I'm Not Going Anywhere!

Honest I'm Not! As soon as Tessie sees the travel workbox, she gets all excited.  She automatically starts packing her bags.

We were talking about being prepared for anything mini and I mentioned my travel workbox. 

I got it out this morning and straightened and added a few things that were missing.

I have done this before, but for those of you that don't go back and read the old entries I thought that it might be a good idea to do it again.

Years ago I filled a fishing tackle box from Walmart with supplies and tools that stay in that box at all times.  If I need something to do on vacation or even if I need something to take to Wednesday Witches, it is always ready to grab and take along.

I am having Witches here this week and I thought that it would  be good to have it in order. That way I can show them what I am talking about and I can show you at the same time. This idea could be used for any transportable hobby. I have one that has a lot of stuff for beadwork too.

The second, third, forth, and fifth photos have a quarter of the box.  I will go through what is in the sections one at a time. 

The second photo has stuff for making baskets in the first and second sections.  The third one has an assortment of ribbons and a small matchbox full of thread, with pins and needles on the top padded cover.

The third one has glue, toothpicks and a small set of pliers. Two of them are regular tiny pliers and the third one is a tiny pair of wire cutters. I got them at Walmart in the jewelry department. There is a small pair of scissors also.

The second section has tampex forms for purses and pillows.

The third section is for finished items.

The forth photo has glue syringe and other tools.
The back row has ribbons and trims and a section with all kinds of cardstock and paper.

The forth one has a lot of fabric in the front section and lots of leather in the back section, along with some patterns for hats, shoes and purses.

With the assortment of tools and supplies, I can make a lot of different minis.

I purchased the box at Walmart for under five dollars in the fishing department.  I much prefer these boxes for storage over the ones that they sell in the craft section.  Besides, they are much cheaper than the ones in the craft section and some of the dividers are movable so that you can make some sections larger and some smaller. 

If you want t make a smaller workbox, the one on top of my larger one is a little smaller all around.  This one is $2.88 plus Tax. I bought that one this morning and am going to make a smaller kit in this one.  Maybe just for baskets and rya rugs. Anyway, if you build one, just put in things that you know that you will use.

I am going back now and make another smaller workbox. 

See you tomorrow. 

I Almost Forgot!

Between a full day of rain, a doctor's appointment and a Wednesday Witches' meeting, I almost forgot to write the blog.

Walter came in just a little while ago and asked if I was going to write the blog!

I grabbed the camera and took photos of three things of interest and got to work.

The first was the hat that I made at Witches.  Jeannie taught a different technique than I had used before, so it was interesting to try something new.  I made a hat to match Tessie's bag.  Of course that saved me from having to explain where I was all day... She grabbed them.  Let me take a photo.  And then she ran.

When I was looking for things to take along to Witches, I found this rug that I started a while ago.  I am going to have to get back to it.  I think it is one of the better antique designs that I have found on the net.  Now if I can only find the thread colors that I was using... I will be back in business.

I took my trusty traveling workshop with me to the meeting.  I happened to have the bag in there and some matching fabric.  Jeannie provided the paper pieces to work with and I used a bit of her bunka for the trim. Thanks Jeannie!  The class was fun.

I had some thin black silk ribbon in my stash so I put a bow on the back. That completed the hat. 

I forgot to put my rose making tool in the box, so the ribbon will have to do until I find it.  Then I will add a couple of roses to the back to go with the red fabric.  It was fun learning a different technique. 

Tomorrow, I am going to actually do some mini-ing!  I promise.

See you then!

Taking a Vacation...

Not really... Just wishing. 

I was cleaning and found my first traveling work roll. And miracle of miracles, It still had EVERYTHING inside.

I am going to take a mini vacation today.  After I found the roll, I found my mini vacation workbox.

Oops! I forgot to clean it out after we got back.  I am not sure where I took it last.  Probably up to Scottsdale for a weekend.  That has been a while ago...

