Family Tragedy

has unfortunately struck. I may not be on for a few days.  Fret not, I am still writing by hand, I just won't be able to update my word count or post excerpts, most likely for a few days.  I will write when I can, and will try to post an extra long excerpt once I have more time at my computer.

NaNoWriMo: Day 15

The official halfway mark of the month is upon us, and my word count  has reached 27, 920.  The bulk of the plot has happened.  I've gotten to the point where I'm writing all of the transitions between major scenes.  This writing is beyond boring.  The little details of day to day life are so tedious to write.  It makes me wish I had tackled a fantasy novel instead so that at least I could have my main character use magic to wash the dishes.  That being said, I'm still wonderfully on track to get this thing done by the end of the month.  We're also getting close to then end of chapter one with my daily excerpts here.  Enjoy this one. It's the last of chapter one :)

     We fall back into silence. I do not trust myself to make any more small talk. If I stay quiet, at least I know I will not mistakenly mention the house again, or worse, my grandfather. My grandmother has lost a lot tonight, and I do not want to force her to talk about anything she is not ready to discuss yet. Thoughts of how much she has lost tonight occupy us both until I pull into my driveway.

      My house is nothing fancy, but it I love it. There is a small eat-in kitchen, and the living room is through an open archway in the far wall. When you are standing under the kitchen archway, there is a door in the far wall of the living room that leads out to a set of concrete steps down into the front yard. To your left, there is a short hallway. The bathroom is the first door on the left. The second door is a closet that holds my linens and a bunch of other things that I do not have a better place to store. The only door on the right is my guest bedroom. The door at the end of the hall leads to my bedroom. I am happy to see that it is shut. Tired as she is, if Gram saw the state of my bedroom, she would give me a lecture on cleanliness for sure. I show my grandmother to the guest room. There is a brass daybed against the right wall. I have a small desk pushed into the left corner on the far wall. During the day, the sunlight from the window on that wall sheds natural light on the desk top and makes it a great space to write. There is a small closet set into the left wall and a set of drawers directly to the right of the door.

      “The dresser is empty.” I say, and point to the chest of drawers as if she may not be able to spot it on her own. “The closet is also empty. Since you'll be staying here for a bit, feel free to decorate the room however you want. If you want to rearrange the furniture or anything, just let me know, and I'll help you move it.”

       “I'm not going to rearrange your furniture. It's fine where it is. As for the closet and dresser, I don't have anything to put in them. What you see is what I've got.” She says. She grabs one side of her bathrobe in each hand and holds her arms out by her sides.

      “I'm sorry, Gram. I forgot that you don't have any other clothes. I'll take you over to Wal-Mart first thing in the morning to pick out some new things. Let me grab you a clean nightgown.”

     Being more comfortable in a tank top and pair of shorts, I do not usually wear nightgowns when I sleep. I wade through the mess on my bedroom floor to my dresser. The nightgowns are in the bottom drawer, and may be the only clothing I own that is actually in its place. The majority of my wardrobe is currently on the floor of my room or in a laundry basket on top of the dryer. I pick out a white cotton gown and close the dresser drawer.

      My grandmother is sitting in the center of the daybed when I walk back to the guest room. Her legs are too short to reach the floor, so her soot-covered black slippers hang a few inches from the hardwood floor. The fake fur of the slippers is matted, and I think the fuzz may have melted in a few places.

      “Here you go, Gram.” I say as I pass her the nightgown.

      “Thanks, Jody.”

      “Is there anything else I can get you, Gram? You sure you don't want that tea?”

      “No, honey. I'm just going to take a bath and then get to bed.”

      “Ok. The bathroom is just across the hall. There are towels in the hall closet. There should be an extra toothbrush under the bathroom sink. Help yourself to anything else in the house.”

      This time she just nods. She slides down off of the bed and shuffles out into the hallway. She closes the bathroom door behind her, and I hear the water begin to fill the tub. I can smell the smoke in my own clothes and hair, but I am too tired to wait until Gram is done to hop in the shower. I peel the smoky clothes off and toss them in the pile by the bedroom door. I pull my hair back into a loose braid to keep its smokiness away from my face. I crawl into bed, and I think I fall asleep before my head even reaches the pillow.

NaNoWriMo: Day 14

Finally passed the half-way mark.  Think my house guest may be a little miffed since I shut myself away for a few hours this afternoon to get some writing done, but I'm sure he'll get over it :)  Novel word count is now 26, 037.  Worked out some scene and dialogue transitions today that really needed some work.  I'm really happy with the changes I made.  Things seem to be flowing more naturally.  I feel like dialogue is my weak point, so I'm constantly revising it to make my characters sounds more natural. That being said, here is today's sneak peek.

