A few years back when I really got into knitting, I went out and bought a ton of yarn as I also inherited some from family & yard sales. When we moved I got rid of a lot of it. Then I found this suitcase. The suitcase is a huge-sized duffle. One that was originally purchased when I lived in Indiana and needed to get my belongings back to NY. So it was meant to carry a lot. So you can see, I was shocked when we found it full of yarn!
In the spirit of recycle-reduce-reuse, I’ve decided to use as much as I can. It is mostly acrylic, but I’ve always found when used in bright colors, it not only shows stitches easier ( which is helpful for a semi-novice after 5 years) but it is vegan as well. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy wool- but I prefer using a recycled sweater to wear or deconstruct rather than get a skein of it.
In the long of it, I chose the color pumpkin to start my first back- to- the- needles- project. I thought it would excite me about the upcoming fall days that I so long for every year.
Some new coffee cuffs will be listed today & tomorrow. My brain is swirling with ideas of an Autumn Preview. Including some old favorites & new surprises. I’ve started using some of my favorite autumnal prints. How exciting!
Yesterday, I met my new Midwife. She’s wonderful. She made me feel more cared for in a 1- hour meeting than any of my previous OBGYN doctors did in years. She was convinced we will get to the bottom of my stomach ailments & was very knowledgeable about a veg diet- which so many people don’t really discuss. She also mentioned I need to get back electrolytes.. since I’ve been sick. So, I high-tailed it to the market and found Vitamin Water on sale & promptly stocked up. It feels good to have someone in your corner who cares.
I started rereading my Mary Engelbreit/ Home Companion magazines for August, September & October. They are the only magazines I save, along with Vegetarian Times. I group them by season. I love going over every article, especially the home decor and artist pieces. They’ve covered some amazingly inspiring people and places. Flipping through instantly puts me in a positive & crafty mind frame. Gotta love that!
be well ~
M
Quick little post.
New cuffs in the shop!
Fabric Update- my haul at the Walmart Fabric Center wasn’t as low as I had thought. They had been marked back up to 50%, but I was still able to get some great flannel & a few other remnants.
Have a great weekend~
We’ve just added four great new Olympic crafts for children, including an Olympic Rings paper cut, and Olympic medal chart (track how your favourite countries do in the Olympic Games), an Olympic Rings window flag, and a wonderful flag wreath (a fun group project for any international celebration or event). And of course we have been adding Olympic craft ideas for the last few weeks, so if you haven’t checked out the page recently, please do so now!
Olympic Crafts for children
Lots more ideas for the Olympic Games:
I received this jacket from my SIL. Not sure which of neices or nephew wore it- but I think I shaped it into my own little piece, so our baby can proudly wear it. I have to say it was in very good shape, I just wanted to put a little spin on it. I also embroidered a very simple uppercase “H”. After seeing that Zach realized the name I had chosen. Now we’re working on middles.
Yesterday I spent all day,cutting,ironing,pining and sewing little squares. I don’t think my quilt will be traditional, but I am happy with all of the blocks/squares I’ve created.
Last night our phone went kerplunk and there was no going back. Walmart being the closest, we trudged there to get a new one. I
n the midst of traveling around the store, I noticed a huge line in their fabrics dept. It seems they are either making room for fall/holiday inventory or they are liquidating all fabrics to use the space for something else. Either way everything is 75% off. I grabbed 2 rolls of flannel in lavender and sage for the blanket backing, the washcloths, bibs,changing mats I wanna start making. But the line was so long and of course one person was working who at the moment was walking away saying her scanner wasn’t working and there were 6 people ahead of me who all had at least 5 bolts each. So I put the flannel down and vowed to go back first thing today.
I’ll let you know how that goes! Have a great Friday & Happy Weekend
xo
M
So I’ve psyched myself up. I’ve cleared the kitchen table, I have a pot of coffee (decaf) going, I’m gathering my fabrics and I’ve chosen which Harry Potter on cd to start listening to, oh and the baby is kicking! Apparently she knows that I need a little encouragement and that is her showing her mom support!
I’m starting my first quilt. Nothing very big. Perhaps it will jut be a wall hanging, not even lined. This will be my first real attempt and I know if I start off with huge asperations, I may get tired, bored or frustrated and give up. I don’t want that to happen, so Baby Steps as Bob would say.
I’m armed with a copy of Very Crazy Patchwork, which is a lovely book for a novice like myself. It also has more involved projects. Wish Me Luck!
I made some chocolate chip- oatmeal cookies yesterday, that are pretty delicious. For dinner I may try a soup or fire up the rice cooker. I’d love to make some steel cut oats in the slow cooker, but I’ve had terrible luck with that. The idea of going to bed with the delicious smell of oatmeal cooking is so lovely, but it always ends up burnt. Even when I follow a recipe to the T! If anyone has a fool proof recipe- let me know!
Well I am off! I hope I have something productive to share tomorrow.
xo
M
Burn Notice is on tonight- just sayin!
I made it and it was delicious!
xo
This little bunny is kinda the New Kid on the Hobo Trail.. I created it a few months back on a coffee cuff that was sold as quick as I could list it. So Saturday, I decided to bring this little guy back. Maybe he’s the baby incarnation of Snuggle Bunny?!
Heat Wave round here lately. I’ve been trying to stay cool with fans ( some air conditioning) and cold wash cloths tied around my neck.
Z hung my shelf up in my nook yesterday. I’ve already adorned it with a few storage boxes, my Frozen Charlotte, Hello Kitty, Fafi dolls & Ruby Gloom.
