Sidetracked Artist

First Snow of 2012

2012-01-16T09:35:00.000-08:00

Our first snow of the season began yesterday and really picked up this morning.

Clover, our youngest cat, has ventured out into it a few times but always returns to his favorite heater vent.

The other two cats have experienced snow many times over the years and want nothing to do with it. They're content to stay inside our cozy house.

That's my plan for the day, too.

Cindy

Thoughtful Beginnings

2012-01-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

photo by Laura Tabacchi

The start of this new year, for me, is a time of thought. It’s a time for reflecting on the past and dreaming about the future. I haven’t made any resolutions. I’m still considering my goals for this year.

It might be simpler if I jumped into 2012 with a list of projects to complete or a new weight loss plan to begin. I do need to lose weight, and I have a number of projects in mind. But first, I need to think.

Before I jump into a flurry of activity and try to do too much, resulting in exhaustion, I’m considering my priorities. I am evaluating my resources, especially time and energy. I’m factoring in my need for rest each day.

Last year was busy. Bryan started college and Fred started working on an MBA.

We adopted a rambunctious kitten, who is seen here under the file cabinet keeping the world safe from dust bunnies.

I ~~pushed~~ helped Laura to finish the classes she needed to get her high school diploma, and we so enjoyed having family visit and join is in celebrating her achievement.

We adopted a dog and took her to dog training classes and worked with her until she was able to ~~barely~~ pass her "final exam".

I refinished our dining room table, developed new recipes for my family and Wheatless Foodie, and continued selling digital art at Sidetracked Artist on Etsy.

Our year began winding down with my parents’ visit at Thanksgiving. The following weekend, Fred and I took the ferry to Victoria, B.C. to see Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café Christmas show. There were days of shopping, gift making, wrapping, shipping, and holiday baking.

Then it was New Year’s Eve, and as usual, Fred and I watched the ball drop in New York on CNN at 9:00pm and went to bed. Don’t judge.

So here it is, 2012, a leap year. 366 days.

I wonder what this year will hold. I know that I will do things to improve my health, like eating more fruits and vegetables and moving more. I will help Laura, with all the love and encouragement I have within me, to move forward with her life. I want to paint, and knit, and sew a little, and work in the garden. I would like to have more organization and routine in my life. I would dearly love to be able to spend more time with family and friends.

I hope to live each day more thoughtfully and intentionally and contunue focussing on gratitude. And I have so much to be grateful for.

Have a wonderful and blessed 2012!

Cindy

Linked with the Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now

A Busy Time of Year

2011-12-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

Life can be so hectic at this time of year. In addition to the usual day-to-day living, we have those additional activities related to the holidays. I almost wrote “burdens” instead of “activities”, because sometimes that’s how it seems when I’m tired, which is a great deal of the time.

Just to be clear, I love the holidays and look forward to them every year. I just find them exhausting. I wonder how many other people feel this way.

Nevertheless, I am grateful to be able to participate in our Christmas traditions. Shopping, wrapping, gift making, baking, decorating, etc. have been a big part of my days this month.

Meal preparation and housework? Not so much, but that’s OK. There will be time again to catch up on all of that later.

The cats think that having a tree in the house with that nice red velvet “blanket” under it is the best idea ever. They especially like the big water bowl at the base of the tree which clearly was put there just for them.

It’s been a busy time of year for the dog, too. Sophie’s been trying her best to scare away delivery people with her barking, but they keep stopping at our house anyway. She also has to bark at any jingling bell sounds coming from the TV that kinda sorta sound like a doorbell.

Thanks to Laura and Bryan, the Christmas tree looks lovely. The house is decked out with lighted garland and assorted decorations throughout. They did a great job with the outside lights, too.

Laura and I made these gluten free Chocolate Brownie Cookies for Fred to share with his co-workers. They were slightly crispy on the outside and filled with chewy chocolate goodness.

We made homemade Peppermint Bark for the first time. It was so easy! We just melted dark chocolate chips in the microwave according to the package instructions and spread it out onto a parchment-lined baking pan. After it chilled in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, we melted white chocolate chips and spread them over the hardened dark chocolate then pressed crushed candy canes into the surface of the white chocolate. After it hardened in the refrigerator overnight, we broke it into pieces. Yum!

Now it’s time to rest, relax, and enjoy spending time with my family.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a joyous holiday season!

Cindy

Printable Gift Tags

2011-12-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

click here for printable Christmas tags

It's been another busy week of shopping, gift making, wrapping, and shipping. I just have a couple more gifts to buy and I will officially be finished with Christmas shopping. Yay! I have a few more boxes to ship next week, also. Laura has been really helpful with the shopping, wrapping, and shipping and I really appreciate her help. Plus, she's a better gift wrapper than I am.

We purchased a fresh cut tree from a nearby tree lot. No trudging through ice like last year - it's just too cold out (for me, anyway) with temps earlier today only in the 30s. The tree has been hauled into the house and set up in the stand to be decorated tomorrow. The fresh pine makes the house smell so good.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Cindy

Only Three Weeks?

2011-12-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

Really? There are only three weeks left until Christmas!

It feels like time is racing. It was just Thanksgiving, then Fred and I went out of town for a couple of days, and I've spent the past few days thinking about Christmas preparations. I've purchased a few things at the store, a few more online, and I'm working frantically on the gifts I'm making.

When it's time for a break, I like to spend a few minutes cruising around Pinterest. Here are some of my favorites:

And finally...

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Cindy

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melody Beattie

Wishing everyone a blessed and joy filled Thanksgiving.

Cindy

How to Wear Scarves

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

This video is amazing, and not just for the information being conveyed. I'm impressed with the way in which it was all put together.

The Week's End

2011-11-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

It has been said that “time flies”, and that has certainly been the case for me this week. I usually begin each week with a list of what I hope to accomplish. This week’s list includes:

knitting Christmas gifts,

(Shhh...don't tell!)

developing recipes for my other blog,

grocery shopping for the week and for Thanksgiving dinner,

photo source

making a Kindle case to fill an Etsy order,

stopping at the feed store for chicken feed,

and making covers for the cushions on the hope chest in our living room, something like these.

photo source

I’ve been tired this week, as usual, and everything has required that I push myself to keep going, to do just one more thing. The alternative would have been accomplishing nothing at all, and that just doesn’t work for me. I have to accomplish something, anything, even small things.

I got the groceries with Laura’s help, I started the gift knitting and began the Kindle case. I worked on gluten free recipes, but none of them came out the way I expected and will need more work before I can post them to Wheatless Foodie. I bought chicken feed.

The cushions will have to wait. Again. Those cushion covers have been on my lists for weeks, but the cushions can remain wrapped in a quilt for now.

Today I am resting. It’s Laura and Bryan’s night to cook dinner, and they clean the house on Fridays. I plan to spend the day working on the Kindle case and gift knitting, as well as some image work on the computer. I might read, or just sit with my eyes closed and a cat in my lap as I look forward to a weekend spent with my family.

What do you do to restore your energy?

Cindy

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Do you use Pinterest?

When I first heard of Pinterest, my first thought was, “Now we all have another way to waste time on the internet”. After spending time there, I’ve found Pinterest to be beneficial.

First, for those who aren’t familiar with Pinterest, it’s sort of a virtual pinboard. It’s a place to find inspiration and ideas. Pinterest is a virtual smorgasbord of visual appeal that includes home decor, fashion, art, food and more.

Click here to see Pinterest’s explanation of what they are about.

I like using Pinterest for saving and organizing things I see on the web so that I can easily find them later. I like seeing what other people are “pinning” onto their “pinboards”. I also enjoy taking a few minutes to relax and take in all the lovely images on Pinterest.

It’s free to register and use Pinterest, but you need an invitation to get started. If anyone would like me to send them an invitation, please let me know.

Cindy

Over-Wintering Chickens

2011-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Chickens need a little extra care to survive cold weather. Their coop needs to be waterproof but still provide some ventilation. A heat lamp will help keep them warm, and can increase their egg production. As always, they need good food and fresh water, and the water needs to be kept from freezing.

We have a small chicken coop, about 4 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet tall. There’s a hole in the floor just big enough for a chicken to access the ramp that leads down into the enclosed area under the coop and the attached chicken run. There is a wire covered vent near the roof on the side opposite the hole in the floor. During the night, the hole is covered with a heavy piece of wood to keep out predators and also to help the hens stay warm. Pine shavings cover the floor and line the nest (the plastic basket to the left of the door).

During the colder months, we add a little warmth to the hen house with two heat lamps placed inside the coop just below the roof. These are plugged into an inexpensive thermostat that plugs into the heavy duty power cord carrying electricity from the house. When the temperature drops to 38 F, the lamps come on. When the temperature reaches 50 F, the lamps shut off.

This heat also keeps their water from freezing. They always have access to the coop, so we never have to move their water outside. Another way to handle keeping the water from freezing is to use a heated base. This is a good option for larger flocks with outside water during the winter.

In addition to keeping the chickens comfortable, we have found that egg production increases when we’re using the heat lamps. This is partly because when chickens don’t have to use up so much energy to keep warm, they have more energy available for egg production. The other reason the lamps increase egg production is that chickens lay eggs according to how much light they get. Without supplemental light, their egg production slows or stops during the fall and winter and resumes as the days get longer. The added light they receive from the heat lamps has the same effect as having longer days.

Also, we give our chickens some cracked corn when it's especially cold. This is in addition to the chicken feed that they always have access to. The cracked corn helps them produce a little extra body heat to keep them warm.

This is our third flock of chickens and our third coop. It’s a small, simple set-up that’s easy to manage in our average sized backyard. With just a little extra attention, our hens over-winter nicely and provide us with a nearly year-round egg supply.

