Crochet Pumpkin

I don't usually like to post twice in one day, and I thought about scheduling this one for next week just to spread things out a bit.  But I am just too excited to share this project I finished this morning with you.

As if I don't have enough crochet projects to work on: cuffs, my blanket, baby boy and baby girl blankets, I decide I needed to go searching for crochet pumpkin patterns.

I'm thrilled I did because I found the cutest and quickest little pumpkin ever (and I learned a new ribbing stitch and found a new crochet blog to add to my reading list).  She even has a fab video tutorial to walk you through it!

Here's mine:

I added a little tag and a vintage pin (I'm sure these have a name) and it's good to give to my dear friend who is always surprising me with little gifts.

And as if all those reasons are not enough to be glad I went searching for crochet pumpkins, check out Crochet Geek's latest pattern share:

Be still my gift-giving heart.  I just landed on the PERFECT gift for my little guy this Christmas.  Add that to my crochet projects list.

DIY: Camera Strap

Happy Friday!!

Tomorrow I am going on my first World-Wide Photo Walk and I'm super excited.  

But my little camera strap was a teense bit embarrassed about going out on the adventure stark naked!  Something had to be done.  

I pulled out the tried-and-trusted, never-fail-me camera strap tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew and got to work. 

In less than 1 hour it was complete and ready for photographing:

 And Ms. Strappy is oh so very happy {hey, that rhymes}!

Hopefully I'll have some photos worth sharing with you after the walk.

Have a super fab weekend. And if you are looking for a quick project to stitch up this weekend, please try Cluck-Cluck's tute--it's sew easy.

And that concludes this uber corny post.  I'm blaming it on Friday!

October Sneaks

Is it me or is the month of September just flying by?  I feel like I was just posting my sneaks for September, and here it is already time to post October's.

It feels like you get two kits in one with this Elite--it's like Jekyll and Hyde: part formal and elegant, part creepy and crawly.  I had so much fun with working with both!

October's Petite kit was just screaming for a mini-album, so that's just what I did.  Here are the sneaks:

You can catch the full reveals of both kits over at Scrapbook Heaven on the first!

a drawing class

I am not a drawer--is that a word?  I mean a person who draws.  Yeah, I'm not one of those.  Give me some paper and scissors and I can make something.  But paper and pencil in my hand and I freeze up.  My hand can never recreate what my eye sees.

On Wednesday, I attended a grant-funded pastel class at my town library.  I love the library for things like this: inter-generational groups of people gathering for culture and creativity.  The teacher was Greg Maichack, a talented and humorous artist who turned an entire room into pastel artists. This is what I had created from a black piece of 11 x14" paper at the end of 2 hours. 

Pastel Calla Lily in the style of Georgia O'Keefe

Greg talked this non-artist through the process of blank page, to reference points, to concave and convex lines, to connecting it all together into a charcoal line drawing.  And finally, marking shadows, using different pastel strokes (like chisel and scumbling), and blending.  I left there proudly with my drawing and chalk covered fingertips, one happy girl!

How about you?  When is the last time you took a class or worked with a new art medium?

Whoops!

I'm a bad little blogger. 

Last month I had posted a giveaway for this cuff:

and then I completely spaced on picking a winner.

So, to help my karma recover from this blunder (and because I think I can handle crocheting 5 of these next week) I have decided to make one for each of you.  Please send me your addy and your wrist size (these do have some give to them, so just measure around your wrist) and I will get them out to you in the next two weeks.

A backlog of projects

So I was just going through the backside of my blog and found the draft of this post from a few weeks ago.    Let me see if I can remember what was for what.  

This was a "blank sentiment card" for For the Luv of Art's Card-a-Palooza Crop.

challenge: use die cuts

This layout uses one of Page Maps sketches

This layout uses one of the sketches from Scrapbook Heaven's Summer Scrapsation Crop

These two cards were for the "create something wintery" challenge during the Summer Crop

I would love to make these as my Christmas cards--the card itself is simple enough, it's crocheting 100 plus snowflakes that might be a teense bit of a problem.

This one uses product from the August Petite kit from Scrapbook Heaven and a sketch from Paper Craft Planet

And these three last layouts are created with the September Elite Kit (how did I forget to post these?)

I've also done a couple of little altered projects.

altered mini-composition notebooks

altered post-it note holder

close-up of handmade stick pin

 Okee, dokee.  I think that catches me up to date.  Whew, I had no idea I had let things get so out of hand.  Won't let it happen again, swears! 

One more last thing: Scrapbook Heaven's Football Frenzy crop kicks-off tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM eastern time.  Join us over in the forum for challenges, games, and prizes!

a slew of grannies!

Finally got my crochet act together on this never ending blanket.  When did this endeavor begin?  Umm, May?  Well, actually March or April if you count those first squares I created with no real sense of what I was in for.

I learned a whole bunch from this project. And isn't that why we do this work, to learn something?  First, I learned how to crochet better.  I learned oodles of new stitches.  I learned the difference between front loops and back posts and everything in between.  And, yes, I did get a teense bit faster at crochet.  I learned that as much as I like to pretend I am organized, when it comes to creating I am an organizational nightmare! These squares were scattered throughout every room in our house.  Patterns were folded and crumpled up into more bags than I knew I owned.  It took me days to get everything to the state it is in now so that I can actually write an organized blog post.  So let's get on with it, shall we?!

I'll start with these three that I cannot for the life of me figure out where the patterns came from. 

{hanging my head in shame}

Whew, feels good to get those out of the way!  It only gets better from here, trust me!

The next set of squares come from this very awesome book by Jan Easton.  If you are looking for a variety of beautiful squares all bound up in a book, this is a must have.

Each of the following blocks are numbered with their corresponding number from the book.

block #99

block#38

block #94

block #13

block # 18

block #42

block #31

block #88

block #35

block # 16

That block was one of the first ones I made and it's when I learned the power of "blocking."  Here's a great tutorial for spray blocking--the method I used to block my squares.

If you are looking for free patterns of crochet grannies, you must, must join Ravelry (it's free!) and there are hundreds of free patterns for download and printing.

Circled Square by Meg Prescott {pattern here}

Flower Granny by Silja Devine {pattern here}

Dimensional Flower by Rhonda Rowley {pattern here}

My Daisy by Cindi {pattern here}

Multi Stitch Granny by Dayna Audirsch {pattern here}

Star Flower by Rhonda Rowley {pattern here}

Windflower by Beverly Button {pattern here}

So there they all are: 60 granny squares ready to join.  Uggh, wait...you mean I'm not done? I still have to join all these together?  Yikes!

I am kind of looking forward to this part of the process.  Well, maybe not the joining part, but the laying it all out and then actually having a useful, purposeful blanket to cozy under this winter.

WIP: crochet granny blankets {x2}

A couple of weeks ago I got some fabulous news from my long-time and dear friend: she is pregnant with twins!  I've decided to make her two crochet blankets for her sweet babies: one boy and one girl.

The yarn is Caron's Spa Bamboo in naturally, green sheen, ocean spray & misty taupe.  I will be crocheting my little hands off trying to get two blankets done before Christmas.  But that's nothing compared to carrying two babies in my belly at once while chasing around an energetic toddler--that's how my friend will be spending the next three months!

Even as I type this, I'm trying to finish up the squares from my other granny blanket project.  I've just about run out of green yarn, so the end is in sight.  But right now I have squares all over the house.  I find them in the laundry room, dining room, various project bags, even wrapped up in the bedsheets.  I've lost track of which squares I've photographed, which ones I still have to post here, where all the patterns are...uggh, I'm a mess!  I'll get it together soon, promise.  

And then I can start the endeavor of joining squares.  Anyone have tips on that?

One more thing: Scrapbook Heaven is having a 30% off store wide sale.  Head on over and check it out before it ends on Sunday, the 11th.

Scrapbook Heaven Sept. Reveal

Happy September!  New month, new kits, new projects to reveal.  The first of the month makes me happy!

So let's get started.

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

Yummy, right?

So far I've worked with the Petite to create these projects:

I don't think I will ever tire of banners.

My little goob being a goober

This kit contains two sheets of tissue paper that are just perfect for flowers and ruffles.

 A birthday card for my sister who turned 25 again this week

Dusted of the stickles to had a bit of sparkle

And more flowers.

Oh, and more ruffles!

A fun little gift bag tag

I'm debating what to do with this little guy.  It's made on an empty ribbon spool, similar to this project.  Not sure if it will become part of a wall hanging, or banner, or if I'll put a message around the spool and give it as a card.

Here's a fun little project, which also happens to be my challenge for September: create an OTP (Off the Page) decor project.  Embroidery hoops are another super inexpensive crafting supply.  They make adorable frames, and come in a slew of sizes just perfect for designing a grouping on a wall.

note: doilies not included in kit, but they are one of the most inexpensive crafting items--love them!

If you create an OTP decor project this month, I would love to see it!

I'll be back (hopefully this weekend) with some projects using the Elite kit.

Happy creating!