Fabric Bandages Tutorial

On Valentine's Day I had an unfortunate moment when I lost my mind: I put my finger too close to the foot of my embroidery machine. Thankfully, the guard around the needle kept my finger relatively safe. Unfortunately, the metal automatic threading mechanism and the needle foot come within millimeters of one another, and at amazing speed (600 stitches/min.)

My poor finger didn't have a chance.

In a bit of an ironic twist, my friend Amber had just posted on Facebook the day before that she had sewn her finger in her embroidery machine. I will admit, I kind of chuckled as I quickly hit 'like'. Who would sew her finger in the machine?

Pride goes before the fall. 

Soon Amber and I were swapping sewing wounds, and I noticed she had a cool Super Woman band aide. Amber pretty much IS Super Woman, so it is entirely appropriate. All I had was a brown ugly bandage, which just wouldn't do.

So I suddenly had a great idea! Why not try to make a few that would be pretty. Now I'm almost excited for the next time I do something stupid that requires wearing a bandage.

Here are the directions so you can make some pretty bandages too:

Fabric Bandages

1. Find some scrap fabric... I used 100% cotton.

2. Gather Supplies: fabric bandages of all sizes, spray adhesive, parchment paper, a cookie sheet, and your scraps from above.

3. Iron your scraps so they are wrinkle free. Place scraps on parchment line cookie sheet, wrong side up. Take outside and spray with adhesive.

4. Press bandages, top-side down, to fabric. (I used a scrapbooking scorer. But anything will do.)

5. Give the glue about 30-60 minutes to dry.

6. Trim bandages to size!

Tip: If you cut bandages before the glue dries it will make your scissors sticky. Letting the glue dry helps. When finished use a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol and clean the scissor blades. The glue will come right off. 

Voila!

So, I learned four things last week:

1. Never try to adjust fabric in the hoop while the machine is moving.
2. Cloth diapers (for monogramming) make great tourniquets.
3. Making pretty bandages is fun, and requires nothing more dangerous than scissors.
4. Friends can make painful moments joyful!

Random (Flowery) Thoughts from Kellie's Brain

I'm sure by now you've guessed that I have an obsession a passion for flowers.

I love them, but I also really love to make them. Paper, yarn, fabric, tissue, beads, all flower-making medium is fair game... and this week wool-felt is my textile of choice.

I found this picture through Pinterest, (Go on, CLICK HERE to see the picture and then come back, I'll wait.)

OK... So glad you came back.

Seriously, if those beautifully colored felt dahlia's don't make your heart just swell with happiness, well... I'm worried about you.

Then again, maybe you should worry about me, because that picture made me want to run warp-speed to my studio/office and start making these bold, blooming, blossoms by the dozens.

Yesterday, I did my very best to muster up enough self-control to get two things done: teach some school, and finish up my last crochet project (pics below).

But then, without stopping at Go (or fixing lunch,) I found my wool-felt stash and sat to work.

My first attempt turned out all right. Not quite as neat and tidy as the picture, but give me a couple days and we'll see what happens...

Speaking of blue flowers....

I didn't give too much info on our beach trip. I plan to write more tomorrow but i will say I had forgotten how much I love the sea. I was surprised how blue the Atlantic ocean looked. Especially in the morning, when the sunlight was filtered through marine haze.

I must have been inspired by that azure hue because not only did I come home and make blue flowers, I bought one too.

I'm not really a souvenir type person, but when I saw this bracelet in the hotel gift shop, it was... just waiting there for me to pick it up... sitting there so pretty in all its flowery-blue goodness.

If happy were a wool-felt flower, or a beaded bracelet, this is what it would look like.

I mentioned that I finished my tea cozy project... Here it is.

No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the picture to show the true color red. in the picture it looks very orangey, but in real life its a beautiful blue-red. Mrs. P. This should be living in your kitchen within the next 5 business days! Hooray!

Well, I would love to sit and chat all day... seriously, I would. But I want to try to make one more flower before this afternoon gets away!

Happy Wednesday!

