tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43508254390313348042024-03-16T11:52:50.379-07:00Tarkheena CraftsTarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-41149881274934355112024-03-01T11:21:00.000-08:002024-03-01T11:21:29.443-08:00Ruminations on Motivations for Crafting<h2 style="text-align: left;">Ruminations on Why We Craft</h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgih-r0NKsbIkY5pB6OLnMlkB92As7IU1Ih8jFspKR0YfhPzVLMTtjGyOBVcTpW1ZOCnYeZGyWR8D7L5kZ4uYvsOyJ4-6uwhX0je5L1hOyQoFjG1f_cBNl7aiTEkpLMihd5tnSkATHQA_dlaCFz3HTeQgyoSZjSMqdcOb1QrVTAeG0dkPiL-y4L8A2IA/s2000/Untitled%20design.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgih-r0NKsbIkY5pB6OLnMlkB92As7IU1Ih8jFspKR0YfhPzVLMTtjGyOBVcTpW1ZOCnYeZGyWR8D7L5kZ4uYvsOyJ4-6uwhX0je5L1hOyQoFjG1f_cBNl7aiTEkpLMihd5tnSkATHQA_dlaCFz3HTeQgyoSZjSMqdcOb1QrVTAeG0dkPiL-y4L8A2IA/s320/Untitled%20design.png" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My rendition of <a href="https://cholyknight.com/product/owl-plush/" target="_blank">Choly Knight's owl</a> pattern<br /></div><div><br /><br /><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I've joined several Facebook crafting groups lately, and one of the more frequent topics is some iteration of "how much should I charge for X?" <br />This morning's variation was a photo of a particular handcraft (fair disclosure: of a particularly vintage style that I don't personally find attractive) with the question "Will these sell?" <br />Before I knew it, I found myself writing an essay. I have preserved and polished it here: <br /><br />"Will I don't know if "will they sell?" may not be exactly the right question. Perhaps a better one is "will they sell at a price that justifies both the materials and time?" </span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In my personal experience, pretty much Nothing hand-made sells at a profit-making price for the vast majority of us rubes who show up at a craft fair or three each year and just want to make people happy with our cute / useful / clever and amusing wares. </span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I walked through one of those crafting co-op shops last week, and it was full of everything from (beautiful) pot holders to (terrifying) crocheted dolls to customizable birth-announcement plushies, plus the expected share of antiques and memorabilia. Most of it was priced to "compete with China:" $15 screen-printed T-shirts, $10 crochet items, $5 machine-embroidered zipper pouches. Even the lady re-selling zipper pulls and similar notions was probably spending far more time packaging and labeling her wares than the $2.50 price justified.</span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I sincerely doubt that one handcraft booth out of 10 was making back its booth fee on an average month. And if we want to be really mean and talk about *profit,* I'll bet there aren't any. </span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I follow one lady on Facebook who seems to be managing to sell a steady stream of small, hand-made plushies (from her own patterns) at prices upwards of $75/each. I applaud her, and I want her to teach a master-class on how to gather the sort of following that understands that "handmade" = "expensive" because Time Isn't Free. </span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But on the other hand, when I examine my own motives for crafting, they aren't profit-oriented. I just love to craft! Thankfully I am not in a position where I need my crafting to contribute to our income; I really don't even need it to pay for itself. My husband, bless him, understands that crafting is far cheaper than therapy. And so do I, even as I occasionally throw a few items out there in the hopes I can make back a little something.<br /></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">(And I am sorry, fellow crafters who Do need to make a profit: people like me don't help when we drive down the prices people are willing to pay by selling at a loss!) </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If I Did need to contribute to our income, I would have to either chose a completely different craft - one that could be turned out in large quantities for low materials cost with very little actual Time - or I would have to go spend a good deal of time learning about marketing and figuring out how to recruit and advertise to a population that understands a hand-made plush takes at least 3 hours, and should therefore cost at least $75. </span><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">To sum up, there's every chance you will move a few of your lovingly created tissue box covers. Someone will love them. They probably won't love them so much they will pay what they cost you in terms of time. But maybe that doesn't need to matter to you. Maybe you just want to make people happy. Be honest about that, and then Go for it! </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">--------------- </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijr2ECTq-qDitkWa_a0OSfWSID034oIOiCamvTsMI8Q_K2QxjgniU_jt0q7XTY8jb82kWxLAiYJxoXof8shJyaxrEVRYXA2Nyv0j_F6saePZCGwKZWo4-wRlOXqqG4F122D9BclgWIAofBOvCM9w2EscP6PWAdf27H4eZmvf-6vtL-r0U4RVpy31e6Euw/s2000/Dragonite.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijr2ECTq-qDitkWa_a0OSfWSID034oIOiCamvTsMI8Q_K2QxjgniU_jt0q7XTY8jb82kWxLAiYJxoXof8shJyaxrEVRYXA2Nyv0j_F6saePZCGwKZWo4-wRlOXqqG4F122D9BclgWIAofBOvCM9w2EscP6PWAdf27H4eZmvf-6vtL-r0U4RVpy31e6Euw/s320/Dragonite.png" width="213" /></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">(Above photo is my rendition of <a href="https://cholyknight.com/2024/01/26/dragonite-plush/" target="_blank">Choly Knight's Dragonite</a> pattern) </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There's a frequent poster - we'll call her Gladys - on one of my other FB groups that focuses on hand-made plush toys from a particular pattern maker. She obviously loves to sew plushies. She does several of them a month. But - please excuse the judgement here, but I just can't seem to help it - they look Awful. And not in that cute "distressed," "vintage," or "ugly/cute" way, either. They're often made from quilting cotton or other random fabrics instead of fleece, minky, or fur. They bulge where they shouldn't, don't stretch where they should, and the stitching often shows. The appliqued features are poorly cut and messily hand-stitched. By any objective standard, not to mention the standard of others who post their creations on this page, they are absolutely "cringe" (to use the my tween's vernacular.) </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I am pretty sure Gladys doesn't know this. I think there's also a pretty good chance Gladys doesn't care. And I can't figure out whether to feel sad for her - "oh look, here's someone who thinks she's really good at something but actually is terrible" - or really, really, respectful - "oh look, here's someone who is really enjoying herself with a craft that she loves and the fact that her end product kinda sucks just doesn't bother her, even if she's noticed it. She's doing it for the love of crafting!" </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm not sure that Gladys and I are actually from the same planet. I am a perfectionist with high personal standards. I'm an engineer who can't always turn off that calculating side of the brain that says "Why did you agree to 'sell' your acquaintance a hand-made plush that took you 3 hours for $15 again?" And it's easy for me to forget for a while the reason I actually craft. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Years ago I became attracted to the beautiful line art that I soon learned was produced from the "<a href="https://zentangle.com/pages/about-the-zentangle-method" target="_blank">Zentangle</a>" method. Zentangle is, first and foremost, a process-oriented art method rather than a results-oriented one. It's all about the lines, drawn carefully and deliberately, one stroke at a time. Of course people do create beautiful and impressive art using this method (<a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/search?q=zentangle" target="_blank">I have myself</a>!), but with its mantra of "No Mistakes," the artwork at the end is deliberately secondary. I believe there's wisdom in this approach. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Don't get me wrong: I believe in absolute truth, objective standards of beauty, externally-evaluated craftsmanship, and always doing one's best. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> But crafting IS, even for me, mostly about the process. A process in which we exercise our roles as little-c creators as an expression of our Imago Dei. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">At this point, my essay is not only getting long, it's getting reasonably repetitive. I wrote extensively on a similar subject on my "<a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/p/what-should-i-craft.html">Philosophy</a>" post more than 10 years ago. </span></p><p><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope Gladys will forgive my judgement. I have a different skill set and a different standard, but I think we probably have the same fundamental reason for crafting: it's fun. It's relaxing. And creation Feels right. At root, it's a way to get in touch with our God-given creative natures. And that's always worth doing. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyi9TUXtOCQYS4XgA-i9Ed325tlHtLOjD9hvqhy1PMY2gB6a9oTC3jhCUTmzRGCyEWloNiCFu1lGTwolWOB2OZ2nnny1ZyYW6c9AD33_m0kaxfXyKuIsSF6UByvziADPZ_OQFgQ1Obe_iUQqHJGSxJbTkK33L8MWd94QHh8tsiqfLQS5d92oBYM2WCYrQ/s4080/20240206_123515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyi9TUXtOCQYS4XgA-i9Ed325tlHtLOjD9hvqhy1PMY2gB6a9oTC3jhCUTmzRGCyEWloNiCFu1lGTwolWOB2OZ2nnny1ZyYW6c9AD33_m0kaxfXyKuIsSF6UByvziADPZ_OQFgQ1Obe_iUQqHJGSxJbTkK33L8MWd94QHh8tsiqfLQS5d92oBYM2WCYrQ/s320/20240206_123515.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> My rendition of Rustic Horseshoe's "<a href="https://rustichorseshoe.com/product/charismatic-cat-sewing-pattern/" target="_blank">Charismatic Cat</a>" </span></p></div>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-18862210148294359022024-02-08T21:15:00.000-08:002024-02-08T21:15:40.126-08:00Rough Waters With Rays of Hope<p> <span data-offset-key="f20sr-0-0"><span data-text="true">It's been a rough season in the Collins household. I'm being pulled a lot of ways, and often school feels like the last thing that's getting my attention. I feel defeated just trying to get my teens out of bed in the morning, or away from the video games at bedtime. The middle kid is really struggling with her anxiety and emotions and I've had to give up on having her "in the classroom" with the other two. My youngest is truly getting the short end of the stick with her fun co-op days constantly being cancelled for one reason or another, group work become </span></span><span><span data-offset-key="f20sr-1-0"><span data-text="true">unpredictable</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="f20sr-2-0"><span data-text="true"> and often skipped, and Mom somehow never available to help her with her math and science and then riding her case when she's defiant and rebellious right back to me.
<br /><br />But God. <br />
<br />In His faithfulness he is allowing me moments of genuine connection with my struggling middle child. Spontaneous discussions where it's clear that she is applying the Christian worldview we've made central to our family to the secular media that she consumes, and doing a very good job of it. He's let me see her compassion and desire to help a friend who is struggling in her home life. He's sent adult friends to help her brainstorm ways she can troubleshoot her academic troubles and anxieties, and a grandma who is happy to have her hang out at her house for a few hours every other day or so and work on school in a quieter environment.
<br /><br />He's allowed me to see my oldest get really excited about his martial arts training and slowly take up some responsibility for the steps required for black belt testing - even writing a really very decent "personal perspective" paper, which is way outside his wheelhouse. He's let me see signs of growth in a bunch of areas, academic and personal.
<br /><br />He's let me have some good times with the youngest, who gets So Upset when she doesn't understand or think that it sounds worth while, but is so fun to work with when she can get her attitude in line. He's let me see her demonstrate that she can absolutely synthesize information from adult sources and put them into her own words, and that given patience and practice she's going to be a perfectly good writer after all. He's reminded me that listening to "Freakonomics" podcasts on the way home from dance and talking about the info Totally Counts as school, and the fact I never, ever call it that is just a bonus (to her!)
<br /><br />When I look back at the last week I can see all these little rays of light He's sent that say "This may be hard, but I've got them" and remind me I can release the end results to Him.
<br />And I am so grateful for that.
<br />Because tomorrow will be another struggle. I'll probably end up in another shouting match with one of them, make the middle one cry, and make a bad time compromise for the third, who will also find a way to drag out 10 minutes of math practice for 4 hours.
<br />But it's still good. We're still on the right track. And He really does have them.
</span></span></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-2828971133577302632023-12-26T10:28:00.000-08:002023-12-26T10:28:49.509-08:00Memory Bears<p> I spent many (mostly) happy hours this December sewing 11 memory bears from some of Dad's shirts. (Dad was, somewhat surprisingly, rather a clothes horse. He rarely bought new, unless it was from someplace like Old Navy or Target, but he had a huge collection of mostly thrifted checked shirts to go with his coats and baseball caps. Given how unpretentious he was, this always makes me laugh.) In any case, I raided his closet after he was gone and picked a few I knew he'd worn frequently and made these bears from a pattern by <a href="https://fosteringsewing.blogspot.com/">Fostering Sewing Designs</a>. (Buy it <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1457977092/memory-bear-keepsake-plushie-teddy-bear?click_key=dbd43a8612c25545e493fbdda6406f433b2647d4%3A1457977092&click_sum=6db750c1&ref=shop_home_active_7&sts=1" target="_blank">here</a>. It's well worth every penny!) <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7i89B7bqdtCmlp-4o1C4wNfDsqp1Sq027pY9GZ4Pgg6PA1KuypGZTN25DoU_Ay5p-e6F6Ez6UGwhM3atHyBPubTXvE37QwpqqDo4agJSBhGxEYExMN61t41QXWebB_B18wT9a-up6csllJsWxfT1rOJF-th7B9adm0I8RdtGu0dXldaoIeHKjP9xQNbo/s4080/20231223_190728-EDIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7i89B7bqdtCmlp-4o1C4wNfDsqp1Sq027pY9GZ4Pgg6PA1KuypGZTN25DoU_Ay5p-e6F6Ez6UGwhM3atHyBPubTXvE37QwpqqDo4agJSBhGxEYExMN61t41QXWebB_B18wT9a-up6csllJsWxfT1rOJF-th7B9adm0I8RdtGu0dXldaoIeHKjP9xQNbo/s320/20231223_190728-EDIT.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I loved this pattern after I got used to its quirks. I reduced it to 75% to make it a bit more manageable. Because I decided to supplement and accent with faux fir or polar fleece, I could easily get 3 bears from each long sleeved shirt. I incorporated pockets and buttons (shirt front and sleeve cuff) wherever I could, moving and adding buttons as necessary so they all looked well dressed. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwQlow7GCMoN4lXPisbkMcJbQi_hLKPMekrReYyAzJuRlbIsZJLe19VJZo8zJ6Yzcll-e_ZICdRnUc-MGmdME7CgOmKvs2KBiYdghsiizmbr9LhtKbnKRM-ydO3JGqJHuj922pmjNDMTz_cj99xGw46LP6uqTKHiPCpT1m52pI8kMOSr9Hr8zr2Jz-54/s4080/20231223_190643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwQlow7GCMoN4lXPisbkMcJbQi_hLKPMekrReYyAzJuRlbIsZJLe19VJZo8zJ6Yzcll-e_ZICdRnUc-MGmdME7CgOmKvs2KBiYdghsiizmbr9LhtKbnKRM-ydO3JGqJHuj922pmjNDMTz_cj99xGw46LP6uqTKHiPCpT1m52pI8kMOSr9Hr8zr2Jz-54/s320/20231223_190643.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>My favorite part of the pattern is that it had almost no hand sewing: just three small stuffing holes to ladder-stitch shut. Safety eyes and noses were also ideal, and the limbs were even designed to avoid those tiny, tricky, and tedious foot pads. I think by the time I got going I could turn out a bear in about 3 hours, maybe even a tad less when I was assembly-lining the pattern tracing and cutting. <br />I adore the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/CholyKnight?ref=shop_sugg_market">Choly Knight</a> / <a href="https://cholyknight.com/" target="_blank">Sew Desu Ne</a>? patterns, but they tend to be super heavy on hand-sewn features, elaborate appliqued eyes, and, yes, even foot pads. :) They are adorable when finished, but I could not have made 11 of them in one month! </p><p>Mom, each of their three kids, and the seven grands each got one for Christmas. I convinced them to pose each wearing one of Grandpa's hats. (The 7th grand is grown and flown, but should receive her bear soon!) Bittersweet, but since we all know that Dad / Grandpa is with his Savior and we will see him again, it is endurable. (See this <a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-memories-of-those-we-have-lost.html">related post</a>.) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_fi0yNb07s_ZOhfAmSUc2P8N2cKD3HR2u35xsFAPfa2QNvIO6eYhs35h0qIpfjyEjyCkBv_0_DCeWWqQbuQS6RiEUHayhXMX1RdzLz718b5grW699HQS_hUjSSGZV7STrWvYhkYVTJlslyQKM9kOrlyg_hyphenhyphenkxImj_3D8HGcEnzUuJlcnO0QIu_n1G3I/s2048/414990328_10161272255872436_6942241772366246774_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO_fi0yNb07s_ZOhfAmSUc2P8N2cKD3HR2u35xsFAPfa2QNvIO6eYhs35h0qIpfjyEjyCkBv_0_DCeWWqQbuQS6RiEUHayhXMX1RdzLz718b5grW699HQS_hUjSSGZV7STrWvYhkYVTJlslyQKM9kOrlyg_hyphenhyphenkxImj_3D8HGcEnzUuJlcnO0QIu_n1G3I/s320/414990328_10161272255872436_6942241772366246774_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>If you are interested in commissioning a memory bear or bears using a loved one's clothes, please <a href="mailto:annetteccollins@gmail.com" target="_blank">contact me</a> at annetteccollins@gmail.com. <br /></p><p> <br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-44673290374415796262023-12-26T09:55:00.000-08:002023-12-26T10:29:10.218-08:00Christmas Memories of Those We Have Lost<p> </p><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id=":r958:"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Eoq9-4T5U6NOVV8NR8n_yc3Evj-Zw4Z5gYDy2RCjnLD0TDvaih0hjgFHSjhwdznHpvc5k_LSWS5KNX9adzrEn3fSURc_4ZFQBLePIyDM9kdOhuWZH0UC7qQO3LQheBBPd2NSlHOSlrXJmqltPp-TkiBHOBOL41NLT2JWVMoCQAvk_r_tyHtvP8uHxmE/s2048/412986108_10161273063397436_938631640418905768_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1737" data-original-width="2048" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Eoq9-4T5U6NOVV8NR8n_yc3Evj-Zw4Z5gYDy2RCjnLD0TDvaih0hjgFHSjhwdznHpvc5k_LSWS5KNX9adzrEn3fSURc_4ZFQBLePIyDM9kdOhuWZH0UC7qQO3LQheBBPd2NSlHOSlrXJmqltPp-TkiBHOBOL41NLT2JWVMoCQAvk_r_tyHtvP8uHxmE/s320/412986108_10161273063397436_938631640418905768_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I don't know if anyone else remembers loved ones on their trees like this, but it's become something of a tradition for me since 2011. A friend gave me an ornament in memory of the barely-started baby we lost to miscarriage that year. I see we lost three grandparents in in 2014, David's sister in 2015, and of course Dad this year. I see somehow I missed making an ornament for Grandpa Pete in 2018 (I'll have to check that date), and two of my grandparents left us well before I started these. Thankfully I have more crosses in my stash, so I can go back and fill in those gaps. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ0_dmvp-oBc02zR6pSvH1l_8FBNwyy2-4Us7rZJESkIgm7s9JicX-3Vd_dnpKI422iXMNor8RAqTFRUX3aoxBbV0fElGwvCZNL0kTQxyyBYgx_2dh5AMkwO9AdjpclZG4raW47sovXtCpqxilZRnfvPKv9KKfG_2QJ5R49RsDSRPMXIJJSR_xQhfP8A/s2048/414642787_10161273063262436_6661737867438182225_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1483" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ0_dmvp-oBc02zR6pSvH1l_8FBNwyy2-4Us7rZJESkIgm7s9JicX-3Vd_dnpKI422iXMNor8RAqTFRUX3aoxBbV0fElGwvCZNL0kTQxyyBYgx_2dh5AMkwO9AdjpclZG4raW47sovXtCpqxilZRnfvPKv9KKfG_2QJ5R49RsDSRPMXIJJSR_xQhfP8A/s320/414642787_10161273063262436_6661737867438182225_n.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><br /> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">It is, of course, bitter sweet to put these up each year, and take them down again, but it's also a wonderful reminder of what this season is really all about. That baby we all celebrate on December 25 came to live, and more importantly, die for us. That sacrifice means that those who believe will not be long separated by physical death.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The back of each cross quotes John 11:25 where Jesus declared:</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"></div><blockquote><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"></div></blockquote><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Elsewhere Jesus promises to wipe away every tear from the eyes of his people, when death itself is finally and permanently defeated.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I hope you too are living in that hope today.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLtPq4ftj8QUlv7qHHNWAFg44l_0XgJvQlx_1PZva6t60y5VDwQWHKv_drUCzVvzBaKeXNYeGW0_NRYCUCQJTL9s0qNqJiSc5rxU_zJQ2GxkQbGzgk7eOuZXY-PY1VeWyiEFfemCx4V4XbMVz45UoRRNNLihctEoApepjoxFirXrzxaYUIxvM1vrpeEk/s2048/414725409_10161273078062436_5673999924825618429_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLtPq4ftj8QUlv7qHHNWAFg44l_0XgJvQlx_1PZva6t60y5VDwQWHKv_drUCzVvzBaKeXNYeGW0_NRYCUCQJTL9s0qNqJiSc5rxU_zJQ2GxkQbGzgk7eOuZXY-PY1VeWyiEFfemCx4V4XbMVz45UoRRNNLihctEoApepjoxFirXrzxaYUIxvM1vrpeEk/s320/414725409_10161273078062436_5673999924825618429_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> </div></div></span></div></div></div></div>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-17394040290270339222023-11-16T09:20:00.000-08:002023-11-16T09:20:55.907-08:00Custom Plushes!<p> </p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">Welcome to Tarkheena Crafts! </h2><p>I have been sewing plushies using patterns from <a href="https://cholyknight.com/" target="_blank">Choly Knight</a> for about 4 years.</p><p>I am available to custom make plushies on a limited basis. My prices are reasonable, and you will love your new friend. <br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipHqB0OMgj_HdGi-QE2H53vcATLUZ4Rxf9Fjqk0tjs50s0PwY2Mg1t9gBvtJ8j9UOiFgKkMFxp0I853onyi1Qb6KzDsCcatEBVTmFbMYgH3YQ-_8DgZ1_5dJ7UNzVZpwoIjsqcGltq7Agz7RurcqQcI9j5QXASWmgwR-rvZHfAPUbEb8jiquN-3EkBLs/s4000/IMG_20230112_123326078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipHqB0OMgj_HdGi-QE2H53vcATLUZ4Rxf9Fjqk0tjs50s0PwY2Mg1t9gBvtJ8j9UOiFgKkMFxp0I853onyi1Qb6KzDsCcatEBVTmFbMYgH3YQ-_8DgZ1_5dJ7UNzVZpwoIjsqcGltq7Agz7RurcqQcI9j5QXASWmgwR-rvZHfAPUbEb8jiquN-3EkBLs/s320/IMG_20230112_123326078.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>If
