This was the sky on Friday around 6 pm. Someday I’d love to take my real camera out, but there’s always so much going on at this time of evening: dinner, girl scouts, tae kwon do. The trees behind my house make it hard to get a good pic. Maybe I should start driving around with the camera in my car.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soule Mama.
I can’t believe it’s been over three years since I made my gift bag resolution. Since then I’ve been reusing bags we have been given and making bags when I need them. The only bags I’ve purchased are plain kraft bags. Wow. I impress myself.
Although I like the practice, I’ve been rethinking the drawstring gift bag lately, and wondering if I could do more with it. The whole point of making a simple gift bag is that it’s simple. I don’t make a lining or finish the inside edges aside from serging. If it takes too much time to make, I won’t do it.
Most of the bags I make are for kids’ gifts, so I started to think, “What kind of bag would be most fun for both boys and girls?” The answer I came up with was the drawstring backpack.
However, while that pattern isn’t hard, it’s not simple either. I wanted to stick with my no lining, serged edges policy. The result is essentially a drawstring bag with straps: when making a regular drawstring bag, add bottom loops when seaming up the sides and make the drawstrings longer. It’s almost too easy.
I used all four threads on my serger to make the seams extra sturdy and reinforced the stitches by the loops. It’s a gift bag, not a rugged backpack, but you never know what kinds of things a child will want to carry around.
stash: Batman fabric in my stash was free. I think it came from a friend of a friend. It was an odd shape, clearly leftover from some other project. It took some creative thinking to get two nice-sized pieces out of it. White cotton twill tape originally bought to make labels for myself, but they didn’t work out.
oops! I just realized you can’t see the bottom loops in the photo. They are the same as the loops over here.
my swipe file: snapshots of past inspiration to keep my creative muscles limber
original swipe file post here
Most days after school my daughter pulls a little folded note out of her pocket and puts it in my hand. Sometimes it’s a doodle. Sometimes it’s a sudoku.
Today, it was a hedgehog named Sally.
Before I become known as the sunrise blogger, I just have to say that I can’t ignore the beautiful mornings we’ve had lately. It’s as if the sky is calling me outside into the cold morning saying, “Document my beauty!” How can I argue with the sky? I varied things up a bit by taking a portrait photo instead of landscape. (I think I prefer landscape.)
These moments occur so fast. The sun has to hit the clouds just right. A few minutes before is just a dusky blue; a few minutes after is just another blue sky. Right in between is where you see the magic.
I’ve missed the magic more than once. All it takes is a few minutes to grab a coat and find my slippers or help my daughter pick out her clothes for the day. You have to admire the patience of nature photographers. They have so much time invested in that one perfect shot, especially in far out remote locations. It makes me grateful for the brief moments I capture on my front porch.
Thanks, Mom. Hope they work!
I have only eaten Ethiopian food once before, a long time ago, and don’t remember much about the experience. My husband and I are always looking to try new restaurants and types of cuisine, so when he suggested buying a groupon for a local African restaurant, I said, “Sure!”
Then I found out there was only one non-meat entrée on the menu, and I put him off every time he wanted to go. (To be fair, there are only like six or so entrées on the menu.) However, the groupon was eventually going to expire, so I finally agreed.
The experience was kind of bizarre. We looked over the menu, asked the waiter to explain the different dishes, and after careful consideration, placed our order. Then, when our food arrived, the waiter apologized for no appetizer — they were out of the non-meat version — and sorry, but they were out of some of the entrée food, too.
Normally this would bother us, but since we had no idea what we had ordered, we figured whatever, we’ll just eat it. And it was good! I had a cabbage dish with beets and potatoes. My husband had lamb and beef. Both were served on injera bread.
When we went to pay our bill, the waiter waved us off and said, “No worries. Your groupon covered it.”
I don’t normally write about local restaurants, but the experience was definitely worth noting. I’m sure my husband will go back. As for myself, I’ll probably only return if I’m in the mood for cabbage and beets.
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soule Mama.
Since I’m finishing up Boheme #3, I think it’s time I posted pics of Boheme #2. I knit this one using the feather and fan stitch for the body. I think it’s my favorite finished product, but I did not enjoy the pattern. I’m not sure why. It just seemed tedious. I always wanted to make a feather and fan scarf someday. Guess that’s not going to happen. Still, the sweater knitted up beautifully. Love it.
stash: still working with the Paton’s Rio from my stash. Boheme #1 here.