Thursday, 29 September 2011
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Trying my hand at something new
One day soon I will be opening an Etsy shop. When I do, these cards will be for sale there. I hope you like them as much as I enjoy making them!
I've never considered myself very artistic (at least when it comes to drawing) so to spare myself having to actually draw and recipients having to look at something I've drawn, each card instead features my fingerprints ('cause you can't really mess that up).
I'm thinking of calling the line ONE OAK because each card is one of a kind...get it? They're fingerprints...fingerprints are unique...they're one of a kind...see what I did there? Yeah, I'm clever like that.
At the moment, I have 11 different fingerprint designs including birthday, thank you, miss you, get well soon, Halloween and Christmas cards.
If you would like to order a set of holiday cards (or any of the other designs) even before I get my act together with the Etsy shop, please drop me a line at heymilkybeer [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll send you the details.
I've never considered myself very artistic (at least when it comes to drawing) so to spare myself having to actually draw and recipients having to look at something I've drawn, each card instead features my fingerprints ('cause you can't really mess that up).
I'm thinking of calling the line ONE OAK because each card is one of a kind...get it? They're fingerprints...fingerprints are unique...they're one of a kind...see what I did there? Yeah, I'm clever like that.
At the moment, I have 11 different fingerprint designs including birthday, thank you, miss you, get well soon, Halloween and Christmas cards.
If you would like to order a set of holiday cards (or any of the other designs) even before I get my act together with the Etsy shop, please drop me a line at heymilkybeer [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll send you the details.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Terry Fox Run 2011
It was about 30 years ago that I ran my first Terry Fox Run. I remember running with my family and stopping to eat an apple under a tree, but that's about it. At the time, all the kids at my daycare were fascinated by Terry and would practice running like him. Even so soon after his death, he was an inspiration to me and many others.
It seemed only fitting that Abner should participate in her first Terry Fox Run at about the same age. So, early yesterday morning, we bundled up for the chilly weather and set out to join our local run (just the two of us, since TDSH was out of town.)
Being the first people through the door had its perks! Abner was first in line to get her face painted and the ladies at the registration table gave her a stuffed moose for being the first child of the day to register.
Abner was also able to enjoy a few minutes to herself in the bouncy castle before the run while mommy gratefully sipped some Timmy's.
Abner loved joining along for the warm-up and had lots of people smiling as she stretched and jumped along with the rest of us. As much as she loved the exercises, I think she got more of a warm-up running away from all the big mascots that were circulating around. Poor little thing was terrified of all of them and would run behind my legs or just plain run away whenever one came close to us.
There were tears a plenty when the crowd did the balloon release before the run- tears of emotion for most, and tears over a lost balloon for Abner.
Of the 5 km route, I think Abner ran about 1.5 km! The little girl has got energy and had me running just to keep up with her. For part of the way, a 12-year-old boy decided to run with her and even he was having trouble keeping up! She thought it was great and would call for him to "come on, come on, let's go, let's go!" whenever he would slow down for a rest.
I'm not sure if we'll make it an annual tradition, but I'm sure this won't be our last Terry Fox Run and I know Abner will remember this first one for many years to come.
It seemed only fitting that Abner should participate in her first Terry Fox Run at about the same age. So, early yesterday morning, we bundled up for the chilly weather and set out to join our local run (just the two of us, since TDSH was out of town.)
Being the first people through the door had its perks! Abner was first in line to get her face painted and the ladies at the registration table gave her a stuffed moose for being the first child of the day to register.
Abner was also able to enjoy a few minutes to herself in the bouncy castle before the run while mommy gratefully sipped some Timmy's.
Abner loved joining along for the warm-up and had lots of people smiling as she stretched and jumped along with the rest of us. As much as she loved the exercises, I think she got more of a warm-up running away from all the big mascots that were circulating around. Poor little thing was terrified of all of them and would run behind my legs or just plain run away whenever one came close to us.
There were tears a plenty when the crowd did the balloon release before the run- tears of emotion for most, and tears over a lost balloon for Abner.
Of the 5 km route, I think Abner ran about 1.5 km! The little girl has got energy and had me running just to keep up with her. For part of the way, a 12-year-old boy decided to run with her and even he was having trouble keeping up! She thought it was great and would call for him to "come on, come on, let's go, let's go!" whenever he would slow down for a rest.
