Play, Play Paper Mache

                                                    
           PLAY Paper PLAY  

       Don't just toss away that newspaper today

create something special for someone using paper mache

       Functional, affordable, do-able, enjoyable.
       
  You probably have all you need at home to get started today.

These little projects are all free formed by soaking strips and or bunches of newspaper with a flour and water paste and then manipulating to the shape desired. 

They then sit overnight to dry and harden. 

Decorative application is then applied.

   

 

 

  Perfectly pasted!


At this stage both the body shape and 
the little heart dish stood up in front are naked!
The pink tones are strips of newspaper with color.
  

 

A second mini ring dish has been formed as seen here. 

A printed paper has been pasted to the inside of bowl.

  a Winters bloOM

 

  This lady has been decorated by applying colored tissue paper with the flour and water paste.  No paint used. 

The flower has been created by cutting up and rearranging an old greeting card.  A stitched button at center secures the layers together.

 

  PASTE on a little personality

this just shows that anything goes!!

 from paper to play

See the SUPER BOWL here

Blue Jeans Baby!

 Jean Vest Lillian the Domestic Engineer

Paper flowers Magnets

      spring blooms
       all year long

  up-cycled greeting cards, buttons, felt tips and paint pumper pens are all used 
in the creation of these simple but fun blooms. These flowers are now fridge magnets.

I used a heavy needle and embroidery floss to thread up through each  flower petal. 
Finally I thread on the button and go back down through each petal. 
 Knot the ends at back and attach magnet with hot glue.

 The joy of this project
 is that you can make the flowers as simple 
 or as intricate as you like.
 Add a few more petals, give it some glitter
curl the petal edges or paint the tips
it's all up to you.



   Have Fun is rule #1

In Memory of my Mom

     Its been a long climb back up to where I can see light in the sky and a future on the horizon.
                                    
                                  

I have been absent from myself.

Paralyzed by the reality
pained by the loss I feel
Too many tears to see. 

Staring blankly and crying endlessly.
 I retreated for my sanity.
 

My life has been altered significantly.
  I lost my Mom 
when my Mom lost her way.

I hold the past now closer to my heart
In an effort to paint new pictures 
  from old memories.
Thanyou for being my Mom. I will miss you for all eternity.

                                                                

Take Time

This is a close up shot of one of the many beautiful Iris's that grew in the flower bed next to the Tiger Lillies.
The flowers grew right under my nose.
 I planted them there so that I would see the beauty of their full colorful display as I passed by in the process of coming and going from the front door of the house. 
Somehow in spite of myself and my own good intentions, I would often blindly pass the flower beds while stuck in my head. I was just too busy to see.

Said the Domestic Engineer to herself
Schedule ME time into my every day- 
Remind myself on a regular basis!

 I pulled into the driveway at home and shut off the car.
 I lay my head forward to rest it on the steering wheel but for a moment
 because a moment too long might find me sleeping at the wheel.
 
Twas the end of a very busy day and the start of an even busier evening.

 I was tired. I was hungry. I was ornery.
I sighed as I lifted my head from the wheel.
I had to march on. Time limits are real.

I loaded up my body with grocery bags and soldiered towards the house.
I suddenly became acutely aware of the warm, breeze that blew.
I was overcome with the warmth of the sun beaming on my face.
I was awed by the vision of color radiating at my feet.

I stopped in my tracks.

This was my reminder that "Me time" matters.
Put down the groceries girl.  You gotta get at it!

 I knelt down beside the Irises.
Their beauty overwhelmed me.
 The moment captured me.
 I captured the memory..

Baby Booties

     Oh Baby
These booties are beauties.
  


I  had a beautiful piece of wool melton cloth nicely folded and sitting on my sewing table for the good part of a year.  
I would glance at it every once in awhile and on occasion would give the top surface fold a stroke with my the inside of my hand.
It was rich, warm and soft to touch. 

I knew that over the course of passing time I would find a project that fit the fabric. All I had to do was recognize it when I saw it!

In the meantime and in between that time

one of my Sons stopped by with a couple pair of jeans that were desperately in need of repair. 
As always he needed them as soon as I could get to them!


I did manage to repair the jeans just before my sewing machine
started to run out of time. - literally.

 The timing was out and the bobbin case was not rotating properly underneath so when the needle went down to stitch
 it was instead striking the metal bobbin case and bending the needle.
After several attempts to repair it myself I finally relented and took it in.  

I would end up being without my machine for three months!! 

SO..I would hand stitch.
Search  bar
Needle, thread, fabric...
Go.

Baby Booties popped up.
 
 
I liked this patter in particular because it was only 2 pieces.
I knew the moment I saw the pattern that the melton cloth was meant to be made into booties. 
The gorgeous grey was ideal for the outer booty
and the soft, regal red felt a dream for the inside liner. 


Although the booties I viewed had been sewn by machine 
with right sides together and then turned good side out, I chose to 
work with the pattern by hand stitching and using the fabric good side out.

I used a blanket stitch around the booties, sewing together the outer and inner layer of the booties at top and bottom with a contrasting embroidery thread.

The flowers pieces are individually cut from assorted felt pieces and are then stitched together and sewed onto the booties.
I have also used the flowers to distinguish between right and left booty. The flowers should be worn on the outside of the foot.

   I used a single, hand held hole punch to make the holes
 and then added the laces of red ribbon.

Baby beautiful Booties

I was so excited with the results of the first pair of booties

that I chose to cut the entire meter of melton cloth into baby booties!

 

        

 

Baby Booties

            
              I made 24 pairs! 
                          
              One size only. Fits baby to six months.
            This may vary slightly according to the age, size and frame of the little bundle that will wear them.
                   I know that a pair was purchased for an 11 months old girl. The booties fit perfectly!
                                                               $24.00 pair
                               Canadian Funds. Shipping extra.
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