Zips and Haberdashery

I recently traveled to England. While I was in York, I came across a shop called "Duttons for Buttons: zips and haberdashery." Of course I went in and oh, the buttons! There was a whole wall of them. I could have browsed all afternoon in the buttons. I finally picked some  white and transparent buttons, and payed for them. The young lady at the checkout told me that the ceiling upstairs was really cool. All the old buildings in York (and much of England) have exposed beam ceilings. Many of the buildings in this part of York are from the 13th and 14th centuries and have lots of character. So, I went up the first narrow flight of stairs, and there was more haberdashery! Incidentally, I looked up the word haberdashery and the dictionary said: "Goods sold by a haberdasher." Um, right. So:

Haberdasher: 1. British: a dealer in notions. 2. a dealer in men's clothing and accessories.

Ok, cool. A dealer in notions, I like that. If I could be a dealer in notions from my mind, I could really get somewhere. Anyway, I went up the second narrow flight of stairs and there was more haberdashery, and zips of course, and the ceiling, which was amazing.

Even though I had paid for my buttons, I found a cross stitch project that I liked, so I paid for that, as well as a cross stitch project for my Mother-in-law who also likes to cross stitch. I was really excited to get this project started and I did today! I will update my progress on the project and as the days pass, the suspense will build, and when I am done you will be able to see the final picture!

In the Heat of the Night

This entry is in honor of my friend who almost burned her apartment down trying to be crafty. For this I give her a Crafty Badge of Bravery.

How to make candles out of the wax from your old candles:

Step One:
Go to the thrift-store and purchase an old saucpan that you will use only for crafting. Go to a craft store and buy candle wicks.

Step Two:
At home, make a double boiler by filling a slightly bigger saucepan about one-third of the way with water. Bring this water to a simmer. Collect your candle wax. If there are huge chunks, break them into smaller ones to speed up the melting process. Place them into the thrift-store pan. Place your thrift-store pan into the simmering water. Keep the heat on medium-low to low. This will gently melt your wax. Swirling is the best way to mix it. That way you don't have to get a utensil all waxy.

Step Three:
Here you can either begin the lengthy process of dipping your wick into the wax repeatedly to make a dipped candle, or you can pour it into a mold like a small milk carton (the kind from lunch in grade school). If you pour it into a mold, make sure you tie your wick to a pen or pencil and place it on top of the mold to that it hangs down into the mold. Then carefully pour your wax in. Leave your wick tied to the pencil until the wax has hardened. If you make a dipped candle, tie the wick to a wooden spoon or the like, dip your wick into the wax letting it harden between each dipping. Keep adding layers until the candle is the desired thickness. Hang it up to dry.

Step Four:
When you are quite sure that your candle has completly hardened, you may remove the candle from the mold and trim the wick. Or for a dipped candle, trim the bottom so that it fits into your candle holder.

Step Five:
An easy way to clean up the wax from the pan is to stick it in the freezer for a while. Then take it out and chip the wax out and into the trash bin.

That's the basics. You can do it!

The life of a square

I finished a pillow that was a gift for my Aunt Sally! I will always associate rust orange with Sally. If you see the posting from January, you can see the kind of square that I used for the pillow. I made eight of them and then sewed them together. I made a green fabric pillow just smaller than the crocheted one and stuffed it. Then I placed the green one inside the orange and blue one and fastened the edge. She liked it.

Still Life With Beer

Last October I went to a truly authentic Octoberfest celebration. It was a hoot. There was even a horn blowing contest. You know--the huge horns as long as a giraffe neck. This painting is inspired by that, and summer of course. Summer, when I am so thirsty for beer; as opposed to October when I feel like I'm guzzling it down to store up fat for the winter, which I do quite effectively. Yum.

Summer also reminds me of painting, which is fun to do outside on my back patio while listening to music.  

Cupcakes Are So In Right Now

Cupcakes, the confident offspring of cake, are popping up everywhere these days. Decadent little things, I thought they deserved an homage in the form of yarn, so I made a few for my little three month old friend who will enjoy pretending to eat them when she gets a little older.

Full of Beans

It's Spring and my attentions have turned to gardening. Am I allowed to write about gardening on my crafting blog? I think so. It feeds the same part of my brain and soul. I planted some fava beans this fall that survived the Winter and are flowering now. Nerdy facts alert! Nerdy facts alert! Fava beans are also known as broad beans, horse beans, windsor beans, and pigeon beans and they are one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Fava beans are legumes and cousins to peas. They help to fix the nitrogen in my garden soil. I am excited to eat them when they are ready!

Heart Murmur

This is my latest fun creation. Here’s the story of how I got the heart. I went to this small, dark and crowded antique store that I always pass by on my way home from work. The building looks somewhat anteekie itself, chipping paint and a battered grand piano on top of the roof. The shop was full of furniture and glass vases, statuettes in cabinets, and lots of paintings, a jungle of a store really. The man who runs it likes to talk politics. He was a real character. He started talking to me while I was walking around the store. At first I thought he was talking to someone else but I was the only one in there. So, I came back and listened to what he had to say. I tend to automatically use my listening skills to their fullest extent, so he had my full attention, until I thought to myself that this could last a long time; he does NOT like republicans, to put it lightly. So, I listened and walked around at the same time, occasionally answering with a “Wow” or a “Yeah – it’s crazy out there.”

Then another woman came into the store. While he welcomed her into the store, I made a break for the back where I found an assortment of junk jewelry and modern pierced earrings. Then I spotted this tarnished heart on a tarnished chain. I thought it would clean up well so I brought it to the front and asked if I could have the heart but not the chain. This threw the guy off a little bit, but we came to a price and I was off to a new project! Time spent shopping: 15 minutes. Time spent listening to shopkeeper: 20 minutes.

To make this necklace I just put some rings together to make a chain, long enough to put over my head without a clasp. I thought the circle rings would complement the circle in the heart. I like how it turned out. It is a great piece for layering with other metal necklaces. That is the current fashion after all!