I cannot believe it has been nearly a month since either of us has posted. There is some serious slacking going on in the blog posting area! When we were discussing creating this blog, I thought at least one of us would be popping in almost daily to type up a little something. Apparently I was grossly mistaken! We'll have to remedy this issue, though. I also need to get some pictures posted ASAP. Until then, you can check out all of our current pictures on our Facebook Page. We are a lot better at updating things there.
I happen to know that we have both been crafting our little tails off over the past month, so it's almost acceptable. Almost.
I have finished a lot of new projects, but am a tad ashamed to say I am still (STILL!!?) procrastinating my one large order. I think I am a little intimidated by the items I have never made before. I don't mind taking on new challenges, or straying from my norm (hats/headwear). It's just that I'm not that excited about making some of the stuff. I get nervous when I am making a "pair" of something (gloves/socks/slippers), because there is such a huge margin of error. All I have to do is not hold my yarn with the same tension and I end up with two completely different sizes. It freaks me out. And frustrates me to no end! So there it is. My rant. I may just deliver what I have completed with a complimentary item and confess my lack of desire to make the rest (ha!). Or, I may suck it up and just make the damn things. The other problem is I am getting new orders fairly regularly, and they're usually for something I can whip up almost without thinking about it. So, naturally I blow off the less desirable task... I know I know, quit crying. I need to do SOMETHING about it, though. The "incomplete-ness" is totally stressing me out (and I'm sure my 4 or so readers are getting sick of hearing about it in every post I write).
My family has been staying pretty busy also, with work events for my husband, track/piano/friends/school events for my older daughter, attitude throwing and bossing everyone for my 3 year old, and keeping everything together for me (the hardest job, in my humble opinion..). We also bought a new puppy, which keeps me a little busier and a lot more annoyed daily. I love the puppy. She is adorable and well behaved. She is also another thing I have to make sure my 3 year old doesn't "break" with too much love.. She is also my 3 year old's new best friend and someone for her to boss around. All. Day. Long. I am still getting adjusted.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Easter Fun
Happy after-Easter everyone! Easter marks the end of the crazy season for my family. We're pretty calm now until the winter holidays really. That means I should be able to get a lot of projects cranked out. "Should" being the key-word, of course. I did get several things made last week, but nothing that goes towards my back-logged orders. I will get those finished this week and next week (I will I will I will I will....If I keep saying that it will come true, right?).
I made an Easter basket and "Chickie" hat for Lilly this Easter, and have had a pretty overwhelming response to them. I think next year I will put some up for sale. I haven't posted any of my new pictures here lately, but if you are interested in looking at any of our craft projects you can find them all here on our Facebook page. If you haven't "liked" us there, please do! We love to see the love!
I was also honored last month to be a tester for a pattern written by a friend and fellow crocheter. I absolutely love the pattern, and learned some different ways of doing some things in the process. You can see that finished project here. Ignore the sneer on my teenager.. She always looks like that lately (haha) but she was actually really happy to be a "model" and loves that hat. I love posting that picture because it makes her compose herself a little better for pictures NOW. I've revised the pattern a bit to suit my preferences, but I am making those for sale (with the blessing of my friend). If you are interested in purchasing the pattern and making it for yourself, you can do that here on her ravelry account.
On that note, I had better get a move on and get some orders going. I think I can actually finish one of them today if I start working on it now.
I made an Easter basket and "Chickie" hat for Lilly this Easter, and have had a pretty overwhelming response to them. I think next year I will put some up for sale. I haven't posted any of my new pictures here lately, but if you are interested in looking at any of our craft projects you can find them all here on our Facebook page. If you haven't "liked" us there, please do! We love to see the love!
I was also honored last month to be a tester for a pattern written by a friend and fellow crocheter. I absolutely love the pattern, and learned some different ways of doing some things in the process. You can see that finished project here. Ignore the sneer on my teenager.. She always looks like that lately (haha) but she was actually really happy to be a "model" and loves that hat. I love posting that picture because it makes her compose herself a little better for pictures NOW. I've revised the pattern a bit to suit my preferences, but I am making those for sale (with the blessing of my friend). If you are interested in purchasing the pattern and making it for yourself, you can do that here on her ravelry account.
On that note, I had better get a move on and get some orders going. I think I can actually finish one of them today if I start working on it now.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Narn - first attempt
The first step in creating something like narn (newspaper yarn) would surprisingly not be newspaper; you might be thinking to yourself, "yes it is, after all that is the medium you are using to create your alternate form of yarn."
The first step is go to every chain craft store there is and have all of them look at you like you are a crazy person for asking if they sell spindles. Yes, spindles. Being a crafter you might think this is a normal request, especially at a CRAFT store, you know, where they already sell yarn? Let me save you the hassle, the strange looks, people speed walking away from you after you ask the question like you are a leper - you will not find a drop spindle at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or JoAnns. Trust me, you will thank me for letting you know this ahead of time. You can try a locally owned craft store, the closest one I have was a Sew & Vac (hey, I had tried everything else, what could it hurt), they too, will probably look at you like you are crazy and will want you out of their small store faster than the chain stores usher you out the door. I will tell you that you can find them at such places as Wal-mart but not all locations carry them but you can buy it from them online.. You can try to reach out to your friends and family but be prepared for Jen like questions, "a spindle, like Rumpelstiltskin?"
Yes, a spindle, but a drop spindle, it looks like a dowel rod with a hook on the end and a coaster near the top... should not be such a hard find! Finally, I went to my trusty Ebay account (where I buy everything anyway and should have just gone straight there), you will find more options here than anywhere else and you actually have some choices!
