Made By K

Ruthy's Pencil Case

2013-03-31T13:10:00.001-05:00

Ruthy made it onto her plane yesterday. And so did her pencil case. I did finish in time.

Roadtrip

2013-03-29T18:55:00.001-05:00

On our way home after a too-short visit with dear friends and family. Ruthy, our intern last year, flies back to Germany tomorrow. Think I'll get her pencil case done in time?

Fancy Owl

2013-02-25T10:31:00.004-06:00

As I sit here in my painting clothes, ready to finish painting the basement walls, why not post a photo of someone dressed much nicer?

Fancy Owl lives up to her name with a glittery red satin body (it's hard to see the tiny pieces of glitter in the photo above but they're there) and flashy blue lamé eyes and peachy sequined beak and her lacy wings (made out of a lace collar, still in its package, left here by the previous tenants of the house; so glad I didn't chuck it with all the rest of the junk we chucked after moving in).

Accessory: removable pearl necklace.

Giggly Owl

2013-02-23T15:37:00.000-06:00

If I'd made Construction or Painter Owl, I could've showcased that one today, in honor of the dozen middle and high school girls that descended on my home, wielding hammers and saws and rollers and brushes. (They're American Heritage Girls, earning their Home Care and Repair badge.) But instead I'll showcase another owl that fits their activities of the day just as well: here's Giggly Owl!

Accessory: nothing visual, other than the silly pupils going in different directions. But press the blue polka dot up on the right "ear" and Giggly Owl emits a squeak!

Army Owl

2013-02-22T10:35:00.000-06:00

In honor of our sweet next-door neighbor -- the only boy at Sophie's party -- who finished up his final vision therapy appointment this week. It's been a long year but he persevered! So tonight we're going to celebrate with him!

I'd dubbed the little stuffie "Army Owl," but his new adoptive daddy soon renamed him Camouflage Ninja Owl. : )

Accessory: I rejected the idea of making a weapon (owls don't need 'em; they have their beak and claws) and didn't want to fiddle with other suggestions (compass, radio, flashlight) so finally settled on an eye mask, which Owl's daddy can wear too! And, unlike all of the other owls, this one's pupils are shifted way to the side, kinda like he's suspicious, on alert, ever ready for attack from all sides.

Eight-Yarn Never-Ending Spiral Granny Square

2013-02-21T07:40:00.000-06:00

:: another break from owls; more crochet ::

The question at the end of my Never-Ending Spiral Granny Square post wouldn't leave me alone. And now I know -- it CAN be done with eight yarns. In fact, after the initial mess of the first few rows, it's even easier than using four yarns.

I think it would look great with 4 strands of white and 4 strands of various colors. Or 8 yarns in rainbowy hues. Or actually anything would look better than the "antique lime" and "harvest gold" and "pumpkin" used below. But it's what I had in my scraps.

Looking at the picture again now, I'm already seeing things I want to change. Specifically, the beginning and the ending. I see more spiral crochet in my future. But, ugh, I must find some new scrap yarn for these test squares!

Party Owl

2013-02-20T07:54:00.001-06:00

In honor of my momma's birthday today: meet Party Owl!

Accessories: sequined party hat and gift bag, both removable. (Why I made the teeny gift bag lined with pink felt and with real eyelets and everything, I'm not sure... I think it had just been too long since I'd eyeletted anything.)

Travel Owl

2013-02-19T10:13:00.000-06:00

In honor of the "Globetrotter" class I'm teaching after school today, where we "visit" a new country each week, trying its food, learning its language, playing its games, here is Travel Owl.

Accessory: removable fake leather messenger bag. Yes, it really opens. No, there's nothing inside it. Yet.

Never-Ending Spiral Granny Square

2013-02-18T07:58:00.000-06:00

:: more owls to come,

but i did some crochet today that i want to keep track of ::

Recently, my friend Mo and I were discussing various patterns for afghans. We both love the look of granny squares but hate the endless weaving in of ends.

I was thinking how nice it would be to make some sort of spiral, which would eliminate the constant starting and stopping of colors. Sure enough, Mo had seen such a pattern on Youtube.

