Last of the Felt Critters

I have finally managed to finish off the last two felt animals for JR. They really did not take that long and I was going to do them over the weekend but I just could not get in the mood to sew them up. All I wanted to do was park myself in front of the tv and work on my scrap afghan. I have all the squares done for it but I need to finish edging them with black and then sew them up. Anyway here is a peak at the kitty and puppy that are ready to head to their new homes.

 I will take these to work tomorrow and then I can get back at the puppet production. I have three days off coming up in March and I have promised myself that I am going to devote those days to some quilty pleasures. I need to get some patchwork done as I am behind on commissions and dang it I need some quilting time. It is as important to me as anything I so.

I am amazed at how much wool I have used for these scrap/donation afghans and how much of my stash is still here. I fully intend to keep making these until my stash is reduced to a manageable level. If I get the yarn under control I may try and do the same to the crochet cotton and the quilt fabric. I think I am dreaming but a gal can hope can't she??

Toodles,

Linda

A Little Weekend Reno Project

Yes I am a bad blogger, I haven't posted for a few days. Fact is I have had nothing much to say. I'd like to be all witty and pithy and entertaining but straight up......I got  nothin'. I tried but I just could not think up anything blog worthy. So now you have to put up with my little reno project. I deemed it blog worthy.

I have/had these two stacked white cabinets for over 20 years and they have seen better days. They are done, they don't come clean anymore when I wipe them down and they are falling apart, time to send them off to the great beyond and time to get something new. Doors no longer close and in fact the door on the top cabinet falls off if you look sideways at it and that is most annoying when it bounces off your foot first thing in the morning as you are trying to get the cat her breakfast.                                                                                                


So it was time for it to go but I need the storage space. Its my pantry. What to do, what to do. No money for a custom built in with lovely doors. Hmmm.

Well when Best Friend was visiting Canadian Tire had that sale that I have mentioned before. They had a bookcase that would fit in the space available for the pantry and it was on for $29.99 a much better deal than $42.00 at Walmart SO I bought one. Its taller than the white pantry and while it is not white it will do. I have saved the shelves from the original to get more storage space as the book case only has three shelves that come with it. No sense in wasting all that space.

I bought the book case and left it in my front entry way for three weeks until today  when I finally got busy and put the thing together. I moved out the white cabinets and got the shelf in place. I am pleased with it. It holds all I need it to hold and it fits nicely in the space allotted for the pantry. Yes its not a custom built in but it makes do and it saved me a lot of money. Budget is very important to me at the moment.

I am not going to leave it all exposed like this. I do not like that. I can never get my stuff to look neat and pretty enough to remain uncovered to the world. Well not something like tins of tuna and the cereal boxes. So I am going with the obvious choice of a curtain.  I also plan to paint it one of these days. I am not a fan of the wood grain in the kitchen when all the other cabinets are painted. I also have to decide what to paint it. I am thinking white like the other one was.

A quick trip to the local thrift store provided a $3.00 sheet that will make a lovely curtain to hid all the pantry evils. Its more periwinkle than blue but a quick dye job and it will be blue enough.

Ahem......I do hope when you are looking at these pictures you will totally ignore the craptastic disaster that is my laundry room. Looks like I need to do a major purge/clean out/ blow it up/get the flame thrower session in there. Why are all those paint cans still sitting there?? Good Grief. Not to mention I hope to live long enough to get the top of the deep freeze cleaned off. We fight a battle that deep freeze top and I, I clear it off and it insists on loading itself back up again the moment my back is turned. Honestly, it makes me crazy.

Ok back to the pantry, I am happy with it, I will be more happy when the curtain is sewn up and hanging where it should hang. That little job is on my list for tomorrow, that and the last two felt animals for JR. Its going to be a snow day tomorrow so I think it will be perfect to stay in the sewing room and watch Camelot while sewing my heart out.

Toodles,

Linda

PS. All done but I still need to get the dye and make it more blue, but for now its all done.

cuteness coming up

My grandbaby got baptized yesterday and she was the just a little princess. The sweetest little confection of white satin and lace. She is so dainty, it just melts your heart. She blows the most adorable raspberries and anyone, then tops it off with a big dimply smile. So cute.

She managed the long ceremony very well for a little babe. Its tough to have a stranger doing things to you like blowing in your face, putting oil on you, pouring water on your head when really its just time for your bottle but this man keeps arranging for it to be taken away just when you are getting settled in for a nice lunch. Not to mention you have to be all naked in front of everyone in a chilly church. She did really well, and the ceremony was long in spite of it being the "short" version, so after a few tears she settled down to being the pretty center of attention that she was meant to be.

