Snow in September

Yes, we had snow in September! I woke up Saturday to a mix of snow and rain and before long it was just snow and the grass was soon covered in white. It was something like the second or third earliest snow here in SE Idaho. The surrounding hills actually got a significant amount of snow. In the afternoon, I drove past a neighborhood park and saw that neighborhood children had built two little snowmen although by then there wasn't any snow at all on the ground, just the two little snowmen. This reminded me of freak snow storm we had in central California when I was growing up (1962?). When we had our first winter in California after moving there from Canada, I remember asking my parents how Santa was going to get to our house since there was no snow for his sled. When that snowstorm came years later my sister and I rushed outside and gathered up just enough for a snowball or two which we stored in the refrigerator freezer for months.

I'm not thrilled that winter is coming as I don't much like the cold. Even though I feel this way about winter, I do love Christmas. As I posted earlier, I've been experimenting with some felted ornaments. I discovered that if worked in all the loose ends on the flowers I knitted, then felted them that the petals came out rounded.

If I left the ends and didn't work them in before felting, then the flowers came out with pointed petals and resembled poinsettias which was the effect I was trying to achieve. I used the same "pattern" for all three flowers the only difference was working in the loose ends. I though that was pretty interesting.

I felted my little Christmas tree and attached beads to both the tree and the poinsettia and was quite pleased with the results.

Next, mitten ornaments made from felted wool scraps from recycled sweaters. I have quite a few pairs cut out and ready to sew.

My photo of the Arrow Lakes

2004 Canada Trip, originally uploaded by homemadeoriginals.

After posting my Friday Flickr Photo I decided to search for my photo that was taken nearby. Here it is, taken in 2004.

Earthy treasury September 27 '07

Earthy treasury September 27 '07, originally uploaded by homemadeoriginals.

My felted bowl made it to a Treasury. I love all the Earthy items.

Friday Flickr Photo

Upper Arrow Lake, BC

Originally uploaded by hooky junk

I was driving home across Southern Idaho once again yesterday afternoon and evening and started thinking about favorite places. Of course my hometown, Pocatello, Idaho, is a favorite place and I was not only glad to be getting home around 8:00 pm but also enjoying the view of a gorgeous harvest moon low on the horizon.









I've been fortunate to travel to Europe and Japan and to many places in the U.S. But probably my favorite place to visit is British Columbia. My mother was born there and I spent 5 of my early years there. For years, our family vacation every summer but one was back to Robson, B.C., the location of my grandfather's summer home on the Arrow Lakes. I try to get back once or twice a year to visit my aunt and we often go on a "Circle tour" drive that takes us along the Upper Arrow Lake. So, when I found this photo on Flickr today, it was immediately familiar to me and brought back many wonderful memories.



What a great reflection caught by the photographer, hooky junk who writes about the collection of photos this one belongs to: "I turned 30 in August and embarked on a 3.5 week road/boat/kayak trip through the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies." and of this photo: This was moments after we saw our first black bear, which crossed the road in front of us just north of the northern terminus of the Upper Arrow Lake Ferry. This was our first great lake reflection, having been so early on in our trip. "





This week, in the way of projects, I have been experimenting with some other ideas for Christmas ornaments (felted trees and poinsettias) but I don't have anything to share yet. Last week I did complete a felted glasses case and a Christmas stocking made from two recycled sweaters. I got my inspiration for the stocking from a photo I saw from the Interweave Felt edition . I'd like to make a few more of these and may play around with the idea of a Christmas stocking or ornaments from recycled denim since I seem to have a huge stash in my basement.

Simple denim bags

simple blue bag
Originally uploaded by homemadeoriginals

After making a denim bag for the September Bag Ladies Swap on Flickr, I started thinking of ways to use the huge stash of denim jeans I have in my basement. This is the bag I finished tonight. I also did a similar bag over the weekend, using felted sweater pieces as part of the design.

Now that's it been received by my swap partner, here's the first bag I made from a pair of jeans and an old skirt:

Tagged I'm It...

Jean from 3 Bags Fulled tagged me on her blog recently and it's my turn to return the favor.

Come join the fun & "tag" someone you know today:

The rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.


7 Facts About Me
1. I was born in Canada and am a naturalized U.S. Citizen. Darn, I can't be elected president.
2. I work full time in Idaho state government.
3. I am a part-time (and full time wanna-be) crafter.
4. I have a cat named Snickers and she dreads having the vacuum on. When the closet door to the vacuum opens, she runs and hides under the bed or in the closet.
5. Right now, I am a knitter and felter, but I've dabbled in quilting, needlepoint, counted crosss-stitch, weaving and spinning.
6. I have a collection of Dooney Bourke purses that were acquired on Ebay
7. I have probably attended more soccer games than any other Mom in Idaho.


