My 70s girl

I don't really have much to post about. I reformatted my computer and now it's not reading my camera. So I have no new pictures until that is fixed. I was doing my usual reading of random blogs in my bookmarks list and came across Pioneer Woman's blog. I love it so much. You must see the pictures of her house, they're so lovely. Makes me want to just drop everything and go buy a ranch (did I mention my dream house is an old ranch house. I'm not asking for much). Anyway, she has a section on her website that talks about photography. It's no surprise that I have this amazing camera but have done nothing more than point and shoot since I got it. It's on my to do list. But I digress. On her website she has some action sets that you can install in Adobe Photoshop CS2 (and higher?) that will allow you to edit your photos. I was really loving the 1970's look of a set she had done on her blog so I knew I had to have it for myself. I also just happened to have the perfect picture to make into a vintage 70's look.

I love love love the way it turned out. I feel like going thru all my pictures now and tweaking them. Mind you I should be doing that anyway since I have Photoshop but usually they're straight out of the camera shots because I can't be bothered. But I'll definitely be playing with some of the other actions in the two sets so perhaps my posts might be more geared towards photography in the next few days?

Vegan Waldorf doll

I finally finished Ayla's doll. I had bought some fabric from Fabricland to make it with. I didn't want to go thru the online buying when I had decided to try my hand at making a Waldorf doll. I wanted to see how it would turn out with things I could find easily in any store. Mind you not everyone has a Fabricland near them but it was good enough for me. I think it was some generic skin toned cotton interlock fabric that I had stumbled upon when I was there that gave me the idea to try it this way. I wanted to use dental floss to shape the head but I had some dishcloth cotton on hand from when I knitted up my dishcloths so I used that instead. As you can see I really was just trying to get it done with the basics. The hair is made from some acrylic yarn I found at Michael's as well as the DMC embroidery floss for the eyes and mouth. I'll definitely have to work on my shaping for the eyes to make them more round but I'm really happy with making the mouth like that. The pattern is the 11' baby doll from Dancing Rain Dolls. I actually went ahead and ordered some real doll making supplies while I was at it.

So I'm thinking about making these dolls to sell around here, I won't be using the same pattern as this doll for obvious reasons. I actually have a completely different design in mind for the dolls I want to make. I haven't gotten the supplies yet so look out for that in the coming weeks. I must say from the time I mentioned that I'd be doing this to the time of completion was very long. It actually took me very long to do the hair because I wanted it to be very full looking. I put it in pigtails so that Ayla wouldn't have it looking too messy too fast. I also wanted to mention that it's stuffed with 100% bamboo fiberfill that I also got on sale at Fabricland. I'm really loving that aspect about this doll. I'm going to be buying some natural fibered yarn from Knit for Brains to make this new doll hair. I know the Waldorf dolls out there are all made of wool stuffing and a wool/mohair yarn blend for the hair so I'm really going for an authentic vegan doll that doesn't lose that natural fiber charm. Mind you I still think my acrylic hair baby is charming.

I made the diaper and shirt using the pattern that came with the pattern for the doll. All from fabric scraps in my stash. The shirt fabric is actually from Ayla's first birthday dress last August. I'm thinking of knitting her up a little sweater and making a pair of shorts to finish her off completely.

A blurred picture but this is what she'll be going thru for the rest of her dolly life. Ayla walks around calling her 'bebe'. We took her out this morning and she was quite the picture in her 'Jackie O' coat and a bebe cradled in her arms. I could hear the hearts melting that's for sure (not to mention the 'Ooh would you just look at her' comments). Go make some dolls!

Changes

I've been thinking about making some big life changes lately. So the blog posts might become even more spotty than they are now. I'm also thinking of starting a new blog. I'm needing a fresh start in all aspects of my life right now. I'll keep you updated.

In the meantime I'll leave you with two projects I'm working on. One is this dress I made for Ayla. I still need to fix the neckline and take in the waist or something so that it falls more nicely on her. I had meant for it to be a dress. But I think it's going to end up a long shirt instead.

Second is the doll I said I was going to make for Ayla weeks ago. It's been taking me awhile. I started it one way then found a better pattern on Dancing Rain Dolls. I think I could do this as a profession. It's quite gratifying. I wonder if there is a market for vegan Waldorf dolls. They all seem to be made of wool. I'll get more into what my doll is made of when she's all done. Ayla has been stealing her from me every chance she gets. She walks around the house cuddling her, patting her back and calling her baby. I have her stashed in my knitting bag now out of her reach. Now I wish I could have gotten a picture of that! Ahh!