Grandma Linda and the cutest Ladybug around.

Seriously she was just a little star and once someone pried her out of my clutches she spent most of the after party being passed around and adored by all and sundry. We had a lovely lunch and then it was back home to my company. 

The Nurse stayed over last night instead of heading home as originally planned. Once I got back from the festivities, we went out for supper and then off to see The Vow. Wonderful chick flick. Such a sweet love story that I was surprised to  find out that it was based on a true story. I would recommend anyone seeing it. Its a lovely romantic story. We got home and I ogled all her Scentsy stuff and sniffed all the many wonderful fragrances that they offer. Lovely lovely stuff.  Yeah I bought some.....shut up.

Now I have some pants to hem for tomorrow, more felt animals to make and soup to cook.  It was a lovely six days off. I am back to the grind now. Funny how fast you fall back into the routine.

Toodles

Linda

Sunday Lazy Sunday

It has been another good day here on the homestead. Visiting with the Nurse, off out for coffee with her and a friend she has in town. I never did get over to E's for tea. I feel bad but there are only so many hours in the day and I will make arrangements with her for some time this week.

So the Nurse is off to do a Scentsy party, (the Nurse has just started to sell it). I was invited but I declined, I decided that I should stay home and get on with those felt animals I have promised JR. I was going great guns too, until I ran out of material. Drat, Curses and Crap, to say the least.  Three done and two left to go. They are rather cute and I would rather to be finished but that's not happening this day anyway.

I have one more puppy and one more kitty to make and then I have this order completed. You may have noticed that I am ticked that I ran out of felt. I am currently not in a position to run out and buy some more. I need a payday for that so for now I will work on other things.

I will start again this week on the last of the puppets for the university. The last of this order, I never say never with them. They have been a great source of income for me. I may think they have all they need and then I make a delivery and they have other plans. I am open to any and all orders. I have my eye on a new stove and a new TV or two. Hey if you are going  to lusts after something you may as well go big.

Tomorrow is the last day of my 6 days off. Sigh but on the bright side I am going to my grandbaby's baptism tomorrow. That will take a good part of the day. Tuesday it is back to work and back to the normal routine. I so love my days off and being in some sort of control of my schedule. Ah well, it is what it is, I will be waking up to the alarm clock blaring in my ear. Blech!!

Toodles,
Linda

Wonderful Saturday

This has been a really good day, a really really good day. I was up and out and about this morning, managed to find a baptism gift for the grandbaby. Its not much, just a little keepsake for her special day on Monday. I then came home and zipped out to have lunch with friends. Yummy yummy french onion soup and Reuben sandwiches, fresh strawberries and protein bars for dessert. They may have been healthy good for you protein bars but they tasted like cake.

I then got home, chatted on the phone with E and made tentative plans for tea tomorrow, I do have the Nurse staying with me this weekend so I have to find out her plans for tomorrow. She has others in town she will be visiting. The Entertainer did not come with her mommy but stayed home with Granny and Grandpa.  I chatted with M as well for a brief time. I watched tv and worked on a donation blanket until the Nurse arrived and we when out for Chinese food. Oh yes and before I headed out for supper the Hostess stopped in and we got to have a little chat. Now I am home for the night, stuffed with super good food and feeling content for having spent a wonderful day with friends. Even the weather was wonderful today, so spring like for this time of year. We are usually in the dead of winter not enjoying the balmy warm winds of  the springlike variety. I know we will pay for it at some time, but this is my kind of winter. I love it. Currently the Nurse is off out visiting with some friends. It is just me and the cat for the evening.

On the practical side of things I finally got the last of the Christmas decorations down, I finally took the lights off the front of the house today. I know, I am hanging my head in shame and  I am sure the neighbours were starting to talk. Its nice to have them down and put away for another year. Sadly like most things that I make into a huge deal, it took all of five minutes to pop the things down and bag them up.

I have several more blocks crocheted for the latest donation blanket I am working on. I have and extraordinary amount of bits and pieces of left over wool. I am determined to make blankets until it is all used up. The local woman's shelter will benefit from all these leftovers. I was going to make felt animals today but that just has not worked out yet. Maybe I will get at them tomorrow. I would like to get them done.

Well, I am thinking I will spend the remainder of the evening tucked up in my favourite chair, crocheting afghan squares and watch British comedies on the tv, while the cat snoozes in the other chair. We are quite a wild pair, we two.

