Ball Point Pen + Full Dryer =

...an extremely annoyed MiniKat!

I've spent the last three days trying to get the ink stains out of the dryer itself and on the load of clothes that was affected. Right now I'm concentrating on the dryer itself since I think the clothes are either going to take more time or are totally ruined, depending on fabric. I'm to the point where I'm going to throw a load of wet towels that we use for the bunnies into the dryer and see if any blue comes off on them. If it does, then I clean some more. Ugh.

I did go shopping today to replace the un-savable pants from the dryer. Note that all but two pair of my summer pants (that still fit) were in that load of wash. *sigh*

FH is slowly mending, but he can't go much further without some physical therapy and maybe some injections of cortisone and/or steroids. We're going to the neurologist Thursday and if she thinks he will need injections she will send us to a neurosurgeon that she likes.

Minis? What minis? I was going to work on minis this Sunday? Hmm... well. Yeah. That was before the dryer incident.

I do have some pictures of the front garden though. At least the flowers seem to be cooperating.








I am hoping to actually make it to the post office in the morning. I have several packages to mail and I need to buy more stamps.

That's all for now. I am going to go wrestle the laundry and get ready to flee to my friend's house to vent and whatnot. Some days you just need to hang with your girl-friends... and other days you need your girl-friends AND the homemade mint chocolate brownies that one of them is famous for. ;-)

Frog and Toad

We've had some visitors in the garden recently. I thought you might like to see them.

FH met this fellow one day while he was checking the tomatoes.
This frog almost got squished when I was headed out for lettuces the other night. FH saw him in time and I went around from teh front door instead.

There isn't much to report on the mini front, or the garden front for that matter. Things are growing and watering is easier with the new hoses. As far as minis go, I've found a suitable case for the Shabby Chic room to be protected inside, but this will require a complete reworking of said room. More on that in future posts. I've also started a tablecloth for Ezzie's house. I was going to start her house, but I need FH healed so he can help me cut the base for the house to set on.

Speaking of FH, he's slowly feeling better. We're still waiting on the results from the MRI and until then we have no idea what the problem really is or how to treat it.

The new cable for the camera is here, so I can return the borrowed one to LittleD's mother. :-)

That's about it for now. Tomorrow I should have some pictures of the gardens.

News and Whatnot

As some of you know FH has injured himself and I've been proving to him and the world what I can accomplish when I have to. Both gardens have been tended, watered, and weeded. Laundry is going, animals, are dealt with, food is prepared, husband is literally waited on since bed had been the only place he was allowed to be... So much to do since he is physically incapable of his share of the housework.

We will hopefully know more after more tests are run. Right now we aren't even sure what the injury is, much less how to fix it.

I'm off to do more around here and then hopefully I can squeeze in some mini time tonight.

Witchy Poo!

Thank you, Kat!! I had been behind on reading blogs for a while and I just found this adorable award. It made my day a bit witchier. ;-)

More Dirt Under My Nails

The Summer Solstice was certainly interesting for us this year. For my friends who aren't on Facebook, FH's back went out late Saturday night. He's home from work today, but the rest and a heating pad are helping greatly.

Yesterday once I knew he was settled comfortably I decided to go forth and find a second blanket flower for the garden. A bit of hope that I might find a second pincushion flower was rattling around in there too.

Not only was I successful in both endeavors, I came across two shasta daisies that were just begging to be rescued from the place. It irritates me to see plants at big stores. If places that sold pets treated their wares in the same manner all kinds of laws would be broken. So for me, going to a nursery is like going to the animal shelter. I try to avoid it. But at least with plants I can afford to care for them, unlike the poor creatures at the animal shelter.

Once I decided the shastas were salvagable, I came across a solitary Iceland poppy that was a golden bit of determination and will to live. It still had a glorious bloom and a couple more buds inthe works. At that point I was in for the pound... Two gorgeous lupines and two plants of a domesticate violet also joined the cart.

Fortunately I had done some research and measuring in the front bed before I left and determined I could comfortably add these lovlies to the garden. I still am waiting on the candy tuft and moonbeam coreopsis from Mom and am looking for the right variety of lavender. But for now I'm done.




