera to take the picture!

That's a cold bird bath!

I see a book and a snuggly couch calling me. Happy Thursday!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2011-12-05T09:04:00.001-07:00

This is what the world looks like here in north Iowa. I went for a little walk with the camera. Mom thought I was crazy. She's probably right;)

I loved the little spots of color against the white snow.

I was wishing I could find a pretty red cardinal out in this vast whiteness. I've decided to stage my own.

This is how it all started Saturday afternoon.

Photoshop is fun, and helps that red pop!

Playing with ISO on the camera helped capture snowflakes falling.

Mom feeds a bunch of feral cats. Most of them are cute as can be, AND extremely skittish. This one wants to be everybody's best friend!

Those nekkid cherubs look cold. Brrrrr!

I have cardinals to photograph and orders to package. Happy Monday!

Saturday in the Snow

2011-12-03T11:11:00.001-07:00

Already I've gotten behind on my blogging resolve! Ahhh... oh well. I've made several trips to the post office here, sending off Etsy packages. Isn't this a beautiful bank of mail boxes?

I think I may have hinted quite awhile back about a collaboration I'm doing with another Etsy seller, Kimberly, from Embellishing You.

She had this pack of rings ready to mail right when I was leaving Utah. I asked her to mail them here instead. We had quite a scare when a week after they should have been here they still hadn't shown up! Finally they did and I breathed a huge sigh of relief, along with my ooos and ahhhs at how gorgeous these rings turned out!

I crocheted the rings and Kimberly embellished them with lovely Swarovski crystals.

I have tried on every single one, thinking, "oh I want to keep this one for myself!" But I was good and listed them in the shop:)

Except this one. I am still tempted to keep it;)

I've been doing some more crocheting here too.

Brooches have been selling really well, so I'm making more.

It's turning into a winter wonderland outside. I have mixed feelings about that! My brother and sister-in-law are on their way over and I'm not even showered or dressed yet! I'd better get a move on!

Have a great weekend!

Brushing Off the Cobwebs

2011-11-30T09:52:00.001-07:00

I don't think I've been away from my blog for this long since I first started three years ago. It's a cold November here in Iowa.

There have been some sunny days though. This is the sunshine of my life:) My three year old granddaughter.

We had some fun playing in the park.

I couldn't hug and squeeze and kiss this baby enough!

She likes to "make". Takes after her mother and grandmother:) She's gone back home to Texas now:( I hope to see her again very soon.

I'm going to try to get back to a regular Monday Wednesday Friday posting schedule here. I'm still in Iowa though, so I won't make any firm promises. I am hoping to get out with the camera one day soon. There are some beautiful old houses and buildings around here, amazing architecture from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, including some Frank Lloyd Wright designs.

I had better get busy. I hope you are having a good week so far. ttfn!

A Change in Plans

2011-11-16T13:58:00.001-07:00

Because of a family emergency, I will be missing from this page while I travel out of state. I'll be back as soon as I can. In the meanwhile, Happy Thanksgiving to my U.S. readers, and Happy November to all:)

AEDM 15

2011-11-15T14:46:00.001-07:00

I am having a very quiet and undemanding day today, and enjoying it quite a lot! I started preparing some cards to do mini mixed media art. I'm thinking I might make this into a little tutorial. What do you think? Anyway, I sanded.....

and I gessoed, and left to dry. Then I spent my afternoon chatting on Craft Social; have you heard of this? You have to try it. It's so much fun and it gives you a great excuse to sit still and drink tea for a couple hours while you chat on line with other crafters!

So do you want to see what was in my surprise package yesterday?

A goody box from my sweet Lalie! She knows just how to make me squeal with delight:)

Now go see Leah's pretty mermaid:)

AEDM 14 - A Surprise

2011-11-14T15:12:00.001-07:00

My creative space today included some wool and more wool, a big crochet hook and a drop spindle. That is all I can say, because it's top secret. And no guessing! I'll tell you later.

I feel like I'm starting to get into a good rhythm, balancing my to-dos with creating, and making sure that I get some creative playtime in there too. I've been having so much fun playing in my studio these past few days! I have also spent a good amount of time chastising myself for all of the jars of acrylic medium and such that I've discovered dried up, because I ignored them these past months in favor of a crochet hook. That's what happens to paint and people. If they don't get right attention, they dry up and get hard.

Well the mail man just brought me a package! I'm going to go open it now and see what is inside:)

Be sure to click on over to AEDM to see what everyone else is up to!

AEDM 13 - Silent Sunday

2011-11-13T16:52:00.001-07:00

AEDM

AEDM 12 - Hmmm...

2011-11-12T17:50:00.001-07:00

This sure is taking me a long time to finish these birds. It's mainly the drying time in between the other steps. I drew some poinsettias on, making them a little bit festive.

Then I painted some white poinsettias, a little larger, over the others.

Supposedly this was another step. They sort of look like the other photo don't they? There is a little bit more watercolor pencil on top of the paint.

I have discovered a bunch of paint that needs to be used up, and some that has already dried up. Wasting really upsets me, so I am making it my mission to use up a bunch of art supplies this month!

Do you think I might finish these tomorrow?

Pop over to AEDM to see what the others are doing!

AEDM - Less that a flock of birds

2011-11-11T15:46:00.001-07:00

Ok, so it's much less than the flock I imagined I was going to make today. But I have a good excuse! Sasquatch! Yes, it's true! I just heard on the radio that there is an anthropologist giving a lecture on Sasquatch tonight. So I have to throw this up on the internet, brush my teeth, grab my notebook and race down to grab my DH!

I wanted to do these birds in the style of my larger mixed media paintings.

Because the paper is a much more fragile support than the canvas I use for my larger pieces, I decided to skip the sand paper. So I just roughed them up a bit with a scrapy thing.

Then I glued some papers down and added and subtracted more paint. This is where I heard about the talk tonight, so where I had to stop;)

I'll be back tomorrow with more of this.

AEDM - Paper Birds

2011-11-10T17:49:00.001-07:00

I've been toying with the idea of making more paper birds, but wasn't sure. Then today when the two I had in my shop sold within minutes of each other, I decided that, yep, I needed more paper birds in my life.

It was so much fun to pull out my pots of color! I was just giddy and had to rein myself in because I wanted to use every single art supply I had on these little paper birds. Silly me.

I chose just a couple and went to work. My studio has been absolutely unusable for so many months, because it was full of a coral reef. I had forgotten how much joy I get just from being in there. It is my safe haven. Not that I'm not safe in the rest of the house. It's just that in there I can escape from everything and enter this magical realm of creating.

This little birdy needs to dry. Embellishments will come tomorrow, and another flock of birds too!

Click over to AEDM for some more inspiration:)

AEDM 9 - WIP

2011-11-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

Work very in progress. So in progress I haven't started yet. I always do this in the wrong order. I buy the yarn, and then look for a pattern. I'm making a present for someone special, so I can't say much about it yet.

This first week of AEDM hasn't turned out quite like I meant for it to. Of course, it's only Wednesday, so I can turn it around. I have been creating in the kitchen, and creating order in my home and life. Those are good things that have needed to happen. That gluten free pumpkin pie in the oven is important to my well being.

The part I feel is missing is that time I meant to carve out of every day to go play in my studio. I keep pushing it off in order to do other things, like grocery shopping. Now while grocery shopping is important, especially when one's cupboards are as bare as mine have been, I want to make my creative play time as important.

How do you schedule your creative play time? Are you committed to it, or do you let other things get in the way?

See what others are doing at AEDM

AEDM 8 - Create Your World

2011-11-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hee Hee Squeal!

2011-11-08T08:31:00.002-07:00

This is the secret surprise I've been working on. The tutorial is over on Poppytalk today! Pop over and check it out:)

AEDM 7 - Making Friends with Crows

2011-11-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Just this morning, I was thinking that I wanted to start working with some crow imagery again. I was wishing for some good photos to work from, and thinking that I should go hang out at the park with my camera.

Awhile later I heard a ruckus and looked outside to see some visitors had stopped by. I've been trying to get in good with this gang for a long time, but it's like they don't even know I'm alive;) except of course for when they are throwing walnuts at me, which they like to do!

I grabbed the camera and switched out the lenses, so I could get in good and close. This guy was throwing walnuts just a few minutes before this. There is a walnut tree at the neighbor's house; the crows like to hang out there. If I dare to go outside with the camera, they start pelting the house with walnuts.

I grabbed a sweater and cup of coffee, determined to be accepted. I also set out a can of cat food (Rose was not impressed!) and a bunch of sunflower seeds. They allowed me hang out and watch them preen.

After awhile, they decided they had better places to be, something better than the cat food I offered and to which they turned their up their beaks. So I came in and started playing with Photoshop brushes. Photoshop is good for just playing around, because there is nothing to clean up afterwards and if you make a mistake you just delete it.

Click on over to AEDM to see what others are creating:)

AEDM - Silent Sunday

2011-11-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

More Art Every Day Month

AEDM 5 - playing

2011-11-05T21:07:00.000-06:00

When I woke up this morning, there was that pale blue light sneaking around the blinds (yes I slept in) that you know could only be one thing. Yep. Snow. Lots of snow. I decided to go with it, find something that will make me appreciate and accept that winter is here.

I've been in big need of some creative play, so that is what I did this afternoon. I pulled out my paints that, amazingly, weren't dried up, and a bingo card that already had a base color on it. Because when I started, dinner was just about to come out of the oven, I had to work fast. That left no time for questioning and second guessing myself, and wondering if this was crap I was making. You know, those things that take all the fun out of playing. The photo I took turned out to be really blurry! So I decided to play some more with Photoshop. All in all it was fun, and just what I needed.

I've also been making needle felted snowmen lately. Wool snowmen are so much warmer than their icy counterparts!

That's it for my creative day:) See you tomorrow!

AEDM 4? maybe

2011-11-04T12:11:00.000-06:00

Do you ever feel like you are just going to explode from too much to do and going on in your head? That is how I feel right now. I thought that once the reef was up, my life could take a slower pace. Not quite yet. Everything sort of came to a head at once: the reef, first frost and a garden to attend to, green tomatoes, yesterdays photo shoot, another kids' crochet class, all of which I'm very thankful for (except the frost); I just need more hours in my days. I think tomorrow I get to breathe. And process more of yesterday's photos. I'm so happy and giddy with the way they turned out. I'm happy with my new snowflakes too:)

We're moving the kids on to hooks today. We started them out on finger crocheting. I am feeling a bit nervous. It will all be fun though. Oh yeah, I'd better take some more vitamin c before I go; last time I came down with the flu. Kids have germs you know;)

Happy Friday! See you tomorrow!

