Princess Crafts-A-Lot

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T15:40:00.000-05:00

I know-- I have been MIA most of 2011.

I had a bunch of things to deal with in my personal life.

Ian and I are having a baby! I'm 28 weeks along, due March 27, 2012. We know she's a little girl-- Lorelai Aurora Lynn Gallagher. Every doctor's visit I have, the doctor points out how active the little princess is. She's a mover and a shaker. I started feeling her move around week 22-- on November 12th.

Here's little Lorelai curled up in a ball shape. I do this all the time (well, did before I grew a big tummy...) When I saw this image in the ultrasound, I heart just about burst. She's a little me :)

In other exciting news, one of my older sisters is also pregnant. We are both due the same day! She is having a boy, naming him Nicholas James. I'm excited to play with both babies!

I wish I could say I have been busy crafting up a storm for the little ones but in reality, I have been too worn out to sew a stitch. I am starting to feel a bit more energectic, though slower and with more aches and pains. I am hoping I start with the crafting soon... I miss it and have a laundry list of things to make.

Let me know if you know of any must-haves I can make my sweet little one or for my sister. This is my first and my sister's second.

Bet You Miss Us Too!

2011-08-12T20:30:00.000-04:00

A girl I work with is leaving on maternity leave soon. Mom and I got together and made her a cute little card to tell her we'd be thinking of her while she is out. I think it looks adorable. Mom stamped the image and colored the baby. we also did paper piecing to make the little purple sleeper.

Too cute.

The caption says: "We'll miss you... Bet you miss us, too!"

I love babies.

Domo Kun! Softie

2011-07-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

I made my first sewn softie this week for a swap on Swap-bot.com.

I found a tutorial on Cut Out and Keep that I liked for the general idea of the little guy. I made him with a faux fur remnant I bought at JoAnn's. I have never used faux fur before but have used materials that shed such as terry and minky. This was by far the messiest material I have sewn to date. The end effect bascially was a Domo-in-need-of-a-Haircut. He's cute and about to devour my soup... oh no!!
I liked him-- just wish I had used Ami eyes and not buttons. Aside from that, job well done :)

Swap-bot - Fun with Mug Rugs!

2011-06-22T21:12:00.001-04:00

I joined Swap-bot.a few weeks ago and am having SO much fun!

I am hosting a swap right now (my fourth, actually). I found this super-awesome tutorial on making a Color Block Mug Rug on Sew Fantastic. This swap is senders choice on the style so you don't have to use this particular tutorial to join.

I have never made a mug rug before. TO be honest, I haven't really done too much quilting either.I am always scared that once I piece the top, I will ruin all my hard work somehow and don't get into the actual QUILTING part. I think doing a mug rug (or a mini quilt) will be a good jump in the right direction.

Please come join in if you are interested. You can sign up until July 16th and should mail out your rug by August 16th. You you aren't already a member of Swap-bot, you should join! Swap-bot seems a little intimating at first but it is really easy to use!

If enough people are interested, I want to make this a mug rug series on the site.
Other theme ideas: pennants/banners, home sweet home, woodlands, whimsical, color-specific, modern, with a pocket, humorous, medieval, food, words ..... I'll have to brainstorm some more. Let me know if you have any suggestions too!

Ahoy, Maties

2011-05-24T23:20:00.000-04:00

Don't worry-- I haven't abandoned ship!
I have been out there, crafting, and .... I cut my hair! Dyed it too. I haven't had dark hair since I was in high school. I'm a natural blonde but I've always fancied myself a red head.
Look see--

Here is a preview of my latest Scrapbook Challenge entry. I need to take a picture of the finished product. I just took this one to get an idea of the spacing before I glued.

Kiwi's Blogger Follower Swap #5

2011-04-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

Welcome, my fellow Swap-bot-ers :)

Wondering what Swap-bot is? Come check it out!
Swap-bot is a community for people that love giving and receiving mail (be is snail mail or emails).
(From Swap-bot's main page)
"Do you like sending and receiving snail mail? Do you like writing letters, making crafts, or putting together fun packages? You should try swapping! Swap-bot is a online service that organizes group swaps and a community of creative individuals. Swap-bot takes the hassle out of participating in group swaps by organizing all of the participant information and doing all of the partner assignments. On Swap-bot, you can host swaps, join swaps, and chat with other swappers from all over the world. Give it a try!"

Mini Ami Octopi

2011-04-15T23:14:00.002-04:00

Super Cute!
I made a few of these little critters over the weekend. These two have taken up residence on my sister's desk at work. I love how customizable that they are. I played around a little with the eye type and size as well as the accent pieces. I am not sure which I prefer. I do know that I need to bust out all my plastic safety eyes to size and label them. They are all over the place now and I never know if I am using the pattern recommended eyes.

As for the pattern itself-- it was very easy. I have already recommended it someone that wants to make her first Ami. Basically, you make a ball, stopping close to the end to add eyes and a hair jewel. Close up the ball. Next, you make a ring of stitches and chain out like spokes. There is very very very little seaming which can be frustrating to new crochet artists. In this pattern, the tentacles are all made together-- you just join the bottom of the ball to the top flat area of the tentacle ring. The curly legs are so cute and allow you to even entangle them if you want to.

My sister also found out that the little guys are stack-able! I should have taken a picture in hindsight but she had 5 stacked on her desk and they were very stable.

Ian Art with Photoshop

2011-04-10T22:38:00.001-04:00

Tonight, I tried my hand at making some Word Art using a photo I had of my boyfriend, Ian, and a tutorial I found at the psdtop blo g. It was certainly interesting to try. I have seen a few How-Tos across the web, though I haven't really seen any for non-Adobe programs. To do it, I looked through my files to find a picture of a front-on face that had a good mix of light and dark. I chose this one of Ian because I knew it would annoy him!

I think when I do it again (and I will, with a better picture and more definite concept), I will follow the directions exactly as laid out rather than fiddling with the tutorial before executing it the correct way first. I always seem to do that-- try to "make it better" before I have actually done it the other way first. I had used 3 different shades of gray rather than just making the word usage smaller and less dense as the tutorial instructs. It wasn't until I was finished with my image that I could see the value of what they were trying to do with those directions.

Family Scrapbook Challenge #2 - The Monochromatic Page

2011-03-31T18:43:00.001-04:00

Here are the entries for Challenge # 2 - The Monochromatic Page. The rules were pretty simple. I wrote down 12 different colors and put them in a cup. Each contestant pulled out two colors. The goal was to create one page using only one color. Thinking that this would be maybe too big of a challenge,
I gave the option of making one 12x12 page in a solo color or a two page spread using the two colors they pulled.

I pulled red which I do not use very often so that was a pretty big challenge for me. Red seemed obvious for a romantic page. I made my first shaker box for the challenge down there on the right inside the heart. I also crocheted a few hearts for the page-- pulling in one of my other crafty sides. All in all I liked how it turned out.

My sister Colleen won for the week with her black on black layout. I was jealous of the colors she pulled-- black or white. She made an awesome page. It was simple but she used alot of different textures to make it pop.

What is on the horizon for Challenge #3? Col set up a holiday theme. More on that as the judging comes to a close!

Family Scrapbook Challege #1 - Same Picture and Some Ribbon

2011-03-24T23:48:00.000-04:00

My youngest sister, Maureen, came up with a terrific idea a few weeks ago. There are 6 people that scrapbook in my immediate family but we often do not make the time to craft like we should. Maureen already participates in online scrapbook challenges and really enjoys them. She finds they encourage her to craft and try new things. Well, don't we all want that?

My family agreed to host challenges. The rules:
1. Participation is volunteary from challege to challgne. We understnad sometimes we can be too busy to play.
2. The previous winner dictates the rules of the upcoming challnge
3. The family agrees on the time length (so far, it has been a standard 2 weeks)
4. The previous week's winner chooses who will be the judge for the pending challenge

Clearly we are not stringent people-- we're just looking to have some fun, try something outside of our norm, and do a little more scrapbooking along the way.

Maureen chose the requirements for our first challenge. The requirements-- You must use the picture below somehow and ~~use a~~t least a bit of ribbon on the page.

I'll introduce you to my sisters since I have the picture right here : ) I an the blond on the top left. Next to me is my little sister, Maureen. On the couch is my sister Caitlin and her new puppy Lulu. Cait is 18 months older than me. Colleen is the oldest of my siblings there in blue. Directly behind us are some of mom's papercrafting books and magazines. Did I mention the whole family is crafty?

Moving on...

Here is my entry to Challenge #1:

I cut up the picture along with two other shots of us from the same day. The ribbon is mingled in with the paper punched borders that I used as "ruffles". There are 2 pieces of ribbon-- orange ric-rac at the top and the purple with white stitching strip there at the top of the bottom section. The quote is Dolly Parton. You would be surprised how hard it was to find a quote that involved rainbows and anything having to do with family, sisters, or friendship.

Excellent news, readers-- I won! I was really honored and had a ton of fun working on it. My prize? I got to set up the next challenge! This week, I have been working on my entry for Scrapbook Challenge #2- The Monochromatic Page. More on the rules next week. I want to wait for the judging so I can post my entry and a picture of the winning page with the requirements all together.

Homemade Peppermint Patties

2011-03-22T22:15:00.001-04:00

YUM!

I found this recipe for Homemade Peppermint Patties and I have to say-- they are amazing! They melt in your mouth, which is delightful. I made them with milk chocolate, not the traditional dark chocolate... mainly because I didn't have any dark in the house and was too lazy to go out and get the right stuff.

I brought them into work for our St. Patty's day celebration and got rave reviews. Since I didn't have the recipe with me for my co-workers, I wrote up a variation to the steps. I have posted them here below... and who knows, if you make them, my explanations may be helpful. For the complete recipe, please see In Between Laundry. I did not want to re-print her work without permission!

Directions: Makes @ 100 patties, dependent on size

In a bowl, combine the potatoes, butter, peppermint, and powdered sugar and mix well (I used an electric beater). Add more sugar if your mixture is loose--it should feel like a tacky cookie dough. (I ended up using almost exactly 3 pounds.)

Lay wax paper down over a few cookie sheets (for easy cleanup later). Scoop teaspoonfuls of the dough and shape into patties. (The easiest way to do this is to scoop with an ice cream scoop or two spoons since it will be a little sticky. Once you have the whole cookie sheet covered, go back and pat them flat with your hands. The balls will lose their tackiness as you are scooping out the rest of the tray, making them easier to shape.) Refrigerate for a few hours so you can handle them to add the chocolate.

