Hobbes

Posted on January 16, 2013

A while ago, when I was thinking about presents for a friend, I found a new use for Pinterest – gift snooping!  A quick peak at her boards gave me a number of ideas to choose from (and confirmed an idea I had already had.)  Just another reason to love Pinterest! :)

So, for her birthday, I made her this:

This is Hobbes, from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip by Bill Watterson.    I found an amazing tutorial on Instructables and then got set for hours of hand-sewing.  Yes, hours.  This is not a toy you make for just anybody as every single stripe is hand-sewed.  But everyone has those friends they would do anything for, right?    And all of it was worth it when I saw how much he was appreciated in his new home! :)

I also learned some interesting Calvin and Hobbes trivia as I searched out different ways to make a Hobbes toy.  It seems that Bill Watterson is adamantly against the merchandising of his cartoon.  So much so, that when a toy company sent him a bunch of stuffed Hobbes toys for his approval, he burned them all in a bonfire.  The only one left was the one that the manufacturer had kept, and that sold for hundreds of dollars on eBay. (or so the story goes….)  You have to respect a man with convictions, though.  I can guarantee that there will be no more Hobbes making in this house.  This was definitely a one-time endeavour.

Do you have a favourite comic strip character?  I’d love to hear about it!  Although I do enjoy Calvin and Hobbes, we are Garfield fans through and through in this house.

 

 

Posted in Everything Else | 1 Comment

The Gift of Handmade

Posted on January 8, 2013

Happy New Year!  I have been gone from the blog longer than planned, but have come back well rested and ready for action!

I must say this has been one of the best Christmases/holidays in recent memory.  Not that we didn’t have our moments of sadness as we still grieve those we have lost, but perhaps even because of this, the littlest things stood out as being even more special. 

This year, I really savoured every moment, small and large.  Playing piano at the Christmas Eve service with my mother-in-law across from me at the organ.  Cooking alongside my sister-in-law.  Watching the faces of the girls I have come to love as my own as they opened the gifts I made for them.  Ringing in the new year with friends who have become family.   Each moment truly made this a season of joy.  In a world that has started to feel uncertain, I have been learning to jump in with both feet and enjoy the now, for tomorrow does not always bring what we expect. 

Of course, there was also much secret gift-making going on before the big day.  I must admit that making handmade things for the people I love is one of my favourite parts of the holidays.  My nephews received what has become part of a Christmas tradition from the time they were small – a pair of homemade pajamas.  They were finished and tucked quickly into the mail to get to their destination on time, gone before taking pictures of the finished items was even thought of!

For one of my friends whom I had it on good authority would have an iPad under the tree, I made this iPad case.    Can you guess what his favourite game is?  :)

 

I also made a sewing bag and kit for one of my girls and for the ladies in my family I created a handmade salve from calendula-infused oil I made with flowers grown in my own garden.   

But one of the gifts I am most proud of is this Harry Potter Robe, made for one of my friend’s daughters.  I have made two of these before,in adult sizes, although it was a few years ago.   Being the third, it is also the best one that I have made.  It is fully lined in the front and meticulously hand-stitched in place to hide all of the seams.  The sleeve shape is perfect, leaving no puckers at the shoulders or underarms.  It is a thing of beauty and a labour of love and I was really glad to see her wear it almost all evening after she opened it!

So with gifts given and received, love and joy shared, I head into a new year with a full heart, eager to see what 2013 will hold. 

What holiday memories are you holding close as you begin this new year? 

 

Posted in Everything Else | 4 Comments

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 22, 2012

Merry Christmas from my house to yours!  I hope you all have a joy-filled holiday!

This was the view from our deck on Wednesday.  Unfortunately the rains came today and there is very little snow left.  I am still dreaming of a white Christmas…how about you?

Enjoy this beautiful time of year!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Princess Butterfly

Posted on December 15, 2012

This was my last create-a-creature to make before Christmas.  And what a creature to end with!  A loving Aunty is making this a gift to her niece and was able to tell me all sorts of wonderful things about the drawing.  This is a butterfly princess wearing a crown, with a striped shirt and a colourful layered skirt.  The legs you see above the skirt were an earlier addition that were not to be part of the final creature.  I love having details like this because it allows me to make something that preserves the original drawing but also meets the child’s vision for the creature too.

