back in the swing of things

I have been persuaded back to the sewing machine after a long wintery hiatus. I just finished a couple of aprons for the clever gals of The Art Nest for their retreat this weekend. They supplied the main materials- a recycled tablecloth from Anthropologie and it's trim- (ooh I love the recycle) and I sewed 'um up right up. The front of both aprons are the same except for the pockets; but, as you can see the flipsides offer some individual pizazz.
Now I need to use this project as a spring board to get be back in the sewing boat and get rowing as fast as I can, I take that back I think need a motor boat. I've got the Beehive Bazaar coming right up the first weekend in May. Yikes!

Tour of California

Oh the weekend was wonderful. Nothing like a couple of crazy days race chasing. I'll fill in details later, but for now here is #1 favorite picture I took, and actually with my iphone. I was so close to Lance as he rolled into the start of Stage 8, the final day of the Tour, that's Levi Leipheimer right behind him- the winner of this year's Tour. The stars lined up, the press people cleared out and I got a clear shot. I was smashed up against the fence and got some really great close ups. I could have (should have) leaned over and kissed the riders as they passed back and forth waiting for the start. What I really, really needed was one of those cameras that snap shot after shot while you hold down the button- fashion photographer style- next year perhaps.
And next year, I pledge to have my costume ready before hand so I can run with the riders while they climb and get some TV face time for my kids. The costume idea occurred to us too late this year- and we failed deliver the goods.
Anyway, I've got to go catch up on the rest of my life- I'll get my hundreds of pictures organized and the very best ones ready to view tomorrow. So, if you're into bikes and think there is no finer physique on this planet than a cyclist's body... then you better stay tuned.

OK, check out more pictures of the Tour of California look here.

where it's at

My gal Kipper and I are headed out to So-Cal tonight to witness the Saturday- Santa Clarita to Pasadena, and Sunday- Rancho Bernardo to Escondido (finish) last stages of the Tour of California. Steve O was in Sacramento for the prologue last weekend and came home with some fantastic pictures of the boys in all their glory... see, I have this thing for cyclists...
He briefly mentioned I should go catch the end of the Tour- that's all the coaxing I needed; and what a treat to only have to go to California and not Europe to see a race like this. Experiencing the Tour de France in person 2 years ago was ah-mazing, I was extremely veclempt as the peleton whooshed by- and I can't wait to feel that again.

Actually, my particular infatuation has to do with these two cyclists... and mostly because the one (Lance Armstrong) so closely resembles the other (Steve O, my husband). Steve O gets told all the time, and all over the world, that he looks like Lance, what do you think?
See- I love to watch Lance ride, but I love riding alongside this other guy every day, every way.

from caveman to cutting edge

This Valentine is from my 3rd grader. Apparently it's somewhat encrypted with the silver ink over the blue scribbles. I'll attempt to decipher. It reads: Love ya so much and good luck with the iphone and you rock for being my Mom! Love Ya!

On the inside, and the best part: you are the best in the world and I will never forget you or probably never run away. I'd better keep this promise handy, although she did throw 'probably' in so, there's no guarantee...

Unfortunately, this valentine is not for me, it's addressed to Daniel. I guess I'd better step it up and take a page from Daniel's fashion book if I want to keep up.

Yes, congratulations were in order. I perhaps just made the biggest cell phone jump in history... and I couldn't be happier. This will take my multitasking to the next level.
We are trying to keep it green- the old phone works just fine and is awarded to the kids to share, using it when they need it. A less than ideal decision for the 7th grader who really wants her own- but, personal kid phones will come soon enough I'm sure.
Oh, beg your pardon, that's a caveman ipod to the left in the picture, my mistake.

Valentine box contest

My 5th grader had a Valentine box decorating contest in his class on Friday, we hummed and hawed on what to make and finally decided on this swinging, disco, 70's dude. Of course we had to make him out of fabric, what house is this project coming out of? ...boxes of every type of fabric imaginable... The heart cutout= valentine insert point. We like to think of him as "Kip" from Napoleon Dynamite. ("She hasn't even sent me a full body shot yet...")

We used an old pair of pants that had split at the butt seam and weren't very fixable without looking weird, somehow the fixed the box perfectly. This made the box unopenable, so we made an access panel in the back behind the fabric.