Once you have reached this point you will be exhausted and will await the arrival of your spindle so you can start making narn. You see that the tracking has it sitting at your door step, the drive home from work will seem a little longer and then when you are almost home you realize the second step in making narn would be to have newspaper! I don't get the paper and I want to buy the Sunday paper for the coupons.
Please stay tuned for the exciting continuation of Narn - a frustrating process that I hope is worth it!
CRAFT ON!
The first step is go to every chain craft store there is and have all of them look at you like you are a crazy person for asking if they sell spindles. Yes, spindles. Being a crafter you might think this is a normal request, especially at a CRAFT store, you know, where they already sell yarn? Let me save you the hassle, the strange looks, people speed walking away from you after you ask the question like you are a leper - you will not find a drop spindle at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or JoAnns. Trust me, you will thank me for letting you know this ahead of time. You can try a locally owned craft store, the closest one I have was a Sew & Vac (hey, I had tried everything else, what could it hurt), they too, will probably look at you like you are crazy and will want you out of their small store faster than the chain stores usher you out the door. I will tell you that you can find them at such places as Wal-mart but not all locations carry them but you can buy it from them online.. You can try to reach out to your friends and family but be prepared for Jen like questions, "a spindle, like Rumpelstiltskin?"
Yes, a spindle, but a drop spindle, it looks like a dowel rod with a hook on the end and a coaster near the top... should not be such a hard find! Finally, I went to my trusty Ebay account (where I buy everything anyway and should have just gone straight there), you will find more options here than anywhere else and you actually have some choices!
Once you have reached this point you will be exhausted and will await the arrival of your spindle so you can start making narn. You see that the tracking has it sitting at your door step, the drive home from work will seem a little longer and then when you are almost home you realize the second step in making narn would be to have newspaper! I don't get the paper and I want to buy the Sunday paper for the coupons.
Please stay tuned for the exciting continuation of Narn - a frustrating process that I hope is worth it!
CRAFT ON!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
March Madness
No I am not a college basketball fan -- March is just such a crazy month for us! 3 birthday parties down (all for my TWO kids ?!) and 2 to go. Seriously. There is actually one today (starting in about an hour). Today's party will be pretty mellow. I think I'll even be able to hit the gym this afternoon and maybe burn off some of this high calorie/high fat weekend!
::Jump ahead 5 hours::
Scratch that -- The party arrived as I was typing the end of that paragraph. Late morning is definitely my "time of day". I had so much motivation when I was writing that paragraph. Now it's 4pm and I want to do nothing more than to sit on my couch (except maybe, to go to bed). I underestimated how exhausting it would be to have 2 days straight of birthday parties. Next year, I am doing away with the separate party "thing" and am having just one. Anyone who doesn't like it doesn't have to come (RAWR!).
Now I have next weekend to party it up (both days again, but only one for ONE of my kids. The other is a friend's kid), and then I will be putting some normalcy back into our daily routines. I'm still on track to get my orders all completed by the beginning of April, and have taken one more order for a couple of hats. I'm very close to getting caught up and I've got such cute ideas floating around my head!
::Jump ahead 5 hours::
Scratch that -- The party arrived as I was typing the end of that paragraph. Late morning is definitely my "time of day". I had so much motivation when I was writing that paragraph. Now it's 4pm and I want to do nothing more than to sit on my couch (except maybe, to go to bed). I underestimated how exhausting it would be to have 2 days straight of birthday parties. Next year, I am doing away with the separate party "thing" and am having just one. Anyone who doesn't like it doesn't have to come (RAWR!).
Now I have next weekend to party it up (both days again, but only one for ONE of my kids. The other is a friend's kid), and then I will be putting some normalcy back into our daily routines. I'm still on track to get my orders all completed by the beginning of April, and have taken one more order for a couple of hats. I'm very close to getting caught up and I've got such cute ideas floating around my head!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
About time!
Sheesh. Where does time go? I feel like I am in a constant struggle trying to make time slow down. The problem is I have so many things I want to do, but I also really enjoy sitting on my butt on the couch not doing anything. <-- That one wins out more often than it should.
I really have been busy filling orders and am happy to say I am almost caught up. I have one large order that has been overwhelming me a bit (in a "I'm happy to have this business" kind of way), but I am slowly but surely pegging away at it and am nearing the completion point. Along with that, I've got a few small/single item orders that I can finish quickly. I've set an end goal date of the first week of April to be caught up with all of my current orders. I know that seems like a long way off, but March is a busy family birthday month for us and I am realistic. I know that on my daughter's third birthday I will not be getting any crocheting done. The same goes for my other daughter's 13th birthday and the days of their parties. I also know that I need to get things done around the house before said party days arrive, so that takes more time away from "my stuff". Such is life as a mom (if you are the type of mom I try to be anyway).
I am really excited about a few ideas I've got in mind for when I am caught up, but I won't say what they are until I get them going and can show them off. --If they're cute. I don't know if I will be posting pictures if they don't turn out the way I want (ha!). Of course, I got the idea, and looked up 'how to's' on Pinterest until I found what looked like the best ones. When I try them out, I will link to the tutorials in my posts.
Also, I am giving up on the pattern writing for the time being. I will pick it up again later, but it's driving me crazy at the moment and I'm done trying to figure it out for now. I'm toying with the idea of entering a craft show at the end of summer and would like to get some things stock piled for that. I also may be starting an Etsy store in the near future. I am going to start focusing my time on those two things and let the less lucrative ideas kind of fall by the wayside. Warm weather is just around the corner and I could just about explode with excitement. I have so many fun plans for the summer-time and a "Lilly-line" that I've got in mind. I just cannot wait!