you are a friend of Encore Performing Arts Studio, be assured that
proceeds from sales will be helping defray Grace's Company
fees! <br /><p></p><h1 style="text-align: left;">What Can You Make? <br /></h1><p>I can sew anything from <a href="https://cholyknight.com/plushies/" target="_blank">Choly's free section</a>,
and I own a number of her commercial patterns as well. If you are
interested in something from her commercial section that is new to me,
the price of the pattern will need to be incorporated into the total. <br />Of course the free patterns are typically easier and faster, and therefore cheaper to you. </p><p>Some of my favorites are </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://cholyknight.com/2020/11/06/pikachu-plush/">Pikachu</a></li><li><a href="https://cholyknight.com/2020/10/09/the-child-plush/" target="_blank">Baby Yoda </a></li><li><a href="https://cholyknight.com/2017/09/08/owl-plush/" target="_blank">Owls</a> (usually with rice packs inside so they can be heated) <br />and<br /></li><li><a href="https://cholyknight.com/2020/08/07/panda-plush/" target="_blank">Memory Bears</a> (Perhaps made with an old dance shirt?) <br /></li></ul><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHhYzdbGCOkorrIqSq8vcNqCDXGgsXJATGL-0Ck6j1Els4fbdFpJWoyMbw5mpADVuFuRYuT_PTi522htjOGqaTJOFLF7jE1Va9bzCF5X-amrlrzDPmRGM7N4xjoHncnLBCND5SNSb0lQKvcKnP95rxsKcLAX57TmjR_tqPXAAdO5iLADJzch5US72ycw/s2592/IMG_20210123_220323249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1944" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHhYzdbGCOkorrIqSq8vcNqCDXGgsXJATGL-0Ck6j1Els4fbdFpJWoyMbw5mpADVuFuRYuT_PTi522htjOGqaTJOFLF7jE1Va9bzCF5X-amrlrzDPmRGM7N4xjoHncnLBCND5SNSb0lQKvcKnP95rxsKcLAX57TmjR_tqPXAAdO5iLADJzch5US72ycw/w240-h313/IMG_20210123_220323249.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />If
you have a desire for a plushie the does not appear on Choly's site,
there is always a chance I could make something happen. I have done a
handful of Pokemon hacks, for instance: Psyduck and Rowlet are in my
library. It never hurts to ask! <br /><p></p><h1 style="text-align: left;">What Will It Cost? <br /></h1><p>As
a ballpark, custom plushies will start at $25 and top out around $65,
although I will need to do a custom quote for your project. </p><p>Do keep in mind that complexity rather than size will be the primary driver. Don't be surprised when the pillow-sized Avo-Cat-O runs less than the much smaller Lapras with its many hand-sewn details. But also be sure to ask about quantity discounts: Making 3 of something is much faster per item than making 1! <br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;">How Can I Order? <br /></h1>Please, contact me at <a href="mailto:annetteccollins@gmail.com">annetteccollins@gmail.com</a>. Let me know what you are interested in and a timeline, and we'll figure something out! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpobC6AVY56Pg0qLLfC1VfLIj-2EO61VPzP5OAnKkbEJhUr-q-Yye8mmr535QlI8in3WtwhRR08PmtVGssYRwqNc4qZdrbS0uLhf_4w9Y6i9G1qjnaNrhlm7DYWAtB_a-X0HCt0jPisEtEJIJoFQq0usJV99VQFFZvhS6hI5mWCo2rH50rXHFwx0JcxY4/s4080/20231101_202304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpobC6AVY56Pg0qLLfC1VfLIj-2EO61VPzP5OAnKkbEJhUr-q-Yye8mmr535QlI8in3WtwhRR08PmtVGssYRwqNc4qZdrbS0uLhf_4w9Y6i9G1qjnaNrhlm7DYWAtB_a-X0HCt0jPisEtEJIJoFQq0usJV99VQFFZvhS6hI5mWCo2rH50rXHFwx0JcxY4/s320/20231101_202304.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-26128131639548789032023-08-29T21:23:00.003-07:002023-08-29T21:27:06.698-07:00Off to a Great... Good... Really very Decent start<p> </p><div><div dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1swvt13 xjkvuk6" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id=":r1dk:"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><h2 style="text-align: left;">You know you're homeschoolers when ...</h2></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">0. You've been doing a soft-start to school for a couple of weeks already, especially with the rising 9th grader, but in fact everyone kept up with math most of the summer, the middle kid has been writing fiction non-stop with her friends, and the youngest has been learning lots of recipes. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">1. You plan to do your formal start "a little early" this year, and do so, only to learn after the fact that all the PS students in the area are starting the same day. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">2. You deliberately don't take pictures on the first day of school because several years ago you made the kids "Not My First Day of..." pictures to color and now they won't have it any other way.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">3. When you hand your daughter her "Not My First Day of 7th Grade" sheet, she says "Oh, am I in 7th already?" And she isn't joking. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">4. Getting up early for school means breakfast is served at 9 am. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">(And it's Hard for 2/3 of the kids to make it! )</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">5. First day plans to teach outside are derailed by the neighbors' yard-care service deciding to start up their leaf blower at 11 am</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">6. Everyone (except maybe the High Schooler) is pretty much done before noon.<br /><br />Seriously, it's going pretty well with 2 days of real school under our belts. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUunRcdUGSr3n21hT7mZFEZGO5RulDToeQWwWduS_TmmvCNYgCVEt7ej6sTAtGMo3Ez9GOOiGxmb96MR_mPnC9Ri-JppbiL0M6Z4AVZg4ZUES9Yw1h1KtRrkQb8Qie4zVitH8DhYLmxIsm6xkWYJIxrDIDPqTs4NntBEgxqvUAxEDmfCv7SkkVCtXTEDc/s4080/20230829_120805.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUunRcdUGSr3n21hT7mZFEZGO5RulDToeQWwWduS_TmmvCNYgCVEt7ej6sTAtGMo3Ez9GOOiGxmb96MR_mPnC9Ri-JppbiL0M6Z4AVZg4ZUES9Yw1h1KtRrkQb8Qie4zVitH8DhYLmxIsm6xkWYJIxrDIDPqTs4NntBEgxqvUAxEDmfCv7SkkVCtXTEDc/s320/20230829_120805.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">The summer flew by at light speed this year: each kid had a week of camp, Grace had several days of Nationals competition in July, dance and TKD never let up, I'm still on the Family Camp planning committee, and to top everything else off, in late July my parents moved from Gresham to Beaverton after 49 years in the same house. Shockingly that imagined unscheduled week for curriculum research and school planning never materialized, and the task had to be accomplished in the dribs and drabs of time left over - often while the girls were at dance. As we started "for real" this week I had it driven home that that this meant certain things never got entirely finished on my end. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">But let's review the plan of record anyway. <br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">History</h3></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">This year we are doing History (Notgrass Exploring America, a high school textbook) and Bible together. Practically that means we read the TTB.org prayer team e-mail together and pray, and work on our Bible memory project. (This year we're re-starting Philippians with some review of chapter 1.) </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">I intend to add some Bible study to this time over the next few weeks using resources from Not Consumed, but I haven't done my part on that yet. Then we read the current chapter of "Exploring America" aloud. Like last year Grace will take notes and Lucy mostly just listens in. James rotates between following along in a second copy of the book and taking notes. Unlike last year I am expecting James to step up and do additional readings, unit projects, reviews, and tests. We'll see how that goes. <br /><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Vocabulary </h3></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">We are also doing Vocab together, using the Jensen's Vocabulary book for the 3rd year in a row, but this time with some serious modifications. While I love building familiarity with Latin and now Greek roots, I was never was fully convinced that the analysis worksheets (where each word is traced to it its exact root and affixes) were adding a lot of value. We also mutually agreed that the 4th worksheet where you plug the week's words into sentences was not great. The sentences could be obscure, sometimes above even James's level, and sometimes even ambiguous. So this year we are doing the following: <br />Day 1: Match words to definitions as a team <br />Day 2,3: Write out definitions for 6 words (chosen by Mom) <br />Day 4: Write 5 sentences unambiguously using one vocab word (assigned by Mom) and turn in</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Day 5: Match the 20 vocab words to the sentences written by everyone. <br />We are also going to start doing a full unit per week instead of every other week. <br />This means we will run out of units perhaps as early as Christmas, so I will need to find a new Vocab resource for the rest of the year. <br /> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Foreign Language </h3></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">We are adding Spanish this year, and have chosen "See it and Say It Flip Flop Spanish," not coincidentally the same resource the Meyers are trying out. It's conversational rather than grammar focused, and theoretically suitable for ages 3 to 93. It's only take 15 mn 3x/week. They suggest that it be recorded as "Conversational Spanish" on a transcript and followed up with their grammar-based study in the last two years of HS. <br />But we're not starting that until tomorrow! </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Science </h3></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Choosing science gave me fits this year. James is sticking with Apologia for the third year in a row, but we are going to go with the mostly online version. (Again, not coincidentally the same route the Meyers took last year.) I am also going to stop obsessing over labs, especially since it's Biology this year and No one wants to dissect anything. He'll do some of them and watch the videos of the rest. <br /> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">But I didn't really want to do Apologia General Science with Grace. I asked her what she wanted to do and she freely admitted that nothing at all sounded interesting. She and Lucy reject entirely any video-based course, which ruled out the easiest open-and-go options I had recommended to me. <br />I started to get excited about a literature-based (read: Mom spends hours and potentially many dollars assembling books from a curated list) Botany course, but when I took Grace to Exodus Books she unexpectedly got super excited about a biology book. That book was at the HS level and I eventually decided against it, but she accepted a middle-school level biology book as substitute and she remains excited about what she's learning after the first couple of days. There is a lot of fascinating information, but it is decidedly light on tests and experiments, which is exactly what she needs this year. <br />Lucy will tentatively read a bunch of the botany books I checked out from that resource list at her own pace: she was eager to start paging through "Wicked Plants" today. Other things she and I may do include planting stuff (herbs?) in our new raised planters, and maybe... maybe! get some chickens. Maybe. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Math </h3></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Math we are doing exactly the same as last year. That means that Lucy continues to plug along in Life of Fred (current book: Fractions), and Grace continues the "Learn Math Fast" program we switched to for her mid-year. James technically finished the Beginning Algebra LoF text at the end of last school year, but we both agreed that he had not mastered the material and spent some time this summer reviewing. I suspect we will spend at least another 4-6 weeks in review before moving to Advanced Algebra. I'll be honest: this math is starting to stretch me. I am having to learn from the book, and while I am catching on much faster than James, I'm definitely making mistakes too. And yet it's also kinda fun. There hasn't been much cause to really stretch my technical brain for a few years now. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Programming </h3></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">James is adding Programming as an elective. He identified an online course from Brilliant.com that is not aimed at school kids specifically, but also doesn't assume any knowledge of either programming concepts or coding. It's designed to run 15 minutes per lesson, so he does as many per day as he has energy for. He started it about 3 week ago, and had progressed to Python programming in their sandbox by last week. Today I had to help quite a bit with a program to generate a Fibonacci sequence. Please note that I have never learned Python. This, like the math, should definitely be interesting! <br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Writing </h3></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Writing was another last-minute change. James is not going to have a formal writing program this year, but instead focus on the writing assignments from history and possibly a few additional book reports. (prediction: those probably won't happen. But I hope I am wrong.) <br />I was going to have Lucy and Grace finish the "Jump In" textbook they all three did last year, but at Exodus books Grace happened across the IEW Narnia-correlated course "Song of the Lion." She immediately got excited about it, and I was happy to change my plans since I already have some experience with their courses from James's 7th grade year. IEW *wants* to be highly teacher-led, maybe almost scripted. But you can ignore all that and let it be largely student lead if you choose. We chose! I will also have Lucy do this course. <br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Grammar </h3></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Finally, for the moment we are sticking with Easy Grammar Daily Grams for grammar practice for everyone. That is definitely open to change. I looked briefly into the IEW "Fix It" series, but my gut tells me it will be too heavy. Philosophically I am far more concerned about their ability to write a coherent and well-crafted sentence with good mechanics than I am about their ability to list the 12 helping verbs, 43 forms of "to be" and 87 prepositions. So there's a good chance that I will let even Daily Grams fade into the sunset as the year progresses. If I could find a resource specifically tuned to help students identify and avoid run-on sentences, I would be a happy homeschool mom indeed. <br /></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-17331663498061813692023-07-19T17:15:00.003-07:002023-07-19T17:21:23.525-07:00On Being Very Nearly 47, and Heaven<p>I'm really looking forward to Heaven. </p><p>This may seem like a terribly morbid thought to be having the day before one's 47th birthday, but it doesn't really feel that way. I'm not depressed, or especially discontent with the state of my no-longer-youthful body, or mired in frustration surrounding family members, home life, or home schooling. This is, in fact, the easiest time of the year for me to feel happy and hopeful with the sun up a full 15 hours and limited school responsibilities to boot. I'm surrounded with blessings on every side, from David's stable employment to a paid-for house to a loving and supportive church community to my valuable and fulfilling role as a homeschool mom and homemaker to parents who are moving closer in to us to really very good health to income sufficient to support hobbies such as crafting for me and dance and taekwondo for the kids. Life is not always easy, but it is overwhelmingly good. </p><p>But Heaven... sounds really good. </p><p>I have been a bit down this week. It's little stuff, some of it stupid little stuff. Some of it not so little. A elderly and disabled friend who was looking at not being able to take a refrigerator delivery because the company that delivers, installs, and hauls away the old one draws the line for some inscrutable reason at unplugging and disconnecting the broken unit. Another friend who's husband is on hospice but might be taken off because he's not getting worse fast enough and who has to spend 3+ hours on the phone with Medicaid per session waiting for someone who turns out not to know the answer to her question after all. (And knowing in my heart of hearts that they make you wait on the phone *because they can* and demoralizing their would-be customers is good for their bottom line because if you just give up and go away and find some other, crappier solution to your impossible problem that saves them the trouble of helping you.) My youngest who I had to counsel to be far more cautious and careful in how she shares her non-politically-correct opinions with her dance friends. A kid who keeps showing up at the church camps who has all the early markings of a predator, but there's no clear path forward to removing him, so the staff just has to watch him really carefully and we have to remind our kids to be careful and I know we're supposed to love and minister to all the kids, but what about our daughters?! My kids picking on and at each other and not being able to figure out what to do with themselves unless a screen is handy. The pretty frosted-glass window at the nearest bus shelter shattered into a zillion pieces on the ground yesterday morning. The gate at the school who's yard we use as a shortcut to walk to the store being locked all summer because they are "keeping us safe" from the construction going on 50 yards away on the roof of said school. The sidewalk blocked by interminable construction at the other end of the neighborhood so we couldn't even get to the store that way. Getting a cold call (from a human, not a computer) wanting to know if I was interested in purchasing a property in NE Portland off Sandy Blvd. A really great detective novel marred by authorial agenda-pushing. The very real possibility we will not be able to fill some critical volunteer slots at Family Camp next month. Grace's frequent, disabling headaches. My own abnormal fatigue and brain fog this week. Moving my parents out of the home I grew up in. Not being able to go on the church camping trip because that's the move weekend. Dad's thinking ahead to Christmas when my oldest niece wants to visit and making sure I am available as a back-up host for her in case he is "dead and dying."</p><p><b>This world is broken. </b><br /></p><p>So yes, I'm looking forward to all the things that will be missing from Heaven. The big, obvious ones like sickness, sadness, pain, and death. Fear, loneliness, poverty, want. Anger, violence, isolation. And the smaller ones like pronoun arguments, bureaucracy, and ennui.</p><p>But it occurred to me last night that the things that Will be in Heaven are also a really big deal to me. Like the personal presence of God Himself. I know that the good little Christian is supposed to see that as the hands-down most important feature of Heaven, but God also knows I'd be lying if I pretended that my brain was big enough or my spirit holy enough to imagine incomprehensible, ineffable awesomeness of that fact. Honestly, it just kind of shuts down - even shies away from it. Even after watching The Chosen. But it Is big enough to imagine a lot of other great things. Like reunions with old friends and relatives who left us. Like being able to sing for a couple hundred years in perfect harmony around the perfect bonfire (if we need such things), composing new songs that would make Beethoven weep as we go along. Like spending a few more hundred years learning to paint like Rembrandt - better than Rembrandt! Sculpt, build, sew, tell stories, hear stories, write, read, play music on instruments no-one has ever heard of, explore mountains, forests, and impossibly deep ocean floors that no-one ever conceived of. Run, dance, swim, probably even fly forever. All of this without ever having to question our own motives or anyone
else's, because we're no longer able to Have wrong motives or Want wrong
things. Being able to grow, to learn, to <i>create</i> without stint or measure. Without time management. Without resource constraints. Without fear. Without "No's." With, in fact, an eternal "Yes!" <br /></p><p>And because I can't imagine all that will be without coming back to what won't be any longer, All of this will be without ever having to deal with a glory-hog, a
power-grabber, a sarcastic or snide person, someone who misunderstands
you or your intents, a womanizer, a man-killer, a pervert, a fool, a petty or
querulous or manipulative or distracted or anxious person - even when (especially when) that person is
