The Fixer...

When I was a kid, and anything needed untangling, my mother always recruited me.  She had poor eyesight, and she and my dad were both over forty when I was born, so my young eyes were a distinct advantage. Necklace chains.  Knitting yarn.  Fishing line.  Once we were visiting a cousin of hers when I was a young teen.  My mother noticed a puka shell plant hanger lying on a side table and asked about it.  Her cousin, embarrassed, admitted it was completely tangled, and should have been thrown away long before.  My mother told her I would untangle it.  The pressure was on.  It was quite the chore, but before we left a couple of hours later it was a usable plant hanger once again.  Ugly, but usable.  :)

There were other things I fixed (repaired) as well.  Broken ceramics. Picture frames.  My parents lived through the Great Depression, so everything was repaired if at all possible.  It was a challenge to figure out the best way to do things, and I enjoyed it.

So here's my latest fix.  Remember this?

 I was so disappointed that there were three missing pieces.  So ever since the last piece went in, I've been contemplating how I could camouflage the empty spots.  Today I decided to tackle it and make our dining room table usable once again.

I gathered some supplies.  

• Top left:  Some tagboard, scissors, exacto knife, and glue.  
• Bottom left: I took a sheet of paper and slid it under the puzzle and traced the empty spots.  
• Top right: I carefully removed a 6- to 8-piece section near each of the empty spot that seemed to have similar colors/patterns.  (I used Post-It tape on the back of these sections to hold them together during the process.  It was safely and easily removed when I was ready to reinsert them into the puzzle.)
• Bottom right: I made color copies of the puzzle sections.

I cut the missing pieces out of tagboard (twice each as it took two layers of tagboard to equal the thickness of the puzzle pieces).  I fitted these new pieces into the empty spaces by shaving off edges where needed.  I traced these onto the color copies, cut out, and glued together to complete the new pieces.

Et voila!

My plan is to apply Mod-Podge to the front and back of the puzzle, and frame it to bring out anually with the autumn decorations.  The tagboard is not acid free, so those pieces may discolor over time, but I don't foresee it being considered an heirloom, so I can live with the risk.  :)

Making it Monday...

I showed this little peak at my most recent cross-stitch project back in early October.

Then I showed this close-up sneak peak last week.  Now that it has been received, I can show you the whole project.

The cross-stitching part of the project went SO quickly!  "Why a skull?" you may ask.  For Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), of course!  It's a big thing in this part of the country.  If you happened to see the Disney movie Coco, you get a sense of the traditions and celebrations that are all about remembering and honoring loved ones who have passed.  The skulls are called 'calaveras' or 'sugar skulls,' and a sweet friend of mine collects them.  

Here's where the progress started to slow...when I had to start adding those itty-bitty beads.  The challenge was the tiny eye of the beading needle...it was a smaller beading needle than I have ever used.  And, no, it wasn't just that my eyes are getting old!  A needle threader wouldn't even go through it.  I tried every trick in the book, and then I tried anything that came to mind.  Seriously, threading the needle took way more time than doing the actual bead work.  

DONE!  

Here's a close up that really shows all the beads in place.

Once I finished all the stitch work, I trimmed the excess perforated paper away and added a card-stock backing and a loop for hanging.

Since I was mailing it, I built a card around it.  I tried stamping the card, but the busy-ness of the sugar skull's design fought against any stamping, so I just used punches to make a flower crown (another tradition of the day) which also holds it in place on the card.  The sugar skull can be easily removed and hung in a window or added to other Dia de los Muertos decorations.

I naively believed I could get this finished and in the mail in early October so it could be used to decorate, but sadly I was late getting it done, and didn't get it in the mail until November 1, so it was received late...but it's the thought that counts, right?  :)

Making it Monday...

Today was quilting day at the library.  For the past few months we have been making 12 1/2" blocks to exchange.  Oh, and they were to be stash-buster squares, so made only with fabric we had on hand, nothing purchased.  

Each member made two blocks per month...collected and held by our fearless leader...with there eventually being twelve in total from each person.  The photo above shows them all laid out on a table this morning awaiting the exchange process.  

We drew blocks at random from each person's contributed blocks, so each of us has at least one from every other member.  Then what was left we drew at random so that we all had twelve.

These are the blocks that I received.  I ended up with two of my own; the spool (2nd column, 2nd row) and the butterfly (bottom right corner).  We are to have all squares assembled by our next meeting on December 4th.  How we assemble them is left up to us.  I am pretty sure I will be adding sashing and borders, but I haven't even thought about colors or designs, since I wasn't sure what colors would be dominant in the squares I ended up with.  Now I'm thinking maybe blue and white for sashing and borders.

These are not necessarily in their permanent locations, but I love the way they all look together.  I'll post when it's finished.

Puzzling...

Chloe came to spend the night last Saturday.  I didn't have any little surprises in her drawer, so when I was at Hobby Lobby before her visit, I used a 50% off coupon to get a puzzle for us to work on.  She likes puzzles, but the 500 pieces was still a bit much for her.  We made some good progress, but she deserted me after awhile.  Of course, she would still look over my shoulder and advise me.  :)

I had it set up on the coffee table, which was not the most well-thought-out location.  Carey wasn't thrilled that it was in his way, and it didn't make for a comfortable prolonged working posture.  It also meant that Rudy was able to keep pretty close tabs on the activity.  Carey pitched in and we made good progress.  I finished it at 3 a.m. today.

Finished except for two pieces, that is.  Guess the damp, chewed up little clump we wrestled away from Rudy yesterday was more than just the one piece we figured on.  Oh well.  He likes ice cream, so he probably couldn't resist.  I'll bet he was disappointed.  :)

Dot, dot, dot...

Santa brought me an echo dot for Christmas.  I am the world's worst at getting things out of their box or bag and getting them set up.  So I put it on my to-do list this week.  Sometimes the promise of scratching through chores with my pink pen upon completion is what it takes to get me moving.

This morning I got it set up without too much trouble except for having to search out a power strip when the only reachable outlet seemed to have only one working plug.  I have been amusing myself all day by walking through the room and asking Alexa to tell me a joke.  :)

   edited to add sample:  A limbo champion walked into a bar.
                                       He was immediately disqualified.

Striking while the iron was hot, I searched out the fire TV stick that has been languishing in its box since it arrived over a year ago...blush...I told you I was the worst about getting things out of their packaging and into use.  My technological mojo is in fine form today, as the fire TV stick is now set up as well.  (In my defense, I procrastinated so on this job, because I had a bit more trouble getting another one set up previously on another television.)

Having two dreaded jobs marked off the to-do list, as well as several loads of laundry done, I am now happily binge watching Dr. Thorne.

A little project finally finished...

I mentioned in yesterday's Frugal Friday File that I was recycling some linen from an old pair of wide-leg slacks to make an embroidery piece.  I used only supplies I had on hand, and I started and almost finished it while I was binge watching Season 2 of Outlander that I had checked out from the library.  I finished the last little bit this morning, and I wanted to show it off.

I used to love the blog, Chez Larsson.  The blog author stopped blogging at the end of 2013, and I miss it.  She once showed a print that hung in her laundry room. It was a rather modern image of clothes hanging on a line, and it said "Mrs Larsson launders here."  I have never forgotten that and often thought of doing something similar.  Of course Carey would laugh if I had the nerve to put something that said, 'Mrs. St       launders here' in our laundry room, as he does as much of our laundry as I do.  :)

I found the frame at Goodwill about a year ago, and thought it was a great shape to hold a clothes line image.  I wanted to do something really primitive and simple.  I Googled 'primitive laundry embroidery' images, and found a crewel piece that looked to be circa 1970.  It had a great quote and really sparked my imagination.  I won't show it, as I couldn't find the original attribution.

I drew a simple pattern with pencil and paper.  When I got it how I wanted it, I traced it with a Sharpie.  I laid the fabric over the pattern and was able to see it pretty well, so I used a Pilot FriXion pen to draw/trace it onto the fabric. 

 FriXion's ink disappears when you apply heat, so it worked great.  All the pattern marks disappeared when I ironed it before framing.

Here's a closer look that shows just how primitive the stitching is.  I added the quote in small letters as if it were the 2nd clothesline.  It says, "If all of our troubles were hung on a line,

"you would take yours, and I would take mine."  Isn't that true?  I wouldn't want to trade my troubles for anyone else's.

Here it is hanging again.  I could do a better job framing, and I may someday, but for now done is better than perfect.  And I'm very happy with it.

Making it Monday...

