Calamity Kim

Wire & Paper

A lovely little Blog about wire and paper flowers....

go see:  wireandpaper.wordpress.com

I wanted to share this lovely paper flower Blog before I forgot about it. I love the simplicity and delicate nature of her flowers. Check em out! Just browsing before I shut er done and go to bed...

sweet dreams,

calamity kim

Looking for Fall

"Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns."

-   George Eliot

I miss Fall. Every year I put out the Halloween decorations and then take them down and look around for something Thankgiving-ish and despair at my lack of turkeys, pilgrims or Indians. I have a few fake leaves lying about. My friend Sara mailed me some leaves and acorns but the leaves turned from a gorgeous red to dark brown.So, there go the fake leaves...

Remove the spiders and BAM! It's suddenly Fall. Oh, I'm cheating! I should be buying some dang ol cornucopias and indian corn and making corn husk dolls. A few years ago I would have been doing those things and now I feel as though I have to channel my energy wisely. Put forth the greatest effort doing what really needs to be done. Like the laundry, the dishes, the housework. Like spinning wool and getting things made for Atomic Holiday Bazaar. Purses, tote bags, dolls, sock monkeys. Some kind of ornament for this year- maybe wool baby shoes. I've been thinking about all of that. The lighting is bad today and I can't summon the energy to fix that. There is a subtle coolness in the air. Like if you stand very still you can feel it. Once you move, the sweat starts to run again and the moment is lost. We went for a walk last night, breathing deep the different air, less humidity. wonderful. My sister said its cold in Pittsburgh. Its always cold there. I wish it were cold here. At least I got the table cleared and the Halloween decorations put away. I'm leaving it like that for this week. Maybe next week I can get my Pilgrim on. I haven't made corn husk dolls in many a year...how bout you? Ever make any?

Enjoy the day,

love & wishes for cold weather...

calamity kim

Counting The Days...

Now is the time to start thinking about Christmas.
You may think it's too early.
But.
Not.
If.
You.
Want.
To.
Be.
Prepared!
17 days left until Dec 1st.
Yikes!

Aren't the stockings above beautiful? Click here to see Alicia's lovely Blog post from a few years ago.

So, this morning I was thinking about Advent Calendars. (click that- it's a link to Allsorts!)
We might have had one or two Tasha Tudor designed examples when I was growing up but it was something that I was encouraged to grow out of. Maybe because they were filled with candy and I had braces! My parents didn't mind us counting the days with anticipation but they were right in not handing out cavities coated in chocolate either!
So, now as an adult I think the designs should have several necessary elements, candy not included.
*I love the idea of a surprise each day leading up to the BIG DAY!!
*It should be interactive.
*It should be fun to make.
*It should be for boys or girls of all ages.
*It should be something that can become an heirloom- made with the future in mind. Will you use it every year? ***

Believe it or not but I still have the picture from the Garnet Hill Catalog from last year that featured the cutest elf dolls with 25 advent pockets in their clothing stuck to the idea wall in my office.

I did a lap through the house to find the newest catalog, but failed,  so I went to the site to grab a picture and it seems that they are already sold out! I suppose that other people find them as cute and charming as I do.
I like the size of the pockets.
Tiny gifts can fit inside.
Gifts like matchbox cars or crayons.
It could have a note  or coupon for an activity.
Like today we  go to the park or today we make cookies.
It can be made  for adults too...like  back rubs and  spa days.
Or teenagers, with dollar bills and gift cards and cd's.
You could change the designs a bit to make them into gnomes- maybe white beards- but then they'd look like Santa. Another  idea that I have seen is adorable mittens with numbers on them hanging from a ribbon on the mantle, but alas, I do not knit. I Googled Images and found this pattern made by Heart to Hand and available at The One Stitch at a Time Quilt Shop.

It is made from wool felt and is interactive.

You take a snowman head out of the large felt pocket at the bottom and stick it to a snow body each day. That is cute. Not entertaining for any length of time, but a cute and generic way to count the days.
I do like snowmen but it always seems strange to have them on display where there is no snow. That's the downside to living in a tropical paradise. So should the design have mermaids with mermaid heads attached each day? That has nothing to do with Christmas. How about flamingos with antlers? Hahaha. Sorry. Couldn't resist. You could utilize this theme and adapt it to anything you prefer. Velcro sticks the heads to the felt. I think it's clever and the pattern is only 8 bucks. I put the link to the shop in case you like this idea and want to try it. It doesn't have the gift or treat element that I am searching for so I think it isn't going to work for me. The grandkids are so far away that I may just do an advent for Fred and Sadie with treats for them.

That might brighten our dreary kid free days. Can you see me putting crazy ideas in our advent pockets- like have breakfast for dinner or eat desert first? We already do that! That would require a bit more thoughtful planning.

The felted sweater advent calendar on the left is from Flickr member Nesting Emily. Click here to check her lovely pottery and Craft out.

