Just Catching Up...

Gee, it's been a long time since I posted anything!  Just thought I'd catch up a little bit on what's been going on with me.

In May I started working full time again.  I'm working at a brand new lumber yard and hardware store in my small home town.  It belongs to my daughter's best friend and her husband, so they're like my kids!  It's been fun getting in on the ground floor of a new business and I'm enjoying being out and seeing people again.

I haven't really gotten into the groove of working and crafting yet, so the few things I've made lately have been pretty quick and easy. 
















I was always grabbing a grocery sack on the way out the door to carry my stuff in so one weekend I crocheted a market bag.  It's a lot more cheerful to carry than a plastic sack!

Of course, I had to make myself a "hardware" bracelet if I was working in a hardware store!  I just connected miscellaneous washers and other hardware items with jump rings.  I made it long and wrap it around three times.  It's fun and dangly.

I saw something similar to the yarn wrap bracelet on Pinterest.  (Yes, I've jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon!  I fought it for awhile thinking it would just be another time sucker, and it is, but I 'm addicted!  I keep pinning stuff in hopes that I'll get to it "someday".)  Anyway, this is a cord knitted with the spool knitter.  I found these sparkly little rhinestone spacers at Wal-Mart.  My plan is to make them in different colors.  The spacers just slide on so they can be moved from one color to the other.  I think they'll be cute with slouchy, comfy sweaters this winter.  

Well, that's about it for me.  Hope you're doing well! 

~Today's Quote~

Let's plant grass seeds in all our shoes & paint yellow inside our hats so even when it's cold and dark we will always feel like we are walking barefoot in the sunshine!

Playing with Macrame

I've never done macrame before but I keep noticing all the cute bracelets and great tutorials out there and decided to give it a try.  As usual, once I start something I get addicted for awhile!

Beadaholique has some really great video tutorials for the Shambhala bracelet, the Bazaar Wrap Bracelet, with beads on the inside and the Cinnamon Bark Wrap Bracelet, with beads on the outside.  Another one is this easy macrame bracelet tutorial by smitten by a knot.  

I've also played with different closures and really like the one in this tutorial from Rings & Things.  These are just a few that I've found.

I think this is my favorite of the ones I've made.

I used a mood bead that I got in Eureka Springs a couple of years ago.  I've done a few things with it but never really liked it.  It seems to go perfectly with the hemp.  I love mood beads!  Must be the child of the 70's in me! 

This has been a fun learning experience!

~Thought for the Day~

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”

~Henry James

Happiness is...

Working on something bright and happy and cheerful to chase away the winter blahs!

Crochet 3D Flower Purse

I really love how it turned out.  It just makes me smile.

I love orange, so I'm tickled that Tangerine Tango is Pantone's color of the year!  Of course, I loved Honeysuckle Pink last year, but I don't remember seeing the enthusiasm for it that I have for Tangerine Tango.

If you're interested in making one yourself, you can find the pattern here.  It's from ZoomYummy on Etsy.  The pattern was easy to follow and includes a picture tutorial.

I really enjoyed making it and am kind of sad it's done.  Maybe I'll start another one in Honeysuckle Pink!

~Thought for the Day~

Do what you love and do it often!

Fun Necklace from an Antique Watch Fob

I can't believe it's been nearly two months since my last post.  I've been crocheting a lot and had a booth at the Pecanfest last month.  I did really well selling my jewelry and scarves.  My sister took what I had left to work with her and sold every one of my scarves!  Thanks, Ladies!

My sister has this really neat antique watch fob from the Hamilton Brown Shoe Co. It belonged to her father-in-law and she wanted to put it on a necklace.  It has a compass on it.  How cool is that?

The back says "Always in the right direction with TWINKIES. Happy shoes for busy feet."  Cute!

We went shopping and picked out the supplies to make it.  I love shopping with my sister and that we like the same things!  We got brass chain, a Vintaj key charm, small Vintaj word charms and a "hook clasp" to hang the "fob".  I had already looked and thought that would be a neat way to hang it.  She walked over and picked out the same thing!

"A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double."

 ~Toni Morrison

Here's to a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Handmade Buttons

When I saw this pattern, I had to have it.  I'm not really sure what to call it.  Necklace?  Neckwarmer?  Scarf?  There is just something about it that I love!

What I think makes it especially cute is turning it with the button on the side rather than in the back.

 

That calls for a really big really cute button, which brings me back to the button problem I was complaining about in my last post!  I was thinking about it and it dawned on me that maybe I could make my own.  Several years ago, I wanted to try making polymer clay pendants.  I bought the supplies, but really didn't get too far.  I made some but wasn't really happy with the finished look.  I got the stuff out yesterday and tried making some buttons. 

This is what I ended up with.  The one I liked the best is on the scarf.  Still not really happy with the end look.  I wanted them to look more like ceramic.  But there is potential.  With a little more practice and a few supplies I could have buttons to match anything I need!

Any advise?   I'd welcome your tips and suggestions!

~Thought for the day~

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."~

 Benjamin Franklin

Comment Problem and My Weekend Project

I faithfully read the blogs on my blog list and I want to comment.  I just can't!  I've read a lot of tips for getting around the problems.  Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.  Lately nothing worked! 

I googled "blogger comment problems" and found this on knownissues.blogspot.com:  "We're investigating reports of users not being able to comment on IE8/9 from the embedded form. We hope to have a fix out shortly, but in the meantime we encourage admins to switch to either the full-page or pop-up forms which should be working without issue."

I went into my Settings, under Comments, and changed it to "Pop Up Window".  If you're not getting comments, you might give it a try.  I've been able to receive comments, though.  I enjoyed your comments on my feather fiasco!  LOL!

This was my project this weekend ~ The Bad Hair Day Hat!   My daughter sent me a picture of one so I had to try it.  I think it's kinda cute!  

My granddaughter got here just as I was doing this post so I had her try it on.

She thinks I need to put a big bow on top!

~Thought for the Day~

"Don't be sad because it's over.  Smile because it happened."

~Dr. Seuss

Do NOT try this at home or I should have just spent the $5

The last time I was at Hobby Lobby, they had these really cool stems of styrofoam balls covered with feathers.  You need to see them to appreciate them.  They were gorgeous!  At $5 a stem I thought they were a little pricey, so being the crafty person I am, I thought I could make some.  For $5, I could have SIX of them!

This afternoon I gathered up all my supplies.  First I painted them with a pretty clay color in case the styrofoam was to show through.

(Trust me, this is the best they're gonna look.)

My plan was to glue them on individually in perfect order.  Well, after many attempts, it just wasn't working.  The stems of the feathers were too stiff to bend and hold to the shape of the ball.  So I tried cutting the stems and using smaller pieces.  At this point, feathers were flying everywhere and pieces were globbed with glue and stuck to everything, including my fingers! 

Then I think maybe I can just cut the feathers in little pieces, cover the ball with glue and roll it in the feathers.  Not a good idea.  This is how it turned out.

(And that's the good side!)

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."

This is NOT Art!  LOL!