Today I made a pillow.  A big pillow.  How big, you may be wondering?

Big enough for a growing puppy!  I used two standard bed pillows...not the expensive kind.  I sewed a long side of one to a long side of the other.  For the cover I used about a yard and a quarter of a sturdy pillow ticking.  With right sides together I sewed around the edge with about a 3/4" seam allowance (leaving a fairly large opening to insert the pillows), then turned it right side out and top stitched around it again with about 1/2" seam allowance.  I stuffed the pillows into the cover and stitched up the opening with a double row of stitching.  Hopefully the double-seamed edges will slow down Rudy's urge to rip into it.

I hope it is comfortable.  I hope it is indestructible!  I know it was frugal.  It cost about half of what his last pre-made dog bed did.

Something got into me today.  A burst of energy and motivation on the same day!  Must be the SUPER MOON!  :)  Aside from making Rudy's pillow, I vacuumed the entire house, washed all the bath mats, cleaned the toilets.  And because I knew Rudy would be sleeping on his new bed, I gave him a bath, cleaned out the kennel, and vacuumed it well.  Then I emptied the vacuum cleaner, and took out the trash.

Now I've had a shower and washed my hair and am ready to go to bed and read.

July 25th, Rudolph Day...

Another month has flown by!  The last couple of weeks have felt really busy, but I couldn't necessarily think of a thing that I have accomplished.  This summer's heat has been dragging me down.  It seems to get harder to endure every year.  Two more months before we start cooling off.  Two more months...

Now for this month's Rudolph Day project.  As you may recall, I am using the 25th of each month from now until Christmas to do something, either craft or chore, to be a little more prepared when the Christmas season arrives.

For this month's project I decided to pull out the cross stitch piece that you may remember from last year.  I worked on it while my mother-in-law was here visiting.  Only two colors, so really simple.

Last year I finished up all the cross stitch and then put it away.  I meant to complete and frame it before last Christmas, but...well...you know... 

This morning I dug it out of hiding.  I washed it, and ironed it.  I left it to dry thoroughly while I rounded up needed supplies and cut backing pieces and padding to fit the frame.  

I added the pearls to the cross stitch, cut off some of the excess linen so it would be easier to apply to the backing board and be less bulky in the frame, and zigzagged the edge so it wouldn't ravel.  Then I gave it another press to make sure there weren't any wrinkles from all the handling.  

I did my best to center the design on the padded backboard, and then carefully taped the fabric to the board before placing it into the frame.  Lastly, I added a piece of white cardboard to fill the frame's inset and give the piece a neater appearance.  Then I taped it in securely so there will (hopefully) be no shifting.  The only tape I had was clear packing tape.  Will it hold?  Not sure.  I may have to redo it sometime in the future.  But I figure the packing tape is still pretty secure on those boxes still left packed since the move six years ago, so...

I took this final photo from an angle to better show the dimension the pearls add.   The lacy snowflake designs and the pearls lend a simple elegance to this piece.  I'm happy with how it turned out.  And I'm really happy that it is complete and will be part of this year's Christmas decorating.

Dreaded chores and a request...

I really, really, really hate hemming slacks.  Unfortunately, we are a family of short-legged people.  The last time Kasey had a business trip, she needed two pair hemmed, and one of those had a lining.  Tomorrow morning Jared has to head to Dallas for a week of training, for which he was issued five (5!) pair of uniform slacks.  He received them yesterday, but he got off very late.  So I only had today to get all of them hemmed.

To be fair, he asked me to show him how to do it himself.  If we had had more time, I would have taken him up on it, but I knew I was going to be pushing it to get it done myself without taking the time to teach someone else.  Obviously, I should have given lessons to both children when they were younger.  :)

I don't mind sewing by hand, it's the measuring and pinning and cutting and ironing and trying on...times five in this case.  And truth be told, it's mostly the cutting I dread.  I always end up cutting too much and then having to spend time remedying my mistake.  (And yes, I did it again today on one pair.)

I finished very late tonight.  I'm really glad I know how to do it, because there was absolutely no way he would have been able to find someone to professionally alter them on the very short time frame that he had.

If you would say a little prayer (or several) for him to have success this week, it would be much appreciated!

June 25th, Rudolph Day...