What if you made a doll quilt size wall hanging with pockets for daily recipes?
It could hang in the kitchen.
It would involve some prep time to get online and select 25 recipes to print out and cut to fit the pockets.
Like that idea?
That would work for older kids too.
You could also use coupons and gift cards for restaurants and movie nights too.
I can see it in colors to match my kitchen with a big chicken with a Santa hat at the top.
Well- why not just make it a monthly calendar?
If you made it with 31 pockets then you could just fill what you need for that month.
Too much?
Probably.
That is one of my downfalls- I never can be consistent.
It sounds like a great idea but I would only do one or two months before I forgot all about it and it was taken down and shoved shamefully in a drawer somewhere.
Nope.
This has to be simple.
This has to be fun.
I'm just tossing ideas around.
Thinking about it.
Matchboxes are cute but too tiny. But you could wrap them up and then put the folded ideas inside! They could be displayed in a basket or clear glass apothecary- like here. Or You could make small stockings like here. and hang them from a ribbon. As you removed each stocking it could be hung from the tree after all the goodies are removed. That way you could make different sizes to fit the present or treat.

Last year I made some of these quilted stockings for a Christmas swap hosted by Amy of In The Lyons Den. They didn't hold much. I think I like the idea of all different size and patterns stockings with numbers on them. You could get a cheap wreath from Michael's to hang them on. By Christmas morning your wreath would be empty and ready to store for next year! Teehee, sorry, I think I need some more coffee. For the tea lover- you know you could put a tea bag in an envelope and number them and tie it with a pretty ribbon and know that they'll have a cuppa each day and think of you...

So what should I make?  The one below is from Cheryl at Prater Poste. Here is the link go check her out.  I like it a lot, maybe I can brush up on my wood shop skillz.

Got any ideas or links for me to visit?

Countdown to Christmas!!!

Thanks Laurie for the Magic Cabin Elf Advent Info- I had peeked quickly at my catalog, but did not seen that. Here is the link to Magic Cabin.

Get ready to start the countdown!!!!!

My fairy door from Home Goods

My fairy door from Home Goods, originally uploaded by calamity kim.

I forgot to show off my new Fairy Door. I am sure they will be decorating for the seasons...you'll have to stay around and watch. It's created by Don Mechanic and it can be found here: Enchanted Fairy Doors Although I found mine at Home Goods.  Cute, huh?

Creative cupcakes

The smile spread slowly across my face as I put the "icing" on these cupcakes. Oh, I said, barely able to contain my joy!!!!! Oh, They look real!!!! I tried to put some of the icing in a cookie press that I had gotten at Goodwill and it didn't work- the mixture was too stiff and the plunger couldn't push it through! So they look messy, like my real cupcakes. Not bakery perfection but you get the idea!! I used some German glass glitter and it worked but when I ran out I used some fairy dust glitter and that was awesome!!! Very Sparklie and Shiny!!! Yeah Ha!!! Go see thinkdfrent for directions, on eBAY. I would tell you but that would be wrong somehow. She kindly will allow you to sell them or make any of her creations but you can't duplicate or sell the directions! I had a lot of fun making these and after they dry I am going to hang them on my Martha Stewart white fake feather tree and put it in the kitchen. I am going to put one on each branch and  hang them with polka dot pastel ribbons!!! I figured out that they cost about 96 cents apiece and I made 32. Not bad really, for a treasured ornament that will last for years!! We can even haul them out for birthdays!! That'll be our new tradition: Birthday Trees with Cupcakes!! Fred was disappointed, he wanted me to make real cupcakes. Maybe tomorrow. I have also been busy making little glitter houses. I found the pattern  at Better Homes & Gardens and they went together easily. They are called Snowy Village Ornaments if the link doesn't take you there. The only difficult thing was being patient between drying  paint  and glitter and glue. I never use hot glue if I can help it, I always burn myself with it! I am going to make more  and try windows this time. I'm also going to try to make a  FSU  Animal House ornament for Troy and Catherine.  Maybe even the Stadium. I'm going to  give it the old College Try, anyway.heehee.

Fake CupCake Quest

People I have been on a quest today.
A Mission.
I have searched the whole wide Web World for the instructions or Tutorial to learn how to create Fake cupcakes.
Now I am the same woman that bid on and bought 53 chenille bedspreads in order to make fake cakes and then I haven't had the heart to cut them up!
I am also the same woman that has wax candles of miniature lattice topped pies and a piece of birthday cake and several assorted chocolate candle candies in her cupboard, all pretending to be the real deal.
I saw some cupcakes however, that someone very clever had made and I cannot wait to find out how to do this... with visions of fairycakes dancing in my head I stumbled upon the sweetest lady in eBAY Land: thnkdfrent with 1003 100% positive feedback score. Her name is Ele and she is wonderful! I am so thrilled! For the low low price of only 7.99 Buy it Now, you too can have the PDF Files to make 13 Different Outstanding Desserts for your cupboard!!!! She will email instructions and pictures for cupcakes, gingerbread people, Layer cake, donuts with chocolate and white powder!!! Go check it out and then do the fake food dance with me!!!!! I'm so tired of being on a diet. But now I can have my cake and decorate the tree with it too!  I have lots of teddy bears sitting at tables just waiting for some delicious cappuccino and brownies.....mmmm...yum.....donuts....mmmm...All of these fabulous fakes are made with non edible stuff.  So go see Ele at Ebay and  get yerself some directions and maybe we'll start a Flickr Group of Fake foods! Wouldn't these make great Christmas decorations for your  kitchen tree or the kids tree? With some gum drop garland or popcorn strung with  cranberries?  Get crafting People!!! Maybe you could make them for a new birthday tradition- or for April Fool's! Speaking of Fake Fun I also found this .
now go make some fun!