snake charmer and other backyard sideshows

Or perhaps, Snake C(harmer)



Today's episode of Fun with Neighborhood Cats featured thrilling hunt by feline vs. reptile. The snake charmer photo above reminds me of those cute photos you see of things like a hippo hanging out with a turtle, or a mouse playing with a parakeet, or a baby alligator swimming with a baby manatee. So I'm going to pretend this photo is all about peace and love of a sweet cat and a mild mannered snake, and maybe it really is after all, even if one of them had to play dead. (I'm pretty sure this snake was injured or just extremely stressed out. But later I moved him and I think he managed to get away, because he wasn't in the same place when I checked back).

In less charming back yard undertakings, I had a container for collecting grubs and another for worms. The grubs are for the birds (and to get them out of the garden), and the worms go back in after weeding and such.



So far in the garden, the peas are doing the best.

Unfortunately, once again I convinced myself after planting a row of something and leaving it unmarked that "Oh, I'll remember what I planted there." And now I can't remember.

For example:



The choices are: arugula, mesclun, lettuce, swiss chard, and something else I forgot. I think it's arugula. Someday I'll be the kind of wise person who can recognize plants (even seedlings) by sight.

Other things I planted and did not mark were: turnips, rhutabaga, kohlrabi. I know where these all are, I just don't know which row is which.

The things I marked include: carrots, spinach, radish (2-3 kinds), maybe something else I forgot.



And this was exciting: for the first time since whenever I planted it, this fruit tree is blooming. My memory must be shot, because not only do I not remember how long it's been there, I also don't know for 100% sure what it is... but I think it's pear. Maybe it will someday have pears?

Stay tuned for: non-edible strawberries.

freakish animals from far and wide

Some time ago, some freakish animals named Craylamb, Two-headed flying Panther, Ram Roach and Lizard-tailed Frogbra went out into the world via my etsy shop.

These daring pioneers joined my friend D. in New York, where they soon became inhabitants of some premium display cases.



And now I've gotten word from a great customer named boogi child that her freakish animals - White-collared Horsadile and Bumble Monkey - are now proud wall occupants in these wonderful hanging dioramas she created.







It's great to see where the freakish animals make their homes and I'm so glad they keep in touch.

choice etsy embroidery aggregated for your convenience

Larger version is here.

So, speaking of embroidery (which there's often time to speak of), I recently went on an etsy hunt to find some of the coolest embroidery. And since I never even try to get treasuries anymore, I just made one using poster sketch.

Some of this stuff is amazing. I tried to stick to hand done embroidery, not that I'm against machinery... but I guess I just have a soft spot for people with achy fingers.

Here are the links:
unirabbit - the frog bag
fat cat - meowstro
nature's garbageman - jilldrapermakesstuff
the meditation - chatnoirstudios
what i look like - wildethyme
woop woop - rebeccajaynedagger
redwork elf - cornflowercreations
i hart wayne - crumpart
swans - indianablue
dancer - sarahgail
squeaky wheel - couchdesign
cityscape - ramblinworker
lumberjack underpants - rosieok
what a manly pouch - MABbymorgan
happy utensils - melysbaby
fat cat - aronlowe

I purchased some things from thefrogbag a while back. I really love thefrogbag's goods. I got a trilobite cat toy for Patches and a tadpole bag for myself.

As for my embroidery... well, I'm still working on taking forever project as well as more embroidered-headed dolls. I'll have to give an update on these things at a later date.

I had another topic to post, but I think I'll wait on that one for next time.

Karee Raisu and a Crochet Tongue

Karee raisu is the Japanese "katakana English" word for curry rice. And that's Japanese curry rice (quite different than an Indian or other Southeast Asian curry). It's kind of like a thick curry gravy stew served with sticky white rice. It's one of my favorites!




So, I had been planning this for some while, since I bought some tiny little china "bowls" at the thrift store. This is a curry rice pincushion. I was scared the curry rice pincushion in my head wasn't going to come out... but I'm very pleased that it worked out pretty much as I imagined it.

I need to get to the post office before it closes in the late morning. I have a postmark deadline to meet, and if anything is a form of motivation, it's a postmark deadline.

If I make the deadline, I'm planning on entering the curry rice pincushion and a re-worked toothy pincushion into the Interweave Press Pincushion Contest. Thanks to my friend Catherine for telling me about it quite a while ago - of course I waited until a week before the deadline to get these going.

I had to "learn" to crochet as a technique which would fulfill the requirements. So I crocheted a tongue for a toothy pincushion.



Previous incarnations of the toothy pincushion have been sewn velvety fabric. It's much much more difficult to crochet a pincushion tongue than it is to sew one.



It's been a hectic week, craft-wise. Let alone organization/cleaning/yardwork-wise. There's just too much I need to do. As crazed as they make me, deadlines really are helpful.

flip books & clean fingernails

I attempted to make another movie with my camera but I ended up having to reshoot a few times due to lighting, technical bloopers and my previously dirty fingernails.  It's certainly a step up from my last (needle felting) episode, but there's much improvement to be had.  I need a voice disguiser thingy so I can do dialogue in upcoming movies.  Or not.  The whole audio portion of anything is a challenge to be sure.

So, now I have 6 flip books in my shop, to sell individually and also in sets, and I'd like to make more and more.

Presidents & Pill Boxes

The other week I spent quite a while sorting through a shoebox and basket full of stamps.  I bought 70 stamps for 5 cents each.  Despite my moratorium on shopping, I allowed this purchase because they don't take up a lot of space... and also I had specific plans for them.



In the piles were some stamps from Helvetia, and while watching Helvetica, the movie I found out that is Switzerland.

So, I used 4 of these stamps and decorated two sets of "pill boxes" (these are the kind I make from empty tape roll "cylinders").  Set one is Abraham Lincoln & Lady Liberty:


Set two is George Washington and Thomas Jefferson:
. 

Both are in my Shoppe for President's day. 

Stay tuned for upcoming news from the flip book factory...

lack o' progress

Week 3?

Well, I decided I need more containers in which to "sort" my belongings. Until I get that going my cleaning/organization project has been temporarily stalled.

However, I have been relatively good about not buying stuff.  So there.

Becoming vagabondish is more and more appealing. 

I've been using stumble apon and finding some interesting stuff.
For example, I like messing with sketchswap
and want to live here and now I know how to make a steam engine.