AEDM 3

2011-11-03T20:32:00.000-06:00

Here I come skating in on the tail end of the third day of AEDM. Today I got to play photographer while my awesomely gorgeous niece modeled my new headbands and necklaces. I was worried about my photography skills, because I normally do better taking pictures of cake than people. Heather is such a natural in front of the camera though, there was little room for me to mess up:) I can't wait to get all the photos processed and get my new line listed in the shop. Look for some new items there tomorrow!

AEDM Day 2

2011-11-02T16:48:00.000-06:00

I didn't get my studio clean yesterday. Instead, I spent the afternoon trying to figure out Google Adwords. I thought I'd try some new marketing plans for the shop. So, no painting has happened yet.

I did manage to put up 5 quarts of these lacto fermented pickled tomatoes a la Myrnie. I've already sent her several emails asking about the process; I'm about to send another. I love trying new things like this, but then I worry so much about poisoning my husband! I kind of like him and want to keep him around.

The beautiful yellows and greens in these jars are inspiring a painting in me. I haven't touched my oil paints since before we moved in here two years ago. They're likely dried up, but I have really been wanting to get them out. I think these pickled tomatoes would make a lovely still life. I love the way that bay leaf stands out against the tomatoes. Looking at how the turmeric stained my counters, dish towel and my fingernails, I'm also thinking about painting with it!

I still have lots more green tomatoes to use up. I have made a few jars of green tomato jalapeño jam, that I haven't tasted yet. Last night I made spicy green tomato soup. Ummm, yeah. That one didn't do it for me. Between the heat from the one very hot jalapeño I put in there and the natural pucker power of the green tomatoes, it was a bit much. DH on the other hand was in heaven. Pucker and spice - his favorite things! (that's why he likes me so much!)

Do you have any other green tomato recipes that you like?

Here is a sneak peak at one other thing I've been working on today. I'm putting together a new tutorial, but it's a secret, so I can't show you yet. It's something I've wanted to do for a long long time;)

I'd better get back at it. What creative things are you doing today?

Praying Mantis Wisdom

2011-11-01T14:14:00.002-06:00

Warning: you are about to enter a long and rambling post!

Several weeks ago, I was working in the garden when I almost stepped on this lady. In exchange for saving her life (read: not stepping on her) I made her pose for a photo session. She wasn't overly pleased.

Since that day, I have continually come across praying mantis imagery on the internet. So I asked myself, "what is this? why am I seeing praying mantis everywhere? is there a message for me here?" Now you may think that seeing messages from the Universe is a little woo woo, but think of this: our subconscious minds often are aware of things that our busy conscious minds are not. Sometimes our subconscious needs to send us a message and in a way that will make us pay attention. I believe that this can happen with symbolism. My subconscious said, "hey look at the all the praying mantis!" Now these guys may have been all around before, but I didn't notice until my subconscious pointed them out.

Praying Mantis wisdom tells us to sit quiet and be aware of our surroundings. The praying mantis stays very still and waits until she is absolutely positive before she makes the choice to pounce. She is very patient.

This message comes to me at a very appropriate time (of course it does; my subconscious knows what I need). This is a time of year where I tend to turn inward anyway; the days get short and dark and I hole up to think about my life. A year ago, I was just hatching the idea of bringing a crochet reef here to SLC. Since the beginning of 2011, I have been completely immersed in that project and in a deeper exploration of crochet in general. The reef finally came to fruition, and opened Friday night. (I promised you pics; they are here!) I feel a sense of accomplishment that it really happened, amazement that a year has passed and the exhibit is up! and relief that this portion of the project has come to a close.

Now it's time for me to sit quiet and think about what I want to do next. I have some choices to make, and like the praying mantis I need to be certain before I make decisions. Art Every Day Month starts today too; I've decided to participate again this year, because this is the perfect tool for creative exploration. I wasn't sure that I would have the time, but I need to make the time and use this as an opportunity to think about my next move. I am not going to promise to post every single one of the thirty days which hath November, but I am going to try. I may just post a photo some days.

I want to use this time to maybe do something other than crochet;) Although, I really have become an addict and can't stray too far from hook and thread. I do want to do some artsy play though! I want to mix up color and cut out paper and glue it. And!!! It's glitter season! You know how I love to play with glitter:)

I have to start Art Every Day Month by cleaning up my studio, so I can find my paints and glitter. All of the coral pieces are now over at the exhibit, but the floor is still carpeted in yarn. And so, I am off to do just that:)

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-31T10:36:00.002-06:00

I made it through last week, and the reef opening was a success. As soon as I free up some space on my hard drive, I'll upload the photos so I can share them with you. I have a couple of days of serious computer housecleaning to do!

The weather report says today is supposed to be 63 degrees, then tomorrow will be winter, so Rose and I are heading outside to see how much sun we can soak up and how much work we can get done!

Have a happy Hallowe'en! I'll see you Wednesday:)

**Edit** I changed my mind. I'll be back tomorrow, because I am committing to do Art Every Day Month again this year. If you want some great creative inspiration, and to meet some wonderful bloggy friends, then pop over to Creative Every Day and join in the fun!

Let's Go On a Mountain Drive

2011-10-26T12:55:00.000-06:00

I've found myself, lately, to be in absolute despair over the idea of winter coming. My heart was breaking every time I looked out at my finished garden, and it was the end of October and I hadn't yet been to the mountains for some leaf gazing. I realized that the mountain drive through the autumn color is a ritual for me that helps ease me through the transition. Autumn is my favorite season. I've been so busy (and sick for two weeks!) that I almost missed my favorite month! So Saturday DH and I jumped in the car and headed for the Mt. Nebo Loop.

We started out in Payson, where they are very into Hallowe'en! Almost every house we drove past had elaborate and spooky decor on the front lawn and porches.

Most of the reds had already passed, but we got to see some.

We started seeing way too many guys in orange and hearing the sound of gun shot. Too late I realized I had dressed all in brown for deer season.

When I wasn't worrying about being shot, I enjoyed the color. I am mesmerized by this yellow against the blue sky!

The air was clean, the sun shining; it was a gorgeous day.

We saw birds. I don't know what this fellow is. Any idea?

We saw horses.

"Darlin' darlin' darlin' walk a while with me." What's that song? Guesses?

DH tried valiantly to catch a shot of the fish jumping. There were so many!

We sat for awhile and just enjoyed the lake.

You've heard of tree huggers? Well, I appear to be a tree sniffer. There was an incredible aroma in the air and I was trying to discover its origin. I do believe it was this tree. I have no idea what the tree was.

Thanks for coming along on this tour with me. If you want to see more pics (many more!) pop on over to my Flickr page!

2011-10-25T09:55:00.001-06:00

I've been busy busy busy, crocheting coral and sewing bioherms! Pop over here to see the progress of the Lake Bonneville Crochet Reef.

Happy Friday!

2011-10-21T11:03:00.001-06:00

Just popping in real quick to say, "Hey! Look at this!" My goodies are being featured in Poppytalk Handmade's Indie Love Market. Here is a sampling of some of this market's featured artists. Be sure to pop on over to Poppytalk and see what's there:)

Vintage Goodness

2011-10-17T16:20:00.000-06:00

I was self soothing last week, in an attempt to make the flu go away. Buying vintage goodies online does that, right?!? Yep, I bought myself a present. I saw these lovelies in KitchenTableVintage on Etsy, and I had to have them. Boy was I surprised when they arrived today already! Who's coming over for coffee?

I'm going to take a little bloggy break this week while I work on constructing the reef. I'll be back next week with some quick updates on progress. Wish me luck and you have a fabulous week!

Please don't say I told you so

2011-10-14T10:50:00.002-06:00

Conversation last week:

DH: "You don't want to get a flu shot?"
Me: "Nah, I don't need a flu shot. I never get the flu!"

Conversation this week:

DH: "I really think the flu shot helps."
Me: "Cough cough whimper."

On My Workspace

2011-10-12T15:16:00.001-06:00

I've been busy busy busy stocking my shop for the upcoming holidays! Here are some things I'm working on.

A new wool brooch.

A pretty little headband that would be perfect for a bride or her bridesmaids.

Some little snowmen. Their hats are in a pan of boiling water, fulling away:)

Some owls. Is he cute or what? Every time I look at him, I just want to squeal! I've named him Edmund. That is his as-yet-unformed brother in the background.

This will be a linen necklace.

A pretty silk necklace.

Another necklace. This is a different silk, sort of tweedy.

I'm felting some bowls. They are wonky, I know, but wonky with a purpose I promise;) While crocheting, I made very random increases and decreases, going for a more sculptural effect. I also have a bowl in the kitchen boiling right now. I really should go check on that. Burnt wool is not a pleasant thing, I would imagine. Anyway, I'm adding some unexpected decorative elements to the bowls.

And of course I have to make a turkey! As I was working on these crochet corals, I couldn't help thinking they would make great turkey feathers! So yeah I'm doing a mini version.

I'd better go check on that boiling wool before I have a mess on my hands (and stove). See you Friday!

Monday Confessions

2011-10-10T15:58:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make. I am a terrible housekeeper. As much as a dirty, unkempt house drives me crazy, I am still terrible at it.

These windows here, I just cleaned the outside of them for the first time since we moved here two years ago. It's amazing how much light comes in now! Just think how nice this would have been had I gotten it done in May or even June when the rain finally stopped!

Cleaning the windows is one more thing that was on my end of summer to-do list. This weekend as we huddled in front of the fire, trying to stay warm, I mourned the vanished summer and the poor prognosis for getting through my list. It warmed back up enough today to get out there and get some work done. I still have more windows to clean and the rest of that list. My tomato plants are covered with big green tomatoes that I am trying to talk into ripening in the next two days. I do hope it happens.

How is your week looking?

The Continuing Saga of Crazy Crochet Coral

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

I just can't leave this experiment alone. I was going to try recreating the whole thing over, then Elizabeth from Things Bright suggested that I just weave more wool through this one, and try felting it again. I thought, "that is brilliant!" Then I thought, "I'll just use roving!" So this is what it looked like before washing. When I saw this, I kinda liked it, and almost stopped there, but then my experiment would be unfinished. So in the washer it went!

First with a load of dish towels, then a load of bath towels! Ha ha! Kill two birds with one stone and all that. It still didn't felt up as much as I'd hoped. When crocheting the roving in, I did pull it up slightly, but not too much, because that was cheating.

I do like how it turned out though. The roving is pretty stiff and the rest is soft and floppy. It has a nice presence to it. I'm itching to do some more with the roving now. I think I'll be making some bioherms. I'd better order more roving:)

Have a very fabulous weekend! And stop by Things Bright for lots of luscious crochet work!

Summer's End To-Do List

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Summer went by in the blink of an eye. (I'm a poet:) I have a huge list of things I meant to do, things I still need or want to do before it gets cold. I thought maybe that putting my list here for the world to see might help hold me accountable, and therefor improve the possibility that they get done!

I've been wanting to make some wind chimes with these items, and do a tutorial.

