Charm & Whimsy

Nursery mural continued - sweet baby animals riding a train and a baby update.

This was actually the first detailed part of the mural that I finished. I've been thinking about this mural for many years now and used several of my favorite japanese fabrics and japanese craft books (embroidery mostly) as inspiration. It was so much fun to paint, I didn't get a chance to paint everything I wanted to but think there is enough there that it still has the whimsy I had hoped for.

The details are painted with acrylics from Michael's (and I think I bought some at Wal-Mart too, they're just the tiny little bottles) and the wall paints (greens, tree colors, and sky) are BEHR wall paints in eggshell. Clouds are high gloss BEHR trim paint.

 

 
I had to get my first "baby" Chester into the mural! Still working on adding flowers and such. One of these days. Hopefully before he's old enough to want to paint over all this.

The glider was a project I had hoped to finish before he got here but alas - I will have to get the sewing machine out during naps or Papa time. The brown thing with yellow on top is a shredder, was planning to sew a slipcover that looked like a tree stump and the green thing next to it is a file cabinet. Another slipcover I was hoping to get to. We'll see if time permits during maternity leave.

On bedrest now, baby Mason will be arriving this coming Monday via c-section due to some complications over the last week or so. Preeclampsia AND he's breech. Good grief, he's keeping us on our toes. He's going to be a few weeks early but our ultrasound Friday showed him looking good and measuring just right. I'm sure everything will be just fine and we can't wait to see his sweet face.

Posting may be sporadic the next couple of months or so as we get used to our newest addition. It's hard to believe we're going to be parents in a day and a half! Today is our 11 year wedding anniversary. I can't think of a more wonderful present we're giving to each other.

We can't wait to meet him :)

Nursery mural sneak peek... vikings, a whale and trees oh my.

So while my hunky handyman boyfriend was busy fixing the tub yesterday, I busied myself working on the mural in the nursery.

Here's a sneak peek of what I've done in the last couple of days. More to come soon.

 

A bit of background, Sweetboy was a viking in previous life so I thought I should commemorate it for our boy. So above his crib, I've painted a fierce viking ship to guide him through life. The little viking will hold a sign that says "Sleep tight". Yes - a bit sweet for a fierce viking but it's a baby room for crying out loud. Work with me. There is white "foam" on the cresting waves, click on the bottom picture to see. I think that's my favorite part. I just have this thing with dots.

Alright - next post, the animal train. Can't wait to share the whole thing with you...

Handyman Sweetboy saves the day! Oh and $3500 too!!!

Last week when Sweetboy moved the cabinet on the patio to clean the floor (baby shower coming and he's been very sweet and helpful, even more than usual) he discovered some water spots on the stucco which meant there was a leak on the other side...likely the tub. GASP!

We weren't sure where the water was coming from and we had recently had that drain snaked so we called the plumber back to check it out in case he knocked something loose. Now let me set the stage here, Sweetboy and Doug (neighbor extraordinaire) LOVE home improvement projects so they're circling this poor plumber, hovering to see what he says is the problem. After he diagnoses that the drain pipe from the tub has corroded after 50 years and come apart, he walks out to his van to write up an estimate.

In the meantime, Sweetboy and Doug are plotting the fix and by the time the plumber came back to the door with a $3,550 estimate to fix it (mind you, it was like 5 minutes later), Sweetboy had already removed the diswasher, cut a 2' x 2' hole in the plaster wall and was doing his best impersonation of a bonafide plumber, crack and all!

That's actually the offending pipe from the tub on top of the dishwasher. The white part...completely corroded and in pieces, good grief.

The hyper-clean side of me needs to point out that the tub is dirty from the work being done. I keep a spotless tub, ok more accurately, our cleaning lady does - but still!

Voila! Shiny new pipes and no more leaks. I love this man.

So after a couple of trips to Home Depot, 3 six packs of Pacifico and McDonald's for the whole gang, we had a completely replumbed tub and a new p-trap. All on one of the hottest days this summer. I think it was about 87-90 degrees in our kitchen (105 outside). Poor thing. All said - we spent less than $100 for materials and refreshments...way to go Sweetboy!!

Imagine that, hunky & handy...I'm a lucky girl indeed.

How to make an IKEA lamp into a whimsical mushroom lamp.

I'm working feverishly on the nursery and while it's almost finally together furniture and organization-wise, I still have to finish the detail painting of the mural and other little touches. Today I focused on the lamp.

 
I purchased the LJUSÅS SALBO at IKEA a couple of weekends ago with the idea of a mushroom or toadstool lamp. Someone suggested a dimmer lamp would be best for night feedings and this one fit the bill. I really liked the curvy base but the little green shade had to go so I also bought a FANSTA shade in a bright red.

I've been thinking about what would be the best way to attach white dots to this fabric shade. So today I tried white felt, white card stock and then plain white printer paper. Tape it on top or cut a circle into the shade and back it with the white? Let's see.