Melt the chocolates with the oil and dip the chilled patties, covering completely. This step takes some practice since the dough balls can melt with the hot chocolate. The best method I found was chocolate-ing the bottoms of each patty with a knife and going back once the sheet is done to cover the tops with chocolate. There are probably better methods out there, but I am a novice at baking. Chill until set.

Yum! Give it a try-- they are tooooo tasty!

Beginner's Bias Tape Bag (by Prudent Baby)

2011-03-06T23:58:00.001-05:00

I came across this super cute bag on Prudent Baby's website this week. Check it our for yourself-- I highly recommend it.

This pattern was amazingly amazing-- quick to work up and simple to understand. I also now feel like bias tape isn't as scary as I was feeling before. I made three of these bags this weekend. The tutorial shows how to make the smaller bag on the bottom that I have done in green and orange. It works up to be the size of a small handbag, using 2 fat quarters and 50 inches (or less) of bias tape. It fits my sunglasses, wallet, camera, phone, and chap stick easily. Jaime also recommends using a photocopier to enlarge the pattern to make a larger bag. I enlarged it to 200%. It took two yards of fabric and approximately 95 inches of bias tape.

After finishing the larger green-toned bag on the top, I ran out to the fabric store full of inspiration. I was invited to a baby shower for my good friend and her husband (also a good friend). I always have a secret giggle watching men struggling with carrying a diaper bag or holding their wives' purse. I was thinking it would be great to make a reversible bag for Kim and Jim-- pink for her and Superman for him. Kim is having a boy (her second) which means she is surrounded by super heros and blue all the time. The girl needs a good shot of pink in her life-- and I am just the pink-lover to give it to her.

Here is how it came out! This is going to be my new go-to baby shower gift, I think. After all, it is the parents that are carrying the bag, not the kids. They should be something they want to have under their arm!

My one disappointment is that with it being reversible, I was unable to add any pockets. If I had more time, I would have made some organizers that they could use on the inside of either (so probably in neutrals like black or white). Regardless, they loved the bag and I was happy to give it to them!

The Linders Skirt

2011-03-02T23:46:00.000-05:00

Here is the fruits of my labor the other weekend. I spent a good amount oftime refashioning sweaters and things and I made this skirt!

A co-worker had given me the cotton fabrics after he had discovered a bag of scraps in her basement. I think she said she made curtains a few years ago. Anyways, her nickname at work is Linderes-- thus the skirt name.

I have been rapidly loosing weight all year so I do not have clothing that fits me to use as a sizing template for the underskirt so I had to improvise. I took a pair of jeans I had been wearing this week and cut around the waist and hip areas. I eye-balled the basic length I was going for and figured I could hem it if it ended up too long. I cut out two pieces (a front and back) and added a little to the top for the elastic casing.

This project made me realize how much I need a serger, by the way. Those ruffles were a nightmare but I can't help myself- I love ruffles. So as a next step, I went about sewing my ruffles. After making piles and piles of them, I attached the ruffles starting from the bottom hem and working my way up. I originally was trying to go for straight even lines but abandoned that idea once I had three rows up and loved the variation when you made them wavy.

Anyway, take the ruffles up to as high as you want them to go. I made mine a little high I think. My hips are looking a little wide there. Anyways, once you have a height you like, sew in your elastic and volia, done!

Refashion Weekend

2011-02-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I have been spending my free time refashioning some of my too-big clothes. I made this little teaser graphic for you to enjoy. I will have pictures of the finished products, references to tutorials online if they are out there, and maybe a tutorial or two from me.

Let's see how it goes!

Pattern Review: Pieces of My Heart

2011-02-14T23:27:00.000-05:00

I used Melissa Mall's Pieces of My Heart crochet pattern to make this pink and green pillow, modeled by my boyfriend, Ian. See, he even showed us that the pillow is fully-functioning!

Thank you, sweetheart.

As far as patterns go, this one was quick and easy. The heart is made up of three parts, two half circles and a square, all seamed together. The sides are just straight lines of single crochet that you seam to the sides of the two hearts. You stuff the heart with Fiberfil, not a pillow form so it is up to you to make the pillow shaping work.

Love the Art Work, Hun!

2011-02-14T23:02:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to give you a little peek of how the canvas I made for my sweetie looks on our bedroom wall. He came home and noticed it right away, bless his heart. I am an awkward present-giver so I went ahead and had it on the wall before he even came home. No unwrapping-- easy peasy. AND it gave me an excuse to hang up the mini canvases we made as presents for each other a few years ago. The idea was we made a canvas about ourselves and a canvas about each other.

Valentine's Day Canvas Tutorial

2011-02-13T22:03:00.001-05:00

A couple of notes for advice:
1. Use card stock if you are going to make your own stencils. That will help you avoid bleeding. Also, try to match the card stock near/close to the color you are painting with. The edges of my letters dried into the paint. I used sharp-edged tweezers to remove these little paper pieces but had I used white paper, this would not have been a noticeable issue.
2. I stippled my painting to avoid obsessing over perfect paint coverage. I made a nice mix of red, white, and pink which works well for the look I was going for.
3. I used my Gypsy to meld together the letters in the words that I made larger for emphasis. That made it alot easier to lay out the letters and make it work.

How I Spent my Winter Vacation

2011-02-07T21:01:00.002-05:00

So, things were happening too fast and too furious during the Christmas season in December for me to be a very effective blogger. What that means now is I keep thinking about all of the cute projects and presents I gave away without a peep on the blog (or in some cases without even a photo snapped for prosperity).

You see here, I crocheted the little tree using a Lion Brand pattern available on their site. I made the people-shaped crayons in the upper right using veggie spray, a silicon muffin tin, and broken crayons from the dollar store. Next down on the left, I made cute little wristlets for all the ladies in my life. The one shown there I made for my boyfriend's brother's girlfriend, Erin. She loved it, which was very rewarding.

Below that, I made 11 new stockings for all of the newer members of my family that didn't have one yet at my mom's house. It was great to have a stocking for everyone-- they turned out really cute AND I made it off the top of my head with no formal pattern. All the nephews, brother-in-laws, and girlfriends now have an important piece of Christmas at mom's. She has always made our stockings when we were children herself so I know it really meant alot to her to have the handmade holiday decor.

On the right in the middle is a gift card monster. I made a couple of these cute little guys to hold gift cards for my 3 nephews and a present for a co-worker. I thought that it would be a cute side present in addition to the gift cards. I'm not usually one for giving gift cards as a present but all of their mom's kept saying that they didn't need anything right away so... gift cards for when they do!

Moving to the bottom row on the left, I made a viking hat for Lucas (my youngest nephew) using crochet again. I made it from my own head without a pattern-- it still needs some work. It turned out a little short for his skull. It can be really hard to make something for someone when you don't have accurate measurements! I wanted to surprise his mama and daddy so I didn't want to obviously size him while I was working on the hat. This is the result of that (lol). Oh well, imperfect makes it homemade!

And finally, the bottom right picture is of my boyfriend, Ian, in a Charlie Brown scarf. To my disappointment, I have not seen him wearing it outside of our house, but that isn't too suprising. He isn't really a scarf-wearer. So why did I make it then? The idea just came to me suddenly-- He loves Charlie Brown and while looking at a chevron pattern for a blanket, I thought of how great this scarf would look. I love it, anyway, and that is what is important. I also sewed him slippers with Charlie Brown fleece to wear around the house. They turned out cute. He wears those much more than the scarf so win on that front.

And there you have it, a few more of the projects I worked on. There are still a number of other projects I tackled in December that I haven't shared. Maybe I'll get around to it soon :-)

As Promised-- Photos!

2011-02-04T22:41:00.000-05:00

I *finally* got the camera situation under control! Also, I bought Photoshop!! I used to have it back in college but that was many versions ago. Ian bought me a laptop for Christmas so I have a new machine and new new Photoshop.

As promised, here are the pictures from the two purses I made as presents last week.

As I had mentioned before, I used the Buttercup purse pattern by Rae. The black, white, and grey purse with the sunken zipper was made for my boyfriend's mother (as a Pollyanna Christmas present). I gave it to her at Christmas part 4 this past Sunday. She loved it and so did our cousins and aunt. I see some more purse-making in my future.

The orange lined glitter-fest I made for my friend Sam. She was super-great to me two weekends ago when I really needed a friend and she totally deserves a surprise. I hope she likes it.

Camera Woes

2011-01-27T19:58:00.000-05:00

After all of the crazy craft rush towards Christmas, I took a few weeks off from creating.

This week I am back in the saddle again! I made two cute purses using the Buttercup Bag pattern that I found online (for free!)

My camera is being stupid so I cannot post pictures yet-- but I will.
I will, however, describe them here.

The first bag is made with a nylon sequin fabric in teal and black-- sparkly and so cute! The bag has a bright orange lining and a magnetic closure. I made that bag for my friend Sam. This weekend past she really took care of me and I wanted to make something for her to show how much I appreciated it.

The second bag I made with black, white, and grey dotted fabrics (3 different patterns). I used a sunken zipper modification on the pattern and sewed the handle into the top seam between the lining and the exterior. This bag I made for my boyfriend's mom. It is her Christmas Pollyanna gift. In his family, Christmas happens 3 times a year with different sections of the family. This Sunday is the 3rd Christmas this season at his grandmother's in Maryland. I hope she likes it. His mom isn't really frivolous (like me) so it was really hard to figure out what to make/get her.

Pictures pending, I promise.

SAVE 2011

2011-01-13T00:14:00.002-05:00

Time for my annual S.A.V.E. scrapbook retreat.

Don't miss me too much while I am gone. I'll be back and posting on Monday!

Pay It Forward!

2011-01-03T23:37:00.001-05:00

The Fabric Addict started the New Year out with a fantastic idea incorporating the Pay It Forward mentality. I am hoping to take part in this over the next couple of months! Leave a comment here and blog about this awesome idea, too.

"Pay It Forward" is the idea that random acts of kindness are given without expecting anything in return. It's passing on a kindness hoping that your recipients will do the same, forming a never-ending chain of goodwill-- that's what this is all about. As a bonus, this is also a great way to connect with our fellow crafters, to network, and to share our enjoyment of crafting instead of just keeping it to ourselves or where only friends and family get to see it.

Here is how Pay It Forward works in Blogland: Make a comment on this post. The first three people who comment will receive a handmade gift from me within the next few months! I will be contacting you for your mailing address so please make sure you post that in your comment too or make sure your blogger profile has your email address listed. The first three people that comment will post this same idea on their own blogs and commit to making a gift for the first three people who comment on their post and so on and so forth.

