[Weekender] The One With... Sewing Lessons, Michael Jackson, Banana Bread, Falcons & Homework

What an odd compilation of activities!

It doesn't happen often, but every now and then I'll have a jam-packed weekend.  And, thanks to my parents who came over to watch the boys, The Mister and I were able to go on not one, but two dates!  Here's what I was up to this past weekend--

[1] SEWING - I took a sewing class... Can you believe it?

Now, that I know how to thread a machine... I'm armed and dangerous!

[2] MICHAEL JACKSON - We had a date night-- Yippee!

First we ate yummy Persian food at our favorite kabab place in the Valley...

Koobideh, roasted tomatoes & peppers, and saffron rice.  So good!

Then enjoyed Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson experience...

It was a wonderful mix of all things Cirque du Soleil (acrobats, gymnasts, contortionists) and awesome dancers and, of course, great, great music. I thought it was a nice homage to a great performer. I had to laugh at the reviews that complained about the acrobats, gymnasts & contortionists... It's Cirque du Soleil people, what were you expecting??!!

[3] BANANA BREAD - I made yummy Banana Sour Cream muffins for Smarty Pant's basketball team and bread for us.

light and moist with a cinnamon-sugar crunch. Yum! here's the recipe

[4] FALCONS - We took a drive to the Terranea resort in Palos Verdes and enjoyed beautiful scenery, good food, great company and balmy 75 degree weather.  Aaah!

I used to live in the area and had no idea that it is now a vacation destination... crazy!

We saw a falconry show too!

According to the handler, they can fly up to 250 MPH... I believe it!

Hanging out with a hood.

Eating some yummy pigeon treats.

 

They are used to keep seagulls from over-populating the area... And sure enough, when he was in the air, all of the birds disappeared. Except the pelicans.

[5] HOMEWORK - I wrapped-up the weekend by "helping" Smarty Pants with his "Star of the Week" board and display. And I naively thought that I was done with homework years ago! Silly me.

So it was a busy, busy weekend, and although I was thoroughly exhausted and am now buried in laundry and dirty dishes... It was worth it!

[Oh Martha Monday] Polka Dots

I just love polka dots.  They're happy and cheerful, but can also be retro and elegant too. Here are some polka-dotted ideas from Martha Stewart--

polka dot pea soup

[Make] Yarn Hearts

[Inspired by] Bright Colors

[Wordless Wednesday] Gold Twine

pssst... thanks for stopping by!

[Make] Yarn Words

This year I said nay to a typical pink and red Valentine's mantel.  I want something that  I can enjoy for a while... at least until March, so  the traditional hearts, red and pink are a no-go.  I'm still working on a couple more things, but here's my un-Valentine Valentine's mantel so far...

This idea came about when...

I saw these awesome rope words by wednesday and knew that I had to try it out... 
but with yarn. no rope to be found in mi casa.

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I then decided on the quote "love makes the world go round".
love that quote... when's the last time "hate" made the world go round, huh?
besides, "love means never having to say you're sorry" 
is just too long... and untrue :)
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Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah...
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Since the word "world" was mentioned, I then had a deep desire to...

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pilfer the globes from Happy Vee's room,

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and was further motivated to dig around my untidy craft room until...

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 I uncovered my stash of old Auto Club maps,

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which where then cut-up and taped to the large mirror above our fireplace.
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which then became a cool backdrop for the yarn words.
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but the white words blended too much into the map background...
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so a coat of venetian gold paint came to the rescue.
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and those glue dots really do hold everything.
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and the rest is history. 
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the end.

Don't you love the snowball effect that comes about with a little inspiration?

[Oh Martha Monday] Edible Hearts

Do you bake for Valentine's Day?  I usually don't, but after drooling over all of these heart-shaped goodies from Martha Stewart, I'm a little inspired to put on an apron and break out my whisk! 

Um, "hello" meringue ice cream sandwiches! "Hi there" uber decadent roberta heart cake!

meringue heart ice cream sandwiches

roberta heart cake

mini berry pies
how cute are these?