Wouldn’t you want this princess for your friend?

And now my own Christmas creating begins….  :)

Posted in Sewing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Parsnip and Apple Muffins – Yum!

Posted on December 12, 2012

This is a picture I took late one frosty November evening after I completed the final fall harvest.  Carrots, parsnip and salsify.  And yes, that is quite a bit of parsnip.  And yes, some of them seem to be monstrous in size. (I couldn’t wrap my hand around a few of them!)  And no, hubby does not like parsnip and with its distinctive flavour it is a hard vegetable to hide.  Trust me.  I’ve tried.

So I gave some away to some parsnip-loving friends, and still my fridge drawer is full.  I love them roasted in the oven with a little olive oil, garlic and spices.  But there is only so much parsnip a girl can roast!

Enter parsnip muffins.  I found a great recipe through Whole Foods, and then, of course, I changed it.  My version is made with a mix of whole wheat and spelt flours, uses butter instead of oil, and honey instead of sugar.  And they are yummy.  Spiced like carrot cake, moist, but not too moist, with the sweetness of raisins and the heartiness of nuts.  If you don’t have parsnips, I am sure you could substitute carrot and still have stellar results.

 

Parsnip and Apple Muffins  

Makes 18 muffins

  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1 cup whole white flour
  • 1 cup spelt flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup almond milk (or any milk)
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 parsnips, peeled and grated
  • 1 large apple, peeled and grated (without the core, of course!)
Roast nuts at 350 until browned and fragrant, about 8 minutes.  Let cool and chop.

Grease muffin pans or line with paper liners.  Combine flours with baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.  Stir in raisins and nuts.  In separate bowl combine eggs, melted butter, milk, honey and vanilla.  Add into flour mixture along with parsnip and apple.  Stir until just mixed.

Fill muffin tins and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

What vegetables do you have to find creative uses for?

 

Posted in Cooking/Recipes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s a Squirrel!

Posted on December 10, 2012

Although I mostly bring children’s drawings to life, every once in a while I am asked to make something a little more complicated.  I do love these extra challenges, and although there is always those stressful moments (Will it balance?  Will it stand?) I am actually beginning to love working in 3 dimensions.

How can you not smile when the drawing comes to life and the creature is standing there grinning at you?

I love this squirrel!  Just don’t ask him for his acorn…..he’s a little touchy about that subject…..  :)

This is one of my last creature projects before Christmas, so it will be “back to our regular programming” around here for a bit!

What Christmas surprises are you working on right now?

 

 

Posted in Sewing | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Big and Meap, My newest create-a-creature friends!

Posted on December 6, 2012

I realize there have been a lot of these create-a-creature posts recently.  As the holidays approach I do seem to spend a lot of my time bringing creatures to life (and significantly less time cooking, reading, and doing all of the other things I usually do, but those posts will return, I promise!)

But I never get tired of it.  Because each one is so different.  I love it even more when the creatures have names, and stories.

These two pictures were drawn by sisters and sent to Santa.  The story will be told that he liked them so much that he couldn’t help but turn the drawings into real live toys.  I even wrote a letter to each artist on Santa’s behalf.  It was kind of fun to be both Santa’s elf and head of communications on this job. :)  And seriously, if you were Santa, wouldn’t you want these to be the next toys your elves made?

Meet “Big.”  I don’t know what a Moshling is….but they are awfully cute!

Then there is “Meap.”  I’m not sure if he will learn to speak English, but there was a lot of “meaping” going on in my workshop this week while he waited for his friend Big to come along.  I’m just glad he wasn’t shooting his lasers….

Both are now on their way (by Santa’s sleigh, of course) to their new home!

Posted in Sewing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Taking a Different Path

Posted on December 4, 2012

I love blogs. I love getting to know people through what they write and post.  I adore tutorials and Pinterest is my new best friend.  But I am also, admittedly, a bit of a scanner. I am sure you are too.  When you read at least 20 blog posts a day, you start to get selective about what you read.

But there are a few blogs where I read every word, every time.  And my friend Krista’s blog is one of them.

Quite possibly, the reason I read everything she writes is because I know her, like, in real life!  We used to work together, and now that she is at home homeschooling her two amazing boys, reading her blog is a way to stay connected.  It also has a lot to do with the fact that she is an amazing writer.  Once I start, I just have to find out what happens next.  And I know that sometimes she is going to make me cry, and sometimes she is going to make me laugh, and all of the time she is going to speak from her heart.  I appreciate that kind of honesty.