So, in short, the first three people to comment here will get something handmade by me (providing they also make a Pay it Forward post on their own blog). I'll be reading your blog to figure out what to make you and to make sure that you have posted about your Pay it Forward!

Tutorial: Button Monogram Art

2011-01-03T23:20:00.000-05:00

I apologize it has taken quite so long to get this tutorial posted! As I know I have mentioned a time or two—it has been a busy couple on months.

Anyway, here goes!

Tutorial: Button Monogram Art

Materials:

Canvas or frame
Piece of scrap fabric
50-200 buttons of the same color (give or take, considering your project size and the size of your buttons)
Needle and Thread to match the button color
Staple gun with staples
Initial template (hand drawn or printed from a computer)
Embrodery hoop
Straight pins

1. 1. First figure out what size frame or canvas you are trying to cover. Add an inch all around to allow for overlap and attaching at the end.

2. 2. Once you have your size figured out, sketch up the initial you want to recreate. You can freehand a template or print out a font on the computer.

3. 3. To actually start working, take your piece of fabric and stretch it out over an embroidery hoop.

4. 4. Pin your monogram onto the center of your stretched fabric.

5. 5. Now, bust out your button collection! There was two ways to go about laying out your buttons to the monogram. Way one: take out your button collection and lay out all of your buttons over a second paper copy of the initial template to see where and how to affix your embellishments. I did this with my first uppercase letter. It worked out well—I took a digital photo of the layout before moving any buttons so as to preserve my hard work. Way two: wing it! That is the approach that I took for the lowercase letter.

6. 6. Starting with larger sized buttons, take a needle and thread and attach buttons thru the initial template. Don’t worry; you can cut the paper away later.

7. 7. Once you have your main, base buttons attached, cut away the paper. If you wait to do this later on after the small buttons are sewn are, it is much harder to remove the paper cleanly. (You can wait, though if you want. I did for the first monogram!)

8. 8. If you did decide to keep the paper on thru to the small size buttons, take small scissors and start clipping away the paper that you are able to reach. To make it easier, remove the fabric from the hoop. Please be CAREFUL not to cut any threads you have in and around the paper.

9. 9. Remove your fabric from the hoop (if you haven’t already). Lay the piece face down on a counter. If you used buttons with back loop shanks, you may want to lay the piece down on a slightly padded surface. Lay your canvas or frame over top your fabric, centered. Take your fabric at the top and fold it over the back of the frame. Place one staple in the top center. Fold the bottom of the fabric over the back. Pull taught and place a staple in the bottom center of the fabric. Repeat steps for the left and right side of the canvas. Starting at the top again, pull your fabric taught along the edge, placing a few staples along the way.

10. 10. If there is any extra bulk fabric on the back, trim around the staples so the back of the artwork can lay flat against the wall.

11. 11. Hang up—and done!

A Christmas Plushie (Results!)

2011-01-02T02:35:00.003-05:00

Remember how I was making a mini-dad for Christmas?
Well, what do you think? I think it turned out pretty cute. This is my first ever plushie and I think I learned some things about construction while creating it.

It is important to think about how you are going to seam the whole figure together BEFORE actually constructing any of the pieces. I also spent a good deal of time logic-ing out the front and back designs-- the template I created was for only the front of the figure.

Well, anyway. What do you think?

Congratulations, Caitlin and James!

2011-01-01T23:58:00.000-05:00

Last night was my sister Caitlin's wedding. It was great fun-- I did a lot of special projects for her special day that have been taking me away from posting new items on the blog.

Now with it done and Christmas over, I will have more time to devote to the site! More later on all of my crafty presents I gave and received in 2010.

Happy New Year, friends!

The Annabelle Apron

2010-12-20T00:16:00.000-05:00

Our corporate office has a Christmas party every year with a theme. Last year, we had a Wild West Christmas, complete with a mechanical bull. This year, it was the Food Network. To go with the theme, we had an apron contest. Contestants were to create or decorate an apron and model it (and your story if you have one) at the party.

I have never made an apron before, but I thought that I would take a stab at it (while still making too many crafts as Christmas gifts:-) ) I went looking for a cute pattern online that would show off my new svelte figure. I am officially down 141 pounds-- check me out!

This is the Annabelle Apron by Hoffman Fabrics. I fell in love with the picture posted with the pattern so I thought I would take a stab at it. The pattern was really easy to follow-- and I LOVE the results.

I won 3rd place and a $50.00 American Express gift card. Not too bad... and even better, I felt very pretty. The pink, love, black and white are right up my alley. Add a tiara everything would be perfect!

A Christmas Plushie

2010-12-11T12:55:00.000-05:00

So, Christmas gifts for my father can sometimes be difficult. Not that he is difficult but he never lets on to what he wants or needs. Usually, I get him some dress shirts for work, maybe a superman t-shirt, and a gift card to Home Depot. There is ALWAYS something to fix at my parents house, it seems, and dad gets a thrill out of fixing things for free (well, free for him anyways).

I was in Home Depot looking at light bulbs and happened across a cute little apron gift card holder. Perfect! So for Christmas, I am looking make a mini Dad and put the apron with his gift card on the plushie. It is my first plushie so I started off drawing out a cartoon likeness of him.(That's Dad with my nephew Dylan.)

What do you think? Not bad!

I'll keep you posted on how it works out.I am hoping for good things-- this is my most brilliant Christmas present idea yet this year!

My First Special Order

2010-12-08T13:38:00.000-05:00

As you know, we had a craft fair last week to benefit a family in need this holiday season. I made a ton of crafts for the even. Really, I wanted it to be successful and I had no idea what would and would not sell at something like this. I attend craft fairs sometimes but I guess I never pay attention to what interests people-- I mainly go to ooh and ahh and pick up a few treats.

One thing I found is that people largely viewed my little crochet dolls as pet toys (lol). I sold quite a few to people that were saying their dog or cat would be excited. I hadn't thought of that and wished I had made a few more with animal safety in mind (not using small parts, etc.)

A woman that I normally only smile at in the hallway asked me to make a special treat for her puppy. He was going in for surgery this past monday and she thought he would love a set of my bunnies, in blue and without the small details. I went home and whipped them up post haste-- and here you see them before you. My first special order from a paying customer!

I wish I had been able to be more elaborate with them but I aim to please so simple the are.

I hope the puppy likes them and gets well soon! Sick animals make me so sad.

Halloween Block Swap

2010-12-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

I never told you how it went!

This past Halloween, I participated in my first every quilt block swap. It was a ton of fun!!

I really enjoyed picking out my fabrics, making the blocks, and the wild variety of the other 11 members of the swap. There was a terrific variety of theme, skills used, fabrics, and craftmanship. One of the things that really impressed me is that the fabrics all really fit together so well.

I think I will frame each square in purple to make my quilt? We'll have to see. I will definitely get it completed by next October (even if I am quilting it over the summer!)...

I have nothing but positive things to say about the swap organized by Aunt Pitty Pat. Really well done-- and they should be. She seems to host them all the time! Practice makes perfect, my friend.

If you are looking for a sewing or quilting swap, go check out her blog. Some good stuff out there!

Oh, What a Relief It Is

2010-12-03T23:47:00.000-05:00

So you may be wondering "Where has Shanny been all month!?" I have been crafting, my friends! Alot has taken place since I was last able to write. In short (and I will post more about my adventures at length over the next couple weeks), I was working on my sister's bridal shower, bachelorette party, craft sale for our Adopt-A-Family project at work, a few special orders (!!!), making a playing card game, sewing Halloween costumes, a tote swap, a Halloween quilt square swap, a Christmas ornament swap, a Christmas present swap, baby shower presents... and helping prepare for my sister's New Year's Eve wedding.

To start, here I am setting up for one of our craft sale days in the office. It was alot of fun but WAY too much work, I must say. It is really hard to keep a group of 50+ people engaged and interested in participating in something. I made a bunch of the crafts seen here so that has been taking up much of my time. We did pretty well -- $458.00 from 3 days of sales. The proceeds go towards buying Christmas presents for a family from inside our company that is in need.

Busy Busy Busy

2010-11-15T21:49:00.000-05:00

At work, I am organizing a crafts and baked goods sale to raise money for the family we adopt every Christmas.

As many of us have experienced, getting people excited about participating in department events is EXHAUSTING! I have been doing everything I can to craft a top of items and to be constantly talking about the sale and what people can do to help. I think my co-workers want to gag me...

Anyway, here is a little close-up of what I have been working on. There are quite a few items missing but you get the idea.

Enjoy!

I thought October was about fun, not stress!

2010-10-27T22:53:00.000-04:00

I thought October was about fun, not stress! Little did I know, my friends.

I have a bunch of crafty things I have completed and in the works that I want to share with you but no real free time to post about it! I have even been skipping my lunch hour at work because I have so much going on.

Anyways, I can't resist posting a few pictures. I'll explain everything later!

Halloween Tote Swap

2010-10-05T22:09:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is a better look at the halloween tote I was making for the swap at Aunt Pitty Pat's.

I also added in some cute extras for my swap partner, Melinda. I bought the stamp at Joann's, the mini sign at Michael's, and the fabrics on Ebay! The little ghost was made with acrylic yarn, fiberfil, and a pattern on the Lion Brand website found here.

I hope she liked it!

Now I am spending my time working on making the spiderweb Halloween swap blocks, also for Aunt Pitty Pat's swap. I have several pieces joined but only two blocks actually completed. My goal is to have it in the mail by monday October 11th, at the latest. That means I am going to have to hunker down and concentrate-- not always my strongest trait.

Another project on my burner are four squares I am testing for Donna at SmoothFox. Even though I already had a bunch of work to do, I couldn't resist volunteering to test these patterns. They are different from my usual fair and a great opportunity to bust out some pink yarn to make additions to the Pink Square Project.

Muted Pumpkin, Traditional

2010-09-28T19:37:00.000-04:00

I made another pumpkin for the Itsy Bitsy Spider CAL. This one is more traditional, smaller. I really like how the muted tones turned out in this one.

I have been trying to think of something creative I can do to decorate a pumpkin for the "fashion contest" that is coming up on Itsy's site... but I am hitting a road block. I just really like classic, unadorned pumpkins. I keep going to the orange yarns rather than the pinks, yellows, and blues. I like the different pumpkins that have been added to the Pumpkin Patch on Flickr...

