A Whiter Shade of Pale

The start of the white theme was really this little silvery tree.

Then, while the Macy's Parade was on, I made this (the white is actually pearlized paper)

Then this is all there was left!

We don't do paper kits (so far). I my my neighborhood there's a Paper Source. One of the reasons I go there is to get rolls of double-faced satin ribbon for my knitting projects. Oh, and scissors...and...um...stuff. Last week I bought a paper wreath kit and make it today. It was everything I adore about kits. It was just all there. In this case, a lot of die-cut pieces paper and a cardboard wreath form to attach it all to. I honestly think it came out better than on the package.

Yes, kits. I understand that not everyone lives in this big yarn, bead and craft store I call my apartment. But don't just sit there and be envious, buy a kit! This is what we're all about. I may not do any paper crafts that don't include pre-cut paper. But heck, when I'm doing it I feel like I've been handed that first little pile of construction paper scraps in kindergarten.

I've been so busy focused on the whole DIY thing these past months, I thought it would be really really boring, not to mention bad form, for me to use the same old tree ornaments. I also thought about my 19 year old cat with dementia, Brahms who has been getting into all sorts of odd trouble. She gets into dangerous things and causes me a fair amount of worry.

The tree I usually put up is a four foot artificial tree that goes up on a desk in the window. It's long since lost it's pre-strung lights. So, this year I bit the bullet and bought some LEDs. They seem to have come along a bit in the quality of the light they produce. So, white it was. I've always kinda made fun (in my head) of folks who do "theme" trees. I think they look great in stores, but they seem pretty impersonal.

This year I changed my mind. A year of big change and I wanted my tree to express that. Here we have the white satin bow, white glitter butterfly tree. It's best not to over-think these things. If is needs more pizazz by light of day, I may add something but now it's just right.

Whatta Doll

These images are in reverse, but they tell the story of a kit.

When we first started, Krafti-kit I was really looking hard for cloth doll kits. For a child, I assumed. Then we came across these wee dolls from Dorothy Christian. It was only after I made my first one, that I went: WOW. This is fun. This is the kind of fun I haven't had in a really long time. These babies are for me.

Little pieces of cloth, little shiny bits. LOTS of little shiny bits. They are somehow the Talisman for the missing whimsy in our lives, I think. I used to have a friend who said, when in doubt, make a cake. Like, when all is going south, remember, you know this: I can bake a cake.

That's entirely how I feel about these little dolls. Laura has to keep me away from the inventory but I got this one in blue to make, just for this post. Happy! Each kit is different in fabric but we've grouped them in colorings. The surprise is a good thing. Trust me. They're all great.

Oh, and what do you do with them when you're done? Place them somewhere to remind you to smile!

Rockin the Blockin

This is the "fulled" Nordic Shawl/Scarf that we are featuring in our store right now. I wish I had taken a "before" picture, because it was a long roll of a stockinette scarf, a bit on the rough side.
I put it in a gentle cycle wash with other stuff and it came out soft and relatively flat! I decided to give it a quick blocking and in my apartment that only took a couple of hours. Voila!
Didn't Emily do a lovely job with her mattress stitch seaming?