cardinal ornaments

My Uncle gave me a few cardinal ornaments. The cardinal, as I may have mentioned before, is special to me. My grandmother made all of her children (7) and her grand children (maybe 15 or more at the time?) a tree skirt (will take a picture another time) with a cardinal on it. I have made a few exactly the same in my time. So here is an ornament with a cardinal on it.

And the birdhouse




and a little bunny in the snow.


Sorry, not much for talking at the moment. it makes me cough. :}
Cheers,
Amanda

Ontario Science Centre

Today, we went to the Ontario Science Centre It's only about 12 minutes from us and my uncle got us a membership for Christmas! I'm so happy. The kids are so happy. And we got free parking and IMAX movies. (My husband will have to take them to that. I would just throw up. Don't like all that stimulation)

So today was just a quick 2 hour visit to check in and take a venture around.
Here is a picture of Newfoundland. Where I'm from. The south West coast,(bottom left) is Port Aux Basques. You can see, there are a lot of mountains.

Neve was particularly enjoying this exhibit. Me too.



And this one was fun. I think this is her alter ego.


Normally, I wouldn't take my camera. Inside darkish places don't work for me. But I just took my new Prime telephoto macro lens. Nice. Clap Clap.
Yesterday, I spent the WHOLE day in my PJS and hardly got up. Just enough to put some laundry in. And I read a new book in 1.5 days. And I think I had 2 or 3 naps. Thankful that my family let me do such.

Maybe I'll feel like crafting soon.

Cheers,
Amanda

Happy Christmas!

Hope you had a kind of day you were hoping for. I did!
Here is the loot ready to go to the teachers at school. What else? mittens and roving angels!

I must have been a good girl this year. I got something I didn't even know I wanted. A new lens for the camera. A prime telephoto macro lens. it's beautiful. It does just what I want it to do. So now, I'll have some photos and posts for the blog in the long days of winter. Here's a sample:
Olives that Henry cured for the last 8 weeks.

A tree shot at my cousin's house. Only tree lights. no flash, etc. I'm so happy with my new lens.

Daddy has been acclaimed the best and resident face painter.

With one happy girl. This paint is by Snazaroo Awesome quality and it washes off very easily.


So now I get to relax for a few days. Have a few naps, eat a few cookies, have some Hot turkey sandwiches, cups of tea and just general slothiness before I feel like tackling my sewing room I still have more mittens to make for family and families of friends. then I will focus on some new ideas in my head.

Have a good one!
Amanda

teen tulle

Knock, Knock....
Anybody there? thanks for coming back.
It's been a crazy few weeks and it's almost over! It's all been good. 5 craft fairs/shows and every one of them had crazed mitten wantin' moms. I stopped making mens and childrens and just made mom mitts. I must have made over 150 pairs and I still have about 20 to make before this week is over. I'm loving it. Sweater mittens rock! Oh, and the singing at private parties, malls, social clubs, corporate dos and general fa la la-ing where ever merriment is requested.

So today, I finished up another order for a tulle skirt for a pre-teen. After making this, I may make a few more.

One of the moms in our group used to make real tutus and dance costumes for shows/competitions. She showed me some tricks of the trade which has me excited to try more. Did you know it's a ll the rage right now? Tulle skirts over leggings. Where have I been?
Here's a look at the elastic with frill on top. nice eh?

Here's what it looks like inside....

And the 4 layers. I could have gone with the neon green. The black really tones it down. Maybe next time!


I'll take this time to wish you a Happy Christmas! I may get back here, who knows? I know I won't be sewing anything new until after Christmas. I have a few ideas I can't wait to try. If my camera cooperates, if the planets align and the sunlight is good... I'll take more pictures.

Cheers to you and yours.... I appreciate your coming here.
Amanda

bunch o monkeys

I made these cute little guys for the kids in my preschool music class. I love the arms and how they swing all over the place. The arms of the monkeys and the kids. It was a fun bunch. The magical age of 2, when they are coming into their own and getting a vocabulary. O how they grow from the beginning to the end of the 12 week session.

Remember the lion I gave out a few sessions ago?

Easy hand stitching and a bit of machine sewing.

What else have I been doing? Making a few more Maisies from the book More Softies Only a Mother Could Love.

And bit of singing. These costumes are exclusive to this particular mall. The large, huge, ginormous mall that doesn't look like a mall until you're halfway through it. Fun to sing though.


oh, and getting ready for a few shows this coming week. It's closer than I thought. boo.

Thanks for stopping by,
Amanda

Where will I be?

Hi there,
just a quick note:

I will be selling my wares at 3 locations this month.

If you're local, hope to see you there.

Equinox Holistic Alternative School Winter Solstice Dec. 11, 11-2 Children's Peace Theatre Taylor Creek Park-Dawes Road (complete address to follow later) My table will be there at 11, but I won't be there until 12:30.

Lazy Daisy Cafe Tuesday December 13th 6 - 8:30
local artists featured in the Holiday Arts & Crafts Gala . Tis the season to BUY LOCAL : )
Facebook Page

Dec. 20 9:30-12 Roden Parenting and Literacy Centre 151 Hiawatha.

If I can swing it, I'll be showing my new logo on a banner:


Thanks Charlotte! I love it!

Later,
Amanda

Christmas Ornaments-Das style

I had this great idea in my head to make white clay ornaments. I went on a hunt for white clay. Bought some, it was grey. it dried grey. I tried white sculpty, it's too soft and unforgiving of little prints and mistakes. So i sought out Das. Remember Das modelling clay? Bet you forgot about the smell!! Not so bad, it just brought me back to my childhood. SO, I bought white, opened it up, it was grey. I closed it up and sulked. Then I decided to take a little piece and let it dry. it dried white! Yippeeeeeee!!

