Twin Cities Photo Scavenger Hunt

A couple of years ago I read in the New York Times about a photo scavenger hunt. Here's a snippet of the article.

ONE reason people visit New York is to catch a glimpse of things they'd never see in the average American city. Some such sights are mystifying, some charming, some jaw-dropping — and some are even legal.

This week, Weekend in New York offers a photo scavenger hunt, in which you (working alone or in a group) seek out scenes and objects intrinsically New York and capture them with your camera. The hunt could be the centerpiece of your weekend, but also could serve as just a way to enhance your downtime as you wander from restaurant to park to museum, observing the natives in their natural habitat.

Well, I loved the idea, and of course I love my city and think it has plenty to offer in terms of interesting "intrinsically" Twin Cities quirks. So last August I organized a Twin Cities Photo Scavenger Hunt. I decided to do it as a fundraiser for my favorite charity. I recruited teams of two, and asked for a suggested registration fee of $40 per team. I sent out a list of items to photograph, gave people two weeks, and then had a results party at my place.

For the party, I had everyone email me their photos. I wanted to do a slide show of sorts, but my technological savvy and equipment were not up to par, so I printed them all out at Walgreens and hung them all around the house. The top two highest scoring teams (teams were scored based on number of items found, with bonus points for quality, e.g. Best Mullet got an extra point, but everyone who photographed a mullet got 1 point) got fabulous prizes, and in the end I raised a couple hundred dollars for my charity and had a great time.

It's begun again this year. A couple of weeks ago I dug up all the printed photos from last year's party and wrote a "Save-the-Date for the 2nd Annual Twin Cities Photo Scavenger Hunt" note on the back, then mailed them out as postcards to all my friends. The Results Party is next Saturday. Here are some sample items from the Official Twin Cities Photo Scavenger Hunt List:

Category: The Recession

• A recession-themed advertisement - 1 point.
• Multiple “For Sale” signs on the same block - 1 point. (1 Bonus point for most “For Sale” signs)

Category: Very Minnesota

• A Minnesota team mascot (e.g. Goldy Gopher) - 1 point.
• A backyard bonfire - 1 point.

Category: Twin Cities Miscellany.

• Urban wildlife - 1 point. (1 bonus point for must unusual animal or animal caught in the most unusual pose)
• “Free” furniture left on a curb - 1 point.

I'll post some photos after the party next weekend.

Aunt Lola in San Francisco

Shae's sweater and I just returned from a visit to San Francisco, and I had the loveliest time. Shae's sweater didn't see the light of day too often, but I did spend an hour or two knitting at a coffee shop. I'm now working on the first sleeve.

I also met Seth and Ilana, who have made much more progress on their house lately, but since I've run out of money, there will probably not be many DIY home improvement projects on the blog for a while.

That's Seth on the far left, and Ilana is third from the right.

The Californians really enjoyed Kassie's Hashbrown Casserole. Ted and I hid in the kitchen and devoured all the leftovers while the others cleaned up.

Just for fun, here's the recipe.

Cassie's Hashbrown Casserole

1 lb breakfast sausage
2 T flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 lb frozen hashbrowns
1/2 onion (chopped) (optional)
1 container of fresh mushrooms (optional)
1 green pepper (optional)
2 cups cheddar cheese

Brown breakfast sausage. Add flour and milk. Bring to boil, let thicken, about 5 minutes.
Pour hashbrowns in a greased 9 x 13" pan. Mix in veggies (I used half a yellow onion and a container of mushrooms). Top with 1 cup cheese. Top with breakfast sausage mix. Top with remaining cup of cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Needle Holder

It's three months late, but I finally dug a tunnel through my craft room so I could get to my sewing machine and make Sarah's Christmas present. I got the idea in one of my Better Homes and Gardens magazines. She had borrowed my size 10 knitting needles last fall, so I bought a nice pair of bamboo needles and stitched up a holder for them using wide ribbon, thin cording, and a button. I haven't given it to her yet, but I think she'll like it!

Waylon the sweater model

Mollie sent me a picture of Waylon in the sweater I made for him. He should definitely look into being a professional model. There are more pictures of him in my sweater on Waylon's blog here, here, and here.

Notice that I've gone back and done more tags on old posts. Waylon gets the nieces and nephews tag. I'm his honorary Aunt Lola, and he's my honorary nephew.