you. </p><p> CS Lewis says in "Mere Christianity:" </p><p></p><blockquote><p><b>If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.</b></p></blockquote><p></p><p>I've felt that more and more over the past few years, maybe even especially the past few months. Yes, the pandemic is largely behind us. There's no immediate crisis. We've been given a little space to breathe. But as things approach "normalcy," or what has always passed for it in my experience anyway, somehow the stuff that is still broken seems even worse. I don't want to sound ungrateful for the uncountable blessings I have and am still experiencing here on this earth. But if they're all there is... well, to quote Paul this time "<b>If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.</b>" (1 Cor 15:19)</p><p>So I think we're allowed to be sad about what is wrong. I think it's correct to yearn for our eventual perfection. And it's OK to spend the eve of your 47th birthday looking forward to Heaven. <br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-69773232839065287362023-05-02T18:39:00.002-07:002023-05-02T18:39:34.780-07:00Day in the Life?<p> Looking back on just this single day in Homeschool History, things look pretty rosy. </p><p>I was up a little before 8, mostly because David had an early meeting. Got my shower out of the way, and even found time for a walk to the park, during which I caught up on <a href="http://www.ttb.org" target="_blank">Dr. McGee's lesson</a> in 2nd Corinthians that I mostly slept through last night. Lucy was up the same time as we were: she remains the sole early riser among the younger set. Having recently moved into her very own room, she can now do this without bothering her sister - although when it comes to mornings, Grace can apparently sleep through a hurricane! Regardless, Lucy was motivated to start on her independent work right away, and was done with everything (math, handwriting, daily grams, and vocab) before group work. <br /></p><p>I dragged the other kids out of bed about 9:15 just before my walk, and managed to get us all sat down for Group Work by about 10:15. We reviewed our memory work (John 1:16-18, the last part of the intro we'll memorize before going on to a new passage) and read the TTB World Prayer Team e-mail together. Then we finished the history lesson we began yesterday (from Notgrass's Adam to Us) on The Great War. We usually finish lessons in one day, but David uncharacteristically hijacked me yesterday - the two world wars being favorite subjects of his. We were done by 11:30, and David had time to put together lunch for the three of us who were hungry at that early hour. </p><p>After lunch Lucy and I went to finish up the HTV tasks we'd started over the past few days: she had a complicated Kirby (video game, not vacuum) iron-on for her new T-shirt that was part of her birthday present, and I had a TRFC logo to iron on to a sweatshirt for a gentleman from church who's favorite Twin Rocks shirt was lost to the EMTs who responded when he fell and hit his head about 10 days ago. </p><p>Somewhere in this time Grace asked me if we could go on a "long walk," which means a ~4 mile round trip on a footpath across a nice wetlands area terminating near a convenience store. That takes about 90 minutes at the pace we maintain, and with dance at 3:15 it was impractical for an afternoon journey. I compromised on a much shorter walk to the grocery store for milk. But before we could leave, Lucy had extracted the marbling paint kit she got with her birthday money (ages 14 and up) from the craft room and had half the pieces out. She is very good at presenting me with a <i>fait accompli</i> when she knows permission may not be forthcoming. Anyway, I realized that was not a project to do without supervision, and furthermore one that needed to be done outside. And I had promised her to help her with it "soon," my "soon" being considerably more flexible than hers! Grace was pretty grumpy at the derailing of her walk plans, but when she was invited to participate in the craft she was less so. The results were mixed, but on the whole promising. We did not use up all the materials by any stretch, so Lucy's $10 seems to have been well spent. </p><p>Thankfully there was just time enough to do the grocery walk without rushing afterwards. This turned out even better than hoped, because on the way we noticed a neighbor on the next block with a whole outdoor patio set on the driveway with a "Free" sign. It was weathered but intact. Our own outdoor table broke under highly mysterious circumstances roughly 3 years ago. (The kids still remember this because of all the fascinating back-stories they created for how the glass table-top ended up in approx. 10 million individual pieces, which proved to be about as difficult as you would expect to sweep up from a bark dust-covered area.) I was eager to have a replacement, and even more so if it did not require a trip to the store, outlay of cash, and assembly. So James and I hurried over in the van once Grace and I returned from the store and picked it all up. </p><p>By then it was time to head to dance. That's about an hour's round trip, especially if I stop to manage a little communication or pick a podcast. Once home around 4:45 I grabbed James so he and I could check out a house Dad is looking at. It was really too far away (12+ minutes at rush hour) and on too busy of a street - not to mention it already had an offer. I really, really wish he'd jumped on one of the mobile homes that were available last month! </p><p>Back home for real, James prepared the traditional Tuesday ravioli, meaning I had time to mess with other projects too numerous and minor to mention, as well as throw together this day-in-the-life post. </p><p>Maybe later in the week I'll expand it to a "week-in-the-life" post, because it's been one wild ride around here in the last 5-6 days! <br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-62203204661433863882023-02-02T09:14:00.006-08:002023-02-02T09:14:44.775-08:00Homeschooling : It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!<p> </p><div><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1swvt13 xjkvuk6" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_1x4"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xdj266r x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Some days you have deep theological discussions during group history time, listen to the kids recite an entire chapter of Isaiah, and make real progress towards understanding the simplifying of trinomial fractions.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Some days your kids snap vilely at each other - while in the very act of Bible recitation. Some days you have a child who is utterly overwhelmed with the prospect of starting their mountain (aka 40 minutes) of independent work and instead huddles in a mini-meltdown on the couch. (Note: the fact you've acknowledged their difficulty calmly and empathetically and then told them precisely where to start is irrelevant.) Some days you spend 45 minutes searching for a missing math book with its owner is <span></span>in tears and yourself dangerously close to unchecked sarcasm, only to find the book in the exact place it belongs (and the place they swore they checked 3 times), but by then it's too late because the patience is gone and you have to leave for dance in 15 minutes anyway and you suddenly realize that said child has consumed no legitimate calories all day. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Sometimes these are all the same day.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">God give me strength.</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-27121952024570890132023-01-14T12:25:00.003-08:002023-08-20T10:04:52.963-07:00Quick n' Dirty : Convert applique patterns to Cricut cutting files<p>I recently got a Cricut Joy cutting machine. I do not have an embroidery machine. I love to sew Choly Knight's patterns, and it occurred to me that I might save a few minutes and make professional-looking eyes and other features by using the Cricut to cut out the appliques in iron-on vinyl. </p><p>As it turns out this is quite achievable, but unless you are assembly-lining a bunch of plushes of the same sort, or making something that has dozens of tiny elements, it is not likely to actually save time. :) *<br /><br /></p><p> </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1e2fbsoi_ieDCC2m5ldWgLN73SWPRCRlyP-mbbmTycCEIn7ZQy3DJutSVIToQXoONtlTWoRT0ofKvhDzvDn665_4sIgA9H-65nh4Upyepf6CwCdG-dyotkXWbcM0ymofIZ9mKL7gQUqva_Y1dCGWKSUXMaaQOccKxniIIIsJE-MJ2z8JmquemOTYu/s4000/IMG_20230112_123326078.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1e2fbsoi_ieDCC2m5ldWgLN73SWPRCRlyP-mbbmTycCEIn7ZQy3DJutSVIToQXoONtlTWoRT0ofKvhDzvDn665_4sIgA9H-65nh4Upyepf6CwCdG-dyotkXWbcM0ymofIZ9mKL7gQUqva_Y1dCGWKSUXMaaQOccKxniIIIsJE-MJ2z8JmquemOTYu/s320/IMG_20230112_123326078.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These platypus plushes both have iron-on (HTV) eyes and noses<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>Here is the process I evolved for taking Choly's applique shapes and turning them into cuttable images. <br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">What you'll need</h2><p>(1) PDF with the element you are converting to a cutting file</p><p>(2) An image editing program. I will be using GIMP which has quite the learning curve, but has the advantage of being free. Photoshop or any of its derivatives would also work just fine. The photo viewers / editors that ship with Windows will not be adequate though. <br /></p><p>(3) Cricut machine (any style), Design Space software, and all its assorted tools. </p><p>(4) Iron-on vinyl (HTV) in the color(s) of your plush's features. <br /></p><p>I am assuming that readers are moderately familiar with Gimp, Design Space and their Cricut machine. If you're not, there are tons of great tutorials out there. <br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">In a nutshell: </h2><p>The applique templates are hollow line-art. You need them to be solid for Cricut. **<br />Using your image editor (NOT Cricut Design Space!), select all of the applique elements you need of a single color. Flood-fill them with black and then copy them to a new canvas. Duplicate any that ought to be duplicated, being sure to mirror one copy if necessary. Then copy the 2x2 test square (usually on the first page of the pattern) into your new canvas. This will help you establish scale in Design Space. Save your canvas as a PNG named something like "patternname_black.png" Repeat for other color(s). </p><p>Now import each of your new PNGs to Design Space using the standard procedure and add them to a Design Space canvas. Use the 2 inch test square as reference, scale your elements down so the square fits exactly into 2 inches on the grid. Next, still in Design Space, add a square to the canvas and scale it to just cover your scaling square. Group the new square and your elements and use the "subtract" operation to get rid of it. Finally, you should be ready to cut your shapes! </p><p>** Update 8/23 : When I wrote this I was pretty new to Cricut Design Space. Today I am pretty sure that the flood-fill step to make your shapes "solid for Cricut." I think you can choose not to make them hollow when you import them with a little attention to detail. However, I haven't tried it. Please do so at your own risk. I Know my method works! (And the 2inch test square remains necessary as far as I can brainstorm it.) <br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">In greater detail<br /></h2><p>In GIMP, open your PDF pattern. I am using Choly Knight's Platypus. </p><p>Gimp offers the option to open only selected pages of a PDF. You need the ones with the 2 inch test square and the one with your face applique patterns. </p><p>We need our cut files to be solid black, but the patterns are merely outlines.<br />** See Above note about solid-fill shapes. Making your shape solid black may not be entirely necessary.<br /></p><p>Working with the page that contains your applique, use the magic wand selector to select the inside of all of the shapes of one color. <br /></p><p> </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikG74izQ1STdr0lAWwgktuHegtf19g4uySxyJAbp-yKWejOm6jVOnyKFMjGwcL-6mTb9N9hhKRkJ1rgewldf6fQHBMvgRJrvKZ2uDEZ_Cr8d2RqI6B8iEeKIBD0FCF8_7WjlD_3eTqfz7GvEpebHb0iJJttHUVfdRG2Sh-ubTqd6kk7NI4h_cAAqV6/s421/cricut_face_3.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="421" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikG74izQ1STdr0lAWwgktuHegtf19g4uySxyJAbp-yKWejOm6jVOnyKFMjGwcL-6mTb9N9hhKRkJ1rgewldf6fQHBMvgRJrvKZ2uDEZ_Cr8d2RqI6B8iEeKIBD0FCF8_7WjlD_3eTqfz7GvEpebHb0iJJttHUVfdRG2Sh-ubTqd6kk7NI4h_cAAqV6/s320/cricut_face_3.png" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyLbWckAtuGa6elj7ePIlVpIP_nYT7LcpUQy36q9oRK5cwvuQTyYv0mZYDQmkmMW2RzCeOlH4Vjo4XJ59R2pafwsX4Lq3IP1bBEJGA-J34AqPJOrRUMEnrmUzyGWRjBtMoYWp7Fin43n8LosTHqx4oVm5XZ7xg7P9kl8PBfUvqezC0j1Jfdz9o3j2/s297/cricut_face_2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="241" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSjPDKYtywteKWWBH8Oy1ex6Fw7IozJ33Ud4OI7sp4w5qs0-cvxlGfln55Dacg9jrMGpZf-bIVgJDBmAsRuCZBockr4rUSJIsJZHYgHlZmskeeCyk5vCLDc_hV-hlwg8CnahZSDClQPuuvCj1q-m20yDB_OhW7Z2sDWUxmZJkmmhXYPMO1DQRIVjD/s1600/cricut_face_1.png" width="241" /><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="289" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyLbWckAtuGa6elj7ePIlVpIP_nYT7LcpUQy36q9oRK5cwvuQTyYv0mZYDQmkmMW2RzCeOlH4Vjo4XJ59R2pafwsX4Lq3IP1bBEJGA-J34AqPJOrRUMEnrmUzyGWRjBtMoYWp7Fin43n8LosTHqx4oVm5XZ7xg7P9kl8PBfUvqezC0j1Jfdz9o3j2/s1600/cricut_face_2.png" width="289" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSjPDKYtywteKWWBH8Oy1ex6Fw7IozJ33Ud4OI7sp4w5qs0-cvxlGfln55Dacg9jrMGpZf-bIVgJDBmAsRuCZBockr4rUSJIsJZHYgHlZmskeeCyk5vCLDc_hV-hlwg8CnahZSDClQPuuvCj1q-m20yDB_OhW7Z2sDWUxmZJkmmhXYPMO1DQRIVjD/s241/cricut_face_1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSjPDKYtywteKWWBH8Oy1ex6Fw7IozJ33Ud4OI7sp4w5qs0-cvxlGfln55Dacg9jrMGpZf-bIVgJDBmAsRuCZBockr4rUSJIsJZHYgHlZmskeeCyk5vCLDc_hV-hlwg8CnahZSDClQPuuvCj1q-m20yDB_OhW7Z2sDWUxmZJkmmhXYPMO1DQRIVjD/s241/cricut_face_1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><br /><p></p><p>Use the select->modify menu option and add 3 pixels to your selection.</p><p> Next, fill the shapes with black. (Make sure "Fill Entire Selection" is chosen on your bucket tool.) <br />Finally, copy all of your newly filled shapes and paste them into a new image. </p><p>(Cntrl-C, Cntrl-Shift-V copies and pastes to a new image.) <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sjPp2HmIiLXdjBU85TzOcaU8uEbrUZWRu76R2qaNJrkH-Pded-NaPW6bMvaEfxpdXgln4s1NdskwOwKeVrOy0ruNJbfrpvTkOfsHkV2i4948JEXnUoOgItsvlQrEohPbaoDJNAEfgR_JozgWQA9vyKSVn7a1R6eXFqcX-js4O6L8L5ihSByQTXNC/s1168/cricut_face_4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1168" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sjPp2HmIiLXdjBU85TzOcaU8uEbrUZWRu76R2qaNJrkH-Pded-NaPW6bMvaEfxpdXgln4s1NdskwOwKeVrOy0ruNJbfrpvTkOfsHkV2i4948JEXnUoOgItsvlQrEohPbaoDJNAEfgR_JozgWQA9vyKSVn7a1R6eXFqcX-js4O6L8L5ihSByQTXNC/s320/cricut_face_4.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Once you get them there, remember to duplicate things like eyes and nostrils. Be sure to mirror your second copy when it's not symmetrical. <br /></p><p>Next... You may have noticed that there is little rhyme or reason in what size elements are once imported into Design Space. Usually that's not a huge problem, but we need ours to be exact. We could also use a ruler on a printed copy of the page, but... yuck! <br /></p><p>So we will be adding the 2 inch test square to this image. Open the page from the PDF file containing the test square, fill it with black using the same procedure as above (I usually use the rectangle selection tool), and copy it. Paste it into your new canvas containing the applique shapes on a new layer. Be sure to resize the destination canvas to be big enough to accommodate the test square, and also be sure there's a good margin between it and your applique elements. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0syGv7odbEeZ8EyHEuxkiUmJbKFpO7s4ir3m9EgAGKi9g6RefyiDqo7PlW4-CLJ8XDtKL_n6WhuYza7INVnhbeVNzRFXzL4sf2UfGfxbJQRovuwjYTGxQ3I161bnLNNaoupwX4KCLmw2Vfs_O7Cl885XPh6b5gvWIWIceaZgWyX3ilSeiMmKxXaF/s462/cricut_face_6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0syGv7odbEeZ8EyHEuxkiUmJbKFpO7s4ir3m9EgAGKi9g6RefyiDqo7PlW4-CLJ8XDtKL_n6WhuYza7INVnhbeVNzRFXzL4sf2UfGfxbJQRovuwjYTGxQ3I161bnLNNaoupwX4KCLmw2Vfs_O7Cl885XPh6b5gvWIWIceaZgWyX3ilSeiMmKxXaF/s320/cricut_face_6.png" width="257" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMIoMYohSl5lFKJZ2WM0ArI096bBapaxP8neiq155-8vMk6WpNZC2JPGxAYbqoRoklQJTdlMKAOE6nJUAXLS8ylQ2VrqYzRhpRqKZgCkds51PCmqQ5sB1DjBfUznGu5YREXlk6qgZ0XDJYr6Z7fDFjt74j3SnvdDXeCWQaavN_PQH08FsyxNRTMCS/s702/cricut_face_5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMIoMYohSl5lFKJZ2WM0ArI096bBapaxP8neiq155-8vMk6WpNZC2JPGxAYbqoRoklQJTdlMKAOE6nJUAXLS8ylQ2VrqYzRhpRqKZgCkds51PCmqQ5sB1DjBfUznGu5YREXlk6qgZ0XDJYr6Z7fDFjt74j3SnvdDXeCWQaavN_PQH08FsyxNRTMCS/s320/cricut_face_5.png" width="195" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Finally, save your new canvas as something like "patternname_black.png"<br />Repeat for each color of element you intend to cut. </p><p>Now we are ready to close Gimp and open Design Space. </p><p>Using the standard procedure, import all of your elements into Design Space and add them to your canvas. </p><p>Notice that your 2 inch square is Not 2 inches according to the grid in Design Space. </p><p>Adjust the size of your images so that your two inch test square occupies exactly 2x2 squares in Design Space. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvK97PnQ4HdIPpFavxkvixKlKp7UlIGzwAzvfD7jZZxuE7--n9JxXcNpsmcXuJ4cmSzEUdpWw7BhXC2tnIPQ5OWs1RMvKHAU0f_Ua7g2IyTNfdh-jEWfkzPnUAnGROh2EuLyP-PXVSWjARkVVeO9ud4iuA7uiTgTm4VS4La1DL4LblHpSJRcsSDZne/s427/cricut_faces_8.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="373" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvK97PnQ4HdIPpFavxkvixKlKp7UlIGzwAzvfD7jZZxuE7--n9JxXcNpsmcXuJ4cmSzEUdpWw7BhXC2tnIPQ5OWs1RMvKHAU0f_Ua7g2IyTNfdh-jEWfkzPnUAnGROh2EuLyP-PXVSWjARkVVeO9ud4iuA7uiTgTm4VS4La1DL4LblHpSJRcsSDZne/s320/cricut_faces_8.png" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resize so that this square occupies exactly 2x2 squares in the grid<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPj5W_U8E-xOHclJbluxvzWSIwzDq5YD8tCAbj0YWnBoJ8k4vYqqeVc33Xj0AuIwWWQm2BxSMjfJqSwUBvvBqFyMRitfZAsBCOjZuVrpJizfUD64iV0QFUkyUWn13e5sfdwREB7OkQ32z5Y0nYgH50LHqOuenY0fxiDrQEgu0zq3UFCsvRAbMBBFso/s385/cricut_faces_9.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPj5W_U8E-xOHclJbluxvzWSIwzDq5YD8tCAbj0YWnBoJ8k4vYqqeVc33Xj0AuIwWWQm2BxSMjfJqSwUBvvBqFyMRitfZAsBCOjZuVrpJizfUD64iV0QFUkyUWn13e5sfdwREB7OkQ32z5Y0nYgH50LHqOuenY0fxiDrQEgu0zq3UFCsvRAbMBBFso/s320/cricut_faces_9.png" width="298" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now, since we do not want to cut out the square, we're getting rid of it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Add a square to Design Space using the Shapes menu. Resize it to be just over 2 inches and position it exactly over the test square. <br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPxSKGmfH21GC6s5o5NVFTEr5asL_P1RhVgk1FnDvGx_AOm0zECvkBK2cRua_O3S5Eb4tCDD74zZzFVaH1OryvWQiDQCuiGddhxmthwkPVkbet9aAK56llYHf2EUSfEb9Ww1RFgepGBhfGwDEf0TpPlQ513ykcUPhGUbDwxYtd3BbnTr20Eb-ueQz/s706/cricut_faces_10.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="378" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPxSKGmfH21GC6s5o5NVFTEr5asL_P1RhVgk1FnDvGx_AOm0zECvkBK2cRua_O3S5Eb4tCDD74zZzFVaH1OryvWQiDQCuiGddhxmthwkPVkbet9aAK56llYHf2EUSfEb9Ww1RFgepGBhfGwDEf0TpPlQ513ykcUPhGUbDwxYtd3BbnTr20Eb-ueQz/s320/cricut_faces_10.png" width="171" /></a></div><p>Finally, group your new square and your cut image, and chose "subtract" from the Combine menu.</p><p>Now you have a just the elements you want to cut, and you're ready to go! </p><p> </p><p>A couple extra tips: There's no law against putting multiple colors of vinyl on your cutting mat so that you can do everything in one cut session. Just be even more careful than you think you have to be about measuring and ensuring that the elements you want to be, say, pink, will be cut on the pink vinyl. Frankly it's error-prone, but it feels efficient and it uses up scraps of vinyl so I am sure I will keep doing it! <br /></p><p>* I mentioned above that this will not save you time, and it Won't! It's not only the conversion process that I am detailing here that takes
time, it's the extra steps of dragging out the machine, finding the
vinyl, preparing the mats, arranging everything in Design Space such
that you're not wasting unreasonably amounts of material, weeding, ironing exactly one layer at a time... felt and
EZ-Steam is much faster. But your end product will look great. </p><p>* Here's an older post of <a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2022/01/not-so-quick-and-dirty-sewing-more-tips.html" target="_blank">more sewing tips for plushes </a>. <br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-19316485210690126852022-11-09T22:24:00.005-08:002022-11-09T22:34:10.779-08:00Custom Plushies<h2 style="text-align: left;"> Welcome to Tarkheena Crafts! </h2><p>I have been sewing plushies using patterns from <a href="https://cholyknight.com/" target="_blank">Choly Knight</a> for about 3 years.</p><p>I am available to custom make plushies on a limited basis. My prices are reasonable, and you will love your new friend. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsCGB7fSl8UOylqbx8BY4THaL5697HJ4HBRQxWOjVijNlnjlJ0lK2Nm3J15b88FleBxpByHG6xgropMnZKT4TinL6kcYVYxk_ujLPZKeB4TITM44jXsK8G0cfAGkTMsRFsEsdNX1dzGZpLotZyqXFPWtikP2yevHFJ3tIQ1DmWCYEoeIgVWQ5nAMQ/s4608/IMG_20210225_225737338.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsCGB7fSl8UOylqbx8BY4THaL5697HJ4HBRQxWOjVijNlnjlJ0lK2Nm3J15b88FleBxpByHG6xgropMnZKT4TinL6kcYVYxk_ujLPZKeB4TITM44jXsK8G0cfAGkTMsRFsEsdNX1dzGZpLotZyqXFPWtikP2yevHFJ3tIQ1DmWCYEoeIgVWQ5nAMQ/s320/IMG_20210225_225737338.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>If you are a friend of Encore Performing Arts Studio, be assured that proceeds from sales will be helping defray Grace and Lucy's Company fees! <br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;">What Can You Make? <br /></h1><p>I can sew anything from <a href="https://cholyknight.com/plushies/" target="_blank">Choly's free section</a>, and own a number of her commercial patterns as well. If you are interested in something from her commercial section that is new to me, the price of the pattern will need to be incorporated into the total. <br />Of course the free patterns are typically easier and faster, and therefore cheaper to you. </p><p>Some of my favorites are </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://cholyknight.com/2020/11/06/pikachu-plush/">Pikachu</a></li><li><a href="https://cholyknight.com/2020/10/09/the-child-plush/" target="_blank">Baby Yoda </a></li><li><a href="https://cholyknight.com/2017/09/08/owl-plush/" target="_blank">Owls</a> (usually with rice packs inside so they can be heated) <br />and<br /></li><li><a href="https://cholyknight.com/2020/08/07/panda-plush/" target="_blank">Memory Bears</a> (Perhaps made with an old dance shirt?) <br /></li></ul><p> <br />If you have a desire for a plushie the does not appear on Choly's site, there is always a chance I could make something happen. I have done a handful of Pokemon hacks, for instance: Psyduck and Rowlet are in my library. It never hurts to ask! <br /></p><h1 style="text-align: left;">What Will It Cost? <br /></h1><p>As a ballpark, custom plushies will start at $20 and top out around $45, although I will need to do a custom quote for your project. </p><h1 style="text-align: left;">How Can I Order? <br /></h1><p>Please, contact me at <a href="mailto:annetteccollins@gmail.com">annetteccollins@gmail.com</a>. Let me know what you are interested in and a timeline, and we'll figure something out! <br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-11774665870774407052022-11-08T08:51:00.000-08:002022-11-12T08:59:03.686-08:00Pumpkin Kit<p>Did you receive one of our Pumpkin kits? </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoBRpQQc6tN87AigN79J3JTvR2XK0EPNCV0Heqi2RS3uTaYEWi1WNcYc55L9o4b6XIvkw2rZoTf3stVB-sAOR8tRRPyPtFcGVo2323u1kBfoOJA60LJIRw3Ky5bcVWAc3sXxxptjrda-ZaG71YuWayW-AD4RSjOYUuA0o7wivlbyaVqtAMPlrBB2a/s3174/IMG_20221112_085046468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2808" data-original-width="3174" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoBRpQQc6tN87AigN79J3JTvR2XK0EPNCV0Heqi2RS3uTaYEWi1WNcYc55L9o4b6XIvkw2rZoTf3stVB-sAOR8tRRPyPtFcGVo2323u1kBfoOJA60LJIRw3Ky5bcVWAc3sXxxptjrda-ZaG71YuWayW-AD4RSjOYUuA0o7wivlbyaVqtAMPlrBB2a/s320/IMG_20221112_085046468.