Puppy love : Dog-sitting for a week

J's parents are out of town so we get to babysit little Daisy for a week. The happiest kid in town has to be Scuffy, because he now gets a playmate to play with.



Scuffy completely adores Daisy. He follows her wherever she goes. He lets her have his treats and wants her to play all the time. Daisy is, however, more chill. She likes to have her peace and is annoyed when Scuffy gets into his playful moods.

But it has been five days, and Daisy has begun to accept Scuffy's presence. They're so cute together. Although Daisy is two years of age, Scuffy is heavier, and almost bigger in size.



Besties forever!

Crafting on a Monday: Tee-Shirt Recon Tutorial!

Yes! Being very good and productive today. Made a bag for another friend and did a little stash bustin' (double yay!!!). Dug out the J-man's tee shirts. Put them through the wash and got ready to cut them up!

This shirt has never been worn before. I bought a size too small for him. Well, actually it was just nice, but he insisted the belly showed. So, he never wore it. Hmph.



I liked the print on this shirt, and I love racer back tops.

So, I got out my seam ripper (insert sinister laughter)

First, i ripped the seams of the sleeves, and took the sleeves off.
Then I ripped the side seams. And last I ripped the collar seams and removed the collar.

All that's left holding the front and back of the shirt together are the shoulder seams. By keeping the shoulder seams together, you can easily pull it over your head and 'wear' it to measure out how much excess material you need to trim off. I did that and pinned the sides together while wearing it, to give it a snug fit. Then, without removing the pins, i (very, very) carefully took the shirt off by pulling it over my head again.

From my pinning measurements, I drew a line down the shirt, cutting off two inches at the top down to one inch at the bottom (see photo for clarification). This is so the shirt will taper inwards, giving it a more feminine shape (i hope!)



I also decided i wanted the back panel to be narrower, more like a racer back if you know what i mean. And because only the shoulder seams are intact, i could flip the front part of the shirt away from me and concentrate on the back.

I folded the back panel in half lengthwise. Then proceeded to trim off the excess material. I took a wild stab, no measurements needed or it really depends on how you like it to look.



Now to put the top back together again. Pin the shirt with right sides together. Sew the edges of the sides together. Now my shoulder seams were looking a little rough, and i was afraid after seam ripping near it, the seams would start to fall apart. So I cut off the shoulder seams, pinned it and re-sewed the shoulder seams together.

I apologise for the lack of photos, and if the instructions are not very clear. I was too impatient and excited, i forgot to take photos along the way. Feel free to add comments on how to make this tutorial clearer!

Anyway, here is the end product! Yaay! One more new piece in the wardrobe. I might just make it for the next Me-Made Challenge!



Daisy approves too!

Oh yes, don't forget to enter the giveaway, if you haven't already!

Happy Easter!

Wow, April is a busy month! First spring break, then Earth Day, and now Easter. J and I attended church today and man, was the preacher feisty! I was so afraid he was about to explode at any moment, him preaching the way he did. All red in the face, he delivered a powerful and forceful speech. I actually enjoyed the service very much.

It was a glorious day! We couldn't bear to spend it indoors so we trudged outside to do some bird watching and hiking in the fields. The day has grown longer too. It was still light out at 8pm!






Wildflowers are always beautiful


Daisy is out to play


So is Don Vito


I hope you had a lovely weekend too!

It's Happening!

the Great Backyard Bird Count begins. Actually it has already begun. I'm in my 2nd day of counting and i just spotted a new bird this morning!

all because I got up earlier than ever *pats on back*




the Brown headed Cowbird via Whidbey Audubon Society

I was a little upset to find out that these birds are what they call "brood parasites" -- their young are raised by "foster parents" because the females lay their eggs in nests of other species. However, studies have shown that the long term and large scale impacts of brood parasitism are relatively minor. So no love lost!

I have spotted a total of 14 species in my backyard to date. And guess what? I think i can now tell the house finches and the purple finches, both the males and the females, apart!!!

Yay!

Oh and when the squirrels come out, I set Daisy on them, so they leave the feeders to the birdies. A little unfair i know, but the squirrels have fattened themselves quite a bit for so long now. Leave this weekend to the birds!!! *shakes fists*

I found another website where you can submit your observation lists any day of the year, so i can continue my birdwatching even after the weekend. Check out eBird.