I sent my Dad four reed coasters for Father’s Day. He sent back data on preferences for hot and cold drinks.
Dad reports that his favorite coasters for hot drinks are ranked left to right, and for cold drinks, right to left. The shades of orange coaster on the right made with several plies of hemp string absorbs the most condensation, so is best for cold drinks with condensation.
In January of 2015 I was examining the construction techniques of Irish crochet, a type of free form lace that has a rich texture.
Padding in crochet is carrying a thicker cord, or multiple cords, along inside the crocheted stitches. The padding cord also gives more control of the shape of the crochet because it can be pulled tighter and lock in curves.
This week I found out that sparkle paper works in my button maker. Nice. I designed an “All Star” graphic in Cricut Design Space and cut it out with the electronic cutter.
The vinyl doesn’t stick well to the sparkle paper, at all, so positioning the decal was tricky, but not impossible.
Including the mylar cover was a must, both to keep the decal in place, and prevent glitter from shedding.
I quite like the finished button, it has flash and glitter, without shedding flash and glitter. Leaving trails of glitter is on my “very rude” list.
The Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is a common butterfly in North Texas, and is the most frequently spotted in our Gregg’s Mist flower patch.
In looking up the information on the Queen butterfly for this post, I found references for telling apart the males and females of the species. The males have dark patches on the hind wings, which are scent producing patches. So in my picture, it is a male Queen butterfly because the patches are evident.
This is the other puzzle my sister introduced while she was visiting: a stuffed ball. She cut small strips of fleece, put a bit of kibble in each, and stuffed it into Missy the dog’s holey roller ball.
I’ve been alternating food puzzles at breakfast time. If I use just one, she isn’t motivated and doesn’t attempt it.
Critters and Craft 