Thursday Thyroids and Other Fine Things

The good news is that I feel a little better today.

The bad news is that I sound worse.

This morning I sat in the pediatric dentists office trying to act inconspicuous. I tried really hard to act casual while hacking up a lung.

I felt pretty confident that I was doing a good job until a lady with her adorable 6 year old boy walked in the room. Which is actually a funny story....

The nurse asked this women if it was all right to take her son's bite-wing x-rays. The mom answered in a tone that was highly patronizing and very loud, "Please be sure to cover his..." and then she waved her hand in a circle around the lower portion her own body.

The nurse respectfully replied, "Oh yes, don't worry, we use a lead apron."

The mom condescendingly says, "well, be sure to cover his thyroids."

I began to wonder if she was confusing one body part for the others.

Anyway, this same mom was giving me the evil eye when I had a small coughing fit. Luckily, my kids appointment was quick (no cavities, HOORAY!) and we were able to make a swift exit.

You know, I should probably give this women the benefit of the doubt. Maybe her son has health issues, maybe she's just really concerned about radiation, but speaking kindly to others isn't all that hard.

Since I have had some time on my hands this week I decided to make a couple of Easter Baskets.

I hooked up these super-easy easy baskets using this pattern.

The blue one is done with only two strands of yarn (instead of three as the pattern suggests.)

The pink one was actually an entire skein of yarn that I hooked into one long single-chain. I had seen this technique done one other projects and wanted to try it out (instead of using separate strands). I wouldn't do it again for this kind of project - maybe it was just the wrong kind of yarn for that technique, but it made things difficult.

So that's it, the good the bad and the crafty.

I cannot wait to show you the pictures I took outside this morning of my garden flowers. Oh! they are nice...but until then the picture above is actually from my neighbors yard (every year she catches me taking photos in her yard, and she doesn't even mind!)....spring is in full bloom!

Until tomorrow...

Paper Flowers: A Lesson from my Nana

Three days before I went home to Arizona for Christmas, my Nana died.

One of my favorite memories of her was during the time of my 15th birthday.

I had the privilege to celebrate my fifteenth year with a Quincenera.

This is a big celebration in the life a young Latina girl, and its a big deal.

My color theme was yellow. Its my mom's favorite color, and it was perfect for a fall September day in Southern Arizona.

I don't remember the details, but I do remember my Nana coming to the house with tissue paper and white chenille stems (aka - pipe cleaners.)

I remember sitting at our large dining room table and putting our hands to work.

We made a plethora of paper flowers that day, her and I.

I've been making these flowers ever since.

Twenty-three years later the tradition continues...

Grab some supplies and join me around my big (cyber) table...there's plenty of room here...

How to make a Tissue Paper Flowers

Supplies needed:
Tissue paper
Pipe Cleaner (or if you are completely out of pipe cleaners, steal a twisty-tie from the loaf of bread in an act of desperation.)
Scissors
Tape (to affix to present, optional)
Directions:

Take several pieces of tissues paper, and stack them on top of each other. It doesn't matter what size...bigger for large flowers, small for petite flowers. (I used three pieces of a large rectangle and cut them in quarters)

My flower started with a 12 layer stack.

Fold your paper accordion style, starting from the longest side.

Use your twisty-tie, or chenille stem, and place it in the middle.

Fold the sides up toward the middle just a bit.

If you like, you can cut the edges to give your flower a little more personality.

I did a little wave, which will make my flower look a little peony-esque.

Carefully start to pull the tissue, sheet by sheet, toward the middle. Gently twisting and folding paper into place.

Soon it will look like this...

Stick some tape onto the bottom and stick it to a present, or ti anything you want to add some happiness too.

Below is a picture of my Nana, who was probably not much older than I was when she taught me to make these flowers.

For these things, I will always be grateful.

First Friday... and a Giveaway

It's here! It's here!

Friday. My favorite day of the week.

Let's eat cupcakes!

These are Maple Walnut cupcakes from my new cookbook.

See... I kept it close just so I could get my own batter stains in it.

