So Crafty

I saw a picture similar to this in a magazine recently. The asking price? $60. I thought to myself, "That's ridiculous! I could make that." And so began my day of craftiness. First I had to find a large cone which is harder than it would seem. After searching in the (only) local craft store and the internet with no luck I remembered a craft my mom had done with a tomato cage. Right, like I'm going to find a tomato cage in October. Well, when in doubt head to Dan & Whit's, the country store in Norwich whose motto is: If We Don't Have It, You Don't Need It. The store is amazing. It's like Mary Poppins' bag where it looks tiny on the outside but is huge inside. I asked this kind man for tomato cages and he looked at me like, "ooookay, lady." But he just said, "right this way" and led me through this maze. Seriously, I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever be able to find my way out again! Sure enough, there they were, the perfectly sized and perfectly priced tomato cages. I bought six. Anyway, after some trial and error with lots of crumpled up paper and surprisingly minimal frustration, I came up with a pattern, actually sewed using my sewing machine and Ta! Da! Here is my creation. Isn't he cute? This one I'm donating to the school for a silent auction fundraiser. I'm curious to see how much money he'll fetch. And hey, I have 5 more tomato cages sitting in my dining room just waiting for a crafty makeover into cuteness!