A Boring Blog Post About Fixing Zippers...

... and some other stuff, too. Like this card I made yesterday.  I saw the cutest idea on Pinterest for a Paint Strip Sample thank you card made with a dragonfly punch. Well, I don't have a dragonfly punch, so I used a small butterfly one I have. And I just kept adding to it..  I think it came out cute. The original site for the pin is from an instagram picture: Dragonfly Paint Strip Sample card.  I have; since I made this card, ordered a dragonfly punch. Because I have been wanting one, anyway. I think this is a really cute card you could do a lot of different things with, too; so...  :)

And I folded my note into a heart. :P  I'm feeling so crafty lately.. Tee hee. I found a video on You Tube and had to try it: How to fold a note into a heart. I think it came out cute.

Eon's zipper on his (otherwise almost brand new) back pack broke a few months ago. The zipper was okay, the pull part had just come off (and I have no idea where it went to..). So he wasn't able to zip it up at all. He had been using his old back pack until we could get him a new one (which only had one strap, and the back part was ripped). Well I hot glued that together, so the only thing wrong with it was it only had one strap (and was really old/beat up). But... he said it was falling apart, and had been complaining about it. And, since I really didn't want to waste money on a new back pack, when his red one was just fine (except the zipper); I kept thinking maybe I could fix the zipper. Or at least try..  So after googling how to fix zippers, and watching some You Tube videos (I love You Tube, Lol..) on how to fix zippers, (that was the first one I watched) and different zipper types, etc, and how to reattach your zipper pull (these last two were the most helpful); I eventually tried cutting the zipper part out of the old back pack and hubby got the pull off. Both back packs have similar sized (I couldn't tell for sure, because I could't find any numbers, and I didn't measure them; but they looked similar in size) zippers. I was hoping they were the same... So I ripped the very end off of the zipper (I could sew it back in later) and sat there for 45 minutes trying to get that pull back on. Well when I asked my husband (maybe I just wasn't strong enough to yank it up?- I was using needle nosed pliers and everything..), he got it on in less than three minutes. :(  I was actually happy, but bummed that my husband is better at it than I am. After weeks of watching you tube videos, and finally trying to do it.. Turned out I was trying to put the pull on upside down. Lol! But.. between both of us, we were able to fix the zipper. I told my husband, "Thank you for fixing it for me, now I don't have to go waste your money on a new back pack for Eon." :P

...Ta da..    You can barely tell (except the zipper pull has a blue string on it :P). I sewed the ziper back down into the back pack, and changed the thread to sew it into the grey part, too.  I just told Eon, "Don't zip it all the way down."  (Sigh... He will probably forget.)

I also patched up this bottom area. It had a couple little rips. So I ironed on a patch into the bottom of the back pack. Yay... This will definitely last him until the end of the school year. Who knows, maybe even all of next year. :D 

For my little business man, Eon..Another office supply item. :P  He had been looking at similar ones. I got him this one (because it was cheaper than the one he had been looking at), and  because it has the clip on the top for a notebook.

Pillowcases and Baby Quilts I Never Finished... :(

A friend of mine from high school (we "found" each other on facebook via another mutual friend) is a Foster Mom. She is doing a pillowcase project for all the foster kids they get in. She posted on fb for help. Since I recently got into making pillowcases, I said I will make some. :D  I tried a new pattern, using only two fabrics. It's so much easier. I used the pattern/tutorial from the Missouri Quilt Company for the three fabric pillowcases, and then found the two fabric pattern after going to the all people quitl one million pillowcase website. I think they are sisters. ?  Anyway, that reminds me I need to enter these on that site. Lol.  I wanted to do more pillowcases, but...  All that cute fabric starts adding up. And I could tell my hubby was wondering what I kept spending money on. :/  I might do some more, but maybe not ten. (Shipping was expensive, too.)   :(  Eon helped me pick out some of the fabric. The Toy Story and Cars pillowcase fabric, he said "You should use this one. Little kids would like it." ;P  ("Little kids", lol...)