These sweet babies are delicious. A very grown-up sort of cupcake if I do say so myself. The frosting is made from real maple syrup (and eggs and LOTS of butter) and it reminds me of the Maple Long-John donuts my parents used to buy when I was a kid.

I remember wondering why they would choose a boring brown donut when the rainbow sprinkled one was clearly so much better. Now I know.

I'm sure you're not here for the cupcakes...

You're here to see what I'm giving away today.

Well, here you go:

Actually, I'm gonna give you a choice (just in case you are not interested in birds and nests...)

I know this might be hard to see...it's a wonderful pastoral setting with a brook and a bridge and a wee little house in the woods,surrounded by flowers and Camellia in bloom.

Both necklaces come on an organza ribbon "chain" with clasp.

So here's what you do....

Leave a comment and tell me about something you love - now or when you were a kid. Then tell me what necklace you want if you win!

You don't have to have a blog, but you do have to have a valid email address. If your comment is a non-reply sort, then I cannot reach you to send you your prize!

If you do have a blog, I would love for you to tell your bloggy friends to join the fun.

I will pick a winner on Monday, January 10, 2011.

If you don't win I will have several necklaces in my etsy shop on Monday for $9.00 a piece (plus $1 shipping and handling).

Good luck!

Work(s) in Progress

I was gonna wait until tomorrow to post this topic, but I'm so excited to tell you... I can't wait.

Last week I mentioned I was going to try my hand at a little glass pendant making.

Well, I think I'm getting the hang of it...

Birds and flowers and newness of spring are my favorite. I love pretty paper, vintage art, and shiny things.

Bob Ross had Happy Little Trees, and these happy little crafts are making my week.

Here's a secret: These pendants are already spoken for, but I may or may not be hosting a giveaway this weekend here on the blog...so tell your friends, and come back tomorrow afternoon with your comments ready.

In fabric news, a have a new attachment (actually is was a quilting-set of four) for my sewing machine so I thought I would make a quilted spring-colored table runner for my dining room. This may take awhile...mostly because I don't have a pattern - I'm kind of making things up as i go - But also cuz im fairly convinced that quilting isn't one of my gifts. It makes me cuss.

You can see the quilt pieces beneath the yarn.

On the needles I've started a tea-pot cozy from a Crochet With Raymonds pattern (a blogger I originally found on Tangled Happy - which is a GREAT compilation blog on yarn-craft).

To be honest, I like knitting but it isn't my favorite yarn craft (I only cuss when purling.)

However, I'm going to love making the flowers for the top. I'm going to look at it like a marathon...knitting is the running 26-miles part, but crocheting the flowers will be the pasta feast before the race is finished.

I'm so grateful that spring, summer and fall come after winter. Those are my three favorite months.

Winter is...well... winter; pretty in its own right but so ding-dang frigid. The way I figure, when it's so cold outside that even your teapot needs to dress warm, she might as well be adorned in cheery attire.

That's the plan for this month - to surround myself with spring-type make-ables until the temps rise to at least 65 degrees. Then it will be time to tend the garden again...







Ah, the garden...now that is my favorite thing...but let's not count the tomatoes before they hatch.

Don't forget to stop by (and tell a friend!) tomorrow afternoon to see what I'm giving away!

A Quiet Moment of Clarity

I've just returned from a lovely outing with the Carpoolqueen and her Trio.

We spent several hours swimming, dining on pizza, and doing our best to catch up after her whirlwind trip to the wild west and back.

Due to the unspoken bloggers courtesy regarding photos in bathing suits, there won't be any poolside pictures. You can take my word for it, we had a blast.

What I love about being at the pool all morning is that when I bring my kids home they go into auto-pilot. Without prompting they each find a shower and when they are warm and clean, they'll find prospective corners of the house to be quiet.

That is the wonderful part about this stage in parenting, you don't have to worry (as much) about the quiet times...you can actually enjoy them.

All this quiet has led me to some pondering...

Currently, my dilemma is wether or not to make the long drive to Chapel Hill this afternoon to purchase yarn.