Poor baby has to share the chair with one of my knitting books

Toodles,
Linda

Brief Update

I got the curtain made for the new DVD cabinet. I like it so much more. Its not so much visual overload in that corner. I have been shuffling stuff around but I think I am getting it to where I like it. I rehung the mirror and moved some of the pictures around. What's a few more holes in the walls?

I hauled the little blue and white cabinet up to the spare room. I did a number on my stairs so next payday it will be off to the store to get some touch up paint. Two people would have been better to move it but I really am terrible at asking for help. If I can do it on my own I try to, I hate to bother anyone.  So the cabinet is upstairs, which is wonderful. (Even if I did scratch up the stairs).  I found a small corner to stuff it into. The bedroom is crowded but you can still walk all around the bed so I am still ok.

I purged out a half a garbage bag of crap from the cabinet and now it houses my monster pile of photo albums. Yahoo!!!. Right now I need to go have a little nap. One of the perks of being at home, when you get really tired in the afternoon you can lay down and sleep. I like it.

Toodles,

Linda

Day Two Part Deux

I had a burst of energy later on in the evening and I finally got the DVD cabinet put together. It is not what I truly want but right at the moment paying someone to build me the cabinet I want is not do-able. So this is my substitute that I got at Canadian Tire for $30.00. So here is the before and after shots.

This little blue and white cabinet has been all over the house. It was purchased ant Eaton's and I love it, it is great for storage but it totally does not match anything in the living room. It is mearly there to hold things while I looked for something to take its place. That would be this

I will be making a curtain to hid the bottom three shelves.

In time I will get a cabinet made with doors and such, deeper shelves and a little taller but until I can afford to pay someone to make it, this will do. It was my thrifty purchase at Canadian Tire for $30.00 and it holds all the things I need it to hold. I will spend some time rearranging things on it until I get it to feel right. I am just glad to have it up and filled. 

The blue and white cabinet will be moved upstairs. To be honest I have not really got the space for it but I cannot part with it. So it will go somewhere upstairs. I wish I could fit it into the kitchen but I just can't. It holds a  ton of stuff for being such a little cabinet.

I also managed to finish a poncho I was knitting for a co-worker.

It looks a little wild in the picture but in person it is not that wild. Once again my mad photography skilz are making themselves known. It has cables

You can sort of see them in this picture. I am so happy to have this finished to give to her. She is going to be in town on Saturday so the pressure was on. It took me longer to knit than I anticipated. No pattern, just another poncho to go by. I hope she likes it.

Well I need to go to bed, correction, I need to go make my bed so I can go to bed. I washed all the bedding, mattress cover included today. So I will be crawling into a lovely clean bed. One of my favorite things to do is be fresh out of the shower, clean as can be and then slip into a fresh clean bed. Its an incredible feeling. 

Well there we go, two blog posts in one day. Yikes!! 

Toodles,

Linda

Day Two

So far I have done little to nothing on my "To Do" list. I have at least got my house cleaned and the laundry done, towels, linens and clothes. I have finished another scrap afghan that will go into the donation pile. This bright, happy blanket was made from leftovers and yarn that has been give to me. I still have a ton more and I am going to start on another donation afghan, now that I have finished this one. They will go to the local Women's Shelter.

I was going to spend the day making felt animals but that did not happen. I decided I was so close to finishing this blanket that I just stayed at it and now its done. The felt animals will happen another day. I also managed to sort out the household filing that should have been done in January. It feels good to have it taken care of. I can see the tops of the work counters in my sewing room again. They are no longer littered with paperwork.

I also purged a small chest of drawers in my green bedroom. I discarded and donated my way from four stuffed to the brim drawers down to three empty and one full. I am pleased with that. Now I just need to keep up the momentum and tackle another corner of the house. So many stuffed corners to be dealt with.
Tonight before I go to bed I am going through my books and getting rid of the ones I know I will not read again. I refuse to add more bookcases to my bedroom. I need to keep the stash down to the four that are in there. I love books, so I keep bringing more home. New ones come in and some old need to go out.

I still have not put together the new pantry and the dvd stand I bought two weeks ago. I start out the morning with such ambition and then by the afternoon, I get so lazy, I don't do half of what I want to do. I don't know what is up with me.

I had a surprise the other day, I am going to be having company this weekend. The Nurse and her daughter the Entertainer are coming for the weekend. I am looking foreward to it, they have not stayed here before even though I have known the Nurse since she was a wee little girl. So they will be here this weekend, supposed to be arriving on Friday and leaving on Monday. The Nurse has an uncle here in town but he has remarried, and while they are very nice, its not the same as it was before. The new Aunty is a wonderful lady, very nice but she is not the old fun loving Aunty who doted on the Nurse and whom the Nurse thought hung the moon. So last time we talked I told her she was welcome to stay here anytime. She is taking me up on my offer this weekend. I am glad she has stayed in touch after all the changes that have taken place over the last few years.

