I make stuff

So, I'm trying to figure out what I really enjoy doing and see if maybe I can turn it into something that one day becomes profitable. I'm really not trying to be a millionaire or anything; I just want to work for more than just money. Right now, that passion is my kids, but after June, they're going to be a money losing enterprise (that was supposed to be funny, but upon second reading, I think something's getting lost in the tone).

So, here's what I do. I make stuff. I like doing this. I have a hard time focusing on one thing, so "I make stuff" is about as focussed as it gets.

I make cakes:

Becoming Canadian cake for David and Michelle Ernst in 2003(?)

Gotta love Wilton paste food colouring to make that red. I needed to warn the eaters of this cake to be careful not to get any icing on their clothes!

Sponge Bob cake for Gemma Reichel in 2004

We had just moved to Medicine Hat and Michelle Ernst and Gemma Reichel were on their way through to Oregon for a little trip. It happened to be Gemma's birthday (I really have no idea how old she would have been that year, I think 13). Gemma was a big Sponge Bob fan.

Farewell cake for Jeff and Amanda Penner in 2004

I think this was the first cake I was ever paid to make. I was so nervous about making it just right and I was happy with how it turned out. The funny letters are Jeff and Amanda's names in Thai. You can find just about anything on the Internet.

Zoe's birthday cake in 2007
She had a monkey party.


Birthday cake for Dan in 2007
I can never think of anything cool for Dan's cakes.


Birthday cake for Erin Crocker in 2008
(my first cake working with fondant)

I draw:

Portrait (1994)

This is a charcoal drawing I did in grade twelve. Inspired by my art teacher who told me she didn't have very much from her students to put in the art show. So, I drummed up this little number. Ah, inspiration. Comes from the funniest places.

Poster for Esther (play Dan wrote & directed)
Digital art completed by Dwight Friesen

I crochet and knit:

Even though my mom crochets, my friend Heather Germain taught me how and got me hooked (ha ha). My mom knits doilies and stuff. I prefer mittens and scarves and toques and blankets.

Granny Square blanket (2003)

This blanket was so crazy labour-intensive. I love how it looks, but I would never do it again. The little granny squares were not so bad, but the TWO WEEKS of hand whip-stitching was almost painful! This gives testament to what I did before I had kids, because I made this blanket in my spare time while I was working full-time and taking Greek during my lunch hours (and studying in the evenings).

My mother in law taught me to knit, sort of. She taught me the English method, which works and I could do, but once I learned the Continental Method, there was no going back for me. After crocheting, it felt so much more natural to hold the yarn in my left hand and it was faster for me to knit that way.

Zoe at 9 months modeling Aunty Alison's knit scarf Christmas present (2005)

Zoe modeling Grammy's knit Christmas scarf (2005)

I sew:
I have to laugh at myself when I type that: "I sew." For some reason, something in me says, "Don't lie." But then I see these pictures that I've taken of things I've sewn and I can't deny that no matter how easy they were to make, I sewed them.

A swaddling blanket for my college roommate, Yolanda's baby, Chase. (2007)

Yolanda loves animal prints, so this flannelette print was a great find. Finding the fabric and making this blanket made me jealous for a cool blanket for Simon. He just had a dorky found-it-at-Walmart-non-gender-specific-fabric baby blanket that I made him.

So this is the resulting cool dude blanket I made for Simon.
I get lots of great comments on it.
Forgive the "burning the baby" look that this picture gives.

Close up of the stitching that my fancy sewing machine can do.
And I can hold the fabric straight while my machine works its magic.

These blankets are really great because they're huge. I can still swaddle Simon in this blanket if I need to (he doesn't like it so much anymore) and he is 20 lbs!

Sock monkey I made for Zoe's monkey party.

I made 5 of these sock monkeys for Zoe's 2nd birthday party: one for each of her guests to take home and one for her. Much better than a loot bag filled with a bunch of dollar store crap. The beauty of having small birthday parties. It actually only took me a couple of evenings to assemble these little guys. After they were all made, we spent the few days with them playing "Monkey Attack," which entailed throwing all the monkeys repeatedly at Zoe.

So, yeah, if you want to commission me to make you some stuff, let me know. I'll see what I can do. I'm thinking of specializing in food-inspired clothing and clothing-inspired food.