dry spells. they happen.

I noticed today that it's been almost a month since I last posted. Hmm. I have no justification or explanation for this. After the black widow incident, I guess I went into hibernation or something. In any case, I sick of seeing that damn black widow come up when I turn on my computer, so I'm posting this now. The best I have to show of late is this: one of a set of handwarmers. It was my first venture into this small a gauge yarn and needles, and it was quite fun for the first piece. Now I find myself halfway through the second and not being able to concentrate (or not concentrate) and finish it.

On the flip side of not finishing projects, I must mention that I did manage to get some things done recently. I got a new fridge from my landlord, just for being cute! (Just kiddin'. The old one's freezer section went kaput. I truly appreciate a good freezer now. It ain't just for otter pops, kids!) I also finally semi-cleaned my garage... after there was a flood in it and it had to be done. But, still, it's much cleaner than before! I even got some spring cleaning done in the house, even though it coincided with the garage disaster. My house is looking pretty nice about now.

Then there's the bad news. My old lady cat, Chloe, is in failing health. A trip to the vet Wednesday confirmed my suspicions that she is in the later stages of chronic kidney failure. At this point she's still eating, little though it may be, so she's somewhat stable. For how long is the question. I'll keep y'all updated because I'm the kind who likes to sob on people's shoulders via the internet.

So. Nothing too crafty, almost a little banal, but that's life. Deal.

EEEEWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I've been having trouble with black widows in but mostly around my house. After speaking with the landlord and learning that she's morally opposed to pesticides, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I bought some spider spray at Orchard and set to spraying the outside perimeter of the house. Then, right next to the crack in the window by the cooler, I find this massive black widow and it's gigantic egg sac. After freaking out for a second, I sprayed it to death with my non-PC spray. Here is the postmortem photo:

I'm still trying to find someone to smash the egg sac, because I just can't get myself to do it. Any volunteers?

(Sorry--nothing very crafty in this post. I just needed to get it out.)

Carolyn's tote

I made Carolyn a tote for her birthday earlier this month. Much better than the old purses I made. Guess I'm learning.

"just make a scarf"

(from toothpastefordinner.com)

tutorial

I thought I'd put up the directions on how to do the freezer-paper screen printing in case any of you feel crafty, too. It's fun and easy, so try it out! (I'll try to post pictures later.)

First, gather your materials. You'll need: freezer paper (NOT waxed paper--it'll destroy your project and your iron. Freezer paper is like waxed paper on one side and parchment on the other. I found it at FoodMaxx.), an iron, a simple drawing, an exacto knife, fabric paint, a foam brush, fabric (anything that can be ironed), and a pen of some sort.

Trace or draw your image onto the paper side of the freezer paper. Cut out the parts you want in color using the exacto knife. Iron the freezer paper, waxy side down, onto the fabric where you want the image to be. Do this twice just to be sure it is stuck on.

Paint the fabric using the brush and paint. Be sure to have something under the fabric if it is thin, as the paint may seep through the fabric onto your ironing board, ruining the nice new cover you recently put on it. At least, that's what I did the first time. Oops.

Peel off the freezer paper, and you have your print! Let the paint dry for however long the instructions say, and then you're done!

Amazing, eh?

Don's record bag

I ended up using an old conference bag to "mount" the prints on, which meant making another print to cover up the conference logo. Hence the tape.

<--- front

back
|
|
\/

WOW

I have two new favorites! One is this new magazine called Craft. It's filled with all kinds of amazing crafting projects, and has been an inspirations to me. (hint hint: I have a birthday coming up and need a subscription...) In the latest issue, I learned to do my new favorite thing: pseudo screen printing using freezer paper. Yah. Who new? My first project is a record bag for Don down at Spinners. I made the front panel today. Pretty cool, eh?