Birthday Card

I wanted to share a birthday card that I made for my oldest son.  I wanted it to be more masculine, so I did not want to use ribbon or lace.  I instead tried to use paper to have the same effect. Since I don't put their cards in envelopes I can make items that extend outside of the card.  I usually don't decorate the inside of their cards because my husband and I write a message to them there.  I also had fun using the wobble device.  It was very easy to use and I can't wait to use them again.

Margaret

April 2014 Crocheting

I have really been enjoying myself with crocheting.  I forgot how addicting it is.  I did my first adult garment, a sweater.  I think it really came out nice, I must admit that it did not turn out like I thought it would.  It came out really big, I did not know about gauging, and that is really important when making a garment.  I now have learned and it is not hard to figure out.  The pattern will tell you what size yarn and hook to use, but be sure to check the gauge.  Some people my crochet tighter than others so the gauge will tell you how many stitches per inch and how many rows per inch.  So if you want to use a different yarn and hook you have to figure out how many stitches per inch and how many rows per inch you need to make match then adjust your measurements.  Also if you stitch tight you may need to adjust your hook size.  I am done with the stitching but I still have a few threads to weave in, and still need to block it again.  This sweater I found in the Spring 2014 Crochet magazine, Page #22 "Uptown Chic Cardigan".  The yarn that I used is from Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller, Full o' Sheep 100% Peruvian Wool in Passionfruit.

The following two items did not require gauging.  Usually that is for garments.
The afghan is from a free tutorial from a blog, "Dada's Place" at dada4you.blogspot.com, and the block is "Primavera Flower Granny Square".  You have to go to her blog she is great.
The yarn that I am using is "Red Heart Shimmer" in Cherries Jubilee and Lime they are 97% Acrylic and 3% Metallic,  the "Caron Simply Soft" in White, Victorian Rose, Passion, Soft Pink and Orchid all are 100% Acrylic.  I'm also using "Bernat Satin" in Banana it is also 100% Acrylic.  I still need to make three more rows then add a border.

The last item that I worked on this month is a Amigurumi Dragon that I made for my oldest son for an upcoming birthday, he collects anything dragon related.  It's from a pattern that I purchased online at amigurumipatterns.net called "Grow, Baby Dragon".  This was my first stuffed animal but it won't be my last.  I had so much fun making it.  I have an ever growing list of the different ones that I want to make.  The yarn that I used for this item was from "Loops & Thread" Snuggly Wuggly in Pee Wee Prints and Fresh Green  both 100% Acrylic.

 

So for May I hope to have the afghan completed and a few more of these cute animals.

Margaret

My Yarn Storage and Organization

I wanted to share how I store and organize my crocheting supplies.  I just began crocheting again after over 25 years and found myself in need of storage and organization.  As I have a dog and a cat I wanted to make sure that I could keep my yarn clean and fur free, so I have to become creative.  I do love to organize on a budget so I had to come up with a few good ideas.  Along with the Sterilite containers I also found these items that could work.

These were Stackable storage containers that I found in several sizes but bought these two.  I had my husband drill a hole in the center for the yarn to pull through.  They work great.  I finally received my ball winder and made the yarn cakes with the center pull and they work great in these.  They were purchased at a local store called Marcs for $.99 and $1.49.

This is a bottle bag that I found at Family Dollar for only $7.00.  I use this for my on the go bag.  It is the perfect size.

This is a larger bag that I found at Tuesday Morning for $9.99.  It is a Singer sewing and craft bag.  I use this for my Work in Progress (WIP) items.  Right now I am working on a sweater.  It is made in 5 pieces so I store the pieces here and use the small bags to take a pieces that I am working on in.

 

Margaret

Haul - Tuesday Morning, Staples & Project Share

I have been watching a lot of youtube channels on people knitting and crocheting lately and decided that I wanted to give it a try again.  Seeing as though it has been over 25 years since I last crocheted, I wanted to start with something easy and I wanted to watch a video that I can watch from start to finish of an item.  So I started with the scarf.  The scarf is from "love4nails" her video is titled - How to make a collar scarf.  I did change the way I wanted to have it wrapped.

There was so much yarn left over after making the scarf that I wanted to make a matching hat.  So off to youtube I went again.  This one was made by 'simplyhookedcrochet" and her video is - Basic Slouchy Beanies.  I loved the look of this hat.  It looks knitted but with the speed of crocheting.  I so love it.

Now I am off play with the yarn that I just purchased.  I wanted to make a shawl with the yarn that I just purchased from Tuesday Morning (went back and got more), but my dear husband has confidence in me and suggested that I try a sweater.  So off I go in search of a sweater pattern.  Wish me luck.

Margaret

"Love is You" Valentine's Day Card

I wanted to share with you a card that I made for my husband for this years Valentine's Day card.  I also wanted to share how to use your Cuttlebug to pop out areas in your images that you do not want to cut using the  Spellbinders dies.  I wanted to make this card with a more masculine feel so I used cork and burlap type papers.  I also used the Sizzix brand Tim Holtz dies to make the die cuts.  I altered some embellishments to make them fit my project.  Once I was done I added a few stickers to soften the look.  I love how it all turned out.

Margaret

2014 New Home Finance Binder

While sitting here preparing my bills one day I saw that it was easy for me to do, because I made it up.  But if something happened and I needed someone to take over that job for me, it would be alittle difficult.  So I decided to make up a new system that would be super easy to follow.  I wanted to keep this process simple but effective so I only used three main sections.  The calendar, the checkbook and the utilities (all bills).  I also included a pocket to all things mailing, another section for reciepts, a flyleaf full of assorted sticky notes, and the final sections for "Bills to be paid", "Bills Paid".  I started using this system this month and can not believe how easy it flows.  I have also showed my husband and sons where I keep the binder and how it works.  I listed the supplies that I used to make this binder below.



Supplies:
Binder - (Walmarts) PlanAhead 11 X 13.25 Binder
Pencil Holder - (Target) I used 2
Sticky Notes - (Staples) Martha Stewart assorted styles
Page Protectors - (Staples) Heavy Duty
Dividers - (Deals) File Folder 3 pack
2 Pocket Folder - (Staples) Oxford
Calendar - www.calendarlabs.com
Check Register - Family Life Credit Services Check Register Template

Margaret

Cuttlebug - Helpful Hints and Tricks

I wanted to share with you all the different ways that I use my Cuttlebug, from cutting the wafer thin dies to cutting the Sizziz Bigz dies.  There are so many different materials that you can cut depending on the dies you are using. There may be slight  differences depending on the weight of the material used.  But here is the general guideline.
Spellbinder Nestabilities (Sizzix Thinlite and QuicKutz to cut):
   Cut - (always cut before embossing)
             A - B - die (ridge side down) - C
   Emboss -
             A - B - die (ridge side up with cardstock (CS)in place) - rubber mat - shim - B

Sizzix:
   Regular or Bigz ( if using the long Bigz you need the long B plates only)-  B - B - CS - die
   Long Sizzlites - (use extended spacer plates) A - B - CS - die - B

Embossing:
   Cuttlebug Folder - A - B - folder with CS - B



Margaret