If...

If yor son is breaking out a little by his nose and you give him a washcloth to scrub his face you had better clarify that you don't mean scrub the bumps off. 

Sorry for the break last week - Spring Break.

Shoes and a Headband

Here are another pair of shoes I made for Tennyson.  I changed the shape of the heel and narrowed the shoe a little.  I like the fit better.  We will see if I can do the next pair even better!

I also tried a little headband.  The knit it was made from stretched out completely and I don't think it will ever return to its old size.  Oh, well.  It was cute for a few days.

Only About a Week Late

These are Okinawan Sweet Potatoes.  The dirt here is so rich in minerals that you simply dust the excess off and enjoy them dirty.  They are an acquired taste.

Well,  that is what I told the kids for April Fools.  They thought they were yummy in the end.  These are from the Martha Stewart Mag - March 2011.  She suggested them for a St. Patrick's Day treat.

It was so funny listening to them try and get Jason.  Who spit his out by the way.  They are basically little balls of cream cheese frosting rolled in cinnamon.  My kids even tried to trick the neighbor girl, who then treated her parents.  Poor neighbors.

Jersey Fabric Headband

Twins

I saw this super cute bracelet and tutorial over at V and Co.  Vanessa is super fun and creative.  Her video tutorial is so cute, she is real and juggles it all including her daughter's potty break in the middle of it.  When she first posted her tutorial she said she thought this bracelet would be the perfect beach accessory.  You wouldn't have to care if it got wet or ruined.  They are super easy to make.

I immediately thought of a headband to keep the stragglers out of my face while I am pool side or swimming in the ocean.  I just made it longer, not enough for all the way around, I wanted it to be tight and use some stretch.  I like a little bit of tails, too.  Now I need to find some knit that matches my swimsuits.  I used old T-shirts to make mine.  The headband would be cute with a flower clipped on it.  Using a patterned knit would also be fun, I tried a stripe out for fun.

(My strips from this old shirt were too short for the 4 finger version, too many knots - but at least I have an idea for how a stripe will look)

Date Night - out in Okinawa

Last week Jason and I had a babysitter so we decided to get dinner and try out a restaurant.  The atmosphere was cool (except the unedited rap music - why do the Japanese like rap?). 

These are the booths in the back. 

You take your shoes off at the restaurant.  When we got to our booth we thought ww were going to be sitting cross legged on the floor, but after you crawl in there is a hole under the table for your legs.

This flower booth was really cool.

Here we are in our booth.



We ordered several dishes off the menu. 

We tried an Okinawan pancake - it reminded me of a crepe, except with seaweed in it, mayo and another sauce on top and topped with fish flakes. 

We had garlic fried rice.  Sushi - Tuna.  Some pasta. 

We also had an assortment of skewers.  They consisted of pork belly (bacon without the cure), chicken, chicken skin, mushrooms, chicken gizzards, quail eggs wrapped in bacon, and another one we weren't sure -  pork we think.

My favorite part of the night is when Jason asks them a question and the say something that we don't really understand.  They then look at me hoping I understood and my expression is no better.  I look at Jason and then we both nod at them so they will think we got it.  Then Jason repeats the process with the next person who comes to our table.

Random Ruffles Pillow Tutorial

1.  First you need to cut out your fabric.  For one pillow you will need:

        2 squares cut to the size of your pillow

        several bias strips 1" wide.

2.  To determine your pillow size if you are using a pillow form.  Measure you pillow form and cut your squares to this size or slightly smaller for a nice full pillow.

3.  To cut 1" bias strips you cut your fabric at a 45 degree angle to your selvage edge.  My ruler has this angle marked for easy cutting.  Fabric cut on the bias is does not fray and has a more stretch.

4.  Next you need to sew your bias strips together.  You place them right sides together and at a 90 degree angle.  You will sew them together on the line I have marked with a push pin.  (Sorry about this picture).

5.  Then you will press you seam open and trim any little bits that stick out.  Your joined bias tape should look like in the picture above.  Join several pieces together, you can always trim off any extra at the end.

6.  Using the longest stitch on your sewing machine sew down the center of your bias strip.  A gathering thread.

 7.  Now you will pull one of the threads to create ruffles.  I like to pull from both ends, so if I have it too ruffly I will not be pushing ruffles off the thread (in case I need them later).



