Craft Sale Success!

I had a very successful two days of selling my wares at the Sourdough Rendezvous! Had the weather been better on the second day I am sure I would have sold even more, but there is nothing you can do about weather. We actually had to stop selling early on Saturday because the big event tent we were set up in was nearly blowing away! The wind in Whitehorse yesterday was unreal and it didn't make for a pleasant drive back to Faro either.

I have come home with heaps of new sewing ideas that I cannot wait to try. People were wearing some of the most amazing mittens, hats and jackets. I really should have asked to take photos of some of them, but I was always so busy talking to people at my table.

Thank you to everyone who stopped in to say hi, and a huge thank you to my friend Lena for arranging this event and getting me a table!

Here are photos of some of the items that have found new homes:

Children's Beaver Mitts

Fleece Hoodie

Fleece Hoodie

Fleece Hoodie

Seal Mitts

Seal Mitts:

Seal Mitts
This pair was the most admired item on my table:

I sold two pairs of these seal mitts, but forgot to get a picture of the second pair:

Beaver Mitts:

Mukluks:

The fleece hoodies were a big hit! I sold six of them in total and have definitely received enough requests for adult sizes that I give that a try soon.

Sick in Whitehorse

Sick is an understatement. This is the worst I have ever seen my boys. Ever.

When we arrived in Whitehorse on Monday they were both barking like little seals. The cough didn't seem to interfer with their energy levels at all. But then by Monday evening they were taking a turn for the worse. Both kids had fevers, but slept well. Tuesday we tried to have a fun playdate, but after an hour both started to melt down. So back to the hotel for drugs and sleep. We are able to keep the fevers at bay by alternating Tylenol and Advil every three hours.

Tuesday night I left the kids at the hotel with Matt and I went out on a supper date with a friend for sushi. I was awake most of the night with a horrible belly ache and then starting throwing up Wednesday morning. Hunter was so lethargic he refused to even get out of bed and wouldn't eat anything. Cavan however seemed on the mend and was hell-bent on terrorizing Hunter and I. Trying puking into a toilet and having a two year old climbing up on your back at the same time yelling, "Giddy-up Mama!" It was not fun. Thankfully I have an amazing friend who took Cavan for the entire afternoon on Wednesday so Hunter and I could sleep. Thank you Tammy! I owe you big time. I feel fine today after puking all day yesterday.

Then to boot- Matt started to feel ill yesterday after eating a sandwich from Superstore for lunch. He spent the evening yakking and then felt 100%.

By Wednesday night though, Cavan was going downhill again. The fever was back and he refused to eat anything. Both boys coughed all night. Their seal barks have turned into nasty phlemy coughs and their noses are running like open faucets. Both kids said they were hungry this morning- no wonder since they really didn't eat anything yesterday- so we went down to the hotel restaurant for pancakes. The boys wolfed them down, and then Cavan got out of his chair, stood on the floor and proceeded to puke out phlemy pancake everywhere. I nearly cried. Our waitress was amazing and received a huge tip from me for being so kind and helpful. Back up to our hotel room we went and the boys put themselves right to sleep. Hunter even asked me to turn off the cartoons so he could sleep.

All of our wonderful plans for this trip, swimming at the pool, coffee dates, playdates, shopping, have all been cancelled. If it wasn't for my craft show on Friday and Saturday I would have packed the kids up and headed for home telling Matt to thumb a ride back to Faro when his course was done. Ah well, at least in a hotel you have someone else to wash the sheets when your kids yak all over them!

Sourdough Rendezvous Craft Fair

And now for some shameless self promotion!

I will be taking part in a craft fair during the Sourdough Rendezvous along with many other talented artisans. We can all be found down at Shipyards Park spread out between three heated tents that will be near the large tent where the main performances will be taking place.

Friday we will be there from 9am to 9pm and on Saturday from 10am to 1pm. It will be running on Sunday as well, however we have to head for home on Saturday afternoon, so I will be missing that day.

I will have quite the selection of items to choose from! I have come to town with 13 pairs of mittens, 9 fleece hoodies, 5 pairs of mukluks, 9 different hats and a few small items. I can also take your custom order if you want something a little different than what I have brought with me.

I am looking forward to seeing you there!

