3 Grannies, 3 Layouts and a Skirt

Lately, I don't feel much like writing, not that I'm ever super witty or anything, but I just don't feel like trying to find the words.  So I'll save us all the mindless banter and get right down to the good stuff: some crafty projects.

First, the grannies for the slowly growing blanket.

Magnolia by Michele Thompson {pattern here}

The pattern for this square was sized at around 5" so I had to add a couple of extra rows of SC.  It still measures a bit small, so I will be going one more round of yellow SC in the back loops only to finish it off.

Circle of Friends by Priscilla Hewitt {pattern here}

 Adding this one to my list of favorites.  The TRC form these great dimensional stitches that border each round.  When I saw Mossy Owls' blanket on Pinterest (you must check it out--it's stunning), I knew I had to add this block to my blanket.  Now I want to make a whole blanket of just these in a rainbow of colors.  {sigh} so many crochet projects, so little time.

Winter Burst by Aurora Suominen {pattern here}

This is a beautiful pattern, but I had to leave out the last three rows.  Because of this, the last row is a bit wonky.  I almost ripped it out and did some HDC and SC along the mid-sections of each side to square it up more.  Oh well.  It's homemade, right?

Now for some recent layouts.  I did a couple more with July kits from Scrapbook Heaven:

 

A super quickie page for a SH summer crop Friday challenge: stripes only.

And this one slipped through the cracks when I did the July kits reveal post.

I promised a skirt in this post, so here it is:

Isn't that gorgeous?  We took a trip to the mall to get out of the heat this past week.  And the boys graciously allowed me a quick pass through Anthrolpologie.  Knowing my time in this store was short and precious with three tired boys in tow, I put my mad speed shopping skilz into full gear.  I plucked this beauty off the rack and had it on my body in 3 minutes and 24 seconds flat.  A glance in the mirror, and I knew it was coming home with me.   

I would never dream of spending $128 on a skirt for myself, but I had a generous gift card to use.  Happy day! 

That's all I've got for now.  Hope you are all having a fantastic and crafty weekend!

Crocheted Chemo Cap

My friend K asked me if I would crochet a hat for a client of hers who is starting chemotherapy on Wednesday.  I graciously accepted the request and found this beautiful pattern on Ravelry.

 I love when a project looks like it took a lot of time and effort, but is really a piece of cake (hmmm, does that make me sound lazy?).  That's what this hat is.  The shells give it beautiful texture and pattern, not to mention the adorable scallop brim they create.  And they are a cinch to whip up.

I created it with Lily's Sugar and Cream in Grape/Raisin, and all it took was one skein--can you believe that?

I am truly honored to have been a part of this woman's treatment, if only in this one small way.

Scrapbook Heaven July Kit Reveal

 I can't say enough about the two kits Shannon put together this month.  Each one is brimming with pretty papers and beautiful embellies.  So here's what I have put together.  Nearly everything comes right from the kits, but I've listed the few things used on the pages that don't.

From The Elite:

not included: black text background paper and silver (grey) background paper

This "Daily Junque" paper from the Pink Paislee/House of 3 collaboration is one of my favorites!

The tag pulls out to reveal journaling.

not included: large pearl, string of tiny pearls on blue bf, letters in title, shipping tag, tiny blue rose bud

no included: large red letters, blue background paper

From The Petite:

not included: rhinestones, mist

not included: title letters

Crochet Grannies and some layouts

Yup, it's definitely summer around here.  Not much posting, but a whole lot of fun happening.  

We've been on vacation, on day trips, and on a bit of a stay-cation.  I love summer!

Today the boys and I spent much of the day making duct tape wallets.  I forgot to photograph, so maybe that'll be a post for another day.

Anyway, here's a bunch of mish-mash stuff that I should have probably been posting for the past month.  

Did I mention how much I love summer?!?

More squares for the blanket that is sssssloooooooowly coming together:

This square adds a circular twist on the traditional granny.  Whips up quickly--would make a great blanket done up in various color schemes.

Colorful Square by Drops Design {pattern here}

I really liked making this one.  The center is done in puffs and bobbles (even if you don't crochet, doesn't that just sound fun!), so it has lots of texture.

Carseat Blanket Square by Mary Ellen Wells {pattern here}

And speaking of texture, this square has lots of it.  I love the popcorn stitched flower and the way the four double treble stitches are worked on top of the square.  This was a fun one to figure out.

Flower Tile by Mary Jane Protus {pattern here}

Here's a closer look at it:

I'm taking a little break from squares to stitch up a chemo cap for a friend's client.  I'll share it and the pattern when it's finished.

Now onto some scrapbook schtuff.

Layouts for the Scrapbook Heaven Summer Scrapsation Crop:

And a few sneaks of the July Kits from Scrapbook Heaven.

 July Elite Sneaks:

 

Here's a look a the fabulous kits Shannon put together this month:

 I can't decide which one I love more.  

The full reveal will happen Monday, so stay tuned!

Happy Weekend!

A Giveaway!

The lovely folks from Frogtape contacted me when they saw this blog post 

and asked if I would giveaway a little Frogtape gift bag.  

Turn down free craft supplies; are you kidding me?!  Here are the goods up for grabs:

 2 rolls of Frogtape--enough for a ton of crafting goodness,

a reusable Frogtape bag (in green, my favorite color),

and a uber cool (do people still say 'uber'?) green tee--the back has a great big frog on it.

To win, just leave a comment with an idea for how you would use the Frogtape.

{And if you can't think of an idea, you can always just say, hi!}

I can't wait to alter the plastic case the Frogtape comes in.  It's perfect for a mini album box!

I'll choose a winner on July 31st.

A fabulous day

{A personal-life post}

I don't typically do personal posts on this blog, but it's been a bit dusty here since we've been in vacation mode, so I figured what the hey.  Promise I'll be back this week with some more grannies and layouts to share.

We were lucky enough to spend a fabulous day celebrating my great uncle's 85th birthday at their lakeside cottage, a place we affectionately refer to as "Camp".  Here are some shots from the gorgeous day: 

The first four are taken by my cousin, the incredibly talented photographer:

I love how my oldest and I are clueless about this photo being taken, but my little guy is all smiles for the camera.

Logan getting thrown in by my brother:



This is what summer is all about:


The boys had a super fun time tubing:

And going for rides in the boat:

I needed to get wet before donning the ol' water skis for a quick lap around the drink.

Um, yeah, I hadn't been on skis in prob'ly 20 years, 

and not only that, but my body was 20 years younger then.

Took three tries to finally get up.

Trust me, that smile is masking all the fear running through me as I hold on for dear life.

This one sums up how I was feeling a lot better: somewhere between 'Oh. My. God. Help me!' and 'what the heck was I thinking doing this?'

We hit a couple of rough patches and I couldn't help but scream like a girl.  

But boy did it feel great gliding into the dock at the end.  

Cross that one off the list of things to do before I'm 40.

Yup, it was a good day!  

Of course, tomorrow when I can't walk, well that will be a different story.