WHAT TO DO WHILE WAITING FOR PAPER MACHE TO DRY ...

I decided to decorate some T-shirts for both of us to take on our pending vacation to a place without snow! I always cut the band off the neck of my shirts. (I hate those bands) I took the band and cut it in half across and slit the shirts up the sides. Then I took the piece of ribbing and sewed it to the cut edges to give the shirt a bit of style. Love it! These two shirts are mine.

The rest of these shirts belong to Roy. What an artsy couple we are!

A SUNDAY SMILE FOR YOU ...

PAPER MACHE FISH # 2 ...

This could be addictive!

SOME BETTER PHOTOGRAPHS OF THAT PAPER MACHE FISH ...

PAPER MACHE FISH !

I must say this was a whole lot of fun! Perhaps creating tropical fantasy fish is a good thing to do as I look out the window right now and see major snow activity. I want to thank my good friend Geree who lives in Chili and has a tutorial on her blog showing how to make these fish. Thanks Geree!

Of course, number 2 and 3 are happening already. Paper mache can be a slow process (normally that does not work for me) as drying layers of paper does take time. That's why making several at one time is a good plan. Stay tuned for more photos of more fish!

You can see Geree's fish on her blog at www.Gerees.Blogspot.com. Go check them out!

CHRISTMAS IN JANUARY !

This afternoon our fabulous UPS driver trudged up our very long, very steep, and very snowy driveway in our very frigid temperature to deliver a Christmas gift; and with a big smile on his face. My dear daughter sent me a complete boxed collector set of Harry Potter! I have seen most of the movies, some of them several times, but longed to read the books. And now I can! I plan to take the first two on vacation with me. That skinny brown thing on the far right side is a folder of stickers with which to decorate my trunk. Which of course I immediately did. Thank you Erin! You are the best!

TOYS BY ROY ...

Last fall Roy made a series of puzzles as Christmas gifts for family and friends. I had to wait until after the holidays in order not to ruin the surprises! They are so beautiful don't you think? He sanded them very smooth and applied several coats of paste wax to protect the wood. Note that what you see as eyes or wing definition is really saw marks, not ink or paint. If it ever warms up here and in his workshop I hope he makes more.

MEET EVELYN ...

Evelyn is my fifth "business partner" through the KIVA program. She is a seaweed and fish seller in the Philippines. I encourage you to view the site at KIVA.org to consider becoming a lending partner. For me, it makes me very happy to be able to help those less fortunate. Reprinted from Evelyn's profile page: "Evelyn Alojado, is from the barangay of Malaubang, Ozamiz City. She is 48 years old, married and has three children. To make a living, Evelyn owns and operates a seaweeds production and fish selling activity. She has been in business for over 10 years and earns approximately 7,000 PHP a month.In 2009, Evelyn joined PMPC to access financial services to improve her living situation and to engage in business activities. Evelyn has successfully repaid a previous loan of 10,000 PHP from PMPC. Evelyn is now requesting a loan of 13,000 PHP to purchase a fishing net. This will be the 4th loan taken out by Evelyn from PMPC. She plans to use the additional revenue to improve the living conditions of her family."

THE PROMISED TURQUOISE ...

The tank top was a pale pink and the linen jacket was a real light grey. The socks were white. This color works a lot better for me. Pale colors are just so......blah! Love this!

COLOR MY WORLD ...

I recently visited a local thrift store in search of well constructed pieces of clothing in cotton or linen to over- dye and create more color in my world. In the photograph below take note of a light beige linen jacket in the middle of the top of the pile and a pale yellow cotton knit shirt below it.

Here you will see that same jacket and shirt after dyeing them orange! In addition I threw in a pair of short white socks.

After I dyed the jacket I removed the mother of pearl buttons and attached new buttons I covered with bright fabric scraps. Then, I located all the brightly colored embroidery thread and got busy. I love hand stitching! Here is a closeup of the buttons and the button placket.

On the back of the jacket I stencilled with black acrylic paint and then stitched around the designs.

I look forward to wearing this now totally cool linen jacket this Spring! I just like it so much better than the plain beige one that it once was.

The next post will show you some transformed clothing from "boring" to turquoise!