I really have been busy filling orders and am happy to say I am almost caught up. I have one large order that has been overwhelming me a bit (in a "I'm happy to have this business" kind of way), but I am slowly but surely pegging away at it and am nearing the completion point. Along with that, I've got a few small/single item orders that I can finish quickly. I've set an end goal date of the first week of April to be caught up with all of my current orders. I know that seems like a long way off, but March is a busy family birthday month for us and I am realistic. I know that on my daughter's third birthday I will not be getting any crocheting done. The same goes for my other daughter's 13th birthday and the days of their parties. I also know that I need to get things done around the house before said party days arrive, so that takes more time away from "my stuff". Such is life as a mom (if you are the type of mom I try to be anyway).
I am really excited about a few ideas I've got in mind for when I am caught up, but I won't say what they are until I get them going and can show them off. --If they're cute. I don't know if I will be posting pictures if they don't turn out the way I want (ha!). Of course, I got the idea, and looked up 'how to's' on Pinterest until I found what looked like the best ones. When I try them out, I will link to the tutorials in my posts.
Also, I am giving up on the pattern writing for the time being. I will pick it up again later, but it's driving me crazy at the moment and I'm done trying to figure it out for now. I'm toying with the idea of entering a craft show at the end of summer and would like to get some things stock piled for that. I also may be starting an Etsy store in the near future. I am going to start focusing my time on those two things and let the less lucrative ideas kind of fall by the wayside. Warm weather is just around the corner and I could just about explode with excitement. I have so many fun plans for the summer-time and a "Lilly-line" that I've got in mind. I just cannot wait!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
I Have Craft ADD
I just posted a new a pic of a wash cloth, it is 100% cotton with a monogram. It was my first shot and I have a couple more to come. I am perfecting the crochet aida right now.
I am working on a couple different projects and I have been asked by a local clothing designer to do some stuff for him. He has requested that I don't share any of my projects until after they have been shown in the fashion shows later this year. I am pretty excited to share them with you!
I have a box of supplies I need to pick up and there should be a narn post to follow.
CRAFT ON!
I am working on a couple different projects and I have been asked by a local clothing designer to do some stuff for him. He has requested that I don't share any of my projects until after they have been shown in the fashion shows later this year. I am pretty excited to share them with you!
I have a box of supplies I need to pick up and there should be a narn post to follow.
CRAFT ON!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
I ::HEART:: Crochet
I know Dez has got her hand in many different craft projects. I have some ideas for some other crafts also, but I love crochet so much right now that I have no interest in starting anything else. I'm okay with that. I'm busy busy trying to fill orders, which is GREAT! If I work hard over the next few days, I should be caught up by next weekend. That is my goal anyway. I'd like a little wiggle room in my schedule to work on some really fun ideas I've got in mind. Plus, I'm toying with the idea of doing a craft fair sometime in the near future, so I need to stock-pile some things to make that happen.
I have not finished my craft room remodel yet. I promise I will post pictures as soon as it's finished. I'm having a hard time finding the kind of table I have in mind, and when I went to the dollar store to get baskets for all of my new little cubby spaces, they were out. I am finding it really difficult not to post the "most of the way done" photos, but I won't! I really want it to be complete. I'm hoping to go thrifting sometime this week and am keeping my fingers crossed that I will find "THE table".
We had a busy weekend celebrating family birthdays. I love watching my kids have fun with family. Especially my oldest. She's at that age where it's not particularly "cool" to have fun with your ::gulp:: family... so it's always nice to see her drop her guard and enjoy the time together. We all finally seem to be well again, which is amazing. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have everyone in the house healthy!
Sidenote -- the title of this post was originally I <3 Crochet -- for some reason it would not publish it that way. Weird.
I have not finished my craft room remodel yet. I promise I will post pictures as soon as it's finished. I'm having a hard time finding the kind of table I have in mind, and when I went to the dollar store to get baskets for all of my new little cubby spaces, they were out. I am finding it really difficult not to post the "most of the way done" photos, but I won't! I really want it to be complete. I'm hoping to go thrifting sometime this week and am keeping my fingers crossed that I will find "THE table".
We had a busy weekend celebrating family birthdays. I love watching my kids have fun with family. Especially my oldest. She's at that age where it's not particularly "cool" to have fun with your ::gulp:: family... so it's always nice to see her drop her guard and enjoy the time together. We all finally seem to be well again, which is amazing. I had almost forgotten what it felt like to have everyone in the house healthy!
Sidenote -- the title of this post was originally I <3 Crochet -- for some reason it would not publish it that way. Weird.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Home!
The fam and I went on a mini "vacation" to Oklahoma to do some work on my grandparents' house. It has been vacant since my grandpa passed four and a half years ago and needed a lot of work. My uncle is now living there, but is having some health issues so we went down to help out. It was nice to get away from the busy-ness of every day life. I got to have a nice and much needed visit with my (other) grandma, and got to hang out with some of my favorite cousins. I wish they would all move to Colorado so I could see them more. I'm not willing to move back to Oklahoma, haha, so they'd have to come to me.
With the trip came illness to both of my children. One got the flu (the little one) and one got a sore throat. Thankfully, they are both better now, but it made for a somewhat unproductive trip in the craft area. I took a bunch of yarn and unfinished projects with me and finished nothing. I started a project ::twice:: frogged it ::twice:: and put it out of sight for awhile. If today goes the way I plan, I will get back on the crochet wagon this afternoon. I have so many great ideas in my head. I just can't seem to find time to bring them into fruition. It's getting frustrating and bringing me down a little. I know I will get past it, and I think this spring/summer will be a busy and productive one. I just need to manage my time better.
