I’ve posted before about how I have a bit of crafter’s ADHD, and that hasn’t changed. I don’t know why I have such a problem with actually FINISHING things, but every time I really get going on something I feel the need to stop and do something else. Maybe I don’t want the fun to end? Maybe it’s because I can’t seem to purchase everything I need to make something before I start? Whatever it is, I have the beginnings of SO MANY PROJECTS either in my head, supplies partially or completely purchased, partially started, or almost completed.
Here’s what I’ve got going on at the moment:
Bread is rising. Cross your fingers that I actually remember to bake it. Sometimes it takes me a couple rounds of rising until it spills over the sides of the tin, followed by punching down and re-rising before I actually remember to put it in the oven.
I’m making Madeline a backpack. She starts 4K this year (yay!), and she’s so extra that no store bought backpack will do. She wants to be the ONLY girl in school with this bag, so she’s sworn me to secrecy about its appearance until school starts. Can’t have another girl getting the same idea. How embarrassing. When the woman at the fabric store asked what I was making, Madeline, queen of oversharing, shouted “SHE CAN’T TELL YOU!” So she does have SOME boundaries.
I’ve been working on a cross-stitch for… I don’t know… like 15 years? I started it in high school, and it’s still not done. But I sort of rediscovered it recently, and I’ve been plugging along. It’s huge, and I will be sure to share if I ever finish it. I’m so close to being done (if you ignore the back stitching (AKA outlining) – so. much. back stitching).
I’ve been wanting to make liquid castile soap for a while now, because I think there are probably more uses for liquid soap than bar soap (and, bonus, you don’t have to wait a month for it to dry out). I was all set to make it today, only to realize that I don’t have enough olive oil. So that’s going on the back burner until I make it to the store (assuming I remember – it took me about a year to remember to buy the special lye needed to make liquid soap, so don’t hold your breath).
I made this awesome facial toner/moisturizer recently that I will NOT post a picture of, because it looks gross. It goes on smooth, feels light and moisturizing, and smells nice. And let me just say that aloe leaves aren’t as hard to work with as I thought. Basically, cut it open, scoop out the innards, blend it up, strain out any leaf chunks or blender foam, and add an oil. I added some coconut oil. So why does it look so gross? Because aloe is liquid (and best stored in the fridge without a preservative), and coconut oil (at least the one I used) is solid. So I’ve got these weird rice-sized chunks of coconut oil floating around in a weirdly colored liquidy gel. As it turns out, aloe gel isn’t actually green. It’s a little off-putting. I also added a few drops of lavender oil, because I like the smell and I’ve heard that it soothes skin (mine needs it). The end result is a slightly gelled liquid with what I’m going to call “moisture beads” of coconut oil. That was totally my intention. Right? Right. I’ll keep working on improving my recipe. Maybe I’ll figure something out that’s actually worthy of a picture!
A long time ago – a year ago? Two years ago? – I bought some dried sarsaparilla root at the local home-brew store. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but I had to have it. You get it, right? So now I’ve decided to make something with it – I picked up some birch bark (as you do), and need to get back to the home-brew store to get some licorice root. That’s all totally normal and not at all strange. My problem here is that I only seem to remember at times and days when they’re not open. It’s going to happen, though.
And finally (for now), I was going to make some cuticle cream after I realized I didn’t have enough olive oil to make the soap I wanted. I’ve been slowly accumulating the ingredients, and I have these super cute tins to put it in. And I need it, because my cuticles and nails are shot. But when I got all my materials and equipment out, I realized that my kitchen scale can’t measure accurately enough to make a small batch. So unless I want to make enough untested cuticle cream to last me for the next 5 years, I have to hold off until I have a more accurate scale. Bummer.
The kids both have summer school next week (win!), so I’m hoping to actually finish something. Wouldn’t that be nice? Wish me luck!