I was going through it to start cleaning it out and decided I should start from scratch.  It is a big mess!

I took out the finished and partially finished projects.  Five baskets... Four books.... Three hats...Two purses... And Tessie! 

Yes.  She wandered in at the smell of new possessions. She started grabbing things as soon as she saw what was there. 

The tray that she has in her hands is finished.  Also the hat with the green hatband and yellow roses is done.  Two of the purses and four books. 

That's all she gets until I get the box cleaned out and start working again.  Rather than help, she is searching for other unfinished items as I unload the box... I am going to try to hide the rolls of fabric before she sees them.  If she does, I am going to be making new aprons all afternoon. 

I have to get back to it now and grab the fabric!  Back to the grindstone. 

See you tomorrow.

Never Give Me a Box of Toys....

And then walk away without telling me not to play with them.  It doesn't work that way.

First I cleaned and tidied all of the compartments.

Then I took a break to dye some baskets. The one that I made yesterday, I stained too dark.  Darn it! the other four were sitting in the printer's tray un-dyed.

I made the mistake of leaving the box open,.  You would think that I would have learned by now...
I left the bedroom for a minute or two...

When I came back, Tessie was in the middle of the things that I had made.

She was grabbing everything in site.

 For a while, I thought she was losing interest.  She moved to the edge of the box... She only took two purses with her.

Then she explained that there was a better view from up there...

She then looked me straight in the eye and exclaimed, " ALL MINE!!!".

The rest of the conversation was...

Tessie: The lace can  go on the edges of the new clothes that I will require, to go with my new nose.".

Me: "Who said anything about a new nose?".

Tessie: "I did.  I fell off of the table yesterday while you weren't around.  You need to fix it.. I also pulled my left arm out of the socket at the elbow..." \

Me:  "Anything else?"

Tessie: "New Clothes all around would be nice."

I knew I should have kept my mouth shut... I am off to do a "Full Tessie Repair".  See you tomorrow.

Go Big or Go Home......

First of all, I have to get the "Mookie being weird" photo out of the way. He has a new way of getting comfy. I can't imagine this pose to be comfortable, but he stayed this way for over an hour. Strange cat...

Next, not any minis done today. Haircut, check. Lunch with April and Seth, check. The last Harry Potter flick, check. Minis....Nope.

When we got home from Harry Potter, Tessie was waiting in front of the Mod Living Room. Bags packed. Ready to go. div>

We aren't going until tomorrow morning, but there she was, all gussied up and ready to go. She seems to think that when she is ready, everybody should be ready. She sticks her thumb out and expects to be picked up and taken where she wants to go.

I just ignored her and went about my business. I decided to move my mini kit to a bigger box for this trip. We are going by car to Scottsdale and there will be plenty of room.

That got Tessie away from the suitcases. She picked out a whole bunch of fabric for new aprons. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I couldn't make 12 aprons in 2 days. She will just have to figure that one out for herself.

I am also taking computer and camera along, so you will still be getting your daily fix of Tessie. She did, however, specify that we weren't telling Zar that we were leaving. Does the phrase"Center of attention." ring a bell? I will keep you posted of our progress.

That's all for now. See you tomorrow. Probably from Scottsdale.

Sort of Sorting....

You don't want to know what I am doing today....The first photo will give you a clue...

I went in the workroom to look for the book of tiles and it took a while to figure out where I put it. This didn't make me a happy camper. Mookie was braver than I was. See him nonchalantly wandering in at the bottom of the photo? He is much smaller than I and fits in tighter places...

I found the book and copied this tile to go on the inside, bottom wall of the shower tower.It will wrap around nicely inside.

I sprayed it first with Patricia Nimock's spray sealer. Then I used a high gloss spray varnish on it after that. It won't show much, but I will know that it's there.

