clarinet practice

We're trying to keep the musical process going

this summer, even though many of the scheduley

structures are happily set aside.

 

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skate leash tutorial

As I mentioned previously, a skate leash is a handy way of keeping

roller or inline skates tethered together for hauling around or hanging up.

The pictures in this tutorial show my kids sewing up their own skate

leashes in about ten minutes -- it's that easy!

 

Start with a strap of some kind which can be doubled up and still

pass through your sewing machine. The instructions that follow refer

to grosgrain ribbon, sewn with regular poly/cotton sewing thread

and a #14 sewing machine needle.

 

1) Cut strap to 48" length (if this skate leash is for a small child, you may wish

to adjust this down -- my seven-year-old prefers a 36" starting length).

 

2) Starting on one end, iron the ribbon under about 1/2".

2) Fold the ribbon under again, this time another 3 inches.

3) Press.

4) Using your presser foot as a guide, sew down the ribbon at the

3" fold. Secure this end of the loop with a small rectangle of stitches

and then an "x" criss-crossing the rectangle. This encases the frayed ends

of the ribbon and strengthens the loop. Trim loose strings. Iron one more time.

Your ribbon end should look something like this.

5) Repeat steps 2-5 with the other end of the strap, making sure

you are folding the ends under to the same side of the ribbon as before.

6) Your skate leash is complete! Pull the ribbon strap partially

through one end to form a loop.

Repeat with the other end as well.

7) Position the loop you just made over part of the skate --

the toe stop, the front wheels, or the boot itself. Pull to tighten.

The other end attaches to the other skate, and you are ready to go!

 

 

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summertime

 

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skating

My failure to blog lately has not been for lack of interesting things to

talk about, but rather for a complete lack of motivation to snap a decent

photo. Maybe one of these days soon I'll strap my camera on and get to it!

 

Anyway, in search of fun, air-conditioned exercise activities for the

kids this summer, I discovered our local roller rink's summer pass.

I love to roller skate and don't especially like to swim, so this was a

no-brainer. It has, of course, taken the three of us a little time to work

the kinks out of our process, find the right skates, etc. But we're meeting

people, getting into a rhythm, learning how to keep track of our skates,

and even figuring out how to skate backwards!!

 

In my random skate-related internet research, I came across the

skate leash. This is a strap with some sort of loop at either end

to wrap around any part of each skate (the brake, wheels, etc.)

for easy towing. I figured out how to make my own rather than

shell out the $20 they want online, and I'll post a tutorial on it soon.

Maybe you need one, too!

 

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back from vacation

 

We spent last week in Carlsbad, California enjoying the

60-something degree weather, the beach, and a cutesie

little beach town with plenty of coffee and ice cream shops

(sometimes combined -- what could be better?!).

 

The week largely felt like this.

We are back now, to the 100+ heat, but fully enjoying being home.

The skating starts today, and the bumming around with friends.

Ah, summer.

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on vacation

 

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i know this is gross, but...

my first batch of kombucha molded!

Apparently adding fruit to the mix is supposed

to happen after the brewing process is complete.

storage makeover

 

As the craft closet gets more and more cramped and our household

cleaning supplies cry out for a hiding place, I have started plotting out

a storage overhaul. It requires moving things around between five

spaces in our home but will hopefully end with a nicely organized

storage system (for the first time ever) and some breathing room

for painting and sewing. I was very excited about leaping into this

before the coming of the summer heat until I got the flu last weekend

and landed flat on my face. But like the dandelion, I will rise.

Speaking of which, I just finished the 100 Cupboards trilogy, by

N. D. Wilson. I highly recommend it, but only if you have either a

great deal of discipline or some time on your hands -- it's hard to set down!

 

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journal cover completed

Here's the final version of the mother-daughter

collaboration on my journal cover.

While I think the accessories all look like acorns,

my daughter assures me that they're nuts, as in,

"I am nuts for nuts and ice skating."

So I suppose this is the winter elven nut fairy!

 

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out and about

 When I was at Target a few weeks ago, I happened upon this

Kleenex box with linework that somehow looked very familiar.

I was excited to discover that it had been designed by an artist

I follow online -- Cori Dantini. Now, how fun is that?!?