No excuse not to watch this, think about it, and share it.

Study Break!

My brain is nearly fried from reading redundant, over-explanatory text book units. On that account, I've opted to give my mind the treat of some indulgent blogging by showing off  some pictures of a few old and new handmade things in my office/craft room. (You didn't think I was actually going to get up?)

For all of those bloggers who've  welcomed my loitering and fed my imagination, it's high time I see dead people, I mean, pay it forward. 

the pincushion

One such example of my parasitic blog habit is this mason jar pin cushion. 

They're all over the internet and why not? It's easy, cute, fast, and totally practical. To be specific, Liz inspired this project. She is quite a busy little bee, and sweet as pie. Love her. 

That pretty and very professional backdrop is actually some vintage fabric I bought last weekend at an estate sale for a buck and a half! I'm so in love and can't cut into it. It shall remain my designated professional backdrop forever. 

the pencil bag

For keeping all my school tools together, I made this pencil bag.

Previously they'd been aimlessly floating about, falling out of my bag each time I unzipped it and making me a madwoman.

It just makes me happy. After all, it was my first zipper project and it is plaid. Check out my rubber pencil! Sike. It's magic.

the screen print

I've also been dabbling in screen printing. This image was designed for matching aprons, a gift for my best friend and her daughter.

Unfortunately, I let paint dry on the screen before I got to the project it was meant for.

Anyway, it was totally satisfying and I'm completely obsessed. 

the sewing machine cover

This is my beautiful sewing machine cover made by Valerie.

She makes the most thoughtful gifts. I adore her and her artistic talent.

the night mask

Up next, my home remedy for shut eye issues.  Apparently in my old age, my eyelids are thinning or light is becoming more intrusive. 

I'm not exactly happy with the way this turned out but I admit I rushed through it while the boys were napping. It's pretty tight and as you might see, I was too lazy to change my green bobbin thread to black when I quilted the top.  

I dropped in some lavender buds doused in lavender and eucalyptus oil before I sewed it up. The first morning I woke up with it I was already so sick of the smell. The manly man however, loves it and wears the cute little heart mask at nap time. He tickles me pink.  

the red birdy

And the best for last...

My Papa made this wooden bird clip decades ago to hold his bills. Both he and my Granny were creative and crafty. Remnants of their past sit in my house, reminding me of them and where I come from. Any time I pick up my crocheting needles I imagine that I am looking down at Granny's hands. It feels so good to have a part of them always with me.

Before I tear up, I should get back to the books. Have a beautiful week.

"No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth."

 I finally confronted myself about the blog neglect.  I have less time than ever, and that is why I've decided to stay at it. I haven't seen my people in ages and as some of you well know, I'm not the best about picking up the phone. Maybe you'll stop over and read my blog before you 

assume I've fallen off the face of the Earth... and hopefully you'll see that I've just been super busy and productive and that I miss you terribly. 

School and mommyhood consume most of my time lately. I'm feeling good about both. In true Cammi style, I've quickly become teacher's pet in all of my classes. I've been spending much more quality time with the boys even though I have less. It's funny how that works. Today I volunteered to participate in two assemblies honoring Black History Month, scheduled two dentist appointments for the boys, did a load of laundry, swept, was selected to participate with some peers in a museum tour and discussion in the cultural district, did some puzzles, piggy back rides, and reconstruction of one Mr. Potatohead. Now I'm off to clean this mess of a house and read about one million pages on the American society in the industrial age. That is why you get no pretty blog picture. I'll try and work that into my schedule next time. Until next time -Cambodia (chodie if you're nasty) Dale Ratheath

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'How I Came to Have Dog Pee In My Hair' or 'How to Remove Turmeric Stains'

I considered not posting this for fear that the menz would cease lining up at the metaphorical door. That's a figure of speech my mom overuses to refer to people's insatiable attraction to me. Born with it. I could teach you but I'd have to charge.  Anyway, I figured I can do without the line of men now. I've been trying one on for size and after seven short years, I'm getting the feeling I've handpicked the best boy for the job.