Nice idea. But I didn't like the way the colors didn't all start in the very center. So tonight, I sketched out how it could work, and then tried it with some yarn scraps.

It worked! And I like it!

Then I thought surely I can't be the first. And, once again confirming the idea that there is nothing new under the sun, I found the technique by searching for "spiral granny square" instead of "neverending granny square." Here is a video, by SmoothFox, that shows how to make a spiral granny square afghan with four colors that just keep going and going and going.

Now I want to know, can it be done with eight colors? I will figure it out, but not today...

Sleepy Owl

2013-02-17T17:55:00.004-06:00

I slept for five hours today. (Perhaps I should be going to bed hours before midnight instead of hours after.)

So it's a good day to show Sleepy Owl, who, due to her lowered eyelids, was also dubbed Exasperated Owl by one of the girls. : )

Accessory: little stuffed teddy bear, made by Sophie and me; bear is attached with hook-and-loop tape

Snowy Owl

2013-02-15T20:20:00.003-06:00

In honor of the snow outside, and the man and three girls who didn't have to go to work or school today and played in it instead.

Accessory: blue scarf, knitted by Sophie on a 8-prong knitting nancy but going back and forth, instead of around in a never-ending circle so that we ended up with a flat strip instead of a tube.

Lovey Owl

2013-02-14T13:08:00.000-06:00

Accessory: little felt envelope that can hold teensy love notes.

Sophie, asking about the initials on the envelop: "What's S.W.A.K.?"
Me: "Sealed With A Kiss"
S: "Oh, cool!"
Sometime I'll have to tell her about how a less romantic, more literal lover signs it:

S.W.A.L.C.A.K.W.S.

which means

Sealed With A Lick Cause A Kiss Won't Stick

(Mama, remember when you told me about that? I was probably Sophie's age.)

* * *

P.S. Sorry if you already saw this. I managed to delete the original post when I meant to click edit!

Overrun by Owls

2013-02-13T10:54:00.001-06:00

Time to break the six month blog silence. And since my old way of blogging (taking lots of pictures, writing lots of words, spending lots of time) doesn't seem to be working anymore, time to try something new.
One photo--right off my phone, a few words, a few moments of my day, and done.
By this weekend, these owls will all have gone to new homes. It's been lots of fun making them with the girls, picking out fabrics, deciding on the little touches. Hmm, I think I'll introduce each one over the next 12 days...

The Cross-Cultural Wedding Cakes

2012-09-18T23:52:00.001-05:00

Since my cousin and her new husband have just celebrated their one-month anniversary this week, it’s probably time I post some cake pictures. Here’s one of their wedding cakes, very similar in structure to the one I made for a Marriage Retreat Weekend, except that I made the inserts wider. And since there were globes on every table (the groom is American, the bride is German), I decided to wrap the inserts with map paper.

The flowers were very much inspired by a photo of a cake Jana found online. I made sure to save the source so I could credit it when I wrote the inevitable blog post, but now I can’t find it again. Ack! So here’s a close-up of MY flowers, instead.

That’s a LOT of flowers. At the last minute, I called up some reinforcements – a few of the American Heritage Girls that I lead – and we had a grand time coloring and rolling and pressing and shaping.

The other cake, sort of a “groom’s cake,” was a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, or Black Forest Cherry Cake, a Bavarian specialty. I’d never made one before, probably because I’d tried a piece once, when I was about nine, and hated the taste. But cherry liqueur and I get along much much better now; I could eat this cake all day every day! So yummy!!!

Ooh, I wish I would’ve gotten a picture of the inside. It’s three layers of cherry-liqueur-drenched chocolate cake, divided by layers of cocoa cream filling and this amazing cherry compote. Mmm, methinks I should make another soon. Ooh, I also thought I could earn “Best Mom Ever” points at my kids’ German Immersion charter school by making Black Forest Cherry Cupcakes and leaving them in the teachers’ lounge. A cherry-liqueur flavored cupcake with a cone shape cut out of the top and filled with the cherry compote, then the cone shoved back into place (or eaten by me), and then the whole thing covered with the whipped cream icing, sprinkled with dark chocolate shavings. Doesn’t that sound yummy?!?

