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Masks: The New Bumper Sticker

Posted by pausesandclicks on 07/02/2020
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: Covid-19 masks, making masks, masks, pandemic masks, wear a mask. 6 Comments

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Well, here we are, going on four months into a pandemic and the world is finally starting to understand the role masks play in flattening the curve and keeping people healthy.

I’ve been making masks since early on and have progressed through three different patterns with many revisions and lessons learned as I’ve settled on this particular version.  The mask fits nicely over the nose and under the chin, yet there is space around the mouth so you aren’t breathing in the material when you take a breath.  In addition, I’m now using toggles and paracord for the ears….much more comfortable then elastic and very easy to adjust!

I’ve had lots of people asking for the pattern on Facebook so I figured a blog post would be the easiest way to link to the original pattern and give you my revisions.  At this point I could almost make these in my sleep.  Click here for the link to the pattern, posted by wholefully.com.  The best instructions are in the post, the following pictures are for your reference and I’ll add a few suggestions for things that worked for me and a few things I did differently.

I will note first off that I added a seam allowance to the patterns in the post.

When I make the first seam I tend to start sewing with a half inch seam then taper it to a quarter inch.  That tends to give the mask a little tuck at the top, which helps it stay on the nose.

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With right sides together, pin the two pieces together, leaving an opening along the bottom so it can be turned right side out.

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Sew along the edges with the exception of the opening.  Turn and press, first the lining side then the outside.  This makes it much easier to topstitch.

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Topstitch all the way around.  This will close the opening without having to hand stitch it closed.

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I cut 14″ pieces of parachute cord for the adjustable ear pieces and use toggles for adjusting.  The cord is available at both Michael’s and Hobby Lobby,  I haven’t checked at JoAnn’s but they probably have it.  After cutting each piece put one end into a flame for about three seconds and sort of roll the hot end a bit so it tapers, making it easier to thread through the openings in the toggle.  Click here to the link for the toggles.  This Etsy company is very responsive and quick to ship.  Once they were out of the toggles but quickly restocked.

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On each end of the mask, attach the cords by making a pocket.  Tuck each end into the pocket and pin to keep the cord in place, keeping the cord at the very top of the pocket.  Sew all the way around the pocket, making sure to sew through the cord to keep it in place.

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In order to keep the mask from gaping on the sides I also add a tuck.  It’s a lot of layers to sew through and it seems like the tuck might bother one’s face but I have never noticed it when I’m wearing mine.

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So there you have it.  Now that I’ve made so many of these I can make one from start to finish in 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon if my machine and my sewing skills are cooperating.  I used to be a big quilter but my Kenmore sewing machine that I’d used for decades didn’t survive on particularly bad move so I started this adventure with a brand new machine that had been in the box for four years!  It was a steep learning curve!

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My daughter-in-law says her glasses don’t fog up with this mask but for some, they do.  To remedy that I hand sew a stainless steel nose piece on the outside of the mask that can be molded to the nose and can be washed right along with the mask in the washer.  I do recommend air-drying the masks because of the plastic toggles.  I will amend this post to add a link to those nosepieces once I figure out where I ordered them from!

Stay safe and stay healthy!  And please, wear a mask when you’re out in public, especially when you’re in an enclosed space.  The life you help save may be someone’s grandparent or someone whose health is vulnerable.  And maybe it isn’t a life or death situation for the person who might catch the virus from you….but who wants anyone at all to be so sick?

Do it for your neighbor, do it for every stranger you come across, do it for me!

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It’s All About The Heart

Posted by pausesandclicks on 02/05/2020
Posted in: art. Tagged: handmade valentines, hearts, pen and ink drawings, Valentine's Day, Zentangle. 16 Comments

I’ve been absent from my blog for a very long time now for a variety of reasons.  Life has a way of taking some twists and turns and for a longer period of time than I wanted, I lost my muse and my voice.  I’ve managed to continue to post my daily Instagrams, which is good for my creative side, but for a period of time the words for a blog just simply haven’t been there.

I was, however, introduced to the art form of Zentangle last year about this time and I found it to be very calming and absorbing.  Each tile begins with a few basic lines and I usually have an idea of where I’m going with them, but they very seldom end up there.  The process seems to take on a life of its own and my finished work usually surprises me.