This weekend we also started putting the baby nook together. The shelf was hung above the changing table. I added a cute felt mobile from Ikea, our stuffed animals old & new and some of my favorite pieces of art. We also added a lovely owl mobile to our already woodsey bathroom!
What fun! Today a quick trip to the post and market for some lemons & other goodness. I wanna try The Black Apple’s Vanilla Lemonade to keep cool. I’m also reading a great cookbook, called Easy Everyday Vegetarian . It has some of the best recipes and the ones with cheese can be easily adapted. I should just buy this book. At this point the library copy ( I’m embarassed to admit) has cooking stains on a few of the pages.. and I know they’re from me!
So, despite the weather I might venture onto cooking a chili or a lentil stew. Hope you have a great Monday!
xo
M
The weather is getting hotter & hotter. Tomorrow there is a lot of chatter about a seriously hot day. Cool drinks are much needed when the wether is hot. They’re fun to make, look pretty and actually keep you cool all day. (assuming your sippin’ all day)
After finding out about some health issues posed by drinking decaf coffee as well as reading about the process of extracting the caffeine, I’ve been looking for alternatives. I found Teeccino, which is an herbal blend of caffeine free coffee. I also read in the book Raising Baby Green > By Dr. Alan Greene that the healthy extracting process is called The Swiss Water process. Many coffee companies from Starbucks- Seattle’s Best offer decaf coffee made from this process, which is great!
One of my favorite things to drink is iced coffee, if you didn’t pick up on where I was going. I’ve found one of the best ways to do this is make a tray of coffee-infused ice cubes. That way when they start to melt the flavor doesn’t go away- it actually increases! But of course lemonade, made fresh is always one of the most refreshing drinks.. I’ll have to look into making my own soon.
In other worldly subjects, I believe I need to give up cheese, again. I met with my Gastro Doc and well- just like I had suspected.. the dairy issue has returned! I wish all cheese-based dishes a sad goodbye.
This shot is of my belly at 20 weeks. If I was correct when I gave them my weight, I’ve gained 21 pounds! Um yeah. Luckily I don’t feel too big. Although we need to get our bed put together, because it gets more & more difficult to roll outta bed everyday!
My crafty plan for today is to cut out a bunch of fleece coffee sleeves. Sketch & cut a couple of appliques, to add to some hand-me-down baby clothing- to refresh them and the list goes on. Is it crazy to be thinking about the holidays? Oh don’t forget the new Project Runway starts tonight! yay xo
Have a great day hobos!
I feel like so much is happening, yet everything is standing still. Does that make any sense? I’ve been down with a stomach bug of sorts for about a week. I’m trying not to let it keep me down.
This screen pic is from the awesome blog Vintage Indie, http://vintageindie.typepad.com/vintage_indie/2008/07/vintage-green-.html they graciously featured two of my coffee cuffs today. Check them out!
Yesterday was my 19 week sonogram. All went well ( although I had to drink 32 ounces of water and couldn’t use the restroom- which was torture)- finding out who we are cooking in my belly was ALL worth it. Of course it is 90% positive- we’re having a LITTLE GIRL!! We couldn’t be happier. The names are just flowing and I am just trying to write them all down so I don’t forget. We want something old fashioney and unique. Being named “Melissa” sort of took away from being special when there were 7 others in every class!
After the sonogram, mom and I went to have breakfast- (actually my second breakfast – apparently my child is now a Hobbit and we need to eat numerous breakfast meals). Mom & and highly recommend Ikea’s new breakfast options. The home fries were yummy and the French toast sticks were outta this world! Only I could have had 2 servings- they only give you 3 per serving.
I picked up an adorable mobile made of felt , some wooden picture frames to paint and some cushions for the kitchen chairs. I was staking things out for our upcoming weekend trip. Maybe I can convince the hubbie to take me back for B-fast & more French toast yumminess.
Things in the creating department for Hobocamp have been slow. I have been doing a bit more nesting and working on home/baby projects. But I plan this Friday to spend the day crafting up new pieces for the shop. So there will be some new summery coffee cuffs which can also be used to keep your hands dry on iced cups!
Have a great day!
Up front- I’ll say I only liked these words together for a non- boring title and by no means do they have any significance.
However, with that said we did have dinner and spend our evening with Zach’s sister’s family- who live in Hawaii. We strolled around 42nd street ate at a lovely Italian place called Azalea and people watched from the corners. It was my first time being in NYC since I became pregnant. I must now have baby-vision b/c everywhere I look their are teams of preggos. There was also a nice man who gave me his seat on the subway- so much for wondering” Do I look pregnant?”
Thursday- Saturday we spent in Oneonta with my family. Cooking out, chatting and laughing at the silliness of little kids. I had a really nice time. Everything clicked. The food was great and things ran smoothly. Although the beds are a little uncomfy- the gorgeous bathroom my brother just installed- made up for all that. I can now say I’ve taken a bubble bath in Oneonta. On our way out of town we hit the local Sal’s. Zach scored some great shirts and I found some adorable onesies and such.
The rest of the weekend was spent hanging up towel racks, picture frames and shopping for food at the market- our first actual ” big shop” for the new place.
Now Monday is here. I am visiting at my parent’s house, washing all of the baby clothing I have recieved and sorting it. With hopes, this Wednesday at my sonogram we’ll find out who we are cooking in this tummy of mine!
With luck when I return home today- there will be a new air conditioner, new back door, new closet doors and a new step installed in our place. I just hope the kitties behave!
Have a great Monday
xo
M