When I was going through my tubs of fabric looking for more fabric I might possibly be able to use, I found two baby quilts I had started; and I got them out. This one I actually started for Eon. :(  He's ten years old now... (sigh..)  I didn't have much selection for fabric back then. I think I might have run out of variety, or something. I see one of my husbands' old work shirts. (The striped fabric on the very bottom of the bottom square.) A piece of fabric I used from a little kids rocking chair I "refinished" for Evan when he was two years old- painted and re"upholstered" the seat. :P   I was using the pattern from the book that is next to it..

Can you tell a little better now?... (The one in the crib.) I did Eons' room in a sage green and butter cup yellow.

It was in this book, "P.S. I Love You Two".

And I found all these pieces that I am almost positive I started when Evan was little, or maybe even before he was born? I know I used fabric from a quilt I made for my cousins' baby (who is a year older than Evan), in some of these pieces. I also know I sent a BUNCH of these to someone I read about in a magazine. (I never got a thank you, or even found out if they got to her, either.. :/  Kind of sorry I even sent them.) Oh well...   I have no idea who I could finish these for, except to send to Pine Ridge.   I don't remember where I got the pattern for this, probably from one of my quilting books. I will have to look. I think it's called "Flying Geese", though. :)      I finally got a window bird feeder, I am so happy. I put it on my window outside my craft room. And I love to see the birds come to it while I sew. :)  I can't really see them very well on the feeder in the backyard. Which reminds me, I need more bird seed.. :P   

Okay, it was bugging me... so I went to look through my books, and it is called "Wild Goose Chase" in the book- "Quilts, Quilts, Quilts".  Look a sample of it is on the cover of that book. (It isn't on mine.)  :) That was one of the first quilting books I got. I think it was THE first one.  I sewed a log cabin quilt for Eli (I started it for Evan, though..) from that book. I'll have to dig it out and take a picture of it. He ripped a hole in it and gave it to me to fix. I will fix it... someday.

I finished some more squares for the Sea, Sea Shell, and whatever else sea-related monthly challenge at KAS.  This seahorse pattern is from EverLaughter's Etsy store. She has so many cute applique patterns. The square I just did myself. And the "seaweed" is a fluffy yarn; I just did surface crochets.

And I had been thinking about doing a snail square. Then I got to thinking, "Hey Gary is a snail...  I could just make the snail the same colors as him.."  Then I thought, "I should try and do Spongebob, too." So this is what I came up with. Nothing big but maybe it will make a child smile.  The snail pattern is from Bernat, the snail baby blanket. Here is the Ravelry link.

And, two shell squares..  I used this sea shell pattern.

I am a little bit irritated today.. Actually this started a couple of weeks ago. I went on to Ravelry, and I had a message from someone asking me if I "could help her with a pattern" (the short sleeve bolero pattern, by Lisa Gentry.) I am, right off  the bat, wondering why she is asking ME for help, if she has a problem why not ask the pattern designer? Then she proceeds to say how pretty it is, she wants to make one for her Mother, for Mother's Day, she's really new to crochet, blah blah blah..   I shouldn't have even responded to her message. Because it has been year since I made it, and I can't even remember what I did last week- how am I going to help her with this?...  So I said what exactly do you need help with?  Well, it turned out, she wanted help with me telling her how to crochet it. (Without her having to actually buy the pattern- Oh my god. Seriously? She couldn't spend $2.99 on a pattern-especially since it's going to be a gift, for Mother's Day?...)  GRRRR!!    Then, today, I have a message from someone asking me if I could send her a pattern because she "lost hers, here's my email adress". ????  Am I the pattern designer? NO!! Do I look like a big pushover? NO!! Do I have a big sign on my Ravelry profile saying "Please ask me if you want any patterns-especially if they're not free?"..... GRRRR!!  I am going to change my avatar to Grumpy Cat saying "NO"; on Ravelry. People are really pissing me off. I might not have gotten so irritated with sending this person today the pattern, it was a free pattern (but it's not MY pattern- again, why not try to contact the pattern designer?). But 1. It was the way she *asked*- more like, told, me. 2. My scanner is broke, and I am out of printer ink. I again might not have minded going to the library, paying to get a copy made, go to the store, buy something to mail it in, go to the post office, and mail it. But she did not ask me very nicely. So. No. 