Since 1980 I’ve crafted valentines for a small group of people that feel I’ve connected with on an artistic level, or perhaps they just seem to understand something about me that I can’t quite explain.  The list stayed small in number because I never wanted the valentines to be mass produced but each year I make a few extras.  Last year some complete strangers get those extras.  I carried them with me as I was out and about on February 14th and it was a fun twist to gift them to someone who had no idea who I was.  Some years it’s a proximity thing…..a valentine might be given to someone that has come into my life for a season for whatever reason.

If you’d like to read the history of the valentines click here.  It’s one of three posts that tell their story.  Part two is here and you’ll find part three here.

Most years the valentines are all the same, sometimes each one is different.  That is the case this year and thus, the reason for this blog post. I thought the recipients might want to see the others, to understand just how unique each one is.  I put them into envelopes before I addressed them so in essence, each one chose it’s recipient. Not all of them made the cut as valentines but I’m including them so you can see the variety of the work.  Plus, I just wanted to see all of them in one place.

Valentine’s Day is most often thought of in romantic terms.  I prefer for it to be a day on which I simply let people know I love them on one of the many, many levels that love blesses my life.

 

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A Photo a Week Challenge: Gilded

Posted by pausesandclicks on 10/10/2018
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: A Photo a Day Challenge: Gilded, gilded, gold shoes, Photo a Day, postaday. 2 Comments

Who needs ruby slippers when you can wear gold shoes?

These were proudly worn by a sweet little girl in front of me at the grocery store a few days ago and she very happily let me take a picture of them.

I could really use a pair of gilded shoes about now.  Tapping then together probably wouldn’t transport me anywhere and I wouldn’t suddenly be dancing the night away just because I was wearing them but they would definitely make my heart smile.

Again, a gentle reminder that it’s the little things.

 

 

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A Photo a Week Challenge: From the Back

Posted by pausesandclicks on 10/03/2018
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: A Photo a Week, from the back, newborn photo, tender moment. 4 Comments

Life has been barreling along at a hundred miles an hour lately, a definite change in pace from the years right after my husband retired from the military.  It seems I’ve been saying “yes” far too often lately.

In addition to that the universe at large, or perhaps just the algorithms that be, decided to send all the emails about blogs that I follow which includes this weekly photo challenge, into my junk file, so I was behind the power curve for this post.

Which is all just a long explanation as to why I’m using a photo from the past instead of something new this week.

This young lady is now four and a half but this is one of my very favorite pictures of her and her parents, taken from behind, as they shared a very tender moment.

Sometimes being behind or perhaps seeing a scene from behind, is a good thing.  And sometimes being behind the power curve results in revisiting a very good memory.

This week I’ll take that.

 

 

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A Photo a Week Challenge: Ready, set, action! Part Two

Posted by pausesandclicks on 09/27/2018
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: A Photo a Week, butterfly, caterpillar, chrysalis, monarch, postaday, transformation. 1 Comment

I found a monarch caterpillar on my tropical milkweed several weeks ago and brought her inside, hoping to keep her safe while she grew and fed and made her transformation to a butterfly.

In this photo she’s a fifth instar, attaching herself to the top of her enclosure, ready to molt for the last time and enter the chrysalis stage.

Here she is eight days later.  During the chrysalis stage the caterpillar liquifies inside the  cocoon and reorganizes, almost magically transforming into a butterfly.  Even after decades of research, scientists admit that the details of this metamorphosis are not completely understood.

Continue Reading

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A Photo a Week Challenge: Ready, set, action!

Posted by pausesandclicks on 09/26/2018
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: airplane travel, clouds, flying, forward movement, Photo a Week, postaday. 2 Comments

I’ve always enjoyed flying on cloudy days.  The fascination never lessens for me but my flight on Monday was unusually mesmerizing.

Layer upon layer of clouds accompanied us as we slid through the atmosphere and my gaze was riveted on the ever-changing skyscape.

On this particular flight my mind was on this week’s photo challenge which had me exploring the latest version of my phone and what it had to offer in the way of video and pictures that move.

