Detour & Unscheduled Stops…

Hmm, had hoped to have the first of my cardboard posts up by now. But that was before my internet connection quit for a while. And now I have internet access again but can’t send any emails…

But far worse…

…that was before we realized that Heidi’s passport, the one she needs in three days so she can go on her trip with my parents, expired last year!

Long story short, there’s a passport agency office in the city near my parents’ home. And supposedly, they can get you a passport in a day… if you have an appointment… which we were able to get for Monday morning.

So our two-day weekend trip one state over to deliver Heidi to my parents at the halfway point (and see my adorable niece and nephew) has doubled in length with another two-day stay in another state and now includes one day spent with my man, my oldest girl and federal bureaucrats, who I hope will be lovely people.

One bright spot: I discovered that my entryway at mid-morning is a great spot to take “well lit” “white background” passport photos. However, getting a photo where she’s “looking straight ahead” with “eyes open” and “lips closed”… and has a halfway decent expression on her face, well, that took a while.

I Love Cardboard!

Lorraine at ikatbag has a great post celebrating Earth Day by sharing links to a number of cardboard concoctions made by various bloggers, including me. Yippee!

However, my link leads to that neurotic nursery I made years ago(Lorraine kindly calls it “unbelievable”) while the all other links showcase fantastic creations that most any kid would love – and that many kids could even help make: art easels, lemonade stands, rocketships, and much, much more. You must go see!

So anyway, my “cardboard” blog category definitely needs a little work! But not tonight – I’ve got bills to pay and laundry to fold and 2-year-old to convince she wants to sleep in a toddler bed...

“Real” posts with descriptions/directions will come soon; in the mean time, here are a few photos of my kids enjoying that pervasive packing material about which I am so passionate…    

Aaah, cardboard.

Photo on bottom left is evidence that you don’t even need to get fancy with scissors, tape, etc. A bright, partitioned box, free from your grocer, can provide two preschoolers with hours—even days—of play. As a “car,” a “boat,” and I forget what all else. In this photo, they were playing “zoo” (one “elephant” didn’t like cameras). I thought their choice of animal was pretty funny, considering the box…

My “baby” is TWO?!?

It was Lucy’s birthday yesterday. Which means—among other things—time to decorate another cake… 

I’ve been nursing a cold all weekend, so no 3-colored creations like last year.

Instead, first Ken baked the cake. (It was never flipped out of the pan on Saturday, so by Sunday it was too late. But that also meant I could skip cutting a piece of cardboard to size and covering it with foil or something.)

Then I frosted the base with chocolate frosting, which I had in a can in the pantry, and did the writing with pink frosting, which I had in the freezer leftover from Sophie’s castle cake. The pink was already bagged up and everything so all I had to do was screw on a decorating tip.

Lest I give the impression that I did something without somehow complicating it, I did first browse letterheadfonts.com for some lettering inspiration.

(Found out about letterheadfonts recently from this beautiful blog by Cathe Holden, in this post showcasing vintage signs.)

So the “happy birthday” was inspired by LHF Bounce Script – oh, just look at that beautifully perfect ‘H’!!! –

and the “Lucy!” was inspired by LHF Big Top.

Have you ever seen so much beauty in one “View All Fonts” page?!?

Or am i the only font-lover reading this?…

 

{insert sound of crickets chirping here}

 

OK, if fonts don’t do it for you, what about 2-year-olds singing “Happy Birthday”?

Well, anyway, happy birthday, Lucy! I love you, my sweet munchkin who is not a baby anymore.

And now it’s time to find some lunch for the kiddoes. Am still not feeling that great. If I serve them carrot sticks next to leftover cake, does that constitute a balanced meal?

An Embellished Bookmark for my Buddy

It was my friend Kristi’s birthday today. I knew I wanted to make her something using these fabrics (“I love these. Paisleys and stripes are my favorite” was her comment months ago when she saw my purchase)...

…but I was as conflicted and indecisive as Kristi at a pottery painting place (I love this quiz she made up! And see, Kristi? I’m not always a ‘b’!).

Thought about an apron but cooking is not one of Kristi’s favorite things. (Nevertheless, she’s posted some excellent “recipes for the non-gourmet” – tasty, yet quick and easy.) So I thought that might be like gifting a vacuum cleaner to someone like me.

Dismissed potholders for the same reason. Plus I still need to work out some kinks with “practice fabric” before I make any more and didn’t have time for that this week.

Wanted to try some headband patterns (this one or this one) but I hardly ever see Kristi wearing one.

Won’t list any more ideas. Let’s cut to the chase…

Finally, seeing as how she’s a voracious reader and is in a monthly book club, I figured maybe a bookmark would be nice…

…jazzed up with some words from her list of 112 things she wants to do by 2012 (a funny and inspirational list!).

Not sure how I feel about the K. (Kristi, if you want to cut it off, go right ahead.) I was going to appliqué it on but couldn’t find a good spot. So this seemed like the next best idea – it can ride outside the book, marking it as hers! : )

Plus, the way it bursts out of the top makes me think of the laughter that erupts out of you, Kristi. Love your sense of humor, your wit, your wisdom, your ideas. Happy birthday, friend!!

Possible Patio in Google SketchUp

Seems my blog has been pretending to be a “sewing blog” recently. So here’s another project I worked on last week that has nothing to do with fabric and thread.

Instead it used another one of my favorite things, Google SketchUp.

So what was the project? Modeling my friend Suzanne’s backyard and adding a patio so her husband could visualize what her idea of increasing their “outdoor living space” would look like.

Here’s an aerial view. I modeled the house and deck based on photos Suz took. Then it was easy to plop the patio in. Grill and swing came from the 3D Warehouse of stuff modeled by other people.

Here are a few more views, current on left vs. with patio on right… 
 
 

It was all I could do not to start adding planters and patio furniture and all sorts of other fun stuff from the 3D Warehouse. Suz, ya think Nate might also like a koi pond?  : )

{koi pond modeled by StarbucksDesigns}

Matching Mitts for Mo

Yesterday was the birthday of my friend Mo. So one of my projects over spring break was to make her birthday gift: some potholders to match the apron I made for her last fall.

    

Not the “normal” potholder shape, I know. The idea is that they protect your fingers when grabbing stuff out of the oven. Which is maybe why someone online referred to them as fingertip mitts. Or in the words of my 4-year-old, “Why are you making duck puppets for Auntie Mo?” 

(By the way, I referenced tutorials here and here but didn’t follow them exactly. Mo, I do with patterns what you do with recipes – they’re a great jumping off point, with lots of room for substitutions and changes!)

But enough about the mitts I made; I want to talk some mo’ 'about Mo. : )

She is so goofy, laughs so freely, jokes so easily…

…and yet has such a tender heart too, is so caring. (Case in point: About once a week, she makes extra food and gives a meal to someone who’s sick, or has a new baby, or who could just use a boost.)

And she makes jewelry! She makes gorgeous jewelry!

I wanted to set up an etsy store for her as a birthday gift, but was derailed when I found out someone was already using her name, MoJo Jewelry. Grrr. Anyway, check out these sweet creations of hers…

(Click picture for larger view) 

How did I not get any photos of her earrings and bracelets?!? Huh…