 This is a little story about a typical morning at my house and how this one might take the cake. 

It isn't uncommon for me to bathe the boys three times in one day, find malt-o-meal in my ear, or discover that the source of the awful smell that has been lingering in the house is a little spot on my shirt that was deposited while carrying a stinky boy to the changing table.

Pure evil!

I tell myself that all stay at home mommies and daddies go through this and laugh it off. Today, I'm wondering if other mommies get dog pee in their hair. And if they do, I have a feeling they take a shower BEFORE they sit down to blog about it. I, on the other hand, grabbed a headband and proceeded with my daily tasks until it dried. Once the initial disgust and anger wore off and my hair dried a bit, it wasn't nearly as urgent as getting the bed made. (Bye bye last bit of sex appeal!)

Today the boys awake at 5 a.m. so I drag them into bed with me. At around 7, they are both head-butting me in the nose for whatever reason. When I come to, I immediately recognize the warm dampness on the sheets (that I changed yesterday) and my night shirt (o.k., maybe it was time to throw that one in the wash anyway). This is a sign that it's going to be one of those days. In my pee pee shirt, I drag myself out of my pee bed and am making way to the wipes and diapers when my ears are filled with a harmonious refrain, "BANANAAAAA! BANANAAAAA!..." I grab bananas, wipes, diapers, and some juice hoping that if I stock up, I can lay in bed for another 30 minutes . In the kitchen Beni sicked up whatever he ate while wandering the neighborhood yesterday onto my floor and I stepped in it. In the time it takes me to get the goods, the boys both number two in their already full diapers. It's o.k., I was going to have change the sheets anyway. I realize I'm never getting back to my cozy bed so I make hot cereal and give the boys a proper breakfast in the kitchen. As they chow, I peel the sheets off of the bed while Beni whimpers at the door. When I get to the kitchen, there is Cream of Wheat all over their heads, torsos, and the walls. I let Beni into the back yard leaving the door open while I make my coffee and holler,"Don't run off Beni! I'm watching you!" in my most threatening tone. Of course, by the time I make it back to the door, he's gone. This is all pretty typical. I clean up the boys and cross my fingers that Beni doesn't get hit by a car or bite some child. Hopefully he'll be unharmed and harmless until Steffin gets home and we can go find him. 

Now that things are finally getting cleaned up, Elliot insists on painting. This part of the story tells itself.

While taking a bath in grey painty water, they start singing again,"AGUA? AGUA!? JOOSH? DWINK?..." So I run to the kitchen to grab some beverages and in a matter of about 30 seconds (no they haven't drowned, sickos) they have pulled all of the toilet paper into the bathtub. It is dissolving into mush that will plague my drain for weeks I assume. I have to take the colander and sift toilet paper out of the tub water before I drain it while the boys are yelling,"OUT? OUT? OUT?" in my ears. I'm slipping on a wet bathroom floor and thinking of the paint mess in the kitchen. This portion of clean-up takes over an hour of my day. 

Finally I can get to the dishes. I'm hunting for stray sippy cups under the couch, I sit up and feel wetness on my face. I have put my damned head in a dang puddle of damn dog pee. WHY did Beni pee in the house? I thought I was so prompt in reacting to his morning whimpering. UGH! He is such a liar! I look under the piano and don't find sippy cups but a black plastic head band that will keep the pee bangs out of my eyes and I remember how rewarding this job is.



It is not even eleven o' clock yet and I am covered with nearly every different type of body fluid. Impressive. 

Time for lunch!

(Vegan cheese is yummy but so stainy! To remove turmeric stains: Rub a lemon wedge on the stain and let it dry in the sun, then wash as usual. Or try the same process with hydrogen peroxide.)

What I was doing instead of blogging...

