Ms. Ellaneous crafts a life

Soapen House 2009

I've been trying to write this post for over a week, but Thanksgiving came and I took a break.

I worked really hard for about a week and half to try and make soap and some sundry projects for my Handmade Holiday Open House.  I felt like I needed to do something a little different this year, to try and branch out a little bit.  I mainly invited friends and family.  I felt a little weird about the whole thing, not wanting to pressure anyone in to buying something they didn't want, but many friends assured me that they wouldn't buy anything unless they really, really wanted it.  (I think they are all a little tired of me needing to hear that over, and over again.) 

I was really nervous, for some reason.  This is really the first time that I have put my wares "out there" and it was nerve wracking.  I think it went really well.  We had drinks, savories, and sweets.  

It was a little cocktail party, with shopping!

You will have to forgive the number of pictures that follow.  I had my own personal, Very Talented photographer at the party, Lisa from Ride The Waves.  She is so good and took so many great pictures, I'm having a hard time deciding which ones to use, so bear with me.

I took orders for soap.

These are the Peppermint "Candy" Soaps.  Some are wrapped in handknit washcloths.

Soap snowflakes, two ways.

There was a small flock of "winter" sheep.

In their forest of felted stacking trees.

I had trivet sets, with a fabric covered trivet, felted potholder, four napkins, and a peppermint "candy" soap.

Fabric covered coasters.
What party would be complete without  door prizes, "winter" sheep's cousin "Christmas" sheep, and two holiday blocks,
and a little takeaway.

Thank you for your patience.  I swear I really edited these.  There were so many great photos.  I kinda wish I could take credit for them.  I also wish I had her with me all the time, my life looks so good through her lens.  Thank you, thank you again Lisa!

As I'm writing this post I am making 40 peppermint "candy" soaps for delivery and trying to figure out all the other things I need to make before I take a little mini-mommy vacation later this week.  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I am thankful for so many things including my friends, who are a constant source of support and my blog readers.  I know you're out there!

Making, making, making

 

I'm trying to make some things for the Handmade Holiday open house on Sunday.(or Soapen House as A1 calls it) Right now I'm not sure why I decided to do this.  I have a studio full, well, half full, of incomplete projects.  I really don't know what I'm doing, but at least we have a drink menu!

Let the craziness begin!

I know it's always crazy, four kids, two dogs and a crafting habit, but as the kids get older it just seems to be getting crazier.  A3 is on the swim team now, so we are adding incredibly long swim meets and four practices a week to our schedule.  We also hosted a Champagne and Pearl Party for friends this weekend, replete with one of G's famous drink menus, all champagne drinks, appetizers, desserts and some really cool jewelry.

 

 

(sorry there aren't any pictures of the jewels, the party got crazy!)

After all the excitement, our Sunday was relatively quiet.  Just some knitting, A3's,

 

and laundry, dreaded laundry.

 

I do appreciate them all lined up, and clean!

There was some buzz at the party, wondering where to buy some of my handmade things, and I had no answer.  I have an ETSY account with nothing listed (I'm afraid of shipping) and I haven't gotten it together to do another craft show, read "fear of rejection".  So, I decided to start out slow, with a party, complete with drinks and food, of course. (see above)  I'm just inviting friends and friends of friends, with no pressure to buy.  That means I need to get started making, which is why this post from the weekend is so late.  Photos and more craziness to follow.

15 minutes to spare...

this afternoon for a cup of tea and a look through Artful Blogging, before the second round of pick ups.  I'm enjoying the minutes where I can find them.  Hope you are too!

More pumpkins?

I know.  I'm about through with them too, but I couldn't resist a set of stacking bowls.  This is the same yarn that I used for the lidded pumpkin bowls and it felts so nicely.  It's Araucania Nature wool, and it was on sale.  I didn't buy as many as I wanted and now I'm regretting it, because they have a great green for these trees.  Watch out folks it's tree season soon, and snowflakes.  Yippee!  Say goodbye to pumpkins.

 

(These pictures were taken in the light of the setting sun.  At 3:30!)

Happy Halloween!

This is the final Halloween block.  Just in time! 

G is in charge of this holiday around here, so I'll be working on more pumpkins and ironing out some "difficulties" with this year's holiday gifts.  I hope everyone has a fun Halloween!

The house of flu

We had quite a weekend here as one child after the other succumbed to what we think is our local version of the flu.  Needless to say, we didn't go anywhere this weekend.  That was the one good thing about everyone being sick, we had a chance to take a break from our schedule. 

It rained all day on Saturday so we made a cozy fire.  Our dog Wexley enjoyed it the most, I think.  This is where he was all day.

When everyone had had enough of "resting", there was a friendly poker tournament, complete with m&m snacks.

I managed to finish the big block I was working on.

I like it by itself, but the children liked it as a backdrop for some of our Halloween decorations.

I also managed to knit two scarves.  Unfortunately, they fell under the category of dreadfully unsuccessful and this is all I have to show for my hours...

