Another Sneak Peek, a WIP, and Some Other Stuff

Another Sneak Peek!

Hi Folks!!  Happy Leap Day! 

I've been working more on my quilt--appliqued another item onto the background. So here's the sneak peek...

it's a lily pad! the detail isn't that great in this pic...

WIP

Now let me share how much of a procrastinator, lazy bum, insert other descriptive words here, that I am. I have, for the past 2 years, been working on a knit afghan. It's a patchwork pattern that I got from LionBrand, and it has three different stitches--garter, moss, and seed (that's my favorite). Why it is taking me so long I have no idea except that I think I just get tired of working on it! So, I put it down and don't go back to it for a few months. So call it what you will...

Here are the three different squares/colors/stitches. It will be GREAT when I get it finished. I'm making it to keep in my living room to cover up with when it's chilly...

red =  garter stitch, oatmeal = moss stitch, grey =  seed stitch (I think!!)

And the Other Stuff...

Over the last couple years I've been fairly crafty...a little of this, a little of that. First up is the Etch-A-Sketch ornament I made for my Christmas tree :)

love it!!  :)

It's felt, with embroidery, and there is a green grosgrain ribbon hanger that is not visible in this pic. (I also do some embroidery every now and then. I can't remember if I'd mentioned that previously...)

...

My sister's BFF had a baby not so long ago, so I decided I'd make her a little Bunny Blanket Buddy :)  I also decorated the craft box that I gave her the bunny in so that she could use that in the nursery as well. She had a little girl...(she looks just like her dad by the way)

bunny blanket buddy

Isn't it the most precious thing?? I have to brag on myself a little bit because I had to tweak the pattern a bit (mostly because I didn't like the way it looked according to pattern)...and here's the box in which I presented the bunny:

...

For Christmas 2010, I made my sister a multi-giant-granny square afghan. (She was all pouty because the Christmas before, I made E and R--my two nieces--knit afghans haha!! just kidding sis...). I can't find the pictures of the girls' afghans, but here is one of the squares of my sister's. I LOVED the colors in this one...

...

One year for Christmas, right after I learned to knit, my sister made me this CUTE ornament for my Christmas tree...I love it. And I have really wanted to make some myself to give to people, but I just haven't made the time! Again--I'm a procrastinator like that...

knit tree ornament by my sister :)

...

Now, the rest of my post is dedicated to the "little bit of life" that I refer to in my blog description. First up is a pic of one of my favorite flowers--the gardenia. This is a picture of the gardenia bush that grows at the corner of my great-grandfather's old house that I rented up until a year and a half ago. It's actually on the corner of the garage, so everyday when I'd get home from work and get out my car, I'd be greeted with the wonderful scent of gardenias :)  LOVED it...

beautiful, yummy smelling gardenia

  ...

In February 2010, my first cat, my sweet Desi, died. She was almost eight. Shortly after that, I went to a workshop on Art Therapy and the Grief Process (I'm a counselor by day, remember). It was there that I picked up chalk! (and it may be then that all this crafty goodness started in earnest, too). 

The following three pictures are irises, done in chalk by me, and they hang above my bed. I'm very proud of them, as I actually consider myself to have NO artistic ability whatsoever. But every now and then, I'll get a spurt of it from somewhere, and this kind of stuff comes out...

irises in chalk

I also did a calla lily triptych, but those aren't framed, and I also cannot find the picture I took of them. Maybe one day I'll find it and post it here, because those are really lovely.

...

And this...this is my sweet, lovey-dovey kitty Jude. Around 6 months old, he loved getting into the trash can in the bathroom. Luckily, he would usually only get in if it was empty...He's now nearly 2 years old, and he is still lovey-dovey and the sweetest cat. And of course he has me wrapped around his little paw--I'm trained very well :)

my Jude

So there you have it--another sneak peek, a WIP, and some other stuff. Hope you enjoyed it!

I'd love to hear from you, so leave some comments!!

A Sneak Peek

Happy Tuesday Morning! I'm going to try to be positive about today, deciding early that it will be a good day. I'll let you know how things turn out :)

Today I don't have anything new to show you--nothing finished anyway. But I do have a special sneak peek of a wall hanging quilt that I started working on a couple days ago. I'm going to enter it into the Pine Belt Quilters Quilt Show in October of this year. This will be my first entry into the show, but I have been a member for three years, and I have contributed in the past by making items to sell in the boutique.

