Here we go again!

So many new things going on in my craft-mind, it feels like the last several posts have just been exploding with projects. I feel like I can't make up my mind about what exactly I want to do, so I'm just doing everything.

One of the reasons for this is a new podcast I've been watching: The Yarn Hoarder. This gal is so busy, with so many different plates spinning at once, I don't know how she has time to do everything, and podcast, and keep up with her Ravelry group, and find new patterns and yarns to share. Her self-control issues alarmed me at first (they made me have issues too!), but once I got over wanting to have everything she talks about, I realized it is just inspirational to see so many new things I can do with yarn. She has inspired me to just try knitting socks and not be intimidated by them, to finish my sweaters, and her crochet blanket make-a-long inspired me to make (and finish!) my C2C blanket.

She has a wall of (what I consider to be very expensive) wool yarn behind her, plus thousands of dollars worth of needles, hooks, notions, and many other craft projects, which is what I think draws people to her, but she also runs many giveaways and shares ideas for patterns and yarns to try. She shared a felted slipper pattern before Christmas, and I have bought all the items needed to make a pair. I have never felted before, so I am excited and a little bit scared.

All of that to say, I have been branching out too. One thing I forgot to mention: she always talks about her "project bags." I didn't know this was a thing until she mentioned them. They are always cute fabric prints with lots of details, so she shows all the different things about them and where you can buy them. These ladies (and some men) on Etsy are charging outrageous amounts for a project bag, which is basically a cosmetics bag with a cute print and a couple of extra pockets. So I decided I could make that.

I'm not what I would consider a skilled sewer, but my mom did teach me when I was young to use a sewing machine. I have owned one for most of my life (either Mom's or hand-me-downs when I moved out), but for the most part, it sits in its lonely case in the closet. I am trying, though. I watched several YouTube videos (what would we do without it? Learn by apprenticeship?) and realized that the sewing machine is not as scary as I thought, it's not rocket science, and with a little practice, I can probably figure out how to make some of these bags myself.

My first project was not a bag, though. My little Blessing loves to chew on things, anything he can get his 2 little teeth on, especially tags, so I made him a little taggie blanket (we call them "Softs" in our house). I did my best, and pinned everything just so, and sewed it all together, did a top-stitch around the edge (I learned what top-stitching is from YouTube!), and I'm so proud of that little thing!

I have enough fabric leftover that I might just make another one, for when he throws up yellow all over it and it's in the wash. It took forever (I'm still new to this), but hopefully I'll be able to do the next one quicker.


I also bought a ton of fabric from my local Joann's to start making bags with. I've also found some tutorials on making rolled knitting needle cases and DPN cozies. Now I just need to find time to work on them...

After we finished the quiet books a few weeks ago, I told my awesome old-school Grandma that I wanted to learn to quilt like her the old-fashioned way: by hand. She churned out more than 16 twin-size quilts in one year for all the great-grandkids, and she did it all by hand. She's amazing! I didn't want to start something I couldn't finish, so I told her I'd like to make placemats. I'm making each one different, using a traditional quilting pattern. None of this silly machine quilting in a day for me: I'm taking a month to make a placemat! 😊 I've been looking up patterns, and consulting Grandma's advice, and I think we've found some winners.

The first one I'm making is one of my favorites: a tumbling block. It's just a bunch of diamonds, which if you arrange them differently, end up looking like a star. But if you put them in just the right configuration, it comes across looking like an endless stack of blocks. I've always loved this pattern and can't wait to get it finished. Here's the layout:

After hand-sewing all the blocks on the bottom two rows together, I realized it's going to be a bit short, so I still need to cut out pieces for an extra top and side row of blocks. I really like the fun prints and am excited to quilt this one. The plan is to use complementary colors/fabrics for all 8 placemats, so they coordinate, but don't match.

The last big thing I've done recently is purchase a Cricut. I still don't have all the ins and outs of using the software, but I think it'll be amazing for making gifts for friends and family, and using up all my extra felt (and all the felt I bought when it was on sale a few weeks ago...). I would like to make a felt board for the boys that uses some of the more complicated and involved quiet book pages I found, but didn't want to make 3 of. The Cricut will be a huge help in cutting those pieces out, if I can figure out how to get the template in the Design Space to cut them.

