Follow The Leader

Following his second favorite person*, tiger stuffie in tow.

* Donovan’s very favorite person, when he’s at our house at least, is cousin Jackie. 

Pottery #3

I got it! I finally got it!!

 It’s not pretty but it’s all mine!

At the start of tonight’s class, the instructor re-demonstrated bowl making 

and it finally(!) clicked.

 The 3rd bowl before it went oopsie

I finished two bowls successfully but got a little carried away with the third and had to have the instructor rescue me. Er, I mean she ‘explained alternate methods of finishing a now much smaller object.’ But it’s still a fire-able bowl!

Next week is our final class where we glaze and fire all our projects. Can’t wait!

P.S. We did a bit of practicing before class on our home wheel. 

We’re not planning to get a kiln (yet; might change our minds if hubby keeps improving like he has been in class).

Now that I finally(!) get it, maybe I’ll stop blowing things up and actually enjoy this. 

Happy Flag Day

Barn quilt #2 is finished except for the varnish/sealer.

I drew the pattern based on a picture I saw on the interwebs. 

 Taping off the star took a loooooong time

This one is smaller - only 12x12” - and will probably hang on the wall of my craft room rather than the fence.

And it will hang from the blue corner, diamond-shaped, so the star will be straight. Should have thought of that when I took the picture . . .

 I ‘liberated’ the little girls’ cake/craft turntable for my own purposes. Think they will miss it??

But look what I did get a picture of - 

This guy was puffing himself up and doing push-ups to get my attention while his lady friend made her getaway. I knew we had lizards in the front yard but this is the first time I’ve seen them in the back.

They must like it here; this guy was fat, sassy and fearless. 

Temperature Quilt Update

I’m way behind on this, due to mask making in March/April and a sore shoulder that’s finally starting to feel better. 

Daily temperature blocks are done through the end of March and April’s pieces are cut and ready to be sewn. 

This has become one of my all-time favorite projects. I may not have it done by the start of 2021 but I’m pretty confident I will finish it. 

Top of each block is weather - sunny, cloudy or rainy; bottom left is daily high temp; bottom right is daily low temperature. Red circles show the month markers. All hand-sewn EPP (English paper piecing). 

Barn Quilt

Remember the Dear Target craft paint? Four tiny bottles in four separate boxes?

This is why I needed paint. 

And why I’ve ordered 30-ish more colors.

I’ve known about barn quilts for years but they never really blipped on my radar.

 She’s still alive only because the paint was almost dry.

Then an IRL friend posted on FB about an online class* her friend was teaching 

and I thought that sounded fun, so I signed up.

I *do not* need another craft/hobby. At all. 

But these things are addictive and fun and I can’t stop my brain from planning more. And they are going to look great on the new fence outside my craft room. 

* The video class lessons are available online until the end of June, and she’ll probably teach other sessions too. If you’re interested (can I enable you??) let me know and I’ll forward her contact info. 

Pottery Class #2

Today was record-shatteringly hot (97 vs the previous record high of 82) 

so we were a bit nervous about attending class in an un-air-conditioned outbuilding. 

We needn’t have worried. 

 My smallest item, a future ring bowl

Class was so interesting, and the lone fan strong enough, that we didn’t notice the heat. 

 Hubby’s bowl pre-trimming

We learned to brace our projects, then trim and shape the base - my favorite part so far - before carving our initials and setting them out for bisque firing;

how to fix cracks created by using too much water while turning;

and for the most advanced student, 

how to attach handles to his two mugs. He’s really very good at this. Next week is glazing. Can’t wait!

Last Week!

It’s the final week of school and Leanne joins me in saying, "Hurrah!"

She has five activities to complete before Friday, so today we took a virtual tour of the White House;

did a science experiment involving dish soap, warm water and a straw, 

with the optional addition of a "helpful" younger sister

diluting the bubble water;

built eyeglasses and a floating boat out of LEGOs;

and last, and definitely the most entertaining, Leanne won the Shoe Challenge after many, many (many!) tries. With musical accompaniment by Jaclyn on xylophone. 

Art Day

I spotted a glow-in-the-dark paint project awhile back that I thought the girls would love.

It took a couple of weeks to assemble the supplies, 

since the paints had to be ordered online 

and we had to empty some glass jelly jars. 

But it was worth the effort -  

the girls loved painting the jars

although I think Jac enjoyed squeezing her own paint even more.

We set the finished projects in the sun for about 30 minutes

then brought them in to a dark bathroom for the big test.

Success!! And bonus - we have plenty of paint left over for summer art projects. GITD frisbees, anyone?