Friday Fusion

Going for some alliteration, coming up with post titles isn’t my favorite thing to do. I didn’t know what else to call this, but wanted to have a post with a bunch of different things.  As usual, I’d love reader feedback.  Being here online to connect with others is what my blog is about (for me) and if nobody’s reading it, what am I doing it for?  Are frequent, shorter posts more appealing? Or long ones? Personally, I like posts with pictures – those usually draw me in to read what is being said.

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Visit earthhour.org and pledge to turn off your lights “8:30PM local time, wherever you live on planet earth. Saturday 28 March 2009”.

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Things to do with toilet paper cardboard tubes.  I wish I had read this list before throwing my seeds into a tray of potting soil.  I had attempted to make little pots out of newspaper but it got tedious after about… four… 

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Have a blog?  Check this out:  http://typealyzer.com/.  I’m not too sure of the “engaging in physical out-door activities” part (I like long walks but am not known to be athletic in any sense of the word).  Very accurate otherwise!

The analysis indicates that the author of tamdoll.blogspot.com is of the type:

ESTP - The Doers

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.
The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

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Anyone else addicted to woot! ?  If not, it’s worth checking out, if not for the one-item-a-day sales, or the occasional “woot-off’s” then for the sometimes hilarious product descriptions.

Just one more link.  I love Super Punch.  These are some of the most unique things I’ve seen online.

1 comment life

A Crochet-Along, a challenge, and letter of last week.

I learned to crochet last year and can’t believe it took me so long to pick up this great craft.  I also joined Fabric Knitting & Crochet at Ravelry & on Flickr.

At Ravelry, there’s a March Knit/Crochet-along “Baskets” and “The Complementary Color Challenge”.  So, here’s what I’ve come up with….

First step was to dig through my stash of fabrics and decide what would be complementary – pink and green popped out at me with their spring appeal.  Oh yeah, let’s throw in “K” week for “Kelly Green”.  Off to the ironing board I go with the pink fabric and what do I discover??? My vintage pink fabric scraps have turned out to be someone’s work-in-progress.  (A bag if clothes and fabric from a local senior, love these finds!)

So, will add that to my “to-do” pile.. it’s a toddler size I think(it’s sitting on top of my clothes dryer and is kind of small).  Not sure how I’ll put it together yet. 

To make a long story short, ripping fabric into strips is not my favorite thing to do… but I went ahead and free-formed a bowl and edging. Took the edging out and did it over again.  Here’s what I came up with, finally:

 

Kelly green bowl with pink scalloped edging.  Overall, I think this working with fabric is something I have to get the hang of.  It looks like I needed to pull tighter in some spots or finesse the size needle I used per the width of the fabric.

3 comments challenge, crochet, fabric

Sowing

Here are my cherry tomatoes, so happy they’ve sprouted!  I save my seeds from year to year, but haven’t started plants for at least one year.. wasn’t sure if anything would germinate.  So far I’ve got sugar pumpkins and these.  I’m a bit disappointed, but not surprised, that many of my flower seeds or peppers haven’t emerged.  They were probably in storage for too long.  Or I’ve planted them too deep.  I’ll give it another week before I go out and buy some new seeds, oh how I hate to do that!

Does anyone else save their seeds? I can’t even remember where most of these plants originated.  Some were purchased plants and seeds about 10 years ago and others were salvaged from supermarket produce.  Yes, I know, I get hybrid plants sometimes… but that’s the fun!  Not knowing exactly what’s going to come up…

Love this article! “Michelle Obama To Plant White House Edible Garden”

3/25 saw this & wanted to share, thought it was so clever:    

      Magic In The Garden FAIRY TALE SEED KITS

From the Uncommon Goods website (no affiliation, they were just cute!): “Kids don't need a fairy godmother to make their gardening wishes come true! With these cool kits, they'll be able to combine make-believe and gardening to grow Cinderella's Magic Pumpkin, Jack's Magic Beans and the Princess' Pea.
These little recycled tin canisters have all the ingredients needed for kids to become green thumbs, including a stake, pencil, growth chart, fun activities, recipes, and certified organic seeds. A great way to get kids interested in organic gardening. Made in Idaho.

4 comments gardening

Prize Packed & Shipped

A week ago the Etsy Twitter Team had a St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt contest and I offered this springy yellow Posy brooch as a prize.  Jennifer I. won it and I sent it along with a shamrock pin and a couple of greeting cards featuring my Serenity© Mermaid doll (pattern at my etsy shop, and I’ll include a card with every pattern purchase).

I’m still working on learning to use my digital camera, have had it for years, but until now have only used the macro feature.  What I’m trying to learn how to master is the depth of field perception – so not everything behind the main object will be blurry.  I keep taking tons of pictures at different F#  (I’m so technical, eh?) with the plans to compare each one but by the time I get the pictures on my pc I’ve forgotten which order pictures were taken and things are too subtle for me to notice.  Will have to work on this some more.  If you’re familiar with this, please leave me some comments, I’m open to suggestions!

