Pretty New Toys!

Yes it is! I just bought myself the Cricut Expression, now all those lovely ideas floating around in my head will have a method of being expressed.

My first REAL project was a challenge over at My Pink Stamper  where she has challenged her readers to create a "winter" themed card, scrapbook page, or gift.

Here is my submission

This was done on generic Walmart Cardstock, Colorbok brand. The JOY and the reindeer are done on Create A Critter. The JOY was done at 2.5 in, and the reindeer was done at 2 in. I added silver glitter in the snowflake of the O and I used a Bic Mark-it permanent marker to emphasis a shadow effect on the left side of the letters.

The inside is blank for personalization.

Let me know what you think!

Gifts to a dear friend

are always the best kind, and even more so when they are handmade.

My friend Kristi is expecting her first child, (and she says only child), on Halloween. She and I drifted apart through my attending college and her starting a family, but came back together during this joyous time in her life.

She is expecting a little girl, so I did what I do best...I started crafting!

 Here is the score:

 6 burp cloths, hand-sewn, 4 matching blanket, 2 accenting blanket

 1 sewn blanket at 45 in x 48 in, Flannel on 1 side, and quilted pink plaid on the other.

 1 store bought jumpsuit, and 1 handmade card...

1 Crochet granny square blanket in Sensations Boucle Pink

Of course, I forgot to take a photo of the card and the blanket in detail before I gifted it, but I might yet get pics of baby Lily wrapped up in it all.

Progress and plans...and some stuff about studying

This week, I have had too much to do and not enough time or energy to do it in.

Thursday, I started showing signs of a headcold.

Not to be put out of commission, I slammed a vitamin C pumped smoothie and went about my day...I worked through the discomfort and feelings of fire in my sinuses, and now I am without voice, or energy. I really should have taken the day off and slept...

Yesterday, I had a baby shower...the day before, I realized that the fabric I bought for the shower gift was still un-sewn and in it's original bag...whoops.

So I sewed like crazy through the baby blanket, fought with my sewing machine, and finally finished. I had a ton of extra fabric from the blanket, so I found my stash of terrycloth and made 4 matching and 2 coordinating burp cloths.

I would post pics, but my memory card reader has disappeared...

While I was in the next town over, I got an invite to another baby shower...on the same day as the one I am planning. So I have moved my friends shower 1 day back, and will be in the next few weeks, crafting for 2 showers at the same time.Starting with the Granny Square Blankie for Gavin

All of these crafty activities have forced me to put my own projects on hold, as least for a few weeks. I have been commissioned to make up a scarf and 2 hats for my neighbors grown son and his fiance. Those should be easy, once I get the motivation...

And in all of this, I have to remember that I am a college student and must keep up on my homework...speaking of, have you ever noticed that college professors get very jaded after a while...I was assigned an entrepreneur to research and write a report on, and it turns out she only did 1 thing worth reporting on...and I had to BS my way from a 2 paragraph paper to a 2 page paper...

I have put my Cropped Cardigan on hold for the moment being, simply because there is not enough time in the day to do it all...

Back-2-School with Flair Scarf - personal design

This is a wonderfully warm and fashionably acceptable scarf...for any occasion.

Great for beginners to work on increases, decreases, and double crochet.

More of a recipe than a pattern, but bear with me.

With a J hook,

Foundation: chain 38

(flair 1)
Row 1: dbl in 2nd chain from hook and in each chain across, chain 2 turn

Row 2-5: dbl in each stitch across, chain 2 turn

Row 6: dbl2tog in each across, chain 2 turn

Row 7: repeat row 6

(skinny)
Row 8-112 (as many as to row 125 for longer scarf): dbl in each stitch across, chain 2 turn

(flair 2)
Row 113: 2 dbl in each stitch across, chain 2 turn

row 114: repeat row 113

row 115-119: dbl in each stitch across, chain 2 turn

row 120: dbl in each across, bind off and weave in ends

Wear without anything, or make a scarf pin with a hair-tie and button. (I if you want a tutorial on this technique, just leave me a comment, and I'll put one together.)

Wanna track this project on your Ravlery? 

Fall is here...but I wasn't ready

Today, fall came. Just like that. Abrupt, sudden, and cold. A bit drizzly too.

Yesterday, I found some beautiful yarn I had stashed during culinary school, when I had no time to work on it, but I knew I wanted it for something. Then I stored it and forgot about it.

Mom and dad asked me to get my stuff out of their storage, and so I am slowly going through things. I found some unknown silk/bamboo blend in black and tan. I found 3 mixed skeins of Red Heart Light and Lofty in blue, turquoise and black. 2 skeins of eyelash yarn, and 2 wonderful balls of Moda Dea Dream Solid in Raspberry. I fell in love, and want more, so I just looked on ravlery and etsy to find as much as I can of this discontinued yarn. (if you have any you are willing to part with, I'd like to discuss a trade or purchase if able...)

Here is what it inspired me to make (remember the cold wetness of the day...) I started a scarf...a soft long fuzzy layering scarf.

This photo does not represent the color correctly.

Here is one of the photos from Ravlery of the yarn.

What do you think? Is the weather turning your hands busy with warm winter projects?

Took a break from the world...

So Friday was my husband's 23rd birthday, and so we took a spontaneous roadtrip. Camped out at the beach in Rockaway Beach, Oregon...went to a craft fair, looked at some houses, and got to be kids again. We built a dam in the river that came off the mountain and across the beach, and we took a nap in the sand. Had a nice glass of wine and a mini-bonfire the last night we were there. And then it was back home and back to work.

When I got home, I decided to pick up some yarn to work on a blanket for a friend. She is having a baby boy in December.

She is swaying right now between a pirate theme and a dragon theme. I did a granny square motif, with a 10 round square in the middle alternating every 2 rounds between the 2 colors, and then I did solid colored 5 round squares around the border. All that is left is to stitch it all together, pictures to follow.

Also working on a little girls blanket in pink and yellow in a chevron pattern...it is adorable...I will put pics up when I get more of it done.

Owen is almost here!

Update on craftiness!

Don't have much time, but I felt the need to let you all know just how much progress I have made.

I skipped class today to deal with a headache, and to work on these. J's shower is Sunday!

This needs another 10 rounds of dbl and the ribbon, 8 rounds will be of teh blue, and the last 2 of the green (which looks blue here...)
This just needs to be stitched together, the blue is the back, and the frogs and other animals is the front. His name and the birth year are handstitched in black embroidery thread.

Let me know what you think!