First of Three

It's the first day of my 3 day week end. I'm really enjoying the time I can spend with my family. I Have a few finishes I want to show off and I am giving photography a try.  Kyle and I went to Tolmie State Park for about an hour. It is something I have been wanting to do for the last two weeks. But because everyone in the house was sick last week we stayed home.

Old gnarled drift wood root looks so complex

Under water treasure...














I can imagine fairy homes 

I also finished my hobo bag and I love it! I had started out with the pattern of the bag in my last post and incorporated it with a design of a bag I had made years ago. I loved that bag so much, but I can not for the life of me find the original pattern I used or even one close to it online. I remember finding the pattern in a Michaels during the time I was a carny. The bag was stolen along with the original pattern (I kept my whole life in that bag).  I think the strap is a little long and the bag itself is a little shallow, but I can fix that.










I had died some wool green at one point in time and left it in the pot a little too long. It came out a very very very dark green. So I tried combining it with white wool to maybe help lighten the darkness....well....its turning out more grey than green, but the variations in the finished product looks really nice. I think I am out growing my little spindle. I would love to get a spinning wheel in the future, but they are pricey and not a necessity. Tax time maybe? 

I have been anything but idle this last week or so. I have started my new work schedule that will allow me to have 3 days off instead of 2. This awesome job also allows me to work on small projects. You have seen the hemp jewelry in previous posts and the bag that I had planed on making. Well, as you can see I am over half way done with it. I am thinking of changing the handle to be more of a strap; turning it into more of  a purse. I haven't decided yet. 

About 5 years ago when I was really into the idea of quilting, I picked up a bottle of homemade linen spray.  All of the ladies from the local guild, Valley of Plenty Quilters of Emmett, ID were using it when they ironed their quilt blocks. It made them smell so nice. I had been using the one bottle sparingly over the years and had finally run out. Little did I know it costs less than 5 bucks to make around 2 gallons of the stuff. Most of the commercial stuff with all the chemicals cost around the same and you get less. When I did my research I found several ways to make the stuff. People used essence oil or fabric softener for scents. I like the oils because there are so many to choose from without the harsh chemicals. Besides the smells of most fabric softeners make me sneeze and they can be expensive. So here is what you will need:

essence oil of your choice
distilled water
plastic spray bottle
rubbing alcohol, witch hazel, or vodka (optional)

You can make as much as you want, with the scent as strong or weak as you want. I used 5 drops of oil per cup of water. The rubbing alcohol is added (2 tsp per cup of water) and works as an emulsifier making it so the oil and water blend evenly. If you don't have any around or don't want to use it, you will just have to shake your spray bottle every time you use it so the oil and water remix.

I would like to give credit to the website that had the recipe I liked the most during my research. http://www.moneyfunk.net/arts-crafts/how-to-make-a-room-linen-spray/
I haven't had a chance to check out the whole site, but it seems like something that would interest me.

I got the car!!!

So last Tuesday the car lot called me telling me that I was approved for my car loan and I can come down and pick up the car. So my Dad payed for the first month of insurance and I drove to work the next day. I didn't really realize how much i took it for granted till I started driving again.

So this week I have started working on a bag for my projects for work. I found this free pattern HERE. I am using Lily sugar and cream 14oz cone. The pattern looks to be very strait forward so it should be really quick to make. My old upholstery bag is falling apart and this should be a nice replacement.

A new week

Well, this is the last week before I will be on my new schedule for the call center I work for. And it's looking to become a very busy week. The kids start school on Wednesday. It will be Issac's first day in Kindergarten and I still have to get him registered. Been having a hard time getting his shots up to date, school supplies, and clothes. And not having a car makes it all very time consuming. So it looks like I will have to miss a day of work to get that done tomorrow.

Today I went down to Titus-wills car lot and looked at a little Ford Focus i found on their web site. Right now I am waiting to hear back from the finance people. I hope they give me a loan. Then I can start pulling doubles at work if they will let me. If all goes well, I'll be in a car by Friday. It's been hard not getting my hopes up.


I think I am coming to the end of making hemp jewelry for a while. I am so hemped out it isn't funny. There are still a few pieces I want to make for friends this week.

I promised Kyle's mom a pair of finger-less gloves. The pattern is very easy and versatile and free. Free making it the perfect pattern. Knucks its what the pattern is called. I had made one pair for myself in the spring and haven't been able to try them yet. But I had a pair my mom had given me when I worked as a lift operator for Kirkwood Ski Resort and I haven't found another pair I like since. So I went on the mission of learning how to knit. I had only made socks and scarves before i found this pattern. It looked very hard, but after working through it, its actually easier than socks, in my opinion.