Snow; Coasters; and Knitted, Beaded Bracelets

Well, the Oklahoma hype today is about snow! We played in it, of course. My little pirate sported a vintage trapper fur hat my grandfather got from...well, I'm sure you can guess where...when he was in the Navy. Side note: I do like to brag about the fact that he lived on the South Pole for some time...nobody believes me until I show them the post marked letter my dad got from him when my dad was just a young boy. :) Cool!

And here is that Izzi coaster in it's final stage, all stitched together. It turned out to be an over-sized coaster, but too mini to be a potholder. It gets the job done as a coaster and will soon be off in the mail to my good friend! I'm going to refine this "pattern" and try to sell some. Stay tuned if you are interested...or you could even post 4 random numbers from 1 to 64, and I can be in touch with you about the rest of the deal! They're fun to make!

I also started working on the February bracelet...talk about waiting until the last minute! That's how we roll at Dawdler 101 though, right!? We go outside and play in the snow, or test out the over-sized coaster with a mug of hot chocolate after being frozen to the bones standing in the cold snow with a 2-year-old pirate who all too seriously believes "It is NOT cold." I must admit, I have been in much colder weather in my days...but 21 degrees is still cold, cold, cold...and a reason to dawdle. 

Happy winter to you!

I Should Paint Again!

I've been thinking a lot lately...I need to get back into the groove by painting a bit more. Do you think people still buy paintings these days to hang on their walls?

Or draw...I mean, seriously...

At least I've been able to keep busy with these fun little stick figure guys for my day job...

Pencil Topper Pom Poms

A bit of history: I'm the oldest of two brothers and one sister...all of us are out of school at this point. I started school in 1983 and my brother finished school 2008. For my parents that's 25 years of buying school supplies.

Fall 2009, my dad came home with a bunch of binders and notebook paper. My mom asked why he would do that since they no longer had any kids in school. "It was cheap! That pad of paper only cost 10 cents!"

Well, the other day, I got this multimedia text from my mom:

Pom pom pencil toppers. Dad and I went to michaels to learn how since he keeps buying pencils because they r cheap

Happy National Handwriting Day

www.yourfonts.com

Izzi Inspiration

I'm working on what is at the moment a secret project. I found inspiration in using the Izzi tiles (love this puzzle)...and I have other ideas beside this secret project, but I'll post about those when they get further than being afloat in my mind.

As for now, I'm finishing up a promised gift for a good friend, who had to choose four numbers between 1 and 64.

Step 1: Finding the chosen numbers.

Step 2: Arranging them and choosing a favorite composition.

Step 3: Break it down...breakitdown...(I really like graph paper...we can get into reasons at a later date)...and get the fabric ready for sewing.

I am here ---> Step 4: Start sewing! (See each of those squares in my little sketch? I need to be sure I have a fabric square for each of the 16 squares in the sketch...so I need to sew squares together diagonally to make those triangle like shapes...if you haven't noticed, I'm not a quilter, nor do I know the lingo...don't be fooled by appearances.)

Stay tuned...

Bubble Marble Magnets

I've added a few more bubble marble magnets to my ArtFire shop. I've been making these bubble marble magnets using postmarked mailing stamps (for the most part) from letters we receive in the mail. I think I'm going to have to take the Silver Surfer off the market, because the little pirae seems to think its his. And afterall, I suppose he's not entirely wrong, since I took the stamp from a letter he got in the mail from Oma and Opa. It just so happened that I assumed the torn up envelope I found thrown under the table was no longer wanted and anybody could claim it.

I like the ones I made using a postmarked stamp from Germany.

Spending More Time Outside

A Magnet Collection and Refrigerator Magnet To-Do List

I think I will dedicate this blog post to A Collection A Day, 2010. I came across it through some other site. I collect a lot of stuff, too. Not like Lisac, but...it's still collecting. I'm sure a lot of you do, too. I think collecting is healthy...and that we should help our children to find something they want to collect. Anyway...my collection to be featured here is a small selection of the many magnets I nab from various locations and events.

I like lists...a lot! So, I took some of my ordinary/daily to-do list items, typed them up and glued them to some of my collected magnets.

Next step, cut the list items out and put them on the fridge for daily use and hourly rearranging sessions (because that's what dawdlers do).

