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Da Vinci's Moccasins

I was intrigued by Michael J. Gelb's How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci because I knew so little about the man, and I was curious as to how the author expected ordinary readers to cultivate genius by following in decidedly medieval footsteps. After reading it I do know more about Da Vinci (the book is chock full of details from his life) but remain a bit puzzled over if the author proposed an extraordinary and unlikely emulation of genius, or simply defined it better. The book talks about genius as if it were a precious resource we call carry inside and can cultivate, and that is rather naive. A great majority of Americans do not read books (the National Endowment for the Arts puts that figure at 51.5% ), and that's where I believe self-education begins. The public library is the greatest free university in existence -- I speak as a grateful student who read entire libraries as a kid -- and in another fifty or a hundred years they will likely shut down for good. T...
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Wishing Her

I still remember, and hope you are finally happy wherever you are. Happy Birthday, Mom. Image credit: Petra from Pixabay
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Spooky Journaling

I rummaged through my paper supplies and found some appropriately autumn-ish big sheets, along with an old scrap pack of cardstock, to use for pages for my Halloween box journal. First I cut up my cardstock and decorative paper to make pages and cards. I also cut out sections from the Halloween coloring book to add in. I don't know if I'll color these, or just use them as foundations for journal pages, but they're a fun addition. I made a memory game from the coloring book as well, and tucked that into an envelope for the journal. Because I don't have to bind everything I can keep the pages loose in the box, to take out and write on, glue recipes to, add illustrations, etc. I can also add more pages if I want. Here's what the pages look like out of the box. I even included a couple of cutter quilt scraps to embroider or make into covers for a little stitch book. This was an easy and fun project to do, and now I can revisit Halloween any time...
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Halloween Box Journal

At the end of October I went on a quest to find materials with which to make a Halloween-themed journal. Michael's was already packing up their Halloween merchandise and putting out Christmas things. I finally checked at the Dollar Tree and found a little spooky gift box and a child's Halloween coloring book. I've made many box-type journals, and this one is a very nice size. Perfect to use throughout the year, too, not just in October. I'll show you how I'm going to use the coloring book in the next post. Now I will collect what I can from the things I have on hand and get started. :)
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Head Scratcher

While my guy and I were wandering around Winter Garden we stopped at a thrift store. It was very crowded, and the prices were too high for my liking, but I did spot something in the books section that made me do a double take: Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson. Yes, you read that right. I had no idea these two folks had written a book together. James Patterson is famous -- or, infamous, if you like -- for using co-authors; the most famous being Bill Clinton (Dolly Parton might be a tad bit more famous.) I've heard rumors that he's never actually written a book himself (which would not surprise me.) He is a publicity machine that rivals Stephen King, and since they've both taken pot shots at each other, that seems apt, too. I have never personally read one of his books, and despite Dolly's name on the spine I was not tempted to thrift this one. There will be a Dolly Parton fan out there who will be thrilled to buy it, I'm sure. In the firs...
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Every Scrap Part Two

To use up the rest of the vintage fabric from this basket I cut all of it into 2-1/2" strips. I'm going to make a variation of Valerie Nesbitt's 40 minute scrap quilt top (you can watch a video tutorial about it here .) To save time I'm not going to slant the ends. You simply make a long strip, then fold it right sides together in half, sew it along one side, cut open the end, and then repeat. This is the best method I know to use up scraps that is simple, fun, and never turns out the same way twice. Here's the strip after I sewed it together twice. Three times. Sometimes I only double the strip a few times to get a quilt top with long strips; this time I cut it until I got this. Stay tuned for part three. :)
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Two Finds

My guy and I were out wandering and found another small church thrift store, New 2 You Thrift Store in Tavares, where I picked up two neat items. The first was this fabric wall hanging, which could be the motto of every creative kid like I was. It was handmade by someone (I blurred out the name on the tag for their privacy) which made it even more special. $2.00 was all they wanted, another reason to shop church thrift stores. The second item was a mint condition quilted tote bag; something I had been looking for over the last couple of weeks. My theme for the November tote for my calendar project is repurposing, and this is going to be the foundation for it. It even has a little pocket inside. $4.00 was a great price given the condition. I really enjoyed browsing around this little store. They had a sign up front that said they use their profits for a food pantry for the local community, which made me very happy, too. Recommended.
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