Wandering Cyberspace From the Cornfields

Red Hat 101...

Success!  I delivered the red hats tonight and thought it might be a good idea to create some instructions on how I made these.  Who knows, there might be some crafty person who needs to make some red hats for party favors.  This idea could also be used to make hats that aren't little red hats that could be decorated for Christmas..or for really really tiny people.  Go with it...

Miniature Red Hat Favors

Supply List: ·         Red cotton fabric ·         Fabric Stiffener ·         ¼ inch wide Purple Ribbon (approximately 6 inches per hat) ·         Hot Glue Gun/Glue ·         Waxed Paper ·         Small Tea Candles ·         Rubber Bands

 

1.       Trace a 4 ½ inch circle and cut circle out of fabric.
 

2.       Place waxed paper down to protect your work surface. Brush the fabric stiffener onto your fabric, coat both sides of the 4 ½ inch circle. (To do this in bulk I cut out the number of circles required.  I placed a sheet of waxed paper on my counter and then a circle.  I spread the fabric stiffener over the circle, then placed the next circle on top and then repeated.  I did this with a stack of 26 circles.  I covered the top circle with the fabric stiffener, and then covered the entire stack with a sheet of waxed paper.  I used a rolling pin to compress the layers together and evenly spread the glue through all layers on both sides.)
 

3.       Position the tea light candle upside down so you have the silver metal part to shape the top of the hat.  Next cover with a waxed paper square, approximately 6 inches square.  (I just tore off a length of waxed paper and then cut it in half) Place the waxed paper square over the top of the tea light.  You are now ready to put the fabric stiffener coated piece of fabric over the candle and the waxed paper.

4.       Center the fabric circle over the tea light and the waxed paper.  Use a rubber band to secure the fabric around the tea light base.  This will gather up the hat and give it the ruffle around the edge and keep it secure while drying.
 

5.       Allow the hats to dry for a few hours. 

6.       Snip the rubber band off of the outside of the hat, and gently remove the waxed paper and the tea light candle from the hat fabric.

7.       Let the hats thoroughly dry overnight.

8.       Cut a 2 inch section of ribbon and fold over to make a tail for the hat ribbon.  Secure this to the hat using a hot glue gun.

 

9.       Cut a length of ribbon to go around the band of the hat and hot glue in place.

Red Hats and such...

First I have to confess I’m not a big fan of the red hats and I will wear purple movement.  But I couldn’t say no to the volunteer coordinator at one of my Hospice groups.  She asked me to make these red hat party favors to be glued onto frames for a group at a nursing home that were forming a red hat group.  No pattern, just a vague idea of how this *should* work.

I cut circle out of red fabric, then applied fabric stiffener–no joke, that’s what it’s called in crafty circles.  Not to be confused with Viagra and it’s superior stiffening properties.  She suggested I use a golf ball to give the hats their shape.  Ummm..do I look like I have 27 golf balls?  I did have quite a few tea lights, that worked great.  When these babies dry, I will unsnip the rubber band securing them in place, extract the candles and the waxed paper and waaaa la!  Red hats!  I have some purple ribbon to glue around the brim and they will be completed.  It seems way too easy, so there may be some unforseen disaster ahead.  I figure I will let them dry tonight and tomorrow and finish them up tomorrow night.  That’s my plan, hopefully I won’t have to resort to a plan B.

Saturday I went to a volunteer meeting for the Susan Komen 3 Day event in Dallas.  I have volunteered to work one afternoon during the walk.  I thought this would be a good introduction to the event, and would at least make me feel like I in a small way attained my goal to walk this year.  The inspirational video had me in tears…my role this year is in the background, doing grunt work.  Hopefully that will help me keep myself together emotionally.  I also plan to join one of the cheer sections during the race and cheer on the walkers during the event.

Progress continues on my slipper project for my other Hospice committee.  I’m on pair number 7 of the slippers, which have actually turned out to be a pair of handknitted socks using baby yarn.  I am sure they will be appreciated, but it’s pretty ambitious to knit this for a charity, I am nothing if not dedicated to the cause. 
After that, I think I will take a look at doing some knitting for the holidays.  It will be on a very small scale, but there are a few people I would like to knit for this year.  I have a few new patterns for knitted animals that are also calling my name.  Maybe some ornaments?
I had friends over for dinner this weekend. It seemed to be a success, and I loved the whole setting the table and using cloth napkins etc.  The menu was definitely a throwback to the way I used to cook.  Lasagna, cheesey potatoes, a salad and garlic bread.  For dessert I baked Elvis cupcakes, banana cupcakes with peanut butter icing.  All of the leftovers went to work today, and were appreciated by a second group of friends.

Sunday, I just relaxed and enjoyed the day…movies, knitting and moving the summer like clothes to the back of the closet, and moving the long sleeve shirts to the front.  It’s nearly the end of October, and as much as it pains me, it’s time to shift into the fall wardrobe. It’s very hard to cover up my happy feet pedicure, but it’s getting a bit chilly for sandals most days.

How about you, what sorts of things have you been doing lately to welcome fall?

Quitcher bitchin'...

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

I have been whining and complaining about the rain in Texas for close to two weeks it seems. I've been spoiled by the sunshine and that big blue Texas sky. I haven't seen it in awhile, and it's made me cranky. Seriously, is being cranky, grumpy and whining going to make the rain stop and go away? Not even I have that much power...

So tonight after my latest hissy fit about SAD hitting me in Texas I realized just how silly this all was. I was making myself SAD by fretting about a little rain. It's not snow or ice, and really it's been warm outside. So my mission was to find something to put a smile on my face. It's funny when you make up your mind to do that how easily that can happen.

