Week 1 - Paper, Paint, and Yarn.

The first day of the new year was beautiful, and Nick and I spent our morning sipping Irish Coffee and Kentucky Mules at the R Bar, followed by a stroll through the French Quarter.  On Royal St, I spotted this little gem amongst someones trash bags.

 I said I could make it beautiful, so Nick carried it all the way home.  We spent the rest of our day relaxing, but I did manage to work on the beret my friend April had commissioned.  I used Baby Alpaca wool from Peru, which means it was soft and delightful to work on.  The meandering cable pattern was a little bit tricky, but it still only took 3 days to make.  The result:

Day 2 of the new year (and its resolutions), I picked up some sandpaper and spray paint at Lowes.  I sanded down the paint-splattered trash chair and gave it a few coats of primer.  Later I painted it a bright, creamy yellow. On Day 3, I reupholstered the cushion.  The ugly duckling garbage chair is now the most attractive piece of furniture we own.  By a landslide.





















The next few days I worked on (and finished) that lovely hat, and started a pair of spats to match.   So far there is one spat. I'll post pictures when there are two.

I also made 5 paper cranes this week, which I left in a miniature flock on Nick's bed. This may have been a violation of the No-Craft Ordinance, but the fine print is too small for me to read.

Oh, and I turned a corner of my living room into a sewing zone.

Week 2, I'm ready for you.

Goodbye 2011. A Formal Send-Off.

My last project of 2011 was the first of its kind for me.  But it will not be its last.
Earlier this week, I bought some origami paper, thinking I'd like to make 1000 paper cranes.  Mathematically, this shouldn't be hard, as long as I make a few every day for a whole year.   Realistically, I had never made one before.
The directions on the origami packet were terrible.  So I Googled it.  And this video did the trick!  I made a successful paper crane!  And then I did it until I didn't need the video again.  The result:  my first 8 paper cranes!
Now, I may be a pack rat, but stockpiling paper birds all year seems a bit extreme even for me.  Not to mention a little pointless.  So I cut another piece of paper into 8 strips and wrote a fortune one each one.

I assigned each bird a message, hung from its beak.  They were also equipped with a piece of thread for hanging.  I tucked the birds in my bag and went for a bike ride.
Being birds, their ideal home would be a tree.  I wanted to leave them where they would be found by someone going about their normal day.  A special surprise.  I found the perfect spot, in a dead tree in front of a falling-apart house a few blocks from mine. 

This house actually gave me a gift, once- a huge, beautiful, white window frame which hangs on my bedroom wall.  So I like to think of these birds as a thank you note. 

Those bright little birds danced in the breeze, holding their bright little messages.  It was a joy to ride by them.  And if you look closely, each fortune has a special note on the back, "Take me home OR pass me on." 

It was a joy to be able to brighten up that sad little corner.  I can't wait to do it again. 

Goodbye, 2011.