I like the idea of making Cinderella's carriage. Maybe I work on that! Afterall, who better to make a pumpkin fit for a princess than a princess herself!?!

Wonky Pumpkin, Traditional.

2010-09-21T00:01:00.000-04:00

I finally squirreled away some time to work on my first pumpkin for the Itsy Bitsy Spider Crochet Along going on. Well, actually and to be honest-- I have been trying to start for a while I am having a hard time finding orange yarn that I like for the project. I came up with the Mango yarn pictured here out of my extensive stash... but other oranges have been escaping me. The pumpkin took a skein and a half, which I hadn't anticipated... That is just want happens when you use bulky yarn in ami-making.

I am looking for ways to modify the pattern now that I have made one basically as directed in the instructions. I did take a little liberty in the shaping of this one. I made the sections off-center to make the pumpkin shaping more realistic. It was a nice, simple, fun pattern to work on.

I am excited to see what I can make out of it. Itsy is having a "Fashion Show" where the top pumpkin makers will get a prize. This should be fun!

R is for Results

2010-09-20T11:15:00.000-04:00

I have been seeing these button canvas art pieces all over the internet recently and I wanted to try and make on for my black and white wall. I purchased a canvas art piece at a local discount store with the intentions of reusing the framework, not the art it came with. Yikes! To be honest, I am not sure who the previous piece appealed to-- it was internet catch phrases (such as ttfn, lol, j/k) in 2 inch letters repeated across as 10 x10 canvas.

Anyway, to make my "R" monogrammed Button Art, I first surfed thru my vast font collection. I made the mistake of asking my boyfriend for his opinion, and was directed to a very very plain font face:Lucida Bright. Please do not get me wrong. I do love this font but it is really much more plain than I had been aiming for. Ian is not one for flourishes so this isn't really a surprising turn of events.

After picking my font, sizing it to fit properly on the canvas (in this case 8.5 inches tall), and printing it, I started into sorting my buttons. Oh! I do love buttons. I sorted my whites into 5 general size categories. From there, I put my fabric in an embroidery hoop, pinned the R printout on to the fabric directly, and started sewing buttons on directly thru the paper and fabric. I started where the R legs and belly meet on the underside for no other reason than I thought it would be good to start as center as possible.

Once the buttons are secure, cut/tear away the paper. Stretch and staple the fabric onto the canvas framework and enjoy your beautiful buttons on display.

I plan on making a smaller, lower case R in reverse colors this week. I'll be sure to take step by step pictures to flesh out this tutorial and add it to the tutorial pages on the right hand side there.

ROYGBV Awesome

2010-09-15T23:09:00.000-04:00

ROYGBV!

I sometimes test patterns for Donna over at SmoothFox Original Crochet Patterns. This pattern is called Fox's Nonagon Blanket. I wasn't sure about testing it, honestly, as it was my first continuous blanket-- and it is a circle. Usually, I work in squares that I seam togehter, which Fox designs quite often.

As soon as I saw the pattern, I thought of two differnt color schemes. I went with the ROYGBV for two reaons-- 1. Easy to do. I was able to use colors I already had in my stash (aside from red, which I had to take a trip to Michael's to get). and 2. I wanted to make it for my friend who is pregnant, due in April. She doesn't know if she is having a boy or girl yet (too early to tell) so I didn't want to go with a gender-indicating color scheme.

Next time I make this, I think I will try to go for the gradient look. Start with a dark navy blue and end in an almost white-blue. The trick for that would be finding them all in the same yarn line/style. That can be a challenge...

Entry Hall Art, Part 2

2010-09-14T22:20:00.000-04:00

Progress!

Today I hung up a few elements that I had already prepared for the entry way. There should be a long shelf above the back rose cut out (Home Goods. You have to love Home Goods), but the weight of the shelf was too much for the nails I was using. I guess I need to install it with some screws? I have never hung shelves before so I am just not sure. I will Google it later! Google rarely fails me.

I am on the fence about the fabric circle I have going on in the lower middle section. I am going to wait until everything is hung before I make a final decision on it, of course, but as it stands now the circle just looks out of place. I do have a small canvas that could go there if I decide to change my mind.

I do love options.

Entry Hall Art, Part 1

2010-09-13T22:25:00.001-04:00

We bought our house 2 years ago this past May. I love the house-- it was in great condition, good price and location, plus it is big enough that we have room to spare, even if we were to have an addition to the family.

One thing that has driven me crazy from the first month we moved in is our total and complete lack of art on the walls. It seriously makes me feel like I am living is a college dorm and not as a home owner.

After some creative negotiating, my boyfriend has agreed to give over to me a wall in the house. The deal was that I would keep it all black and white strictly. This is a pretty huge step for him considering he is a bit of a opinionated control freak that has a hard time identifying what he likes in a concise manner.

Exhibit A—pictured here, you see the mapped out wall of my future DIY fun. More projects to follow!

Walkin' in the Spider Webs...

2010-09-09T23:54:00.001-04:00

I have immersed myself in Halloween fabrics... and I have to say that it is a ton of fun.

I am working on making my squares for Aunt Pitty Pat's swa p due October 18th. I chose "spiderwebs" as my theme for the project, which I think was a little adventurous of me as I didn't really have a plan when I suggested it. Here is what I have come up with so far on the left.... What do you think? I still have to add the corners in white to the web but otherwise... not super web-like, right? I thought the wonky strips would add to making them look like webs but now I am not so sure. How about you? Any quilters out there with some suggestions?

I need to make 12 of these blocks. I will be sending out my tote this weekend-- just working on my "extra surprise" for the package before it goes along its merry way. I hope my swap partner is happy! I'm pretty pleased with how everything has turned out. I am half tempted to keep it myself. Instead, maybe I'll make a Christmas one for me? Or a pink patchwork tote? That would be yummy too : )

Umber and a Swapper-tunity

2010-09-08T15:00:00.003-04:00

Meet Umber.

This was my first foray into brushed crochet. I am not sure I got her to be as fluffy as I wanted but all in all, I think the project turned out pretty darn cute. You can access the pattern here if you are interested. There is even a great video that explains how to brush the piece to make it hairy. I used regular old 4-ply acrylic for this little lady. Of course, Umber is in my go-to shades of pink. In case you are wondering, I think I still have at least 10 more skeins of various pink colors in my craft room. I like to have a variety and I cannot resist a sale—they simply call my name!

I started collecting shades of pink for the pink squares afghan I started making last year as part of a swap. I still haven’t finished it, mind you. At some point over the winter, I got a little bored with always having pink yarn in my bag so I decided to take a little break from it.

Which brings me to my second point—would anyone like to make and trade crochet projects with me? I would love to add more variety to my afghan by having someone else make a few pink squares for me. I would be delighted to make you whatever you wanted—squares or wrist warmers or ornaments or scarves or a puppy or anything! We can work out our own mini swap.

Let me know if you are interested!!

Home Ec Lesson 5: Supplies Roll Up

2010-09-05T23:34:00.000-04:00

In this class, we made a Supplies Roll Up, otherwise known as "Why I love my walking foot!". We covered creating sections, working with thicker material (and needle), installing an adjustable strap, and (for me at least) sewing stretchy materials.

I used a PUL fabric that is iridescent and beautiful... and also stretchy and annoying. After ripping out my 3rd seam, I realized this would be the perfect use for my walking foot. After that, it was a cake walk. All and all I would say this took me 2 hours including my mistakes so if/when I make another, I expect it to take 1-1.5 hours tops.

I also used this cute pink bunny fabric that I bought on Etsy a few months ago. I didn't realize that the pattern would end up sideways until after I had cut the fabric and hemmed the edges. I don't mind so much but now I know for future reference.

I sized this one to be for my crochet hooks and scissors as I crochet most often when I am on the go. Crochet is so transportable which is one of the reasons I love it so.

Home Ec Lesson 4: The Reuseable Grocery Bag

2010-09-05T17:47:00.001-04:00

This project was sort of a 2 for 1 deal for me. I joined a swap that is due September 20th wherein I am exchanging Halloween themed tote bags. At the same time, the fourth lesson in class is bag making... so I altered the ideas in the lesson today to suit my needs. I'm trying not to show you the whole bag here as I want it to be a surprise for my swap-mate still.

In this class, we learned about making a larger bag, sewing fabric straps, and strong 'x' joints.I, personally, added lining to my bag and some stitching/embellishments to the front. I'm not a expert embroidery artist by any stretch of the imagination, so I kept it simple. I also decided to make the bag a patchwork of a bunch of the Halloween fabrics I recently started acquiring.

As we all know, E-Bay is a bad, dirty, dirty habit. Before I realized what I was doing I was the winner of 7 different Halloween fabric auctions. On the positive side, I ended up with a bunch of cute patterns I haven't seen in my local stores AND paid equal or less than what I would if I did find them around here.

I'll post full-shot pictures of the bag once I send it along it's merry way in the mail. That shouldn't be too long from now. I sure am glad I got it done, though. Deadlines make me cranky!

Home Ec Lesson 3: Round Bunting

2010-09-05T00:36:00.000-04:00

Holiday weekends make for good crafting time.

Today's lesson was the round bunting. I used fabric for the fronts of the circles and felt for the backing and the letters. I did the letters free-scissor... and I think they turned out really well. Lucky for me, my nephew's name is mainly straight lines. (Please pardon the backdrop. My crafting space is slightly overrun these days.)

The skills learned were making and sewing fabric circles, using tin foil to press edges, using a pattern piece to cut fabric, and machine applique. I knew some of these techniques already but I don't mind. It really worked out to be a cute easy project.

As I was making it, all I could think about was what other clever things I can do with this idea. I could make happy birthday signs, congratulations.... all sorts of things.

Home Ec Lesson 2: The Drawsting Gift Bag

2010-09-02T22:25:00.000-04:00

I finished lesson 2 tonight!! I made a bag to hold my presents for my sister's bridal shower that I'm still planning. Well, at least that part is done in time!

The class description says: "Instead of wrapping a gift with paper, create this pretty drawstring gift pouch that acts as a bonus gift and reusable bag! You'll learn how to create a gift pouch.. also great for business owners packaging products and making a great
impression!" Very practical-- I like the idea of using the bag for gifts. I have always been against wrapping paper because it seems like such a waste but I do like the fun and excitement of the colored coverings.

The lessons in this class covered making a bag, joining 2 fabrics, drawstring casing, square corners, strong slit. I learned more than I expected to in the second class. Now that I have completed one, I am confident I can easily adjust the bag for whatever size I want and crank one out quickly. My first one took maybe an hour total. My next, I believe, will take half that time.

