Getting Crafty

I have been bored beyond belief lately. And it's not that I don't have anything to do, I just haven't wanted to do it. I'm so burned out on home improvement projects that the thought of picking up a paintbrush makes me feel ill. So I decided that the girls and I needed a crafty pick-me-up. I saw and idea for a Valentine's Day garland on Ms. Tee's site and thought it looked easy and inexpensive enough to work. All you need is pipe cleaners and something to clip them with- I used pliers- and we were off. Actually it was so easy that the kids kicked me out of it and did it completely by themselves. Chloe was clipping the pipe cleaners and they made hearts like mad. But it didn't stop there, oh no. The kids went heart crazy making a heart and other things out of every-single-pipe cleaner (I think they're called chenille stems or something like that now). I haven't taken a picture of the garland but it looks just like the one on Ms. Tee's site that I linked to.


Chloe had other ideas in mind though. Like this swirly-whirly heart.

And a baseball cap...

I've always known that Chloe was creative but this really surprised me. I would never have thought of that. And the time has finally come for me to finish miss Kyleigh's blocks. Sickness and home improvement projects distracted me along with a messed up sewing machine, so I finally just sewed this one up by hand. My mom brought a newer, better sewing machine to me a few months ago and Travis put it away and I couldn't find it. I had decided that I just can't sew with one so I hadn't tried to use the new one. But after holding my left hand in an incredibly awkward position to sew this one up I decided I try the machine again. And it worked! Until I broke it. I was nearly done with the second one last night and the machine just quit working. It sounds like a belt broke or slipped off or something. So I guess I'm back to sewing by hand. Travis is going to try to fix it for me. It serves me right I guess. While it was working I had grandiose dreams of making a hobo bag that I've seen and a little butterfly t-shirt for the kiddos and an apron and all sorts of things but I suppose it's not meant to be...yet. Oh, and my grandma's quilt. I think I just need to put a back on it and some batting? I don't even know where to start. It seems like a nice ongoing project to work on after the kiddos go to bed. And I have an idea for another painting and on and on...

So I guess the creative kick-start worked...