Here is a photo of my recently updated craft space:

I got a ton of Cricut supplies with my machine and they were having a pretty good sale on their website as well, so I stocked up on all the vinyl and other supplies I could think of. I also purchased some necessary knitting/crocheting supplies (we got a rather sizable tax return, so I got a little bit of extra spending money) including a digital scale, some foam blockers (so I can finally not use my children's toys to block!), sock blockers, and the most useful so far, a ball winder.

If I didn't already have enough going on with all my knitting and crochet projects, I definitely have enough to keep me busy now. I have so much fabric to start sewing, plus the Cricut to start labeling everything, and more felt than I can probably ever use in a lifetime.

New projects on the horizon...

I love fall. I love the crispness of a chill in the air, the smells of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg wafting from the oven, the colors of the leaves before they fall off the trees. One thing I don't enjoy about fall, though, is the rush to get all things "holiday" completed.

I love my kiddos, and planning for their birthday is fun for me, but between making Halloween costumes, planning a birthday party for two toddlers, baking fall goodies, and making handmade Christmas gifts for much of my family, it is a hectic time.

This year, I decided to do a jungle theme for their birthday, and to give them something they can appreciate for a while after the balloons deflate, I decided to make them animal hats. We had a giraffe themed nursery for them (Sam's is elephants), so I thought I would crochet a giraffe, an elephant, a lion, and a monkey (the extra one is for their cousin, who always comes to the party). When am I going to have time to do this? I still have a sweater to finish, 6 Christmas gifts to start and complete, an infant horse hat to make, a stuffed elephant I started for Sam, and a baby sweater to knit, all before January! In my "free time," I suppose.

I will try to post photos of everything as I complete it, but for now, I need to dig through my yarn collection and get my hooks busy! After all that, hopefully I will get to utilize my beautiful craft area to work on the boys' quiet books.

Wish me luck!

Craft area

It's finally finished! This is a little belated, as I finished setting up my craft area the week before Samuel came, but for some reason posting about it slipped my mind. I ran across this photo in my cache just now and realized I haven't shared it yet!

It may not look like much compared to some of the fancy craft rooms you see on Pinterest, but I have all of my supplies at my fingertips and a nice clear space to work, so it serves all my purposes. Of course, this is not my yarn stash. I enjoy working on a few different kinds of projects, painting crafts for decor, making jewelry and beading, and the felt seen here. I knit and crochet anywhere.

Now all I need is several hours to cut, sew, and assemble the boys' project. I have had all the supplies for over a year and a half to make and complete 2 beautiful felt books (or quiet books) for the older boys, but it is much more time consuming and labor-intensive than I originally thought. Hopefully, the boys and I will hit a groove pretty soon after my hubby goes back to work where I can find some time to do some crafting and work on them, so I can get them finished before Christmas or before they outgrow them. 

I've still got the sweater to finish, hats to make for the boys' birthday and Halloween costumes, Christmas gifts to make, and a little girl baby sweater to make for my cousin, who is having the first girl in years on that side of the family! After all that is completed (and hopefully I won't be sewing Christmas gifts together on Christmas morning this year!), I'll be able to focus completely on the quiet books for a while. I'm opening my Etsy shop up again in January, so hopefully I'll be done by then, or close to, in case I get orders for some of the new items I'm listing on my site. Big plans for this fall and winter!

As it appears, I've got a lot going on, so I better get busy! I'm getting ready to go grab the sweater and fix the neckline, so I can maybe finish it in time to give to my cousin next week at our family gathering.

Nothing new...

I really wish I had something neat and exciting to post here, but with the Big Move and unpacking over the last few weeks, I just really haven't had time or the energy to make anything. Most of my yarn is packed up in boxes still, waiting to be unpacked in my new craft area, which also needs some work.

I did manage to get some good work in on my ugly square, using up all the yarns my Grandma has given me over the last year or so, and all the scraps I've been collecting as well. It is getting bigger, but I think I'll keep going until it's about a king size comforter. I've got quite a way to go, and I'm not sure if you can notice a difference from the last time I took photos of it.

