Baked Beads

Can you eat just one potato chip, one peanut, one ...   Can you make just one bead?

The stretch cord bracelet took maybe 5 minutes.  A key chain is next and we had no satisfactory beads.

 We jumped to lesson 8 and started making beads.  It takes a bit to get going and now we have lots of ideas for making and baking!

Making plans

I jotted down notes as I went along last week.  Friday I fine tuned the rush from this morning's starting gate if we use Friday's checkered flag analogy.  LOL  If I'm not mixing metaphors, I am mixing the horse power!

I need to explore some of the functions on Nina for opening up and altering the patterned stitches.  A balance function refigures stitches and the stitch width and stitch length can all be changed to create different effects.  Imagine the variations are mind boggling but not every stitch will be a 'keeper'.

The toy box sat in front of the design wall that made way for the new look in the hall.  I set the toy box in the landing and I'm wondering if it could be a window seat?  ;^)  We'll see.  I did pull a few fabrics in case I need to actually make a cushion for it.

 I'm actually waiting to see how many times The Rooster will mash his toe on it.  So far he has only rearranged the jars but that was because he kicked the sander as I'd put it by the stairs to put away.  oops!

I'm thinking there is an AB class, lesson 4- wet glue, dry glue

I am also wanting to learn about my Photo Shop Elements program.  I think the biggest challenge is figuring out how to save, sort, and successfully find an image.  :(

And of course, the beading class which is a key chain.

Chicks and chooks,  start your horses???  Speaking of which, The Rooster is considering these, The Berg Grazer. Oh, my. They look like they have racing on their mind!

Oh, and yes, there is a little mouse who always seems to elude the grand kiddies!

Friday Finish

                         

Get that checkered flag!  I'm crossing the finish line. 

A goal for this year is to have my garments reflect more of who I am.  I'm starting small and shy.  Here are the new buttons for my thrift shop coat!

Sew glad to have the patterned stitching finished for my Threads- the basics and beyond!

The Altered Book 'book along' (?) is up to date and ready for lesson four.  My theme is leaves and trees.

I am already lining things up for the starting gun on Monday morning.  
But first pass that cup full of the bubbly!!!

Thrilled with Thursday

Nina was happy to be sewing again.  I got through all the patterns with just using the default settings.
(I skipped the button holes)  :)

I got very tired of stopping to cut strips of fabric and stabilizer sew I just went ahead and cut all the black up and made white strips and stabilizer strips to match.  Why am I even surprised that now I have more than enough???  lol  But I will be using them as I explore my other settings.

34 blocks!  That should be 17 sets.  I may need a bigger box to hold all this!

I forgot to stop so I have one long set with the fonts on them.  The oriental writing needs to have connecting threads cut but I'm leaving them as reminder that sometimes this happens.

The water container seemed to have a lot of the gel medium in it after I did the AB stuff.  I'd left the lid loose and it had dried out quite a bit so I was using a lot of water and evidently transferred a fair amount of the medium to the water.  I am not a particularly thrifty person but these supplies tend to add up dollar wise.  So I decided to try to use the thick water and see if it would act as a glue.

It did work on the thinner papers.  This is a waxed paper bag.

 These are bits of scrap book paper that needed more of the actual gel medium.

 The heavier papers did not adhere at all.

Serviettes with the inner layer removed worked well.

This piece of paper doily seems to be holding.

It 's been a good day!

WOW I'm wooking.

Since the work on the black and white with gold stitch patterns is still in the boring stage I thought I'd show the Altered Book project I am doing.  Elizabeth, on her blog, is doing a new one with excellent steps for a successful project.  I started her earlier tutorial and I am embarrassed to admit that I haven't completed it.  I think it was the theme which was 'Just Me' that intimidated me.  ;^)

The whiter book on the right is my first AB.

So I'm doing a smaller simpler version. I picked the theme and gathered all sorts of materials to alter the pages. It is on trees and leaves which will help me explore and move my own design style further along.