      We ride down Route Three in silence. It is not a very long drive to get to the town of Lowville, but the silence stretches every second into an hour. We pass over Beaver Falls. My window is cracked to let fresh air into the car, and I can hear the water rushing over the rocks below the bridge. Year ago, people would dive from the side of bridge. They would free fall into the deep pool below the falls. The river was swollen then and its depths made it safe to jump from the bridge's height. Even those thrill seekers would not risk jumping from the bridge now. The water is too low to survive the fall. In places, it barely covers the rocks as it flows over them.

      Even though the autumn night is chilly, the crickets send their songs across the river. There are always more insects near the water. The air here is filled with their high-pitched chirping. As we pull further away from the bridge, their songs fade and the car lapses into silence again. Soon, I find myself talking just to break the quiet.

      "I'll put the kettle on the stove as soon as we get home and I'll make you some tea. I have that English Breakfast stuff that you like. If you want, you can take a shower while water's boiling. You'd be able to wash the smell of smoke out of your hair."

      For a few seconds, I think she is going to stay mute, and I struggle to think of something else to say.

      "I think a bath might be nice. I'd like to soak the fire out of my skin."

      "As soon as we get home, I'll show you where I keep the towels. I can lend you a clean nightgown too, if you'd like." I realize that I keep referring to my house as home. For her, it isn't. We are currently driving away from her home. To her, this is my house. It will never be home. I scold myself for my poor word choice.

      "Don't worry about making any tea, dear. I think once I'm done in the tub that I'm just going to go to bed. Don't trouble yourself."

      "Are you sure, grandma? It's not a trouble at all, and will only take a couple of minutes."

      "No, no. A towel and a nightgown will be just fine. You should think about getting some sleep yourself." I choose to ignore the implication that I look tired and run down. Mostly because I know it is the God-honest truth. I feel tired down to my bones.

      "You sure you don't want any tea? Or maybe a light snack or something?"

      "I could hardly eat a thing right now, honey."

      "Okay. We'll both head to bed, then. I'll fix breakfast in the morning. I think we'll have a long day ahead of us."

      "Why do you say that?"

       "Because we'll have to head out to the house tomorrow, you know, to see what's left." I regret the words almost as soon as I've said them. Too abrupt. They just popped right out. I've never been known for my tact. "Oh, grandma, I'm so sorry."

      "It's okay, dear. You're right. I'll have to face it one way or another. Might as well get it out of the way." She sounds drained and it seems to take a lot of effort for her to find her words. I know she is as exhausted as I am, although I am the only one of us who looks it. I do not know how she has made it through the night.

NaNoWriMo: Day 13

Still haven't hit the 25k mark.  So close I can taste it though.  Babysat my nephews last night and they were here until about one o'clock.  Have house guests coming in a few hours.  Had to cram in as much writing as I could before I have to go clean the house.  Two boys can leave quite a path of destruction in their wake.

17 more days to go.  I have managed to squeeze out my word count for today.  Dialogue sure adds a lot of pages, but doesn't really help the word count very much.  Hope you enjoy today's excerpt!

     I need to get her away from here. I know that if I do not force her, she will never leave. She will continue to watch as the house is reduced to ashes. I touch her lightly on the shoulder.

      "C'mon, grandma. Let's go back to my house."

       She is reluctant to leave, as I knew she would be. I begin to lead her over to my car, pulling her gently by the arm.

      "I'll make you some tea, grandma, and we can sit at the kitchen table and try to unwind a bit before going to bed."

      She does not even make an attempt at continuing the conversation. Instead, she begins to resist me and plants her feet firmly in the gravel. I stop pulling on her arm, fearing I may pop it out of socket if I do not let go. She looks at me and I see that her eyes are now moist, though her mouth is set in a firm line.

      "Please, just give me five more minutes. I promise, then, I'll be ready to go."

      Her voice wavers, and I can hear the anguish she is trying so hard not to show. How can I refuse such a simple request? I don't. I stand beside her for the entire five minutes. I might even throw in a few extra for good measure. This time, when I lead her to the car, she offers up no resistance.

      Once I have her settled into the passenger side of my silver Honda Civic, I climb behind the wheel. My grandmother's eyes are fixed on the passenger window, but I know she is really looking beyond the glass. I can see the house reflected in her eyes. She does not turn away until the house dips below the horizon and the darkness of the night swallows the glow of the flames.

NaNoWriMo: Day 12

Well, I didn't make my goal of 5,000 words for today.  Turns out, my eye doctor is way too efficient and I didn't really have any time to write while I was there this morning.  I did manage to get around 1400 word written today, and my total word count is still a little over a day ahead, so I am not stressing...too much.  Will have a lot of house guests this weekend, so don't know how much I'll get written, but I'm hoping I manage to stay on track.  I've got some good momentum, and I don't want to lose it!  Here's today's novel snippet!

     When they first arrived at the scene, the firemen gave us each a blanket. The fabric is cheap and itchy against the bare skin of my arms, but it does provide minimal warmth. Although the fire rages mere feet away from us, I drape one of the flame-resistant blankets around my grandmother's shoulders. I hope the small warmth it offers will give her a little bit of comfort. As soon as I let go, she snatches it off and throws it to the ground. It crackles with static as it is torn away from her bathrobe.

