Making stuff

I've been on a week-long errands and fun spree since we got back from France and Italy. I still have A half days, but when I'm not momming, I'm giving myself time to do some spring cleaning. Which, for me, mostly involves trips to IKEA and craft ideas. And a few trips to the basement to put away old stuff to make room for the new.

And on a Thursday morning I find myself at home, with a handful of craft projects in the works.

But, let's start with a partial roll-call of  the people who have helped me develop my creative side during grad school and I miss on days like this, who would make the projects even more fun and creative:

1. A and G from grad school, who helped make the Wizard of Oz Halloween crew come to life. I got to be a 6 ft tall Glinda with a 2 ft tall crown, G was the lion, curly hair and all, A was a flying monkey and the yellow brick road. And we got another 4 costumes put together for others. And trash talking.

2. K for encouraging me to think of myself as creative, and the Quantum Cat video. We may have talked some trash.

3. A for all the evenings spent doing hair and make-up and outfits for swing dancing nights. And trash talking, at an almost professional level.

4. M from museum stuff, for all the funny videos we were going to make. And the stained glass I actually got to. Also, a bit of trash talking.

5. C for teaching me to knit. And saving my sorry-knitting-ass on a number of occasions. A lot of trash talking happened at the same time.

6. S for that trip to Tucson's Santa Theresa Tile Works to create something to take away from the desert when we moved. You pick your pieces to include, they get weighed, you buy grout and a frame and go home to put it all together.

Mine came out similarly. We spent over an hour just picking out exquisite little pieces.

7. E for the fun of creating a bunch of super-geek astrobiology mosaic plaques for an auction at her niece's school. Trash. talk.

And about 30 minutes ago, a video about one awesome 9-year-old and his homemade arcade.

So here are the things on my table. Literally, on a number of tables around the house. I will be looking to make things with them.

Hot diggety, IKEA has a $90 sewing machine. I'm 'onna make stuff.

In fact, I plan to go all "How do you solve a problem like"-Maria on this ex-curtain fabric and cover the balcony couch cushions in Swissy, mountainy, goat-y happiness.

These are sticky hooks. They will be placed on furniture in A's room. Perhaps a wall or two. They will be joined by old bedsheets with loops sewn onto the corners. This will usher in era of the blanket fort in our apartment. Ok, it could potentially start in a few months. And if the idea of a blanket (or pillow) fort strikes you as way cool, instead of childish, I suggest you watch the last 2 episodes of Community online.
 

And to finish, here is a Travel Bingo card I made last December, for my solo flight to the US with A. I laminated it, duh, and brought along a small dry-erase marker. She was still too young to really get it, but next time on a flight, it will probably be handy. Darn. How do I make a JPG out of a DOC file?