The book is stitched which is just about the only requirement for success but it sure is a narrow tight binding.
I found my handy dandy sander to prep the cover.  I work on a cafeteria food tray but with a plastic table cloth on my work table.

I have already removed some pages

Lesson 3 was this week.

Then I went back and double checked my post on which glue to use for the end covers.
I decided to use the gel medium and I'm glad as the lid wasn't real tight and it is beginning to dry out so I added some water and I'm slapping away.  Waste of my crafting money is a great motivator!

I added some left over mulberry paper to strengthen the cover and first page.  I got creative with that first page to save the images which are about the first of March winds. The brayer is a favorite tool for smoothing and pressing.

The back got the leftover piece and wax paper keeps everything from sticking to whatever it shouldn't.

The gesso lid is doing a better job of keeping things moist and that is what I used on the cover.  I didn't have a foam brush but I do like the streaky effect from bristles.  This brush sheds bristles though and that is actually more texture than I want.  I also forgot I was going to go lightly over the palm tree.  :(

The niche has been made in my original book so I won't be adding one to the smaller book. But I am thinking that I am ready for the next step in the niche so without a lot of fore thought, I grabbed two scrap book papers and cut, and glued away. The green paper was glued on the inside back cover.  Then I worked with the pink paper to fit, fold and tuck to the back.

Then the top section is glued to the back cover. 'Just me' is being pressed down to secure the adhesive as I type!  I'm thinking I'll use vellum or cellophane for the window page.

Surprisingly I don't have a huge mess to clean up so there is no need to postpone making more stitching patterns for my experiment with Threads- the Basics and Beyond.

I have linked to quite a few previous posts this week.  It kinda makes me feel very techy. (I hope they all work)  But I have been remiss about linking my wow, what's on worktable to The Needle and Thread Network.  These are Canadian bloggers who are sharing their work and processes each week.  We have hit a milestone and now have over 100 followers and a good selection is showing up for your viewing pleasure. Please hop over and check us out for WIP Wednesday #29

Seems to be an underwear month

By underwear, I mean basic stuff that isquite a bore to buy but so necessary to completing projects successfully.  This month it'll be needles and neutral coloured threads.

Now I need to add plain spacer beads for my beading projects.  I seem to have a little bit of flashy stuff but not enough to do anything with and I'm seriously deficient in the basics that make the feature shine.

Lesson two is about a centre focus necklace.  I have one option or I could get creative  and make a focal point but this is lesson two! lol

 This was the closest I came to having the prerequisite pendant. It isn't going to work irregardless of the camera's  colouring.

Jenn has a centre focus that came with her kit.  So she is good to go!

Pretty good and I must say that crimping is becoming old hat!

Open door. Close door?

How about throw away the door!

This upstairs hall way usually has my flannelet design wall across this shallow closet.  I did learn to store stuff I don't usually need in it as there is usually something pinned all over it. 

Friday I was kinda frustrated and when I get that way I need to DO something.  I tend to take things out on the vacuum and while I was working I was thinking.   The clutter in the house is bothering me.  I am also thinking  about ways to get things finished.   How can I do things better?

I can't say enough good things about blogging.  It makes me commit and then it makes me figure out how to make those commitments happen.  Mostly I trick myself.   lol

 I blog Monday to Friday as my weekends are pretty much taken up with family.   To have Finishes for Friday I need to begin to plan on Monday.  But I need to get busy on Monday, not plan things.  So when I Finish on Friday I won't be finished until I have the plan for the following week.  This also means I'll be blogging about what I've done not just what I'd like to do.  So while I will bead on Monday it'll be the theme for Tuesday.  Tuesday is the day I'll prep for WOW, Worktable On Wednesday!  Then Wednesday I can be busy on house stuff and finishing the goal for the week which posts Friday.  etcetera!