I have a couple of these chairs that I scored for free, back when SLC had spring clean up day. I want to wash them up, paint the wood, and even use some fabric paint to paint flowers on the canvas.

I've been meaning to make a crow feeder out of this broom handle and old sign for a long time now. There are more and more crows in the neighborhood and I want to attract them to my yard.

I want to take some rust killer and spray paint to these garden tchotchkes.

I'm still working on my secret garden. This back corner STILL needs to be cleaned up.

I need to prune back those crazy ornamental grasses in the back, and underneath all that overgrowth there is a peony (a tiny peony!) and a dianthus that I need to dig up and transplant someplace else.

I want to make a compost pile back in the corner behind the rhubarb where nobody can see it.

Oh! Look what I found out there! I have some canning to do. Maybe today.

There are things that just didn't get done in time and ongoing things that I am late on. This wooden thingy has three pots that sit in it. I meant to plant them with some kind of trailing plant, petunias or nasturtiums. Didn't happen. The birds really want me to fill the bird feeder. I need to go to the bird food store.

I'm sure there are many more things that should be on my list, but this is enough to start. What is on your to-do list to finish before the cold comes?

An Autumn Trip to the Farmers Market

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Saturday, we made a morning visit to the Downtown Farmers Market. It always surprises me that in October the traffic there usually slows down, but autumn is when the most bountiful harvest arrives!

I love strolling along on a cool fall morning with my camera in hand, just observing.

Pumpkins do make me happy:)

There are all kinds of things there that I can't eat.

Oh! But so many that I can!

Happy farmers make for happy eaters:) This handsome fella had the most gorgeous zinnias and basil.

And this happy guy was "tempting, not sampling" he said, the most delicious peaches. I have a weakness for summer peaches, and Utah has the best I've tasted. My freezer is full of peaches now; my fridge is full, and I bought more on Saturday, because I couldn't resist.

We listened to some lovely folk music by the Folka Dots, a marvelous group.

How was your weekend? I'd love to hear about your autumn adventures:)

Crochet Spider Web Pattern

2011-09-30T15:12:00.002-06:00

Spooky Crochet Spider Web

Some notes first: sc = single crochet; dc = double crochet; ch = chain
Picot = ch 3, then slip stitch in stitch immediately below.

Ch 5; join with slip stitch to form loop. Ch 1; do 9 sc in loop. Do not join.
1st round: (sc in next sc, ch1) 8 times, sc in next sc, ch2.
2nd round: (sc in next sc, ch2) 8 times; sc in next sc ch3.
3rd round: (dc in next sc; ch3) twice; (dc in next sc ch4) 7 times
4th round: dc in next dc, ch4, ( dc in next dc, ch5) twice, (dc in next dc, ch 6)twice, (dc in next dc, ch 5) twice, (dc in next dc, ch6) twice.
5th round: 1 tr in next dc, ch6, 1 tr in next dc, ch 7, 1 tr in next dc, ch 7, 1 tr in next dc, ch8, 1 tr in next dc, ch8, 1 tr in next dc, ch 9, 1 tr in next dc, ch7, 1 tr in next dc, ch8, 1 tr in next dc, ch 7.
6th round: 1 tr in next tr, picot, 7ch, 1 tr in next tr, picot, ch 8,1 tr in next tr, picot, ch 8, 1 tr in next tr picot, ch 9, 1 tr in next tr, picot ch10, 1 tr in next tr picot ch10, 1 tr in next tr, picot ch 10, 1 tr in next tr, picot ch 11, 1 tr in next tr, picot ch 11. Slip stitch in base of first tr. Cut thread and finish off by sewing in thread end. Attach thread to any picot; chain 40. Slip stitch in 10th ch from hook. Ch 1; 20 sc in loop. Slip stitch to first sc. Cut thread and finish off.

On those last few rows, the number of chain stitches between your dc and tr can vary according to your needs. Your own tension will determine how many stitches you need to get a shape that will lie flat and the spokes radiating from the center point straight out and don't pull in one direction or another. So where I say "ch 9" you might need to chain 8 or 10. Just fiddle with it. Lay it out flat every now and again to see if it's working right.

Now you need to pin it. Yes, I did forget to make the hanging chain:) Place a pin in each picot, starting at the top and placing pins in opposite picots, pulling tight.

Now spray the heck out of it with some starch!

After it dries, it should look like this. Oh wait! Mine has a spider on it! Ok, go to this site for instructions to make your own spider:) Eewwww! It gives me the willies just looking at this! I need to hurry and make it go away!

I hope you enjoy this little pattern. I find that writing crochet patterns is so much easier than knitting patterns. That's probably because I understand crochet better than knitting. If you would like some basic crochet instructions, the Lion Brand Yarn site is a wealth of information. You do have to sign up to access their patterns, but they don't spam you. Spam sucks.

I hope you have a very fantabulous weekend:) I'll see you on Monday!

More Crazy Crochet

2011-09-28T14:41:00.001-06:00

Remember my crazy dream coral that I was trying to recreate in waking life? Well, things didn't turn out like I'd planned. ha ha!

So in the dream, I crocheted the middle with acrylic, then a band of wool, then another band of acrylic. In the dream, when I then put the thing in the hot washing machine, the wool part felted up real tight and pulled the fabric up to look like this:

Yeah. That didn't happen. It looks the same:)

Except the wool band is fuzzier.

What I learned. I remembered that the wool may have already been pre-felted a little because of an earlier act of stupidity that I won't get into. Also, I think the wool band should have been several rows wider. I'll try again someday. Not today. Today I'm trying to figure out how to split into three or more clones of me so I can get all my work done around the house that has been neglected, attend to my shops so I can have a good holiday season and provide good service to my customers, build a crochet reef that's going to open on October 28th, and teach more classes of kids to crochet! Be sure to pop over here to see more pics of those delightful kids we taught on Monday! I'm going to go slice plums:)

Crocheting with Kids

2011-09-26T16:36:00.000-06:00

I spent the afternoon crocheting with this amazingly brilliant group of fourth graders up in Ogden. I'm just a little wiped out now, so I'll leave you with some pics and I'll be back Wednesday to tell you more about it:)

Messages from the Universe and Some Crafty Fun

2011-09-23T14:43:00.000-06:00

What a week this has been. I've been exaggeratedly stressing out over my reef project. Yesterday, just when I thought things were balancing out and I could relax a little... and I mean no more than 5 minutes had passed.... suddenly this horrible cacophony of *music* came blasting from the neighbor's house. They got a drum set. Oh joy.

Rose the six-toed-cat was NOT pleased either. Actually, she was kind of funny to watch, but her actions reflected my feelings exactly. She was running around, trying to find a place to escape from the noise.

I fell into bed last night, exhausted, and went straight into a dead sleep. Until....a bright flash of light! My instantaneous thought was, "lightening", but no, it was followed by a series of loud, very loud, explosions and more flashes. Kids shooting off roman candles in front of the house. In the middle of the night! I couldn't sleep after that.

So this morning I decided I wasn't going to expect too much of myself today. Decided it was time to let go a little of the expectations I'm putting on myself. I thought I'd go do some mindless grocery shopping. Coming home, I created quite an amusing scene. I had to laugh at myself, at the incongruity. I was driving along, windows open, and blasting Hare Krishna so sooth my soul. There was a bus in front of me that kept stopping. I would get irritated because there was too much traffic to go around, then redirect my focus to the music to calm myself. Then I would miss my chance to get around the bus when the traffic went by. So this kept happening at every corner. Finally, just a block from my house, the bus stopped again, and I start cussing loudly at myself for not having gone around the damn bus to begin with. Then I had to laugh at the whole thing, Hare Krishna and cussing. Two opposing factors! When I got home, I got out of the car and this heart stone was there. I'm carrying it with me today to remember to be love.

A highpoint of the week was when my friend Setenay came over for a crafty play date. We made autumn swags to decorate our porches. I love having a friend to craft with:) Just to sit and play with paint and glue, chatting away, sipping our coffee. It's good stuff.

We painted these wooden leaf and acorn shapes, then attached them to the ribbon with craft wire. We added buttons and real acorns. It looks so lovely on my front porch:)

I think I'll spend my afternoon catching up on some blog reading, and sipping more coffee. You have a great, relaxing and quiet weekend. I'll see you on Monday!

Pumpkins and a Pattern

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I get these ideas in my head that just work at me until I give in to them. They'll start with a color or a texture, then evolve into something more substantial. That's how it was with these pumpkins. I started thinking about nubby, burnt orange wool, the color of autumn. The wool soon became a pumpkin. Then there was no helping me; I was off to the yarn store.

Now I must give you fair warning. I have never written a knitting pattern prior to this, so if there are mistakes or it doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll try to explain it better. I will use standard abbreviations and terms. So, if I can read my writing, I'll give you the pattern now! This is for the pumpkin just above. I used 4 double pointed, size 8 needles, and Malabrigo worsted wool in Rhodesian 123. The stem I did on size 4 double points, and used Malabrigo worsted in Lettuce 37.

For the pumpkin, using your main color, cast on 9 stitches, evenly spaced over 3 needles. Place a marker at the beginning stitch of first round.
Round 1: Knit in front and back (kfb) of each stitch. 18 stitches
Round 2: *slip (sl) 1, k2; repeat from * around.
Round 3: *k1, kfb 2; repeat from * around. 30 stitches
Round 4: *sl1, k4; repeat from * around
Round 5: *k1, kfb 4; repeat from * around. 54 stitches
Round 6: *sl 1 k8; repeat from * around
Round 7: *k1(kfb k1) 4 times; repeat from * around. 78 stitches
Round 8: *s1 k12; repeat from * around
Round 9: *k1 (k2 kfb) 4 times; repeat from * around. 102 stitches
Round 10: *s1 k16; repeat from * around
Round 11: knit all stitches
Round 12: *s1 k16; repeat from * around
Round 13: *k1 k2tog k12 k2tog; repeat from * around
Round 14: *s1 k14; repeat from * around
Round 15: *k1 k2tog k10 k2tog; repeat from * around
Round 16: *s1 k12; repeat from * around
Round 17: *k1 k2tog k3 k2tog k3 k2tog; repeat from * around
Round 18: *s1 k9; repeat from * around
Round 19: *k1 k2tog k2 k2tog k1 k2tog; repeat from * around

Before continuing, lightly stuff the pumpkin with stuffing of choice. I used wool roving.

Round 20: * s1 k6; repeat from * around.
Round 21: *k1 (k2tog) 3 times; repeat from * around
Round 22: *s1 k3; repeat from * around
Round 23: *k1 k2tog k2 k2tog k1; repeat from * around
Round 24: * s1 k2; repeat from * around
Round 25: *k1 k2tog; repeat from * around
Round 26: k2tog around

Cut thread (with at least a 5 inch tail) and pull through all remaining stitches. Pull up to tighten, then use a crewel needle to sew in the thread end.