Tagging 7 People
1. Sara of Sara's Texture Crafts
Sara is the Fashion and Textile Designer behind Sara's Texture Crafts - The home of handcrafted gifts, crafty kits and equipment. Her Etsy store
has wonderful texture inspired bags, accessories, jewelery and more.
2. Kathryn Ivy
Kathrynivy.com was created by two sisters, Alice and Grace Schnebly, with the goal of providing information and inspiration to other knitters and crafters for their own projects. Their Etsy store has wonderful knitwear patterns.
3. Wen at Wenjomatic who posts fabulous knitted and felted projects and stories from everyday life.
4. Sylvia Oreifig of Sylvia's Creation Bags from Denmark who creates gorgeous bags.
5. Zakka Life where every week a new craft project is posted, rain or shine.
6. Mia of Handmade by Mia from Finland. Lots of sewing, knitting, all sorts of crafts and making things from recycled materials.
7. Dotty from Indie Finds on Etsy and Elsewhere. She features new shops on Etsy and has a wonderful Etsy shop of her own, Dyed in the Wool Designs.

Friday Flickr Photo of the Week-Autumn Leaves

On Monday I was driving the 250 miles across Southern Idaho and to pass the time, I decided to listen to some of the CD's from a training I recently attended on Crucial Conversations. On the 3rd CD, there is an excerpt from the The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, in which the author of that book, Annie Dillard, describe her zeal for the hidden natural universe and the various beauties that one might discover if one can truly "see." Upon returning home, I researched "It is still the first week in January and I've got great plans. I've been thinking about seeing. There are lots of things to see, unwrapped gifts and free surprises. The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But -- and this is the point -- who gets excited by a mere penny? If you follow one arrow, if you crouch motionless on a bank to watch a tremulous ripple thrill on the water and are rewarded with the site of a muskrat kit paddling from its den, will you count that sight a chip of copper only, and go your rueful way? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get. "

This photo from ladybug's flight is my choice for photo of the week because it so beautifully captures the feeling I have about autumn leaves and the lesson from Annie Dillard.

How often do we fail to "see" and pick up the pennies that life gives us? Can you get excited about the simple beauty of an autumn leaf?

Ladybug also has a blog, Living in the Light I Find, has many wonderful photographs and musings, I encourage you to take a look.

Front Page of Etsy

My Three Trees Bag made it to the front page of Etsy today, however briefly:

Friday Flickr Photo

Pumpkin Blossom Macro
Originally uploaded by wenjomatic

I decided it would be fun to pick one photo from Flickr each week and post it and write about it, so this is week one's Friday Flickr Photo:

This is Pumpkin Blossom Macro posted by wenjomatic
She says: "Up close and personal with a female pumpkin blossom. We've had pumpkin vines grown out back for months and FINALLY we have a female blossom open." By the way, I have wenjomatic marked as one of my Flickr contacts because of her wonderul knitted creations. Check them out.

This picture makes me think of late summer, early fall days. It's still warm enough that the bugs are still out but this pumpkin hasn't matured yet. Perhaps there's a pumpkin on another vine nearby. If it was in my garden, there wouldn't be because we never seem to have a long enough growing season here in Southeast Idaho. I haven't tried growing pumpkins in recent years but the best I did one year was a teeny weeny little pumpkin. Some of my tomatoes are finally ready for picking this week and last, but temperatures are already dipping into the 30's overnight.

This is actually one of my favorite times of year though it never seems to last long enough.

Thinking about this season brings to mind a poem I wrote some years ago (7 apparently based on the date on my poem)

Visiting Autumn

Two seasons meet
along the Boise River
It is the end of one time
the beginning of another

Summer is just a memory
while winter waits her turn
The trees around me are dressed
in brilliant yellows, reds, and browns

Their brittle leaves dance and fall
while purple flowers bloom
As I approach my own autumn
I feel this season deeply

October, 2000

Closeup Photos

I am still a novice when it comes to digital photography. However, I’ve been reading on the Etsy forums and trying out techniques. Recently, I’ve been replacing some of my Etsy shop photos with more close ups like these. I still want to make a light box especially for winter photography and I want to learn how to use Photoshop Elements, which IMHO is one of least intuitive computer programs I have ever tried to use. I still use Microsoft Picture Manager for most of my editing because, even though it’s pretty basic, I know how to use it. My Canon Power Shot SD800IS is a great little camera. It has image stabilization which I really need because my hand is not all that steady and I don’t like having to use a tripod.