I do have some projects done that I need to take pictures of and post here. I will get that done this week, I hope. I will also get moving on finishing my craft closet remodel and get those pictures up as well!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Slacking
It seems like I do a lot of slacking on here and spend more time explaining why than actually doing something to fix it. LOL
Projects to come soon! I promise! I have like 10 drafts ready to go.
Hope your day is a great one!
Projects to come soon! I promise! I have like 10 drafts ready to go.
Hope your day is a great one!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Craft Room "Remodel"
Happy Monday! I actually had a pretty productive Sunday. I know I mentioned a few days ago that I was planning a "remodel" in our downstairs guest room. I had no plans really as to the "when" or the "how", but Sunday as I was on the phone with my StepMom, she mentioned they were trying to get rid of some of their stuff in storage. Lucky lucky me -- they happened to be getting rid of some closet organizer shelving ::SCORE!::. So, I swooped in, snagged it all up, and started making a bigger mess of the guest room.
I want to get the pictures posted, but there are a few more touches left. I still need a table and some organizational items for the wall, and baskets for all of my new little "cubbies". My goal was to create a work space for myself with lots of storage to keep my junk organized, while still keeping it a functional guest room. Done and done! I'm thrilled that it came together so nicely ::and FREE so far!:: even better!
I am amazed at the amount of useless junk we didn't even realize was in that closet! Thankfully, it was mostly stuff that we didn't want or need so I didn't have to try and find a new place for it in the house. It all went straight into the donation pile. It's not much. My husband actually said, "It looks the same?!", when I made him come look at it. It's exactly what I had in mind, though, and will not look so much the same when I get my work table in there. When I got my yarn out and organized, I found I have less than I thought. It's nice to have it all out where I can see that.
I've been working on filling some orders and have even taken a couple more! I'm so excited to be getting busier. I feel like I'm getting the hang of the blogging "thing" and have almost gotten to a place where I can focus on promoting our page. Thanks to all of our visitors from Facebook and Pinterest. Click on the follow button to find our page easier, and join our site by clicking the button in the members section. We'd like to eventually make some money on this thing (ha!) so any help we can get is very appreciated!
I want to get the pictures posted, but there are a few more touches left. I still need a table and some organizational items for the wall, and baskets for all of my new little "cubbies". My goal was to create a work space for myself with lots of storage to keep my junk organized, while still keeping it a functional guest room. Done and done! I'm thrilled that it came together so nicely ::and FREE so far!:: even better!
I am amazed at the amount of useless junk we didn't even realize was in that closet! Thankfully, it was mostly stuff that we didn't want or need so I didn't have to try and find a new place for it in the house. It all went straight into the donation pile. It's not much. My husband actually said, "It looks the same?!", when I made him come look at it. It's exactly what I had in mind, though, and will not look so much the same when I get my work table in there. When I got my yarn out and organized, I found I have less than I thought. It's nice to have it all out where I can see that.
I've been working on filling some orders and have even taken a couple more! I'm so excited to be getting busier. I feel like I'm getting the hang of the blogging "thing" and have almost gotten to a place where I can focus on promoting our page. Thanks to all of our visitors from Facebook and Pinterest. Click on the follow button to find our page easier, and join our site by clicking the button in the members section. We'd like to eventually make some money on this thing (ha!) so any help we can get is very appreciated!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Here I am
I'm assuming you were all wondering where I've been... I'm here. I've been grumpy and anti-social this week. Lilly has been sick, it's been cold and snowing, and I have had a nagging headache that just won't seem to go away. Enough of that, though. I didn't log-in here to complain.
I've also started a second blog -- you can go check it out by clicking HERE. It's not a lot to read at the moment, but it's pretty and will soon be ::at least kind of:: entertaining. I'm pretty excited about joining the blogging community. I wanted this one to stay dedicated to the crafting, so there you go. My newest blog is a mish-mash of a lot of different things, but mostly running. And now, enough of that -- if you are interested, check out the link above.
I've been working on filling some orders -- slowly but surely. I'll be posting some pictures of my newest stuff soon. I have some cute ideas in my head. Now I just need to transfer them from there to my hook & yarn.
And now I'm off to participate in the virtual run for Sherry Arnold that I mentioned the other day. Have a wonderful weekend!
I've also started a second blog -- you can go check it out by clicking HERE. It's not a lot to read at the moment, but it's pretty and will soon be ::at least kind of:: entertaining. I'm pretty excited about joining the blogging community. I wanted this one to stay dedicated to the crafting, so there you go. My newest blog is a mish-mash of a lot of different things, but mostly running. And now, enough of that -- if you are interested, check out the link above.
I've been working on filling some orders -- slowly but surely. I'll be posting some pictures of my newest stuff soon. I have some cute ideas in my head. Now I just need to transfer them from there to my hook & yarn.
And now I'm off to participate in the virtual run for Sherry Arnold that I mentioned the other day. Have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
I know I am behind
I am so behind on all of my pics, comments, posts and updating my projects. I am really only able to post at work. I am looking for a new laptop and will be able to get more stuff in.
I did get a pic of me up though! It is even recent (only 2 days old -as of today!).
Thank you too all of our new viewers, please follow us, there are great things to come! This is only the beginning!
Crafty D*
I did get a pic of me up though! It is even recent (only 2 days old -as of today!).
Thank you too all of our new viewers, please follow us, there are great things to come! This is only the beginning!
Crafty D*
Lovin' the Share
I love the internet. I love the instant gratification. I love that I can shop from my couch. I love that I can check out a library book without leaving my house. I don't even REALLY have to go to the grocery store if I didn't want to or couldn't. Actually, I never want to go to the grocery store, but I'm too embarrassed about what the delivery person would think when they brought groceries to me and realized it was just because I am lazy. I love Pinterest. I may border obsession with it, but I'm okay with that and can openly admit it. I love Facebook (you can find and like our facebook page Crafty B*s HERE). Even when they change the layout and everyone else complains. I'm always that one on everyone's wall reminding them that it is a free service we should just be happy to have. I love that I can feel like I am still connected with the outside world when I am stuck inside because of cold or my sick kid or both. The internet kept me sane when I was on bed-rest the last few months of my last pregnancy. It provides me with inspiration all the time. Recipes, activities to do with my children, craft ideas, books to read. Whatever. It's there and easily accessible.
I'm new to the blog world, myself, but I have been following a few for awhile. One of my favorites is a running blog called "Shut Up + Run". I connected with that blog in particular because the writer is also in Colorado, is also a mom, and is also relatively new to the running scene. She is also hilarious, which kept me reading. Last month, however, her family had a devastating loss in their family. Her cousin Sherry was abducted and killed while on a run near her home in Montana. One of the men who did this has confessed, but they have yet to find Sherry's body. She was a wife, a mother, a teacher. Throughout the uncertainty of the search and all of her grief, Beth of SUAR has continued blogging. She has shared her heart and pain with all who will lend an ear and some time. It is a heartbreaking story. It is also one that hits close to home for anyone who has had no qualms about lacing up your shoes and hitting the pavement on a solo run in the neighborhood. Sends chills down the spine.
In honor of her cousin Sherry, Beth has coordinated a "virtual run" on Saturday, February 11, 2012. You can find more details on the SUAR blog here. While you are there check out the rest of her blog, because it is awesome. I will be dedicating my Saturday run to Sherry Arnold, and I think you should too. Even if you don't run.. Then walk, or even just send a little thought out for her.
I'm new to the blog world, myself, but I have been following a few for awhile. One of my favorites is a running blog called "Shut Up + Run". I connected with that blog in particular because the writer is also in Colorado, is also a mom, and is also relatively new to the running scene. She is also hilarious, which kept me reading. Last month, however, her family had a devastating loss in their family. Her cousin Sherry was abducted and killed while on a run near her home in Montana. One of the men who did this has confessed, but they have yet to find Sherry's body. She was a wife, a mother, a teacher. Throughout the uncertainty of the search and all of her grief, Beth of SUAR has continued blogging. She has shared her heart and pain with all who will lend an ear and some time. It is a heartbreaking story. It is also one that hits close to home for anyone who has had no qualms about lacing up your shoes and hitting the pavement on a solo run in the neighborhood. Sends chills down the spine.
In honor of her cousin Sherry, Beth has coordinated a "virtual run" on Saturday, February 11, 2012. You can find more details on the SUAR blog here. While you are there check out the rest of her blog, because it is awesome. I will be dedicating my Saturday run to Sherry Arnold, and I think you should too. Even if you don't run.. Then walk, or even just send a little thought out for her.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
As Promised
Well I've put the finishing touches on a few projects today and am feeling pretty accomplished. I have several new ideas I am pretty excited about, but I will keep up the suspense and not mention them all here. I finally got my Handiwork tab updated with new pictures (even since this morning!) and prices. That was one of the main things hanging over my head the past few days and I am very relieved to have it finished. I also completed one order, finished the second version of my test pattern, and finished a gift that had been promised as "almost done" since Christmas! Overall a pretty good day in the crafting side of my life today. I opted to play with my daughter and get in my run instead of cleaning my house, but I'm willing to make that kind of sacrifice!
One project that I have on the horizon that I am excited about is the "renovation" of our guest bedroom into my craft room. I surround with quotations because it's not going to be a true renovation in the sense that would generally pop into my mind. It's more of a mash-up of guest bedroom/craft space. I like having a bedroom for visitors, but I also want to get the overflowing Rubbermaid tub of yarn out of my bedroom lol. I decided that the transformation may be blog worthy, so I have already taken the "before" pictures and if it turns out well, I will write up a detailed post of the process, and any DIY tutorials I can come up with for space saving craft areas. If you have any suggestions, or would like to submit pictures of your own rockin' craft space, I would love to hear about/see them!
That's about it for me. My creativity is about used up for the day. Also, my fingers are frozen which makes it difficult to type. The high was in the 20's here today. Have I mentioned that I am a summer girl? I am good with winter until Christmas is over, and then I'm looking for summer. I hate to be cold and my youngest always catches whatever is going around -- how, I have no idea -- we don't really go anywhere when it's cold.. (?)
A Brief Update from Jen
I'm planning a much longer post later this afternoon, but for now -- I have updated my Handiwork tab with details and prices. Click on the "Jen's Handiwork" tab at the top to check it out! Email me if you see something you would like to order. Prices do not include shipping.
