Mosaic Monday: Valentine Fun

One set of parents asked us to watch their children on Sunday afternoon/early evening so that they could go on a Valentine's date together. So we offered to the other set of parents childcare during the same time.

I prepared some craft supplies beforehand and we had fun making these heart-shaped sun-catchers that look so pretty taped to the windows. 

The two girls, in particular, loved the gluing, the arranging, the choosing of colours and so on. Grandpa helped Felix to create his artwork, and then the two menfolk went off and did other things while the girls continued to craft.

Yesterday I baked a batch of sugar cookies, the same recipe that I've used for many years, my mother's recipe. She made heart-shaped cookies for Valentine's Day, and sent them carefully packed, when I was in college. 

There was a lot of icing consumed, and plenty of sprinkles landed on the floor (and into mouths), and it all added up to a very sweet time - the kind of time I've anticipated as the children grow up. Thank you to all the other Nanas out there who post about the things they do with their grandchildren. I'm inspired by you all. 

I showed them my collection of heart-shaped rocks and they each picked a favourite one. Miss A was astounded that rocks could be found in such shapes. Next time we go to the beach I'll help her find some for herself. 

Decorating for Valentine's Day is minimal. I've left the red and white dishes from Christmas in the china hutch, and will take them down soon. I propped up this old postcard, written with a simple "To Bertha, from Grandma and Grandpa" on the back. It's undated, and must have been hand-delivered, for there is no postage on the card, but I have others to Bertha, and they are from the early 20th century. 

While cutting out simple heart shaped cookies yesterday, I cut a few pairs with cutouts, as well, and put them together with raspberry jam, then dusted them with icing sugar as a treat for the man I love. 

Tomorrow is a holiday here - how I love Sunday nights with Mondays off. It's Family Day here in our province, and we will be getting together with family once again. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life. 

Almost There

There was little making going on this year, but I did finish up two little nightgowns and a pair of pajamas. Several years ago I made one of the bunnies-in-a-bed for Miss A. I've been collecting the Altoids tins and made a few more this year. Miss A has expressed that her bunny would like a friend, so that's one. The other two are for Miss S. For Mr. F I've created a little train station for his mini Thomas and Friends. 

I made each of my colleagues in the modern language department (there are three of us) these cosmetic bags and placed a L'Occitane hand cream in them. A quick and easy gift. 

And now, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, filled with love, joy, peace, and hope. Thank you for your many kind comments and visits this year. You inspire me, and I'm so thankful to have made friends through blogging.  

A First Foray into the Indigo Vat: Five on Friday

October was a very wet month. Not record-breaking as far as rainfall, but only 4 days without rain during the month. Soggy, soggy. Photography suffers on gray days. I did want to tell you about our adventures with indigo, so here goes. I've condensed it into 5 main steps to fit with Amy's Five on Friday. 
In the above photo, there are two thrift store vintage cotton damask napkins that I dyed. Here's how we did it - with many thanks to Ashley for her expertise. Oh, and the lemons were the last ripe ones on our tree before it was covered up for the winter. I hope to make some lemon curd this weekend.

photo blurry due to photographer's malfunction - didn't check the settings

1. First step was manipulating the fabric. We folded, tied, scrunched, and stitched. The idea is that by folding the fabric tightly, in a variety of ways, different patterns will emerge. Some pieces were folded on the bias and wrapped around plastic tubes, then tied. Others were folded and sandwiched between pieces of wood. The possibilities are endless. The dye penetrates less into the midst of the folds, leaving that wonderful shaded effect. 
Real pros can achieve precise grids and patterns - we just played, but we were happy with the results. 

2. Ashley prepared the "vat" - a plastic pail. Temperature is critical, so she placed the vat into the bathtub and surrounded it with warm water. Chemicals assist in de-oxygenating the water to help the dye work. Here she's just added the indigo.

3. These two pieces soaked in the mixture for 20 minutes or so, and were then removed. See how pale and green they are? Well, that didn't last long - once the soaked fabric is exposed to oxygen, we saw the change happen before our eyes.

Here's another piece coming out - pale blue after just a few seconds. All those tufts are plastic ties that took the dye differently.

4. We laid out the wet, and still tied pieces to oxygenate for 20 minutes while another batch soaked in the indigo. Then we switched them around. Depth of colour is achieved by the repeated soaking and oxygenating. We did 3 dips, but the pros may do up to a dozen.

5. After the fabric sat overnight, we untied all the threads and strings, threw the fabric into the washer and dryer and there we have them - pretty indigo dyed fabrics. Just visible at the right of the above photo, taken this morning in my back yard, is a deeper blue piece - that was a piece of natural linen, not white. A very different effect.

I picked up 5 damask linen napkins at a thrift store awhile ago and decided to dye them. Each one was folded into a different pattern. It's hard to decide which one I like best. The soft effect of the dye is so pretty and I hope to do more of this again. 

Our days have been so dark well into the morning - this photo was taken around 9 am. This afternoon, however, when I left school, the sun shone so brightly that I had to dig to the bottom of my bag for my sunglasses. I'm not complaining! I went for a walk with my daughter and granddaughter and we thoroughly enjoyed the lack of wet. 

Linking with Five on Friday, hosted by Amy of Love Made My Home. 