I'm not sure if we'll make it an annual tradition, but I'm sure this won't be our last Terry Fox Run and I know Abner will remember this first one for many years to come.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Around the house: The living room
Continuing our tour around the house, today we're taking a look at the living room. This space really gets a lot of use. Abner loves to climb all over the couch and watch the goings of the neighbourhood. It's the perfect spot to sit and wave to TDSH as he bikes off to work each morning too. Sadly, even after six weeks in the house, we haven't put up any artwork in this room so we are still living with plain off-white walls. Sigh.
Even so, this room has some interesting features like these built-in book cases/room dividers which separate the living room from the entry and hallway. I love the retro feel they give the room and having the built-in shelf space means we've been spared having to replace the wall unit we got rid of in Burnaby.
Nestled in next to one of the bookcase is this fabulous vintage rocker we scored a couple of weeks ago up at the antique shop in Lumsden. The only thing wrong with it was a threadbare seat, so I used a vintage needlepoint pillowcase lined with batting as a little cushion, and voila, it's even cuter than before!
We've all taken a liking to this particular spot in the room. TDSH loves to sit and read, with a little music and a scotch in hand (as I knew he would). Abner likes to rock herself and was found curled up thumbing through Nelson Mandela's Long Walk To Freedom in there last night! [We actually got her the kids' version of that book a few months ago from the library, so at least she knows the gist of the story. This was during her Important Leaders in History phase which also included reading about Martin Luther King and Ghandi. Seriously.]
Another retro feature of the room...genuine wood panelling. Yes, yes, we are lucky indeed! Actually, I kind of like it. Real wood panelling is soooo much nicer than the fake stuff (which, don't you worry, we have plenty of in the basement!) I can't bring myself to drill into the panelling, so this wall will remain naked. For now, I've got my latest garage sale find set up in the living room to display my quilts and other projects.
The room divider screen came with dingy grey fabric (which I suspect may have been white at some point) stapled on. Once that was torn off, it's become the perfect rack for displaying quilts! If I'd tried to design a rack myself, I don't think I could have done a better job...and certainly not for the $7 I paid for the thing! I already have two quilts on the go, but now I want to sew up a few more just to fill it up a bit more. I figure it can hold up to 15 baby quilts!
That box on the floor is another garage sale find. It's made out of an old Gold Seal canned salmon crate and it's perfect for displaying the fabric boxes I've been working on. I used some remnant scrapbooking paper to line the insides since it was rather slivery (that's a word...right?). Actually, now that I look at this picture, I just remembered I still need to staple the paper down! Oh well, you get the idea.
In case you're wondering, I'm planning to use both display pieces if/when I ever sign up for a craft sale. For now, I am sewing like mad to build up a bit of stock. I am in sewing heaven!
Even so, this room has some interesting features like these built-in book cases/room dividers which separate the living room from the entry and hallway. I love the retro feel they give the room and having the built-in shelf space means we've been spared having to replace the wall unit we got rid of in Burnaby.
Nestled in next to one of the bookcase is this fabulous vintage rocker we scored a couple of weeks ago up at the antique shop in Lumsden. The only thing wrong with it was a threadbare seat, so I used a vintage needlepoint pillowcase lined with batting as a little cushion, and voila, it's even cuter than before!
We've all taken a liking to this particular spot in the room. TDSH loves to sit and read, with a little music and a scotch in hand (as I knew he would). Abner likes to rock herself and was found curled up thumbing through Nelson Mandela's Long Walk To Freedom in there last night! [We actually got her the kids' version of that book a few months ago from the library, so at least she knows the gist of the story. This was during her Important Leaders in History phase which also included reading about Martin Luther King and Ghandi. Seriously.]
Another retro feature of the room...genuine wood panelling. Yes, yes, we are lucky indeed! Actually, I kind of like it. Real wood panelling is soooo much nicer than the fake stuff (which, don't you worry, we have plenty of in the basement!) I can't bring myself to drill into the panelling, so this wall will remain naked. For now, I've got my latest garage sale find set up in the living room to display my quilts and other projects.