Eon's "Office"

:P    I think I have mentioned before how Eon likes office supplies. He likes toys, and xbox games, like any other kid; too. But a lot of the time we'll go somewhere (a Thrift store, or even Walmart); and he will want to get a stapler, or markers, or a desk organizer.. (The black thing on the left of his shelf is what I am referring to, we got that at a thrift store.)   He has been wanting a desk for the longest time. Well Thursday night he was in his room for a long time. I thought he was playing legos or something. So I went in there to see what he was up to, and it was this. His "Office".  :P  I love it!  He did this all by himself. The shelf sits lower on the wall (don't ask me why- the people who built this house did their own thing- I think just for an extra shelf/closet space). Anyway, it is a little too high for a "desk", but Eon doesn't care. Maybe we'll have to get him a real desk soon. :)

Hello, It's Me..

I have been waiting to plant all my baby trees that are in pots, until it gets warm enough to do it..  My husband said he would plant the big one; because he wanted it behind the bedroom window for shade. I don't know how long it will take to get big enough to make shade. (We might not even still be living here by then. But..) It has grown fast since I put it in a bigger pot, so maybe it will take off now that it's (back) in the ground. I measured it and it's 15 inches tall. So I can see how fast it grows. ;)  Now to plant the other 10..  I want to plant them along the edge of the back yard. You can kind of see in the picture where the rocks en in our yard. That's where. :)

Here are four "Sea" squares I crocheted. They are the "That Turtle Square" from Crochetville. I did run out of blue on the one, and used a different color blue. I also bought a seahorse pattern. I'm going to do at least one square with that. It's so cute.. :D I have the sea horse done, I've been trying to get a square that is 8 inches wide to sew it on to. I made some before but this square isn't turning out the same as those. So  it took four tries to get it right this time..  The April Challenge for Knit-A-Square is "Sea, Seashore, and Shells". So...  This is what I have so far. 

And look what came in the mail today from Sue~ Mango Treats!!! I LOVE mango, lately. I don't know why I never ate it before. I wasn't too big on fruit when I was a kid (except apples). But I have been trying different foods/fruits lately and Sue sent me some from where she lives. Eon loves them, too. (The gummies.) He kept coming back and saying, "They're so yummy." "They're good."  You would think I never let him have food or something.. ;)  Thank you, Sue!! <3 td="">

Eon was home sick today from school today. I almost made him go, but when I asked him what was wrong, he told me the same things I woke up with, too. :(  I had to drag myself out of bed this morning. I felt pretty yucky.  I didn't do much today, either. I did sew a pillowcase. :P  I was googling minecraft "arts and crafts", then I thought "Oh, I should do this on Ravelry!!" and then of course I had to pin a bunch of cool ideas on Pinterest. (Sigh..)  I was thinking about what to do for Eon's next birthday. I found a cool Minecraft Cake idea that I think I might try myself this year. :D  And Minecraft "cupcakes". Although it is really a cake, cut into square cupcakes. Legos, a t-shirt, a baseball hat... I want to crochet a Creeper, and a Creeper Afghan (I might do that one for Eli, for Christmas), and a hat for Eon: This one or this one. (Sigh...)  And now here I am blogging about all the stuff I found while googling and pinning and Ravelry..  Anyway, while looking for Minecraft stuff on Google, I found a cool melty beads Creeper. I thought, "Eon would love this!" He's always saying "I'm bored..."  So I am always trying to think of cool arts and crafts to do. This one was a winner. :D

Then he made a Minecraft wolf, for Eli. But once it was done, he said "Oh I messed up." (Ugh.)  I thought he was going to have a meltdown...  I thought this one was still cool. But he wanted it to be perfect for Eli. I don't know why, when he isn't very nice to him half the time.  :(  But...  He loves his brother(s).

So he made another one. :)

I finished another Eye Dazzler Afghan. I really like how it turned out. I am going to send it to Alice on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. I will wait until this fall to send it though. (Give me enough time to save up money to do it, lol..)  