9.  Once you have your bias strip ruffled you will then take you pillow top and working on the right side you will start pinning the ruffle down randomly.  I did not want a loose end so I started mine off the edge.  If you are going to cross over your ruffles, like making a loop, then don't pin all of your ruffles down.  You could also draw or mark out your entire design.  I just went for it.

10.  Then you will top stitch your ruffle down by sewing down the middle (basically you will be stitching over top of your gathering thread).  When you are nearing the end of your pinned section of ruffles, leave your needle in the down position and start pinning some more.  ***After you are all sewn down, trim off any excess and REMOVE your gathering thread***

11.  After you have your ruffles all sewn down, you will pin you pillow back to your pillow front - right sides together.  I use pins to mark where I will be starting and stopping, so I will leave adequate space for my pillow form or stuffing (back stitch to ensure that it doesn't come apart as you fill it).
***I never like square corners on my pillows, they always look too pointy on the finished project.  To make rounded corners, grab a cup and mark your corners for a rounded look.***

12.  Trim your corners so they will look their best and then turn your pillow right side out. 

13.  Next you will slide your pillow form inside or stuff it.

14.  Now you will grab a needle and thread and hand sew your pillow closed.  You can always top stitch it closed if you prefer.

15.  Throw them on your bed or couch and enjoy.

Pillows

 BEFORE

I finally made pillows for our couch.  Ones that match my color scheme.  I was really lucky that I had pillows that matched the pillows that came with the couch or I would have had to do this much sooner.  So, maybe not lucky.

AFTER

 Now I need to do curtains, make more shoes, sew an Easter Dress (only 1), sew some more dresses for church and play, finish my skirt ....

If you like these, I will be posting a tutorial.  Not because I used any earth shattering new methods - but because when I see a project I want to do - I want the tutorial right there.

Happy Birthday Post

Since Jason has the ability to not get a year older each year.  We just randomly pick a day and shower him with gifts and eat too much cake!  We enjoyed steak and cheesecake, of course.  Jason never wants me to do much, but maybe he is just saying that, hhhmmm.  Maybe next year we will go to the clinic and really make a big deal - then I will know if he means it.

You already saw pictures of the mis-marked pants.

I needed a little something for on top.  Who knew chocolate covered sunflower seeds were soooo good.

 Happy Birthday Handsome.  I love you so much.  You are a great Dad and Husband, and the second grouchiest person we know;)

100 Days Smarter

When Jayce had to do a 100 Days of School project it involved me sending 100 small items to school.  He came back with the number 100 made up of toothpicks.  For Grahm it was a "family project".

I thought it would be fun to do a project that had to do with Okinawa.  Grahm and I brainstormed and we decided that we should do Shisa Dogs. 

Wikipedia gave this great definition.  Shīsā (シーサー) (Okinawan: siisaa) (shishi or shisaa) is a traditional Ryukyuan decoration, often in pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawa mythology. People placed pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils. When in pairs, the left shisa traditionally has a closed mouth, the right one an open mouth. The open mouth wards off evil spirits, and the closed mouth to keeps good spirits in.

You see Shisa at homes, businesses, entrances to the freeway, etc...  I thought this project might take us awhile, but it only took about 2 hours to collect 100 pictures.  Each picture is a different Shisa.  I love the handmade ones the best.  One of these days I will make it to the pottery area and make my own.

 Since making this poster, we have been further educated that it is a common mistake to call them Shisha.  I was told my Grahm's teacher (who was raised in Okinawa) that it is acceptable to call them Shisha.  However, I think we will change it for us.  Grahm was sick on the day that we put it together.  Jayce, Jason and I had to do it alone while he left us to sleep.  I didn't get a picture until he brought it home.

Tennysons First Shoes

For those that I have made baby shoes for, you are probably surprised that Tennyson is almost 6 months old and I have not made her a pair.  So I decided I had better fix that.  I made these cream colored ones really quick.  Now that I have a baby to wear them, I have already noticed some design changes that I need to make (those of you that had some from me - please tell me what you wished I would have done differently).

 I was in a hurry and hadn't turned these very good  - excuse the points and bumps.