Oh and the topper on the cake: When Paul and Jana were here and we were discussing the cake, Paul discovered there wouldn’t be a topper on the “real” cake, other than the flowers. So that’s where the idea came to do this other cake, and someone suggested that they use Playmobile figures instead of buying a generic couple topper. (Playmobile – the quintessential German toy.) I sent them up to the toy area, thinking they’d come down with our “sporty” figures, since both of them are into fitness. They did grab the bike, then hitched it to the carriage and added a prince and princess. Clearly, both of them are also into silliness! Just take a look at their fun engagement photos on Facebook!

And finally, seeing the Playmobile sitting around the kitchen for a few days, my oldest was inspired to make a little stop animation video as a wedding present for them. So that’s what I’ll end with:

(Translation: “Ach du meine Guete!” is German for “Oh my goodness!”)

(And anyone who’s been visiting this blog for a year or more: did you recognize the folded star made from music sheets?)

One Big Reason Why I Haven't Posted Anything Since The Bags Update

2012-08-14T15:49:00.001-05:00

Jana's getting married in two days!

Personalized Teachers’ Bags

2012-08-09T11:06:00.001-05:00

Had a bit of a break there between the last post and this one! In fact, my kids are now only 18 days away from the start of their new school year. But here are the purses that my girls, together with their classmates, gave their teachers last May.

And since I’m not feeling particularly verbal today, I’ll make this Show ‘n Tell more show and less tell. So the few “in process” shots I’m including have no further explanation; but often a picture is enough, and if you have questions, you can also email me or ask down in the comments. (Click on any of the photos to see a larger version.)

For Frau B---, who is comfortable, casual, and natural, who “sang” into the hearts of her first graders (after the upheaval of their saying goodbye to not one but two other teachers who had to leave due to cross-country moves and other unforeseen issues) and who brought about beautiful growth in each of the children.

And for Frau K----, who is cosmopolitan and hip yet also caring and nurturing, who is returning back to Germany after her 3-year teacher exchange in Minnesota (hence the shape of the applique), and who is deeply loved and admired by her class of third graders.

I must say, I’m getting excited for school to start again. Not so much because I long for a return to routine and structure to our days, but rather because I’m thrilled that our experiment to throw our kids into the German immersion charter school had such great results and I’m eager for it to continue and now include my youngest as well.

A bird on a bag is worth two in the brain…

2012-06-03T19:06:00.001-05:00

Haven’t posted much recently, and not sure I’ll be able to post much in June, but I figured I’d steal a few minutes to show an “in process” shot.

This idea has been floating around in my mind for weeks. It feels good to finally have it coming to life. The above piece of brown fabric will become the outside of a bag for S’s teacher, who loves birds and nature. (I’m following JCaroline’s Hobo Bag pattern, with a few tweaks.)

Here’s a peek at the inside. I’m a firm believer that all large pursey-bags must have inner pockets! JCaroline’s tutorial included how to add a zippered pocket but I also used parts of this tutorial at CraftPassion.

And while at CraftPassion.com, I found a tutorial for making a 6-compartment slip pocket, which was helpful because I couldn’t remember my previous method. My pocket set is bigger than hers and sewn on slightly differently, but the idea is the same.

Hmm, don’t have any shots of the other bag, for H’s teacher. But that one’s coming along too – grey with “barberry red” piping and some sort of applique that I’m still figuring out. Better get back to them – last day of school is Thursday!

Finger-Loop Braided Bracelets

2012-05-10T10:37:00.001-05:00

Here’s another thing I forgot to post – the finger-loop braided bracelets we made at AHG camp in March. Does anyone remember these? Maybe from seventh grade summer camp? You hook five loops onto your fingers, grab them back and forth in a certain order, and end up with a cord-like braided bracelet, like the orangish one shown in the photo below.

