30 January 2019

Ten Things You Should Definitely Know About

In no particular order, except for this first thing, which is obviously the most important.

#1
Tiger Lily got a super cool new fort for the move/trip. We never let her loose in hotel rooms, and since we'll be between homes for a bit, we got her a posh fort. (Ever tried to disassemble a hotel bed to get a scared cat out from underneath it? It's a mistake you only make once!) This thing folds flat for travel and pops up in a minute. Awesome.

#2
When it's super cold, the ground does bizarre things. We've had little ice skyscrapers growing in our mulch. So very weird.


#3
These little polka dot scissor sheaths are my current favorite thing. I've found them at a couple different Etsy shops, this one and this one, and have always had good service from both. Be warned, both of these shops have so many stitchy goodies. I've been raiding them for my mini stash!

#4
Toothbrush holders make great fabric containers for travel. When I prepare fabric for a project, I cut the size I need, iron it, and leave it flat until it's ready to go on the q-snaps. All of my projects for my mini stash are small, so they all fit flat in my Super Fancy Hefty Zipper Seal Project Bags except this one, which was too long to fit without folding. Solution? Toothbrush holder.



#5
It's cold and it snowed again.

#6
There's more beautiful snow linen from The Primitive Hare. This one is called White Flakes and it's the reverse of her Snowfall linen: brown flakes on light linen instead of light flakes on brown linen. You can see both in her Etsy shop.


#7
My mini stash that I put together to get me through the upheaval of moving is proving to be a great stress reliever. Thinking about it, playing in it, adding to it... it's a great distraction. I highly recommend putting one together for yourself if you find you're in need of a diversion. I talked about my mini stash in this post and when we get settled in our new home and I've had time to really road test this idea, I may have a much longer post about it. (Note my Super Fancy Hefty Zipper Seal Project Bags. So fancy.)

#8
I have created the world's greatest homemade finishing tool. Behold! From a humble Tupperware orange peeler and a leather thimble pad comes... The Perfect Pin Pusher. Don't we all have a handful of these orange peelers in a kitchen drawer? I discovered I have four, and was about to pitch three of them, and I thought, "Eh, those might be useful for something else, I'll keep 'em." A few days later, I was doing some finishing and sacrificing my finger tips in the process of pushing in pins, when I was attacked by an idea: stick a leather thimble pad on the flat end of an orange peeler. It works like a dream. The greatest thing is that the small, flat end of the peeler is ideal for pushing tiny pinheads in between the folds or cords of trim to hide them. That's hard to do with your fingertips. This is now my favorite finishing tool.


#9
Flowers are good for you.

#10
Tiger Lily is a very good girl.

And now you know lots more stuff than you did a few minutes ago. Sometime next week, I hope to have a post that you might find helpful about preparing needlework for a move. I'm waiting on some supplies to arrive, so stay tuned.

16 comments:

  1. What a cool fort for Miss Tiger Lily! I hope it helps her to feel secure in the move and stay in hotel rooms. I love how you find uses for "normal" items in terms of stitching. Thank you for both ideas! What kind of tote bag do you have your mini stash in? I think the ice scrapers in your mulch are super cool. What a beautiful bouquet of flowers and Tiger Lily is a cutie. We had a bit of snow here yesterday. Thinking of you!

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    1. It's in a big LL Bean canvas tote bag with foxes on it that I've had for years. A smaller matching bag has my travel light, q-snaps, etc., in it. I'm all set!

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  2. Miss Tiger Lily has the coolest fort. Lucky her, but knowing cats she would rather ramble and hide in terrible places like hotel beds, LOL. I love the mulch ice scrapers those are cool. Ok, that pin pusher is BRILLIANT!! I have a ton of those and have almost pitched them. Those flowers are just what these snowy days need, some color. Thank you for sharing your day and your fabulous idea.

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  3. I love Miss Tiger Lily's fort. I hope all goes well with your move. You certainly have a lot of projects ready to keep you busy. Those mulch ice-scrapers are awesome.

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  4. I love your instrument! You could probably sell those. Off to see if I can find an orange peeler in my junk drawer.

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  5. Oh my, I have fabric envy. I really love the snowflake fabric, however getting it sent to England and also paying import taxes etc would make it cost silly prices so I will just admire from afar. x

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  6. Tiger Lily's fort is awesome!
    It looks nice & roomy too.
    Love that linen, and a great idea with the peeler!
    Stay warm!
    Marilyn

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  7. I'm also impressed with Tiger Lily's beautiful new fort! What a great idea to make her feel comfortable and safe during your trip and move. That snow linen is truly gorgeous - looking forward to seeing how you use it! I agree that flowers are always good for you!

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  8. Looking forward to your tips about moving. I'm packing to move, too, but it's just across town and not across country.
    That Tiger Lily sure is gorgeous!

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  9. Great fort for Tiger Lily. I've never traveled that far with a cat. How will she so in the car?

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    1. Karen, she does great in the car. She stays in her carrier and after some initial protest, she settles down and sleeps the entire way. We do 12-hour driving days with her.

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  10. I think the "fort" it such a clever idea. It gives you peace of mind. I agree - flowers are good for you:-)

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  11. Hi, HB! Love Tiger Lily's kitty fort! Wish we'd had something like that when we were moving all the time w/the Army! Good Luck on your move!

    Also...you are REALLY missed on the 123 mb--please consider stopping in. The nasties seem to have dropped quite a bit. You are often mentioned...

    Kari

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    1. Hi, Kari! Nice to see you--thanks for dropping in! Hope you're well.

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  12. I like all of your 10 things. It is hard to pick a favorite. The cat fort? The DIY pin pusher? (I only have 1 orange peeler though...) The tiny ice city? The encouragement to have a mini stash? (I think I will do this. It is like a sanity-saving bug out bag). This post was definitely worth my time! :)

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  13. I fell in love with that fabric from the Primitive Hare a while back and have been contemplating purchasing it. Have you decided what to stitch it yet?

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