Magic Soap

It's been some time since I've updated.  To be honest, I haven't been creating a whole ton lately.  My last "let's together and craft" date ended up being Megan and I watching our friend Jen as she amazingly turned an old painting covered in years of tobacco gunk into a bright and lively picture.  With just a little Dr. Bronner's soap, some q-tips, and a papertowel, she turned it from this:

into this:

That soap really is magic!  I'm working on a runner for Morgan, my sister-in-law-to-be (the one that I owe her after Graham's step-mom "mysteriously" ended up with the runner I made for the Christmas exchange...), which has been great fun.  My Lenten promise was to not buy any new fabric.  I spend so much time (and money) perusing bolts and finding beautiful cottons that then end up in my stash, waiting for some perfect project...which just never seems to come around.  So now, I'm using those perfect cottons (and other varieties in my stash), to make something!  The runner is all upholstery samples.  This is a jackpot find I discovered a year and a half ago.  In the back room of my neighborhood fabric store, there is an endless bin of upholstery samples for like 45 cents/ounce.  And somedays, the whole back room is 50% off.  I made a bunch of pot holders one year, and there probably will be more to come of that sort.  My eye is drawn to any curtains or chairs or cushions, and I see other creations when they are done being sat up on or shielding sun.

Part of my stash

I also "made" this bag.  I have about a dozen of these hanging around, most of them are from career fairs during grad school--they're a step up from pens and chapstick (though I have tons more of those lying around).  I hardly use them though, because I don't care to advertise for some clinic that I did not apply for a job at, or some section of the American Physical Therapy Association that I am not a part of.  So, I finally made one cuter.  With one of the choice pieces of fabric I've been waiting to use--this is the perfect project for it.  I haven't used another bag since.

another project I'm working on...

Jen working her magic

There will be more creations to come, though with many weddings to be had and babies to be born, I may be delayed in posting pics of some of the gifty ones.  Don't want to give anything away, you know.  But I'll show you the runner when it's done!  And any other perfect projects I embark up on before Easter.