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.