I did a search and couldn't find a thread about this. The school I work at had tons of leftover bananas from lunch, and we all got some. I have 50 at least. What should I do with them? So far I have chocolate banana muffins and the frozen banana ice cream thing. I am not a huge fan of plain banana bread, but if you have some awesome addition ideas for bread I'd love to hear them!

I also have 11 pints each of cooked corn and carrots from the same source. I would love ideas for them too. I have very limited freezer space, so this gets complicated.

I made a yellow and white cowl using this stitch: http://pinterest.com/pin/149252175120402750/



As modeled by my pug:

I just finished up these mittens, made using this pattern: http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/the-mitts.html

I then embellished them in imitation of the ones on this cover: http://pinterest.com/pin/149252175120400423/





I don't know if I should put that second pompom on there or not...

It's that time again! I head back August 16th. I  would love to do a swap to spoil all the teachers who are girding their loins for a creative, exhausting, brand-new year with their students. It could focus on classroom supplies or stress relief or inspiration. We might need a non-teacher to organize since we are all busy right now! =) I could maaaaybe organize if we kept it small. Any interest?

I am normally a yarn and fabric crafter, but I recently got a 50's velvet tufted sofa from Craigslist, and I wanted a sunburst mirror to complement it. Of course, the eternal lament, those guys are expensive! So, I used this tutorial: http://www.instructables.com/id/Starburst-Mirror/

Materials I used:

bunch of bamboo sticks from Dollar Tree $1
some bamboo shish kebab skewers (I already had these, but they are cheap)
A can of chrome spray paint from Joann's $5.99
Assorted mirrors from Joann's, $5 total
Glue gun and hot glue sticks I already had (and I imagine you do, too)

Now for the prettiness!



With armchair for scale:



It took me less than one hour of work time, with a trip to the library while the paint dried. I am so happy with it!

If you have seen much of the True Blood series, you've probably noticed the big shrine Lafayette has over his fireplace. It's very difficult to find a screen shot of. I'm entranced by the colors and by the significance of his very literally catholic choice of shrine items-the Virgin, voodoo dolls, sacred hearts and leopard print. He has a wonderful line in the second season: "Jesus and I agree to see other people, but that doesn't mean we don't talk from time to time."

My husband and I both grew up in very traditional Christian homes, and we went through the rebellion/agnostic phase like most people do. Now we're trying to patch together a spiritual life that just responds to whatever gods/ideas/colors/words give us that stab of joy that lets us know there's more to life than the body.

This shrine just got started today, and it's right above our bed. We collected things that represent all the sacred bits we love.


The whole thing, surrounded by lights from our wedding and some paper lanterns from the thrift store. The squid are from a poster set of nature prints. I think my primary god might be a squid. That's a weird sentence, huh.




Jackalope, Carl Sagan, and a big egg (from Hobby Lobby)



Ganesh, the Virgin, and you can see part of the iron horseshoe (this is a bit from Terry Pratchett)



A Virgin shrine I made from a plastic tray and photos I took in Santa Fe, and a Hermit tarot card.


The Star tarot card and some fake grapes to represent Dionysus. The candles are being held in a tree-shaped metal candle sconce. The tree of life has deep meaning for both of us.



We are still going to add something to do with Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrisson, as well as a picture of Odin, Thor's hammer, and something for burlesque. Oh, and sea monsters.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62996152/red-and-pearls-necklace

I am wondering how one would go about putting fasteners on the necklace above. I know you can use those crimp beads for smaller thicknesses but this one has me stumped. How is this done?

Lovely crafters,

my attempts to copy this dress myself have been disastrous and wasted some of my favorite fabric. I've searched the pattern books and haven't found anything just right.

http://www.builtbywendy.com/onlineshop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=17350&category_id=337

Can any of you tell what the pattern pieces might look like and sketch me a Paint picture? or recommend a similar pattern you've seen? I don't think I can survive the summer without this dress.

Thanks so much!

Shannon

The Orthodox Food Festival and Old Globeville days is an annual celebration put on by the Globeville neighborhood in Denver and Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church. The event will be July 18 and 19, 2009.  The festival has multiple parts.  There are booths selling ethnic foods (primarily Eastern European and African), games for kids, ethnic entertainment including dancing and music groups from Greece, Western Africa, Romania, and Spain.  More importantly – and relevant to you – is the vendor area which includes crafters, importers, booksellers, and artists.  Several thousand people attend each year, and a number of our vendors make it a priority to attend because they find it so enjoyable. Feel free to share a booth with a friend and split the cost: $40 for one day, $75.00 for two.

Erin Schwartz is the vendor contact for the festival.  Please contact with any questions at offvendors@gmail.com or at (303) 456-5526.  We look forward to hearing from you soon.

My husband and I collaborated on this and took pictures and made notes from beginning to end. I am focusing on my knitting here but I don't know if this would fit better in another board..please let me know!


October 5, 2008: Cuyler is taking a Sci Fi Lit class, and came up with an amazing idea for a final project based on the story of Dr. Carl von Cosel. If you have not heard this story, would like to, are over 18 and have a strong stomach, Google this: A Demented Love: The Story of Carl von Cosel’s Obsession

We wanted to tell the story of what might have happened had the doctor's plan to bring Elena's body into space worked. We decided to do a photographic story in silent film style, using knitted dolls and a polymer clay spaceship. I designed and knitted the dolls and he painstakingly made the ship, we both helped with the paper backgrounds and photography (neither of us is any good at photography). If anyone is interested in the pattern for the dolls I could probably come up with something.

Basic idea: Doctor wants to bring a dead girl back to life. He is convinced that space radiation will cure her, so he builds a ship to bring her into space. It works, but in his excitement he opens the tank she is in, releasing the radiation and killing him. The ship crashes on Mars and she is left to wander the planet alone. The full project is 20 photos or so and we are working on posting it as a slideshow on Youtube or something...I will add that link when we get there.

Here are the preliminary sketches my husband did:





Here is my work started:



Here are some of the finished pictures: