OmMama and KraftyKatina

Custom Earring Box

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am so tired of searching for earrings in my jewelry box every morning. If I find one I want to wear, often I can't find a match. I have been carrying around some pieces of plastic sheets that I confiscated from work. They came in with some fashion jewelry sets and were destined for the trash bin. I didn't know what I would use them for at the time. I figured that they might work for my earring project.

First step was to cut the cards and make holes in them for the earrings. They work great! I looked for a box that would work at thrift stores and craft stores, hoping to find something I can finish. I couldn't find anything so the next step is to make my own box.

2012-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

My dog Bluto is going to help me sew this year!

A New Trolley

2011-10-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

We recently acquired a little RV, a Toyota Dolphin. It seems like it has been used by dudes (hunters or fishermen?) as it had no curtains and is very plain. First thing I made is curtains for the big windows. I am working on more curtains for the sleeping area and some great throw pillows to make it look nicer. We plan on pulling up the carpet, doing some paining and making it really fun! This is now the project that will occupy much of my time. I am cruising thrift stores for pots and pans and scrap fabric. In between I will still do some knitting and other sewing. What a fun adventure. We plan on making a debut trip this weekend. It has been dubbed the Trolley (something to do with Mr. Roger's Neighborhood).
Theresa, Ommama

Cute Stinkin' Sweater!

2011-09-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, it was 90 degrees today. Doesn't mean it won't get chilly. We welcome these warm days here in the Willamette valley as we had a very late start to the summer. But looking at all the lovely yarns and patterns makes me wish for just a little chill in the air. This pattern came through Knit Purl's newsletter today and I love it! The Levenwick Cardigan is an intermediate pattern level which means Krafty Katina can make, Ommama, not. I can aspire, though!
Happy crafting!

Feature Friday (again on Thursday!)

2011-09-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I came across this very cute crochet site on Etsy the other day. I love with The Nerds Nest sushi plays set and the plush smores. These are knitted in the Amigurumi Japanese style of knitting or crocheting small anthropomorphic creatures. They are knitted by Alexa, a full-time college student and part-time crafter. Just the kind of clever and fun that Krafty Katina and OmMama love!

Feature Friday (on a Thursday!): Dawn Finney

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know, it's not Friday. But I didn't get to blogging much last week and missed featuring a knitter. Don't worry! You get twice the features this week and nothing really sounds good with Thursday so just play along.

Welcome back from the moon and to a sweet volcano! Dawn Finney keeps knitting her magic with adorable toys! Check out some of her cute patterns:

This knitter definitely needs to get her a published book! Thanks for sharing all your great knitting ideas Dawn!

Happy Knitting!

Cerise : )

New Knitting Books!

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

The mail held an awaited treasure today. Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs From Interweave was stuck in the mail box. The first time I used this book I checked it out from the library and held on to it forever (yes, the was quite a late fee) and made socks for presents from a few of the patterns. I actually still have my favorite pair from there, though it is currently hibernating. There wasn't enough yarn to finish the toe and I realized that the legs weren't even the same length! There are quite a few patterns in this that I absolutely love.

I have indulged in knitting books that past few weeks and picked up Itty-Bitty Toys from my LYS and Last Minute Knitted Gifts I spotted on the back stock shelves in the basement at work one day. My tangible knitting library is starting to grow quite fast (the digital library has been beyond control for a long time). A new bookshelf is in order but it will have to wait. A few piles are collecting on my knitting cabinet and in a basket on the living room floor. Next on my wish list:

What's new in your library?

Happy Cataloging,

Cerise : )

2011-08-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here is one on Ommama's wish list (and I wish I could knit better!)
Silk Cloud Pullover from Shibui knits
Theresa, Ommama

Fall Knits Wish List

2011-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

These are my fall knit wishes:

Excitable Cerise : )

Knitting Christmas Gifts

2011-08-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last year for Christmas we tried to do only hand-made gifts. As happens every year, we don't stick to our rules. This year we are going for just stocking-stuffers. We'll see how that turns out! I still owe embroidered dish towels and knitted socks to my mother-in-law and embroidered dish towels to my parents from last Christmas. Though I am slowly working on those open ended gifts, I thought ahead this year and got sock yarn for my parents' socks. I need more yarn like I need a hole in my head but I once again couldn't resist Shibui Staccato Sock Yarn and this time I found in at Fiber, Nooks, and Crannys in Corvallis! Yes, I still have about seven skeins of 50s Kitchen sitting around. But I had to get something special for the holidays, right? The silk is what gets me. And not to mention the great color schemes. To simplify my crafting and to keep a yearly track of what I made, I decided to make the same sock pattern for everyone who's getting socks. I should be able to knit them in my sleep by the time I'm on the third pair!

While sitting in a hotel room in Seattle, I started knitting up my dad's socks, two at a time. I'm pretty sure I'm not doing the whole two pairs of socks on one needle thing right but it's working, sort of. No, I can't put a picture of the socks up until after the holidays. Don't want to ruin the surprise!

Happy Knitting,

Cerise : )

Eyes, Legs, and Feet, Oh My!

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm finally going to share my super treasures I got a couple weekends ago from the fabulous Daisy Drygoods . Last year I started getting interested in old dolls. Honestly, they kind of creep me out, especially the really old ones. But I bought a few dolls and might even do a few mail-order/online doll making classes. And then I found the mecca of doll parts. Glass eyes are my favorite treasure I found. There were lots of legs, ceramic and composite materials, and some arms and torsos too. There was even an awesome little kewpie doll but his sweet little arm was busted off so he didn't get to come home with me.

Here is a picture of some of my awesome goodies I got. Not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. I wish I had gotten more glass eyes for Halloween.

Need some doll parts? If you can't get by Daisy Drygoods in Arcata, California, check out the following Etsy sites. But watch out, I've drooled all over listings eying all the wonderful doll parts!

Altered Paradise

Happy Steiler

Creative ARTifacts

Happy Doll Hunting!

Cerise : )

Visiting Fort Bragg

2011-08-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

The next stop for our journey last week was to Fort Bragg for a family reunion. We had to stop at a store and pick up some pie. On the way into the store the word fabric caught my eye on a store sign near the market. I ditched the pie buying group and ran over to the little corner craft store. Fabric Indulgence carries fabrics by the bolt (some really nice ones too!), fat quarters, silk ribbons (they are so beautiful), paints, beads, patterns, and sumi-e supplies. Lucky me, Iwent in during their 20% off fabric sale. It did get me to buy two yards of wonderful fabric I was trying to stay away from. Some pretty little fat quarters made it home with me too!

There was a cute little yarn store on the other side of the market. The dog and I peeked into the window, but I still wasn't in a yarn mood. They will definitely be a stop next time I pass through.

There wasn't much down time at the family reunion with playing music, catching up with family, and throwing the dog off the paddle boat into the salty river. I did sneak out my fabric and thread and work on some little pumpkins toward the evening. My niece even wanted to sew with me. It was her first time sewing and she made half a pumpkin, sewed on a leaf, and put a silly patch on the side of her creation. It ended up going to a cousin who was very excited. The hotel was a better sewing environment that evening. It can't get much better than staying by the ocean with family and a stinky, salty dog and sewing pumpkins while watching the original Planet of the Apes!

Happy Crafty Travels,

Cerise : )

Favorite Arcata Crafty Stores

2011-08-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

A late arrival back to Corvallis on Sunday left me way to beat to post yesterday, but I did play with some of my new treasures that were found during my journey. Now that I am somewhat rested, here are some of my favorite stores in Arcata for getting crafty supplies, though this doesn't include all of them!

First stop after coffee and doughnuts on Friday was Daisy Drygoods on the H Street side of the Arcata Plaza, my all-time favorite store. I could have spent many hours and many dollars in this antique and vintage supply store. It's like a typical dry goods store from a long-ago era that was unearthed after being forgotten for a while. Not only do they have some fun antique and

vintage nick-knacks and clothing, they have all sorts of fabric, yarn, doll parts, buttons, ribbon, sewing machine parts, hat making supplies, and so much more. I was excited to learn that they have an Etsy page that will be up and running soon. Hooray!! My favorite find was a painted fabric doll leg. The weirdest find I took home were glass doll eyes. Oh why oh why didn't I get more!

They are ever so unique. Weirdest find I did not take home: the three-faced doll in a fuzzy hooded jumper whose head spins to reveal different faces. Super creepy but really neat! (You can see it in the picture of doll parts.) There were also ceramic legs and arms of all sorts, mostly large pairs. Down in the bottom of the leg bin was a baggy with three little appendages that just had to come home with me. I wasn't really in a fabric mood and I was feeling a bit rushed, but now I'm regretting not spending more time in Daisy Drygood's fabrics.

They have wonderful old fabrics and flour sacks that would be splendid for so many projects. I still have some fabric bits I got there forever ago that I love. Though I wish I could have spent longer perusing, I'm very excited about my doll part finds.