Well I need to go change the laundry, then maybe do something on my List before the day is done.

Toodles,

Linda

First Day of Vacay

Oh it is wonderful to wake in the morning without the alarm clock blaring in your ear, just the sound of the neighbour's dog barking its head off. At least it was 9:00 am before that happened. So I am up, showered, minty fresh and ready for the day. I have had my breakfast, eggs, english muffins and fresh strawberries and a nice hot cup if tea. Now I am ready to start my day. I am going to linger to watch a bit of the View just to remind myself that I find them talking over each other annoying then I am off to run some errands.

There is not much exciting on the agenda today. I am going to do my errands then I am coming back here to clean the house. It needs a right good tidying up and its gonna get it today. Vacuum, floors washed, dishes, dust and all the garbage, recycle and compost hauled out. Long past time that all this needs to be done.

The View is on, I am going to watch a little and then finish my tea. Have a nice day everyone.

Toodles,
Linda

Sunday Spin Class

Oh don't faint, I am not talking about that sort of spin class although I probably  should look into something like that too . No I am talking spinning wheels, wool, fiber, weaving. looms and like minded women spending a fun day together in fibery mayhem. I love these sort of days. There is a fantastic energy that you get when you spend time with creative people. I love that feeling. Creating is such an important part of my life, and I get so much from spending time with other people who share my interests.

 I am also so pleased I could pee my pants that my trouble with catching onto spinning was not all me. My wheel needed some work AND it is not the best to work with. I thought it might be but I am such a novice at this craft that I could not say for sure, I was thinking it was me and I was not going to get the hang of it. I have it on authority some of it was the wheel because two of the ladies there this afternoon are spinning magicians and they both agreed about my wheel. Whew..... I am not a dud at this spinning malarkey. SQEEEEEE.

Anyhoo, P's wonderfully handy husband gave my wheel an overhaul and it works 95% better than it was. I now just have to practise spinning like you do with any craft, to refine and finesse my product. Its so much fun. I love the magic of taking raw wool and it flows into yarn that can be knit into all manner of wonderful stuff.

These crafty days always see me coming home with a head full of ideas and totally pumped up with the energy to do a million things. There is not time in the day to do all I want to do, oh heck I am not going to live long enough to do all I want to do. I am itching to spin yards and miles of wool, dye it or not and knit it into fabulous things. I want to crochet all sorts of lovely stuff, I want to weave shawls and blankets, table runners and rugs not to mention the quilts that are dancing through my head. Don't get me started on the quilts. Sigh, oh for a 48 hour day and the energy to do everything I need to do and craft on top of it all.

Speaking of craft,  have been making puppets like mad again. Seven for the winter festival and six for a co=worker. Then I need to get a zillion more made for the local university. Most have been repeat patterns but I do have two new puppets to add to the family. A monkey and a beluga whale. They do not have names yet but here are the newest babies to be added to the family. I would like to make mention that my puppets are much cuter in person than they are in photos. Most likely its my mad photography skilz that are responsible for this but hey I am all I have to work with so I just have to deal.

 Beluga

 Monkey

Beluga whale, monkey, turtle, porcupine. pig and tiger

This little group of six is going to work with me tomorrow and off to be baby gifts for the co-worker as her family is having a baby boom this year, (including her). She just announced her pregnancy this week. I think there may be more puppets required but I am good with that, if she wants some for herself.  I am hoping to turn these little dudes into a new microwave for me. I think that is a great idea. These little critters have been a pot of gold for me. When I finish the orders I currently have I will have made 693 of these little puppets. This makes my head swim, don't know how I did all that  but I have loved every minute of it and the extra cash is a great help.

Well its nearly time for supper and I think I should go hunt up something to eat. Oh I have has such a good day!! I am going to crochet the evening away, making a scrap afghan for the local women's shelter.

Toodles,

Linda

Mid Week Musings

I hate that expression Hump Day, my nasty little minds sees all sorts of unspeakable images whenever I hear it so I prefer midweek. Much more refined!!

Best Friend was here for the weekend and then she headed back to hearth and home on Monday morning after we had breakfast. We had a wonderful weekend as we always do when we get together. The time was too short and the house felt so lonely after she left. I have had people say "what are you talking about? you only have company for such a short time, how can it be lonely?" Well it is, its like when someone suddenly calls attention to  something you have been tolerating for ever and then suddenly it comes to your attention and you don't know how you have put up with it all this time. The older I get the more I feel it.

