Doilies & Downton

I'm still working on doilies.  It looks like it will be this way for awhile.  At least those projects are easy to take on the road! haha

That's the most recent start: Pierrot Table Set.  I am a little mad at myself for reading 14 cm as 14 inches.  The set is WAAAYY smaller than I thought!  I bought larger thread (size 3) and am going to see what the changes.  Otherwise, I may just try getting creative with the little motifs (by make a lot lot more).

Last weekend, Matt was in Mexico and I borrowed a FANTASTIC set of dvds from a friend.  Downton Abbey.  She loves British flicks (as do I) and knew I would love this tv miniseries.   It is truly delightful.  I watched 4 episodes in one day!  I can't wait to finish... and get the next set (once it's on dvd)!

image from Amazon

Guess what's on my amazon list now? haha  What are you all crocheting?  Any sewing going on?  I'm happy to say I figured out how to make a seamless coffee cozy.  Wooo hooo!  Now I just need to get motivated to get back into the sewing room and make a bunch for my etsy and local shops!

Iron Craft 13: Cat's Meow!

Challenge #13 (if you are following, I missed 13, lucky, but I still have a project planned to create!) was all about animals.  I decided to create catnip filled sardines for my lucky little kittens.  Too bad they don't really like sardines.  Oh well!  They still enjoy batting these puppies around.

I modified the pattern from Lion Brand a little bit, so that all 3 sardines fit in the "tin."  I'm really happy with how these turned out, and that I finished another CED Project (Feb 1: Sardines Cat Toy).

Easter EGGstravaganza

How overused is that pun?  Probably very overused. haha  I have made three of those little egg cozies, and I am really excited about it!  I made a little lamb yesterday, and I plan to make another for my Mom.  However, my hubby could not stop laughing at me -- he said I created a black sheep!  It's dark gray, thankyouverymuch! haha

The bunny was made last year and the carrot early this year.   The sheep (March 29) is the newest addition.  To see a closeup, click the link for March 29. These little things are addictive... because they are so fast to whip up!

Have you created anything new for this Easter?

SpiderWeb Doily & Blocking

Last week I talked a little about blocking.  Blocking is something relatively new to me.  Well, it seems new but I guess I have been blocking for almost a year now! haha  I love the way that a weird oddly shaped thing can turn into something beautiful with a few pins and some water!  This project is September 23:  Spiderweb Doily.

This is the original doily:

Now it's time to block it!  I start by pinning down one point.  You can see that I use straight pins without a plastic top.  You don't want to have plastic that can burn under heat of an iron, when you block doilies.  Then I pull the exact opposite point as far away as I can, and pin down.  Then I will go to the points between the two blocked points and pin those down, stretching again.  I keep doing this until all the points are equally stretched out.  Then you spray with water and let dry.  Since these are doilys, I usually just iron it and then spray starch on and iron again.  This keeps them nice and stiff!

And the finished product:

So happy with is, as is my friend who bought it!

Freedom

I wasn't sure if I was going to write this on here.  It is pretty personal, and it does make me a little self conscious.  However, this is my blog and I am going to share what is on my mind.  If you, my readers, don't like it, then just don't read.  :)  Not that I don't love you all, I just want to be honest.  Anywho, now that I have that out of the way, let's get onto what the Lord is revealing to me.

For quite some time I have felt like I was in a spiritual daze.  I was neither on fire for Christ or non-Christian, just in the middle.  That's lukewarm and the Lord does not really like that.  Why?  Because if I am not serving the Lord and loving him fully, then why bother loving him at all.  It makes sense to me that way.  I'm a 100%-all-in girl (have you noticed that in my enthusiasm for crafty stuff??).  I have always been that way, so this mediocrity in my faith has been slowly killing me.  The Lord revealed that to me recently, through words from a good friend and mentoring couple.  Our women's study has been on the book The Bait of Satan by John Bevere.  It is a fantastic book about how we get offended by circumstances and people and Satan wants to use that to divide the church and separate us from God.  The most recent chapter was about how God's revealed word in our hearts is what changes us -- not just Biblical head knowledge.  He shared the story of Simon-Peter and how the Lord had revealed the true nature of Christ to him, and how that enabled him to stand firm like a rock and not be shaken (Matthew 16:13-18).  I asked the Lord to speak to me and give me a true hunger for Him.  He showed me that I had been afraid of being on fire for Him, of being marked as different, of being set apart.  I did not want people to judge me.  Well, I'm over it.  I know who I am and I am a daughter of the King.  If I am judged and looked down upon, then those people are not really my friends, so I don't care. 

I also have been learning that "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free."  (Galatians 5:1)  I had heard people saying that at church recently (because the Lord has been freeing a lot of people from the chains and bondage to sin) and just nodded my head and went with it.  But the Lord finally impressed upon my heart (or revealed to me) what it truly meant.  Accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior is just the first step.  At that point, we still let ourselves be chained down by sin.  We need to make a daily decision to turn from that sin, to hold on to Christ's hand that is right there, and to walk in freedom.  We may be tempted by sin, but we can know that we can stand firm with Christ and walk in freedom.  I recently did a Beth Moore study on that (Breaking Free), but the depth of that freedom did not hit me until this very week.  Once we let go of that sin and our dependence on it, we can walk in freedom with Christ.  Let me tell you, that is a beautiful place to be.  Our hearts will be light and we will be able to trust the Lord.  I know that trials will come and I will still be tempted to sin, but Christ's love has set me free and I can walk firmly in that.  Not in the way I was before -- bogged down by the pains of this world and the half hearted desire to be different.  Know that I am different.  Praise the Lord.

Whoa, just felt like Beth Moore. I really wanted to get that off my chest.  Maybe this message is for one of you out there, maybe it was just for me to write out publically what the Lord impressed upon my heart. I am not certain, but I challenge you to hunger for the Lord.  And listen when he talks to you.

Regularly scheduled crafting posts to come back soon.  :0)  Though, there may be more of these posts mixed in. Blessings to you all!

Doilies

A few weeks ago, I was asked to crochet a bunch of doilies for a friend.  This is a huge paid order for me, so I'm pretty excited.  I'm also trying to stay motivated and just get them done!  I started with the two tiny doilies, they are only 4 inches across, but I love em!  Three of the doilies are for her daughter, and those are the purple variagated thread, but the rest are white.  Here are three recently finished doilies...

This first picture is to show what a difference blocking and starching make.  The doily on the left is blocked and starched.  The one on the right is not.  Once I block it (basically stretch it into the exact shape it should be with pins) and starch (ironing with starch) they will be identical.  So fun!  The pattern is Tea Time by Denise Augostine.

You find more about the easy doily and other completed projects in the completed projects page,  on top.  :)

Finding Old Patterns

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all.  Today we are celebrating with Chocolate Stout Ice cream and our friends.  Remember them from a few weeks ago?

And some crocheted leprechaun Gold for us all!

A while back, someone asked about the pattern for the Easy Doily that I made.  The original link (http://www.crochettreasures.com/freepatterns/free21.htm) that I posted did not work anymore (sad days).  I found the best way to find old pages is the wayback machine, http://www.archive.org/web/web.php.  You will type in the link and then take me back.  THis will bring up a list of where the pattern can be found.  It shows you the different pages that should be it for each year.  I do not even try to understand how this technology works, but I am just greatful (and it is why I print out patterns -- backup!!  haha).  Now you have a new link of: http://web.archive.org/web/20080618072911/http://www.crochettreasures.com/freepatterns/free21.htm

That was for the Easy Doily, for those who asked :)

Random

I wanted to share one of my favorite sites with you.  Swagbucks.  I  use this site instead of google and basically type any siteI want to go to into it's search engine and can possibly win points.  I earn a $5 amazon gift card about once a month.  I love it.  Also, if you follow my link, I get some extra points.  :)  So either click the link above or the picture below.  Do join up -- you will love it, just like I do!

Tent Scene Beanie

Back in February, the Iron Craft challenge was in the movies.  That spurred this project on, and I'm pretty sure I finished it in like three days.  I did, however, try crocheting in the dark, so I did some of the rows incorrectly (sc instead of hdc).  It didn't affect the pattern too much, and I still like the finished product.  It is one of Matt's favorite beanies for me to wear.  As I ran out the door this morning, I had him snap this pic!

July 3: Tent Scene Beanie

There you have it.

Iron Craft 11 & Crocheted Cozies

After sewing a bunch of coffee cozies, I realized I could crochet some too.  I searched for patterns on Ravelry, but decided to just create my own!  I was also going to create some shamrock coasters for St. Patricks day (and the green challenge at Iron Craft), but I ran out of time.  So I made a green coffee cozy!  So far I only have three crocheted cozies made, but I LOVE how they look!

Marketing :)

 

And for the green cozies (for Iron Craft):

 

Coffee Cozies: Complete!  I am definitely going to be making more of these.  I just love them!  And sorry, the green just didn't show up very well.  Oh well!  Would you be more likely to purchase a sewn or crocheted coffee cozy?

Gettin Cozy

Matt and I were at a local coffee shop (it's so rare for him to join me -- it was definitely a special treat!) and he said I should sell my sewn coffee cozies there.  This inspired me to bust out the sewing machine this weekend and get going.  I created my own pattern and template so that I could make these quickly.  I think I finally got the design perfected!

Matt suggested ones without buttons (lobster and denim above), but I took it to mean "put in a snap."  He as saying I should just make a continuous circle, but I just cannot figure out how to do that.  Oh well. Buttons it is.  Guess I'm limiting my audience to ladies!

 Here are some closeups.  This travel one below was inspired by my sis in South Korea!

And school, inspired by a few schoolteacher friends (Sarah, Jess, etc)

You can see the little sticker that I added as packaging.  Hopefully I will have a logo soon, and use that as the back sticker, with a price.  I was totally inspired by Gussy's post on packaging!

What do you think? Will they sell at the local coffee shop? And do you think I should try selling them on my etsy?

I've Been Tagged

and I'm a wee bit bored, so I decided to participate in this.  :0)  If you are looking for something to do, you should head on over to Newly Wife to see pictures from my wedding (on Monday) and fun wedding related posts.  It's a party -- and you are invited!  Oh yeah, and my anniversary is today (hence the wedding week at Newly Wife).

Jess (who has a private setting blog which I'm really sad about because I can't share her wonderful craftiness with you all) tagged me so here's what I got! :)

1. What color are your socks right now?

white, purple, and black argyle.  Love Target's fun socks!

2. What are you listening to right now?

Silence. It's really odd that the office is so quiet.  I think I'm going to plug in my ipod and listen to some podcasts soon.  Nancy Leigh DeMoss or Mark Driscoll, anybody?

3. What was the last thing you ate?

Blueberry Muffin from my mom in law.  DE-licious!

4. Can you drive a stick shift?

Nope. Matt was going to teach me, but he got rid of his truck that was stick. :(

5. Last person you spoke to on the phone.

My mom.  Last night.  No, wait, Sarah.  Oh Sarah, I do love you my dear!

6. Do you like the person who sent this to you?

Of course -- she is awesome!

7. How old are you today?

25, very close to being 26.  And Matt will be 30 next year.  Wow.  Time flies.

8. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?

Olympic Tether Ball (anyone get that reference)?

9. What is your favorite drink?

 I like coffee. Black.  And Fortuna tea (homemade chai tea w/ creamer).  Also wine.

10. Have you ever dyed your hair?

Yes.  Often.  It's rare that it has not been dyed in over a year.

11. Favorite food?

Salty snack food.

12. What is the last movie you watched?

Phantom of the Opera.  So good.  So want to see it live.

13. Favorite day of the year?

I don't know. Birthdays are good, and Christmas, but mostly because I get to see family.  And I love that.  Hawaii on Thanksgiving days are good too!

14. How do you vent?

This outward processor talks to her hubby, wise friends, and journals. [this was Jessica's answer and I am leaving it!]

15. What was your favorite toy as a child?

Ehhh, the classics: my little ponies, barbies, and popples [also, same answer as Jess]

16. What is your favorite season?

Summer!  I'm definitely a summer girl. But I love snuggling up to my beloved during the cozy winter (because, really, I live in So Cal, it doesn't get cold here)

17. Cherries or blueberries?

Cherries are a natural diuretic.

18. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back?

Yes, but I often forget, so I don't blame them.  I much prefer hand written letters (hello to my pen pals!)

21. Living situation?

We love our home :)

22. When was the last time you cried?

Not sure.  Recently.  I almost cried yesterday, can't remember if I actually did.

23. What is on the floor of your closet?

Shoes.  In neat little rows and bins (flip flops), a laundry hamper, and lots of little dust bunnies.

25. What did you do last night?

Measured Carla's tables for my first doily order.  Met with our good friends from Mexico, who are now back in our hometown, before heading back out into the Mission Field (in Thailand).  Hung out with my sis.  Cuddled and talked to my wonderful hubby of 3 years!

26. What are you most afraid of?

Anything happening to those I love. (and now that Matt is training to be a firefighter, I'm going to have to get over those fears...)

27. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?

In N Out cheeseburger, animal style

28. Favorite dog breed?

Not particular.  I loved our dog Cory, who was a Brittany Spaniel.  We had an Aussie Shepherd for a day and she was awesome, but we aren't ready for a dog yet.  Our Mexican-American tabby cats are wonderful enough.  :)

29. Favorite day of the week?

Sundays.  I love our church.  And Wednesday, that's hanging with the hubby time.

30. How many states have you lived in?

One. California. But really, Nor Cal and So Cal are like 2 different states!  I also lived in Austria for a month.

Sorry it has been so long since I updated.  I hope you have enjoyed this little walk down my memory lane.  I have another one of these thingies that I want to post later.  And I want to talk about my current crochet projects.  And another long-brewing inspiration post!

Iron Craft Challenges 8 and 9

I got a little behind with the Iron Craft challenges, but I am all caught up now!  Part of the problem is that I did not have time to do what  I really wanted for the hometown challenge.  My hometown is all about oranges, I think we were the first exporter of oranges from California, or the largest, back in the day.  It was on Jeopardy last week.  Anywho, I wanted to make a shirt with an old crate label on it.  Or a shirt the said "Left my heart in San Francisco" with a heart cut out of California where San Fran is (I'm originally from the Bay).  But I didn't have time to do all that.  So last night I came up with the second best option....

Challenge #8:  Hometown

I used the pattern from the Fruit & Vegetable basket from Coat and Clark [April 21].  That makes me a little further along in crocheting up all the things on the calendar.  Now I just need to finish the rest of the fruits and vegetables for that basket! haha

Challenge #9: And the Oscar Goes to

Harry Potter!  It was going to be Twilight, but the Every Flavor Beans [Jan 17] just seemed so much more fun!  Can you see the vomit flavored one?  How about blueberry pie?  And way faster than the Tent Scene beanie.  I did start the beanie though!

Don't those look delicious??  How did I end up with two food items for these two challenges?  Must have food on the brain!  Oh yeah, and food is small and easy (yes i started and finished both of these projects last night!

Listed!

I finally listed the first couple of the beanies from last weekend to etsy...  Get em while they're hot!

Also, I'm excited to say I finally figured out how to have that little shop link on the side.  Now I really feel like a professional!  See it there ------>

Pink Flower Cloche

Greenish Striped Cloche

And, relisted:
Baby Boy Stripes (discounted price! [well, a new price for beanies, that is lower than this one was before])

The rest to follow soon :)

Bread Basket Scrubby

I finished another scrubby for our kitchen.  I love both the bright colors of this yarn and the awesomeness of this pattern.  Thanks to Laurie at Big Girl Jewelry for another fantastic kitchen pattern!  If you want to make a bread basket scrubby of your own, you can purchase the pattern here on Ravelry, or buy it from her etsy shop!

I am also really excited because I realized that I have now finished at least one pattern from each month!  Yay!  The Best Baby Cloche was an August pattern -- which was the last month left without a completed project!  You can check out the Completed Projects page at the top of my site to see my progress.  Let me know if you complete any of the items from patterns found here, I would love to see how your projects turn out!

Easy Doily

Finally!  I have pictures to share with you!  This doily was definitely a labor of love.  I still think it is a bit wonky, but I love it nonetheless.  Also, I'm not sure I can part with it (because it is supposed to be a gift)! So here is the reveal of September 17th's Easy Doily...

It actually ended up way larger than I thought it would be.  You can see the penny next to it in the below picture.... crazy, right?

I am so excited to have this finished.  And I think I'm officially crazy, because, as you all know, I started a new one.  The pattern for the easy doily was 27 rounds, the current doily pattern [September 4: Oh! Danny Boy] is a mere 14... and I'm already on 12!

Just in case you are interested, you can check out my project page on Ravelry.