Stem:
With green and smaller needles, cast on 6 stitches over 3 needles
Round 1: knit all stitches
Round 2: *kfb k1; repeat from * around
Round 3: knit all stitches
Round 4: *k1 kfb k1; repeat from * around
Round 5: knit all stitches
Round 6: knit all stitches
Round 7: bind off knitwise

Using green yarn, stitch stem to pumpkin.
*****EDIT****** Thank you to Emimintz for finding a typo! Round 13 had an 8 in front of the K1 that should have been an *. I'm going to knit through this again today to see if I can find any more mistakes:)

I hope you like this pumpkin pattern! Feel free to make as many as you want for yourself or to share with your friends. Now I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but please do not make these and sell them on Etsy.

Coming soon! A spider web crochet pattern! OOooooo! Spooky!

A Hungry Child Can't Wait: Ask 5 for 5

2011-09-19T08:02:00.000-06:00

Guest Blogger: Sarah Lenssen from #Ask5for5

Family photos by Mike Fiechtner Photography

Thank you Bobbi and nearly 150 other bloggers from around the world for allowing me to share a story with you today, during Social Media Week.

A hungry child in East Africa can't wait. Her hunger consumes her while we decide if we'll respond and save her life. In Somalia, children are stumbling along for days, even weeks, on dangerous roads and with empty stomachs in search of food and water. Their crops failed for the third year in a row. All their animals died. They lost everything. Thousands are dying along the road before they find help in refugee camps.

At my house, when my three children are hungry, they wait minutes for food, maybe an hour if dinner is approaching. Children affected by the food crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia aren't so lucky. Did you know that the worst drought in 60 years is ravaging whole countries right now, as you read this? Famine, a term not used lightly, has been declared in Somalia. This is the world's first famine in 20 years.12.4 million people are in need of emergency assistance and over 29,000 children have died in the last three months alone. A child is dying every 5 minutes. It it estimated that 750,000 people could die before this famine is over. Take a moment and let that settle in.

The media plays a major role in disasters. They have the power to draw the attention of society to respond--or not. Unfortunately, this horrific disaster has become merely a footnote in most national media outlets. News of the U.S. national debt squabble and the latest celebrity's baby bump dominate headlines. That is why I am thrilled that nearly 150 bloggers from all over the world are joining together today to use the power of social media to make their own headlines; to share the urgent need of the almost forgotten with their blog readers. Humans have the capacity to care deeply for those who are suffering, but in a situation like this when the numbers are too huge to grasp and the people so far away, we often feel like the little we can do will be a drop in the ocean, and don't do anything at all.

When news of the famine first hit the news in late July, I selfishly avoided it. I didn't want to read about it or hear about it because I knew I would feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable. I wanted to protect myself. I knew I would need to do something if I knew what was really happening. You see, this food crisis is personal. I have a 4-year-old son and a 1 yr-old daughter who were adopted from Ethiopia and born in regions now affected by the drought. If my children still lived in their home villages, they would be two of the 12.4 million. My children: extremely hungry and malnourished? Gulp. I think any one of us would do anything we could for our hungry child. But would you do something for another mother's hungry child?

My friend and World Vision staffer, Jon Warren, was recently in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya--the largest refugee camp in the world with over 400,000 people. He told me the story of Isnino Siyat, 22, a mother who walked for 10 days and nights with her husband, 1 yr-old-baby, Suleiman, and 4 yr.-old son Adan Hussein, fleeing the drought in Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, she built the family a shelter with borrowed materials while carrying her baby on her back. Even her dress is borrowed. As she sat in the shelter on her second night in camp she told Jon, "I left because of hunger. It is a very horrible drought which finished both our livestock and our farm." The family lost their 5 cows and 10 goats one by one over 3 months, as grazing lands dried up. "We don't have enough food now...our food is finished. I am really worried about the future of my children and myself if the situation continues."

Will you help a child like Baby Suleiman? Ask5for5 is a dream built upon the belief that you will.

That something I knew I would need to do became a campaign called #Ask5for5 to raise awareness and funds for famine and drought victims. The concept is simple, give $5 and ask five of your friends to give $5, and then they each ask five of their friends to give $5 and so on--in nine generations of 5x5x5...we could raise $2.4 Million! In one month, over 750 people have donated over $25,000! I set up a fundraiser at See Your Impact and 100% of the funds will go to World Vision, an organization that has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for decades and will continue long after this famine has ended. Donations can multiply up to 5 times in impact by government grants to
help provide emergency food, clean water, agricultural support,
healthcare, and other vital assistance to children and families suffering in the Horn.

I need you to help me save lives. It's so so simple; here's what you need to do:

Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)
Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.
Share #Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter!

I'm looking for another 100 bloggers to share this post on their blogs throughout Social Media Week. Email me at ask5for5@gmail.com if you're interested in participating this week.

A hungry child doesn't wait. She doesn't wait for us to finish the other things on our to-do list, or get to it next month when we might have a little more money to give. She doesn't wait for us to decide if she's important enough to deserve a response. She will only wait as long as her weakened little body will hold on...please respond now and help save her life. Ask 5 for 5.

Thank you on behalf of all of those who will be helped--you are saving lives and changing history.

p.s. Please don't move on to the next website before you donate and email your friends right now. It only takes 5 minutes and just $5, and if you're life is busy like mine, you probably won't get back to it later. Let's not be a generation that ignores hundreds of thousands of starving people, instead let's leave a legacy of compassion. You have the opportunity to save a life today!

******************
Thank you, Sarah! I'm off now to donate my $5 and to email my friends and family. I hope you lovely souls will too:)

Crazy Crochet

2011-09-16T15:08:00.000-06:00

I haven't gotten as far on my crazy dream crochet project as I'd hoped for today. The blue and red sections of this are plain old acrylic yarn, and the purple is wool. I'm going to keep going with the red for about.....oh I don't know..... three or four more rounds or double crochet, then I'll add a loopy edging for the last round. So what do you think will happen when I throw it in the hot washer? I am prepared for it to come out really wonky. That's ok. It's all about dreaming and learning:)

Here is another project I'm working on, just to do something different from crocheting! I got this idea the other day that I needed to knit pumpkins. I'll be back next week with more on that. I'm going to try to work out a pattern for you.

I have tomatoes processing in the canner, and am looking forward to unplugging for a little bit this weekend. There is a lovely rain starting. It feels so good right now. Sometimes the rain feels like it's washing away stress and worries. Today I'm struggling with issues of artists' egos and where ego fits in a community art project. Maybe I'll go stand in the rain and let it wash all that away:)

Have a lovely weekend. I'll see you Monday:)

Ooh ooh! Looky here!

2011-09-16T13:19:00.004-06:00

I'm playing at treasuries! Be a sweetie and go click around here and leave a comment if you would. I'll be back in about an hour with a crochet update:)

It's Wednesday and I'm Crocheting!

2011-09-14T10:42:00.000-06:00

It's mid-September and my deadline for getting all the coral together for our Lake Bonneville Crochet Reef is fast approaching! I'm crocheting even more than usual. Whenever my hands aren't occupied with typing or the very rare household chores getting done now, there is a crochet hook in my hand. I carry it in the car with me even - when DH is driving! Up there are a couple of pieces I did this week. I don't know what kind of creature they are, purely imaginary:)

Our community crocheters keep giving me bags of various coral, kelp, and sea creatures that they've made. My studio is starting to fill up, which is exciting!

Some of the pieces they make are so darn cute they make me squeal!

The night before last, I crocheted in my sleep all night. I was creating a regular piece of brain coral, where I used acrylic yarn for several rounds, then switched and crocheted a band of wool. Then I switched back to acrylic, and finally threw it in the hot washing machine to felt the wool part. This is how I dream sometimes! I wake up exhausted! So, yesterday I had to sit here and work through this with my conscious mind; you know how sometimes things make perfect sense in your dream, but not so much once you're awake. I have an idea now of what it's going to look like once that band of wool shrinks up, so I have to try it! I'll let you know how that comes out!

I do think that once this exhibit is up, I am going to take (try to take!) two weeks off from doing any kind of fiddly work with my hands. Shall we take bets on how long that will last? Yeah, I can't sit still without something for my hands to do.

Alright, back to work! I'll try to have my funky dream piece done by Friday. See ya then!

Monday Musings

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

There are certain times of the year when I stop to think about time going by and what I've accomplished, what I've failed to accomplish, and what I hope to accomplish. At the turn of the new year I really do that, but this time of year I tend to also. As the days start cooling off and the night comes earlier, I start turning inward and pondering my life.

Right now I'm being wistful about the passing of the summer and thinking of the many things I meant to do but didn't do. I didn't do much hanging out with the bees in the garden this year. Partly because their favorite bush is now hiding behind some huge tomato plants, and partly because I haven't taken the time to just stand in the backyard and watch bees.

I never got this done. It was supposed to be a bunting to pretty up my patio. I haven't had nearly as many meals out there as I had intended. All winter I dream of eating dinner al fresco, then summer comes and in my rush I throw the plates on the dining room table instead.

One good thing I've been doing is reading this book. It's about the author's journey to find more happiness in her life. It's broken down by months, and each month has a theme. I'm on July now, and even though I haven't gotten to the worksheets (I think there are worksheets) or read the blog, I am finding more happiness. One of the things Rubin talks about in the book, and I don't remember what month, is figuring out what activities really make us happy. She has put comments from her blog in there and one in particular really resonated with me. The commenter said she figured out that although she can do anything she wants, she can't do everything she wants. That is something I really struggle with.

In my attempts to do everything I want, I fall down the slippery slope of trying to multitask. That combined with the fact that I have the attention span of a first grader with ADD whose mother feeds her Pop Tarts and Dr. Pepper for breakfast, my attempts to do two things at once end up with me just screwing up two things at once. And it usually ends up costing me money.

I am also trying to find time stealers that get in the way of me doing more of the things that I really want to do. One of those is the internet. I have certain tasks that I need to do each day. If I did those tasks in a systematic way, and set a time limit, then it would be ok. But no, I get sucked down the rabbit hole and into Pinterest and Facebook and Twitter.

So as I muse about time and accomplishments, I'm figuring out what it is I really really really want to do most, and I'm figuring out how to make time to stand outside with bees, because that is something that does bring me happiness. Another happiness bringer is spending time with friends, so today I have a play date with a friend down in Orem. I expect we're going to find lots of shenanigans to get up to. I'm hoping for it;)

I hope you find lots of happiness and fun shenanigans today too! See you Wednesday.

More Idaho

2011-09-09T14:49:00.000-06:00

It's Friday again already! Can you believe it? I am frantically trying to finish up my work today, so I can have a play-filled weekend. What are your plans for the weekend?

I want to share with you a few more images of my trip last weekend.

This was at the lodge where we stayed.