      "I don't need that damned thing. I'm fine." Her voice hisses like the water as it meets the heat of the house fire. I am a little annoyed with her for throwing the blanket onto the ground when she could have just handed it back to me, but I know she is upset. I let it slide. Under the circumstances, her stubbornness is not surprising. I pick the blanket up out of the gravel and shake it. A puff of dirt and a few twigs are hoisted into the air as I shake, but find their way back to the driveway after a few seconds. I roll the blanket into a ball and toss it into the backseat of my car.

      My grandmother once made beautiful quilts. She made one for each of us, and gave it to us when we graduated from high school. A slave to convention, every stitch was done by hand. She refused to acknowledge the convenience of a sewing machine. Quilts stitched by hand are something to be proud of. Machines make cheap bed covers with shoddy stitching. Her grandchildren deserve better.

The quilt she made for me is a log cabin pattern. Every rectangle is cloth with a different pattern, but they are all in the same shades of blue and green. I did not really care about it when she originally gave it to me. I mean, how much can a teenager really care about a stupid blanket? I think I tossed it in to the bottom of my closet. I packed it with the rest of my things when I went away to college. Somehow, in the years I was away from home, the blanket grew on me. I love the thing now. It is beautiful, even after years of washing it in the washer. I keep it on my bed year-round. There is absolutely no better feeling than crawling under that quilt on a frosty day in January. It traps in your body heat and, slowly, chases away the chill. My toes are always the last part of me to warm up beneath the quilt's bulk.

      The fireman's blanket suddenly seems more itchy against my skin. I take it off and throw it into the seat on top of my grandmother's. I lean against my rear door and watch her. There is not a thing in the world that could divert her eyes away from those flames. She stands, wringing her hands, in silence. I stare at her hands as she squeezes one, and then the other. Her hands were once so dexterous, but arthritis has disfigured them to the point that they are almost useless. She has not quilted in years, and I do not think she will ever try to make a quilt again. The clumsiness of her hands frustrates her too much.

NaNoWriMo: Day 11

Although I am now in the dreaded week two, my daily word count has again been met.  The novel word count is currently 20,786.  I have less than 30k to go, and have almost hit the halfway mark.  I think my personal goal tomorrow will be to reach 25k.  I have an eye doctor's appointment, and I'm hoping the waiting room time will be put to good use.

As promised, I am posting another excerpt from the novel today.  This picks up where yesterday's post left off.

     The powder blue paint bubbles and peels from the wooden siding like skin that is recovering from sunburn. It cowers in front of the flames, dripping blue rain onto the singed grass. Bit by bit, the color is devoured until the siding is a charred remnant of its former self. Pieces of it cling to the foundation it has held for more than fifty years. They glow bright orange when the wind blows against them.

      The streams of water from the firemen's hoses turn to steam as they meet the flames. The water sizzles like oil in a frying pan, but it is ineffective in dousing the flames. Not long after they turn their hoses onto the house, a figure approaches us. The bright yellow suit may be fire resistant, but I can see that the heat is even taking its toll on him. When he lifts the visor of his helmet, I can see that his face is saturated with sweat. Ash is beginning to clump in the wrinkles by his eyes and the creases in his forehead. The look on his face tells me that the fire has defeated them. It is just too strong for their hoses to quell. There is no more any of us can do except keep a vigilant watch to ensure the flames are contained within the house's shell. My grandparents' house will only be able to feed it for a few more hours at the longest. Eventually, the fire will run out of fuel and will burn down. The fireman guarantees me that they will make sure the flames are completely out before they leave. There is no reason for my grandmother and I to stay here any longer, no reason for us to witness the remaining damage that will be done.

      Before he walks away, he puts a gloved hand on my grandmother's shoulder. He apologizes for their late arrival, though its doubtful the house could have been saved either way. My grandparents do not live close to town. I know he wishes there was more they could have done. I wish the same thing. I wish I knew what to say to my grandmother, or what to do to make this situation easier for her. I envy the fireman. He will not have to face my grandmother again after tonight. His last words to my grandmother assure her that it was painless. Since the fire came while he was sleeping, my grandfather never woke up. If the flames did not get him, the smoke inhalation would have. The fireman tells my grandmother she is lucky that she was able to get herself out of the house in time. My grandmother just shrugs his hand off of her shoulder. She does not thank him for the words that were meant to bring comfort. I know they failed to bring her relief. She does not take her eyes off of the burning bedroom window to watch him walk away.

NaNoWriMo

No, this is not some random gibberish.  NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, and it has overtaken my life!  From November 1 through November 30, the goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel.  If that gets your novel written from cover to cover, great, if not, then you have a solid start.

