Cutting back

Well, if you had been following my blog over the years, you would know that I used to post nearly every week.  Then it went to just a couple times a month and then I disappeared.  My life just go too busy.

This spring, I thought I could give it another go and be regular again.  But with work, family, and my newly developing Etsy shop (with the same name as the blog; Without Directions), it was just too much.  I still have fun things to post, but I don't have the time to make a quality post with great content.  I could probably throw something together with OK content; but really, who wants to read that?

So until I find another few days in the week, I won't be blogging for a while.  I will occasionally post projects on my FB page, because I still like to share.  So if you are interested, you know where to find me.

Thanks for letting me be a part of your crafting life.

Major Moma



Thank you for letting me be apart of your day! Did you know I have an Etsy shop? Well I do and there I sell handmade home decor. Come on by and check it out.

 

 

Crocheting Star Wars

If you follow me on instagram you have seen that since Christmas I have been crocheting Star Wars figurines.  My husband bought me a kit from Costco that had a book by Lucy Collin and enough yarn for two characters.

I of course immediately bought some yarn for the rest of the characters and have been slowly working through the book.  The book is quite well written and all the characters are the classic ones from the 1970s.  My kids are huge Star Wars fans  and so they love to play with them after I complete each little guy.

I would love to share pictures, but I seem to have deleted the ones on my phone and can't figure out how to transfer my instagram photos over to blogger and since I am not in the mood for a complete photo shoot, you will have to settle for a video.
I recently shared about all of my completed characters in Periscope, so if you want to check out the 'live action' explanation, click HERE.


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I am learning new tricks

Ok guys, I did something entirely new!

You know that I have been trying to develop a business and in my search on how to effectively use social media, I learned about Periscope.  Are you all on Periscope?  Do you just watch others or do you actively use it?

Well, if any of you were behind the times like me, it is a way to live broadcast your thoughts and it is associated with twitter.  If you already have a twitter account, you can just log onto periscope using the same log on information.  But if you are like me and have avoided twitter, then you can choose to set up an account just on periscope, or on both.  I did both.  But I am not very good at coming up with short pithy statements so I am not sure how much I will use twitter.

But anyway ... I broadcasted my first periscope 'talk' ... 'show' ... I don't know what to call it.  As I was broadcasting, the camera was not showing so I had no idea what was being seen.  Needless to say it did not show like I had wanted.  I looked pretty silly trying to show things that were not in the camera view.  And though I new what I wanted to say and went over it a couple times in my mind, I still rambled on and on and on.  I had one viewer and they only lasted a minute. Frankly, I don't blame them.

Want to watch?  I was able to save the URL, so I think you can go see it.

1ST PERISCOPE VIDEO

Update:  I guess the video didn't truly save.  So I will have to work on that skill too!

See? I pretty much am horrible at this.  Go ahead and laugh at me.  I sure did. But, that does not mean I will give up.  I hope to do a short broadcast most evenings until I have enough experience to be able to either be good at it or know that I really don't like it.

Let me know if you use periscope so I can follow you and see how it should be done.

And, if you happen to have an opinion on whether I should use cotton or acrylic, or mix of both on the next bath poof I make; please share that too!!

If you are interested in hearing more from us, there are a couple ways for you to keep in touch!

 

The Marigold dress, a quick an wonderful sew

If you look at my posts from two years ago, you will see that I frequently raved about the wonders of Melissa at Melly Sews and the owner/designer of Blank Slate Patterns.  I have been impressed with her from the beginning and I feel special bragging rights (though none if it has nothing to do with my skill) that I was one of her first testers.

Well, there was a time period where I was not sewing much and just not having a need for her patterns and I have not sewn a Blank Slate pattern for a while.  Well, that recently changed.  I needed a dress for Easter and had grand plans to use one of my fancy new Burda Style patterns.  I love Burda Style but they do tend to need more time to complete and I was loosing time fast.  So, I decided to change my plans and sew the Marigold Dress that I had been wanting to have on my list but not yet gotten around to deciding what to do with it.

The Marigold was so fast and so cute.  I asked myself, Why?  Why had I stopped sewing Blank Slate patterns?

I really liked the fit.  I normally wear a small but my measurements put me squarely in the medium so a medium I made.  I think I will lengthen the bodice by an inch next time because I want the elastic to sit a little lower.  But other than that, the fit was perfect.

The fabric was last year's Gertie Hirsch fabric made for Joanns.  It is a light weight chambray with little pink cherries.  Too cute.

If you are interested in hearing more from us, there are a couple ways for you to keep in touch!

 

My First Craft Bazaar!

