wordsfromanneli

Thoughts, ideas, photos, and stories.

Category Archives: Hobbies


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15 Years

Today is my 15th anniversary of Wordsfromanneli being on WordPress.

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything for a week, which is a long time for me. Maybe I’ve finally run out of things to say.

Or maybe I’ve been busy sewing yet another bag.

These bags are made partly from scraps out of discontinued upholstery and drapery sample books. They could be fancier with zippers put into the top of the bag, but I’ve found it’s quicker to access the contents of the bag if the opening is held shut by a strip of velcro on the inside top.

In this picture below, you can see that the bag has two pockets for putting in things like your phone and your keys, or whatever you need to find in a hurry without having to root around in the bottom of the bag. The rest of the space is big enough for a small cosmetics bag or a wallet, and it’s also handy if you’ve popped into a store for a small item and forgot to bring a grocery bag. You can just tuck it into your “Anneli bag” and not have to buy a plastic bag to hold your purchases. I have a thin cloth sack that I roll up and carry in the bottom of the bag and I can have it with me for when I make small purchases.

So that’s what I’ve been doing instead of writing more posts this week.

I hope you’ve had a great week as we keep sliding towards more springy weather.

Thank you for being my blogging friends for all these 15 years.


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Darth Vader of the Sea

Underwater placemats? Next time you have a fish dinner, wouldn’t it be interesting to use placemats with an underwater theme? The fish in the placemats could remind the fish on your plate of the many dangers in the sea.

Darth Vader of the Sea.

“I tell my friends those hooks can pierce,”

Says Dark Invader of the Sea.

“It’s only ‘cuz I look so fierce,

They simply cannot capture me.”

 

My friends stay close and mill around,

They feel much safer swimming near,

I wave my fins without a sound,

And, grinning, tell them not to fear.

 

 


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Vanity and Innocence

Eight proud blossoms, heads held high,

Eager to embrace the sky,

Hoping to be seen. 

 

Five young weaklings bending down,

Study moss upon the ground,

Think, “What can it mean?”

 

Pride will wilt with warming sun,

Blooming faces will be done,

Turning paper thin.

 

Innocents will rest in moss,

Stunned to realize their loss,

How short life has been.


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The Bag Lady Resurfaces

I have a lot of scraps from discontinued upholstery and drapery samples and am happy to have found a use for them.

If you’re not into sewing, just skip over this next part and go to the end of the post after the photo.

*****

Each side panel of the bags has three rows of four 4″ squares.

The sides  have a strip of 2 1/2″ by about 11″ (depending on the height of your panel). The top has a 2 1/2″ strip that is about 18″ long (again, you’d measure your bag that now has the strips on each side of the panels). The bottom strip is the same length but it’s 3 1/2″ wide.

There’s a lot more to do to put the sides together, cut out a 2″ corner to make a flat part in the bottom. There’s interfacing to use as a stiffener on the panels, and then a lining to fit the inside of the bag. Pockets on the inside of the bag are nice too. The straps with interfacing in them are pieces that are 5″ by 28″ folded over and sewn.

The tricky part is to get the straps to be between the outside of the bag and the lining inside. But that’s the fun of putting it all together.

There are lots of videos that show how it’s done, but the best thing is if you can go to a sewing class put on by your local sewing store.

Don’t ask me how many needles I broke going over some of the thickest parts of the fabric, especially where the handles attach. It’s worth it though.

These bags are fun to make because no two are exactly alike.


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Now and Then

Against all odds, the cluster of daffodils that pops up near the fir trees every year, has decided to make a dash for the light of day.

For each of the flowers, the bigger photo is now, and the smaller photos at the side are what they will look like later this spring.

It’s our job to welcome spring,

We’re the first to do our thing,

What a let down it would be,

If there were no daffs to see.

 

 

 

 

Irises popping up.

Iris and her girlie gaggle,

Push the dirt, don’t want to straggle,

Iris girls put on a show,

Can-can dancers in a row.

 

 

Oriental poppies beginning to grow already.

 

Oriental poppy leaves

Grow in spurts, the ground upheaves,

Happy that they’re fenced right in

See the misery of their kin.

 

 

 

 

Below are the not-so-lucky ones.

Poppy Sisters, maimed we see,

Just outside the fence so free,

Bunnies come along at night,

Eat them up, bite after bite.


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Something Fishy Going On

It looks like a dull, gray, foggy day. Most of us would be glad to be somewhere sunny, maybe with blue water instead of that dull gray stuff. But for the fly fisherman, there’s nowhere else he’d rather be just at this moment.

It looks like he could be lost in that fog, not knowing which way to go, but I don’t think he cares right now because he just had a nibble.

More than a nibble. It might be a whale. Sure the rod isn’t bent right over, but that’s just because the fish  has stopped to take a breath.

Hey! Weren’t we taught never to stand up in a boat?  Maybe this fish will pull the fisherman right over into the water. No worries. He’s wearing his lifejacket. It’s one of those slim ones that inflates if you hit the water.

Worst case scenario, his camera-wielding friend might have to put the camera down and go rescue his buddy.

 

It’s an addiction, it’s an affliction,

Spending the day on the sea.

Teasing the fish to come lie on the dish,

A wonderful dinner to be.

 

Sliding beneath the boat, silently there to gloat,

Lurking around in the dark,

Feeling so smug, as he snaps at a bug,

Grinning with glee like a shark.

 

Bug is all tangled and though it is mangled,

Now it has bitten the fish.

Spit it right out, and then thrash all about,

“If only!” The fish makes his wish.

 

 

Now who is smiling? This sport is beguiling,

Enticing the fish with a bug,

Everyone knows, why the fisherman chose

To be out here: “A tug is a drug.”

 

 


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Setting the Table

These place mats are meant to help teach children how to set the table. I made this set for my nephew when he was about 5 years old. He probably already knew how to set the table, but if he inherited any of my genes, he might have had moments when he forgot what goes where.

Not only do the place mats show where the cutlery goes, but they are also an example of what the three primary colours are. To make a set of four, I had to add another colour for the fourth one. Do you know your primary colours? Which one of the set does not belong?