My days have been filled with taking care of the twins, unpacking, organizing, and preparing for the baby. Hopefully he'll wait a few more weeks to make his debut, so I can be completely unpacked, get all our pictures and shelves hung, and start working on some other, more aesthetic projects around the house. If I do, I'll be sure to post some photos. Otherwise, it may be a while before I get another post up, as I'll be nursing a little human round the clock and trying to stay awake for the twins as well. It'll be tricky, until we get in a rhythm.

Hope to write again soon, with more to say and show you! Until then, we appreciate your prayers for a short labor and healthy baby boy. Take care and God bless!

Change of Plans...

I've decided I have to stop trying to play catch-up with all my projects, both personally and professionally, so I'm just going to lay it all out there today and move on. The boys' project is still sitting untouched in my craft area, because I have been busy making these:

The Vikings are landing August 2016!!

We're expecting a new little viking this summer! Along with the fatigue of first trimester pregnancy, I've had 2 little, very active 2-year-olds to entertain and try to keep healthy. All 4 of us are trying to get over a nasty respiratory illness that has pretty much taken us out of all non-essential activities the last 2 weeks...

Except house-hunting. We are currently looking for a much larger space to accommodate our growing family, with room to spare, because we love entertaining our friends and family as well. Most of the shopping is online, but we have been to a handful of showings for places with a lot of potential. We just haven't found The One yet...

Christmas stocking in Red Heart very berry, I Love This Yarn white, Red Heart leftover green, Yarn Bee fluff

So, with all of that going on, I haven't even set foot in my craft area for the last month (my calendar still says "January"!), but I have been busy creating some beautiful items for our new little one that I would like to share soon, like the stocking pictured. And, of course, the rite of passage seen above to welcome him or her to our little family. Now that I'm a little farther along and into the "golden era" of pregnancy that isn't quite so exhausting, I might be able to make a little progress on the project, at least so I can get a decent amount of it done to give them. I will probably end up cutting out a lot of it to spare myself the time and disappointment.

Anyway, that's the exciting news for now. Keeping everything gender-neutral for now, and I'm not even sure I want to know what the baby is until he or she comes. I guess it depends how I feel at that appointment. Take care and God bless!

Happy holidays!

Ah, Christmas. I love the weather, seeing my friends and families' faces light up as they open their gifts, and especially now seeing my children get excited to see the "pwetty lights" and open presents. I love the food, especially the fudge, the music, and the weather (usually--we finally got our first snow this week!). One of the unfortunate things about making all my own gifts is that it keeps me REALLY busy, even up to Christmas morning working on things. I guess I could start working on them earlier, or set my deadline a week ahead or something, but that is definitely not what happened this year. I literally sewed buttons on my sister-in-law's slippers after she opened them, since I had spent all morning sewing the cuffs on and didn't get to finish in time. It didn't help that I decided to crochet 3 hats for all the little boys at the last minute...

The great thing about the Christmas rush is, now everything is done! I can work on projects that I've put on the back burner for months and take my time. One of those projects is to update this blog more often, and tie up loose ends that I haven't done. First off, my craft space:

I know it doesn't look like much yet, but hopefully it will over the coming months. The best thing about it is, I have one! I have a place to store all my felt (in the black case at the bottom) for the boys' project (which has had little to no progress over the last weeks), all of my sharp utensils and dangerous items are stored up and away from little hands, and the lighting in there is wonderful, with the giant window to the right. I will have space on the peg board to store important items (like my college degree), calendar, and some fun inspirational quotes. I have plenty of storage for small items like sewing notions: there are hooks on the right that will hang spray painted cans, and the hanging basket for larger items. One of these days I will get it all organized and decorated, and then I will feel like I can work. 

As you may have guessed, the boys' project is not finished yet. I have a few finished items in the black box on the table, ready to be sewn together, but not yet enough to be paired. I plan to make 2016 my Year of Doing, as 2015 was my Year of Wanting, so I will get this project done before they get too old to enjoy it.

I still need to update with a couple of photos of the boys' birthday party decorations, so hopefully I can get that done in the next couple of weeks, then get back to posting about yarn. I've got several new items to add to my Etsy shop, so hopefully this month I can get some new listings posted. Keep checking back and I will hopefully have more consistent posts, with some new items and updates to oldies.

A belated merry Christmas and happiest New Year to you!

Nearly November...