It didn't seem like a difficult goal at first.  1667 words per day doesn't sound too intimidating.  The first week was a breeze.  Character descriptions and major plot events built my word count up quickly.

The details are proving to be more difficult.  I am not yet discouraged.  My word count is just over 19,000 and I am still on track.  I just find that meeting my word quota is taking longer each day.  Procrastination is also taking root and digging in its heels.  Hence, this blog post :)

Needless to say, my crafting has taken a back seat to the novel writing fiend within me.  I hope to get back on track with my projects once November is over.  I have some great holiday craft ideas that I am itching to try out! In place of crafty how-to's, I will give you novel teasers.  A poor consolation prize, I know, but I could use any feedback you can give.  Don't worry about my feelings. I have thick skin! Brutal honesty is best.  If you think it's a writhing mass of worthless drivel, please tell me so!

Now that I've given you such confidence in my writing ability, here is an excerpt from the first chapter :)

         The heat is suffocating, so we keep our distance. The shadows of the flames flicker across our faces and our eyes are ignited as we watch the house burn. We stare as if entranced as the house sacrifices itself to the fire.

         I glance at my grandmother. Her aged cheeks are dry. The heat from the flames prevents her tears from falling. She stands silent, just as helpless as the rest of us. I cannot recall a time when I have ever considered her helpless. Yet even her well of control cannot douse the inferno before us.

         Ashes dance through the air, fiery around the edges at first, then fading as the air sucks the warmth from them. One lodges itself in my grandmother's hair. She is unaffected by its landing. I do not think she is even aware that a piece of her home is now resting in her curls. Although she was roused from sleep and forced to flee for her life, my grandmother's curls hold firm. My hand instinctively reaches up to my own hair. Wisps fly around my face like the dancing ashes. The elastic band is just barely holding the bulk of my long hair away from my face. I swat at a wayward piece of ash as it nears my face. The wind catches it and pulls it further away from me. The ash in my grandmother's hair is pale gray, only a few shades darker than the hair around it. It comforts me to see she does not look disheveled. In a small town like this, and for a granddaughter that is teetering on the edge of freaking out, appearances are everything. The burning would be even harder if its disaster was mirrored by her appearance.

         Her eyes stare at the hollow windows. The heat of the force raging inside the house shattered them long ago. I was not here when the glass shattered. The window frames were already gaping by the time I got here. The flames reach through the glassless frames, hungry for the oxygen in the open air. The darkness of the night swallows the smoke as it rises away from the remains of the emblazoned structure. My grandmother's sharp eyes take it all in, her cocoa brown irises ignited like a setting sun. Her face is radiant in the glow from the house.

Stamp Camp

My apologies for the belated posting.  Life, it seems, is selfish and wants all of my time, leaving none for this blog in the past two weeks.  I have escaped to the keyboard while life ran to store for a gallon of milk ;)

So, last Saturday, I had a dozen women over to my house for a stamp camp.  No, not postage stamps, rubber stamps.  A great little company called Stampin' Up has a myriad of cute rubber stamps that can be used for anything from scrap-booking to greeting cards.  I came up with five projects and gathered all of the materials together ahead of time.  I also pre-cut all of the card stock for each project.

Below are pictures of all of the projects we made, except for one.  My sister like the fifth card so much that she made 4 or 5 of them.  It appears she also took my sample card home.  Needless to say, the fifth card was super cute.  I think she may send it out as her Christmas card this year.

Materials for this project: 12 strips of paper cut 1 inch by 6 inches, a hole punch, ribbon.

Materials for this card: stamps, ink, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Cuttlebug or Big Shot, brad, ribbon, cardstock, glitter

Materials for this card: stamps, 1 3/4 inch hole punch, treat cups, glitter, ink, cardstock

Materials for this card: top note Big Shot die, Big Shot, bling brad, Dasher stamp, ink, cardstock

I think a good time was had by all.  I may do another stamp camp toward the end of November. If I do, the card designs will be different.  Give me a shout if you would be interested in attending!

Bottled Mummy

Figured it's about time I jump on the Halloween craft bandwagon.  Also, I'm still working on re-using some of these plastic water bottles.  So, to make this fun, festive candy holder, you will need: cheesecloth, cotton balls, googly eyes, craft glue (elmer's would probably be fine if it's all you have), scissors, and an empty water bottle.

Start by cutting your bottle to the desired height.  I used a regular pair of scissors to cut mine, and it worked just fine.  Use your glue to attach two eyes and a cotton ball to the cut bottle.  The cotton ball will be your mummy's nose, so try to keep that in mind when you are gluing it on.

Next, cut your cheesecloth into strips that are about an inch wide.  Then, begin wrapping the cloth around the bottle.  I used dabs of glue to hold down the edges.

If you don't have cheesecloth, you could use gauze.  You're going for that bandaged effect anyway :)  Once your glue is dry, fill your mummy with any delicious Halloween treats you want!

