MidWest Fiber Arts

Witchy Present!!!

2008-11-06T14:30:00.008-05:00

Halloween is my holiday.

For some it's christmas, but me it's Halloween.

And my BFF Chrispy knows this about my pagan self.

So I get Halloween presents and I love love love it.

Here's what Chrispy sent me this year:

A Wicked Witch of the West sock kit!!!

from WoolGirl

with:

"Where's my broom?" pattern by Kelly Kubicz

and

White Oak Studio TV yarn

Jelly-belly gummy beans, a witchy pez dispenser, and 'orange' hot chocolate

A cutie little witch stitch marker

Two note pads, a broom-pen, notecard, tin, and a bookmark

White Oak Studio's TV Yarn

The above noted lovely yarn, in a cute little take-along knitting bag.

And....the actual socks!
No, I didn't get socks and the yarn.
This is just what the yarn will eventually look like, in sock form.

Now, to mail the yarn back to Chrispy,
cuz you all know I don't knit, I quilt.

Witches' Cupboard Swap

2008-10-06T13:51:00.005-04:00

This is what I recieved from my swap partner, Sarah.

And this is what I sent to my swap partner.

A cauldron mug willed with her favorite candy: carmel apple suckers, glitter, crepe paper, a witchy Pez dispenser, a votive holder, 'orange' hot chocolate mix, a 'bad girl' witch patch, a 'witch is in' sign, and lastely a glittery witch!

I hope you enjoyed it!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-10-06T13:50:00.001-04:00

My BFF who is unfortunately separated from me by living on the west-coast, Chrispy, sent me a wonderful birthday present! Yes, I know the birthday was in July, but I've had wonderful taunting that they would be arriving. So here they finally are! A lovely warm pair of sockie in a very fitting (given my Halloween fetish) color: candy corn!

Thank you so much Chrispy, you are the bestest!!!

Pincushion Swap

2008-09-04T18:47:00.003-04:00

I recently participated in the Pin Cushion Swap hosted by sewSpun.com

Here's what I sent to my swap partner, who's quite enamored with toadstools.

And here's what I recieved from my swap partner Val!

Thank you Val!

The wristie is super cute! :-)

House sitting and cooking!

2008-03-28T20:37:00.000-04:00

I’m house sitting for Diane and Lary right now (and watching Marquis, the dog) and am cooking up a storm! (Dinner anyone? lol) Tonight I’m making a really super good chili. It has cumin in it, which gives it a nice smokiness. Try it! Also included are a flourless chocolate cake recipe for Sunday night’s dinner with Johanna and friends, and some shortbread cookies that I’ll be baking for when Diane and Lary come home.

Really good Chili

1 ½ c. dried beans, rinsed (I used pinto)
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ c. onion, chopped
½ c. green pepper, chopped
1lb. ground beef (I used turkey)
2-1lb. cans of tomatoes
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Cumin

Cook meat, onions and garlic together. Throw everything into a crock-pot and cook for two hours, or until beans are tender. Add more water if necessary.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

½ c. unsalted butter, plus more for pan
¼ c. cocoa powder, plus more for pan
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
5 eggs
½ c. sugar
½ tsp. Salt

Preheat oven to 375. Butter bottom and sides of a 8-inch round cake pan, line bottom of pan with a buttered piece of parchment paper, dust all over with cocoa powder.

Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Let cool.

Beat eggs, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer until foamy, about 2 minutes.

Gently fold ¼ of egg mixture into cooled chocolate. Then gently fold all of the chocolate mixture into the remaining egg mixture until marbled. Fold in cocoa powder. Spoon into prepared cake pan, smoothing the top to even.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until center still feels soft (a toothpick inserted into the center comes out moist) and top has a thin crust.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Run a knife around sides of pan and invert. Remove parchment. Invert again so cake is right side up. Serve with whipped cream.

Icebox Shortbread

1 c. unsalted butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
2 c. flour, plus more for rolling

Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Add flour, mixing just until dough forms.

Divide dough in half, and place each ½ on a piece of floured waxed paper. With floured hands gently roll each into a 1 ½ inch diameter log. Wrap logs tightly in the waxed paper, and refrigerate until firm, 1-1 ½ hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Unwrap logs, slice dough in 3/8 inch disks. Place on baking sheets about 1 inch apart.

Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 15-20 minutes.

Tastes Like Spring!

2008-03-24T12:29:00.000-04:00

I made this cake for Easter dinner. It smells like spring. It tastes like spring. Makes a person very happy. And it is truly very easy to make!

