Happy December 1st! The sun is shining and the dusting has pretty much melted. Since it's colder, I've been snuggling down and knitting and crocheting more. I joined in on Marly Bird's Annual Turkey Trot Mystery Make Along 2021 and am now on part 3.
It's been interesting trying to figure out what size to go with. The clues weren't very helpful but I had an idea what it was, especially knowing we were making 2 of the wearables. That really narrowed down what it would be.
I didn't get gauge on part one using the recommended hook size (H). It was a little larger than should be, but I decided to keep it and weave my ends in, ready for part 2.
Part 2
I looked at part 2's directions and knew I was correct. I decided to change to a "G" hook for part 2 and added 2 rows before decreasing. I'm using Main Street Yarns Shiny & Soft in Driftwood, Red Heart Super Saver in Lt. Blue and Mainstays 100% Acrylic in White
I tried the plaid look that was suggested on the pattern, but really didn't care for it, so I'm sticking with the stripes. Not sure about them either. Hubby doesn't like the colors I chose nor the pattern. LOL
I can't believe it's already pretty much the end of the year. I have no idea where it went, but I do know it was a busy and challenging year. I thought the lockdowns and mandates would be gone by now, but so far, they lessen and then reappear. Hubby is permanently working from home. His office is gone. The whole department is now working remotely and the space has been allocated for something else. As much as I enjoy having him home, I miss my alone time. I tease him that I didn't sign up for him being underfoot yet as that was supposed to be years away when he retires.
The vaccine was brutal for me. I was sick 11 days with fever, severe headache, vertigo, and my sense of smell and taste were way off and quite offensive for me. I'm still not 100 percent with those senses. I have good days and bad days with taste/smell. Some of my favorite things will taste good in the beginning and then become extremely offensive to me half way through eating. I'm still having severe headaches occasionally and they will put me down for a couple of days. I never had anything like them before the vaccine. I got the vaccine so I wouldn't have to wear a mask and worry about getting ill. Well, masks are still required here and vaccinated people are getting the virus. Sigh...
I'm no longer buying craft supplies. Prices keep going up, so I'm working on my stash at this point. I have 2 subscriptions that will be running out and I cancelled everything that I pay monthly on. It's sad that I missed out on some great sales this year, but they will be there again next year. I hang my head in shame with my submission to pressure to buy now, because it will be gone very soon. While housebound, I had a lot of time for YouTube and email, so the fever of buying to self-medicate took hold. It's so easy to slip into that mess! The bright side is I bought before prices went up - almost everything on sale and free shipping, so, now I have a nice stock to get me through the price increases and not feel like I don't have anything to craft.
My mood has been odd. Sometimes I'm sad but mostly I just feel indifferent. I think it's being stuck at home so much and not seeing family and friends. My bestie is gone and my next dearest friend has been diagnosed with a terminal disease of her lungs. I've been watching her slowly go downhill the last couple of years, but this year has been the most noticeable and seems to be getting worse more rapidly. On top of that, but my cats had to be put down this year. Our stray male cross the Rainbow Bridge on Feb 7th from cancer and our 19 year old female had a seizure on Feb 14th and never came back all the way. She ended up with kidney failure and crossed over on July 1st.
So, that's what's been up here and why no postings. I must get back on top of things and post more. I need to post about the positive things in life - too much negative going on!
I've been a fan of House Mouse for a good 20 years, so it seemed appropriate to join in the House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge. I've had a few HM stamps in my stash for a while now, but they are so detailed, that I was absolutely intimidated by them. With a set of watercolor pencils, this stamp came alive for me. Now I wonder why I ever waited so long to try!
Materials Used:
Neenah Solar White Cardstock
Distress Oxides for background
Strathmore Watercolor cold press 140 lb. paper
Norberg & Linden Watercolor Pencils
House Mouse "Crocus Droplet" by Stampendous
Embellishments: Dew Drops
"Crocus Droplet" is the first cling rubber stamp I ever used on a card. It came in a kit of the month that I had gotten when I first started seriously stamping. I was elated to get a House Mouse stamp but was intimidated at the same time. It sat in a box until this challenge got me motivated to finally try creating something with it.