We've kept backyard chickens for several years and find them to be less trouble (and certainly quieter) than any dogs we've had. Even with a bit of extra time and effort to keep them well during the winter, we enjoy having these funny birds and appreciate having fresh homegrown eggs.

Cindy

For some additional weekend reading, visit the Weekend Bloggy Reading Link-up at Serenity Now.

The Final Vegetable Harvest for 2011

2011-11-09T15:16:00.000-08:00

I harvested the last of this year’s vegetables from the garden last weekend. This final harvest consisted of a couple of overgrown scallions and a patch of lettuce, all of which has been cleaned and stored in the refrigerator.

The last of the tomatoes are ripening on the vines hanging in the garage.

The previous summer’s vegetable garden was kind of pathetic. The area had been covered with grass when we bought the property in November 2009. It was spring before we were able to work in the yard and prepare a small garden plot by removing the sod and working a little compost into our poor quality soil.

Ideally, raised beds filled with good garden soil would have been a better choice to produce a higher yield of vegetables, but I wasn’t willing to spend that much money. We had some nice spring salads, a few tomatoes, and a handful of zucchini.

Since our chickens reside in a moveable coop, they were moved around the garden area all winter. We were also able to easily expand the garden area, since chickens are really good at eliminating grass.

They scratched and pecked, tilled, and fertilized the area from late fall to late winter and were then moved to another part of the yard a few weeks before I planned to begin this year’s garden. Then the soil was turned and planted.

What a difference this made to our vegetable yield!

Having a bit bigger garden helped too, but the yield per square foot of ground was so much better than the previous year, even with our poor weather this year.

We’re ending the season as we began with delicious fresh salads. In between we’ve enjoyed sugar snap peas, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, green onions, acorn squash and pumpkins. There are several quarts of green beans in the freezer along with homemade pumpkin puree measured and stored in recipe-size amounts. And there’s a basket of sweet acorn squash keeping cool in the garage.

The chickens were moved to the garden area last weekend, but this year they won’t be moved around. Fred fenced in the entire garden area so that the chickens will have the run of the area for the next few months. With our rainy winters this will be easier than pushing the coop through the mud every week. By Spring, the ground should be ready to grow more food.

I love growing fresh vegetables, and it is so satisfying to serve food that my family has raised. But it's a lot of work. Some people enjoy planting a fall/winter garden, but I’m ready for a break.

Cindy

National Digital Scrapbook Day 2011

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today is National Digital Scrapbook Day!

I've created this Autumn Digital Scrapbooking Mini-Kit of five 12x12 inch digital papers and sixteen digital elements using public domain images and some of my original images.

I had fun creating this Autumn digital scrapbooking mini-kit, and I hope you enjoy using it.

Cindy

Please visit this week's Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now for more fun ideas.

A Bad Day

2011-11-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life,

your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.

Rabindranath Tagore

Yesterday was one of those days. You know, a day when things aren't going the way you think they should. Nothing really tragic or earth shattering was happening, and I recognized that fact, but little irritations were getting the best of me.

To begin with, I wasn't feeling very well. I have this inner ear thing that sometimes causes dizziness when I move. There were things I wanted to do and places to go, so I did them anyway, weaving around and trying to keep my balance as I went. And there were little things that felt like they mattered more than they did.

My attitude wasn't at it's best, either, and that was a lot of the problem.

When I took my husband out to lunch (we have a weekly lunch "date"), I began to feel better. I always enjoy spending time with my husband, and by the time I took Fred back to work, I felt much better. I noticed how beautiful the fall leaves looked, all red, orange, gold, and green. I still had a "to-do" list a mile long, but it all seemed more manageable.

I didn't accomplish everything on my list, but it was alright, I didn't really mind. Just spending some time with my husband had made all the difference in my attitude and my day.

How do you handle a bad day?

Cindy

Faith and Patience

2011-10-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

You’ve probably heard the prayer, “God, please give me patience, and I want it NOW.” When we ask for something in prayer, we naturally would like for it to materialize immediately. Waiting is hard. We want what we want, and we want it now.

For the most part, I feel peace and happiness with prayers of gratitude. I feel a sense of God’s presence when I acknowledge His many blessings.
Sometimes I make a special request in prayer, and that is when I struggle most with patience.

I saw a quote recently on Pinterest, and it has been in my thoughts a great deal. "Faith in God includes faith in His timing" (quote by Neal A. Maxwell). I like it so much that I am sharing it in the form of the printable art seen below.

Cindy

printable version

Linked to Premeditated Leftovers's Gallery of Favorites: Favorites from 2011.

Extending the Tomato Harvest

2011-10-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

Homegrown tomatoes are so delicious. I’ve planted at least a few tomato plants each year through most of my adult life. I enjoy eating fresh tomatoes when they’re in season and generally avoid tomatoes the rest of the year. In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver describes out of season tomatoes as tasting like “sour water”. I agree.

Our short growing season means that we haven’t harvested many tomatoes when the weather turns cold again. My tomato plants have a lot of green tomatoes, and with daytime temperatures in the 40s and 50s and nightime temperatures near freezing, those tomatoes aren’t going to ripen on their own.

In the past, I’ve harvested the green tomatoes and let them ripen on the windowsill, which works well. This year I’m trying something different that I remember reading about.

The tomato plants are pulled from the ground, the dirt is shaken off of the roots, and the plants, with the green tomatoes still attached, are hung upside down in a dry, frost-free place.

I’ve hung the tomato plants in the garage at the end of a storage rack. We’ll see how well this method of extending the tomato harvest works.

Cindy

A Shabby Treasure

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Laura and I enjoy going to yard sales during the summer. Whole house estate sales are the most fun as they frequently have interesting older items. We both enjoy looking at the ~~junk~~ treasures that people have kept for many years.

I purchased a shabby old quilt for ten dollars at one of these estate sales . It was made using a pattern that was especially popular during the 1930s called Dresden Plate. Back in the ‘30s, women frequently made use of pretty printed feed sacks for fabric. These feed sack fabric designs are still popular and have been reproduced for present-day quilters.

I don’t know the age of my shabby quilt, just that it is very worn and appears to be very old.

I purchased it with the intention of using it for craft projects, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to cut it up. There are so many hours of hand work that went into making this quilt, and the workmanship is good.

This quilt was made by an experienced quilter. I’ve also considered repairing/restoring it.

I’m busy with several other projects now, so I won’t be doing anything with the quilt anytime soon. When the time is right to do something with it, I’ll know. For now, I’m just enjoying having this beautiful quilt.

What kind of treasures do you enjoy?

Cindy

Before I Go to Sleep (Book Review)

2011-10-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

Imagine waking up in a strange bedroom next to a man you don’t remember ever having met. Even more startling is your reflection in the mirror. It first you don’t recognize the woman looking back at you, then you realize she’s you, just much a much older you.

The man in the bed claims to be your husband and tells you that this happens every day. You learn that you can only remember what happens during one day, then you forget everything when you sleep. He has to explain this to you every morning.

As your day progresses, you meet a doctor who says he is trying to help you. You have a friend and confidant who remembers things about you of which you have no memory. Your husband takes care of your needs and tells you he loves you, but he’s a complete stranger to you.

Flashes of memory happen randomly, and sometimes they don’t match up with what you’ve been told. Are the memories real or a product of your imagination? Have you completely lost your mind, or just your memory?

S. J. Watson takes readers into amnesiac Christine’s disoriented world in this debut novel. Her attempts to sort out the truth of how she lost her memory lead to a surprisingly chilling ending.

Cindy

Losing a Baby

2011-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

People have asked, “Do you only have the one child?” The question sometimes leaves me feeling as though I’m in some way lacking, like I didn’t finish the job. I’ve even occasionally heard the comment, “So, she’s an only child”, which makes me think of the negative implication attached to being an “only child.” Fred and I wanted to have more children, but sometimes we don’t get everything we want in life.

I have been pregnant four times. Three of those pregnancies ended in miscarriages. This isn’t something I talk about and not something people ask about. It’s generally understood to be one of those topics we all avoid. Discussing miscarriage makes people uncomfortable.

The pain of losing these unborn children has lessened over time. It sits in the back of my heart, the pain just a smaller shadow of what it once was. When our heartbreaking losses were still fresh, I wondered when, or if, the pain would ever go away. It hasn’t left completely, at least not so far. It is a part of who I am, adding to my stores of compassion and understanding.

Miscarriage is a complicated subject and doesn’t always just happen suddenly. Two of my miscarriages were “missed miscarriages”, which means that the baby had died weeks earlier, but my body was not letting go of the remains of the pregnancy. These miscarriages both required a D and C, a surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia to complete the miscarriage.

The first of these happened near the end of my first trimester. The emotional pain Fred and I experienced at these times was unimaginable and remains indescribable. We were helped through these events by our love for each other, and with prayer and the love and support of family and friends. There were also several doctors and nurses that helped us through these terrible ordeals with their kindness and their careful attention to my health needs. Unfortunately, there were also some that made things even more difficult.

I remember meeting with an anesthesiologist soon after learning that my first baby had died, and I couldn’t stop crying. This doctor didn’t understand why I was so upset, because, as she said, “you can have another baby”.

The last missed miscarriage happened well into my second trimester. The doctor who treated me thought it best to have me deliver the deceased baby rather than performing a D and C. I would have preferred to have the D and C and get the whole thing over with, but he was unwilling to do the procedure. I was hospitalized and given drugs to induce labor, but other than making me sick, the drugs had no effect on my body. Eventually, the doctor had to do the procedure after all.

Miscarriage is the most common complication of early pregnancy and occurs in as many as 25% of pregnancies. But even though it happens so often, people sometimes don’t know what to say. They want to say something to help ease the grief but never having been in this situation may say things that aren’t helpful at all.