My next stop was Fabric Temptations on the other side of the Plaza. (Find them on Facebook here.) I went in to check out their fat quarters but I was still not feeling very fabric-excited so I didn't stay long. They have a great selection of fabrics, yarn, buttons (I have a really awesome Apatosaurus button from there), ribbon, trims, and books so be sure to check them out if you are ever passing through Arcata. Hopefully I will be craving fabric or yarn next time I go through!

Happy Supply Hunting,

Cerise : )

P.S.

A great big THANK YOU! to Rose at Daisy Drygoods for setting up a pick-up for the doll leg since I was overwhelmed and insane and brought up an unintended arm. I'm very happy for my leg!!

On the Road Again

2011-07-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

Dale and I took off for Mendocino County late yesterday afternoon. We'll be going to a BIG family reunion of his dad's side of the family as well as visiting other family and friends while there. We were going to camp near Grant's Pass last night but didn't find anything close to a town to grab some food and later found all sites full along the coast we full. We stopped for pizza in Crescent City (I know, I'm not supposed to eat it, but there was NOTHING else open). We ended up our our good family friends' house in Arcata at 1am. To our surprise, they had a tent already set up in the yard and snacks out on the table (they were expecting someone else but were happy to see us too!). We got a nice camping night in looking at stars and listening to bats. This morning was wonderfully cool and overcast with chippers of humming birds kindly waking us. We enjoyed some wonderful fruit, coffee, and conversation before heading out to make a ruckus about Arcata's town square.

Our first stop is our old haunting study grounds, Mosgo's Coffee and Tea. Fabulous hot chocolate, great jazz music, and in depth discussion of the beauty of Hogwarts and it's grounds and the imperfections of the use of wizardry, all making for the perfect atmosphere we remember. And they have almond milk!! Later we will grab a doughnut from Don's (BEST ever. Yes, waaaay better than Voodoo in Portland). I've been saving up for this for two weeks! Of course the pizza kind of blew that. I also have a few people to visit and a couple of my favorite stores I have to hit up before we head further south. Don't worry, I will post pictures of my treasures and the store fronts. Check back for what goodies I find!!

Happy Travels!

Cerise : )

Seersucker

2011-07-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Is is getting hot yet? A most wonderful invention, seersucker fabric, is a great choice to keep you cool in the summer. I remember a great little summer red and white seersucker suit I had in the 70's. It was stylin' (and of course if I kept it I would have a great little vintage outfit)!

Seersucker came into English from from the Persian words "shir o shekar," meaning "milk and sugar" supposedly from the resemblance of its smooth and rough stripes to the smooth surface of milk and bumpy texture of sugar. Seersucker is woven so that some of the threads bunch together, giving the fabric a wrinkled appearance. This feature causes the fabric to be mostly held away from the skin when made into garments, improving air circulation. Also, pressing is not necessary.

In the late 1990s, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott revived a long-forgotten Senate tradition. He selected a hot day in summer to be designated Seersucker Thursday. His goal was to show that “the Senate isn’t just a bunch of dour folks wearing dark suits and—in the case of men—red or blue ties.” Today, senators voluntarily make this annual fashion statement to remind their colleagues of what earlier Senates considered mandatory summer attire. Stay cool!
Theresa, Ommama

Fruits of Labor

2011-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Once again it's been FOREVER since I've posted. I've been overwhelmed with work and hadn't really been crafting much. Last week I decided it was finally time I get the craft hut up and running again. I cleaned out all the chicken dust, threw open the curtains (should have done that before dusting), and pulled out some glitter and glue. More on those projects later though. My neighbor friend Nicole just got back from her honeymoon in Hawaii and we were excited to have an afternoon to craft with each other after a long hiatus with all her wedding planning and crafting. Nicole brought over her fabric scraps and a cute fruit pincushion pattern. This was the first time we actually finished a project in one sitting! Well, almost. A little bit of embroidery on the leaves and I'll be content with it. We hand-sewed our pears and used some wonderful wool felt for the leaves and stems. They came out so cute we decided we are going to make a whole basket full of fruits.

Happy Sewing!

Cerise : )

P.S.: I PROMISE to post more!

Summer Shirt Dress

2011-06-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

On a last minute whim, Theresa and I decided we just HAD to use our grand opening coupons at the bigger and (slightly) better JoAnn's in town. Of course, that's always hard to do when almost everything is on sale! We spent way more time browsing than intended, mostly due to a few people with TONS of bolts needing cut, and of course we are easily distracted. A lovely cotton shirt fabric jumped off the shelf at me and I headed overto patterns to find the perfect design for a lovely cotton floral print. I had in mind a wrap dress but a Simplicity Lisette shirt dress pattern seemed absolutely perfect for my newly found fabric friend. When I got to the cut table the bolt was short a half yard for the dress pattern but I decided it would work to shorten it into a shirt or do the other not-as-cute-or-flattering shirt dress pattern in the set. Saturday was my day to relax and not worry about cleaning the house or weedingthe garden so I decided to start on my dress. It's been quite a while since I've sewn. The craft hut is still a chicken-rearing disaster so I brought my machine and tools into the kitchen, threw the leaves into my grandpa's table, and started ironing and cutting away. My goal was to get the dress done for a dinner date and good-bye party but, asusual, that was another silly Cerise dream. After my dinner date (sadly, I missed the good-bye party since dinner took a while), I stayed up late sewing and ran out of thread. Sunday morning I switched from a bright reddish-pink to a bright red spool of thread and kept on sewing while Theresa made a zafu and linen napkins. With the sleeves painlessly sewn on, the button holer was attached and sewing away with not all the button holes being centered down the front plaquette by the end of it all. I added a random mix of white buttons from my collection of odds and ends gathered from thrift stores and old clothing along the other front plaquette and viola! A done summer shirt dress. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day so I'll have to put it away for the summer sun, if it ever comes! It's a little snug in my hips but fits my upper body really great.The buttons were put on too close together so theleft side of the dress is about an inch shorter than the right side, but at this point, I don't really care and I don't think anyone else but my fiancé will notice.

Happy Sewing and Hoping for Sun!!!

Cerise : )

Lovely Linen Napkins

2011-06-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

Our sad little excuse for a fabric chain store was closing it's doors to open a larger store in the Big Box section of town and there were some great closeout deals. A wonderful green linen peeked out from between gaudy costume fabric and a bolt of disturbing colored velveteen. When I saved it from the pile it pleaded to be made into a set of napkins. Sewing on sunny weekend days is always hard to do but unfortunately Corvallis got a not-so-rare rainy day in mid-summer. Cerise invited me over to sew while she finished up a cotton shirt dress so I measured out my fabric and cut it up into squares, ironed and folded, and sewed away. A half hour later a set of six wonderful napkins were neatly folded and waiting to be used for my next dinner party. A great project for a rainy day!

Theresa, Ommama

Grand Opening!

2011-06-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the grand opening of our local Jo-Ann's here in Corvallis. I took a sneak peak recently. What a change! From a dreary little crowded shop with horrible rust carpeting to a huge, well-lit grocery store size store. Oddly, though they had it well-stocked and full of new things, the place is very "harsh" and "severe". What a contrast to yarn stores, that tend to be well-lit and yet soft and cozy. Perhaps it is the difference between corporate, big box, to independent or perhaps it is the medium: bolts of fabric interspersed with notions and imported craft supplies versus fluffy angora, alpaca and wool. I always want to linger in a yarn store. I will go to the grand opening of Jo-Ann anyway. After all, I have a chance to win a gift card!

Theresa, Ommama

One More Great Find

2011-05-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Here is one more great find from the Antique Mall in Albany, Oregon where I got my sewing machine. They had this 1960 Bing and Grondahl Christmas plate. I was lucky enough to get my grandmother's collection of these lovely Danish plates and have added to it ever since. I have been also trying to fill in backwards to 1957, my earliest plate from Grandma. I found this 1960 plate at a great price. My husband's uncle sent me my very favorite, the 1907 "Little Match Girl" at Christmas this year (Thank you, Ted!). My china cabinet is full so I either will need to buy another cabinet or store away further purchases. I could also get crazy and hang them all over my walls. They are sure beautiful!
Theresa, Ommama

A Lovely Mother's Day Gift

2011-05-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

I had to share this photo of the bowl set I got recently for a mother's day gift fro Cerise! I love these old kitchen pottery bowls. Cerise is starting to collect Bauer Pottery herself so she is always on the prowl at antique store and thrift store to find some little gems for her collection. I can't wait to display these in my new cabinet! (more on that later!)
Theresa, Ommama

Salivating over Another Sewing Machine

2011-05-19T22:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a great site if you love Singer Featherweights as we do. April 1930's is a site and shopped dedicated to Singer 221 and 221K models. They also have a great newsletter and wonderful information. Their current newsletter features a 100-year old brochure from Singer "Evolution of the Singer Needle" explaining how needles are made.
And, they have the coolest Singer 222 model. These have a thin arm so that you can sew in the tiniest places. I will have to sell a lot more on Etsy before I get one of these baby's. I am putting it on my Birthday, Christmas and all other holiday list!
Theresa, Ommama

New Singer! Am I collecting?

