100 idées, Nº86_Dezembro 1980

Voltámos a Genève em Dezembro. Uma oportunidade única para aprender a técnica

de pintura no séc. XV. Aproveitei bem todos os minutos para trabalhar mas sobretudo

para matar saudades da amiga que insiste em não voltar.

Para trás ficaram os preparativos para o Natal que vou tentar retomar nos próximos

dias.

We've returned to Geneva in December. A unique opportunity to learn 15th century
painting techniques.

I've enjoyed every minute of work but specially the time spent with the friend that

insists in not coming back.

Behind stood all the christmas preparations to which I'll return in the coming days.

Muitos Parabéns Ana, são para ti!

Happy Birthday Ana, it's for you!

O ano passado foi este o presente que lhe ofereci. Comecei por fazer o motivo em cor

de rosa mas ficou demasiado grande para o tamanho da pedra (ficou para o quarto da

M.). A ideia de forrar a pedra tirei de resurrection fern. 

Algumas noites dos últimos dois anos a trabalhar para uma amiga especial.

This is the present I offered her last year. I started with the pink motive but it was too

big for the stone (it went to M's room).The idea is from resurrection fern. 

A few nights in the last two years working for a very special friend.

Porque amanhã é dia de festa, a entrada do blog, que nos últimos domingos tem

registado as brincadeiras entre Pai e filha, fica reservada para alguém muito

especial. Ainda que essa pessoa não queira partilhar essa alegria com os amigos,

amanhã cá a esperamos. 

Because tomorrow it's a day to celebrate, we've anticipated the usual sunday lego post,

keeping track of the play between father and daughter, to someone very special.

Although she has decided not to share this happy day whith her friends, we will wait for

her tomorrow.

I can't seem to find time for blogging.

So, just for a quick update, here are our last activities together (M. and I), from last week.

Trying this cinnamon- applesauce recipe, that I found here (please follow the link for

instructions, no need to repeat what’s so well explained).

It’s easy to make and fun to work with and they really have the promised scent.

They already decorate and scent our house and will be repeated again to make

nice handmade gifts for family and friends.

Note: Don’t mistake them with ginger cookies.

And painting flowers using discarded egg boxes. 

I hope I can turn them into a nice garland.

100 idées, Nº73_Novembro 1979

Para a minha Mãe que faz hoje anos.

Comecei a faze-las com alguma antecedência e ficaram prontas mesmo a tempo. 

A lã ainda é a mesma que usei para fazer os sabonetes, encontram-na e às agulhas

na Retrosaria.

Muitos parabéns, hoje é dia de festa (roubado do meu Pai).

For my mother's birthday today.

I started a few days ago and they were ready just in time.

The wool is the same for the felting soaps, and can be found in Retrosaria.

Happy birthday, today is "dia de festa" (stolen from my Father).

One of these mornings I made a recipe, long promised to M. She calls m&ms 'martinis' which we find really fun so we chose not to correct her and that's why I've named this post 'martini' yogurt.

The recipe and 'naughty' idea belongs to this site that I found through this other one here. I added it to my bookmarks but when I decided to make them I forgot to follow the instructions and used the basic recipe as always, with cold milk. Probably due to that and also because I used miniature smarties I didn't quite get the result that I expected, so they turned out as white as they started.

For M. the whole process was quite fun, very similar to a game, separating the different colors and putting all the 'pieces' in the right place.

The result, as I told you, wasn't the one we expected, so I asked permission to the author Coco & Baunilha to use her images (the last two) and she kindly agreed.

The yogurts we've made were probably almost as good as the original, but the look, definitely one of the main ingredients, I wasn't able to match.

Here's what I've been working on,

needle felting, during my daughter's nap.

It's for my Mother's birthday present, next week.

100 idées, Nº65- Março 1979

The socks I started in July for the anniversary of my friend Carla are finally finished.