There was a tiny island in the middle of this stream, and a bridge that went out to it. The island was just big enough for this grand tree and a swing to sit in and enjoy the surroundings. I loved being soothed to sleep with the sound of the rushing water.

On the Hagerman Fossil Bed loop, we came across this Great Blue Heron and several of his friends.

DH took this pic. He did a good job, don't you think? I love the way he captured the butterfly coming in for a landing:)

Enjoy your weekend!

Tweet tweet

2011-09-07T11:32:00.000-06:00

Do you use twitter? I've been trying now for about a year I guess. It's been hard for me to get into, but I think I'm getting it now. I've found a few people I enjoy interacting with, and I remember to tweet things I find, strange thoughts, pictures of my cat, and to re-tweet other people's interesting content. I read everything I can find about using Twitter for your business. Sister Diane did a really great workshop on social media marketing; you can watch the video here. The main points I hear over and over are that you are supposed to tell your story, interact with others, and share interesting content.

That's sort of the problem there - interesting content. I probably have about 200-300 tweets a day come through my stream from people I'm following. About 5 of those tweets are interesting content. The rest are advertising products and services. Now I admit that I do send out tweets when I put something new in the shop, or when my product is in a pretty treasury. And I belong to an Etsy team where one of the tasks is to tweet other people's product. I really do try to limit that though, because I don't want to be spammy. I know that I don't click on those spammy tweets coming through my stream. I groan and scroll past them trying to find something good to read, something I could respond to and engage in a conversation.

I am using Hootsuite now, to try to filter everything into categories. People who tweet something other than spam go into a list of "people who have something to say". That is not to say that the people in that list never promote themselves; they do, but they also say things that make me spit my coffee out laughing, or post links to interesting articles.

I'm curious about your thoughts on Twitter. If you use it, how do you go about finding interesting people to talk to? Do you use Twitter to promote your business and how do you walk that line between too much promotion and just the right amount? Do you say funny things that will make me laugh or things that will make me stop and think? Do you interact with other tweeters? If you do, please follow me @Bobbi_Jean, so I can have someone to talk to too. And if you don't use Twitter, please sign up and say funny things to make me spit my coffee out;)

Road Trip

2011-09-05T14:43:00.000-06:00

At about noon on Friday, as DH and I were headed north toward Idaho, I thought, "oops!" I forgot to write my blog post! I know I don't have to post every Monday Wednesday and Friday, but it's a deal I made with myself and I do like to keep it.

Oh but I also like to go on road trips with DH! I had never been to Idaho and he grew up there. He had talked about the falls and different places, but in my mind it was still all potatoes. Then he showed me this! Shoshone Falls. Incredible! I wish there was some way in the picture or my words I could express to you the mist on my face, the birds swooping through the water.....

....the rainbows. Can you see it there? It's a double.

Then we went to Dierkes Lake. The water really was that green.

As a kid, DH tells me he used to jump off these rocks into the water. I really wanted to take a dip in that pool myself, but alas, no bathing suit and I wasn't goin' skinny dippin' in broad daylight!

It was fun watching these three boys playing king of the raft. Notice the splash. That's the third boy;)

DH had made reservations at Billingsley Creek Lodge. He reserved the Hemingway cottage, where the author is rumored to have stayed when he went on fishing trips.

The highlight of my trip:)

Hope is everywhere:)

An osprey at Hagerman Wildlife Refuge.

The Perrine Bridge crossing the Snake River.

We headed back to Twin Falls to gas up and have some dinner before we took off. Driving past the park, we saw that there was a Portuguese festival going on. So we decided to stop and watch for awhile. DH started cracking up at me, saying that I am the only one he knows that would be pointing my camera up in the air while all of the dancing and music was going on around me. I know of at least two other people who would have been doing the same; so there!

I loved these old men. The one on the right must have felt me watching him. I was quite a ways off, but he kept turning around and looking.

I was mesmerized by the evening light; when the sun is low in the sky, the light pours over the land like thick honey. As we drove south, away from our getaway, it was fitting to see this light again as the sun was going down.

I took 412 photos of this trip! And had to choose just a few to show you. I told DH that it's like thinning seedlings; every tiny plant is a potential big plant! It feels the same with the photos.

I hope you are having a beautiful Monday, and a fun Labor Day weekend if you are celebrating that. See you Wednesday!

My Make Believe Wedding

2011-08-31T16:36:00.000-06:00

Remember I mentioned that I wanted to start marketing my crochet work to the weddings sector? I can't just tell brides that my garlands would look great at their weddings, I have to show them. So, I've been planning this special photo shoot for weeks.

I got up early yesterday morning with it all planned out. I had already baked cupcakes, with gluten, but I didn't even taste a morsel! And you know what? I was completely ok with that. I made my coffee and then got to work frosting those cupcakes ( I did taste the frosting;)).

I ironed the tablecloth and wrapped some "presents".

I frosted the cake. It's an oatmeal box! Pretty tricky, huh?

I arranged everything just so.

I really had fun doing this!

I had a LOT of helpers! I don't blame them; that Italian meringue was really yummy!

After the "wedding" was over, we had a party! Actually, I really felt like I should have invited some people over! All that effort to set this up, it seemed like I should be entertaining.

I've been spending a lot of time looking at wedding blogs. They are all so pretty. DH and I didn't have a wedding; that's a story for another post. I was completely ok with not having a wedding then, but looking at the blogs at all the handmade weddings, makes me kind of want the prettiness of it. I just might have to plan a really pretty fancy handmade party:)

Ok, now somebody tell me what to make for dinner tonight. Or better yet, bring it to me!

Gluten Free Baking and Gluten Free Crafting

2011-08-29T16:18:00.000-06:00

I love Monday mornings! I wake up feeling so jazzed and ready to go, my mind full of ideas and plans. And then suddenly it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon and there is so much more that I want to do and so much more that I need to do. Tuesday and the rest of those days just don't start out quite as well as Monday.

Here is a little of what I've been up to:

This actually happened Saturday. One of my favorite things about summer is ratatouille; the other is this pie. I dream about it. I crave it. I had been waiting for my tomatoes to ripen so I could make it. And then that doctor came along with her "NO GLUTEN!!" Ok, she didn't say it like that. She gave me a choice, and I think I made a good one. I decided to make the pie (cobbler, whatever) using this recipe for gluten free crust.

When I made it, I had forgotten that this pie is supposed to sit (like most pies) until it cools and sets up completely. We were hungry and we ate it hot out of the oven. The crust had really good flavor, but the texture was different than regular wheat flour crust. It wasn't bad, just a little mealy. The recipe calls for shortening and butter; I just used butter. I left out the sugar, and I put in gruyere like in Martha's cobbler.

Yesterday, I took the pie out of the fridge and let it come to room temp before lunch. It was much better. All of it, even the crust. There was still just the slightest bit of mealiness. I think next time I try the crust, I'll put it in the fridge for a day, before baking, and see if it makes a difference.

So today, I've been busy busy busy! I made this over the weekend too. Today I hung it up and photographed it for the shop. We've discussed my feelings about spiders before. I don't know why I am still doing this to myself. I keep seeing this out of the corner of my eye and jumping.

This little owl swag has a more calming effect on me;)

I'm finding myself kind of ready for fall. I don't want it to get cold yet, just cool off enough so I can open my windows again.

Apparently I just can't help myself!

I have a whole pile of stuff I need to go list in my shop now, spider webs, owls, more brooches. I hope you are having a good Monday, and if you are on the east coast, I'm still thinking dry thoughts for you;) See you Wednesday!

2011-08-26T14:09:00.000-06:00

As I start to type, I'm suddenly hit with the strongest feeling of déjà vu. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with just about a year ago, I was writing about the garden while listening to the weather talk about Hurricane Earl. I hope all you east coast folks stay safe. I can't believe that they're evacuating New York. That is a big storm coming.

It's been quite a week. Not the week I had planned. I had lots of projects planned, an extra special photo shoot for my Etsy shop, errands to run, and crafty projects. Instead, I've had a nasty cold all week. At least I think it's a cold; it could be allergies, because there is a lot of nasty stuff in the air here. I've just never had allergies knock me out like this, so I'm calling it a cold.

It finally got HOT here. Not that I was wanting that. I liked the weather we were having. But really, one or two weeks of unbearably hot weather a year is nothing to complain about. This photo of a turk's turban squash is screaming at me to get my oil paints out and paint it.

I've really tried to give myself permission to just rest this week, but it's so hard. Especially when I see dishes that need washing or a floor that needs swept, and knowing I have pictures I need to take for the shop. That's a constant. Every new thing I make needs to be photographed, plus I'm forever re-doing my photos, trying to make them better. These owls have been a struggle for me, trying to find just the right composition and lighting. I have a whole big pile of them waiting for embellishments and to be listed.

I have a custom crochet order to work on, so I think I'll spend my afternoon doing that and watching the weather channel. Is that weird? I love watching weather; it fascinates me.

Have a great weekend, and those of you on the east coast, take care!

Bonus Post. Because I got a bonus in the post!

2011-08-25T12:05:00.002-06:00

Which came first, the egg or the nest? Tee hee!

And now it's on a chain around my neck to remind me that my favorite thing of all is to nest:)

Thank you Myrnie! I love it!

Crochet Weekly

2011-08-24T15:31:00.003-06:00

Ha ha! I'm pretending to be a crochet magazine from the 50s:) It occurred to me that I should start styling my photo shoots like the ones in the magazines.

Like this lovely!

Or this. Look at what the red arrow is pointing at. You don't see that anymore! And you won't see it at my house either. Hmmm.... oh maybe I could put a martini in the photo!

Sorry, no 50s styling today. Instead you get Aleister, wearing my new hippy headband. I'm branching out from garlands and working on more jewelry and other fashion accessories.

I refrained from putting the bridal headband on Aleister. It just seemed wrong;) As you can see, I'm still working on this one. I've been thinking, and getting lots of suggestions, that I should market my crochet work towards the bridal market. So I've decided to do just that! I've been looking at wedding blogs and getting all kinds of inspiration! You can find lots of good ideas for decorating even non-wedding themed events.

I'm super excited about a new collaboration I'm working on with Kimberly Dotts of Embellishing You, an Etsy team member. We're making rings. I'm crocheting them, then I will send them to her to embellish with crystals. Kim makes beautiful hair accessories and jewelry; check them out in her shop. These rings are our first trial. Oops! There goes the mailman. I guess I'll send them out tomorrow.

Thanks for all the great support, links and advice on the no gluten thing. I am happy to report that I have been gluten-free for six days now! There was a moment in the grocery store today when I was looking at a loaf of bread and thinking, "I'll never have that again", when I thought that, no, I just need to re-frame that thought. Isn't never eating bread better than having to think, "I'll never feel good again"? I am looking forward to my joints moving better and having more energy. It's exciting really:)

I'm off to crochet some more! See you Friday!