Lemon Chiffon Cake

2 c. flour
1 ½ c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
½ c. vegetable oil
7 egg yolks
¾ c. cold water
2 ½ tsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. egg whites (7 or 8 eggs)
½ tsp. cream of tartar

Heat oven to 325 º.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in order: oil, egg yolks, water, lemon peel, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

Pour egg yolk mixture over egg whites and fold together gently with a rubber spatula.

Pour into an ungreased 10 x 4 inch tube pan.

Bake for 1 ¼ hours until top springs back lightly when touched.

Invert pan on a funnel, let hang until cake is cold. Remove from pan. Frost with lemon butter frosting.

Lemon Butter Frosting

1/3 c. butter, softened
3 c. powdered sugar
½ tsp. grated lemon peel
2 tbsp. lemon peel, plus possibly more

Beat together all the ingredients until a smooth and spreadable consistency is reached. Add more lemon juice to thin frosting if necessary.

SOSF Autumn 2007 parcel exchange!

2007-12-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

Autumn 2007 parcel exchange!

Let me begin by saying that this post is WAY OVERDUE!!!

Life got in the way, in the special way of losing the camera, not finding the camera but borrowing another, trying to use the camera with a computer that is too old and not compatiable, having to give the borrowed camera back, borrowing the camera again just so that I could go to the library in the hopes of finding a compatiable computer....Hallelujiah, it finally worked.

And I am sending many belated Thank Yous to my special Fairy friend.

Here's what I recieved:

*A very cute recipe book that is more like a photo album

*A red photo frame that says "love" for my someone special

*New pot holders for cookie baking

*Halloween themed scrapbooking supplies

*A teeny-tiny scrap book

Thank You once again my special Fairy pal!

Treats that I sent my fairy pal:

Portland Classical Chinese Garden

2007-10-22T02:38:00.000-04:00

Portland Classical Chinese Garden
Portland, Oregon

I had some free time to myself this afternoon, so I went to the gardens for quiet relaxation.
It was absolutely lovely.

Overview of the Garden
provided by portlandchinesegarden.org

Created to nurture and inspire all who visit, this Garden is little changed from what might have greeted you during the Ming dynasty in China. Portland’s is an authentic Suzhou-style garden. It grew out of a friendship between Portland and Suzhou, a city renowned for its exquisite gardens.

This walled Garden encloses a full city block. Serpentine walkways, a bridged lake, and open colonnades set off meticulously arranged landscape of plants, water, stone, poetry, and buildings. Architects and artisans from China who designed and constructed the Garden mean for each aspect of the Garden to convey artistic effect and symbolic importance.

The design embodies the duality of nature, yin and yang. When these are balanced, harmony results. The delicate balance in the Garden affects all your senses. Hear the sound of water dripping from the crescent-shaped tiles onto a banana leaf; enjoy the fragrance of jasmine or wintersweet; feel the sensation of each footstep on the mosaic stone paths.

The Garden unfolds a changing look by season. Each one as lovely as the last. It is home to hundreds of rare and unusual plants, nearly 100 specimen trees, water plants, bamboo and orchids. Taihu rocks symbolize high mountain peaks and frame a waterfall. Nine pavilions offer places to rest and contemplate. Couplets of poetry speak to the interplay with nature.

The yin and yang of the Garden take you to another place and time.

The Teahouse. Also called 'Tower of Cosmic Reflections.'

Moon-locking Pavilion (foreground), Teahouse (background).

Covered foot-bridge, end closest to Hall of Brocade Clouds.

Moon-locking Pavilion.

Boat-shaped pavilion.

The windows, around the Garden and inside the walls, are called "leak" windows since they allow the visitor to see the view "leaking" through. There are 51 windows, each unique, in and around the Garden.

Waterfall.
Part of Rockery Mountain.

Waterfall close-up.

Peek-a-boo pomogranant.

Rub-a-dub-dub, pomogranant in a tub.

Not quite ready for picking. These ones are about the size of a baseball.

Pretty water lily.

Check out the wonderful reflections in the water that I captured of the bridge.

Water lily with fishies in the background.

Pretty.

Other fun water plants. Interesting pod shapes.

A lonesome bonsai pine. Pine trees signify antiquity.

A cluster of bonsai buddies.

Call me silly, but one of my favorite features of the garden is it's walking paths. Unfortunately though, I did not know I was able to walk barefoot on the rocks. So what if it was a bit damp and cold out, they would have felt wonderful on my feet.

I also think that the walking paths are going to make great inspiration for quilting layouts.