The first thing I did was stamped my image on Neenah cardstock and then colored/water colored the image. I like using the watercolor pencils for both control and shading. They get into small spots without going outside the lines, allowing me to get the look of watercolors in small areas without having to mask or using the embossing or resist methods. I also like being able to easily layer and shade.
Next was the background. I used Distress Oxides for the background. I blended Worn Violet, Faded Jeans, and Mowed Lawn, added a few drops of water and then dabbed off with a baby wipe for a more distressed and rainy day look. After putting my card together, dew drop embellishments were added for the water drop look.
"Crocus Droplet" features sweet little Monica. I don't know if it's still available any longer.
I just happened to stumble across a challenge that I had to try. It's Festive Friday Challenge #FF0079 World Frog Day. Anyone that knows me knows I love frogs, so this was perfect! I went straight to my craft table and dug out an adorable frog stamp and went to work.
You might notice a little wrinkling, as this card is still a bit wet. I didn't have time to let it dry and be able to take the photo. It's now under some weight to smooth it out. I think next time I'll be using some double sided tape instead of glue to prevent any bubbling or rippling in the future - especially when I need a card quickly!
The rules require at least 3 items off their list. Mine include:
Frog
Water
Green
Circle
So without any more chatting here, I will hurry and get this posted before I miss the deadline.
It's that time to do a challenge. I saw Simon Says Stamp has an "Add Some Green" challenge for their Monday challenge, so I thought I'd squeak under the wire with a card made from their Wooly Lucky Stamp set. I love the Llama and the sayings that come with it. I really don't have a lot of green on the card, but it was fun to make. It's done in a clean and simple style and I decided to keep the focus strictly on the llama, so I stamped the sentiment on the inside. The Llama is colored with alcohol markers.
My color choices were inspired by the Inspiration Challenge #150 "The Luck of the Irish" by Card Concept. The whites, yellows, green and the hat - well, it's all here in my Clean and Simple style Wooly Llama card - all the way down to the envelopes. I got the pearlized gold envelope from Simon Says Stamp. (I'm not sure if it's still available). I love the inspiration challenges because they give me a nice color palate to work with. I'm terrible with putting colors together, but the challenge really helps me.
I have never really tried a Clean and Simple style card, and I was inspired by the following 2 challenges:
Stamplorations is new to me. I was looking for adding some stamps to my small collection and came across their website and their challenge. Their challenge focuses on dark green and mint green. I used them in the colors on the llama and the border.
CASology has their challenge theme as Luck - and what's more lucky than a Wooly Lucky Llama? From his hat to his blanket, he's covered in green and shamrocks, so he's certainly a poster llama for luck.
I made 3 of the Llama cards and had so much fun doing them and the challenges. They are on their way to their new homes and hope the recipients enjoy them as much as I did making them.
I really struggled with the older kits from Maker's Mart. I'm not sure why - maybe I just don't envision the cards with the supplies given. I have some leftover scraps from KOM-005 and as I think I said before, I disliked one of the papers. I saw call me Crafty Al's latest Sheet Load of Cards video and thought I'd try it with that paper. I was very pleased how the card turned out. It made the paper look good on the card!
Materials used:
Paper: Maker's Mart
Paper : Celebrations Stampin' Up
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White
Cardstock: Neenah Creative Collections
Embellishments: Dew Drops
Ephemera: Spellbinders Watercolor
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black
I finished 2 more kits - one from Maker's Mart and one from Spellbinders that I'll be posting in the near future (when time allows). I still need to photograph the finished items. Both of these are older kits that are now out of my stash.
I signed up for #CardsforCubs2021 at bearly.art. They are collecting cards throughout March for foster children and will distribute them in May for Foster Care Awareness Month. If you are interested in donating some cards, you can sign up at Bearly Art and pledge even just one card to donate to this cause. Deadline to mail the cards is March 31st. Currently, I'm 3 away from my pledge amount. I am hoping to get more finished and then can go in and change the total when I send the lot. I'm having a great time doing these cards, as I have no children to make cards for. It's a win-win situation as I get to create and use my stash and hopefully brighten a child's life just a tiny bit.