I remember people sometimes offering words meant to comfort that weren’t comforting at all. There were phrases like, “there must have been something wrong with the baby, so it’s probably for the best that you miscarried”, or, “miscarriages are fairly common”, or, it was God’s will”. I learned that there really isn’t anything that can be said that will make grieving parents feel any better after losing a child, except maybe a simple, “I’m sorry for your loss”.

There came a time when Fred and I decided to stop trying to have another child. I was experiencing health problems, and we felt it best for me to devote what energy I had toward caring for our daughter and for myself.

It was so hard to let go of the possibility of having more children. Even now, years later, I sometimes wonder, “what if that child had lived”, briefly imagining this unlived life. But life goes on, and we have always felt grateful for our precious daughter.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. For more information visit Share.

Cindy

If the Broom Fits...

2011-10-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

To get this free printable for Halloween, click here.

Close Encounters

2011-10-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

We live on the edge of town, residential Bellingham on one side and open countryside on the other. We enjoy watching deer in the field across the street and the squirells that try to steal the stale bread we've given to the chickens in our backyard.

However, sometimes living around wildlife isn't so charming.

Last night our dog got sprayed by a skunk.

Holy moly, the smell!

We frequently have to close our windows at night when a skunk is nearby until the air outside has cleared. Fortunately, we live about a half mile from the ocean, and there is usually a breeze. But this is the first time we've smelled the vile stench of skunk up close.

Laura and Bryan got her into the tub and started washing her while Fred found a recipe for a "de-skunking solution". It contained 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap.

After being washed with dog shampoo and rinsed, twice, then soaked with the above solution and allowed to stand with the solution in her fur for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinsed, she smells much better.

She still smells like a dog, but I guess that can't be helped.

Cindy

Reduce Stroke Risk with Chocolate

2011-10-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Researchers in Sweden claim that eating two chocolate bars per week reduces a woman's stroke risk by twenty percent.

This is some preventative medicine I am taking full advantage of!

You can read the details here about how Chocolate Consumption Likely Reduces Stroke Risk.

Cindy

{this moment}

2011-10-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Amanda Soule

Today I'm joining Soulemama's weekly post of a single photo.

Change of Plans

2011-09-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

We're overrun with apples from the apple tree in our backyard. We harvested about half of them a couple of weekends ago. Those got peeled, cored and trimmed of insect damage, then dipped in a citric acid solution, tossed with a little sugar, and stored in the freezer.

We harvested the remaining apples this past weekend, and I was planning on making and canning applesauce today. But I was just too tired today for such a big job.

And besides, it was a lovely day. A sunny, mid-70s day. The kind of day we won't be getting many (or maybe any) more of for a long time.

So Laura, Bryan and I went to a Whatcom Falls Park to take photos.

We'll get to the apples another day.

Cindy

Fingerless Mittens, a knitting pattern

2011-09-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Fingerless Mittens

What you'll need

Fingering weight yarn (sock yarn)

Size 2 double point (dp) needles, or size needed to achieve gauge

Stitch markers

Small stitch holders

Gauge:

8 stitches per inch

11 rows per inch

Instructions

Cast on 60 stitches and divide evenly between three needles. Making sure that cast on row isn’t twisted, place marker and join circular row.

Knit 2, Purl 2 around for 22 rows (2 inches).

Knit every stitch around for 11 rows (1 inch).

Thumb Gusset

Increase Row: Knit (K)30, place marker (pm), make one, K6, make 1 (by knitting in the front and back of the next stitch, or use your preferred method for increasing by one stitch), pm, K24 (one increase row completed).

{Knit even around for 3 rows. Complete one increase Row} Repeat 3 more times for a total of 5 increase rows.

Knit two rows.

Knit 30, then place all stitches except 16 thumb stitches on stitch holders.

Thumb

K 1, make 1, K2 (5 stitches total on first needle).

Using another dp needle, K7 (7 stitches total on second needle).

Using another dp needle again, K2, make 1, K1 (5 stitches total on third needle)

Connect circular row and knit even around for 6 rows.

{K1, P1} around for 5 rows.

Stretch Bind Off

Knit two together IN BACK of first two stitches. Slip stitch from right needle back to left needle.

Repeat until all stitches have been bound off. Cut yarn with a 12 inch tail and pull through last stitch. Weave in yarn tail.

Finishing Fingerless Mitten

Divide remaining stitches onto 3 dp needles and attach yarn.

Knit even around for 13 row. Total length from cast on row should now be about 6 inches.

K1, P1, around for 5 rows.

Finish with Stretch Bind Off, and weave in yarn tail.

Printable Version

Shaklee Sports Nutrition Pack Giveaway

2011-09-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

I was an Amway brat. My parents were successful Amway distributers for many years, and we used Amway products extensively in our home. They were good products.

Their laundry products worked well, and were a good value because they were so concentrated. Best of all, they didn't irritate sensitive skin. Because I have extremely sensitive skin, I've continued using Amway laundry products for most of my adult life - until recently.

I'm not sure when it happened exactly, but Amway began adding fragrance to their laundry products. Since I can't stand wearing perfumed clothing, I started using fragrance free laundry products from the grocery store. Finding fragrance free laundry detergent and fabric softener from the store has been easy. There are several available.

There is one Amway product, however, that my family wasn't willing to give up: Trizyme. It's an enzyme laundry booster and one of Laura's favorite laundry products, but the new Trizyme contains a lot of fragrance. Laura can't stand fragrances, especially in her clothing.

I searched the grocery stores and the internet and found an enzyme laundry booster that didn't appear to contain fragrance. It's a pruduct called Nature Bright sold by Shaklee, and it's working well for us. Since I will be purchasing it regularly, I signed up for a Shaklee membership so I can always purchase it with a 15% membership discount.

While I don't have any plans to actively sell Shaklee products, today I was notified of a special offer currently being made by Shaklee, so I'm passing it on:

Shaklee is offering a 15% discount to all NEW Shaklee customers on their first order using this link .

Shaklee is known for their high quality, biodegradable cleaning products and their natural nutritional products. They were the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral™ certification and totally offset our CO2 emissions, resulting in a net zero impact on the environment. You can learn more about the company and their products on the Shaklee website.

If you've ever thought about trying Shaklee's products, what better time than while they're offering this 15% discount? I wasn't able to find information on when this offer ends, so if you're interested, don't wait too long. (Legal stuff: I will receive a $25 credit towards my Shaklee purchases for every new customer order of $25 or more. I received the products for this giveaway at no charge, but I am not being compensated for this blog post or for managing the giveaway.)

At the time I placed my order, Shaklee was giving away a Sports Nutrition pack with orders over a certain dollar amount, and my order qualified. I'm passing along these sports nutrition products in a giveaway.

photo from Shaklee website

GIVEAWAY:
I'm giving away the following Shaklee Nutrition products to one winner:

1 Shaklee Physique® Natural Banana flavor shake mix
1 Shaklee Performance®Orange Pure Hydration Drink
1 Shaklee Energy*Pure Energy Chews

How to Enter:
1. Leave a comment here (counts as one entry)
2. "Follow" my blog and let me know in the comments, or comment that you already follow my blog (counts as one entry)
3. Tweat about the giveaway on Twitter.(counts as one entry - limit one entry per day for "tweating".

The entry period for this giveaway will run through September 30, 2011. The winner will be chosen using a random number generator.

Update: Congratulations to Cheryl Free @TheLuckyLadybug, chosen by the random number generator at random.org.

Cindy

Thanks to The Lucky Ladybug for posting this giveaway. To find more giveaways, visit the The Lucky Ladybug.
More giveaways can also be found at In Good Cents

Transferring Images to Fabric with Printable Iron-On Transfer Sheets

2011-09-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Transferring an image to fabric can be accomplished by a number of means, but I think the easiest is to use an iron-on transfer sheet. These sheets allow an image to be printed onto the sheet, cut out, and ironed onto the fabric. The above photo shows two different types of iron-on transfer sheets.

The image with the white background was created with HP Iron-on Transfers for Color Fabrics. I printed the image on the transfer paper and transferred it to the fabric (following HP's directions) as follows:

Iron-on transfers work best when the fabric is supported by a firm surface, not an ironing board. I used our granite counter top protected by several layers of newspaper. I added a layer of craft paper between the newspapers and the fabric to prevent the newsprint from rubbing off onto the fabric.

After placing the fabric on my ironing surface, I ironed the fabric to remove wrinkles.

Next, I printed the image, cut it out, and peeled the paper backing off of the image. This type of transfer is placed face up on the fabric.

I placed the provided ironing sheet over the image and pressed with a hot iron according to their instructions.

After allowing it to cool for one minute, I removed the ironing sheet to view the finished image.

As you can see, the white background remains on this type of transfer. That's because it is made for transferring photos and other images onto dark or intensly colored fabrics. The white background prevents the dark fabric from showing through any light areas in the photo or image. Since I would prefer not to have a white background behind this image, this type of transfer paper isn't the best choice for this application.

Next, I tried Soft n Easy Inkjet Iron On T-Shirt Transfer Paper. This transfer paper is made for transferring images to white or light colored fabrics.

Using the same ironed fabric, I applied the image using the instructions that came with the transfer paper. First, I printed a mirror image of my image onto the transfer paper and trimmed with scissors.

Then, I placed the image face down onto the fabric and pressed it with a hot iron.

After allowing it to cool for two minutes, I removed the paper backing.

This transfer paper worked well, transferring the image with a clear background. If I wanted to transfer the image with little or no clear transfer material showing, I would have to carefully trim the image from the transfer paper before ironing.

The above image and others are available at sidetrackedartist.etsy.com.

Cindy

Knitting Now

2011-08-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on fingerless gloves knit with Panda Superwash yarn from Crystal Palace Yarns. This lovely, soft, yarn is 51% bamboo, 39% superwash wool, and 10% nylon. This color is called Stonewash. I'll post the pattern when I'm finished with it.

What are you working on?

