A new project

Ok, I admit it. I craft. I am a crafter, I enjoy crafting; crafts are a hobby of mine that I like. I have resisted admitting this fact because it seems so fuddy duddy, which I totally know that I am, but I wish I wasn't. I'd rather be jet set and rock & roll! But, the fact remains that I'm not. I am a southern belle who lives in her grandmama's house, a wife, a mama, a teacher; I have a basement full of sewing notions, I have more recipes than I know of, and I have a cure for what ails you. The grand opening of Hobby Lobby was one of the greatest things to ever happen (upon our first visit, Summer proclaimed, "We can never move away from here now that we have this - why would we?") When presented with a piece of pottery/china/stoneware that I like, I promptly look on the bottom of it to see who made it, I know what to look for in antique stores, I enjoy a day at the flea market, and I have traveled out of town to attend craft fairs. I plan weekly meals using leftovers for new dinners later in the week, I am known to clip coupons, and I have matronly upper arms. The last one is quite possibly the most accurate predictor of homemaker proclivities. Those of us who try to avoid the cap sleeve just seem a little older (regardless of actual age), a little wiser, and a little more inclined to enjoy a quiet evening at home with a quilting hoop in her lap.

Luckily, it seems that it is terribly en vogue to be a crafter these days. Crafting is usually associated with a more 'green' lifestyle, and it is way cool, man. Deal with it. There is even a Craft Mafia! Look them up - you will enjoy. (http://www.craftmafia.com/)

So, I've recently immersed myself in one project after another. I get a little too excited about them, and I realize that this behavior is totally geeky. The last phase was sock bunnies for
Easter. It started as an idea to find some sock bunnies to buy online, and then it turned into a great idea for how to recycle Jacks's old baby socks.

Here is a passel of dem babies.

I made about 30 sock bunnies. This is the first craft project that I've ever done in which I had nearly all of the materials necessary on hand. All I lacked were pipe cleaners to enforce the ears and pom poms for cottontails. I think they turned out right cute! (I found the idea on 'my house is cuter than yours' -link posted in fave websites)

I have started a new project - plastic canvas tissue box covers. Yes, I realize they are mostly ugly, and more on the arts and craps end of this milieu. And Joe teased me for this new endeavor saying that next thing he knows, I'll be making crazy-ass, woven pot holders on tiny looms (maybe I will! So what?). But it basically started because we have so many uncovered tissue boxes around the house (gasp, tacky!), and there seems to be a shortage of cute covers that you can buy. I even found a web site for a girl who has a huge collection of tissue box covers (http://members.tripod.com/nkim2/tissue.html). And although her collection is vast and wide, not to mention impressive, they are all kinda fug. I always loved the tissue box covers made of yarn sewn onto plastic canvas, a la the style of Che Guevera as seen above.

My mother still has the tissue box covers that we had growing up. In fact, I always assumed that she had made them. But, when recently asked about the box covers, she seems to have no recollection of ever using plastic canvas, and she doesn't seem all that sure who made the ones she has (Maybe Grandmama? she asked, like I would know!). So, she was unable to commiserate on what a son of a bitch this project is. So far I've made a lid and one out of four sides, and I've been sewing for three nights. Are you freakin kidding me? However, I feel quite positive that I will finish this project, and I will post pictures of the final product on this blog for all to see. I'll be pleased as punch with myself, I can tell you right now!

In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of fugly plastic canvas tissue box covers that I found online.