OF MICE AND raMEN: September 2014

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Of Monsters and Mosquitoes

Me: Guess what these are?
Hubby: Elephants?
Me: Wrong! Guess again.
Hubby: Mosquitoes?

Sheesh! What's wrong with that man? Has he no imagination or what?
C'mon pallies. Tell me these are obviously monsters in bubbling cauldrons.

And this is a crow, by the way!

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Needlepoint Cookies

I used to cross-stitch a lot before the boys came along and when I was way younger. I thought making these needlepoint cookies was a piece of cake. Heck, I've embarked on projects far bigger and more intricate than these and on 22-count Aida cloth. That means 22 microscopic stitches per inch.

With bated breath, I sweated big time decorating these. By the time I got to the third cookie, my eyes were crossed and tearing up. And don't get me started on my aching back. Besides, the tension was killing me! It was sheer suspense getting those grid lines straight and across the cookie without breaking. I heaved a sigh of relief each time a line made it across successfully!
This, I learned, is definitely not a sport for the faint-hearted or the weak of eyeballs!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Matryoshka

When I was little, I was fascinated with a Matryoshka set my late aunt had that was a gift from her Russian pen pal. How I loved those Russian nesting dolls! The tiniest doll was the size of a peanut! They amused me for hours and I would stack and unstack them, wishing secretly that someday my aunt would bequeath them to me. She didn't! Sadly, no one knows until today where the dolls are. My aunt was single and didn't have any children.

Visiting Russia is on my bucket list and I hope to own these someday. Well, like I always say, if you can't have something, cookify it!

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Quernus Crafts

I squealed with delight when I stumbled upon these wee animal sculptures handmade by Kirsten Miller of Quernus Crafts. Aren't these perfect as keepsakes or gifts? Kirsten from Leeds, UK started Quernus Crafts after leaving behind a 15 year career in law to make cute miniature creatures from polymer clay.

WARNING! CUTENESS OVERLOAD!