Stampin' Up Vintage Fabric

Aloha Oukou,
I've been buying a lot of Stampin' Up toys and lovelies lately and I don't always photograph everything I make.  But I did want to share this little piece with everyone.  The die cut is the scallop cone from SU, I just didn't include the scallop part. The outer fabric is the vintage collection, also from SU and the lining is from my stash of fabric.  What I did was use steam a seam (applique webbing) and fused two pieces of fabric together, cut the fabric to fit the die, then run it through the machine.  I embellished my cone with a couple of vintage buttons from my button collection and added some trim and ribbon roses along with a quickly made tassel.

This is all I have this week, hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Friday I'll have 4 GCs until Saturday evening. So, I had to post Thursday night or I would not post at all.
Aloha,

Na Lei Keepsake

Aloha Oukou,
I have a couple of occasions that are coming up soon that require some lei giving. However, this time around, I've decided to give a lei made of novelty yarn instead of fragrantly fresh flowers that, I know, are abundant year-round here in Hawaii.  So, why would anyone want to make a yarn lei instead of a fresh flower lei? The yarn lei becomes a keepsake memory (is that being redundant?) of the occasion the lei was given for; it won't die like the flower lei.
Anyway, here's one finished and one more being made.

3-straw novelty yarn lei

This lei is made using three straws as opposed to the one-straw lei that are round when finished; this lei is flat, though dimensional, made to resemble a "Maunaloa" orchid flower lei. Most of you here in Hawaii would know what I'm talking about. Those of you not ma`a (familiar) with the different lei techniques, when we make a lei using yarn and ribbon, we try to make them look like a particular flower grown here in Hawaii.  In this case it's the Maunaloa orchid with fern.
Now, I have to give credit where credit is due. I learned how to make this by watching Daven, who was on The Joy of Crafting, demonstrate how to do this using 3 straws.  You can nab some straws from McDs, but for this project they might be too flimsy, or you can just pick up some of these purple ones from BFC(BenFranklin Crafts) @ .75 a piece; very sturdy. By the way, there are many volumes of lei making books at BFC if anyone is interested.  I believe this lei is in one of those books. Thank you Joy for hosting The Joy of Crafting!
Have a great weekend!
Aloha for now,

Scarves While Watching the News

Aloha,
Watching the news of the devastation in Japan and watching the updates of our tsunami warnings, I had to keep my fingers busy.  I finished a scarf I've been putting off doing, then made another one.  I have two more to make, but not to worry, I'm using big knitting needles this time.

Aloha for now,

creating everyday

Aloha oukou,
Blessings and prayers to everyone affected by Japan's earthquake, tsunami and other atrocities; the latest threat being the nuclear plants that were damaged.  What little damage Hawaii sustained is nothing compared to what's happening in Japan right now.
I've been keeping busy and trying to stay positive.  I've made a couple of cardstock purses and decorated them for 2 GCs, unfortunately they got to them before I could photo them. I was playing with the Eclips machine and trying to get used to it, so I cut out a couple of scalloped purses.  I think I need to be a little more patient with the process of learning this time around. The more I play with this machine the more things I'm finding out about how to maneuver the icons and instructions on the handheld. Still, I can't seem to let go of my Cricut. My reason is quite simple.  I learned that Eclips doesn't have license to put out a Disney or Hello Kitty cartridge.  Hellooo?   That's 95% of my GCs requests!  Now I need more space to house not one but two machines! I'm slowly taking over the middle room (guest room), my bigshot is already in there.
A while back my husband finished renovating our bedroom bathroom and the window treatment was not done because I didn't know what to do.  Plus, I couldn't find anything on the market for what I had in mind.  Until that is, I saw some placemats in Ross's the other day.  This is what I did:

