Creativity, Crafts, Books, Movies, Greyhounds & Favorite Things

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April Showers Bring May Flowers

Inspiration:

McCall’s Pattern #M6047 (This is the same pattern I used to make the rick rack flower and the zipper flower).

Supplies:

Silky Nightie

Scissors (I used a rotary cutter)

Felt

Needle

Thread

Button or beads for flower center

1.  Cut a 2-1/2″ diameter circle from the felt.

2.  Cut twenty-three (23) 3″ x 3″ squares of fabric.

3.  With wrong sides together, fold each square in half.  Press lightly.  Bring the side edges of the petals to the lower edge.  Press lightly.  The fabric I used was polyester.  I used a pressing cloth, so I wouldn’t melt the fabric.

4.  Baste the bottom raw edges together.  Gather and knot off to form a petal.

5.  Tack the petals on the edge of the felt circle, overlapping slightly.

6.  Apply a second and third row of petals.

7.  Sew or glue a button or beads to the center of the flower.  You now have a soft, pretty flower to add to an outfit or to an item in your home.

 Actress Téa Leoni is a retired racing greyhound owner.  Looks a little like my Casper!

Other than the photo (taken around 2006), I couldn’t find any other information.  Cute picture though!

May’s 4 Faves all come from my friends.  Check out what they like.

Scentsy

Carrie, the author of Tales and Tails and Pink Sunshine, says that Scentsy is one of her favorites for several reasons.  First, it uses the heat of a low-watt light bulb instead of a traditional wick and flame to melt the scented wax…much safer, particularly with pets.  Second, there is a warmer to fit every decor…plus, the warmer itself acts as a pretty little decorative light.  Third, there are over 80 available scents to choose from…something for everyone.

Wet Noses Dog Treats

My friend Amy, loves these dog treats.  They are 100% organic, use human-grade ingredients from reputable suppliers, and all their ingredients are farmed on US soil.  Plus, they come in a variety of flavors.  My husband and I became friends with Amy and her husband after we adopted Casper (Amy and her husband fostered Casper).  When we went to visit them, Amy asked the houndies if they’d like a “cookie” (aka Wet Noses Dog Treat).  Casper immediately went right to the cupboard where the “cookies” were kept.  Looks like Casper recommends them too.  Added bonus…Amy buys these at Costco.

Vinturi Red Wine Aerator

Have you ever heard someone say that, “the wine needs to breathe.”  As wine breathes, it opens up its intended aromas and flavors.  Traditionally, this was done by pouring a bottle of wine into a decanter or carafe and letting it aerate for an hour or more.  An aerator speeds this process, so you can pour the wine from the bottle into the glass and still get a beautiful bouquet, enhanced flavor and a smooth finish.  My friend, Amy recommends this aerator.  It’s beautiful and functional…what more could you want.

PetzLife Oral Care Gel & Spray

Greyhounds are notorious for having bad teeth, so most Greyhound owners learn to care for their pet’s teeth or face costly dental cleanings.  Amy uses and recommends PetzLife Oral Care Gel & Spray.  It’s all natural and easy to use.  According to PetzLife…to get your pet’s teeth clean, use the gel once or twice a day for 30 days, then use every 2nd or 3rd day.  Amy found that once Miura and Zonda’s teeth were clean, she was able to maintain them by using the spray daily and the gel once a week.  An added benefit…fresher breath.

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1.  Spill a substance here (some things that work well are coffee, tea, etc.).  Let it dry.

2.  Look for shapes in the dried substance.  Draw things based on what shapes you find (faces, characters, etc.).

(Drip Doodles)

Re-create these lines.

(The page on the left is mine; the page on the right is what I was re-creating.)

Color this in with your eyes closed (or in the dark).

(I used crayon and colored it in, in the dark.)

Trace this line as fast as you can for several minutes.

(Oops, I think I only did this for about a minute.)

1.  Use this page to sweep up dirt in your room.

2.  Find a way to contain the dirt here.

3.  Use the dirt in an art piece.

(I did #1 and #2, but I’m going to leave it at that.)

This month I’m working with the book Mess by Keri Smith.

The past two weeks, I’ve shown you some of the exercises I’ve done and that I kind of liked.  This week, I’m showing you some exercises where I thought:

“I can’t draw.”

“That was stupid.”

“That’s ugly and was a waste of time.”

“Okay.”

“Yuck!”

I wonder if while looking at any of these YOU thought, “Wow, that’s neat.”  One of the things about opening yourself up to a process like this is just that…some of the play inspires you and some doesn’t; but you never know unless you take the time and try it.

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Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year…the Spring Fling.  The Spring Fling is an annual get-together of the group we adopted Freedom and Casper from, Allies for Greyhounds of West Michigan (AFGWM).

That’s a lot of hounds!

There are vendors and a silent auction, contests (Best “Roo,” Dog Look-a-like, Longest Tail, Shortest Tail and whatever else they can think up) and a potluck lunch.  We take an AFGWM “family” photo and best of all, visit with all the Greyhound families.

Daddy with Casper & Freedom

This year, we had a special treat…two Greyhound puppies!

My beautiful friend, Amy, with one of the puppies.

No, I was not pinching the puppy.

Yes, I did change my hair color.

