2.28.2010

Handwritten Quote Pin

I take a simple view of life: Keep your eyes open and get on with it. Laurence Olivier This summer I made a couple of handwritten quote buttons for the first time and they flew out of my shop. I have collected a nice notebook full of quotes. But I haven't gotten around to making any more until this one today. There's something about the quotes in this form that I like a lot. Hope you all enjoy it, too. This month has flown by. I had a good time participating and seeing everyone's creativity. Thank you all for your contributions and inspiration.

It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

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2.27.2010

pony anemone

I made this late last month. We were on the run all day today, but I did use my iphone a lot {I love playing WORDS with my darling children} and have been wanting to share this. It cracks me up that I came up with this idea, that I designed and then carried out making it and that it turns out to be the greatest thing since the iphone ~ which I call my pony. So this case is made from scraps from a gorgeous tie dye long sleeve t shirt. I took the two cut off cuffs and a strip from the neck ribbing {shown in top photo} and here's what happened. We think it looks like a sea anemone. It works like a charm. I am crazy going nuts over it. I just love it.

The card seen in this shot is one I made a while back using a print from a sweet little artist retrospective book I spied at the thrift store. Turns out she is Vera Stravinsky. I had never heard of her but she was married to the composer. Yes. That one. Anyway...she looks and sounds like such a wonderful person and I love her art. Photos three and four show close ups of the front and reverse of the case. Until tomorrow ~ our last TaD 2010 ~ remember It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

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2.26.2010

Scraps of Fabric Too Small To Save...

...but, then again, that must be someone else's house. Fun with teeny scraps. I'm thinking a bookmark but it could also be a little decor candy. I see it as an abstract on a lake with a grassy bank, trees/forest, blue skies, sunset. {You should hear some of my dreams. It might explain things.} Each bit here has a story to tell. That makes me happy. It is getting dark and threatening to rain so I had to fight the elements while taking these photos outside. If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen making homemade tortillas and stirring beans. We're having smothered green chili bean burritos for dinner and homemade strawberry shortcake. oooo la la

It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.


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2.25.2010

Scissor Case & TeXaS Applique Mend

Recently I stumbled upon this fabulous handmade work apron. I have been planning to make one for myself. Once again, procrastination pays off. This is beautifully constructed and has been loved and lovingly cared for ~ and all for 1.99. Irresistible. So now I tool around the house with my pony {iphone} in one pocket, my pen and paper in one and my trusty scissors in the center. I don't want the scissors to stress the fabric so I made this little slip case for them. It's made from hand dyed viscose I purchased from my Etsy friend { www.sassalynne.etsy.com } Scout was my model {above}. Today we received a goodie package from our friend, Stacy, in Hawaii. She included that gorgeous bracelet for Scout who is thrilled. It's perfect for her. {Stacy is beautiful and so are her creations found HERE at stacysdesigns88 }

I also did some mending today. This is my favorite. It's our bedspread which is pretty heavy weight and was a real bear to accomplish. Just finished it this evening { I did laundry for 8 hours today. } so I could only grab this picture below the lamp. I adore this fabric and this patch will always remind us of our time here in Austin. Sweet dreams... until tomorrow... It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

ps. Craig is performing here this weekend. Wish we could see his show. But alas, that is not in the budget. :)

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2.24.2010

Paper Bracelet aka Paper Fun

I spent most of today clipping paper for my Craig envelope ~ see previous post below ~ so I didn't have a lot of time for something extra. Scout was clipping Jungle Book bits for future magnets and pins. She leaves her leftovers for me to sift through. The apple doesn't fall very far from the tree. So late this afternoon I sat down and this is what came to me ~ a paper bracelet. It could also be a number of other things ~ any ideas? But for a prototype I like a lot about it. I had some fun. Hope you did today too.

See the full gallery on posterous

It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

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2.23.2010

It's a Great Day in Progress

As any of you who have looked at my posts have guessed, we are huge Craig Ferguson fans. I have something to send him, which I will include in my finished post. This is the envelope. Recycled. And from England ~ that tickles my funny bone. And I think it might give Craig a chuckle, too. Since I am re-using the envelope I am decorating it with one of my collages to cover the address. OK, I would do all this anyway, even if it didn't need it. The reverse side ~ the new front ~ also has this building/NYC/America theme, but, as you see, this is still in the working stage and none of this is set in place. So no photo of that side yet. This side will have a few changes and needs a couple of additions, but for the most part I am pretty happy with it. It is so cold, dreary and just plan wintry here today. It's actually snowing here in Austin. I guess that's quite a big deal. We moved here from New England so what do we know? :) Anyway, the weather convinced Scout and me that another batch of pretzels was in order. They came out just as lovely as the first batch. She has a picture of them on her TaD post: HERE along with a link to a little video we made spontaneously yesterday afternoon using my pony (iphone). It's here on my sidebar as well. She's singing One Song Glory from RENT. I hope you are all warm and dry and enjoying your evening. Until tomorrow....