Cindy

Bean Bounty

2011-08-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather has warmed here in northwest Washington state , our vegetable garden is producing well. In addition to all the zucchini and cucumbers, we've harvested lots of green beans.

I've taken some young, tender beans for a couple of dinners, but this was our first big harvest from the been vines. I was amazed at how many beans we got from this 4 x 6 foot piece of ground. This is the first time I've grown beans with a teepee-like structure, and I'm happy with how well it's worked.

In the spring, I used bamboo poles I purchased at our farmer's market to provide the main structure for the teepee. My husband "planted" them in the four corners of the plot, tied them together near the top, then I wrapped the whole thing with yarn scraps for the beans to climb on. Only the outer edges of the 4 x 6 rectangle were planted.

There are still many little beans in various stages of growth for another harvest, and the vines continue to blossom. I placed the beans in the refrigerator until tomorrow, when I'll start cleaning, blanching and freezing them.

My favorite way to eat green beans is steamed, just tender-crisp, with butter and salt. My family prefers them cooked with bacon, or lightly oiled and roasted in the oven. And of course there is the green bean casserole with holiday meals.

How do you like to eat green beans? Any recipes for using up any garden vegetables would be appreciated.

Cindy

Refinishing a Table

2011-08-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

When Fred and I were first married, our dining room furniture consisted of a borrowed card table and folding chairs. We used the money we received as wedding gifts to purchase a china hutch, a table, and six chairs. After 25 years, the table top wasn’t looking too good.

Since new dining room furniture isn’t likely to make an appearance in my life anytime soon, and I couldn’t stand my shabby table any longer, I decided to refinish the top of the table. Fortunately, furniture refinishing was one of the skills my mom taught me when I was growing up.

She tried to teach me housekeeping too, but that one didn’t take very well.

I don’t ordinarily take on projects like this anymore because of my health problems, but this one would be manageable. I could take as many breaks as I needed and rest for as long as I needed, and no strength was required since I wouldn’t be moving the table.

After just three trips to Home Depot I had everything I needed. Note to self: make a list before going to the store. I purchased: sandpaper (coarse, fine, and super fine), masking tape, disposable gloves, a protective mask to wear when sanding, wood stain, a brush, and polyurethane (I chose spray). I already had an electric sander, rags, and drop cloths.

I would need to work on the table outside (no room in the garage), so I used a tent-like enclosure with screened sides to protect it while allowing for good ventilation.

Here’s the table before I began:

I began by sanding with the coarse sandpaper to remove the old finish. Then I sanded with the fine sandpaper to smooth out the surface followed by a final pass with the super fine paper. I carefully dry dusted the table to make sure there was no remaining sandpaper. Instead of finishing with a tack cloth, I got my hand wet, then dried them on a clean rag. This very slightly damp rag was used to remove the last traces of sawdust from the surface of the table.

I masked off the table edge then brushed on the wood stain. Following the directions on the can of stain, I waited 15 minutes, then used a clean rag to wipe off whatever stain remained.

The next day, I sprayed on five coats of the polyurethane, again following the manufacturer’s directions.

The following day, I lightly hand sanded the table top with the super fine sandpaper. After a coat of furniture polish, the table was ready to be moved back into the house.

It was a lot of work to refinish this table but worth the effort.

Cindy

Linked to It's a Hodgepodge Friday

August 2011 Garden Update

2011-08-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

Summer in Bellingham is lovely. This year it was slow in coming, so we’re appreciating it that much more. We’ve only had one day above 80 degrees so far, but daytime highs in the seventies is just about perfect as far as I’m concerned.

We've been eating outside garden every night, enjoying the flowers and the antics of our pets: dog, cats, and chickens.

The vegetable garden is doing well.

We enjoyed several weeks of fresh salads during the spring and early summer, and I’ve just replanted those areas with lettuce seed again.

The zucchini took off for awhile but are slowing down. Too bad, we've all been enjoying my gluten free chocolate chip zucchini bread. There are several little pie-sized pumpkins on the vines, but I haven’s seen any acorn squash yet. There might be one or two hiding in the foliage, though, which is really thick.

The beans really took off on their teepee-like structure.

Several tomatoes have set and are beginning to ripen, as well as a few bell peppers. I planted both orange and purple carrots, and they’re coming along well too, as are the green onions and cucumbers.

Here are the green beans and carrots I brought in for dinner on Saturday.

I sliced the carrots lengthwise, added a sliced zucchini, and cooked them all in little oil in the skillet until they were caramelized on the outside and cooked through. They were so good!

It is so satisfying to prepare food that you’ve raised yourself, whether it’s vegetables, fruit, or fresh eggs from the chickens. I can’t adequately explain it. The food just seems more valuable when you’ve tended it for weeks or months and brought it to the table with your own hands.

I hope everyone else is enjoying the bounty of the season as well.

Cindy

Loving Summer

2011-08-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Summer was late coming to Bellingham this year, but it was worth waiting for. Mostly sunny with highs in the seventies is my idea of perfect.

Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend!

Cindy

Laura's Graduation Celebration

2011-07-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

Our daughter finished the requirements to receive a high school diploma earlier this year from an online high school. As I wrote in my last post, this was quite an achievement for her. There were times when it looked like she wouldn't finish. And after working on it for so long while she struggled with other issues, she was kind of burned out from the whole situation.

One of the things that helped her push herself to finish those last two classes was the knowledge that she would be having a celebration party when she finished. There isn’t much Laura wouldn’t do to be able to throw a party.

Growing up, she was known for her parties. There were numerous birthday parties and a few Halloween parties, and they were all painstakingly planned and beautifully executed. And there were always elaborate decorations involved – that was the most fun for her. She loves to decorate!

We live two states away from family, and we would be asking our family to travel here for this celebration. After considering everyone’s schedules, and what would be involved with hosting a large event at home, we settled on two smaller parties instead of one big one. This would allow Laura to spend more time with each guest than if everyone were there all at once and would be less overwhelming for her as well.

It would be easier logistically too, since one big party would require renting tables and chairs and could be a problem if it rained on party day. Our house isn’t very big, but we have a nice sized yard and were planning to have the party outside. The weather here in Bellingham is unpredictable, and rain was a real possibility, even in July.

The party preparations began weeks in advance. Many blogs were viewed and many ideas considered. One of Laura’s favorite decorations were tissue paper pom-poms. She found lots of colors of tissue paper at our local “dollar” store, and we worked on pom-poms for weeks.

We also made pastel paper bunting with wrapping paper from the “dollar” store.

She made some little pom-poms for the table, too.

Since Laura and I are gluten intolerant, she decided to make the desserts gluten free. We made delicious chocolate cupcakes with Pamela’s Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix. Laura and her Zia frosted cupcakes with homemade buttercream icing then decorated them with sprinkles.

They were almost too pretty to eat.

We also “made” some pretty pastel cookies. Well, we didn’t actually make the cookies, we just decorated them. We used Mi-Del Gluten Free Vanilla Sandwich Cookies that we dipped in pastel candy coating, then decorated with sprinkles.

When God assigned families, we were truly blessed. Traveling here required a long (20 hours each way) drive for some family members and expensive air travel for others. There are not words to express my gratitude to our loved ones for their willingness to travel so far to make Laura’s graduation celebration such a special event.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t so supportive. Rain began falling as we were setting up for the first party. With the help of a portable tent-like shade gazebo with multiple shower curtain liners pinned to the sides and patio umbrellas covering the ends, we were able to continue with our plans. There would be fewer decorations put out, because paper bunting and tissue paper pom-poms just don’t do well in the rain, and it was a little chilly, but we had a lovely party anyway.

The day of the second party was sunny and warm, and all the decorations went up in the yard.

I especially liked these little lanterns we made by wrapping wire around the tops of canning jars, dropping in a candle, and hanging the jars from the trees.

We enjoyed playing some croquet around the yard, got to visit a little, and we again shared good food, laughter, and love.

Congratulations, Laura!

Separation Anxiety Disorder and Agoraphobia

2011-07-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Separation anxiety is a normal stage of development in babies. The exact age of its onset and resolution vary with different sources, but in general, it begins at around 8 months and ends at about 18 months but can sometimes last until 36 months of age.

Separation Anxiety Disorder is not the same thing as the normal separation anxiety of babyhood.

Separation Anxiety Disorder is a psychological disorder that involves intense anxiety when the person is separated from home or from someone with whom they have a strong emotional attachment (usually a parent or grandparent). By “intense anxiety” I don’t mean they simply feel anxious, or fearful at the beginning of the separation. I mean that the person feels terrified, nauseous, and disoriented by the thought that something may happen to the person they are attached to while they are absent.

My daughter, Laura, has suffered from Separation Anxiety Disorder for as long as she can remember.

Separation Anxiety Disorder affects about 4% of children and about 7% of adults. The cause is unknown, but is frequently preceded by a traumatic event. The recommended treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy.

Anxiety disorders can also be associated with other disorders, as has been the case with Laura. I reviewed one of these in my post about Tourette Syndrome.

One of the most common manifestations of Separation Anxiety Disorder in children is school avoidance. Laura struggled with attending school from pre-school through grade school. We participated in numerous counseling sessions with her over the years that were based on cognitive behavioral therapy, and finally, in middle school she began enjoying going to school.

Yes, that’s right, it took a full 8 years for her to not only be able to attend school without feeling nauseous and scared, but to actually enjoy school. During those years she underwent numerous hours of counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and eventually found some relief with the aid of prescribed medications. She had a wonderful eighth grade year and was looking forward to high school.

Her anxiety disorder returned with a vengeance during high school, and at the beginning of her sophomore year, she just couldn’t bring herself to attend classes any more. There was nothing we could say, offer her, withhold from her, or do to convince her to go to school. She wanted to finish high school and earn a high school diploma, but she insisted that she somehow needed to do it from home.