Cap-tastic

Okay, so I'm one of those evil people that drinks all of their water from a bottle. Yes, it's bad for the environment, and I feel guilty about it, but tap water (even filtered) just doesn't taste good.  And I do recycle. However, I am aware that I create a lot of litter.  Taking that into consideration, I wanted to make something using my discarded bottle caps. They may surface again in a later craft, as I am determined that they can be salvaged into works of art!

Anyway, for this particular project, you will need: bottle cap(s), paint, Mod Podge, paintbrush(es), something sharp, a pair of pliers, jump rings, and key rings.

I personally like acrylic paint, but most any paint will do as long as you seal it.  I chose Mod Podge as my sealant again, but any clear sealant will work.  Begin by painting the top of your bottle caps a solid color. Set them aside to dry.  It will only take about ten minutes if you use acrylic paint.  One of the reasons I love it is that it dries quickly.

Once your paint is dry, you can choose one of two methods for decorating your cap.  You can paint over your base coat, or you can cut out a fun design and glue it on.  A 3/4 inch circle fits perfectly inside the small ridge on the cap.  I made keychains both ways.

If you choose the cut-out method, affix your design to the cap using Mod Podge.  Put another coat over the image once it is affixed to seal the edges.

If you choose to paint the cap, go crazy with the second layer.  Just make sure the base coat is dry and that you choose a color that will contrast well with the base.  Either method you choose, make sure you set the caps aside for another 10 minutes or so to dry.

Caps during the exciting drying phase

Once dry, use your sharp tool to poke a hole through the side of the cap.  Make sure your hole is aligned with what you want to be the top of your keychain image.

Open your jump ring and push it through the hole you created.  Before closing the jump ring, make sure that the jump ring goes around the key ring.  Then close up the jump ring and you're finished!

The black one is hand-painted, the others are made with pics from magazines

Cautionary Note: Please be careful with your something sharp! I made the delightful mistake of trying to catch mine when it leaped off of my craft table. 

Awesome puncture wound...pic doesn't do the bruising justice.

Needless to say, if you'd like to avoid a lovely trip to the doctor's office for a tetanus shot, please be careful with your awl, or whatever sharp tool you use to make the hole for your jump rings!

Pretty Lightswitches

First off, let me apologize for deviating from my regular posting schedule.  Things have been a bit hectic here for the past few weeks.  Hopefully, I will be able to resume posting twice a week.

I have a quick and easy project today since it's too beautiful out to stay cooped up indoors.  Materials needed: a cool picture from a magazine or postcard, scissors, a light switch cover, x-acto knife, adhesive and sealant.

You may notice that there is no x-acto knife in my pic. I couldn't find mine. (Yes, I understand it is rather a dangerous thing to misplace.) I used my fabulous pink pocket knife as a substitute.

Cut your picture down to size using your scissors (if necessary).

I opted to use Mod Podge as both my adhesive and my sealant.  If you are using something thicker than normal paper/magazine paper, you may want to use a stronger adhesive.  Apply your adhesive liberally and affix your picture to the switch plate.

Use your x-acto knife (or other sharp-bladed object) to cut out the switch hole and screw holes.

Once your sealant is dry, hang your fancy new switch plate!

Easy peasy! Now get out there and enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

Pantry Success

So, the first pantry experiment was a smashing success.  The hubby actually requested that it be packed for lunch today. May have to experiment more often!

What's in the pantry?

So, my hubby and I are dining on a tight budget. I am a little under the weather today, so decided not to go to the grocery store.  Poor decision on my part.  It's almost dinner time and it is very slim pickings in our pantry.  So, we will be having something experimental.  It's made with items that I found on our pantry shelves.

Ingredients: one can white albacore tuna
one can vegetable soup
one cup brown rice
splash of hot sauce
red and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

I cooked the rice in my Pampered Chef microwave rice cooker.  One cup rice mixes with a dash of salt and two and a half cups of water.  Microwave on high for five minutes.  Stir.  Microwave at half power for ten minutes.  Let the rice sit in the microwave/cooker for ten minutes. Fluff with fork.

While your rice is sitting, mix your can of vegetable soup, hot sauce and pepper with the can of tuna in a separate bowl.

Pour rice into an oven safe casserole or baking dish.  Add soup and tuna mixture.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Casserole is baking now.  I will let you know tomorrow how well it is received by the hubby.  This recipe should yield around 4 servings.

Brief Posting Hiatus

Since I will be out of town until Friday night, I am posting my usual Wednesday post today.  I'm also cheating since travel plans have eclipsed everything else in my life right now.  While browsing, I found this amazing project, which I hope to try out once I get home.  However, I would like to give you the link in the meantime.  If I do actually try this out, I will post my creation (fabulous or abysmal) and will share it with you lovely readers :)

Side note: this blog is also amazing and you should browse through some of the creations here. There is a myriad of crafty gems!