I went online to find some info to help me brush up on the technique and hit paydirt at loopbraider.com. Amazing braider, Ingrid, has loads of tutorials and pictures and samples and tips and and and.

After poking around there a little, I found that with one simple adjustment (grab “over” instead of “through” on one side), I could make a flat braid (bluish one in the middle below) instead of a thicker cord-like braid (orangish one at left).

And I also found out that using seven strands isn’t much for difficult than using five (resulting in the wider multi-colored braid in the photo above, far right). Ingrid does braids with more than a dozen loops! Haven’t tried that yet, but I am inspired to.

What I did try though is using something other than embroidery floss. I wondered if strips of knit fabric could make a chunkier bracelet. An old T-shirt was soon sacrificed to the experiment.

Result? Too chunky (in my opinion) for a bracelet, but wonderful (after I used longer strips) as a headband.

I just need to get off my duff and finish up the ends properly. Right now, they’re just a mess of straggly ends attached together with about a dozen safety pins! But I can’t decide if I want to just sew a patch of fabric over that whole mess and hope that the natural stretch of the fabric and braid is enough for comfortable putting on and wearing, or if I should sew a strip of fabric to each end so it can be tied…

Decisions, decisions. (I hate ‘em.)

So now, if you have a bit of time, go lose yourself in Ingrid’s loopbraider.com tutorials, dig out some floss, and make some bracelets for your favorite kid/tween/teenager. Or yourself. : )

Birthday Gifts

2012-04-30T14:52:00.001-05:00

Between my three girls, it seems like there’s a birthday party to attend every week right now. We’ve been buying some of the gifts but have made some too.

A pink purse for Miss A, who loves to dress up.

A bright purse, filled with markers and a small covered notebook, for Miss C down the street.

A purse for zebra-loving Miss L will be done by tomorrow.

And a larger bag for Miss E who loves big cats (leopards, cheetahs, etc.)

Miss E also likes cats and horses, so Heidi made a poster for her too. A collage out of construction paper and colored pencils. Talking about her process, I asked if she’d sketched the shapes out first. “Nah, I just cut it out.” That girl amazes me on a regular basis. The 3-D writing – with shadows – on the birthday card ain’t too shabby either!

And I made something for my sis-in-law’s birthday too, as well as buying something made by Mo, but I haven’t sent it yet. And her birthday was more than a month ago. What is wrong with me?!?

Sidelight Solution–Version 1

2012-03-30T13:16:00.001-05:00

I wanted to cover the sidelights next to our front door with something other than gathered floor-to-ceiling sheers. If it was somehow blue (to coordinate with the blue door), even better.

Long story short, inspired in part by the amazing “stain glass window” on FilthWizardry, I decided to cover them with tissue paper. And on the same day I decided this, I discovered blue tissue paper in a box left by the previous owners. I love happy surprises like that!

It was SO easy – just watered-down school glue, painted onto the glass with a foam brush, then the randomly-cut tissue paper scraps placed on top, and painted over if the paper still seemed dry. Took part of an afternoon.

And I don’t think it’ll be hard to get off again – I’ll just have to spritz it with water and it’ll come right up. In fact, it did come loose at the bottom where there was condensation during the winter.

I’m already thinking about Version 2.

For one thing, I didn’t realize there were two different blues in stack of tissue paper; other people maybe don’t notice, but I see it every time I pass by. (Photos below show the sidelight I did first, then the sidelight I did next.) Do you see it too?

And for another, the triangles are too “fractured” for me right now. I’d like something smoother, calmer. I’m thinking nice thin horizontal stripes…

I just need to find some more blue tissue paper.

More Birthday Cakes…

2012-03-14T11:13:00.001-05:00

…for Ruthy and for Ken.

Ruthy, a young woman from Germany, is living with us while she interns at the girls’ school this semester. She’s fitting right in with the family and it’s a joy to have her here in our home.

