Xmas ornaments love red cups

One thing that I really hate about Christmas

 is putting all the ornaments away.

Unlike the tree trimming part there is no party 

with family and food.

There's just me and the cat and a lot of tissue paper.

I wrap the paper around the ornaments 

and put them away in boxes.

She jumps into the boxes and tears apart the tissue paper.

But this year, thanks to Pinterest 

I did something different.

First I glued a bunch of red cups 

to the bottom of a plastic tote.

Then I filled them up with ornaments,

putting a delicate one in each 

followed by a couple of soft ones to cushion it.

I also stuck in some of the pre-torn 

tissue paper (thanks kitty).

I made a second layer using cardboard 

as the base.

It was ridiculously simple and hassle free.

Pinterest link

Fulfilling a plege

Yesterday my sister came over for a visit
and I took the opportunity to teach her how to crochet
as part of a pledge that I made here.
It was a short visit so I figured it would be best to keep
it simple and show her just the basics.
She caught on quickly, so I promised her another
lesson when we get together next
(she lives in another city).

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon
and I'll update with pictures when I
get them from her.
Thanks Knitluck
for starting this great pledge!!

7 random things

I have been tagged by coltpixy
to write 7 random things about myself.

1. I eavesdrop on people all the time, mostly at out-of-the-way coffee shops. I think I would make a good spy.

2. I never have less than 30 library books checked out and 40 on hold. The ones I have out now are a mix of yarn, mythology and art.
I love being cheap!

3. I like people who are slightly out of step with the mainstream.
Trust me, there are a lot of eccentrics in a city of 2 1/2 million.

4. I'd much rather have something used than new. I love that it has a history to it.
(Again this works into my cheapness factor).

5. I have started writing children stories just for the pure pleasure of it.
I do it just for me and I love the freedom and joy that comes out of this process.

6. I think I have entered my second childhood, how else can I explain this trend toward crocheting amigurumi toys.

7. I'm always trying to learn how to read lips.
It's actually very difficult to do, I thought it would be easier since I took linguistics in university but it's not. Sometimes I'll try to figure it out from watching tv and once I got so involved that I tried to read the Muppets' lips.......duh.

Tag you're it...but only if you want to play!

Howie Woo
salihan crafts
Mette
Nena

Calvin & Hobbes Bento box

Bento #33: Calvin & Hobbes Bento!
Originally uploaded by AnnaTheRed

I found this amazing Bento box when I was looking for images of the cartoon strip.
Bento #33: Calvin & Hobbes Bento!
Originally uploaded by AnnaTheRed

Yesterday my youngest son (21 yrs) was talking to me about Calvin and Hobbes. I had forgotten how much he loved them when he was younger, he reread each collection countless times over and over again. For years his room was decorated with a huge mural that I painted of Hobbes in pursuit of a grinning Calvin. The mural remained there for years until my son changed bedrooms and it became my workroom (I wish I hadn't painted over it).

So yesterday my son asked me if I could make him Hobbes.
This made me happy for a lot of reasons. First.... he still remembered how much joy this mischievous boy and his tiger had brought to him and that they still had meaning in his life of computers and video games. But I was also happy that he had complete faith in me that I could recreate his favorite childhood memory. I'm looking forward to the joy and the challenge of tackling this project in crochet....I want to get it just right, it will be a labour of love.

Back to the Bento box.....if you find her work as amazing as I do check out her blog
(she also made Where the Wild Things Are). They are delightful works of edible art!

One Year Anniversary

To celebrate my first year of blogging I made cakes.

No, not the sweet sticky kind...... I made yarn cakes.
I bought myself a wool winder and have been winding all my bits and bobs of yarn.

I first saw cakes of yarn at my knitting class and loved how they looked. But they are also practical.
They are stackable (how cool is that!) and because of the centre pull there is no fighting with tangles.

Plus I no longer have to chase my yarn around while I crochet or knit.
Unlike my dog, they sit obediently in one spot.

Yarn Graffiti, Crochet Style

I've seen so many pictures of yarn covered poles and statues, stop signs, and car antennas but I have never seen one in person.
So today I decided to crochet a little graffiti starting with this ugly chain link fence that surrounds a nearby school.