We tried to talk F in to spraying some really sick cologne on him, but he wouldn't go for it. We also tried to talk him into putting his ipod (with the tiny speaker) inside and putting on some swinging dance hits for the valentine exchange but he insisted on following the rules- no ipods at school (what a good little fella).
F came home with 2nd place. The 1st place box was his teacher in a tuxedo... darn it- the cologne and music could have cinched the deal...

a great read

I just read- I mean listened to this book (you can't go wrong with the multi-task: craft+listen or drive+listen) and absolutely loved it. We read Kite Runner in book group a few years back. I really liked that book too (I haven't seen the movie); but this book is told from a woman's perspective and it has really stuck with me. I know the characters are fictitious, but it's based on real life in Afghanistan before, during and after the Taliban. It brought my thoughts back to the book Infidel and just how brutal life can be for women in some parts of the world.

Read the NY Times book review here if you like, but I would skip the review and just read the book. Book reviews- like movie trailers, sometimes taint the readers experience before the tale has even been told.

jeweled Christmas tree

One might remember that last February as I was finally ready to make my jeweled Christmas tree, I got impatient or silly or whatever you want to call it and made this heart instead. Well, I finally got around to making that tree this February.
I've had this frame forever- I got it at Hobby Lobby years ago when I began dreaming up this project. It was super on sale- I think I bought it for $9.99. You can't tell from the backside in this picture but it's thick and gaudy- the gaudier the better for this project. I cut a piece of masonite to fit inside the frame and built the tree on. The material had to be thick enough to support the weight of all sparkly gems.
I used a sponge brush to cover the masonite with a thin coat of fabric glue, then pressed on the velvet fabric for the background. I lightly drew the outline of the tree onto the velvet with chalk, any lines left visible rub off easily in the end. I prearranged the jewels on an extra piece of velvet, in the exact shape I was after.
All of the pieces are glued on with a hot glue gun. I tried to use a little glue as possible so it wouldn't be blobby and visible. I started with the edges and worked my way in, gluing the biggest jewels down first.
I have been collecting all the costume jewelry for years. This project can get very expensive if you're not careful. I found a few lots on ebay, a few are family heirlooms and I've done lots of digging in local antique shops for cheap broken and mismatched earrings and brooches.
I wanted the tree to look as solid as possible so I filled in the little gaps with tiny jewels and pearls.
A kind blogger friend gave me this bee (it was a belt buckle) and the 2 tiny bees (cuff links?) that are hidden in the mix at the last Beehive Bazaar- Midge, you are so sweet and thoughtful; what a treat to have a few bees to put in the mix!
I can't believe this tree is finally finished. I feel like I've really accomplished something this week- and it's only Monday! It's going to be like the best Christmas present ever when I get to put my jeweled tree up this December.


Lice update: (gross) Everyone but M is still clean. When I checked her hair yesterday I found only 3 nits and 1 actual bug. I haven't seen a actual louse since day 1, even then she had less than 5 full grown bugs crawling around. (Is your head itching yet??) WOW- how did he slip thru the cracks? (I guess he just hatched, let's hope it was a "he".)
Last night we all soaked and washed our hair in the tea tree/eucaluptus oil shampoo concoction- just to be safe. (that tea tree oil is amazing stuff- after reading about it, I think I want to bathe in it.)
This morning I didn't find a single nit or bug in M's hair, hooray!
Let's hope this is the beginning of the end.

What's nice about lice?

NOTHING is nice about lice. Holy crap let me tell you about this crazy week- I'll try and put it all into a nutshell...
This cute gal here with Pierre and his kitty (declawed) casts lovingly signed by family and friends, another story entirely... has somehow contracted lice.
I noticed Monday morning when I was doing her hair, 1. looked online to be sure, 2. called the doctor, 3. ran to the store- 4. did the Nix treatment, 5. did the comb through. (but not very well 'cuz I didn't really get that part yet) Started doing laundry nonstop, washing everything I could fit into the washer in hot water, scrubbing sinks and vacuuming... The rest of the family is sans lice- thank heavens. I carry a pen around all day to itch my own head which itches constantly.

