Don't forget Fido!

Here are some of the things I've been working on for the Christmas Craft Fairs:
Round "cush" beds for the traditional dog
Modern "pillow" beds for the fresh, fun dog
and "swiss eyelet" collars for the....ah.... Swiss dog?

Frame Gottlieb von Koch - Full Cry - Fox Hunting

Frame Gottlieb von Koch - Full Cry - Fox Hunting

Want this for my library....

Sewing right along

Right now I am trying to cram in a ridiculous amount of sewing in my spare time. The second I get the boys down for naps or bedtime I shout "stay in your beds!" while running out the back door to my art shed.
I have three purses not yet started that I have promised my friends. Two are pretty easy, straightforward concepts, but the third is really complicated.
I also am trying to finish up some hats to send to my sister who is selling them at craft fairs this month
On top of that, A friend and I are going to hit a couple of Christmas craft fairs with a booth catering to canines. That means homemade dog beds, collars and leash sets, and biscuits.
Did I mention there is a coffee table over at Ana Whites's site that I really want to build?

All of this would be so much easier to do if I didn't have an actual life.

And so the summer closes....

Well, its been one of those summers... family, family vacations, training a young barrel horse, catching a fugitive, vbs, puppies, new website and business overhaul, bbqs, baptisms, and kids.
Yowza. Maybe one of these days I'll sit down and blog it all, but in lieu of that I think I'll post my favorite websites. Its like a web roll, but not my friends, just websites I love for one reason or another.

Drum roll please!!!

1. fuglyblog.com A snarky commentary on horse abuse, training, poor breeding practices, etc. all rolled together with a liberal coating of cuss words. It's full of mindless drones all agreeing with her, but I still seem to like it and check it every day!

2. knock-offwood.com Ever loved a Pottery Barn coffee table but choked at the price? Ana White has seriously awesome plans for every furniture piece in existence. I have a few marked to build at some point.

3. unhappyhipsters.com Just so funny. And smug. thank you to JoanE Kimball for adding this sarcastic delight to my life.

4. sewmamasew.com always great for a little sewing inspiration

5. howaboutorange.com this is an awesome website dedicated to inspiring and bizarre creativity. She will take you all over the "interwebs" in search of the fun, creative, and graphically pleasing.

6. heatherbailey.typepad.com I visit this one every so often when I need a shot of color and cute

7. cakewrecks.com this site makes me laugh out loud. I even snorted Diet Coke once. It happens.

8. starfall.com they are teaching LB how to read. Parenting is really so difficult.

9. etsy.com Really what else is there to say? HOURS wasted here, trolling for sewing ideas. If you've never been to etsy, you should really question if you are a human.

10. shabbyapple.com for when I need a cocktail dress. or a smoking jacket. or a sense of style.

So have fun wasting your good years on these sites. I always do!

Golden Honey Granola

I'm not a big fan of granola, but this stuff is great! Here's the recipe:
6 c old fashioned oats
8 oz sliced almonds
1 c each: dried cranberries and chopped dried apricots
1 c light brown sugar
1 t salt
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 c honey (LB had squeezed out most of my honey into the sink, so I used barely a 1/4 c, and it turned out fine)

Preheat to 350. In a large bowl, toss oats, almonds, cranberries, apricots, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Melt butter in saucepan and add honey. Pour over oat mixture and stir to coat.
Spread granola onto parchment lined baking pan and bake, stirring occasionally, for 35-40 mins.
Cool completely and transfer to an airtight container.

I added semi sweet chocolate chunks after the granola had cooled, but I think next time I will add chips because the chunks tended to over whelm the other flavors. I think I will try whole almonds and cashews in my next batch as well, since I couldn't really taste the almonds and cashews make everything better!

Things I've been making....

I've been sewing up a little storm in my art room- trying to get enough hats made for my sister to sell this summer. This is the completely adorable basic design:For the plainer hats, done in a tan muslin and mocha brown flannel, they'll get a cuting up with fabric yo yos, embroidery, buttons, etc. With such a cute design, the embellishments are just frosting on the cupcake. And the really awesome thing is that I can get a hat done while the boys are sleeping or playing in the yard, or in the evening if I've still got the energy.
I've also been making pads with this padding compound I got online. It's a really fun concept: Just simple notepads, to do pads or the more fun recipe card pads and organizer pads. For example, I made recipe card pads out of tear-off postcard sheets:
Handy for when someone loved a certain dish and wants the recipe, or for finally coordinating your recipe box.The great thing is you can use the backside of used computer paper and any thin cardboard (like what cereal boxes are made of) and have a fun useful notepad for pennies!
This is my fridge organizer. Walmart sells magnetic adhesive rolls, so I cut two one inch sections, stick them to the back of my organizer and wahlah! done. I love this thing.

Some things are better off done in college...

Like trying to watch 50 movies in 50 days. What was I thinking????
Probably what I pretty much always think :
"I'd like to learn how to quilt. I think I will make a king sized log cabin quilt made of clothes that I wore when I was 13."
"I'd like to learn how to sculpt. I think I will try a life sized sculpture of an indian on a horse leaping over a burning covered wagon."
"I'd like to learn how drive stick shift. I think I will drive my friend's car through rush hour traffic in Chicago."

What is it with the inspiration causing me to leap off the cliff of imagination? I mean really?
This part of me is good in that I will try anything absolutely anything once, but bad in that I have abandoned so many things without finishing. So many things.
So many times I would feel guilty that once again, I am not finishing what I said I was going to do, but now I think I am embracing that about myself a bit more. I just need to keep my big yap closed and not make statements like:
"Every Monday for the next three years I am going to complete a work of art and post it here!"
No, Faith, you're not. Why not just do the two works of art you actually will finish and post them? Why make it such a show?
So what have I been doing during the time I was supposed to be watching period films to critique here?
I have been working on a new purse for myself
I finished the breast collar and belt I was making for a friend who trims and shoes Kitten's feet for me
I cleaned and oiled all my tack
I have been making notepads with this padding compound I ordered online
I have been making the cutest hats for my sister to sell this summer
I have been riding Kitten a little bit more, loving her a lot more, and getting ready to start her barrel training.

So, all in all, not bad, huh? I am learning to embrace the flow, and keep those grand "I'm going to..." statements to myself.