After borrowing my friend's stash of cookie cutters, (thank goodness, I have no idea where mine are) I went to work with the addition of some stamping supplies.

I'm in love. And I've hardly made a dent to what's in my head and the endless possibilities and combinations of my tools.

Like, I'm going to add some rhinestones to the edges of the snow.

And I want to add glitter to some and use a glassy glaze on top of the glitter.

Just wondering though, should I put a glossy varnish on it? So it will catch the tree lights?


Have a good one!
Amanda

it's a cat

This belated birthday present for a 1 year old is from Betz White's Warm Fuzzies. Guess I'm really liking that book lately and the fact that I've been collecting 50-11 sweaters for the last month or so. It's just a little break from the mitten making.

It was easy to make, just a little confusion on the sewing the front to the back, but it won't be a bother next time. Kind of an
a-ha moment shall we say.

Here's another blurry picture. Of the mouth. I tell ya, this time of year, and maybe for the winter, my camera bites! I can't even get a decent picture unless the sun is shining. ugh. smile, breathe, think pretty, focused thoughts.

And the back of it. Yes, green is a strange colour for a cat, but it was workin' for me that day. All the colours and swatches came together. he's fancy.

And here is a request to be added to the post. Rafael is quite proud of his gnome friends and the big dipper in the sky. He wanted you to notice the big dipper. Do you notice?


thanks for stopping by
Amanda

mini cupcakes

Cupcakes anyone? Partially done cupcakes? they contain less calories!

These come from Betz White's book Warm Fuzzies. I made them tree ornament size and put a little needlefelted ball on top. The others will have beads instead.

I took all kinds of artsy fartsy pictures to show you, but my camera didn't cooperate. fuzzy..... grrr. I makes me crazy that camera.
Anyhow, it's that time of year, time to bury the fig tree. Fig trees cannot survive the Canadian Winter (as mild as it is in Toronto) so it is the custom to bury it. The root ball is small, so you dig it up and bury it a few feet in the soil. Then a layer of leaves to help insulate. Oh, the fig tree is in the burlap. And, I don't know what we'll do when it gets to big to bury in our little garden. Figure that out when we get there I suppose.

Have a good one,
Amanda

ribbon hairbands

One of the local fabric stores (it's the only one that is less than a 10 minute drive, everything else is at least 30 minutes, dragola) has the most amazing ribbon section. Just beautiful designs.
I got inspired by a plain headband I bought at the dollar store and pumped it up a notch.

Aren't they just gorgeous?

Oh look, mini tutorial!
Adjust lengths to the size of head, but this works for me and for my 5 year old. Cut ribbon 13 inches. The elastic is 6.5. Again it depends on how much the elastic stretches. I cut the original the same as the dollar store one, but it was too tight as my elastic is a better quality and doesn't stretch so much. Please note: Elastic needs to be thinner than the ribbon.
With the elastic on the right side of ribbon, fold the ends of the ribbon around the elastic as below. Sew a little in from the end.

Turn it right side out. Do the same for the other side. There you go. Done!

And if you really want to get silly, try wearing them all at once!


Ciao,
Amanda

Cinnamon Rolls

This weekend is a blur and it's not even over! I sang for 2 concerts yesterday for Remembrance Day. Nice. Then singing at 2 church services this morning and tonight a sing along for the agency that I Christmas Carol with. it's only 2 days of singing in a row, but after focusing on my family for the last 8 years, I wonder how I ever did it as a singer/music teacher. every. single. day. My whole life was singing. Over all parts of town. now I get wiped after 2 hours! stamina I tell ya, it's gone!

Anyhow, some time this past week, I got to play house mom and made some cinnamon rolls.

The recipe comes from the back of the brown sugar bag and my memory, as I threw it out the bag after the sugar was all gone.
First up is some bread dough. You can use premade pizza dough, or as I did, make it in the bread maker. (recipe at end of post)

Roll it out to a rectangle. Brush some melted butter. They suggest 2 tablespoons.

Mix a teaspoon of cinnamon with 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Spread it on the dough. Please note, I used more cinnamon and did not spread all of the sugar on the dough. This was a mistake! Use all the sugar! It makes it sloppier and gooey-er. Mine, not so much. I added some raisins to one side of it. ( i also used some of the leftover cinnamon brown sugar in my tea. So good.)

Roll the dough from the short side to the opposite end.

Cut them about 1 inch thick.

Place in a greased dish. Let rise for about 1.5 hours until the rolls touch each other. I didn't let it rise long enough. next time I will.

Bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes. I think. I can't remember. Sorry.

There ya go. A nice afternoon treat with a cuppa.

Here's the pizza dough recipe that I use in the bread maker. I also use it as a bread recipe:
Put it in the bread maker in this order:

1+cup of water. (Sometimes the flour needs more moisture, so I add up to 1/2 C extra sometimes. Depends on the season and where you live)
1 Teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
1.5 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of bread machine yeast.

Use the dough setting for 1.5 lb bread.

If you want to make a nice pizza dough recipe, use the one above, then add a tablespoon of cornmeal and a teaspoon of dried herbs, ( I use a Newfoundland savory or oregano)

There ya go. This is not a quick treat, but one that can be tended to when you're in the house all day.

At the moment, the kids are playing with boxes brought home from the grocery store. They made cars from them and are now traveling around the world with the maps I printed out of places I've been too. They are at the drive in watching old Pink Panther movies on Net flix. Ah, Sunday afternoon.
DH is in the basement making a brew of beer. He's doing it from scratch, Mad scientist that he is. I'm ok with all this experimenting. It gives me equal footing to get lost in my sewing room from time to time!

I think I'm off for a nap before my next appointment. No crafting for this weary body today.

Thanks for stopping by,
Amanda