3 placemats

Because of the "art deco" "art noveau" look of the way the tile and border was made, I didn't want a full curtain or full shade, besides the window is high enough that no one can see in unless they're on a ladder. But I couldn't find just a "valance" size piece of shade.  This to me is just fine.
Here's more pics of parts of the bathroom:

wicker shelving across from the "bowl"

my corner and handheld

my husband's overhead shower

The grandchildren call this the rain forrest; they love how the water can come from both the overhead and the handheld at the same time (they figured that out by accident).
I think in these pictures the green in the tile doesn't come through, but the tile has a green shade to it and the border is a combination of tiny glass tiles with a black ceramic border.  The glass colors are different shades of green with some black running through it and it comes on a 12x12 inch mesh.  What my husband did was cut the mat with tile intact so that he could create the border.  For some of you who know my husband, when he does something, he goes wild with the idea.  My entire tiny bathroom is tiled from the floor, up the walls to the ceiling.  If I didn't put my foot down, he would have tiled the ceiling!
Okay, I know this post is long so I'll end here.  See you all in a few days!
Aloha,

Laptable for Laptop

Aloha oukou,
I mentioned in the previous post about finishing my laptable for my laptop (say that 5 times). Well I'm happy to say I've finished it!  My husband finished these boards quite some time ago, but I didn't follow through with the cushion part 'til now.

cushion face that will rest on lap

bottom that will hook & loop to board

attached to board

ready to use

  Can you see the lip just below the laptop? That keeps the computer from slipping.
So without turning this into a tutorial what I did to make the cushion was measure the board at the narrowest part of the width and height to get my measurements. I stitched the fluffy part of the hook and loop to the bottom of the cushion. I did this because, if I wash it when I remove it from the board, I didn't want any clothes or towels etc. to stick to it. After sewing it together I filled it with beanbag plastic pellets and shredded foam. I hot-glued the other part of the hook and loop to the board.  The easiest way to do this if you don't want to measure is to attach it to the part that's on the cushion, flip it over onto the board and glue a little at a time from one end to the other. I made four cushions, two for me and two for DH.  So when one is being washed, we can attach the extra cushion to the board. I place my laptop a little more to the left on the board; gives me room to use a mouse on the right-hand side..
What would I do differently?  I would probably use styrofoam pellets instead of the plastic pellets, only because the styrofoam is lighter in weight and the cushion feels a bit heavy with what I used.
It is however working fine for me other than the color; think I'll paint the board another color. Hehehe.
Aloha for now,

Sorry for being MIA, Lifestyle changes

It's been so long since I've posted.  I miss posting and  miss reading up on what everyone  is doing. 
Life with a retired husband is different to say the least.  I was trying to make it a smooth transition, but in the process made a mess of my schedule.  So, I had to take a step back and reevaluate my situation. Though my husband is awake a couple of hours before me, he waits for me so that we can still have breakfast together.  He then goes off to do the 'outside' things while I do the 'inside' things. We do like to take a day or two out of our week to run errands and just have fun together.  We also have to factor in the grandchildren; they like to spend the night or day with us during the week and weekend.  In fact, we had our youngest grandchild for a week while the rest of her family went to Disneyland. She was just too young and wouldn't have enjoyed the waiting in line and fast-pace schedule.
We've also gone a little greener (eco-green), we now have 5 egg-laying chickens.  I know, what?? It's been what seems so long since we bought eggs, that's the upside.  The downside is, my husband likes to set them free during the day, in the backyard, where Hoku(dog) once claimed as hers, sometimes roll her body in the grass, sun bathe, you know, be a dog.  Well, today she needed a bath to take off the chicken poop.  While I know it will be awhile before hubby builds the chicken coop I want with the enclosed scratch area, Hoku will have to do her business in another area; she can't be bathed everytime she goes outside.
Since my last post, I nearly broke my foot; was limping around for awhile, but I'm good to go now. 
I've acquired an Eclips machine as a birthday gift; haven't used it much. I'm so used to using my Cricut.
I got these birthday goodies from Brenda. How sweet is that?!

magnetic notepad and birthday card

accordian file

Brenda is so talented!
Currently on my work table are cushion backs for a lap-table. My husband cut out these boards for us to use with our laptops.  I was suppose to make the cushion backs for them; never did.  So now I'm doing four at a time.  I'll post pics when they're done.
So, what's on your work table? I'd love to hear what you all are doing.
'Til then, Aloha,