The room divider screen came with dingy grey fabric (which I suspect may have been white at some point) stapled on. Once that was torn off, it's become the perfect rack for displaying quilts! If I'd tried to design a rack myself, I don't think I could have done a better job...and certainly not for the $7 I paid for the thing! I already have two quilts on the go, but now I want to sew up a few more just to fill it up a bit more. I figure it can hold up to 15 baby quilts!
That box on the floor is another garage sale find. It's made out of an old Gold Seal canned salmon crate and it's perfect for displaying the fabric boxes I've been working on. I used some remnant scrapbooking paper to line the insides since it was rather slivery (that's a word...right?). Actually, now that I look at this picture, I just remembered I still need to staple the paper down! Oh well, you get the idea.
In case you're wondering, I'm planning to use both display pieces if/when I ever sign up for a craft sale. For now, I am sewing like mad to build up a bit of stock. I am in sewing heaven!
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
A sucker for pink (quilt preview)
It seems that somewhere along the way, I became a sucker for pink! I don't know when/how it happened, but it did. The most likely reason is having a cute little blond girl who just looks so damned adorable in pink. But anyhow, all of a sudden pink has become my go-to colour. Case in point, my latest quilt:
There is so much to love with this quilt: the sophistication of the solid grey next to the girly pinks, oranges and greens; the way the little flags of colour line up so neatly, the speed with which it's coming together, the fact that all of these fabrics were on hand in my stash already...oh, this one is going to be hard to part with when the time comes!
Since taking these photos, the quilt top has been pieced together and now I just need to figure out what to bind and back it with. Hmmm...sounds like a trip to the fabric store is in order!
There is so much to love with this quilt: the sophistication of the solid grey next to the girly pinks, oranges and greens; the way the little flags of colour line up so neatly, the speed with which it's coming together, the fact that all of these fabrics were on hand in my stash already...oh, this one is going to be hard to part with when the time comes!
Since taking these photos, the quilt top has been pieced together and now I just need to figure out what to bind and back it with. Hmmm...sounds like a trip to the fabric store is in order!
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Un lapin pour l'école
Today was Abner's first day of French immersion preschool (hence the French title of this post). I thought it would be nice to surprise her with a little gift this morning, so last night I whipped up this bunny from 1-2-3 Sew. The fabric is Wee Play by American Jane Patterns and the face was hand stitched on cream flannel.
It was so sweet to see Abner tucked into the bike trailer this morning on our way to school clutching her new bunny. She was adamant that her new friend be strapped in just like she was...next she'll want me to make her a bunny bike helmet!
For those who are curious, the first school drop off went well...no tears for either of us. When I left, she was sitting at a table reading some books by herself. I can't wait to pick her up and hear about her first day of school!
It was so sweet to see Abner tucked into the bike trailer this morning on our way to school clutching her new bunny. She was adamant that her new friend be strapped in just like she was...next she'll want me to make her a bunny bike helmet!
For those who are curious, the first school drop off went well...no tears for either of us. When I left, she was sitting at a table reading some books by herself. I can't wait to pick her up and hear about her first day of school!
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Well hello, fall
I may be new to this part of the country, but there are plenty of signs to tell me the seasons are changing here on the prairies:
...the leaves have started to change (some even making it to the ground already!)
...kids now walk past our house every morning on their way to school
...overheating is no longer a problem on my morning run
...the splash pad down the street will be shut off in the next week or so
...pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks (yippee!)
...this weekend likely marks the end of garage sale season *sniff*
...the flyers we get in the mail every day (all 10 lbs of them...seriously) are dominated with back to school specials
...Halloween decorations are up in the shops (some have been up for weeks!)
...shorts and t-shirts have been replaced with jeans and cardies (yay!)
All that being said, the temperature is supposed to come back up to the mid 20s this weekend, so I may be getting a bit ahead of myself.
...the leaves have started to change (some even making it to the ground already!)
...kids now walk past our house every morning on their way to school
...overheating is no longer a problem on my morning run
...the splash pad down the street will be shut off in the next week or so
...pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks (yippee!)
...this weekend likely marks the end of garage sale season *sniff*
...the flyers we get in the mail every day (all 10 lbs of them...seriously) are dominated with back to school specials
...Halloween decorations are up in the shops (some have been up for weeks!)
...shorts and t-shirts have been replaced with jeans and cardies (yay!)
All that being said, the temperature is supposed to come back up to the mid 20s this weekend, so I may be getting a bit ahead of myself.
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