I am truely glad I joined Home Ec. The Q & A with the teachers was well worth the $60 class fee, not to mention the patterns and tutorials where I am making super cute items that I have been interested in for a while. Today's lesson (if you are up to date, which I am not) was making a leather and canvas bag. Love it! We learned how to make custom fabric drawers for cubbies and using baby clothes to create stuffed animals. I'm in love.

Pumpkin Patch Crochet Along

2010-09-02T20:31:00.000-04:00

Hop on over to the Itsy Bitsy Spider and join in the pumpkin CAL.

I am really excited to get started. Karla put an extra special twist on the project too-- At the end of the crochet-along, she going to have a contest. Bloggers will have the opportunity to nominate their favorite pumpkins for a little pumpkin patch "fashion show," and the winner will take home a mystery prize.

I am off to brainstorm on my fashion edits to the pattern. Hm... I wonder what I should do.

Home Ec Lesson 1 - Cloth Napkins

2010-08-31T23:15:00.000-04:00

I finally had a few moments to get some sewing in, thank goodness. I joined an online Home Ec class that is focused on sewing skills last month and since have had no time to ever try to get any of the assignments accomplished.

Here are double-sided Christmas napkins with ric-rac trim along the edges. I wish I had gone with a brighter color for the trim-- maybe the light green? I did pretty good with inserting the ribbon along the edge. Truly, that was the skill I was hoping to learn in this lesson.

My next lesson is making a cloth drawstring gift bag. This will teach me about making a bag with drawstring casing, which I have no experience with.

I wanted to get started on that lesson tonight but my 4 year old nephew demanded an audience for his hockey playing. I was a willing crowd, mind you, but that did limit my crafting time.

We'll see what tomorrow holds. I am supposed to be going to Hersey Park with some co-workers and my sister so sewing may be waiting until Thursday.
Either way, I am excited to learn new things.

Excited to Get Started!

2010-08-29T13:09:00.000-04:00

I have finally squirreled away some time to start working on my Home Ec assignments

First up -- cloth napkins, a gift pouch, and (if I have time today) a tote/grocery bag

Winged into my Life

2010-08-24T22:43:00.001-04:00

Look what arrived this week!

I would like to you all to meet Oliver Owl. He was sent to me by Sara at Bouncing Off of Yarn Walls as a part of Itsy Bitsy Spider's Great Owl Crochet Along. See? He is a BIBLIOPHILE, like me. And check out the amazing wing detail there. Perfect!

Thanks to Sara and Itsy for a wonderful swap experience.

What WAS on my Hook- Update

2010-08-20T23:36:00.000-04:00

My sister is a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding in November. For the bridal shower, they are planning a kitchen (red and black) theme. Its is really sweet, actually. Apparently she has always wanted a black and red kitchen-- so her girls are making sure she gets it. Cait asked me to make a red and black hot pad like the ones I had made her and my sisters earlier this year. It took a little time to find black cotton yarn but I did and... ta da! Done in one night.

I finished the Rose Purse I was crocheting last week. Now comes the tricky part-- felting. I like that the directions basically say "wash in hot water with a few other garments for friction." Something tells me it will be harder than just that. Any advice?

And I made this a while ago for a friend and co-worker and forgot to post it. Basically, I made it as a part of an inside joke so he can keep smiling while he is stressed out at work. Gene is a character, let me tell you. If you are interested in making your own Happy Poo, follow this link to the pattern.

Halloween Swaps

2010-08-18T22:17:00.000-04:00

I just joined two swaps. If you sew or quilt-- come on over and sign up too!
Both are Halloween themed swaps (but there is an open Christmas swap going on there as well, if you are interested).
Halloween Tote Bag Swap (Due September 24th)
Halloween Block Swap (Due Oct 18th)

For the block swap, I signed up for a Spider Web focus. I was thinking Wonky Spider Webs.
I am trying to find a pattern for a block that keeps the web in the center.
Anyone seen that before?

I have some time before they are due but I like to work ahead when I can. ^_^

Special thanks to Pam In Texas for sharing the link for these swaps-- Pretty cool!

New Digs

2010-08-15T23:36:00.000-04:00

I re-designed the layout here-- I used to be really into HTML back in high school but I have definitely gotten out of practice. My next post marks my 100th, so look forward to a giveaway this week! You must be a follower to win so sign up, friends!!

I grouped all of my tutorials together in an link on the right hand side there for easier locating. I admit, I always look at a blog's tutorial and most resent posts when I'm surfing. It is always so interesting to see what new, creative ideas people have.

Tell me what you think-- any improvements I can make?

Crafter's Link Party!

2010-08-14T22:37:00.000-04:00

I wanted to try something new.
I would love to see what you are working on! Let's have a link party for crafter's.

Link party rules:
-Link to the actual post, and not your blog main page.
-Comment on one other link in the party.
-Please, link us to something you made or even a tutorial you would like to share, not something you are selling or an unrelated post on another topic.

Testing, Testing... All about Pink

2010-08-13T13:34:00.000-04:00

I've been working on making pink squares for my pink afghan for quite some time. Here are a few more (discounting the purple/teal/white square on the left). In order of appearance here, they are a fillet heart from the book Crochet Blocks in a Box, Fox's Scrapity Scrap - Pretty Buds, Fox's Mulberry Bush, and Fox's Geometric Square. This weekend, I will have to lay out all of my blocks and take a picture of my progress. Something tells me that I actually have enough for more than one afghan now.

We shall see.

Happy Christmas in August!

2010-08-13T13:07:00.000-04:00

I participated in an international Christmas in July swap over at Craftaholics Anonymous. As it was international, it took a little bit for my present to arrive... but it has and it is adorable!

Conninelle from Italy sent me the sweetest pink rabbit that she made herself. So great! Check out her site to see some of her other amazing work. She is a wonder with a needle and thread.

I feel so special now! Yay, Christmas!

Brown's Back in Town

2010-08-13T11:01:00.000-04:00

I have been neating up my crafting room recently and I happened upon some brown fuzzy yarn that I had totally forgotten about. With bunnies on the brain, I knew exactly what I wanted to whip up. A Dust Bunny! It would probably make more sense to use fuzzy gray yarn-- but whatever. I used a pattern I found on Lion Brand's site some time ago.

After I finished that up, I used the left over brown from the bunny's ears to make a bear. This was a new technique for Ami for me because you attach the legs as you go along. (Usually I attach them by sewing after each piece is complete.)This was so much faster, but a little less convenient. I had to pack stuffing in my traveling crochet bag. I usually save the stuff-and-assemble for when I am home so I can play around with the weights and devote some time concentrating on the project. So much of crochet is mindless :)

I have also learned now that I am looking at the pictures to upload my images before gifting my projects to people. It seems that with the dark brown colors, none of my images turned out. Yikes. Really, the bear was so cute with his bulbous hands/feet and cute little ears.

Google has Failed Me!

2010-08-11T22:50:00.002-04:00

So.... I want to join a Crochet Along or a Swap or a Sew Along or...something!

Where does one find these? Is there a master listing somewhere? I tried to Google it, but Google has failed me. I only found old CALs and some ones that you have to jump thru a million hoops to join.

If I started my own, would anyone be interested in signing on too?

Puff Balls with Eyes

2010-08-09T12:48:00.000-04:00

As some of you know, I volunteer for a local rabbit rescue. On July 4th, I was given a litter of Angora babies and their mama to raise until they are old enough to get spayed/neutered and put up for adoption.

Here they are, 11 days old. Only one had his eyes open when we brought them home. They were as small as little chipmunks.

I took this picture yesterday at breakfast. They have gotten so big! They are now 45 days old. Their hair is so long, I had to give the black baby (named Shadow) a little hair cut. I think I will give them all a trim tonight after work.

Here is a shot with mama bunny (named Brooklyn), so you can see how much more growing we are in store for. If you are interested in a sweet puff ball of your own and are local to Eastern Pennsylvania, Brooklyn went in for her spay surgery this past week and is available on PetFinder.com A bunny is a very rewarding pet. If you ever want some advice or to chat, feel free to message me. I am happy to help or troubleshoot behavior problems. I am by no means an expert but I have had a few rabbits in my day for frame of reference.

Per-Hops I Should Try Again?

2010-08-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

I am not great at figuring out the sizes of baby heads, apparently.

I wanted to make this adorable bunny hat using the pattern I found at Mama G's Big crafty Blog.The first one I made is on the left, in white. I used Red Heart yarn, which is a little too scratchy but I was more thinking of seeing what I came out with more than him actually wearing it. He was born in May, after all. I realize this is not his noggin' size by October... but I thought it would make a cute picture to put him in among my live bunnies ^_^

After my sister pointed out how hopelessly small the hat was (off by @ 3 inches, which is alot with a yarn that has no give and a baby head that is only 15 inches around.) So then I made the brown hat on the right. I added more (10) stitches to the ears and to the hat itself and used Caron Simply Soft, which has a little give and felt nice. This hat is (not surprisingly) too big. And by extending the ears while using a yarn with less body, they became super floppy and too heavy for the pattern. So I will try again!

I am sure Lucas can wear this hat eventually as his little head grows... I'll let you know if the ears prove to be the downfall.

All in all though, super cute pattern! I hold my yarn too tight. I am fairly sure that is where the sizing issue came from.I'm not sure there is anything I can do about that other than just be aware of it and add stitches as needed.

I'm still a beginner at crochet ^_^ but I do like it!

How Nerdy are You?

2010-08-02T18:06:00.001-04:00

So... you know how sometimes you can be just wandering along, minding your own business.... when suddenly something hits you square in the face that makes you realize you are even more nerdy than you originally suspected?

Not that I mind and not that I would ever deny being nerdy but wow-- I think I out did myself last week!

I have been looking online at these gorgeous handmade felt flower bouquets at Princess Lasertron. And though I am not even an engaged lady, I still would love love love to make a bouquet for myself (and hope like hell that my boyfriend of 9 years gets around to it eventually).

Something that you may not be aware of yet-- I am a button junkie. So, of course, my brain immediately started spinning wondering what buttons I would use in my bouquet. I want to hold something that makes me smile and think of the two of us while I am walking down the aisle.

ANYWAY....

Did you know that you can order the show-legal buttons from the Battlestar Galactica uniforms?!!??!?
This was, perhaps, the most exciting thing I heard all of July (and that is 31 days worth of hearing stuff, people!)

I am sure that you have guessed by now that I went and ordered a dozen of them.Hot dog, I'm excited!!

