Crunchy Play Clay

Between a bout of stomach bug and extreme temperatures, we've been imprisoned in the house for what feels like years. I've been trying to fight the cabin fever with some creative play activities. The biggest success by far was an afternoon spent with homemade play dough and all the fixin's. It was inspired by this post over over at An Amazing Child.

*blurry with excitement*

The only modification I made to the dough recipe was to add about 20 drops of yellow food coloring at B's request. The color is not awesome, but he didn't seem to care.
We made the dough together, me scooping the ingredients and him dumping them in and stirring the dry mixture. The downside is that it needs some time on the stove and is too hot to play with for a while. That's the tough part, managing an excited toddler and hot goop. But the entertainment-to-hassle ratio was high on the entertainment side for both of us.
This is a great multi-sensory, open-ended play activity that he was very happy to explore independently.
Best of all, it granted me 20 minutes to clean the kitchen unmolested by tiny hands trying to help. And that, dear friends, made me feel like I earned a badge for my SuperMom cape.

Wedding Season pt. 2

 My friend asked me to make her a set of keep and toss garters for her wedding this fall. I was a bit nervous making them, but after a little trial and error, I think they turned out nicely.

The ribbon is the same as on the ring bearer pillow and matches the bride's maids color scheme. The center bling-y bits are actually buttons.

I googled "wedding garter tutorial" and found lots of tutorials. I had already bought the materials, so I didn't follow any one specific guide but it was handy to get some ideas about techniques and measurements. I heat sealed the edges of the ribbons so they wouldn't fray.

And, of course, a little tiny something blue! Making these turned out to be a lot of fun! I originally was going to make my own garter for my wedding, but then we decided not to include a garter toss. I still have a tiny skein of white silk in my stash...not really enough to make one anyway, but I was a newbie knitter with big dreams. :)
Have a great weekend and stay cool out there!

Boots!

The boot fairy has heard my cries and bestowed upon me a fabulous pair of Frye Harness boots. It's amazing what happens when you whine incessantly for months ask nicely. The boot-to-lanesplitter shirt ratio is a bit off, so I think I'm going to hem it up to show more of my leg than just my old man knees. The boots make me bold. (which is also why I clearly couldn't be bothered to get my husband's sandals out of the shot) I wish I could get paid in boots.

Lanesplitter

Pattern: Lanesplitter
Yarn: Noro Taiyo color 6 (discontinued)
Needles: size 9

I have to say, I had my doubts about this project. I tried to knit a skirt in the past and was met with FTCO syndrome (Failure To Cast On) so now I have lots and lots or brown yarn to contend with. I digress. This pattern was simple to make and the results are striking. That's my favorite kind of pattern to make!
I was worried that the seam would be unsightly, but I think the colors lined up reasonably well. Instead of picking up and knitting the waistband, I used the lining instructions from So Knit Picky and it made the project go even faster. The skirt is extremely comfortable...I can't wait for cooler weather so I can wear it. Perhaps with these Frye Boots? Dear boot fairy, I am a size 9.

Also, I do plan on fixing my blog header relatively soon. The empty wagon is not some sort of existential statement. Something is wrong with my eyes and staring intently at a screen only makes things worse. I am getting myself to a doctor soon though, so no worries.

Pickles Two Ways

Happy first official day of summer! I find this day rather hilarious because we have already broken several triple digit records and it feels more like late August than mid-June. But what better way to beat the heat than to make some cold, crunchy pickles? You barely even have to turn on your oven for these babies and they're ready in a couple of hours.

Adapted from Alton Brown

Regular Not Too Sweet Bread n' Butter Pickles

You will need:

2 medium cucumbers
1/2 an onion
1 cup of water
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups of sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon of celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon of pickling spice

Thinly slice the cucumbers and onions. Stuff them into a glass jar with a tightly closing lid. In a saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let simmer 4-5 minutes. Pour the pickling juice into the jar full of cucumbers and onions. After a couple of minutes, top of the jar with the remaining juice in your pan. Let it sit out on the counter until it reaches room temperature. (Thankfully, it's boiling hot here, so it came off the stove at "room temperature") Seal the jar and stick it in the fridge until cold. Volia!

Sweet n' Spicy Pickled Goodies
Follow the directions as above, but use 1 cucumber, a little less onion, 4 banana peppers, two jalapenos and a couple of dashes of red pepper in the jar. (slice the banana peppers and jalapenos). Make the pickling juice as above. The spiciness level is easy to adjust. Also, it's easy to make a spicy and non-spicy version at the same time, just double the amount of pickling juice, stick whatever combination of cucumbers and peppers in your jars and go to town! I kind of want to pickle everything now. :)

If your kids are old enough, they can get involved filling the jars with their own vegetables and helping to measure the spices. It's good to make a few jars at once...they are highly addicting!

Happy Summer!

All-Natural Robot

From a 6"x3"brick of natural latex foam and wool batting to a cuddly, squishy robot!

WHY did I have a 6"x3" block of natural latex foam to make said robot? Well, we were in the market for a new mattress and being the super shopper that I am, I started researching mattresses. Healthy sleep makes happy people, right?
Our old bed was well, old. And really lumpy. Anyway, it doesn't take much research to come across what I felt were valid concerns about the safety of the chemicals used in making mattresses flame retardant. If you want to freak yourself out, just Google "flame retardant chemicals in mattresses". (Don't do it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, you don't need the stress)
My basic "good quality, affordable price" research turned into a full-blown hunt to find a natural but competitively priced option. During said hunt, I came across The Natural Bed Store. They generously offer a sample of their mattress making materials.

In the end, we went with a Natura Green Spring and are very pleased. But I couldn't let such nice materials go to waste! Ben loves his little "woe-wot" and I loved exercising my creative muscles. I used all of the sample...the ribbon tied around it turned into the robot's face and arms. His body is black corduroy for the seemingly endless supply in my fabric stash, and the star is from an old moth-ruined cashmere sweater. I'm proud of myself for making something using only what I have. I need to make an effort to do that more often!

Belinda's Dream Rose

For Mother's Day, I got a rose bush from the Antique Rose Emporium. I've been wanting an antique rose bush since we got a yard. Today, I got my first rose! The name of this shrub is Belinda's Dream. Lovely, no?


Sadly, we are in a serious drought and temperatures are more like late July than early June.
See those scattered thunderstorms? The weatherman keeps teasing us about water falling from the sky, but it's been a long time since that's happened in my yard. I'm working hard to keep all the plants we put in this spring alive.

My Coral Drifter has a little bloom explosion going on right now. One of the benefits of Knockout and Antique rose varieties is their hardiness. Their dainty good looks are just a ruse.

My container cherry tomato plants have some fruit now, this one plucked too soon by an over-eager toddler. Too bad it isn't big enough to fry!

All this "look at my inspiration board" and "look at my garden" may lead one to believe that there has been no knitting, crafting, or doll making of any kind...but there has! I just haven't gotten decent photos of anything. Soon, my friends, soon.