a few of my stuffed animals

As I have been reminded by my mother I have not been posting any of the many great stuffed animals I have been making so I will start sharing some of them today and hopefully remember to add more in the weeks to come.

All of the ones I am sharing today are made from freshstitches patterns.  I just love her patterns as they are so adorable, and her customer service is fantastic.

First up is my Halloween Witch that I made using the Avery doll pattern.  I made her a shirt as well as skirt rather than the dress and of course gave her those cute halloweeny tights.  I also used the witches hat pattern from her Malabrigo Halloween ebook.

 

Next up is Mike from Monsters Inc.  I just love how he turned out.

This little guy (Spikey the Stegosaurus)  makes me smile every time I see him.  I loved making him rainbow and modified the pattern slightly to add the red scale so I had a full rainbow in stripes and scales.

 

Milton the Slowpoke Snail here came from Stacey's Crocheted Softies book.  I love that variegated yarn as his shell.

 

 

Ruffle Alien is from one of her craftsy classes. I have already made two of this one because he is just so fun.

Hannah is from one of Stacey's mini kits that I had purchased.  It is currently unavailable in kit form but you can still get the pattern.

Mal the Tiny Duck is another one that I got in kit form.  I have done him multiple times, one in the mini kit like the one above, two in regular worsted weight and one in doubled up worsted weight.  It goes so great with the Little Quack books and is one of my go to baby gifts.

 

And finally we have one that is definitely one of my favorites.  As soon as I saw this yarn I knew I had to make Nelson in it.  I have always had a thing for birds and I really think this yarn totally made the owl perfect.

 

Well, here are a few of the semi recent projects I have done.  I still have plenty more to share in the coming weeks.

nothing new (kind of)

Technically I have nothing new to share this week.  A few WIP's have been worked on this week but nothing finished up... however... I would like to share a project I finished a little less than a month ago because I am so very proud of it.

From Valentines day until March 29 there was a crochet along in progress that I was part of.  It was to make a Pineapples for Everyone shawl designed by Marie Segares.  I decided to go ahead and jump in even though I had never done anything like it.  I also decided to use a much lighter weight yarn that I had ever used before that I had picked up a while back because I just loved the colors.  I must say I am very glad I decided to make this and just love the shawl.  Now I just have to figure out what to wear it with and where!

Well, that's it for me this week.   Head on over to Tami's blog to check out some other fantastic FO Friday posts!

scrappy-ghan, some socks and a dog

Back for another WIP Wednesday!  I have a few things to share today.  One is an afghan that I started back in December.  I work on it here and there as I get either the desire or some scraps built up.  I have been making a push on it the last week or so because I want to use it on my bed this summer.  It would  be much lighter than the heavy comforter that we have used the last 5 or so years.  I am really enjoying using up some of the novelty yarns that I have picked up over the years for whatever crazy reason and never actually used.  I think its the perfect place for them, and they add some nice occasional texture changes.

I also started a pair of socks for me last night.  The only other socks I have ever done were for my Mom, in a worsted weight (at her request/insistence).  I am quite thrilled to be working on my first pair for me... and its also my first time actually using some of the ohhhh 30 or so skeins of sock yarn I have collected so far.  I like the pattern so far, although reading through other peoples project notes most don't like the style of heel in it so I am a bit nervous to get that far.

That pretty much wraps up my week's projects.  I didn't get nearly as much done as I had hoped since last Thursday we adopted a fantastic 5 year old dog out of the shelter.  Much of the week has been spent getting acquainted with him and him with us and our habits.  He is very well behaved and absolutely adores the boys.  Here is a photo of him napping on their blankets while they are at school. 

Well,  be sure to check in and see some other WIP Wed projects and I'll see you again on Friday!

And now my first FO Friday!

Well,  On Wednesday I posted my first ever WIP Wed so now I have my first FO (Finished Object) Friday!  I managed to get a couple things done this last week.  First up is my first ever amigurumi.  The guy I picked to start out with was probably not one of the best for a first one... those antennae sure made closing him up even more awkward!  My Zoink is made out of scraps, and even partially filled with scraps to go along with the freshstitches scrap-a-long that is going on right now.  I am quite pleased with how he turned out and am trying to decide what I want to make next.


The other finished object that I have for this week is a sleep mask that I made for myself.  I tend to sleep much better with one so when the other half gets up to go to the bathroom the light from the other rooms don't wake me up.  I used the Owl Eye Mask pattern and modified the colors a bit.  Actually the pattern itself was pretty vague so a lot of it was my interpretations based on the picture.  Rather than an around the head strap I made loops to hook over my ears, and the other major difference was that I made a cute little heart for the nose rather than a triangle like the photo.  It works very well and I just love the colors/cuteness of it.

I think that wraps me up for today.  To check out other FO Fridays around the web be sure to stop in at Tami's Amis.

my first WIP Wednesday

I'm going to try to start posting WIP's (Works in Progress) each Wednesday now.  Soon I hope to figure out the linking back to other WIP Wed posts around the web but for today mine is it as I am a little short on time.

