Converts

Due to a massive re-organization of my craft room, I've actually been working again, with missionary zeal. So far I've scored two converts -- my fantastic teenaged SIL, who was helping cut green flannel with white stars for some PJ pants for me. Next lesson -- PJ pants for herself.



Convert #2: Little Man, who actually pinned pieces and he helped with the sewing!





Here's the finished project.



We used stashed cotton flannel from Hancock Fabrics with Sesame Street characters on tropical islands, and Simplicity 5874, a kids pajama pattern with several options. I intended to make only pants, but he insisted that we make a matching shirt, the little slave driver.



For the record, I used the size 4 pattern for the top, size 3 for the bottoms and both pieces came out really wide. When I use this pattern again, I'll adjust the pattern even more.

Tord Boontje score

Back in October, someone blogged about the Holiday 2006 partnership between Target and Tord Boontje, a name I'd never heard before. But I was intrigued by the images that were posted: intricate paper cuts of deer, rabbits, snowflakes, stars, and stark winter branches. My little pagan heart warmed.

Then I read accounts of folks dashing to Target stores across the U.S. to snatch the best pieces as soon as they hit the shelves, other bloggers mourning missed opportunities, and blogger gifts of Tord collection bits. I longed for that garland. Small. Simple. White garland. But that was one of the first products to disappear.

Then I bought a house. And I ripped up floors. And fixed ceilings. And my Tord fetish slipped into the back of my mind.

Until my Mom came to visit. My Mom - the woman who brings out my inner consumer - requested a trip to Target. While there, we dug into the deep recesses of the holiday sale shelves, and found the window clings for 50% off (score!). Ms. 1890 reallys like them, but my camera - not so much. Have you ever tried taking a decent photo of a window cling? See ... even the brilliant photographer SouleMama struggled with it.

Anyway ... after strolling around the store and digging through the bins, I started to look upward, at the beautiful designs hanging from the ceiling. Then I strolled up to the Customer Service desk and asked:

"What happens to those beautiful holiday decorations after Christmas?"
"We throw them in the trash."
"Can I have them?"
"Ummmm ... sure, I guess. Well ... let me make sure. I have to call our sign person. Can you wait here?"

I waited.

And after some logistical negotiation, it was decided that if I called every day to remind Melissa (my uber customer service chick), and arrived very early in the morning on the Thursday after Christmas, I could have whatever I wanted. I requested two strings of stars/snowflakes and two of the large panels.




Cat for scale

Dansko for scale


I'm not sure what to do with the big panels -- probably cut them up(?). Adornments for wrapping paper? Mobiles? Tracing them to make stencils? Freezer paper t-shirts [nina]?

After all that excitement and inpsiration, I came home and made stockings for my Mom and MafiaBro so they had some visual love when they awoke in my house on Christmas morning.


Now Mom and MafiaBro will have stockings whenever they come for a Christmas visit, and I have yards of Tord paper cuts to play with. Peace and Joy.