Trying to Catch Up From a Big Weekend!

<--Perry Monument on Put-In Bay Island

Wow. A four-day weekend camping trip at CedarPoint in Sandusky, Ohio; a day-trip to Put-In-Bay Island; and an evening at the 4-H Fair. I'm tired!

Rollercoasters, food, kiddie-rides, food, games of chance, food, golf cart rides around the island, a great live demo of musket loading and firing (War-of-1812-style) muskets, food, t-shirt shopping, food, old-fashioned carousel rides, food, goats, chickens, beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats, llamas, sheep, commercial exhibits, some ice cream and a longer-than-expected ride home.

Good times were had by all. And the weather? PERFECT.

Pictures coming soon. Blogger.com is giving me fits with uploading photos. Stay tuned.

Friday WIP (Work-in-Process)

Vintage-looking kitchen towels that will be transformed into tote bags.

I have all these ideas...but never seem to have time to sit down and bring them to life.

Must. Start. Creating. Things.







More cotton towels. Not sure how these are going to end up. Any ideas? The towels are much nicer than this photo shows. Blues, green, tan, cream. All waiting to become something new and different.







A baby bib in the making. Clean. Classic lines. Functional. Hopefully someone else will feel the same way and buy it once I get it finished and put in the (etsy) shop.









Materials for a bib. Yes, I realize the Fourth of July is over. But I'm trying a new size/shape...so this is going to be a 'trial run' so to speak. Besides, we should practice patriotism all year long, shouldn't we?

Summer is ...

...pots of impatiens on the patio.














...roses in the garden (doing execptionally well this year).



And when the day is done, the soft glow and sweet scent of a candle.

Dishin' and Fishin'

Dishin'












I found these at the thrift store today and could not resist. They have no markings on the bottom, but I thought the pattern was really sweet, so I bought them. Later, on eBay, I found some for sale...supposedly vintage 60's. Not sure if I'm going to sell them or use them as soap dishes for some homemade soap we'll be making as Christmas gifts this year. I'm thinking I'll keep them.





Fishin'













My uncle (on the right) had promised my oldest son (on the left) that he would take him fishing last summer. But like so many things....time got away and well...Nate did not get a chance to fish last year. So...this year, while we were at the cousin's birthday party last weekend, my uncle made good on his promise. Nate was ecstatic. He ended up catching 14 bluegills. Wow....what a great time! They were just baby fish, but still.....14 fish in about an hour. What a hoot!

A Great Weekend at the Lakes !

Another great weekend at the lakes. Yes, that’s the plural form of “lake”. My wife and the boys headed to the lake on Friday afternoon while I slaved away at work. Since I was scheduled to work on Saturday, I intended to go home after work on Friday to clean house and spend some quality “craft time”. However….my wife had a really good idea: I could drive to the lake, and get up a bit earlier than normal and make the 50 minute commute to work on Saturday morning. Since weekend time (any time with the wife and kids) is precious time, I decided it was a great idea.

Saturday afternoon was wonderful: the weather was perfect summertime weather. The boys spent time in the lake on their “hover crafts” (inflatable, motorized water craft toys) while my wife and I kept them from drowning each other. Boys! I don’t remember getting into so much “trouble” when I was their age…but I’m sure I did my share of goofy things. Oh well….

Sunday morning was spent cleaning up the cottage as we had to leave early enough to drop off the dog (Hershey the chocolate lab) at home so we could dash off for another lake-related event: cousin Kelsey’s 10^th Birthday. After lunch, gifts and cake, my uncle took the boys fishing. They have been begging for a chance to fish, and today was their lucky day. And indeed it was very lucky. Nathan caught 12 fish in about an hour and Matt came in second with a total of 4. Both boys wore smiles from ear-to-ear the whole time they were on the boat. (I have pictures to prove it. And will get them posted as soon as I have a chance – I promise!)

Fabric Finds at Lunch Time

A quick lunch-time visit to Wal-Mart today and I end up with some cool soccer-theme fabric for a quilited pillow for Matt and some very nice, very inexpensive print fabric (all from the blue family). Please don't tell my wife. LOL!

The blue prints will be combined with a solid periwinkle and might just end up as a throw pillow for the family room sofa. I'll post a picture of my $5.68 fabric find when I get a chance. Stay tuned.

Happy 4th of July !

The skies were dark and dreary this morning and threatening more rain. So...rather than stay at the lake, we decided to pack up and go home. And, of course, by the time we got home, the sky was turning blue and the sun was shining. We decided to spend the afternoon in Shipshewana. It turned out to be a beautiful day.

The boys decided they wanted to make a quilt (LOL!) so we bought some fat quarters at Lolly's Fabric Store. We've never made a quilt, so this should be a fun project. I told them it would take lots of time to finish a quilt, but they insisted. Perhaps we can make one or two and the boys can give them to their mom for Christmas. (We'll see!)

Here are two more pictures I took this afternoon:





Nothing says "summer" like a hanging basket of petunias.













Everyone was thirsty, so we took a "drink break". This little display was near the bench we sat on. (Birdhouses and pitcher-pumps seem to never go out of style.)

