"L" is for the way you look at me ...

That's it! I'm in love with my newest crocheted giraffes! How could you not be?!

 All this cuteness is almost too much to handle. It's almost a shame
I'll be mailing them out soon. Thankfully, I have enough yarn
to crank out a couple more. Both boys have been angry at me, because I wasn't allowing them to play with the giraffes.
What a mean Mommy I am. How dare I not let them play with toys. Curses!

Most people know I've been in a funk. It's a lot of the impending doom of Christmas. Which really, is an odd new feeling for me. Usually, I love this time of year.
I've also been struggling to find a sense of identity when it comes to the things that I make and sell. Any bum with a few dollars can do what I do, but I want the things I make to be mine. I want the pleasure of knowing that the stuff I create, came from the chocolate waterfall that makes my brain churn. I see the Etsy shops of people I know, and their things are AH-MAZING. I think

to myself, "I wish I could do that".
I CAN! I can do it.
I know I can. I've been lacking  self confidence. A good friend today told me, "chin up sweetie! the confidence is key... you'll find it."


Yesterday, I think I hit a turning point. I've been trying to brainstorm at any chance I get, to come up with a good idea of a thing or things I can sell in my Etsy shop year round. I don't think knit and crochet hats will fly in the dead heat of late July-Early August.
Amazingly, while doing the dishes, my muse woke from whatever nap she was taking, and threw 4 great ideas at me.
Got online and did a bit of research to see how many other people were making the things I'd come up with. Out of the four ideas, only one was being made by other people.
I really do with I could share these things with you right now, because they are pretty awesome ideas. For my own sake, I'm keeping these secret until I post them on Etsy. So, sit tight and keep your eyes peeled for some awesomeness!!

Since you took the time to read this blog post, I'm going to do something a  little special for you. During this month of December, I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop for 25% off everything.
You, being the dedicated reader you are, can take an extra 10% off!!  That's right. 35% off everything in the store. Just make sure you use the coupon BLOG35 at checkout.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Crafting!

It's a Hoot - Part deux!

Attempt #2 at making an owl ornament turned out my much better. It's closer to bulb size than the other grapefruit sized monster.

It's a Hoot

I wanted to crochet several Christmas ornaments. You know, for family members and a few other people. I got started one, and come to find out, my gauge was WAAAAAY off.

                                                     The first one came out nice, but....

                      ...It's HUGE! Here it is next to a roll of toilet paper. You get the idea of the magnitude
                        of this beast. Hopefully next time, it will come out closer to the intended size.

Well, That's all for now. Back to the grind stone!

Down With The Sickness

There's been a nasty cold going around, one in particular that's been floating around our house for the last couple of weeks. Yesterday, however, I came down with was apparently a 24-hour stomach flu.
                Today... I feel like i've been hit by a bus. It hurts to move, breathe, laugh, cough and think. I was foolish enough to think, "Hey, This would be a great time to get some work done, seeing as how I don't feel like doing anything that would require me to do much more than sitting". The boys went down for their afternoon nap, and I decided to make a 1 skein scarf for the craft fair. I'm about 95% done, the boys wake up from their nap, and I run off to the bathroom for no more than 2 minutes. I come back to the living room, and find that the boys had completely unraveled the scarf. 

Why? Why today? Why that scarf? I'm already so unbelievably behind on my work. I know this must seem so petty to complain about.

Ugh. I'm even annoying myself. Lol That can't be good. 


I need to stop setting unrealistic expectations for myself. It's like I subconsciously set myself up for failure. Why can't I just be happy being me? Why can't I just be happy ?

Off to watch Dancing With The Stars and do the dishes.
Talk you soon, My lovelies.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and TIME...

    Quick! Someone get some time! Figure out how to make the day about 6 hours longer!

Pfft. I wish.

I am swamped, trying to get ready for my craft fair. 9 days to go and I still have loads to do. Also, I suck at time management. A lot of my time is devoted to changing diapers, chasing after Rugrats and picking up all of their messes. I still have a list, chock full of stuff to make. My hands won't move fast enough!!
   I'm starting to wonder how other people with kids knit & crochet, and then put out these amazing pieces. Part of me was beginning to question my own abilities. Sometimes, I think it would just be easier for me to put all of this stuff on hiatus until the boys get a little older . I've toyed around with the idea, but I came to this conclusion: Knitting and crocheting is no longer something I just DO. It's who I am and, in a lot of ways, It's who I have always been. I've always loved making things, but no "hobby" ever stuck. If it wasn't for my boys, I wouldn't be doing what I do I owe it to them to keep on truckin' right?
     Recently, I just turned 30. I know it's one of those milestones that people dread. I've embraced it.  I'm at a place in my life I never imagined I would be. If somehow, You could track me down 10 years ago and tell me that at 30 I'd have 2 kids and spend my creative time knitting and crocheting, I probably would have laughed in your face.  
     
Where does time go, and why does it slip away so quickly? I was thinking about it yesterday.

I heard on the radio, they've given the green light to discontinue the distribution of the White Pages. Since people use the internet for practically everything these days, and we as consumers are trying to become "Green", it doesn't make sense to keep them cluttering our rapidly emptying bookshelves. I don't know about you, but I still use the White and Yellow Pages.
-I read the paper.
-I listen to talk radio.
-I lived in houses with land-lines and phones with cords.
-My parents STILL don't have Caller ID on their house phone (Craziness, right? )
-I miss back in the day when you could buy a toy, tear it open and start playing. Now, you have to sit there with scissors, a box cutter, a knife, 2 hammers, a screwdriver... and then 45 minutes later you're too tired to play.
- Every now & again, I miss the days before cell phone. As great and convenient as they are, they can be a total nuisance. There is a whole generation of people that have probably never used a phone with a twisty cord. There's also the lack of etiquette (Which I will be the first to admit, I'm guilty of usage of cell phone during dinner and conversation)  . Also. It's always with you. Mine is usually within reaching distance when I go to sleep, and when I wake up. It's become such a part of me, that I feel lost without it. That kind of dependency can't be good. 

                        I need a phone like this to give myself a bit of nostalgic therapy. It's also bulky enough to

double as a weapon against intruders.

What bits of nostalgia do you miss? 

( Big thanks to hopeandjoyhome for letting me use this great rotary phone pic. Check out their Etsy Shop for some really nifty vintage stuff! http://www.etsy.com/shop/hopeandjoyhome )

This is Halloween, This is Halloween... (Late, I know)

The eternal procrastinator. That's me. I am she.

Anyhoo, Here a few pictures from our Halloween evening.
(Note: There are no pics of the Hubz. He doesn't care for being in photos. I feel like such a dummy. I forgot to bring my camera that night, so all of our Halloween pics are on her camera. These are the few I shot on my phone)

We have Young Frankenstein here. He had been playing with the glow sticks, and just got busted! 

You're not as innocent as you look, Kiddo ;-)  

Where does Captain America feel the safest? Apparently, It's Nana's lap that is the place. He 

flat-out-refused to wear his mask. I guess he felt the need to reveal his true, messy head identity.

 I was sitting down on the floor, talking to my sister when she took this pic of me. I was just 

clowning around that night. I wish the shot was a little higher so you could see the tiny red bowler I crocheted.

 This is the really cool pumpkin my sister carved, 

Recognize him  :oD

This is the pumpkin I carved. Gross, Isn't it?! I love it!!! The Hubz found a picture of one of these 

last year right after Halloween. Wishing we had seen it earlier, he said "Let's remember to do this

next year."  Thankfully, He reminded me before I hacked it to bits.

❤

☠ Yaaaaarn, Matey ☠

Being Mom and working with yarn. It's what I do. Right now I have a plethora of projects in the works. Yes, a plethora. 

Took a second stab at crocheted fingerless gloves. The first one made, I was lovingly told it  "feels like I"m wearing a cast"  :/

So much for that one. Back to square one I went. Found a pattern on etsy. Suprisingly, it was a pattern that actually allowed the buyer of the pattern to sell the products made from that pattern. I just can't sell the pattern. Good deal to me.  I still have to make the second glove. I've made two, but I didn't like the first one. I used a yarn that ended up being scratchy, and I didn't like certain things the pattern told me to do. So, I went back and edited what I didn't care for. Huzzah!

 

♡  Still working (slowly) on my first pair of knit socks. 

♡  Knitting beanies and crocheting bunnies ( all of which need to be finished by weeks end). Eeek!

Other works not pictured: 

♡ Giant crochet unicorn 

♡ Crochet giraffe (but you can see the yarn that will be the giraffe :D )

 

Here is something that I HAVE finished!   Black N' Pink 'Skully Bones' Beanie (Adult Size). There is a second Skully on the opposite side of the beanie & she is just as sweet :D

 Well...

I've spent enough time blogging. Back to work!

Veronica Lodge Podge

Before I get started, I just wanted to give a big shout-out and thank you to Liz McQueen (@PlayinHookyHats) for inspiring me to do this project.
Thanks Liz!

Oh! and thank you to factorygirlashli for her DIY post.


@PlayinHookyHats posted a picture in early October of her first table at the Farmer's Market. Aside from the really awesome stuff she crochets, I noticed one of the mannequin heads she had was black. She told me it was the same white foam head she got at Hobby Lobby, but it had been covered with black tissue paper and Mod Podge. I was super excited since I am selling at my first craft show soon. I wanted an interesting place to display my hats.

Gathered the supplies I needed:

Now, I'll admit it, I've always been a fan of Betty and Veronica ( & the guys, too of course). I remember being in middle school, going to store with my Mom, and asking for whatever Archie comic or Betty and Veronica Double Digest might be up at the checkout. So, it seemed like a logical place to go when attempting my first decoupage project. I considered cutting up some JLA comics or WonderWoman... but, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't know why, but it didn't bother me cutting up and B & V comic.

                                            
She's not done just yet. There are a couple more coats I have to add, a few spots that need to be mended, and then she will be complete. For now, I think she's pretty cool. I will be calling her Veronica. Betty was always my favorite of the two, but this chick has a bit of a 'tude and was a total pain in the arse to put together.

LOL I don't care. I had fun. It was great! I barely used the brushes I brought. Which meant, when the Mod Podge dried, I got to peel it off my skin... Much like when I was younger and would coat my hand and wrist in glue, wait until it dried and peeled it off. Snake-like satisfaction :D

The Blue Box Blues

I like mac-n-cheese, but this post isn't about food. At least, it shouldn't be. I guess I can't guarantee that since, knowing me, all roads lead to food.

This is the first year that I've made an attempt to get a head start on all my handmade Christmas presents for my family and friends. The last two years, I waited until last minute (the eternal procrastinator, that's me :D) , mainly because I was still new and inexperienced. Also, I'm crap when it comes to doing things ahead of time. I'm getting better, mostly because I have to be a step ahead when dealing with the boys.

I've had a bit of the blues, lately. I think it's just because I've been feeling overwhelmed with the impending doom of Christmas, weighing down on me like a fat kid on a wicker chair. I try making checklists of things I need to work on, deadlines I have.
Is it working? A little.

Also, there's my very first craft fair. It's at the end of November, and I am SO nervous. It's at my church, so there's not a lot of pressure, but still...I'm a great ball of nerves.

I think my biggest problem is that I get trapped in my own head. I've never been to therapy, but I realized last year that I am able to work out and let go of a lot of my problems when I knit and crochet. It's like, when a project is finished, a part of me that was broken is now healed. That is definitely something I wasn't expecting. I wonder if it's the same way for other people.

Is it that way for you? Does your art help you heal?

♥ Oingo Boingo ♥

This song always puts me in a good mood. :)

Chain, Chain, Chain : Chain of fools

I like making beanies. Really, I do. I like knitting them. I think I'm a little to "heavy handed" when it comes to crocheting beanies. They end up being like helmets instead of malleable head-wear. Maybe I just haven't found the right yarn.

Any-hoo. Working on a things at the moment.

-Toddler Boy Beanie ( A little basket stitch number)
-Newborn Boy Beanie (Striped- Made me think of Dr. Seuss)  
-Earrings
- A great big crochet unicorn.

This unicorn, is awesome. I made one several months ago. My friend Leslie asked me to make one for her Mom, who collects unicorns. Found a pattern I thought was cute, and ZOOM.... I was off.
Now, What I didn't anticipate what the finished size of the unicorn. If she had size listed in the pattern, I didn't see it.
I have a picture I need to dig up to show you this, but a finished leg is approximately 1.75 soda cans high. Another way of looking at it would be, it's the size of a Smurf. Who, for those of you who remember, is 3 apples tall. Of course, they never said what kind of apples they were, but for arguments' sake, we'll assume Red Delicious.

I can show you some finished pics of the finished unicorn.

She's pretty, ain't she?

If you want to give it a go, and make one yourself, here's a link to the pattern : Horse/Unicorn Pattern

I don't have any pics of the current WIP, but once I take some, I'll post 'em.

Until next time!
Happy Crafting! :D

The Bead Goes On...

I don't know how it happened, but I got the bug to make jewelry. Earrings, to be exact. I was thinking about it today, and I can't pinpoint the reason I started, and I've only been doing this for a week! Lol Talk about "Mom-brain". Eek. I swear, some days I'm amazed I can even dress myself.

These I like to call "It's Not Easy Being Green". Why, you ask? Because they're green, and oddly shaped. :)

This next pair I call "Checkmate". Mainly because of the black & white beads, and the fact that it looks like a skinny little pawn.

Your move.

Arr two dee two + a big thank you = Gratuity

My friend Leslie sent me a messge a some weeks ago, asking if there was a way I could find a pattern for an R2D2 beanie. Her boyfriend' birthday was coming up, and she wanted to get him something really cool. Knowing that I am an frequent knitter and crocheter, she asked for my help. She crochets, but she's been working on this MONSTER of a blanket the last few years, and has yet to work on anything else. I don't blame her. This blanket gives new meaning to the word "huge"

Any-hoo, Did some searching and I found this: R2D2 beanie  from Carrissa Knits. Totally blown away, since I've only been knitting for around a year. Decided to suck it up, and give it a try. I've only worked with circular needles once before, and had just tackled the task of trying to use double pointed needles. Even though I was so scared this would come out looking crap, I embraced the fact that I would have to push myself to get this done.


I practiced doing duplicate stitch on some beanies I made for family members, since that was another thing the pattern asked.

Scary as it was, I finished it. Ended up making most if through a Star Wars marathon. Really, 75% of it was made watching Return of the Jedi because the boys liked it, and didn't mind that it was on. :D

Out of the few friends I have that knit/crochet, Leslie is one of two people that have inspired me to push my craft to a place I never imagined I would be. I mean, I learned how to knit/crochet from a book less than 3 years ago for heaven's sake. LOL Totally blows my mind every time I think about it. 

Big HUGE Thank You's to Jessica and Leslie

....For constantly pushing me to be a better artist. 

Love you bunches

                                                                                 ♥

Let's start at the very begining; A very good place to start.

It's official. I have a blog.

Of course, I had a blog on wordpress, but I was feeling limited by it. Time to start anew, I suppose. Of course, the other blog had 3 entries, 2 of which occoured right before and after my Grandfather's passing. Not the most joyous time in a person's life to start a blog. Right?

Hopefully, this will be a place I can talk(write) about the things I'm working on, and of course life in general. It seems that most blogs start out trying to foucus on certain topics, but never maintain that focus. Hey, That's alright with me. I tend to have a limited attention span. :D

Till next time :)