Preparations for a Wedding

Erin and Andrew's wedding is just around the corner now, and it's keeping the crafting hands busy. First thing when I got back to Waterloo was the wedding shower! There was a food and drinks table with jumbo straws that I wish I had stolen every time I have an avocado smoothie (a new favourite).

And a Bronwyn Snyder cake which, despite worries, was delicious. But the sudden realization dawns that I never got a strawberry... 

Some BORING punch. Actually it was delicious AND there were mimosas outside.

But all I really did was provide transport and show up, basically. Oh, and tack up some flowers in doorways.

Hannah, on the other hand, cross-stitched badges for everyone.

AND made adorable cupcakes! So it's almost like you were there now, isn't it? Hm?

In other news, I've been helping out some since then. I got my sewing machine all oiled up! I am way more excited about this than most things. That sewing machine is a good reference point for me in life.

In any case, I brought it over to Erin's for some quilting madness!!!!!!!!

We got all of the rows done so it shouldn't take too much more time to finish, because of Erin's sensible choice of quilting method: knots!

And, during downtimes, putting together giant paper flowers has taken over all other duties. These are amazing. Instructions available here and I highly recommend making a bunch of these without having any purpose in mind. They're fun.

A Day for Doing Things

 I had this rule where if it was a weekend, I was really going to take the day off if I could. And if I had to go in to work, then I would work on my own stuff only if it wasn't a full shift, and only for the amount of time to do eight hours of work in a day. But here I am, on a Saturday, before a full shift at work, getting things done.

Well mostly I'm waiting for my dog to wake up and insist on going outside RIGHT AWAY before I commit myself to anything too time-consuming, like having a shower.

I haven't been crafting much lately. Since that whole glass fiasco, I decided that the best present for Katherine would be a cross stitch pattern that I was making when we lived on Quinn Street. She was always so excited to see it coming along, and planning where we would put it once it was done, so it always sort of weighed on me that I never finished it. UNTIL NOW!

 Of course, when one openly makes something like this, one gets a lot of comments such as "you know, that would look great in OUR kitchen, too," so maybe that's where this sudden cross stitch craze came from. The huge one I'm working on will never be finished, and takes so much obvious effort that maybe people won't just ask for it. I mean heck, this one's not completely filled in, is the size of a photograph, took me three years to finish (although an intensive three weeks at the end covered most of it), and was about $300 to frame (although I got it on sale).

Also shipping is a pain. But I think I've got the hang of it. All I can say is, I'm never getting anything framed again.

Of course I had pictures of the finished package, but thought maybe Katherine would appreciate my not putting up pictures of things that had her address written on them in block letters.

 Oh, and I DID team up with my mom this Easter to make that pie I said I'd never make again. With two people it goes much faster, and with far fewer meltdowns. We actually got it on the table when it was still light out!

In other news, this is my fiftieth post! I'll drink to that.

Procrastinating

 I've been avoiding things again. But in avoiding, I remembered other projects I've been meaning to do! Like this silver dish. On a visit to Victoria BC, a friend found out I loved antiques, so she got out all of her tarnished silver and let me keep whatever I wanted, provided I polish as much as I could. I love polishing. But unfortunately, the dish I kept has been sitting on a shelf and looks like this now. I just haven't had the time.

And I've really fallen into this giant cross stitch. Since taking this picture, I've actually reached the top of the final picture! There's another whole top quarter to go, and all of the bottom, though.

 And one night I got tired of it and thought, you know that dish is going to take maybe ten minutes to do...

So I did it :)