Crafty things along the way

I had a hunch there'd be some Halloween festivities onboard when I saw a big crate of pumpkins on a forklift in Venice.

 

 Cat in a shop window (Funchal, Madeira, Portugal)

Even the sidewalks were crafty!

 

 Store front of a woodcrafter's shop (Orvieto, Italy)

 

                                               Weaving studio (Orvieto)

 

 Fabric chickens (Taormina, Italy)

 

Ceramic jugs (Taormina) 

 

 Paper-mache masks (Taormina)

 

Pretty felted things (Istanbul) 

 

 Buttons and embellishments (Athens Archeological Museum)

 

 Hand-woven carpets (Istanbul)

 

Ceramic basset hound (Sorrento, Italy) 

 

Statue on a balcony (Barcelona) 

 

 Cement sculpture on side of a building (Sorrento)

 

Be-jeweled dog on a sweater (Taormina) 

Street entertainer "statue" (Barcelona)

Thanks so much for holding!

I'm back in the Treehouse once again, after a wonderful adventure.  Mr. Gadget and I have been cruising....but I'm sure you assumed....

For 3 weeks we cruised around the Mediterranean Sea and then we sailed for another week across the Atlantic to Florida.  Gotta love a trip without jet lag.

We love to cruise, and we realized on this trip that we can look forward to doing more of it in our elder years.

Some days the seas were choppy.

Some days they were smooth.

We rode on buses.

We saw wonderful places.

And we realized yet again that people are pretty much the same the world over.

"Please hold"

Mr. Gadget and I are about to set off on another adventure.  This time to Europe.  We'll be very busy, and fitting in blog posts would likely be more of a challenge than usual...especially considering my mediocre tech skills.  So I'm taking a blog vacation.

I will be back the first week of November, and will write a trip report soon after I return.  I'll be gearing up for the Christmas craft show too, so there will be lots of crafty goodies to share with you.

Have fun while I'm gone, and enjoy the pleasant music while you hold.  Oh wait.  I forgot to set that up.  No time now.  Maybe you could hum a little tune. 

Cheap tours

Sometimes a person doesn't get around to see their own neck of the woods until they have company visiting.

Two of my cousins from California have been here for the last three days and I've been the tour guide. That's Molly looking glamorous and Toni with the map.

I took them by the old hotel.

We drove north to West Cornwall to see a covered bridge and other New Englandy sights.

We took the train to the big city to visit the 9/11 memorial.  Toni, the most outgoing of the 3 of us, sat in the front seat of the taxi both ways and learned the nationality, family history, favorite foods and political leanings of each of our drivers.

Now they're headed home, back to California, and my mind is trying to convince my body to get busy and get some stuff done, but it's not having any part of it.  I think I'm going to retire from the tour-guide job.

The can't-say-no sweaters

A couple of weeks ago I was at the weekly senior center knitting group....just minding my own business.  Then Pat walked in.  Pat is one of the coordinators of the annual Christmas bazaar.

"Hey, Marcia," she said.  "Would you be willing to make some more of those little knitted sweater ornaments for the bazaar this year?  They were a big hit last year and sold out fast."

I didn't tell her how, after I finished those sweaters...and more sweaters for a craft fair, I was suffering from complete sweater burnout.

"I guess I could make a few," I told her.  Actually, I was just thinking about a small project I could work on while Mr. Gadget and I are traveling this October (more details to come).  The sweaters would be perfect to take along, since they're small and lightweight.  And I'm always able to make a few new friends while I'm knitting them because people stop and ask me what I'm doing.

So I got some old sock yarn out of my stash and decided to see if I remembered how to make them.  It's fun to watch them grow....with all different stripes because of the way the yarn is dyed.  I'm hoping my second burnout doesn't hit till the end of the trip. I'm sure at some point I would regret throwing my yarn and needles overboard.

Here's the pattern if you're interested in making some too.  I used double-pointed needles size 0 for the ones above, but I'm now making one using Size 2 needles and it's coming out a bit bigger but still a good size for an ornament.

Rhyme time

 

The law states a witch must have a black cat,

but this one surely missed the memo on that.

"Perhaps they should change the rule.

Most witches are no longer old school.

