Something new for the 4th

I decided I wanted something new to wear for the 4th of July,

so a few weeks ago I picked up some beads

and I finally had a free evening to do some stringing.

The photos did not come out very clear

but you can get the idea.

The actual stringing did not take all that long.

However, afterwards when I spilled the tray I had been using...

it took a bit to chase down all those beads!

And of course when you are down on your hands and knees you get a close up view

of all those dog hair covered dust bunnies!

Oh well, it was still fun.

November Walker Decoration

This month's decoration for mom's walker is of course a turkey!

Such a bright, cute, fast and easy fellow could of course

be worn in the hair with this elastic.

With a pin back attached instead it would make a fun brooch.

Or on a large ring it would be the perfect napkin ring.

It could even be glued to a clothespin and used as a place card.

Yarn Wreath - My Version

People keep showing me pictures from Pintrest of yarn ball wreaths.

They are very cute and very color coordinated.

However, it bothers me that I might need a dab of just that color and regret having it hanging on the wall, unusable.

So I came up with this version.

I happened to use a heart shaped wire base,

which I wrapped with some velcro I had laying around.

(the sticky side)

Then wrapped up leftover scraps of yarn,

which I spent too much time unraveling from tangled piles.

Yep, they just stick to the velcro.

So if I need one I can grab it.

If I want to change out the colors for the seasons

or the decor it is very easy to do so.

I just could not bring myself to wrap around styrofoam balls

as directed in the others I had seen

when I have so much stash and might want to use it again!

Now if I can just find those wire wreath hangers

so I can hang it up!

Walker Decoration

I am still crocheting doilies for my son's wedding in the bits of spare time I find,

But decided to whip up a flower to decorate mom's walker.

I just tied it onto a hair elastic and fastened that around the top bar.

When the residents go to meals it looks like a mini parking lot of walkers and wheel chairs at the ends of the dining room.  Now at least it will be easy to spot mom's!

I hope to change it out each month or at least each holiday.

Dual Duty

I finally got around to photographing these hanger covers.

They are a fairly simple and quick little project and great to keep straps up on the hanger.

I have a few of them hard at work in my closet.

But then one day in the store I saw these nifty metal scarf hangers.

I took a closer look thinking I could really use one or two...

But upon inspection I was disappointed to find rough edges that could easily snag delicate fabric.

Of course I thought I should be able to come up with a better and cheaper version.

And here it is.

Free.

Adjustable.

No snags.

And it can come in any color in your stash.

Unless of course you are willing to spring for a skein of yarn!

Remember May Day?

When I was a little girl,

I remember taking little paper nut cups

and adding a little handle made from paper strips

or ribbon or pipe cleaner

then filling it with fresh violets I picked.

I loved to pick flowers.

It was even better when I had permission and did not get into trouble for it!

The best part though was taking our little baskets of flowers on May 1st;

setting one on a porch,

and ringing the door bell

before running to hide.

Great childhood memories.

Made possible by my mother.

I would love to bring my mother a May basket of violets this year

but living so far apart makes that impossible.

So when I saw this pattern for a crocheted violet nosegay I simply could not resist.

And quickly made one up with a pin back added,

so mom can wear it for May Day.

May day baskets.

Nosegays.

Maybe I am giving away my age here

but they are still great memories.

Stick Weaving

While I have been waiting for the etimo crochet hook to arrive I pulled out

a kit I bought some time ago for stick weaving.

This is even easier than it looks!  

First time the weaving was uneven as I learned how taut to pull the yarn,

(then went back and read the directions).

Second try was spot on so I got out some fun yarn

 and dug a button out of the button jar and here is the result...

The bracelet idea was from this book by Sherri Haab 

although I already had the stick kit

and of course I modified the pattern somewhat.

Still a fun and fast new hobby!

Try it.  You'll like it.

Getting in the Halloween Spirit

Working on a little surprise for the new granddaughter.

While Delilah, the other granddaughter's Chihuahua watches as my daughter works on the skirt.

I was glueing on eyes.

Check back later to see how this works out.

Distracted

I just saw a plaque for sale in a catalog (Potpourri) that says:

"I can't clean because....

I get distracted by all the Cool stuff I find."

Oh that sooooo describes me!  

Not to mention the condition of my house!

Every time I start to put something away or organize or sort

I start finding stashes  

of all kinds of things

And patterns or instructions for wonderful projects

that I plan to try  -  someday.

And instantly I forget all about what I came in with or for

and want to begin work on:

a flamingo quilt

or a new blouse

a knotted bracelet

or a crocheted sweater

a card for mom

or some tatting for a challenge (how long ago?)