On the way back from April's this morning, I had to stop at the grocery store for potatoes. They were putting out a shelf of school supplies. It seems like all of the stores start earlier and earlier every year. I love school supplies and usually find a use for some of the more fun things.

This time it was a two sided "Pencil box". How could I resist another kit box? This one was perfect for a travel bead box. On the one side, there was an open center tray. I lined it with a piece of that micro-fleece blanket that I always use as beading mats.

Then I cut down 12 bead tubes to fit in the end sections. There was room for a lot of cabochons mounted on leather and ready for beading, some needles, thread, bee's wax, and a small pair of scissors. That is really all that a bead worker needs.

This box had the added bonus of a place in the other side for 11 full sized bead tubes and four small bags of beads besides. In other words, this turned out to be excess storage.

You may be asking what all of the commotion is about creating kits. Simple. We are planning to go up to Scottsdale for three days next month....I want to be ready. S0 does Tessie.

She has already taken out a couple of the cabochons and replaced them with others that she prefers.

Now she is off somewhere, trying to come up with other kits to take with us. Yes.... As usual, she is horning in on the trip and is planning what I will do whilst Walter goes golfing.

We are staying at the hotel that she likes because of what she calls the forest atmosphere... She is already calling dibs on the dashboard for a good view as we travel. Oh! The excitement of it all!

I am going back to sorting now. Maybe I will be able to find the rest of the stuff that I need to finish the trailer....Maybe.... I am going to try to keep the trip under wraps. I don't want Zar changing his mind, putting wheels on the trailer and asking us to pull it behind the car, so that he can go along...Not going to happen!!!

See you tomorrow.

Just In Case......

It's Wednesday again and I didn't really work on the trailer. Going to feed April's cat and chickens cuts a little time out of the morning, but really it's the getting home that cuts the time out. I have to go past the Dollar Tree store on the way home and it is open....Usually it's not open when I come home earlier in the morning. I am making the most of the week, since I will only be doing this until Sunday.

This morning I found some really nice clam shell type eyeglass cases. I bought two.(the third one I already had.)

This is another of those "take along mini project" ideas. At a dollar a piece, I could afford a couple.

I turned them into small project cases. Each one has enough stuff in them to make several projects of the same kind.

The first one has coiled basket making as its theme. It has wire, scissors, several needles, over dyed embroidery thread and a small bit of glue. Believe it or not, there is enough stuff in there to make about 10 baskets! Here we are assuming that you already know how to make coiled baskets....If not, there are instructions elsewhere in the blog in the basket section.

The second one is for doing rugs. You can get a couple of rugs in there, up to 3 x5 inches or so. I have six colors of floss in this one. There could be more. There is a pattern in the lid and a pair of scissors. I didn't include the glue, because I probably won't finish a rug in one sitting.

Last is a kit for crocheting afghans or other items. Five spools of thread and a #14 hook is all that is needed. You could include the pattern if you needed it. Print it out and fold it up. Usually a pattern for a real baby afghan comes out about the right size in mini and there are a lot of those on the net.

I am thinking that there are a lot of different little kits that could be made like this. Bookbinding comes to mind. Maybe shoes....Anything that is small enough and doesn't take a lot of fancy supplies. Put your mind to work and see if you can cram your favorite mini making items in one of these cases. Pop it in your purse and you can take it anywhere.

See you tomorrow.

Handy Dandy Workbox....Working!

Yesterday I couldn't think of anything that I wanted to take to Wednesday Witches to work on. So, I grabbed the mini work box that I put together a few months ago. Time to test it.

Here's the box. I have been carrying it in my car, for just such emergencies. You know the feeling. You want to make a mini right now and don't have anything to make it with. I have used it a couple of times for short periods when waiting for a store to open.

This time I got serious. I jumped in and then jumped from one thing to another when the six year old got bored with one thing and needed to do something different.

When I got home, Tessie had two new needlepoint baskets, five books, a new alligator bag(sans clasp) and the start of a corner on a rug.