The company is in Canada and to save on shipping, I had them ship air mail. It only took a week and here they are!! Yay! I am a little sad they only had the Brushed Antique Gold in stock.I tried to buy a dozen of all four varieties (Antique Brushed Gold, Antique Brushed Silver, Brushed Gold, Brushed Silver) but that was sadly a no-go. Oh well! In any event-- on to look for more buttons!!

So how nerdy are you?

What's on your hook?

2010-07-27T22:47:00.000-04:00

Today, the yarn I ordered online came! I love getting packages in the mail-- it's like Christmas, only I paid for it and generally know what is inside...
I am pretty excited because I have been dying to try my hand at felting again.If you remember, I tried to make a felted candy corn bag back in October-- it didn't turn out quite right. One of my readers explained that I had probably used a wool-blend yarn. Well, this time I bought the 100% stuff so I hope all this itchiness in July pays off in the final product.

I found this cute pattern on Lion Brand's site last week called a felted rose handbag. Pretty darling-- I bought different colors though. The hot pink-and-red look doesn't really suit me. I purchased Ranch Red as the overall color and Scarlet as the accent in the rose petals.

So what's on your hook?

Sent: Christmas in July

2010-07-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

I would expect that by now, my swap-mates at Craftaholic's have received thier gifts.I didnt want to ruin the suprise by positing them too early but anyway--here are some pictures of what I sent out! I have patterns for most of what I sent out (Or I could write one if I don't). If anyone is interested, let me know.

I had a ton of fun making presents for this swap-- I love to swap!! If anyone hears of any other swaps coming up, please let me know. Getting and sending presents in the mail is the best.

I'll post a picture of what I recieved later tonight. I am still waiting on the international package to arrive from Italy.

Yay!

Christmas in July

2010-07-12T22:40:00.001-04:00

I participated in a Christmas in July swap this month. I found this cute little tree ornament to make for my swap partner. It was a quick work up and fun to make in the off-season. The tree is made in one piece with the star and the snow garland added after the tree is made and stuffed.

Enjoy, my friends... and make one yourself! It only took a half hour, before adding decorations.

Stick a Needle in me... I'm Done!

2010-07-12T11:06:00.001-04:00

I have been meaning to make a new pin cushion for myself as I have been doing more and more sewing. The idea to make a cactus pin cushion from crochet hit me several weeks ago so I set out to write up a pattern. Please let me know if you have any questions with the pattern I made. It is untested other than in my own wild-brained logic.

Enjoy!

To make a Mr. Cactus pin cushion:

You will need:
Brown Yarn (B)
Dark Green yarn (DG)
Light Green yarn (LG)
Polyfill stuffing
Crochet hook 3.5 (E)
Terra Cotta pot or other small pot

Base (Dirt):
In B, make a magic ring
Round 1: 10 sc in loop
Round 2: *1sc in first st, 2sc in next st* Repeat (*) 5 times
Round 3: *1sc in first 2st, 2sc in next st* Repeat (*) 5 times
Round 4: *1sc in first 3st, 2sc in next st* Repeat (*) 5 times
Round 5: *1sc in first 4st, 2sc in next st* Repeat (*) 5 times
Rounds 6 - 9: 1sc in each sc (30 total)
Round 10: *1sc in first 4st, sc2tog * Repeat (*) 5 times
Round 11: *1sc in first 3st, sc2tog * Repeat (*) 5 times
Stuff
Round 12: *1sc in first 2st, sc2tog * Repeat (*) 5 times
Round 13: *1sc in first 1st, sc2tog * Repeat (*) 5 times
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail

Trunk:
In LG, Make a magic ring
Round 1: 8 sc in loop
Round 2: *1sc in first st, 2sc in next st* Repeat (*) 4 times
Round 3: *1sc in first 2st, 2sc in next st* Repeat (*) 4 times
Rounds 4 –13: 1sc in each sc (16 total)
Stuff
Round 14: *1sc in first 2st, sc2tog * Repeat (*) 5 times
Round 15: *1sc in first 1st, sc2tog * Repeat (*) 5 times
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail

In DG, Chain 52. Verify length fits around entire cactus prior to cutting yarn
At chain 26, attach yarn with a slip stitch and chain 25 (6 times)
Sew chain cluster to cactus trunk, leaving space for branches

Branches (Make 2)
In LG, Make a magic ring
Round 1: 8 sc in loop
Rounds 2-4: 1sc in each sc
Stuff
Cut yarn, leaving long tail to join with trunk

In DG, chain 30 (Make 2) and leave them aside

In DG, sew length of 9 chains to each branch side (in quarters)

Sew branches to trunk, sew remaining lengths of chain to the ends of the branches where they meet the trunk

Sew cactus to the dirt patch.

Secure in pot with hot glue, tacky glue, or your favorite adhesive

Help a Shanny Out?

2010-07-07T12:12:00.001-04:00

Every year, my department at work holds a basket raffle. The proceeds go to our Adopt-A-Family fund. In December, we take the money we earned at various events and go shopping for a local family in need.
I usually make a basket on my own and also join at least one other team in making a basket (I like to give back, what can I say?).

This year, I was thinking this may be a good opportunity to de-stash my craft room considering how tight funds have been as of late and also the fact that I can barely walk around in there anymore. Would you mind taking a 3 question survey to help me figure out what theme the Craft Basket should have? I was thinking I'd throw in a little bit of everything but that doesn't sound like it would appeal to anyone but myself. Most people have one to three crafts they love and maybe a handful more that they dable in.

Take the survey, please?: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q88R6Q7

Starburst Hot Pads

2010-07-06T23:41:00.001-04:00

I started making these little beauties and couldn't seem to make myself stop

At first, they appear complicated but in truth-- they are quite easy to work up. They are actually five separate granny squares that are seamed together via the surrounding single crochet row. It seems that there isn't such a thing as a bad color combination with this pattern.
I got the pattern here if you would like to make some of your own. Just remember-- use natural materials (preferably cotton) in making them if you intend to use them as pot holders. They have to be able to stand up to the heat!

Beta Testing

2010-07-05T22:23:00.000-04:00

I was selected to test out SmoothFox's newest granny square pattern, Fox's Ripple Star Square, 12x12.

I had a good time working on the pattern was alot of fun. I really enjoyed how it worked up. I have never done a 12x12 pattern before. I think that I may have to make a few more in the future.

Take a few minutes and check out SmoothFox's site. There are a ton of patterns there-- afghans and squares for sale and for free.

Good stuff!

I Finished It!! -- But I Can't Show You :-(

2010-06-25T13:31:00.000-04:00

So... a tornado (the second one in my lifetime) ripped thru my town yesterday. Trees and telephone poles are all over my (normally) quiet and shady street. We are fine-- no worries there. Aside from being too hot, the only real damage we took was my boyfriend's car window was blown out by a falling tree limb. The interior was soaked and the window is totally gone but we are healthy and that is what is important.

This, of course, means that I cannot upload my pictures to my computer to show you my beautiful, finished steering wheel cover. I will, though. I promise! I will include the two sites where I found instructions to make one plus my own personal changes to the pattern. As you can see above, I made a pieced top of pinks and blacks to match my car named Hansel.

Almost Finished

2010-06-19T23:32:00.000-04:00

I have been working on projects for swaps that I joined--- so I can't post any of them until people get their gifts. I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone but I am getting really antsy.

This past week I gave my final presentation for to get my second Master's degree. This one is a Masters of the Arts in Strategic Leadership at Neumann University. This coming Wesnesday is my exit interview and I will have graduated again for the 4th time!

I am excited to get back all that time I have been spending on presentations, papers, and research for crafting fun. Oh, what luxury time can be...

Back from the Hideaway

2010-06-13T22:42:00.000-04:00

Just got back home from another cropper's weekend at the Hamburg Hideaway. It was a ton of fun, I hope to upload what I worked on when I was there... later. I am so tired now I can barely type. I rarely sleep at the crops-- too much stuff to work on!

Sometimes I Fear I Am Overzealous

2010-06-05T00:56:00.000-04:00

Cheers to the Great Owl Crochet Along!

It is not to late to join, people! If you want to be in the swap, you have to have your package in by June 30th. Trust me-- you have time. Each of these took me 2 hockey games to complete. :-) For "normal" people, you only have to crochet one to join the swap. Now I am trying to figure out what else I want to put in my swap package and get that puppy in the mail. Can you tell I am excited?

Christmas in July - Swap

2010-06-04T00:10:00.000-04:00

Fantastic! I joined the Christmas in July swap at Craftaholics Anonymous... and you should too!! all of the rules are explained there on the blog but in short--
1. Sign up by June 9
2. Create a handmade gift for the preson you are joined with (does not have to have a Christmas theme)
3. Postmark your present by June 30th

So easy! Come on and join too-- there is still time left and it will be so fun to get some snail mail crafties!

Dropwaist Skirts - Not so hard!

2010-05-29T23:13:00.000-04:00

Over the past two weeks, I took a class at the Viking Sewing club and learned how to make a tiered skirt and a dropwaist ruffled skirt. I then set out to make one for each of my sisters-- which sounds easy but was a bit challenging considering one was in her last month of pregnancy. Everything turned out really cute.

The basics are simple. First, you want to measure your waist. Cut your elastic to that size plus 4 inches. Cut your top fabric to your waist in length and 9 inches in width. Measure how long you want your skirt to be in total. Subtract 7 from that number and that is how wide you want your ruffle fabric to be. Leave that material as long as you can. You will end up piecing together two or three of these lengths to make the skirt in total. I used the gathering foot on my machine but there are other ruffling methods out there. After you create your ruffle and attach it to the top tier (or if you have the gathering foot, do both in the same step), you sew your bottom hem and sew in your waistband in a double folded fashion. I had each sister try on her skirt so I could cinch in the elastic before I finished the seams.

Land of Nod Floor Cushions

2010-05-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

Today I made 3 floor cushions for my nephews-- one for my sister's house done in black and white and two for my mother's house in Americana theme. Why three and not four you may ask? Well, my younger sister said that she does not have space for something like this for her son in her apartment, so I only made Christopher one cushion to use at Nana's.

I found the tutorial at Living with Punks blog. There Susan, the author, refers to her 3 children as "punks" which I find completely darling.

Well, here are my cushions. My 4 year old nephew Dylan was very excited to have a special seat of his own.... 8 month old Christopher... well, let's just say they make great teething toys too!

Owl Crochet-Along, Sign Up!!

