Making a Kindle Case: The Prototype

I'll start this post by saying that I am an adamant book person.

People would comment on how much they thought I'd enjoy an eReader and I'd get angry about it.

I'd point to the piles of books in my house and warble on about the smell of a book, the feel of a page in your hands, the ability to doodle in margins. I would wax painfully on and on about how I was sure I'd never fall for the treacherous lure of the Kindle.

This is me.

Eating crow.

Damn I love my Kindle.

And. Once I discovered that I'd fallen, hard core, for this lovely little bit of technology, I new I needed a spiffy new case for it. And, thinking I was being original, I decided I'd be snarky about it and make one out of an old hardbound book. Then, for kicks I decided I'd scoot around the interwebs and see what I could find in the way of easy tutorials. Smack me upside the head and call me Charlie, everyone and their brother has had the same idea I had.

So not original, but awesome nonetheless. I snagged a few old, but still in good condition, hardbound books from Goodwill for a buck a piece. I used a utility knife to splice the pages out, leaving a lovely little shell.

I just used up some scraps I had to hand and fashioned a pocket on the left hand side for storing my baby safely and attached two bits of wide elastic to the right hand side, to keep it secure while reading, without being obtrusive.

I used some E6000to attach everything to the book shell and clamped it all together with some binder clips over night. It's not perfect, but that's okay because it's just the prototype. Never mind the visible stitching, or the area of the shell you can see outside of the fabric...that'll all get revised & perfected in the next version.

Still, all in all, for a quickie project, it's not too shabby!

Happy Friday, Gang.

I'm off to download some more new books!

-xo-

I Mustache You a Question...

So earlier in the week I floated in and out of the loveliest sewing shop downtown.

Crimson Tate, Modern Quilter has been on my to-shop list for AGES. And, while I've eyed it desperately in passing for some time, I finally walked myself from one end of Mass Ave to the other on a lunch break, and promptly fell in love.

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I could live in that shop.

Truly.

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There are so few placed in Indy where you can buy 'the good stuff'. And Crimson Tate is in Walking Distance. And they offer classes that I'm dying to sign up for...and patterns...and...sigh. I knew once I finally started shopping there I was done for. I was right. I've spoiled myself for sure.

 

I walked out with a few yards of Heather Ross and a pattern for a gift for Moms for next month...AND... Mustache Yardage. Swoon.



So, finding myself kidless and rather socially retarded of a Tuesday evening, I whipped up a couple practice pillows, in anticipation of my brother finally closing on his house this weekend and being in dire need of a housewarming gift.

Vinny! If you're reading this...STOP!

 

And because, essentially, I am lazy; I just did two simple pillows from some scrap muslin I had on hand, and then made two envelope-closure pillow cases. Dig the fancy-pants stitching on the hem of my closure. Vinny should appreciate the argyle-style. I don't think that boy owns any non-argyle socks. At least, not any I've seen in the past few years...you know...when he wears socks.

Two pillows in under two hours. Between huge spoonfuls of homemade risotto and large glasses of white wine. I sure hope my seams are even... when one drinks and sews while watching movies, one can never be entirely sure...

 

-xo-

The Great Toilet Paper Roll Challenge

Happy Tuesday, Gang!

 


 Okay. So.Remember This?

Well, I'd started on a little something, and then I got the plague last week and all my projects got sidelined for a week. An Entire Week! Gah! I'm so behind on baby gifts and Mothers Day gifts and the three dolls that The Monkey has requested out of Wee Wonderfuls that I don't even know where to start!

Luckily, these little guys only took about 15 minutes of actual effort.
Once I shook the plague.

To Do:
Take a handful of leftover toilet paper rolls...

snip off the tops and make a few angled cuts so you've got an approximate crown shape...

Grab a few wrapping paper scraps from I-can't-throw-anything-away bin, and wrap the tube.

Make cuts from the top, down in between the crests of each crown point. 

Fold the edges of the wrapping paper down over each point, like wrapping a gift, and secure with a little scotch tape. And voila! Mini crowns for your baby doll's next tea party!

The Monkey's big into "playing kitchen" and having tea parties. Good lord, I have a kid that has tea parties. I never thought I'd see the day.

In a pinch, they even fit The Monkey!

Hopefully I'll have more finished projects to post in the next few days, after I've played catch up with all the laundry and housecleaning and school work, oh my!

Caught. Again.

So I’m leaving work last night, and jamming out appropriately to Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight…and the drum solo kicks in and I’m banging away at the steering wheel of the Cavalier.

And that ten-beat measure puts me in the mind of Mr. Handsome, as it is inextricably linked to him now in my mind, as it was his ringtone for nearly the entire time we dated, except for those first few months when it was something from Mike Tyson’s Punchout I think? Regardless, the drum measure is now my ringtone for when he calls. Not that he really does very often, we text. Because we are hip and cool and are secretly fond of the option of waiting to reply until it appears that we were not sitting there waiting on a text, growing giddy and excited when the vibration of the phone makes the desk under it buzz, causing tiny little tremors. What? I’m NOT the only one who does that. Don’t lie.

But that’s neither here nor there in this story.

Because as I’m drumming on the steering wheel, I pull up alongside a rather natty looking SUV of the jeep-y variety. I’m not a car person, hush.  I look over, and there’s pretty much the world’s cutest little tow-headed man-child sitting nearly sideways in his seat staring out the window. The kid was maybe five, six tops and I look over, seeing him staring and grinning like a March Hare, and wink at him and smile hugely. Like we’re sharing a secret, this kid and I, and probably we’re the only ones that know I’m dancing in the car.