I have been sharing with you some of my research and work on figuring out how to sell some of the stuff I make.  Making is very much ingrain in me.  It is part of who I am and I have been sewing and crocheting as a creative outlet and a stress reliever for many years.  Making for others was quite a challenge.

WithoutDirections

I needed to approach the process differently.  Instead of creating simply to please me, I needed to also incorporate thought about what would please others.  Since I sew for a pre-teen girl, this is not an entirely new concept, but the scale in which I thought certainly changed.

Being that this was being advertised as a 'spring' bazaar, I thought I should make the colors quite light and spring like.  I also was drawn to fabrics and yarns that had elements of the new Pantone colors of the year; serenity and rose quartz.

WithoutDirections

My oldest daughter got in the act too. She made some bag charms out of her collection of beads and small plastic animals.  She actually sold two and when we have a garage sale later this year, she plans to set of a table with her charms to see if she can sell more.  She of course gets the money from her work.

I intended for the aprons to be my main items.  But I ended up only making six.  They still were my most expensive item and they certainly are pretty.  I used my dress form to display one and I think that did class up my booth considerably.

reversible apron

Surprisingly, the baskets were the items that I had the most fun making.  I found it to be incredibly soothing to continually stitch around each basket.  Work has been quite stressful and this was the perfect way to relax in the evening ... it did not even feel like work.

nesting merino wool baskets

My mother even sent me a few things that she thought would round out my display.  She made quilt pieced snack mats (a mini version of a place mat for a cookie and coffee) and some micro-bowls (a 100% cotton fabric bowl to place your dish in for a quick re-heating in the microwave; a bowl shaped hot-pad),

Snack mat/ Rug mug

So how did I do trying to sell all this loot?  Well OK.  I did not have a lot of traffic to my table, but I did make a few sales and a lot of people seemed genuinely interested.  And frankly I had a blast just chatting it up with the people walking by and the other vendors.

So what now?  I am not exactly sure but I had enough fun that I am sure that I will figure out another way to sell my goods.  Of course I will let you all know once I have figured it out.

***UPDATE:  Well, I had been prepping to open an Etsy shop but was a little nervous about being ready so I didn't yet commit.  But hours after posting this I decided to jump in so I now have an Etsy shop.  I will be taking it slow, but who knows what will happen.  I will at least learn a lot.


If you are interested in hearing more from us, there are a couple ways for you to keep in touch!
 

Anchorage, Alaska: summer time

I have been sharing some tidbits about my favorite places to see when we were in Alaska.  Like I highlighted the fun of downtown Anchorage in July.

If you are visiting Anchorage, Alaska in the summer, join the crowd. This is prime tourist season; for good reason. It is simply stunning in the summer and the only time it is ‘warm.’ Winters in Alaska last from October until May, thus there is limited time for tourists to explore if you want warmer weather. And, because there are so many folks joining you in your Alaskan adventure, it is quite expensive.

But, don't let that scare you off!  There are a ton of family friendly adventures in this great frontier state.

Your own family adventure can consist of hiking, fishing, glacier cruises, and eating amazing seafood. Our children especially enjoyed seeing the wildlife at the zoo and game farms as well as spotting it along our drives. Just make sure you pack for inclement weather. Warm in Anchorage can mean 60 degrees Fahrenheit and often it rains and there are chilly winds. Though some summers will have highs in the 70s and beautiful sunny skies.

Being so far north, the daylight hours are abundant.  With the long days, you will get caught up in all your fun activities and not realize it is 4 hours past your kid’s bedtime. So, enjoy but be aware that you may need to sleep at some point during your trip. A sleep mask for each member of the family may be a good thing to add to your packing list.

Good tourist sights to get you started on your plan are:

Alaska.org

Anchorage Convention and Visitor's Bureau

Chugach State Park

If you are planning on hiking, which I highly recommend, purchase some bear mace and bear bells upon arrival. The bells will warn bears that you are coming along the trail and that will give them time to leave. Most don’t want to be around humans and only get aggressive when startled. So give them some warning. In the event you do startle a bear and they charge, the bear mace is very effective for scaring them off. Good tips on what to do when encountering a bear are found HERE. Moose also can be quite dangerous and you should keep your distance. They actually harm far more humans than bears.

You do want to actually see some animals though and you will want your camera for all those not too close encounters. Just please, make sure you and your children give plenty of space to the wildlife.

There are an abundance of parks surrounding Anchorage. Some you may want to check out are:

Chugach State Park
Eagle River Nature Center (actually located in the Chugach)
Arctic Valley Ski Area
Denali National Park

Eating in Anchorage is a seafood lover's dream.  There are several casual and upscale restaurants to choose from and if you are staying downtown, they are easy to walk to.  If you are staying farther out from town, street parking is metered except for after 6pm and on weekends.