Elephants and Seals

I am winding down my sewing projects since we leave for Whitehorse tomorrow. We will be in Whitehorse for a week and for two of those days I will be sitting at my craft table in Shipyards Park for Sourdough Rendezvous. As soon as I know more information about what times I will be there and such I will share. Please do come by and visit with me while I am there!

Cavan the Elephant:
...when did he turn into a little boy?

Practicing his elephant stomp around the house:

Finishing a custom order- seal skin gauntlet mittens:

These are going to be warm!

Are you a quilter?

Or just like to sew with beautiful, nifty fabrics?

Then please check out this online fabric store my friend, Jill, is running. She is located in northern BC and trust me, you won't find deals like this within 2000km.

Her prices are extremely reasonable and she will have your order ready for shipping lickety-split!

Please check out her website- FishSkinFabrics- and see for yourself.

Support an amazing northern entrepreneur!

Short Sledding Video

The boys are adrenaline junkies as you can tell from this short clip of them sledding!

Untitled from Kara Went on Vimeo.

Hat!

I found enough time at the end of the week to put together an adult version of the hat that I posted about earlier this week. It turned out great! I used the same leather and quilted lining as the small one, but this time I used a sheared seal for the fur. It is unbelievably soft to the touch. I am so impressed with how easy this hat was to make. A bit time consuming since I did everything but the lining by hand, but the result was worth it. I will definitely make more of these.

I have never thought of myself as a creative person, but I think just needed to find the right outlet. My head is full of ideas of new project ideas, but my lack of time and skills are keeping me from them. I am sure I will get to them in time!

Me modeling the newest addition to my winter collection:

Valentine's Cookies

A friend of mine from Whitehorse is in Faro this week visiting with her in-laws. She has two boys nearly the same ages as mine and the boys are the best of buddies. Yesterday she invited over to her in-laws house for some cookie decorating. There were heart shaped cookies, red icing and sprinkles- oh the boys were some excited! And the best idea of all? Paint brushes for the kids to put the icing onto the cookies with!

Just getting started:

Ohhhhhh what is this?

Nom, nom, nom:

Beautiful cookies!

Mikey with a beautiful cookie creation:

Check out those red lips! I don't think he put any icing onto the cookies at all- it all went straight into his mouth.

Thank you Tammy for the great afternoon!

Hat Making

I tried out a new hat pattern yesterday and I am really happy with the results! The first one I made quite small as to not waste much of my supplies in case it didn't turn out as planned. It fits both Hunter and Cavan, but I think this style of hat would look much better on a little girl. It is made from brown leather, a quilted lining and mink fur upcycled from a fur coat. Stylish and super warm!
Tonight I have stitched together the leather for an adult sized version and hopefully tomorrow I can post photos after it comes together.

Cavan wearing my newest creation:

Struggling

February is always my toughest month. Many a melt down has happened over these 28 or 29 days over the years. I think it is the point where I have had enough of winter, even though I do like this season, and I start to go stir crazy.

To combat it this year I resolved to keep myself busy, really busy. And it is definitely helping. Here is what I am doing to keep myself on the go:

• I have started to go to the gym with a friend. This is week two of the gym and I love it. We go at 6:30am three days a week. I figured I am up anyways so why not do something productive with that time! Right now it is just a 25 minute work out with weight to a dvd, but we plan on working ourselves up to an hour over the next few months.
• I am sewing like a mad woman! A friend has hooked me up to have a craft table for two days during the Sourdough Rendezvous in Whitehorse. Everyday I am working on new projects plus still doing the custom orders that are still coming in. I want to have a full table and finger crossed I come home with less than I take!
• Lots and lots of outside time. During the week the boys and I have been playing outside, either walking or climbing the snow hill. Outdoor time always energizes me.
• Keeping my house clean and organized. I have been putting more energy into keeping the house looking nice, although some days I opt to sew instead of clean!
• I received a new cookbook a couple of weeks ago and each day I am picking out something new to try for supper. It is so nice to get out of the rut of cooking the same few things for supper each week.

So where am I struggling?

Well eating fudge for breakfast over Christmas definitely took its toll on me! I gained 14lbs over the holidays but managed to get 11lbs back off over January and now the last three just won't leave. In every other area of my life I seem to have my ducks in a row, but the eating just hasn't gotten in line. It seems I have two great days, two so-so days and then two craptacular days. I have come to the realization that it is a mental block.

