Librocubicularist- May 2017

During this past month, we have still been working on getting our yard back in shape. It's still been rainy off and on so we keep getting interrupted, but it's finally starting to look okay. We still have lots to do including digging up a bunch of stumps from the brush we cut down.

I am working on sewing curtains for our dining room. Finally. The fabric for them has been in the closet for years and I even tried to start them last April when I posted about making curtains for our bedroom and office. I am hoping to be able to share them with you in my next post. However, I did take a short break to make a quick skirt using this awesome Legend of Zelda fabric that I bought.

Bonus Pic of Gil being adorable and 'helping' me sew. He's been super photogenic lately.

I have done more reading this month but somehow haven't found time to write up reviews for them. I have a lot going on during the next couple of weeks but if I get a chance I will add them in later.

No Excuses Watercolor: Painting Techniques for Sketching and Journaling by Gina Rossi Armfield

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The main section of this book is a discussion about the paints themselves and other supplies you may need. Then it goes over some basic techniques. While it does mention that drawing well is important to be able to watercolor well they do offer suggestions to be able to practice without drawing. Mainly that means tracing a design and there are several simple outlines provided in the book that you can use. The same section provides additional ideas for subjects, associated color palettes, and related quotes you could add to your design. I get the feeling that this book oversimplifies things immensely, but it does make me feel like I could possibly paint something at least passable so I think that might be okay. I think I might try to do a watercolor portrait of our dog and depending on how that goes try other things.



Fat Quarters: Small Fabrics, More Than 50 Big Ideas by Amanda Carestio

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


There is a LOT you can make with just a little bit of fabric and this book shows you how to do it. The projects range over several categories including baby clothes, home decor items, and bags. There are even some projects for quilts though they obviously require multiple fat quarters. My favorite project is the bookshelf tote. I've seen pictures of several quilts with this type of pattern but this is the first time I've seen instructions for it. It seems much easier than I expected and I can't wait to try it out. Other favs are the small first aid kit, stuffed birds, and the fruit pop tea towels.


Tidy Hacks: Handy Hints to Make Life Easier by Dan Marshall

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I've seen a lot of these at various places over the internet, but there's something to be said for having them gathered together in a single volume for easy reference. There are some attempts at humor that make it a little weird in places, such as the male author joking about how much makeup he owns and needs to organize, but overall I think it had some handy ideas for storage and organization.

Hula Hoop Wreath

Our house has a covered walkway between the main house and the garage that functions kind of like a porch. I have very mixed emotions about it. On the one hand, it's great, no matter how hard it's raining or how windy it may be you have shelter while you try to unlock the door. On the other hand, it keeps light from reaching our front windows so the living room is dark and there's no way to see the door from the street so any decorations, like a wreath, are lost.

So when I started seeing wreaths made using hula hoops I thought, 'Hey, that might be big enough to hang out front and not disappear'.

Supplies:

Hula Hoop
Selection of fake flowers
Wire Cutter
Glue Gun
Ribbon (optional)

The first step is to separate the clusters of flowers using wire cutters to snip the individual stems.

Then lay them out around the hoop until you get a good idea of what you want the finished product to look like. I decided on a somewhat asymmetrical design with just accents of blue flowers.

Once you decide on the design, glue the flowers in place. I started on the outsides and worked towards the middle.

As you work, you will probably end up with bits that stick out, like in the photo below. You can trim these with the wire cutters.

When you get to the center, pay close attention to how the flowers overlap and try to hide the stems and wires under leaves or blossoms.

At this point, if you can wrap the exposed parts of the hoop with a coordinating ribbon. Glue the end and add a bit of glue every few loops until you reach the other end. Or if you like the color of the hoop you used, you can leave it plain. Here are pictures of mine both before and after the ribbon. I'm still not sure which way I prefer.

To hang the wreath....

Supplies:

Sticky Hook

Fishing Line

Stakes for landscaping fabric

I attached the sticky hook to the ceiling of our walkway. In order to protect the flowers, at least somewhat, from wind and rain, I put it about a foot back from the outside edge. Make a loop with the fishing line and attach it to the hook.

Loop the other end through the hoop and decide how high you want it to hang. Tie the end to the hoop. Use two other pieces of fishing line to keep the wreath from spinning. Tie one end of each to the hoop, near the bottom (one on each side) and secure the other end to the landscaping hooks. Push the hooks into the ground under the wreath so it stays facing forward.