I 'm still trying to ease blogging into my routine. I guess it's obvious that it's happening at a snail's pace. 
A lot of blog worthy things have happened in the past couple of weeks so I'll make a little medley for you.
A few weeks ago Steffin, Valerie, Maxine, and I walked a small portion of the Fort Worth Arts Goggle. We met some really neat people, hoarded some free food and drinks, and saw beautiful artwork. This is the sort of thing that I love about being part of a community. I wish events like this happened more often around here. It's so fun to feel like a part of something and to celebrate it with others. There is nothing like walking down a strip, passing strollers, pedicabs, neighbors, friends, and new faces.... smelling a mix of festival food, restaurants, and the tar on the street... hearing live bands from each end of the block, hundreds of voices, laughing, and singing. It's making me crave the State Fair. I'll have to talk Steffin into taking me out there before it's over.

Also, us girls have finally organized a girls' night. This is something we have talked about doing for years! We've had only two so far. I am really looking forward to the next. We each bring food or liquids and all of our best gossip and girly talk which, for this particular group of chicks, involves some very fascinating topics. 

Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera to the most recent girl's night, but I'm hoping Valerie will post some photos of the beautiful muumuus the girls wore (it was a pajama party). We ate the best vegan pizza I've ever had and drank vanilla vodka that smelled like a car air freshener. Blughck!

What else? Steffin and I spent some time with Summer and Perry which is a rare treat.
At the end of this month, the four of us will be at the Willie Nelson concert together! Perry bought us the tickets as a birthday gift to me. Love that guy more all the time! This will be something like my 6th time to see Willie. Still, the excitement never lessens. Anyway, the four of us went to Patty Red's which is a little pub that replaced the old school Black Dog. When I walked in my stomach swirled and my thoughts were consumed by memories from the Black Dog... nights of dancing to Pablo and Confusatron, listening to jazz on Sunday nights, first dates, last dates, reading the writing on the bathroom walls. I spent a lot of evenings there with Maxine and  Steffin. It all came to an end when I became a mommy and since has turned into Patty Reds. It has the same layout but a different feel. I'm super sentimental but am learning to embrace change. I live directly across the street from the hospital I was born in almost 29 years ago, in a house not too far from the one that I spent my girlhood days digging tunnels in the backyard dirt with my brother. Behind us lives a friend with a persimmon tree just like one I picked from as a little kid. Fort Worth is changing and will continue to change but it's still my town. It's in my blood and always will be.

I usually stick to my stomping grounds but ventured out to Dallas to watch my brother ooze talent on stage. The Theater Fire had a c.d. release party at Good Records and it was beautiful. I love this new c.d. so so much and not just because I adore the boys in the band. 

It's in regular rotation here at the Ratheath house. I'll have to put up a video of the boys dancing to Coyote. Absolutely adorable! They sure do love their Uncle Curtis!

Then, each day last week, Steffin and I took the boys to some of Fort Worth's defining spots. One day we went to the Kimball to fly kites and play in the fountains. On another day, we went to the Omni theater and saw Deep Sea which was beautiful and so strange! Then we went on a mid-week trip to the Modern to yell in the echo chamber and let the kids stomp on the precisely manicured landscaping right in front of the poor landscapers. Since they enjoyed that so much, we took the boys to the Botanical Gardens to stomp on some even more meticulously manicured horticulture. Upon arriving, Oliver jumped straight into the pond and then spent the rest of the afternoon running around in soaked overalls and shoes. Didn't bother him none! Saturday, we rode the Forest Park Mini Train,  better known to me as the Trinity Park Train. The boys were hilarious! They thought it was even more fun than diving into thorny rose bushes at the Botanical Gardens. They both tried to jump off of the train a couple of times. Am I the only mother around here with little daredevil babies? All of the other tots on the train were so still and quiet. Elliot and Oliver thought it was a party train! As we were waiting to depart, Elliot squirmed with anticipation for ten minutes while screaming,"Woohoooo! C'mon! Les Go! Yaaay! Woohooo! Buh byeeee! Les Goooo!"

                                            

They are the BEST!