2010-05-18T23:11:00.000-04:00

The Itsy Bitsy Spider is having a Crochet-Along (and optional owl swap) that is starting in June. If you sign up by May 30th, Karla will send you a copy of her owl pattern for free. (If you miss the cut off, you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry!)

Well what are you waiting for? Go ahead and sign up!

Hedgehogs on the Web

2010-05-17T23:02:00.010-04:00

I have been doing a little research on plushie and softie making today. I want to make a humanoid one for a surprise I am making for my boyfriend.

While searching for ideas, I came across some really cute hedgehog patterns/tutorials that I would like to share with you!

Ruffled Hedgehog tutorial at Matsutake
Also, Lickin Lollipops used the same tutorial with some cute patterned fabric-- Too cute!

Hamie the Hedgie at LollyChops (in teal, of course!)

Sammy at Warm Fuzzies

Pinecone Hedgehog at Kiddley

Pom-pom Hedgehog at Zakka Life

What to do?

2010-05-15T00:55:00.003-04:00

Looking for some suggestions-- my friend was remodeling his home and was pitching the scrap from the base boards and crown moldings. I snatched them up before he even knew what was happening (LOL). Any suggestions on what I can do with the pieces? I have some small ones and a few that are a pretty good size. I was going to cut one up and make a frame for the board I painted yesterday with magnetic paint but there is still a ton of material left here, people.

Google is failing me on inspiration! What do you think?

Recipe Swap!

2010-05-11T21:38:00.000-04:00

They are having a Recipe Swap at Craftaholics Anonymous, so I wanted to join in the fun. Here is one of my favorites!

Cheeseburger Soup - Adapted from Sparkpeople.com
(Yields 6 servings)

1-1/2 cup water
2 cups peeled cubed potatoes
2 carrots, grated
1 small onion chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
1 lb lean ground beef
2 1/2 cups fat free milk
3 tbsp flour
1/2 lb 2% milkfat cheese, cubed

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine water, potatoes, carrots, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and bouillon.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef; drain. Rinse with water and drain again.
Stir cooked beef and 1 1/4 cups milk into potato mixture and heat through.
Combine 1 1/4 cups milk with flour.
Stir until smooth. Stir into soup.
Bring to a low boil and cook stirring until thickened. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheese until melted.

Happy Birthday, Little Sister!

2010-05-04T22:51:00.002-04:00

I think that homemade gifts are the best kind-- don't you? I made her a case for her Nintendo DS and a little cupcake with flowers. I had the HARDEST time trying to attach a zipper to the case, though. It was my first experience with zippers. I clearly did not succeed.

Any advice? The problem I was having was once I sewed the zipper to both sides of the case, it didn't line up and wouldn't zipper. I took it off and reattached it three times. After the third removal, I added a velcro tab closure and called it a day.

Baby Gear for a Phillies Fan

2010-05-04T22:40:00.003-04:00

You may remember that I was making Flyers baby gear for my sister's shower. Well, one of her several pregnant friends at her shower last week spent some time ohhing and ahhing at my creations. My sister asked me to make her some Phillies gear for their baby girl, due a week after my niece/nephew in June. I was happy to comply, especially since I know how much she liked the originals :)

Here is how they turned out. What do you think? The one burp cloth I made out of a rally towel I got when one of the Phillies pitchers came to my office for a charity event a few weeks ago. Great recycling, I think. What does someone actually do with a rally towel after the game they received it at anyway?

The Finished Product

2010-04-27T23:42:00.004-04:00

I finished the play mat I was crocheting for my sister's first baby. I gave it to her this past weekend at the baby shower I threw for her at my mother's home. It was a great party and I am really glad she liked my gift so much.

I trimmed the blanket with two double crochet rows of green, white, and black in Lion Brand Homespun. If you would like patterns for any of the squares I made, just let me know. Most of them I found online :)

In my family, we are all about development. I made sure that this would give Baby D a leg up once he/she is born.

Congratulations, Col!

Penguins are OK as long as we aren't talkin' Hockey...

2010-04-18T20:05:00.004-04:00

For my little brother's 2 year anniversary with his girlfriend Sarah, he wanted to make her a present having something to do with penguins, her favorite thing.

I thought this was totally cute and sweet and offered any artistic assistance that I could. I had quite a few different ideas for the project-- glass, yarn, fabric, wood, resin, clay.... you know. Crafty stuff.

Anyways, he chose the most time consuming option in stained glass. Devin having never used a glass cutter, I took that task for myself. Aside from that aspect, I taught him how to work the grinder, fit a pattern, copper foil, and soder the entire piece.

He did a really good job. Start to finish, it only took 2 hours too. Not bad, little brother! Look, so proud. Sarah will love it. <3

Baby D Progress

2010-04-11T23:26:00.005-04:00

As you may remember, I have been working on squares for an activity throw for my sister's baby. I am making slow, but good progress.

This is the next square I will be working on. On top of the pattern is a skein of my inspiration yarn Premier Yarn's Serenity Garden - Gems. The pattern is one I have free from JoAnn Fabrics called Caron Simply Soft Multi-Petal Flower. I bet they have it on their website if you want to try it out too.

I have also been working on sewing her a few items. Here below, I have a Flyers Hockey wet bag with rubber sheeting lining the inside and a diaper changing pad with a pocket to hold a few diapers and a package of wipes. It was such a challenge to find any NHL fabric to use- believe me. That is actually knit material I have from the largest size men's pajama pants that I could find at Model's to use as fabric for the project. My idea is to make a few bibs, burp cloths, and other accessories for the baby. We all realize that my brother-in-law Ron will be the poor soul toting the diaper bag around anyways. Might as well make it something he likes!
The pattern for the diaper clutch is from Toad's Treasures. This was a great tutorial that I found that had some really great illustrations for someone just starting out with sewing. This was a quick project and I suggest you check it out so you can make a million yourself! The wet bag... unfortunately I do not remember where the idea came from (sorry!). I know I saw it somewhere online while I was looking for baby diaper bag accessories via Google but I didn't write down the site or really use any pattern. (Again, sorry!)

Springtime and Rainbows

2010-04-09T15:37:00.004-04:00

For Easter dinner, I made this delightful dessert for my family.

Rainbow Cupcakes!
I wanted to share the recipe with everyone because though it was really easy to do-- I had never heard of it before!. I basically used the recipe at Family Fun, but with a few minor edits.

First, you need a box of cake mix. I went with white cake mix because it is easiest to get the colors you want. You will also need Red Blue and Yellow liquid food coloring and cupcake papers. I added icing to mine, but you don't have to really.

Mix up the cake mix as directed and divide your batter into 6 different bowls with 6 different spoons. Add in food coloring until you get the tint desired. I had to use different combinations of the colors to get my rainbow than the recipe calls for-- I like mine vibrant!

Next, add the colors mix to the cupcake papers. I did this in ROYGBV order for authenticity, but you don't have to. One think to note, it was really hard to figure out "how much" I needed of each color in each cup. The lesson learned-- it could be a thin layer in the middle as long as the color reached out to the sides. It will all work out, trust me. Also, I made 18 cupcakes-- the recipe says to make 16. I think you could even make 20-24, depending on how much you fill the cups. I had some minor overflows on half my cakes so it is totally possible to make more.= without scrimping.

Next, bake as directed. That's it! Again, I made icing to top them off but you do not have to. If you do and you are planing to travel, I suggest icing them when you get there. The directions say to remove the cupcake papers for presentation-- I didn't. Personal choice.

These were a big hit and very fun to make. Just be sure to give yourself an extra 15-20 minutes prep-time for batter distribution.

Enjoy!

Jimbo's Front Porch : Winner!

2010-04-06T20:26:00.006-04:00

I am the very enthusiastic winner of one of Jimbo's hand carved beauties.

Here is Jimbo's description for the auction: Hook #1 I haven't made and Egg Hook for some time now but they're soooo comfortable for underhand grippers that I really should make lots more. The bulb fits in the palm of the hand, so the grip is pretty much by the ball of the thumb and the pinky, leaving the rest of the fingers to manipulate yarn is a very easy relaxed manner. This hook is a K (6.5mm), is made of Hard Maple and is 5 inches long (12.7cm). The largest diameter of bulb or egg shape is 1 1/4 inches or 3.2cm. A VERY comfortable hook for folk who are underhand (like you hold your toothbrush) grippers.

The hook arrived last week and it has been a dream. If you have never heard of Jimbo's Front Porch, you really must go visit his site. He makes beautiful hand carved hooks and auctions them off in his blog posts. All proceeds are going towards building a porch on his home. He has a great, poetic way about his writing which I enjoy. Also, if you are interested, he once posted a tutorial on how to carve your own hooks. I am in the process of trying to make one myself. I'll let you know of the progress after I get past the third step. Bark removal is really time consuming! With the weather getting better, though, I anticipate I will be able to spend more time outside where I don't have to fuss about the wood shavings getting all over the place.

Etsy Purchase!

2010-04-01T22:17:00.004-04:00

Please take a moment to view the beautiful Ms. Sophie. Isn't she gorgeous? I bought her on Etsy at Kate's Cache. Usually, I would try to make this little cutie myself but... I am still a beginner at knitting and am in no way ready to make something so complicated. I am still working on making flat pieces!

Anyway, Kate made this little sweetie custom for me. I wanted her because she is a adorable little bunny in a bathing suit. I started a new diet on St. Patrick's day two weeks ago. It is a completely liquid diet monitored by the hospital. To be honest, the actual diet has been pretty easy. The hardest part is the lack in variety. I wish there were more options! But I digress. I wanted the bunny in a bathing suit to keep at my desk at work (where I am the worst snacker ever) to remind me that I too will look super cute in a pink bathing suit this summer, as long as I stick to the plan.

13.6 pounds down... many more to go.

Thank you for my new bathing beauty, Kate. My mother named her Sophie. I think the name suits.

Scrapper's Giveaway!

2010-04-01T18:57:00.003-04:00

Taryn from the Hamburg Hideaway is launching a new site: Top Shelf Memories-- and she is having a great giveaway!

All you have to do to enter is to join her monthly mailing list to learn about new kits and products. This is a no-commitment club which means you have the freedom to pick and choose which kits you want to receive and if you want to participate that month. She will have two kits a month-- one feminine and one masculine. This one here is the boy themed one for April, which is right up my alley.

Bunny Bun Cover: Viking Club

2010-03-31T23:14:00.004-04:00

I bought a Viking sewing machine at my local Joann's just this past January. The company offers monthly skills classes that if you bought a machine, you can sign up for.

