Ms. Ellaneous crafts a life

It all started with a closet.

We have been home for a week and we are about to leave, again.  On Wednesday we pick the kids, A1-3, up from camp, back home, and pack A1 for France the next day!  We will be inundated with stories from camp, requests for "media" of all sorts, and laundry, but for now we are organized.  The command center for all school/sports activities is empty and ready to filled with the myriad of permission slips and forms.

And that's where it all started.  Once I tackled that bad boy, everywhere I turned begged to be cleaned and changed.  This happens to me every once in awhile and frankly, no space is safe.  The room screaming the loudest was A3's.

I have been promising A3 (now 11) that we would re-do her room.  I've been promising for about six months.  She has grown out of the princess pink and requested a more sophisticated color, green, specifically a deep, bright green, bordering on turquoise.  I couldn't quite get to that color but we did paint her room green.  We only had the weekend.  I felt like we were on "Trading Spaces" except it was our space, our design, our labor, and our money.  So, basically it was just the time crunch.  Well, that and the "SURPRISE, we totally re-decorated your room while you were at camp!" part.  I hope she doesn't cry, like the "What did you do to my room!?" cry.

The princess pink, with Wexley looking nervous.

 

Of course I neglected to take a "before' with all of her stuff everywhere.  I was a woman with a mission.

After.

The "cubby".

After painting all morning, cleaning brushes etc., we made a late afternoon run to IKEA.  That meant Sunday was spent with thousands of little wooden thingys, a rubber mallet and screws, screws, screws.  I was the smiley IKEA helper pictured prominently in the instructions. 

After A3's room, we purged the "baby" and unused toys out of A4's room, moved the furniture around, and voila, another room organized.  That's about the time the weekend, and our energy ran out.  I did have just a bit more for a final touch...

 

I think I might just lay down in her bed and take a quick nap.  Wake me up when it's time to pack the car.

Finishing the UFO's

I was possessed this week to work on some of the Un-Finished Objects I have stored in The Closet and around the studio.  I was spurred on by a surprise visit from K and her sweet little baby.  The baby that I made the sweater/cows for in March, before we knew she was a she!

Well, I've had her blanket, that went with the sweater, on the needles ever since.  I wanted to have it done before she was born, then for the first time I had a chance to meet her.  Well, I didn't quite make it.  It's done now though, and I get a chance for another visit next week.

 

I can't wait to give it to her.  There is nothing like a little baby.  I had a hard time giving her back to her mother!

After completing the blanket, I picked up B's dress.  I was supposed to have that done for Spring too.  I'm a little behind.

 

I used the Spud and Chloe pattern "Lovey Dovey top" and the leftovers from "The big green sweater".  I replaced the stockinette stitch with the Gull lace pattern from L's February Lady Sweater.  It was fun to knit and was relatively fast once I decided to finish it.   I can't wait for her to try it on and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it fits.  

One last "Finished Object", I printed some personalized thank yous with my eraser clothesline stamp. 

I had so much fun that I went back to Michael's to buy more erasers.  Only 1.00$ each!  I have a feeling there are more stamps to come and definitely more glitter.  I'm covered in it right now. 

We are off for another travel adventure next week.  Have a great week!

M.I.S.

Missing In Summer.  I have been meaning to post over and over but I've been carried away by travel.  We have been through eight states and to Canada in the last month.  I've barely taken pictures and have only been home for three days!  It's a whirlwind and it's not changing anytime soon.  We are off again next week to the D.C. area.  I hope to have time for more blogging soon.  Until then, here is an eclectic tour of my summer, so far, in photographs.

Indiana, Illinois, could be either.

Absinthe in Montreal.

Parent's weekend with the kids, at camp.

A3's birthday cupcakes.  Hard to decorate outside in 90+ degree weather!