Have a great day! I'll be back to post this afternoon :)
Have a great day! I'll be back to post this afternoon :)
Friday, February 3, 2012
Busy Pajama Day
It's been snowing like crazy here since last night. Snow day for my oldest = pajama day for me and my girls. However, even though I stayed in my PJ's all day, I did shower (I feel the need to make sure everyone knows this), and I crocheted my little heart out. I finished a project in one of my orders, made a headband (not one of my orders, but an idea that popped into my head), and I'm working on a pattern to post and testing it since I've never written down a pattern before. I really should have titled this post "writing patterns is HARD".. because it is. It's not so much that I don't know how to say what I am doing, it's more that you don't realize what minute detail you need to go into to make sure your directions are clear. I'm pretty sure it takes me less time to actually crochet this item than it has to write (then type) it, and I'm still not quite finished!
I also played with my kids, cleaned a little, cooked meals for my family, did some laundry, and now I am writing this blog post while my husband is watching Conan (it's a little on the unnecessarily gory side for me, but he seems to like it -- it's the newest version, not Ah-nold from back in the day). It's Friday night. I've spent it writing crochet patterns and crocheting, and I'm about ready for bed. It seems I entered my 80's at some point when I wasn't paying attention!
On that note, I will sign off. I didn't want to skip posting today. I know how our many MANY readers (ha! maybe someday?) hang in suspense waiting for my witty commentary on my incredibly exciting lifestyle... ::zzzz::
I also played with my kids, cleaned a little, cooked meals for my family, did some laundry, and now I am writing this blog post while my husband is watching Conan (it's a little on the unnecessarily gory side for me, but he seems to like it -- it's the newest version, not Ah-nold from back in the day). It's Friday night. I've spent it writing crochet patterns and crocheting, and I'm about ready for bed. It seems I entered my 80's at some point when I wasn't paying attention!
On that note, I will sign off. I didn't want to skip posting today. I know how our many MANY readers (ha! maybe someday?) hang in suspense waiting for my witty commentary on my incredibly exciting lifestyle... ::zzzz::
Pinterest Inspiration
Scrolling through pinterest before I go to bed has become a nightly ritual. I saw this picture of someone who had pierced their finger (you can find this in my pinterest profile but since it is not family friendly, out of respect to Crafty Jen, I will not post the picture).
I thought about it for a full 12 hours before I ran out and got the piercing myself. This wasn't enough for me and ran out less than a week later and got a dermal on my other hand.
Pinterest does more than just inspire the crafty side of me!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
6 more weeks of winter
I was thinking about this whole "Groundhog Day" thing today (makes sense..). I've always kind of put a lot into what that groundhog's opinion was, but it finally occurred to me today that whether he sees his shadow or not, there is ALWAYS 6 more weeks of winter... Spring is March 21st-ish -- about 6 weeks from February 2nd.
Now.. It may be sad, because I am 30 years old and this just occurred to me TODAY.. But I feel like I've been lied to all these years. Therefore, I vow (yes.. VOW -- it's that serious) to never trust a groundhog ever again. I'm pretty miffed. I've always seen groundhogs as kind of lovable weather predictors. No more. Those days are over. I've been forever swayed in my opinion of groundhogs and I don't think there is any going back (so much for that groundhog earflap hat idea lol). Groundhogs ::rolls eyes:: whatever.
Other than that, I'm happy to say that business is really picking up for me, and as it stands, I have enough orders to keep me busy for the next few weeks. I really love what I'm doing and am so so excited to maybe earn enough to help support our family financially (or at least buy all the yarn I want without bankrupting us).
Seriously though, who gets to say they love what they do? Me! I love that I get to stay home and take care of my kids myself. I don't always love everything EVERY DAY (especially laundry..) but for the most part, I love my job. The only thing missing was the getting paid, so I'm trying to fix that part :)
The other day, I posted pictures of my work. I will be posting prices soon. If you see something you like before then, please feel free to email me. I'm still figuring out how to balance my time so I am not neglecting my family, but also not neglecting my projects or this blog. It's a work in progress and until I figure out that happy medium, I'm going to tend to neglect the latter (as the former is more important to me!).
That's all for today -- I have orders to be completing :) The next few days here are supposed to be pretty snowy, so I'll have a lot of "indoor time". I'm ready for summer.. Or at least spring.. Dang groundhog!
Craftyish Project: Shining My Headlights, Part I.
I debated for awhile if I should post about shining my headlights or not, however, I decided that part of my contribution to this blog included things that as a single woman most of us would not do and that is why shining my headlights is one of my first project contributions. Enjoy!
Back in the day, I had a husband and his duties included taking care of the car, he always told me how dull my headlights were and how he was going to get the stuff to shine them, think that ever happened? (I wouldn't be writing about it if I did, actually I would have like 10% of the projects I will if he actually did anything he said he was going to. I do have lots of demo done though!) I digress... I went to a car parts store (after looking around a big box store and they did not have any kits that I saw), any will do, I don't remember the name of the place and this project is not sponsored by anyone so the name is not really important. I think the whole point of this post was to say the reason I decided to shine the headlights myself, I figured I had four options:
1.) Leave them foggy and do nothing (a usual choice for me, this one almost won out!)
2.) pay someone else to do it (yeah right)
3.) replace the housing for the lights (why?)
4.) just do it myself. (our winner!)
I purchased the kit that the guy at the parts store said his customers liked the most and it has been sitting on my passenger's seat for three days now. This was going to be completed with pics and all this weekend but since they are expecting the worst blizzard of the season we will have to all wait til part II to see how the project actually turns out.
My question for you, are you even interested in getting a part II or is shining your headlights not of interest?
THANKS!