For her birthday last week, I considered making her a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, because that’s what she always has at home. But I knew there was no way mine would taste anything like her moms, even if I could find all the necessary ingredient here. Besides, she’s in America, so needs an American birthday cake! : )

Ruthy is a HUGE soccer fan, specifically of her local team, Borussia Mönchengladbach. So I knew she’d love a soccer cake just like the one I made for goalkeeper Rachael. And I knew the colors would have to be Borussia’s colors: black, white, and green.

I wanted to use Borussia’s distinctive “diamond B” logo somehow, so it became part of the word “Birthday.” Ruthy LOVED that part – asked that it be the LAST part to be eaten.

Across the front side, I wrote a phrase in German to remind her how we feel about her. “Volltreffer” is what the game announcers yell when a soccer player scores a perfect goal, right on target. While a literal English translation of the phrase – “You are a bull’s eye” – sounds a little funny, in German it is a sweet (sport-related) way to say “You’re great!”

And just like on Rachael’s cake, I hid the birthday girl’s new age in the soccer ball patches.

That’s a lot of candles. I hope Ruthy enjoys her 24th year, part of which will be spent with us!

And then just one week later, it’s was Ken’s birthday again. No elaborate pot of gold rainbow cake this year. Just a simple yellow cake with chocolate frosting (his favorites), adorned with some space-themed Lego (to fit with his current favorite past time of playing Lego Star Wars on the Wii with the girls).

Man, how I love that guy!

“Continue Reading” Links – Yay or Nay?

2012-02-28T09:27:00.001-06:00

What do you prefer? Hugely long posts showing up in all their fullness on my blog home page and/or your blog reader? Or just the beginning bit followed by a “Continue reading” link?

See, I just discovered that what was once a huge undertaking on Blogger is now (as of 2+ years ago, actually!) as easy as clicking the “Insert Jump Break” button. That means, on my blog home page, I can hide the fact that I’m long-winded and picture-happy by inserting a simple “Continue Reading” link after a paragraph or two.

So I did that on a few recent posts. And then I also changed my feed settings, from “full” to “until jump break.”

But I’m not the one affected by this – you are. And I know what I prefer, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts and reactions. (Scroll down to the two Heart Art Party posts to see examples.)

* * *

By the way, I found this info on how to create post summaries on Blogger with “Read More” at Blogger Plugins, written by a guy named Aneesh who seems hugely knowledgeable and helpful, judging by all his replies to people’s comments on various (fantastic) posts of his.

Sophie’s Heart Art Party :: Personalized Painted Frames

2012-02-26T20:58:00.001-06:00

Clearly, at this “Heart Art Party,” we had to do some art. And it should include hearts. This was project number one – painted frames, personalized with each girl’s name.

It came from a marriage of Sophie’s idea to paint picture frames and my idea to paint over contact paper letters, like Amanda did with her children at ImpressYourKids. (Part of her post includes a video tutorial on how to cut out letters.) I love the pinks and greens on the one her daughter did!

Continue reading... »

Sophie’s Heart Art Party :: The Cake

2012-02-23T19:17:00.001-06:00

This cake was all set to be pink and white… and forgettable. But thanks to my husband’s inattention to detail, Sophie got a heart-shaped artist’s palette cake for her “Heart Art Party” instead. So much more fitting, and fun. (Fuller story of how it came about is at the end.)

Continue reading... »

Reverse Applique “C” Purse :: Birthday Gifts for Cassie

2012-02-21T09:19:00.001-06:00

Sophie’s party is now over and done, went well, have some fun things to post about. But first, I’ll finish up Cassie’s gifts. Along with the stenciled horse shirt, she received a monogrammed purse.

Usually, I cut out the initial (or other embellishment), use fusible webbing to “glue” it to the flap, and then sew around the edges. That’s what I did with the “e” on Ellie’s purse, for example…

…and with the crown on Mikayla’s purse.

But this time, I didn’t have any fusible web. (Or, rather, couldn’t find it.) So I sewed a layer of black fabric over the animal print fabric, sewed a “C” outline through both layers, then cut away just the black layer inside the outline.

Hmm, Lucy’s going to a party this weekend for sweet little Cora down our street – perhaps I should whip up another “C” purse…