Hurrah! Maker's Mart KOM-005 has been completed and removed from my pile of kits to do. This kit came with the dies, layered chipboard sentiments, wooden frames, ribbons, and other bling to use along with the usual papers, cardstock and cards/envelopes. There were no stamps with this kit and it appears that most of the older sets didn't have sentiment stamps. This was another challenge for me to use just what was in the kit. I did add a button and some sequins (for the shaker card) and I did make a couple of die cut flowers from a die in my stash. Everything else was kit only.
I think this is getting a little bit easier as I pushed through this kit. These are far from the drop dead gorgeous cards I see everyone else make, but, hey - one needs to start somewhere, right? My largest struggle with this kit was the paper. I thought they were ugly and tried my best to make them a little more appealing to use. Overall, I think I did OK, but nothing to write home about - but maybe, just maybe, they may brighten someone's day.
This year is all about working on things I've had in my stash for a long time. I had purchased some Maker's Mart Card Kits of the Month on clearance a few years ago. When they came, I looked at them and pulled this one out to work on. I did the example pieces and then was at a loss and felt totally intimidated by the pieces that were left over. Mind you, I'm not a creative person. Take away the instructions and I feel lost. I put everything away and never touched the kits since. Well - not until this month.
Starting with a partially used kit that I had abandoned was far from my warm and fuzzy place. I dumped out everything and stared at things and struggled trying to come up with something. Finally, I did and finished my first card. Was the second card easier? NOPE! Well, after a few days, I finished and here is my end result. 10 cards and one box down.
Time for another Sunday Stamp Challenge! This one is really cool and is called "Have a Slice". I was excited as soon as I saw it, because I love the colors and had the perfect colors for this challenge in my stash. I had so much fun making this card. I love using dies to create my cards. I love the dimension I can get from them!
I cannot tell you the exact papers I used. They came from a past kit from Maker's Mart. The dies were from Spellbinders and the ink was an unbranded cube from a past card kit - I just don't remember what one it was, but one from a few years ago.
The challenge states you must use a minimum of 3 colors from the graphic they posted on Sunday. The challenge runs from February 21st until March 5th at 6pm EST. Have a look at the graphic below and if you'd like to join in, you can got to the challenge page here and find more details to enter. I hope you'll join in the fun!
I had never heard of Word Art Wednesday before and when Karen stopped by and invited me to join, how could I resist? I really wanted to use their posted verse, however, my printer is not printing a nice crisp image and is ghosting, so I decided to take the "Anything Goes" theme from their Weeks #477- #478 Challenge and pull out a Spellbinder's KOM and see what I could come up with. This kit was one of their first kits (KOM-003) when it was sold under the name Maker's Mart. I had purchased a bunch of back kits a couple of years ago and I'll be honest - I had a hard time making the cards from the old kits. I just didn't have the vision to use the items in the kits. The old kits didn't have the tons of ephemera and other goodies that they provide with their kits that they now sell.
I had made 5 cards using the flowers and other goodies that came with the kit, but I used up a lot of the embellishments and just sat and stared at what was left. I packed the rest back up for "someday". Someday has happened and this challenge spurred it on. I pulled the kit out, dumped things on the table and decided I was going to finish the other 5 cards. Three down, two to go.
I saw the sentiment "You Can Never Have Too Much Sparkle" on one of the stamps and decided to have fun with it. I used the textured white card base (that always comes with their kits) and then layered a light blue paper, a textured silver, and an extremely shiny teal paper that also came in the kit. I cut the sentiment tag from a piece of 100gsm vellum (purchased from Amazon) using one of the included dies. There was no ink provided, but I found a matching ink in one of the other Maker's Mark kits. All embellishments were provided with the kit.
I had a bear of a time trying to get a photo to show how shiny and sparkly the card is so my photo is not the best. My apologies.
I will be posting photos of my other finished cards from this kit soon. As I wind down with the amount of embellishments left, it's getting a bit more difficult to come up with something. I'm not a creative person, so the challenges are really pushing me on and making me think outside of the box. I'm having so much fun!
If you would like to join in with the challenges from Word Art Wednesday you can visit their website and learn more about them. I'll just be making the deadline, as it ends today and can't wait to see what the next one brings!