Lovely lotus flower embedded in the walkway.

Other Garden Facts

The Garden is one city block or approximately 40,000 square feet.

The lake, named Lake Zither, is about 8,000 square feet.

The free-standing rocks, called Tai Hu rocks are limestone mined from Lake Tai, a fresh-water lake near Suzhou. They are prized for their four virtues which are: the holes that allow life force to flow freely, the rough texture, their slenderness, and being top-heavy. Over 500 tons of rock was shipped from China for the Garden. More information on Tai Hu rocks and the five elements (stone, water, architecture, literature and the arts, and plants) of Classical Suzhou Gardens is available.

There are three types of wood used in the Garden. San-Mu (Northeast China Fir) is used for most of the beams and columns. Dong-Bei-Song (Northeast China Pine) is used for the largest columns. Yingxing (Gingko) wood is used for the pale yellow decorative carving in the Pavilions. Nanmu (similar to walnut) is used for the carvings in the doors and windows.

Sea Lions! and other such...

2007-10-22T01:30:00.001-04:00

Saturday October 13, 2007.

A lazy trip to the Oregon Coast.

Sea Lions! at a marina in Astoria, Oregon.

Lovely sign, in case we happened to miss the large masses of barking blubber.

Churchable with my girl Frankie, Chrispy with little dog Lexi and Me!

Me and Chrispy with little dog Lexi at Fort Clatsop, part of the Lewis and Clark trail.

Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Churchable, Chrispy, and Me in front of Haystack Rock.

The Halloween Wig

2007-10-22T00:47:00.000-04:00

My friend Chrispy recognizes that my major holiday is Halloween, and being a sweetie sends me Halloween presents every year. This year she saved on postage cuz I was out visiting her.
My present this year?

A fabulous knitted wig!

I sing 'Walk like an Egyptian' in my head every time I put it on. :-)

Ape Cave

2007-10-21T22:44:00.001-04:00

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Ape Cave

Chrispy, Churchable and I went to Ape Cave on Saturday October 20, 2007.
It was the first time I'd ever went splunking. It was raining outside...it was raining inside!!! I came out wet. As wet as if I'd take a shower fully clothed. (Next time I'm packing on instinct instead of by logic.) All in all though, it was a lot of fun!

Lots o' pictures after the nice little informative section provided by the National Forestry Service.

A little history…

The formation of Ape Cave marks an unusual period in Mount St. Helens’ eruptive history in that it is the only known basaltic eruption of the volcano. Eruptions of fluid basaltic lava, much like those in Hawaii, are rare occurrences in the Cascade Mountain Range. The Cascades usually erupt lava of a thicker consistency. When this type of magma is coupled with suspended gases, explosive eruptions tend to occur. The eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, exemplifies this tendency.

About 2,000 years ago, fluid basaltic lava poured down the southern flank of the volcano. As the lava flowed, chunks of the lava’s surface cooled, crashed and fused together creating a hardened crust. In turn, the crust insulated the molten lava beneath, allowing it to remain fluid and travel down to the Lewis River Valley.

The hot flowing lava began melting into the pre-existing rock and soil. This thermal erosion deepened and widened the channel of the flow. The level of lava in the tube rose and fell as the eruption surged and slowed, contributing to the unique contours of the walls.

During this eruptive period, hot fluid lava pulsed through the tube for months, possibly up to a year, until the eruption subsided. As a result of this rare eruption, a spectacular 13,042 foot (3976m) long lava tube, the third longest in North America, was created.

Another version of history…

Ape Cave is one of numerous lava tubes formed in the Cave Basalt. The basalt consists of pahoehoe flows that originated on the southwest flank of Mount St. Helens and flowed down the surface of older pyroclastic-flow deposits. Charcoal samples from two localities under the lava tubes yielded Carbon-14 ages of 1,860+/-250 and 1,925+/-95 years.

Ape Cave lava tube, which formed in one of these basalt flows ... (Cave Basalt flows about 2,000 years ago) ... is the longest lava tube (12,810 feet or 3.9 kilometers) in the conterminous United States (similar tubes are found in Oregon, California, and Idaho) and one of the longest in the world. The cave was constructed by a pahoehoe flow that crusted over; soon after, the molten lava on the inside drained away, leaving the outer crust in place. Lava stalactites and stalagmites and flow marks can be seen on the walls and floor of the cave. Lava stalactites, conical or cylindrical deposits of lava that hang from the ceiling of a tube, are formed by dripping; stalagmites are similar in shape and are formed on the floor of the tube by the accumulation of drips from the ceiling. Some time later, a sandy lahar flowed into the cave, possibly in A.D. 1480 or 1482 because the deposit contains white pumice granules that resemble W tephra. During the summer, a national monument interpretive naturalist leads tours through the lower part of the cave.

