St. Valentine's Day Pin - Heart and Stamps

Small Project for a Beautiful and Thoughtful 

St. Valentine's Day Pin:

 Here's how to make one:

You will need two wooden hearts:

1 x 1/2 x 1/8 inches
White and Red Craft Paint
Modge Podge
Wood Glue
Two pins
6 red stamps

Originally I was only going to use two stamps per heart,
as I got further into the project, I decided three stamps per heart looked better.
The stamps I used were all 100 years old or older.
I primed the two hearts with white paint (once),
then painted them red (twice).

 

I cut the stamps off their envelops and soaked them in water

to get the glue to release the paper envelop backing.

I Modge Podged the surface of the dried wooden heart.

 

Place only two of the three hearts onto the surface of

the wooden heart.

While still wet and able to move the stamp around the surface of the heart,
I held them to the light to center the head on the postage stamp.
Later I will be triming the excess away.  I do not want to
cut the top of the head off; keeping the end product visually pleasing
(and respectful of the President whose head adorns the stamp).

Then I let the hearts dry. 
This is when I decided two stamps were not enough.
Trim the excess or overlapping stamps with sharp scissors.
Rolling the stamps excess over the edge of the wood would be bulky.

I added a third stamp using Modge Podge.

Once dry I flipped them over and glued a pin on using wood glue.

On the back of the heart,
I wrote "To (added-name-here), From (added-my-name-here)"
and dated with a very thin permanent marker.

Marry a Man Whose Mom Raised Him Right

These are the types of articles I clipped from newspapers, magazines (in this case Woman’s Day), or the internet.
Taped to the upstairs bathroom mirror, they could not be overlooked by our children.  The theme was enlightenment with the occasional famous quote (for example). 

Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly.  I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou.  Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again.  Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.

The articles were short, a quick read, about the time it takes to brush your teeth or less.  If it were brought up for discussion, my objective had been met.  If it hadn’t been brought up for discussion that didn’t mean it had not been read.

[I've carried this article in my planner for quite some time, I have no idea how old it is, but I can credit Woman's Day.]

How to Make an iPad Case

HOW TO: 

How to Make a Great iPad Case to Hold
Cables, Stylus, Plugs, and Screen Wiper

Let's start at the very beginning... a pattern.

Isn't this case a great idea?  I love it.  

If you already know how to sew, you'll find the directions easy to follow. 

Using the attached pattern cut two pieces of fabric (add seam allowance), 

and one piece of low loft (1/4 inch high) quilting batting (no seam allowance).

The below example shows how I marked the pattern with pencil on the 

BACK of the fabric.

The pattern shows where the one inch thick and 11 inches long elastic should be placed.

Eleven inches is too long to work with, so I pinned a fold in the middle.

At this point there should be three layers that look like this:

 Just so that there are no problems later on, here's a peek at what

the two layers of fabric should look like with the elastic pinned in place.

Pin and sew along the quilt batting securing the three layers, 

and ensuring the elastic does not shift.

Following the pattern below, allow for a gap of no sewing, 

this will allow the project to be turned right side out.

Cut or trim away the excess.

Poor picture quality, but I am attempting to show the three layers

have been sewn together and the gap allows for turning the fabric

project inside out.

Summing up where we are at this point:  We have one sewn piece 

of fabric turned right side out with a piece of elastic spanning one side.

There is an opening gap, that has yet to be closed.

Fold the edges inside the opening and finger press in place.

 

Sew close to the edges, not sewing over the elastic, 

which can be held out of the way while sewing.

 Fold the case and pin in place.

 Again, sew without running over the elastic.

Here's a look, again, at the finished product.

Two Days Later, A Snow Storm. School is Canceled.

Welcome to New England Weather!

I took the following picture at day break. 
It was still snowing; low sunlight. 
Look at the strange effect. 
The flash bounced off the surface of the snowflakes. 

 After an elongated commute I took pictures in the parking lot at work.  

Beauty in the parking lot, who'd a thounk it.

It Was 62 Degrees Today - A Half An Hour Outside of Boston, MA

So to remind everyone; it's usually cold here during winter/mid-January.  Everyone usually wears heavy layers of coats, scarves, hats and mittens and needs to scrap the ice off our windshields in the morning before driving off to work. Flip-flops and shorts are supposed to be in moth-balls until April or later.

Just so that you remember what it's supposed to look like this time of year, here are some pictures I took of another snow storm. 

I like the sound snow makes when it falls.  I think it's bouncing off dried oak leaves that refuse to let go of their branches.  Other sounds are muffled like cars driving in roadside slush.  I blink the flakes off my eyelashes.  Snow sneaks over the top of my coat's zipper and melts against my neck, as the steam from my mouth tries to melt it in transit.  Cold.  Snow flakes and I have a love-hate relationship.  A few are cute, more than a handful, too much.

Today was unreal.

Chelmsford Garrison House Quilt Show - 2008 Aug or Sept

Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Garrison House Quilt Show

Aug or Sept of 2008

I am only going to show the quilts that Sally Palmer Fields brought to the Quilt Show.  She was very much involved with supporting the Garrison House and always had many interesting quilts to show.  Sally was a hard core quilter.  I remember her telling me a story about being thirsty while quilting a thistle pattern on a quilt, but she refused to stop until the thistle she was working on was complete.  Dedicated.