Now that it's past Valentine's Day, I can post the card I made for Hubby. I had purchased some decoupage sheets from White Rose Crafts LLC and had a lot of fun putting a few of them together a little while ago. I had no idea what I was going to do with them at the time of purchase, so I put them aside for another time.
On Saturday, I came across the box that held the finished decoupage items and a lightbulb went on. I pulled out the past Valentine's day card kits from Simon Says Stamp (from 2019) and found the perfect pattern papers and sentiment. I used an ink square from Brutus Monroe in the color Rouge and a piece of cardstock from one of his Inspiration Boxes. I added a few Dew Drops that I also purchased from Brutus Monroe. Overall, I'm quite pleased how the card turned out.
The card photo was taken on a black background. The colors are accurate. The background is a pink and cream color and the red needs more like a country red - not a bright red. It's too bad that the layers really don't show up in this photo. It really is neat!
I haven't made a card in a long time. Mostly because of a lack of place to make them. Since everyone is now working at home, it made it hard to try to craft. I have been knitting and crocheting as well as a little beadwork over the past year, but trying to lay things out and doing piecework is difficult. This year, we are slowly working on a crafting space for me in the basement. I now have a table and need to put together some shelves - but I have a table and I can let things sit until I can return!!! Such luxury!
My first card was a sketch challenge from Sunday Stamps combined with The Card Concept Challenge #148 {Sweetheart Sweets}. I needed the inspiration and a starting point. It's been a while since I made a card from scratch so I decided to make a Valentine card for my son. I used things from my stash so I can't list the exact names of papers, etc., just where they came from. (Please note: the black background is not part of the card).
Supplies:
Sprinkles Background - Simon Says Stamp Feb '19 KOM
Sparkle paper - Christmas wrapping paper
Chocolate looking paper - Kaiser Krafts
Candy Box Stamp - Brutus Monroe Stamp of the Month
Sparkle Heart stickers - Brutus Monroe Inspiration Box
Ink - Brutus Monroe Inspiration Box - Rouge
Prism Art Colored Pencils
Ranger Glossy Accents
This was a really fun challenge to do and here's the sketch I had to work with:
Sunday Stamps posts a new challenge every fortnight, so I'm hoping to be participating more. If you would like to join in on the fun, just hop on over to their blog for more information.
For me, the colors were perfect and it was centered around delicious sweets, so that was the color inspiration for me. I went with what I think was the Shabby Chic and Vintage style. For me, these two challenges went together perfectly!!! If you'd like to try your hand at this type of challenge, you can visit their site here.
It is day 23 of going "Cold Sheep" as the group that I have joined calls it. I have not purchased any yarn at all this year and I have dumped all my subscriptions except for Potomac Beads Best Bead Box XL and Simply Earth's Recipe Box. When I joined Simply Earth's Recipe Box subscription, I got a $40 gift certificate to use. Now they are giving $50 gift certificates! If you are interested in trying this box and getting the $50 gift certificate, use the code THERESAD504.
I have a 31 day goal tracker in which I am using to create some good habits. So far, I have not missed a day on any of them. They are simple goals:
Bible Reading
Work on my reviews
Take my vitamins
Work in basement
Clean cat box
Drink at least 32 ounces of water
Like I said, nothing earth shattering, but necessary. One thing I'm finding is that I am doing much better when I have a daily to-do list.
Spinella Scarf
I also have some finishes for this month so far. I've made 2 bottles of a wonderful citrus foaming soap (recipe from Aromahead Institute) and a bottle of Sunshine Body Wash (recipe from Simply Earth). I have some more things I'll need to make this month in the Bath and Body department.
I was subscribed to Mary Maxim's Crochet of the Month Club as well as their Knit of the Month Club. I cancelled that for a number of reasons, but mostly because of all the stuff I had to do. I was getting behind on the kits. This was from the last kit I got - November's Crochet kit. I decided to knit this, as I couldn't see the stitches easily enough to crochet. This was a no think piece to knit on - just a cast on of 30 stitches and then knit each row until I ran out of yarn.
Included in the kit was Lion Brand's Spinella Yarn of the most "not me" colorway. The colorway is 602 Vintage. I knitted up the scarf and even though it's soft and really long - well over 6 feet, it just doesn't do it for me. It went into the donation box. Maybe someone will love it more than I do.