This cave is the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States. Two different routes of exploration exist inside the cave and an above-ground trail (Ape Cave #239) connects the main and upper entrances. The lower cave is a relatively easy 0.75 mile hike that takes 1 hour round trip. The challenging upper cave is 1.5 miles long, requires climbing over large piles of rocks and takes 2.5 to 3 hours.

What’s in a Name?

Ape Cave was discovered in 1947 by a logger named Lawrence Johnson. However, the cave was not explored until the early 1950’s when a scout troop, led by Harry Reese, lowered a team of scouts down a 17-foot overhang to the cave floor. Leaving footprints where no one ever had, these explorers were able to travel through a pristine lava tube full of fragile formations.

Ape Cave was named by the Scout Troop in honor of their sponsor, the St. Helens Apes. This local group was made up primarily of foresters. The sponsor’s name, St. Helens Apes, may have come from an old term used for foresters in the area, “brush apes,” or from the legend of Bigfoot.

Mount St. Helens from afar. (pic from 2002)

Map of the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument area.

Welcome sign.

The rangers building at Ape Cave.

The friendly little gazebo at the entrace to the cave.

Helpful info inside of the gazebo. Basically it tells you to take a light source, and to bring extra just in case.

See the part the says 'Lava Fall, 8ft high'? What it should actually say is, 'sheer rock face made out of lava, 8ft tall, very few toe or finger grips, good luck'. Riiiight. I have battle scars from that one. Thank god we were using the buddy system.

Looking at the staircase that leads down into the cave.

The staircase leading down into the cave.

Looking back at the entrance from inside of the cave.

Upper Cave - More Difficult Route

BreakdownThe 1½-mile (2100m), upper portion of the cave takes about 2½ hours to complete, returning on a surface trail. Cavers must climb over approximately 27 boulder piles and scale an 8-foot (2.5m) high lava fall.

Warm clothing and flashlight or lantern are needed if you plan to explore the cave. The interior temperature of the cave remains near 42ºF/6ºC year round. It can also be windy and wet in the lava tube.

The boulder piles, called breakdown, formed after the eruption subsided and the fluid lava drained from the tube. As the lava tube cooled, it began to shrink and crack. These cracks weakened the ceiling and walls causing parts of them to collapse. The entrances to Ape Cave formed in this way.

There is a skylight in the tube near the upper exit. However, to finish the upper cave, continue on through the tube to a permanently attached metal ladder. Serious injuries have occurred when individuals have attempted to exit the cave through this skylight.

Interior of the cave.

A bacteria with fungus-like characteristics, called “cave slime,” (the iridescent shiny stuff) lives on the cave walls. This slime is a food source for other cave life, is easily wiped off when touched, and takes many years to re-grow.

But let me tell you, when it was a choice between touching the walls for balance or falling on my face, I touched the walls.

Interior of the cave.

Looking up the skylight.

At the end of the cave, looking up the fun little ladder we climbed to get out.

At the top of the ladder, looking back into the exit of the cave.

Jeez, wouldn't want to fall back in.

On the trail back to the car.

Fat Quarters Fabric Swap!

2007-10-15T20:06:00.001-04:00

October Swap

Items that I sent to my swap partner Ayumi:
3 printed fat quarters, and a trio of instant Chai packets from Fireside Coffee

Items that I received from my swap partner Ayumi:

A spool of silver and pink plaid ribbon
Snowflake buttons
Candies
Pocket-sized tissue holder out of a green and beige slub fabric with a stripy pink lining
A stack of 3-inch squares of assorted strawberry prints
2 good size pieces of 'vintage' kid prints in rose and peach shades
A piece of pink fabric printed with sweets: cupcakes, strawberries, etc.
A cherry blossom print on a tobacco-colored background

Thank you very much for the nice swap package!!!

Halloween Hat Swap

2007-10-15T18:57:00.000-04:00

Halloween Party Hat Swap hosted by Speckled Egg. Premise of swap: Create a Halloween themed party hat for a one-on-one swap! Hats should measure about 10” tall and should be cone shaped. Cone can be handmade or can be a store bought paper mache cone. Maybe decorate a purchased witch hat!?! Embellish the hats with spooky bats, glittery spider webs, and other Halloween fun! The hats don’t have to be wearable… they can just be a fun Halloween decoration for your home.