Crafty D
Back in the day, I had a husband and his duties included taking care of the car, he always told me how dull my headlights were and how he was going to get the stuff to shine them, think that ever happened? (I wouldn't be writing about it if I did, actually I would have like 10% of the projects I will if he actually did anything he said he was going to. I do have lots of demo done though!) I digress... I went to a car parts store (after looking around a big box store and they did not have any kits that I saw), any will do, I don't remember the name of the place and this project is not sponsored by anyone so the name is not really important. I think the whole point of this post was to say the reason I decided to shine the headlights myself, I figured I had four options:
1.) Leave them foggy and do nothing (a usual choice for me, this one almost won out!)
2.) pay someone else to do it (yeah right)
3.) replace the housing for the lights (why?)
4.) just do it myself. (our winner!)
I purchased the kit that the guy at the parts store said his customers liked the most and it has been sitting on my passenger's seat for three days now. This was going to be completed with pics and all this weekend but since they are expecting the worst blizzard of the season we will have to all wait til part II to see how the project actually turns out.
My question for you, are you even interested in getting a part II or is shining your headlights not of interest?
THANKS!
Crafty D
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Blogging is Hard..... ::whining by Jen::
It's actually not, really. I'm just impatient and haven't been reading the "how-to" pages, so blindly feeling my way through is taking more time than I think it should.
In all honesty, I like blogging so much (so far), that I plan on creating at least 2 more in the very near future! I'll link them on as soon as they're up and running, assuming I can figure out how to link them on here, haha. I guess I can add "bloggess extraordinaire to my professions section on my profile :).
Okay, today's post from me is going to be a little on the short side. I'm working on getting pictures and price lists up for my crocheted items. You'll be able to find them easily by clicking on the "Jen's Handiwork" tab at the top of the Homepage. At the moment, I am making all items to order, so please allow for time needed to complete. To place an order with me, shoot me an email with what it is you would like (colors, etc.), and your email address, and I will get back with you with a completion date. I work pretty fast, so turnaround is not a terribly long wait. I'm working on getting a stock built. When that happens, you will be able to select ready-made, ready-to-ship items that I will send out within 2 business days of your order.
As Dez mentioned in her post, I also intend to post inspiration sources, and will always give credit where credit is due. I would appreciate the same from anyone who is inspired by anything of mine as well (let's share the love!). I will be selling some patterns and giving some patterns away. Whatever you choose to do with the items you make using my patterns is up to you - sell them, donate them, gift them, put them on your pets.. I don't care, the finished item is the fruit of your labor -- enjoy! However, the pattern is the fruit of MY labor so don't sell or recreate my patterns as your own. Feel free to link people to my page if they are interested in purchasing a pattern :)
That's my lecture on that, as premature as it might seem considering I have zero patterns posted to snag ha!
If you ever have an issue with any of my patterns please don't hesitate to call me out on it -- I'd be happy to help you sort it out!
And now, I must be done for awhile. I have a hungry, and VERY patient (almost)3 year old who has been waiting all morning to go to the library and out to lunch :)
In all honesty, I like blogging so much (so far), that I plan on creating at least 2 more in the very near future! I'll link them on as soon as they're up and running, assuming I can figure out how to link them on here, haha. I guess I can add "bloggess extraordinaire to my professions section on my profile :).
Okay, today's post from me is going to be a little on the short side. I'm working on getting pictures and price lists up for my crocheted items. You'll be able to find them easily by clicking on the "Jen's Handiwork" tab at the top of the Homepage. At the moment, I am making all items to order, so please allow for time needed to complete. To place an order with me, shoot me an email with what it is you would like (colors, etc.), and your email address, and I will get back with you with a completion date. I work pretty fast, so turnaround is not a terribly long wait. I'm working on getting a stock built. When that happens, you will be able to select ready-made, ready-to-ship items that I will send out within 2 business days of your order.
As Dez mentioned in her post, I also intend to post inspiration sources, and will always give credit where credit is due. I would appreciate the same from anyone who is inspired by anything of mine as well (let's share the love!). I will be selling some patterns and giving some patterns away. Whatever you choose to do with the items you make using my patterns is up to you - sell them, donate them, gift them, put them on your pets.. I don't care, the finished item is the fruit of your labor -- enjoy! However, the pattern is the fruit of MY labor so don't sell or recreate my patterns as your own. Feel free to link people to my page if they are interested in purchasing a pattern :)
That's my lecture on that, as premature as it might seem considering I have zero patterns posted to snag ha!
If you ever have an issue with any of my patterns please don't hesitate to call me out on it -- I'd be happy to help you sort it out!
And now, I must be done for awhile. I have a hungry, and VERY patient (almost)3 year old who has been waiting all morning to go to the library and out to lunch :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
About Crafty D
Okay, here's the deal... I don't have a rockin' attention span. I like to figure things out and once I have I feel like there are new things to learn! Plus, when I see a new craft it looks so much cooler than what I'm currently working on. As a result of my crafting ADHD and Jen's lack of it you should get the best of both worlds. I am going to make a promise to all the readers out there: I will do my best to complete projects and create full posts that include the pitfalls and lessons learned along the way.
Some of the things you can expect:
*Crochet
*I think we should all try to learn to knit together.
*Coasters
*metal stamping
*the mess I call a kitchen was recently flooded and the repair of that
*paper bag floors
*upcycled projects
*the rest of the house that only made it through the demo process before my Divorce. (I suck at that stuff so it will be a journey for all of us and I hope to inspire other women out there conquer the things previously left up to the man in the house).
*any and everything else! (Oh while I was giving my dogs a bath tonight I was thinking that instead of letting one drip while the other one showers I should make them dog bathrobes! That would be awesome! Oh yeah I have a Bloodhound and a bagel (basset/beagle mix) so I am sure you will get plenty of pics of them along the way as well!)
