Max's Clean/Dirty Dishwasher Sign!

So it was well past time for a new Clean/Dirty Dishwasher sign.

In case you've never been privvy to them, they're those things which tell us not to mess up a whole clean load of dishes with a disgusting peanut butter knife. (sheesh.)

Here's our old one. It's so artfully handwritten (by the husband) on the back of an invitation dating about a decade ago. 

The invitation was brand new when we defaced it. 

Yes, we've held on to this ratty little piece of paper for way too long. 

And here's our new one (another laminator usage victory!).

I hung it on its very own hook above the garbage disposal switch. 

Oh yes, I should be very proud of the fact it fit a prompt in the Summer Nerd Games!!!

45pts

June Wordy

---Wordy: Many little nerdlings find their way to the Nerdyverse through reading.  Pick one of your favorite childhood books, and craft something inspired by it.  (Because I’m quite old, I rule that books that you loved from birth to teen counts as childhood.)

But enough buildup....

Here's what the 2-sided sign looks like up close and personal...

Materials Used:

LAMINATOR!

ATC card blanks

Scrapbook Paper Scraps

Colored Pencils

This sign makes me smile every time I glance at it.

I'll eat it up, I love it so.

It's a Thrift Store Miracle!

It's not often you find EXACTLY what your looking for at the Thrift Store....

Usually you wander in and fate takes over whether or not something catches your eye enough to buy.
But every once in a blue moon fate smiles on you.

Morgan and I went in looking for Junie B. Jones books and we found 8 of them!!!












Her 1st grade class is reading them and she's become enthralled. So much so we're now working on a Halloween Costume!

 

I found these "fake" "fashion" glasses at Target so we're well on our way!

What are you fine people doing for costumes in your house?

Harry Potter Howler Mitts!

I made these for the Craftster.org Return to Hogwarts Swap: Round 4; my partner: 85%confusion.

Couldn't find a pattern anywhere for them, so I decided to create one of my own. :)

Photo courtesy 85%confusion

Materials

Worsted weight Red

Worsted weight White

size 6 needles: dpn or 29 inch circs or longer if you like magic loop, for working in the round.

CO 36 stitches with Red, "long tail" method for extra stretchyness.

Join for knitting in the round

Rounds 1-10: K2, P2 for 2x2 rib

Rounds 11-20 Knit in the round

Rounds 21-30 Stockinette flat back and forth (Row 21 purl, Row 22 knit and so on)

Join for knitting in the round again

Rounds 31-33 Knit in the round

Here's where the "split" happens for the Howler's "lips"

Knit 18 stitches leaving the other 18 on a length of yarn for picking up later.

(If working in magic loop, just leave remaining 18 stitches on the cable) 

Knit 5 rows stockinette 

Bind Off loosely

Now for the other side of the hand.

Knit the remaining 18 stitches off it's Holder 

Knit 5 rows stockinette

Bind Off loosely

Then we come to the "Teeth"

Go to the "non thumb" side where the flaps start.

Count down 3 rows and on inside (wrong side) of mitt pick up and knit 36 stitches 

Knit 1 row

Knit 5 rows of 2x2 rib (Same as the wrist cuff)

Bind Off in pattern

Weave in ends and go give that Ronald Weasley the "what for" for stealing a Muggle Car!!!

 
Special Thanks to Melissa for being my hand model!
George Costanza has NOTHIN' on you!

This is the very first pattern I've ever written down and to my knowledge it's original.

Please throw me a message if anything is askew,

I am incredibly open to constructive critisim. 

Superman Skirt!

I was at the Thrift Store (surprise) and in the fabric/craft section (another surprise) when out of the corner of my eye I spied that tell tale combination of red, blue, and yellow.

Oh yes, it was superman fabric!!!
Not knowing at the time it was technically a quilt panel I thought "Oooo what a fun skirt this would make!".

I could also sneak it into the summer nerd games under the prompt of the "muscular" system.

---Textbook: Guts & Glory!: Pick a particular system within your body (muscular, digestive, nervous, endocrine, reproductive, circulatory) and craft something inspired by it.

Up, up, and away!

Check out that black trim. 

It's actually lace I got from my friend Lisa...

(the picture here doesn't quite do it justice)

and the amount I got from her was a perfect length to add to the blue plaid underskirt!

Thanks again, Lisa!!!

Also, thanks to my photographer Melissa!

I can't very well take sassy pictures of myself, right?

Mat Cauthon Hoopla!

A staggeringly huge 3 incher of a Hoopla!

It might be safe to say Matrim Cauthon is my favorite character

in the epic book series The Wheel of Time; written by Robert Jordan.

Mat LOVES to gamble with the dice.....and hears them rolling in 

his head when a decision has to be made. 

Also, he is quite the Han Solo of the series: he has a mouth on him 

and "Blood and Bloody Ashes" is kind of a swear phrase in the books.

Sort of like saying "Well "F" ME!" 

Nynaeve would not be pleased.

I entered this in 2 Craftster things in August.

Craftster was having it's 10th anniversary so the Aug Hoopla challenge was 

"The number 10"

There are 10 pips on the die and Mat is prominetly featured on the 10th book in the series.

Which leads us to the Nerd Games Challenge.

August Wordy: Craft your favorite Book.

Just look at that swagger.

It's as if he's saying...

"Who's scruffy lookin'?"

Sir Robin Shirt!

Yes, he slew the vicious Chicken of Bristol and 

personally wet himself at the Battle of Badon Hill.

We love Sir Robin so!

Will has discovered he does not have as many "dress-up" clothes as Morgan.

This needed some changing!

The shirt was a thrift store find and I used my handy-dandy fabric markers.

We love the soundrack to Monty Python's Spamalot around here,

Will has a special affinity toward Sir Robin. 

Here's Will as Sir Robin for Halloween a few years ago!

This was when he was 2 and probably the last year I would 

get to choose his costume. Sigh.

A few things Sir Will had in common with Sir Robin that Halloween...

Both had red hair,

Both have an affinity for the color green, 

Both had issues with soiling their pants!

Lockers!

SPECIAL ALERT:
Just got back from Miss Morgan's 1st grade-before school starts-conference.

She is going to be the proud inhabitant of a LOCKER for the first time!

Now the pinterest addict in me wants to start a board all for school locker decoration.

Here's a selection from Locker Lookz . 

Does that first locker have a chandelier?!!

Super cute tutorial on a locker organizer over at Sophie's World.

Made from a shoebox lid AND I get to incorporate duct tape?

Sign me up!

I have some research to do here.

The goal of today is:

1. Don't go overboard.

2. Remember this is not MY locker, it's MORGAN's 

Both important goals...

Perhaps the more important is the second one.

As I type this an epiphany has smacked me...

Let's wait a few weeks and let her get settled. 

If she wants to glam up (note to self: pinterest search "glamping") her space and asks for help, then I'll be there with duck tape, magnets, and hot glue gun in my Crafty Batman Utility Belt.

Until then, keep my crafty mouth shut!

(note to self: make a Crafty Batman Utility Belt out of duct tape.)