Monday, January 30, 2012

Tales of a couch potatoe

Well, I'm still holding this couch down.
My days have been filled with Pinterest and HGTV which has left me in a funk of feeling useless.
A family member suggested I use this time to sketch all the things I want to do.
I some how fear it will only cause me to spiral down of doing nothing but looking at things I can not do.
It's like telling a kid to write down everything they would like to do at Disneyland and watch shows of people having fun there and all the stuff that can be done and experienced.
Which would be great if Disneyland was promised at the end with an unlimited supply of cash.

That would be awesome too.....Disneyland with an unlimited supply of cash and special cut in front  of the line passes.  Maybe I can sketch that as well.

But that is not gonna happen here....
So this I did instead.

The cheap fabric I found at Ikea
Plus some old pillows I re-used for the stuffing.
Actually 5 of them.
They were kinda flat but didn't want to throw them away. 
Well I finally did it!!!
My sweet girl dragged up my sewing machine.
I would give you blow by blow instructions but then you would end up saying things you might not want to say.  And also ripping a bunch of seams. 
I even went back to Pinterest in hopes of finding instructions, but ended up on a catalog page.
So I will give you instructions on how it would of worked if I knew what I was doing.
Measure (I hate this part and stick with an eyeball looks good to me method)
Make sure you have enough fabric for 5 pillows.
I removed the fabric from the pillows and just used the stuffing.
Find some ribbon to use to tie it up when done and sew it into the seam.
I folded the fabric in half and sewed up both ends.
I even double stitched it so it would be strong.
Now put it right side out so you have  a giant fabric pouch with ribbons sticking out of one end.
Now the tricky part, sewing a straight line.
I folded the fabric and ironed a straight line to follow later.
If I was professional I would have handy gadgets to help and also measure so it would be equal parts.
Place pillow stuffing to one end and sew it in (horizontal line, leave the other open to be able to keep stuffing pillows)
Oh make sure the fabric is right side, as I did not and had to undo all of what I did.
Then just continue stuffing and sewing lines.
Once all pillows had been inserted this is your choice.
I chose easy and just sew up the whole thing by folding fabric and running a straight stitch up long ways.  It wasn't pretty but it is functional.

You could be fancy and put in velcro so pillows could be removed and bedroll washed.
I am into easy and functional, but if you aren't I really do applaude you and want to be your friend so I can learn how to be like that too. 
Then I rolled it up sleeping bag style and tied it off with ribbon. 
Did I tell you to make sure the ribbon is long enough and to fold in half and sew it in like a giant V.
Did I have to? 
I had delusions of using multi fabrics that all co-ordinated.
Then I realized I would nee skill for that.
That is why sketching would not help me.
I would sketch beyond my ability thus making me feel even more useless.

At least I got something finished Taaa-Daaaa!
Hopefully I will get the red balloon art finished soon.  Just need to find some young legs to do some stuff for me.



Friday, January 20, 2012

But I don't even live in a cabin!!

If I did then I could truly claim "cabin fever"
I have been sitting here on my cushion being bored.
So I made some baby hats.
Then I got bored of that and then something odd happened.
It snowed!!!!
Yes, I live in the north but we really don't get snow in this area. 
My monkey-tail tree was NOT liking it.
The reason the whole sitting on my cushion thing started was this.
No, not the pale skin or chubby legs.  The knee, it really doesn't always look like that.
Christmas Eve I stepped out side and stepped on either a slug or decomposing leaf.
My body not know what to do and my feet not listening ended myself in some dysfunctional middle-aged cheerleader split.
I actually got up and was more concerned with the extreme pain of being bent like a wishbone. 
A week or so later things were different.  I got worse, until I finally went to the doctors.
I had tore the ligament in my knee and it was cushion sitting for a few months.

The crutches I had been using to pretend I was able to do stuff was left as mere cat pokers.
We were covered in a blanket of ice and snow. 
Gauuuuuuugh!!!!!
My living room had come to a halt.
I was now cushion to a fat cat! 
And then to top that off, the kitten decided to go into heat.
The one really good thing, was no school so I was not alone in my misery!
And they were a big help doing stuff for me, even when I was Miss Grumpy Pants.
Oh, and get this,....they were making a movie, here, in this little town.
They had try outs for extras and guess who got a part??

My son the zombie!!! 
Ok, he's not a zombie, he's infected.
The name of the movie is "The Inevitable" and he had a lot of fun chasing people around the streets of our little town.  I hope by some odd twist of fate it is huge.

So in my bored, caged up, and no where to go even if I could, mentality.
I started a project. 
I remembered I bought this awesome fabric at Ikea for under a dollar a yard.
Then on Pinterest I found this roll-up bed thingy made out of pillows.

I had some old pillows and took the cushion (that's just the word for the day) out and used it for padding.
Now all I have to do is sew it together.
Add some ribbons to one end, so it can be rolled up and tied when not in used 
Now to find someone to bring up my sewing machine and clean off the dining room table.
Hmmmmm who can I find.....hmmmm 
Hahahhaah poor baby girl has been my legs for the past few weeks.

On a random note, kinda,...is it ever really random when you're a female?
Have you ever seen the movie "The Red Balloon"? no?  well click here
When I was a child, they played it in our school and I have loved balloons ever since.
I really do think this short movie is what started America's love affair with everything balloon.
Well I found the movie again on Netflix and laughed and cried again as I did as a child.
Do we all not want a friend that is amazing and will stick with us and defend?
The fact that it's a big, round, red balloon should not change the closeness you feel.
Sigh, ok it should unless it's the balloon from this movie.

Looking closer at the movie, it really does represent a piece of my heart.  Even as a child.
So I am making a piece of art to represent the balloon and it's trials.
Unfinished  Taaaa-Daaaaa 
Don't laugh, it's not finished yet.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Crafting has indeed Occurred

It has occurred!!
I messed up my knee a week ago, not even sure how.  But I have a tendency to yell when it bends.
So here I sit, web surfing and being board.  Watching stupid movies.
That is until I convince two lovely young ladies to gather some crafting supplies for me.
They did and I was able to do something useful!
Being useful again TAAA-DAAAAA!
I found these little canvases for 15 cents a piece and the glittered fairies at Wal-Mart for under 5 dollars for a dozen of them.  The leaves and flowers I had hanging around in my stuff. 
The knobs are from Ikea, 50 cents for six of them. 
The pink duck tape is just because I love duck tape. :)
I also believe the duck tape brings a certain reinforcement to the structure that surpasses most.
I made these for my niece and her soon to be born daughter. 
She is going for fairies as a decorating style.
I'm also hoping to make and finish a mobile as well.

Ok, so hopefully I have found a solution for my fabric problem. 
I figured out why this didn't work,......to country.

This one has the wrong colors. 

This one has possibilities but is too close to the wall color. 

This one I still love, but refuse to pay more for the fabric than I paid for the chair.
Over 30 dollars a yard is too rich for my blood. 

This is my solution!!
At 14 dollars a yard and free shipping, how could I pass this up?

I even like how it's butterflies instead of birds.
I don't like birds, they are really mean.
I sat and watched hummingbirds trying to take each other out in a way that modern warfare hasn't even caught up to yet.  Then they saw me watching them and launched a full on attack.
Yeah, I like butterflies better, even if they do taste things with their feet.
Could you imaging that?
Bleh, I think I would learn to fly.