Change in Lifestyle

2011-08-22T12:45:00.000-06:00

Apparently I have joined the ranks of the gluten-free. Against my will and not by choice. Well, I guess it was a choice, because I got to choose between being sick and being healthy. I saw a new doctor last week and was very impressed with her. She spent OVER an hour sitting and talking with me! She explained things to me about my personal health issues that no other doctor ever has.

I've struggled with hypothyroidism for over 12 years now. What no doctor has ever told me is that the type of thyroid disease I have is called Hashimoto's and is triggered by gluten, or that by cutting gluten out of my diet means I could reduce my thyroid medication over time. Neither the wheat industry or the pharmaceutical companies want that to happen! This doctor looked at the lab report from my previous doctor and gave me this information. And then she said no more bread. :(

I can't say I was surprised. As much as I've wanted to believe that the whole gluten-free thing was another fad, that was probably just me in denial. I've had no energy for millions of years now (I never exaggerate!) and my joints have been so stiff and sore. Crocheting has been hard. My fingers hurt. Double :( If I have to choose between bread and crocheting, guess which one I'm choosing!

What am I going to do with these? Have I mentioned how much I love to bake?

There is so much to learn yet. One thing I've learned, and am still researching, is that wheat and dairy products have morphine-like compounds, and that is why we get addicted to them. I'm wondering if the knock-me-down cold I've had since Saturday is related to my not eating any wheat since Thursday. My blood pressure is normally in the zombie range, yet in the doctor's office on Thursday, when she took my blood pressure it was borderline hypertension range! Was that a result of having a frantic morning, or was it because she told me I had to give up bread? Kind of funny, I think. Of course I'm wondering, "does this mean I can never have a piece of bread or pastry again, forever?" Certainly not for a very long time.

So, do you have any good gluten-free recipes or websites? Have you made the transition, and how did you navigate it? I'd love to hear from you:)

Eating Local

2011-08-19T15:12:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the bounty of gorgeous produce coming out of my garden and available at the farmers market. I am determined to be more prepared for winter this year. I've been putting bag after bag of chard, apricots, green beans, cherries, raspberries, and blueberries in the freezer.

Putting food back for winter makes me feel so paleolithic:) I love the intense connection I feel to the cycle of nature, to time, and to life itself. For our paleolithic ancestors, preparing for winter was a matter of life and death. I know that at any time I could go to the grocery store and grab a head of lettuce, so the experience is not the same. I choose not to do that though, and it's got me thinking. The thoughts are all kind of jumbled in here, so I hope I can express myself coherently.

The idea of eating local and in season is very important to me. Now, if I put those eggplants and peppers in the freezer and eat them in January, I won't be eating in season, but I think my freezer uses a lot less energy than the semi truck hauling the head of lettuce from California in January. Our Paleolithic ancestors didn't have canning machines or a deep freeze, depending on how close they were to a glacier! They had dried meat and root vegetables, but no cherries or peaches. The thought of really truly eating in season all year, sounds just awful, but it would be better for the environment than running my freezer. What do you think about that? Could you do it? Do you know anyone who sticks to such a diet?

While we're talking about food storage methods, I'm trying a new recipe for pickled pepperoncini. These are fermented pickles instead of the heat processed kind. You can find the recipe here. I've been reading about this method of preserving and it's really interesting. Kind of scary because of the fear that has been pounded into us about bacteria. I stop and check out my jar of peppers everyday. It has another week to go, then we'll see what they taste like. Wish me luck!

This has been a crazy, busy Friday. I am looking forward to a lazy weekend. How about you? What are your plans?

Autumn Leaves DIY

2011-08-17T14:50:00.001-06:00

I know that some of you may be in denial as I mostly am, but it's mid-August and autumn is right around the corner. And you know what that means! I have to make something that involves leaves!

Click on through to get the full tutorial to make your own autumn leaves:)

First, assemble your supplies. You will need some fabric; I used some old shirts that DH was getting rid of. You'll also need some cardboard or heavy card stock, scissors, florist wire, wire snips, spray adhesive, fabric pen, and a marker. Oh! and a real leaf to use as a stencil.

I really like to make do with what I have on hand, so if you don't have a fabric pen, use a regular one. If you don't have florist wire, steal the twist tie from the bread, and blame it on your husband or the cat.

You could free hand the leaf pattern or trace your real leaf onto the cardboard and then cut it out.

Cut out a couple squares of fabric, the same size, and trace your leaf onto the top piece.

Cut a piece of wire the length of the leaf, plus more for the stem.

Now go outside and spray the inside of both pieces of fabric with the adhesive. If you don't have adhesive or don't want to use it because it gets your hands sticky, then you can use fusible interfacing, and just iron it in the middle of the two pieces of fabric. I really prefer this method, but my interfacing was one sided, and I had to sew the other leaf on. It did keep my hands from getting sticky, so this one was a difficult choice for me:)

Now stick your stem in between the two layers of fabric.

Put the two sides together very carefully, and press down all over to seal it.

Cut your leaf out.

Now take a thin strip of the fabric and wrap the wire with it. You could spray the fabric strip with more adhesive and then it would just stick together as you wrap it, but then you'd get your fingers sticky. Are you starting to get a feel for how much I don't like sticky fingers? Yep. I just wrapped it around, then ran some tacking stitches up and down the stem. Tack it to the leaf really well also.

It'll look like this.

Next, you can add some veins with embroider thread. And if you want a little extra bling, put some beads on. Is it bad form to change your background color 3/4 of the way through your blog post? Not to mention the leaf morphed into something else!

Ta da! Autumn leaves to hang wherever you wish!

If you really want some leaves for yourself, but don't want to make them, you can find these in my shop:)

Happy crafting! I'll see you Friday:)

Blissful Summer

2011-08-15T13:40:00.002-06:00

This has been the most luscious summer, partly because it took so very long to finally get here, and so is more appreciated. Also because, since June when it finally stopped raining every day, the weather has been amazing. We have had barely a day over 90 degrees. Weather.com says that it was 98 here on Saturday, but I never noticed that and I was in and out all day. Living in the mountain desert has its advantages in that the nights are cool. We're able to cool the house off significantly at night just using a fan and open windows. It stays pleasant in here until the afternoon when, most days, I will shut the windows and turn on the AC until time for bed.

The garden beds are looking good. I think we'll eat these two Juanne Flames for dinner tonight!

The echinacea is stunning.

I love finding little visitors:)

My secret garden is looking better and better! I have a couple of second hand patio chairs that I'm hoping to re-do soon and put out here. Ahhh, we'll see. The summer is slipping past. That pumpkin you see following the paving stones, doesn't have a single female blossom on it that I can find. It needs to hurry up! Any idea how to induce a squash to produce female flowers? I had this same problem last year with a zucchini plant.

These are Black Hungarian hot peppers. They are similar to a jalapeño. Very yummy! Especially after they start turning red.

I have a bowl full of chard that is waiting for me to wash it and put it in the freezer, so off I go! And I'm also working on a new crafty project to share with you. I'll be back with that on Wednesday. Until then, enjoy these incredible late summer days:)

Is it over yet?

2011-08-05T17:06:00.003-06:00

I have spent the entire day photographing new listings for my shop, processing the photos, and listing them. I haven't gotten a single other thing done. I haven't even picked up a crochet hook! I take that back; I talked to my daughter and granddaughter on web cam. That was good, and a needed break:)

I've been busy, crocheting up a storm.

I've moved to brooches. I find that when I go to the yarn store, there are so many many amazing colors, some of which I can't wear - like green or yellow. But I can wear a green or yellow brooch and get away with it! So I am making lots of brooches, some for me and some for the store. And I'm using the pattern books Pam gave me:)

I'm making more garlands of course, because the world can't have too many garlands!

I finished the bracelet! There is more too; pop on over to my shop to see what else I've listed:)

As I come to the end of this week and look ahead to the next very busy week, I realize that I need to take a little time off from blogging. I don't like to, but I'm behind on so many things and really need to do some catch up. I hope you all have a wonderful week; enjoy these wonderful, end of summer August days and I'll see you back here on the 15th!

They're coming to take me away ha ha!

2011-08-03T16:06:00.003-06:00

It's official. I've gone insane. It was bad enough that I was posting photos of spiders on Monday. Not even to mention how crazy I was to get right in that spider's face to take the picture!! Now I'm crocheting webs. And beading spiders. Pam was right. Bobbi doesn't like spiders!

Maybe this is all in an attempt to control the situation. I'm just not sure. At any rate, you can find this creepy spider lady in my shop:)

Do you ever feel compelled to do things you just don't understand?

Monday Morning Report on Saturday's Field Trip

2011-08-01T09:43:00.006-06:00

On Saturday, I went with some of my LBCR group out to the Great Salt Lake. The GSL is good medicine for when I'm feeling stressed and overloaded. It is such a peaceful, magical place; all the worries of everyday life just melt away and I am rejuvenated. We visited Antelope Island this trip.

We saw lots of great birds. I don't know why I didn't take my zoom lens! Well, I do know why. At 6:30 Saturday morning, there wasn't a whole lot of thinking going on in my foggy head. The only thought I kept having was how on the trip to the Spiral Jetty I almost dropped the camera in the water! So, yeah, not a whole lot of logic here. I still took the brand new lens that replaced the one I did break a few days after that almost baptism.

Those are Ring-billed Gulls and a Black Necked Stilt up there.

These are a couple of juvenile American Avocets. They're fluffy and a little gawky. Such cute little teenagers!

A Long Billed Curlew.
***edit*** I've been told that this is a whimbrel and apparently quite a find!

Oh! And these guys! Orb spiders were everywhere! 'Tis the season for brine flies, so that means the spiders come out for a major picnic.

I'm sorry to do this to you; you know how I feel about spiders. I'm sure I've mentioned it. I just had to show this; it didn't come out as clear as I'd hoped. There are webs lined up one after another, file cabinet style, each with it's own spider.

The island's namesake.

This guy joined us for lunch. He's a California Gull, with a hurt leg.

He was hopping all over the place on one leg. I felt bad for him and wanted to take him home with me. I'm not sure how that would have gone over with Rose the six-toed-cat.

Click on this photo above.

I'm sorry! I know I'm cruel, but I had to share!

This should wipe that image away and make you feel better. Isn't it beautiful? I feel so blessed to have this gorgeous natural resource so close to where I live.

Thank you for joining me on my little photo tour! I hope your week is off to a good start:)

Crocheting on a Friday

2011-07-29T14:46:00.002-06:00

I've been just giddy with excitement over trying out some new patterns in my vintage crochet books that Pam gave me.

I took a flower motif from a placemat and used it instead to make a new garland. It's about time I put something new in my shop! I used another pattern from a doily to make the leaves. I thought I'd go outside and take some photos in the garden. It's HOT out there today!

Here's a closer look:) I put beads on it too.