Rubber Stamped Silver Jewelry

Hand-Knit Bag

I know that not all of you out there are knitters. Believe me, knitting is not just for your grandma anymore! There are so many fun yarns to work with that you can make any project exciting.  I borrowed the idea for this bag from a lovely lady over at Deviantart.  If you have never heard of this website, you should check it out. There are a lot of talented folks that showcase their work.
http://scarysk0olgurl.deviantart.com/art/Knit-Tri-Color-Mini-Tote-34104941?q=boost%3Apopular+knit&qo=88

Don't be angry, but there is not picture of the materials this week. The list is super simple though.  You will need size 11 knitting needles, a yarn needle to sew in the ends, and three yarns in colors of your choice.  I opted for black, orange, and a fun little bit called Fancy Fur which is a Lion Brand Yarn.

I used an altered version of scarysk0olgurl's pattern. 
Cast on 30 stitches in 2 strands of orange and 1 strand of black. 
K (knit) for three rows. 
K 10 stitches, BO (bind off) 10 stitches, K 10 stitches.
K 10, CO (cast on) 10, K 10
K for three rows.
Begin Stockinette Stitch (ST)
ST for 20 rows (or until purse reaches your desired length)
Seed Stitch (SS) for at least 5 rows (this will be your bag width)
ST for 20 rows
K for 3 rows
K 10 stitches, BO 10, K 10
K 10, CO 10, K 10
K 3 rows
BO all stitches

All that's left is to stitch up the sides of your bag using your yarn needle! With the sewing of the side seams, the bag took me a little under three hours from start to finish!

Voila! Super fun hand-knit bag!

Momma's Got a Brand New Bag!

You may begin to notice a small trend in my posts. I like bags. I like bags a lot. Making my own purses is an added bonus because it makes my bag unique. This bag will require patience though.  To begin, you will need scissors, clear tape like packaging tape or clear duct tape, and cards.  Have a deck of playing cards that don't tally to 52 anymore? They will work. Flashcards, tarot cards, baseball, Pokemon....any kind of card will work.  I opted for Sesame Street sight word flashcards.

 Once you have your materials together, cut some long strips of tape.  Overlap each strip about a quarter of an inch with the next.  You'll want to tape the piece together until you have a sheet of stickiness that is large enough to cover six cards (or more if you want a bigger bag).  Make sure you have at least a quarter of an inch margin of tape around each card as well.  This will help make sure the top layer adheres well to the bottom layer.

Once your cards are laid out the way you want them, you are going to make a second sheet of stickiness.  This time, you will be putting the sticky side of the tape down.  You want the two layers of tape to stick together with your cards in the middle. 

You will repeat this process for the other side of your bag.  To make the sides, you will need four cards, two for each side.  You can use two additional cards for the bottom, or make a very thick tape-y layer for the bottom.

Before assembling the bag, trim the tape edges of each side to make sure they are even.  Attach the sides and bottom using more of your clear tape.  For handles or straps, you can fold long strips of tape in half and then tape them to the bag.  If you want something livelier, you can attach chains, ribbon, or wooden handles to the bag with, you guessed it, more tape.

I felt like the bag was a little plain.  To spice it up, I added big eyelets around the top edge of the bag.  Then, I threaded some red gross grain ribbon through the two eyelets in the center of each side.

After you secure your handles or straps onto the bag, your project is complete!

All Tied Up

While on a recent Thrift Store excursion with a few friends, I admired an assortment of ties.  Neckties come in so many fun patterns.  I decided they had to be useful for something (other than their intended use, of course).  So, I picked up a few.  I think they cost me $0.50 a piece.  Other materials I gathered were a pair of scissors, a needle, some thread, pins (if you are afraid you can't sew a straight line, like me), and a pair of D rings.  These are metal rings that are shaped like the letter "d".  I picked them up at A.C. Moore. I got 4 for $1.99.

Materials

 

Use your scissors to cut the tie in half.  Set the fat end of the tie aside. I am working on a project to utilize this piece, but haven't come up with anything yet.  You'll only need the skinny half of the tie for this project.  Loop the cut end of the tie over the two D rings.  Use your pins to hold the loose end in place.  Stitch across the tie to hold the two rings in place.

The end should look like this once you have finished your stitches.

In about five minutes, you will have a handy dandy new belt.  The D rings allow for an adjustable waistband!

Bingo!

This project was sort of commissioned by a friend.  Her aunt, who was an avid Bingo player, recently passed away.  She had some of her aunt's Bingo chips, and wanted them made into a necklace.  Said Bingo chips were passed on to me, and I decided to tackle the challenge. 

Materials: Bingo chips, jewelry wire, jump rings, necklace closure, round and flat pliers, beads, something sharp (like a needle or awl), soda can tabs, wire cutters.

The first thing I did was use my something sharp to punch two holes in the Bingo chips.  This would give me a way to feed jump rings through them or otherwise attach them to the decorative beads.