I was fortunate enough to attend the April class this past week. The projects were for basket liners.

Check out my handiwork! The bunny bun cover (typically seen as a hen whose wing you would lift to access the warm rolls inside the basked underneath) is too cute. I was really pleased with how it came out. The wonderful ladies at Viking were very patient. I appreciate all the extra time they gave me and my questions.

I am getting better at using my machine, which is exciting. This weekend, I will be making some baby items for my sister and a co-worker. More on that later!

Baby Blanket - Minor Progress

2010-03-15T23:38:00.002-04:00

As promised, here are the two squares I made and had mentioned earlier this month. The green above is my next square. I am having a hard time working out a crochet cable stitch.

Anyone have a pattern they can recommend with great texture for my new niece or nephew?

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

2010-03-06T13:16:00.003-05:00

... on a one week trip to San Fransisco!

See you in a week, friends!

My First Attempt at Quilting...

2010-03-04T22:24:00.006-05:00

I am trying to sew a wallet!

I found a tutorial at That Darn Kat for a project that looked fairly simple.

Altogether, it took me around 5 hours to complete, which I think was pretty good considering it was my first independent (non classroom) sewing project ever. It you are a total beginner, like me, it may not be the easiest tutorial to follow. I got a little tripped up at the section that made the credit card pockets as well as the simple direction to "assemble the pieced top". Lol. I had to make some guesses on that one. Great project, though. I definitely recommend!

It turned out pretty cute-- take a look!

A Pop of Primary

2010-02-25T13:18:00.008-05:00

Well,I finished the Pomp-a-Doodle square last night. That yarn was a ton of fun to work with. I will be keeping my eye out for a sale on Red Heart yarn again so I can get some more colors. I would love to have the Berries and Cream (pink tones) and Shoreline (blue tones) too. Very pretty. Very plush. I am sure Baby D will love the square once (s)he makes his/her appearance.

On to my next square! I choose Lion Brand Lion Suede in Scarlet for the next piece-- It's nice when you can do a little stash busting for a project, isn't it? I have never worked with this yarn either but I bought it on clearance ($1 a skein!) so I'm excited to see how it works up.
I decided to do a popcorn stitch with this block. I am hoping that it will mimic the fabric you typically see in baby blankets.

Hopefully I can find my camera charger soon so I can upload a picture of the two squares so far.

POPCORN SQUARE (7x7 inches)
Popcorn (PC): Work 4 dc in next sc, drop loop from hook, insert hook in first dc of 4-dc group, pickup dropped loop, and draw through st, pull tight; ch 1 to secure.

Using a K Hook Ch 19.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across
Row 2 (Popcorn Row): Ch 3, turn, skip first sc, PC in next sc, dc in next 3 sc, (PC in next sc, dc in next 3 sc) 3 times --- Row has 4 total Popcorn stitches
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in first 3 dc, sc in next PC, (sc in next 3 dc, sc in next PC)
Row 4: Ch 1, Sc in each sc across
Row 5-?: Repeat Rows 2-4 until your square measures 7 inches. Fasten off.

A Different Sort of Baby Afghan

2010-02-22T23:52:00.007-05:00

So one of my sisters is pregnant. This will be my third niece or nephew. Colleen and Ron do not what to know the sex of the baby -- and it is killing me! I want to make a pink pretty princess blanket for someone. So far I have two very sweet, handsome nephews that do not wear pink at all. Boo.

Anyway, so Colleen is rather particular about her likes and dislikes. She does not like all neutral colors, yellow, primary colors, or farm/zoo animals. This puts me in an odd position. She hasn't chosen a bedding set yet or registered for anything at all... and I need to get cracking on my baby projects.

So here is what I decided to do. Using the first picture as an inspiration for design and the yarn (Premier Yarns Serenity Garden - Gems) as my color inspiration, I am going to make a blanket Col can use as a play mat for the baby once they learn to push up and start to crawl. I am collecting together different tactile yarns and textured patterns.

Any suggestions? Tonight I am starting with making a single crochet square with Red Heart's Pomp-a-Doodle Plush Plum to pull out that lavender tone in the inspiration yarn.

I Just Gotta Rock...

2010-02-13T20:42:00.007-05:00

Surprise! My boyfriend actually gave me two days notice that we were going to see our friend to celebrate his birthday this weekend! I think that things are improving.

Our friend, Andrew, has two hobbies-- making beer with his fiancee Lauren and making music with his friends. Well, I already made Lauren a birthday beer, so I thought that I would take on making a guitar to gift to him. I tried to mimic his favorite guitar-- a custom made one that you see in the picture there. I didn't get the shape exactly right but I like to think of it as "stylized" and homemade.

I found a pattern that was close to what I was looking for at Crochet & Craft - The Thinkable and the Unthinkable. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the pattern with enough time to get the present made for Andrew's party. I used the picture she has posted as a general model and worked out from there. I did go ahead and buy the pattern on Etsy. It's so cute and I know that I'll want to make one for my nephews. Besides, I am interested to see where the differences are in our designs.

I Always Wanted to Knit!

2010-02-10T20:51:00.007-05:00

I am really so excited. I think I might have the skills to start searching the internet for beginner's knitting patterns.

I took a class at my local A. C. Moore this past Monday not quite sure what to expect. You see, I had already attended a beginner's knitting class earlier in 2009 at my local JoAnn's Fabrics and had left that class feeling dejected and lost. Unfortunately, I think the class size was too large and the teacher to inexperienced with actually teaching true beginners for the class to have been effective.

My teacher at A. C. Moore was Beth from Beth's Creative Notions on Etsy. We had a class of three-- a young girl of 10 years old, my mother, and myself. I definately prefer the smaller class sizes. That way I get individual attention and get to ask my questions without feeling like I am annoying anyone.

You can't really see it here but those are even stitches. I learned to cast on, knit, and purl. We talked about ribbing and how combining the basic stitches could make ribbing and things like that. She showed me how to change colors (just like crochet, really) and how to pick up a dropped stitch. I also saw casting off but i am definately going to need to Google that one again when it comes time.

I will be making a pink square for my pink breast cancer awareness afghan as soon as I am done experimenting with this one.

Happy Birthday, Ian

2010-02-09T23:14:00.010-05:00

Tomorrow (2/10) is my sweetheart's birthday. He is turning 27...

Have you ever noticed that all too often you make crafts and things for people but never for yourself? I always find that I am giving away my creations. Poor Ian gets the short end of this stick as well. All too often, he mentions that he likes this or that while I am making it for someone else and he never gets a handmade present.

Well, tomorrow I am going to right that wrong. I made a cute penguin in blue shades for my godson Aiden when he was born. I used a I hook to make it big enough for him to grasp and play with. Ian had mentioned that he thought the penguin was cute. He wanted one in black and white, though. He is a traditionalist-- not really one for outlandish color schemes. While he was in the mountians with his friends this weekend, I whiped him up one. The pattern is free from Lion Brand's site. He's a little shy but oh so cute. I think he will look great on Ian's desk at work. I hope he likes him.

And speaking of presents, I have a debt of gratitude to pay to my little brother. I had a doctor's appointment at Temple Hospital in Philadelphia. I hate to drive into the city but my brother, Devin, is quite comfortable. He goes to school there-- Drexel. Devin drove me to my appointment and waited for 3 hours while I waited to be seen and go thru a bunch of paper work. I really appreciated it. In thanks, I thought I would make him an orange crown, his favorite color. I made it similar to the one that I made for a baby but I made the crown wider. Unfortunately, it is a little too wide for me. Hopefully, it is not too wide on Devin-- his head is a little bit bigger than mine. Well, we shall see.

For a Little Prince

2010-02-06T14:35:00.007-05:00

So this week, I went to visit my sister at the restaurant where she works. She mentioned to me that there was a young lady there that doesn't have any family that is due in July. My heart goes out to her. I know how much my two sisters were depending on us (even if they didn't want to admit it) when they were single and pregnant. Imagine how scary it must be to think that you have a little one to provide for and no one to depend on for support.

The next morning, I went shopping for her friend's new baby boy. I love baby shopping. I fear that I may never be doing it for myself so every opportunity I get, I like to wander thru aisles of cute tiny outfits and toys. I bought 15 Carter's onsies in three sizes, three books (of course, one is bunny themed), infant toys, and a Bumbo in blue. The sweet girl hasn't even registered (possibly because she doesn't expect someone to throw a shower? How sad) so I guessed on the colors.

In addition to making a fun gift basket for my sister to surprise her with at work, I also wanted to make something little with my hands. I decided on this super cute baby crown. It only took an hour to whip up. I made it to be 16 inches around, the size of my 5 month old nephew (pictured here modeling the present for fit purposes).
I got the pattern here. Too cute! I am making one now for my nephew as his mama looked a little disappointed when I told her the crown was for her friend, not her. I'm thinking chocolate brown and baby blue?

I just hope that my pay it forward doesn't make the young lady feel weird. I just wanted to do something nice for a new mama.

Calling All Crochet Artists ^_^

2010-02-04T22:36:00.002-05:00

Interested in joining a granny square swap? I stumbled upon it while I was checking out the blog Strumpets Crumpets. There are some really cute things there so take a stop by!

I think that for this swap, I will do all of the same style squares. Time to break out the patterns again, people!

More information can be found at Hoot-N-Annie. Come on, sign up! I'd love to send you a square :o)

Share in our excitement!

2010-02-01T23:31:00.003-05:00

Nana made me (and herself) soup... and the bunnies recieved their just desserts!

Yummmmm Split pea and Ham is going to be so yummy tommorrow at work.

Q and A Giveaway - Fabrics?!?

2010-01-31T12:38:00.005-05:00

For Christmas, I recieved a great present -- two sewing machines! (LOL)
One is a Viking Emerald 203 and the other is the Mini Rex Cordless Sewing Machine. I actually did want them both, though I didn't expect to recieve them both at the same time.
So now I have one burning question-- Where do you buy your fabrics?!?! I want to buy some cute fabrics so I can start putting these puppies to work!

To enter this giveaway, please comment on this post with your favorite stores or sites to buy fabrics. You can increase your chance of winning by blogging or twitting about this giveaway on your own sites. Please post a seperate comment with a link to your post if you do!!
Giveaway is open until midnight on Sunday 2/7/10, EST. Winner will recieve a special suprise present from me. (Who doesn't love something cute in the mail?!?)

*Please include your email address in your comment or profile so I have a way to contact you. If I cannot contact you, I will have to pick a new winner*