I started an afghan on a whim this weekend, without pattern or plan, and it turns out the three little balls of yarn I had on hand are not enough. Since the posting of this picture the blanket is now about 20x20 inches, so I'm committed...and out of brown yarn.

I could wait to go to the store until I have other things I need at that end of town, but my crochet-driven impulse may win out.

Does this ever happen to you? Do you ever get fixated, out of the blue, in a fit of creativity, on one thing even when there may be 10 other projects you could tend to?

My husband recently said in a I'm-saying-this-as-a-joke-but-it-smacks-of-reality kind of way, "Kellie, you're so compulsive." Which is a nice way of saying, you get your mind set on something and you can't leave it alone.


I beg to differ.

I call it passionate dedication.

There is just something comforting about the compulsiveness repetitiveness of double-crochet, double-crochet, double-crochet, single-chain, single-chain, double-crochet, double-crochet, double-crochet, single-chain, single-chain, over, and over, and over again.

The process is comforting. It takes almost no effort, and magically that little repetitive motion turns a bit of yarn into a pattern...

A comforting, warm, colorful, pattern of passionate dedication.

Craft store....here I come.

Random thoughts from Kellie's Brain...(5th ed. with links)

In the last 24 hours I have been to our local library eight times.

Since Monday I have been there fourteen times.

Just thought you might want to know. (How's that for random?)

Last week I said I would make my Friday posts short and sweet, and start linking up to other blogs or articles I have found interesting. So here they are:

#1 - For my peanut butter/chocolate fans I give you this exciting bit o' news. I am already wondering what wonderful Christmas morsels will be made with these babies...of course, when I find them I will certainly test them, for blogging purposes of course.

#2 - What are you doing for Father's Day? I am going to make my husband grill his own supper (he thinks fire and meat is the perfect holiday), while I set the table using these. I figure that eating hamburgers and potato chips will seem so fancy with fun folded napkins.

#3 What? Are there people out there who don't brush their teeth twice a day?

#3 - For three years I have said that I will make these Tote-able Towels. This may just be the year....

#4 - In five years of blogging, I had a "first" today. I was "recognized" at the gym by another mom. "Recognized" might be stretching it a bit because when we lived here the first time, her girls attended the school where I taught music. I had never met her before, but I did remember her sweet baby (who is a big girl now!)

She let me know that she had recently read my blog (she found it through a mutual friend on Facebook). She told me that she had been encouraged by a recent post. I was so glad she told me... and I have been thinking about it all day.

Why?

Well, because in my haste to get ready to go this morning I had accidently grabbed an old pair of yoga pants that have shrunk through too many washings (to say I looked ready for a flood would be an understatement.)

I hadn't showered and my eyebrows haven't been waxed in forever. Having just finished a very sweaty Zumba class, I was headed into another weight lifting class looking, well, sweaty.

In the grand scheme of things, I was not at my best.

Or was I?

It is my greatest desire to keep things real here. To be an encourager to those who walk the same road as a mother, a wife, a friend... a woman.

Every blogger hopes that that day will come when some "stranger" tells you they read your blog. You hope that it doesn't happen when you are in grocery store screaming at your kids, or when you've just walked out of the doctors office after a pap smear.

But those things are authentic, they're real. At least they are in my life.

I'm grateful that I could experience that moment in authenticity, because at the end of the day, its not about me.

So if you are a reader, and you happen to see me screaming at my kids in the frozen food isle, come on over and say "Hi!"

You'll totally make my day.

Summertime

Its here.

My favorite time of year.

Summer.

I don't mind the heat. I don't mind the humidity (although it's murder on the hair.)

I love flip-flops and Popsicles. Watermelon, swimming pools, trips to the beach.

Fireflies, eating outside, staying up late.

Hanging out with friends, reading good books, enjoying the moment (as it will pass all too quick...)

I love it all...

I received an email last week entitled "100 Things To Do This Summer", but I dumped it in the trash bin.

Today begins the official day of summer here at the La Vida house and I plan to do three things this summer: spend (quantity) time with my friends and family, sew and craft until my hearts content, and remember my love for being in the kitchen.