 

Gather some round items to be your pattern and a pencil. Trace onto your paper (I have felt and cardstock here from my trials but ultimately went with plain white printer paper).

The felt (top left) was translucent but it would attract dust and be hard to clean. The card stock (right) was nice and bright; however with the light on it was too opaque. I liked the printer paper best (lower left) because it was bright with the light off and with the light on it was a little translucent letting the light come through.

I tried cutting the shade itself (and did a crappy job I might add - it was really difficult to cut!!) and then sticking a circle of paper on the inside. While it looked good without the light off - I didn't like how it looked with the light on. So - back to taping the dots on top of the shade.

After cutting out different sized dots from the printer paper I used double-stick tape to affix them to the shade and VOILA!! A lovely, whimsical mushroom lamp.

The stuffed momma and baby hedgehogs in the pictures are also from IKEA :) Good luck!
 

Crochet bobble baby sweater

Hi all, been a long time. Just trying to get through these last few weeks of work, very busy these days.

On the homefront, I've been a crazy crafty mofo for my little bun in the oven. I haven't nearly done as much as I had wanted but now that I look back on it - I've really managed to make a lot! It's been a crafty extravaganza - will try to post more soon.

So this was the first sweater I made for him (I had made 3 girl sweaters before seeing the little twig and berries on ultrasound - will save those for baby #2). I love the bobbles! This yarn is a little heavy though. Sweetboy says it will be like a weight lifting vest and he'll grow strong. This from the man who wanted to name him Genghis Danger. Nuff said.

It's really a beautiful blue green color, looks more blue here.

I love this picture! They look like little outy belly buttons.

There are lots of great, simple patterns for babies and toddlers in this book, Easy-to-crochet Cute Clothes for Kids by Sue Whiting. Some darling little girl patterns too. New yarn at Michael's, nice to work with I think it looks great worked up but a little heavy like I said above. Wonder how it will wash? I should really get in the habit of washing gauge swatches - do any of you do that? I don't have the patience and just start projects.

Alright then - as you can see by the time of this post - I'm at the point in my pregancy where I'm not sleeping well but will try to go back to sleep and catch some Zzzzzs.

Sweet dreams!

Spatula beater blade for your Kitchen Aid, fantastic.

Got this BeaterBlade the other day from my local cake shop. Was thrilled they had the right size for my Kitchen Aid and I couldn't wait to try it out. It's awesome!!

No more stopping the mixer and scraping down the bowl while mixing. The batter was silky smooth and no chunks at the bottom. Love it!

This one looks pretty snazzy too. I like the blue and the circle in the middle.

Super-duper Rainbow Cake - it was easy, tasty and glorious!

I saw the Rainbow Cake making the rounds of my favorite blogs months ago - specifically Omnomicon's version. The pictures are gorgeous and I've been wanting to try it out ever since. When my dear friend Guadalupe asked me to make the birthday cake for her 6 year old daughter's birthday, I thought, here's my chance!!

So after discussing it, Gabi and I decided on an artist's palette birthday cake since she loves art. I made the inside a rainbow cake as a surprise. It turned out really well and was quite tasty (thanks Betty). Go over to Omnomicon for the recipe and how-to. I baked the colored batter a little differently so I've included some "making-of" shots below.

 

Last weekend I did a test run of the cake to get a feel for the batter and to see how bright the colors came out. It came out good (albeit over-cooked because I started yakking away on the phone and forgot about them in the oven - oops) and was really easy. I followed Omnomicon's directions with the batter on this one. I wish I had taken a picture of the crumbs on the white plate - so beautiful!

So anyhoo - I was concerned that if I carved the sides of the cake for the palette, that I would cut off an entire color so instead I decided to "blob" the colors on Gabi's cake today so everyone would get a variety of colors.

Basics
14" pan (Magi-cake strips)
2 boxes of Betty Crocker white cake mix (egg whites, oil, water)
AmeriColor liquid gel food coloring
white and chocolate frosting
Masonite cake board  (foil)

I mixed the two boxes of cake mix and split the batter evenly into 9 bowls then tinted each bowl a different color.

Then I just took a spoon and started dropping the different colors of batter into the prepared pan (tip - always use a parchment round at the bottom of cakes 10" and bigger, I learned that one the hard way!). I filled the bottom of the pan first and then added more blobs on top in a second and third layer.

 

Give the pan a few taps to fill any gaps and release bubbles then bake. Mine took 35 minutes at 360 (my oven's a little off - thank goodness for oven thermometers).

Glorious!!

I decided not to level the top of the cake since it would only be one layer. Besides - it was pretty flat anyway because of the Magi-cake strips (best invention ever).

I placed it on the prepared masonite board (another awesome find - it's really sturdy but light, love 'em) and carved the sides, gave it a crumb coat and then frosted it with her name and some "paint" blobs.

Voila!! She liked it and that's what matters. I loved hearing her squeal when she saw the colors inside that was my reward. :)

 
I hope you'll try it and surprise someone too. Here is a link to a zebra cake that I'll try one day soon. Happy baking!