Example of wire swirly thing

Since I am a glutton for craft punishment, I opted not to use jump rings on the chips.  Instead, I threaded wire through the holes and made decorative swirly things. See example to the right.  They took a little longer than forever, but I am very happy with the way they turned out.  Nature channel documentaries help pass the time while wrapping.

After each chip had its swirly deal, I attached a jump ring to each side.  I then attached the beads with another jump ring. Rinse and repeat until all Bingo chips are hooked to beads.  Add your necklace closure of choice ( I went with lobster clasp), and you have a finished piece of jewelry.

But wait! There's more!  I had more Bingo chips leftover, and thought it would be nice to make some earrings to match.  I recently saw earrings in a magazine that had been made with soda can tabs.  I decided to incorporate them into phase two of this project.

I started by using wire to attach a bead to the tab.  I used more wire to attach the Bingo chip.  I bent the stray ends of wire with rounded pliers to make them a bit prettier.  Once done, I added some earring hooks and I had a pretty set of matching earrings.

 

Sorry I didn't try the earrings on!

Personalize Your Placemats

If you are like me, then greeting cards hold sentimental value and you cannot bring yourself to throw them away.  I have a hoard of cards in my craft room.  I decided I should turn them into something instead of letting them gather dust.  This project is quick and easy and only takes about 10 minutes.  Materials you will need? Some greeting cards, scissors, adhesive (optional), and contact paper (or clear packaging tape).

1. Cut (or rip) your greeting cards in half.  You can either use only the fronts, or you can use both sides to display the personal messages scrawled inside each card.  Do not feel obligated to retain the traditional greeting card shape. Cut them into circles or triangles if you want!

2. Cut pieces of contact paper to size.  The size of your placemats is completely up to you.  Again, don't feel like you have to keep with a rectangular shape.  Round, oval, square...the shape of your placemat can be whatever suits your fancy.

3.  Once you have your contact paper and greeting cards ready, decide how you want your cards placed.  Peel the contact paper off of the roll, and place it on your table sticky side up.  Arrange your cards.  If you chose the double-sided motif like me, you may want to adhere the two sides together so that they don't separate when you put the second layer of contact paper on.

4. Place on a second piece of contact paper so that the two sticky sides face each other.  Adhere the second piece slowly to avoid bulges and bubbles.  You can use a brayer to work out bubbles if need be.

5.  Trim any unseemly, uneven edges, and your placemat is complete!

Puzzling

So, you have a puzzle that's missing a piece...or two.  I have a fun alternative to just tossing it in the trash.  Gather together a handful of pieces, some jump rings, pliers, maybe a few beads, something sharp like a thick needle, and a jewelry clasp.

I also opted to get out some acrylic paints to spruce up my pieces. Once you have all your materials collected, you can get to work!
I painted each puzzle piece with a bright green paint.  Then, I sponged a darker green and bit of blue paint over the base coat.  The downside to painting your pieces? You have to wait for them to dry before you can move forward.

Thankfully, acrylic paint dries quickly. After a long 5 minute-ish wait, I was able to move forward. I used my sharp tool to punch holes in the puzzle pieces on their ends.  I used the pliers to get the jump rings through those holes and then close the jump rings again.  They are very easy to bend, and you might be able to do it without pliers, but I would be worries that the rings would work themselves back open.



Once I had jump rings through my puzzle pieces, I used another jump ring to attach a bead to each puzzle piece.  Then I connected all of the pieces together.  I attached a lobster clasp on the end to make it wearable.

I painted a coat of Mod Podge over the paint as an inexpensive sealant.  This will (hopefully) help the bracelet survive should it get wet.

Make It Your Own

So, you know how composition books have found their way onto everyone's class supply lists? Well, it makes it a lot harder to individualize your notebook.  It also makes for very generic note-taking.  Well, who says you can't personalize it? For this craft, you only need some paper, scissors, adhesive and a composition book.

There are a ton of different paper options. You can get some very interesting designer paper from your local craft store.  I opted to use white card stock.  I gave it a watercolor feel by inking some plastic wrap with ink pads.  I then sprayed the ink with a water bottle and dipped my paper in.  Once the paper was dry, I was able to begin decorating.

How you decorate the paper is completely up to you.

You may decide to draw on it with pen or markers.  You might be a fan of collages. I opted to use some rubber stamps I had laying around.

Once you have your paper decorated to your liking, you can affix your design to the notebook.  I chose a double sided adhesive tape.  You could probably also use rubber cement or any other strong adhesive.  Remember that you are going to be carrying the notebook around.  You are going to want an adhesive that will hold.

When your new cover is in place, trim away any excess paper.  Use the original notebook cover as your guide.

In just a few minutes, you should have a much more personalized notebook to stuff into your book bag every day.

