a heart"felt" valentine

I gotta be honest. Wooly week has been a little, well, hairy.  I would love for my life to be organized and inspired and all that good stuff, but my children have decided it will be otherwise.  It's really quite scary how these little people rule my life.

I have many more wool projects I would like to share, but a week really isn't that much time to get everything in.  I plan on posting my wool craft ideas every now and then, when my time allows. Or I guess I should say, when my children allow.

Here's a little Valentine idea for your sweety.  Embroidered felt slippers.  I paired them with some of my other favorite things- chocolate, a good read, pink lemonade and a vintage hanky.

You don't need much felt to make these slippers.  The pattern I used called for a double layer of felt, but if I make them again, I will just use a single layer of thicker felt.

I altered the pattern a little by cutting a notch in the top. I also cut my slippers a little more roomy in the toe so that they had a clog look to them and added pom pom to the back because, please, pom poms are always a must.  

Here is the pattern and directions for making these slippers.

between a rock and a hard place

I asked Sugar Daddy what he wants for Valentine's this year besides the obvious. He said he doesn't want any sugar for Valentines because he is trying to shed a few pounds. This puts me in a tough spot because candy is my go to with the hubby.

I thought about getting him a t-shirt or a new belt but after fifteen years of marriage those gifts are a little over done.

The happy ending is that being between a rock and a hard place gave me an idea.

A few months ago, Sugar Daddy moved into a new office and he said he wanted a low maintenance plant for his desk. I went to my stash of beach rocks, picked out a nice one and drew us as birds in white ink.

Then I got side tracked, as I tend to do, and drew on a whole bunch of rocks.

I had fun.



I used black and white ink with a calligraphy pen.



Then I went and bought an awesome apothecary jar, some charcoal, soil, moss and a darling little plant called "Moses in a Cradle". With a name like that, I had to have it.

I took everything home and assembled a terrarium for Sugar Daddy's desk.

This is how to assemble a terrarium:




I tried my hand at felting a little mushroom which turned out lame in a charming sort of way. But I also felted some green balls which are delightful.

I added my little love rock and sealed it with a kiss.





I'm giving it to him early because he barged into my studio unannounced (which is what we always do around here) and saw what I was up to.

I had left over moss and plants so I made a little sumpin' sumpin' for me too.


If you are stumped about what to give this Valentines, may I suggest you go to your favorite nature spot, pick up some rocks and create a minature ecosystem for your lovey. If you are thinking in your mind "But I can't draw", first I will say, stop whining. This isn't drawing, it's doodling. Everybody doodles. Then I will direct you to this children's book.

If you still don't think you can do it, go ahead and use stamps. Lame, but still cute.

hey there sweet thang

Find the people you love and make sure they know you are crazy about them.

We are on the road. Racing across the desert towards Sedona. There will be hiking. There will be shopping. There will be eating. I'll keep you posted.

amour cliche'

Sugar Daddy and I aren't too much with the romance. Never have been. I don't mean to say that we don't try to seduce each other. We do. It's just a little more subtle than average.

For instance, I might say, "You know, you're a real smart ass." And he will respond, "Why thank you. You crafty little minx." Then, well, it's on.

So Valentine's day really isn't our "thing". We might exchange little token gifts, but for the most part, we don't make a big deal about it.

BUT- what I do love about Valentine's Day is the kitchyness. I relish the cheesy cards and the campy store bought goodies. I mean, who doesn't love conversation hearts? Really.

Is Valentine's a Hallmark holiday? Why yes it is! And that's what is so great about it! Elementary school would never have been the same without chintzy little cards made from red doilies and decorated shoebox mailboxes.

Thom and I are all over it, getting ready for the big day. We have all the Valentine's ready to take to school.

The hearts are hung in the window with care, in hopes that St. Valentine will show up and leave a couple hundred bucks on the counter.

The big pink sugar cookies are frosted with almond buttercream and ready to deliver. Scrumdillyumptious!

And the campy handmade Valentines are in the mail to their intended sweetheart.

Here's Cupid himself, lips pursed in concentration, crafting a card for his cousins. Notice the chocolate smears all over his shirt? We needed sustenance while we worked.

