The Artful Dodger

I'm Back from Outerspace

Well, I haven't blogged in months, and it isn't like I haven't been doing any crafts.  The problem has been (besides being out of town a great deal) that this winter has been extremely dreary and not amenable to outside photography and I always like to include photos.  I think I'm going to have to break down and build a light box, so I can take photos inside.  I saw one somewhere on the web, while I was 'Stumbling' about, made from a large cardboard box.  I'll have to give it a shot. 

I'm gearing up to start blogging 2 or 3 times a week, so check in later this week to see the latest thing I've been working on - reusable grocery bags for the entire neighborhood. Go Green!

On the Road Again

Wow!  I have not posted on my blog in ages and I had the greatest intentions of doing some tutorials.  But I've been on the road for weeks and have had so little time at home.  I had to go to Pennsylvania this week at the last minute.  Next week I'm off work, but going out of town and I may not have any real time to myself until the Christmas holidays, by which time all I'll want to do is rest and recover.  I've been addictively solving sudoku puzzles in my hotel room instead of crocheting or working on some other portable craft.  So my posts may be very thin until next year when I hope to come back in full force.  When I have time to write blogs, I try and publish them at 2 day intervals so I can get a jump and stay ahead of the game.  When I start up again I may go to 3 day intervals.  That would still give me over 100 posts a year and may be that won't seem so daunting.  My greatest wish is that I had something to post about every day. 

I'm currently trying to stick to a whole food plant based diet which is supposed to be the healthiestdiet going, but doing that on the road can be hard.  Tonight I had dinner at an all vegetarian Indian restaurant in West Chester, PA called Devi.  The food was great - I had wonderful potato and peas samosas as an appetizer and a dosa with all the condiments.  It's been cold and wet here, not cold by northern standards, but definitely cold by Houston standards, but all the turning leaves are gorgeous and every time I've gone outside I've seen and heard migrating geese on the wing.  So I'm getting a taste of winter we never experience in the south.

7 Weeks on the Road

Next week will be my 7th week out of town and then I should be home for a couple of weeks. Hurrah! Maybe I can get a lot of my swaps premade and ready to go.  I've also started a new scarf for the Special Olympics in 2012.  This year they are made out of Red Heart Soft Navy and Cherry Red Super Saver yarn.  You can learn more about this project at scarvesforspecialolympics.org. I also hope to get my pillowcases finished for the Million Pillowcase Challenge at www.allpeoplesew.com.  So many projects, so little time!

Purple Poochie Bags

 
I have managed to make some Poochie Bags for trades.  Both recipients liked purple, so purple it was.  The tutorial for these bags is available here: http://thehappyzombie.com/blog/?p=368

 

San Antonio Texas

I'm in San Antonio for the week, having been struck down by stomach flu last week in Las Vegas.  Quelle dommage! All my projects, except work of course, are on hold while I attempt to return to the land of the living.  More news when I'm feeling up to it.

California - San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo is further up the coast from Santa Barbara.  The mission is right in the middle of town.  It has a wonderful garden.  The yucca was in bloom.

So were the roses.

 

There were grapes growing on a trellis.

 

And angel trumpets next to the bells.
 

The mission is surrounded by interesting shops and restaurants and is on a small river that runs through and under the town.

California - Santa Barbara

I was able to get some shots in California.  Here are the ones from Santa Barbara:

This is a view from the pier.  Brett forgot his sun glasses, otherwise he'd be smiling. 

A friendly seagull, resting on a pylon.

 

The harbor at Santa Barbara.

Redwoods at the Santa Barbara Arboretum.

 

Santa Barbara was lovely.  We ate at a restaurant on the beachfront called 'Sambo's'  supposedly named after a combination of the original owner's names.  The food was great.  Everything came with avocado on the side at no extra charge.  Santa Barbara is located in the center of the area were avocados are raised in California.

 

 

Leaving on a Jet Plane

 

My posts will be very thin on the ground for the next several weeks.  I leave tomorrow for 2 weeks in Los Angeles, then on to Las Vegas, Nv, San Antonio, Tx, back to Vegas, then Charlotte, NC and San Diego, CA and points unknown.  I won't be home again for more than a few Saturdays until Halloween weekend, when I hope for some down time.  I've had to drop from most of the swap-bot swaps I'd signed up for and only stayed in the ones whose deadlines I knew I could meet.  I've got several of the items ready, just no addresses yet to send them to.  If I remember to bring my camera along and I get the chance to use it, I'll try and post some picture from my travels.

Flower ATC's

 

Here are two flower ATC's I recently made for swap-bot swaps.  The theme of the first one is blue and the other is a Rose for Norway.  I made them days apart and it wasn't until I put them side by side that I realized how similar they are, even to the placement of the gems.  Maybe its just because they both have flowers that I made them so much alike.  I shall have to do something completely different next times.

Halloween ATC's

 

I made these two ATC's (artist trading cards) for a swap-bot swap.  I finally found some use for some self sticking foamies I bought awhile back.  Everybody seems to love Halloween.  My next door neighbor is a major fan and decorates in a big way.  I crocheted a Halloween snake scarf for her a couple of years ago and have been promising myself one.  I have the yarn, I just need to get started.

Christmas Dishcloth

 
I wanted to crochet a Christmas dishcloth for a swap-bot swap so I went to the store to pick up some cotton yarn in Christmas colors.  I was hoping to find some variegated, or at least red, green and white and there wasn't a skein of Christmas anything in sight.  Not a single skein of Christmas green.  So I settled on red and white and made a simple six sided granny square dishcloth.  I love crocheting dishclothes, they're a fast project with almost instant gratification.  The truth is I don't use them myself.  But I appreciate receiving them and have started to build quite a collection. They make great last minute hostess gifts when tied up with a ribbon gathered round something else, like wooden spoons or a jar of some delicacy.

Bug ATC for Swap-bot Swap

 
This is a bug ATC (artist trading card) I made for a swap.  The rules of the swap were that the bug could be any bug other than a butterfly, so I choose a lady bug.  I added a few punched out leaves under the label.

Tag Swap

 
I recently took part in a 'Tag' swap.  I've ever only made a few tags before and none to swap.  I have a Dover book full of old product labels so I started there.  I took 3 manilla tags and removed the hanging string.  I then glued down decorative pieces of paper for backgrounds.  Next I added fibrous tissue paper and then the label, backed by a solid piece of card stock to make them stand out.  I finished off with yarn fibres in the top.  I also made 3 ATCs in the same color schemes (Aqua, Purple and Hot Pink) to go along with them.

Another Dotee Doll

 
Here's a simple little Dotee doll I made for an exchange.  She's all done up in pink.  Dotee dolls must have a hanger and a tail and their overall length should be about 3 to 5 inches.  This one didn't have a theme, just maker's choice.  The next thing exchange I'm participating in is a Dotee doll kit swap.  I need to get together a kit with faces, fabric and embellishments for 2 Dotee dolls and send it off.  I can't wait to see what I get from my partner.

Handmade Bookmarks for Swap-bot

 

These are the latest bookmarks I've made for a swap-bot swap.  I based them on the recipient's profile.  She likes fairies, the tv show Glee and all things Harry Potter.  So I found images on the web that I could print in full color on white card stock.  I mounted each print onto a solid colored piece of card stock to create a frame, then mounted them on heavy card stock covered with printed paper.  Lastly, I punched holes in the top of each and added ribbon or yarn.