"If at first you don't succeed, knit, knit, again."   I'm not knitting with that yarn just yet.  I'm still feeling the sting.  I think I might go back to a project I might have some luck with, some pumpkin inspired felted bowls.  Hope everyone out there is feeling well.

Pumpkins and more

More pumpkins, more sparkle.  I'm just trying things out.  I feel like the fear of making "bad" art keeps me from trying new things and actually putting ideas on the canvas, or in this case, wood.  So, I'm trying to let go a little.  These are not my favorite, but the kids like them, good enough.

I also started a bigger block with the intention of making a spider web.

Turns out it's something altogether different.  I like it when that happens.  I'm still intending to make a spider web, maybe tomorrow.  Right now I'm making dinner.  

I'm seeing red!

I wanted to start out writing about how crazy this week has been, but then I realized that I've been saying that a lot lately.  So, maybe crazy is the new normal?  I don't want to believe it.  I always thought when the kids were little, that was going to be the crazy part.  If I could just get through the potty training and toddler hood, the rest would be smooth sailing.  Anyone who has children who are grown are probably laughing at me or shaking their heads, with a look of pity in their eyes.  You see, it turns out middle childhood is no smooth ride.  Yes, I rarely have to haul the children out of the grocery store anymore but now I'm constantly shuffling papers, checking homework, signing up for activities, forgetting to sign up for activities, looking like a crazy person, and making enumerable trips back and forth to town.  I am not a naturally organized person, especially when it comes to things I don't really want to do, like paperwork, so things are slipping through the cracks people and the cracks are getting bigger.  I tried a "No activity, No friends" policy but the little buggers are ignoring me.

So instead of being a grown up, I make things.  This week was all about red!  I finally finished A1's Christmas sweater from last year, but it turns out, she shrunk.  Luckily, I shrunk too.  Right into the sweater.  I love this pattern and this yarn. (see previous post)  I think this sweater would look good on anyone.

I had two and half skeins leftover so I thought I would whip up a scarf, get a jump on the holidays.  I wanted to do a Keyhole ruffle scarf but was too lazy to try and find a pattern, (there are many out there) so, I made one up.

There are a few things I would change but I'm generally pleased.  A3 did the modeling, so the scarf will fit slightly more snug on an adult.  My only problem now is I want to knit dozens of them!  This might be the gift of the season.  Don't get too attached, those of you who receive holiday presents from me, I'm a fickle, fickle crafter.

I also found these papers for another holiday project.  Can't wait to try them out.

And these are A3's new boots.

I had nothing to do with making them, but they fit in the color story for this week and they are so cute.  Unfortunately, we are in need of cosy boots around here, it snowed yesterday morning.  Now, I'm off to avoid the pile of paperwork with more knitting.  I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Busy Weekend (there's really no other way to say it)

We have been on fire around here this weekend.  My dad has been doing all the projects that we never seem to get around to doing, like; mowing the lawn in a timely manner, stacking the firewood, weed whacking and now he's working on our holiday signature piece, the shooting star.  They won't be back before Christmas so he needs to get it done.  They also, very kindly, drove A1 to NH for a friends 16th birthday party.  Of course we needed to make her something.  We decided on an up-cycled sundries bag, lined with the leftovers from our fall napkins, a pattern AMK loved when she was here in August.

While I was out picking up the zipper, I found two great "books" that I couldn't resist.  Everything about them made me want to take them home, so I did.  They are Reprodepot's pattern books, Flora and Folk.  They are full of the most lovely patterned paper with a CD of the same designs.  I'm hoping to update the blog with some of the designs and to use them for a myriad of other projects.  For right now I'm content to just leaf through and look at all the vintage inspired goodness.  I also found some more glitter, Pumpkin patch, like I could resist that.

My parents stopped at the Vermont Country Store on the way back and brought me the best porcelain stain cleaner (it's the little things in life that make me happy) and a Kit-Cat clock.  This clock makes me happy every time I look at it.  It would be great to have an original, but since I have children that seem to break things, "I don't know what happened",  it's probably better that I have the plastic version.

G has been baking, pumpkin bread (no photo, eaten too quickly), ginger snaps, and this morning he woke up at 4:00am to make his famous homemade cinnamon rolls.

While he was baking, I was making soaps, over and over, trying to get the pumpkins right.  I finally have something I'm happy with.  The pumpkins have pumpkin spice in them and smell delicious, the leaves are scented apple, just because I like it.

I also made skull and cross bone soaps, and a batch of Lego inspired building brick soaps. Pictures to come.

My kids love these soaps, so fun.  Between soap making projects, I finished the body portion of the February Lady Sweater, and then promptly put it away.  The weather has turned cold and I picked up another sweater that just needs arms.  It's knit in Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino Aran, a luscious red, color 610.  The pattern is Ingenue from Custom Knits. Such a fickle knitter.  I hope everyone is having a lovely long weekend, back to pumpkins.  Maybe I should change the blogs' name to Pumpkin Blog, all pumpkins, all the time.  That might work until after Thanksgiving.