Online school was just beginning to be an option at that time, and we found an accredited online high school with a good curriculum. We enrolled her and she began what became a very long journey as well as an emotional roller-coaster.

I won’t go into all the details and timelines, but her experience included not just separation anxiety disorder, but also panic attacks, depression and agoraphobia. At one point, she couldn’t stand to be more than two blocks from home.

She continued seeing the Child Psychiatrist that had been treating her since diagnosing her with Tourette Syndrome when she was younger and who monitored and adjusted her medications as needed. Laura also regularly met with wonderful licensed clinical social worker who was a tremendous help to her. The counselor started seeing Laura when the agoraphobia was at its worst and was willing to come to our house until Laura was able to travel the few miles to her office.

Unfortunately, the medications had side effects, including weight gain and a lack of interest in accomplishing anything. Apparently, the medications that lessen her anxiety also reduce her ambition and her drive to achieve. Completing online classes without set deadlines for submitting assignments became a huge challenge. (Note: many public schools now offer online classes that follow the same schedule and deadlines as regular classes)

But Laura kept working at her schoolwork little by little, sometimes just one class at a time, until spring of this year when she finally finished the requirements for her high school diploma.

We are so proud of her!

She’s taking a break from school now and working on her artwork and her Etsy business. This has been some really personal stuff, and I want to thank Laura for allowing me to share these experiences.

Cindy

Tourette Syndrome

2011-07-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

When our daughter was about six years old, she began making repetitive hand gestures and vocalizations. She began sniffling constantly, and at first we thought it might be allergies. Her doctor agreed and wrote a prescription, which didn’t help.

The sniffling continued and she also began frequent throat clearing. Additional allergy medications were tried, but had no affect. The repetitive gestures continued as well.

We later learned that these movements and vocalizations are called tics. There were also sudden angry outbursts and uncontrollable meltdowns.

Laura said that she just had to do the gestures and make the noises. It wasn’t that they were completely out of her control. She could sometimes resist doing them, but not for long. Fortunately, swearing was never a problem, as it is for about 10% of people with Tourette Syndrome.

Her pediatrician referred us for counseling to find out what was causing this bazaar behavior. The counselor (I can’t remember now if she was a psychologist or a licensed clinical social worker) began by asking us about our home life. She wanted specifically to know if our lives included alcoholism or domestic violence.

The counselor seemed sure that Laura’s behavior must be due to something that was going on within our home. After a few hour-long visits with Laura, however, she decided that the problem was more likely physical in origin. She referred us to a Child Psychiatrist.

A Psychiatrist is a medical doctor (M.D.) who specializes in mental health issues. While Tourette Syndrome is a neurobiological disorder, it is treated by mental health professionals.

The cause of Tourette Syndrome is unknown. It is believed to be inherited, but the exact gene hasn’t been found. There may also be environmental triggers involved such as autoimmune disorders, the contraction of streptococcal bacteria (the cause of strep throat), lack of blood supply/oxygen during birth and low birth weight.

People with Tourette Syndrome frequently also have associated conditions, which include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD and ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), learning disabilities, behavior problems, sleep disorders, depression and anxiety disorders.

Laura outgrew the tics during adolescence, but has struggled over the years with some of the associated conditions. I’ll be discussing these issues in later posts.

“Thank you” to my daughter, Laura, for allowing me to share her story.

Cindy

Our Newest Family Member

2011-06-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

Meet Sophie. We recently adopted her from a dog rescue group.

She's about 3 years old, and 18 pounds of love and fluff.

We don't know what breed she is, exactly. The group we adopted her from said she's part American Eskimo.

The vet said she appears to be part corgi.

Except Eskies and Corgis have ears that point straight up, and Sophie's ears flop over.

Her ears look like border collie ears. And she does like to try to herd the cats. Hmmm.

When she's wet, her fur curls into little ringlets, like poodle fur. Maybe she's part poodle.

So what does that make her?

EskieCorgiPoo?

Don't know; doesn't matter.

At the shelter, the fur was shaved off over the back half of her body because it was so matted. Poor pup.

We had a really cold, rainy Spring this year, so Laura got Sophie a rain coat to wear on her daily walks. Her fur's growing back now, but nobody likes a soaking wet dog raining water through the house as she shakes off, so it's a good thing to have.

And the dog doesn't seem to mind. If a walk is involved, it's all good.

Dogs have such wonderful attitudes.

Cindy

Susan Branch

2011-06-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

I discovered Susan Branch's art years ago when I made scrapbooks. I love watercolor paintings, and her work grabbed my attention.

I can't really explain why I like Susan Branch's work so much. Looking at her watercolors just makes me feel good.

It's the kind of watercolor that I enjoy creating. Except that my work lacks that extra something that comes with thousands of hours of practice. I'll keep working at it.

I just discovered that Susan Branch has a blog, and it's filled with her lovely watercolors!

That just makes me happy.

Cindy

Update: You can enter to win a copy of Susan Branch's book, Girlfriends, here at Creative Connections.

Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake

2011-06-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

I just found out that my digital image, KEEP CALM and HAVE A CUPCAKE is currently being featured on GREENWAWA-Live Life Greener in a Father's Day gift idea post by Elena Lipson.

Elena will also be including the item next week in a post on her blog, Eco Diva-Ethical Luxury.

Thank you, Elena!

And "thank you" to my daughter, Laura, for providing the great cupcake drawing.

Cindy

Gluten Free Giveaway

2011-06-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

Enter to win a prize pack of gluten free baking mixes from Betty Crocker and MyBlogSpark at my other blog, Wheatless Foodie.

Click here to go to the giveaway.

Cindy

Vegetable Garden Update

2011-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

It’s been a cold, wet Spring here in Northwest Washington state. In Bellingham we’ve only had a handful of days above 60 degrees so far this year. We haven’t seen 70 degrees since sometime last year.

At least the temperature has been staying above freezing for the past couple of weeks. I finished planting our vegetable garden over the past week. Now we just need some warmer weather so we can harvest the summer vegies before first frost.

Fortunately, we like salads, because the garden has produced lots of lettuce these past few weeks. There really is nothing like fresh, crisp, delicious lettuce.

The broccoli heads are forming, and the few sugar snap pea transplants have been blooming. Most of the sugar snap peas I planted from seed didn’t sprout. I think it was just too cold and wet here.

There are carrots, both orange and purple, and green onions just coming up.

We’re still waiting on the pole beans to sprout.

To make use of space as much as possible, I’ve been planting new transplants near crops that are nearly ready to harvest. Like these tomato plants with the lettuce.

There are lettuce plants in various stages from new seedlings to half grown plants to full size plants ready to harvest. We should be enjoying garden fresh salads for several more weeks.

Near the broccoli and peas, I’ve planted cucumbers and chives. We’re supposed to have a few sunny days this weekend, and the broccoli leaves will keep the new transplants from getting scorched.

By the time the cucumbers need more room, we’ll be eating the broccoli.

I sprouted pumpkins, acorn squash and zucchini inside, and they’re out in the garden now, too.

We're also enjoying fresh eggs from our three hens, Miss Marple, Nancy Drew and Jessica Fletcher.

For now, we'll just keep enjoying our fresh salads and hope for sunnier days.

Cindy

P.S. Check out other garden posts at Smockity Frocks, The Finer Things in Life, and Getting Freedom from Debt

Chip Holder

2011-05-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

Keeping chips from getting crunched while being stored in your house can be a challenge. It’s especially frustrating to have an opened bag of chips get lost in the back of a cabinet or shelf until it’s too stale to eat. I have throwing away food.

I recently came up with a solution that’s working well for us. We have a pantry with some shelf space and also a little unused wall space. This little bit of wall space was just big enough for hanging chip storage.

Here’s how to make this chip holder:

Using heavy cotton yarn and a suitable size crochet hook (the yarn label should have a recommendation – I used a size I hook with Sugar ‘n Cream® yarn), crochet a chain about the length you want the finished chip holder to be. Turn and single crochet in each chain stitch. Chain one and turn, then single crochet in each single crochet. Repeat until you have the width you want or about a 1 ½ to 2 inch wide piece. Bind off. This is the backing for the chip holder.

Fold down the top 3 to 4 inches and sew, crochet, or tie securely in place. This makes the loop you will use to hang the chip holder on the wall on a hook or nail.

Cut several 12 inch pieces of the cotton yarn, then use each piece to tie chip clips securely onto the backing about 4 to 6 inches apart. Trim excess ends about one inch from each knot.

Now it’s ready to hang and add chip bags. I especially like that the chip clips are tied down so that they don’t disappear.

For more great ideas, visit The Idea Room Linky Party 5.

Cindy

A Taboo Subject

2011-05-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

We're not supposed to discuss money in our society. No telling how much money we make, and don't ask how much money other people make. Just don't.

But discussing money management seems to be OK, so I'ld like to share a tool I found that helps with managing personal finances.

Managing the family's finances is my job. Knowing where we stand financially requires keeping track of how much money is coming in, which doesn't change much, and how much money is going out, which can easily get out of control.

I've tried several methods of tracking expenses over the years, and most haven't worked well for me. The reason is that I'm terrible at keeping records. Whether recording things on paper or on the computer, I'm just not good at following through with recording expenses daily, or weekly, or whatever...over, and over, and over...

Not happening.

Fortunately, I found Mint.com. This site pulls the information I need into a nice, neat, easy to follow format that helps me keep track of our spending.

Knowing the areas in which we tend to overspend has helped me make some changes to help keep our spending in line with our ~~budget~~ spending plan.

I would love to know how others are managing their spending.

Cindy

Memorial Day

2011-05-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

For many of us, Memorial Day means the beginning of the summer season and maybe a day off from work.