June 25th!  We are now at the halfway point between last Christmas and next Christmas.  Amazing.  And while I'm not a real fan of seeing Christmas everywhere so early, I do think that when you make things by hand, you have to get an early start, or things just don't get done.  

Pamela at The Lady of the House Speaking introduced me to the idea of Rudolph Day; that is designating the 25th of each month as 'Rudolph Day' and making ready.  That made sense to me.  I don't have to think about plans and preparations all month every month, but I can think about them on the 25th and take small steps to be ready(er).

So if you hate seeing Christmas pulled out mid-year, avert your eyes.  I am going to try to post one Christmas project on 'Rudolph Day' each month from now to Christmas.

One thing I have been wanting to do for awhile is to paint a canvas as a backdrop for our nativity scene, so this morning at 3:30 a.m. (yes, that's when I usually start on crazy things) I just jumped in.

This is an awful piece done at one of those wine-and-friends painting 'classes.'  They are fun to attend, but don't always render the best results.  I decided to paint over this canvas which heretofore has never seen the light of day.  (Frugal re-use!)

Did it turn out great?  Meh.  Do I want to re-do it?  Pretty much.  Am I going to?  No.  It is done, which is more than it was last Christmas, and done is better than perfect!

And it doesn't look too bad when set behind the stable made by my father in 1981 (which I dug out of the closet for this photo).  I think it will look even better when officially done up at Christmas.

Calendar snob...

I found a new calendar.  It wasn't on sale, but I had a 40% off coupon, and I didn't want to look any further.  It has the big, lined squares that I like, and while not exactly matte paper, it's not glossy either, so I can use a pencil on it...that's a big thing for me.

However, if I had noticed one thing about it in the store, it would NOT have come home with me.  It runs Monday through Sunday instead of Sunday through Saturday.  I made that mistake once before, and I was confused and mixing up dates all year long.

As soon as I noticed this, I sat down with a Sharpie and labels to make it conform to my preference.  Luckily it had a blank column on the left, so I moved all the Sundays.  (Wow, I feel so powerful!)  The former Sunday spaces (on the right side) are now blank, and will probably stay that way.  

I'm kind of bummed, because I really love the clean-slate look of a new, blank calendar.  This one now looks like somebody who tried to bathe a cat...all scratched up and Bandaid-ed.  I'll just live with it (sigh), but it is definitely going on next week's Frugal Friday File  as a success.

Patting myself on the back...

The Christmas tree is down and put away.

To be completely frank, the ornaments are still on the guest bed awaiting a once over to winnow out any non-essentials.  But still, a pat on the back is not uncalled for.  :)

Happy New Year!...

Last year's goals list was very streamlined...a little too streamlined.  While the simplicity did help me to concentrate on what was important, without specifics, I don't think I made as much progress as I could have.  This year I want to keep it simple, but also give myself some specifics to live up to.

Write it down -- continue with weekly listing goals and to-dos...this is the best way of keeping me on track and making progress

Finances -- focus on frugality, weekly blog post for accountability  

      2015 was a very expensive year, and cut deeply into my comfort level.

Home -- reacquaint myself with Flylady routines and continue reducing possessions

Quilting -- complete 6 quilts

Water -- drink 42 ounces of water daily (over and above other beverages consumed)

52 Letters in 52 Weeks

Mantel decoration...

Still cleaning, and one thing just leads to another and another and another.  

Today it was time to dust the mantel.  I hadn't changed the decorations on it in a long time, so thought I'd change that up too.  

I was wanting to use the mirror that has been sitting on my bedroom floor forever.  I thought a random collection of silver containers might make an interesting arrangement with it.  Of course that meant I had to polish silver.  Since the mirror has a sort of patina finish though, I left some of the tarnish on the silver too...you know...artistically.  ;)

I wanted something vaguely end of summer, but not too Fall-ish, as we don't have Fall weather yet.  When I was at Michael's yesterday looking through their on-sale floral stems, I saw stems of cotton bolls.  The end of summer is cotton-harvest time where I grew up, so I picked up a couple of stems to add to an arrangement.  

I may play with it a bit more.  I know it looks asymmetrical, but since the television is on the wall just to the left, I don't like the left side to look too heavy or closed off.

Tomorrow I am having someone come to do some of the heavier chores.  And she starts early, so I'd better not stay up too late.  I will continue to declutter and organize while she is working.

I'm tired of moppin' this damn moose!  :)