Month: February 2023

mushroom embroidery.

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One of my wishes in life is to learn about and scavenge for mushrooms to create natural dyes. But until I’m able to do so, I’ll embroider them! I signed up for a Jenny Lemons workshop with MCreativeJ* to create embroidered mushrooms. The mushroom embroidery kit came with an embroidery hoop, fabric, assorted floss, a needle, “peel, stick, and stitch” patterns, and hardware for hanging. We just needed to add scissors. And if you’re extra like me, you’ll have splurged and purchased an embroidery hoop stand/holder*, too! BTW – This is a game changer! For this project I gathered additional embroidery floss in a red and brown palette*, too. Here we go! We reviewed satin stitch, chain stitch, and a take on satin stitch with long and short stitches combined. The time goes by so quickly in creative workshops. It’s always so satisfying when you can complete your project in one sitting but this was definitely a few-parter. This was my first introduction to the sticker transfer paper; they came pre-printed in Melissa’s kit (she …

daisy chain.

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My friend and I met up for nachos and crafting – a winning combo! I picked up the daisy chain bracelet kit from Joann to share. Just add pliers and scissors – a bead tray and mat help, too – and you’re good to go. I’ve long been fascinated by bead weaving/sewing so to find a kit to walk me through a new-to-me technique was a fun find! The kit comes with cord, an assortment of beads, two needles, a lobster clasp, a jump ring, and instructions. You can make one full bracelet with enough cord and beads leftover to make 3-4 more bracelets or other projects. Or, you can add additional strands to the initial bracelet. My friend chose yellow, teal, and pink beads for her flowers; I went for more of a love day color palette – red, fuchsia, and pink; and I swapped the silver findings for gold. It took me a few daisies to get the hang of the project; by about daisy number five I was feeling a bit more …

entwined.

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Need a fun, easy, magical date night idea for the whole family? Now through March 12, Entwined is on display at Peacock Meadow in Golden Gate Park. It’s described as a ‘dazzling forest of light.’ It really is dazzling! I love a good art installation. Entwined is colorful and mesmerizing. There is an interactive component, too. Scan the QR code on one of the ‘flowers’ when you get there. You’ll get added to the queue to control the lights – the intensity, the colors – to create your custom art show. The field is covered in hay and they have a few chairs for sitting and admiring the display. All that was missing was a warm cup of cocoa. SF Parks Alliance hosts events on select days including salsa dancing, arts and crafts, and yoga! I didn’t do enough research before going, but apparently there are knots in the ‘trees’ where you can view miniature art created by local artists. I’ll have to go back. It seems like worth a visit during day just before …

tennis tuesday reprise.

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Hubby captained his first tennis league (a 9.5 combo team), and they made it to sectionals (which is the finals of USTA combo tennis)! To celebrate, a reprise of the giant tennis banner from 2018 was in order. This time I had more names and an extra line of text to fit onto the 2’x3′-ish block of felt. Oh, and I was crunched for time because I left it to the last minute – the day of the team’s celebration dinner! I woke up super early to work on this special request. I started by creating the base and attaching a 3′ dowel. After cutting letters (and then recutting some because I didn’t spend enough time measuring and calculating out space like last time), Hubby did a final spell check. Then I glued and attached the rope with finishing knots. I won’t say it’s my best work, but it’s still a showstopper. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of making these giant banners. And check it out – it fit perfectly at the head of …

woven wall hanging.

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I opened an online art shop! And my first product is my last large weaving project. This was my biggest weaving yet, created on the ‘Big Mama‘ frame loom from The Unusual Pair. I love working with different textures of yarn and roving. For this project I used an assortment of acrylic and wool-blend yarns, plus roving and rope that I dyed with bug scales! I generally shop in a muted palette (blushes, tans); it soothes me when I’m creating and makes a space feel cozy and calm when displayed. First things first: rya! I’m a fan of really long rya and I always opt for at least two rows of fluffy yarn. I also really like movement in my weavings so I tend to create hills throughout and vary the textures with each layer. Here’s a close up of the back (pre-weaving in the loose strands) and a close up of the front. I finished and attached this weaving to the dowel using stitching at different angels to get a sort of cable-stayed bridge …

name sweater.

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Eee, here’s a personalized project I can get behind: embroidered name sweaters for the littles! Perfect for gifting! For this project you will need: Start by sketching out your letters. I went with a semi cursive font. The marking pen rinses off under water so it’s ok if it’s not a perfect outline. Keep in mind the width of your yarn when spacing out your letters. A thicker yarn will need more space in between letters. I used a chain stitch throughout – See a quick tutorial by Cutesy Crafts. Start by knotting your yarn, then create a chain, stop whenever you would ‘pick up your pencil,’ and tie off your yarn on the reverse side. When I crossed the ‘T’ I created a chain stitch on top of the first chain stitch. Trim any excess yarn and rinse off the marking pen. So fun I couldn’t make just one! I created one for my friend’s Bebe, too, in this burnt orange color. This project works best for short names, though I imagine with a …

pastry picnic.

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Park hangs idea! Pick up pastries. Invite friends. Have a pastry picnic. To make things simple we kept it local with pastries from the farmer’s market, then a stroll to a nearby park. Friends can join for either or both parts ~ the picking out and the consuming of yum yums! I set up with a 6-foot folding table, tablecloth, heart plates (from Target, of course), and brought cuttings boards and a knife so we could each try a piece of all the pastries. Oh, and alcohol-based hand rub because hand hygiene is the cornerstone of public health. Your pastry picnic pack list*: The outside is calling. Are you ready for a pastry picnic? *This is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases made via linked items at no additional cost to you.

tiny hearts.

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Valentine’s Day is my favorite crating holiday. Here’s a super simple DIY to adorn your home, your love day tree (that should be a thing!), or a gift. Materials: Create tassels to your desired length and thickness (See tassel tutorial for detailed instructions.) Use a non stretchy cord for the hanging string. To attach to the heart, thread the two ends of the hanging string through the heart’s bottom point, front to back. Bring the two strands around to the front and tie a double knot. Use a craft needle to sew the loose hanging string ends into the top of the tassel. Trim excess hanging string. Alternatively, you can simply trim the hanging string, or leave the hanging string as is and allow the strands to blend in with the rest of the tassel. For the top string, cut a 12” piece of non-stretchy cord (can be the same cord you used for the tassel or a more decorative cord like Baker’s twine). Fold the cord in half and loop it onto the top …

i heart food. i heart puns.

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I’m a sucker for heart-shaped anything, and heart-shaped food? I am all over it! Here are a few places you can find heart-shaped snacks to make your Valentine’s Day celebration extra cute. you’re my everything. The special Valentine’s heart bagels at Boichik Bagels in Berkeley are the size of two regular bagels and come in regular and everything. Perfect to share, or not. In previous years you could pre-order and pick up on Valentine’s morning, and they are doing it again this year! you have a pizza my heart. One year for Valentine’s I baked a heart-shaped pizza. It was good but I enjoyed this professionally made one from Mountain Mike’s Pizza much more. They, too, are offering hearts this year. Also, I get a kick out of pizza boxes perfectly fitting between Bebe’s stroller handles. rice rice baby. Year-round the kid’s bibimbop from Bowl’d in Albany comes with a rice heart (and a dino nugget). The first time we ordered this for Bebe I was so delighted! This makes me want to serve rice …