2011-05-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

A mother's day treat was to hang out at a local antique mall with Cerise. I wanted to find a small table with a drawer to fit in the hallway. Tape measure in hand, we set out to find the perfect little item. We did not find a table; instead we found a portable Singer 221-1 in wonderful condition. I am not sure yet, but I think it is a 1952. It has all it's parts including the instruction manual and just a little bit of scratches on the front. It is very dry and will need to be oiled. The machine says made in Great Britain and the motor says made in Canada. I will be doing some research to find out more.

It's not like I really need another machine, but it is so rare to find one in pristine condition I couldn't pass it up. I am not sure at which point one is considered collecting. So far I have two of these Singer Featherweights and Cerise has one. I am very excited to give my new old gal a spin and see how she sews! Thanks for the great Mother's Day, Cerise!
Theresa, Ommama

Knitted Foodies for Passover

2011-04-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Erev Pesach!

I've really been into knitting monsters lately and now I spend a lot of time obsessively browsing Ravelry for toy knitting patterns. Of course, knitted cupcakes and pastries are always appetizing and little mice of all sorts are very cute. Some fun Passover food patterns for the seder plate that are out there as well so I thought to share a pattern set for Passover Eve. (I even found a knitting pattern set for the 10 plagues of Exodus! I really love the origami froggy and little locust but the Egyptian kid is a bit iffy.) So many fun knitted noshes are out there it's hard to pick just a few to share. I've found that I can always find someone to give my newest monsters to but I never could think of what I would do with little knitted foodies. These would definitely be fun play knits for young children, and I have a few younger-aged relatives who might enjoy playing with my food. So watch out monsters, there might be some knitted food fights in with the youngin's in the future!

Happy Food Fights!

Cerise : )

Liquidation Sale

2011-04-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

The only thing better than getting those great fabric store coupons in the mail is getting a liquidation notice. Apparently the new Joann's store is getting stocked all anew. So the old Joann's is completely liquidating. Good news, savings store wide. Bad news, no selection and the prices aren't as great as they first appear. That didn't stop me from buying a lot of stuff. I couldn't get bobbins or needles for my machine. They were gone before liquidating. And there were very few patterns, though I looked for hours.

I did get oodles of fabric, most of it 50% off. I also came home with 10 spools of thread, a vase (no, I really didn't need it) and some funny little boxes. I will now have to sell a lot of yoga bags before I can go to the new store and spend more money on fabric!
Theresa, Ommama

Bigger Better Fabric Store

2011-03-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

While I love specialty and independent fabric stores, for staples Jo-ann's is the go-to place. The store in Eureka, California was so small and always out of products. Then I moved to Corvallis, Oregon and the store was even smaller! They have incredibly decrepit carpet and shelves and so little room. But the staff is always very nice there and mostly I get what I need.

I am very excited now that they are moving to a bigger, new store. I have great expectations (more cotton strap and cord colors please!) of a wonderful new store. I only wish that they would carry more items, especially more fabrics, made in the USA. But alas, there is very little cotton grown in the US any more (all the cotton fields have been taken over by corn) and very few mills. I looked for hours one day at fabrics and only found one denim that was made in the US. I do look forward to that grand opening at Jo-ann's in May!
Theresa, Ommama

Kitty Sweater Toys!

2011-03-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

I made a few cute kitty toys awhile back but didn't have a kitty to test them on. In the past, I would have tried it out on Katina, Cerise's cat, but since Dexter, her dog, has a habit of swallowing toys, I can't give her anything that isn't bigger than she is. So when Kelly made a special order through my Etsy site for a cushion that her cats had torn up, I included the cat toy in with her order.

The toy is made of an old wool sweater cut up and sewn into a little sweater shape. It is filled with catnip and cut pieces of wool. It has now been thoroughly tested and approved by Alistair (pictured) and Emma. Look for these kitty toys available soon. Thanks for the testing, Kelly!
Theresa, Ommama

2011-03-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

I recently got a special request through Etsy. A customer saw my meditation cushions and my mini-cushions and wondered if I could make her an even smaller cushion, a mini-zafu of sorts, for her singing bowl.
Kelly's cats liked her singing bowl cushion so much that they tore it up. So I went about making a very tiny zafu that is stuffed with buckwheat to hold a singing bowl. And it worked quite nicely! Kelly sent me a photo of it with her singing bowl. I included a toy for Kelly's cats. More on that later! Happy sitting!
Theresa, Ommama

Frustrations in Knitting

2011-03-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

Knitting is relaxing. Knitting is relaxing. Knitting is relaxing. Wait. Did I just knit two together or did I skip that? ARRGGH. Okay, I admit that I do not practice much and unlike Cerise, I mostly knit on Tuesdays at the wine bar. So the last few nights I have sat myself down and knitted a few rows each evening. No music, no wine, no chit chat, just me and the yarn. Going slow, no distractions, one, two three, [I outta call my mom tomorrow] five, wait. ARRRGH.

Really, knitting is much better zen practice than sitting on a cushion. If you can clear your mind of all thought and just get into the rhythm, it's easy, right? Just like sitting on a cushion, it's all practice and patience.
Theresa, Ommama

Crafty Food and Table

2011-03-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

As our dreary February rolled into a dreary March we looked forward to having some friends over to dinner in our new house. We are lucky to have a lot of daffodils in our area and the first to poke their little heads out are the tiny ones. They even survived the snow storm so I made them the center piece of my table. I borrowed a cute yellow vase from Cerise and got some bright yellow place mats. I served mango skewers (pictured) and curried vegetables. Though the curry was a little too hot, all in all it was a pretty table and a bright spot at the end of winter. And today the sun is shining! We got in a long walk and now off to sew!
Theresa, Ommama

New Studio

2011-02-28T22:09:00.001-08:00

We are finally all settled in our new home and I had my first full day in a very long time of just sewing! I have a very spacious room and it is light and warm. I need to get another table to put my ironing board on and shelves for my fabric. All my fabric is now in totes and I waste a lot of time digging through them. The room needs some more decorations but for the most part I am all set. I expect to be very productive!

Friday Find: Artist Nicaeli

2011-02-24T22:33:00.000-08:00

Our featured artist is one of my favorite! Nicaeli is on Etsy and I first came across her when I was living in humboldt County. I needed a new wallet and wanted something unique. I found her by searching "Shop local" on Etsy and realized she lived right in Arcata. I loved the products as she makes them from recylced leather. My wallet was bright green (my favorite color!).

As December neared this year, I thought I might want a new wallet as the old one was getting worn out. Cerise told me it was fine and I didn't need new one. What she really did is order a new (upcycled!) wallet from Nicaeli, Nicael Leistikow. I love it! I love that Nicael hand makes these and that she uses recycled leather. She also make handbags and accessories as well as beautiful masks. Check out her shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/nicaeli and her blog at http://gurglythings.blogspot.com.
Thanks Nicael!

Weekend of School

2011-02-18T22:53:00.001-08:00

I'm taking a really dumb class to complete my degree. Unfortunately it's sucking away my whole weekend and has consumed a good chunk of my week. I'll be back with something gun next week!

Happy Studying!

Cerise : )

2011-02-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

Cerise is right about keeping stuff that might be a great craft project in the future. We just moved so we were culling stuff before moving and I am still doing so. I have collected match book covers (a neat necklace box, mini-shrine??) tons of scrap paper (home made cards maybe), bottle caps (magnets?) old jeans (placemats, bags?) lots of scrap fabric, old maps and so much more! While I kept a few things, I finally recycled things that I didn't have a project in mind for. We do live in a bigger house, so I can start collecting more stuff!
Theresa, Ommama

New Favorite Knit!

2011-02-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Big Book of Knitted Monsters and MochiMochi knits are really awesome and keeping me well entertained. But there is a knitter out there who needs to get her own book published. While browsing newly posted Ravelry patterns the other night I came across Dawn Finney's Big Knitted Moon!!! Her other space and science knits already had me tickled pink but I almost jumped off my couch and ran around squealing when this massive moon came into view. The craters randomly dispersed, the adorable little eyes, the wonderful mooniness of this guy just makes him so wonderful. I haven't knit any of these wonderful amigurumis but they are definitely on my list to knit. These will make great classroom props when I'm a teacher!! Ms. Finney, get yourself published!