Friday night, we went and watched the presidential debate at The Chat Room with our good friends Bobby and Cori and then rushed over to see Fleet Foxes play at Lola's! It was so crowded by the time we arrived but the music was beautiful as expected. 

I love this town and I have so much to be thankful for. Speaking of being thankful, it's time to start gearing up for Fall festivities! YAY! 

d.i.y. pinocchio costume tutorial

pinocchio

Use the same information that I provided in the Little Indian tutorial to make the shorts and top for Pinocchio. You can use a pair of shorts as a guide for the pants or just cut them to the desired length after your child tries them on. I made a cuff on the shorts for an added touch but it's not necessary. I found that Pinocchio looks best in a form fitting shirt and daisy dukes. Well, maybe not quite that short but nearly. You could also just purchase a simple yellow t-shirt to save time.

the collar

Use white jersey knit fabric for the collar. An old, white, large adult t-shirt would be perfect. I have no photos of this process but it was pretty simple. I cut out two large bubble 'C' shaped pieces of fabric. Remember that the thicker the 'C' the bigger the collar. Try to make the inside of the 'C' fit the size of the neck of your t-shirt. This may take some fiddling but it's not too difficult. Once you have your two 'C's cut out, place them right sides together and sew along the outside of the 'C'. Turn it right side out and pin the inside of the 'C' to the neck of your in-side-out shirt and stitch it in place. Turn the shirt right side out again and you should have your collar. I used a hook and eyelet fastener to pull the collar together in the front once Oliver had the shirt on.

the bowtie

Take one sheet of blue felt and cut a 3/4" thick strip from the long side of the sheet. Then, cut a large oval shape from the rest, about 4" tall and 5" wide. These dimensions may vary depending on the size of your child. You'll be able to tell if it needs to be smaller when you hold it up to their neck. If it looks like it's going to swallow them, snip off a millimeter or two. Now, tie a piece of thread vertically around the center of the oval. It should look like a bowtie at this point. Use the strip that you cut to wrap over the thread so that it doesn't show and leave the length of it dangling. You can sew it in place or tie it in a knot behind the bow.

There are several ways you can attach this to the shirt (velcro, safety pin, snaps...). I added an extra strip of fabric with velcro ends to fasten at the back of his neck. 

the suspenders

Using the same red material that you used for the shorts, cut two strips of fabric about 4" wide and long enough to reach from your baby's booty, over the shoulder, and to the front of the hip. Fold them in half lengthwise, right side facing inward, and press. Now, with it folded, cut only one end of each strap to a point. Sew along the long edge and pointed edge. Now turn the straps right-side-out. Put the shorts on your kiddo and use safety pins to temporarily attach the suspenders to the back of the shorts. Criss-cross them in the back and bring them over the shoulders. Make sure you pin them at just the right angle or the straps will fall off the shoulder later. This took a few tries for me but persistence is the key. Sew the suspenders in place to the inside of the shorts. For extra stability, sew a diamond shape where the suspenders meet to hold them together in the back. Sew buttons to the front of the shorts for the suspenders. Put them back on your child and use chalk to mark where to make buttonholes on the straps. If you are unfamiliar with this process, the internet is full of instructions on how to make buttonholes. You can also just attach them with safety pins and sew buttons directly onto the straps to look like they are functional. 

the hat

Oooh k. I put this part off until the end because I'm not exactly sure how to explain it. It took a lot of tries to come up with what I have so I recommend that you try out a few different ideas. If you have something that you think might make a piece of felt morph into a beautiful tyrolean hat, by all means, go for it! And I just have to throw this out there... don't spend hours on this if you have a toddler that is just going to throw it every time you try to put it on them. The costume looks very Pinocchio even without the hat. 

Essentially, what i did was wrap the longer edge of an 8"x10" piece of yellow felt to fit around Oli's head and pinned it in place. Make sure you have it sitting where you want the hat to sit once it's finished. Now, sew the hat up, cut off the extra felt and turn it right side out. Make a feather using the same process as in the little indian tutorial. Sew it in place where you like. You may have to tack it here and there with a stitch or two so that it doesn't flop around.  I used singlefold bias tape for the blue trim. This can be tricky to sew on straight but remember that it's for fun, not a wedding, little imperfections are charming and even cute. I know that this is a vague description of the hat but it's all I've got!

to top it off...

