Valerean

After laundering my small lot of Vera Bradley purses and a wallet, I hung them to dry. This takes a couple days but helps me avoid warping, wrinkling and other problems that can arises from putting purses in the dryer. I was able to get out most of the brown coffee stain on the blue-green tote, which is old and well-loved but still remains fairly sturdy and quite pretty. It will work nicely as a project bag. Washing it did fray both handles on the tote, so I'll need to patch those. Stop by tomorrow and I'll show you the results.

Back in November I got this blind date with a book at Writer's Block in Winter Garden. The thing that sold me on it was the description, especially the final bullet point. It turned out to be The Monstrous Kind by Ludia Gregovic, a gothic fantasy romance extremely loosely based on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (basically, one setting.) Definitely got a lot of hype, but was it worth it? Upfront let me say that I am a fan of Jane Austen, and in the past I have actually borrowed an element from her universe for a ghost writing gig. While her works are in the public domain, which means anyone can do pretty much anything they like to them with impunity, there are still some ethical problems with that. I am not a fan of writers who cut and paste her work, reword it just enough to escape plagiarism, and then claim the work as their own original work. It's a practice I find disrespectful and dishonest as well as disgusting. Thankfully Austen only inspired th...

I finished that crocheted throw started back in February. The uneven rows didn't look as wavy as I hoped, but I'm still happy with it (and I used eight skeins of thrifted yarn that might otherwise end up in a landfill.) I cleaned and touched up the veneer on this sturdy thrifted table to make it the new home for my sewing machines, iron and other stuff. I sewed some easter bunnies from some free patterns I found online. My first mini-quilt of March was a visual poem about life, luck and lemons. The second mini-quilt was all about vintage lace, velvet, buttons and bling. From a box of scrap yarn I made two small baskets, a ponytail tie, three hair scrunchies, a braided keychain, an embroidered book cover, a coaster, a trinket dish, a bookmark, two cup sleeves and about a yard of ribbon for gift wrapping. The only thing I used a variation of a pattern for is the round basket; everything else is improvised. I made this spring table topper from a charm pack I ...

I like to buy thrift store bundles like this one from Goodwill, as they often are cheaper than single items. You have to get a good idea of what's inside, which is sometimes difficult because you often can't open the bundles. This bag of seven yarn skeins caught my eye because of the big white one-pound skein. I use a lot of white yarn. Caron one-pound skeins retail for around twenty bucks new now. Also I like Red Heart yarns, and these super savers are $3 to $4 new. So this bundle would have cost me at least $38.00 if I paid retail. Some bundles I buy just because I'm intrigued by the contents, and they catch my eye at the perfect time (I'll do another post in the future about why with this particular bundle.) Although there were only three skeins of yarn, the bundle had so much more fun inside, from a dozen different crochet hooks and knitting needles to pretty craft edging scissors (the first pair I've ever owned!). The very long crochet ho...

I want to make another crocheted throw, but I'm undecided on which pattern to use. So pondering that while I pull the colors I want to use for it from my stash. Since I'm not ready to commit to a bigger project, I decided to use up two jumbo skeins of this Caron ombre yarn that I thrifted to keep my fingers exercised. Crochet has turned out to be the best physical therapy for me at this stage of my RA; it helps me maintain some flexibility and works out the stiffness in my joints. I'm also having fewer episodes with my trigger finger problem on both hands since I began crocheting every night. This is a patternless project; it'll be a V-stitched wrap I can wear around my shoulders while I work on cold mornings. I do my own version of V-stitch in double instead of treble crochet because I can work that pretty mindlessly. I just made the foundation chain as wide as I wanted the piece, and I'll use up both skeins (and possibly a third in a cream color t...

I was taught old-fashioned manners, like always be polite, wait for your turn, don't depend on others to do your work, etc. I grew up in a time when being mannerly was expected. Wait for your turn is a no-brainer; if everyone is standing in line you don't cut in front of them, right? Even when there's food involved. That's just fairness at its essence. Last month I read an article about a lawyer who was arrested for assaulting a man with a plate while waiting in line at the food buffet. This turned into a fist and food fight (during a wedding, no less) because someone cut the line and everyone went nuts, or so the lawyer claims. I had the same situation happen to me during the holidays. My guy took me out for dinner, and I ordered the endless salad bar and soup. I then went to the salad bar, waiting for my turn behind six other people who were already there. After five minutes it was finally my turn, but then this woman got up from a table, stepped right in ...