Snoodle

Cabaret and Cameras

This weekend, Nora was in her first Cabaret, huge fundraiser and all around fun even at her school.  Way back in September, I volunteered to make the costumes not knowing what would be involved.  I was delighted that it would be simple poodle skirts for the class performance of "We Go Together" from Grease... which has been stuck in my head for a good couple of months.

As it was a hugely popular event, we found ourselves watching from the "standing room only" section.  So, all of my photos were taken with a whole lotta zoom.  I'm getting to know my new camera, but I still have a way to go.  It's a Canon S5 IS that David (and Nora) got for me for Christmas.  I'm thinking of it as a stepping stone toward an SLR.  Considering how very timid I am with it, it was probably the best choice.  I've got some good photography books to help me out, but I'm realizing that what is most important is light... something that is not very plentiful in my dim little home, but that's all the more excuse to get outside to take photos. 

Nora was delighted to get her own digital camera, our old Fuji FinePix that we bought used just before she was born.  I'm a little bitter about the "just before" timing as we hadn't become very familar with it, and there are few photos of her actual birthday.  I'll nevermind that my mother just dug out my own singular hospital birth photo. (do they still do that?) 

But who could resist a lifetime of photographic opportunities of this beautiful child?

 

  self portrait

The Christmas Sweater

It seems that those gnarly Christmas sweaters that people wore for reals in the '80s are making a comeback.  I've been checking out sites like Ugly Christmas Sweater Shop and Ugly Christmas Sweater Party for some great examples of the best of the worst.  I'm not sure how I've made it this far in my career as a teacher without sporting one of these in December, but I might have to get one for Christmas 2010.  I'd totally wear it... with a big ol' poinsettia broach.  I think this is my favorite one:

 

I made my nephew his own sweater this year... for Christmas.  His favorite book is Caps For Sale (one of mine, too).  So, quite awhile back, I knew this was what I wanted to make for him.

 
 

 Here's my needle felted sweater version:

 

 

These photos were taken on my mother's carpet right before wrapping it and with my really sad $15 garage sale point and shoot digital camera (I'm dreaming about a new one.  Any suggestions?)  I think the images look a little better close up.

  
 I was really happy with how it turned out.  It's made from an adult size sweater that was felted in the washing machine.  I sewed it into a smaller sweater keeping the bottom hem and sleeve hems for the new sweater.  Then, I felted the pictures, one layer at a time, using wool roving.  I was planning on closing it with buttons, but it didn't seem to go with the landscape of the sweater.  So, I used a zipper.  I had no idea that finding a separating zipper was so hard to find in my area.  Solution?  Recycle!  I ripped out a zipper from a sweatshirt that was just the right size and sewed it on the sweater.   The "mend and make do" sensibility truly at work! It took forever to make it, but I had pretty high standards and attention to detail -- down to the peddlers "checked cap."  But that little boy is awfully cute; worth every second!

 I think he likes it.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Toddler Tuesday: Pie!

One of my goals for this year to learn how to make a delicious pie.  Not being much of a chef or baker, I thought I'd start with what I know.  So, instead of preheating the oven, I headed to my sewing machine to make a few for the Toddlers.  Nora got one, too.  They were super simple to make.  I used the little pans from the dollar store as a size guide.  The lattice is actually woven with a separate crust on the edge.  The heart was cut with an x-acto knife.  All edges were sewn down really well - especially the lattices.  I put some rice in the center to give it some dimension and weight to keep them in the pans.   A machine blanket stitch attaching the top to the bottom crust looks like they were crimped with a fork! I also made some simple aprons.  We opened our bakery adding some tart pans, handled trays, pot holders, and a basket of play breads from around the world.  The dolls are quite happy to be eating copious amount of baked goods in the dramatic play area, and I almost feel ready to attempt mom's tourtiere.

An apple pie without some cheese

Is like a kiss without a the squeeze.

 

 

Toddler Tuesday: The Nature of Autumn

I am a big fan of the nature table.  However, I also think that nature should be hands-on.  We have already explored leaves, milkweed, acorns in closely supervised projects and outside.  I wanted children to be able to explore Autumn on their own.  So, I got a little crafty to 'fake' a little nature.  Here's what I came up with:

 

The pictures on the back of the shelf are from old calendars.  

The pinecones in the basket are easily moved if infants are deciding that they might be delicious!  They are real, but I think I might make some  from ideas that I've already seen.  I'll need to try one and see how easily it can be taken apart... and is it worth it when we really can just use real pinecones?  They can make a little mess on the rug when an inquisitive Toddler starts pulling it apart, but they're great for stacking, putting into trucks, and balancing on the logs.

I like to add a book to go with the nature theme.  We've been particularly interested in:

 

I whipped up a dozen of these leaves.  They are made with 2 pieces of felt -I used different colors for each side.  I used a stencil to trace the leaf shape on the felt.  Then, *before* cutting, I sewed along the drawn edge.  Also, before I cut the shape, I stitched the veins, back and forth starting at the stem.  All of that stitching made the stem really strong.  Then, I cut out the leaf slightly outside the sewn line.  They are really durable -- I anticipate them lasting a few years worth of play.  Real leaves last seconds in the hands of a Toddler!!!

 

My darling husband has a great love for scotch and generously donated the sleeves that the bottles come inside.  I just want it to be clear that we've actually been collecting them for a year or so... and he gets some help with the scotch consumption with some friends!  They are made of super strong cardboard and have light metal caps that are hard to pry off (at least for Toddlers).  I thought about gluing on the caps, but I thought it might be nice to take them off at some point and use them as tubes.

I covered the bottles with wood grain contact paper.  The ends were painted, and I used marker to draw on the rings (an oddly difficult task!)  I wish I had used a brown sharpie because the Crayola smudged a bit.  

These logs have been great for stacking, balancing the felt leaves and pinecones, making pretend campfires, and even for babies to roll on.  They're super sturdy but light-weight.  I'd like to have some real logs, but haven't been able to get my hands on just the right thing.  I think I'm liking them for right now.  

Happy Autumn!