No Busting Today!

Thursday snuck up on me again - this is supposed to be a stash buster day - sheesh!  I wish someone would remind me about Monday of Thursday's approach....

So far my stash buster Thursday's have not busted much... maybe I should do it once a month - what's the likelihood of me getting it right, once a month, do you think?

Here are my excuses! 

Trouble is, I have been on a pretty creative roll as of late, and I really hate to squash that when it happens, because it seems to happen less often these days.  I am trying to focus on re-opening my Etsy shop soon,  but that is proving more difficult than I thought it would.

My neighbour is back in the hospital again.  It has been 2 yrs since he was hospitalized so he has done quite well, considering.  He and his wife have no family here, so we really try and fill that void with them when we can, but especially at times like this.  So it's checking on him at the hospital, and checking on her at home.  Happy to do it - but it does make time vanish very quickly.

And then there is poor broken Cathy - lying there on my craft table starring me down every time I go in that room!   She needs so much, and I give so little... but while I am waiting for my brown-eyed Cathy's arms to arrive, I have been working on her hair and face... really I have!

Old vinyl and plastic dolls often get "Green Face".  I'm not sure what causes it, but the face colour takes on a grayish/green tinge that is very noticeable.  Also so many dolls come to the collector with marker and pen marks on them.  These don't always wash off with soap and water so people who restore dolls have a solution.

Actually there are several commercial solutions available to deal/ clean almost anything on a doll.  These are harsh and harmful to the environment and the user.  Many doll restorers have developed lung conditions from inhaling the fumes of these chemicals - so instead of using the toxic stuff, we use OXY10 Acne cream... I know, who knew?  And who fell on this discovery, I wonder?  What, you were treating your acme and just decided to rub some on a doll?  Okay that's just too weird - even for me!

BUT - it works - it removes pen and marker and green face.  You put a layer on a doll's face and let her sit in the sun for a day and repeat this a couple of times, and you have a clean white face.  I have found it also dulls any markings the doll might have had originally - like eyebrows, red cheeks, pink lips - and in Cathy's case - freckles.

The brown-eyed Cathy I got in the mail looks like she had something done to her face by someone.  She is very ghostly - especially given she has brown eyes and dark hair.  Her expression was lacking, because her freckles were faint, she had no cheek color and her lips were almost white.  Anemic would be the correct term for her.

So I fixed her.  I darkened her freckles, and eyebrows.  Gave her some color on her cheeks and pinked up her lips - that's when I noticed that she only has 1 tooth.  Most Cathy's have two front teeth -  maybe this doll sings "All I want for Christmas" - but no she's not a singing Cathy - I have one of those, and they look a lot different and are a bit smaller than Chatty.  So now I need to read up on one tooth Cathy's!

And that's why I forgot it was Stash Buster Thursday!

Really....

Going Back!

I think one of the reason I so love to work on dolls is that it makes me remember simpler times in my life, where an evening was spent curling hair, or doing nails - those kinds of things. 

Do you remember when looking great meant a lot of "home" work.  My Mom and I went to the beauty school once a year for a perm,  but both our hair grew quickly so between those perms it was good old Toni Home perms...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs2_OZgpjI4

Funny as it seems, it is the rods from these old Toni perms that I use to curl my Doll's hair today - now there is repurposing  101!


Even with a perm, hair had to be curled - at least once a week - usually Saturday. If there was something going on Saturday night - the hair was curled Saturday afternoon. Otherwise Saturday evening was set aside for washing and curling the hair. Mom did mine - I did hers.



First we washed with this:

or this

Then we used these...

and plastic pics... ouch!











Then we either sat outside on the front step (well I did, Mom - not so much - mother's didn't sit around in those days) or we sat under one of these (usually in the kitchen).  Ours was a real fancy one - it even had a separate motor with attachments for nails...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2QvDo2N2YE


It took hours and hours to look beautiful.  But look beautiful we did!  I even have pictures to prove it...

In our house eye makeup wasn't worn - not even mascara... but we did use face powder and this..

And I actually had one just like this....


And this was beauty in the 60's!

It's Melting!

