The Pretty Penny

Oy Zazzle

I’m not sure how I found it, but I have had this website Zazzle bookmarked for months.  While I haven’t actually bought anything yet, I have spent many idle moments daydreaming about what I would put on a sneaker if I could choose anything in the world.  Some slip-ons with my Pretty Penny logo would be a little too nutty…or would they. 

Maybe some punk rock plaid or argyle, I’m busily narrowing down my choices and spending way too much time playing in photoshop. 

Sometimes I think an allover Astroturf pattern would be cool.... 

Actually, that’s a little scary.  Whatever it ends up being, for sixty dollars it’s gotta be good.

Oh, the scarf, neckerchief thing that I was knitting is done, I’m going to block it today and then add the buttons.  I’ll post a picture in a couple of days.

The Magic of Wool, The Cure For Swamp Foot, and Meditation Teddy

Ah the magic of wool.  It’s the cure for the Sunday blues and swamp foot.  My daughter was having an attack of the whinies yesterday, “What can I do?  There’s nothing do!” so I suggested sewing, we hadn’t really done that since we got here.  She wanted to sew a snuggly friend (this is what we call stuffed animals in our house).  I had her draw a pattern.

Then I cut it out and pinned it to two scraps of a felted wool sweater.  I cut them out for her since felted wool can be a little tough to cut.  Then I let her go to town.  The key to sewing with children is to double the thread and then knot the two strands together so the needle doesn’t slip off.  I’ve always let her use a real needle and she learned quickly to keep her fingers out of the way.

While she was sewing, I made felt insoles for this pair Crocs that I bought last year.  As you can see they are cute. 

The problem was that they don’t have little air holes like the ones that children wear so I couldn’t wear them without getting a serious case of swamp foot (remember jellies?). 

Remembering how well wool diaper covers worked when my daughter was a baby, I used some scraps of a felted wool sweater to make insoles for them last year.  They worked great but got so ragged and funky looking that I was embarrassed to take my shoes off.  This year I am using wool felt hoping that it will keep a tidier look.

When the bear was sewed almost all the way around, she stuffed it with wool and I sewed the face on for her.  It is named Meditation Teddy because as soon as I was done with the face, I had to run off to my meditation group.

The Last Knitting Book You Will Ever Buy (maybe)

I started knitting again this week and took this old favorite down from the shelf.  I really don’t know if I will ever buy another knitting book again (seriously, of course I will but I never have to again).  This book lays down basic patterns for everything that you can think of in every gauge from tiny to big.  Then you can use your creative mind to add the extras and make it beautiful. 

I’ve been knitting a scarf, one inspired by one I made last year that I wore almost every day.  The idea is that it’s knitted in a sport weight wool, lightweight and trim.  The last one was very narrow and I could wind it around my neck twice and tie it in a little sporty knot on the side.  This one will be a little wider and more structured then button up the side with square vintage buttons.

Oh The Clothes!

I got these lovely vintage buttons in the mail the other day from my wonderful mother in law.  They are so tiny and beautiful.  I do love buttons.

I finally finished the Lifetime docu-drama of Coco Chanel’s life last night.  I can rarely stay awake long enough for a whole movie in the evening so I usually have to do them in two parts.  I loved it, even with the dramatic scenes of kissing in the rain and tears about the father who never loved her.  Ugh. 

What really brought tears to my eyes was the dramatic come back fashion show, such beautiful clothes!  I also found this old film of her 1959 collection, such an inspiration, even if you don’t care at all about fashion.  She was a brilliant businesswoman.

Ok...We Like Pink

Here is what we did this weekend.  I was working furiously to finish this necklace and giving my daughter the old, “one more minute, one more minute”.  Like the sweetie that she is, she decided that if she couldn’t drag me away from my project, she would join me.  She sat beside me and made this sweet hart necklace and then gave it to me (because she knows that I like jewelry, she told me)

I forget sometimes how much she just likes to hang out with me and do what I’m doing.  The other day, she wanted me to sit and play with her a little longer and I felt the burning desire to get the dishes done.  Feeling pretty smart and assuming she would be repulsed, I said, “Well if you want you could help me do the dishes”

“Sure!” she piped up.  It’s been our routine all week and it makes us both very happy.  I get company and she gets to feel both included and very important.  It takes twice as long but what’s more important, time or happiness?

The Story of Stuff....Not for Bedtime Viewing

I encourage everyone to check out The Story of Stuff, it’s all about all of the THINGS in our lives, where they come from and where they go.  It’s very interesting and is presented in a way that won’t make you feel like a piece of poo for participating in the whole silly and sickening system. 

Of course, the biggest thing that we can do to throw a wrench into this system is to stop buying all of the unnecessary things that we are pressured into.  

I also came away from this thinking about how important the good artists and craftspeople at etsy are, especially the ones who use recycled materials.  Using old things to make new things takes courage, imagination and moxy.  Here are a few of the other craftspeople on etsy who make wonderful new things from old things....
smileyjones.etsy.com  cute girls dresses made from vintage fabric
courtneycourtney.etsy.com    cute girls dresses made from recycled T-Shirts (OK, I love cute girl's dresses)
GetReadySetGO.etsy.com great upcycled luggage with hand painted details
This is just a sampling, you can't imagine how huge etsy is and how many amazing artists are selling their wares.  

Goodbye Summer….

My little girl starts kindergarten tomorrow and soon our long days together by the pool and watching a little too much TV will be over.  We just got to LA a few weeks ago but it feels as if we’ve spent a lifetime taking lazy walks to the park and staying in our pajamas until noon.

We’ve bought her uniforms, (so flippin cute!) and I don’t know how all of you out there feel about school uniforms but speaking as a mother of a girl who feels very strongly about clothing choices, I think they are a great idea.  One less thing to worry about in the morning.

I guess we could both use a little more structure; I very much need to get back to making one or two jewelry pieces every day.  I still need to find out where the good flea markets, bead stores and fabric stores are around here.  I did find this lovely little lady last week and can’t wait to use her for something good.  Her banner says Ice Capades but I’ve been trying to decide what it should say when I reproduce it.  Any ideas?