I will be sharing my project inspiration sources, so if you are not completely, 100% satisfied with my explanation of things, you will have another source to look at. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions or for specific project to be tried, I am open for just about anything!
One last thing, I will try to use the correct form of a word, grammar, and spelling but no promises!
Some of the things you can expect:
*Crochet
*I think we should all try to learn to knit together.
*Coasters
*metal stamping
*the mess I call a kitchen was recently flooded and the repair of that
*paper bag floors
*upcycled projects
*the rest of the house that only made it through the demo process before my Divorce. (I suck at that stuff so it will be a journey for all of us and I hope to inspire other women out there conquer the things previously left up to the man in the house).
*any and everything else! (Oh while I was giving my dogs a bath tonight I was thinking that instead of letting one drip while the other one showers I should make them dog bathrobes! That would be awesome! Oh yeah I have a Bloodhound and a bagel (basset/beagle mix) so I am sure you will get plenty of pics of them along the way as well!)
I will be sharing my project inspiration sources, so if you are not completely, 100% satisfied with my explanation of things, you will have another source to look at. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions or for specific project to be tried, I am open for just about anything!
One last thing, I will try to use the correct form of a word, grammar, and spelling but no promises!
Jen's Owl-ishly awesome hat
My lovely Little modeling an owl hat (and her zebra costume from Halloween -- yes, in January ha!)
I'm working on writing up my patterns, and will hopefully have them available shortly! Some for $, a lot for FREE -- so keep checking. Feel free to bug me about it if I'm taking too long. I sometimes need a kick-start :)
Entering "The Blog Scene"
Well. Here we are. I'm Jen, and my co-blogger/co-B is Desarai. I call her Dez, I know other people call her Rai (weird to me lol), you'll have to ask her what she wants you to call her, but I'll refer to her as Dez. I get to pick because I have known her since we were 7 years old. I won't tell you how long that makes us acquainted exactly, but I will say it is over 20 years.. 20 years from now, I will probably still say "over 20 years" rather than "over 40 years" lol, but I digress (which I tend to do often.. see?)....
A couple of months ago, Dez and I decided we wanted to be crafty. Actually about a year ago, both Dez and I decided we wanted to crochet. So we started, but then didn't really go anywhere with it for some reason. Then recently we (along with millions of other people -- thanks Pinterest!) decided to be crafty again. Only, this time,we were quite a bit more serious and diligent. So far, I have basically stuck with crochet, and Dez has her hand in quite a few different crafts as well as crochet. In my defense, I actually finish projects before I move on, where Dez tends to jump from project to project lol. When she finishes one, though it's usually pretty rockin'. I don't currently have any half done projects lying around, so I can comfortably sit down and create this blog.
What is this blog about exactly? you may be asking. Well, let me tell you! We're a couple of crafting girls (women..), and we're excited to show off our stuff. It's pretty great for us that we can use blogging and other internet resources to get ourselves out there. If we can make some money, well, that's a big bonus for us; but it's more about the crafts we're proud of. That's good, because I honestly don't know anyone personally who makes money with a blog. I hear it's possible, but I'm skeptical lol. I'm naturally optimistic, so I'll roll with it.
We decided to go into this together, because what is better than hanging out with your friend? Possibly making money by hanging out with your friend, that's what!
I happen to like writing, so I will probably be posting pretty often. I will, however, be sticking to just the things I am making (unless Dez asks me to share something of hers) since that is what I know about. We tend to have some different likes and dislikes ::shocking, I know:: so you'll be seeing a variety of crafts all in one spot!
Well that's about all for our Introduction blog. I'll post my own "about Jen" post soon, because I know you are probably just DYING to know all "about Jen" and I would hate to keep you in suspense. :) I'll also link up our facebook page and start posting pictures as soon as I figure out how to do that exactly..
A couple of months ago, Dez and I decided we wanted to be crafty. Actually about a year ago, both Dez and I decided we wanted to crochet. So we started, but then didn't really go anywhere with it for some reason. Then recently we (along with millions of other people -- thanks Pinterest!) decided to be crafty again. Only, this time,we were quite a bit more serious and diligent. So far, I have basically stuck with crochet, and Dez has her hand in quite a few different crafts as well as crochet. In my defense, I actually finish projects before I move on, where Dez tends to jump from project to project lol. When she finishes one, though it's usually pretty rockin'. I don't currently have any half done projects lying around, so I can comfortably sit down and create this blog.
What is this blog about exactly? you may be asking. Well, let me tell you! We're a couple of crafting girls (women..), and we're excited to show off our stuff. It's pretty great for us that we can use blogging and other internet resources to get ourselves out there. If we can make some money, well, that's a big bonus for us; but it's more about the crafts we're proud of. That's good, because I honestly don't know anyone personally who makes money with a blog. I hear it's possible, but I'm skeptical lol. I'm naturally optimistic, so I'll roll with it.
We decided to go into this together, because what is better than hanging out with your friend? Possibly making money by hanging out with your friend, that's what!
I happen to like writing, so I will probably be posting pretty often. I will, however, be sticking to just the things I am making (unless Dez asks me to share something of hers) since that is what I know about. We tend to have some different likes and dislikes ::shocking, I know:: so you'll be seeing a variety of crafts all in one spot!
Well that's about all for our Introduction blog. I'll post my own "about Jen" post soon, because I know you are probably just DYING to know all "about Jen" and I would hate to keep you in suspense. :) I'll also link up our facebook page and start posting pictures as soon as I figure out how to do that exactly..
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