Hoarding zippers

Last week there was a sale at the local fabric store so I went along to see what deals could be had. I didn't buy any fabric but picked up 5 more zippers for my stash. It's not like I use zippers regularly and am constantly running out - so far this year I've used three - but I keep thinking I should make more boxy pouches, which require zippers and since I never know when inspiration will strike it just seems sensible to keep a variety of zippers on hand.

Zipper stash before sale: 6
Zipper stash after sale: 11
Planned projects involving zippers: 0

Go figure!

Mail call!

Do you get as excited about mail as I do? Good mail this week included Moo cards...

I love the Yay sticker!



They came all nicely packaged.


And look lovely too! Moo had a promotion offering free business cards, all you pay is shipping. Sound too good to be true? They have their own bit of advertising at the bottom but for now (and for next-to-free) I don't mind.


And this lovely ribbon ball kit from ikatbag.


It came with all this fun stuff to play with.


The jingle bell was making me a little nutty (and this just from carrying the package upstairs and upacking it to photograph) so I don't know if I will include it in the ball or not. Of course I'll probably give the ball away so maybe that person will like the bell!

Chocolate!

I've just found a great new chocolate - from IKEA! I used to like this chocolate:


It was dark (I prefer dark to milk) but not too dark and it came in a big slab so it lasted a long time and was always available when a recipe called for something like 8 oz of chocolate. Then a couple years ago President's Choice changed their products and this chocolate became darker, still yummy but not quite as delicious. Boo. There's still some in the cupboard but it seems to last longer now (not that that's a bad thing).

Last week I was at IKEA and saw this chocolate bar and decided to give it a try.


Very good! Much like the "old" President's Choice bar. Not nearly as big a slab but still a generous size for a chocolate bar and only $1. Downside: IKEA is 30 minutes away. Still, a good excuse to go. Will have to stock up next time!

When I was in England this summer I stocked up on Cadbury's Dairy Milk. This is the exception to dark chocolate is better. Yes, you can get Dairy Milk here but the UK version is just better. I've heard it's because they use whole milk not powdered milk. I don't know but it's definitely the best milk chocolate I've tasted. Downside: England is much further away then IKEA. Upside: sometimes obliging friends bring some back from their travels.


Hmmm... I'm hungry now, anyone else?

Non-pattern skirt

My first attempt at creating clothes without a pattern! Sort of. I have a skirt similar to this one and since it's comfy and seemed pretty easy to make (two partial circles for the main skirt and a rectangle for the waistband) I thought I would try to make one myself. So I did have a model and definitely had the skirt lying out while I ran around with a measuring tape and wished I had a compass that could measure out 40 inches! The one thing I wanted to change from the original skirt was to make it more of a circle, making the hem longer/bigger so that there would be enough material for me to sit cross-legged and still be modest! Mission accomplished. And I didn't cut off any crucial bits while serging! Even better! And the price - less then $2 for the 1.5 meters of fabric it took! I think I may want to embellish it a bit, maybe freezer paper stencilling? I couldn't decide what design to put on (sailboat? heart? flowers?) so wore it as is, decorating will have to come later.

Would I make it again? Yes (and saved the pattern I created just in case), but with some adjustments. Like making the waistband more snug or adding elastic (you never know when toddlers will want to tug at your clothes!) and shorts underneath (you can sit cross-legged but getting there requires some clothing adjustments!).

Dip, dip and swing

This weekend I was fortunate to get out canoeing one evening. This lake is a 20 minute drive from where I live and despite the noise of the traffic from a nearby road it's pretty peaceful and lovely on an evening like this when the sun is setting and all is calm.

Canoeing was part of my childhood - I learned during visits to my grandparents' cottage in the summer. First learning to paddle while kneeling on the dock and then being promoted to the canoe itself with my mom paddling in the stern. I remember banging my thumb along the gunnels far more often then was comfortable but loving to be out in the canoe anyways. And when my sister and I were finally allowed to take the canoe over to the island ourselves? A dream come true! Somehow paddling to the island was much more exciting then just paddling around the bay although one of my favourite canoe memories happened in the bay. My mom and I were out on a quiet summer's evening and were in the right place at the right time to see a doe bringing her two fawns to the lake's edge for a drink.

Yep, canoeing is definitely one of my favourite things about summer!

A Lapbook/Scrapbook

Do you remember a WIP picture with a whole lot of trims and a bit of fabric showing? After a trip to the scrapbooking store to buy more trim (I didn't have enough... really!) and finding out they didn't carry the trim I had planned to use and moving to Plan B I've completed this project - a lapbook/scrapbook of last summer's vacation. I first saw the idea for a lapbook in Scrapbook and Cards Today and used it as a starting point for this one. I changed the size of the book (I used a full 12x12 size) and covered it in fabric (instead of paper, which, if you are thinking of trying one, would have been waaaaay easier). I was going to make a tutorial as I was creating but got a little frustrated (and a little unsure it would actually work) and stopped taking pictures. If you are interested making one Scrapbook and Cards Today has a very good article for you to follow!

And now for the good part - the pictures!

The finished lapbook closed...


...and open.








A lot of pictures flip open to incorporate more underneath.


A stand alone book was also a great way to fit more pictures in.


I really like the inside - all the hidden bits yet being able to see a lot at a glance. A wonderful way to remember a trip!

WIP Update

So the WIP from the last post is still IP. I need to make a trip to the scrapbooking store before I can finish it. Maybe this weekend. In the meantime I've started another project using this yarn. The mulitcoloured yarn is Noro's Cashmere Island - soooo beautiful! I just loved the colours in this skein and since I only need one skein (I hope!) for this project the extra cost seemed do-able.

Weekend Crafting

Yes, it's now Wednesday and I'm just getting my weekend events blogged! In fairness, it was a long weekend here in Canada so my week only *started* yesterday... hmmmm... the rationalizations of a procrastinator!

First off, I wanted to sew something. Spent some time mulling over my fabric stash and imagining what to do with all that lovely fabric! (Do you notice a definite colour preference?)


I chose to use this canvas with elephants marching across it as well as some plain canvas and a bit of twill tape.


After some cutting, measuring, pinning and sewing.


I ended up with this little basket!


Perfect for keeping my current WIP in.


And I can fold up the handles and take it with me.


Very satisfying to finish a project the same day it was started! And lovely to sew by an open window with the breeze blowing in.

Fuschia

I love my little fushia plant. When I bought it it was covered in blooms, sadly it didn't do so well with the "plant sitter" while I was away (hence the brown spots on the leaves) but it seems to be happy again - as shown by blooms and new leaf growth. You go girl!