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in the Peg.  The sun was bright and warm, and some melting began in earnest on the huge snow piles everywhere.  Some streets have melted down to pavement (the main ones) the side streets and lanes are just plain pathetic!  If we don't get stuck on one or the other, it will be a miracle!

I did manage to get some projects wrapped up and mailed yesterday - yeah, yeah, and thought a lot about new ones to start - but decided that it would be more important to give some time to my neighbour who's husband in back in hospital - so after supper I headed next door for the evening for some "Girl" talk.

"Girl" talk with my neighbour consists of much talk about sheep, cats, fleece, plants, gardening, spinning, a little about husbands and kids and families, and back to plants and gardening again.

When I walked into her living room I had a moment when I thought her house had tipped over.  She is a spinner and has fleece from all over the world which she is processing to spin.  The whole living room floor was covered with Shetland fleece from Scotland - drying from it's wash.  It looked like clouds on the floor - and it was so beautifully white and soft, I couldn't help but reach down and pick up a hand full every once in awhile - just to feel the softness of it.

I did not know that sheep had so many natural colors.  I tend to think of sheep fleece as off-white.  But she has totes filled with several colors of white, browns and blacks.    She has a carder that she has been using to make carded rolls for spinning, and totes upon totes full of these rolls already done and waiting to be spun.

She has been teaching me ( or trying to) to spin - and I admit I'm not great at it.  My efforts more resemble wire than yarn - too much twist, I'm told.  It is not as easy as it looks, and is definitely one of those activities that you have to learn by practicing.  You have to get your hands and feet in a rhythm, and maintain it though out the spin.  I'll bet Gary would make an awesome spinner - or any organist for that matter - they are co-ordinated with hands and feet with no thought to it at all.

Anyway, the potential is there for some spinning time, when I want it - so I need to make room to learn to be a better spinner.

I'll let you know how that goes...

In the meantime - it is on to some new crocheted projects... still working on my stash  - cotton this time around!

Enjoy your day!

A New Friendship!

Have you ever been the recipient of a totally unselfish act of kindness?  By someone you don't even know?

When I am at work, I always talk to my husband at lunch time.  We only chat for a few minutes but we catch up on each other's day, and if anything good has come in the mail - I get that report then.  On Friday Gary told me that a parcel had arrived for me from Alaska.  I was more than curious as I don't know anyone who lives in Alaska.

He read the name on the return label to me, and I vaguely recognized the name as a woman who is on one of the FaceBook Doll groups I belong to.  She posts regularly, sometimes I make comments on her posts, but that is all the contact I have ever had with her.

This box was from her.  She is friends with woman in the group whom I have known (on the net) for about 6 yrs, I'm sure my friend gave her friend my address, knowing me well enough and her friend well enough to know that it would be okay.

As soon as Gary told me her name I started to think about her doll collection, and realized that this woman was a big time Chatty Cathy collector.  He also told me the contents listed on the box said broken doll.

I couldn't wait to get home.  But first I had to finish the day at work, and then we had planned to go grocery shopping so by the time I actually did get home it was already evening.

I did manage to put the groceries away first and then I tore into the box.

Sure enough it was a Chatty Cathy in pieces.  BUT... it was a brown-eyed Cathy!  I was through the roof.  I have never eve seen one before, and certainly never thought the day would come when one would be in my home, broken or not!

I had no idea why she sent this broken doll to me - like I said, I really had not communicated with this woman much at all.  Did she want money for this doll?  Was there a catch to this?

So on to Facebook I went, and her name came up on the Chat screen.  I wanted to let her know the doll had arrived so I started chatting with her.  What started out as a Thank You chat ended up in a almost 90 minute conversation about so many things.

She's a 6 yr breast cancer survivor - just like me.  She told me about her family, herself - and yeah I guess we talked about dolls - a little!!!!!!!!!!

She said she wanted to send me the doll because she thought it would make me happy.  She did it in friendship!  She just wanted to make my day!

To say she did, is an understatement!  Her random act of kindness, touched my heart in so many ways - not because of the doll -  because of the act of thinking about someone she barely new whom she wished to make happy in friendship.  I think that is past amazing!