I am sure that you noticed that I said that Tessie had all of these. Hey! As soon as I walked in the door, she demanded, "What did you make for me?"

Hold on a minute. The birds in the back yard are squawking. Yup. Hudson Hawk is here. He was sitting as nice as you please on the back of one of the lawn chairs. As soon as I grabbed the camera and ran to the kitchen window, he decided to move...Well, at least it is proof that he really was here.

OK. Back to the computer. I did want to say thank you for all of the nice compliments and entries for the drawing. I love hearing your stories about your minis as well as the entries. By the way, a couple of you have the impression that, if you don't have a blog, you can't enter. You can. All you have to do is be a follower on my list.

We still have a long way to go until the end of the Reader's Choice Award from About.com. I really appreciate all of your votes. Please keep it up.

Tessie announced this morning that she was tired of traipsing around the desk with the sign. She proceeded to try to drill a hole in the top of the desk to plant it in.

I managed to talk her out of that, but I am going to have to watch her closely. She is now standing right in front of me trying to hammer it into the desk with her fist. Incorrigible. She's completely incorrigible.

The real world is intruding. I have to go do some real housework and real laundry. Would one of you keep an eye on Tessie whilst I go to work?

See you tomorrow.

Bits and Pieces.....

Not a lot going on in mini land today.....Well there is, but it isn't that interesting.

First, I grabbed a pair of needle nosed pliers and some wire cutters and went to work on some old findings and earrings to make clasps for purses to put in the work box. Here you see some of the whole findings and the pieces that I cut from them. With some of the bell caps the have arms, I can get 7 clasps for purses. Poke the photo to see them more clearly.

I then went to work making silk roses. The basket that Tessie is holding has more than 40 roses in it. She says that's not enough and is demanding that I make this short so that I can make more. Slave driver! If you go to tutorials, there is one for making roses somewhere along the line.


The last thing I want to show you before I go back to work is glue....Yup. I said glue. Some of you probably have already found these. I looked at them a while back and this morning I decided that they would be perfect for the traveling work box....Not all at one time, but one at a time.

I found them at Walmart. 2.97 for five bottles. They are just the right size to fit in the box and there are four different types of glue. My favorite is the Fast Grab at the far left. It is the closest thing to the old Velverette fabric glue from years ago. Next is the Clear Gel. I kind of like that for paper, more than anything else. Then there are two bottles of regular tacky and last is one that I haven't used before. It is Quick Dry. I figured that this was a good way to try it out. If I don't like it, I can always fill it wit Fast Grab from my gigantic every day bottle.

I really don't have much else to tell you. Tessie is pulling at my sleeve and whining, "We need more roses.". I guess I should go watch TV and make more. Oh! Another idea. Have I ever told you about gathering ribbon into carnations without the benefit of needle and thread? I am such a tease. I will save that for tomorrow.

See you then.

Witchy Efficiency Expert.....

Yes. Tessie has claimed the title. Efficiency Expert is now on her business cards. They now read "Witchy Efficiency Expert" in big gold letters. I am not sure if she knows exactly what that means, but she has been telling me where to put things in the box, to make more of the space allotted, all morning.

First of all, she insisted that there be more than two colors of thread. I took the pins out of the matchbox. Then I padded the top so that I could use that to hold pins and needles. I found some tiny thread spools in my stash and wound thread around ten of them...They just fit inside.

So what does Tessie do? She uses it for a footstool and complains that the pins are in the way.

Here is all of the stuff that I made yesterday. By making these items, I found that the two colors of suede that I packed were thicker than I like to work with. The books that I made were kind of fuzzy looking....I replaced two pieces of suede with about 12 pieces of glove leather and lizard skin. Good trade.

I found that I needed some different colors of floss for the baskets. The floss that I had all but disappeared when on the baskets. So, I replaced those with some of the overdyed floss that I wound on cards. While I was at it, I added a spool of #32 covered wire so that I can also make coiled baskets. With the items that are in the box now, I can make all of the types of baskets that I show in the blog.