Tuesday- I finally figured out the comb thru process and the importance of the beloved lice comb. One comb thru session= 3 hours. I cannot believe what the comb gets out, the tiny nits waterproof-glued to each hair follicle. Just when you think there can't possibly be any more nits... you find another one.
I find out her class at school is clean, the only place I can imagine she picked it up is at the dollar movie theater in Provo. Gross- make you think twice about the movies, an airplane, hanging your coat up next to others...
Everything I read about lice has huge discrepancies- how long they can live away from a blood source, what is a nit, the life cycle etc. Different brands of treatments, websites, people all claim different things- but the experts do agree on 2 things: 1) lice cannot jump, only crawl 2) every single nit must be removed from her hair in order to be completely lice free. It could take 7 days or 10, 14, 20... I still don't really know.


Wednesday- Talked her into cutting off as much hair as possible without making her look weird, we cut off about 6 inches- it's still very cute.
I can now honestly promise that I will never snicker or be amazed when I hear so-and-so just shaved their daughter's head because of lice, the thought actually crossed my mind, if she was one of her brothers all her hair would have all come off on Monday. More combing thru, about three times a day, fewer and fewer every time but still at least 20 nits in each comb session.

Thursday- I heard about the 'mayonaise treatment' (or Vaseline) from a good friend-it apparently suffocates the lice. We gave it a try last night. She smelled like a ham sandwich- what lengths to be rid of this... Including when I failed to properly wash out the mayo (needs dish soap or the like) this morning, sent her off with wet hair- she came home in the afternoon looking like she'd just stepped out of the shower. Oops, a bad case of the greasies. It's a good thing M is such a good sport. She's taking all of this in stride and with a smile on her face.
We continue to comb thru about 3 times a day- vacuum, scrub, launder everything in hot water and toss and turn at night having bad dreams about being infested myself. So far the rest of us are good to go. Now we are going to try the tea tree oil concoction and see what luck that brings, and keep combing thru...

Friday- oh and to top it all off, I just found a giant black widow spider on the stairs to the family room as I was vacuuming for the 5th time. Are you kidding me?? This house is a death trap.

a bit of unfinished business

To those of you that know of "Enzo" our beloved Siberian Husky who went to doggie heaven almost 3 years ago, you might be wondering what the crap I am doing making ornaments it honor of "the prince of dogness" all these years later. Well, I'll tell ya... On a whim I cooked one of these up for Brent Hulme's birthday about 5 years ago- he and Enzo 'shared' the birth date. I kind of lamely hoped they'd give it back (what??? what kind of a gift giver am I?) when Enzo shuffled off his mortal coil. Then, I found out it was the entire Hulme family's favorite ornament and the only way I might see it back at my house was if it was written into a will; so, I made my own. I've been meaning to make one for our Christmas tree for nearly three years now and now I finally have.
Made from wool felt with a little flat quilt batting in the middle. I sewed it all together with embroidery floss. I tacked down the white parts and the nose with a quick basting stitch. I sewed on the sequins one at a time with clear thread, the entire front is covered.
My favorite part is the sequins. You see- it's all about the sparkle, even when it comes to dogs. It took quite a while to sew on all the sequins- I would recommend a book on tape or keeping a good playlist rolling. It's a good thing I find this kind of hand sewing very relaxing.
It has since occurred to me- why not make a sequined ornament for the new pets in the house or everyone in the family? I've got to look into some new silly design ideas.
Oh, and Hulme's- you know I would make you 15 more Enzo's if you asked.. I'm glad you still like your ornament!

Now that I can cross that off my list- I move onto the jeweled Christmas tree made from costume, old, antiquish jewelry. Hopefully it will be done this week too!

the view on Saturday

Saturday was a gorgeous day, actually the whole weekend was lovely. Today's weather is much the same, but the smog is starting to creep back into the valleys. Here is a view of the Sundance cirque.

I finally got back on my snowboard, the first time this season- went and rode with my good friend Wendy for a bit. Here is how the soft shell jacket turned out, in a pose I just learned from a rerun of Will & Grace.
I got lots of compliments all day, including, "that's a nice looking jacket...", from the sewing machine repair shop man when I stopped on my way home from snowboarding to get a stack of scissors sharpened. Well, I'll be- how do you like that?