Tank Top Bag

Tank top pre-op

Another great craft as a result of a thrift store adventure.  One gray tank top: $0.50.  Other materials: thread, needles, scissors, a button (optional).  Yes, this one will require some sewing. *gasp* If I was able to do the stitches by hand, anyone should be able to tackle this. If you have a sewing machine, it will be even easier (and a bit less time-consuming).

1. Turn your tank inside out. Determine how deep you want your bag to be.
2. If you have a considerable amount of excess material at the bottom, I suggest cutting a bit of it off with your scissors. (The seam that normally touches your waist will be the bottom of the bag.)
3. Stitch the bottom.  I double stitched it just to make sure the seam would be strong enough. (Tested it today and was able to carry one bottle of water, phone, keys, and wallet easily.)
4. Turn the shirt right side out.  If you want to add a button closure, sew a button near the top of one side.  Poke a hold through the tank fabric on the opposite side of the neckline.  To give it a more finished look, you can stitch around the hole to make it look more like a button-hole instead of just a tear.

And your bag is now complete. Easy peasy. The best part: you can use an old tank that you love to make this project. No shopping is really necessary.  My bag looks a bit plain, so I will most likely attack it with some fabric markers or sharpies later on to liven it up a bit!

Quick and Easy

It starts with a plain wooden frame.

I think my frames came from Oriental Trading Company.  I've had them laying around for a bit because I thought they would make a great project.  Turns out they can be a super quick project too.

All that's needed for this project is a plain frame (which can probably be picked up anywhere from the Dollar Tree to your local craft store), paint, paintbrushes and a sponge.  If you would like to make a bunch of these as gifts for the other students in your child's classroom, or if you would like to do this as a classroom art project, frames similar to this one can be bought in increments of three dozen here: http://www.discountofficeitems.com/office-supplies/teaching-art/arts-crafts/craft-supplies/creativity-street-wood-frame-ornaments-frames/p65192.html?ref=bizrate&source=bizrate&utm_medium=shopping_engine&utm_source=bizrate.  With shipping, they will end up being more than a dollar a piece though.

Once you have your frame and other materials ready, it's time to get decorating! I chose to paint the entire frame white.  Then, using the sponge, I layered some color over the white layer.  I used acrylic paint since I already had some at the house.  It's very easy to clean off of the photo plastic in the center if your paint gets messy.  It's also very quick and easy to clean up if it gets on your hands or clothes.

My frame turned out like this.  I think these would make fantastic Christmas or birthday presents.  Just put a picture in to finish it off.  The best part? Even with assembling all of the materials together, it takes less than ten minutes!

Thrifting for a good cause

I'm a big fan of thrift stores. There are always treasures hidden on their shelves that you can bring home for under a dollar. It's even better when your dollar (or cents) goes to a great cause.  This local Fredericksburg thrift store is run by Hospice Support Care. When you shop here, your money goes to providing care for the seriously ill and bereaved.  You can find more information about Hospice here: www.hospicesupportcare.org.

pillowcase, scissors, seam ripper, stitch witchery

  

I ventured to this little gem to find myself a pillowcase. Why, you ask? For my next thrifty craft project.  Goal: one drawstring skirt.  I managed to pick up a pillowcase for a quarter.  Then, I gathered the necessary materials together.  In addition to what's pictured, you may want some fabric pins to help keep your seams straight.  You will also need an iron.

If you are like me, then you are not so handy at the hand-stitching or use of a sewing machine.  Don't be discouraged! You can still do this project.  At your local craft store, for $2.99, you will find a miraculous thing called Stitch Witchery.  This will allow you and your iron to create a hem instead of fighting with a needle and thread.  My skirt's hem took me less than 15 minutes.  If I had hand-stitched it (since I do not own a sewing machine) this same hem probably would have taken me hours--and been considerably more crooked.

For your drawstring waistband, you have a variety of options. You can use string, yarn, or shoelaces.  You could also use leftover fabric from the pillowcase if you choose to shorten it to get your skirt to your desired length.  I chose to use some ribbon I had in my craft room.  I cut three pieces and braided them together to make a thicker cord so it would be a bit more durable.

The skirt itself can be made in just a few steps.
1. Use that seam ripper to open the top end of your pillowcase.
2. Try the pillowcase on.  Feel a bit ridiculous? It's okay. This will help you gauge how much fabric needs to be cut off, if any.  If your pillowcase is thin, like mine, you may want to line it with a slip or another pillowcase to avoid any accidental indecent exposure :) I'm pretty short, so I chose to fold the excess length over and use it as a second layer.  My pillowcase was basically folded in half.  Once you've got your length figured out, mark the top edge with fabric pins or a pencil/fabric chalk.
3. Turn your skirt inside out. Fold over that top edge and press it with an iron.  Break out your Stitch Witchery (or your thread) and fuse or sew along the bottom edge of the seam you created.
4. Cut a hold in the front center of your hemmed waistband.  Thread through the drawstring you made.  It helps to tie a knot at the end.  I used a pencil to help push the drawstring through. 

Voila! A cute little skirt.