I made a hat and found that there was only one rose in the bag of tassels. That will have to be remedied. More rose making.

I found that I really didn't need a lot of cardboard, but thought that it would be nice to have more colored card stock and patterned paper. The exchange was made.

If I want to put findings on the stuff that I am making, I am going to have to do some cutting and bending before I put them in the bag so that I won't have to carry pliers and wire cutters. OK....Make roses and bend findings. Got it.

Instead of folding the fabric, I rolled it into tight coils and banded it with clear tape. Would you believe that I replaced 5 pieces of folded with 11 of the rolled pieces in the same amount of space. Tessie tells me that this was her idea, even though she was nowhere in sight when I did it. Yes. It all fits in that one compartment. I just pulled it out so that you could see some of the patterns.

I also added a couple of pieces of #24 rug canvas and some overdyed floss for some needlepoint rugs that will be about 4 by 6 inches.

I refilled the glue tube. As soon as I take the roll of fabric away from Tessie and coax her out of the box, I will be finished and ready to go....Unfortunately, vacation time is not until October, but I will be ready! Did I mention that we are going to be gone 2 or 3 days? I wonder if I packed enough.......?

I forgot to pack the findings and beads to make cat earrings. Oh well. Next time.

See you tomorrow.

Minis On Vacation....

This morning I found a new Plano box in the fishing tackle department of Walmart. I thought it would be the perfect size for a mini making vacation kit. I was right, for once.

The box that Tessie is sitting on in the photo is 7" by 11" by 1 1/2" thick.

If you can find room in your suitcase when you go on a trip, you can happily make minis for a week...If you have any spare time after the vacation part. I am going to show you how.


Here's the inside of the box. It has adjustable partitions. You can make the compartments the size to suit your needs. I use the larger size of these boxes for storing minis, beads and lots of other stuff that needs to be in a class by itself. Thank you Plano!

Anyway, I have all of the tools, glue, and materials in this one box to make lots and lots of accessory type minis. I will tell you what is in my box and you can make changes in yours according to what you wish to work on.

In the top lid, I have a few scraps of wallpaper....Remember the leopardskin purse from last week? Yup. You can make some of those.

Now. From top left to bottom right. First I have a small matchbox full of ball headed pins. Beneath that there is some Penelope canvas and some woodsies for making simple baskets. Oh and a needle and thread.(black and white)

In the next compartment, there are cards of bunka in black, white, green and pink. There are two cards of ribbon, black and white. One card of antique lace and a couple of cards of basket colored floss.The last compartment on that row has four kinds of fabric, about six inches square. They weren't measured, just hacked off.

Row two in the first compartment are strips of index card, cat food cardboard for various uses and white fun foam for books. The second compartment is more fabric.

Third row is a small plastic bag with silk roses and tassels. Next is a small bag of jewelry findings. Then there are some pieces of foam core and some tampon tubes for purse making. The last compartment on that row has several colors of thin leather.

The last row has a flexible 6" plastic advertising ruler, an Exacto knife, small scissors, a tube of Elmer's glue and an emery board.

The last compartment has bent nosed tweezers, toothpicks, several makeup applicators, a small mechanical pencil, some metal hair clips for clamps and a tube of Elmer's stick glue.

With what is in this box, I can make a whole list of minis.....Let's see.... Books, boxes, purses, shoes, aprons for Tessie, hats, note pads and earrings for the cat....I just wanted to see if you were paying attention....

Speaking of cats...Widget had to come and supervise the return of everything to the rightful compartments. I still have a little room in there. I am sure that I will think of something else to add to the mix. I will let you know what else goes inside.

Meanwhile, Widget and I are off to make lots of things with only what will fit in the box. Then we will show you what we did with it. This should be fun.

See you tomorrow.