Calamity Kim

all you need is a stitch in time

I consider myself to be old-fashioned, but I'm not.
Not really.
I just like to think of myself that way.
 I love new things like finding salt from the Himalayas without ever having to go there and get it.
 It says Primordial Himalayan Sea Salt on the label.
That's why I bought it.
I wanted to taste that before I run out of money for such luxuries.
 I love the agave nectar too.
 It's new (to me) and came recommended by my friend Cheryl.
 It's 25% sweeter than sugar and doesn't cause an insulin spike- it's delicious.
I hope the evil white sugar supremacists don't find out about it and destroy all the agave plants in the dead of night.
The white cane sugar industry has had its day in the sun.
 It's over.
 If I had little kids I would only give them foods and drinks sweetened with agave nectar.
 But that's just me.
 You do what you want.

The bigger picture shows fresh ginger and garlic and bay leaves that I cooked with recently when trying out some new recipes. Mongolian Beef over rice- yum!
The vitamins are for people age 50 and older but I bought them anyway.
Fred takes his everyday and I usually forget.
Lately I don't see that it matters much whether I take them or not- I am too over weight to feel good- I can't "feel" a difference.
Yes, I know, I should exercise more and whine less but this has just been a bad week and I wish...oh, how I wish....things were different.
That's one thing that doesn't change.
Life is a constant flux of change.
The onion I forgot to use sprouted and has now become a plant with a new purpose.
I guess I'm just angry and upset that I am losing some of my favorite things- like Mary Engelbreit Home Companion magazine and now Country Home, too is finished!
It makes me mad!
I don't want to get Better Homes & Gardens- not unless the people who do Country Home take it over and it stays the same- I will miss receiving it and seeing quilts, pottery, farm houses and the ubiquitous golden retrievers sunning themselves on perfect lawns.
*sigh*
whatever
I have to change.
To grow is to leave behind some things and move forward.
  As I look around my office room cluttered with books and papers I know that someday in our future all the magazines will be online anyway and the ones in print will be very expensive.
 Maybe in 100 years magazines will be worth more than the paper that they are printed upon.
I recently carted around several plastic tubs of magazines- not wanting to put them with the garbage and so I donated them (actually forced people to take them) at our last Surface Design Meeting.
I have so many (magazines) and love them but find that I really don't go back and reread them. The only ones I do that with are the Quilting Arts, Cloth, Paper Scissors and the Stampington Mags. Sometimes  I flip through the old Victoria mags I have carted around forever.

What I find highly ironic is that I discontinued ALL my magazine subscriptions EXCEPT for these two and they are the ones who are going out of print.

I guess that will give me the money and incentive to subscribe to the other magazines that I usually buy at the book store- that's why I bought the Barnes & Noble discount card- right? To save on my mag purchases!
But what if I subscribe and somehow this will DOOM them and they fail too?
Does it work that way?
Is my luck that bad?

I think we should rally around what we love and support it in these times of "financial uncertainties".
 I know magazines aren't important when compared to food, clothing and a roof over our heads but they represent jobs and give us images and ideas and help keep the doldrums away.
 I can remember the days when I used to get my ME Home Companion and make a cup of tea and curl up and enjoy myself for a moment, lost in another world, where everyone was living Artistically Enchanted Lives.
 Yesterday I bought a CRAFT mag for the same reason- it looked good and fresh and exciting. I haven't sat with it and read it yet, but when I do I know I will be feeling hip and cool and urban chic when I get to the last page. I guess my point is this:

If you love something or someplace then let it know.

 Books and Mags- then buy, subscribe, check out from the library Movies- rent, go to the theater, especially the small funky ones who just show indies

 Quilt shops/yarn shops/fabric stores/craft stores- support them or they will close

Restaurants- keep them cooking!

Small Businesses- USE THEM!!!!

Buy Local Produce!

 Sometimes I think all the "Economic Downfalls" are propaganda and the news just makes it so worse- they sensationalize EVERYTHING and this is nothing new-
they frighten people and everyone stops spending and then it is a self fulfilling prophesy.
I never thought I would ever Blog about things like this but I think it's important that we, as stitchers and make and doers, take care that we support our small businesses so that they don't fail.
The trend in recent years of buying online has certainly changed things- I buy online a lot because of the instant gratification and selection- I am saving gas by sitting here and not running all over town for something that I can easily purchase with a few swipes at the keyboard.
 That's part of the problem, but it isn't easy to fix when its all about selection- Sarasota just doesn't have all the stamps or fabrics that is available online.
Whew, this is a rant- isn't it?