Going to work now on my “K” project for the Letter of the Week.  And, I feel like a complete idiot.  Of course, knitting starts with “k”.  But did I think of that?  No….  instead I’m working on tearing some fabric apart for a kelly-green basket I’m going to crochet.  

Pictured - tiny matryoshka doll earrings I picked up at a yard sale. Someone had brought these and some enamel pins back from a visit to Russia. Maybe they'll become parts in a craft project at some future time. 

3 comments business, challenge, dolls, photography

Makeup Monday, part II

Part I here - Makeup Monday.

I’m truly loving the Neutrogena makeup.  To top off my comments from last week, I have to say I’m so pleased with the shadows – I love it that there’s spf 15, and the mascara makes me look like I have lots of lashes, not just 10 big black clumpy ones.  And the Mineral Sheers creamy concealer? My new makeup bag staple.  It sounds corny, but I’ve always trusted Neutrogena moisturizers on my sensitive skin, and now I’m so happy there’s makeup, too.  

Would any of my readers like a coupon?   I have a couple for $3 off the concealer, foundation, powder or blush; and $1.50 off shadow, eyeliner or mascara.  Leave me a comment here and I’ll reply via email.  

I’d like to know if you’ve tried the Neutrogena makeup yet, or why you’d like to.  I’ll be Bzzing about it back at the BzzAgent site, too.

Thanks for visiting!

1 comment review

Makeup Monday

On Monday I usually don’t wear makeup if I’m not going to work.  It’s my face’s day off. And let me tell you, it needs it.  I like to wear makeup.  (Sometimes I get carried away.)  Today I’m trying something new – Neutrogena makeup.  I’m involved with BzzAgent, and they supplied me with products to try & “Bzz” about.  I was sent a Mineral Sheers Concealer Kit,  eye shadows, eyeliner and mascara.  Besides using their moisturizer and sunblock I hadn’t even realized that they make cosmetics until now.

So far, I love the concealer.  Love it! It was super creamy and just what my eyes needed.  (I wear concealer every day.)  The one I received was Fair colored, I need a darker one and will definitely be purchasing this in a different shade.  And a bonus – SPF 20!  (Right now I’m using Mary Kay concealer.)

Next, I tried the “Nourishing Eyeliner” in Brown Sugar.  And you know what? I like this, too.  Normally, I use a cream pencil eyeliner and then spend time blending it in along with some eye shadow – this was very creamy and the color was nice and not too dark.  Built in smudger helped.  I’ve probably been wearing my eyeliner too dark since this didn’t need much work.  Again, this was nice and creamy and didn’t tug at my eyes.  (My current eyeliner is Avon brand glimmersticks.)

Jury is still out on the “Healthy Volume” mascara.  Mascara never works well for me the first few times out of the tube, need to coat it up a bit on the brush before I like the amount that gets on my lashes.  Doesn’t help that I have teeny, almost-blonde eyelashes, either.  Hmmm, maybe I should have before and after pics? But, would probably want to edit them to death before posting online – will have to think about that.  (My current mascara is CoverGirl LashBlast.)

I’ll try the eye shadow this week and keep using these products, report back next Monday.  Psyched for the shadows, too – they have SPF 15 which will definitely help keep back those sun freckles that my –almost 40- skin seems to be accumulating with the years, despite sunblock and sunglasses every single day.

And I know a lot of makeup is not the safest thing to be putting on my skin all the time.  I don’t use chemicals to clean my house, don’t dye my [slowly graying] hair, and try to keep as many additives out of the foods I purchase/grow/bake for my family (don’t get me started on artificial sweeteners and the nasty side effects I’ve suffered!).  Makeup is just one vice I can’t shake, and don’t want to just yet. 

I’m wondering what you think about your makeup, are you super loyal to your brands? What would make you try something new?  Or, do you just want me to shut up and talk about my crafting?  You can also visit www.neutrogena.com. 

5 comments review

“I” is for…..

Idiot?  All week long I’ve been worrying about what kind of craft I’d work on for the letter “I”.  AND I’ve been working on crocheting these four-leaf clovers for St. Patrick’s Day…. I had a hook and some yarn on the couch.  Another bunch of yarn in my handbag to keep me busy while I ran errands and waited on line someplace.  I even left some yarn and another hook next to my bed.  It wasn’t until midnight last night that I realized:

I is for Irish!

 Ingredients: Green yarn, crochet hook, pin backs, witch’s pot from Halloween turned into Pot of Gold, yellow fabric to stuff into bottom of pot, and mini cupcake liners ironed flat for a nice backing for each pin.
These will be at Apotheca in Goffstown, NH until they’re all gone.
Letter of the week inspired by Craftside blog.

1 comment business, challenge, crochet