I always have too many projects going on at the same time, so naturally some fall by 

the wayside. The pattern and the yarn, as for the previous socks I've made, are from

Retrosaria. It's really a very good yarn to knitt, and it's always very nice to see the way

the colours change.  

I made her a small linen bag and using the thread until the very last bit, I decorated it

with a simple embroidery motif and made the string with a crochet wreath. 

No, M.'s Father isn't 93 years old, I'm just suffering from dyslexia.

But the intention was good and he will keep it for his 93rd anniversary.

We used lill a 's great idea. We brought the sand from the beach on one of our last trips

to enjoy the late 'summer' days in october. We wetted the sand a bit so it could make a

clear printing. We pressed the toys that M.chose, plus de 3 and 9 that I added and filled

the negative with plaster. After it dried we removed it from the sand and I painted it

with white spray in my atelier. 

We've made it two weeks ago on time for M's Father 39th anniversary.

I had already tried a pattern of Harumidori designs for M. when she was very little (first

image, almost two months old). I loved to knit it and she gave it a lot of use. It's called

Kanoko pants and it's a free pattern.

This turn I tried the 'Like sleeves' pattern whose instructions are very easy to follow and

it's also very easy and fast to knit. I already have wool to make her another one in a

different colour.

Já há algum tempo que queria fazer estes sabonetes com a M.

Finalmente reuni tudo o que precisava e, numa destas tardes, lançámos mãos à obra.

Vi pela primeira vez esta ideia aqui, um dos poucos sites que leio com regularidade,

não sei muito bem porquê mas há mais de dois anos que é assim.

Pesquisei um bocadinho sobre o tema e juntei a esteira de bambú porque me parece

que acelera e facilita bastante o processo de feltragem.

Tudo o que precisam é:

• sabonetes
• lã penteada. A lã de cores é da Retrosaria, a branca usei a da Brancal
• água quente
• detergente (usei um detergente para lãs)
• meias de vidro velhas
• esteira de bambu
• paciência

Envolvem o sabonete na lã, apertam o conjunto na meia de vidro dando um nó na

extremidade, mergulham na água quente com detergente e friccionam na esteira.

Repetem este processo de forma a promover o entrelaçar das fibras até obter uma

estrutura densa e homogénea. E aqui entra a paciência, acho que são cerca de 10 a

15 minutos, mas o resultado compensa. No fim passa-se o sabão por água fria e

tira-se o excesso de espuma.

No nosso caso acho que usámos lã a mais o que torna os sabonetes pouco práticos

quando lavamos as mãos, porque demora um bocadinho a produzir espuma,

mas para a próxima vamos tentar acertar. 

Foi uma tarde muito bem passada a brincar e a aprender. A M. revelou bastante mais

entusiasmo e paciência do que eu e acho que está desejosa de repetir. Tudo o que

envolve 'sujar' as mãos e ainda por cima com água e sabão extra é divertido à partida.

Suspeito que iremos fazer mais para presentes de Natal. 

I intended to try to make these soaps for quite sometime. I found the idea here, a site

that I visit regularly, I don't know exactly why but it's been like that for the past two

years.

I blogged a bit about the subject on the internet and I added the bambu mat which I

found really helpful in accelerating the felting process.

What you will need:

• soap
• wool roving. The colored ones are from Retrosaria and the white from Brancal
• hot water
• liquid soap
• old tights
• bambu mat
• patience

All you have to do is wrap the soap with the wool, put it inside the sock, tie a knot on

both ends and start wetting and rubbing on the bamboo mat, and keep rubbing and rinsing

in between until the wool starts to felt and you obtain a tight structure. I think it takes

about 10 to 15m and that's why you need to have some patience. In the end you rinse in

cold water to remove the excess of soap.

It was a great afternoon playing and learning with M. Everything that involves making a

mess is synonymous of fun, and she demonstrated much more enthusiasm and patience

than me. I suspect that we will soon be doing some more as Christmas presents.

The result. You can easily guess who made which.

 

 

Aproveitámos uma ida a casa do Avós para apanhar algumas folhas no jardim.