Sprang that I still don't have the hang of

or Broomstick Lace that looks so neat

Christmas ornaments

or grapevine wreaths

weaving a shallow basket for picking blueberries

or maybe knitting a cap for my grandson

A new recipe to try

or that painting of the squirrel I photographed on the fence.

I could go on and on and on and on.

How about you?

What distracts you from cleaning?

Ghost Napkin Ring

I really like the spider napkin rings but when I saw this little ghost I just had to give it a try. I love the eyelash wiggle eyes!

Spiders and webs

Here is a photo of the projects we have been working on lately. We all crocheted spider napkin rings and decoupaged plates. Kristy and I made these candle sleeves but Stacy did not make it over today to do hers.

The spider web is one I crocheted a few years back and I am helping my daughter make one. Quite a project for a new crocheter but she is almost 1/3 finished already. Stacy settled for coaster size webs. LOL

It is fun to have a themed table setting!

Felted Teapot Coaster

This is the teapot coaster that I crocheted and then felted. Not particularly pleased with it. I think I need practice with this. Suggestions or advice anyone?

Tea Light Flower and Flower Petal Napkin Ring

I took time out from my other crocheting project to make up these samples to show the girls I craft with. They liked them so much that they want to learn to crochet so they can make their own. Now that is rewarding!

I will have to type up the patterns for them since I 'adjusted' both of them. The Tea Light Flower is from All Free Crochet but my holder is shaped like a flower pot so I adapted that to fit. The Flower Petal Napkin Ring pattern is from craftown.com and was designed for size 10 crochet thread but I had no problem using the same yarn I had used on the candle holder it just meant fewer petals.

While these were not from the same place and actually are done differently they made a pretty good match.

Beads are so much fun

You may recall the necklace on the far right from my last post. I then decided to play around with it a bit and came up with the one next to it. On the far left are a pair of shamrock bookmarks also from Suzie that I decided to whip up before putting away the green thread.

Then there were the purple beads. You may recognize them or not as I was not happy about how they laid (on edge) so I decided to add to the inside to balance it out.

And then I made another. It was certainly a nice break from the slow going socks I have been knitting. But I did go back and finish those too. What will I do next?

Mardi Gras Beads

I don't live very far from Galveston where Mardi Gras is currently in full swing, so when I saw these crochet embellished mardi gras beads over at Suzies Stuff I just had to put aside the sock I am knitting and try these out!

I adjusted it slightly but love the Shamrock pattern. This one is in honor of my late friend Vanessa who loved St. Patrick's Day.

Suzie also shared this other version. Once again I adapted slightly but just think it is wonderful and will be making more of these! Thanks Suzie!

Finished Plates

Here are the last of the plates drying from the sealer. It has to be 70˚ to 80˚ to use this spray and so we dashed out and my daughter finished these up while the weather was soooo nice. It was a good excuse to be outside too.

These photos were all taken with her phone but you can see how pretty they are. Friends stopped by and when we explained how they are made her eyes lit up and she turned to him and started carrying on about paisley dishes. I think we may have a new crafting buddy!

Cherry Snowmen

These little snowmen looked so cute in the pictures.

But when I made them they look like they have been sitting in the sun too long!

But even if they look more like the ghosts of Snowmen past,

they were still really good to eat!

More holiday crafting

Today my daughter was back to work on more plates.

She made real progress and hopes to finish next time she comes over.

While she did that I worked on making some 'natural' ornaments for her tree using walnuts and glitter. This was another easy project!

I look forward to seeing her tree.

Snow Ornaments

Here are photos of the snow ornaments I mentioned in the last post.

I am afraid between the reflections and the heavy sun blocking screens they are a bit difficult to see.

These were so easy and fun to make.

The ones we saw in the store were filled with small Styrofoam balls

but I chose to use some plastic pellets left over from stuffing toys.

Just pour in a small amount and replace the top.

Then using a metallic marking pen 'paint' snowflakes on the outside.

I chose blue to match my kitchen and to show up better.

If you were to put these on a tree silver or gold would probably show up well and be quite stunning. I tried writing on my test ornament but quickly discovered that is much more difficult that it looks to get good results.

Snowman updates

I had debated adding arms to the snowman tree topper but it took me a while to decide that he definitely needed them and then to find something appropriate to use.

And the bottle cap snowmen just seemed bare without a scarf so had to update them as well. I think I am now happy with this tree.

Next will be some ornaments for the kitchen...