Rosey cheeks and puppet lines drawn on all of the joints would be very cute. Another idea is to add donkey ears to the hat and a tail to the shorts. Originally my costume was going to have marionette strings with a handle that stood on it's own using THICK crafting wire but it broke just before the shoot, darnit! I would love to hear from anyone who tries these ideas. And if you've got pictures, even better! Have fun!

d.i.y. little indian costume tutorial

I should have the Pinocchio tutorial up soon!

little indian

This is a basic lounge pant and top with a few easy embellishments.

the shirt

I used elements of this tutorial from Just Tutes to make the shirt. (Don't forget to go back and check out her ENTIRE blog when you have time. She has so many useful tutorials and tips and she allows them to be used freely. Plus she has an adorable daughter that gives her own tutorials from time to time.)

If the fabric you are using is not stretchy enough to fit the head through, make a vertical slit in the back of the neck long enough for the shirt to fit over
your baby's head. I just folded the raw edges under and sewed. Then, attach a button to one side of the slit and a loop on the other to fasten it.

I used fringe made from strips of felt and other coordinating trims to create the 'V' shape on the chest. This is where you can get creative and add your own touch. Add fringe to the shirt wherever you like. The more the better!

the loincloth

This is just an easy square that is hemmed on the sides and bottom. Fold over the top and stitch close to the raw edge to make a casing for the belt to run through. For the belt, cut a length of fabric long enough to be easily tied around the waist by about 3 inches wide. Fold it in half lengthwise and press. Unfold and fold edges in to the center crease and press again. Fold it in half lengthwise again and edge stitch the two short ends and the long open edge. Simply run that through the casing you've made in the loin cloth.

the pants

(Ideally I'd have a nice and neat little computer graphics version of this tutorial with a pdf pattern included, but I'm going to need some more time to figure out how in the heck to make one of those. I would LOVE tips if anyone has any. Photos will have to do for now.)

Find a pair of pants that fit your child comfortably and use them as a guide. Fold your fabric in half. Lay the folded pants on the fabric so that the long side of the pant legs line up with the fold.

Cut along the dotted line. I usually leave a pretty thick seam allowance, cutting off any bulk when I'm through because it's easier for me to work with, but you leave a seam allowance that you are happy with. Cut TWO of these. NOTE: In the photo, I didn't leave extra fabric at the ankles because I'm want a rough edge. If you want your pant legs hemmed, you'll want a couple of inches of fabric left at the bottom. Hope that's not too confusing.

Place your two pieces on top of one another, right sides facing each other. Sew along both curved edges. This is the seat of the pants so I reinforce this area by double sewing it. Just go back and sew right on top of the line of stitches you just made.

Now rearrange it and lay it out so that the seam is in the center. Sew along the inside of the legs. And by the way, I'm too lazy to use pins for most projects (even for Small Magazine) 

but some of you may want to add that step before stitching a seam. You're almost finished!

At this point all you have to do is add fringe wherever suits you, hem the bottoms and add elastic or a drawstring to the waist. There are many sources on the internet that have good directions for this if you are unfamiliar with the process.

the headband

The headband is simply a strip of elastic covered in coordinating fabric. Draw out a feather and use it as a pattern to cut two feathers from felt. This is a good alternative if you are against buying actual feathers. I googled images of feathers as a reference. Once you have your two feathers cut out, use them to sandwich a piece of craft wire. You can use little strips of duct tape to hold it in place. Then topstitch around the wire with matching thread. You can also use the sewing machine to create details of the feather with stitching. Sew the feather to the inside of the headband.

That's pretty much it! War paint adds the perfect touch. OR you can use Elliot's idea and drip blood on it for a gruesome and fierce warrior effect! He says try using fake blood if you aren't into stitches.