Yummy goodness

I wanted to get some trail mix for my upcoming trip with a friend to Iceland. Iceland!!! I didn't really like any of the ones they had at the Bulk Barn. Why must sunflower seeds always be tossed into trail mix?! I like them on their own, but in with larger things they always end up just about everywhere but in your mouth.

So I decided to whip up my own snack mix. Well, the scale is a bit over the top once I got a good sampling of things to toss in. I had to get out the super-sized metal mixing bowl! Thankfully, it is damn good and won't be tough to finish.

Here's a scoop full:


Here's a list of what's in it, at least the stuff I can remember: cashews, peanuts, pralines, cocoa almonds; dried strawberries, cranberries, papaya, kiwi and pineapple; raisins, teeny M & Ms, chocolate-covered pretzels, crystallized ginger and sesame crackers.

Lunch bag buddy

How sweet are these two fabrics together? I love the teeny blue checkers for the napkins and the little carrots for the desk-sized placemat.


I did a double-seam along the outside of the napkins and added a thin green ric-rac across the front of the placemat. This lunch-bag set, and another identical one, were presents for two good friends. (A belated birthday gift for one and an early birthday gift for another - does that balance out?)

Tidy crafting

Here's another craft mat. Originally I made mine for spinning because that is a super messy hobby, with fibre and vegetable matter going everywhere. But I realized a craft mat would be handy in a lot of crafting situations - when knitting with hairy yarn, finishing a knitting or crochet project with lots of ends to trim, or embroidery with all those errant bits of floss.


I made this craft mat for my friend with the squares I had left from the Fandango charm pack. The back is a deep brown she had left-over from a project. I finished it with white thread, chosen because I didn't have any co-ordinating thread and the fancy stitch actually looks really nice on the dark fabric.

Crafty goodness

Yesterday was the big Knitters' Fair in Kitchener. Two conference rooms packed with the most lovely yarn and fibre from all the best shops! I tried to keep things under control knowing I'm going to the big SOAR event next month. But I found a few goodies: fibre from the Roving Spinners (two local women who spin and dye amazing fibre), super soft skeins in a deep pink for a scarf, and a serene blue/green yarn for a shawl. Everyone was wearing shawls at the fair and I want one for myself!

Hmm . . . is that it? I guess I did show an amazing amount of restraint. Perhaps that was helped knowing that soon I'm going to have to pack up all my stuff, including a very ample crafting stash. So far I'm not too worried about the packing, but more so tidying my place so it's ready to show. I don't want people coming in wondering what sort of crazy single girl lives here.

Happy birthday, birthday twin!

I couldn't resist this brown and blue floral print, then found a complementary blue and cream checkered fabric. I used them to make this wristlet for my birthday twin - same day, same year! I added a little blue and white ribbon for an accent, and the lining is more of the checkered fabric.


Enough blogging. I need to get back to sewing more birthday presents.

Fandango!

Spinning can be surprisingly messy with all the loose bits of fluff and vegetable matter that pops out of the fibre while you're spinning. I made myself a lap mat, and recently my mom borrowed it for marathon spinning at the cottage. I figured I should make her one, too. That way we'll both look quite stylish and clever at the upcoming spinning workshop in Wisconsin this fall!

I made two simple quilted rectangles and sewed them together, putting a fancy stitch along the edge:


The fabric was a charm pack called Fandango. Great name for such a lively collection of prints.