The Newest Member of My (Sewing Machine) Family

Singer Model 185
(Stock Photo)



I am a sucker for vintage sewing machines (much to my wife's dismay). Especially the ones that make their way to the local thrift shop. So when I made my weekly stop yesterday, there it was: a Singer 185J.

He stood proud in his battered cabinet. Dirty from what may have been years of solitude and neglect. But I saw a diamond in the rough. And...when I saw the price was just $10.00, I became even more interested.

If you're a 'dumpster-diver' like me, you know that you get all excited when you see these relics. And many times you just "have to have it" only to find out that, mechanically, it's a money pit! I've been down that path a few times, so now I do all I can to test the machine out before I haul it home.

I (carefully) carried the machine and cabinet to an electric outlet and said a little prayer that it would work. Lo and behold, the light turned on. And a tap on the foot pedal and we were off and running. I took along a spool of thread and a small swatch of fabric this time for a final test. Another pleasant surprise: very nice, even little stiches. Bingo! We've got a winner.

I'm anxious to get it cleaned up and oiled to see what it can really do. I'll take before-and-after pictures and post them soon. The cabinet top is a mess, but I think a good sanding and a refinish job will have it looking like new again.

Bonus: opening the cabinet door revealed a box of shiny attachments: button foot; zipper foot, binder foot; ruffler foot; and a few other goodies including a very old Singer screw driver for the bobbin case!

(My wife is gonna shoot me when I tell her I bought another sewing machine!)

Yes Virginia, there IS a finished project!

I have amazed myself. I actually started and finished a project today. Woo Hoo!!

Here's the Easter baby bib for my cousin's little girl, Faith. I made it tonite in record time. And it turned out very well (if I say so myself).

I've been making baby bibs for over ten years now -- ever since my first son was born. My wife and I were not happy with the plastic/vinyl bibs, so I drafted a pattern and the rest is history. Now I make them for all the other babies in the family. The parents really appreciated them. It's a project that takes 30 minutes or less and you only need about a yard of fabric.

Getting smarter in my old age. I created a template using a thin sheet of plastic I found at Hobby Lobby during our last visit. I traced the (fabric) pattern I've been using for quite some time onto the plastic and, using household shears, cut it out. Since I can see thru the template, I know exactly where the images on the fabric will appear. Smart, huh? (Notice the chick hatching out of the egg in the center of the bib?) Works like a charm.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!





Buy a lily.
Go to church.
Tell your wife/husband/kids/mom/dad that you love them.
Create something with love and give it away. *

Wishing everyone a great weekend.


P.S. I took my own advice and made a bib for Baby Faith (see post above).

Sun Hat vs. Army Hat

Ok, keeping up on this blog is getting tougher and tougher. (I knew it would be.) I hardly have time for *normal* life events let alone craft projects, let alone the blog thing. Life is crazy these days!

Anyhow, the sun hat pattern from Wild Things has been cut out. Matt wanted an army-looking hat and the sun hat was the closest thing. Actually I think it'll look pretty nice when it's finished. So the pattern is ready and the camoflauge fabric has been washed and dried. Now we're waiting for the planets to align themselves perfectly so I'll have some time to make the darned thing.

Perhaps this weekend? I'll keep you posted

About

Here are some random facts about Crafty Dad:

I am the oldest of three children (I have a brother and a sister).
My mom passed away in 1995 from complications of colon cancer (she was only 53).
I miss her very, very much.
At college, I was elected Student Body President two years in a row.
I swear I'm ADD -- so many thoughts fly through my mind...can't seem to focus on things...I suffer from craft-of-the-month syndrome. (Anyone else have this condition?)
I seem to have a lot of orange and green t-shirts.
My favorite color is green.
My birthday is October 22.
I'm a Libra.
I enjoy public speaking.
I was in all the plays and musicals during college.
I was in NONE of the plays and musicals in high school.
College was a good thing for me.
I have a BS degree in Organization Management.
I thought I would grow up to be an advertising executive and live in Chicago.
My college room mate almost choked to death on iced tea ... all over some funny thing I said.
I have a HUGE sense of humor.
I have a passion for old sewing machines.
My wife is not happy about my passion for old sewing machines.
I would love to be a SAHD (stay-at-home-dad).
I love tomatoes.
I once put too much salt on my dinner (at a restaurant) and had to be rushed to the emergency room because I broke out in hives.
I like salt.
I like cloth napkins better than paper ones.
I dislike paper plates.
I enjoy shopping at thrift stores.
I love books.
I love my library.
I spend too much money on Ebay and Etsy.
I love to take pictures.
I love spending time at the lake.
I enjoy classical musical and some (most?) indie music.
I do NOT like rap music.
I enjoy blogging.
I enjoy reading other blogs.
I need to lose some weight.
I am on the NutriSystem diet plan right now (Aug, 2009)
I would like to weigh 175 pounds.
I have quite a ways to go to meet my goal.
I am optimistic.
I like to 'pay it forward'.
I enjoy building people up.
I think a smile is one of the nicest things you can give someone.
I say 'hello' to people I don't know.
I don't care what they think.
I can crochet.
I can't quite get the knack of knitting.
I am impatient (very impatient).
I love Cape Cod and Nantucket Island in particular.