Iron Craft #1 - Lighting the Winter Gloom

Candle Holder with Bead Bunting

I knew almost right away that I wanted to use glass beads for this challenge but couldn't seem to get it to work. I'd try something and fail and start something with different materials. Repeat. Repeat. But I really like the way the light was reflected with the glass beads so I kept coming back to them.

I tried rubbing a glue stick on the candle holder and then rolled it in the glass in the beads.  This looked really neat because when the glue dried it gave a frosted look to the glass.  It was fine until I touched it.  Then, of course, duh, the beads fell off.  But until then it looked great.

Another thing I tried was ornament hooks to hang the bead rope but the hooks looked bad.

I thought of elastic around the top and was still trying to figure out how to attach the bunting as I searched for the elastic and couldn't find it.  (Gotta clean and organize the sewing room!)  But I found little girls hair bands in my rummaging.  AH HAH!

WOW Week 1 Challenge - Dishwasher Sign

The WOW Week 1 Challenge items:  Yarn and a least one magnet

I had white and brown yarn and a magnet roll...

On a piece of muslin I used various blue crayons to shade the background a bit and then to write the word "Clean" and added a few sparkles.  I tried to keep the lines straight and neat.... clean.

 For the "Dirty" I used brown crayons and made sloppy letters.   Then I couched white yarn to the clean side and brown yarn to the dirty side.  After adding borders, each piece was trimmed.

The next step was to sandwich the two with a piece of batting.  The plan was to put the magnets on the inside but they weren't strong enough.  The sign fell like a lead balloon.  Since they had to be on the outside I cut the magnets into different shapes.

Here it is in action.

 It's incentive to empty the clean dishwasher right away because I like the "Dirty" side better!

This was a fun first challenge!

Series Premiere... Coming Soon! - Updated

I asked.  You answered.  My post "Challenge Me" was answered with encouraging comments and two challenges.  I'm pretty sure at least one of those was a "tongue-in-cheek" challenge but I'm going for it anyway!

So, in response to Rae, I am creating my own challenges.  And, in response to Karen, I am creating . . .

(insert theme music and fanfare here)

The Krazy Kathleen Krafter Show!

Each episode will consist of a challenge with four elements...
1.  Iron Craft rules for the week must be followed.
2.  WOW rules for the week must be followed.
3.  Must include one item chosen at random from the "Brown Paper Bag" (no peeking!)
4.  Finished item must be a) suitable for gifting or b) listing on Etsy or c) at least usable by me.  Extra points for a) or b)

Join me as a spectator, or even better, participate!  I'd love to have guests on the show!

UPDATE: The "Brown Paper Bag":  If you are joining us, YOUR "Brown Paper Bag" is YOURS!  Put in anything crafty (or otherwise!) that you can find.  Add to it when you can/want.  Include a few items that you are scare you.  After all, it is a challenge.  Mine is a virtual bag and is listed on my side bar.  I'm using Random.org to select my item.   

UPDATE: My brown paper bag item for this week is Cotton Balls.

Series Premiere is Thursday, Jan 6th, on this very channel.  Plan your week accordingly.

Visits from grandchildren and MS flares may create scheduling changes as these events cause sewing/quilting/crafting/leisure time to become non-existent. :)

Challenge Me!

I'm anxiously, impatiently waiting for the new season of Project Quilting. 10 more days. 

So, primed for a challenge, I've joined the Iron Craft challenge.... a new crafty challenge every week for a year.  No obligation to do all of them, just the ones you want to do.   The first challenge was posted today.
I'm still gathering materials for this one.  I can't find my hot glue gun.  Do I own one?  Can I seriously call myself a crafter if I don't own a hot glue gun? 

And I'm doing the "Make it WOW in 2011" challenge.  One challenge a week... items will be named that you must use for your project or a theme will be given.  The first challenge was posted yesterday.  I've started my project....

I'm looking for a third once-a-week challenge.  Anybody know of any?

I'm wondering if I can combine the Iron Craft and the WOW as a third challenge... make a third craft that follows the rules of both challenges.  It might not work all the time.  For instance, if the rules for one say "make a candle" and the other says "make a baby quilt", that might not safely go together. 
Unless I made a quilt for a fire-eating dragon baby.

Sisters

I wasn't able to travel to see my mom and siblings for Christmas Eve this year or for breakfast the Sunday after.    :(

But Tuesday my sisters made the nearly two hour drive (each way) to visit me!   :)

We talked,

 and ate,

 and laughed,

 and snacked

(they brought cookies and chips & dip

(almost like the kind Mom made when we were kids)

and more cookies),

 and played games,

and took a picture.

I so enjoyed their visit.

Thanks Col & Pat!  Love you!

Christmas Portraits

Christmas was noisy, chaotic, and lots of fun.  Just the way it's supposed to be.