One of the things I love about owning Greyhounds is the support that is available through the adoption groups.  We happen to belong to a group that is VERY supportive; and, the nice thing is, you can participate or not.  Of those that participate, there is a core of volunteers who serve above and beyond.  They foster, they organize Meet ‘n Greets, they do home visits, they maintain the group’s website, they take care of the day-to-day operation of the group and the kennel…they are angels on earth.  Dave and his wife, Pat, are two in that elite group.  Founding members of AFGWM, they are the reason that we have our most precious Greyhound “kids.”

Thank you, Dave!

(Pat’s probably off working somewhere…they never quit.)

One of my favorite parts of the Spring Fling is the vendors and the silent auction.  I actually need two pictures to show you my “take.”

Greyhound Goodies

I love silent auctions!

The day went by too quickly, and soon we were headed home.  “Thank you” to everyone who made the day so special.

Casper hogging the backseat.

Totally worn out after a wonderful day!

It began with a childhood fascination with the Civil War and culminated in this book about America’s continuing obsession with The War Between the States.  This book reads like a personal adventure filled with tragic, fun and curious stories; but amid all the disparate subjects and characters, you get a sense of how the Civil War shaped America and still has incredible significance and presence to this day.

Eye of the Needle is a 1981 movie based on the book of the same name by Ken Follett.  Donald Sutherland is “die Nadel,” a German spy in Britain during WWII who gathers vital information about the D-day invasion and must get it back to his superiors in Germany.  On his way back to Germany, a storm strands him on an island off the coast of Scotland.  There he meets Lucy and…you’ll just have to watch the movie and see what happens.  This is a spy thriller and a romance, and it works convincingly on both fronts.

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April Showers Bring May Flowers

Inspiration:

McCall’s Pattern #M6047 (This is the same pattern I used to make the rick rack flower.)

Supplies:

Zipper

Thread

Needle

Pliers

Scissors

1.  Separate the zipper sections.

2.  Since I was using a short zipper, I sewed the two pieces together and trimmed off the extra material.  If the zipper material frays, apply fabric glue to prevent further fraying.

3.  Using heavy thread, hand gather 1/8″ from the outside edge of the zipper.

4.  Adjust gathers tightly.

5.  To form the flower, start at one end and roll the flower towards you, securing the layers as you roll.  Sew down the edge to finish.

6.  Now that is one edgy flower!

Saturday, May 14th was Freedom’s 4th Birthday!  Happy Birthday, Freedom!  Freedom’s racing name was Free Spitfire.  We thought about changing her name when we got her…because Freedom didn’t sound like a good “girl’ name.  We tried Sara, Beanie and several others, but none of them seemed right.  Finally, I was calling her “our girl doggie.”  It was at that point, we had to admit that “Freedom” was the right name for her.  Freedom is confident, independent, friendly, lovable and sometimes a little bratty (in the best kind of way).  We often ask ourselves, “Where would we be, without our Freedom!” (best said with a Scottish accent in the tradition of Braveheart…blue face paint not required).

When I announced I was doing 4 Faves – Friends Version in May, my friend Amy brought over some of her favorite things to show me.  While she was showing me her favorite Kyjen dog toys, Freedom came over and gently took the toy from Amy and proceeded to play with it.  That’s a pretty good recommendation; so I bought some for Freedom, for her birthday.

Greyhounds are fun to buy toys for because they LOVE toys.  Our first greyhound, Paloma, loved toys…she loved them to DEATH.  The objective for Paloma was simple.  Find the squeaker, kill the squeaker, remove the squeaker and finally, remove all the stuffing.  Done.  Next, please.  We never found a toy, no matter the price or the promise, that Paloma couldn’t accomplish her mission on.  There was only one qualification for Paloma’s toys…cheap.

Freedom and Casper are gentler with their toys, so it’s fun to buy them nicer toys.

Kyjen toys are durable (remember, that is a relative term), have sewn on eyes, and they’re interactive.

Freedom and Casper both enjoyed the new toys.  The birthday fun didn’t stop there.  They both got a birthday bath and then a favorite treat…ICE CREAM!  Happy Birthday, Freedom!

May’s 4 Faves all come from my friends.  Check out what they like.

Hourglass Film Noir Mascara

This is my friend, Amy’s, favorite mascara.  She loves it because it doesn’t clump and it doesn’t flake.  She says it makes your lashes look like beautiful, fine fringe.  Here’s a great review on Makeup and Beauty Blog if you want a little more information.

Sloggers

I have to get me a pair of these!  Another favorite of Amy’s; they’re cute, comfortable and waterproof.

Deanne Pace – Works in Metal

My new friend, Mayzie, suggested this fave.  Deanne’s jewelry speaks for itself…BEAUTIFUL!  Plus, a portion of Deanne’s dog-themed jewelry is donated to animal-related charities.  Deanne also has a fun blog, Road Dog Tales.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

This fave comes from my friend, Lori.  She is the Director of Facility Care for Granger Community Church and she KNOWS cleaning.  This is one of her favorite things, and I think that says a lot.  One day, we noticed that one of the walls had a paint mark on it.  Lori grabbed a Magic Eraser and removed the paint we didn’t want from the paint we did want…like magic.