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br /><p></p><p>Come sew along with us! </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Kit Contents</h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>pre-cut round of fabric</li><li>needle</li><li>length of thread</li><li>rectangle of plain brown paper</li><li>double-handful of stuffing </li></ul><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">You will need to supply</h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>hot glue (or other glue as preferred) <br /></li><li>(optional) handful of rice or dry beans for weight</li><li>scissors <br /></li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;">Skills (or, Can my Kid Do This?) <br /></h3><p>If you can tie a knot, thread a needle, and do a basic running stitch, you already have all the skills you need to make this craft. </p><p>This is a great beginning sewing project for kids because it is fast and easy, and mistakes are very easily hidden. I have to help my girls with the knots, but they can manage most of the rest. <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Instructions</h3><p>Thread your needle with about an arm's length of thread. Tie a solid knot in the end of the thread</p><p>Now grab your fabric round. Beginning from the wrong side of the fabric, insert your needle about 1/4 inch from the end of the circle.</p><p>Sew a basic running stitch (in and out, in and out - here's <a href="http://www.holiday-crafts-and-creations.com/running-stitch.html" target="_blank">a tutorial </a>if you need a refresher) all the way around the perimeter of the circle. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfqyiPC1SQYUPK23E068h4bFD-ju3g34IN5Ex3EZ6GGUoNgKMFkF9I7y3EEfjXGhF2Xy01qGqDKa01vaqqVk-99dJYop1fD5LzfdFN6rDvV1DuMZ-mfcaWLMeMvLWwvlV9n852KkuM8p1Xni_WuBy-7IqBaPcWd4inZp_kolvvJJfhVjRFPBQlu3X/s2689/IMG_20221111_152127216.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2213" data-original-width="2689" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfqyiPC1SQYUPK23E068h4bFD-ju3g34IN5Ex3EZ6GGUoNgKMFkF9I7y3EEfjXGhF2Xy01qGqDKa01vaqqVk-99dJYop1fD5LzfdFN6rDvV1DuMZ-mfcaWLMeMvLWwvlV9n852KkuM8p1Xni_WuBy-7IqBaPcWd4inZp_kolvvJJfhVjRFPBQlu3X/s320/IMG_20221111_152127216.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>When you complete the circle, go just one or two stitches farther so there is no gap. Don't cut your thread or tie off, though! In fact, leave your needle threaded, 'cause you'll need it again. <br /></p><p>Begin to pull the thread tight. Your "pumpkin" will begin to take shape before your eyes! (Even if it looks more like a shower cap just now!) <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAk1E5iOr5W90k_aT4yxp0jZYJW7X5DFP1L75TnUjMsMcdsKQ4FFNanZrEip6yEdgWEcyJYLmC_4GPVUT8O5Xk2GyU8_I7_L4NNg6s4K3Zo4IsO7RsZnhRA6aVrDEeS5Icb-vaVq6TajA76g4KpBowRIShbGttUUjGNsWZ-_n1QFGB_X-vOfwIGlj/s3317/IMG_20221111_152724697.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3317" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAk1E5iOr5W90k_aT4yxp0jZYJW7X5DFP1L75TnUjMsMcdsKQ4FFNanZrEip6yEdgWEcyJYLmC_4GPVUT8O5Xk2GyU8_I7_L4NNg6s4K3Zo4IsO7RsZnhRA6aVrDEeS5Icb-vaVq6TajA76g4KpBowRIShbGttUUjGNsWZ-_n1QFGB_X-vOfwIGlj/s320/IMG_20221111_152724697.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><br /><p>At this point, if you would like to add some weight in the bottom of your pumpkin, a handful of rice or beans could be added to the bottom. </p><p>Otherwise, it's time for the stuffing! Carefully stuff your pumpkin with the entire double-handful provided. Take a moment to shape it and get everything evenly distributed<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7nwH3VunA8EU4UtEpGBgS16hdqevkUUCeQxFqUnPQ0EKnVJGUb9AqWa8CEFXqWKixEbKNuwmnn-_d8jiBTrZeoOYEKrTto5nn_AbM5La2_x762rXKHCKXqmkMzGHUREAsNvrZtLjV5Ljru2t4NbmzxuASHsuWZFAquJQmWcRWA_1Au_yHFQIsa-9/s2654/IMG_20221111_152845376.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2464" data-original-width="2654" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7nwH3VunA8EU4UtEpGBgS16hdqevkUUCeQxFqUnPQ0EKnVJGUb9AqWa8CEFXqWKixEbKNuwmnn-_d8jiBTrZeoOYEKrTto5nn_AbM5La2_x762rXKHCKXqmkMzGHUREAsNvrZtLjV5Ljru2t4NbmzxuASHsuWZFAquJQmWcRWA_1Au_yHFQIsa-9/s320/IMG_20221111_152845376.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Now, pull your thread all the way shut. It's really beginning to take shape now! </p><p>At this point you should take several stitches (I hope your needle is still threaded!) criss-crossed around the pucker you made when you pulled the thread tight. Don't worry too much about how it looks, because this is where we'll be gluing the stem. Just make it tight and sturdy. When you're satisfied, tie off - but still Do Not cut the thread! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxIhmAdBexLcWSgwGRrbXqpSslXNfBLg-9r7Yn-3PJHj9zbHB-g8kjRxxMlj2O6WzP4Z3RFBER007rKNetAjextxTUsvjL6gHs9P3-5EooEjag4SvCnTq5RDXwotHnJ4iQl9xhwLatI4VVWL04ozlZYyLdDvjhx77KzvOXB8bnLiYeRIpdSeg5xHz/s3057/IMG_20221111_153124704.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3057" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxIhmAdBexLcWSgwGRrbXqpSslXNfBLg-9r7Yn-3PJHj9zbHB-g8kjRxxMlj2O6WzP4Z3RFBER007rKNetAjextxTUsvjL6gHs9P3-5EooEjag4SvCnTq5RDXwotHnJ4iQl9xhwLatI4VVWL04ozlZYyLdDvjhx77KzvOXB8bnLiYeRIpdSeg5xHz/s320/IMG_20221111_153124704.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Right now your pumpkin looks more like a tomato, but that's easily fixed. Take the tail of your thread and wrap it around your pumpkin 3 to 6 times. I like to pass the needle through the center of the bottom of the pumpkin in a tiny stitch so that everything stays put, but this can be skipped. </p><p>When you're happy with your bulges, tie your thread off again at the top of the pumpkin, and (finally) cut it off. Carefully stow your needle for another time. </p><p>Now, for the stem. Find your brown craft paper (shh, it's just a piece of a grocery bag!)</p><p>The first thing we're going to do is crumple it. Really. It needs to be distressed and softened, so have fun with it! <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGQbwo0mn59U0HpQev0g7h2bcleK8RfLckHbw_L4iPe_H8-sK-Q6O6_HsHHvXIuh4UYXxZk9-Gc3F5bpBhMaH8U8RBK3prnC_Shd3QjsLcrDREYYb2ZRlftBungHtWz0922Uz7KlEmrHiekMAnQOn1JTsc5kI0rZgmglNyBpTbndTQ-EzvQXQo2qv/s3000/IMG_20221111_153512629.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2586" data-original-width="3000" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGQbwo0mn59U0HpQev0g7h2bcleK8RfLckHbw_L4iPe_H8-sK-Q6O6_HsHHvXIuh4UYXxZk9-Gc3F5bpBhMaH8U8RBK3prnC_Shd3QjsLcrDREYYb2ZRlftBungHtWz0922Uz7KlEmrHiekMAnQOn1JTsc5kI0rZgmglNyBpTbndTQ-EzvQXQo2qv/s320/IMG_20221111_153512629.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Next, roll the paper into a tube until its about the width you want. Finally, twist it up. At some point it will magically begin to look a good deal like a pumpkin stem, but with fewer sharp bits. :) </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIUWJghdYSZKUAdT3Ji8PQ2vj8HhA5hBl9s9K88XAReaVlf9TEror-n_IFe1jcPKJkfzmsCtxfX141JUX5tF9MAwfr07tGJ4AZlFD8guo1OxMEnPTZywFMbI0HOokfOighs3wZgT9vMEiXIvq5jtLNm21NdG-1LG0Oq9fEjEZHi7o1YM-G8okdhnt/s3175/IMG_20221111_154258328.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3175" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIUWJghdYSZKUAdT3Ji8PQ2vj8HhA5hBl9s9K88XAReaVlf9TEror-n_IFe1jcPKJkfzmsCtxfX141JUX5tF9MAwfr07tGJ4AZlFD8guo1OxMEnPTZywFMbI0HOokfOighs3wZgT9vMEiXIvq5jtLNm21NdG-1LG0Oq9fEjEZHi7o1YM-G8okdhnt/s320/IMG_20221111_154258328.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I use hot glue to attach mine (careful, kids!) but if you are patient I am sure you can get ordinary white glue, E6000, or fabric glue to do the job. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_XpLtP-uJljLfnyJrBPG75AKCv1SheYnNNM2GyLZ7H7j8YIiZgGZN2w5bQqMFnZO8N632rZvwmk3VoSHHai_AAqcnz7X9VT0633WdmMP20bFcRxnverSb9axdM5ECXsZonu17DZ9wDN6YOrULkNB-YztwhxOAegaqf8cz5YXlB8tLNd-odJ9Mz6R/s3609/IMG_20221112_080529332.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3609" data-original-width="2706" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_XpLtP-uJljLfnyJrBPG75AKCv1SheYnNNM2GyLZ7H7j8YIiZgGZN2w5bQqMFnZO8N632rZvwmk3VoSHHai_AAqcnz7X9VT0633WdmMP20bFcRxnverSb9axdM5ECXsZonu17DZ9wDN6YOrULkNB-YztwhxOAegaqf8cz5YXlB8tLNd-odJ9Mz6R/s320/IMG_20221112_080529332.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>And that's it. One velvet pumpkin, in less time than it took to write this tutorial! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXhYaQiWkgme27L6WhJtlyN6Mc_iXUhSMd2rmp9j0568OqHGIpzoDtkbPotnhuucQBmB6wbhm4xcVvtS6PWKNm6-OczlD9MgEStApD9NqqcBtGZCVLoIfBs50fr3NzZr9ORT76avWfusMiTyfRxUg1fMECLYBMbJOkhpzWHVaunLXkSLRIbWVkELm/s4000/IMG_20221112_080612782.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXhYaQiWkgme27L6WhJtlyN6Mc_iXUhSMd2rmp9j0568OqHGIpzoDtkbPotnhuucQBmB6wbhm4xcVvtS6PWKNm6-OczlD9MgEStApD9NqqcBtGZCVLoIfBs50fr3NzZr9ORT76avWfusMiTyfRxUg1fMECLYBMbJOkhpzWHVaunLXkSLRIbWVkELm/s320/IMG_20221112_080612782.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Would you like to make a whole basket-full? All you'll need to pick up at the craft store is some velvet-like fabric and a bag of stuffing. Jo-Ann usually keeps this fabric in their costume area, but their employees can help you find it. <br /></p><p>Hint: Use your largest dinner plate or the cardboard from a frozen pizza to trace the circle. Make them in a couple of different sizes and colors, and have fun! <br /></p><p><br /></p></div><br /><br />TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-34923208449766358522022-09-26T18:29:00.005-07:002022-09-26T18:55:07.611-07:00Dots On Rocks : A Tutorial Roundup and Tip-Sheet<p>Hello! </p><p>If you are reading this, there's a good chance you are at Women's Retreat, either hanging out at The Nest, or attending my class on dot painting. <br /><br />Dots On Rocks can range from the dead simple to the highly complex.
The good news is that even some very simple techniques can yield
impressive results.</p><p>What I have here for you all is a round-up of videos, photos, and tips that will put you on your way to a fun, satisfying rock painting. <br /><br />This is a choose-your-own-adventure style "class." You decide how much guidance you want. But everyone should start by </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Gathering Supplies <br /></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Something to paint on. There should be lots of rocks from the beach in various colors and shapes, or smaller and glossier ones from the store available. There may be a few ceramic or wood items too. </li></ul><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Paint : ordinary acrylic paint is great on rocks. If you are going to paint on a ceramic object, the Gloss Enamels are better. <br /></li><li>Dot Tools : either purpose-made ball-point dotters, or quick-and-dirty options like pencils, toothpicks, and Q-tips. </li><li>Mandala templates and chalk (very optional, and can be challenging to use, especially on non-flat surfaces) <br /></li><li>Pens, brushes, and other miscellaneous tools for those of you who wish to get outside of the box. <br /></li></ul><h2 style="text-align: left;">Option 1:</h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Annette, I just want to pick my own project, but I'd like to look over some ideas!</h2><p>I feel you! Please pop on over to my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/webtarkeena/cause-i-need-just-one-more-craft-to-make/dotty/" target="_blank">"Dotty" Pinterest board</a>. All of the videos and links below also live here, and you can pick something that appeals to you. Please ignore the rest of this page! <br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Option 2: </h2><h2 style="text-align: left;">Help, I'm entirely overwhelmed. Where should I start? <br /></h2><p style="text-align: left;">I will begin by sharing this longer video from Lydia May, who demonstrates clearly how to use pencils, Q-tips, toothpicks, and even the bottom of your paint bottle as tools for placing dots. <br /></p><p>I suggest you watch the first 2 minutes of this video even if you don't want to paint along with Lydia, just to get an idea of how to prepare your tools.<br /><br />(Note: You really do not need the sound. Really. And if you try to hear it, you will go nuts, because it's just that soft.) <br /></p><p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F1EdkvPK7oY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<br /></p>
<p>Now let's go back a level or two with this very basic idea of randomly placing dots of a few colors and sizes all over your object:</p><p><br /></p>
<p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="714" scrolling="no" src="https://assets.pinterest.com/ext/embed.html?id=270427152614770039" width="345"></iframe> </p>
<p>See how easy that is and how neat it looks? This is a great place for you to play all day if you don't have a lot of patience or faith in your ability to follow the lines!</p>Here is a very nicely done tutorial of a simple dot mandala on stone in still images over at <a href="https://colorful-crafts.com/mandala-stone-tutorial-green-blue/" target="_blank">Colorful Crafts</a>. I love still images when I'm trying to duplicate a technique! <br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://colorful-crafts.com/mandala-stone-tutorial-green-blue/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="800" height="246" src="https://i2.wp.com/colorful-crafts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/mandala-stone-green-diy-01-1.jpg?w=800&ssl=1" width="320" /></a></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> Back in video-land, let's move on to a more intricate, planned-out mandala pattern: </p><p> <br /></p>
<p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="714" scrolling="no" src="https://assets.pinterest.com/ext/embed.html?id=270427152614716766" width="345"></iframe> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p>
</p><p>This next option relies on eye-balling the placement of your dots without first chalking in a template. I can't decide if this is harder or easier in the long run, so you decide whether you're going to mess with guidelines or not!</p><p> </p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="714" scrolling="no" src="https://assets.pinterest.com/ext/embed.html?id=270427152614604010" width="345"></iframe></p>
<p>And one final example of a no-template design <br /></p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="714" scrolling="no" src="https://assets.pinterest.com/ext/embed.html?id=270427152614603986" width="345"></iframe> </p>Finally, here are a bunch of other ideas on my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/webtarkeena/cause-i-need-just-one-more-craft-to-make/dotty/" target="_blank">"Dotty" Pinterest board</a>. <br /><p></p></div>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-72112364075035636052022-07-08T13:35:00.001-07:002022-07-08T13:35:47.545-07:00Quick n' Dirty D&D Plotting Board<p>My husband began his illustrious career as a D&D DM when he was 12 or 13 years old. It's been a long time coming, but with our three kids now ranging from 9 to 13 years old, we've finally begun our first official campaign. (Our goal? Make Korin Great Again!) </p><p>While he's printed us tons of maps and occasionally pressed our school whiteboard into service, he agreed it would be nice to have a table-top mat or board for diagramming engagements. </p><p>It's quite possible to purchase such a thing, but it seemed within the spirit of the game to construct my own instead. Here's what I came up with. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/pw/AM-JKLV-m03pkYqnwfviEzbo6Fd-ZlTm8D7XX7UrAT2uUM4r-U3NA0mISa8HaSP1FJXfJBpxeQx99rsL72yCC54CMMWSB7z7jAIUtJNOtWStbsi4XdNkRQpE2eaCTZ-z2BSTwyMmdu3dQs65ccIZzxOYbhdDUQ=s1080-no?authuser=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1080" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/pw/AM-JKLV-m03pkYqnwfviEzbo6Fd-ZlTm8D7XX7UrAT2uUM4r-U3NA0mISa8HaSP1FJXfJBpxeQx99rsL72yCC54CMMWSB7z7jAIUtJNOtWStbsi4XdNkRQpE2eaCTZ-z2BSTwyMmdu3dQs65ccIZzxOYbhdDUQ=s320-no?authuser=0" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Supplies<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Folding board from a disused boardgame </li><li>Printed graph paper with 1 cm to 1 in squares depending on your preferences, enough to cover board</li><li>Contact Paper</li><li>Scissors and/or paper cutter</li><li>Glue stick</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV-CcDk5hqw1QyUYI1g5QZ_jr8o85kFLQzgX8rPEMQjW6lj8Z7vsRdRxO0r11V8Jxyc7V0zT_Yn66GSEKwETkIXgZ6ZD9Z9CuQaGa1NyeHvvCsEqB04NTwgL_iwLh626yXMHC4iAjEiI/s1280-no/?authuser=0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1280" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnV-CcDk5hqw1QyUYI1g5QZ_jr8o85kFLQzgX8rPEMQjW6lj8Z7vsRdRxO0r11V8Jxyc7V0zT_Yn66GSEKwETkIXgZ6ZD9Z9CuQaGa1NyeHvvCsEqB04NTwgL_iwLh626yXMHC4iAjEiI/s320-no/?authuser=0" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <br /><p></p><p>Procedure</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Find a board game you can sacrifice. We had a Scrabble game sitting around that I purchased for its tiles, so that's what I used. Search your game collection for an old Candyland set, or head over to your local Goodwill. <br />Note: You Can do this project with a game you still want to play if - like me - you build your playing surface on the back of the gameboard. You sacrifice a small margin on the fold(s) if you go this route. </li><li>Download yourself some graph paper, like this 1 cm square page from <a href="https://www.speedytemplate.com/centimeter-graph-paper-1.asp" target="_blank">Speedytemplate</a>. Print out enough copies to cover your board</li><li>Carefully trim your graph paper to fit. (Consider overlapping at the seam, which I didn't do and wish I had.) Leave 1/2 cm or so margin on all sides so there's more surface for the Contact paper to adhere. </li><li>Glue your graph paper to the game board, being sure to avoid the center fold if you are using the back of the board</li><li>Carefully trim your Contact paper to fit the board. Apply even more carefully, starting at one long end and gently pulling the backing paper off a little at a time while you are sticking it down. </li></ol><p></p><p>That's all there is to it. You now have a playing grid you can diagram your campaigns upon using dry erase markers. <br />I plan to create small, simple "meeples" from polymer clay for each player and major NPC. I will either use paper tokens or create a handful of very generic tokens for the bad guys. Of course, structures and significant geographical figures can be drawn in with dry erase pens. </p><p>One last tip: If you can, erase thoroughly after each use. The Contact paper is a decent, but not perfect, dry erase surface. <br />Straight rubbing alcohol does a pretty good job of cleaning the board too. </p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-90862171799902314632022-03-10T21:32:00.002-08:002022-03-10T21:35:36.306-08:00Just Turn It Off Already!A friend of mine recently posted about her growing realization that she must be disciplined and cautious about her news consumption, lest she, like so many of us, become overwhelmed to the point of immobility. <div><br /></div><div> I feel her pain. I actually turned off the news in November of 2020. It was an act of desperation, because I just couldn't take it anymore. And so I went cold-turkey on the local AM station. No more talk shows. I don't take a paper, or even have access to broadcast TV. I have suppressed most FB news postings, and limited headline-pushers on my various devices. I largely avoid podcasts touching on current events. And I've made it abundantly clear to my husband that I do Not want to hear about it, let alone discuss it. </div><div><br /></div><div> And it's working. Enough seeps through the cracks in my rock that I know that there is, for instance, a war going on in Europe, but I can still sleep at night. Mostly. </div><div><br /></div><div> It occurs to me about once a fortnight that I may have gone too far. That I look like the little monkeys with their hands over their eyes and ears and mouths. That all I am doing is foolishly and cravenly denying reality and indulging in a magical fantasy world where nothing gets to bother me - UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE. (Cue the creepy music.) </div><div> I won't deny that there is a weak and unhealthy part of me that would like to do just that. The initial decision did come out of a place of near break-down after all. All I can say is, sometimes you've got to overcorrect. </div><div><br /></div><div> Because (in my little internal dialog), I then remember that media is a product, and they're not selling good news. They're selling exactly the opposite. Fear. Terror. Outrage. Dissension. Judgement. All interspersed with the even more urgent news of a weekend super sale at Macy's, suggestions that you try a new detergent, or maybe a new car. </div><div> Moreover, they are a product with both a bias and an agenda, and very rarely is either aligned with my own worldview. Even when they are... well, see above. </div><div><br /></div><div>So I leave the radio off. I get that I have some emotional health issues that need healing, but bathing in sewage is hardly an effective treatment for infected wounds. I know the word is going to hell in a handbasket, but that hasn't changed in, oh, the last 5 or 6 thousand years, and I don't need a front row seat. Even less do I need a biased, agenda-driven report from someone else who claims to have a front row seat, not to mention a burning desire to get me into a new vehicle. </div><div><br /></div><div>What I Need is even more constant reminders that God is still on his throne, and is in control of Even This. He is not surprised by Russia's aggression or the rest of the world's rudderless, stupid responses. Neither weird weather, novel viruses, or overreaching governments throw off his plans. He's not even anxious about my friend's recent health concerns, my kid's latest behavioral or emotional challenges, or the price of gasoline. He Cares about all of this stuff - and cares deeply - but none of it Scares him. He already wrote the final chapter, and the good guys win.
