Cold snap

Today's run:

• a few miles
• a few degrees
• a lot of layers
• a sunset

Onward with the weekend!

Winter run

There will be plenty of time later to grumble about tricky winter running conditions.

Today, my first snowy run of the season, was not that time. The miles felt like play. It was a wonderful combination of conditions: it was warm enough to skip wearing gloves, the sidewalks weren't icy yet, and the snow was dry enough so it wasn't piling up in my shoes under my heels - and I saw kids sledding and making snowmen.

I ran on a trail and followed the tracks of a human and dog who had traveled the same path just before I did:

I liked the scenery, too.

A cold snap is arriving soon, so I was very glad to get out for a run today.

Runners

Ha, ha. A different kind of runner than what I usually write about: table runners!

It all started at Halloween. Remember my proud, tall pumpkin?

I don't mean to be too gross, but in the interest of full disclosure, the pumpkins went downhill really fast - literally over the course of, like, 36 hours. I have no idea what happened, but it was disgusting.

I don't think his big old grin helped his structure. Anyway, I'd rather not ever think about that pumpkin again. The point is, I was in the mood for some new table decor after that fiasco, and I was intrigued by the idea of table runners.

I'll pause to apologize quickly to my mother, who has been a fan of table runners for many years. My siblings and I used to wonder why one would ever need a table runner, unless that person needed something to wear as a scarf or shawl. Mom! I'm sorry we poked fun at your runners!

Anyway, I got a couple of yards of fabric (thanks, Joann Fabric coupons!) and googled tips for making a table runner. I started with a gray chevron print, and I'm not sure why, because making the zigzag edges look even made this particular project harder than my first runner probably should have been. Really, it is mega-easy and the assembly took me about 20 minutes. I sewed two edges together, flipped it inside out (so the seam was inside the runner), and folded the short ends in about an inch and sewed them shut, too, before sewing a seam along all four edges to finish it. I didn't want the runner to hang over the table (though that seems to be how most look) so I kept the entire length just shorter than the table.

Here's how it turned out:

This link shows you how to do it without sewing at all. I was browsing that link when I got to page 2, when the author wrote, "Since I was planning to paint my table runner, I chose a thick white duck cloth, also known as sail cloth or canvas."

What? Paint a table runner? Duck cloth!?

I had been searching for a print fabric that incorporated that orange-red-purple combo of which I'm so fond - but now it turns out I could just paint my own runner! I got some small tubes of acrylic paint and a couple of sets of Martha Stewart stencils and got to work.

Stenciling is satisfying largely because of the moment just before you pull the stencil away to see how your work looks. See? You really want to know what's underneath the stencil! (I did, anyway.)

I tried a table runner with a random hodgepodge of designs on it.

For awhile, it wasn't quite working out. I like it now, but I think I might like more pattern or just less white space. It was definitely fun to practice using the different stencils and see what application techniques worked and which ones smudged.

Then, with half a yard left of duck cloth left, I decided to try a more regular pattern. Ready for the before and after for each one?

Red:

Orange:

Purple:

You get the idea. I should note that most of the stenciling was done with my faithful Canine Craft Loather by my side.

I should also note that the stenciled runner was not a super quick project. If you are stenciling designs in close proximity to other designs (like both of my runners), you have to let the paint dry or at least set before putting another stencil on it. I did most of the second runner on a leisurely weekend day, when I could swoop by the table and do 10 minutes of stenciling at a time, and then finished it up in little windows over the next few days.

Then I ironed the edges and sewed those down, and it was done!

I still have fabric for a gently holiday-themed runner that I'm planning to tackle soon. Stenciling a runner makes it a longer project, but if you're just working with plain old fabric, I learned that it's a quick, cost-effective way to change up and add some color to a room. (Next up: white duckcloth and more orange paint for University of Tennessee checkerboards!)

Marvelous Monday: Week 48

There are four more Mondays in 2013. Can you believe it?

This week's big news is that two of our friends will be welcoming a baby into the world sometime very soon, and Josh and I are so excited for them!

Here are five other nice tidbits to begin the week:

1) The weekend included a Tennessee football victory! There was some incredible college football on Saturday (Iron Bowl! A&M at Mizzou!), including a Tennessee win against Kentucky in UT's last game of the season. There will be no bowl game for the Volunteers this year, but the future is bright - and the SEC football storylines this year have been exciting, to say the least.

2) I took a class through Minneapolis Community Ed tonight with Sara on the art of Yule log-making! The Yule log (or Buche de Noel) is a French holiday dessert that's a layer of spongy cake covered in pastry cream and then rolled up and topped with ganache. We learned how to make the Buche de Noel but also picked up a bunch of other really helpful cooking tips from our teacher, who was great. He had lots of knowledge as well as a genuine and wonderful joy for cooking and teaching. I can't wait to try more cooking classes. (He teaches one on homemade puff pastry!)

3) Big, fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky today.

4) Over the weekend, I read in a magazine about a book on American house architecture that sounded great. The trouble was, later I couldn't remember which magazine and couldn't remember enough key words about the book to be very helpful. I googled "book about houses Real Simple magazine" and "book about houses Martha Stewart Living" before finding success with "book about houses Entertainment Weekly." It's A Field Guide to American Houses and I'm in line at the library for the first copy.

5) I'm having a good time thinking about what holiday decorations I'll try around the house this year. I have a hankering to revisit 2011's snowflake window!

What's sweet about the start of your week? Have you made a Yule log dessert before? Did you watch the Iron Bowl? And have you already decorated for the holidays, and if so, what's your favorite decoration?

Cookies (the first of many)

Yesterday a bunch of us (minus my dad, who is on the road for work) met at Mom and Dad's house to begin some holiday projects - including cookies!

The primary focus was on making cookies - we made sugar cookies and molasses ones - but by the time we left, the Christmas tree had also been decorated and a chainsaw had been used.

There was also enough time to start eating the cookies - and there were a lot of them.

Wish was there, too. He got to take a few laps off-leash outside in pursuit of his football and then spent most of the rest of the afternoon relaxing directly under the cookies (and trying on decorations). He loves this new place.

Hey! Help my family settle a debate. Would you rather have your cookies a little overdone or a little underdone? Would you like the dough in the oven for 8 minutes or 11? I think I was the only person cheering for the 11-minute batch in my family. What do you say?