Happy Pattern Searching,

Cerise : )

Cupcake Crazies

2011-02-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

These cupcakes were supposed to be baked on Sunday. Half were to go to work on Valentine's Day and the other half to knit night the day after. However, since I didn't bake on Sunday night, I decided post-Valentine's cupcakes would have to do. Every time I make cupcakes (my favorite thing to bake since it's easy and frostable), I use Bob's Red Mill (BRM) Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix. I panicked that I wouldn't have enough so I had my fiancé pick up some yellow cake mix. Alas, the Co-op didn't have BRM mix so Pamela's was the next choice. I'm familiar with BRM cake mix so I was a little worried about Pamela's mix. I was right in being worried. The mix was not as thick and fluffy and all the little mini muffin cups spilled over in the oven. This led to a massive cupcake chain that will be interesting to take apart and salvage into normal mini cupcakes. The flavor of Pamela's yellow cake mix is really good though and is making up for the runny, messy batter. The vanilla frosting and decorations have yet to come to check back tomorrow for more pictures!

Happy Baking,

Cerise : )

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

I got the awesome Big Book of Knitted Monsters from my sweetie for V-day and whipped up a little love monster last night! This book is GREAT! And it's a good way to use up leftover yarn scraps. More monsters to come and some MochiMochi too!!

Happy Hearts!

Cerise : )

And the Winners Are...

2011-02-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Wendy and SewzAllSquirrels for winning the Valentine giveaway. Each winner will be receiving a heart terrarium in the mail this week. Thanks for participating! Stay tuned for another giveaway the first week of March!

Happy Crafting,

Cerise : )

Yarn Yarn Yarn

2011-02-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

When my grandpa died last summer I went into yarn thereapy mode and obsessed about Shibui's Staccato yarn in 50s Kitchen. Three skeins seemed enough to make a pair of socks. But after I started the knee-high button-up sock pattern (also from Shibui), there suddenly appeared to be a shortage of yarn in the yarn bag. So the wonderful ladies at Knit Purl in Portland let me buy it online and I'm off to pick it up this weekend. The socks are going to be amazing! Not only is this yarn divine and in a wonderful color scheme (wool and silk, so soft!), the stockings are going to be quite eye catching. They may be a bit too warm by the time they are done but I can knit like a maniac and the weather hasn't gotton much warmer here. The buttons will only go down a little ways on the thigh, which will hopefully help hold the stockings up. Unfortunately there looks to be some frogging in my future because the fit is very loose aroung the knee so far. Now that I know I won't be stuck with just three skiens I might fudge with the pattern a bit to get a nice legging fit. These are going to be so fun when they are done!!

Happy Knitting!

Cerise : )

Pretty Paper Pennants!

2011-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Now is the time of year to add something bright to your home. And why not get some pretty paper pennants? These were lovingly cut out (yes, each little pennant!) and pasted onto a delicate little cashmere rope. Pink and purple are up on Etsy with more wonderful colors to come. These are even customizable with names, dates, whatever you want! A perfect little addition to a birthday party, a mirror, or wherever you need a little cheer. Please request colors and personalization!

Happy Party Planning and Decorating!

Cerise : )

Late Winter Cleaning

2011-02-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

The weekends are a cherished time of the week because it means no work. This Saturday was supposed to be filled with a crafty mess but there was such a mess in the craft hut there was no room to make more of a mess! So I finally got down to serious cleaning and organizing. It took me almost all day but it's done. And I even took some stuff to the thrift store. I know, right? Me get rid of something?? It's really unheard of as those who know me know that I am quite the pack rat when it comes to crafting stuff. I'm starting to realize that even though every little piece of junk can be turned into something, I don't actually have the want to make something with all those little bits of junk. And four yards of hideous furry fabric? What was I thinking? (There's a reason I'm pretty much cut off from the fabric store!) Now there is space for making glittery messes while still leaving room for sewing. If only it were warmer out there so it wasn't so uncomfortable to craft.

Happy Early Spring Cleaning!

Cerise : )

Valentine Giveaway!!!

2011-02-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Long time no post!! It's been a busy week over here. Unfortunately it's not due to being super crafty. Sometimes boring responsibilities get in the way of all the fun stuff. C'est la vie. But good news, we are coming back to you with a giveaway!! To celebrate the month of love, hearts, and all that other gushy sweet stuff we are giving away heart terrariums! Check out more pictures on Cerise's Etsy site (sorry, that awesome little gnome is not included).

You have two chances to be entered. You will get one entry for leaving a comment below and another entry by reposting this blog (please leave your link in the comments section). And it gets better! Two winners will be picked (at random of course!), one winner receiving a small heart terrarium and a second winner receiving a large heart terrarium. You have until Saturday so get those comments rolling!

Good Luck!
Cerise : )

Porland Day Trip, Part 3, Cerise: the boutique

2011-01-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

One of our goals on our Portland adventure was to make a little side trip to Lake Oswego to visit the second hand Boutique store "Cerise." Sadly, they are closed on Mondays. We do have a picture of Cerise in front of "Cerise" and will have to plan another trip!

We did find a fun British tea and gift shop across the street and enjoyed finding Turkish Delights, violet chocolates and some other genuine British goodies. Cerise tried hard to get the owner to say holiday (it was Martin Luther King day when we went) as she loves the British accent that comes out as 'alliday (see "Chicken Run", the movie. We did use the loo and would like to go back to Lady Di's for a formal tea. I will pass on the bangers.

Our very last stop was at Nordstroms to get our parking garage ticket validated in Portland. We purchased a couple of lipsticks from the Mac counter and then wandered past the shoe department to laugh at the ridiulous price of designer shoes. Ballet flats for $800? Really Prada? Tiny sandals for $900. Come on Manolo Blahnik. Jimmy Choo, I can't wear your shoes!

And that was part 3 of our fun day trip to Portland!
We can't wait to go again.
Theresa, OmMama

Meyer Imports Craft Crap Give Away!

2011-01-25T01:34:00.000-08:00

In anticipation of our giveaway to come next week I thought I'd share the last (I think?) Give Away over at Meyer Imports. I love these guys. I just got some really great glitter samples in the mail today that I can't wait to play with!! Thanks John!!

Happy Winnings!

Cerise : )

The Biggest Give Away in the History of Mankind

I tried to warn you.

I told you this was going to be the month of Give Aways. First we gave away the Mega Mini Craft Set. Then theCrystal Glitter Set. And last week the Valentine Glitter Set. And I told you this last one was going to be big. How big? Well that it depends on the number of comments.

Cause we are giving away a

Small Mountain of KraftKrap.

Here is an FAQ on this offer:

What's in the pile? Who knows!
How much is there? A lot!
Is it new stuff or old vintage parts and pieces? Yes!
Does it include Glitter, Beads and Crystals or just Miniatures? Yes!
How do I win it? Leave a comment!
How do I make the pile even bigger? Tell a friend to leave a comment!
You mean, that with every comment, more items get added to the pile? Yes!
What if a million people leave comments? I'll rent a moving van!
How much will I really get if I win? A very large box!
Really? Yes!
Cross your heart and pinky swear? Yes!

Our iron clad promise to you. The Meyer Imports Pinky Swear!

Well, sounds great. Are there any more details? Yes read below!

I have lots of odds and ends I want to give away. Some items might be considered junk, some items might be treasures. I just can't tell, so you will need to figure it out. And, we are serious, the more comments we get, the bigger the pile will get. Kind of like a Mega Lottery. The larger the pool of players, the larger the prize for the person who wins!

So tell your friends, jump on to Facebook, Tweet, tweet, tweet away on this one. We are going to run this one for two weeks to give everyone a chance to hear about it, so on SUPER BOWL Weekend, the major announcement will be made and the winner will be unveiled!

Let's have some fun with this one, cause that is what it is all about!

Give Away

2011-01-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

Coming soon! All you have to do is subscribe as a follower or our email feed AND leave a comment on a blog. We have a wonderful valentine item to give away in the next week.

