Preteens Love Hair Clips

I couldn't resist taking this photo of Jen last night. This group of preteens swarmed her table and stayed and stayed and stayed. They loved her things, had money to spend, and were so fun to watch.

Made me glad for my boys...

Collage photo using Picasa

I finally figured out how people make these collage photos for blogs. I like the technique, if not my actual set of photos. I've posted these too many times already.

I'll take a poll-- Big bunny has a neck. Small bunnies don't. Should I give small bunnies a neck? That will make them look more distinct than the mice... I guess I need to do it an post before and after photos so you know exactly what I'm talking about. But it really isn't that important. I think I'll work on a way to do it, 'cause every time I see a bunny in the yard the head is very clear.

Street Fair #2

Friday will be street fair #2 for Jen and me. I'm optimistic that it will rain here on Thursday, making the weather perfect on Friday.

I have my sign ready, and more owls (the only thing that sold last time). Since the owls sold well, I made birds, mice, and rabbits at the same price point for this month. The bigger rabbits I have on the blog may go to the fair also, but for more $. I can make them much faster than I can make a monster, so they will not be as expensive as the monsters. My goal is to double my total sales from last month. I was sick last month, and barely able to stay standing for the entire evening. I'm really looking forward to enjoying myself this time!

I'll take the monsters--they would be mad if I left them at home. I think the right person will go for a monster--but, so far that person has not visited the Etsy shop or the street fair. I'm not discouraged. I feel as if I'm just getting started in what may become my second career. (Dave is a bit worried that I'll get so ticked off at work that I'll just quit and live in thrift stores. I've promised I won't do that, but he may have reason to worry!)

I think I've worked out a new way to set up my table so that it looks less cluttered. I'm having a hard time editing my display, but I realize that I need to make it look good to get people to stop as they walk by.

Don't worry--you will have to read all about it again after it is over!

Things I love on Etsy

I can lose myself for hours looking at the beautiful things others make--and these are just things made with wool felt!

Wild Rose

Wild rose blooming in a place where I cut out a lot of invasive
honeysuckle last year. It is a neverending job. But the rewards.
Ah. The rewards.

Hints for making your own patterns

I'm having so so so much fun making bunny rabbits. But I've learned an important lesson about making my own patterns. Start with a pattern for a bigger animal, and shrink it. I've been going the opposite direction. (Because I didn't want to waste fabric on a mistake. If you knew how much wool was in my house right now you would laugh at that!) The bigger animals are so much easier to make, and it is so much easier to figure out how the details should balance. Obviously other things are harder with bigger animals, like it is harder to get the ears to be firm enough so they don't flop around too much. But I like the floppy look, so some of that is okay. If I ever get the pattern "finished" and have the patience to take the step by step photos, I'll share it with instructions.

I like how both of my first bigger bunnies turned out, but I melted something onto the ear of the red and black one with the iron trying to perfect the ear shape. Whoops. The domestic disaster strikes just when I think I am safe.

I made a sign to use at the next craft fair in Westerville. (I kind of copied Resweater's idea of using cut out felt letters...) The sheep is patterned after the clip art sheep I used on my business cards, the labels for my yarn, and the "thank you" cards I include in the box with any Etsy purchase. I'm happy with how it turned out. I may try to figure out how to add it to the Etsy site.

FYI--wool felt is saving my sanity at work. Every time I think about the things that are making me crazy I stop myself and think about my bunny patterns. How can I make the pattern a little bit better? What happens if I make the body this way, or that way? Maybe bigger? Maybe different ears? Etc. etc. Again-- I'm having a very stressful time at work, and this new hobby/obsession/or whatever is helping me take it one day at a time. Just a few more weeks 'till summer break.

Garden mostly in

I worked hard today to get most of the garden in. Rain expected next few days. Garden just opened yesterday.

It almost feels like cheating to garden in a community garden where a tractor plows the plot for you. No shovel needed. Just plant. We don't have enough sun at home to do a decent garden. This community garden is about 1/2 mile away. Free with a suggested 25 dollar donation to church whose property is used for the garden. If they plow, and they have water barrels full all summer so I don't have to haul water from home, I'm happy.

I didn't use the black plastic last year, but I got a double size plot this year and didn't want to spend all summer weeding. I observed the gardening techniques of others last summer. The black plastic seems pretty successful--especially if you get it secured well enough.

I'll post more photos as the summer progresses.

FYI 3 hills zuchinni, 2 hills pumpkin (new this year), 2 hills cucumber, two rows green beans, 14 tomato plants, 2 pepper plants, and soon four short rows of corn (also new this year). I'm also letting one of Joseph's helpers have about a third of the second plot. Unless I get really crazy and plant four long rows of corn! The raccoons might get the corn, so I think I'll start small. Anything I'm forgetting?

Harry and Harold

These two showed up in my garden today. They are the brothers of the bunny with my favorite button eyes--I've named him Harvy. I think they are triplets. I put feet on Harvy so now he can jump around with his brothers.

OK--I've gone over the edge...

I think I'm in love

Does he need feet?

I've been saving these buttons for somebody special. I found him. His body does look a bit like a fish... hmmmm.... I wonder if I could do better... I like the feet, but I don't like the ears yet...



I think I'll go add feet to the bunny with the pretty pewter/tin eyes.

Mice

My latest creation is a mouse from my own pattern... I think they are pretty cute. What do you think???

DD Brownies

The domestic disaster makes brownies from a mix...

About six months ago I left out the eggs while making brownies from a mix. Deep fried sugar and flour. Inedible.

Saturday I made two batches of brownies from a mix at the same time--well one after the other. As I mixed the second I realized I'd forgotten the water in the first. I decided to experiment to see what happened. I baked both at the same temp for the same time in the same size pan.

The batch without the water was chewier. I actually liked them better. But that batch was hard to stir. Next time I may try half the water.

The real question is why I have such a hard time following the instructions on a box when three ingredients are required.

Wild yarn

The red and blue turned out crazy. A teen's or kid's hat??? The
original was a dull light blue with 5-6 knots. So I didn't ruin a
great skein of yarn. I'll make something for the boys?

Scarf done

It is 7-8 feet long. I double it before I wear it. I suppose I could have made it twice as wide and half as long, but I like the flexibility of a long narrow scarf.

Looks nice with black, white, or the right shade of green. I'm happy with the light weight of the silk cotton blend. I wore it to work yesterday.

My second attempt at kool aid dying failed. The color never set. I suspect I didn't wait long enough before taking it out of the crock pot. My third and fourth attempts are hanging to dry. I'll post a photo soon. They didn't bleed and I'm fairly happy with the results.

Kool aid dye

I have this fabulous fiber--70% silk 30% cotton. Perfect for a scarf.
I thought the color rather dull so I experimented with kool aid dye.
What do you think? I'll post the scarf when I'm done. A scarf is a
good way for me to fancy up a plain work outfit. I like a scarf better
than a necklace. Hopefully this silk cotton blend willl work during
warm weather. FYI the kool aid cost more than the yarn.