Nope.

In the next nanosecond this kid yells at the TOP of his lungs:

“Hey! Dad! Look! That lady drums on the car just like you do!!!”

The father, glances over, does a double take and simultaneously looks mortified and like he’s trying not to laugh all at once.

“It’s okay!” Tiny Tot continues to bellow, this time out the window at me. “I think you’re doing a very nice job.”

I die.

I swear my arm moved of its own volition to my cell phone to snap a picture because this kid was so freakin cute. But then I realize that this makes me quite creepy and stalkerish, so I don’t do it. Which is why you have that lovely picture of Phil up there. Because he’s the man. And apparently inspires all sorts of people to sing out loud in the car, and play drums on the steering wheel.

Things I Actually Said Out Loud This Morning:

Things I actually said this morning:

What did I just step in?

No, your baby doll does not have asthma.

Do you have your shoes on yet?

Yes, you do have to wear a shirt to school.

No, your socks do not have to match, just put them on.

Do you have your shoes on yet?

No you don’t have ebola, and even if you did I would still send you to school today.

Did you just eat that entire chocolate bunny for breakfast?

Yes, Mommys are too allowed to have blue underwear. Yours have Spongebob on them, am I looking at you like you’re crazy?

No, I don’t know how many heads a Hydra would have if you cut them all off twice. It’s too early for math.

What is your bookbag doing there anyway?

Are you wearing two different shoes? No, I won’t make you change, I’m just glad you have them on.

Has anyone seen your sister?

Well if I  left my ipod on repeat playing Brick House all night, it would kill the battery same as yours.

 

No, I don’t think I can guess which one is the green ninja, you’ll have to just tell me.

Yes you can get your ears pierced, just not today.

No, not tomorrow either.

Who took all the change off my dresser?

Are you wearing my shirt?

Yes you have time for breakfast, no it cannot be ice cream with chocolate sauce.

No I do not want to hear the orange and banana joke again.

Yes I would love to hear you practice your speech in the shower.

No we cannot listen to that Yo Gabba Gabba song in the car.
Well, mostly because it makes me stabby.

Stabby? Well. It’s. You know what? I’ll tell you when you’re older.

No you’re not older enough yet.

…and you people wonder why I drink…

Easter Weekend

Still sorting through the photos from Easter Weekend.

There are literally hundreds.  How does that happen?

Sometimes, though, one is enough to start with...

okay. no. i lied. this one too...

It's literally about two seconds before the contents of The Monkey's basket trickled out and over onto her brother... Hah.

Happy Easter, gang.

Wine Slushies & Sewing

FYI gang: Wine Slushies & sewing don't mix well.

Wait, let me caveat that. Because, let's be honest. Wine slushies (especially sangria slushies) go with everything. But if you're cutting quilt squares and then sewing said squares...and drinking said wine slushies...don't expect things to even up as they ought to.

So we're not calling this a quilt in the strictest sense of the word.

We're calling this a wonky little blanket top...which I will eventually quilt onto a soft, squishy, yet-to-be-determined-fabric backing.

It was still fun, to layout all that fabric, crank the radio up, and down an entire pitcher full of frozen fruit, leftover wine (yeah, I didn't know that existed either) and a bit of rum.

~cheers~

Things we Forgot...

It's odd, being kid free for a few consecutive days this week while The Munchkins spend the second half of their Spring Break at their dad's.

And by odd, I mean glorious.

I ate dinner on the porch last night and polished off the remains of the roasted garlic hummus, four slices of pita, a quarter container of tabouleh, a handful of feta cheese chunks and stuffed olives and the bottom half of a bottle of Pinot. I stayed out reading and listening to the radio until I had to turn the patio lights on...until my toes got cold and I had to put a sweatshirt on.

Still, it's an odd sort of empty ache that starts in the pit of your stomach when, even amid such glory, you wonder what the kidlets are getting up to.

Apparently, this is what they were getting up to.
Hahahahahahaha!

It's the Great Toilet Paper Roll Challenge!

Do you guys have any idea how many rolls of toilet paper we go through in any given month with three kids in the house?

The Southern Institute is hosting a craft-along using  that great naptime craft basic - The Empty Toilet Paper Roll.

Awesome. I'm so in.

I save and stockpile these for the emergency Mommy-just-needs-five-minutes-so-why-don't-you-build-something craft box already. I'm off to pilfer the stash. This is going to be grand.

Spring Break Staycation

Sometimes the vacations we take where we don't go anywhere can be just as satisfying as the ones we spend crisping on a beach somewhere.

 

Okay. No. That was a lie. I'd much rather have been crisping on a beach somewhere last week.

 

But, as it is, last week was pretty spectacular all the same.

We cleaned &  purged The Munchkins closets, drawers and toy chests (not that they know I've purged their toy chests. So if you guys could not say anything? That'd be spectacular)

We hit the parks and the playlands and the indoor swimming pool.

We hit the zoo and the library and spent very nearly every day sleeping in and grilling out and eating on the back patio.

 

Wouldn't you? 

Long live the Staycation.

The Monster High Girls certainly approve...

Louis Angelo

I am an Aunt.

I am over the moon about this little guy. Truly.

Louis Angelo Martin.
Born, Thursday, March 29, 2012
7lbs. 9oz of unbelievable cuteness.

He's got his dad's chin and his momma's nose. He's so solid and quiet and serious. As if he's pondering the entire world in the space of a heartbeat.

I can't wait to watch this kid grow up.