Memorial Day is actually a day of remembrance for all the men and women who have died in military service. Originally called Decoration Day, it was enacted to honor soldiers of the Civil War. After World War I, this day of remembrance was extended to honor those who died in all wars.

As we enjoy our weekend, let us remember with gratitude.

Cindy

Free Printable: Little Thank You Note Cards

2011-05-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you’re giving someone a little thank you gift, it’s nice to have a simple little card to attach. And it's even better if you don't have to make a trip to the store to get one.

Here’s a sheet of 2 inch printable note cards for just such an occasion.

The sheet just needs to be printed on 8 ½ x 11 inch card stock and cut into individual note cards following the guides. You can then fold the cards and punch a hole to attach with string or ribbon, or you can tape it on or tuck it in the gift.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Cindy

May Flowers

2011-05-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

We had a few sunny days last week, and it finally started to look like Spring in our garden.

Apple Blossoms

Tulips and Daffodils

Dogwood

Love this pink Angelique Tulip!

Hope everyone has a lovely week,

Cindy

Vintage Art and Antique Book Pages

2011-05-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

I've been collecting vintage art images for about the past year. I don't know what it is about vintage illustrations that appeals to me so much. They just have such a charming feel to them, I guess.

I also love books. I love reading them, holding them, seeing them in my home, and I especially like finding really old books in antique stores. Unfortunately, some of the really old books are falling apart. The bindings are broken, and the pages are loose or detached.

Some clever Etsy sellers are combining vintage images with old book pages to create lovely artwork, and I thought this would be a really fun thing to work on.

So I'm combining my lovely vintage images with the pages from old books to hopefully create some appealing artwork.

If all goes well, I'll be listing these art prints soon in my Etsy shop.

Cindy

25 Years Ago

2011-05-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

On this day, twenty five years ago, I walked down the isle toward the front of the church where my husband-to-be stood waiting. Escorted by my father, and wearing a lovely gown made by my mother, I took step after careful step toward the man I loved.

We first met across a desk as I interviewed him for a job. Fred was just out of college and interviewing for his first “real” job, the job that would begin his career. I had been out of college just a couple of years myself, and this was the first job of my career as well.

He was so smart and perfectly qualified for the job. The small food processor I worked for operated in a former gas station – a “service station”. You know, from back in the day, when you could pull into a service station where they pumped your gas, checked your oil, and cleaned your windshield, and you could get someone to work on your car in neeed.

The job paid little, not really enough to live on. The company always hired entry level food technologists for the Product Development/Quality Control lab because they paid so poorly. Nobody with any experience would have worked there.

I couldn’t imagine Fred taking the job I would be offering him. He was so obviously intelligent and had a degree from Davis. He could do better. But times were hard then as now. For this job, I had received 70 resumes. He accepted the job, and our friendship began.

Reaching the front of the church, my father placed my hand in Fred’s, then stepped away, symbolically handing me over into Fred’s care.

After working together for six months, we began dating. Even though I was his boss at work, I don’t think it ever occurred to either of us that we shouldn’t date. We were married less than a year later.

Soon we had exchanged the traditional vows to love, honor and cherish...and we became husband and wife.

We’ve done a lot during these past twenty five years, and we’ve been through a lot. Successes and tragedies, and losses we never would have imagined when we began our life together. And we’ve been so incredibly blessed. We have a wonderful daughter, and we have always enjoyed the love and support of our families.

If I were asked again, “Will you take this man...,” I would answer in a heartbeat,

"I will".

Pink and Yellow Tulip

2011-05-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

Scan of Pink and Yellow Tulip 5" x 7" Watercolor on 140 lb. Arches Cold Pressed Paper.

Tulips 2011

2011-04-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my family visited the Tulip Festival in Skagit County, WA, which is about a half hour's drive south of Bellingham. After a cold, rainy month, we were blessed with a sunny day to enjoy the tulips.

We walked around the lovely gardens at RoozenGaarde to enjoy the many tulip and daffodil varieties. I especially liked these full, frilly daffodils.

The tulips were all identified with markers so customers could easily identify their favorites to purchase bulbs for their own gardens.

The variety was amazing!

Hope everyone else had a lovely Easter weekend too!

Cindy

Free Printable Note Cards for Earth Day

2011-04-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

In honor of Earth Day, which is on April 22nd., I've created these printable notecards:

Here's the printable, which can be printed on 8.5 x 11 inch cardstock.

Cut them apart along the light gray line, then fold each in half. They will fit in a standard A2 size envelope.

Cindy

April Snow Showers

2011-04-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is what we woke up to this morning:

Really?

Painting Practice

2011-04-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about doing some watercolor paintings for my Etsy shop. I haven't painted for a long time and was surprised at how difficult this simple painting became. So today's painting is just a practice piece to warm up and re-establish those connections between eyes, brain, and hands.

I was planning to start with a carrot, then paint this lovely red pepper. But I needed the pepper for tonight's dinner, so it got to go first.

And since I haven't painted for so long, I fiddled with it for way too long, so the carrot will have to wait for tomorrow.

Cindy

GIVEAWAY!

2011-03-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting a giveaway of gluten free products from Namaste here at Wheatless Foodie.

Please come visit and enter!

Cindy

Garden Planning

2011-03-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Have you planned your garden? I think I enjoy garden planning nearly as much as the actual planting.

Territorial Seed Company has this great garden planner. Here's the garden I've planned for this year:

Actually, this represents my plan for the summer garden. It will be about 2 more months before I can set out tomato and pepper plants, so for now I've planted lettuce in those areas.

The chickens spent the winter tilling, fertilizing and removing sod to expand the vegetable garden. They were moved to other parts of the yard for awhile, and the weeds in the garden grew back quickly.

So they're spending a little more time working there again before I plant those areas. Thanks girls!

Cindy

Linked to Smockity Frock's Frugal Gardening 101

Kitty Love

2011-03-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Meet Clover, a.k.a. The Little Monster. He came to live with us in January when he was 4 months old.

He's a very busy little guy.

There's nothing like laundry fresh out of the dryer.

"Let me help you set up this photo shoot for your Etsy shop"

He especially likes racing around and batting at anything that moves, including our other two cats.

Amber is not happy about this newest addition to our family.

Maggie dislikes the situation even more then Amber.

Not happy at all!

“Hey, that’s MY place in front of the fire!”

"What?"

He’s so sweet...when he’s asleep.

Welcome, Clover!

Cold Winter Day

2011-02-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

It's sunny today, but cold. This is a screenshot of the weather at around noon:

I took some cracked corn out to the chickens this morning to help them stay warm.

They have heat lamps in the hen house to keep them from freezing. And to keep their water and eggs from freezing. Also, we've found that when it's cold enough to keep the heat lamps coming on at night, we get more eggs. Hens lay according to how much light they're getting, so more light equals more eggs.

The hen house, which is raised off the ground above a part of the chicken run that they get to via a hole in the floor with a ramp to the ground, is just a big (4'x4'x4') wooden box with a door.

It's just big enough for our three hens and holds their water, food, a nest for laying eggs (the black plastic crate), and a perch for them to roost on at night.

There's an egg in the nest!

We've been putting out seed for the wild birds too.

I'm amazed that these crocus survived this latest storm with the wind blowing the icy stinging snow around last night:

I'm soooooo looking forward to Spring!

Cindy

Kindle Cases and Origami Roses

2011-02-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

What do Kindle Cases and Origami Roses have in common? Nothing.

Except that they've both been selling in our Etsy shop.

I've been busy making more Kindle Cases like the one in this tutorial.

I've sold several of the red e-reader cases, so I thought it might be fun to raid my stash of yarns and fabrics and see what other combinations I could make. Also, one of the customers who purchased the red Kindle cover asked if I could add a wrist strap. I thought this was such a good idea that I add wrist straps to all the new cases I made.

This lime green wristlet makes me think of springtime when the light bright green new growth appears on plants and trees :

And I especially like this pink and orange case that reminds me of citrus fruits, like oranges, lemons and sweet ruby red grapefruits.

I love the cute owl print inside this blue Kindle cover:

Laura's been busy selling her origami creations on Artistic Inspiration. Her origami roses have been especially popular.

One of her customers asked her to put her origami roses on table cards for a wedding, so now she has a new item that she can sell.

I love how customer requests can result in new products that we wouldn't have thought to make otherwise.

I so appreciate our customers! I always feel grateful when another order comes in, whether its for one of my handmade items or orders for Laura's work.

Thank you!

Cindy

A Day in the Garden

2011-02-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

It's cold, gray and rainy here in northwest Washington state. It's dreary. I'm ready for spring, dang-it, and I'm ready for it NOW!

But since the weather isn't cooperating, I've chosen some lovely things to look at from a variety of sellers on Etsy:

Enjoy your day!

Cindy

Wear Red

2011-02-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

Today is national Wear Red Day, a day to raise awareness about heart disease. While many women fear cancer more than any other disease, heart disease is actually the number one killer of women.

Want to lower your risk?

If you smoke, STOP! STOP NOW!

Eat a healthy, balanced diet.

Lose weight if needed (I so need to work on this one!).

Maintain a physically active lifestyle.

What do you get if you do all of these things? You get an 82% lower chance of having heart disease. That’s huge!

And there’s one more thing you can do. Wear red today to help raise heart health awareness.

What are you doing to stay healthy?

Cindy

Free Printable Valentine

2011-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

When I'm too tired to work in the kitchen on new recipes for my other blog, Wheatless Foodie, I enjoy ~~playing~~ working with digital graphics. All I need is my laptop (with Photoshop), my recliner, and a little creativity.

Sometimes I create my own images from scratch. A lot of the time, though, I like to work with Public Domain images, making changes, rearrangeing, combining, recoloring...

When I'm satisfied with the finished images, I usually offer them for sale at my Etsy shop. I don't make a lot of money, but the little bit I do make is nice, and I get such a charge from each sale. Someone actually likes my work and is willing to pay money for it!