 

New "stamps".  Photos to come.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Bags were made, bones were broken

My "To Make" list is finished!  I am having trouble finding the words to describe this last week.  90 miles an hour, constant motion, complications, these are a few that come to mind.  I know everyone with kids in school and sports experiences some form of "spring madness".  This year has been particularly crazy for us and now it's time for camp.  The kids last day of school was today and tomorrow morning we drive them to camp.  No time to relax this year. 

As I write this we are still laundering clothes, labeling and packing.  We are also tending to A4.  He broke both bones in his right arm this weekend and is having trouble adjusting to his status as patient.  He will be fine, just a complication, and a hard way to start the summer.

Because I am lacking the ability to put together any kind of coherent thought, I am just going to bombard you, dear readers, with images from the studio.

 

My mother's reversible napkin and place mat set, just in time for the Fourth.

 

Set of blank cards for SS's birthday.

 

This is a sign I made 8 years ago for Not that W.  She has a new name now and the sign needed to be cleaned and updated. Check!

 

 

The coffee sack totes for the girls, a little sewing, a little stamping, a little beading.  I hope they like them!

 

 

And just because I'm crazy, two more totes, another coffee sack tote for me, slightly shorter, I'm not carrying around a clipboard, and one for A4 to carry his books, journal and crayons, made from G's old pants and dress shirt.

Finally, two sets of stationery, the first set for A2(13 yr old boy), and the second for A3(11 yr old girl).  These were requested this morning and are hot off the presses.  I am hoping that having hand printed stationery will encourage them to write more often.  I'm not holding my breath.

 

Now, it's on to my next list, packing for our summer adventure.  Stay tuned!

The "TO MAKE" list

It's Monday, and on Mondays I tend to make lists.  This time of year there are lots of lists, the "what else do we need for camp list", the "what to label" list, the "what to pack for A4's trip" list and most significantly (to me anyway) the "To make" list.  This list is always long.  I usually put off a bunch of things, thinking I have tons of time after Lacrosse season is over and before camp.  This year it is exactly ten days.  That includes a weekend so full of end of the year picnics and such, I'm not sure we can physically make it to everything.  So, now it is one week.

I won't bore you with the list.  Suffice it to say, I need to get on it.  I did, by employing the little talked about secret of the crafty family...Child labor.  Thank goodness I put the time in with them when they were young.  It's beginning to pay off.  One item that is on the "TO MAKE" list is napkins/place-mats for my parents' house.  My mom picked out the material and I've had it for about four months, whatever.  What would please grandparents more than napkins made by their granddaughter?  Maybe the more pertinent question is, how better to save my time than employing the granddaughter to sew the napkins?  It's really a win/win.  Here she is slaving away at the sewing machine.

"Mommy, can I please have a break?"  "Not until the napkins are done darling!" (In a bright, cheery, but slightly menacing tone)

(Before anyone calls children's services, she just sewed for awhile, and she volunteered, I swear!)

I also managed to get some work done on a new banner.  Here's a sneak peek.

I'm not sure when I will figure out how to actually get it on the blog.  This blog seriously needs an update.  That's another list altogether.

I'm also going to work on some up-cycled tote bags for A1 and one of her friends from camp.  This is there last year as campers but they are given some more responsibility and a clip board.  When they found out about the clip boards there was a request for a cool tote to carry them in, made by me. How can a mother refuse that request?

Time warp

I'm not exactly sure what happened to the last week.  It's a blur of projects and Lacrosse.  That's actually what I dreamt of last week, half finished projects everywhere I looked and Lacrosse balls whizzing at my head.

I spent most of my week making things for the Craft Fair and Farm Open House at my dear friend Not that W's.  It was beautiful!  The farm was gorgeous, the people who came out were wonderful and the weather held until the very last moment.  This was our first try and things went really well.  We are planning another one in the fall, complete with pumpkins and fresh pressed apple cider!

I have a few pictures of some of the things I made but I am waiting for the amazing pictures L took. (no rush, I just want to wait for yours, so much better)

 

Here are the sheep.  I believe they are judging me for my lack of progress.