Signs of Life

Today was beautiful. Spring is finally here. So I decided to walk to crafternoon at Mollie's. While I was waiting on the front step for Sarah to show up so we could walk together, I scanned the yard for signs of new spring growth. Instead, I found a sign of death. Yikes! It feels a little bit like a bad omen.

Mini-Brynn's sweater

In just a couple weeks, Cole and Brynn will have a baby sister. I expect her to look like a mini-Brynn. And she's going to have a sweater just like her cousin Ava's. Maybe not right away, but that's why it's a 9-month size. Here's my progress so far:





Notice the aluminum needles. I recommend them for smaller needle sizes. The tip of one of my bamboo size three needles got crushed in my yarn suitcase.

Dropped Yarn-Over Scarf

I am a daily reader of both craftzine.com and craftstylish.com, and a couple of months ago one of them linked to this site: http://mycraftastrophies.blogspot.com/2008/12/weekday-quickie.html. I was intrigued by this pretty, lacy-looking stitch, so I decided to give it a shot. I'm really happy with how quickly it knat and how lovely it turned out. "Craftastrophies" explains it about as well as it can be explained. Basically, here's what I did:

cast on desired amount of stitches.

Row 1: knit.

Row 2: k1,yo. Repeat to end.

Row 3: k1, drop yarn over stitch, k1, drop yarn over stitch, repeat to end.

Row 4: knit.

Row 5: k1, yo (wrapping yarn around two times this time). repeat to end.

Row 6: k1, drop two yarn over stitches, k1, drop two yarn over stitches, repeat to end.

Repeat rows 1-6 until scarf reaches desired length.

Its new owner is very pleased.

Alphabet Pillows: C & B

In December, Sarah and I went to the MCAD student art show and saw some alphabet-shaped pillows that were simply adorable. But being the crafty ladies we are, we decided to try to make our own, rather than buy the artist's version.

So just days before Christmas, we had a sewing day together. The idea was to make pillows for each of our neices and nephews in time for Christmas. Sarah needed to make a C for Christopher, an I for Isaiah, and a K for Keane. I needed a C for Cole, B for Brynn, A for Ava, and R for Reagan.

We were making it up as we went along, but I think we did okay. I started with the C, thinking it might be the easiest, since all of my other letters would need to have enclosed holes.

I used some tupperware container lids to trace nice round edges for my C. Then I cut a 3 inch strip of fabric for the sides and started sewing.







I was right that the enclosed holes would be tricky. Sarah and I came up with a few options that would be easier, such as placing a big button where the holes would be, or using a patch in the same fabric as the sides of the pillow. But I ended up going the hard route, because I could really picture little hands poking through those holes.

Another thing that was tricky about my B pillow was that I used one stretchy knit fabric and one more canvass-y one. Knit fabrics are kind of tough, especially mixed with canvass. But look how cute these fabrics are together!



Look at Sarah's finished I. Pretty cute!

It turned out I was right about the holes. It didn't take Brynn long to turn her B into a double bracelet. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to get the A and the R done before Christmas. I am going to see those two little munchkins on Valentine's Day, so I am setting that as my new deadline.

I think Cole and Brynn really liked their pillows. Or maybe they were just happy because I was letting them jump on the bed. Don't tell Grandma!

Sarah's Purse

Since I was reflecting on my birthday, here's a special birthday gift from Sarah. She knat me a purse, complete with an adorable lining, kiss clasp, and chain strap.

My friends clearly love it, and I get compliments on it everywhere I go!

Recovery

Several weeks ago I tried my hand at furniture recovering. Grandma Rita, the master bargain hunter, bought this chair at a garage sale for me when I was in college. Originally it was yellow houndstooth. The upholstery was stained, so she showed me what she had laying around to recover it with--a peach polyester and this blue and white striped canvass. I chose the stripes.

The chair has been in rough shape for a while. One of the springs under the seat was broken, and my guests were always shocked at how far they'd fall when they sat in the chair. But I've kept it all this time because I love the shape of it, and because it has special grandma love in it.

On my 30th birthday, one crazy dance move (not by me, although I was nearby when it happened) splashed red wine across my chair, rug, and roman blinds. I'd been meaning to recover the chair for a long time, and now it was a necessity.

