Just a quick post to let anyone following this blog know that I'll have to be on hiatus for a bit from it. I'm working on launching an ezine right now, so writing for that has taken over any spare time I had.

Gardening for Wimps

I'll admit it. I'm a cool weather gardener. When it's hot and humid outside, like it has been all summer, the idea of getting outside and sweaty for no foreseeable reason just doesn't appeal. Only when the weather gets stormy do I want to get out and rummage in the dirt. 100F is just not gardening weather. I can't put much in the ground, so when it gets so hot, they start burning in the pot! That doesn't make for nice flowers. So far, I've lost a jasmine, thyme, six azaleas, two tomatoes and possibly one little olive tree. The roses are just barely hanging on. I haven't had a decent bloom for months.


The tentative plan is to repot everything that hasn't rooted into the ground. One of my roses did this, made a huge gorgeous green bush, survived the heat... and fell victim to something that ate every single leaf off in a day. (No, we don't have deer.) Then, whenever my local nursery starts stocking small plants again, putting some color out there again. It was nice this spring. I had loads of petunias out. I love petunias for their saturated color. The roses were heavenly. Then the triple digits hit and it was all over.


The temperatures are slowly beginning to fall. I'm hoping September will bring autumn quickly. Strangely, we've had fronts pushing through constantly, though those brought drier air, not necessarily cooler temps.

Labels!

Mostly so I don't forget myself, this is an excellent tutorial on creating your own clothing labels, which I will be doing soon!

http://freshvintage.typepad.com/freshvintage/2007/01/fabric_labels_t.html

The Goldilocks Syndrome

I spent all week trying to come up with a good idea to write about. I started and discarded so many paragraphs. In lieu of anything else, I will just let the words flow.

It's raining right now, a soft gentle rain that is a mask of a stronger storm farther away, but that seems to be dying on it's way to us. With the thunder I'm hearing, this makes me glad. I'd like to keep my electricity on for a change! The rain is soothing, though, and I need that so much right now. This is one of those times where I feel pulled in many, many different directions. First and foremost is taking care of my son, obviously, but my business comes next. Which direction do I go? Which directions are before me? The problem isn't making a choice, the problem is to spread myself thin enough, long enough, to find out what direction is more than an idea. I have an opportunity to work with a store nearby, which includes product packaging and commissions. I'm pushing forward on graphics work for CafePress. I'm digging into learning more and becoming more familiar with website design. I'd really like to get into AutoCAD and progress with that. I'd like to get into wedding design. I'd like to push the idea of refashioning. I could keep going.

Harper's in Old Town Spring, Tx

You see the problem? So many directions, but only so much of me. Each water has to be tested to see if it's the right one. I feel a bit like Goldilocks. Until I sleep in Mama Bear's bed, I won't know that it's not right.

This would be easier with a clone of myself, or would it?

Color Therapy

I get into these ruts at times. I’m so sick of working on anything I’ve been doing that I just can’t bear to look at it. Working on some other part of it doesn’t help. The only solution is to start another project with a different color, the wilder the better. I’m beginning to discover the wonder of patchwork designs. I’d say quilting, but I don’t really like the actual quilting part. The piecing is the fun part. Even applique work loses its charm after a while, since there’s just too much fiddly work involved in it to let my brain escape. Simple designs are best. Just measure, mark, cut and sew. I don’t even have to do a definite pattern. Random is better. It’s more interesting to see how the colors balance out in the end when you go the random route.

Sometimes, changing color really is necessary. You wouldn’t think it, but working with a single vivid color can burn out the rods and cones in your eyes. I never would have believed it had it not happened. A few years ago, I was working on a bright red satin dress with a full skirt. I worked on it solidly for about a week and a half. The last two days, it stopped being red. It looked peach to me, a pale peach, even. No other colors were affected, just red. It took roughly two weeks before I was able to see the color red again. I guess I can now say I get burned out on certain colors and mean it literally.

Velvet Embossing Tutorial

So far, I've only tested this method on rayon/acetate velvet.
Items needed:
velvet
iron
spray bottle
rubber stamp



Look for stamps that have clear designs with nothing too horribly detailed. I honestly didn't think these key designs would turn out, but they did wonderfully. As with everything, test on a small scrap of fabric before really going after it.

Rubber stamps are best. I haven't used acrylic stamps, but I've read they can distort or melt under high heat. Unmounted stamps can be a cheaper alternative and easier to iron on.

Place the velvet, flock or fuzzy part face down, on the stamp. Wiggle the fabric over the top a bit to settle it into place. Pinning the fabric to your ironing board can help keep it steady. I generally use a high heat on my iron, but not all irons have the exact same heat output. Test, test, test!




Using a spray bottle, soak the velvet over the stamp thoroughly. The water tends to bead up over the back of the fabric, so use your finger to smooth it out if necessary.






Iron until the water steams completely away over the stamped area. You should be able to see an impression of the stamp as the fibers compress on the underside.

Workaholic

A trip to a lake with family is supposed to be relaxing. The wind blows. Children play. The spray from brisk waves fumes up to spatter your face. The shade grows longer and thicker as the sun sinks. The scent of hamburgers grilling on an open pit waft up to meet you at the water's edge. The perfect day.

Unless you're me, and you get bored stiff after about two hours.