 

Linoleum block printed card sets.

 

Soaps, ready for wrapping.

 

More kool-aid dyed yarn, and my new absolute favorite...

 

flour sack dish towels and their cousin

flour sack apron.  (sorry about the light, my kitchen is dark)  I can see making drawer fulls of these.  I wore the apron through the whole craft fair and felt very stylish.  I'll post better pictures of the farm and the fair when I get L's. (no pressure, really)

Now I don't know what to do with myself...Oh yeah, the kids go to camp in two weeks.  I suppose I should order their camp clothes and pack them up.

It's the little things...that I was too busy to post on Friday, Sunday edition

So these "little things" are from the entire weekend really, and have some really "BIG" things included, like celebrating A1's sixteenth birthday.

Starting,

 

and finishing A1's Nook cover. A project I have been stressing over all week.

 

 

 

Finally figuring out my new sewing machine, I am extremely challenged when it comes to anything mechanical/related to "modern" technology.  It was quite a feat for me to sit down and figure it out.

 

A lovely table set for "High Tea",

 

and finally, dishes cleaned and ready for our next tea.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful long weekend!

FO's

Finishing, finishing, finishing.

 

A1's Birthday "High Tea" party invitations.

 

Part of the takeaways, moleskine notebooks, hand stamped and painted.

 

Ribbons glued on pots, waiting for flower soaps and washcloths.  Finally, something for the craft fair.

 

The Spring/Summer painting for over the fireplace.  Unfortunately, it's not quite right and needs a companion piece on either side.  It's bugging me but I think it has to wait until after the tea party and the craft fair.  I guess I'll just have to look the other way when I enter the room.

Of course, I have started a whole new round of projects since I took these photos yesterday.  I can't even post my usual "sneak peek" pics though.  That A1 is a clever girl and she would figure out all of her surprises, so, those pictures will have to wait, but the studio is buzzing. 

Why I should not be allowed on the Internet.

I'm sure I have recently bored you with my never-ending list of things that need to get accomplished in the next few weeks.  I could go back and look but all my energy is being used running that list, in my mind, over and over again.  That being said, I did find the time to browse my favorite craft blogs yesterday and became obsessed with This project.  After seeing this project, I arranged a drop-off point for my youngest daughter's sleep-over dangerously close to a Michael's, sub-consciously...of course.  I thought I would just dash in and look.  Two minutes later I had all the yarn and luckily enough, a set of size 35 rosewood needles waiting at home.  (I acquired the needles "free" at Webs after spending an enormous amount of money on my Green Sweater yarn.  It was one of those things, I had a choice and was going to take the 13's but at the last minute went with the enormous 35's.  It was project premonition, I'm a great believer.)  So, now I have this...

I even had to get an old knitting bag out, that I made years ago, to hold the huge quantity of yarn.  I love this bag and am happy to have it filled with yarn again.

I have no idea what I am going to do with this rug after I'm done but I'm making it and in turn NOT making the other things I need to.  Sigh.  Sometimes I just can't control my project impulses.

It's the little things...sunshiny Friday edition

I'm beginning to look forward to "It's the little things, Friday".  It feels like a good way to end the week.  I'm realizing that "little things" are really the BIG things, when you get right down to it, like having G home after a long week away, finally being able to look at the front of the house without feeling like a landscaping slacker,

 

(G planted phlox and grasses so I don't have to weed all the time)

having the ability to custom design and print invitations for your oldest daughter's sweet 16 High Tea,

(I'll share the finished product soon)

having a new book full of ideas and techniques, just waiting to explore,

 

(That's Amy Karol's Bend the rules with Fabric.  It's been out for awhile and I can't wait to find some new ways to create)

having fresh paint drying on a new project,

 

or meeting a kindred soul at the Barnes and Noble.  Little is big and big is little, I must remember that.  Wishing you a weekend full of little things!