So, here is the sneak peek. I'll have more peeks later as I get further along with it. I'm further along than this picture shows, but I thought I'd just keep you guys guessing :)

sneak peek #1

the main colors

I can tell you that it is/will be hand-appliqued and hand quilted. Finished size will be about 30x22 inches. If I'm remembering correctly :)

Here's a good word to leave you with today, as today is Happy Tuesday:

Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. --Guillaume Apollinaire

Well--I was finished with this post, but I just found something else to share. A whole  LOAD of inspiration for any quilters out there. Check out Crazy Mom Quilts--she is AWESOME!!  I don't know HOW she does it--about a million quilts in no time flat! :)

 Have a HAPPY TUESDAY!

Crochet Flower Triptych and Polka Dot Squares Update

First order of business today--I am SO excited!!!  I've just looked at my stats, and I've had EIGHT views from the Ukraine!  How cool is that?!?

Now for an update on the crochet flower triptych. I've primed and painted the frames...

pre-primer

during primer

painted

and allowed time for proper drying. The color doesn't show up well in this picture, but it's a very pretty "satin nickel."

Now as I said before, I got these frames for cheap, and they didn't come with hangers (other than the cut out on the backside of the cardboard backer). So, I bought some hangers and hammered them in. When you do this, just make sure you MEASURE first (as I did NOT) so that you can get them centered the first time! :) These just hammer right in--no nails required.

hammer-in hanger

(These are my "it's between warm and cold outside so I'll wear socks and flip-flops" toe socks :) I promise I do NOT wear these in public--except to my Granny's house. Just thought I'd share a little socky happiness today!)

Now back to the triptych...

Put it all together, and VOILA! Beautiful crochet flower triptych for my guest bedroom!

the triptych

detail--the red flower (sorry about the glare)

I also mentioned yesterday that I've been working on some polka dot squares for a polka dot afghan. I got the idea from yet another wonderful crocheter--Little Woollie.  I'm not sure how big my afghan will be yet--but it will probably be just a lap afghan. 

You can make this with any color combination, and they are REALLY easy and quick. Little Woollie has very good and clear instructions for this pattern. 
Here's what I have completed so far:

multi-color polka squares

 And I just have to say that it (so far) is a BEAUTIFUL Saturday in Mississippi :) 

This is the day that the Lord has made; 

let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalm 118:24

Spend-a-nite Party...

It has been a REALLY long week at work, but I've managed to crochet every night except tonight. Tonight, I am having a "spend-a-nite" party with my five and a half year old niece R. 
This is R...

She has been dying to come spend the night because it has been a while and because her 7 year old sister E had an impromptu spend-a-nite after our drive back from the airport a couple weeks ago.

So tonight instead of crocheting, I'm sitting on the couch with R watching "How to Train Your Dragon." For the 20th time. At least. But hey--it's better than "The Aristocats" for the 200th time!!! (And I probably just jinxed myself since the night is still young. Maybe not though...).

Crocheting will resume tomorrow, and I'll have a pic of another project I'm working on--a polka dot afghan :)

My first post!!

Well. This is my very first post on my very first blog. To tell you the truth, I have NO idea what I'm doing! But I have been feeling particularly creative these days, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

So I've been working on a few things lately. I get my inspiration from others--blogs, Pinterest, Etsy, etc. 

Last weekend, I made a terrifically cute "happy flower decoration" that I found on one of my favorite blogs--Attic24. (Lucy is a FANTASTIC "happy hooker" as she calls herself. She has more creativity in her little finger than I have in my entire body I think. You have to check her out if you don't already follow her). 

Anyway, here is my version of her "happy flower decoration" (sorry about the fuzzy picture quality):

I have mine hanging in the window of my back door in the kitchen. It's a cheery thing to look at every morning! (And now I'm laughing at myself for the use of the "!" because I am not an excitable person--at least not usually).

The other project I've been working on is a crochet flower triptych that will hang in my guest bedroom above the bed. It, too, was inspired by someone more creative than I, and you can find the inspiration at Bunny Mummy's blog. 

I'm not quite finished with the project, but here's a preview...

I crocheted each flower, then mounted them onto water color paper with double sided craft tape (Scotch brand--got it at Wal-Mart). I had the 3 black matte boards cut to size at Hobby Lobby. Now all I need to do is spray paint the frames (which I got half price--also at Hobby Lobby). That will be a weekend project--as long as it doesn't rain all day Saturday. *fingerscrossed* If my luck holds, I'll have a pic of the finished triptych for you by Monday!

I hope that you'll come back and visit my little corner of the blogosphere. I can't promise that I'll have updates everyday...but I hope to keep things fairly up to date--which will mean that I have to stay busy crocheting and/or knitting! Thanks for stopping by!!