Bags. And more bags.

I recently downloaded my camera onto my computer, so I have months of pictures to post, as you may have noticed.


These are "Treasure Bags" I made for Tucker and Brinda. When we go on walks, they pick up so much crap that it makes me crazy. So much that the city of Minneapolis should give our family a stipend. And they want me to carry it all. They may be treasures to those two, but they look an awful lot like broken tail lights and bent bolts. So now they are in charge of carrying their own crap. And they think it's cool.



This is my new clothespin holder. I had an old one from the farm, which was shaped like a little girl's dress, and was very cute. But recently Matthew told me that he didn't like to help putting clothes on the line because he felt like he was sticking his hand down someone's shirt (we had another we used growing up, which looked like the shirt of a 60's teen who loves rickrack). And it kind of stuck with me. So I didn't make another dress or shirt. This is a kitchen handtowel I bought when Deirdre convinced me that I would embroider all the time because it's so easy. But I don't have Deirdre's talent. Chris made the hanger.




This is a little messenger bag I made for Brinda to take to nursery school. It turned out too small, which you can't see because I didn't include anything for scale. (All those earth science lessons, forgotten.) Also, the flap to close it is too small. But I fixed most of these problems when I made two more for a fundraiser. Now I want to go to the fundraiser and get one back for Brinda if they don't go for enough in the silent auction. Because I hate making the same thing multiple times, so there's no way I'm making her another.

Pushing the bounds of social acceptability...

Perhaps some of this is the kind of thing one should keep to oneself, but I'm so pleased that I'm sharing anyway.




We've been making our own lotion for a few years now, and while Chris tells me that's odd, I like it. It's mixing, melting, and pouring, so it's entertaining for the kids, and it's much cheaper than buying lotion that has ingredients I recognize. So above we have hand lotion, diaper wipe liquid, "calm down" lotion for the big kids (it doesn't work, but don't tell them. I'm hoping it will kick in any day now.), and a wax we made to finish some wood, but which makes great lotion (here's where we get into the stuff I should keep to myself). Today Neave has a terrible diaper rash from the chili I knew I shouldn't give her, so we made diaper ointment, below.

I recently made a hair rinse from apple cider vinegar that actually seems to be making a difference on my dry dry dry winter scalp.

And here's calendula oil in the making, which I'm mostly showing because it's so pretty, which probably doesn't come across in this photo.

Yesterday Chris said, "we're out of glue. We should put that on this list. Unless you're going to make some of that," in a fairly sarcastic voice. But the glue seems to work just great. On the plus side, Tucker thinks it's delicious. So delicious he sneaks bites of it out of the fridge, where it's kept. At least I know what my paste eater is eating, right?... Somehow that doesn't make me feel better.


And here's the coup de grace of my social acceptability - my own deodorant!

I'm so pleased with it. I really like it. I know, it's winter, and it probably won't stand the test of summer, when I really need an antiperspirant. But I made it with fir balsam essential oil, so I smell a bit like Christmas.

Just for the record, Chris has stopped using his medicinal cream for his eczema, and started using the wood wax. And remarking on how we shouldn't have to use petroleum products just because the oil industry wants to get rid of their waste products. I just nod, but I think we all know I won: we're both lame.

Cullen's Quilt

Since it was made for a McCabe we knew traditional

baby colors wouldn't work...

Mom and I co-quilted again...

We made this for Cullen and, apparently,

Kathy has started a timeliness standard so

we got it to to him before he was a month old!

Baby Toys

I made some baby toys, and took pictures of them in November. But I'm posting them anyway, because my baby is cute.

This is a blanket with tabs, made what I believe is a reasonable size, and with non-cutesy fabric. Fleece on the back.

I also made a flannel square with a cracker bag inside, so it makes that crinkley noise. I sewed a wooden quarter in the corner to teethe on. When I type it out, it sounds a bit odd, but she likes it just fine.

This is also a demonstration of how inappropriately for weather my big kids dress.

New Precedent: Timeliness

I'm pretty much bragging here about how my mother completed a craft AND mailed it to me BEFORE the occassion itself. Since I haven't been crafty with things other than data and statistical software lately, this will have to suffice.

I was so happy to open my mail to find two of these!



I was pretty impressed with the presentation
Here's the whole thing: one of two matching Valentine's pillowcases (sorry about the shadows).

They're really quite lovely, but not nearly as lovely as the idea of Mother's timeliness. I'm so proud of you, Marms. Look out world, Kath may have set a new precedent.

Another Runner

This table runner was my first attempt at applique...
Triangles are new for me.
I didn't to too badly!

This was a kit I got for Christmas.

Stroller Bags

So I made these last year, but enough snow has finally melted that they're useful again. I can actually get the double stroller over a curb, without climbing Mt. Crap-People-Are-Too-Lazy-To-Shovel. They're like sleeping bags for the stroller, made of fleece and flannel, or cotton. Once again, from the stash, which I'm pretty pleased with. (Someday, I'll actually close my "overflow" rubbermaid.)

They're a weird shape, because I wanted them to be tuckable under and over the lap belt, but open wide enough to get snow boots into easily. The bottom layer has no flaps, and comes up far enough to go a tiny bit up the back of the seat. They work quite well. Double fleece probably would have been warmer, but my fleece selection isn't the most attractive.