Once the sunlight starts getting to the far right corner I will get a better picture of the larkspur, lupine, and spiderwort.

The shatas are already starting to perk up, but I'm not sure the poppy and the blanket flowers are happy or not. A few more days will tell. I think I may need to get some mulch too, just to help with keeping moisture in the soil.

Hey Tessie!!

So FH and I went to a farmer's market today and he bought me some plants for the flower bed. Note that what is now the flower bed had been occupied by some nasty smelling bushes until about a week ago.
Oh the potential in this picture...

Now for the reason I'm harassing Tessie... FH bought me a spiderwort! It's on the left in this picture, next to the larkspur. ;-) There's also a blanket flower in the front. I will be putting a moonbeam coreopsis in the corner of the bed at some point. I'll be planting some bulbs in the fall in random spots as well.
Here's the center of the bed now. Behind the little bear will be shasta daisies once I get them from my mother. She's thinning her bed soon. Mom is also the source of the coreopsis and some candy tuft. The candy tuft will go where the verbena (white flowers) are hanging out now. By the time I get down there to get the flowers the annuals that are acting as placeholders will be gone or going. In case you're curious, begonias are what's all around the bear for the moment.
The larger plant to the left of the picture is a pincushion flower I rescued from the store. It looked so sad as it appeared to be drying out. Usually the blooms are on tall stems, but this one was bedraggled. I'm hoping it perks up now that its roots can expand and it's been given water. I'd like to find another one for the corresponding spot on the other side of the bear.

Now for the emptier end.
Right now I only have lemongrass and a malva planted here. I plan on planting some lavender in the corner and am wishing I had another blanket flower to put in front of the malva.

Once I find the right lavender and get the other plants from Mom, things will look a lot nicer. There's plenty of room for things to grow and expand. And once I find some nice bulbs this fall I can make sure I have nice spring color.

Of All the Things...

There was actually a miniature at the powwow this weekend. I was shocked since it didn't have anything to do with either the Rendezvous section or the actual powwow celebration. Instead the maker brought it along to show children that you can make toys out of found items in nature. I thought that was pretty cool.

It made me think of the fairy houses I've seen some of you planning and building, so I thought I would get some pictures for you all to see. Isn't it cute? :-)

Welcome Nicola!

Hello and welcome to my newest follower, Nicola! Welcome to the party! :-)

I haven't found a blog for Nicola, but when I do I will edit this post.

Sewing for FH

Here are some of the long awaited pictures of the sewing projects that booting the trading post off the kitchen table.

First is one of the modified shirts for FH to wear. The buttons and pocket were cut off and the front sewn shut. I did one for LittleD too, but he was really good at hiding this weekend. I still have a shirt for each of them left to modify. The head scarf is a square of fabric 1 yard x 1 yard. Right now it's machine basted in place. I fully intended to sew the hems by hand at the Rendezvous, but he needed it thanks to the sun. I'll get another one started soon too.

Here's the first bag I made for FH. It fits his mallet and other long tools for leather projects. The green fabric is wool from a coat I found at Goodwill for $0.50 and cut up. Gotta love summer dealts on winter items!
Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what this is?
Ta da! It's a place to keep leather tools organized!
I made the pattern up the other day and literally sewed the pockets in place with a tool in them for spacing. I was in a hurry and couldn't get to my craft room for green thread, so the ends are sewn closed with the natural I was using on the bag itself. I still need to get something on the back to tie the bag closed when it's rolled up.

That's all for now. I need more canvas before I can do any more bags. I have fabric for a shirt and a long-sleeved waistcoat for FH but I don't have the patterns yet. I do have fabric for an apron of my own and a new petticoat. My friend, Donna, has the patterns and the plan is to cut them out next week.

I'm going to get back to minis for a while. I was sick of sewing before I started. ;-)

Oh before I forget, I bought FH a present from a trader at the 'Vous:
The horn is transparent enough that when he puts powder inside, we'll be able to see it! I thought it was the coolest thing ever! :-)

From My Stash 6-17-09

Thank goodness for small favors! LittleD's mom loaned me a cable to pull pictures off the camera!!! Three cheers! :-)

I was in a hurry to get pics taken for this post, so this week's minis are ones that are on display on a small shelf in the dining room. Some have a future home in mind, others have no plan. But they are all ones that I love to look at so that's why they currently live on the shelf.