A different view. My husband asked me who it was for. I told him. He said I should keep it. I asked for who? Yourself. "Um, I already have one just like it, practically.."  

I have been trying to eat healthier lately. Besides cutting out sugar and eating less (so I can lose ten pounds), I have been eating more fruits and vegetables. (Trying to eat organic, too- not always possible, though; especially when buying meat).  Anyway, I saw some Banana Split Bites on Pinterest and I wanted to eat them, so I had to make them. :) It's just fruit and chocolate. I melted chocolate chips and dipped the fruit in the bowl...  I might try the other ones, in cupcake liners (originally posted?), next time. Easier/less mess..  Except without the coconut or nuts.  I hate coconut- and don't like nuts, unless they are almonds or dry roasted peanuts, out of the can or jar. Or cashews. Oh yeah or pistachios..  :P

Chicks and Peeps

I was googling stuff the other day, and saw the cutest "Peep Cookies" online. I HAD to try making some! After googling and trying to find cookie cutters (almost thought about making my own, after reading that someone else did it); I finally saw someone else's idea to make a template- (same person/blog that I found they Peeps Cookies on), and I thought "Duh.. This will work". Especially since it was only about three days until Easter, and I knew if I ordered a cookie cutter online it wouldn't make it in time. I didn't want to drive all the way to Hobby Lobby and see if they had any, and it just be a wasted trip if they didn't. So, then I googled "Bunny Peep outline", and... Ta Da! I used a plastic lid from a "throw away" casserole dish from Thanksgiving last year. This way you can wash and re-use your template. I wish I had something a little sturdier, but this will work until I get a bigger lid or something else. :D  I did find a couple places online that sell Peep cookie cutters, besides reading that Hobby Lobby sells one that would work. But, now I have this. So. :) I saved a few bucks. :D

Sugar cookie dough and a knife. (Flour the template, then it won't stick to the dough..)

First batch.

Pink Peeps. I bought a container of four different colored sugars at Walmart.  I did frost them (just with plain old sugar cookie frosting-homemade of course), then the sugar would stick better. 

Purple Peeps.

And yellow.

Eon wanted to decorate one one time when I was using the sugar. I said, "Why don't you use some of the leftover sugars on that plate? You can make an Ugly Bunny cookie."  :P He thought that was a good idea. 

...So did I. :P  This wasn't all the leftover sugar. That actually only was enough for one cookie. But... I went with it and just made them all different colors..

Not that the kids needed any more sugar, after all their Easter candy. But...  I had to try these. I have been trying to limit the sugar/junk food we eat. I've been making fruit smoothies and getting more healthy things. But... It's Easter.

I want to use the plastic lid template idea to make some Lego Man cookies someday (maybe for Eons' birthday). Incidentally, that is also the blog I got the idea to make the plastic lid template from. :)

I saw these Party Chicks on Pinterest, and I thought they were cute. I also thought, "Hey I can make those with all the eggs we dyed."  They are just deviled eggs, and I used a sandwich baggie with a corner cut off to "pipe" the filling into the eggs. Then used sliced up sliced black olives, and tiny carrot pieces for the noses and eyes. 

Easter

Did you have a nice Easter? We never usually do much. Eon is our youngest, and I don't even think there is an Easter Egg Hunt or anything in this town.. So, I hid some eggs in the house. I think Eon thought it was fun. Here he is with his eggs.. 

I just put stickers, money, and little stuff in them. (Since he was going to get enough candy in his Easter basket-- even though he didn't know that yet.) :D

I even hid a few eggs for Jetta, with Milk Bones in them. :P

"Um, are these balls? Can I play with them?.."  Lol

Their Easter baskets..

I think he liked the Storm Trooper chocolate bunny. :)

"Wut? Is he almost smiling?"...

We dyed some eggs... But not too many, since I didn't think they would all get eaten.

I dyed a couple, too. I saw a cool rubber band dying idea on Pinterest. So I had to try it. Eon did all the rest. :)