Crater Lake Hooded Cowl
My next finished project was from Mary Maxim's September 2020 Knit Kit of the Month Club. This one is called the Crater Lake Hooded Cowl by Grace Akhram and the pattern can be purchased on Ravelry if you are interested in making one. Personally, I was disappointed with the pattern. It was super, super easy. From what I saw from the photos on the pattern, I thought the top of the hood was rounded in the back to fit the shape of your head. Nope - it's pointy and looks like an elf hat. In the photo I pushed the point down and in the hood. It looks better, but you can still see the hint of a point. Even though I'm disappointed, the hood itself is comfortable and I'll be wearing it - it just not what I really wanted. With that said, the yarn that came with it was nice, though. It was Louisa Harding's Pitturissimo in the colorway 218 The Scream.
Viola Earrings
My January subscription box arrived from Potomac Beads and although I love everything in it, I decided to go back to an older one and make the Viola Earrings. They are a post earring that has a cabochon in the middle. There is beadweaving around the front and back to hold everything together and they are so pretty when finished. I wish my photo would show exactly how pretty they are in person. The nice thing about Potomac Beads is they always have a tutorial online, so if you like the things I post here, you can go to YouTube and you'll be able to get the supplies list and follow along with the tutorial. The colors in the tutorial are different than the colors I received in the box and I like the colorway I received a LOT more.
3 in 1 Handwarmers
Now down to my latest finish. These are the 3-in-1 Handwarmers designed by Marly Bird for Red Heart yarns. The pattern is free from Yarnspirations and there's even a YouTube tutorial and CAL that goes with it. These were a little of a challenge for me because of the new-to-me stitch that it uses. I decided to make the crocheted version of the mittens and after a bit of working the split crochet stitch, I was really thinking of ripping the whole mitten out. It was stiffer than I thought I'd like a mitten. I was already past the thumb gusset, so decided to just bite the bullet and make the pair. If I didn't like them, I could always donate them, right?
These mittens really surprised me. I think they will be warm and after crocheting both, even though they are still stiffer than knitted mittens, I think they will soften up after washing. That's usually what Red Heart yarn does. For these mittens, I used Red Heart Super Saver in the color Ecru and Red Heart With Love Stripes in the color Fiji.
I do have on more finished item - but it's a test, so I'll need to make sure I get the OK from the designer to post it.
That's all for now. I know this was a long post, so if you've made it this far - THANK YOU!!!
For me, it's not vows, but plans and goals that I'd LIKE TO DO this year. Nothing is written in stone, but I do have a list written in my notebook. I wrote down some places I'd like to go, books I'd like to read and things I'd like to make. Then I started a list of things I have on hand, especially kits that I've purchased in the past that haven't been touched. Well, that made me realize how much I really do have here and I need to start using it. I'm older and need to start working on things because I don't have as many years ahead of me to craft as I used to!
This year is going to be all about handmade. I'm going to try to make everything I want and need (well... as much as possible) and not purchase it. If I need new pants, sweater, etc. - I'll be making it. I have a decent enough amount of supplies here to do them. I am also going to be making my own bath and body products. I've found that they are so much nicer than the store bought versions and actually work better! Plus I can customize to exactly what I need by changing the carrier oils, essential oils or other ingredients.
My biggest challenge is going to be not buying any yarn. I'm hoping to make it through the whole year, but right now my goal is one month at a time. I'll tell you - it was difficult to not take advantage of the sales at the beginning of the month! OHHHH! And there were some good ones, too!!! I really need to get this stash of yarn under control. I was down in the basement and was going through the boxes we hadn't unpacked after moving. (I hang my head in shame). Well - I swear I'd come across another box of yarn and then another. It got to the point of me saying, "ANOTHER ONE?!"
This year is also going to be getting the basement done so I can have a craft room. I really need a dedicated crafting area. That will prevent surprises like I had going through the boxes in the basement. Hopefully by summer I will have one - or more realistically by the end of the year.
So these are my goals for the year. Nothing too difficult and nothing written in stone. The kits list is long and the yarn stash is huge, so I should do ok with no shopping.