Here is an afghan that I started last week.  I bought the yarn last fall, and even had the pattern I wanted to use it with picked out just had not started yet.  I am finding that its going nice and steady once I got started and I am so very pleased with it.

 

The only thing I am a bit unsure of as I look at it now is the colors.  While I love the colors and they make me think of fall leaves, when I was looking at it I realized it made me think of some old photos of me as a kid...

Bug's blanket

Last post I shared the start of my Bug's blanket.  I am proud to share that it is now finished.

He is enjoying making a taco out of himself and his only real complaint is that "the blanket sure is heavy".  A little mesmerizing isn't it?


I also promised to share more about the 2013 BAMCAL project.  And here is a shocker.... I did a layout about it! So I will share that layout because it is so nice and neat and tells the whole story. (Click on the picture to get a larger, easier to read version)

Then there is one more project that I am super proud of and could hardly wait to share.  But I had to... at least until my Dad had received it in the mail.  He sounded pretty impressed when I talked to him so I think it was a hit.  I know I giggled almost the entire time I was making it!

Hopefully I'll be back with some more next week. 

less scrap, more fiber

As is probably pretty obvious by now I have not been scrapping nearly as much lately.  I am still being crafty, but lately it has been yarn that I have been working with.

  Last fall I pulled out an old afghan that I had started over 20 years ago and decided to finish it.  Well, because it was in Ohio State colors my oldest quickly claimed it as his own... as you can see here.  That is him hiding under it reading.

Finishing that up just got me back in the mood to crochet more.  I have started many projects since then, finishing most of them.  

Here is the blanket (still in progress) for the youngest.  He picked out his own colors and the pattern.  I have quite a few more rows done since this photo was taken.  The tricky part of this one is that all 4 colors are all attached all the time.

I have also finished a blanket for the grandson.  When we saw him last weekend it wasn't quite finished yet, but that didn't stop him from grabbing it and taking off at a run with it!  It will be sent to him for his second birthday next week.

For Christmas I made an lap-ghan for Judy and a hat/scarf combo for D and her American Girl Doll.

Then in January I found fingerless gloves.  I am soooo very in love with them.  My hands were always cold and these are the perfect solution.  My hands stay nice and toasty warm while I still am able to do most everything I need to with them on.  So perfect.  And of course  just one pair is not enough.  I'm having a ball trying out different patterns for them and foresee me  making many more in the months to come! 

 

I have also been working on a large blocked afghan, but will save it for its own post.

So that is what I have been up to lately.  I will try to come back and share whatever craftiness I have been up to more regularly.

Long time... Back to school

Well, once again it has been a long time since my last post.  So much going on lately that I just haven't been in much of a mood to scrap.  At least until today.  Today I managed to get 2 layouts done.  One for each of the boys using their "back to school" pictures.  Let me tell you, they are night and day when it comes to taking pictures anymore.  I'll show you the layouts now and let them explain it for me.

For both layouts I used the same kit, by Jennifer Labre.  I didn't want them to be carbon copies of one another, but I did want them to flow so they would look good placed opposite one another in a photo book.

Lilacs

I have another one to share today.  This one is about what is probably my favorite flower.  I absolutely love Lilacs, but sadly they are only here with us for a week or two each year.  I wanted this one to be more about the journaling, but also to show some of those gorgeous flowers so I used them at the edges and softly blended into the background.  The photo was taken from my lilac bush out front, where I have spent quite a bit of time the last week sitting and enjoying the perfumed air.

Credits:
A day in Provence by Steph.designs
Dis-moi un secret by Steph.designs
Chatterbox templates by Little Green Frog Designs

Not doing so hot

Wow, I had all good intentions for being more active on the blog this year but I'm not doing so hot. I have one to share today, and will hopefully have even more in the days to come.

I have recently joined Steph.designs Creative Team as a guest and today I played some with one of here kits. The kit is Gameplay, and I can probably come up with a dozen or more layouts on that topic! I decided to start off with one that I took the pictures for last October, where Colin decided to be a bit sneaky. Here it is.
Hopefully I'll be back with more to share soon! Take care!

New Year, Fresh Start

Well, its another new year again. While I'm a little late for posting a New Years post I guess that is kind of what this is. I scrapped for the first time since my car accident back in October yesterday and man did it feel good. The pages are still a bit on the simple side, yet then again mine usually are. I plan to try and learn how to do better embellishing / clustering this year. I love the look but have not really been comfortable when I have tried it to date.

Here are the two that I did yesterday. The first is actually a picture from 2 years ago that I have always loved looking at, but had never scrapped or printed it.

And secondly is one of my niece and nephew that I was sent last year in an email. I just loved the picture as it was, but decided to play with it a little and make it B&W. And wow do I love the results!!!

Hopefully my posts will be more consistent this year (yes I know I always say that).

Christmas in July

Christmas is coming... to ScrapMatters this week! Beat the heat, stop by and check out the big sale!

http://scrapmatters.com/

NSD Blog Train

Welcome aboard the ScrapMatters NSD Blog Train! You should be arriving here from Fiona's blog.

