last month i signed up for silversmithing classes. the first night was pretty much three hours of me geeking out. one hundred percent, instantly hooked::
i was a little nervous going in, but it was like a crafters wonderland. new tools, new materials, new methods, new everything. add to this a super skilled teacher and some time spent playing with fire and i've got myself a new addiction. can't wait for the next class.
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the only bright side to loosing a hive over the winter is that you get to clean it out in preparation for the new bees. our older hive was heavy with honey, so we finally had the chance to test out the new spinner::
the spinner! the spinner is amazingly amazing. i love the spinner. not a drop left in the comb and absolutely no damage done. the sweet bounty! on a related note, my strategy with the bees this year will be: "let them be" (no double pun intended). i've heard that people have success in not bothering them at all and just letting them do their thing. definitely a good summer to give it a go, seeing as we have eight chickens that are getting big way too fast and a coop that's not nearly ready for them. buzz away girls. we're staying out of your way.
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i love this new pan. its from nordic ware and makes for some very cutesy shortbread. perfect for tea parties::
such a simple cookie, and yet so satisfying! especially when stamped with a pretty little butterfly or hummingbird or sunflower, etc.
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i wish i could remember the source for this idea, but i bookmarked it in my head, which is never wise. at any rate, i had almost given up hope for these themed cupcakes. they were meant to be served on a rustic wooden cake stand. i waited all week for an idea to come to me. the night before the party i still had nothing. frustrated, i was about to hot glue a bunch of moss to a serving platter and call it a day. no tiers or anything. not to mention the fact that 'frustration' paired with 'hot glue' hardly ever ends well. then big b and owen went out to the woodpile with the chainsaw::
and just like that, like it was nothing, a little fairy cake stand was born::
i felt like it was my birthday! suddenly all i had left to worry about was a little frosting and strategically placed m&m's, though there was a bit of hot gluing in the end for fairy accents::
a very successful sixth birthday party! and a very full weekend. hope yours was equally magical.
and happy, happy earth day! with a little luck, i'll be doing some seeding today to celebrate.
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right before the holidays, i very happily inherited an antique yarn swift that used to belong to big b's grandmother (thanks mom!). the same grandmother that taught me how to crochet when kai was in a bouncy seat. how special is that?::
look at that beautiful center pull ball of mink deliciousness (more on the yarn and it's pattern destination later). also, look at that angle on the yarn that ellie is helping me wind. i helped the tension along a little and things went smoothly for our trial run. next time we will rearrange some furniture to get a better line up. i was a little excited to get started winding. i love, love this gorgeous swift. and i miss, miss, miss you grandma schneck!
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i saw these when i was out recently and had to get them for the girls. crayola crayon rings, perfect little stocking stuffers::
so colorful and fun. someone has to convince the stubby pencil studio to start making these!
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batting seam tape, worth more than its weight in gold. my favorite quilter clued me in on this one (you know who you are)::
considering all of the changing pads i've stitched up, this product is like a dream come true. just take your two pieces, stack them and give yourself a nice, fresh, straight cut to work with::
now put them together, lay on a piece of seam tape (grabby side down) and iron::
et voila::
making this natural cotton batting stretch further makes me happy. i think its time for that nesting set of buckets!
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just before easter i received a mystery package. i knew i hadn't ordered anything and was really curious as to what it could be. what i unwrapped was the most amazing special surprise ever.
my lovely aunt noreen lives out in california and has the kind of boyfriend any crafter dreams about. among other things, (like cigar box guitars) he makes knitting needles. for her. jealous? so am i. mike is the maker of skinny sister needles and uses everything from rosewood and curly maple to purple heart and mahogany. these are not just any homemade needles, check it out::
oh the loveliness, i just can't take it. i can't believe that he made and sent me a pair. these photo's only hint at their greatness. you've got to hold them to know what i'm talking about. they're just delicious. they have a perfect weight to them and feel marvelous and devine. i'm in love. after a few hours of rolling them around in my hands, i had to put them right to work::
soon these amazing skinny sister needles will be available for all! rejoice!! i will be keeping you posted with shop info when it comes my way. and if you just can't wait, you can contact mike to place an order at [email protected]
thank you, thank you, thank you mike. i owe you one!
*my needles were made with purple heart and curly maple*
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if your house is anything like mine, and for your sake i hope its not, then everytime you reach for a banana or some other treat from the fruit basket, you are met by an instantaneous uprising of fruit flies. the cloud hovers lightly above your fruit of choice, patiently waiting for you to take what you want and get the hell out, so they can go back to whatever godforsaken thing they were up to before you decided you were hungry. i'm sure it doesn't help that some of my bananas look like this::
but i like my bananas with freckles, they're sweeter that way. and at the stage above they're perfect in pancakes. anyway, recently i reached a breaking point and searched online for a solution. if you search too, they will tell you to make a trap with vinegar and a drop of dish soap.....don't do it. waste of time. here's what you do; give them what they want, but with no means of escape::
apparently, they can crawl into places but need to fly out. i don't know how accurate that is, or if its even a fact, but i'll buy it. i'm not doing anymore fruit fly research to prove or disprove. if this doesn't work for you within 10 minutes, make the holes just a little bit bigger. just a little. i made mine too big at first and saw one "fly" out.
i'll spare you the pictures of this trap at work, as most of them are x rated. although, if your kids are nearing that age, this could be an excellent segue into the birds and the bees. take this trap and stick it on your counter and enjoy a fruit bowl sans hovering flies.
one final note, at the end of the day you can take this outside, release them into the wilderness and if your fruit is up to it, set it to work again. however, please, do not forget about it when it goes missing behind the flour container for four days. things will go wrong, still contained mind you, but very very wrong.
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here's what you do after drinking an extra large cup of coffee just prior to a tropical storm; break out the power tools! then nag your significant other until he gets off the couch and powers them up. the following is a vague tutorial::
1. run to your parents house in the middle of a hurricane. pretend to be checking in on their well being during the storm, then nonchalantly steal a few panels of old wainscoting from the bathroom they are remodeling::
2. as previously mentioned, interrupt the peaceful lounging of your partner in crime. he can drink a cold beer with irene later, and he should be teeming with energy seeing as he got yet another uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep the night before::
3. stain fresh cuts to match front. use gloves. please. for the love all things holy. and maybe a respirator. i was ill prepared::
4. measure and attach hardware. bring in the old man again, math is not your friend right now. you were up at 1:42am, 2:30am and again at 3:58am (in order of appearance:: sip of water, bad dream, and the ever popular, can you lay with me)::
4. string!::
5. now grab your jewelry box, extract all earrings from the tangled ball that lies inside, and go to town::
finito! i saw this done with photographs and figured it would work with earrings too. i'd still like to do a photo one but this will hold me over and will save my remaining earrings from the little hands that like to squeeze and crush.
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