We're into Spanx and gels and ballerina flats."

Sunday stuff

I have a fairly nice crop of witches this year.

Or should I say, a small bouquet.

***

This morning Mr. Gadget took a walk

around the neighborhood.

"Come back with one interesting fact,"

I instructed.

"They're painting lines on the new parking area,"

he said, upon his return.

"Any interesting facts from the Treehouse?" he asked.

"Yes,"  I said. "Things are never dull up there."

He was sitting on the edge of his chair anxiously waiting to hear...

"I've figured out that fabric flowers turn out much prettier when I put some stuffing in the petals."

I call this little exercise relationship enrichment.

*** 

I've discovered recently that many foods taste better

with a bit of gorgonzola cheese and Craisins added.

The same could be said for cilantro.

***

I've also learned that when one lives in a senior condo complex,

one must attend a funeral now and then.

And visit friends who've had knee and hip replacements.

***

Big City Girl came for a visit last weekend.

She and her father had their usual game of Scrabble.

BCG won, but only by a few points....so there were

none of the usual tears and hurt feelings.

***

I've begun a drawer-cleaning project.

Cleaning out one drawer a day is quite easy and painless.

If only the same could be said for flossing.

Witchy women

I've been having a little fun with witches.  I have three with clay faces underway.  

I'm finally getting the hang of it and am able to sculpt them more quickly than before.  I guess most things get easier with practice.

Even though the sculpting has become easier, adding the embellishments continues to be difficult.  What color should her hat brim be?  What should she wear around her neck?  What kind of trims should I put on her shoes?  What about her hair color?

I'm usually happy with the finished dolls, and I'm glad to send them on their way to the old hotel.  After that, it's just a matter of being patient until the little elves come to clean up the mess.

Another owl story

I finished the owl embroidery and have started another.  I have two matching frames on hand, so I really had no choice.

If he looks familiar, you may have seen him on a Kleenex box.

I mentioned in my previous post that I had an owl story that might be a little eerie.  I'll let you be the judge.  Many years ago, long before I met Mr. Gadget, there was another special man in my life.  We had gone to high school together; he was a year ahead of me.  We knew each other but didn't get together romantically till a few years after graduation.  Soon after we got together, he was drafted.  He thought he'd like to learn to fly, so he applied for pilot training and was accepted. He became a helicopter pilot.

Before he went off to war....the first of the many unpopular wars....he gave me a small wooden owl.

Here it is....sitting in my curio thingie looking like it could use a little reconstructive surgery after all these years.

Sadly, that special guy never made it home. So, as you might imagine, the owl became a special treasure.

While I was out at the Calcondo this summer, I got together with my old high school friend, Lydia. We went to a huge store that housed hundreds of flea-market vendors.  As we were walking in from the parking lot, she asked me something about this guy.  She had known him too.  And as soon as we walked into the store and started browsing, the very first display we looked at had one of these same owls.  I've only ever seen two--mine and that one.  Kinda weird, eh? 

So, tomorrow I'm going to Knitters' Heaven with my friend other Marcia (she gave up the blog years ago).  Another knitter is going with us--newbie Linda.  This will be her first visit and we've told her to be prepared for the shock of being surrounded by yarn as far as the eye can see.  We're pretty sure she's a kindred spirit because the first words out of her mouth were, "I'd love to go, but I really don't NEED yarn."

Departed: POB*; Arrived: HHH**

* Pleasant Ocean Breezes
** Hazy Hot Humid

I'm now back in the Concondo and re-adjusted to east-coast time.  I've been surveying the Treehouse and getting re-acquainted with those projects I started before we left.

I had a bad dream last night. I had signed up to do a craft show and I was not prepared.  The set-up time was looming and I still hadn't priced anything, and had not even begun to load up my car.  Plus, I had a very bad cold.

I finally had to throw in the towel and cancel at the last minute.  But I was really interested in doing the show the following year, and I was afraid the organizer would label me a deadbeat and ban me from future shows.

Then, a little while after I got up, Mr. Gadget asked me if I wanted to go to Costco.  He usually goes by himself, but once in a while I ride along. I like to look at the books. And the cookies. This time I noticed they had nice canopy tents that would have been just the thing for me when I was doing craft shows regularly.  But, of course, I've retired from that sort of thing, so I don't need one now.

