Monday, August 18, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Babies Everywhere!

These are gifts I made for two recent baby showers for friends. The dress is made from a button down shirt I bought for myself and rarely wore. The short-all is made from an 'imperfect' Hanes t-shirt I bought for $1. I always kick myself after the items are finished when I realize I should have taken pictures of the process! But they're both easy. You can draw your own pattern, or use an existing item of children's clothing as a pattern. Sorry about the fuzzy pic for the short-all, but it was taken with a cell phone.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Low Tide Drifters are here to Stay!
I know you were all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to hear what our decision would be for a band name. And, drum roll please, we are NOT changing it! Ha! We did some busking this weekend at the Oregon Country Fair and we learned a few things. First, the name we picked (The Whistlestops) did not feel right (I couldn't remember it when people would ask). Second, finger picking on acoustic instruments without resonators doesn't translate well for busking...especially when the other buskers have seven-piece ensembles! And last, but not least, sucking dust at the OCF does not improve harmonica playing, vocals or the overall mood of the musicians. The fair has never been our thing, but we were bound and determined to give it a try. I don't think Dennis (blues harp) has recovered yet.
We did, however, get to see one of my local favs, The Badmitten Orchestrae. These ladies are just awesome musicianers and fun! They're nice, too! Here they are busking near the Divine Cupcake cart. They were sweet enough to listen to our (very quiet) set and Morgan (fiddle) sat in with us on a couple of tunes.
We did, however, get to see one of my local favs, The Badmitten Orchestrae. These ladies are just awesome musicianers and fun! They're nice, too! Here they are busking near the Divine Cupcake cart. They were sweet enough to listen to our (very quiet) set and Morgan (fiddle) sat in with us on a couple of tunes.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Super fun 30 minute Kids' backpack
I saw this patch at a shop in Oakridge, Or and just had to have it for my nephew, who has been a veggie-lover since before he had teeth to chew. It was the perfect size for a little backpack that he could use to carry his own books and toys on a trip with his mom and baby brother.
I sewed the patch to another piece of canvas that was about 4-6 inches longer than the actual patch and just a bit wider. I sewed the bottom of the patch to the end of the other canvas piece that matched the width of the patch. I then folded the top of the patch up to meet the other end of the long strip of fabric that resulted when I sewed the patch to the new piece of canvas. The printed side of the patch should face in (wrong sides out). Iron the back pack so that there is a 1/2 - 1 inch strip showing below the patch. In this case,
Freedom from Work

Entertain yourself this summer! A fire pit is incredibly good fun in and of itself...a few friends and a warm blaze can be just right on a summer evening (or early morning).
The band (referred to previously as Low Tide Drifters, but having another name crisis - help! Give us a reply if you think of something good - we're looking for something vaguely political/catchy. It would be great if the name was unforgettable and incredibly clever) will be playing at the Oregon Country Fair on Saturday - we'll be busking near the cupcake cart....Divine Cupcake has fabulous tasty vegan organic cupcakes. I'm not vegan and they still taste fantastic!



Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Easy Purse Shopping Bag

The pink one is even easier. It's made from a pink silk camisole (to you men, that's a tank top) that I bought at Goodwill for a couple bucks and the bag is made from a really inexpensive remnant of brocade. The trick with making a shopping bag from a tank top is to find one really cheap (or free) that has the same neckline as the back line (i.e., not a scoop neck). If you find one like this, it's the perfect shopping bag and no need to hem the straps.
Turn the "stuff sack" inside out and sew it into the inside seam of the bag facing the top. Now, when you turn the "stuff sack" rite side out you can stuff the shopping bag inside. You can close your "stuff sack" with a drawstring, or as I did with the purple brocade, you can use a simple snap button.
They make great gifts and they're good for the environment. Plus, you're not paying $5 for a brand name "Chico Bag," which uses the same concept. And, if you're into it, you can make it much prettier than a chico bag!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Front Porch Pastimes
I have to say that I haven't watched TV in many months. Oh, I'll catch a film every other week or two, but I have to say that on the whole I'm way too busy for TV. Here we are, entertaining ourselves this evening on a nice shady front porch (temps got to about 93 F here today). Also notice our two biggest fans (it should tell you something that our two biggest fans always want us to stop playing music and throw a ball or spin them around the yard).
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