All I need to do is ensure that I am on His side. That I am seeking His Kingdom and His Righteousness. All the rest, I get to leave to him. </div><div><br /></div><div> So yeah, the news stays off. For now, and quite possibly forever. I have more important things to do with my time. Like teaching my kids. Going grocery shopping. Taking a walk in the sun and seeing what the beavers have been up to in the creek. Having important discussions with my daughter. Studying the Bible. Making dinner for the family. Praying for those hurting. Helping those I can. And continually practicing my faith and trust in Him.</div>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-84104614798331546832022-01-30T14:05:00.005-08:002023-01-16T13:20:19.568-08:00Not So Quick and Dirty Sewing: More Tips for Sewing Plushies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhaPRWDhSUd6TmI2GGvor5l4YOu89lCfFNHOJzDgUZ4_dkNcDxYDC5Tpr319ZQG58aEPIm7ubpF1s88KQjjvxeczfVeYc-1AQgFTCEFCEZVgFkvdSoBZPykmYzdfP8Uk3KPmCCmJJ6BkDW78T1FexFoO-W2kWvQjCCUwOfF-VjCotlTEq2L1BDrV2d=s3000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2562" data-original-width="3000" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhaPRWDhSUd6TmI2GGvor5l4YOu89lCfFNHOJzDgUZ4_dkNcDxYDC5Tpr319ZQG58aEPIm7ubpF1s88KQjjvxeczfVeYc-1AQgFTCEFCEZVgFkvdSoBZPykmYzdfP8Uk3KPmCCmJJ6BkDW78T1FexFoO-W2kWvQjCCUwOfF-VjCotlTEq2L1BDrV2d=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> A year ago I published <a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2021/01/top-tips-for-sewing-plushies.html" target="_blank">an extensive tip-sheet for sewing plushies</a>, my current crafting obsession. </p><p>In the ensuing months I've gathered a few more tips, which I will share here in abbreviated form. You can consider this an improvement and mostly a replacement of my previous post as there will be overlap, but my intent is for this one to be SHORT. (We'll see!) </p><p>1. <b>Do </b>start with <a href="https://cholyknight.com/free-projects/" target="_blank">free patterns from Choly Knight</a>. And <b>DO </b>read her instructions and tips carefully. Mine are purely supplementary! </p><p>2. <b>Do </b>cut your patterns out of regular printer paper and trace them on the wrong side of your fabric </p><p>3. <b>Do NOT</b> waste your money on any of the pattern tracing options from the Notions wall (soapstone, pencils, disappearing ink, carbon paper, tracing wheels, etc.) </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The only possible exception is the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dritz-710-Mark-B-Gone-Marking-Combo/dp/B001B9I1OG/">Mark B Gone</a> pens from Dritz. The white one may save your bacon when tracing on black fabric. But they are overpriced and underperforming, and they couldn't even be bothered to design a cap that fits on the end of the pen! I prefer <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Count-Gel-Washable-Markers/" target="_blank">Crayola's gel markers for black paper</a> in most situations.</li></ul>4. <b>Do </b>use Sharpies in a slightly darker color for most pattern tracing. Yes, really. <p></p><div>5. <b>Do </b>use anti-pill fleece as your minimum cost acceptable fabric, but spend the extra $ for minky whenever you can. </div><div> </div><div>5b. <b>Use felt+fusible web</b> for eyes and appliqued details. See <a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2021/01/top-tips-for-sewing-plushies.html" target="_blank">original tips post</a> for details on eyes.<br />Update: If you have a Cricut, you can with some effort use it to cut your appliqued details. It won't save you time or money, but it looks great. Here's a <a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2023/01/quick-n-dirty-convert-applique-patterns.html">tutorial</a>. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>6. <b>Do </b>splurge on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Clover-Wonder-Clips-Assorted-Colors/" target="_blank">Clover Mini Wonder Clips</a>. (Be careful of buying online; there are many knockoffs. With coupon I got 20 of them for about $12 at Michael's, which is plenty.) While these do not entirely solve the slippage problem when sewing together small pieces of minky, they Do solve the "constantly pricking my fingers" problem quite neatly. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipgp6vqt8RqR5gzwBAKrmh6M8BQbhjDDybFttq8pX1nrVWQcwvqw5eqTndP15A6Sr6r3QH11tBGgk611R_oTPmI6TSDqU6M28Odf_hTMei8ebVeDgQ03NP5C9w5KwMckbHsStHHUOz5mUu1hQL_2zp6zmMj93giTM9XGKsX-dg7KIofy5Ax9hLng2-=s4000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipgp6vqt8RqR5gzwBAKrmh6M8BQbhjDDybFttq8pX1nrVWQcwvqw5eqTndP15A6Sr6r3QH11tBGgk611R_oTPmI6TSDqU6M28Odf_hTMei8ebVeDgQ03NP5C9w5KwMckbHsStHHUOz5mUu1hQL_2zp6zmMj93giTM9XGKsX-dg7KIofy5Ax9hLng2-=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above: "Wonder Clips" replacing pins on this wing</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>7. As to that slippage problem... it's a beast. I Hate it when this happens! And it does happen frequently, despite my best efforts and bunches of clips or pins. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiU--cdTJI8baY4r1KIENw3Y-cd8LYdiP52ndla3JBmHB_71QDD2zTr8VmDcDwj-uOGaKucOzElExX6KG63nTio0eB0obFUTO190BtbgXgOo6seC6UrKBE-wVzNBFyUIh0GiI2fGfwyBnPCybmxXrkhy7k0j0y06HeZOkKSwSpAkSM7aNggzBvKaK1=s4000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiU--cdTJI8baY4r1KIENw3Y-cd8LYdiP52ndla3JBmHB_71QDD2zTr8VmDcDwj-uOGaKucOzElExX6KG63nTio0eB0obFUTO190BtbgXgOo6seC6UrKBE-wVzNBFyUIh0GiI2fGfwyBnPCybmxXrkhy7k0j0y06HeZOkKSwSpAkSM7aNggzBvKaK1=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above: Top and bottom fabric pieces slipped during sewing. Stitching missed one layer entirely on lowest point of wing. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Here's one strategy:<b> Stop cutting corners</b>. No, really! You do not have to cut right at the line on the complicated shapes. (Wings. dragon crest spikes, toes, etc.) Leave some extra fabric on at Least one of your pieces. This leaves you more margin for (inevitable) error. You will need to trim your seam allowances after sewing anyway. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheMvVGrHe1bVCKMbPSBeedQKdaiFu8OmJeIr4bi1dxRP1vAx035fvBMDTcP1RnD4GVc01Qb-JWSFciiSyvbyOfUjkcZApzhch4wWk_lGTQsmum6fWaU0Ul3_39aVgMoMopuI26HhAs-G4t1DUrDXKaHt-g5PmK2f7VewYGRBlj4QlnPf546uzXQPq9=s4000" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheMvVGrHe1bVCKMbPSBeedQKdaiFu8OmJeIr4bi1dxRP1vAx035fvBMDTcP1RnD4GVc01Qb-JWSFciiSyvbyOfUjkcZApzhch4wWk_lGTQsmum6fWaU0Ul3_39aVgMoMopuI26HhAs-G4t1DUrDXKaHt-g5PmK2f7VewYGRBlj4QlnPf546uzXQPq9=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above: Leave a larger margin when cutting out your small or complicated shapes. You have to trim after sewing anyway! </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>8. Finally, let's talk compromises on transferring those complicated wing, claw, and spike shapes. </div><div>You Could cut off the seam allowance from your paper pattern pieces after the initial transfer to fabric and then use it as a tracing template. This is what Choly recommends, and it works every time. It also makes it hard to reuse your pattern piece. </div><div>OR you could <b>poke holes in your paper pattern at the pivot points</b> (I use a ball point pen and a heavy piece of cardboard behind) and transfer just the dot markings to the fabric. Then, depending on your confidence, how complicated the shape, etc you can either eyeball and draw a dotted line on your fabric, or you can leave just the pivot points and eyeball it while sewing. I've done both. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0LZC-5xcOmxXh1QMI0flE53XoPkGXQwTFeyNEaAIqlp3tapfB-HViNbxF9yniqunPg41_bcMQ2yeTzsS68DK1u5X7fGZqtkUFBRUzTO_AyNwlfKalfSXydeUjRa87q0bc4W6MH2NJGjmtGWaHlVBOhKGEPI0APwZ7u_BSbj9YevXTtTkzdyAFGEWh=s2949" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2949" data-original-width="2808" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0LZC-5xcOmxXh1QMI0flE53XoPkGXQwTFeyNEaAIqlp3tapfB-HViNbxF9yniqunPg41_bcMQ2yeTzsS68DK1u5X7fGZqtkUFBRUzTO_AyNwlfKalfSXydeUjRa87q0bc4W6MH2NJGjmtGWaHlVBOhKGEPI0APwZ7u_BSbj9YevXTtTkzdyAFGEWh=s320" width="305" /></a></div><br /><div>Quick warning: <b>Transferring dots is one place you might use a water-based, non-Sharpie pen</b>. Experience shows that this is the place your markings are most likely to bleed to the right side of the fabric because you are poking, not drawing. It is also the place most likely to show on the final project because it is right at the edge of the seam allowance. If you miss when sewing, the dot might show through. </div><div><br /></div><div>OK, that's all I have for today. I hope you find it useful. Have fun sewing! </div>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-22410973272840560182022-01-14T22:44:00.003-08:002022-02-01T11:22:45.743-08:00I've Seen This OneIn my dream I am in a stagecoach or covered wagon with two or three others I understand to be of my party. We are traveling up the side of a mountain, and eventually come to a small town. We stop to get coffee. As we proceed I am aware of a certain sense of deja vu. I have a flashback of seeing the coffee stand I just patronized as a charred ruin. That's because there is a wildfire racing through this area, and we are in its path. Oddly, this does not greatly concern me. I know that the owner of the stand is OK and will rebuild. <p> </p><p>When we get back on the road I recall that our coach driver is The White Witch. (I don't know that I ever see her, but in my mind's eye she looks far more like the Pauline Baynes illustration than Tilda Swinton's movie version. Call me old fashioned!) What's more, I know for certain that she will shortly betray us, taking the coach and horses for herself and leaving us at the mercy of the oncoming fire. Again, this is not terribly upsetting to me: I've seen this one. I know we will make it out. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7sKL5zZ_HEqTYYC3z5-bPbDvu8YHzAe_b5-B4NQYXldwtmiK4m0v8yGxQkHV6kMZRQMDE09EVmJeZc_aLOZ_8xwBFFTvc3or2Lw-LD2cOXB4AaWX35yIk0PV-gwsR5ys2OVFwQy1zLTKMkvFGoBOTBMNXLNdG9vRssqffKLB69mVNfutfIUlDD2s2=s400" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="400" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7sKL5zZ_HEqTYYC3z5-bPbDvu8YHzAe_b5-B4NQYXldwtmiK4m0v8yGxQkHV6kMZRQMDE09EVmJeZc_aLOZ_8xwBFFTvc3or2Lw-LD2cOXB4AaWX35yIk0PV-gwsR5ys2OVFwQy1zLTKMkvFGoBOTBMNXLNdG9vRssqffKLB69mVNfutfIUlDD2s2=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The White Witch in her sleigh<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>In fact, I take matters into my own hands. I grab the hand of the girl nearest me and we bail out of the back. I explain somehow that the White Witch is about to betray us and we need to get to safety as best we can. So we start moving down the mountain, looking for shelter. I have some mild curiosity as to where exactly we might find to shelter and whether the firestorm will rage over us and how uncomfortable that may be. I know that we should not try to run straight up slope, as we cannot outrun a fire and will merely use up our own strength. But I am not actually afraid. </p><p>As we go on I observe that the forest on the downhill side of the road is already charred and smoking, but not in flames. The uphill side of the road is still untouched. I start to think that maybe the fire already passed this way and was unable to leap the firebreak. Perhaps that is how we'll survive. I do not know the details. I don't even feel like I should be trying to remember them. I just know it's going to work out. <br /></p><p>Somewhere along the road, I wake up. It's 5:30 or 6 am, and entirely dark. But still, I am not afraid. While I remember my dream quite well, I realize it was not technically a "bad" one, because there is no adrenaline, no pounding heart, no lingering and oppressive feelings of doom or even frustration and confusion. In fact, I fall back asleep in 10 minutes or so and back into what may be part of the same dream - those details are no longer clear - but the general emotions don't change. Mild curiosity, a willingness to figure things out, but no great fear. </p><p>Later in the morning, with the sun up and a cup of MUD/WTR in me, my husband asks how I slept. I tell him I had a fairly vivid dream that should have been bad, but really didn't bother me. It looked pretty bleak, but I knew I'd already seen this one and it was going to be fine. Somewhere in that conversation it struck me: This is why I don't have to be afraid! <br /></p><p>Obviously, in real life I haven't "seen this one." But I know Someone who has. He's told me the ending, at least in broad strokes, and it's an awesome one. The good guys win; the bad guys lose. Permanently. What's more, he's promised me a place in it. I get to <i>be</i> one of the good guys! </p><p>There is no script: this is improv, not a rehearsed set piece. And He hasn't by any means promised an easy experience for my character - he really hasn't told me anything specific about what's going to happen to her at all. But there are hints: plenty of rules and guidelines, warnings and encouragements to keep us on course. Stories about what happened before I came on stage. Explanations about why things look bad and what He's done about it. And always and most importantly, there's that rock-hard, iron-clad promise of a happy ending. </p><p>Was my semi-coherent, piecemeal, and not very linear dream <i>actually </i>a direct message from God? I remain noncommittal on that point. It wasn't a vision, that's for sure. It wasn't prophetic. And as parables go it doesn't hold up very well against the real ones. But I think it did have a message: Keep remembering that you don't have to be afraid. The ending has already been written. It's set in stone, and it's going to be great. Trust the Author. <br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-75338988217306444432022-01-14T21:24:00.000-08:002022-01-14T21:24:01.292-08:00<p> A Day in the Life: September 24, 2021<br /></p><p>I was browsing through some very old blog posts a couple of days back and found a "Day in the Life" <a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-day-in-life-october-8-2015.html">diary from 2015</a> written right around this time of year. </p><p>A great deal has changed in the last 6 years. </p><p>The most obvious, of course, is that the kids are now 8, 10, and 12 years old! We're deep into homeschooling, dance lessons, computer games, and taekwondo. All three are largely independent in terms of quotidian tasks: they can read, do a load of laundry, prepare a sandwich, and log into a laptop. That said, it's surprising how many of the big things look similar. So I thought I would go ahead and chronicle last Friday just for fun. </p><p>Grace (10) has a lot of trouble sleeping, and she can be a terrible morning person. On the plus side she loves long walks, and is willing to take them in the "early" morning (say, around 8 to 8:30!) This makes her much more ready for school around 9:30 or 10. Today I was up around 7:45 when David's alarm went off. I did my CBS Bible Study for the day (we're in Joshua), enjoyed a mug of MUD\WTR, and then woke Grace up for our walk. It was a beautiful morning. The colors are just starting, but we've had very little rain yet. It's cool without being cold. We did our standard route starting at Autumn Ridge park and proceeding through the neighborhoods to the Apollo Ridge mixed-use path across 173rd. <br />Just this week we explored a branch of this path we hadn't before and found that it terminates near 158th and Cornell. It's roughly 1.5 miles one way, and there's a gas station convenience store at the end of it. I don't know how or when I became the mom that always gets a drink at the convenience store, but it happened.</p><p>There are multiple patches of woods, a lot of (slippery) boardwalk, and streams on this route and I'm a little embarrassed it took us this long to find it. Tuesday of this week we witnessed a neighborhood cat 12 feet
up a hollow tree stump trying (unsuccessfully) to catch a squirrel on
this walk. Today we saw the same (?) squirrel in his little apartment in
that tree, but the cat wasn't back for a second try! </p><p>Grace often chatters at length about her latest book series, the characters she is designing for art class or some other project, dance, friends, and etc. Sometimes on the return half of the walk she'll be ready do a little math or practice her Bible memory passage. In fact, that was true as recently as Tuesday. Today, not so much. We got as far as 5x7 and she absolutely melted down. Math is not an easy subject for Grace. Although we actually introduced the times tables 3 years ago via "Times Tales" videos, she has never become truly comfortable with them, or really any other aspect of math we've explored in the last couple of years. Tears are the norm, and I am frequently at my wit's end, more with attitude than aptitude really. I gave her the standard lecture about how not having natural talent in math is no more "her fault" than *having* natural talent in dance, and how her sister is willing to work hard on dance despite having less aptitude and Grace should do the same in math. As usual it fell on deaf ears. </p><p>So, I left her on the porch to calm down. </p><p>It was now after 9:30 (maybe closer to 10... class technically starts at 9:30 but that's mostly to get them out of bed by 9.) James and Lucy had gotten up in the interim and eaten breakfast. David is working from home in the front room, a situation that sometimes causes conflict but is Mostly tolerable. I reminded everyone to get their school things out and put their breakfast things away. You'd think this would be second nature by now, but it rarely is - at least for Lucy. James had actually made good use of his unsupervised time by knocking out Vocab and possibly Math, both of which are at least semi-independent. </p><p>Eventually we were ready to try group time. For this season Group Time consists of reviewing our Bible memory passage (we're on our last week in Matthew Chapter 6) and reading a devotional. Yesterday I belatedly realized that our current book ("God's Mighty Acts of Salvation" by Starr Meade) is based entirely around Galatians, but the passages from Galatians are not specifically assigned reading. So I assigned them. Everyone has a Bible they can read through on their own, although all of them find Paul's writing dense and difficult to interpret at times, especially when asked to read it aloud. About 1/3 of the time I remember to open or close this group time with prayer. Anyway, James and Lucy are definitely ready to recite their verses today. Grace has been excused from this exercise for the last few months as public recitation before she's even close to word perfect seems to be a major trigger to her anxiety and melt-downs. She's using a few different methods to learn the passages, and next week we will learn if she's been able to keep up or at least cram for the final whole-chapter recitation. <br /></p><p>Other things we sometimes do during group time include a Mad Lib or two (excuse: they teach parts of speech. Sort of), read-alouds in the literature, history, or geography realm, and a Logic book that we haven't picked up yet this term. We've done several History / Geography mini units using Holling C Holling books, but we're taking a break from those right now and using a new social studies curriculum from a friend. James was supposed to nail down a route from Minnesota to both Dakotas on our map, along with stopping places and points of interest. Grace is reading some historical fiction set in the area. Lucy is along for the ride mostly, but did listen to an audio book version of "Little House in the Big Woods" last week. She gave me a fairly decent review of it over the weekend. <br /></p><p>Anyway, the day gets a bit blurry at this point even from a vantage point of a mere 72 hours, because so many of our school tasks are currently in the independent to semi-independent category. James completed his "Life of Fred: Pre Algebra 1" lessons for the week, his grammar exercises, and got a head start on next week's vocabulary lesson. He also did a typing exercise (he thinks he is done learning to type, but I disagree) and wrote a short book report of "Farmer Boy." (I've been requiring one mini report per week of a book from a list I created. He hates it, because he wants to read a steady diet of current YA sci-fi and deeply resents the historical fiction and other classics I am trying to slip in. Except when he ends up enjoying them instead. Which is usually. But I digress.) Finally, I looked over the write-ups James did for the most recent episodes of "Mythbusters" we've been doing in lieu of more formal science. (In my defense, his science textbook is back-ordered!) I'm actually really pleased with these write-ups as a tool for teaching writing as much as anything else. He's been terribly reluctant to take on any sort of writing assignments in general. These near-daily ones are short enough they don't trigger his resistance as badly, especially since they're typed. This is a double-win for me as they're easy to correct, and I am insisting that he use full sentences and accurate grammar. We're using Google Docs as our writing tool here: he does his write-ups in a template I designed, and shares the doc with me. I write basic editing notes and then follow up to be sure he actually did it. It's taking a while for him to get the idea that I Really mean it, but he's improving. <br /></p><p>Lucy needs a lot more checking in and refocusing, but she did her own grammar lesson, handwriting, and multiplication math worksheet. She probably did a typing lesson as well. She Loves the extra screen time, perhaps especially when she is grounded from video games as she is this week. She doesn't particularly struggle in any school subject, although she doesn't love math and she deeply resents handwriting. I'm not giving her formal history, science, or even writing this year. That will come later. She fills up her free time with spontaneous and often rather messy arts and crafts projects as well as reading - mostly "graphic novels" by choice, but she is branching out when pressed. <br /></p><p>Grace and I had a long talk on the porch about how to move forward in math and ended up with me agreeing to drop the times-tables recitation that she hates with such a fiery passion. Instead she will use a look-up table whenever she needs a multiplication fact during her math lessons. (This is a tried and true technique from other homeschool moms. It's not that I've been against it per-say, but it feels like cheating to Grace and I've gotten stuck in my own thinking that she Ought to have those stupid things memorized. I just hope that she manages the darn piece of paper better than she manages most.) After lunch or what passed for it (I think it was PB sandwiches with apple butter from the batch I made with Gary and Phyllis' apples) we put the look-up table to the test with a Life of Fred: Ice Cream chapter. We did this one at the top of the play structure because we needed someplace quiet and alone, and most likely David was on the phone with someone from work on the front room. I'm rating it a moderate success. Grace also finished up grammar work and answered some questions for the book she's reading for social studies. She might have done some typing, and we definitely finished up spelling and vocab for the week by combining them. </p><p>Long story short, everyone was as done as they intended to be by about 2 pm. Usually on Fridays we go to the Library about then, but today we had no real need. There's a box full of unread books still in the front room. Instead they got to do a project they'd been looking forward to: decorating the family room for fall! </p><p>In direct contrast to 6 years ago, today the kids were given free reign over the entire project. They hunted down the boxes in the attic, took down the summer display and repacked it, and then replaced it with fall colors. They spent maybe an hour on it, plus dribs and drabs of extra time when I prompted them to finish cleaning up! I mostly stood back and stayed out. <br />And no, it's not exactly how I would do it. But I've learned that I don't deeply enjoy the process of decorating right now, and while I might re-arrange a few things here and there over the month or two that we leave this set of decor up, I'm mostly entirely happy that they are in charge. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3nJVySWMM85OzlOM1Ag9r7YM7VIoVrLq_14QPmyzOL9Jcwylxvdn-FSW46L-90pqZ2N07mG0UdY8ytsZ-T_a3Mvoa2ivtZK903QMq1yMYlbOgYLKG7jxfSbcu7FImtvk45lYD4wxCXI/s4000/IMG_20210924_130517656.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3nJVySWMM85OzlOM1Ag9r7YM7VIoVrLq_14QPmyzOL9Jcwylxvdn-FSW46L-90pqZ2N07mG0UdY8ytsZ-T_a3Mvoa2ivtZK903QMq1yMYlbOgYLKG7jxfSbcu7FImtvk45lYD4wxCXI/s320/IMG_20210924_130517656.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>After this task, I allowed computer time for James and Grace for what was supposed to be 30 mn each, but probably ended up nearly double that. They play a mix of Roblox and Minecraft, the former of which I am not a big fan of but they dearly love. Minecraft is more my speed and "feels" more valuable as an activity. In any case they are experts at ignoring their timers as long as possible and I let them get away with it far too easily. </p><p>David wrapped up work early so that we could eat out . </p><p>AND that's where this day-in-the-life ends, because I didn't have time to finish and now it's January. </p><p><br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-51693097710036047542022-01-05T12:03:00.004-08:002022-01-05T13:57:29.962-08:00Grief Looks Like a Small Black Cat. <p>Grief sneaks up on you. It’s not always recognizable. Sometimes it takes the form of rage against a world on a highway to Hell. Sometimes it takes the form of fear for the future. Sometimes it takes the form of wishing with all your might that the world wasn’t the way it is. Sometimes it’s putting your fingers in your ears and squeezing your eyes shut and pretending that it’s not real. Sometimes it looks like nostalgia. Sometimes a deep melancholy. Sometimes it looks like hiding inside a safe book or movie or game until things seem safer. Sometimes it looks like lethargy and depression. Sometimes it looks like manic energy. <br />Sometimes...<br /> <br />It is Wednesday, December 29th, 2021. It’s that “bonus” week between Christmas and New Years, and everyone is feeling just a little off kilter. Kids aren’t in school or extracurriculars, but Dad is working - from home, as usual. There’s no clear schedule. Some people are sleeping in until noon and others are getting up at a normal hour. Meals are sporadic; errands and other outings even more so. We hang around crafting, reading, getting way too much screen time, and often just wandering around aimlessly wondering what we’re supposed to do with ourselves. It’s a weird week. <br /><br />But today food was put on the dinner table on time, and we’ve actually been doing pretty well staying occupied and - well - peaceable. So I am caught entirely off guard when my middle child seems to be having a minor melt-down as the dinner dishes are cleared away. She was fine all afternoon. I wasn’t aware of any inter-sibling conflicts or other serious disappointments in the recent past. But she’s not snapping out of it - she’s snapping at everyone. And now she’s huddled into a ball quietly sniffling. <br /><br />I kneel down beside her wearing my best patient mom face, while silently decrying the loss of our family game time. <br />“What’s wrong, sweetie?” <br />“sniffle, mumble, mmph.”<br />I rub her back, and keep digging. “Do you have a headache?” (No.) “Has there been some drama with your friends?” (Uh-uh.) “Then what’s wrong?” <br />“I miss Nettle.” (Sob!!!) <br /><br />Oh.<br /><br />December 31, 2020. The last day of the year everyone wished never happened in the first place. Late November, our <a href="https://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2021/01/ode-to-nettle.html">16 year old cat started declining</a>, rapidly. The vet encouraged us to put her down, in fact, just a few days before Thanksgiving. We didn’t, and she seemed to be getting better. She was almost normal for a week or two around Christmas. But the 31st wasn’t a good day for her. There were signs. And there was absolutely nothing we could do. So, we made her as comfortable as we knew how and went on to my parents’ house for a small and somewhat subdued Hogmanay. But this year we didn’t sleep over like we usually do. We came home instead, and, sure enough, Nettle had passed while we were out. <br />The afternoon of January 1st was spent digging a grave for the first pet we had to bury as a family. The first pet I’d had to bury ever. </p><p><br />Grace had been Nettle’s favorite since Grace was maybe four, and Nettle 10. She would sleep on Grace’s bed, purr for her, patiently accept all her affections, and comfort her when she couldn’t sleep. We called her an emotional support cat. <br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJBcEWZwoqwboZWm21ElqQRRXJlsZrax_O_iMLW7Ncozi2N185aUYHgg8wiCcClTXwN7GGgLW9LGLQiivoE9vF5N0OkcxqsKlC0ula0TedOLvksQhyduMr_sUK8Wil-5Joe8WgjLGTaupCLgZCYAuMVKNyfi_FBJNtNre5Dd0n8syCk49wh7bjunzM=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="2048" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJBcEWZwoqwboZWm21ElqQRRXJlsZrax_O_iMLW7Ncozi2N185aUYHgg8wiCcClTXwN7GGgLW9LGLQiivoE9vF5N0OkcxqsKlC0ula0TedOLvksQhyduMr_sUK8Wil-5Joe8WgjLGTaupCLgZCYAuMVKNyfi_FBJNtNre5Dd0n8syCk49wh7bjunzM=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace and Nettle in 2013</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p>Still, by December 2021 I don’t think I’d thought of Nettle in... months. Oh, we may have mentioned her in passing a time or two, but I certainly hadn’t stopped to miss her. <br />Some of this is because we had two other cats by the time she passed. One of them looks so much like her we had trouble telling them apart in the few weeks we had both of them. The other is now Grace’s special friend who sleeps on her pillow and purrs and patiently accepts all her affections. <br /><br />But they’re Not Nettle. <br /><br />Grief is a funny thing. It’s unpredictable, unreliable, inconsistent, and it keeps its own schedule. One minute you’re eating dinner after a satisfying day of crafting, looking forward to watching a movie of your own choosing while the rest of the family plays that annoying D&D game you don’t care for, and the next you’re sobbing your eyes out missing the cat that died 363 days earlier. <br />And the rest of the family has (apparently) moved on. Probably. <br />But sometimes grief looks like a small black cat. <br /><br />I always remind the kids at times like this that we’re supposed to feel this way about death. That death is profoundly unnatural. Wrong in every way. We weren’t designed for death. We weren’t designed for a world that has death in it. The <i>world</i> wasn’t designed to have death in it. <br />And yet, here we are. Longing to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:21 NKJV) <br /><br />Because what else can we do? <br /><br />I saw this quote on Facebook the other day - unattributed, so I am sorry for not giving credit where credit is due, but it sums up my feelings perfectly.<br /><br />“He cried. He knew Lazarus was dead before he got the news. But still, he cried. He knew Lazarus would be alive again in moments. But still, He cried. He knew death here is not forever. He knew eternity and the kingdom better than anyone else could. Yet He wept. Because this world is full of pain and regret and loss and depression and devastation. He wept because knowing the end of the story doesn’t mean you can’t cry at the sad parts.“<br /><br />So go ahead and cry, Grace. Cry for the small black cat. Jesus did. <br /></p><br />TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-63673156702399090022021-09-30T16:42:00.006-07:002021-09-30T17:16:24.595-07:00Custom Plush Creations from Me to You, for Charity<p> A couple of weeks before Christmas 2018 I got a wild hare to sew a kitty
plushy (or stuffy, or stuffed animal, or whatever you happen to call
them in your home.) I found a great pattern from cholyknight.com for
this <a href="https://cholyknight.com/2017/11/10/kitty-bean-plush/" target="_blank">Kitty Bean Plush</a>.
I used some flippy sequin fabric salvaged from a Dollar Tree gift bag
for her belly and ears. It was a lot of fun to sew, and I immediately
recognized that if I was going to make one for my first daughter, I'd
better make one for the second daughter as well! Kitty #2 turned out
even better, and by then the bug had bitten. I've hardly put down my
needle and thread - or stopped haunting the remnants bins at JoAnn
Fabrics - since!</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAtDYuUMq6sI6ddpSkmjmXinN1SOyXYSO7_6UdwFkus8K_qvnhzSvdCOA79SOfOig89GMMglC4VcDCkfirWVCw57vyOn6yWgcTHWfDUsZGNwpCMpcKsd9gGjLbrK6D7mu9yF3Hj6eAg0/s320/IMG_20210313_233147039.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragon Heat Pack<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>The problem? My kids had too many plushies to begin with. I am not nearly ready to stop sewing, but I need a new outlet. </p><p>Here's where you come in: </p><p> I would love to make a plushy for You. You choose the pattern (from any of the ones on <a href="http://www.cholyknight.com/" target="_blank">www.cholyknight.com</a>)
and the colors, and I'll give you a quote. While it will depend on the
size and complexity of the pattern, whether you want special fabrics
such as fur, sequins, or shiny, and especially whether you want a pouch
or heating pad built in, you can be confident it should come in between
$15 for the little guys to $30 for the largest and most complex.<br />
But the best news is that <b>I'm not going to keep your money</b>. In fact, I'm going to donate every cent of it to one of three charities: <a href="http://www.zoetotheworld.com/" target="_blank">Zoe International</a>, <a href="http://www.mountainministries.org/" target="_blank">Mountain Ministries</a>, or a missions fund of <a href="http://www.citysedge.org/" target="_blank">City's Edge Church</a>.<br />
<br />
Interested? Reply in <a href="mailto:annetteccollins@gmail.com" target="_blank">here</a>, in this post's comments, or thru Facebook if you know me. Let's talk! <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJAtDYuUMq6sI6ddpSkmjmXinN1SOyXYSO7_6UdwFkus8K_qvnhzSvdCOA79SOfOig89GMMglC4VcDCkfirWVCw57vyOn6yWgcTHWfDUsZGNwpCMpcKsd9gGjLbrK6D7mu9yF3Hj6eAg0/s4000/IMG_20210313_233147039.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBblZadnx0zo2Vxr3b6fF0OVPzRbzXofE0nGrtHs517FOYdHDWhqcxADxox8hbK83Uy74cqk1kFJMtEuklZbMKbvsfNVArIkrn5LZ180kk-PBzutfjyw8t_NuRWrNTHQSpAU5KrQg-yA/s4608/IMG_20210216_202006013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBblZadnx0zo2Vxr3b6fF0OVPzRbzXofE0nGrtHs517FOYdHDWhqcxADxox8hbK83Uy74cqk1kFJMtEuklZbMKbvsfNVArIkrn5LZ180kk-PBzutfjyw8t_NuRWrNTHQSpAU5KrQg-yA/s320/IMG_20210216_202006013.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPaUd7ZZAaRXXL3H5OsZJWLOXEoP_QRhvAK_iEtfITFp94kaK4rJvAr7pJS31HKqEMeyxnI4tYFxGSvXwgA6WJpakQXPRQDUrs_7rRVOaVpM-aI4ZcFD0W4JpMWfoi7ILMdfSiIYzILE/s4608/IMG_20210121_191303056.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="4608" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPaUd7ZZAaRXXL3H5OsZJWLOXEoP_QRhvAK_iEtfITFp94kaK4rJvAr7pJS31HKqEMeyxnI4tYFxGSvXwgA6WJpakQXPRQDUrs_7rRVOaVpM-aI4ZcFD0W4JpMWfoi7ILMdfSiIYzILE/w400-h94/IMG_20210121_191303056.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtV9KTe-n3tfZNHhjfSzp_sf3TXgertoNOESYc47uOabb1H87zy__5dnXmyf9U1FjG9j250mZ08A2NG08RQLlTj3g1Z9hH5nFQnlWter0zSrPB4JrG11U8xBc-iS8FcZL9CJc-iUtIAg/s4155/IMG_20201206_205754795.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4155" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtV9KTe-n3tfZNHhjfSzp_sf3TXgertoNOESYc47uOabb1H87zy__5dnXmyf9U1FjG9j250mZ08A2NG08RQLlTj3g1Z9hH5nFQnlWter0zSrPB4JrG11U8xBc-iS8FcZL9CJc-iUtIAg/s320/IMG_20201206_205754795.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75tcLXv2UzlPQpJeXk3IE9KUc9Br9u0m_DZXTi0aJGVbPtdUu8Tsl_Pkxsf4h3Nu27osLg5vyecbXGEV5mLu9K5601I4uX2NefwjPwU97MGVinW4JNMDehzTKMwy8ufwdNiX_hBQJ_9M/s4608/IMG_20210309_091731043.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75tcLXv2UzlPQpJeXk3IE9KUc9Br9u0m_DZXTi0aJGVbPtdUu8Tsl_Pkxsf4h3Nu27osLg5vyecbXGEV5mLu9K5601I4uX2NefwjPwU97MGVinW4JNMDehzTKMwy8ufwdNiX_hBQJ_9M/s320/IMG_20210309_091731043.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGm1-Q8JJBob7n7w0XSRmYTwHkl3fnCv1OGKato9u-z2Vev1WntXi8A9YHp0FZ3PdtY_LB-okxz56yVkF5qcOqNvabOUYTlI2SN-ycnihQ0soQTWVVrs2Ttfwgrc6cjbwnoFZdf13e7MA/s4000/IMG_20210409_113104136.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGm1-Q8JJBob7n7w0XSRmYTwHkl3fnCv1OGKato9u-z2Vev1WntXi8A9YHp0FZ3PdtY_LB-okxz56yVkF5qcOqNvabOUYTlI2SN-ycnihQ0soQTWVVrs2Ttfwgrc6cjbwnoFZdf13e7MA/s320/IMG_20210409_113104136.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Tumnus the Fawn<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxxeloT-dpCT07X7ZX0AHmcRXvyT-s0VomJOU-v4u8Zf90TsR_DMBkhoJ4qk5GexijWtuHm0j9PU2b80cRsZFxsyAPTbACvM_T0doj3f0Fnu9o330TpSs3RbGgPo4lvCZUcWecE3kTIM/s1600/IMG_20190217_225422300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxxeloT-dpCT07X7ZX0AHmcRXvyT-s0VomJOU-v4u8Zf90TsR_DMBkhoJ4qk5GexijWtuHm0j9PU2b80cRsZFxsyAPTbACvM_T0doj3f0Fnu9o330TpSs3RbGgPo4lvCZUcWecE3kTIM/s320/IMG_20190217_225422300.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjcFMOfdCW837R7m8VXvm40h9ThFCqWpEy8MpzNdz3MDJcchV4MamNfREWEvOEkUcMETbPEWiY-mQISNMP0KaXKCDTQoBbgyiJ9gX-RnOSdcBWhwoqFYjhJyG0GMx69QzPRh4iQekmqA/s2592/IMG_20210123_220323249.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjcFMOfdCW837R7m8VXvm40h9ThFCqWpEy8MpzNdz3MDJcchV4MamNfREWEvOEkUcMETbPEWiY-mQISNMP0KaXKCDTQoBbgyiJ9gX-RnOSdcBWhwoqFYjhJyG0GMx69QzPRh4iQekmqA/s320/IMG_20210123_220323249.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-66245595631722029032021-09-24T16:05:00.003-07:002021-09-27T15:05:23.823-07:00Elf in a Jar Kit<h3 style="text-align: left;">Did you get an Elf in a Jar Kit? </h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5p2kMFOX2GpUTlQEiSh8pW4qmmG4HYzDlo_hqyIiPfaTroQ5eu06KcVgirIlY_VvsvQyerPNYpy0sGkEtOfJLQ2vr5h35XHGOYVQTWT5hi8tzEN0LNUCKlK9JY82Gn9O9E49sfUqat_g/s4000/IMG_20210927_150104795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5p2kMFOX2GpUTlQEiSh8pW4qmmG4HYzDlo_hqyIiPfaTroQ5eu06KcVgirIlY_VvsvQyerPNYpy0sGkEtOfJLQ2vr5h35XHGOYVQTWT5hi8tzEN0LNUCKlK9JY82Gn9O9E49sfUqat_g/s320/IMG_20210927_150104795.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">We're glad to see you here! </h3><p>We went to some effort to make sure that you would not need glue, needles, or even super sharp scissors to make this craft. </p><p>Before you begin, make sure you have a good, clear workspace. You
might want to ask Mom for a cookie sheet or tray to contain your
supplies. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Here's what you will find in your jar</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Pre-cut Pipecleaners in 3 sizes<br /></li><li>Wooden beads in several sizes<br /></li><li>Embroidery floss for "hair." <br /></li><li>Yarn and fabric flowers, leaves, or fabric scraps</li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;">Here's what you need to find around the house</h4><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Scissors for cutting thread</li><li>A fine-tip permanent marker like a Sharpie or Identipen<br /></li></ul><h4 style="text-align: left;">And here's how to make your elf</h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoecaT2w0RoZtI7lG0cTXigyW-0Vyn883VPl6tg5uTZ6blIsqKkI8UVbZOPQ-CyExI2go_MGneDYczAptSgR4ERAXSOTyr8B7dwqfMNnxhCvJSmJXowtkBwwJfQHqro_UCdVmLttF4q4/s3300/elf-instructions-pg1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoecaT2w0RoZtI7lG0cTXigyW-0Vyn883VPl6tg5uTZ6blIsqKkI8UVbZOPQ-CyExI2go_MGneDYczAptSgR4ERAXSOTyr8B7dwqfMNnxhCvJSmJXowtkBwwJfQHqro_UCdVmLttF4q4/s320/elf-instructions-pg1.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-Rucn7cTnkypUrUsDvL6mazBc4jApxM2gg6Ha9NIH4bHIsHWVIILVCZruPPAEb3UhfTnZOSY0Ks8FE311bfQfPhi8A-WG2AQ8xQdc1peg-BQ6Eu55iO5SNu7pMRTPitAB0_C9Rse8qQ/s3300/elf-instructions-pg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-Rucn7cTnkypUrUsDvL6mazBc4jApxM2gg6Ha9NIH4bHIsHWVIILVCZruPPAEb3UhfTnZOSY0Ks8FE311bfQfPhi8A-WG2AQ8xQdc1peg-BQ6Eu55iO5SNu7pMRTPitAB0_C9Rse8qQ/s320/elf-instructions-pg2.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /> Or, if you want more detail... <br /></h4><p>1. Lay your pipe cleaners out by size. (I'm going to call them wires from here on.) Pick a middle sized wire. This will make your legs. <br />Fold it in half. On each half, string a medium bead, a small bead, and another medium bead. Loop the extra pipe cleaner at each end to make a nice, big foot. </p><p>2. Now find the largest pipe cleaner. This will be your torso and arms. Fold it in a "u" shape around the center of your legs. Give it a couple of twists to make it secure. </p><p>4. Let's add the skirt. Find a large flower petal. If you have extra, use two of them Thread them over your torso wires. <br /></p><p>4. Find your biggest bead. Thread it carefully over both ends of your torso wire. </p><p>5. Now, fold the ends of your torso wires out to make arms. Thread on two small beads, then use the left over wire to loop into hands. </p><p>6. Time to make the head and neck! Take the smallest pipe cleaner. Don't fold it in half like the others: just loop the end of it around the two torso wires just at the top of the big bead. Secure it well. </p><p>7. Thread on a second flower (small or large, you decide) for the blouse, then a tiny bead (neck) and the second largest bead (head.) There should be quite a lot of wire left over sticking out. </p><p>8. Here's where you will need those thread scissors. Grab your hank or spool of embroidery floss. Find an end, and start looping it around the four fingers of your left hand (assuming you are right handed. Otherwise, use the right!) When you run out of thread, take your scissors and carefully cut through the loops in the center (for long hair) or at both ends (for shorter, thick hair.) You will end up with a nice bundle of hair. </p><p>9. Loop the pipe cleaner at the top of the head around your bundle of hair a couple of times. Arrange it neatly. If you would like to add a flower or leaf hat for your elf, thread it on before you run out of pipe cleaner. </p><p>10. Your elf is nearly done: all that's left is decorating it! <br />Use the yarn to tie your elf's "blouse" into place by criss-crossing it over the shoulders several times. <br /></p><p>You may also have extra bits and pieces of yarn, flowers, feathers, or leaves. This is where you get to be extra creative. No rules here: just figure out what you'd like to do with them and add them on! <br /></p><p>11. Last but not least, give your elf a face! You might want to ask Mom for help on this step. <br />Here's a tip: look at a real person and notice that her eyes are actually about half way down her head, not right at the top. Try drawing your elf's eyes right in the middle of the head. Then add a nose and a cute smile. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Congratulations! </h3><p>Now that you've made your first elf, what would you like to do differently with the second? Should she be taller, or shorter? Would you like to make her hair a little longer? Maybe this elf is actually a boy! Improvising pants and a tunic might not be easy, but I'll bet you could do it! What do you have around the house that could help? (Be sure to ask Mom before "borrowing" any fake flowers, fabric scraps, or the like!) </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">When your elves are done, here are some more fun things to think about</h4><p>Where do your elves live? Do they have a house out in your garden? What is it made out of? Where do they sleep? What keeps them warm at night? <br />What do they eat and drink? Do they have dishes? Do they get along with the other inhabitants of your yard? <br /></p><p>Would you like to keep making elves after the first two? Here is <a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2017/08/fairies-in-jar-kit-instructions.html" target="_blank">another set of instructions</a> for making an elf (or fairy) out of just one pipe cleaner with no beads. It's a little easier, and requires fewer supplies. <br /></p><p><br /></p><div><p><br /></p></div>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-88021733082143098642021-07-27T10:56:00.003-07:002021-07-27T10:56:52.685-07:00Quick and Dirty Sewing Project: Fabric Covered Bun Maker<p> Some months back I started seeing ads for this cute hair-styling accessory called "<a href="https://mimiarden.com/products/carlin" target="_blank">The Carlin</a>." <br />It's a quick and easy way to make a bun, and as I like to wear my hair up I was very tempted. But at roughly $27 after shipping, I could not justify it. </p><p>Then I found these little guys at Claire's. They're also on <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Styla-Hair-Sponge-Shaper-Accessories/dp/B072M442XW/" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7yjF0Emksdmutc4_OEBpQb3w6tOMx2_2z011_B8lxM5z_nzEniWTDWj-5YPei-Gbg410tu9kGGKu71QdaI3riIcZneDbuCePxwCP1henjpCjqnRF_63cHY4XSLW7xP8fC2XQNcza8x8/s3000/IMG_20210727_093454154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1604" data-original-width="3000" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7yjF0Emksdmutc4_OEBpQb3w6tOMx2_2z011_B8lxM5z_nzEniWTDWj-5YPei-Gbg410tu9kGGKu71QdaI3riIcZneDbuCePxwCP1henjpCjqnRF_63cHY4XSLW7xP8fC2XQNcza8x8/w320-h171/IMG_20210727_093454154.jpg" title="Is it a hair accessory, or a pooch by-product?" width="320" /></a> </div><p>They do the job beautifully. Cheap. Easy to use, and they hold forever. </p><p>But let's be honest, they aren't so pretty. In fact, they look a lot like something you might find on the lawn at the park and mentally berate the pooch owner for not scooping. <br />Sure, not much of it shows when worn properly, but still! <br /></p><p>Could I make a quick and dirty improvement that gave me the look of the "Carlin" without the expense? </p><p>Well, yes, as it turns out!<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6x5cS15aRq-AdxW-802GIX2VywRNVURc7y4SNA2H7EHgMPoBLVrlxjfTE90Zkb3fspqKkVIPdIxV6NKbbQ6UN624MdgWCHTPm9xiUS_4bGc1g92L6i9q-ptjyTg8LhpMPD5SGgUVdvY/s4000/IMG_20210727_095420948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6x5cS15aRq-AdxW-802GIX2VywRNVURc7y4SNA2H7EHgMPoBLVrlxjfTE90Zkb3fspqKkVIPdIxV6NKbbQ6UN624MdgWCHTPm9xiUS_4bGc1g92L6i9q-ptjyTg8LhpMPD5SGgUVdvY/s320/IMG_20210727_095420948.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Materials and Tools</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>"Magic Bun" sponge / foam bun maker </li><li>Scrap of light, stretchy fabric, like this affordable <a href="https://www.joann.com/lets-pretend-velvet/prd32173.html" target="_blank">Crushed Panne Velvet</a> from Joann Fabrics. </li><li>Needle and Thread</li><li>Fabric scissors</li><li>Rotary cutter (optional) </li><li>Sewing machine (optional) </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hRfzRRgF14h96hEJObSrMovcNed5WYIt8blKIp0-I-bNL3hHOlInt_-GuLuFs4ZTCr67CSkMcVVuuvcTYjmD_z7w9uK640euX0URXigd-N0iz-xGxXUZ8W-NipRE5JAKmUhDP0phZXw/s4000/IMG_20210727_094031331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hRfzRRgF14h96hEJObSrMovcNed5WYIt8blKIp0-I-bNL3hHOlInt_-GuLuFs4ZTCr67CSkMcVVuuvcTYjmD_z7w9uK640euX0URXigd-N0iz-xGxXUZ8W-NipRE5JAKmUhDP0phZXw/s320/IMG_20210727_094031331.