Portland Day Trip: Part 2, the crafting

2011-01-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

The best part of our day trip to Portland and our main goal was to visit Knit Purl (in the Pearl district!) and Josephine's Dry Goods.
Knit Purl is an amazing yarn and fiber store that has an incredible array of sumptuous fibers. It is very comfortable with cushy chairs, wonderfully helpful clerks and lots of books and patterns. Often there are people sitting and knitting and getting help as needed. An interesting fiber blend that was new to me is Seacell, a seaweed deriviative. There is a wool (70%) and Seacell (30%) blend in sock weight and a silk (70%) and Seacell (30%) blend in laceweight. There was also a blend with fique, a plant fiber from the Agavace ae family, closely related to agave and pineapple. This is an amazing fiber that was used extensively by pre-columbians to make rope, clothing, baskets and hammocks and has been "rediscovered." It is very strong and feels similar to hemp or linen. There was a silk and stainless steel blend, too.
I had to hold in my own hand a 100% Pashmina. This is the softest yarn ever, but at $55.50 for a 50 gram skein you'd have to knit up something really special! For more exotics they also carry bison yarn and qikiuk yarn. In the end Cerise settled on a nice bright red merino wool blend to make a shawl. I went to Josephine's Dry Goods mainly for their wall of buttons! But they also carry some splendid fine fabrics that you won't find in any chain store. Linens, wools, silks... unique patterns and if you ever were to tackle making a wedding dress that is the place to go. They are very helpful and are always working on projects so you can see patterns come to life. And they sell their samples, two of which I bought last time we visited. I stuck with the button wall and selected several buttons while Cerise chose a very cute cotton print to make a blouse and a pattern. Go to their facebook page to see some of their finished products. I LOVE the Vogue skirt in houndstooth wool.
Look for Part 3: Shops in Lake Oswego and Nordstrom's (is not so much for us)
Theresa, Ommama

Portland Day Trip: Part 1, the food

2011-01-19T22:17:00.000-08:00

What a fun time Krafty Katina and OmMama had day-tripping to Portland! Although the boutique shop that we wanted to see, "Cerise,"in Lake Oswego was closed, we did manage to have lunch at The Thai Peacock, get to Knit Purl, Jospehine's Dry Goods, a quick run through Nordstrom's, and barely made it before closing to New Cascadia Bakery.

New Cascadia is a dedicated gluten free bakery in Portland. We heard a lot about them and were anxious to see their offerings. Their website has photos of luscious cupcakes. Sadly, the shelves and trays were empty except for 2 chocolate chip cookies, a galette, four orange scones, two small loaves of bread and 2 large loaves of bread. You notice these things when you rarely get to eat baked goods! The lady in front of us ordered coffee and got one loaf of bread. I yelled for the galette while Cerise was asking questions and a lady walked in behind us with two little girls who wanted cupcakes. Her mom said, "Oh look, two cookies left." Damn, I wanted those! I let them go and waited to get the clerks attention again to get the rest of the bread; Cerise got one and I wanted the other two. Before I could ask, the lady with the two kids got another clerk from the back and got "my" bread. They didn't even get the cookies! Still, Cerise and I split the galette (yummy with almond paste and fruit) and took our small loaves, vowing to stop at New Cascadia first next trip. Their seeded bread is pictured above. It is fantastic!

The Thai Peacock really was some of the best Thai food we ever had. We had the Thai Peacock Curry and Mango Paradise. We could have split one dish and had plenty of food left. They will make it hot to mild. Ours was pretty hot and only made us cry a little! I highly recommend them if you get to Portland.
More on the craft portion of our trip later!
Theresa, Ommama

Trippin' in Portland

2011-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

We are on a day trip to Portland! Our big city neighbor is full of lots of great places to visit. Last week, my beau and I went to Portland to visit for a friend's birthday and discovered some great places to eat for dinner and breakfast. I found a cute little flower shop on Alberta and got a sweet little spikey vase. I can't wait to get flowers for it!

Today we will be going to some crafty spots. We will be visiting Knit Purl on Alder (their Shibui yarn is divine!) and a fabulous fabric store around the corner, Josephine's Dry Goods (go see the wall of buttons). Hopefully we will find our way across the river to New Cascadia Traditional bakery for some yummy gluten-free treats for a sugar recharge. They look like they will be worth the trek! If we can muster up some extra energy we just might make our way into Powell's Books. Last time we were there we didn't even make it past the new books section in the front entry way! I'm sure there will be other great stops during our day. Maybe we will stumble upon something wonderful and unexpected. Check back to see what we found today!

Happy day-tripping!

Cerise : )

Meyers Imports Giveaway Week 3!!

2011-01-16T23:54:00.001-08:00

WEEK THREE Give Away! Valentine's German Glass Glitter Set

We have now closed WEEK TWO's giveaway and are moving into WEEK THREE! This one will be open for comments until next Saturday (Jan 22) when we will then announce the winner and round the corner into Week Four!Remember, week four is going to be really, really big, that's when we give away the Small Mountain of KraftKrap. Yep, it is going to be big, but that one is next week......

This weeks give away is just in time for all our Valentine's Day Crafters! It is our world famous set of Glitters THAT YOU JUST MUST HAVE FOR VALENTINE'S DAY (ok shouting all done...)

This set includes Four 1 ounce packages. Colors: Old Rose, Red, Deep Red and Rose Pastel. All in our most popular grain size, or 90 Grit. You can see more about it in our storehere.

To win, all we ask it that you leave a comment to this post, maybe tell a friend, and share a picture of what you create with this beautiful set. And remember, next Saturday we will announce the one lucky winner of this great set!

Birthday Book Review

2011-01-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

My birthday is something I rarely and shyly share with people but this year I got a really great book from my long-time best friend and I had to share it with all of you! I was so excited that my friend once again got me a really great fiber-related book for my birthday. (Last year I got a copy of the fabulous math-nerd crochet book Crocheting Adventures With Hyperbolic Planes!) This year Mochimochi Knitting surprised me in the mail. This book has been on my top 10 wanted knit books list so you can imagine I was thrilled to see a Mochimochi slipper monster staring at me when the gift wrap was torn away. I can't wait to start knitting one of the adorable critters from this book. The first one to come alive off the needles already has a well deserved home with my best friend! Thanks!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Dr. MLK, Jr. and everyone else celebrating today!

Cerise : )

Leather Craft

2011-01-13T23:05:00.000-08:00

When my father passed away in August, one of the things we found amongst his belongings was some leather crafting tools from the 1960's. I remember most of them were from a 4-H project that my Dad helped to lead. My father, being a wonderful woodworker, also made an incredible stand for all the stamping tools. Just before Christmas, Cerise and I took out the box and went through it. Besides all the tools there were many books with information and patterns, including some very ridiculous and non-PC pre-cut projects you could order to make Indian costumes and all sorts of "authentic" apparel and accessories.

There was a little bit of leather in the boxes and Cerise picked up some additional scraps from a craft store. She opted for cutting and hand-sewing a passport cover which became another hand-made gift. I opted to mess around with the stamping and carving tools to make some coasters, one of the items still in the box. So far I have two silly coasters, one with a gnome and one with a mushroom on it. I treasure this small gift from my father.
Theresa, ommama

Spring Is A Brewin'!

2011-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

I had a little extra time off this afternoon so I decided to get started on a recent idea for spring. I picked up some great milk glass stemmed glasses this weekend and ran out and found a few more fun milk glass and tea cup containers from my two favorite thrift stores (sadly slim pickin's around here). Then the kitchen went from clean to a hot, crafty mess in a matter of seconds. These are a fun spring decoration and are also a great place marker and gift for a party (I am definitely making some for my garden party thisyear). I was inspired by Paper + Craft but I wanted to add a found look and make my creations more gardeny so I added bugs. To keep this exciting, I didn't want to giveaway what these will look like when they are completed so stay tuned for the full details when I get something on those sticks. Can you guess what they might be??

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

Re-Purposed Terrariums

2011-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Going with the theme of red leading up to Valentine's Day, I thought it would be appropriate to make more terrariums. Only these ones are in bigger, re-purposed jars! The lids are covered with a wonderful dark red felt and they include the fabulous German moss and vintage German mushrooms like the tiny ones you saw back in December. These ones were slightly easier to make since I could get my fingers into the jar, but they were definitely no less fun! These would make a great gift for a friend for Valentine's day or a little something to put on a self to remind you that spring will soon be here. You can even put a little critter in the jar (preferably not living though...). Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

Meyer's Imports Giveaway!

2011-01-08T15:39:00.000-08:00

Meyer's Imports is continuing Give Away January with a Great Set of our Five new Glitter Crystals.

These are a different look from our standard glass glitter, Translucent Glass Glitter Crystals! This is what our glass glitter looks like without it's sterling silver coating. Use to layer over other colors or use on a white or light background for a pure, pastel color!

We will only run this Give Away for one week, so get your comments in to make sure you are in the running for this really nice set! The winner will get a package that include a generous amount of EACH of our five Glitter Crystals.

We have had these in our catalog for a while, but most people go for the more sparkly Glass Glitter, but you have to give these little Crystals a chance! Play with them, create something wonderful.

Picture a Love Kitty

2011-01-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Need more ideas for your Valentine? How about a cute little kitty picture holder to show your Valentine how much you care? This fleece kitty is snuggable, huggable, and shows off a picture of you and your sweetie in a big stuffed heart. A perfect present for someone who loves kitties!

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

Love Terrarium

2011-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Looking for a gift for you Valentine this year? Check out my new heart terrariums on Etsy. Get a big one or a little one or both! They are hand crafted with wonderful glass corked heart jars layered with cork and German moss. And to make these terrariums perfect, little mushrooms "growing" out of the substrate (yes, the wonderful little vintage German mushrooms you've seen before!) Brighten up your Valentine's day or even your own little special nook with a sweet heart terrarium. Check out the new re-purposed jar terrariums too! Don't miss out, these are going to go fast!!

