Photo Friday

This week has flown by. This sunset photo was taken by my younger son on the way home from his band performance. I was driving so asked him to capture the photo for me. He did great. It’s beautiful.

I made my husband a couple more bracelets to go with his beaded one. Let me know if you’d be interested in seeing videos of how I put together those braided ones. They were more complicated and I didn’t have time to make videos of them this week.

I walk my dog around the back yard several times a day. I see the big picture all the time, so I venture out looking for the beauty in tiny details. Like this small weed, for example…

Or these two rose petals that had fallen onto the grass.

And the golden rods growing along the fence.

This yellow leaf is on the gardenia bush.

This poor little fig is in the right place at the wrong time. What’s he doing in October?!

All of these photos were taken with my Moto G4.

Voodoo Doll Pinterest Halloween Sewing Challenge

Earlier this month, the YouTube creator Dad Sews challenged his audience to create a Halloween craft from a Pinterest picture. After scouring the pages of Pinterest, I saw a Voodoo doll I thought I could recreate using fabric from my stash. I made a video of the process with a silly story about the origins of the materials I was using.

The doll’s body is made of ogre skin (a suede-like microfiber) that feels eerily like real skin! For stitching, I used Banshee hair (gray embroidery thread) that kept tangling up in knots as one would expect. One of the eyes was stolen away from The Other Mother (a button), one was a lizard eye (black bead). The heart is from a deceased garden gnome (red felt) who was an organ donor.

Here is the Pinterest image from which I drew most of my inspiration. Clicking on the pic will take you to its Pin.

Click the image below to see my Voodoo doll Pinterest Halloween Challenge video!

Poured Abstract Painting-While the World Burns

I’ve had some tubes of watercolor paint I’ve been hanging onto for a while. The few times I used them, they didn’t perform in a way that I liked. Rather than letting them sit, I decided to try them in a poured painting using the same technique that I would use in a dirty pour acrylic situation.

The colors really pop and the effect is dramatic. Each color of paint is mixed with glue with just a squirt of WD-40. After the painting dries, I give it a coat of Liquitex gloss varnish to bring back the shine. Click the picture below to see a video of how this process works!

Amazon Painting Supplies

Overcast Sewing

I’ve taken an excerpt from my nightgown video for those of you who would rather not watch it in its entire 16+ minutes glory. Or maybe you’d just like a refresher on what this overcast foot is all about. I got great looking seams on this super thin and slippery fabric using the overcast foot. I want to use it lots more in making clothes and other items where I want a professional-looking seam. Click the image below to see how it’s done!

Photo Friday

I’m a little late getting this one in today. It’s been a busy week!

They are doing some work on Veteran’s Blvd. in McComb.

We went down town and stopped near the State Theater.

My husband rescued this pretty red Yamaha bass from a pawn shop.

Always working to pretty up down town. These shrubs are doing their part.

This is the intersection where the roof of the building (top right) collapsed just recently.

My younger son had a band performance this week.

The field looks just the same as it did when I was there 30 years ago!

Sewing a Nightgown

A couple of months ago, during a thrift store haul, I got a beautiful piece of fabric that I hoped to turn into something to wear. I finally got that chance today. This thin, stretchy fabric in a blue floral print makes perfect sleepwear material.

The fabric is a bit delicate and will need to be washed delicately, I believe. In wearing a garment like this, the neck and arm holes take the most stress during wear, so I decided to reinforce them with biased binding. That not only gives the garment a pretty, accented edge, it also protects the fabric from rips and runs.

I’m so excited how the gown turned out. It’s going to be so comfortable to sleep in. Watch the video below if you’d like to see how I made it, and how you can make your own.

Check tomorrow’s entry for an excerpt from this video which explains how I used the overcast feature on my sewing machine for this project.

Orange Halloween Bracelet

I’m at these paper beads again! I can’t get enough, and this time I doing a Halloween theme. I begin with some orange construction paper which I mark with lines on back that are 3/4″ apart. On the front, I use a black sharpie to make triangles and mouth shapes to mimic the cut-outs on a Jack O’lantern. With a green Sharpie Super Fine marker, I drew some vines and leaves like a pumpkin patch. Since these are small beads, I only had to decorate the bottom inch or so of the paper.

Next I cut the paper into strips using the lines on the back. Then, I rolled them up on a skewer and secured with glue. Once they dried, I rolled them in glossy Mod Podge and let them dry again. I made a paper bracelet gauge for myself which is coming up in another video. Look for that.

Afterwards, I strung them together with some pony beads to make cute Halloween theme bracelets. Click the video link below to watch!


What’s your accent?

Today’s video is a “What’s Your Accent” Tag. I thought it would be extra fun for me as a Mississippian. There are indeed a few words we say differently.

When I was growing up, we lived near some distant relatives who used words that were archaic, even for the 1970’s, never mind today! Instead of saying “none” they would say “nayrn” which is an abbreviation of “nary a one”. They also said “yorn” for “yours”. I have never heard anyone else use those words.

One of the big ones for Southerners is y’all, of course, which can be referring to anyone. I mean it. I might be talking about any of y’all!

Watch my video, linked below, to hear how I pronounce the words on this list. It was a ton of fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ut07xSfyCQ