Step 1, finish the thank you card scrapbook I have been working on for the local Hospice. I have been battling to unscrew the post to add the extra pages to the album. I've tried two different times with no luck. So I pulled that out, somehow wrestled it down and got the screws out, put the posts in and added the extra pages. I flipped through the pages when I was done and looked at the thank you cards sent in by families to Hospice after the death of their loved ones. If that's not a weather whiner reality check, I'm not sure what is. The scrapbook looks great, and I plan to try and deliver it to Hospice after work tomorrow night. Mission accomplished.

I logged online to see if anyone was in need of a good <poke> on Facebook and saw a link that my friend @geosteph the rockstar had posted. to a web site called Donors Choose. Steph chose a science classroom cause, well, she's a science geek.

I started looking at schools in my area, nothing in the town that I live in, but plenty of low income aka poor schools in the Dallas area. It was tough to choose among all of the worth projects. I then decided to do a search for knitting and found two schools with knitting projects needing donations.

http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=329182 and http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=329688 I couldn't choose one over the other, so made a donation to each of them. I've donated yarn and needles in the past to several newbie elementary and middle school knitters. I learned to knit in the third grade at school, so that tugs at a special place in my heart.

I reminded myself tonight of the three main goals on my vision board...

1) Help someone achieve a dream.

2) Help someone catch the giving spirit.

3) Make someone smile EVERY day.

Life's not all about the *stuff* things you think you have to buy, have to have, places you have to go...sometimes it's about making small steps to make life a little brighter for others that can bring the greatest joy in life.
$50 really seems a small price to pay to spread so many smiles.

Rain, what rain? :)

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain. ~Author Unknown

Feng Shui

I know, it’s becoming an obsession..and I am making myself giggle at the way I am embracing all of this..maybe it’s part superstition.  If nothing else, it’s fun and who knows there may be something to all of this.

I haven’t done anything crazy like decide that I need to move away from my apartment because the chi isn’t just right.  But I’ve done a few things like un-clutter my apartment and add red here..purple there, slowly making adjustments to my surroundings.

Over the weekend I realized that there are three pictures in my dining of cowgirls, single cowgirls all alone.  They are my Doreman Burns prints, and I absolutely love them.  What sort of sign though was this sending out to The Universe.  I couldn’t bear to take the prints down, so I tried to figure out a plan B to balance things out.  (I’m a Libra, we like things in balance.) So I did what any web geek would do and Googled 4 Cowboys in the image search.  Lo and behold this picture of 4 cowboys with lassos popped up.  I figure that’s a cowboy for the three single ladies on my wall, and one for me.  (Stop it, I can hear you laughing clear in Texas.)

I received a call tonight from Mr. Patterson of Patterson images to complete my order. http://pattersonimages.net/  One would think that Mr. Patterson lives in the great state of Texas, or at the very least out West…ummm nope, he is from Pennsylvania.  If I was thinking I would have asked him about the photo and how he happened to take the picture.  Maybe some things are left to be a mystery?

I’m looking forward to those cowboys with lassos to handle the 4 ladies in my apartment. 

Just sayin’ they do have lassos after all….it couldn’t hurt!

“My idea of Feng Shui is to have them arrange the pepperoni in a circle on my pizza.”

~ Author Unknown

Another year older...

My birthday was on Sunday.  It was an event filled weekend spent with a friend exploring my new corner of the world. It was fun to play tour guide.  I love showing off the places that make me happy.  I'm comfortable in my space, and it's fun to share my Texas life and adventures with others.

Saturday was spent at The Stockyards in Fort Worth.  It was a rainy day, but still filled with joy and laughter.  I got to have dinner at my favorite eatery in Cowtown, The Star Cafe.  After dinner it was a box seat at the rodeo.  I had no idea we would be that close to the action.  "Commercials" at the rodeo consist of a young lady riding her horse around the ring waving a flag with a company name.  It was a hoot.

Of course, a Saturday night in Cowtown would not be complete without stopping at BIlly Bob's the Texas Tea with Sweet Tea vodka was tasting mighty fine.  I loved watching the dancers, checking out the people and listening to Neal McCoy in concert.  Admission was free with the rodeo ticket, so it seemed like a two for one night.

Today a group of us from work went out to celebrate my birthday at Masala, an Indian restaurant that we like.  I always have to ask what it is I order, chicken tikka masala, it was yummy.  My friends surprised me with a nice looking shopping bag, a book "Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl", and a gift card from Macy's.  They told me they had originally thought a gift certificate for the yarn store, but they knew I would use it to buy yarn to make something for someone else...that is so very true.  I am so thankful that I work with such a terrific bunch of people.  They challenge, encourage and inspire me every day to learn more and to do more.  I believe they keep me young, yep, I feel that I have gotten younger since moving to Texas.  There has to be a fountain of youth here somewhere...

I started reading a new book last night, "Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life, How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect, and Happiness." I only read 2 chapters last night, but I was up after midnight trying to track down purple things to put in my prosperity center. Umm..the best I could come up with? Some purple sock yarn and a headband.  Pitiful isn't it? Tonight I stopped at Hobby Lobby to pick up some yarn to knit more slippers for Hospice and found more purple things..candles, a basket, a candle holder and a wrapped box.  At this rate, my apartment is going to look like a clown car exploded. 

There are big storms moving into Texas tonight.  My sinuses have had me struggling all day.  I came home and fell asleep at 7, woke up at 9.  It's hard when your sinuses believe they are a weather barometer...ouch.

I can't wait to see what this next year brings...

If you want to be happy, be. - Henry David Thorreau