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

What Lies Ahead

2011-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Well, the end of the year quickly caught up. Time to wrap up holiday projects, enjoy all the great handmade gifts, and clean out the hut to gear up for late winter and spring holidays. I've been keeping a drawing journal of craft ideas for Valentine's Day, Easter, and garden party decorations.

I've got some heart themed ideas for Valentine's Day but I'm thinking more gifts than decor since it's not really a party occasion. My most exciting upcoming crafting ideas are for Easter and spring garden parties. I am planning a Mad Hatter party (yes, you must have a fabulous hat to attend) that will be held outside in a wonderful fabric tent. This will hopefully be complete with handmade napkins and bunting and whatever else I can think up for this party.

Though the hatter party and bunny bunting are beckoning, tonight will be reserved for knitting and heart terrariums.

Happy Crafting!
Cerise : )

Man in a Robe

2011-01-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Here is the final product on the gift recipient. He wears it every day and loves it! Homemade and handcrafted gifts are awesome!
Theresa, OmMama

Homemade Gifts: The Robe

2011-01-01T22:14:00.000-08:00

One of the Christmas presents I made was a new robe for my husband. His old robe was a store bought one he wore out years ago (and continued to wear). I found some wonderful Terry cloth on sale and was able to cut the pattern and do a lot of the sewing when I was home sick before Christmas so he never suspected a thing! Here I am trying it on for size. Since I am 5'3" and he is 6'1" it ended up calf-length on him. The nice thing about making to was that I was able to customize the arm length. He has very long arms and can never get things with long enough sleeves.
Theresa, OmMama

Hand Made Holiday

2010-12-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

I can't post what I made yet, but I am proud to say that 7 people on my list this year are getting hand-made gifts. Hand-made gifts means planning a little earlier and knowing a bit about the person and their tastes. Some of the gifts I give with a "return policy" telling the recipient that I'd be happy to remake it in a color more to their liking.
I saved money as I looked for bargains on my raw materials throughout the year. I set deadlines, gave myself plenty of time and it all worked out great. Now is a good time to start thinking of ideas for next year, while it is fresh in your mind. Search DIY sites and look in on Martha for ideas or find the perfect sewing pattern and look for bargain fabrics. As soon as the gifts are open, I will post some pics of them!
Happy Holidays!
Theresa, ommama

Holiday Giveaway!

2010-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

You know you want these fabulous little vintage mushrooms! They are from Meyer Imports, a fabulous company with little mushrooms, tiny creatures, and amazing glitter. The largest ones are watte (spun cotton) with plaster caps and the smaller ones are all plaster. All you have to do is be a follower of the blog (look to the right of this post to subscribe) and leave a comment below (international entries welcome!). But not just any comment silly! Tell us your favorite holiday/winter tradition. A winner will be chosen at random and notified. All comments much be left by 9 pm PST (lucky you East Coasties!).

Good Luck!

Cerise : )

Bella's Sweater

2010-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend I made a little sweater for my "niece," Bella. It was my first baby sweater and it came out so cut! I took advantage of Knit Picks's cyber Monday sale and got a ton of yarn, some for specific projects like this one, and some for whatever comes along. Who could pass up Oregon Coast merino lace yarn? Dexter was also supposed to get a sweater out of this but apparently hyacinth is a purple color. Who knew? It's really not his shade. Bella's sweater was made with KP's Andean Silk in the colorway Cerise (cool, right?). This is my new favorite blend. Alpaca, merino, and silk, oh my! It's a fabulous as it sounds. A nice halo and a lovely sheen and it feels divine. The pattern is Lion Brand Yarn's Eyelet Yoke Sweater and it's a really great and fairly easy one to knit up. I want to make a million of these in every color! Fortunately I know a few baby and toddler girls who might need a sweater. After one other sock mate, my holiday knitting is done. Post holiday knitted gifts is another story...

Happy Knitting!

Cerise : )

P.S. If you aren't a blog follower get on it! Look to the right of this post to follow. Thursday is giveaway day and you can't win if you aren't a follower...

Fiber Friday: Pashmina

2010-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

One of the softest, most luxurious fibers is pashmina wool. Pashmina comes from Himalayan goats, Capra hircus, that live in high altitudes and extreme cold. Their wool is only 12-20 microns thick. The goats are sheared once a year for their fiber.

Pashm is Persian for "wool". Most pashmina yarns sold on the market are a blend of pashmina wool and silk or other fibers. Many yarns available are lovely, such as madelinetosh Tosh Pashmina Yarn but are as little as 10% pashmina. 100% pashmina is very expensive around $100 per 100 grams. If you do buy the wool or a scarf or shawl, be sure to check the actual fiber content so that you know what you are getting.

Cashmere and pashmina are sometimes used interchangeably for the same fiber. While cashmere comes from goats, cashmere is a type, not a breed.
Happy Friday!
Theresa, Ommama

Merry Christmas to Me!

2010-12-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

As a sewer and a crafter, you really know best what you need and having the right tools for the job makes the job so much better. While you can certainly put these on your Christmas list, I am getting a few things for myself:
New pins and needles: yes, I have a lot of them. Some from my grandmother. Very dull indeed! And have the right kind of needle for the job. There is a nice little article on the types of needles for the job here.
Sharpen my scissors: I have some that won't even cut thread anymore. They are great scissors, they just need sharpening. Find the best local knife and scissor sharpener through your local fabric or yarn store.
Ergonomic seam ripper: And it is sharp!
Lots of empty bobbins: no more pulling thread off a bobbin when I need an empty one.
New organizers: No more wasting time looking for doodads when I can be crafting or sewing.
The list could go on, but these are the things I am starting with. After all, I have been a good girl this year!
Theresa, Ommama

Treasury Features!

2010-12-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

My cute little tiny mushroom terrarium and my little red-nosed reindeer both made it into treasuries!! I'm so excited! Check them out, some neat picks!

Great Mushroom Treasury

(click on pic)

Great Deer Treasury
(click on pic)

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

Weekly Favorite: Ravelry Pattern

2010-12-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love to browse all the newly added knitting patterns on Ravelry and this week I came across Baby Black Hole by Dawn Finney. He's absolutely adorable with his little eyes. And he's a scientific knit pattern. Well, sort of. I love sciency crafting (and Ms. Finney has a few crafties) and this little guy definitely falls into that category for me. What are your favorite science crafties?

Happy Crafting,

Cerise : )

Glitter Me Green

2010-12-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hooray for glitter!!! I am in LOVE with all my German glass glitter. It comes is so many wonderful colors! This was a must for Christmas crafting. Among other items getting a glitter treatment this winter, I have been putting glitter on papier maché cones. They will definitely be more festive after some added flair and sparkles. These glittered trees will be a definite family treasure every year. I'm going to make sets in pink, gold, and silver, but I think the green is absolutely divine for a tree! Hope you like them too. Head over to my Etsy to get your own glittery treasure.

Happy Glittering!

Cerise : )

Fiber Friday: Alpaca

2010-12-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

What a yummy fiber. I just started knitting a new scarf (my third knit project!) with an alpaca blend. It is tri-colored with a creamy white, light brown and dark brown. I began to wonder if alpaca raised in warmer climes and lower elevations is as good as Alpaca from the Andes. As far as I have researched, the fiber looses some luster when the animals live in Australia or the U.S. and the fibers aren't quite as fine. Most alpaca still comes from Peru, Bolivia or Chile. Alpaca is very fine, less than 34 microns. Compare that to a human hair which averages 90 microns.Photo fromSnow Mountain Alpacas from Keenesburg, Colorado

Alpacas are sheared just like sheep, usually annually. The best fleece comes from the blanket of the animal, the part covering the back, side shoulders and rump. Baby alpaca fiber comes from the first clip that commands a premium rate because of its extra fineness, 22.5-23.5 microns. Shearings can produce 5-6 pounds of wool. Alpaca is hypoallergenic and less itchy than wool as alpaca has no lanolin. Vicuna, alpaca's wild cousins, have wool that is only 12 microns thick. They are rounded up and sheared every two years. What a chore that must be! You can buy a ball of vicuna yarn for a mere $300!

Here is a lovely superfine alpaca tweed from Knit Purl. This one is $27.50 for 8 ounces.

Oh, and if you want to buy and alpaca they run $1000-$16,000!
Theresa, Ommama

Baby Terrariums

2010-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

My baby terrariums! Bigger than the little bitty terrariums, these get to have bigger mushrooms! The bigger ones are wonderful spun cotton, or watte, with ceramic caps. I will be making the lids decorative as baby food jar lids are not particularly attractive. My first one has my favorite little ceramic fox mini. He looks very happy to frolic amongst the mushrooms. I hope to have a few baby terrariums up on my Etsy site soon. These make great holiday gifts and will fit in a stocking and are sure to put a smile on any face so order soon to get it by Christmas!