Our children love to walk around town to look at all the unique Alaskan souvenir shops and eat street food.  The reindeer dog is my son's favorite.

If you arrive in August, you may consider climbing the hillside out of town and go berry picking. Wild blueberries grow in abundance and are a tasty treat.  My youngest had the one to eat/one for the bowl picking method.

Getting out on the water is also a great way to experience the Anchorage area and the wildlife of Alaska.  We took a cruise on Major Cruise line out of Seward, Alaska. (about a 3 hour drive from Anchorage that is full of gorgeous views)  The captain of the boat gave a running commentary on the wildlife and geology of the area.  As we walked on the dock to the boat my four year old was giddy with excitement and announced, "This is going to be amazing!"  And she really was right.  We did not see any whales, (unusual) but we saw endangered Stellar sea lions, Dall's porpoise, lots of sea birds, eagles, and sea otters.

Glacier and Wildlife Cruises

Well, there are just a few ideas that prompt you to consider exploring Anchorage, AK as a family.

If you have visited Alaska in the summer, what was your favorite activity?

If you are interested in hearing more from us, there are a couple ways for you to keep in touch!

 

Turnagain Arm, AK

When traveling to Alaska, seeing wildlife is definitely on the agenda. If you are in Anchorage and have a vehicle available to you, driving along Turnagain Arm is a great way to see some beautiful terrain and wildlife.

Eli enjoying the view

Turnagain Arm is located just south of Anchorage and drives along the water and Chugach Mountians (driving guide HERE). You drive out of Anchorage South and enjoy the views. As you leave the city, you will pass through a protected wetland that has long wooden board walks that birders use to get closer to nature without venturing too far from the city. And as you travel, tell the kids to keep their eyes out for wildlife on both sides of the car. On the passenger side, there is the waterway and you will see anything from eagles, marine birds, to marine mammals. On the driver’s side are steep rocky cliffs that are home to Dall sheep.

source

The kids used the view finders to spot wildlife in the water, air, and mountains.

Beluga whales often can be seen during the months of mid-July through August. In August, when my family was going out to see the bore tide, a pod of beluga was just feet away from the shore at one of the look-outs. The kids were thrilled to see them splashing around so close.

On the rocky cliff side we have often seen Dall sheep roaming around. There are several pull off points along the road so as you spot them, pull over for a better look. But CAUTION: you are not the only one trying to spot wildlife and pull over. The driver must pay careful attention as the other cars may suddenly pull over or out onto the curvy two lane road.

Another reason to go to Turnagain Arm is to watch the rip tide. As a result of the terrain, there are a few times of the year when the tide comes into the inlet very fast and creates a wall of water. Depending on the tide and weather, it can be rather ho-hum or quite dramatic. You can find expected dates and times HERE.

The bore tide varies in level of impressiveness and this one was neat to see but not as thrilling as they sometimes are.

Where you can watch the tide, you also have plenty of space for the kids to roam around a bit, have a picnic, or look at the tide pools. If you are lucky, the wales may come and say hi too.

If you are interested in hearing more from us, there are a couple ways for you to keep in touch!

 

Downtown Anchorage, Alaska

Downtown Anchorage, Alaska has a distinctly small town feel with a decent amount of city amenities. If you are staying downtown, which I recommend, you can walk just about anywhere you need to go in the city. Then, you will have to arrange transportation to go out and see the greater Anchorage sights like Turnagain Arm, charter fishing tours, or glacier hikes. And, there are a couple parks for the kiddos to get their wiggles out while you enjoy the view.

Lining Anchorage’s streets are several kitschy stores with Alaskan made souvenirs and some with some very beautiful items. Several have life-sized stuffed bears outside the store entrances. The kids love to give them “bear hugs” and get pictures taken with them. Places we have loved eating at are Orso, Glacier Brewery, and Ginger. Humpy’s is a great place but not necessarily for families. And if you do have access to a car, some of the best pizza ever is served at Moose’s Tooth.

The Anchorage museum has lots of interesting and kid friendly exhibits.

Art in front of the museum.

If you like street food, then there are several vendors for you along the main drag. From them you can buy reindeer hotdogs that are quite tasty and kind of a fun ‘treat’ for the kids. And while you are eating Donner, wander over to a park and there may be out door music being performed. During the summer, there are frequently artists performing in several parks downtown.


If you are interested in hearing more from us, there are a couple ways for you to keep in touch!