Way, way behind

Lincoln and I have taken to pizza art:

I've knit a few things:

Lincoln has gone sledding:

We have done some crafting:

We welcomed a tiny nephew:

Lincoln worked on writing his name and drawing silly people:

And suddenly, it was the middle of February!

Christmas Crafting

The gifts are all distributed, so it's time to share what Manda Claus crafted!

I made Mr. Cool a new red hat:

I made Lincoln a slightly off Spock Monkey,

And Mr. Cool and I crafted him a Lego table:

For my dad, nephews, and friends I made fancy pillowcases--the blue cowboy fabric was one my mom and I had made together:

For all my related ladies and friends, I made Chapstick cozies:

I made ornaments:

I knitted bracelets for my knitting posse and sister:

I knitted a hat for my ninth nephew:

Stuffed some stockings with play dough building kits:

I crafted Cinderella sculpture hair bows for my niece, and sewed her Cinderella aprons:

Whew!  Manda Claus is tired!

Blog Catch-Up: sewing and growing boy

Having completely recovered from my sewing injury--not even a scar!--I've been continuing to work on my sewing skills.  

Using great directions from Pinterest and awesome fat quarters, I made a case for my nook.  Unfortunately, the directions were for a kindle, so it's a tight squeeze, but it does protect the nook, so it works!

I've sewed myself about four different styles of headbands.  This one is my favorite.

Look how big he is!  His legs seem so long to me.  Sheesh.

Sew Much Trouble

Lincoln and I stopped in a great little Ft. Collins store this week, Mama Said Sew, and I picked up the pattern and kit to make a Japanese-style knot bag.  I was inspired to make a bunch for myself and friends.  Thursday, I cut out all the pieces.

Then I started sewing.  (WARNING:  GRAPHIC IMAGES COMING!!). Only, I now realize, I was using some poor sewing technique on a very powerful machine.  This happened:

I called dear Mr. Cool, and he raced to pick up wee Cool and myself.  We headed to the ER--my first visit for myself in almost 22 years.  They took an x-ray:

My bone had actually broken the needle, primarily because of its hollow tip.  Very delicately, they numbed my finger and removed the two foreign bodies--the two pieces of needle and the thread.  It all came out.  A new tetanus shot and some antibiotics later, I returned to the scene of the crime.

The next morning, I replaced the needle and finished three of the five bags I had been planning to make.

I still have a few I want to make, but I am going to let my poor finger heal.  I think I know more reasons why I love knitting.  I've heard tell of sharp needles embedded in buttocks, but I feel confident I can avoid that.  I hope.

Summer Snapshots

I sewed some pillowcases.

Lincoln got some new golden books.

We celebrated the Fourth of July.

And right now, I am in the midst of a super clean--scrubbing and cleaning out every room and closet.  No pictures of that!

Getting Ready for Easter!

So far we've made bunnies, frogs, and birds out of plastic eggs, and today we worked on edible birds' nests!

My little helper is a great crafter and future baker--this is definitely one of the good things about my boy getting older!

Mr. Cool's Trailer: Snow Day and Teardrops

Snow-day and teardrops:
What is one to do on a snowy home bound day?

Shovel! And track a favorite obsession.
Awhile back the Cool family went to the local RV dealer to see about renting a motorhome for a National Parks road trip - but they are prohibitively expensive. So hey let's look at renting a trailer. My online escapades led me to the idea of building a teardrop travel trailer (search teardrop trailer on google images) for about the same price as renting an RV for a week ($1500).

After about six weeks of research and design in have decided on a less aerodynamic shape that is both more cost and time efficient and could sleep a family of three (snugly - the point of camping is to be outside anyway - not playing your wii sitting on the foldout couch out your condo on wheels).

I spent the aforementioned snow day building a 1/12 scale model of my design (foam board, hot glue, and a little duct tape). My actual build will sit on a 4x8 trailer and be built out of 8 sheets of plywood and basic building materials and cabinetry techniques.
Foam doesn't do it justice but it did prove a few working concepts of my design. I expect a build time of approximately 40-60 hours and am looking for investors and/ financiers. If you are interested in taking this trailer on a weekend getaway or just curious about the concept of crowd source fundraising and would like to support this project please let me know.

Photos:
1. Full Model
2. It includes a living space with internal cabinets.
3. A gear loft / child sleeping quarters (48x54x18).
4. And a galley kitchen with sink and stovetop.
5. Foam pieces for build

Christmas Countdown: Day 11

Wow, even with Rice Krispies, gingerbread house building is tough. With only minor yelling, we survived--although I know now that I really need to work on my frosting skills!

The close-up on the windows highlights a candy design Lincoln did all by himself!

Yay, Sista Cool! Ovarian Cancer Awareness/Remembrance Bracelet

My awesome Sista Cool made this bracelet!

Cutie Pie Thursday: New Generation of Crafter

This week Lincoln and I worked on some salt dough ornaments--he had a great time, but I'm not too happy with my dough. Anyone have any great recipes/secrets?