:)

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2.22.2010

T Shirt Pillowcase * Plum chicken * Secret Gift Pics Catch Up

I did some mending today, which is probably too dull to share so here's a silly creation. Our travel pillow needs some cases. A while ago I made a rather groovy {and silly} one using a WICKED The Musical T - shirt. This one makes me smile on two levels. Woodstock, of course, but how fun is this case? The pillow opening is the former bottom hem of the shirt. All I had to do was cut across under the arms and stitch straight across. The gnome is Moley. Scout made him when she was a wee bairn. {age 10 I think} He's her first knitted gnome. I know! Crazy skill isn't it? She'd just learned how to knit for crying out loud. And the pointed cap is made out of funky yarn she salvaged from a wig used in the Opera.... Now there's a story.... For another day I suppose. :)

This is my original recipe plum chicken that I made this evening. I took the photo between the 'saute the chicken' and the 'add the orange hunks, sauce and sesame seeds before you place it in the oven to bake' stages. I couldn't get a photo before dinner but trust me this was divine.

These photos are from one of the secret creations I made prior to Valentine's Day. This recipe pocket is for my lovely sister. It's my favorite one so far. {Just like her.} The photo above is before lamination. The one below is after. The following photos show the handmade recipe cards I made to go along with the pocket. I had a lot of fun with this project.

Until tomorrow ~ it's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

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2.21.2010

James Q Superior

Just a little something I created this afternoon. We finally had a gorgeous day here in Austin and went down to walk by the lake for our first time so I was short on time for my TaD. I love maps and collage and combined the two here. I named it James Q Superior. Couldn't resist. I hope everyone is well this evening and enjoying life. Until tomorrow...

It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

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2.20.2010

A Little Serendipity & the Pretzel Recipe

This card had some watercolor test bits. You know me and my use anything approach. Here's what I did with it. I used colored pencil and here's the resulting unplanned result. It was fun. As promised, the last photo in today's post is the soft pretzel recipe. I'd love to know if you make them and how yours turned out so I am including my signature links today. I can be reached via any of them. Enjoy!

My notes: We made 8 pretzels {vs their 6}. I will start with 1/4 c less flour next time. Grease the pan WELL. Go crazy. :) We only had kosher {coarse} salt, not actually chunky salt and they were fine. They were done in almost half the time, too. Watch them at 7-8 minutes. Like us, you may not believe how delicious something this simple can be. For anyone who did not see the pretzels yesterday, the post is on my joonbeam blog. Address below.

It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

Visit my shops often for updates.
joonbeam. we put the heart in art.
flying housewife. from me. to you. with love.

...because environment is everything.


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2.19.2010

Homemade Pretzels


Today Scout and I made these soft pretzels. They were incredibly easy, simple, quick and delicious. I am still amazed. We will make them often I know. Stay warm and have a lovely evening, everyone. Until tomorrow....

It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

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2.18.2010

Thing~a~Day 18

Just one of my characters from the old days. Haven't revisited these in a while. Hope you enjoy her.

It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

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2.17.2010

Pencil Box

A few months ago, I serendipitously matched up a toothpaste box with my colored pencils and have been surprised at how darn handy and perfect it turns out to be. I carry that thing all over the house. Yesterday I decided that if it's going to follow me around for a while it needs to become joonified. Naturally I have a story to tell.... Also, yesterday we received yet another piece of mail from Massachusetts, the entity, the commonwealth. We officially moved from there August 2008. We completed the required transition tasks ~ even speaking with real live people face to face. Yet the cities and state send mail piece after mail piece for things like income tax {huge booklet}, car registration {& taxes, of course} to our TEXAS ADDRESS. Someone had to have entered those address changes into their systems. Maybe I shouldn't get so annoyed but the knowledge that trees are dying over this incompetency makes me a bit nuts. How many more of these go out every year? I have to admit I am too often a glass is half empty gal. I don't want to be, but there you have it. I save a lot of paper and, at first, I was going to break my habit and throw this envelope into the recycling bin because of the negativity it brought to my environment. Then I thought: No. Instead I will transform it into something happy and positive. So here's what I did.

I made a photo record of the process. Hope you enjoy it.

Here is the original makeshift pencil box.

Here is the envelope after I decorated it with my favorite vintage and new stamps.

I wrapped it around the box and taped it inside. By the way, notice how a business envelope is an amazingly perfect pattern match for a toothpaste box. :) Here is the bottom.

Then I took sticker paper and measured pieces to fit the inside bottom and inside and out ends and put those pencils to work a bit. Put those in place and viola! Originally I planned to cover this with clear tape but I like it better this way. I can doodle on it.

Hope you all are warm, healthy and happy this evening.

It's a great day for America, everybody. Yes it is.

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