I don't need 100 thing to do, I do them all year, but those three things listed above...well, I've missed those the most.

This morning I am raising my coffee mug in a toast:

To summer!

(clink!)

Sugar and Yarn

Hello!

Life here at the LaVida house is full, but good.

I thought I would just show you a little bit of what I have been doing in my office:

Working on an baby afghan for a friend.

Making some calorie-free cupcakes (pincushions):

And filling monogram orders (oops!, forgot to take pics of those!)

Today and tomorrow I will be working on a cake for a baby shower this weekend. It's a tea-themed shower and I'm excited to try a new cake design, and super excited to celebrate a new baby!

I am looking forward to spending a good chunk of time in my office this summer crafting and creating. There is so much to do, and so little time!

Oh and one more thing....many of you have asked about CowTales. I was introduced to CowTales last August when the Island Girls met on Whidbey Island.

If you haven't had one of these, and you are a caramel lover, go get some, they are de-lish.

Also, since I can't seem to stop typing this morning, head over to this blog that is all about candy.  I love to read his candy reviews. (Have aI ever mentioned here that I have a small sweet tooth? All right it's more like a large molar, but anyway...) After reading this post I have been trying to get my hands on these gourmet gum drops, but Whole Foods has been completely sold out.

My dentist is so sad.

All right, I have to run, but tell me: What is your favorite candy? No sweet tooth? What do you eat for a "treat"?

BeaUtiful: Playing With Yarn

Did you know I'm a quitter?

Either did I.

Actually, I'm not a quitter.

It just that there are things that come easy to me, and there are things that don't.

Its the things that are hard that make me want to quit.

No, I'm not a quitter. My problem is that I give up too easily.

I give-in to frustration. I begin to believe the lie that if I cannot figure it out it must not be meant for me.

Or (more often than I care to admit) I allow insecurity or pride dictate what I will learn.

Case in point: Crochet.

Several years ago a lady at our church offered to teach me how to crochet. She made it look so easy that I readily took her up on her offer.

After several starts and stops I made a wonky looking pot-holder and then gave it up. It was too difficult, to hard to figure out, and my end product wasn't what I had envisioned it to be.

You know, maybe the time wasn't right (for all things there is a season) but honestly, it was just too complicated.

Actually it wasn't. But my desire to have what she had made it more difficult.

 I wanted the yarn to slip easily through my fingers; I wanted my stitches to be even and straight; I wanted to make beautiful things from a ball of yarn.

And I wanted them immediately.

What I needed was repetition. I needed to do the stitches many more times than the average bear. I needed to make pot-holders over and over again, and appreciate the work of practice, even if it wasn't always pretty.

That has been true of so many things in my life.

Repetition and grace. Practice, practice, practice. Learning that the finished project isn't going to come out the way I planned. Often times, its better.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, I've been making flowers. Flowers from yarn. Rachel taught me how to do this on Wednesday and I have made many, many flowers in the last 48 hours. With each one, they become more and more flower-like.

With every stitch I have been reminded to persevere. To remember that more often than not true beauty (success) is not measured in how quickly something is achieved, or in what the finished product may look like, but in the process of learning.

As I have moved that hook between strands of yarn, I was reminded that the imperfection of learning can reap a garden of joy.

Most of all I need to remember this in all things.

Not just when playing with yarn.

The Big Reveal: My New Office

I'm all moved (back)!!

That old book shelf (actually, a TV center that I turned on its side or more space!) is out and the bookshelves, made by The Mister are in:

For those who Twitter with me, you know that I was second guessing my choice of bright blue.

No regrets now.

I love how they look with both the yellow walls and the red stained desk and shelves.

The paintings above  the shelves were done by my children and will be framed soon.

Above the desk will be my favorite print given to me by the daughter of this artist .

She gave it to me as a goodbye gift when we moved from Texas, five years ago. At the time, I didn't have the funds to have it matted and framed, so as we speak this is being framed:

I swiped this pic from the net...I wish it was better because L. Carter Holman's art is way more vibrant, rich, and beautiful, than the colors of this photo!