We've been here for nearly 6 weeks now, and I still haven't gotten my craft room up and running the way I'd like. I've been sick for the greater part of that time with a nasty cough, volleyball season (which I referee) is now over, and preparations for the boys' birthday party next week are in full swing. With Halloween this weekend as well, I've had several Etsy orders for viking/dwarf beards, so I've been keeping busy. I haven't been able to complete much on the boys' birthday gifts, so I decided to make a new goal of Christmas gifts instead. They're only 2, so they won't remember that Mommy and Daddy didn't get them tons of toys, especially when they're bound to receive plenty from family and friends.

The boys' birthday theme this year is trains. That is all they've wanted to talk about the last 6 months, so I thought it would be a natural choice. They don't know who "Thomas" is because we don't watch television, but they love train sets, little magnetic train cars, going under train bridges, watching train videos on YouTube, reading books about trains, and of course, stopping at train tracks to wait for passing trains. I'll post photos of the party decorations up, but I found some really cute inspiration on Pinterest. I wasn't able to use all the cute graphics and "free printable" train stuff because I wanted to combine elements such as wording with photos, so I ended up designing my own using MS Paint. I think they turned out adorable!

The hats in their photos were from a crochet pattern I bought here. I tried and tried to find something similar for free, but every link I clicked led me back to this design, so I bit the bullet and purchased a pattern. They were very easy to make and I think they look fabulous on the boys, especially in their little overalls :-) I made them a little large, so hopefully they will fit their large heads for a year or two. They're Lily Sugar 'n Cream, which my dishtowels are made of, so I know they will be able to withstand MANY washes if need be. I'll have them on my Etsy site before long.

I have been able to get several of my handmade Christmas gifts done in the car on long trips recently. I found a really cute and simple pattern from JoAnn that I've been using, which has also helped use up some of my Vanna's Choice yarn. I'll have to wait until after Christmas to post photos, because someone might catch a sneak peek and spoil it. I have a pretty small budget for Christmas gifts ($25 a month throughout the year), so I'm trying to make a good blend of handmade/homemade and store-bought/experiences. The handmade take a little longer than gift cards or shopping, but I like being able to work on something and knowing that it is for someone I love. I hope they appreciate it as much as I enjoy giving it!

I've got winter squash to get in the oven for canning, so I should wrap this up. I can't believe it's almost time for turkeys and pies! I made my first attempts at jam this summer, and ended up with raspberry, blueberry, peach, and some tasty strawberry ice cream topping. We cracked open the raspberry this week, and it is better than anything I've tasted from the store. I'll be making pumpkin butter again this fall, and I just picked up a bushel of apples for apple butter and applesauce. I got smart and ordered an apple peeler this year, so no more peeling apples at the sink for hours. I might even feel brave enough to conjure up a pumpkin pie! At this rate, it'll be summer before I get the boys' gifts done...

Exciting Times

Sorry it's been a few weeks; we've been moving! We moved from a 900 sq foot 2-bedroom apartment to a 1200 sq foot 3-bedroom over the last 2 weeks, and we're nearly done unpacking. A box here, a shelf there, and it'll all hopefully be done by Sunday evening. The great thing about our new place (besides the extra space) is that it'll have a room designated specifically for crafting and playing! The boys will have plenty of space for their toys where we can supervise them while we work on our projects. My hubby is in to constructing and painting miniatures for Warhammer, and we were always fighting over the limited flat area in our other apartment. I will have a table and closet and a beautiful pegboard to keep my sewing and yarn supplies, and he will have a huge shelf to store his things from little fingers, as well as a secluded work area.

The new place has gorgeous views of the pool (which is closed now), a grassy area with a rarely-used tennis court, and lots of trees, which we both love! You can't see anyone else on their balcony from our place, so it really feels like we're out in the woods or overlooking our own backyard. We love it!

It's pretty overcast today or I would post pictures, but hopefully when we get the craft/play room up and running I'll post a pic or two. In the meantime, I got an order for another viking hat and beard combo from Etsy last night, so I'll be working on that as soon as we get the boxes unpacked. I'm looking forward to sharing my project for the boys' birthday (which is coming faster than I realize!) with you, and wrapping that up in time to start on Christmas gifts!

Have a blessed day and enjoy your weekend! Fall is in the air, and time for scarves and hats is soon upon us!