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

Happy Hannuka!

2010-12-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

This is my silly little hanukia covered in glitter. I lit my first candle tonight for the first night of Hanukkah. I'm not Jewish (though I've wanted to be since I was 10ish due to a dancing bagel at a Noah's Bagels grand opening) but I wanted to explore other cultures and traditions this winter. I'm trying to talk Dale into playing dreidel with me tomorrow. I need to find some dark chocolate gelt though. I don't like the traditional gelt. And I need to remember the dreidel symbols.

Happy Hanukkah!

Cerise : )

Wonderful Wreaths

2010-12-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to my friend Nicole's mum's house to make wreaths. She had all the swag cut so we brought our wreath frames, wire,and wire cutters. There were three types of tree limbs and some holly we incorporated into our wreaths. Though it was a chilly rainy day, we were warmed up with tea and crafty fun.

After all the swag was attached to the frames, we trimmed off the wonky bits and gave the wreaths nice round shapes. They all turned out different and all looked really great. I decided to add some of my vintage Shiny Bright ornaments to give my wreath some flair. I had so much fun making my wreath that I want to make more. They look so nice and smell so good and would be great for gifts and holiday party presents!

Happy Winter Crafting,

Cerise : )

New Etsy Items!

2010-11-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

While OmMama is doing well on Etsy, I've been hiding out for over a year. But I'm back with new items and a few old favorites. I will be getting more items up in the next two weeks as I get more crafting and photos done. Hope you enjoy these cute little terrarium ornaments and necklaces! I had a lot of fun making them and can't wait to make more. I will have larger terrariums and gnomes up soon as well.

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

The Fiber Cooperative Giveaway!

2010-11-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

I just got a nifty fiber follower on my twitter, Ms. Gusset, whose twitter post announced a great giveaway at The Fiber Cooperative. Hurry and comment on your favorite fiber to enter. Mine is Kentucky Bluegrass Posh Sock that of course has a wonderful name! It also is a really great color and it's a cashmere blend!

Happy Entries,

Cerise : )

Finished!

2010-11-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

My first scarf is done and thank goodness as it is nice and warm and our weather is cold! It actually snowed here in Corvallis a couple of days ago and we have lingering below freezing weather. We are not prepared for this! No one has snow tires, boots or anything. A half inch of snow closed the schools. This is my second knit project to come to completion. It was a simple stockinette with some switcheroos thrown in to make it my own pattern, the Cocoa Palm. Actually, they were mistakes turned into a pattern. I believe that is the secret to knitting!
Theresa, Ommama

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you're still trying to find one last minute Thanksgiving dish, here's a WONDERFUL last minute, easy-and-quick-to-make harvest slaw for your turkey table. Theresa made this up and it was SO good I made it last week for our weekend dinner and added my own little twist. You can add other special twists like nuts or dried fruit. Enjoy!

Harvest Slaw

2 yams, raw

1 apple, raw

1-3 carrots (the bigger the fewer), raw

~1 tsp. sugar

twist of lemon

Use a food processor (or the medium holes of a grater) to mince raw yams, apple, and carrots. Mix in a bowl with sugar and lemon juice. Add more sugar or lemon juice to taste. Serve room temperature or store in fridge for up to two days.

If you add your own special ingredients please share them in the comments!

Happy Cooking & Baking!

Cerise : )

First Day of Snow

2010-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

It snowed tonight! It doesn't usually snow a lot in the Willamette Valley but we got a good dose of it last night and it stuck! I danced around outside, Theresa was hurrying her outdoor plants inside, my dog was running nuttily around the yard, and the cat was second guessing her evening excursion. And though I LOVE the snow, the garden looked quite dead and sad in the dark, covered in a light, downy blanket of snow. I began to reminisce our short summer, when the garden was more lively and striving to be lush.

This was year one for the garden and it didn't do that great. We did reap a ton of tomatoes and quite a pack of peppers that, yes, we did pickle. Theresa and I spent two whole days picking jalapeño peppers and making green tomato relish. The sun all but deserted us by late June so we had quite a few green tomatoes limply clinging to the vine. The chopping was a lot of work but the picking turned out quite well. We had a few jars break in the bath but all sealed properly. We winged the pickled pepper recipe a bit and the tomato recipe was derived from a few online. We ended up with so many jars that Theresa and I still had a full shelf each of canned goods even after dividing up the stash and giving away a few jars. Though we didn't get too much else besides peppers, tomatoes, and carrots, we definitely got quite enough pickled goods to last us through the winter. I think I will be hording my peppers and eating nachos alone!

Happy Harvest!

Cerise : )

Inspire Me to Draw

2010-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

I used to love to doodle and draw but somewhere along the way I started getting really insecure about drawing and began to hate it. Once in a while I would doodle in my notebook during class or be forced to draw scientific illustrations in my paleontology class. But I stopped drawing on my own. I realized I really miss drawing but I usually couldn't think of what draw when I sat down with pencil and paper. A couple days ago my store got a GREAT book in called 642 Things to Draw. All the pages are blank save prompt words to get you drawing. This is my idea of a drawing book! I've already done two drawings, though I think the first one is kind of lame. I will try to figure out my scanner and post some of my not-so-lame drawings in the future. In the mean time, if you like to doodle, get this book!

Happy Doodling,

Cerise : )

Making Due

2010-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

I am not very good at making circles. I have a protractor, but it only gets so big. So when I needed a large circle to make my zafu pattern, I simply used a dinner plate. For my yoga mat bags, I used a small plate. I'd like to think that there is some thought into form and function and exact size for the product. But sometimes it just comes down to the size of plate I have in my cupboard.
Theresa, OmMama

Sewing Injuries to Avoid

2010-11-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

There is the obvious: sharp quilting pins poking into your finger and burning yourself on your iron. Recently I have caught my finger under the foot pedal, burned my forehead on the light bulb as I peered too close to thread a needle. The worst injury ever was "pinking" my finger with my pinking shears. I got a nice jagged cut that took forever to heal. One of my friends once cut off the tip of her finger with a rotary cutter. A true sewer, she was more concerned about the fabric she ruined than her finger. Luckily she healed well.

My older sister will never forgive me for stabbing her with a seam ripper. I think she may have been questioning my sewing skills (I was making an apron my second year in 4-H). Anyway, it wasn't very nice and perhaps I am paying for it still. Each time I get a sewing injury I think it might be payback for that seam ripper incident.

Be careful out there!

Sequins, Ribbon, and Felt, Oh my!

2010-11-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

My Crafty neighbor friend, Nicole, and I started a new crafty Christmas project last week. We are both big fans of Anthropologie and decided to make some little "babushka" dolls similar to ones in a recent catalog. We compiled our felt, sequins, glitter, beads, ribbon, embroidery floss, and anything else we could find and got to work.

We were very skeptical about the little ladies at first but after starting our first ones we really go into constructing our miniature winter dolls. I was so excited about them that I couldn't wait to get back out to the craft hut and start another doll. Then the December issue of Martha Stewart came. While doing my initial flip-through of the pictures, I noticed a story on some adorable vintage elves. I couldn't find a picture from the article but here are some great examples!) I ran out to the hut with the magazine in hand and started making an elf, complete with lantern and woodland scene. I went back and forth between the ladies and some elves with a fervor.

So far, Nicole and I have spent two nights on our little people and are anxiously awaiting an order of more little wooden doll bodies to continue our new and exciting craft project. So stay tuned for more pictures of our wee women and elves!

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

Knitting is FUN

2010-10-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

I am still working on my winter scarf (my first knitting project.) I promised myself I'd finish it this weekend. I was watching a movie (seen it before, my husband forgot he saw it) so figured I'd knit. I did two rows, got up to refresh my beverage, and when I came back I swear there were two little loops just sitting there not belonging that weren't there before. I tried moving them to the other needle, studied them from all angles and concluded that I do not know how to fix them. Help Cerise! **sigh**
I decided to give away the washcloth I made (only project #2 of my knitting career) as part of a new baby gift. It actually came out okay. I am not sure if I will make another. I really want to get onto something bigger like a sweater, but am very fearful. Maybe another scarf...
Theresa, Ommama

Thar be PIRATES!

2010-09-20T00:37:00.001-07:00

Cerise made this cool pirate outfit for the Portland Pirate Festival this weekend!! I was amazed as what she could do in one day. I made our blouses from a Simplicity pattern and bought my corset top from Damsel in this Dress. I am yelling "yar" which is why my mouth is open. Aren't we a couple of classy wenches? We all look forward to further accessorizing for next year's fest. Meanwhile, practice yer pirate speak.
Theresa, OmMama

Modal

2010-09-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a yummy, soft silver-gray dress. It was on sale 1/2 price so I snatched it up. I assumed it was a cotton blend and didn't look at the content label until I got it home. It is 100% Modal. Having seen this material more recently but being unfamiliar I looked it up. Turns out modal is a fabric much like rayon (often considered a type of rayon) only it is made exclusively from beech tree cellulose. It is bio-based as it comes from natural materials, however the drawback is that modal is heavily processed using chemicals so it is not considered a natural fabric.