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><p>How To </p><p>1. "Measure" your fabric. Or eyeball it. Really, close is fine. Just be sure you have double the height (short side) of your bun maker, plus an extra 1/2 inch on all sides. <br />Mine ended up about 4.5 by 8 inches. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyzqoN3zI17yRU6XUAZHCSonNo3MD25ll4IdxSzwkiVANGPHReATH-eUB9vF1jjRqzBPONaQjJrWOxUm8x3LuOb_HBrUH7XaOKvzU4UBLv2ydkegNQaDshaWwgcjVjqWXMsHZmWI82PM/s4000/IMG_20210727_100427359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyzqoN3zI17yRU6XUAZHCSonNo3MD25ll4IdxSzwkiVANGPHReATH-eUB9vF1jjRqzBPONaQjJrWOxUm8x3LuOb_HBrUH7XaOKvzU4UBLv2ydkegNQaDshaWwgcjVjqWXMsHZmWI82PM/s320/IMG_20210727_100427359.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p>2. Get out your sewing machine. Or your needle and thread, That would work too. Matching thread really doesn't matter here. <br />Fold your fabric on the long edge, right sides together, to make a narrow tube. <br />Sew, leaving reasonable seam allowances, on all three sides. <br /><br /><br />"But," you say, "Now I can't turn it inside in!" </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1GaonjWIIY9XRwcqurswFpkZtTRJMfHWHfuVgJUR0zHf6MpsU4l59lH2ddGBghjmYIxnsSBtjjSAhHXSmtj0FD0PVwr1yFd-8iL0h4zd2R8NeF_kl_Frfls1P9NGxax1mA95vIgGT9w/s4000/IMG_20210727_100719434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1GaonjWIIY9XRwcqurswFpkZtTRJMfHWHfuVgJUR0zHf6MpsU4l59lH2ddGBghjmYIxnsSBtjjSAhHXSmtj0FD0PVwr1yFd-8iL0h4zd2R8NeF_kl_Frfls1P9NGxax1mA95vIgGT9w/s320/IMG_20210727_100719434.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><p>Don't worry, we're getting to that! <br /></p><p>3. Fold your tube on the short edge, matching the sewn ends. <br />Now, using your scissors or rotary cutter, make a 2 inch slice right in the center of the fabric, though both layers. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_OUWe14GHgJDNxdJauSeO-_fSufi1Von0ElGIEXPLxX9gGI2HArZ7xjbVThVnwLTSj5e_hCMDk65uuQ1CjJpnIxI6EZwyLMdEjAfMqTVzzGYpUKeHevDM_FGE2GvkaiyMRt7ds3MXlc/s4000/IMG_20210727_100800237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_OUWe14GHgJDNxdJauSeO-_fSufi1Von0ElGIEXPLxX9gGI2HArZ7xjbVThVnwLTSj5e_hCMDk65uuQ1CjJpnIxI6EZwyLMdEjAfMqTVzzGYpUKeHevDM_FGE2GvkaiyMRt7ds3MXlc/s320/IMG_20210727_100800237.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGj8iy8XsyBfghxehFm49LZesmXVeWjrWgOfvF71UOxsh3-lkvrvypEiilQq_-OcRrOHO-KiwOKIhZXZH2mjdN6A63q3pY2tLvEPCPPxBmiPDeP_XzKr_KksvEKXVlpVYW_39j5vN8Gc/s4000/IMG_20210727_100819523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGj8iy8XsyBfghxehFm49LZesmXVeWjrWgOfvF71UOxsh3-lkvrvypEiilQq_-OcRrOHO-KiwOKIhZXZH2mjdN6A63q3pY2tLvEPCPPxBmiPDeP_XzKr_KksvEKXVlpVYW_39j5vN8Gc/s320/IMG_20210727_100819523.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br />Turn your tube right-side in, using the hole you just sliced. </p><p>5. Slide your ugly bun maker into the pretty tube. <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPEYsEENt_CVRiv_lZZvu8n8QrKkRMKBlP_v8EiAXW9dWjOjm4OSaaEui66uGfMG0cJvt_Kyf1L8WxPKHhJ9W79OoouHJ0QUi5m2CVQvhH8cxsqLty7LwzU6CWAeafrpihLlVKqmSq7w/s4000/IMG_20210727_094359361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPEYsEENt_CVRiv_lZZvu8n8QrKkRMKBlP_v8EiAXW9dWjOjm4OSaaEui66uGfMG0cJvt_Kyf1L8WxPKHhJ9W79OoouHJ0QUi5m2CVQvhH8cxsqLty7LwzU6CWAeafrpihLlVKqmSq7w/s320/IMG_20210727_094359361.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>6. Get our your needle and thread. (The thread should match this time!) You won't be able to use a machine for this step. <br />Carefully sew all around the slit on both sides, as if making a button hole. I recommend the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=tutorial+ladder+stitch#kpvalbx=_SUQAYai1FvnC0PEPzvm2oAQ50" target="_blank">Ladder Stitch.<br /></a>This is the only hard part of the task, and it's really more tedious than hard. Try to avoid sewing into the sponge, 'cause I think that will end up tearing later. <br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIgYPNMYeBpq_xQC4XbUIABi6eJjAqzdFAGruvXZhuLJYnvq13fYhEDY2MIIg7izHxanlVgbsm8sWCnGNoqkqDDLfVWi4YfwB7KPEkt9IDUvp7R-0wtu_O3AnU6AJb7w2tbkokUYoar4/s3004/IMG_20210727_094705832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3004" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIgYPNMYeBpq_xQC4XbUIABi6eJjAqzdFAGruvXZhuLJYnvq13fYhEDY2MIIg7izHxanlVgbsm8sWCnGNoqkqDDLfVWi4YfwB7KPEkt9IDUvp7R-0wtu_O3AnU6AJb7w2tbkokUYoar4/s320/IMG_20210727_094705832.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>7. You're done. Assuming some sewing confidence, this probably took you 15-20 minutes. And your hair will look great. Good job! <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiweFRzvYrVpzi_X-AKvtss8sbIdVkdT0rRgnAkkocln3X-bK_TxJNYqnkoK0g0tCqzay-qMw0a4dUQnxkv1wlV3ApmkwLBZUSNKW6oue-Qx_pDU4ROpOUG-S_JVNv2EhMj3pZFww9m35Y/s4000/IMG_20210727_095341999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiweFRzvYrVpzi_X-AKvtss8sbIdVkdT0rRgnAkkocln3X-bK_TxJNYqnkoK0g0tCqzay-qMw0a4dUQnxkv1wlV3ApmkwLBZUSNKW6oue-Qx_pDU4ROpOUG-S_JVNv2EhMj3pZFww9m35Y/s320/IMG_20210727_095341999.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><br /><br /><br />TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-25390974418501970142021-05-27T14:48:00.003-07:002021-05-27T14:54:05.619-07:00Free Download: Matthew 5 Memory Cards<p>As mentioned in previous posts (<a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2020/08/quick-and-dirty-home-school-money.html" target="_blank">here</a>), we began using this <a href="https://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/memorysys/" target="_blank">Charlotte Mason inspired Bible memory system</a> at the beginning of the 2020/21 school year, and it has for the most part worked gloriously. It's not that we weren't memorizing things in years past, but they weren't getting reviewed or even really recorded. Now we have a systemic, sustainable way to look back at what we've committed to memory, even months ago. <br /></p><p>Of course I still haven't been terribly methodical about What we memorize. For a while I grabbed things out of what we were learning at church, interspersed with verses that spoke to what I felt I or the family was going through. Anyway, in February I got a wild hare to have the kids memorize The Sermon on the Mount. I'd tackled that project maybe 20 years back, so it is very familiar to me, which makes it much easier to teach. And having a big chunk to work on simplified lots of other things as well. I definitely recommend it. * <br /></p><p>Anyway, we reached a milestone last week (the 3rd week in May): We finished Matthew 5, which is 48 verses long. So that was about 12 weeks, and an average of 4 verses per week. This is a sustainable pace for our family. When I realized we'd hit the milestone I decided to spend this week on review with the end goal that each child could recite the whole chapter with minimal hints or correction. My oldest had already achieved this by Wednesday; the two girls were done Thursday. I've promised frozen yogurt with toppings from the local shop as a reward! </p>
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3cg1gDiT30Lu-UocTPxdixApJWisXf_luzUOXSQynl2JQqn81O-UNFToDWOc6v3mLmJE4Y4qUDE4-oVzxVvnQfksa8IY-Dd6KvWKeX7gNdPS6WbQuBIuBxu9eKU1zqaKhL8FMB4Se9z9jQ6f7kLREnCXw=w652-h868-no?authuser=0" width="300">
<p><br /></p><p>I thought perhaps others might find our memorization materials useful, which is the real purpose of this increasingly rambling post.</p>
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/h1rrte7rawaduck/Matthew%205%20Memory%20Cards.zip?dl=0" target="_blank"><img height="366" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3cEJPqmiOlIU7xl8m9_1TNMIWtJtm5YRPIiFLcx5AP-oEvOajl2PS7n4HVnxDaiXPWsJJyLHlMvh-RNvYS1piXMDlnWiknKbY1ib6gAkQ5_apYy9A-AREtengGNw6R3Az4KB9QrqW_BH5N_2MooxCVtuw=w876-h801-no?authuser=0" width="300" /></a>
<p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/h1rrte7rawaduck/Matthew%205%20Memory%20Cards.zip?dl=0" target="_blank">Linked here</a> are the 48 verses ** of Matthew 5 in NIV in roughly 4 verse chunks, on printable "index cards." There is a full copy, a single-letter copy (great for review) and a partial deletion w/ first letter copy (great for mid-week practice.) </p><p>Half-way through the project I switched from asking the kids to do
copy-work on the too small cards to asking them to draw something
memorable from the passage instead. The youngest (8) loves this. The
others usually don't bother and I don't push them. <br /></p><p>To use the memory, print out one copy of the memory card for each student. Trim around all four edges of the cards, then cut lengthwise, leaving the full copy and single letter copy joined in the center, and the drawing and partial deletion cards joined as well. Fold in half. They should be just the right size to fit in your 3x5 card box. (See <a href="http://tarkheenacrafts.blogspot.com/2020/08/quick-and-dirty-home-school-money.html" target="_blank">this post</a> for more info) <br /></p><p>Most of the passages also have a cursive handwriting sheet. Using those is pretty obvious. </p><p>I used the free generator at <a href="http://worksheetworks.com">worksheetworks.com</a> to make the handwriting practice pages. This is a great resource and I highly recommend it. </p><p>There ARE errors in this package - the occasional miss on the single letter card ***, the more frequent mistakes in reference labels on the secondary cards. But they're usable, and you may certainly fix or tweak to your own specifications. </p><p> </p><p>* The Charlotte Mason system is perhaps not Perfect for memorizing long chunks of scripture. The nature of the review process is such that you will not be working in order most of the time. Is this a big deal? I decided it was not nearly problematic enough to justify tweaking our working box system. But it could be done. The details are left as an exercise to the reader. ;) </p><p>** Actually, the first 2 verses are missing, mostly because I did not want to kick off the whole project by boring myself and the kids with scene setting, nor did I want to try and memorize 6 verses in the first week. We did add those two verses this week. I would do it the same way were I to do it again. </p><p>*** As it turns out I have a very expensive degree in computer science that is gathering dust in the here and now as I pursue the much more important task of raising my children and caring for my family. I have it in my head to create a program that accepts a passage of scripture and generates the index cards with partial deletion and single letter practice pages automatically. Algorithmically it's not very difficult, but there are a handful of unknowns that could really cause trouble. Most dauntingly I have no clue what it takes to generate a PDF, which would be the most obvious output format. "Someday" I hope to pick it up. (Maybe when I decide to push my eldest into some programming practice?) For now it's much faster to do the job by hand once a week! <br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-8174827295907523582021-02-18T21:59:00.001-08:002021-02-18T21:59:04.924-08:00Mid-Term School Update: What's Working, What's Not<p> Here we are, roughly 6 months into our school term, and I thought it would be good for posterity (or even just me) to look at what's working this year for home school and what isn't. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Good</h3><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Our Charlotte Mason-Inspired Bible Memory Boxes</b> are far and away the most successful program I implemented this year. They are really working well. I mean, I might even be learning the verses if I was using a box like the kids. ;) But seriously, James recited 22 passages on our review day at the beginning of the month. He's always been a strong memorizer, but finally having a formal system for practice and review has taken him to the next level. It's working reasonably well for the girls too. <br /></p><p>There are things that have been found difficult and skipped, or found difficult and tweaked. First, I don't find that most of the kids will actually review their even / day-of-week / day-of-month verses without a reminder. Which I don't always remember to give. Neither of the girls are going to be able to recite as many of the verses as James either. Second, I am still not insisting very strongly on getting the passage memorized along with the verses, so mostly the kids have the verses in their heads without a good way to find it again in the Bible. Except for a search box. So I really don't waste much time worrying here! Finally, managing the box with all the moving around of papers and dividers every week is a little much for Lucy and even Grace. Probably I should be doing it for Lucy. We reached the end of the box a couple weeks ago and need to start doubling up verses for certain days of the month. I don't think she's figured this out, and when I do get into her box I suspect there's going to be a bit of a mess. Anyway, no biggie. We'll definitely be sticking with this method for the school years to come. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Using <b>Life of Fred </b>as our core for math is working better this year. James is using it exclusively and independently. The girls are using it with me reading the chapters out loud and working through most of the "time to play" problems, and it's happening about twice a week on a good week. Other days they practice with old fashioned drill-and-kill worksheets from TheMathWorksheetSite.com. </p><p>James technically completed fractions and decimals last year using Master Books curriculum, but had never done the Fred books between H and M. He tore through those in double-time, and then slowed way down when he got to Fractions and Decimals. Turns out those subjects were not really mastered last year. So while I was looking forward to him starting Pre-Algebra early this school year, it looks like we won't be there for another few weeks - say, around Spring Break. I'm trying not to be frustrated about this, because it Feels like he could go faster, but it really would not be the right thing to push him. Decimals really need to be internalized. </p><p>Grace is struggling in math, period. She is still fighting her multiplication tables tooth and nail, with lots of stress and angst. It's not that she can't cough out the 7's and 8's with enough time (and calming techniques), it's that when it comes time to apply them, she really doesn't know them out of order and continues to confuse division and multiplication... it's a mess. There may be some intervention we need to do eventually. For the moment Fred is still a mostly bright point in her math lessons. We did immediately re-start "Honey" instead of moving on to "Ice Cream" because I really don't feel the topics are mastered. The next problem is that Lucy is nearly done with "Goldfish"...<br /></p><p><b>The All About Spelling program</b> is working very nicely for both girls. We are doing it together, and have reached the 4th or 5th lesson in Level 3. That's moving far faster than we would have if we'd started it when either of them was a 1st grader, but so far I feel like they're handling it. </p><p>We are definitely NOT using the program exactly as written. First off, we've ditched the flash cards and the review box. I know that's technically a huge part of the program, but so far they simply have seemed unnecessary and a drag on our time and emotional resources. So we quit. I did not even buy the student kit for level 3. <br />I am open to reconsidering this for level 4 or 5, though, as I know things get trickier. <br />We also are doing less than half of the spelling with magnetic tiles recommended by the book. Again, it gets tedious. We have not tossed it out entirely (again, it's a big part of the program!), but no-one is eager to spend lots of time on it and I am not seeing enough benefit to force it. <br />Instead we are spending our spelling time with sentences. We use the AAS book to teach the concept. We build a few words on the board, and talk about exceptions. Most of the week's words are copied into their notebooks. And then we make up lots and lots of silly sentences. Grace loves to illustrate them. Lucy is perhaps a little out of her league - there's a real chance I will need to separate them next school year - but still mostly keeps up. <br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Bad</h3><p>I am afraid that I will be back to hunting for science programs next year. I am only OK with <b>Crosswired Science</b>. As suspected, though, the primary problem for us is that I hate using videos for school. As soon as the screen goes on, all attention is sucked into that little black hole, and it's nearly impossible to transition to a new subject afterwords. This is true for me as much as any of them, but it makes me understand I have got to go for a traditional book next year. We are usually only getting to science once a week at this point. <br />Anyway, content-wise there's some good stuff in Crosswired, but the presentation is only So/So, with a moderately difficult to navigate site and very few experiments that I am willing to exert myself to perform. So we will definitely come away this year with a foundation in fluid dynamics and sound, but it's not a program I think we will repeat. </p><p>As mentioned in a previous post, <b>The Tuttle Twins</b> didn't work out for us. Too young. James is enjoying "What Ever Happened to Penny Candy," a book on similar themes. <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The So-So</h3><p>I tried out a "Beautiful Feet" geography / literature program that is built around the <b>Holling C. Holling books</b> from the late 40's. I, personally, am in love with these books, and I think they deserve a place in nearly any curriculum even if they are just read once or twice independently. The lesson plans built around the books are easy to use and - I feel - not too overwhelming. But I've gotten a lot of grief from the kids on the subject. No-one seems eager or, often, even willing to fill out the maps. This seems crazy to me, as it really isn't difficult per-say, but it's a sore point. They also don't love keeping a glossary / dictionary or most of the other ancillary stuff. <br />This is one of those places where I don't really care what they think. They aren't going to find a more interesting history and geo program anywhere, is my guess. I really like it and am learning a lot. </p><p>We are alternating the Holling books with a variety of read alouds and associated lesson plans from SchoolHouseTeachers.com. So far we have read "Call it Courage," "The Year of Miss Agnes," and are in the middle of "Strawberry Girl." <br />At no point am I even pretending to use more than about 25-50% of the lesson plan. We are limiting ourselves to discussion and narration, vocabulary, and a little analysis of plot (identifying rising action, inciting incidents, climax, etc.) Every once in a while we throw in a few coloring sheets, verbal research projects on an interesting tidbit, etc. Right now both Grace and James are building a "double pen dog-run plank Cracker house" in Minecraft. </p><p>Once again I get a little grief on these. James isn't eager for the read-aloud time for some reason, but usually ends up engaged in the end. I plan to stick with this general plan for the next school year, even if he ends up reading things alone. I am running out of books though. I wasn't willing to do a tear-jerker like Where the Red Fern Grows or even Island of the Blue Dolphins, and we've already done Narnia outside of school. There aren't a lot left on my site. Hopefully someone will add more this year, or I will have to go out on my own! <br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350825439031334804.post-44861451134699743852021-01-22T22:41:00.007-08:002021-05-09T23:44:03.114-07:00Movie Log, Winter and Spring 2020/21<p> With all the enforced home time this winter we've been doing quite a few movie nights lately. For the most part we've focused on movies David and I remember from our growing up years, so these are mostly movies from the 80s and 90s. I thought it might be fun to keep notes on which ones we watched and whether we enjoyed them. </p><p>For reference, James is 11, Grace is 10, and Lucy is 7</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Short Circuit (1986) </h4><p>Short Circuit was either the first or second movie I saw in the theater. Dad was inspired to take the family when it made it to the Hood theater because it was filmed in Astoria (OR) and parts were even filmed at some Corps of Engineers properties near Bonneville Dam. But I hadn't seen it in 25 years, and all I could have told you was that it involved a live robot named Number 5. </p><p>I was pleasantly surprised at how well it had stood up to time. It was funny, sweet, well paced, and kept everyone's interest up. It was full of one-liners too: the kids were especially taken with "Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?" I liked "Life is not a malfunction." That said, the robot out-acted everyone else on screen. Easily. </p><p>Family Friendly Factor: Brief, vaguely suggestive scene with Stephanie in the bathtub, but nothing shown. Quite a number of things were blown up at the beginning of the movie, but it was not in anger. <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Batteries Not Included (1987) </h4><p>This was another one I was confident I'd seen, but again all I could tell you was that it was about some robot-like little aliens. I thought it was a more or less pure kids' movie - I imagined I even recalled a kid as co-star. It was actually about a group of mostly older New Yorkers who were being forced out of their apartment building by a unscrupulous property developer and his honchos. The aliens showed up needing power, and paid for it by repairing the damage caused by the bad guys with magical precision. Echos of "The Elf and the Shoemaker." Although it wasn't at all what I had been expecting, it was another sweet and often funny ensemble movie that all five of us enjoyed. </p><p>Family Friendly Factor: One brief view of a nude painting. Not much in the way of language or suggestive behavior. A scary moment or two with a fire. <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Star Trek IV (1986) </h4><p>I've seen this one 1/2 a dozen times or more. David and I got to talking about the various ST movies one night at dinner and we agreed this would be a fun one to start with. Of course, I hadn't seen it in 15 years. And the kids have never seen anything else Star Trek. This was more of a barrier than I had anticipated, but in truth it's a purely funny movie. I think Lucy was the only one bored by it. </p><p>Family Friendly Factor: Somehow I'd forgotten all the "colorful metaphors." In other words, Kirk and even Spock swear routinely if mildly, albeit for comic effect. There isn't anything else suggestive or even terribly violent though. <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Rocketeer (1991) </h4><p>Once again, I know I watched this when it was new-ish, but remembered nearly nothing about it. It's a comic book origin story set a few years before WWII and centered around a pilot who comes into possession of a one-man rocket pack. This one looked way better on paper than it did in real life. I felt like it dragged quite a bit, and was more than ready for it to be over 2/3 of the way though. The best scenes were near the beginning, and things flagged after that. <br />Grace says that she enjoyed it, and James certainly did, but Lucy and I were both bored. <br />I wouldn't watch this one again. <br /></p><p>Family Friendly Factor: Some surprisingly scary fire scenes during the climax on the burning dirigible. Some mildly suggestive behavior between the lead lady and the bad guy. Not much swearing though. <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Elf (2003) [Watched 12 '20]</h4><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This one is forever showing up on family friendly must-watch Christmas movies, so - having already watched "Home Alone" and the animated "Grinch" - we decided it was finally time to give it a try. </span> I'm giving it a big, fat "Meh." Yes, it had a handful of funny moments. But there was a serious flinch-factor to most of them. Watching a 6 foot tall adult in tights make an utter fool of himself over and over again got - uninteresting - pretty quickly. Maybe worth it for that scene where he fights with the dwarf... or throws snowballs at 80 mph? The climax was not very satisfying, although the epilogue was sweet. All in all, you'll have to try hard to get me to re-watch. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Family Friendly Factor: Some potty humor, some drinking humor, some mildly suggestive bits with the girl Buddy finds himself sweet on - not in itself a reason to avoid, but taken as a package, why bother? </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h4>Home Alone I (1990) [Re-watched 12 '20] </h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">The kids love this one, of course. Well, James and Lucy do. It's very slapstick and there's a lot of truly cringe-worthy moments during the climactic home invasion. The thieves would have been disabled, if not simply dead, 4 or 5 times over, but in true cartoon style they keep on, just so they can step on something else sharp. I enjoyed it more last year than this, and I'm not all that eager to add it to our must-watch-every-December list. <br />In its defense, the scenes between Kevin and the next-door-neighbor all the kids are so scared of are really sweet and well played. The Christmas Message here was better than in a lot of holiday movies. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Family Friendly Factor: Ouch. So Much Destruction and Slapstick Violence. Kevin is in actual danger for much of the movie. His family, especially brother Buzz, is pretty awful, and Kevin says pretty awful things back. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Grinch (2018) [Re-watched 12 '20]</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">We have carefully not watched any of the other Grinch movies, including the original classic TV special. That said, we all enjoyed this animated version. It goes well off the plot line - inevitable given the brevity of the source material, I suppose - and innovates wildly as to character backstories. But the spirit is reasonably close to Seuss' book. And the movie is quite fun as well as visually stunning in true Seussian fasion. My favorite scene is one that appears in the trailers: the Who carolers essentially pursuing the poor Grinch through the streets of Whoville to the tune of Pentatonix's "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." I will willingly watch this one in future holiday seasons. <br />PS: I consider myself a (slightly guilty) Cumberbatch fan, so imagine my embarrassment when I actually didn't realize he voiced the Grinch on my first viewing. Wow. Take away a guy's British accent and he's not Quite so cool, I guess! <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Family Friendly Factor: Not much to complain about here. Nothing, really. <br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Superman II (1976 / 2006 Director's Cut) </h4><p>David's memory was that Superman I wasn't worth watching, so we went straight to #2. We checked out the original director's cut from 2006, which included significant reworking of the ending among other things from the theatrical release. Fascinating stuff of course. But Oh How It Dragged. Again, the older two kids will tell you they enjoyed it, but I was bored stiff at the half-way point. I've gotten used to the pace and witty banter of the more recent Marvel movies, and this could not compare, Christoper Reeve or not. (At least the kids now understand the Lego Batman reference to "The Phantom Zone!") <br /></p><p>Family Friendly Factor: Lots of mayhem and violence. No swearing. One awfully suggestive scene where Superman and Lois are clearly in bed together at the Fortress of Solitude. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Back to the Future I (1985) and III (1990) <br /></h4><p>We watched these two several months ago. I've seen them any number of times, and they are just as much fun as I remembered - just don't bother with II! </p><p>Family Friendly Factor: Some very suggestive (not to mention uncomfortable) flirting between Loraine and Marty in #1. He and Jennifer kiss. Marty does use some words my kids are not allowed to use. #3 is the cleaner movie from this perspective. <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) </h4><p>We screened this one several months ago, in mid 2020, and I spent a good portion of the movie wincing and wondering why I had thought this was a good idea for the kids to watch. Don't get me wrong, it's a good movie in a fun franchise, but there is tons of violence, injury, and scary stuff - not to mention the whole face melting thing. No-one seems to have been too traumatized, thankfully. (Oh, and we did have a number of conversations about the Biblical accuracy, or rather lack thereof. But oh well!) <br />The Last Crusade is by far the best movie of the series, but I'm holding off on it for now. I realize that I shut my own eyes for a lot of the action scenes and maybe the kids don't need to deal with those for now. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Wizard (1989) [watched Feb '21] <br /></h4><p>In
a well-intentioned but sorely misguided attempt to keep his little
half-brother out of an institution, 13 year old Corey (Fred Savage)
kidnaps 9 year old Jimmy and sets out cross-country with no more goal in
mind than "California:" the place withdrawn, uncommunicative Jimmy is
always trying to reach. Along the way Corey discovers that Jimmy is a
video game wizard, able to master practically any title he plays the
first time. <br />You might be tempted to pass this one off as a
bought-and-paid-for Nintendo advertisement: the "maguffin" the
protagonists end up pursuing is a spot in the Nintendo "Video
Armageddon" championship of course, and they stop to bone up on Nintendo
titles at every arcade they pass. Even the yet-to-be-released Power
Glove got a drool-inducing 5 minute scene. But they wrapped a really
good, fun, and rather sweet movie around it that our whole family
enjoyed - even David, who had not seen it when it came out. <br />I had a
few memories about this one: the cross-country chase, and a video-game
champion nemesis named Lucas. And of course Fred Savage, who I've always
kind of liked even though I didn't watch The Wonder Years as a kid. But
I'd forgotten the pith of the story, which was - like I said - really
pretty good. <br /></p><p>Family Friendly Factor: The kids stop in Reno
for a video game cram session, and we get to see much more of scantily
clad waitresses and the like than I personally wanted to. Grace wanted
to know why they couldn't wear just a bit more than that. <br />There are
verbal fights between the dad and older brother, and a few (pretty
slapstick) actual fights with the bounty hunter, but nothing really
cringe-worthy. <br />I found the final scene very nearly a tear-jerker,
but it was in a good way. Really, aside from the utterly unnecessary
lightly-clad female flesh, there isn't much to complain about. <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Flight of the Navigator (1986) [watched Feb '21]</h4><p>This
is one neither of us had seen. The action starts in 1978, but quickly
shifts to 1986 with our protagonist, a 12 year old boy, utterly unable
to explain his disappearance in 1978 nor why he is obviously Still 12.
Turns out that he'd been kidnapped by an alien drone ship and taken at
light-speed to its home planet, examined, and then returned. Then said
ship managed to crash into a power line and fry itself on the way out,
and needs the maps it stuck in the kid's head to get home. At this point
it devolves into a Short Circuit-like chase, especially after the ship
regrettably downloads a fair bit of 12-year-old-boy humor along with the
maps. (I eventually figured out the ship was voiced by Paul Rubens, aka
PeeWee Herman. This explains a lot, perhaps especially why I found it
pretty irritating.) Much of the action takes place just between this kid
and the ship, and we'll just say that Joey Crammer isn't quite as good
an actor as Fred Savage. <br /></p><p>Family Friendly Factor: Overall it
was pretty tame and unobjectionable - they even wrap it up with a neat
little bow just in case you were going to feel too sorry for this poor
kid stranded 8 years later in time than he was meant to be. But that's
all I can say for it. There was very little more to the plot than "boy
gets to play with magical spaceship, but discovers knowing the way to
its home planet isn't very helpful when he just wants to go to Fort
Lauderdale." It's clear the kids enjoyed it, but it was a little too
pablum for me to rate it very highly. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Cool Runnings (1993) [Watched Feb 21]</h4><div style="text-align: left;">The "based on actual events" story of the 1986 Jamaica bobsled team. The kids did not have high expectations for this one. Sports movie, based on a true story, and - most critically - not sci fi, fantasy, or even action adventure. I wish I could say that it entirely exceeded their expectations in all possible ways, but I think they were only moderately impressed. (Grace says she liked it.) They did sit through it and laugh at the right places. For my part, though, I enjoyed it. I'd seen it once, maybe twice before, but long enough ago that I'd forgotten all but the high points. I really don't consider myself a sports movie person - certainly, outside of the Olympics I never watch sports on TV - but the end of the movie came closer to jerking a few years than anything I've watched lately. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Family Friendly Factor: Nothing to complain about here. OK, there is a minor bar fight, but there's no language, no skimpy female costumes... I really think the only thing you could fuss about here is a appreciate statement about the main character's back-side. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">Mystery Men (1999) [Watched Feb '21]</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">This one was a whole lot funnier in my memory than it was when we re-watched it. I mentioned this analysis to a friend and he said he thinks this is one that was always funniest when remembered and re-quoted with friends. In other words, it's a movie with a fair number of funny quotes and amusing situations, but they're not stitched together well enough to be a truly great watch. <br />It was very much an ensemble cast, full of big names, and I think a lot of such movies don't live up to their promise. Also, Peewee Herman. 'Nuff said. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Grace says "It's kind of like Elf. People running around being idiots." <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Family Friendly Factor: Lots of potty humor. And a surprising face-melting-fairly-main-character-blowing-up scene that you don't really expect and don't prepare the kids not to watch. Would not re-watch. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><h4 style="text-align: left;">Explorers (1985) [Watched April '21]</h4></div><div style="text-align: left;">Neither David nor I saw this one when it came out. I'm not sure either one of us can really say we've seen it now. :) It would appear to be notable primarily because it featured both the very young Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix. Not that I could tell you anything else either of them were in. Anyway, it's based on the same general theme as Flight of the Navigator (1986). A young, sci-fi obsessed, ostracized-at-school teen has recurring dreams of flying through a Tron-like environment, and gives the circuit diagrams he draws upon waking to his best friend, who just happens to be a tech wizard. He inputs them into his computer and "a miracle occurs." Suddenly the three guys (another misfit dropped in at the right moment) are in possession of a force bubble which can travel through its environment without gravity or friction. Between the three of them they manage to construct a reasonably air-tight vessel which they use to buzz the local drive-in movie theater. </div><div style="text-align: left;">At this point I had to leave to pick up Grace and missed most of the last 45 minutes of the film, but it would appear that the aliens who actually sent them the tech specs have plans for them: they go on a fantastic interstellar adventure, part on good terms with the ETs, and come back home without raising any particular suspicions with parents or other authorities. It ends on a high note with our little team - plus the beautiful girl the main guy had a crush on - in another Tron-ish dreamscape. (Tron, 1982, is on our list to watch.) <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Look, it's a lot better than "Flight of the Navigator" if only because it lacks Pee Wee Herman. The actors were a little better too, and maybe even the plot - although I can't fully speak to that. But it's not in the same league as "Back of the Future" (also 1985) or "Short Circuit" (1986), let alone ET (1982) which would have been aimed at effectively the same audience. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Still, James and Lucy appeared to enjoy it. There was nothing that I saw in the first half of the movie that was in the least offensive in terms of language or sexual innuendo, so it's fairly safe. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Malcolm in the Middle (Seasons 1-2, 2000/2001) </h4><p>We've been watching a couple of episodes of the sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle" each week after dinner. Malcolm, an otherwise ordinary kid, is "diagnosed" with a genius level IQ early in the season. The stories center around him (I personally appreciate his shtick of addressing the camera a couple of times per episode), his immediate family of 2 other boys and parents, and his big brother Francis who begins the series away at military school. <br />I'll be honest, this one is hard to justify. Hal and Lois frequently end up largely unclothed in cringe-worthy scenes. They are frequently very suggestive (although since they're married, I can let some of it pass! Also, most of it frankly goes well over the kids heads.) The boys are awful to one another. Craig is creepy. Hal is a stereotypical idiotic sitcom-dad. And it's <b>Hilarious. </b><br />OK, it's more than just that. I was talking to an older friend about what we both like so much, and there are a couple of redeeming factors. One is that Hal and Lois really do love each other. They are deeply committed to each other and their family, even when sacrifices are required. (The season 2 finale was practically inspiring!) And (possibly excepting Reese) the kids are really not That bad: they're just kids. Malcolm is a genius, but he just wants to be accepted by his peers and maybe get a girlfriend like everyone else. Francis is a unrepentant screw-up, but he has considerable strength of character. Dewey is devious, but also pretty sweet. The side characters are works of art in themselves - Stevie is everyone's favorite, but many of the "Krelboyns" are nearly as funny, and then there's Spangler, and Lavernia... honestly, the writers are brilliant. <br />Grace (who is taking an acting class) is grumpy about the fact that no-one ever learns anything and no-one ever wins. She loves to point out the over-acting. I try to explain that this is a sitcom, and that's how they work. But it violates her understanding of good storytelling. Somehow I expect we'll keep watching it anyway, at least for a few seasons. </p><p>PS: I watched this initially when it was new. I had no kids, I had no husband. I was WAY too hard on Lois. I am So much more sympathetic to the poor woman this time through! </p><p>PPS: I think this may be the only sitcom (excepting The Simpsons, which is arguably in that category) that I actually like. I am neutral at best on all the ones we watched growing up like "Home Improvement." Those all had the same stupid dads that I object to in principle (yes, Hal absolutely falls into this category), but also felt this deep need to tie every episode up with a neat little bow. Usually a cringe-worthy one. Ugh. <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Current(ish) Movies <br /></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">Captain America (2011) [Watched Dec 2020]<br /></h4><p>We watched this one without Grace, who has no love for Superhero movies. I really enjoy this particular entry in the Marvel / Avengers canon, but am not eager to explore the others with the kids. </p><p>Family Friendly Factor: There is lots of WWII violence in the movie, plenty of scary moments, and lots of other stuff the younger kids might not be good with. <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Lego Batman (2017) </h4><p>Purely fun. Much more fun than Superman II. There are even some good life lessons in there. <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pete's Dragon (2016) </h4><p>Better than I thought it would be, and Grace (the resident dragon expert) accepted the highly mammalian dragon despite his fur. Shockingly, contains a bit of environmental preaching and casts the loggers as bad-guys. Par for the course, but always a bit irritating. </p><p>Family Friendly Factor: Pete loses his parents at the beginning of the movie. It's handled fairly gently - we certainly don't see anything graphic - but it's obviously traumatic. Nothing else terribly concerning here unless, like us, you are annoyed by the continued vilification of loggers. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Spiderman: Far From Home (2019), watched April '21 </h4><p>James really, really, wants to watch Marvel movies right now. A lot. I am not nearly as excited about them, Lucy is neutral, and Grace would much rather chose something else. She's not sure what, but not Superhero movies. She - like me - finds them a bit exhausting with their constant chases, fights, and explosions. <br />I was really pretty OK with "Far From Home." (Even though I have not seen any of the Avengers movies after Civil War.) Peter Parker is a high school student, really really needs to guard his secret identity, and would really, really, really love to date whats-her-name. But Nick Fury needs him to help track down and neutralize some really nasty elementals threatening - well - everything. He tries to get out of it, but neither Fury nor the elementals will take "No" for an answer. So, of course, he fights them, makes some new friends, exposes his secret identity to whats-her-name, and is an unwilling participant in the destruction of some seriously historic European architecture. </p><p>From a family friendly standpoint, there's a very suggestive and utterly unnecessary scene where a beautiful S.H.I.E.L.D. agent commands Peter to strip and try on the new costume she is delivering. Of course a classmate walks in on the and draws all the wrong conclusions. Aside from that there's just the question of how desensitized we wish to be to violence and things exploding all over the place... <br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), watched May '21</h4><p>Another one that James insisted upon pretty strongly, and we gave in because it was his birthday weekend. He needed it to fill in the blanks between Captain America and Age of Ultron. I'd seen it, probably in the theater when it was new, but couldn't tell him much about it. Didn't even remember good ol' Redford was the betrayer. Nothing really wrong with the movie, and it did move the whole Hydra plot forward quite a bit, but for all its explosions, close calls, and frantic, adrenaline-pumping battles, it did little to engage me. Yes, there were the the heart-strings tugged with the miraculous reappearance of poor, mind-slaved Bucky. But that was about it. Plenty of witty banter, plus The Falcon's origin story, but I really do find these sorts of movies overstimulating and exhausting. <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"> <br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">After Hours TV Time</h3><p>My insomniac (Grace) keeps showing up after bedtime while I am watching my own comfort-TV. This month that's</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Due South (1994-1999)</h4><p>This Police Dramady was a huge favorite of mine when it was on TV, and I actually acquired the DVDs and pull them out perhaps ever 5 years. Grace is scandalized that I had a crush on Frazier. </p><p>Anyway, the series is about a Mountie (Frazier) who "first came to Chicago on the trail of his father's killer, and for reasons that don't bear exploring at this juncture, remained attached as liaison to the Chicago PD." It's part fish-out-of-water, part Odd-Couple as the straight as an arrow, boy-scout like Frazier solves cases with the considerably more morally flexible Detective Ray Vecchio. And then there's his dead father who <i>Will </i>keep interfering with things at the most inconvenient of times... <br /></p><p>Grace loves this one, especially because as it is Not a sitcom, things Do go right for the characters from time to time, and they get to learn and grow to some degree. </p><p>Family Friendly Factor: There's plenty of violence. Guns, fists, whatever. There's wince-creating tension between Frazier and his female CO, and Frazier and his partners' sister - both of whom are pursuing him, not vice versa. Every once in a while Frazier actually behaves in a less monk-like manner than we have come to expect. Not much in the way of language, although Ray is very brash. <br /></p><p>Last month it was </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">NCIS (Seasons 1-5, 2003-2008). </h4><p>We won't talk too much about the family friendlieness of this one, as all of the complaints about violence, murders, and generally bad behavior apply, but Grace loves Abby a lot. And Gibbs, although not as much as Abby. <br />This is my second time through, and I decided that I was done with it for a while after season 5. I know there are 12(!) more, but it was getting intense and not the relaxing escapist fare I was wanting. </p><p>Before that it was </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Person of Interest (2011-2016), aka "Jesus Saves." </h4><p>One of my own personal favorites. Mr. Finch, a reclusive billionaire, recruits homeless veteran John Reese (Jim Caviezel, thus the "Jesus Saves" joke) to help him save people who's "numbers are up" according to his all-seeing computer known as "The Machine." There are elements of Quantum Leap especially in the first couple of seasons, and it's quite enjoyable. Of course by the end they're in a fight for their very lives against another, rather more evil computer program, but it's one I really enjoyed watching both times through. Not really family friendly, though. Typical levels of violence and murders and occasional suggestive behavior. <br /></p>TarkheenaCraftshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14052065517685832275noreply@blogger.com0