Chocolate, Music Paper, and Concrete

More and more of our friends (and family) are eating gluten-free. I don't want to fill my pantry with tons of alternative foods that I'll rarely use. These cookies are good alternative, containing no flour of any kind. I'm adding them to my Christmas baking list. I made them this morning and they are yummy! Chocolate Pecan Brownie Kisses - recipe found by clicking on the link.

Did you take piano lessons as a child? I did, for most of my school years, and later taught piano in Ecuador. I like using music paper in crafts, but have a hard time tearing up my own, definitely vintage, music books. I asked myself recently, "Will you ever play Czerny's Exercises in Passage Playing again? How about the Royal Conservatory Technical Exercises?" The answer was a resounding NO. So I cut them up to make the ornaments seen above.
 

I made a lot of them for the craft fair this Saturday. For a display idea - an inverted tomato cage. I still need to do something with the top. 
 

And a driveway report. The  concrete pour went well. We put up barricades to keep people off for a couple of days. But how disappointing to wake up this morning to discover cat prints in the fresh concrete. A whole trail of them. Grrrr. Next project is a new porch.

Time for another cookie. What's happening around your place today?

Another Felt Project

The British Columbia contingent of my husband's family headed east a couple of weeks ago for a family reunion in Jasper. Long days in the car for Little Miss A and Little Miss S. You might remember the little bunny (whom I named Carmen - thanks to Pondside) for 2 1/2 year old Miss A. For Little Miss S, 14 months old, a different toy was required. 
 

 

I cut out felt circles, using a jar lid as a pattern, 14 in all. On 7 of them I appliqued a small picture: a leaf, a flower, a bird, a fish, a heart, etc. On the other 7 I appliqued a geometric shape. Two circles were joined together with buttonhole stitch, an eyelet made, and there was a little toy for Miss S to play with. The felt circles can easily be removed from the ring. I've noticed that Miss S prefers them apart so she can pick up as many as she can in her tiny hands and scrunch the felt together. Or she places them on tables or the floor.

I like to use wool felt. Yes, it's more expensive than the acrylic stuff, but it lasts longer and feels better. It's thicker and the colors seem richer.

Art Show

 The journals were delivered to the art show venue last weekend. I have such fun making them. And using them. Writing helps me clarify my thoughts. Most of my writing is prose, and in complete sentences. Some fragments for variety. I like lists, too. They can be superb jumping-off points for further writing of the exploratory kind. 
 

Some lovely fabric pieces lounge in my sewing room, too beautiful to discard, too small to do much with them. I had the idea of making some little bags. These are the result. I think them beautiful. Silk, brocade, wool, velvet - such luscious textures. They will also be in the art sale.
 

If you live locally (Southern Vancouver Island), here's the official poster for the event. The venue is small and cozy, with hot apple cider and drinks. There's sure to be a fire burning and lots of beautiful art - from paintings to pottery to jewelry to cards and more. I'm thrilled that my work is there as well. 

Today the wind is howling high in the trees, blowing the last vestiges of autumn from the trees. Since I was not called to teach, I'm planning to stitch and sew. Christmas is coming, you know! How are you spending this second-to-last day of November?

One Project Completed

Eight blank journals are ready for the December 1 Art Show. I've been puttering away at them, unsure of how I wanted to finish them. Yesterday I just began collaging the fronts, painting with gesso and acrylics, using my markers and scraps of paper. Because isn't it more fun to write in a pretty journal than a plain one? Yes. I thought you'd agree.
 

In the upstairs storage room there is a shelf of journals, each page filled with prose, poems, lists, quotes and even a few sketches. There are long gaps between some entries, but the journals tell the story of much of my life. It's surprising how often I go and look something up in a journal. And then get caught up reading the words written long ago. 
 

I left these two journals plain because I used old nautical charts that my husband was THROWING AWAY. They are sturdy and smooth and speak of adventures on the sea. Wouldn't it be great to have a chart of our inner landscape as readily available? Perhaps that's what the blank pages are for - charting life.

Our son is on a business trip - in Boston - clear across the continent as well as the border. He's flying home today, on the busiest travel day in the US.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers. I'm thankful for you! Enjoy the turkey and the pie, but most of all, each other!

The Clouds Lifted

...and I went shopping. To be more precise, I went shopping in the little town of Sidney, just 15 minutes away from home. There are some wonderful shops there and I found what I was looking for. But then, (and this was my real reason for heading up there), I went for a short walk along the waterfront. 

Black cormorants and white gulls seemed quite happy to share their perch, no doubt enjoying the respite from all the rain. 
 

I never tire of ocean views, especially when a lighthouse (unmanned) is included. Rain is in the forecast for the next 5 days so I'm glad I took advantage of the sunnier, dry weather today.
 

 Sidney is famous for its bookstores. I spent a few moments, that passed all too quickly, in this one. Sadly, I noticed the one next door has gone out of business. Do you enjoy used bookstores? 

On my way home I drove by these gates, stopped, and took a photo. Christmas already! I don't decorate until the first of December. But I do have a multitude of projects on the go and am feeling a little bit panicky about that. Finishing just one or two would probably ease the feeling, so that's my goal in the next couple of days. 

When do you begin decorating for Christmas? Have you begun baking, or crafting?