Maybe this is what happens when you have a society that grows too fast and out sources too much and is greedy and ultimately pays the price.
 All those shampoos and cereals and selections at the grocery store, magazines included are just excessive and unnecessary.
But, once you fall in love with a product and it's then gone, how do you feel?
 How do you continue to change and accept that?
Once it has become a way of life, what do you do then?
Just accept the loss and move on?
I have a great deal of respect for the way my Grandparents lived- my Grandfather worked hard from sun up/to down and my Grandmother cooked, cleaned, made quilts, gardened and they had a good but simple life.
That's the part of me that's old fashioned.
I have to say- I don't remember her reading any magazines other than Southern Living and they were from my Mom.
The rant is over.
I feel calm again.
***
We will all learn to deal with our futures the best way that we can, won't we?
***
On a more optimistic note I want you to get ready for a give-away here soon- next week- with aprons as a theme- to celebrate the Apronology Issue- so check back soon and I'll post it soon.
Thanks for listening and I hope you remember to show the love.
xo,
calamity kim

How To Make A Cake Stand Display

These are the materials needed to begin making a small cake stand display:

 Glass or wood candlestick at least 5" tall
old sheet music
PVA Glue
 Decoupage Medium
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun and sticks
 Chinet Paper Plates
Cardboard from a cereal box
Glass Glitter in silver
small 8" salad plate to use as a template
pencil
Large Spool of thread
Paint brush

 

Please Read Through Directions Before Beginning!

 

We will be using layers of paper plates and cardboard hot glued to a glass candlestick, edged with a scalloped border and covered with sheet music decoupage and glittered for a whimsical cake stand display piece.

Begin by stacking 3 paper plates together and using 8" china plate- trace around it with pencil to get a cutting line.
 Keeping them stacked together cut along pencil line-
be aware that they will shift as you cut.
Use 8" plate again to trace a circle on to the cereal box cardboard.Cut out circle.
Using PVA glue begin layering paper plate circles together with last layer being the cereal cardboard on top.
Place under a big stack of heavy books while continuing on to next step. Or, if it's getting late, glue all layers and let dry overnight (yes, it's actually 4 layers)
Using the large spool of thread as a template-
trace on to the remaining cereal box cardboard to make 26" worth of scalloped edging for side of cake stand.
I used a border stamp by Stampers Anonymous (item # U4-1149) for a template.

 The circumference of cake stand top is found by multiplying the width (8") by 3.14 (or Pi) so ours will be roughly 26 inches-and 1 1/2" tall.
 Cut out and trace border onto sheet music and set aside.
Hot glue paper plate circles to glass (or wood) candlestick keeping cereal box cardboard on the top.
Hot glue scalloped border to edge of paper plate with small bead of glue.
Continue around side until it is all covered.
It can be trimmed if needed to make finished ends meet up nicely.
I didn't overlap mine.
This will be covered with another layer of paper so don't freak out if its messy or you can see glue!
Now is the fun part!
 Tear sheet music into workable strips and coat with decoupage medium and cover glass candlestick and bottom of cake stand till entirely covered.
Allow to dry several hours in the upside down position.
When dry, turn over and cover the entire top in the same process or for a faster cover, cut out an 8" circle of the sheet music and coat paper plate surface with decoupage medium and apply circle and brush on more medium on top and allow to dry for several more hours.
Cover scalloped border with sheet music that you traced earlier using
 decoupage medium.
Now you should have a cute little cake stand that can be glittered around the edges and used to display your pincushions or fake foods or jewelry or whatever you want.
 This is not intended for food items to be placed directly on it- although you could display food items on a real plate and put it on this-
 it's pretty hard and steady once completely dried- 24-48 hours.
I made one of these several years ago and covered it with random vintage book pages.
You could use any paper you like to convey a theme or just paint it-
It's a great way to repurpose unused candlesticks and recycle those paper plates and cereal boxes while saving money on displays for your cherished objects.
 Let me know if you make one and I will share it here if you like!
I ran out of decoupage medium and need to make a trip to the craft store for more but I will show you a photo of the other one that I made.

The border on this one was made from some teachers supply bulletin board border that I had found at the Dollar Store.
I also used a shorter candlestick and it made it more difficult to see the base.
I also used gesso on the glass candlestick and then painted it with several coats of cream colored acrylic paint before gluing it to the paper plates.
 I didn't completely cover it with sheet music and I wiped some brown stain on it to age it a little.
I will add more pictures here when I get the cake stand display finished- I know glass glitter is difficult to find (try here) but I highly recommend it due to the tarnished look it gets over time- it turns almost black and makes your project look old and vintage. I'm off to get more decoupage medium...I am thinking about putting holes in the scalloped border to hang little things from...bottlecaps...buttons...hearts...or maybe wizard of oz appropriate items like crows stamped on punched cardboard or tiny scrolls (diplomas) or red glittered Barbie shoes...
be back in a flash!
xxxooo
Love & Stitches,
Calamity Kim