Do you ever notice that sometimes days have themes?  This one started out with the craft-show dream and then moved on to the craft-show tent.  A few weeks ago it was all about owls. That story will have to wait, but it's a good one--and maybe just a wee bit eerie.

Now I'd better get hopping on projects for the old hotel craft show.  It's just two months away and I don't want those nice folks calling me a deadbeat.

One for the road

I've really been enjoying my owl embroidery project, but I suddenly realized I hadn't even opened my clay since we got here.  I had plans to make one more clay witch head while I was at the Calcondo this summer...in preparation for assembling dolls when I got back to the Concondo.

Here is my recent attempt.  She's a little rugged-looking at this stage, but she'll be in perfect form once I paint her skin green, accentuate the big mole on her chin, and put just the right rotten color on her two remaining teeth.  I think she looks pleased about something.  I hate to think what it could be. 

I've made a little more progress on the owl.

I'm not always in the mood to embroider, but when I am I find it very relaxing.  Better than a glass of wine, but not as good as a massage.  This guy still needs quite a few finishing touches. And then I think he'll need a friend.  Can you imagine two of them sitting side-by-side?  What a hoot!

More stitching of one kind or another

I've made more progress on the owl.

I got my eye mojo back and worked on the second one.  Now I'm doing yellow feathers.  It's sort of mindless stitching and can be done while watching the NY Yankees crash and burn.  Oh my goodness.  Why didn't they ask our opinion before they made those trades for players who were already over-the-hill with those other teams?  Is there no reasonableness in the world?

I've also been sewing.  Here is the bag I made from the furniture print.

I used a free pattern I found on the internet.  It's a little small for this type of bag...at least for me.  But it works fine as a purse.  I've had a few nice comments on it.   I did tweak the pattern a bit and made a bigger one.

Here they are for comparison:

The bigger one fits nicely over my shoulder, whereas the smaller one is a tight fit.  I think it could be even bigger, but I'll save that experiment for later.  I need to make a few dolls for the craft fairs.

So Mr. Gadget and I are winding down our summer stay at the Calcondo.  We'll be sad to go.  Weather has been great, beach has been wonderful, and the plumbing has worked flawlessly.

As is our usual shutting-down process, Mr. G. will make sure everything is shipshape with the house and car, and I will be checking to see that I didn't miss a craft or fabric store.  I think we have a very reasonable division of labor.

Owling right along

I've made some progress on the owl.

I get easily addicted whenever I start a new embroidery project.  Then I burn out.  Hopefully, I'll finish the owl before there's nothing but embers left.

Here is a close-up of the eye.

I'm suffering from second-eye syndrome.  In the past I've written about second-sock syndrome. It's not terribly exciting to start knitting a second sock immediately after finishing the first.  The same holds true for embroidered owl eyes.  So I'm skipping around, and yes, I'll draw in the top of his head before I'm done.  I just forgot that little detail when I had the fabric taped up on the window.

Today I took a road trip out to Anaheim to my favorite discount fabric store.  I used to go with my friend Barbara, but since she moved to Arizona it's a little too far to pick her up on the way.  It's always more fun to go with a buddy so I asked my high school friend, Lydia, if she'd like to come along and she jumped at the chance.  She'd never been to this store before, and, like me, she's disappointed that local fabric stores have become extinct.  The two of us sewed most of our own clothes back in the day.  I think that activity is pretty far along the road to extinction too.

This particular fabric store has an ever-revolving inventory.  Sometimes the pickings are so-so, and sometimes there are so many wonderful choices I have to hold myself back.  Today was one of those wonderful days.  We each stashed a big bag o' fabric in the back of my car before setting off for home.  We thought briefly of making a stop at Disneyland, but decided against it.  When you're our age, sometimes the happiest place on earth is a discount fabric store.

Nothing to sneeze at

I have a sore back from needle-felting.  Yep, I know it's hard to believe but it's true.  So I've put myself on the 15-day disabled list and I'm taking up embroidery during the interim.

