simplesparrow

Friends and...mice

We spent Thanksgiving with our long-time friends. We met just before my second son was born, 17 years ago. We have stayed close and intouch through the years. Mary, who you see in the pic. with me, is one of my dearest friends in the whole wide world. We are so alike, in so many ways. She loves this picture Micah took of us because she was on the phone with her sister who she is also very close too. Two of her favorite people she said.

********************************

Mice problems....again. This time, (hold on to your hat) I was cooking a pot of oatmeal and this little grey blur ran across the stove-top. I'm totally serious. It took refuge under one of the burners and would peek it's little pointy face out every now and again to see if the coast was clear. How in the heck did it get up on the stove top!!?? I'm not the squeemish type, after 4 sons I've held all kinds of lizards, bugs, frogs and the like. But, when that mouse ran across the stove-top, while I was cooking, I felt like screaming. A good Ol' "girly, prissy, I'm going to faint" type of scream. But I didn't. My family would never let me hear the end of it if I did so, I just let out a big "eeewwwwwwwwww!" Long story short, we caught that one later in the day hiding behind the toaster. End of story?...oh no.  Another one this morning...on the stove-top AGAIN!!! This one dive-bombed off the stove and hid under the piano. The kids caught it and put it in a garden bucket for its ride to the back of the property. I think mice are kinda cute...in a cage, running in one of those wheels, hiding their food etc...but on the STOVE? Gross. I said earlier that I don't like to kill them, well, they're pushing their luck.

Creative kids + junk= FUN!

This blog can be a little self-centered, you know, I'm always writing about my creative adventures. This post is about the creative minds of my kids, a salvaged three-wheel bike and a cast-off metal chair. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves....

The design team.

The creation. (flashlights are for driving at night!)

In action.

A little push up the hill for another run.

Mini-sling bag, something for Noah

Finished my little crocheted bag a few nights ago. I chose a green floral flannel for the liner to pick up on the green button..I like it. The strap is extra long so the bag hangs just below my hip, wearing it across my shoulder.  What do you think of my 'simple sparrow' lable? I've been stamping them myself on cotton twill tape. I like the non-perfect look.

I have had a bee in my bonnet to make Noah his own tote bag, for taking in the car etc...When I came across this ADORABLE fabric the other day I knew this was it! I can't even get over just how cute this fabric is..it's called 'my planet', and I forgot the makers name..sorry. I picked out a multi plaid for the lining and the straps. I wanted to add cotton batting to give it a cushy feel and I have this major mental block about how to layer the outside fabric, batting, and liner so everything ends up where it should and there are no raw edges on the inside. Well, I did it again...raw edges on the inside. You would think I would just get out a pattern or a book, but nooooo, I've got no time for that...I'll figure it out as I go I tell myself. Next time I'm getting out the pattern. Noah certainly won't care, good thing He's not the sewing police! haha.

I opened an account at Etsy. Nothing up for sale yet, but soon I hope.
Hope you are enjoying your weekend! It's 80 degrees here...again! Noah is dying to get out for a bike ride, so I'll scoot for now...talk soon!

In the works

(sorry for the blur, I didn't have the energy to redo it)

It's funny how I can start with a plan and change it into something else a couple of times while I'm working on it! This began as a neck-cosy, ran out of the taupe yarn, changed the design by adding the chocolate chenille, scratched that whole plan and decided this will be a small pouch with an extra long strap so you can wear it crosswise over your shoulder. My favorite way to wear a bag. I have this neat-o, green vintage button that will go on the front, and I'll line the pouch with flannel. Really liking it so far.

Anyway, I'm thinking of selling on Etsy. I don't think I get much traffic through my blog to sell things as often as I'd like. Of course, selling on Etsy is not a guarantee either! You've got to have stuff people want! ha. I just think a little more exposure might help. We'll see. I think I'll give it a try.

Speaking of 'exposure' reminds me of my son Micah, who is an up-and-coming photographer.  He has already been published in the local paper and won an award for a photo he took last July 4th of the fireworks. He just took this portrait of Noah and I will cherish it always.(I re-sized it to fit on my page..the file was huge!)

Random chatting

So beautiful at the bay today...



I took Hannah and Noah for a quick jaunt to play on the rocks and to give the seagulls the remains of some stale crackers that got left in the car... 

I finished another scarf, this time with my wonderful, super chunky alpaca wool. I looooove this green! The wool has been hand-dyed and has subtle color variations...great depth. Did I say I love this yarn? ;) I made a felt flower pin to go with the scarf. Or maybe not. It's just a pin, so you could take it or leave it. It does look really cute wrapped around your neck, or as a shoulder wrap with the pin holding it in place. You might find this one in my little shop, unless I decide to keep it. Did I tell you I love that yarn? Oh ya, I did. :)( PS: The flower pin is not so bright looking in person. I had to use the flash cause I took the pic. at night..not my first choice, but that's when I got time!)

We have lots of company coming and staying through the weekend, so I may not be around much in the next few days. I'll pop in if I can!

Creative Explosion

I have been whirling in my mind with inspiration and ideas. So much 'creative juice' is flowing right now it's unreal. It's almost uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, I know it's a good thing...but...I feel pulled in to many directions. Like Bilbo said, "Like to little butter, spread over to much bread." I can't seem to focus very well or manage my creative time wisely...by that I mean knowing when to STOP and be a mom, a wife, a friend etc... It becomes all consuming, ya know? I didn't want to sound so serious :) Just sharing here.

With that said, here are a couple of things that have come out of this whirlwind. First meet Frances:

Mark named her that and I quite like it. When I showed her to him late last night I asked, "What shall I call her?" He peered at her with one eye squinted and said a matter of factly, "Frances." and then proceeded to keep typing on the computer. So Frances it is. She is made from a Gap dress I found at the thrift, (don't shoot me for cutting up a Gap! It wasn't my size anyway :) and vintage fabric and trim for her dress. She is proto-type 1. I already have learned how to put her together much easier the next time. I found a pattern for her in a vintage craft book of which I'll show you later.  She has an owl partner that plays the guitar. How cute is that???!!!

I have not done any "art" in a long, long time but suddenly felt some inspiration for it. I have no idea where this came from. The thought just popped into my head and I had to put it on paper...at 12:30 A.M.!! I finished it this morning at a more decent hour. I'm calling it 'Daydreams'. It's done with oil pastels and ink.  I like the whimsical style of this one.

I have another idea for "Daydreams 2" just dying to bust out on the paper.

Felted sweater tote...ta-da!

Here is my very first tote made from a wool sweater. I got the sweater from the thrift store and threw it in the washer and dryer to felt it. Then, I laid it out and started cutting! I didn't have instructions on how to do this, I've only seen pictures. I knew I wanted the bottom of the sweater to be the bottom of the tote...easy, the handle design and buttoned flap were a last minute decision while I was cutting. I had one idea in mind then changed. (Kinda like taking a sharp right turn in your car at the last minute, haha.) I was going to do a button-hole embroidery stitch along all the raw edges, but decided to finish them with a zig-zag on the machine instead. Not a lot of patience at that moment :) I really like the way the zig-zag gave a 'lettuce leaf' curl to them. Now that it's finished, I'm not sure the handle design will hold up real well. That sharp right turn I took :) gave it a weak spot. I could reinforce with ribbon on the back, hmmm...that's a thought. But what I really love about this tote is how the felt applique turned out. My own little flower design and some simple leaves. I LUVVVV the colors. A vintage shell button finishes it off. I've collected a couple more sweaters to experiment with. Working with cast-off wool sweaters really makes me happy right now.