Since this room was originally purposed to be a formal living room (I had the door installed) there isn't any storage. I'm gonna make space under the work table by making a very long table skirt using this fabric:

I may switch the ironing board and shelf to the other side of the room and move the treadmill and elliptical to the other side...

... but for now, this will work. I do hope to eventually find a different lamp than that old one on the shelf. Actually I need to get more than one lamp, at night this room is fairly dark!

I have room for all my sewing and embroidery stuff, a desk for the kids to do thier math assignments, a place to sit and watch movies with The Girl on Friday nights, and enough space to work out (or when I am working on big projects!).

I moved the table from the east wall to the south, so that when I am sewing, I can have a nice view of the front yard:

 This table is often used as a place to fold laundry while I watch the news or a movie so I like that its directly across from the desk:

I LOVE my new space. I think I'll log off and go make something!

Happy Weekend!

Put Down the Duckie

I've realized something about myself.

I may be addicted to hobbies.

Case in point: Since I already blog, sew, embroider, run, bake, play guitar, fold paper, bead, scrapbook and craft, I thought I might add knitting.

On the first of December I had a new friend over for a late night sewing session over the embroidery machine and a glass of wine.

She needed to monogram a few baby blankets on Clinton the Embroidery Machine and I wanted her to teach me the basics of knitting. After all, she is the Knitting Evangelist.

Anyway, she taught me the knit and the purl stitch on needles she brought from home and I was immediately hooked.

So much so that the next day, unable to get to the craft store, I took out mechanical pencils, with the lead push in, and began to practice what she taught me.

I wish I had taken a picture. Because while I was practicing my knit/purl skillz, pencils aren't really meant to be needles.

Soon I was able to get my hands on some needles of my own. After many attmepts I finally got my kitting groove, and now I am unstoppable.

Did you know that you can find all sorts of videos on YouTube that will show you EXACTLY how to knit? It's amazing.

Anyway, last night I stayed up way too late learning a new way to cast on, called a long-tail cast on, and then I learned how to make what will eventually be a flower.

I already have my heart set on making these. In time, but hopefully in time for spring. I've always had a thing for chickens.

However, today I have to put down the needles--bunny trail: now I am singing Put Down the Ducky if You Want to Play the Saxaphone...a song I sing often to my kids (and myself) when I need to walk away from something in order to accomplish something else.

My goals for today are to do my laundry, make sure the kids fold their laundry, and the help The Girl clean out her room--from floor to closet and all places in between.

...Put down the needles! Put down the needles! Put down the needles, if you want to have a tidy hooooommmmmeeee!!!!...Put down the needles, Put! Down! The! Needles!..... put down the needles if you want to have a tidy home........(music fades out...)


Happy Wednesday!

We're Working...We're Working

I can't remember the last time I was blogless for so long!

Although my hands have not touched a keyboard in four days, they have not been idle.

I've been making gifts for my nieces and nephews.

In case you happen to be one of those precious kiddos, go do something else....this post isn't for you.

I've made handbags:

And pencil holders:

And tool belts:

Oh, and here's a peek of the special order by a sweet blogger friend: Mother/Daughter Aprons. They are unfinished in this picture, I'll have to post the finished product when I have better light! They are on the way Chel!

Here's a special order applique scarf for a girl who just begged me to make her one.

Ok, Ok....I'll confess, I made that for myself. However, I did it because as soon as some fabric arrives in the mail I am going to make a couple more scarves for gifts....so I needed to be sure it was gonna look all right.

Anyway, the blog may be a little quiet for the next week or so, until I can get caught up on life.

But, can I ask a GIGANTIC favor.....

It's huge, I'll warn you.

My sweet-in-real-life friend (turned blogger) Marie is in the hospital today, and will likely be there until the weekend. It would mean so much to me if you could go over to this post and give her some encouragement, or a funny story, or just let her know that you have said a little prayer for her. If you only have time for one comment today, forego commenting here and go say hello over there...you can tell her I sent you.

I am hoping that we might load her comment box up and lift her spirits!

Happy Thursday!