The BEST instructional video for the Kitchener Stitch as well as adorable pixie hat from Vintage Baby Knits.

Ahhh - the Kitchener Stitch...the devil's worst torture!! I've been working on an adorable pixie baby hat for the little guy from the fabulous Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren.

I'm using a beautiful variegated merino sock yarn (lost the tag!) and whipped up the hat in a jiffy but then I got stuck on using the Kitchener Stitch to make up the back seam. It stopped me in my tracks for weeks. I tried it, ripped it out, tried it again - swore a lot, ripped it out again. This insanity was repeated about 5 times before I finally just put it away. I pulled it out yesterday to show my Mom and sister and lamented that I still hadn't figured out the freaking stitch yet to complete the hat.

So tonight I scoured the internet and found the BEST instructional video for the Kitchener Stitch. I watched many, I read many written instructions, this one is by far the best and I think mostly because of the fact that it's 4+ minutes long so she does the stitch set over and over again and it helps you pick up the rythym. I love you KnitWitch!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7jIzwO5Nv4

Since it's 10:44pm on a "school" night I'm too lazy to find the camera, take a picture and then upload so I'll post a picture once it's completely done and blocked.

Lots of craftyness these days getting ready for baby. Still working on the nursery mural, started painting the details this weekend. Also finished another sweater. Will try to post them soon.

Have a great week!

How to block a baby sweater.

 So I've never actually blocked any of my knitting or crocheting...I know I know you die hards out there...judge me if you will. I'm lazy and just glad to finish projects. Actually, I mostly make toys, booties, etc so I haven't had the need to block often but still.

Fast forward to today, finishing a baby sweater for my sweet little bun in the oven. The pieces were terribly curled up (see below) and hard to sew together so I decided to try this blocking thing. It was pretty easy and although the pieces didn't end up completely flat, the blocking definitely made it easier to sew everything together. There are many different methods for blocking. I chose the the spray damp method b/c of the yarn I used. See below for some resources I found really helpful.

What you'll need:

• Towel(s)
• T-pins or other long, straight pins
• Spray bottle with water in it
• Tape measure
• Your pattern
• Your piece to be blocked

How to:

1. Fold your towel in half, you want a bit of thickness, lay it on a flat surface

2. Pin out your pieces to the measurements in your pattern or desired size

3. Spray the piece until it's nice and damp. Smooth out the edges and any rumpled stitches (I tend to knit looser than I purl so I always have a lumpy stockinette stitch. The blocking evened it out nicely!)

4. Measure once more to make sure the work hasn't shifted during your smoothing, adjust pins as needed.

5. Let dry completely and voila! Your piece is now blocked and ready to put together.

 
(sorry for the terrible lighting on all of these. Crafty time is late at night these days since work is so hectic)

I've also made two lovely baby sweaters from Sirdar patterns and their instructions require you put everything together and then block. Haven't blocked those yet, maybe this weekend. Will post those soon. Still missing the buttons and flower embroidery along the bottom hem and sleeves of this one (I'm still thinking I've got a girl in there - we'll know for sure later this week! Squeal!!).

The Basics of Blocking, part 1 (Knitting Daily) - basics
Tools for the DIY Knitter (Knitty) - this is a great page on blocking methods based on yarn used
Roll Your Own Blocking Board (Yarn Maven) - in case you want to get fancy and make yourself one

Lots of baby crafty in the works. We started the mural in the nursery over Memorial Day weekend. Today I painted the clouds, tree and leaves. I've made a rough sketch of what else will go on the walls but having difficulty figuring out where to put all the little goodies. Will post about this soon too. I forgot to take a picture of the room before all cluttered and full of furniture (although here is a good view of my mountain of a craft table the week before I cleared it out of the room) but I've been good about taking pictures of the mural in stages. Can't wait to share!! It's looking good if I may say so myself :)

Alrighty then...good luck with your blocking!

Good grief...it's been too long but it's been a good absence.

I've been meaning to write. I've started several posts. I even started a tutorial, actually two. What can I say - I've been a bit scattered lately. However, I have been prolific in my craftyness! This is what my crafty table looks like. Yikes!



Let's see what we have in progress...

1. 3 baby sweaters (knit & crochet)
2. 2 crochet baby blankets
3. crochet baby booties
4. flannel pantyliners (I'm doing my part to save the world)
5. crochet footstool cover
6. crochet teddy bear
7. flannel baby blankets
8. applique onesies

Hmmm... are you thinking what I'm thinking? Why all the baby things?

Well we're having a baby!! Yippeeeee!!! So, besides my schizophrenic craftyness (I haven't finished one thing) I've been busy making a human being so I'm going to cut myself some slack for not posting. :)

I'm 15 weeks along and everything is going great! It's been a long road to this point. We're thrilled everything is going so well so far. Our last ultrasound showed her (I'm convinced it's a girl although we don't know for sure) kicking and punching and flipping around. Very exciting!

More to come soon. Thanks for stopping by - hope you're all doing well and enjoying Spring!