First are my daffodils from Tallulah~Belle! I love them so much! I really need to get the BD's kitchen dealt with so they can go to their home. :-)
This was a weeding gift from my mini friend, Barb H, in St. Louis. Eventually I want to make a wedding box with a recreation of our cake and my dress in it. I will probably put the sculpture in there too, unless it decides to belong somewhere else. You know how minis can get. ;-)

This iris plant is made to look like glass or gems stone. I fell in love with it at a mini show in St. Louis years ago when FH and I were just dating. He bought them for me. I think they will end up in the BD too, but perhaps they may end up in Ezzie's house.
Another gorgeous FH present! We were at a show in St. Louis (again) and I saw these lovelies on a table. FH loves orchids, so it wasn't a stretch to convince him to get them for me. They are destined for the library in the BD. Lastly here is a sweet little fairy I won as a door prize at the Peoria show last year. I can't find the card from the artist and I don't remember her name. I just love the tiny butterfly in her hand. I'm not sure if she is a 1:12 baby/toddler fairy, or a smaller scale adult. But her sweet face leads me to beleive the former. No clue where she will be living, except for the shelf where I can enjoy her. :-)
That's it for this week. Hopefully I will be getting some pictures taken of other hidden treasures in time for next week. ;-)

An Illuminating Award

Wow! Casey and Katie have both given me this cool award!

The rules of this award are:

1.-To complete the following phrase: I AM A LIGHT AND WANT TO ILLUMINATE...

2. - Link the blog from where the award came from and leave a message informing that person it has been received.

3.- Link and pass the award to five blogs that, in your opinion, are blogs of light.

What would I want to shine light upon if I was an ethereal being possessed of large quantities of electrons? Hmm... Well I suppose my jaded heart would want the chance at one last piece of hope. So...

I AM A LIGHT AND WANT TO ILLUMINATE: any place there are still good people attempting to do good things for other people and/or animals. It doesn't matter what they are doing or how they are helping. It only matters that they try.

Now the really hard part.

1. Michelle at Boulderneigh because she believes in helping where she can.

2. Miss Kitty at Educated and Poor because she rescues animals in need and gives them a safe place to be.

3. Karen at Karen's Shetlands because she has opened her home and heart to aging equines that just need a warm place in the sun, food, shelter, and love for the rest of their lives.

4. Heather [and Jazzy too!] of This Little Doll House because she still gets up in the morning when she hurts.

5. Marsha of Sassy Mini Dolls because she has a heart whose size rivals the globe.

6. Jayne at Tallulah~Belle because she pushes herself to try new and more difficult things.

7. Kat the Hat Lady because she keeps going as much as she can, even on bad days.

A Blog with No Pictures...

...is like a pub with no beer. :-(

I ordered a new cable for the camera. It will be in here in "7-10 working days."

Of course that doesn't help the fact that I have great pictures from the weekend and pictures of the sewing projects sitting on the memory card.

I altered two shirts from the guys on Friday and finished the details by hand on Saturday. FH now has two nice bags to keep all his leather tools in.

FH has been working on a leather bottle cover for Baby Anna's bottles. It's so pretty. By the time the camera cable is here, he should be finished with it. He's also working on a couple of belt pouches.

I have some material for a new petticoat and apron for myself, covers for cushions that I already have but don't look period appropriate, and for long sleeved waistcoats for FH and another friend. Sometime next week I will go to my friend Donna's house and cut out the pieces for my stuff. I'm not sure if she has a long sleeved waistcoat pattern or not.

I need to do some actual shirts for FH and a couple of the other guys. FH and I are using our skills to make things in trade with some of the other people in the group. We're all poor, but many of the younger people in the group have skills to trade upon.

One couple makes soap. Really nice soap. I'm going to do some sewing for them and they're going to keep us in soap for a long time. :-)

Another guy carves spoons and spatulas. He needs some leather stuff and some shirts.