 All that creative energy made me want to tear the hall door off.  I decided the days of queen sized quilts is over and the design wall becomes the hanging place for UFOs which make me duck my head as I pass through this space.  Be gone!  The fashion fabric is not too fashionable any more so...  Be gone.   Stacks of books everywhere is becoming hazardous to the Rooster's toes!  Be gone.

 This closet will house the computer when we change to high speed.  This gives me a better idea of what needs to happen.  I'm all about form over function.  I'm not liking the visual clutter of the books so I did some more creative storing.  lol 

A quick fix, some improvement, still a bit too cluttered, but I feel better. I did pass the fashion fabrics quickly off to my daughter on Sunday as I was already starting  to have second thoughts about my first good intentions.    I am forcing myself to stay focused and this hallway is further down the to-do list.  I can however be thinking ahead to solutions to some of the things that will be needed to make this work.  I am getting a bit smarter in my great old age!  ha!

So this week my goal is to get the last of my stitching patterns done.  I've sliced up the last of my solid black fabric.  This is not real exciting but I'm sure I'm going to refer to these over and over again and I'll be sew glad I persevered.  I need to plan the beading class schedule, WOW what's on Wednesday's Worktable,  declutter something else and find something to play with.

Some people sweep things under the rug. I shove them in a drawer or closet and slam the door.  I think I'm going to open a few more doors and maybe even get rid of the door entirely.  Open doors are definitely open opportunities.

If it looks like a lamb...

 white, soft, kinda billowy, it may indeed be a lamb.  But if it starts to roar...

and it is March,  it very well could be a lion.

We are having weather.   It isn't a full fledged storm yet but it is a whiteout and very slippery.  I had to go out and I'm glad it was brief.  I am home but my car isn't.  It was a bit hair raising making the return trip.  The turn at the end of the driveway is obscure; everything is white.  I know there is a sharp drop-off and deep ditch on each side of the narrow access.  But I sighed too soon after the perilous crossing and the car did not respond to the steering wheel for the 90 degree turn that immediately follows.  I am slightly stuck.  I say slightly stuck because the front wheel is down and I am sure the Rooster would have crowed a bit and ...  Well, actually the Rooster wouldn't have found himself is such a predicament. lol  Anyway, I know when to cease spinning my wheels. He and my youngest chick can bring it on into the yard when they finish work.

But I am stuck.  And quite disgusted about it actually.  I had such a rush to get ready for my weekend away.  I did not anticipate getting everything accomplished, but I did.  This proves I can do it.  But on returning I felt again I had so much to do, errands/appointments on every single day interfered; but I didn't have that deadline so now I'm stuck.  Immobilized.

I had time to think as I walked down the driveway and back to an already late start on my day.  Maybe I should just throw a load of laundry in,  grab a good book and try again next week!

Many blogs have Friday Finishes.  I think I'd be happy with one finished thing.  So of all the things I have started and left undone, what could I finish on this Friday???  Besides a book, I mean!

In the pink

 Perhaps I should clarify.  We soon will be!

The appointments were consolidated but I still needed to be at my daughters for two days so the grand kiddies were thrilled to have me share their room.  While one slept the other talked late and then one slept while the other woke early.   It is all good!

The older, soon to be four,  helped me navigate his parent's high speed internet.  Whoa!  I mean, giddy up!  When I finally found my blog roll it was too late to really read away, but I am totally convinced that my busy schedule and my very slow dial up connection are no longer compatible.  I shall be making some kind of change in my budget to get that to happen.  Hopefully I can avoid the red side of my ledger with a bit of preplanning.

The ultra sound has spoken. Looks like we can safely think pink for the next grand child.

One prince.  Two princesses!   The prince will have his work cut out for him.  While intent on his own project he neglected to sound the alarm as 'the pink one' coloured with a purple pencil ALL over the ready to be primed drywall!  Papa is now seeing red!!!   snort!