It just makes me feel happy. And grateful.

Besides, gluten-free flours are expensive, and it's nice to have a little extra money to spend on the gluten-free ingredients I use to develop recipes for my family and to post on Wheatless Foodie.

I've created the this free printable valentine to share:

You should be able to download it here from Flickr, or download an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of 8 here.

For more fun ideas, visit

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

It’s that time again. Another year is gone, and a new year is just beginning. We’re reflecting on the past and making resolutions for the future. Thoughts of losing weight, exercising more, and other forms of self improvement are swirling in our heads.

Looking back over this past year, I see areas where I’ve moved forward. I’ve been learning how to use Photoshop and started my Etsy shop, Sidetracked Artist, selling digital graphics. I enjoy being able to work on the computer when I’m unable to be up doing other things.

I’ve also been trying and developing new recipes and blogging both here and at my other blog, Wheatless Foodie.

While my lupus has been mostly under control this past year, fibromyalgia has been increasingly challenging for me this past year. Fatigue and pain have made it difficult for me to do the things I would like to do a great deal of the time. Fortunately, with the help of a good doctor and physical therapist, I am doing better. I can manage being on my feet for longer periods of time now (sometimes 30 to 40 minutes!), so I’m able to go to the store for groceries, spend time in the kitchen, and do a little gardening.

My family moved into a new home just over a year ago, and we’ve mostly finished unpacking. At least, I think we’ve nearly finished. The house is full, so we must be finished, right? Except that there are still boxes in the garage, and we still haven’t found the drawer to one of the end tables in the living room.

I’m not making any “resolutions”. It seems like New Year’s Resolutions are just begging to be broken. But I am making goals. I plan to:

1. Continue exercising regularly and increasing the amount of exercise I am able to do.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables, less sugar and fat.

3. Spend more time creating original artwork.

A year seems like such a long time, but looking back, it has gone by so quickly. Now we have another 365 days ahead of us to do with as we wish. What will you do with your 365 days?

For some creative ideas, visit :

The Perfect Christmas Tree

2010-12-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to cut our own Christmas tree from a local tree farm. It was a beautiful sunny day, except for being about 35 degrees out. The ground was still frozen and a little icy in places from a recent snow storm, but no matter. We were going to get a Christmas tree.

The tree farm covers several acres and had so many beautiful trees and several varieties to choose from. One of us would spy a tree "over there", then upon closer inspection would decide it wasn't quite right. Maybe there was a bare patch, or too many brown needles, or it wasn't shaped right, etc.

And yes, that's Laura wearing a skirt, mary janes, and a big Hello Kitty purse. That's my girl!

After awhile, after traipsing over several acres, the trees all start to look alike, and look really good. This happens at about the same time that noses are numb and toes are freezing.

It was only then that we found the "perfect tree".

It was up to Laura and I to document the event in photos, and neither of us remembered to bring a camera. So I'm using cell phone photos.

The tree farm provided a saw, and it was the job of the manly men among us (Fred and Bryan) to cut the tree and haul it to the car.

The tree was tied down and ready for the long trip home. OK, not really, we only live about 10 miles from the tree farm.

The freshly cut tree filled our home with the fresh pine scent that, for me, means its Christmas.

Wishing everyone a blessed holiday season and a joyful new year.

Cindy

First Snow of the Season

2010-11-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

The first snow of the season is always so exciting. One of my friends refers to snow as a four letter word (Hi Cyndi!), and I can’t blame her since she’s lived with snowy winters for over two decades.

I’ll admit that in February I won’t be so happy to see it either, and by March I’ll be desperate to move to a warmer climate.

But the season’s first snow is always welcomed.

World Kindness Day

2010-11-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I purchased an item for our home that was extremely heavy. I managed to get it into the shopping cart by tilting it over the edge and letting gravity do the rest. I wondered how I would get it into the back of my Ford Escape.

I thought about asking for help, but didn't. I'm not good at asking for help.

When I got out to the car, and tried to pick it up, I couldn't. It was just too heavy.

I was wishing that I had someone to help me, when a stranger asked if I needed help. Between the two of us, we were able to hoist it up and into the back of the vehicle.

I thanked the nice man, and as I continue to feel grateful for his help, I'm looking for ways to pay it forward.

Today is World Kindness Day. What will you do?

Flexibility

2010-11-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

This is our cat Amber in one of her favorite sleeping positions.

It looks very much like the spine stretching exercise my physical therapist has me doing. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have the flexibility of a cat?

She was startled by the click of the camera, but still managed to strike a pose for the next shot.

Good kitty!

Crochet Kindle Case Tutorial

2010-10-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

My wonderful husband gave me a Kindle e-reader for my birthday last month. I love to read and am enjoying having an e-reader. I like to carry it in my purse, but wanted it to be protected, so I made a cover for it. Here’s how:

1. Using cotton (Sugar & Cream weight) yarn and a size K crochet hook, chain 26.

2. Beginning with the second chain from hook, single crochet in each chain stitch to end. This should now be a half-inch longer than the height of the Kindle.

3. Chain 1, turn, and single crochet in each single crochet. Repeat this step until the piece is twice the width of the Kindle plus three inches. Bind off.

4. Lay Kindle on piece about three inches from one end.

Fold other end over Kindle. Adjust so that Kindle is completely covered and edge of piece matches side edge of Kindle.

(So, Kindle is inside in this illustration, with left side folded over top of Kindle)

5. Remove Kindle, and fold remaining 2 – 2 ½ inches over other two layers.

Pin sides together. Stitch sides with matching yarn, or crochet layers together. Now you should have a crocheted case with a foldover top. You can stop here, or continue to add a lining.

6. To make the lining, cut a piece of coordinating fabric to the height of the Kindle plus 1 inch and twice the width of the Kindle plus 2 inches.

7. Fold right sides together matching short edges.

8. Stitch both sides together with ½ inch seams.

9. Fold open edge down (toward wrong side) 1 inch and press in place.

10. Place lining in crochet cover and slip stitch in place.

11. To make fabric flower embellishment, cut a piece of fabric 2 ½ inches wide and 15 inches long. Fold in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Press and unfold. Fold long sides to center, and fold in half lengthwise. Press in place. Use this fabric “ribbon” to make a ribbon rose. Stitch to front of Kindle case.

Printable Version
If you would like a case like this and don’t want to make it yourself, you can purchase this Kindle Cover or request a custom Kindle Cover from Artistic Inspiration.

For more fun, creative ideas...

and take a look at the Handmade Holiday Gift Guide 2011 at Grosgrain.

Free Halloween Printable

2010-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Download here

To Teach a Child

2010-09-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

There was a time, many years ago, when I considered getting a teaching credential. Briefly. Ultimately, my interest in food, cooking, nutrition and food science led to a career in food product development, and later to my blog, Wheatless Foodie.

Much later, when my daughter was in elementary school, it was my pleasure to be a parent classroom volunteer. Although I already respected teaching as a profession, having grown up with an aunt who was a teacher, I was frequently in awe of my daughter’s teachers.

What a difficult job they had, with each student having different skill levels and abilities. They always managed to make it work, to engage their students in an ongoing series of activities that would result in learning.

Now it’s Back to School time, and I just want to say “thank you” to all the teachers who bless our children’s lives and help shape the future of our world.

Here’s a free printable card, which can be printed on 8 ½ x 11 inche card stock and folded in half:

21 Years Ago...

2010-07-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

...this child was born.

She was baptized surrounded by her family.

In the blink of an eye, or so it seemed, she was crawling, then walking...

She loved Elmo

and Patti.

She really liked her playhouse.

Would you like to come inside?

What a wonderful artist...

then

and now.

Soon it was time for her first Communion.

She loves dressing up and was stylin’ from the start.

Halloween has always been her favorite holiday,

and she threw some wicked Halloween parties for her friends.

There were many birthday parties too.

And she can be so helpful!

My daughter is loving, gracious, warm, funny, smart, talented, caring, and compassionate. This child of mine is in tune with the world around her with an awareness that amazes me. I am so proud of who she is and look forward with wonder at her possibilities, her contributions to the world.

I feel so blessed to have this beautiful child as my daughter. But she is no longer a child. Today we celebrate her 21st birthday.

Happy Birthday, sweetie!

This Week

2010-06-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

I've been working on things for Artistic Inspiration. I finished these summer weight fingerless gloves:

And I've been playing with fabric embellishments:

Now I'm going to join the "I Made It Blog Party at Everything Etsy".

Hope everyone's having a good week.

Cindy

Gluten-Free Blogroll - The Gluten-Free Homemaker

2010-05-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Gluten-Free Blogroll - The Gluten-Free Homemaker

The Gluten-Free Homemaker is putting together a gluten-free blogroll. If you blog gluten-free, please go to her site and add your blog.

Then check back to see what others are posting!

Free Downloads: Invitations

2010-05-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Due to some chronic health issues (My Story), I sometimes have days where I’m not able to do much. I need to rest as much as possible on those days. On some of those days, my brain is in such a fog that it’s hard to concentrate on a book, or work on the computer, and the best I can manage is watching mindless TV shows. Fortunately, I don’t have a lot of those days.

But there are still the days when my body won’t cooperate enough for me to work in the garden, or in the kitchen, or even to sit at a table to work on crafts. But my mind is still active and easily bored. So I find things to do on the computer.

I like creating things with Microsoft Office Publisher. I don’t know why I enjoy this so much. It’s just fun. And it’s what I have on my computer.

This flower was fun to make:

I’m thinking of using it in some printable downloads for Artistic Inspiration.

Here are a couple of invitations I made with Publisher:

They can be downloaded here.

I’m working on learning Photoshop, but it’s slow going. I thought I was pretty good on the computer, but trying to use Photoshop just makes me feel stupid.

I’ll keep working on it.

