Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine has a good day...

including a long phone chat with my beloved SIL Barb. Got to hear about their anniversary trip to Spain, and she is sending me photos.

Today remained rainy and cool, and I'm definitely switched to cold weather layering. Wool cardigan + canvas chore jacket + rain capelet (+ handknit fingerless gloves) was just right for riding to the library.

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~ fresh green color... ~

Very pleased with the effects. Sanding down the edges of the wooden pieces, and the textured weave of the fabric really make the piece look "of its times". The needlepoint pillow is a bit large, but since I embroidered it about 50 years ago, I just couldn't resist including it. 

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Cleared over a third of the clutter from the bedroom, and put aside almost a grocery bag full of random fabric scraps to discard (too small to send out for reuse), a good start on the 3 bags full challenge. 

Two racks of dishes washed today, which means that by the end of tomorrow all the dishes will be washed and put away, ready for me to create more kitchen havoc. There are Acantha's apples to be turned into applesauce, and quinces to be baked and become various treats.

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Finally got back to the next step on the herringbone pinafore, and bound the neckline edge with the textured silk. It is thin enough to make a nice narrow binding. Am hoping there is still some leftover herringbone somewhere to add another inch or two to the bottom bodice edge. Incremental progress is still progress...

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny Wishbone chair	wheels for 2nd RÅSKOG	greenwaste bin
2	laser cut trinket shelves	tidy living room	recycle bin
3	vortex bottles	files for tiny plant pot	recycle bin
4	2 wee Dala horses	-	greenwaste bin
5	miniature spider plant	-	recycle bin
6	tiny picture frames	x	x
7	mini rocking chair	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- managed to get out on my bike for a few errands when it was only damp and drizzly, not dumping rain.
- library had the book I put on hold waiting for me, full of tutorials for making faux houseplants from paper. While intended to make life size plants, I'm figuring that the designs and suggestions will be applicable to miniatures as well.
- a beautiful dichroic glass pendant with a triskele motif, as a thank you gift from Cynthia for coordinating the Advent Swap.

Time of Isolation - Day 2291

Sunday snippets

in which our plucky heroine remains obsessed...

Working on it betwixt chores, self care, and online visiting, the 1:12 scale MCM rocking chair is almost completed. The olive green fabric does make a convincing textured upholstery and I am that much closer to the vignette in my imagination. There will be at least a few more house plants, and now I'm thinking a mobile as well. The rounded cone miniature planter pot I designed in Tinkercad was printable and turned out well. Research informed me that they are described as "bullet planters", and were made in a variety of sizes, which is convenient for scaling the model(s) I may want to print. 

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~ basswood, walnut, and black acrylic ~

These frames will make my miniature artworks look much more complete. And after all, since Kenya runs an art gallery, there must needs be some extra frames around the place... (plus there are enough of the 1¼" square frames for an entire additional set of Advent treats, maybe a hand-colored block print?) 

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found a haven of mutuality over in Alberta earlier this week, and finally have a place was able to donate the two excellent (but not suitable for me) unused tubes of foot lotion. 

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Though there aren't as many folks participating in the advent swap as in years past, there are still some, and so it will be able to happen, albeit probably with some duplication of items.

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This weekend, wanting a handwork project suitable for knitting while video chatting, I started on a knitted combination earmuff/headband thing that the bike helmet chin straps slide through the ends and the headband adds a bit of warmth and keeps the "earmuffs" up near the ears where they can do some good. It is a free Ravelry pattern, designed by someone who lives in Madison, Wisconsin and has over 700 already made projects. Acquiring size 6 double pointed needles took a bit of doing, involving almost a 14 mile round trip on my bicycle, but in the end, needles were acquired and the knitting has begun. When this is completed, it will be time to start the cardigan.

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny Wishbone chair	wheels for 2nd RÅSKOG	greenwaste bin
2	laser cut trinket shelves	tidy living room	recycle bin
3	vortex bottles	files for tiny plant pot	recycle bin
4	2 wee Dala horses	-	greenwaste bin
5	miniature spider plant	-	recycle bin
6	tiny picture frames	x	x
7	mini rocking chair	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- found locally grown yummy salad mix. Spendy but worthwhile.
- got my COVID vaccine on Friday
- leftover pancakes make good flatbread
- on Saturday, I rode my bike for over 14 miles. No wonder I was a bit tuckered out!

Time of Isolation - Day 2290

practice makes progress...

in which our plucky heroine is still obsessed...

with continuing to learn how to use TinkerCAD. Before the laser cutting session at the library, I put together a file for a collection of tiny plain modern picture frames in small, medium, large, extra large, and "Advent-sized" squares. Creating even the simplest of digital designs is still very challenging while continuing to learn (and trying to remember) how to do even very basic tasks in the program. I managed to cut out several copies of the file in both basswood and walnut veneered plywood today at the library, and now have LOTS of frames available for adding a finishing touch to tinyworld art.

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~ small but worthwhile ~

Am all kinds of happy with how the tiny spider plant turned out. It was an absorbing singular make, and has charmed everyone who sees it. (I brought it to the library makerspace to show to folks what I have been doing with the objects I've been creating)

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Today was a long long bike ride day, all the way to the other end of Alberta, since I wanted to see if the Glerups with the rubber sole were available at Pie Footwear. Sadly only in the "boot" style (which wouldn't work with the dang ankle brace), but at least I now know what size I wear (38) and can track down the style I want online.

Since Bolt Fabric Boutique is on the same block, seemed like a good chance to see if there was any fabric that would work well for mini upholstery. Yes indeed, since I couldn't choose, a wee bit of Essex yarn-dyed and also of Kokka dobby both came home, . Both ⅛ yd pieces are in shades of a nice olive-y green that seems MCM adjacent and reminds me of furniture from my younger days.

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Saw a house while out riding through Alberta Arts district that made me laugh. The residents had turned the entire front of a two story house into a spooky season face using simple white paper cutouts:  the two upper story windows were each made into googly eyes, and the small roof above the front door had a "bunting" attached of pointy teeth, turning the door into a mouth. Clever, and simple! 

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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny Wishbone chair	wheels for 2nd RÅSKOG	greenwaste bin
2	laser cut trinket shelves	tidy living room	recycle bin
3	vortex bottles	files for tiny plant pot	recycle bin
4	2 wee Dala horses	-	-
5	miniature spider plant	-	-
6	62 tiny picture frames	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- many many laser cut miniature picture frames
- mini Monstera leaves cut using the PCC Cricut machine
- Bolt Fabrics will cut and sell ⅛ yd pieces of fabric
- Vesta's box of Advent goodies arrived today

Time of Isolation - Day 2286