Next week I have some days off, and I intend to craft my little heart out. I have finished knitting a poncho for a co-worker, it just needs fringe, washing and blocking. I am up to my pits in puppet orders. I have quilts calling to me, felt animals to sew and I want to get at some DIY around the old homestead. I am thinking that 6 days off is not gonna cut it. HOWEVER I will do what I can. I want to get some of this commissioned work done as that means money and money means a new stove. :-)

I have been thrifty shopping lately, Best Friend and I always do  when we are together. I got a desk lamp for my sewing room for $4.98. Its big and throws a great light so I am happy with that. I found the cutest little cow creamer, as well as some other odds and ends all for under $20.00 which I try to stick to when I know I am going to be thrift shopping for a day. I also got a bookcase that is the right size to replace my pantry cupboards in the kitchen that are falling apart even as we speak. The bookcase was new and only $29.99 at Canadian Tire. I am so happy. I also bought for another $29.99 a dvd shelf that can sit beside my new corner entertainment center. I was going to have a custom thing made but that would have been more than $29.99 and this one will do for now. So the money I got for the winter festival puppets as been used for my thrifty shopping this weekend. I need to assemble these two pieces but I will do that this weekend. I have not taken pictures of any of this but you know I will do that and you will get a pictorial blog post of the before and afters.

This Sunday I am going to be heading out of town to spend a day of spinning and assorted fibery fun. Four of us are getting together to spin and knit and who knows what all for the day. I am really hoping I can get my spinning wheel figured out. I think the tension is whacked but it could just be me over spinning everything. Thankfully one of the ladies at least knows her stuff when it comes to spinning. If I can get the over spinning taken care of, oh the things that I will do. I have two fleeces in my basement yearning to be spun into woolly wonderfulness. Fleece to finish, baby, that is my goal.

Right now I should go and hunt up my crochet hook and work on the puppet orders. I have 18 of them left to do, 5 felt animals to make and 4 quilts to make, not to mention dish cloths to knit, socks to knit and 3 runners to be woven.  Pictures to be shared later.

Toodles,

Linda

Monday Moment with Minou

Why can't this be my quilt???

Why does it have to be for your grandbaby??

Don't your love me anymore???

Sometimes I shake my head at myself

It is said that to repeat the same action over and over, expecting  a different outcome is the definition of insanity. Well some days  I think I am the walking, talking poster child for insanity. The details of my little repetitive actions are not important, they are not illegal, dangerous or nasty, just annoying to the nth degree and costly.  The important thing is I keep doing it. I know better, I try to make a change but for some reason occasionally a part of my mind shuts off, turns to mush, leaks out my ears leaving me brainless and prone to repetitive idiocy. I land myself back in the same spot over and over. Blarrgh!!! I am so done with this.

As much as I would love to let little Miss Crankypants field these shenanigans I am a big girl, I acknowledge this is a monster of my own making and as such, I need to get control and STOP THE INSANITY!!! ( does anyone but me remember that little catch phrase??), Sigh, I really don't like being the grown up at times but needs must and once again I will tidy up the carnage, all the while promising to endeavour to stop repeating the process. Wish me luck, I need all the help I can get. I am my own worst enemy. So Miss Get Over It and Get On With It will do clean up and we will start again. (For those of you that don't know who I am talking about, the two Misses are my split personalities, I am a true Gemini)

Moving on, last night was a lot of fun. I had my book club here for the evening and then J stayed on so she did not have to drive the half hour home to her family. It was late, foggy and she did not have to do her car pool the next day so staying was perfect. We had a wonderful evening as we always do. Lots of talking, laughing and eating. They are a fun group of women, smart, entertaining and interesting. I always feel the night has been a success when the evening lingers on towards 10pm before someone makes a move to go home. Last night was a good evening. I really enjoy entertaining, I just wish I was better at it.

Tomorrow night, Best Friend will be here for the weekend. Yahoo!! Its always good when she gets to come for a visit. I am hoping to get some knitting time done on the poncho I am working on but that may not happen. We shall have to see how busy the weekend gets.  I really want to get it finished and sent away.

 I have three vacation days coming up this month which will stretch out to 6 days with weekend and stat holiday so I am hoping to go create guns at the crafting on those days. I would also like to paint my third bedroom, the red room. I will share pictures of what I get up to, crafting or redecorating.

I am off to knit and do laundry and contemplate how I can change my foolish ways !!

Toodles