Chasing Chickens

2010-05-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

My family thinks I’m, well, how do I put this, a little nuts, and they might be right. I’ve been chasing chickens. Not literally, of course, but I am sort of obsessed with chickens.

In Medford, we had our first flock about eight years ago. My husband built a wonderful hen house and chicken run on the side of our property, and we got eight chicks from the local co-op. We started them in a large Rubbermaid bin in the guest room, but the smell soon got the best of us. Who knew a few baby chicks could be so stinky?

After spending time in a large box in the garage, they were moved to the coop. Soon after, there was “the chicken incident”, which involved the need to “put down” one of the chickens and a decision about whether or not to take the said chicken to the vet and pay him to do the deed. Having already spent too much on the coop, let’s just say that “the chicken incident” ended with a large kitchen knife and a deceased chicken. ‘Nuff said.

Down to seven chickens.

At about four months old, one of the chickens started crowing. My then 13 year old daughter and her middle-school friends named him Russell. Living in town, we couldn’t keep a rooster and found him a home with a friend in the country.

And then there were six.

After awhile, one of the hens was getting “henpecked”. This happens sometimes in a flock of hens. The chickens all gang up on one chicken and will literally peck her to death. When we noticed the henpecking starting, we isolated the poor thing until she could heal. After trying unsuccessfully to let her join the flock, she was moved out to the country with Russell the rooster.

The remaining chickens stayed with us until we listed the house for sale the following year, and then they also joined their former flockmates in the country.

We moved into a house on a larger piece of property and started the whole chicken thing again. This time, we cobbled together a small coop with free materials scavenged through Freecycle and Craigslist. We raised four hens from chicks, and had a great little laying flock.

The Great Recession, as it is being called, resulted in job loss and relocation to another state. We re-homed our chickens with a friend, packed our stuff, loaded the four of us, our dog and four cats into two cars and moved to Bellingham. We lived in a disaster-of-a-rental-house for awhile then bought our current house last November.

I really wasn’t planning to have chickens again, but I started noticing them in a few other yards around the neighborhood. I don’t know why, but I just enjoy watching them. They can be so comical. And I find listening to their soft cooing and clucking and watching them to be so relaxing. The day-to-day stresses of life seem to drift away as I watch the hens scratch and peck, coo and cluck.

And there are the fresh eggs. We got one year old hens this time, so they’re in full lay.

I just finished reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Fred read it as well, and we began evaluating some of our food choices. We enjoyed reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and I would highly recommend both books.

We were already purchasing some of our produce at the Farmer’s Market and growing some at home. Now we are looking at the other things we eat and the choices we make. For us, homegrown eggs are the right choice.

I have a confession: I sometimes throw away food. It bothers me to do so, but sometimes it’s necessary. Fruits and vegies don’t always get used up fast enough. Bread goes stale. I really hate throwing away food, and now I don’t have to.

Chickens are wonderful recyclers. They love bits of stale bread, carrot peelings, melon rinds, old tortillas, whatever. They devour these “treats” and turn them into eggs. Chickens are good at tilling soil too.

We removed some of the sod in our backyard recently to add flower beds and trees. Having no place to easily dispose of the sod, it was dumped in a pile in the corner of the yard. The chickens have been given this area of the yard, for now, and they’ve been busily tilling down the sod mountain as they scratch and peck while eating the grass and looking for bugs.

By summer, the area will be flat again, well tilled (and fertilized), and the chickens can be moved to another part of the yard that needs sod removal. They do all this work, eat food we would otherwise discard, and they provide delicious, fresh eggs. Who wouldn’t want chickens?

Wake Up, Be Thankful, Smile

2010-04-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

I like this poster. A lot. I want to put it up on billboards, bumperstickers, and computer pop-ups. I think everyone needs to see it. I especially want to show it to some of the people I come into contact with when I'm out and about.

Unfortunately, I don't own it. It's from http://www.smileandmove.com/.

Who would you like to share these sentiments with?

Choose to Reuse

2010-04-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Earth Day is April 22. This week brings us increased awareness of and appreciation for our planet. Reusing things instead of throwing them in a landfill is one way we can help our planet and ourselves.

Most of us would agree that using what you’ve got makes better sense than going out and buying something else. It makes sense both financially and environmentally.

Here are some examples of creating something new with repurposed materials:

I like this raised garden bed in my neighborhood made from old closet doors.

Another creative neighbor has a garden “bed” with a brass headboar.

We made this chicken coop from used materials obtained via Freecycle and Craigslist.

More information about building a chicken coop here, and additional views of the chicken coop here.

Crochet Shopping Bag made out of yarn leftover from another project.

Reusable Coffee Sleeve made from leftover yarn.

Here’s a link to the “Choose to Reuse” graphic above that you can download.

Ribbon Rose Tutorial

2010-04-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

Making ribbon roses is fairly easy with just a little practice. Finished ribbon roses can be used for hats, headbands and other fascinators, brooches, unique one-of-a-kind jewelry, and for wedding decorations.

The length of ribbon needed depends on the width of the ribbon and also on the desired fullness of the finished flower. I usually unwind a few feet of ribbon and leave it on the spool until I’m nearly finished making the ribbon rose.

A ribbon rose may be secured with stitches near its base as it is made, or it may be secured with stitches when it is finished, or it may be secured with florist’s wire for arrangements.

This ribbon rose tutorial shows how to secure the ribbon rose with stitches as it is being made.

1. Begin by unwinding at least 24 to 30 inches of ribbon.

2. Holding the ribbon in the left hand, fold ribbon back/down at a 90 degree angle about 6 inches from the end. This 6 inch ribbon tail becomes the stem. The remaining long piece of ribbon is the working ribbon.

3. Roll the right edge of the tail toward the left edge.

4. Keeping the folded edge near the top of the rose bud, roll the bud right-to-left until nearly at the end of the folded edge. This would be a good time to start stitching the base of the rose if you want to secure it as it’s being made.

5. While holding the base of the rose bud with the right hand, fold the working ribbon away from you creating a 90 degree fold. Keep adding stitches to secure it as you go (optional).

Repeat steps 4 and 5 as many times as necessary to achieve desired fullness.

This rose will be finished without a stem for a flat backing. Cut the stem off, leaving about a half-inch of stem, then fold this down and stitch securely.

I use this method to make fabric roses for the front of my Kindle cases too:

What other uses would they be good for?

Cindy

Little Flat Gift Boxes

2010-03-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

I like to send little gifts to my niece and nephews for Easter. They’re all teens now, but I still like to send them a little something to let them know I’m thinking about them.

This little gift box is perfect for giving little gifts to friends, teachers, grandparents, pastors, and neighbors. I’m providing a blank template in PDF that you can print and decorate yourself, and a printable Easter gift box.

The only thing you need to add is a sticker or piece of ribbon to hold it closed.

Here is what the blank template looks like.

It is ready to print on cardstock, cut out, decorate and fold into a flat little gift box, then seal with a sticker or wrap with ribbon.

The Easter template is double sided:

Print both sides of the cardstock, write the recipient’s name in the space on the front, add a message inside (and a little gift), then seal with a sticker or wrap with ribbon.

Both are available here.

Working with What You’ve Got

2010-03-09T16:09:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to visit my family in California, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend some time with a longtime family friend. I told her about Artistic Inspiration, the etsy shop my daughter and I have started.

She told me about some favorite old crochet potholders she has that are wearing out. I asked her to send one to me so that I could see how the potholders were made, and in return, I would send her new one.

The potholder she sent was made out of bits of crochet thread left over from other projects. I love things made out of materials on hand. I think it takes just a little more creativity to make something out of whatever materials you have than it does to go to the store and buy exactly what you need for a given project.

It’s kind of like making a quilt out of scraps leftover from other projects. When my daughter was little, I used to sew some of her clothes. We enjoyed choosing fabrics from the discount table, and I enjoyed having a creative outlet. When she started kindergarten, I made her a little quilt for nap time made from the many saved fabric scraps. Her quilt was sort of an archive of love.

When I look at the old, frayed potholder sent to me, and I see those bits of different threads, I wonder what projects they came from. Were they left over from crochet lace used to trim a peterpan collar? Or maybe the thread was used to smock a little girl’s dress. I don’t know, but my imagination runs wild at the possibilities.

I made a couple of others from thick, soft cotton yarn to sell at the shop.

Cindy

Variegated Cotton Yarn

2010-02-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

I’ve been working with Lily Sugar & Cream cotton yarn lately. Cotton is my favorite fiber, both to wear and to work with. I just really like the way it feels.

Variegated yarns always surprise me. They’re each like a little mystery. You just can’t tell how a project will turn out until it’s well on its way. A yarn with frequent color changes will make a smaller scale pattern, and a yarn with longer sections of color can result in a color block look.

This week, I’ve been working on cotton crochet market bags for my shop at: www.artisticinspiration.etsy.com.

Starting Anew

2010-02-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

Life is unpredictable. We make plans, and usually this keeps us moving in a chosen direction. But sometimes we find ourselves being picked up, tossed around, wrung out, and feeling like we’re going to hell in a handbasket. Last year was one of those times.

For my family, the year 2009 included job loss, moving to another state, selling our intended “forever home” (at a loss), serious health problems, the loss of two beloved pets, a new job, a new home...starting again. And if all this wasn’t enough, last fall I turned 50!

Now feels like a good time to start again, to re-evaluate my goals and pay more attention to my life’s direction. It’s time to focus more on the things that are important to me. It feels like I’m starting anew.

For me, this means focusing on creativity. I’ve been knitting, crocheting, and exploring graphic art. My daughter and I are making and selling handmade jewelry and accessories at www.artisticinspiration.etsy.com. We’re trying new things, learning and having fun sharing our creativity.

Last year, for me, was about loss. I want this year to be about living intentionally, lovingly and creatively.