I Fixed It: A Key!

Ok, so in the interest of full disclosure, I got this idea from Pioneer Woman. She mentioned a few days ago that, as a child, if her mother locked herself in her room to catch a nap in the afternoon....she would fashion a key out of a door hanger, and break in.

Hrm.

See, a few weeks ago, I realized that I had to start locking doors in my house. A lot of doors. Siu Jeun, my nearly two year old, is lovingly called our Destructobot. Or Glambo. But only if he's wearing my heels and kicking toys.

*ahem*


So, I pilfered all the locking door handles in the house (from the bathrooms, actually) and placed them on doors that needed locking: my bedroom (it has two doors) and my craft room. (My husband keeps an XBox in the room that Siu Jeun finds...irresistible. The day Siu Jeun chewed on, and killed, a game controller was the day we decided we needed more locking doors in our lives.)

The only problem was, I could only find one "key". It was a stiff piece of wire, with the end bent into a loop. I hung it outside my main bedroom door, and had to remember to put it back...or else!

Thanks to Pioneer Woman, a handy wire hanger from the dry cleaners, and a pair of wire snips/needle nose pliers, I am now the proud owner of three keys. One for each room.

There. I fixed it.

(Ok, so this post is kind of a far fetch. I really wanted to push myself and post on LoLo Craft once a day for the entire month of November. This...is turning out to be a bigger stretch than I thought. Oh, and later this month? I'll celebrate my anniversary, my birthday, my twin sister's birthday and host Thanksgiving...so, I'm relying HEAVILY on post-dated material and hoping for the best! My Christmas list is nearly finished, and I have a docket of gifts that need making. Here goes nothing! Some days, you work on a quilt fashioned of bits of fabric lovingly cut by your great-grandmother. Other days, you snip a hanger to bits and call yourself a genius. I take what I can get!)

Unmatched Matchy-matchy Frames!

Confused? Check it out.

A quick trip to the thrift store…a pile of wooden frames in various sizes…and a can of spray paint. Voila! Matched unmatched frames.

 

I pulled a huge box into my driveway, and laid out my frames. Since they were all really inexpensive (read: CHEAP) I had to use a screw driver to open up the metal tabs on the back that held the frames to their insides. Once all the backs, fillers and glass plates were removed, I got started.

Ming Wai really, really wanted to help…but somehow, I didn’t think that handing a can of black spray paint to a four year old wearing all white would help anything. So, I did the next best thing. I gave her the camera!

Paparazzi, take it away!

(Hello, Crazy Tiny Manly Hands.)

(She takes good pictures! She, of course, kept the camera for the next half hour and proceeded to take 171 pictures of me, her shoes, leaves, the ground, my rear end, her feet, my legs, a tree, a bird, my head..you get the idea.)

 

The frames are all put back together now…and it’s time to round up some pictures of the kids. I have a wall in the upstairs hall with one. lone. picture, right in the middle. (It’s a Black Apple print, so it’s not such a terrible thing…but, still. It’s lonely!) I hope to fill the wall with memories, faces and smiles. I can’t wait! (I’ve admired this type of frame grouping for…well, for several years now, but I’d never found a suitable cache of wooden frames to use.)

Sassy Little Girl Apron

Here's a little apron I made for the giveaway winner on Be Different...Act Normal. I couldn't send her one of the aprons I already had made up, because those ones were designed to fit toddlers. The winner had a toddler girl, and a kindergarten-aged daughter. The toddler already had an apron...but the kindergartner had none!

Well, that just can't be! Every little girl needs their own apron! This was the first apron I made from an upcycled/thrifted sheet.

I think the fabric makes great aprons...but can you imagine sleeping on that?! Seriously - how is bright red gingham checks supposed to make you drowsy?!

A Craft Fair Apron

I made this this weekend for a special someone (who probably doesn't read this blog, so I'm safe). She's a jeweler who peddles her wares at various craft fairs around NY. I couldn't think of what to make for her, when suddenly I remembered that I am the Apron Lady! And what Craft Fair working lady doesn't need a sassy apron??

It's a pretty simple apron, but I love it. It hits just about at the knees, to catch any bits of paper, string or what-have-you that might fall into your lap while you're crafting behind your table. There's a little pocket on the front, just about hand height, perfect for holding a little sketchbook or receipt book and a pen.

And what apron would be complete without a sassy little bow in the back??

This apron is the second one I've made from a thrifted fitted sheet - doesn't that gingham just scream apron to you??!

(Please ignore the sweats and Mariners t-shirt - we were rather short on perky, skinny, sassy little models on Saturday night, and I wanted photos of the apron for Thing A Day!)