My swap partner was Cindy from Oregon.

Sepia-toned pic

The hat that I made:
A handmade paper hat (layers of newsprint and brown craft paper laminated together) with pleated ruffle trim that has a aging/distressed treatment applied to it. Trimmed with a grapevine wreath, twigs, satiny ocean colored fabric, iridescent peacock-ish style feathers, beaded fruit in a violet shades, a green flocked bird, and brads.

Color pic

My hat from Cindy:
A cute little black satin number, with glitter black felt rosettes, a spiffy bottle cap embellishment that has a howling black cat inside of it, black feathers, black netting, and lots of Halloween themed ribbon.

Detail of the bottle-cap embellishment.

Detail of the felt rosette.

Thank you Cindy for the awesome hat!

Sweet and Sinister Swap

2007-10-14T22:08:00.001-04:00

The Sweet and Sinister Swap hosted by ArtsyMama was super fun and I'm so glad I joined it. The premise of the swap was to send your partner something a little sweet, something a bit sinister, something hand crafted, and something to decorate the home. All items need to be black or white or both, with perhaps a splash of orange here and there. Swap items could be Halloween oriented, but they didn't need to be.

My partner was Kathleen, a fellow Michiganian, and she is absolutely wonderful to work with. Fun and caring and light-hearted with a shared love of glitter! And right up front I want to say thank you Kathleen, and forgive me, but I'm stealing your pictures and using them. Your's turned out so much better than mine!!!

Now, onto the swap.

Here are the things received.....

This is the overall view of the goodies Kathleen sent me. Aren't they fabulous!!! Kathleen created an adorable Scarecrow that is seen in the birdcage. He has a little gourd-head buddy on a staff in there to keep him company.

A detail of the gourd-head staff.

A jar of Dove dark chocolates and candy corn, one of my favorite fall treats! The antique canning jar is trimmed with a bewitching hand-made tag.

Glitter!!! Makes a girl happy. More hand-made tags trimmed with glitter, a glittered paper rosette, and a gold glittery 'C'. Thank you so much Kathleen!!! I'm going to have great fun incorporating everything into my Halloween decorating.

And the things sent....

Kathleen told me that she was fond of the journals that I sell at my Etsy shop, so I made her one of her own in shades of black and white. It is created of commercially printed papers and bound with a hand sewn pamphlet-style binding. It has been trimmed with brads, an acrylic sticker, a vintage button, and sateen ribbon.

A white ceramic pumpkin with glittery signage, an apple-cinnamon tree shaped air fresher made in Perry, Michigan (I support local small businesses whenever possible), a few jack-o-lantern jingle bells, and some cinnamon applesauce oak leaf ornaments that had my house smelling wonderful when I made them.

Candies from Maryanne's Chocolates located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Flavored coffees and dip mixes, also by Michigan companies.

And a wonderfully spooky bracelet made a mother and daughter team in Lansing, Michigan. Kathleen I hope you enjoy everything as much as I had fun picking it out for you! Have a wonderful fall!

Halloween Shoebox Swap

2007-10-14T16:49:00.000-04:00

I've recently participated in a Halloween Shoebox Swap hosted by Kim D. and Kim E. I'm fairly new to swapping, having only done so once before, but am quickly learning how addicting it can become. I learned about this swap from my friend Chrispy who found the listing for it on SwapDex. Unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures of the great goodies that I sent so you'll be missing out sorely on that, but you still have the opportunity to oooh and aaah over what I've received from my generous swap partner Jeanette from NV.

The overall view.

A fabulous set of three nesting boxes, a very cute black cat figurine sitting atop a white pumpkin, glittery 'beware' signage, pumpkin shaped candles.

Two different styles of jack-o-lantern hanging candle holders, a squishy fabric pumpkin, and four beautiful fall-colored leaves.

Three very cute hanging signs, and festive autumnal glitter. Thank you very much Jeanette, it's all very awesome!

Ah, the first post

2007-10-14T16:30:00.000-04:00

Forgive me, I'm going to need a learning curve for this. So here's the first posting, yeah!!! It's only taken me about three months to get around to doing it. Yea, yea, I'm lazy, get used to it.

It's not so much laziness, but a lack of computer time. The computer at home isn't working, and it really isn't worth repairing, and purchasing a new one hasn't been high on the priority list....so it's been the local library for all things internet related. And I can really only handle so much of public computer usage - it's just not the same as hanging about in your jammies at 1am.

I'll try to be more timely in the future with my posting. But you might not want to hold your breath while you're waiting.