Happy Birthday Dad!!

Today is the day when my dad came into the world...back when dirt was being formed, and our first ancestors had to walk uphill both ways, in the snow, to go to school!  It's so great to have a dad like mine...the only one of his kind.  (Thank goodness!)  I have learned so many wonderful, and sometimes even repetitive lessons from him.  Sooner or later I will realize that he knows a lot.  He is the hardest-working, always willing to help others, full of sarcasm, genuine, funny, sometimes likes my kind of movies, and leading-by-example person I have ever met.  Now that I'm getting older, I notice the traits my brother and I have inherited from him.  We truly are a mixture of the two best people in the world.  This is one of many birthdays I have spent, and will spend, away from my family, but I always know that my dad is there with a tease or a jab at my favorite singers to make me feel like a little kid again.  He is truly a wonderful person, and I'm so grateful he is my dad.

HE IS MY FAVORITE DAD!!!  (the one on the right, that is)

Austrian Summer Craft #1

This week, I was getting a little stir crazy so I decided to do a craft.  While on my mission, I found an antique leather strap with an Edelweiss flower on it, which has just been laying around for awhile with no purpose or reason for being.  That became my craft!  I've always been envious of those missionaries who return with a scripture case symbolic of the area in which they served-- those rainbow striped ones for South America, Leather for Africa, or basket-weave for Philippines-- so that's what I decided to make...a genuine Austrian scripture case.

While wandering the aisles of Joann Fabrics, I called my mom to tell her my plan.  I'd decided to get some plastic needlepoint canvas to use as the skeleton of the case, for stability, and then cover the case in a rustic green material.  She gave me some hints and tips-- look for the demo scraps of fabric, they're cheaper, get a good zipper, and wait till you come home and I'll teach you some more advanced sewing techniques to dress it up.

WELL....I got home from the store, items in hand, and set to work.  I was only going to do the skeleton and then do the rest with mom.  BUT....I got too excited, so I moved on to the next step...then I decided to wait till I could use a sewing machine, but again, I got too excited so I sewed a bit by hand...and then the next...and then the next until, finally, it's all done.  I'm so pleased with how the case turned out.

Supplies, all ready to go - TOTAL $7.50

20" x 20" Fabric swatch...only cost $2

Skeleton

Testing it out

Making the pattern 

All pinned together

Sewing the zipper to the fabric

Adding the zipper

ALL DONE!!  That leather strap is true Austrian fashion!

  

I'M SOOOOOO HAPPY WITH HOW IT TURNED OUT. 

I will definitely do one of these again.  Who knows, maybe in 3 years, I'll be ready to make a new souvenir holder.  Next time however, I'll use a sewing machine.