a crafty exploration of hair-pulling and healing

pillows

2009-10-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

behold! my first attempt at a pinwheel quilt square! i think it turned out quite nicely, and it's a perfect little throw pillow for my couch.

what was once a super-cute vintage sweater (that had unfortunately been felted in a washing machine, i assume accidentally, long before i owned it), is now another cute throw pillow. this sweater was given to me a few years ago by my boss at the antiques store i worked at, but it was too felted to wear. i've held onto it for quite some time, because i was too attached to the sweet '60s paisley to let go. a few weeks ago, i finally busted out the sewing machine, cut off the arms and neck, and stitched it into a pillow. must say, i'm quite happy with the repurposed results!

bunnies, bunnies, bunnies bunniieees, bunnies!

2009-07-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

it's no secret that i love amy sedaris. 'strangers with candy' defined my high school years, and i like you was life-changing (more in 2010 on her next book, which is supposedly about 'long-forgotten crafts'). when my first roommate tricia brought home her bunny, harry, to our mariposa apartment, i was excited, but nervous, to finally have a rabbit in my life. amy helped me overcome my rabbit anxiety. a fierce lover of rabbits, she even dedicates a chapter of i like you to bunny care, treats and housing. and she modeled her home to be bunny friendly. could she be any more amazing?

unfortunately, harry passed on last spring. with our museum house, we inherited two bunny landlords from danrae. they always seemed to be pretty shy, so i knew it wouldn't be like it was with harry (he was a little cuddlemuffin). girl bunny and boy bunny were given a pile of dirt and some tunnels in my outdoor patio room, thus making it dusty bunnyland. then the poo. it soon became obvious there was no way to tame the beast. it was simply too hard to clean. the dirt would get pushed around by the bunnies in digging sessions, which would often inhibit opening the door to feed them or change their water. then the bugs started appearing -- miller moths and fleas, and gnats to your heart's content. we had a problem on our hands. what made things more difficult was the bunnies's resistance of coming inside the house itself again (they had once roamed free in what is now julia's bedroom). ryan and i started becoming increasingly concerned about their health, so this past week, my man stripped off the shirt and got to shovelling out the dirt and poo, bucket after bucket (*side note - i now know there's nothing dreamier than a man willing to get filthy and sweaty to improve the life of our two bunnies. i swear he's crazier about them than i am). i made a vet appointment, which was going to be interesting since we'd barely even pet the bunnies without them running away. once most of the dirt was gone, it became easier to wrangle them into their carrier. the vet was wonderful, getting down on the ground to gently hold them and observe them, giving us the good news that they were actually quite healthy, with the exception of their fleas. their long nails were clipped, and we came home to finish cleaning out their old dirt mound.

so their home went from this...

...to this!

see boy bunny hiding in the back? he's a little more shy than his sister. they seem to love their new habitat. they can finally run again, and there isn't dust everywhere. they have a litter box (as opposed to living in one), and new toys. the next step is building some ramps so they can go up to the second and third levels of the patio, which would probably double their living space. but for now, they have a fresh and clean start. flea medicine arrived in the mail today (yay for kitten advantage being rabbit friendly!), so they should be flea-free by morning, which means no more biting, scratching, and excessively grooming each other. although for now, they have to be kept apart, which is so heartbreaking...they obviously love each other so much and just want to cuddle and hop around together. but the gate will come down in a few hours, and they'll be back to looking like this...

p.s. - the best part is...the vet told us that with a little work and patience, the bunnies would probably get more affectionate with us. now that their area is clean, i've actually been able to go sit and pet them (i've even picked them up!). oh, how i've missed the feel of a warm little bunny on my lap.

happy birthday, hannah!

2009-07-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

last wednesday, my little sister hannah turned 16. i can't believe she's already almost an adult! it seems like just yesterday we were all fawning over her in all of her tiny, beautiful glory. but now she's a person, a high school student, an aspiring artist (of sorts). so i got sewing.

and it became this, below. from joelle hoverson's last minute patchwork and quilted gifts, i thought the colored pencil roll, stuffed to the brim with high-quality art pencils, would make a great gift for my hannah. it took a year to get around to making it, but last week i finally did!

i suppose ryan gets to take credit for buying her the colored pencils portion of her gift (art supplies aren't cheap!). together, i thought we gave her a pretty nice little gift.

do you see them peeking? they're happy to have a home with my wonderful little sister.

thistles.

2009-06-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

when i was 8, my scottish grandmother tried to teach me to knit. i gave up quickly, because all i could think was, "why would i ever want to do that?"

for you, grandma.

what you've all been waiting for!

2008-09-23T16:10:00.001-07:00

finally...a picture of the sampler i made for my man. i hope y'all enjoy it as much as i do!

2008-09-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

a baby alpaca scarf to provide a soft reminder of his family back home.

a hat with earflaps, to keep his ears warm in the welsh winter.

i'll miss you, brother.