Life on terra firma has lately been confusing and sad and much too busy and so it was a welcome interlude to recently be up there among these magnificent vistas where my mind and heart could rest, if only for a few hours.

I needed that time and God provided.  

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A Photo a Week Challenge: Water

Posted by pausesandclicks on 09/19/2018
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: A Photo a Week Challenge: Water, drops of water, fires, hurricanes, leaf, lily pad, love, the power of water, water. 3 Comments

There are lessons to be learned from water, specifically hurricanes and droughts.

Something that is life-giving and necessary for existence can easily become destructive when it gets out of balance.  Too much or too little and that which we usually welcome we start to fear.

We feel helpless because we can’t control, we can only react.

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A Photo a Week Challenge: The Fruits of Your Labor

Posted by pausesandclicks on 09/12/2018
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: A Photo a Week, A Photo a Week Challenge: The Fruits of Your Labor, family, first time flier, grandson, postaday. 4 Comments

Thrity-six years ago, on September 15th, the young man on the left was the result of the fruits of my labor!

This week Jimmy and his wife are visiting us in Louisiana with the results of the fruits of Angie’s labor last January.

 

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Which is why this blog is so short.

I have major snuggling to do!

Photo credit to my daughter-in-law, Angie, for the sweet photo of Morrison at the plane window.

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A Photo A Week Challenge: The Devil is in the Details

Posted by pausesandclicks on 09/05/2018
Posted in: Faith. Tagged: A Photo a Week, A Photo a Week Challenge: The Devil is in the Details, bible study, faith, God vs Devil, postaday, prayer, religion, resisting temptaion. 1 Comment

Okay, so this challenge stumped me.  I have to admit I went down a rabbit hole with it and got stuck in the fact that the devil was in the details instead of focusing on the details themselves.

I just couldn’t wrap my head around the Devil being in them.

So I looked up the origin of the phrase and this is what Wikipedia has to say about it.

“The devil is in the detail” is an idiom that refers to a catch or mysterious element hidden in the details, meaning that something might seem simple at a first look but will take more time and effort to complete than expected and derives from the earlier phrase, “God is in the detail” expressing the idea that whatever one does should be done thoroughly; i.e. details are important.

So there you have it. I like the original phrase better and as far as I’m concerned, if you keep God in the details of your life, there isn’t any room for the Devil to be there. If you keep God in the details then that catch or mysterious element that will divert you is more likely to be avoided.

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Take that….Devil!

Do me a favor and stay out of my details.  There’s no room for you there.

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A Photo a Week Challenge: Delicate

Posted by pausesandclicks on 08/29/2018
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: A Photo a Week, A Photo a Week Challenge: Delicate, butterflies, dragonfly, frog, garden trellis, hibiscus, hummingbirds, milkweed, moonflower, passion flower, photo challenge, postaday, summer garden, swallowtail. 8 Comments

Last year, quite by accident, I planted a few flowers that attracted hummingbirds.  Watching them was so enjoyable I took out some bushes this past spring in order to utilize a much bigger area, with more intention as to what I planted.  I was also inspired by the trellis my husband gave me for a Christmas gift.  Best gift ever, by the way!

Here’s how things progressed throughout the summer:

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I have marveled at the many delicate aspects of my hummingbird garden….the fine tendrils, not to mention the blossoms of the passion flower, the beautiful swirl of the moonflower bud and it’s subsequent bloom that prefers the dark, the very center of the hibiscus with its intricate stamen and stigma, the ever so small flower of the candy corn plant, dragonfly wings, the fine silk on the milkweed seeds, tiny frogs no bigger than my thumbnail nestled into leaves and yes, the tiny hummingbirds that dive bomb me, their wings a literal blur as they feed.  All of it has fascinated and delighted me.

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What I didn’t expect was butterflies and although the hummingbirds have mostly been camera shy this year, the butterflies don’t seem to mind the sound of my shutter.

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Is there anything more delicate that those legs and antenna?

 

Although the Monarch has eluded me, I have caterpillars happily munching on milkweed leaves in my home so stay tuned for what I hope will be a post about them in the future.

It could be I have a bit of an obsession with this.

And I obviously am incapable of posting just one picture in response to this weekly photo challenge!

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