Felting the Old Fashioned Way

The Fall Knitty is up and I found this great article on "Felting the Old Fashioned Way". May have to try this out sometime, it's another way to use a toilet plunger.
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/FEATfeltingoldway.html

I sold my Wedgewood Blue BST (blood sweat and tears) bag this week. I called it that because even though I knit it with my Options circular needles, I did it in garter stitch so it took me twice as long since I'm a slow purl knitter. Also, I finished the top with applied I-cord, put a key ring on the inside, and completed it with a decorative touch that took me quite a while to figure out and do. However, I was very pleased with the bag and very happy to sell it today to a colleague at work.

My first polymer clay "button"

My first polymer clay "button"
Originally uploaded by homemadeoriginals

I've been frustrated trying to find interesting but reasonably priced decorative buttons for some of my bags. I had heard about polymer clay and seen some Etsy artists who use it t make jewelry and other items. I happened to ask my Administrative Assistant at work if she had ever used polymer clay and she told me how easy it is to use. I went out and bought some Sculpey and went looking on the web for more information. As usual, I found a plethora of information including a wonderful site called Polymer Clay productions:
http://polymerclayproductions.com/ where I subscribed to a series of podcasts on polymer clay techniques. They downloaded to my IPOD and I got a chance to watch two of them on a recent business trip.

Fast forward to today and I kneaded and rolled my clay and cut out a sun shape with a cookie cutter, made two holes for my button, and baked it for 15 minutes at 275 degrees. Couldn't have been easier. Now, I just need to paint my button to match an upcoming bag. I'm excited to get more sophisticated with the polymer clay techniques (I have many more podcasts to watch) but what a fun start!

Bonus to my adventure in button making...Jerry was struggling with a way to do a repair to the bottom of the door handle on our refrigerator. Guess what we fashioned the missing part out of? You got it, polymer clay.

Television Blues

OK, I'm really going to show my age here...Am I the only one who thinks there is nothing worth watching on TV these days? I got asked recently to name my three favorite TV shows and I had trouble coming up with anything current (other than documtaries and sports events such as US Open tennis) for the list. We've taken to watching old TV series on DVD. We've been through all the seasons of West Wing, 24, and ER and right now we are watching season one of American Dreams. Being a child of the 50's and 60's, I can really relate to the music and the times portrayed on this show. Jerry just got the words to Generation by Emerson Hart (theme song for American Dreams) and is learning to play it. Click the video below if you want to hear the original version on U Tube.

Generation- Emerson Hart

Bag storage, Bag swap

Bag storage
Originally uploaded by homemadeoriginals

As my collection of bags has been growing, I've struggled with how to store them. If I leave them out on a table or my workspace, my cat, Snickers, thinks they are her new cat bed. So I quickly stopped doing this. My next approach was to put them on a shelf in my cupboard, however I quickly outgrew the space I had available. So I put up the warping board I haven't used for many years and voila, a place for my larger bags.

Anyone with better or other ideas for bag storage?

I've signed up for a bag swap. This is my first swap ever! I've been reading about different swaps for months and finally got up the nerve to participate in one. It's the "Bag Ladies Swap" group on Flickr September swap which features recycled clothing. I can't decide between making a felted bag from a sweater and trying to make a bag from an old pair of jeans or other piece of clothing. I spent several hours today cutting and knitting strips of denim. This was something I've been wanting to try for a while after reading about it on MagKnits. I found this to be a slow, painful process that resulted in what you see in the photo below. I'm thinking I'll come up with another idea for my bag swap.

Etsy Treasury September 8 2007

Etsy Treasury September 8 20007
Originally uploaded by homemadeoriginals

Check out this great Etsy treasury including items for the Etsyfast September challenge. Each month a theme is chosen for the group's challenge and this month it is "Apples". My entry is the Green Apple mini shoulder bag I blogged about below.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=8715

Business card holders

Red and purple card holder
Originally uploaded by homemadeoriginals

I've been making a selection of business card holders that can go on a desk, be on display at a craft show, etc. I can knit one of these while watching a tv show, but the real fun is deciding how to imbellish them, with buttons, braided wool yarn, or rope.

New Design--Little Green Bag

Little green bag
Originally uploaded by homemadeoriginals

I had a gorgeous wool sweater, a turtleneck, that wasn't large enough for my "usual" sweater bag design, so I had to get creative. I came up with this little bag which is made with 3 layers of the felted wool, each one being a bit smaller than the previous one. The handle was made by rolling and hand sewing an approximately 2" wide strip I made by joining three sections cut from one of the arms. Hand stiching was added with rust colored tapestry yarn to match the button. This was incredibly fun to make.