I'm off to read a new book I bought today called Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life by Jenna Woginrich. So far it's really good. For anyone that's thinking about getting back to the land so to speak it's definitely a winner. I've been actually looking to buy an acreage or rent one as you know for just that reason. Hopefully just the right place will come up soon enough.

Good Friday

And what a good Friday it has turned out to be. I'd show you pictures of just how lovely and sunny it is outside but my neighborhood is not very photogenic. So picture blue sunny skies and balmy spring temperatures. Just lovely.

I was perusing Kijiji yesterday night looking for houses to rent and decided to see what people were selling. I found this really cute wooden rocking horse that I couldn't resist. Yes I know Ayla already has a wooden rocking horse that I've spoken about in my other blog. But this one was so much cuter. How could I resist. And the price was practically begging me to buy it. A mere 30 bucks. These retail for way more than that in the stores if you've actually been looking. And I like to look just to be sure I'm not getting swindled. In any case, it's beautiful and hardly used because the owner bought it after her daughter had outgrown such things. Lucky me!

And speaking of daughters, Ayla has a thing for putting on sun glasses. Just look at that toothy grin!

Soon enough it will be time to sport those babies at the beach. Would have been nice if we were living next to one... Yes, I'm still bitter (see previous post).

Oh yea, Happy Easter! I might pop in on the actual day. I'm off to make Ayla a doll.

Feeling knitty

You would think that since I haven't written in an entire week that I'd have loads to say. But sadly that is far from the truth. But I have been feeling quite knitty in these last few days. I've even been listening to a great new knitting podcast called Cast-On with Brenda Dayne. It's a really good one and I just love her voice. But anyway, I love listening to podcasts while I work down in my sewing room.

This week I was working on Ayla's bolero or shrug if you prefer. It's from the Debbie Bliss book I bought on a whim at Chapters the other day. I've actually taken out quite a few knitting books by her from my local library. I have yet to start on anything but I have a lot of bookmarks. I'm actually thinking of just sticking to the more spring/summer type knits right now as doing a load of winter knits is not going to get me anywhere. Well, I guess I'd be a lot more prepared for winter but it won't be fun showing that off right now.

So back to Ayla's bolero/shrug. It took me a week to knit this up. And not because I'm a slow knitter. Which I am but because it wasn't my only project. I've actually been in the sewing room making some summer dresses for the little princess. So I've been trying to divide my time. It's done up in a worsted weight silky Bernat yarn called Sultana Raisin. I don't really like that fuzzy halo it gives to the finished garment. I could do without it. I bet it will be a mess once it's washed.

About this pattern. I liked it but I must say my work is not without errors. And there are many, thankfully they're not horribly noticeable. If I didn't already have like 100 things saved on Ravelry plus projects from the books I've taken out from the library to cast on then I'd do this again. But sadly I think this will be my one and only shot at it for a long while. Speaking of Ravelry, did I ever mention how much I love that site? I could really spend all day there getting nothing done. I think the next thing I make will be for myself. Ayla seems to be getting the better end of the deal around here.

I love ...

Wooden toys

This pose

Her independence

A knitting first (for me that is)

I always start by saying it will be a short/quick post and then I end up writing a novel. But this time I mean it. I'm so tired but I just had to show you my latest finished project. Last time I mentioned that I was going to try making my first ever knitted garment. The Soulful Hues cap sleeved shirt for Ayla. I ran out to Wal-Mart to get some yarn and the right needles. I hate Wal-Mart but they're good for when you're in a pinch. Their yarn sucks but I didn't trust myself to make this top without messing up horribly so I wanted to try it on crap (ie. acrylic) yarn before turning to something else. In any case I found one that I thought would knit up quite nicely because I was really liking the color tones. I only changed the pattern slightly because I was sure it would be too big by casting on less stiches and shortening some rows. I also made the JCasa non-roll cap sleeve (picture above) and I added a 2x2 ribbing at the bottom. I can't help myself I always have to change patterns even when I don't know what the heck I'm doing.

