Lasso The Moon

The School Girl

Well, after sewing a few of these little bags up for family and friends, I have decided to put a couple (or four) in the Etsy shop.  I really love this design.  They remind me somehow of a girl's pleated skirt, the way it widens slightly at the bottom in an A-line.  So I have called it the School Girl shoulder bag, and each of them is named after one of the girls in our youth group.  Fun.  So here they are:

Lauren:

Brooklyn:

Autumn:

Liana:

Brooklyn and Lauren and already in the shop, and I'll be adding the other two tonight and tomorrow.  Can't wait to see how they do!

Design inspired by this book.

Note Cards...

are in the shop!

Get them here. 
Well, gotta go--lot's of crafting and cleaning to do while the little monster is napping!

Poetry Wednesday--A Poppy I Once Knew

A Poppy I Once Knew

I saw a poppy blooming, underneath my family tree,
And as I walked up on her, she turned for me to see.

Her petals wrinkled slightly, her lovely silken cheek.
To say that she was lovely, would be to under-speak.

As the wind blew all around her, I thought I heard her sing,
While her leaves began to twist and sway in a dance to welcome Spring.

I visited my poppy when ever I had a chance,
And she never failed to greet me with her funny song and dance.

But flowers are not meant to last, and so it was with mine,
For soon my dainty bloom began to show the mark of  time.

Her happy serenading became a whispered hush,
Her vibrant shade of crimson faded to a gentle blush.

While she was on the earth, she was an endless source of fun--
But now she lifts her petals for the glory of the Son.

I miss my lovely blossom, but I cannot help but think,
That she's brightening the heavens in a glowing shade of pink.

**For my grandmother, "Poppy" Wagher.  She lost her battle with breast cancer last year, but we continue to fight in her place.  Several of her daughters (and sons-in-law) will be walking for the cure this year in Arizona, so from now until November, 10% of the sales from my shop will be added to their cause.  Or, if you just want to donate and not buy anything from me, click here.  They have named their team "Poppy's Petals."**

Bathroom--After

"Soft Angora" MS Signature Paint from here  $13

Spray paint and picture frames $0
(They were in my basement.)

New (to me) washstand $20

Photo processing (sepia tone enlargements) from here $15
Photo mats on sale at Hobby Lobby $6

Total cost for a bathroom that no longer makes me cringe $54

Linked on:

Chiconashoestring, atthepicketfence,

Bathroom--New Washstand

    Okay, so I am not quite ready to show the entire bathroom, so I thought I'd start with this teaser.  I have been stalking this washstand at the local DAV thrift store for a couple months now. 

   

They had a ridiculous $70 price tag on it, so I passed it up.  Then a  few weeks later I noticed they had casually lowered the price to $40.  Totally reasonable, I thought.  But, still being the frugal freddie, I asked Donnie to go take a look at it and make sure that he would like it in the bathroom.  He went in, checked it out, and came back with a flier about a store-wide half-price sale that Monday. 
    So, here it is.  In my bathroom.   For a mere $20.   I love it when stuff like that happens!
    Oh, and the little goody holding the washcloths?  That was a $4 find from a garage sale last weekend.  I think it's an old card-file drawer.
    I'll put up the rest of the bathroom pics tomorrow.

Happy Free Hugs Day, everyone!  --Anna

Bathroom--Before

    I am working out some more ideas for using the piggy-tails print...and maybe even adding some of them to the shop... but for now I thought I'd write about a little home project I've been working on. 
    I'm sure I've mentioned that my husband is the assistant pastor at our church.  What I'm not sure I've mentioned is that we live in the parsonage of the church.  That's a house nearby that the church owns, and we get to live in it as part of his salary.  Really cool deal.  We love the house, and it was part of the reason we decided to move here in the first place.  Plus, it has a yard, and I'd never had my own dirt before.  The only thing I didn't like about the house was the upstairs bathroom. 

It is nice and big, but the tiles...are...weird.  They are various shades of peach, with a dark maroon border.  And they are BIG.  I would guess 8 inches tall, and 15 inches wide.  Big.  Well, I asked Donnie to rip them out, but he said no.  (Really what's the big deal?  So the whole thing would need to be re-sheet-rocked...and...?)  So this week I took matters into my own hands. 

Oh, and some well-meaning soul had painted these feathery strokes of orange all over the walls--to try and work with the color.  Unfortunately, I think it just makes the tiles seem oranger.  And no less weird. 

One last photo so you can really soak it in.  "After pictures" in my next post.
Have a great weekend!

ps.  The writing on the mirror says "Keep toilet closed."  Guess who likes to stick his hands in and slosh around?
   

Poetry Wednesday--Piggy Tails (and some crafting)

Piggy Tails

Mommy, please don't comb my hair,
Or use the brush, 'cause I don't care

If my head is a crazy mess.
Who do I have to impress?

I don't need headbands or a pony,
Don't want braids--that's just baloney.

I wish you'd give my scalp a rest,
But if you must, I've one request:

Give me the style that never fails.
Please put my hair in piggy tails!

 I hate to post on Wednesday without a poem, so I had to crank this one out real quick.  (I think it shows.)  But the real reason for posting, is that I did a little crafting experiment today.  A few months ago my mom was at a garage sale of some kind, and they were selling art supplies.  She picked up some watercolor pencils for me, along with several sets of linoleum printing supplies.  Generally I stick to the 3-dimensional arts--quilting, sewing, spinning, weaving, knitting... and leave the flat stuff to the rest of my family.  (Several of them are into photography, painting, and printmaking.)
    Well, this week I decided to give it a whack, and try etching out a doodle I've been playing with recently.  The idea came from this photo, and the fact that Emma's hair is rarely in any style but the pigtail.  So this image is really iconic of her.  I called my sister Abby, who has taken printmaking classes and done some really incredible work.  She gave me some pointers, and this is what I came up with.  I am really happy with it.  I will definitely try this again, and I'm already thinking of ways to do it differently.

 They're like an adorable little army. 

If only these were magic bibs...

So, I added a few things to the shop...
    I hinted at these little guys last week, and just finished the last one today.  I've been wanting to do these for months, and they finally happened.  That happens to me a lot.  There is so much that I want to do, but not quite enough time to do it all.  (or AT ALL, sometimes.)  They are each pieced, quilted, and appliqued with the word "eat." 
    I wish I could put one on Ethan and he would magically like the taste of food.   The boy is 8 3/4 months old, and he has never eaten more than a small jar of baby food in a single day.  And that's a really good day!  I'm afraid I'm going to get in trouble for this at his next appointment.  (Which is the 15th.)  You know, doctors are so adamant about things happening at certain times.  The real issue is, that he is still waking up every three hours like clockwork.  He's so big now, and breast milk metabolizes so quickly, that he can't go any longer than that.  Or...that's what he wants me to think...  So, doctors' time lines aside, I have real motivation to get that boy fed.  I'm so tired.
    Anyone out there in blog land have any suggestions for getting a baby to eat?  I need help!
    Anyway, let's not end on that note.  Here's a sweet, but not magical bib:

Get them here, and have a great week!  Anna