Baby Booties!

I love making these!

(Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson)

 

About a year ago I joined a knitters club in West Virginia (where I use to live). One of the clubbers was a women hoping to soon add the label of "Mommy" to her list of titles. I was currently working on a pair of these for a college friend who just had a baby. I promised her a pair if her dreams came true. Through a friend on Facebook I saw that she was blessed with a little girl! Dreams do come true. Welcome to Mommy-hood, Jane!

Recycled Project: Color Box

One of my favorite things to do growing up was going through our pen drawer and throwing out or fixing all the pens that didn't work. It bothered me a lot (and still does) to grab a writing utensil that doesn't work.  So...I reconnected with my youth today, going through my kids' marker/crayon/color pencil/sticker/pen/pencil box! Coincidentally, at the time I was doing this one of my good friends told me I needed to get a job.

The markers, crayons, colored pencils, stickers, pencils and pens were all thrown into a large shoe box. But, that all changed! Before taking the recycling goods to the center, I yoinked some cardboard from there and glued it into the shoe box making compartments. And I found a use for all those toilet paper rolls piling up in my office closet (I'm quite certain my husband is weirded out by my fetish to keep toilet paper rolls...especially for the fact that with a 2-year old...they end up all over the house...and rarely leave the sink counter in the bathrooms since it isn't worthy of being put in the bathroom trash).

And the only reason all of this was done in the first place is because I was cleaning off a table in order to get ready for a Waffle Playdate later this week. See! Dawdling...I really could have just thrown that back in the cupboard like I had all along...but this is fresh and satisfying!

Blood Donor Month Bracelet

I've decided to create, feature and sell a Dawdler 101 bracelet of the month. This month is National Blood Donor Month. 

I donated blood once when attending university. And...I ought to do it again. I figure if I wear this bracelet, it will help remind me to go do so sometime this month. (You can buy one at my artfire shop to help remind yourself, to encourage a friend who has thought about doing so, or...maybe you just like how the bracelet looks and it's in the colors suitable for V-day which happens to be right around the corner...shop link at the top right of this blog...)

Become a part of a select group. As of recent, statistics show that only 3 out of every 100 people in America donate blood.

People need blood minutely (yes, minutely...as in every minute of every day). The only way they can get it is if somebody volunteers to give their blood. I challenge you to do the same this month, if possible...and comment about your experience here. I think it'd be great if you even commented about your experience and gratitude of being on the receiving end of getting blood. I'll keep you updated on my experience in donated. Find a blood drive near you. 

(Funny story: So...after I donated blood while attending university, the blood drives kept calling and asking for my blood saying that not a lot of people have it. My now husband, then boyfriend, and I got in a heated argument in the general direction of whose blood they wanted more. We both swore it was our own. So...anyway...when we got pregnant, the doctor mentioned that because of my blood type, for health reasons or whatever, she needed to know my husband's blood type...to make a long story short...we have the exact same blood type.)

Give blood!

Bubble Marble Magnets

I took a week off for vacation. I feel refreshed, but have been busy with getting materials ready for my company's students in South Korea. However...it seriously didn't take long for me to jump right back into the habit of dawdling around.

This is a vital step in the process of cleaning up my desk...

...stopping to make some magnets to post as my first items to sell on my new artfire account (although, at the time of making them, I had no intention of selling...I was just having some fun cleaning my desk). The link to my shop is over there on the top right of my blog...check it out if you are so bold and daring. Unfortunately the bottle cap magnet in the top image didn't make it (I was highly disappointed, because I wanted to send that to the couple in the photo as a small surprise gift, but failed to try the process out on worthless materials first). I once noticed these little bubble magnet goobers on a super good friend's refrigerator (you know who you are)...a gift given to my friend by an at-the-time very super good friend of my friend. Then, when roaming the isles in Target, I came across something similar...and it seems these silly things are now all the craze (we even got some really awesome handmade ones from a relative for Christmas). I really doubt mine will sell...but what the heck...it's free to post the item and if I don't sell them, I can always give them away as gifts...or use them on my own refrigerator to display my little pirate's artwork (he likes to draw).

I must admit...it was really exciting to do a search of "bubble magnet" on artfire and see one of my items pull up at number 20. :)

Hope you're new year is off to a great start!