Unfortunately, after it was all said and done it looks like an army print! Ugh, definitely not what I was expecting at all. I'll have to go check out my local yarn shop that is sadly closing down because the owner passed away and her family is selling it. It's the only yarn shop in all of Red Deer so I'm quite saddened by it. I'll be stuck with Wal-Mart and Michael's but thankfully there's always the internet. I just hate waiting on shipping. I actually found a great online vegan yarn store called Knit for Brains. That's where I bought my bamboo yarn from a few months back. I still haven't knit anything with that because I don't want to ruin it. It's so lovely just to hold. I'll have to buy more soon. I noticed that they've got a great selection on hemp, banana, corn, soy and cotton fibered yarns in addition to the bamboo so check it out if you're interested in that sorta thing.

Oh, and there's one thing I've discovered about acrylic yarn that I really don't like besides the feel of it. It leaves the wearer feeling quite hot! After taking those few quick snaps of Ayla when I went to take it off she was all hot and sweaty from just running around for a minute in the top. I know I shouldn't diss acrylic yarn because it really is good in a pinch which I'm sure I'll find myself in quite often.

Last thing in this quick novel I'm writing. I went to Chapter's today... well we really went to Starbucks for Alex to get a coffee but I got called out to the knitting section of the store, I swear. So while I was shopping, er browsing, I saw this book, Essential Kids by Debbie Bliss. I've never heard of her but it's 20 patterns for children ages 2 to 5. Right up my alley! I can't wait to get started. Did I mention that I really love knitting in the round, very addictive. I see some hats in my future. Now why couldn't I have discovered this love when it was still technically winter?

Happy Birthday Lucas and other sewing projects

A quick update on the birthday gifts I made for Ayla's friend, Lucas. His mom admired the tote bag I made for Abigail last weekend so I promised to make a similar one for him. I decided to make him pyjama pants to go with it. I couldn't decide on what to make as a toy so I went the 'buy' route. Very bad I know, but in my defense I do only try to buy toys that are wooden and quality. So I headed to Toys R Us. Usually the last place to look for quality wooden toys to be honest but I didn't have the time to wait for shipping. I had been there months back and I knew they had come out with a line of wooden toys that I had admired for Ayla but never bought. So I headed straight for that section and found exactly what I wanted (the wooden racecar and drivern in case you're wondering). I must say it didn't disappoint. It was even better looking out of the box.

I also threw together another outfit for Ayla because I just couldn't help myself. The cargo pants are the same pattern I used for the pyjama pants for Lucas but just with pockets and a flap added. The top was again another ad lib creation. I just had a vague idea in my head of what I wanted and tried it out. I actually looked at the fabric and tried to picture something jumping out at me if that makes sense. And so this is what it turned into. It was a little large across the chest so I put that dart in the middle and I actually really like it more with the dart.

On to the confession part of the blog. So I went fabric shopping. Well in my defense I didn't have the right fabric to make all of Lucas's gift so I had to buy some of it. But I swear going into the fabric store is probably similar to an alcholic in a liquor store. Maybe not as bad but you get the picture. It's a sad state that any fabric crazed person can attest to. In any case I got some really great stuff in the bargain bins and the sale aisles (see I wasn't that bad afterall). One of which was this really great workout wear fabric that I made Ayla some lounge pants in. She really is low on proper fitting pants so you'll probably be seeing more of them. It's pretty much just elastic waisted easy peasy stuff. Maybe I might throw in a pocket or two here and there but I doubt I'll get much more fancier than that (I'm sure I'll be eating my words in a couple of weeks on this one). By the way, sorry for the horrible pictures of these pants but Ayla refused to stand still. The black and white picture is the only one I have of her standing sort of properly in them.

I'm going to try casting on the cap sleeved spring top for Ayla. I saw it on SouleMama the other day and I fell in love. It's actually from the Soulful Hues blog. So wish me luck because the only thing I've ever finished knitting was that scarf I made for Ayla. I even had to go out and buy some circular needles so we'll see how long this takes me with Ayla and Mia pulling at my yarn.

Party Skirt

As promised here is a picture of the skirt I made for Ayla for the birthday party on Sunday. When I went shopping for fabric to make Abigail's gift I couldn't help myself and bought half a yard of a nice Amy Butler fabric my quilt shop had on display. I had exactly the skirt I wanted drafted up in my mind when I bought it so it was just a matter of cutting it out and sewing it up. As you can probably guess there was no pattern for this. Completely ad lib. That's what I love about making clothing. Sometimes you can do that and not screw up too badly. Take this skirt for instance. I measured Ayla's waist and waist to knee length before making the skirt. Then put it all together and sewed it all up and voila! Too big! Ugh! For some reason I measured her waist as being 2 inches, yes 2 inches, bigger than it really is. I think it was that slightly pudgy belly she's still carrying around.

