Alaska, Long Beach

Linen & Flowers

Being a newer sewer I rarely see a project and think, "I can do that".  Except the June issue of Martha which showed how to make a bag out of a pillowcase.  I read through the instructions several times and decided to make this bag instantly.  Since all my pillowcases are white, dingy cotton I used some linen and made a pillowcase shape.  The rest was incredibly easy and the results are perfect.  I love my new bag.  It's kinda nice that my skill level matches my taste.

I made a second bag out of this gifted fabric for a friend's birthday and she was floored.  Not only that I made it, but she loved it. I think it is my first sewn gift.

Cheers all!

F*ck & Cheers

Sometimes I laugh when I think of my mom growing up, because while she was a complete nerd, her parents [my grandparents] were partying swingers.  My mom was so embarrassed by them and that cracks me up because I treasure their boldness and vulgarity. 

I am sure I have posted this pillow before, but it deserves another go.  I LOVE THIS PILLOW.  My grandma made it for my grandfather about 40 years or so ago.  My mom would hide it in their house so her friends wouldn't see it when they came over.  This wasn't so much a message about fidelity as it was a gift boldly using my grandfather's favourite word, f*ck.  Yep.  But the use of the word wasn't just for textiles...

These rings are both the same with LOVE on one side and F*CK on the other.  The plainer one [that is showing the word love] is the 14k gold model for the pure gold nugget one [the one showing the f*ck side].  These, believe it or not, were my grandmother's wedding rings, designed by my grandfather. My grandfather's ring was a solid gold naked lady wrapping herself, face up, around his finger [my grandma still has this and can't yet part with it though it is said to be willed to my brother...].  He also had a lifetime subscription to Playboy which my grandmother kept for 13 years after his death in 1982.  I received the f*ck rings over the years as birthday gifts and sometimes can't even believe they exist.  I used to wear them until I developed an allergy to gold [apparently I am now completely metal intolerant- you should see my ears after I dare to even try on a pair of earrings anymore]. 

And then a few years ago a friend gave me this silver ring from the store she works for, that again uses our family word.  I polished this up yesterday with the bowls and am starting to wear it again [until my finger decides it is allergic to it].

So consider it a compliment when I say:

Cheers and f*ck!

Hello and ahoy!  I am still around here, posting a bit less than desired maybe but lurking plenty.  I cleaned and polished my four treasured silver plated Reed & Barton  enamel bowls in my bathroom this morning.  Not so much of an actual chore, but it is definitely on the bottom of the to-do list. 

I read somewhere that toothpaste [paste, not gel] is an impeccable silver polish and I have been using it without fail for years.  Just rub it on with a cloth and keep rubbing until all the tarnish is gone.  Then rinse.  Easy and safe.

I love these bowls; most have which have been picked up at thrift stores except the yellow "egg" which is a flea market find.  That one is the only one not R&B but simply marked: Norway.  I love the deep green one with the little man on a mushroom; it is so unlike any of the others they made.  I like to think he is protecting the jewelry and hairbands that reside within his dish. 
Also in the process of cleaning I polished up a few jewelry pieces that I will detail tomorrow along with my family's strange fascination with a certain 4-letter word.

Cheers!

Simple Rags

I mentioned my [shameful] love for Big Lots before but I didn't mention the little towels I bought.  These came in a set of 18 for $4.  I am trying to stop using paper towels as much as possible and these are the perfect useable rags; I don't feel bad about messing them up with really dirty messes, they are rough enough to get up sticky messes, and they look kinda cute.  Right now they are folded over my paper towel rack as I break the addiction [the paper towel roll is hidden under the sink] and I am feeling good about the change. 

Below is my simplicity test score.  I actually did better than I thought since a lot of the questions made me realize just how simple I am not.

Thank You for completing the survey! Your Simplicity Score is listed below.

Your score is 3.2

You scored in the moderate range of this scale

Also I downloaded this little gadget thing a few days ago and so far I have saved .83 pounds of co2.  From the website:

"CO₂ Saver is a lightweight program that manages your computer's power usage when it's idle, saving energy and decreasing the demand on your power utility."

Cheers all!

In With the Old

This little article appeared in the local paper Sunday about my neighbourhood.  It pretty much sums up why I love living here.

"Just north of touristy Belmont Shores, the Heights has opened its arms to trendy new stores, but it maintains the homey feel of a real community."

I love the history of the Heights who split off to form their own "booze" town in a "dry" Long Beach for only 13 months.   Nice.

Cheers all!

Excessively Minty & Lemony

It is almost 100 degrees outside and I am taking a cue from the cats to spend the day lying by a breezy window reading magazines.  So the cats aren't reading magazines but they are making the best of the breeze.

Recently I was at a friend's home and she offered me a glass of water from a pitcher filled with lemon & mint.  I was so thrilled by it that I spent the rest of the evening commenting on how great it was [it's the little things].  Every so often a rather obvious idea like a mint & lemon pitcher [at home not just in restaurants] suddenly hits me with a resounding "duh!" and like that my life is changed [to an extent].  So now I am enjoying my excessively minty & lemony water in this near unbearable heat.

Also other obvious but yummy idea I stole from a coworker.  When she brings this in the morning I find myself hanging around her desk just to catch a smell.  Bagel & [tofutti] cream cheese w/ lemon pepper and garlic. 

This is warming up to be a very miserably hot summer.

Cheers all!

Whale Oil Man

Hello there. Still here and still oh so busy.  Knitting alot and also sewing.  Which lead to this.  So I have had several needle problems ever since I started knitting:

1. I never seem to know what needles I own.
2. I buy duplicates because I don't know what needles I own.
3. Needles were stored in a tote bag in a dark closet making them a task to fish out
4. Any wooden needle left lying about would get instantly chewed up by a certain cat.

So what are these rolls?  For years on blogs, in stores, and in the hands of fellow knitters at my knitting group I have witnessed these "needle rolls" that are "so easy to make!".  Granted I am a terrible sewer with zero experience, I never thought I was capable of actually producing a needle roll [is that the right term?].  Low and behold I spotted some bland canvas placemats at Big Lots [I have a love/hate relationship with that store.  It sits directly in between Target and Trader Joes meaning that I dash in when I am out shopping and I find some amazing stuff... tons of organic foods, sparkling water, etc. but the experience always bums me out a bit.  Maybe it is the lighting, messy displays, or rows and rows of toxic mass produced crap, but I always manage to drop at least $5 every visit.].  So back to the bland placemats... I got sudden needle roll inspiration.  After a google/ blog search turned up quite a few instructions [all along the lines of "sew and roll"] I grabbed some vintage fabric [ebay] I had been hording and just started sewing. 

Detail from my favourite design on the fabric:

They were as easy as everyone suggested.  Sew easy I made three: one for the long needles, one for short, and the piece d'resistance the circle needle holder.  Just ribbon on the placemat that extends to also tie it closed.  Wonderful. 

I wish I could provide instructions to anyone who is terrified of sewing [like me] but really you just sew it exactly like it looks, no funny tricks.  I didn't even measure.  Which I guess could be argued that this is the perfect sewing project for a knitter.

Cheers all!