Posted by Som
Wed, 07 Jun 2006 19:32:00 GMT
One of my husband's co-workers' wives is a potter, and my husband commissioned some teacups for me a few months ago. I got them yesterday, and I couldn't be more thrilled:
(The soup spoon is there for size perspective.)
Even the insides are beautiful!
I need to build a little shelf in the kitchen to display them. That Dremel in the garage has been feeling neglected...
In other news, I'm excited to be taking a weekend workshop on permaculture in a couple of weeks. I won't be able to implement much of what I learn until we buy a home, but I want to have all the research done beforehand, so I can get started immediately when we move in. Ultimately, I'd like to grow most of what my family eats, with a bit left over for the farmers' market. I'll have to start a permaculture blog eventually.
In preparation for the class, I'm reading Bill Mollison's Introduction to Permaculture, but it's slow going because it's competing for my attention with Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. I recently read Richard Louv's The Last Child in the Woods, a wonderful book that I will review as soon as I get a spare moment. For now, there are some warm blueberry muffins calling my name...
Posted in books, tea, gardening | Tags accoutrements, permaculture | no comments | no trackbacks
Posted by Som
Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:38:00 GMT
I have these great patterns for lace beaded bookmarks, but they call for US size 00 or 000 knitting needles. None of the local yarn shops carry needles that small, and most of the online shops charge $10+, which seems a little ridiculous for needles that small.
Luckily, over on eBay, purseparadise has a TON of tiny needles in stock for around $3.50/pair - all the way down to US size 00000000! That's 0.5 mm diameter - unbelievably tiny. I picked up a pair of US size 00 needles for just $5 with shipping.
Maybe bookmark-knitting is just the thing I need to get me back into craft mode. I've been reading instead of knitting lately; this weekend, I finished all of the Baghdad Burning blog, and I'm halfway through Reza Aslan's No god but God and the Dalai Lama's The Universe in a Single Atom. Both are quite good, but I'll most likely be burnt out on reading nonfiction for a while once I've finished with these two. I'm building up quite a long crafty to-do list:
- Finish that godforsaken lacy scarf
Stitch up a couple of superhero capes (and masks?) for my daughters - finished the capes, 4/30/06- Make a few beaded lacy bookmarks
- Piece together the quilt top for the girls' quilt
- Begin a long-term lace shawl project
- Build up some mad sashiko skillz so I can make a lovely duvet cover for my own bed
- Make Halloween costumes for the girls - I'm thinking Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service this year, so they're going to need little stuffed Jijis, too
- Put together a pirate costume for myself
- I really should start thinking about Christmas gifts sometime soon. Blargh.
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Posted by Som
Thu, 13 Apr 2006 01:26:00 GMT
Dollar Store Decor: 100 Projects for Lush Living that Won't Break the Bank by Mark Montano.
Someone recommended this over at the Get Crafty Forums, so I picked it up on my last trip the library. After leafing through the "100" projects (many of which are pretty redundant,) I'm glad that I didn't buy it.
A few of the projects are pretty cute, and some of the techniques used would be great applied elsewhere, but there's nothing spectacular or even complicated about any of the projects in this book. To be honest, the only techniques that really appealed to me were applying glass chips to various objects, glueing tissue paper squares to translucent objects, and using cheap wood chopsticks to construct, say, a trivet - all of which are pretty straightfoward and, dare I say, obvious.
Most of the projects in this book...well, to be honest, I'd be embarrassed to have them in my home. The lace-covered cabinet doors have to be the most horrifying home decor project I've ever seen. And that's saying something, since I live in Oklahoma. So the book is worth picking up at the library, or leafing through at the bookstore for inspiration. But go spend the $20 cover price on glass chips and clear epoxy instead. I'm sure you'll manage to figure out what to do on your own.
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