The doll is just a doll - but the friendship is so very important in this day and age where friendships come and go or fade away! Two strangers "connected" to friendship all because of a doll....

There is more - The doll she sent only has one arm, so another box will be coming in a few weeks with another set of arms, and a party outfit she had especially made for a Chatty Cathy doll.  I told her this was too much, but she would not agree with me - I don't think I could stop her if I tried!

So here is my next "Cathy" project....  I can't wait to get working on her!

Isn't she a doll?

Thank you Jean!

Thinking about spring!

It's Friday!  Yipee!  Don't know what I am so happy about, I have been home pretty much all week anyhow.  However being home well and being home sick really are two different things!

I haven't had a sinus infection for awhile - I forgot how painful they can be... head, eyes, teeth - everything hurts and sleep seems to be the most activity one can do.  This was my last few days - sleep, sleep and more sleep... and yet I feel I could still sleep some more!

However it's back to work for one day and then the weekend.  Hopefully the weather will be warmer (it's supposed to be).   We are one week closer to spring - think that's how I am going to look at the weeks ahead - as a true countdown to spring.  We here in Manitoba have stuck out a horrible winter, so I think we deserve to start thinking, dreaming and planning for spring.  It will be here before we know it, and all this white stuff piled everywhere will be a memory!  I hope!

However spring in this neck of the woods almost always means flooding.  This city is built at the junction of two major rivers, The Red, and the Assiniboine.  One goes south-north and the other goes east-west.  We don't even have to get a lot of snow for the Red River to get nasty.  If North Dakota has a bad winter the Old Red brings it all up this way.  If we have also had a bad winter, we add to it, and we are flooding.  The flood forecast is due out next Wednesday.  They have already predicted that Fargo ND will flood, next on the Red is Grandforks, and then Winnipeg.  Both have had above average snowfall this winter so I'd say our chances for a good flood are prime... but we'll see!

In the meantime, perhaps the sun will come out and the temps will rise and we can have some major early melting - that's what we need - melting now - not all at once in April!  Oh if we could only control the weather...

So have a great weekend everyone, wherever you may be, and whatever weather pattern you may be under.  Enjoy these beautiful pre-spring days - after this season - they won't be around for another year!

Tea Anyone?

After much searching I did manage to find the pattern for the miniature cup and saucer that my Mom used to make in the 70's.  I have no idea who's pattern this was originally, it might even be hers, I just don't know.  It was hand written in the back of one of her craft books, so it's any one's guess who is the original creator.

It is however, very much like the one someone posted on Pinterest.

Head pounding and all I did manage to make two of these little gems, I wanted to be sure the pattern was okay before I posted it - and it is just fine.

Here is the finished product.

These are miniature in size.  Would make great accents for doll displays (which is probably why they caused such a stir with the doll group on FB).  They could also be used as favours at bridal or baby showers or spring teas... put some mints in them and set them on the tables for lovely little accents.

Here is the pattern - Enjoy!

MINIATURE CUP AND SAUCER

Size 10 crochet cotton in the colours of your choice

N0. 7. crochet hook

Saucer:

Ch 4, join with a slip stitch to form a ring

ROW 1.  Ch 3 ( counts as first dc) make 19 more dc in ring, and joint to the top of the ch3.  =20dc

ROW 2.  Ch 4( first dc ch 1).  dc ch 1 in each dc around, and join in the 3rd chain of the first ch4.

ROW 3.  Slip stitch to 1st ch1 space.  Ch3, dc, ch1, 2dc in ch1 space (shell made). * skip next ch1 space  

2 dc, ch1, 2dc in next ch1 space.  Repeat from * around.  Join. = 10 shells.

ROW 4.  Slip stitch center of first shell made. Ch3, dc, ch1, 2dc in shell.  Ch1.  * 2dc, ch1, 2dc,  in center of next shell , ch1.  Repeat from * around.  Join. = 10 shells 

ROW 5.  Slip stitch to center of first shell made.  Ch3, dc, ch1, 2dc in shell.  Ch2.  * 2dc, ch1, 2dc in center of next shell, ch2.  Repeat from * around.  Join.  Cut and fasten thread. =10 shells.