In any case as you can see at the back of the skirt I had to add 2 darts and take in the waist. I guess this way I can always take them out when she does actually grow those extra 2 inches in the waist. The only drawback about this skirt is that I didn't finish the inside seams with my serger. It was late and I really wanted to finish it in time so I skipped that part. But now it's all unravelly and I hate that. So I'll have to think of something before I lose the hem. I also made a bib to go with it at the last minute.

Unfortunately, this is the only sorry picture I have of her in the skirt at the party! Shameful, I know, but you get the picture. (PS. She's calling Nana.)

Trick or Treat?

I can't believe I missed the end of Vegan MoFo. I had every intention of doing one more Halloween themed post but unfortunately yesterday ended up being busier than I had anticipated. And most of today was spent sleeping it off. In any event I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween and end of Vegan MoFo.

Ayla and I went trick or treating with some friends. We had a grand ol time. But now I'm unfortunately left with the task of wondering what to do with all of this terribly non vegan candy. My daughter is way too young to eat candy so it's basically up to me and Alex to consume all the vegan stuff. But it would be nice to know what other vegan parents do with this whole trick or treating thing with older kids. Any tips would be grateful.

Here are some pics of Ayla in her frog costume. This was at home before we left. She wasn't too keen on it at first but by the end of the night she was getting quite comfy in it.

When the cat's away the mice will play and Vegan MoFo #21

First up my dinner tonight for Vegan MoFo. I can't believe 21 days have already shot by! Before I show dinner, I must confess that this is a poor way to be showing anyone how vegans eat on a regular basis. I mean I can clearly remember us having fries maybe 3 days ago for dinner (ok maybe 5 but still). So there's no excuse for us to have them again.

But there you have it, Alex felt like making burgers for dinner tonight and well everyone knows nothing goes better with a burger than fries. This time we didn't even have the green salad to balance it out. Yikes! But it was oh so delicious all the same. Alex even commented that it might have been the best burger he's ever had. Maybe we'll have better luck tomorrow in the health department.

We put onions and mushrooms that are lightly fried on them. Ever since discovering this one little thing we've never had a burger that didn't taste perfect. It's that 'je ne sais quoi' (I don't know what) flavor it imparts.

And now onto the best part of this post. So while I go to work in the daytime, Alex is left at home to care for our darling daughter, Ayla. But what do we have here, stashed on my camera?

Yes, that's right, Ayla playing Rock Band drums. And from her highchair no less! These pictures seriously had me cracking up. So the 'mice' were in full play mode while the 'cat' was indeed away. ;)

:: 13 ::

Yesterday was quite the night for all of us. Ayla was up for more than 12 hours straight with a horrible head cold and painful gas to boot. We finally got her to bed at 3:30am but then she would sleep for 1 hour then wake up for another 15 minutes of intense crying. Let's just say Alex and I were completely tuckered out for the whole day today. However, that didn't stop me from going ahead with our scheduled Thanksgiving day menu. Oh yea, it's Thanksgiving here in Canada. Happy Thanksgiving!

I made the simple seitan from Veganomicon based on the recipe that Isa posted the other day on the PPK (ie. she replaced the nooch for chickpea flour and breaded it with panko for frying). I decided to pair that with some homemade cranberry sauce, baked potatoes (sweet and regular), a mixed greens salad and some baked apples drizzled in maple syrup and a few dashes of soy sauce. I must say that it was an amazing meal to end the day. But the best part came with dessert. I made my first apple pie and it didn't disappoint! I used this recipe from allrecipes.com and a pie crust recipe from a fellow vegan blogger who's blog and name completely escapes me. In any case, this was the best pie I've ever had! The crumb topping was so good that I'm drooling and thinking of another piece as I write this. So anyway, all in all we had a very peaceful and fulfilling day.

One last thing, lately Ayla and I have been going on walks whenever we get the chance. That usually means whenever she climbs the stairs and starts pulling down all the shoes off the rack and trying to open the front door. In any case, the other day we were out for our walk and she tripped and fell on her face, on the sidewalk. I have to say, I must have some bad luck when it comes to watching her. She's constantly falling on her face! I must seem like the world's most negligent mother. Needless to say I think I'll just keep her away from public places till this one clears up...