All in all we're going to be busily making things for a while. I'm hoping to have some things done for trade by the 3rd weekend in August. That's the next Rendezvous we're going to. But this means I can get back to the mini-ing again and not be rushed with the sewing. :-)

Back

We're back and dead tired. I have piccies I can't upload thanks to the cats. Hopefully soon.

Going to wash off the grit and sleep for hours.

I will try and catch up with blogs more tomorrow. Having trouble keeping my legs under me.

Ta.

Et al...

So the camera's cable was chewed through by a cat. We have to buy a new one and that may not happen until after next weekend. Ugh.

I'm doing some sewing this afternoon because we're headed to Rendezvous tonight. Not sure if Little D gets to come with us or not. Wish I knew so I could do just stuff for us today.

The garden is coming along nicely. We've been getting lettuces and even a bean so far.

I'm going back to the sewing machine now. I only have a bit of time left.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Welcome Susan!

Hello and welcome to Susan of Susan's Mini Talk! Susan makes all kinds of wonderful minis and is relatively new to blogging. Please go over and say hello if you can. :-)

From My Stash 6-10-09

Well this stash post is a bit on the late side, but it's still Wednesday here, so I think it counts. ;-) I was playing with Baby Anna and helping her grandma with a large quilt backing all day today.

Today's stash pieces are all turned by the same craftsman, Ernest Guhl, from St. Louis, Missouri. To my knowledge, he only sells at the St. Louis shows. I love his work and try to get a piece whenever I'm at the show.
These first two pieces are turned from some type of tree nut. I cannot recall which one though. The next time I see him I will ask.
I just love the look of these too. So exotic. :-)

This next piece is turned from acrylic.
I'm going to fill it with fruit and put it in the BD's kitchen.

This last piece you might recall seeing on a shelf in the trading post.
If I am remembering correctly, the wood is cherry. I could be quite wrong there. I do know that the decorative rim is filled with crushed turquoise. I fell in love with this one the moment I saw it.

There is one more thing...

A package arrived from Jayne at Tallulah~Belle yesterday containing the gorgeous daffodils I was lucky enough to win! I was still feeling unwell and didn't know they were here until FH brought the mail in after he got home. I credit the happy surprise as help in feeling better! Thank you, Jayne! :-)

However, the USB cord for the camera doesn't want to work anymore, so I can't upload the pictures I took to share. The stupid thing worked on Sunday! grrr... :-(

I'm hoping FH can figure out the problem.

That's all for this week. I need to get more pictures taken of my treasures! Of course I need the stupid camera cable to work too.... ;-)

Welcome Maia!

Hello and welcome to Maia of Maia's Twinkle Miniatures! Maia makes and sells a variety of wonderful minis. In fact she just got done at a show. Please stop by and say hello. :-)

Baby Shower Fun

No, really. This one was fun. A couples' baby shower at a Chinese buffet that has some of the freshest food in town. No silly games. No streamers and frills. No horrid baby stories about the mother-to-be. No terrifying, and usually uncomfortable, labor pain stories. Just a bunch of friends sitting around, eating good food, and laughing. There was even cake!

As far as her presents went, I took pictures of ours before we left. I figured some of you would like to see. ;-)

I didn't have a lot of time to make things when I wasn't feeling terrible. So I bought some clothes. This one is my absolute favorite dress. I bought it to be worn next summer. I knew so many people would buy dresses for this summer.


I adore the smocking on this one! One of these days I will learn how to do that.
Then here's one for late summer, or mid spring new year.
A 3-pack of onesies. Can't ever have too many of those!
Now for the really good part! I did have some booties in my "stash" of baby girl gifts, so they got wrapped up too!

Slipper-style booties: pastel green polar fleece, trimmed in pink.
Crocheted booties: "Roman sandal"-style, pink bedspread weight cotton, trimmed in white.
Ta da! You knew I wouldn't give just bought gifts, didn't you? :-)

Welcome to My 80th Follower!

Hello and welcome to my 80th follower, Casitamini of Casita Mini! Her blog is an on-line gallery of miniatures from all over the world. The original blog Casita Mini (escenas encontradas en internet) is still running and both blogs have wonderful pictures to browse. Please have a look through the pictures when you have time. :-)