Edging:

Fasten new colour in the first ch2 space.  Ch2.  2dc, ch1, 2dc in the top of the next shell.  ch2.  Place hook under chain between shells of last 2 rows and draw up a loop and sc to lock it.  Ch 2.  This pulls the chain of the last two rows together and makes a deeper scallop around the edge.  Repeat around and fasten off.

Cup:

ROW 1.  Attach main colour thread to any Ch1 space on second row of the saucer.  Make 2dc, ch1, 2dc in this space. * Skip next ch1 space and make 2dc, ch1, 2dc in next ch1 space.  Repeat from * around and join. =10 shells.

ROW 2.  Slip stitch to center of the first shell made.  Ch3, 1dc, ch1, 2dc in center of shell.  2dc, ch1, 2dc in each shell around.  Join.  =10 shells.

ROW 3.  Repeat row 2.

Chain 10 for handle and fasten at the bottom of the cup and fasten off.

Edging:

Attach contrast colour to the stitch beside handle.  Sc in stitch.  Make 4 sc in the top of each shell around the top of the cup.  Slip stitch at the top of the handle and make 15 sc around the handle to the bottom.  Fasten off...

You know you are having a bad day when:

1.  You use your cell phone as your alarm to get up in the morning, but fail to notice it needs charging the evening before!

2.  The sun is up before you... (you are usually at work 1 hr before the sun comes up)!

3.  When you open you eyes - You Can't!  The nocturnal eye fairies have been busy painting your lashes with a mixture of egg whites and liquid honey all night!

4.  You have a splitting headache, a head that feels a thousand pounds, a throat full of razor blades and double pointed knitting needles in your ears!

5.  It is -32 outside!

So went my morning... and so I crawled out of bed, emailed work that I would not be there today, took 2 Tylenol and crawled back under the covers for another 3 hours!

Not that it improved things much...  headache is still here, eyes are runny and head is full, but it's just a head cold in the making - I'll survive!

I belong to several face book groups and last weekend one of the ladies posted a picture from Pinterest ( I think) of a crocheted cup and saucer.  Everyone was all excited about it.  Yes it was cute - but I saw so many of those in the 70's that it really didn't do much for me.

I mentioned that I thought I might have the pattern for it somewhere, and the excitement grew.  My Mom made these every spring for a number of years and sold them at the spring bazaar at the church.  I have seen the pattern handwritten on a piece of lined paper and stapled to the inside of the cover of one of her knitting books many times over the years.... I can even see the cover of the book (in my mind)!

So I promised I would get the pattern for those who were excited - and I went looking.

And looking, and looking... OMG!  I have all Mom's books and some of my Aunt's and a collection of my girl friend's mother's and a few of my own, and binders upon binders of printed stuff off the net (free patterns and purchased patterns).

The pattern book that I was so sure was the one with the pattern in it indeed did have a handwritten pattern on a lined page of paper and it was stapled to the back cover - well actually there were 2 there, one pattern was for a poodle toilet paper cover, the other was for a knitted drop stitch scarf that actually sounds kind of neat - but no pattern for the tea cup and saucer that I'd imagined.

I could see myself growing permanently to the floor in my attempt to go through every pattern book on my two bookcases and armoire, so I shoved it all back and put it out of my mind.

Just before bedtime last night - it came to me... I saw a different book cover and just knew that the pattern would be there - so back I went (when I should have been heading to bed).  It took me awhile to find the book (Crochet Techniques and Projects) by Sunset books  $2.45 - that will tell you how old it is!!!

And there hand written on the back cover - no piece of paper at all is the Cup and Saucer pattern that my Mom made so many times over the years!

Crafts are like Women's fashions - they go out of style, then come back in.  I guess if you are lucky, like me - or perhaps I'll re-word that - if you are a bit of a SAVER like me - you will eventually have every pattern for the "New" things being shown on Pinterest!

I hope to have that pattern with a picture for you tomorrow for Stash Buster Thursday!

Stay connected!