There was another placemat pattern that I took this motif from. I'm making a cuff bracelet. I just need to figure out the clasp options.

These are coming down the pike. More garlands. They should be in the shop by Monday.

Do you have a fabulous weekend planned? Are you getting in some last minute family trips before back-to-school? I'm going on a field trip to the Great Salt Lake, one of my very favorite places to be, with my Lake Bonneville Crochet Reef group.

Have a great weekend!

Great Ideas!!

2011-07-27T12:06:00.001-06:00

I thought it would be fun to share ideas we've found for things that make life easier or fix a problem we've had. I have a couple that I've found recently and want to share with you.

The first one is cranberry juice. When I travel long distances by car or plane, my ankles swell. It's nasty. I'm talking cankles! Not wanting to suffer from this on my recent trip to Iowa, I did some research before I went. I found the usual suggestions to get up and walk around the cabin a lot (yeah, right), and I found one that said to start drinking unsweetened cranberry juice a couple of days before the flight. I downed one of these before going, and it worked! I had nary a swollen ankle.

After I had been in Iowa a couple days, and wasn't drinking any cranberry juice. My ankles did start to swell. I think it was from the lack of altitude;) Or it could have been a combination of heat, humidity, and other things. Well, I went to the store and got some more cranberry juice, and guess what? The swelling went away again. If I skipped a day, the swelling returned. I drank it and it went away. I'd say this stuff works! It's kind of hard to drink straight; it has a lot of pucker power. I water mine down at least half and half, or just add a little bit to the water I drink throughout the day. You can add just a little honey to take the edge off.

My second idea came from this wonderful new cookbook. It is full of delicious recipes. I made the recipe for skillet fried corn and DH and I were almost fighting over who got the last spoonful. I did. There wasn't really any fighting. I just told him straight up that he could eat all the meat he wanted; I got the corn;)

It wasn't until I had finished cutting the corn off the cob and making a big mess that I noticed the part about putting the corn cob in a tube pan. Doy! This is so much easier! Peel your corn and leave the stem on. Stick the stem end into the middle tube and slice the corn right off. Unless you're getting rambunctious, it mostly all lands in the pan.

Do you have any great ideas you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them, and I'm sure others would too! We all need ideas to make our tasks easier.

Scrappy Headband DIY

2011-07-25T15:39:00.002-06:00

Back before I went to Iowa, I went to pick up my fresh, local, pastured chickens one night, and the chicken lady was wearing the cutest headband. Try as I might to just let my hair be free, if I need to concentrate at all, I need it tied back. So, I thought I would try to recreate the headband. I used only scraps of fabric that I already had.

So, go to your fabric scrap bag, or use those shirts you were going to send to the thrift store. You need a length that will go around your head and leave room for tying. If you don't have anything that long, you can piece it together.

Measure it around your head, like you would wear a headband or scarf, and mark it with pins about where it will land behind your ears. Next, cut a shape that is wider in the middle, and tapers out to make the ties. Pinking shears are good for this, because you're going to leave the edges raw. If it helps, mark the shape with a fabric marker before you cut it. This is the base of your headband.

Now grab your fabric scraps, and using the pinking shears, cut a bunch of random shapes and sizes. If you have some ribbon and lace bits, get those too.

Now, arrange the cut fabric pieces on top of the base piece. Just place the pieces between where you have the pins marked. (You're right! My base did change color!) Pin all the pieces down. Use lots of pins to keep it all in place. It's ok if some pieces hang over the edge, because you can come back and trim it all with the scissors or pinking shears.

With the machine, using either a straight stitch or zig zag, sew around the outside edges of the entire area where you have fabric pieces pinned. Then, go back and forth, in circles, zig zags, and curvy lines to sew down all the scraps. Be sure to hold the fabric flat so it doesn't bunch up.

Sew on some bits of ribbon and lace if you want.

Make a bunch!

Ta da!! What do you think? Now isn't that a cute headband for you, your daughter, your grand daughter, your niece, the girl down the street.......?

Friday WIP

2011-07-22T12:40:00.001-06:00

This day has completely gotten away from me! I've been working on a little tutorial for you, and ran out of time. I have to run off to go teach kids how to crochet at summer camp right now. I'll be back on Monday with a finished product! It's really simple, totally cute, and you'll want one too! Or seven!

Have a fabulous weekend!

My Basil Meditation

2011-07-20T10:14:00.001-06:00

It is amazing to me how something so simple as fresh basil from the garden can soothe my fretted mind so. The quiet walk to the garden, snipping the basil top, and giving gratitude to the plant for feeding us. Back to the kitchen to stand still and inhale the aroma, experiencing.

I love cooking simple food the best. Summer is full of these opportunities. For dinner last night I made a little bean salad. I used black beans and white. These white beans are fagioli occhio nero, which upon looking it up on the internet, are simply tiny little black eyed peas. I used about a cup of each.

I cooked the beans together in the same pot, which gave me an end product of light purplish beans and dark purplish beans. Next time I'll do two separate pots to get a better visual contrast. Pick over the beans and rinse them, put them in a pot (or two), cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let them sit for 1 hour. Rinse them again, add fresh water and put them back on the stove. Put the heat on medium and let them simmer until tender to the bite, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. You want them to still be firm enough to hold their shape, and not be mushy. Drain off the water. You can save this liquid to make good soup.

Put a couple tablespoons of good quality, extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Heat it up and then add 1 large clove of garlic, chopped. Cook just until tender; don't let it burn. Add this to the beans, along with about a 1/4 cup more olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 cup finely diced onion, and half a cup or more of chopped, fresh basil. Stir it up and let it sit in the fridge for a couple hours. Take it out about 30 minutes before you are ready to eat.

So yum:)

**edit** Add a finely chopped jalapeño or other spicy pepper, or some red pepper flakes too:)

Playing with my Food

2011-07-20T09:47:00.001-06:00

As I was trying to go to sleep last night, I started thinking about how pretty red chard would be photographed on this colorful towel. Of course, the first thing I did when I got up this morning was go pick some chard and set it up.

I didn't quite get the drama I saw in my imaginary chard photo. I did get a good breakfast out of this when I mixed it in the blender! Yum!

Which photo do you like best?

Sing with me!

2011-07-18T14:47:00.000-06:00

Home home in my house...

Where Rose she sleeps on the couch...

and seldom is heard a really loud word....

and I can play around with my spouse!

2011-07-15T11:37:00.000-06:00

It's my last day here in Iowa, and I'm running out the door to go have one last visit with my mom before I head home tomorrow. First though, I want to show you some fun stuff!!

I was so excited when Pam gifted me with these vintage crochet books! You know I was pouring over them as soon as I got back from Spencer:) I was kicking myself though, because I had spent the last couple of weeks working on a surprise for her during my quiet moments, and some absent minded woman went off and left it at her mother's house! Who would do such a thing?

I found these lovely cups and saucers in Spencer. I have no idea where I'll put them when I get home. I'm starting to rethink having too much stuff in the house. Maybe a drop-off trip to the thrift store is in order when I get back.

Oh and I found this too! I will start my search for film when I get back. I can't wait to use it!

OK, off I go! Enjoy your weekend and I'll see you Monday!

Visit to Spencer

2011-07-14T10:20:00.000-06:00

Since my bloggy friend, Pam, is visiting her mom in Sioux Falls,SD and I'm visiting my mom in Rock Falls, IA, we concocted the idea of meeting up half way in Spencer, Iowa at Sisters Mainstreet Cafe.

I arrived to find Pam with her airport sign! We had some lunch at the cafe, shared stories, then headed out to explore antique shops on the street.

We had to have some coffee!

And of course we had our cameras:)

Lots of fun finds in the shop. I love this picnic basket.

Pretty lamps.

And a wall of books.

We wandered around with our cameras....

enjoying the sights.

All too soon it was time to say goodbye, and head back to our mothers. It was a great trip and visit. And contrary to my big brother's concerns about me meeting up with someone from the internet, Pam is NOT an axe murderer or otherwise crazy person:)

Have a happy Thursday, and I'll be back tomorrow with more about my trip to Spencer!

Weekend Shenanigans

2011-07-11T07:37:00.001-06:00

On the way into town yesterday, to get some food with my brother and his wife, we saw this Fort Custer Maze and decided we needed to give it a try.

We were the only ones there, which is good, because I don't think we could have handled little kids laughing at us for going in circles. There are four corner towers, a center tower, and three bridges, each with a stamp and ink pad to mark on your card where you've been. The theory is, you mark all eight stations and then you're out. Um. Uh. We got three. We just kept going in circles, ending up at the entrance. Finally when we couldn't take the heat, humidity, and blaring sun anymore, we decided to admit defeat and head on out. Well, then we couldn't find the entrance we had passed so many times! On our umpteenth trip across the bridge, the very ancient man attending the fort came out and gave us some advice. Umm. It didn't really help, but we did find our way back to the entrance!

I sure hope I navigate the rest of this week better than the maze!

Happy Monday to you!

Friday Catch Up

2011-07-08T09:57:00.002-06:00

Last weekend, my brothers, sister in law, and I cleaned out Mom's garage. There were lots of surprises.

I think Mom thought I was crazy for photographing this gas can, but don't you think it's pretty against all the green?

This is a shed out behind the house.

And the same shed in the gloaming. I little more Blair Witch, huh? I was trying to catch the fireflies that were lighting up the night, but they all turned off their butts right when I took the picture! We don't have fireflies in Utah, so I was excited. If the mosquitoes weren't eating me alive, I would have ran around catching some:)

Have a wonderful weekend! See you Monday!

Oh My Goodness!

2011-07-06T14:57:00.000-06:00

What else can I say?

Visions of Summer

2011-07-04T10:18:00.000-06:00

Have a happy 4th!

Ahhhh Summer

2011-07-01T10:09:00.000-06:00

It's a scorcher here in the Heartland today! I enjoyed some fresh strawberries from my brother's neighbor's garden, and since this is one of my favorite color combos, I had to take a picture!

I received an email earlier this week; Nicole at Planning With Kids has a Christmas in July series. She's featuring crafts for that winter holiday and is including my greeting card garland. Pop on over and see what else she has.

Do you have fun plans for the 4th of July? There is a big carnival here in town. I'm hoping to get some shots of that. I think there may be some fireworks in store this year. Today we're going to the farmers market. I'm hoping for some zucchini and maybe even tomatoes, but it may be a little early yet.

See you next week!

Thursday Already

2011-06-30T10:45:00.000-06:00

I'm such a bad blogger! I know I promised to catch up with lots of good Iowa photos, and here it is, already Thursday.

I'm staying at my brother's for a few days. Here is how I start my mornings. There is something so comforting about drinking my coffee from these cups I remember from my childhood.