This is a log cabin quilt with Abraham Lincoln in as the center square/medallion.  It is hand embroidered.  Sally loved history and build themed quilts around the center square.  The log cabin quilt blocks reflect that Abe Lincoln was born in a log cabin.  You will notice themes in the next three quilts.

The middle block is a political campaign handkerchief.  All the surrounding blocks are significant.  Each block's name has to do with Eisenhower's life.  If there is such a block as a Kansas block, Presidential block, etc (anybody got a quilt dictionary/encyclopedia?) it's in this quilt.

The Rough Rider, Teddy Roosevelt is the theme of this quilt.  The handkerchief in the center is antique; one of the many wonderful finds Sally discovered.  If she were at an auction, she'd find a stash of fabric in a bureau drawer or in the bottom of a box of china pieces.  They would go home with her.  The fabric became part of her stash and she'd make a quilting pattern from the designs on the china.  She would sell photocopies of hand-drawn quilting patterns when she stood next to a quilt of hers, answering questions or passing out white gloves.  I admired her.

At the time this quilt was made our governor, Bill Weld was married to a descendant of Theodore Roosevelt.  Somehow Sally was able to show this quilt to her.  This story was retold to me with pride in her voice.  Good job!

I *THINK* this is Ulysses S Grant.  I you look at the hand quilting on the white panels you can see the Civil War themes.  Again, the center of the quilt is an antique handkerchief. 

Here's a bunch of flowers, I'll leave in the blogspot in memory of Sally Palmer Fields.

Her biography
http://judybuswick.com/sally-palmer-field-book/

Another example of her work
 http://www.massfolkarts.org/object_theme.asp?curpage=3&currTheme=5

Decorating with Shadow Boxes

Shadow Boxes are a Fun Way to Display Keepsakes/Memories/What Nots/Collectibles

This is my favorite of all my shadow boxes.  It's full of Wade pottery, gifts, souvenirs from travels/vacations, yard sale finds, toys and things I inherited. 

My eldest son bought this mini-shelf for his sister as a gift.  When she tired of it, she gave it to me.  I have hung it in a small wall space between the broom closet and bathroom door.  It is full of Wade pottery I got for a very good price at a yard sale.

It took a while for me to realize I have a lot of pins.  I have so many pins that I could put a collage of pins together that represent the month of the year.  "Begin" in sign language is a key-like movement, so January is represented as a key.  There's a heart for February, etc.   Two of the pins are polymer pins by the artist, Lynne Manning (www.etsy.com/people/LynneManning).  Check out the pin for November, as the holiday planning and work is heating up.  That should get a few smiles.

We collect Hard Rock Cafe pins.  Every good report card, birthday, Christmas a new pin showed up for one of my son's collection.  I started collecting pins from only the Hard Rock Cafes we visited.  I bought two pins at the original Hard Rock Cafe in London, but lost them somewhere.  Damn, they've never showed up.  This shadowbox is incomplete without it.  I hung this in our bathroom over the hand-towel rack.  As you dry your hands, you can't help but look at them.

This shadow box is a catch basin of pins, there's no theme.  It fills a space that used to display a picture I no longer care for.

Picture of Spring Brook Farm - Littleton, MA 1713

Shopping after Christmas and Stopped by 

the Spring Brook Farm (Founded 1713)

My daughter bought some local honey to bring back to her home after the Christmas holidays.  

It was later confiscated at the airport as contraband; a total loss.  

But I did take a couple of nice seasonal pictures at 

the Spring Brook Farm in Littleton, MA.

http://www.springbrookfarmcountry.com

Before Christmas we shopped at Mann Orchards.
This is a neat Christmas tree they had on display.

Saint Distaff's Day - The Patron Saint of Spinners

St. Distaff's Day - January 6, 2013

Went to St. Distaff's Day today at our town's museum. Saint Distaff is the patron saint of spinners

(as in, spinning wheel spinners).  The place was full of women spinning wool and flax on their spinning wheels. There wasn't an empty chair in the small museum.  Our first pass through the place was to check out all the spinning wheels AND the spinner's socks.

Think about it, if you spin your own yarn, chances are you knit, too.
My sister and I have noticed the most colorful wool socks on spinners.
I took pictures of their socks last year, not this year.

This year I focused on four strange/unique spinning wheels that were "packaged"
in a wooden "suitcase".  They are called Journey Wheels (www.journeywheel.com).

This is (above) a side view of the Journey Wheel.  Notice the pedal is one single piece, 

this means the wheel is older.  Each unit is signed and dated.  Newer models have two pedals.

I really wasn't interested in this wheel until one of the participants said she had many spinning wheels, 

but uses only the Journey Wheel, because of it's ease of use.  

Notice the two pedal system.  This is a newer model.

These cost $1,600, if you could buy one, according to the inventor/builder.  

He is on "hiatus" (his own words).

Another spinner sells the coffee mug holder (in upper left corner of Journey Wheel)

that is made of plastic.  He husband and she sell them on www.etsy.com.

At the end of the day, this is what the Journey Wheel looks like packaged to go.

I don't spin wool, nor flax.

There are so many other crafts I prefer.
If you are a spinner, with hope, you enjoyed this information.

Here are other pictures I took during the event.

Attendees Hard at Work

This Spinner Wheel (from New Zealand) has Cabriolet Legs That Looks Like a Piece of Furniture

Everyone Carried a Basket, Bag, etc (INTERESTING VARIETY).