Modal, like my yummy dress, is soft and silky, drapes well and takes dyes nicely. It also has less shrinkage than other rayon and cotton. Who knew trees gave us so much. I love my dress but feel a little guilty that a tree was the cost of looking good.
Theresa, OmMama

DIY face cleansing pads

2010-09-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

I get tired of wasting money and resources on all the little things I use everyday. One of those is cotton cleansing pads for facial cleansing. I got the idea of using some scraps of fabric that weren't big enough for anything else. I used cotton flannel with organic cotton batting for the inside, sewed some squares and now have washable reusable cleansing pads. I am still working on the ideal bag for the pads so that they can be washed in their own little mesh bag.
Theresa, OmMama

A sock and turtle

2010-08-31T21:57:00.001-07:00

It was a long, stressful visit to Denver this past week and a half. I lost my wonderful grandpa and wanted to help with dealing with the estate, not realizing times like these can bring out the ugliest in people. Thankfully I had my knitting with me and I finally finished sock number two for mum's Christmas present. I had to rip it out when I was about to knit the toe because I didn't pay attention to how many decreases I needed to do for the foot. My mum's little foot was swimming in the sock. It is a really quick knit, especially when I'm anxious since that gets me knitting faster! My 11-year-old cousin's birthday was also last week and I decided to knit him a turtle. I finished it well into the night my last day in Denver and he came out pretty cute. I think my cousin liked him too. I will post pictures of him later this week when I get more time to breathe and get back to knitting.

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

Wish List: Shibui

2010-08-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've been on a total fiber craving spree for a few weeks now. I think it might be a bit of a therapy thing. Or maybe the couple days of cool weather tickled me into feelings of fall. I really want to get back up to Knit Purl and get some Shibui yarn and patterns. My late summer favorite yarn: Staccato in 50's Kitchen. I could just feel how amazing this is by looking at it! I managed to swing by and nab up the last three skeins they had before catching my flight to Denver. And to go with this perfect-for-socks yarn I've been wanting to get the Shibui Socks pattern booklet. Oh they are so lovely! Hopefully I can make my way up soon to Portland's Pearl District and indulge in my yearning for more Shibui yarn and get some fun patterns for fall knitting.

Happy Knitting!

Cerise : )

Holiday Crafts

2010-08-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hear is a sneak peak at a crafty project I have up my sleeve. These will be much more exciting and hopefully an enjoyable holiday present for the recipients. I love the colors available at the craft store and they are made in India (rather than cheapo Made in China stuff they mostly have). Hopefully I have all the embroidery floss colors I'll need, though I usually never do have all the right stuff.

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

My Photo of the Week

2010-08-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the goat at Blueberry Meadows.

A shy guy who was enjoying the blueberries tossed in his pen.

I think I have a thing for taking pictures of goats, sheep, and llamas.

More Projects on the Needles!

2010-08-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's what else are on the needles:

I am hoping to have this sock done by the time I drive back to Oregon next weekend. These are a Christmas present for some lady I know. I used WAY more yarn that I thought I would on the first one and had to wait to get another skein in to start the second sock. I LOVE this yarn. It's Knit Picks Shine Sport in Grasshopper green. I could live in this stuff! I also really like the sock pattern (Meida's Socks, Nancy Bush, Interweave Knits). The pattern texture is wonderful and I really like the heal flap. Overall, this is definitely one of my favorite projects!

Happy Knitting,

Cerise : )

Garden Beautiful

2010-08-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, this really isn't crafting but I thought I'd share the beautiful sunflowers in the garden. These were random additions to the garden thanks to the birds. They are so amazing!

Happy Gardening!

Cerise : )

On the Needles

2010-08-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Here's what's on the needles for this week

(along with many other UFOs!):

A sweater shell based on the Ninebark Cowl pattern from Knitscene, Winter/Spring 2010 issue. I hate the cowl so I'm leaving that out and I'm trying to make it more custom to my torso. I also want some poofy-ish sleeves that will be added hopefully on my "long" airplane ride today. Overall I don't think it will really end up much like the Ninebark Cowl at all but that was definitely an inspiration.

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

Feature Artist Friday: Song and Branch

2010-08-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and time for another feature artist! This week our feature artist is Karen Dorweiler of Song and Branch from Seattle, Washington.

Karen makes cute and creative porcelain miniatures and sculptures. The subtle detail in her works gives her creations so much life and personality. Each critter is made individually by hand without molds and tools are only used to bring out little details. The porcelain is bisque fired and glazed with wonderful colors. There is definitely something you will fall in love with in Song and Branch's shop. And it's not too early to think Christmas!

You can fan Song and Branch on Facebook and shop Karen's wonderful creations on Song and Branch's Etsy page.

Lady's Craft Night

2010-08-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I hosted a lady's craft night at my house. We made sushi, drank saki, and ate mochi ice cream. To go along with the japanese theme we made origami paper lanterns to put on light strings. Them came out so great! It's hard to see just how pretty them look glowing in a dark room. This was a really easy and fun project. The lights don't get hot so they can be left on a long time with the paper lanterns on them and not catch on fire (at least they haven't so far). I'm going to attempt making a million of these little lanterns and string lights on patio to add a wonderful glow for hot summer evenings. I can't wait for our next craft party!

Happy Crafting!

Cerise : )

Watch out for Vikings!

2010-08-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

My neighbor Nicole and I decided to start getting together to do some sewing projects. She had some really great pictures of cute viking plush pillow people and we decided to make some similar guys. We set out to the fabric stores to find some viking inspiring prints and textures. This was a surprisingly difficult task. Corduroy was a definite and some checks and plaid prints were chosen. Nicole had some great red and orange toned fabrics for the cheeks and noses already in her stash. We set off to making patterns for our people. We have made some good progress the past two days but now are a bit stuck at the beards. The fur fabric just isn't cutting it so we are going to experiment with alpaca roving and wool felt to see what we can make. I think they are awesome so far! They will definitely be very viking with their horns and rugged beards!

Happy Crafting!
Cerise : )

Cozy Cosy

2010-08-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

Even though our little Singer sewing machines are portable and come with cases, I like to leave mine on top of my work table. Sad to say, I do not use it everyday so it gathers some dust. My friend Michelle wrapped a present to me in some wonderful fabric and let me keep it. I have been contemplating what to use it for and here it is: a cosy for my sewing machine! I first made one for Cerise out of dinosaur material (from the now closed NHM) then made mine out of this wonderful sewing machine material. Thanks Michelle!
Theresa, OmMama

Painting Ceramics

2010-07-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

My mum's little sister (a.k.a. my aunt!) and her two kids and boyfriend came out for a visit last week and we decided to do some ceramics painting at the Pottery Place here in Corvallis. We all found something fun to paint and had a great time! It's fun to see how different the ceramics look after being fired. It's almost a surprise since you don't quite know what colors are going to come out!

Happy Crafting!
Cerise : )

Thank YouTube

2010-02-01T15:47:00.001-08:00

I need to sew a zipper. I hate to confess that it has been years. Thank you fernfiddlehead for the nice concise video. I sure wish we had this so many years ago when I was learning to sew in 4-H! Zipper in, hopefully the project will get done soon so that I can post it.
Theresa, OmMama

My first Knit Project

2010-01-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

Could it really be a scarf? Yes, I am on my way! I was tooling along adding rows, knit one row, purl another when a funny row showed up. Know I have a random purled row about 15 rows in, so I will have to add more and it may look like I did it on purpose. Aw, the mother of invention. Mistakes made while knitting over a glass of wine!
Theresa, OmMmama

Knit and Some Holes

2010-01-25T23:45:00.000-08:00

Here are my very first rows of knitting and then later some purling and later yet some knit 2, purl 2, though you really can't see it. I have a great deal of difficulty with "practice" and want to jump right in and make a complete project. I can see that won't happen with knitting. Note all the little holes, missed stitches, etc. I did actually start a "REAL" scarf over the weekend, though. This white piece here will be my practice skein that I can keep messing with. The Knitting for Dummies book says that you have to keep doing practice swatches. Dumb, but okay, I will try.
Theresa, OmMama

Knitting

2010-01-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

So Cerise has gone to a knitting group since moving to the Pacific northwest. She just finished a gorgeous sweater which I hope she posts a photo of soon. She invited me to go and since they meet at a wine bar i was game. Of course someone had some extra yarn and someone else some extra needles and there I was learning how to knit. Three weeks later I learned to purl and now I am dreaming of a nice sweater. It may be awhile. I just cracked open "Knitting for Dummies." yes, it may be awhile. I think it is a good motion to continue helping healing my arm break a few months back.
Theresa, OmMama