Everything is so green here. These giant trees are something we don't have a lot of in the Salt Lake Valley. Here in Iowa, neighborhoods are full of thick groves. I love seeing how the scenery and the local colors are so different in various parts of the US. As I flew over, from my sweet window seat I watched the landscape change from browns and reds to lush greens.

These trees are full of birds. I can hear their chorus singing. I set out for the backyard, intent on capturing some good shots. They darted across the sky, from one copse to another, faster than I could snap the camera. Then they hid so well that I just couldn't find them!

These babies have moved on. I think I saw dad in the backyard.

Pay no attention to the reflection in the glass!

I do have a thing about doors and windows.

These little chamomiles grow everywhere here. I love their apple scent. I pinch off the yellow bud and squish it between my fingers to release the aroma. Mmmmmmm:)

I hope you are having a lovely week. I'm going to keep trying to find some birds. I know there are cardinals here, and I would love to snap a good photo of them!

Friday Stroll Through the Garden

2011-06-24T11:39:00.000-06:00

I am so grateful for mornings in the garden. It calms my busy, restless mind, and brings peace to my soul. I love to look at the blues and purples in this arrangement. The light purple behind the pot is my sage. This is the first time it's bloomed and it is very pretty!

I am doing my utmost to wait until DH comes home so I can share these with him! Juicy! My strawberries are big this year! I was really surprised when I saw that. I thought homegrown strawberries were always rather small.

My secret garden is starting to fill in. I still have that mess at the back. Don't look there, or if you do, just imagine a sweet little bench to sit in, surrounded by more flowers and with creeping thyme growing underneath. I am a bit concerned for the future of my secret garden. The house on the other side of the fence is a rental. Full. Of. Young. Noisy. Kids. And their dogs and one mean cat. They don't clean up after the dogs and it smells really fuchi. The cat beats up all the other cats in the neighborhood and is still pooping in my tomato bed.

Another view.

My secret smelly garden has Jupiter's Beard. I love this plant. It grows like crazy here, about 3-4 feet tall and is glorious!

Coreopsis with its cheerful, yellow blooms.

My borage re-seeded like mad last year. Pam, this bee's for you;) I know you are as fond of them as I am.

The blue and yellow makes a gorgeous contrast.

Daisies always make me think of my mom. And on that note.... I will be blogging from the Heartland for the next three weeks. I'm flying out Tuesday to spend some time with my mom and brothers. I'm leaving DH home alone. For three weeks. With my garden. I am afraid. I will call him every single day at 6 o'clock and walk him through the watering over the phone.

I will be absent on Monday, because I have tons to do to get ready to go. I promise to catch up though, with lots of pretty Iowa cornfields and blue skies!

Happy Friday!

Great Fun with Yarn

2011-06-22T12:55:00.000-06:00

The yarn bombers have descended on Salt Lake! The Utah Arts Festival is this week, and the UAF, along with Art Access organized a knit-in and yarn bombing event (they allow crocheters too!)

They covered and filled a mini cooper.

Anything standing still was fair game!

Love the bicycle:)

But these guys made me squeal with delight!

Amigarumi monkeys!

They're too cute!

And the Lake Bonneville Crochet Reef got in on the act. This is our mini reef, kind of a teaser for the big installation in October. We constructed the reef on the assumption that it was going to be vertical. But you have to be flexible, right? It's all good. We are hoping to grab a lot more interest and recruit more people to crochet. They tell me 80,000 people go through the arts fest, so I'm hoping to get some email! Pop over here to see what else the LBCR project has been up to.

I've suddenly been overcome with a raging desire to crochet a California Gull. And an American White Pelican. Hmm. I need some white yarn.

What are you doing this fine Wednesday?

Of Sons and Salt

2011-06-20T11:04:00.000-06:00

My heart is heavy and sad today. My son is leaving to go back to Colorado.

This house is going to feel so empty without him here. It's been wonderful having him near, even when he's still in bed sleeping like he is now. Just knowing he's close is so good.

We had some good times this week. I can't tell if these pictures are blurry, or if it's just my teary eyes. We took Ben to Saltair at the Great Salt Lake. The water level is so high. In the seven years that I've been here, you usually have to walk for at least ten minutes to get to the water.

I love the textures the rain and wind make in the sand.

Continuing west, we came to this sculpture, Metaphor: the tree of Utah, out on the Salt Flats. It's huge and beautiful against the blue sky and the emptiness of the surrounding area.

More sculpture and me waxing poetic.

This was my first trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats too. I can't believe I have lived here seven years and am just now finding my way there. I guess I was waiting for Ben. I struggle to find words to describe the otherworldly beauty of this place. Do you see how that mountain on the left seems to be surrounded by water? And on the right it looks like white crested waves rolling in? The "water" is a mirage. The waves are actually snow capped peaks in the distance, all of it reflected in the mirage. Crazy beautiful.

It looks cold and snowy, doesn't it? It was warm and sunny as we walked out on the flats, some spots sinking from all the rain; in others, the salt crust crackled under our feet or held firm.

I'm going to go wake my boy now, so I can have a few more hours with him before he flies away.

I hope your week is off to a good start. I'll see you Wednesday!

My Eyelid is Twitching

2011-06-13T12:47:00.000-06:00

My son has a very different relationship to time than I do. Me, I like to panic and freak out if things don't go according to schedule. DH would attribute this to what he calls my "gold" personality. My son is supposed to be on a plane right now. A plane that is leaving Denver in 15 minutes to arrive here in Salt Lake City this afternoon. When he text messaged me a minute ago he wasn't quite there yet. He's in the airport. Somewhere. My eye is twitching. I'm having trouble breathing, and my heart is beating more rapidly than it should.

Ohhmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Goooosssssfrabbbbaaaaa

Will any of this work? Will it get him on that plane before the gates close?

Riinnngggg.... Just a minute.

It's seems they gave his seat away (for not showing up on time!!) and bumped him to the next flight. But! He is safely in the airport, not likely to miss the next one. And now what do I do to work off my frustration? I could eat this plate of cookies I just made him. No. Dust? That's a good idea. Pull weeds would be an even better idea. And finish my laundry. This is what I'll do.

I'm going to take the week off from blogging to spend time with my son. I haven't seen him in a year and a half. I have to figure out how to keep him here:)

Have a great week! I'll be back next Monday to share my adventures!

Just Because...

2011-06-09T12:33:00.000-06:00

I know it's Thursday and I don't usually post on Thursday, but look what I found in my garden today! These weren't there yesterday!

My iris that I transplanted when I moved in two years ago didn't bloom last summer, so I forgot what all I had. Now it's like Christmas out there! I believe that these are descended from some iris that my Lalie gave to me years ago in Colorado. When I moved to Utah, I brought some of the rhizomes with me. They smell really good too!

Homemade Bug Spray

2011-06-08T10:23:00.001-06:00

It's very important to me as a gardener to keep my garden organic and healthy. Using the square foot gardening methods and raised beds keeps that pretty easy, when all you're doing is yanking a random bit of bindweed. Then along comes some critter you can't identify and then what do you do?

Some evil thing is attacking my tomatoes! I couldn't really see anything except some very small white spots, even with my old lady glasses. They didn't move when I poked them.

But I decided I'd try this method of attack that worked last year. Start with about a cup of water in your blender. Add to this, five or more cloves of garlic and one tablespoon of hot chile powder. This is some super hot stuff I got from the Indian market. Blend it well, then add about three cups more water and let it set, preferable overnight. Then add a couple squirts of mild dish soap or Dr. Bonner's soap.

Strain your mix into a jar. I strained mine first through the regular mesh strainer, then a second time through a very fine mesh. You don't want any junk in there to clog your spray bottle.

Label your jar so you know what it is. I, being the sensible one, labeled mine "garlic spray", then the very silly guy came along and added "IN CASE OF VAMPIRES". Tomato vampires!

Dilute the mix about half and half with more water, and put it in a spray bottle. It's best to use this in the evening or very early morning, so it has time to dry before the sun comes out and sizzles it on your plants. Make sure to completely soak the plant, under the leaves and all over. Last year I had a lot of success with this, as long as I was consistent about applying. If you are in the middle of an infestation, you should apply it every day. It is more time and labor intensive than a chemical pesticide you get off the shelf, but much healthier for you and our planet:)

I'll keep you posted on how it works on the tomato plants. Do you have any recipes for homemade potions you use around the house and garden? I'd love for you to share in the comments:)

Good Things

2011-06-06T16:45:00.000-06:00

This post is about my Darling Husband. He's a good guy, and I feel blessed to have him in my life. Let me tell you a little tale.

Last Friday, while I was outside taking pictures for the blog, the part I didn't tell you is that some how when I turned my back on it, the tripod fell over, camera and all, on the driveway. Not good. The lens popped off and in the process little plastic things that make it hook to the camera broke off. Now, because of my history with crazy people, I was really worried about telling DH. My history with him told me not to worry, but I have known too many people who as soon as you make a mistake, screw something up, or have a little accident, they can't wait to tell you what a major f*** up you are.

Not my DH. His typical response is, "oh! that must have been awful for you! I'm sorry you had to go through that."

So while I was beating myself up about breaking my camera lens, his response was to replace it. With an even better one. It was going to cost as much to fix the lens as to replace that one. DH decided I needed the next step up.

What did I do to deserve this man? Of course I am thankful for the new lens, but I am super thankful that he doesn't freak out.

I tested out the new lens.

I am thinking I like it:)

Happy Monday:)

Friday in the Garden

2011-06-03T12:18:00.001-06:00

We have had an entire week of no rain! Amazing! It is so wonderful to be out in the garden.

The greens are looking good, and tasting yummy too. The sugar snap peas in the back should start producing soon. I'm looking forward to that.

This bed is eggplant, peppers, cilantro, dill, and basil. The sticks are to keep out the cats.

The neighborhood cats, including my Rose, have been using the tomato beds as a litter box. That was before I put the sticks in. They really do work! I have some large, decorative grasses in the front yard. When I prune them back in the early spring, I save the canes to use in the garden.

My secret garden is starting to come together, bit by bit. That's one of my potato bags in the foreground. I thought the green would kind of blend in, but now I'm thinking they look a little like garbage cans! Maybe when the potato foliage is cascading out, they might look better.

I have iris this year! Last year they didn't bloom. This year they are splendid.

I ran across this bottle garden on flickr and decided to try it myself. I figure I should put my drinking problem to good use. Just in case you are wondering, my drinking problem is that I can't drink anymore. Or barely. My body never lets me have any fun:(

DH loves him some horseradish, so I picked some up. I still have to decide where to put it and the summer savory. Have any of you grown horseradish? Are there tricks I should know? As you can see, I really need to pay more attention to detail in my photo styling;)

Hope you all had a wonderful week and will have an even more wonderful weekend! See you Monday!

Field Trip to the Spiral Jetty

2011-06-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

I'm posting my field trip pics over on the Lake Bonneville Coral Reef blog. Click on over and check them out!