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my creative space

my creative space

I’m not sure how our Summer got so busy. Kindergarten starts soon and I should be soaking up these last few weeks of kid activities. But I have to admit, I’m ready for some alone time.

my creative space

The only creativity I’ve been able to fit into our schedule is behind the lens. Last week I managed to sneak away for a walk in the Sheldon Sculpture Garden while my daughter was at camp. I took lots of sculpture photos, but I’m really loving my nature shots.

my creative space

I’ll be back to sewing, knitting, thrifting and crocheting soon enough. (It’s too hot for wool yarn anyway!) In the meantime, if you see a crazy lady with a camera kneeling in a bed of roses, stop and say hello!

More creative spaces here.

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my daughter’s first art gallery opening

art camp

Last week my daughter attended art camp at the children’s museum. Friday afternoon they created a gallery for the kids to exhibit their work. My daughter was beyond excited. You see, she wants to be an Artist when she grows up. This was her first Show.

art camp

She did an amazing amount of work in one week’s worth of mornings. She really enjoyed learning about pointillism and her favorite paintings (the top one titled: Birds and the one of the big flower) are hanging in her room. My favorite, however, is the painting on foil titled: Cat Hanging on a Tree.

art camp

This is my daughter’s second camp at the Lincoln Children’s Museum. They do such an incredible job with the kids. If you are local, I encourage you to check them out.

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neck coolers to the rescue

skip to my lou neckcooler

Every July, car enthusiasts migrate to Kearney, NE for Cruise Night. It’s actually an entire weekend of events. We just go for Saturday afternoon and evening, leaving right before the actual “cruising” begins.

The highlight of the afternoon is the car show. It’s hot. Steel, pavement, brick and asphalt radiate an overwhelming amount of heat. That doesn’t seem to keep anyone away. In fact, if people aren’t talking about cars, they are usually comparing heat indexes.

“This is better than last year.”
“No way! Last year was much hotter.”
“Remember that first year we came? It was miserable!”

We are crazy like that.

This year I came prepared to beat the heat with neck coolers. These things were so easy to make and they ROCK! They are supposed to work best in low humidity, but stick them in an ice cooler for a few minutes and they feel heavenly!

Since it was a car event, I used checkered flag fabric for the guys. My daughter picked out lady bugs for herself and (thankfully!) wore it all day long. If you are spending any amount of time outside this summer, I highly recommend them.

pattern: I used Skip to My Lou’s tutorial exactly for the adults. For the kids, I decreased the length to 26 inches and sewed on some velcro to keep them in place. I found cracked ice crystals at Michael’s in the floral section.

How do you keep cool outside during the summer months?

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oatcakes

heidi swanson 101 cookbooks oatcake

Remember the millet muffins? I made so many recipes from the library’s copy of Super Natural Every Day that I decided to buy my own.

I really love it. But I have a confession: I have been hesitant to try a few recipes because the fat/calorie numbers are a little high.

It is hard shaking the marketing tactics of the processed food industry. I know that lite, fat-free and all natural doesn’t mean good for you. I notice when they add extra servings to reduce the per-serving calorie count.

I know better, yet I still feel a little brainwashed. Does that even make sense?

I need snacks for when my family is on the go. Real food. Things that won’t make them hungry again in an hour. Snacks that are portable for road trips, the park and before karate class. Snacks that taste good so my family will want to eat them.

Swanson’s oatcakes meet all my requirements! As a quick breakfast, they keep us going until lunch with no mid-morning snack. They are definitely better for you than the average coffee house baked good. (Yes, I sneaked in my own snack.) They also give my daughter energy for karate class after a morning spent playing in the park.

Will I fiddle with the numbers in the future? Possibly. I wonder if applesauce could replace the butter. Maybe I’ll cut back on the nuts or maple syrup. Could egg whites replace the whole eggs?

Although, after watching this ABC News report on obesity, I’m hesitant to demonize organic butter, real maple syrup, real eggs and fresh walnuts. Our food supply has enough bad guys already, don’t you agree?

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the ladybug dress

girl bug fabric

blog flashback: Two years ago I refashioned a woman’s shirred shirt into a dress for my daughter.

A few months ago, I got a message from a friend about some free fabric. I tried to resist. I really don’t need any more fabric. I did need a little quiet time with friends, though. Besides, what if I found something really cool?

girl bug fabric

I have always wanted to make a dress out of pre-shirred (or mock-smock) fabric. This happened to be the perfect amount: just shy of 1 1/2 yards. (It’s hard to tell how much you’ll need with all that elastic. My daughter’s chest is 21 inches, if that gives you some perspective.)

girl bug fabric

I made the dress long, hoping and praying she might be able to wear it next year. I even hid some extra strap length inside the back. I guess I could always turn it into a shirt next year, too.

What do you think about mock smock fabric? Have you ever shirred fabric with elastic thread?

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my creative space

good luck cowl knitting

I did a little bit of airplane knitting while on vacation. It’s not exactly mindless knitting, but it distracted me from all of the stormy turbulence we encountered.

I really love the pattern and the design would probably “pop” more with a solid color yarn.

I’m no longer ripping back tiny mistakes if they aren’t too noticeable. I’ve figured out how to yarn over here and there to hide them pretty good.

I started this cowl in February. At this rate, it might get finished before the cold weather hits.

What’s in your creative space? Visit other places here.

pattern: Good Luck Cowl by Drop Stitch Knitter

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the little avocado that could

avocado plant

We planted our first avocado seed today. Remember way back in April when we put it in a bag of moss? The book said it would take a few weeks to get roots. Ours took a few months. Maybe our laundry room isn’t warm enough?

avocado plant

You’re supposed to have 3-4 inches of roots before planting. Our second avocado seed is really slow. (Sorry I forgot to take a pic of the first seed’s roots.) Back into the bag of moss for that one.

Other green happenings: A friend is traveling a lot this summer and has asked me to look after her strawberry plants. She started them from very special seeds that came all the way from Poland. No pressure, right? So far, so good.

strawberries

Full disclosure: My green thumb isn’t very consistent. The neglected tomato plant is thriving, but not producing any fruit. The cucumber got snapped in half by The Ol’ Nebraska Winds during a storm. Technically, it’s not my fault, but it’s dead just the same.