Through The Keyhole

A Saturday Morning

Me and my shadow snuggled in on this delicious frosty morning.  Planning, thinking, plotting, pondering, and just enough making. 

Have a glorious day!

Mail Art

Post card love headed to an east coast friend in need of art.

Happy Days

I didn't plan to taking a break. Not from blogging or making. I don't know what happens but somehow I get overwhelmed by all that I want to do and since I can't do it all, I end up doing nothing. I know this doesn't work. I can't do it all. But I must do something or I start to get sad and more unproductive. Once it starts it's hard to stop it.

Needing to make something for someone special is just to thing to break through.

Today we celebrate Debbie and this is the card I made for her. I stitched this piece last night and then stitched it onto a card that Tanner and I signed on the back.

The gifts have been opened and a most delicious breakfast has been devoured. Sadly, the birthday girl made her own breakfast. Pitiful I know but sometimes that's the way it goes.

We'll be heading to the beach for an afternoon of beachcombing and picnicing (or is that picnicking?). This evening will find us at Cafe Lago for a most scrumptuous dinner.

The weather has been gorgeous and requires time spent outdoors.

While shopping for "Flying Apron's Gluten Free and Vegan Baking Book "for Debbie I stumbled on a copy of "Apples For Jam" for a mere $8.99. I've wanted this cookbook for awhile and had to snap it up for myself. This always happens when I'm shopping for others. I find myself the most wonderful treats.

The images in this book are amazing.

Like so many of you, we've been dealing with winter sicknesses in these parts. I must say, this has been the worst winter yet for us in terms of illness. We don't frequently get ill in this house but recent weeks has found all of us down for the count. Thankfully not all at once but one after the other isn't much fun either. Sunshine and fresh air are perfect after recent events.

Off to enjoy this glorious day.

Making Christmas Pt. 2

Well, once again, "tomorrow" has a very elastic meaning.  No wonder it feels like my days are slipping by faster than they should.  Today I wanted to share the felt book I made for my niece for Christmas.  She's just a year so I thought she'd most enjoy a book about her little family.

I printed photos of my neice and her family on printable fabric. I'd planned to sew the photos to the felt pages but the fabric turned out to be iron on. I was short on time so I didn't add any stitching. Each single piece of felt has a photo ironed on to one side only.

After ironing the photos on to each felt piece, I stitched two felt pieces together to make them firmer. I wanted this book to be very soft. It could have been made even firmer with a stiff interfacing between the felt pieces.

I'll do the binding differently next time. This turned out too loose. I used a single sheet binding I learned from LK Ludwig. It works much better with firm pages. I think I have it figured out though.

This was a quick project. I had purchased the printable fabric in preparation for this project. Otherwise everything was in my stash. I take thousands of photos of my family each year so choosing and editing photos took an hour or so. The printing, cutting pages of felt, ironing on photos, and stitching took another 1 1/2-2 hours.

Vintage Swap Update

I'm way behind on updating about my vintage swap package.  I've been so exhausted since the car accident I've been mostly offline, resting whenever I can. 

I received my package in the mail as I was leaving for Journalfest.  It was a delicious treat.  My swap partner Heather had wrapped the goodies in what looks to me like cross stitch fabric.  I'll be washing it up and dyeing it I think.

 
What a fabulous little pile of treasures I have now.  Every time I look at it I choose a new favorite thing.  I'm particularly fond of the vintage pillowcases.  I just love vintage bed linens.

Heather was way more on top of it than me naturally.  See her post here to discover what I sent her.  Because of the accident, I wasn't able to shop and gathered from among my collection.  In the end I think it was more fun having such a restriction.  I looked as so many of the beautiful things I'd tucked away for just the right project.  Great fun.

You can go to the Vintage Swap 2009 blog here to see the rest of the swaps.  A feast of treats it is.  I look forward to playing with my treats and to future swaps. 

A Vintage Swap 2009

Heather of Shivaya Naturals is holding a vintage swap. It's going to be a scrumptuous adventure. The swap is closed now but you can follow the fun. Find the blog and info here. I'm looking forward to learning who my swap partner will be so I can begin gathering treats.

A Collaboration

Tanner has begun drawing creatures of his imagination in recent months. This little orange dino is from one of his sketches. Below is a friend in the making.

A recent exploration of a nearby island. We found a small beach with several driftwood structures. This little piece of beach must be ideally situated for driftwood to wash up. I've never seen quite so much of it in one place before.