After much fabric shopping and tough decision making, I bought a tan colored cordory-ish upholstory and got to work. But first, since Brynn and Jenn helped me pick out fabric, the three of us went to Caribou for coffee and hot cider. Jenn tells me Brynn has been asking when we can go for coffee with Aunt Lola again ever since.


But back to reupholstering. First I unscrewed the arms and legs, and then took care in ripping off the striped fabric, paying close attention to Grandma's methods. She had stapled the fabric underneath, and used hot glue to glue down the folds and seams. I hadn't bought any new batting for the seat, but what was there seemed to be in decent shape still. Attaching the new fabric required a fair amount of trial-and-error cutting, but eventually I got everything on the chair and looking nice. I even reattached the broken spring under the seat.





At that point it occurred to me that while I could attach the legs from the bottom, I had already covered the back access for attaching the arms. Oops! I was angry at myself for a while, because I really liked it with the arms, but I couldn't bear to rip off the fabric and start over. Plus, with all the hot glue, I wouldn't really have been able to use that fabric again, and I was not about to spend another $45. So here's the final product. I'm satisfied.









Just for Fun Addendum:


The day that picture of Brynn and I on the chair when it was striped was taken in March on a weekend when my parents were in town helping me stack the new washer and dryer and paint the stairs. Taking after her Aunt Lola, Brynn did a little craft project of her own. Stickers are fun!

Waylon's Sweater: Completed

After a nearly two-month blogging hiatus, I have plenty to post. First things first, I finished Waylon's sweater. And not a moment too soon! Look how big he's getting!

I made it in a 12-month size, which might not have been the smartest move, since he was born in August, but maybe he can get some late spring or early fall use out of it.

DIY Optimism

Calling all readers. Aunt Lola's in need of a new "hope" playlist. You may recall my Hope for 2008 CD from last winter. I need help coming up with Hope for 2008 Volume 2. What songs make you feel hopeful, or just glad to be alive? I gotta stop listening to depressing music!

Halloween Robot Costume

I went on a shopping spree at the Ax Man for my Halloween costume. I glued all kinds of fuses and wires to my arms with "spirit gum."

Nightmare on 45th Street

Tonight I woke up at 3:45 AM to the sound of an animal scratching around. I held still for a moment, trying to be sure I was hearing what I thought I was hearing. Perhaps the sound was coming from outside my window. I shook the bedspread vigorously, to test the theory. The noise paused. Darn. It was coming from inside the house. But maybe from inside the wall. I turned on the light. By this time the little varmint had started up again. I sat silently in the middle of the bed in the middle of the well-lit room. The sound didn't stop. It was coming from my closet. As I stared at the closet, watching for any slight rustle of clothes that would let me know whether this menace was inside the closet or inside the wall. I was not at all comforted by the fact that there is a two-foot square area of the wall in my closet that is a gaping hole covered by a sheet of corkboard, remnants of some long past plumbing job (the toilet is on the other side).

At that moment, a spider slides down a web from the ceiling just inches from my face. Before I can gasp, I've slapped it away with my hand. It lands on the floor and quickly hides under a shirt. Never again will clothes touch my floor. I had this rule when I was in high school and my room was in my parents' basement. It was instituted after I reached down to pick up a sweatshirt off the floor, and curled up all cozy in the folds was a dead mouse.

At this point, panicked at the intrusion of not one, but two very rude and icky houseguests, one of which was still scratching away industriously in the closet, I send Kate an urgent text: "Animal in house!" She immediately calls me from her mom's house in Rochester to talk me down. I'm not easily calmed by her assertion that it's probably just in the wall, since that means it has access to the basement and therefore the whole house.

Kate tells me I should close the closet doors and try to go back to sleep. I start trying to do just that, but these doors haven't been closed in quite some time, and offer a bit of resistance. I lean on the middle of the bi-fold to push them closed. The first one closes. I do the same for the second one, give it a little hip nudge, and holy mother of god my arm gets pinched in the crack. There's an immediate huge welt with a bright red line down the middle, and two piles of skin peeled back on either side.

I'm now awake in my bed, with both the overhead light and the lamp on, arm throbbing and unable to sleep for fear the critter will wake me up again. Plus I'm sick and I can't stop coughing anyway. This is not a good night.

Guess who made me sick this week?

A.

B.

C.

D. It doesn't matter. They were worth it.