Nautilus....

My dear sweet son is turning 13 this weekend! He asked me to crochet him a nautilus...like a cute one....pillow sized. Yeah.

I go online, I search and search and search for a pattern..nada...zip...zilch. Not happenin'..

So, I email various artisans on etsy asking if they have a pattern....in CROCHET mind you....I don't knit. Nope...not that either.

I had to wing it. I don't mind winging it. This is what it turned out like. Not bad for my first attempt...but not 'pillow sized.' It is about the size of a dinner plate.

its okay though, he loved it!

Mail for me...yipee!

I love good mail days! Look at all that came in the mail yesterday for me!
WOW!

I can't BELIEVE that I won this gorgeous apron and cute kitchen towel set.
I entered the contest over at Cathy's from Lika's Organic. She was celebrating her first year bloggaversary. She has some lovely items...go take a peek...and check out her photos of this particular apron, they are much better than mine.
Look at them HERE.
I win so rarely that I REALLY get excited when I do, it is SUCH a treat! It is the softest fabric ever and is reversible. The reverse side is cream with 2 purple pockets. BEAUTIFULLY made.


I was in a swap thru swap-bot. I already posted about what I sent to Marcel. This one came to me from Jill.


And now....look at the FUN Mardi Gras apron Gin sent me. We surprised each other with Mardi Gras aprons. I wore this one all day yesterday!

I had the same idea for adding the beads but promptly forgot about it when making the one I sent her.
I love this fabric....our little store (Hancock's) had NOTHING like this....so much fun!

Ladies, THANK YOU so very much!

Tea for ME!

I was in a Tea themed apron swap awhile back and already posted about it here.
Now you get to see the AWESOME little apron I got in the swap. I just love the little towel sewn into the waistline...just like vintage aprons had on them.

The apron itself is very narrow...I think she used a tea towel to make it, the fabric is simply too sweet. Oh! and look at the cute pocket...she used more of the pink towel to edge it with!

HOW CUTE IS THAT!


Here is another shot with some other goodies she added.


Thank you Donna!

Happy Mardi Gras!

Today our little family is going out beggin' for beads at the parades.

I made a couple Mardi Gras aprons to help celebrate in style:

I made this one for a friend as a surprise.....I don't know if she got it yet...


I made this one for me...

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!

Little owls....

I was in Apryl's owl swap last month. I posted what I sent awhile back...here are the goodies I got in return from Izabela:

A little needle felted owl, a tiny owl bead and an owl lipstick cozy! How Cute!
Then to top it off, Izabela sent me 2 skeins of lovely yarn, an owl notecard and several sweet treats to try.....



I sewed this teeny one onto a branch of my Halloween Tree....isn't he cute?


Thank you Izabela!

Paying it forward........

Here are the last 2 PIFs I made. I had a year to get them made and shipped but I was afraid I'd forget so I just went ahead and finished them up.
First, I made these little cards and the stiletto pin to go with it. Jenn is SUCH A GLAMOUR GIRL! I really wracked my brain to come up with something a bit different for her.

Here is a close up of the pin....


A sweet little crocheted hat and a receiving blanket for Ramie who is expecting...

Mommy hack, again.

I'm a mommy hack, we all know that. First I give my kids cheesecake for breakfast...

Here is another reason why.

I don't give my kids chores. I've tried in the past but I'm not good at reinforcing it.
They do make their beds and help feed the pets...and they do 'stuff' fairly quickly when asked. So, why write it all down, right? If your kid clears dishes, helps set the table....thats good, right?

Apparently not.
You see, I've been told they won't be responsible if they don't have 'chores.'

As in 'a list of chores.'

Someone told me that having chores makes you a better person and this 'someone' had chores and turned out GREAT!
BTW, this 'someone' lived on a smallish FARM.

COME ON...everyone has chores on a FARM...even the animals have chores on a farm. Even on a smallish farm.

So I made up a 'chore list' to appease this person and to be a better mommy, instead of the slacker I am.

Then I called the kids, my darling, sweet, helpful, energetic, bright eyed kids.

Then I started reading the 'list.'

Granted, the list wasn't much more than what they already do, I added stuff like 'weeding' and 'scoop poop.'
But it was IN WRITING...it may as well have been in blood.

Curly Girl got all teary and slumped down in the couch cushions.
Ripstick Boy got this half slitted eye-look and pretended to be disinterested.

My other half sat there smiling.

I said to the kids to not get worried, they do this stuff anyway.
Then after I went over it, I asked if they had questions.

Yeah...about a million.

They started with the..."but how will we make extra money if that is a regular chore now"...
Then they pelted me with "what ifs"...."What if I'm sick?" "What if I have tons of homework?" "What if I'm at a sleepover?"

You get the idea...

I answered questions, I calmed nerves....I needed a drink.

But overall, it went well so I thought maybe this isn't such a horrid idea. Maybe I AM a slacker mommy.

Then Ripstick Boy went into a different room to watch TV without saying a word.

Then Curly Girl went to take a tub so we could condition her gorgeous curly hair and KEEP it gorgeously curly instead of frizzy.

Then she started disrobing. Then she looked up at me. Then she started to cry about 'the CHORE LIST.'

I asked her why...after all, she does EVERYTHING on the list anyway.

She said "I do those things because I love you and I WANT TO....not because I HAVE TO."

Yeah, that did it....

So....You know what I did...

Yep, I ripped up the list...