I hope that you are enjoying all of the fun at ScrapMatters and elsewhere this weekend! I have a made a little box for you to use for your treasures with the fantastic kit Timeless - a ScrapMatters Design Team collab, and the Not Straight Up: Hybrid Boxes by Krisi's Kreations. Remember that Timeless is free through May 12th with a $20 purchase. And let me tell you, there are some fantastic grab bags in the shop this week.

This kit has made me think back to my Grandma, and the quilts that she handmade for each child (4) and grandchild (9). It is something that I will treasure forever.

You can grab the hybrid box here! Remember that this is only available for one week and then it is gone! Sorry, Link has been disabled!

Your next stop is Fonnetta's blog. Please remember that there everyone is in a different time zone, so some posts may be a little late. If you do get a little lost you should be able to get back on track at the ScrapMatters Blog.

St Patricks Day fun

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted again. Just wanted to drop in and share a layout and a project that I did related to my Bug's St Patrick's Day celebrations at school.

Since my journaling on the layout pretty much tells the whole story, here it is so you can read it.

Colin had to make a leprechaun trap this year for school. I really had no idea what it was so of course I goggled it. When I had a better idea of what it was I asked him what he how he wanted to do it. He had a few ideas. He wanted to have a hole in his box that would be covered with a tissue so the Leprechaun would step on it and fall into the trap. To my horror he also insisted that he had to add a golden toilet to it. Working together we came up with a plan. We created his trap and we both kind of won on the golden toilet issue. He did include it, but it was down inside the box so that if he did catch a Leprechaun it could then use the restroom as needed.

This morning I received a call from his teacher. She had Colin get on the phone and ask me to come in. I asked if I should bring my camera and was told most definitely yes. When I got there the kids were all listening to the student teacher read a story so I asked with Mrs Metts what she thought about the golden toilet. She could not stop giggling and said that in 24 years of teaching that was a new one.

It turns out that Colin's trap had caught a Leprechaun! When he went to check look in his box it started shaking and you could hear a cry. It said "Excuse me! Excuse me! Someone let me out of here!" So the class is now on the watch for the Leprechaun to escape.

And the CD holder that I made to give a CD of all the pictures I had taken to the teacher. (She didn't have her camera with her because it was packed for her flight later that evening).The trapped leprechaun was so neat, but unfortunately his friends came and rescued him while everyone was out of the room to get lunch. What sneaky little guys! Here is the video that I took of the trapped leprechaun, and at the end you can hear the teacher's idea as to why he ended up in Bug's trap.

got bread?

Today I went out to buy our bread for the week and I looked at just how much we go through in a week. That is what this layout is all about. Yes this was all purchased today, as well as the bag of hamburger buns that you can barely see along the top right edge.

Credits:
Sunny Side Up by Chelle's Creations
2.15.11 Tuesday Template by Scrapmuss

Some recent works

I'm back with some of my recent layouts and hybrid projects to share today. I'll start off with my Valentines card for the other half. This one got Project of the Week at SM!

Credits:
Forget-Me-Not by Andilynn Designs
Pieces of My Heart by Erica Zane {collab with Denise Beatty Originals}

This is one that I did for last week's Travel Scraps challenge (also at SM).

Credits:
Great Escape by WM[squared] Designs
Great Escape: States & Countries by WM[squared] Designs
Be Inspired - Kendall - Templates by WM[squared] Designs
Just The Basics: Rainbow Alpha by WM[squared] Designs
Simply Dated - V.4 by WM[squared] Designs
The Pointed Truth by Stolen Moments
"By Definition - Travel" wordart by YB Designs

Here is one for today's tuesday template challenge. There were more photo slots than I had photo's for so I used a couple of the extra blocks for part of the title. Another option could be to use papers or elements there.

Credits:
Boys in My Backyard by Stolen Moments and Stacy's Backdoor Designs
Tuesday Template 2/22/11 by Happy Scrap Girl

And this is probably my favorite hybrid card I have done in a while. As soon as I saw the kit I just knew what I wanted to do with it. You can't really tell here, but the box with the bird in it has very soft pink "inking" to it.

Credits:
My Life & Story : An Autobiography Kit by Jady Day Studio
Ink Happy Edges by HSG
2.10.11 IITC template by SylviaB
envelope made with Cover It Up: Square by Krisi's Kreations

a very quick SM CT Call

Just dropping in quick to announce a very quick CT call at SM. It's only one day long so if you are interested get those applications in ASAP! By Saturday it is over!

Rules of the House

Just last week I made a new sign for our house. It is one that was in my house when I was a child growing up. I wonder if it will be minded any more than it was when I was a kid?

Credits:
Countryside Harmony by Scrapmuss Designs

gingerbread houses

A quick drive by post to share a layout I did yesterday after helping out at the youngest's school. Here it is side by side.

And here are the individual pages in a little larger view for you. I have noted Colin's gingerbread house on the one that was his. The others are some of the ones the other kids did. I wanted to make sure to only use their houses instead of their personal photo's for privacy reasons.

Credits:
Storyteller 2-Page Template 1 by Jady Day Studio
Terri - Handwriting Font by Krisi's Kreations
Gingerbread Kisses by Amy Stoffel
Just The Basics: Vellum Alpha by WM[squared] Designs