Here's a picture I posted earlier this year.  The clay bird is eyeballing a Kleenex box with an owl that is just begging to be stitched.  Actually, there are owls on each side of the box, so that makes 4 owls--all begging.  I've chosen one of the other 3 to start with.  I have in mind to stitch 2 owls that I will frame and hang on the wall in the Concondo powder room.  If I get really carried away, I'll do all 4 and find a more impressive place to showcase them.

Here is an enlarged copy of the owl I'm going to do first.

Here is the side of the box I cut out so it would lay flat in the copy machine.  It is also my color guide.  I took it with me to the craft store to find just the right colors of embroidery floss.

We have a big sliding door in the Calcondo that works as a great light box in the late afternoon.  I taped the copy to the door, and then taped my plain white fabric over the copy.  It was fairly easy to trace the owl onto the cloth with a pencil.

And now I've begun the fun part--the stitching.  I'm using an outline stitch for the borders, long and short stitchs for the fill-in parts, and back stitch with some French knots for those little whisker thingies at the top.

I'm looking forward to lots of nice, relaxing stitching time....unless my arthritis flares up and I must extend my time on the DL.  Then I'll just have to go to the beach.

Something's fishy

Here's the embroidered project I did for Big City Girl.  It's a patch that she can attach to something.  Or not, although I would be happy to know it doesn't end up in her junk drawer.  Does everyone have a junk drawer like we do?  It's nothing but a source of guilt.  I always feel I should be cleaning it out....or at least putting the junk into one of those sectioned trays so at least it would be organized.  But back to the patch.  BCG goes to a gym and boxes, and she just replaced her old worn-out boxing gloves with a brand new pair.  I admire her dedication.  She gets up at 5:30 a.m. to go before work...and she likes it.  Definitely her dad's daughter.

Here is my most recent sewing project.....for BCG and her boyfriend.  They both like to cook....he more than she (she knows how to pick 'em)...and were in need of aprons.  The only request they had was that I put pockets on them--one for cell phone and one for e-cigs.  They both quit smoking well over a year ago, but do still use e-cigs.  Mr. Gadget and I never smoked and we were under the mistaken impression that we were being good role models for our children, but peer pressure is a powerful force.

So Mr. Gadget is off on a bike ride.  He headed off to the beach with his bike affixed to his new bike rack.  He usually keeps me posted while he's underway--mostly by bragging about how far he's gone.  But this morning he texted me a photo of someone doing something I call exercise gone wild.  They were running up a long stairway carrying a bowling ball.  I guess it's possible they were just late for their Tuesday morning bowling league. So now, all of a sudden, I'm feeling motivated.  I think I'll walk the garbage out to the dumpster.

Please be seated

I found the chair fabric at a local fabric store--one of the few local independent fabric stores that has managed to survive.  They carry some unusual fabrics that are more expensive than those available from the big chain stores like Joann's.  But the quality is better and it's great to sew with.  I always go into the store with the intention of just browsing but, as usually happens, one or two of those lovely bolts just reaches out and grabs me.  There must be some sort of paranormal explanation...

Lately I've been sewing, and also working on an embroidery project. The embroidered piece is finished and has been mailed to Big City Girl.  As soon as she receives it, I'll post it here.  It's a little bit of whimsy. 

Two of the sewing projects are also intended for BCG.  I should be finished with them in a couple of days, and then I'll start on the chair-fabric project--a bag for me.  I bought enough of the red lining fabric to have enough for a Santa.

So, Mr. Gadget now has his new bike, and he's been pedaling all over the neighborhood and beyond.

The other day after he returned he said he'd taken a spin by the seedy bar, I mean the upscale cocktail lounge, where we met almost 39 years ago.

"How did the old place look?" I asked.

He said it was being renovated and he couldn't tell what kind of business would be going in.

"Probably a nail salon," I said, "or a Korean restaurant."  Every corner seems to have one of each.

This morning he left at 6 a.m. for a quiet, traffic-free ride to the beach.  I rolled over and slept for a couple more hours and got up just in time to unlock the door.

"How'd it go?" I asked.

"Great!" he exclaimed.  "You should think about getting a bike so you can ride along with me." 

"But then I would miss out on the important sleep work I do," I said.

Then I got to thinking.  Maybe we should have gotten a bicycle-built-for-two.  That way I could sit in the back and just pretend to pedal.