Click "Read more" for the full post

[Make] Felt Heart Arrangement

Here's what I decided to do with all my needle felted and washing machine felted hearts. This is inspired by the felt ball arrangement by dans le townhouse that I was oohing & aahing over last year.  Pretty cute, huh.

Well believe it or not, it's sunny and beautiful outside... and I thought I was going to be rained-in for the day.  Guess it's time to change out of the pjs... :)

sharing with...

[Weekly Inspiration] 1.21.2012

this beautifully quilled 2012 piece... 

via sabeena karnik on behance :: as see on all things paper

this "grown-up" string art... i loved making string art when i was a kid! 

via que linda

this cool origami lampshade via nellianna on etsy

this mixed media fiber art piece. love the 3 dimensional aspect.

 via julieandco2 on etsy

this quote from ira glass-- a reminder to keep at it... 

via the print shop. :: as seen on the creative mama

We're enjoying a rainy, grey morning at home.  Smarty Pant's basketball practice has been cancelled, and for that I am glad... It's nice not having to rush around on a Saturday morning. I've been nursing a cold all week and I'm finally feeling better... Just in time for lunch out with the ladies-- Yahoo!  Hope you have a creative weekend in store!

[Make] Washing Machine Felted Hearts

The other day I shared my Needle Felted Heart project, now here's how my Washing Machine Felted Hearts turned out.

I found that using the washing machine shortened the process and made a more compact 1-inch heart.

Click"Read more" for the tutorial

[Make] Needle Felted Hearts

Felting with wool roving is something that I've been wanting to try for a few years now.  I finally tried it out this week and was happy with the process (not too difficult) and the results (cute inch-size hearts).

There are several ways to do this.  I tried 2 different methods-- felting with a needle and felting with a washing machine & needle...  Today I'm sharing my Needle Felted Heart Project.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

[Inspired by] Geometrics

Geometric patterns have been popular the last few years-- chevron anyone?  Their popularity continues, with bright colors and hexagons in the forefront.  Here are a few that grabbed my attention...

Oh Martha Monday - Papier-Mache

Not just for your kid's baking soda & vinegar volcano project...  Love these ideas from Martha Stewart--

egg-shell dishes

winter white fruits

faux-bois tree stump container

click "Read more" for the full post

[Make] Felt Feathers

Continuing on with my feather theme (also seen here), I decided to make a few out of felt.  Very easy and something that can be done on the quick.  These can be used as a gift topper, strung together as a garland, or even arranged into a simple wreath. 

Click "Read more" for the full post

[Weekly Inspiration] 1.14.2012

these pretty DIY houses via fellow fellow

these bright & cheerful spaces via mimi'lou :: as seen on oh joy

this cute Valentine's heart pin via [dandee]

this lovely, funky bathroom via a beautiful mess

this lemon poppy seed cake with lemon cream... yes please!  via always with butter

this pretty flowered mirror via marie claire idees

The Mister is taking the morning off to bond with friends and cars (or maybe that's friends with cars?).  Anyhow, I've got full boy duty today.  Lots of basketball, playground activities and rough housing are in my future.  Should be fun!

Have a great weekend!

[Inspired by] Knit & Crochet

It wasn't long ago that I thought knitting and crocheting were for "lil' ol' ladies". That's definitely not the case anymore-- I really like it when trends from the past become hip again. When knitting became "cool" a few years back, I didn't follow the trend. But now... I sure wish I had learned how!  I probably wouldn't knit sweaters of scarves, but a pillow cover? or a cover for a wood stool? I'd do that in a heartbeat. Here are a few knitted and crocheted creations that have recently caught my eye--

clockwise from top left:  knitted stools via martha stewart; ceramic sweater vase via crate + barrel; trellis knit pillow via west elm, hand-crocheted mini dress via anthropologie; crocheted toms via nordstrom (they're back!), crochet necklace via lucky brand @ macys, wire crocheted earrings via yoola on etsy

So what do you think?  Yarn creations in decor and fashion... yay or nay?