Binge eating is a comfort for me as well as a habit. And old habits die hard. Sometimes I don't even notice that I just ate four arrowroot cookies when I get some out for the kids. My body just goes through the motions and my brain just shuts off. I also avoid feeling so many of my emotions, good or bad, and just eat instead. For example- I have applied to attend an arts festival in Inuvik this summer. I know my application to go is a bit of a long shot, but I thought what the hell I would apply anyway. The group called and asked me to resend my photos. I get a batch of nerves as I am sending them and before you know it I have stuffed my face with some of the kid's cookies and raisins. Eventually I am going to have to just let myself experience those feelings instead of numbing them with food.

I really want these three pounds gone so I can start on my next 50! There is just so much more work and at times it seems overwhelming. And there are days when I hate the results. As I lose the weight my skin is getting flappy. I really dislike what is happening to my stomach. After being pregnant and losing all this weight, I now have a really big.... I don't know what to call it... roll of skin and fat that hangs down below my belly button. I really, really hate it! I have pants that should fit me now, and are loose everywhere but over my lower stomach. So when I wear pants that fit over that, they are big everywhere else. I know it will just get worse as the weight comes off and I just need to deal with it until I hit my 150lb goal. Once I hit that I am going to reward my poor body that I have destroyed over the years with a tummy tuck, boob lift and getting rid of other loose skin. Now that I am looking forward to!

This year I am going to make it through February with ALL of my ducks in a row and hopefully I won't be an emotional mess at the end of it!

Sewing With Wolf And More

I spent the weekend sewing since I didn't feel up to doing much else. This cold is a wicked one!

A wolf arrived in the mail this week and I finally got to sew with it. It was really cheap and the quality is definitely not there! However, the legs were very nice and I had an idea to use them on a pair of mukluks. I am pretty happy with the result, but of course see ways of improving them the next time around.

Canvas top mukluks, smoked elk hide, and wolf fur.
Just need some ties and they will be ready to sell.

I also tried a pair of mittens with them, but am not happy with the result at all. The fur is really sparse and not fluffy.

The thumb on the one on the left is really sparse. I will sell these cheap to anyone interested. They fit my hand at 5.5".

I made a few other projects over the weekend too. A friend has gotten me hooked up to have a craft table at Rendezvous in Whitehorse at the end of the month so I am sewing up a storm so I can have a full table at the event.

Another hat! This one would fit 12-24 months.

I love how these turned out. Black seal, red leather, and black rabbit trim. I even put a bit of fringe on the side for something different.

Beaver gauntlet mittens with black rabbit trim and moose hide.

Sick

Last night it started with the sore throat and then this morning I have that, a cough, and a general feeling of blah. Hunter seems to have the same thing, although he has found some stored energy to use and is running around the house terrorizing his little brother. Me? I cannot even get out of my rocking chair. I used up all my energy to get out of my pj's and make myself some breakfast.

Days like this make me so thankful for my husband! I think he is in our room folding laundry right now (my most hated of household tasks) and playing with the kids. He is fine with me sitting here and sending the kids to him with requests, books and boo-boos that need to be kissed. I am so glad I am sick on a Saturday when he is home instead of a week day where I would have to suck it up (read: whine like a three-year old) for the day.

I am glad I took the time to clean the house yesterday so I really have nothing to do today. I am going to have to get out of this chair sooner or later. I have finished the pair of mittens I was working on and need to cut out another project to work on while I am veggin' in the chair. My hands still need to be busy!

Snow Hill Adventures

The town has been piling snow from nearby streets just down the road from our house. The boys are completely enamored with the gigantic pile and we play on it at least once a day. What these photos don't show is how big this pile is; it is at least twenty feet high!

Hunter took a good fall down it the other day and I was sure there was going to be blood, but nope! He stood up, said wow and climbed back to the top. Cavan is brave as can be and climbs right to the top all on his own. He has to do everything the big brother does.

Matt making sure Cavan doesn't fall down the backside of the hill:

Rosy cheeked future mountain climber:

The boys and I getting ready to slide down:

Hunter proclaiming he is the King of the Castle and Cavan is behind plotting on how to over throw the King:

Pulling home some tired boys:

Snow hill incident from the weekend- Daddy threw a hunk of snow (pretty much an ice ball) and Hunter turned at the last minute and it got him right in the eye! Poor kid swelled right up, bruised and had a blood shot eye for two days. Boys are trouble, no matter the age.