Today, after giving me three cheers on her blog for helping her with her theme and header (have you all discovered picmonkey yet?  Because if not, you need to check it out.  It’s awesome.), she talked about how life sometimes travels a different path than we expect.

And this thought has stuck with me.  Because it is true, isn’t it?  We doggedly try to climb the hill even though our hamstrings are screaming, and rocks are falling on our head, there is a snowstorm, and the bridge is out ahead (okay, maybe it’s not always that dramatic)  and finally, finally, after we have been beaten down to the point of misery, we turn around and head on another path, only to discover that the sun is shining here, the road is easier to walk, and this was the way we should have been going all along.

Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t persevere.  Because I am all for determination and moving past challenges.  But I’m talking about the times when the door is shut and locked tight and for some reason we insist on banging our head against it in the hopes of breaking it down.

And metaphor aside, I have known my own version of this story.

My husband and I are unable to have children.  We spent six years of our marriage trying to make it happen.  We saw doctors, we read books, we took pills, we did acupuncture, we discussed scientific procedures and adoption.  (That is all a story for another day) At the end of this journey we were left with less than a 1% chance of having children of our own, and a ten-year wait list for adoption.  I can’t tell you how many tears have been shed in this process, how many times hope and disappointment intermingled, how many times I kept beating my fists against a closed door.

And yet, there was another path.  This path has allowed me to spend so much of my life and time with my dear friend’s dear children whom I love with all of my heart.  It allowed me to get to know and love this boy who is gone from this earth, but whose spirit lives on.  And when I wake up at night wishing for just one more day to sit by his side, I am ever so thankful for the path that allowed me so much time to spend with him while I could.  This path has given me a family I love (both by blood and by choice), a husband who continues to be my best friend, and time to do the things I love best (learning, taking classes, teaching, sewing, writing.)

It is not the path I would have chosen.  But I have no doubt in my mind that it is the one I was meant to be on.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

How about you?  Has there been a time in your life when you have found that there is joy in taking a different path?

Posted in life | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

A Few More Creatures Greet the World!

Posted on November 30, 2012

It has been a whirlwind here this week.  I switched some days with my co-teacher and so worked as a full-time teacher this week.  I loved being with my students all week, but I had forgotten how tiring teaching Kindergarten can be!  In amongst that I also taught sewing to a very full class of students every day after school.  And now, even though I am exhausted, I still say I loved every minute of it.  I am sad to say I never did get an opportunity to pick up my camera again, but there were some amazing projects.  Everything from wildly creative stuffies, to the young boy who decided he wanted to learn to make a hat and independently figured out  a pattern and sewed the thing and walked out of the classroom sporting his new outerwear.

Somehow, intermixed with all of that craziness, a few more creatures were born in my own sewing studio and are now on their way to meet their owners and creators.  They are all part of the camp project I mentioned before.  Due to my late-night creating hours and the fact that I both go to work and come home in the dark, the last few photos don’t quite do the drawings, and creatures, justice.  But I didn’t want to hold them here when they were so anxious to be off to their new homes!

Welcome to the world, little creatures!

Posted in Sewing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

My Very First Sewing Class for Kids

Posted on November 27, 2012

This week I am running a week-long sewing class as part of my school’s after school program.  I must say that I am LOVING it! (yes…that was shouted….with a big smile….and maybe even a little dance across the room in happiness…)   I have a few more students than I originally planned for (as of today, 21 young sewists ages 5 – 10), but with two helpers it has been a manageable number.

The theme of the week is stuffie-making!  (of course!)  We began with a stuffie that we drew on muslin and then stitched to a piece of super-soft fleece.  I got the idea from the book Sewing School and the kids are loving it!

Although the hour seems to fly by and my hands always seem to be busy, I did manage to get some photos of two of the stuffies that were finished today.  You can imagine the proud faces that brought them to me as they declared “I’m finished!”

 

Aren’t they amazing?

Some of the sewing students are moving on to an all-fleece stuffie tomorrow.  I can’t wait to see what they come up with!

 

 

 

Posted in Classes, Creative Kids, Sewing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments