Bottle Cap Fairy Pin

This swap consisted of handmaking a lapel pin out of a bottle cap. The theme was fairies.
These are actually fun and easy to make. I like to use "glossy accents" by Inkssentials for the clear coat layer...adding some glitter or snow before it dries. I had a fairy charm for this one that fit perfect,so I used that and added some embellishments of my own (beads on wire & the star were recycled off embellishments Ive had for a while--but not yet used.)

Life Can Be So Hard Some Times...

An Angel has spoken

Her words did I hear

Be not afraid my child

I am always so near.

I lighten your path

I hold you within

You are not alone

The veil is so thin.

I hear you in silence

Your fears do I sense

Darkness is ending

Light shall commence.

Your pains do I share

My heart reaches for you

I weep when you suffer

My love is so true.

As a child you called to me

You needed me there

My wings to protect you

To guide you with care.

With age...you forgot me

You looked another way

But I am still with you

How I long for the day.

As days turn to months

And months turn to years

You find yourself seeking

The Angels in tears.

I fly to you swiftly

With wings soaring high

To embrace your sweet spirit

Behold...it is I.

I walk with you always

Never shall I stray

I am your Angel

I will show you the way.

~ from a poem by Michael Williams ~
Danny Hahlbohm
brought to you by mamarocks.com

I am sure that every family at one time or another experiences hardships.

It only seems like we are the only ones at the time.

Help can be right in front of you and you may not see it till the hardships are over,

but I do believe it will make you stronger --

family and friends just a little more tightly knit together.

An offered shoulder to cry or lean on can mean more than a thousand words.

A Bit Under the Weather...

September has come on pretty quick and some of the chillier weather with it. This is going to be an early winter! For the last week or so I've been under the weather with some type of stomach virus --just miserable! Hope this isnt an omen for the upcoming winter. So, I've fallen behind in some of my projects.
I havent been to my knitting group for almost two weeks, afraid I'd pass it on. I'm having fiber withdraw....but tomorrow night I will get my fix at our Friday night knitting group. I have finished at least 4 knit hats , which is great because I still find the tops of them a challenge. I cant seem to divide the stitches evenly when I go to use the two circular needles and still messes me up here and there.

I plan to get started on one of the cowl patterns Ive had tucked away for some time. Its actually pretty cool. It can be worn just around your neck or be pulled up like a hood when going outside.
At any rate I will be working on getting caught up with things.

The first hat I made is pictured in an earlier post... I couldnt seem to get it off my sons head long enough to get it in this picture:)

Above: Breakfast Tea by Deborah Charbrian http://www.art.com/

August Owl ATC Swap

This owl ATC was made for the August swap.(January - July owl ATC's are pictured in a collage in an older post. ) So far, I've been in all the swaps for this year. The theme is of coarse owls...

so you will end up with an owl ATC for each month. Owls are one of my favorites so creating each months theme has been fun.

Gone Crazy with Knit Hats ....

Ive totally gone crazy making knit hats. So, instead of picturing them all separate Im gonna wait till they are all completed and make a collage. Hope everyone wants a hat for Christmas! I still have some trouble reading other patterns so this will take some practice on my part! There are so many gifts I need to work on to get completed. Of coarse, all the new fall and winter fibers are coming out ..... which makes me keep wanting to add to my list. They are all so fabulous.
Im still excited about the whole experience of knitting and about the new friends Im making along the way. There is way more to knitting than just making hats --it has a whole history behind it, skills that have been passed down from generation to generation. Im just glad I can be a small part of it.

Above: I totally love the art works by Conni Togal ! ("Sheep Incognito") Definatelly a favorite...

I am hoping to furnish my craft room with these wonderful whimsical works of art:)

http://www.charisma-art.com/

Christmas List Continued...

Started another hat today...hasnt taken very long to get this far already!I'm realllly liking the quicker projects. Almost instant gratification:) Besides all that, repeating the pattern is helping me learn the stitches and is improving my technique. I can see a big difference in my stitches ---from the begining till now. I used a long tail cast on-- just learned that one and it works well for me,so I'm gonna stick with that.

London Beanie Knit Hat Finished!

Yea! One down and the rest of the list to go. I was really surprised at how fast this project went. It only took me a couple of days to finish. I thought this pattern was pretty easy and since Im a begining knitter thats saying some thing! I did have some help reading the pattern since Im learning some of the basic stitches as I go. Over all the pattern went smoothly.
This pattern is the London Beanie by Mark Thrailkill.

Pattern can be found at
http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/hats/london-beanie.htm

Some of Dalton's trip Pictures: (2009)

1. The White House

2. The Washington Monument

3. The Arlington Cemetery

4. Smithsonian Castle

5. The shoes Judy Garland wore for the

Wizard of Oz ( my personal favorite:)

Christmas WIP's

These are just a couple of my most recent WIP'S (works in progess). The black, gray, and rust colored yarn above is what I have finished so far on my sons first knit hat. Not bad for only a couple days work so far!

The second-the blues and buff colors are the beginings of my moms crochet reversable afghan. That one will take alot more work before its full sized. Wish me luck!

Are You Being Served? (British Comedy)

Are You Being Served? This has always been one of my favorite TV shows!!!! Brings back fond memories and can still make me laugh till I cry!

Above: These pictures are from Amazon .com where the DVD's can be ordered.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=are+you+being+served+dvds

The "Handmade" Christmas "TO DO" List

Wow, Dalton will be returning from his trip to Washington DC & Chicago just in time to start school! I will be sure to add some of his pictures when he gets home. He's got quite a collection to show me when he gets here. Can't wait to hear all the stories that go with them. He did tell me he's had an awesome time so far!

Since the last entry I can't begin to tell you how the crochet and knitting projects have piled up!

I've already started a crochet afghan (reversable)for my mother as one of her Christmas presents. She unknowingly picked out the yarns for her own gift several months ago:) , but my list has grown from there. Dalton requested a knit hat for fall/school which he also picked the yarn out for, but I found another skein I knew he would love ...so the 2nd hat will be for Christmas. Im sure most of you would take no time at all to whip those up, but these will be my first hats ever. My knitting stitches have improved a great deal, but I am still slow when it comes to new projects. Ive already had to frog the first attempt and start over.

Then of coarse, my projects are last on the"to do"list. I found the softest alpaca yarn ever ( my favorite). Its so soft its almost sinful! Can't keep my hands out of it! Im using that on a cowl for winter. I chose a natural color so it will go with pretty much every thing.

Every time I think my list is complete someone in the family picks up my pattern books and says ---I really like that --maybe you can make me one. LOL

Its pretty funny actually! My daughter, God love her, said she will not wear any thing that looks handmade/knit because it looks like its for old people. Well, she has added at least 3 more projects to my list! She still has the picture in her head of little old ladies knitting in rocking chairs. I did try to tell her they have knitting Vogue... but that was a lost cause. Little by little she is seeing more knitted things that appeal to her.

Ive also been busy reading the knitting mystery series by Maggie Sefton. I love them and havent been able to put them down. They get a thumbs up from me! She describes how she is a fiber flousey....loving all the colors and textures of the new and old yarns alike. I have to say that I totally understand! I have been saving and stashing yarns for a good long while now. Just waiting for the perfect project for them. They are all very tempting (eye candy) and the actual movements of knitting are very relaxing! Im not quite good enough yet to get to the meditation stage but Im working on it!

Awwww... isnt he the cutest?!

Above: Maggie Sefton Knitting mystery book series
http://www.maggiesefton.com/knitting.html

Alpaca: Picture uploaded by Gienepien http://www.flickr.com/photos/gien/3539787258/

Washington DC

Dalton left for Chicago today and will be heading for Washington DC in the morning .He gets to go with his best friend and his family...... Hoping they have lots of fun!

(Above: The Smithsonian Castle-picture by Stellas mom's http://www.flickr.com/photos/lithuania2008/2891628336/)

Random Thought:

YFC Camp 2009

That's roughing it?????
This years summer YFC Camp (Youth for Christ) was in Lake City, Michigan.

My kids have just returned home safely with no broken bones this year! Dalton signed up to

go, but then was having second thoughts-- alot of them, he didnt want to go after all....this was his first time at camp. Needless to say, he loved it, thanked me for making him go, and wants to go again next year. Kelsey (his sister) has went several times already and thought he would enjoy going ..... so she is the one that got him into the program.

Its very costly to go and we could not have afforded one let alone both kids to go, but the church

supports its youth and worked to get scholarships for them. The kids also did their part and held different activities to help earn money for the trip. So, from the bottom of my heart I thank the people who have sponsered the youth. Its a great environment and an experience that I'm glad they were given the chance to have.

Dalton also said the food was great and they could have as much as they wanted. LOL

Ok, back in the day when I went to camp they were barely above Health Department standards & you never ate the food until you had too! So,I was just Wow'd by the "resort like " camp, the friendly leaders and good food !They are still talking about all the activities and the fun things they did at camp, including the challenges they faced. Both of my kids had a wonderful time and will have lots of good memories to carry with them.

So, again I thank you all .... hearing about the testimonies and experiences they shared at camp was chicken soup for my soul!

(Above: The last night at camp was a semi-formal dinner night)

The Bloomin' Garden

Record lows this week! The garden is still blooming, but its good knitting and tea weather. I'm getting my Christmas list ready for the knitted items I would like to get done. I'm still pretty slow at knitting, but I've started a new illusion scarf project. I choose a musical theme and school colors for my daughter that's in show choir. ( Shhhh--it's for Christmas!) I have lots of other projects to get completed, but am taking things one project at a time! The ladies at our local knitting shop are helping me along and providing encouragement and inspiration, which has been much needed.

I just finished reading "Hanging by a Thread" by Monica Ferris, a needlecraft mystery.

It was a good read and I'm looking forward to getting more of her books. The setting of her needle craft store was great! The store in the story seemed warm and welcoming, but had its quirks too. It includes a colorful group of women and people from her town, and all the different projects they are working on. In this book it was focusing on fall and christmas holidays which was great timing to get me in the mood for the upcoming holidays here in the real world.

Above:burgundy and pink hibiscus from my garden &

Tea cup and rose pictures by: silicapathways
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silicapathways/377472920/ .

Our Anniversary - July 16th, 1994

This cross stitch wedding sampler was finished about a month before we got married. Loved the colors and style of the old fashioned accents. This one took about eight months to finish. Working on it in the evenings. Since then, I havent really worked on any large projects. My cross stitching technique has improved greatly since then and am looking forward to working on my next large piece.

The picture above was taken on our honeymoon. Gatlinburg ,TN.

Lilies in the Garden

Happy July 4TH !!!

Oh, say can you see,
by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night,
That our flag was still there,
Oh say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I Love Lucy.....

http://www.lucystore.com/index.html

Owl ATC's (Artist Trading Cards)

I've been working on the owl ATC's for a while now and have just hit the half way mark. YEA!
The swap is for one Owl ATC for each month of the year.
Four different partners are assigned for each month.
January - June is pictured at the top .

ATC's are made with a sturdy background card thats 2 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches (standard size--fits into baseball card collection pages). I like to use the ones you can buy pre-cut. From there, you just decorate with scrapbooking papers and things that pertain to your theme. I tend to use alot of rubber stamps,colored pencils, ribbons, glosses, glitter, metallic mists,paper punchces,brads, ect... the more mediums and embellishments you use the better. You can also keep them simple if that is the style you prefer. There are many examples that can be found in search. The more art inclined people make their cards with water colors or drawings.There's some real talent out there! The possibilities are endless.

Pictured below is one of the more challenging themes I've done.
"Art Doll ATC".
The idea was to make a doll ATC, you could only use hand drawn or stamped images for the body. The next challenge was that the body had to fold behind the card so that it could be stored in a regular collection page. For this one it was an open theme as long as you met the requirements of the swap. I had alot of fun with this one and it has become one of my favorites:)

I'm also on flickr.com as valentines69.

Oliver & Sadie Sue

This is Oliver (Olie) . I just found this cross stitch pattern and thought it looked so much like him! I was so excited. Since he is a mix its hard to find patterns and pictures that actually look like him. Its ordered and on its way! He's one of two dogs that we have ....the others name is Sadie Sue (Tootie) and she is a German Shepherd Chow mix. I already have a beautiful tapestry pillow of a German Shepherd. She seems to be on the blonder side of their breed colors. They are both so lovable:)

http://shoppe.whitewillowstitching.com/index.php

Home Sweet Home

I made this cross stitch project along time ago (high school), but I still like it! I know what you all are thinking and I'm really not that old! I have since lost the pattern book & am pretty sure that its not available any more. On the bright side, Ive already cross stitched my favorite pattern out of it so its ok:) Its sorta hard to tell by the picture, but its a white cottage on a background of the multicolored natural aida cloth. It was done on 14 count, which is what I almost always use (personal pref.) Since I ran across it again I just thought I'd share it with every one.

Fairy Shoes

This was made for a swap themed "Fairy Shoes". (This one is being sent to Italy!) I used stiffened glitter felt and added jewel and star embellishments. Its all hand sewn. The pattern is fun and simple....Give it a try!






This Fairy Shoe was made for a "Fascinating Pin Cushion" Swap. I used the same pattern, but added a bottle cap pin cushion in the heel. This is also hand sewn, beaded, and embroidered.
The pattern can be found at http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2007/11/ears-to-your-el.html .

Pints & Purls Knitting Book

I thought this was to funny when I first saw it in an ad. Then I happened across the book. Looking forward to some cool projects:)

Like the frog pictured? That was a special birthday gift from my son a couple years back.

Its one of my favorites:) Wow frogs and knitting-- how appropriate!

(Rip-it, Rip-it)