This is my mantra for today: Let. Love. Live. However you do it. Don't quash the vibe. If you are fancy pants lovey dovey, do that. If you are simple and sweet like Sugar Daddy and I, put the kids to bed, break out the Netflix and Ben and Jerry's and nestle in.

tokens

In honor of Valentine's Day, which is quickly approaching (I better get crackin on my gifts), I give you 5 little things that make me feel loved in a big way.


#1. When Sugar Daddy asks for my opinion on certain things and he listens to what I have to say, I know he sees me as not just his wife, but as person with equal life experience and good judgement.




#2. When people love the gifts I give them so much they cry, I feel loved and happy. Not because they are crying of course. No, that can be a little embarrassing. Just because it reminds me that the things I do are valued.




#3. In our quiet moments, when Thom sits on my lap and plays with my hair and we talk about his day, I know that I am not just his mother. I am his mommy.

#4. Although it drives me absolutely bizerk, I know that my dog, Finnigan, is madly in love with me because he follows me EVERYWHERE.


#5. And last but not lest, I know Sugar Daddy is head over heels for me because when he comes home from work, and there is glitter all over the kitchen floor, canvases, brushes, paint and paper strewn around the table, no dinner in sight and the laundry is crawling up the wall, he kisses me and asks to see what I am working on. Then he clears a spot on the counter and makes us all quesadillas. Now that is love.

craftity craft craft

If you have been reading Suaviloquy for a while, you know that I love to have fresh flowers at my "work station". I love looking for new arrangement ideas and then going to the flower market. I thoroughly enjoy the process of actually arranging the flowers. It's quiet and soothing.

The ceiling in my kitchen is really high. For some time now I have been wanting to make an arrangement that is really tall. The only problem is cash. In order to make an arrangement as big as I want it is going to cost a lot. And by a lot I mean, like probably over a hundred and fifty bucks. Sugar Daddy would not go for it I'm afraid.

But today I came up with a super cheap alternative. I went into my back yard and clipped some dead branches. I spray painted them silver. Then I got out some pink tissue paper and made a bunch of little cherry blossoms. I raided my Christmas ornaments for birds. I put little glittery hearts on them to make them love birds.

The result is a very wintry arrangement that works well for Valentine's. And, I didn't spend a penny. Aren't I thrifty?

Please give me kudos for my thriftiness. It's not one of my strong suits and I am a little insecure about it. I do shop at discount stores though! I should get points for that don't you think?

I am also working on this little project with Thom. To make these hearts, all you have to do is iron crayon between two pieces of wax paper. It is a great project for a kid Thom's age. He LOVES making crayon shavings with a butter knife. You know, as a boy any excuse to use a knife is a good one.

Got any fun Valentine's craft ideas for kids? Let's see them!

for the love of pom poms

What is it about pom poms that I love so much?

There is something inherently happy about a pom pom don't you think?

by gourmet fiber

Last night as I watched Spongebob with the boy, I decided to make some large pom poms for Valentines. Making pom poms is super fast and fun. I cut a pattern from an old cereal box and starting wrapping. I used fabric scraps and yarn. This pom pom is about 6 inches in diameter, but you can make them as large or as small as you need. If you want more details, email me and I'll send you my pattern.

I've been eyeing this delightful little gnome cap on Etsy. I really think it needs a pom pom and a little person to put it on.

by pumpkinhaus

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A little later on. . .

I'm getting enough requests that I think it would be better to just post directions.

All you need is a circle to wrap around. I cut my own from a cereal box, but for this small pom pom I used the ends of a ribbon spool. Cut a hole in the center. If you want a really full pom pom your hole will need to be bigger. I am going to use this pom pom on top of a gift and I didn't want it to be too full so I didn't cut the hole larger. Place a piece of string between the two circles. This will be the string that you use to tie off the pom pom so make it fairly long. Wrap, wrap, wrap your material or yarn around the circle. When you think you have the pom pom as full as you want, take very sharp scissors, slip one blade between the circles and start to cut around the edge. Once all the strings are cut, tie the ends of your center string together tightly. You will have varying lengths of yarn so give your pom pom a hair cut to even it all out. Fluff and go.