This was the last time we were all together, which means it's been about 14 months. With the grandkids being so young, lots can change in that amount of time!   So we set up cameras - I think there were three digital cameras and one flip video camera - and hit the timer buttons and ran to sit down.  FUN!  I haven't seen what the kids got but two of my shots turned out.

After we ate and opened presents (not in that order!), the kids wanted to play picnic.  Go figure.

All Better or Sometimes You Need The Whole Picture

Here's the whole picture.  It's not my grandkids but a picture of my nieces and nephew... and it made me smile.

However, it doesn't look like it helped Wally the cat.

Love the picture this year (again!) Jim & Tina.  Nice job wrangling all those kids and critters.

I Can Relate!

I'll change my tune when the grandkids get here.

This is why I don't bake Christmas Cookies

I just can't roll them out.  Either it's too cold and hard, or too soft and sticky. Too much flour on the rolling surface, or not enough.  I tried powdered sugar too instead of flour... no better.  It's just not worth it!!!

Now to find another kind of cookie to make with the dough before I nibble on it until it is gone.

For A Friend

Update for kwiltmakr 

I used colored pencils to draw the scene and added minimal shading.

Next I machine embroidered the words.

Then I sandwiched the quilt and used (crude, amateur, just learning) thread painting to add more color and detail.  It still looked a little drab so, as a final touch, I filled and shaded with crayons.  I enjoyed the whole process and plan to make some more.

Amy's Quilts - Part 2

When I was first learning about quilting by watching Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson, many of her guests would say "listen to the quilt".  While that sounded nice I thought they were nuts.  Now I know better.

This quilt said, loud and clear, "Light green. Lots of loops but not in the squares. Stars in the squares, please."

I listened.

No Doubt About It

This quilt says "guy".  In person it is so soft and comfy.... but all guy. 

I love the checkerboard design and the two borders.

And the pockets! Surprise! There are two. 
Pay no attention the where the meandering crossed itself.  That didn't really happen.  It's just a trick of the camera. ;)

This quilt arrived with it's own thread and the batting was purchased by phone and left at my LQS for me to pick up.  Another surprise!  A gift certificate!  I get to go on a fabric shopping spree!  WOO HOO!!!

Thank you!!!

Amy's Quilts - Part 1

Amy sent four quilt tops to be quilted.  This little Halloween table topper is quilted with, what else, orange thread.

Light blue thread on this pretty I Spy In My Garden quilt.  I wanted to scatter a few butterflies and flowers but I couldn't get my butterflies to behave.  They kept listing to one side or the other.  The flowers grew just fine.

There were two panels with writing.  One was a list of things "to spy" in the garden and the other was a poem.   Quilting around the words instead of through them was a variation from the meandering but it made the words legible.

Two more, Amy, and then they'll be on their way back to you!

One Way or Another, The Tree Will Go Up

 So if I quilt this, bind it and hang it on the wall, can I say my tree is up and be done with it all?

Actually this large lap sized quilt is heading to a 'local' hospice, but when I took a picture it got me to thinking.  It'd be easier (and more fun) to make another one than to drag out the tree and the lights and the garland and the ornaments and put it all up.  bah humbug. 

Or I could spike the eggnog.  That'll put me in the mood to decorate!

One Flower Wednesday . . . . Plus One

Happy Package

A few days ago I walked to the mailbox to collect the bills. 

But wait! It's not a bill! 

It's an unexpected package all dressed up colorful like. 

(I wanted to wag my tail!) 

Even had a pretty, quilty picture on the front.

(Should have been a clue.)

 And the back was decorated too.

You know I was smiling and I hadn't even opened it. 

What was inside?

It was kinda squishy.... but a crunchy squishy.

hmmm

A puzzle!  I love puzzles!

A country scene with a house I'd love to live in, quilts, and horses!

The housework won't go anywhere if I do a puzzle instead.

Actually I used it as a bribe.

Made a list of chores.

Each finished chore was rewarded with puzzle time.

Win, win.

Thanks Karen!!!

One Flower Wednesday

Lucy!

Karen H (I can't find her blog again for anything - grrrrr) made this quilt top and sent it along to me to be quilted.  She didn't let me know ahead of time what it was so when I opened the box I had to laugh out loud.  What a delightful quilt.

I thought at first white was called for, but she wouldn't let me near her with the white thread so . . . . loopy meandering with red thread.  And I snuck in a Lucy just for fun . . . .

Two Small Words

Thank you

to my grandfather,

my father,

my uncles,

my aunt,

my brothers,

my cousins,

my sons,

my nephews,

and to all the other veterans.

It seems like such a small thing to say in comparison to what they did, but it must be said.

Proof

Sarah and the boys were here and gone much faster than usual.  It was crazy chaotic commotion while they were here ... and for once it had nothing to do with the kids!  As a result I barely had a chance to enjoy visiting and, except for the fact that Sarah was my rock for the day (thanks Sarah!), once they were gone it felt like they hadn't even been here.

But this morning I opened the cabinet to get some tupperware....

Yep.  They had been here.