Kitty Condo

Like most people who own cats Allan and I went looking around for a scratching post and I was appalled at the high prices and shoddy construction so we decided we could do much better.

We bought some wood, carpet and sisel rope after Allan sketched up what he wanted to build.

We have some really large cats so he gave it a large base with a two story cubby hole and two more shelves above that.

We brought it inside to finish it up and we had more help than we needed. We wrapped the bottom part in carpet and then wrapped the supports in sisel rope. I cut up some old bathmats for extra padding and hung a few toys from the bottom of the shelves.

(The little one next to it is one that my mom bought for $50 and her cat wouldn't even look at it)

We spent less than $50 on supplies and this will last a lot longer than that little one!

Pincushion

When I began sewing more I realized that those little tomato pincushions that you can buy in the store are useless. It is too small and it rolls away from me everytime I try to stick a pin in it! Not that I blame it, but I needed one that could take my kind of abuse! So I saw an idea on how to make a better one and I had to give it a try.

It all started with recycling a container and that is my absolute favorite way to start any project! I removed the lid and filled the bottom with rocks to make it heavy. This one is not getting away from me!

I gathered the rest of my materials together and got to work. I chalked an outline of my design onto green ultra suede and used dots of glue to hold my purple chenille yarn in place. I love knotwork and if you're careful and get it right it always looks fabulous.

I added a few beads and starting couching with gold thread.

After the couching I went back and added seed beads in the spaces.

Once I was finished with all the embellishing on the bottom I glued it onto the container. I was too busy with the sewing machine to take any pictures of the rest of the process. I really wish I had more arms.. or maybe just more control of my toes would work! Anyway, finished photo is at the top of the post, as always.

Sewing Shirts

I have always done a minimal amount of sewing when it was required for some project I was doing but a couple years ago I got a sewing machine for Christmas and I started to think about taking on something more challenging. In my mind, clothing is the summit of that mountain so that is where I headed. I bought a couple shirt patterns that I liked and got my mom to walk me through it the first time.

It really wasn't as hard as I had expected, as long as I take my time and triple check everything before I cut or sew anything! Once I got throught that first one, I was able to whip out several more in no time at all. The pictures aren't great but you can get the idea.

I really need to take a photo of this one while I'm wearing it because the sleeves are the best part. They are square (kinda like a kimono) so the back of the sleeve hangs way down without covering or interfering with my hand.

I made this one to wear to a friends wedding. It is made from champagne colored satin, belted above the waist, with lace trim down the front and around the sleeves. I added a pretty little pearl button at the top.

This one is made from crinkle gauze so it's really light and comfortable. The bunched sleeves and high belt give it a very Roman look. I hand embroidered the design on the front.

This is the second shirt I made. It's the same as the first but has longer sleeves.

My maiden voyage into the world of making clothes!

Pumpkin Patch MMC Part 10

The pumpkin patch is one of the last elements to finish before I start assembling everything in the aquarium, and here it is! I used more Bouganvilla thorns and lots of moss along with the pumpkins all glued down to a solid base.