It adds a little colour to an unexpected place on a dreary winter's day. But it is also not so elaborate that it will break my heart if it is taken down.
I hope it lasts for a while.

I had to be a bit sneaky to put it up without anyone seeing me, but since it was cold and windy it went quite smoothly.

I'm thinking of covering a pole next.
Edit: Well it lasted until today, May 27th, that's over 3 months...not bad!

Art on a Paris sidewalk

By C215
Originally uploaded by vitostreet

This beautiful drawing was made on a pavement of a street in Paris.
I love how the chipped pavement looks like swirling autumn leaves and
the detail, colour, and expression of the cat is just wonderful!

Tagged

I've been tagged by amber
at Crafty all over the place
so here goes...

7 Random Things about sukigirl
---------------------

1. When I was around 5, I almost drowned in a pool,
but being the clever red headed girl that I was,
I wore my hair in a lovely ponytail...perfect for my mum to pull me out of the water.

2. I have painted my work space the brightest pink
so that my male family won't venture inside my space.
Sometimes it gets a bit much for me, but we all know
that we have to suffer for our art.

3. I still regret having to tell my son that there was no Santa Claus. He told me that all his friends didn't believe in him and asked me to be honest.
I was ..and he cried ....and it broke my heart.
4. My hubby and 2 sons have no idea that I have manipulated them into choosing female pets only. I do this in an attempt to preserve the estrogen balance in the house.

5. When I was 7 years old my brother and I were picked to be the King and Queen of the London Fair. We got our picture in the paper, a free teddy bear (which I still have after many, many years), lunch with the fair president and a bucket load of tickets for rides.
I think of it as my greatest achievement.

6. When I was 7, I also slipped on our back step and the back of my dress got caught on the clothesline hook and I hung there for about an hour before my mum
came to rescue me.
It was, of course, one of my lesser achievements.

7. That despite how #2 and #4 sounds, my family is my greatest joy!

As far as tagging, .....most of the blogs I visit have done the tag thing so I'll bend the rules and just list 7 sites.

1.LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this site attic24

2. If I could only visit one it would be Craftzine

3. She is so talented, I wish she would post more
coltpixy
4.Crochet Liberation Front
I belong to this subversive group on Ravelry.
Yes, the words crochet and subversive can be used together.

5. I just discovered this one and I'm really enjoying
the mix of crochet and sewing projects.
My cuppa'charms

6. I've picked up some great recipes from here.. smitten kitchen

7. future girl
Great designs, tutorials and craft book reviews

Standoff

The squirrel wants to get to my
bird feeder which is on the
other side of this kestrel.
Pretty fearless I would say
considering that the hawk is
feeding on a bird that was
at that same feeder.

Panforte=happiness

I pity the fool that has never eaten panforte.
Okay, maybe that is a little strong... but just a little.
The lovely city of Siena, Italy might be famous for
the incredible horse race known as the Palio,
but for me it's famous for this amazing dessert!
I'd even take this over Italian gelato which
is saying a lot!

It's hard to describe but it is closest to a fruitcake
(in texture only)..I happen to HATE fruitcake
so I hate even typing that word.
It has honey, almonds, pepper, cocoa
and spices. Mmnnnn!
It comes in a few different flavours
but chocolate and the famous panpepato
(pepper to us) are my favourites.

Each time I am lucky enough to visit Siena
I bring back as much as I possibly can.
Then I savour each slice with a good strong
cup of Italian coffee knowing that
my precious supply is dwindling.

Even the package is beautiful!

Life lessons from a dog

It's a hot August day today and the air conditioning is cranking away and I start to think of winter.
It's usually the other way around, when I'm sick and tired of shoveling the snow and trying not to skid my car on icy roads....that I think ahead to sunshine and heat.

Stupid, isn't it, not to be able to live in the moment!

I think I could learn some life lessons from my
beautiful border collie/lab mix.
Her name is Comet and she is the sweetest dog that I've ever met!
She is the type of dog who will turn down food for affection and she greets visitors by leaning her whole
body into them..her version of a body hug.

During the warmer months she sits out on the
cool grass for hours watching birds fly
and bugs crawl..she seems fascinated
by nature.

In the winter, no matter how cold it is
she tears across the fresh snow , dipping her nose
as she goes, breathing in life.

She is teaching me to breathe in life!