So, I'm a mommy hack.

My kids will probably grow up to be horribly irresponsible and probably jump off a cliff because someone told them to...all because they don't have a "list of chores....."

Time for Tea

Here is an apron I made for a 'tea' themed swap. I can post it now because my partner let me know she LOVED IT! Yeah!


I also made her a tea wallet....my first attempt.

here is the inside....

Valentine's, a birthday and a toy drop.......

Early this morning Curly Girl and I made our Valentine's Day Toy Society Drop.
We were going to do the drop at the library last night but it closed early due to Mardi Gras parades.
Since it was raining this morning, we decided to drop it in a community box at the front of our neighborhood....

it was in the box a bit crooked and you couldn't see the note that says 'take me home' very well.... so we went back about 5 minutes later to straighten it out....it was being picked up already so we drove right by.

This morning I made beignets for Valentine's Day breakfast.........


Dean brought me my favorite flowers.....TULIPS!


Then we gave Mojo a cookie and a gift for his birthday.....


Look how happy he is!


The rest of the day we are doing fun things with the kids...
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!

A Valentine Toy drop

Curly Girl made this month's toy for the Toy Society drop.
She was so proud of herself! She came up with the idea of what she wanted to do and wouldn't let me help other than to cut it out for her.
I managed to tie a few knots and to untangle her needle and thread once or twice but that was it.

Here is her little heartfelt ladybug:


We are dropping it tonight as they are closing the library.....hopefully someone will find it tomorrow morning during Story Hour :-)

School valentine's

Each year, the kids have made Valentine's for school. Our son isn't into them anymore...too grown up.
But Curly Girl is still into it....well, who could RESIST these!

Don't you like the flower in her hair? Here is the link to make them!

Look how pretty they are arranged in this little bouquet.....I think the girls in her class will LOVE them!


Here are the ones we did for the boys in her classroom.
They are the CUTEST little snails ever!
I found the template at Zaka Life...toooo cute!

If you've never gone to visit Zaka Life, you really need to. I am AMAZED at the creativity of this woman!

What kind are of school Valentines are YOU making this year?

Valentine Wreath

I wanted to make a little Valentine Wreath one day last week but was house bound due to Dean's Explorer being at the shop. So, I pulled out a coat hanger and went to work. If you'd like to make one too, here is what I did:

Take a coat hanger and with wire clippers, clip right below where the hook is made on the hanger, then shape the hanger into a heart shape. Try not to make a 'fat' lobed heart...the thinner lobes look more defined once completed.

Use pliers and bend the ends back around each other and then secure with two strips of duct tape, one per side.

Using pinking shears (if you have them) cut about 200-250 strips of fabric and netting. I made mine 8 inches long by 1.5 inches wide.

Tie each strip on in a random pattern, spacing the netting out between the other strips. I did NOT tie a double knot...didn't need to. Then as you work around, just push the strips up tight.
When you get to the center of the heart, remember to make a hanging cord. I used the netting because it was the least conspicuous.
When done, work the strips a bit, some will need to be fluffed and others pushed to the back.
You can also work the wire shape a bit after completing...it bends easily. Just be sure not to pull it apart at the bottom.
You are done:

Hootie Overload...

I was in Apryl's 'owl swap' awhile back. Izabela has 3 kids and I didn't feel right just mailing 1 hootie ....so, I made a bunch 'o' hooties and sent them on their merry way across the sea.

Here is a little hoot to wear on a jean jacket or pin on a backpack...


Someone's looking at me, Whooooooo could it be? Something for her son perhaps...


Or how about some Hootie Booties for baby?


We were to include something sweet and something they could use in their craft supply. Here is the rest of the stuff. I also included one of my hootie bookmarks and some cute hootie note cards I printed off. I got the book for a bargain at Tuesday Morning....I LOVE that store :-)
I threw in the Mardi Gras beads for kicks. Not everyone gets to go to Mardi Gras ya know.

Birds and berries........

Here is a cute apron I got from a swap called "Winter in the Kitchen."

My grandmother's favorite bird was the cardinal so I was thrilled when I saw that little bird on this apron. Peppy would love it!




I made these for Pay It Forward....both have been received.

First, a little birdie brooch. This is the first one I've made and I like how it turned out. I want to make some more and use french knots and make them a bit more decorative. I want to play with the shape a little too.



This is the second pincushion I've made. I think it turned out pretty well.

I love me some cupcakes....

I made this apron for Marcel....I had her as my secret partner in a swap.
Poor thing, I've had her 3 times IN A ROW.

I sent her this apron, she got it Tuesday so I can go ahead and show you.....the cupcake is appliqued onto a divided pocket.

I couldn't find ANY cupcake fabric locally so I decided on an applique. After making the apron part, I went back to the store to find coordinating fabric to make the cupcake with.
As luck would have it, I found some CUTE cupcake fabric.
But, I stuck with this anyway since it was almost finished. I really liked how it turned out. I do need to invest in an applique foot if I continue to make appliques.

The rest of the goodies are for the kitchen....with one being a recipe for horse muffins. It was my own horse's favorite treat. I haven't had my own horse for years but I still had THE RECIPE!

Wordless Wednesday

An apron for Gin....

I got my apron package from Gin a couple weeks ago and blogged about it here. Now, I can finally post what I sent her because she got her package a couple days ago.

I also included: crocheted heart shaped kitchen goodies, one of my heart pins, a bookthong and some other Valentine goodies too.