Rainy days

I have been on a tatting spree the last couple of days!  I made several simple cross bookmarks, a couple of snowflakes/motifs, and finished some ankle-wear inspired by a needle-tatter.  Although I prefer the shuttle, I learned to needle tat too.  When the weather clears up a bit, I'll post some more current pics. 

...and for the upcoming St. Paddy's Day...

I have a lot more but no pics...lol...and all these cloudy days are not helping...grrrrrr.... :)

Until then...Happy Crafting!



Not about crafting...exactly...but I did it all by myself....lol

Yesterday while I was in the "big" city of Dickson, I went to shut off my car and the key would not turn all the way back into the "lock" position.  Of course, this meant my key would not come out of the ignition cylinder either.  After doing all the little tricks to try to get it out, I gave up, came home, and disconnected my battery cable so my battery would not be dead this morning since the key was in the position that enabled the accessories to be on. 

This morning I googled a new ignition lock cylinder and found one at Auto Zone in Waverly (about 30 minutes from my house).  Off I went to Waverly after reconnecting my battery of course...lol.  The guy at Auto Zone was shocked when he was having a bit of trouble locating the part I needed and I asked him if he would like the part number...lol...The expression on his face was priceless...lol...I guess not too many females come in there knowing exactly what part they want.

Anyhoo, came home and not too long after I had replaced the ignition cylinder and everything was fixed.  I was pretty proud of myself...lol.

Here's a pic of the broken part...

On the high of my accomplishment...lol...I realized my monster pine tree in the front yard was a casualty from all the heavy snow...grrrrrr...Another huge limb had broken off....So, I'll be getting out the chainsaw tomorrow afternoon (after church, of course) and cleaning up that mess too.  I shouldn't be too muddy tomorrow as the sun is out and it is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!!



My cats are enjoying the great weather, too.  Only Princess Ella was ham enough to hold still long enough to snap a pic or two.  The other two were to busy acting crazy...lol

I guess Princess Ella was making sure I was fixing the car correctly...lol...She watched me through the windshield and peeked in the door from the roof...lol...

Guess I'm off to complete more projects...Lovin' it!

Take care, y'all!

Crochet and Curling Ribbon

A few months ago, an awesome lady I used to work with shared a book of patterns with me called "Curling Ribbon Holiday Accents" from Annie's Attic.  I thought they were adorable but I had never used curling ribbon with crochet.

Sooooo....off the store I went and found LOTS of curling ribbon at Wal-Mart.  Although in recent years the craft department at Wal-Mart has dwindled, some popular things (like party supplies) have been expanded.  In all the party supply stuff, there are many different colors of curling ribbon...500 yard spools for $2.00...

My favorite pattern in the book is for a pumpkin candy dish/basket.  I didn't use the plastic canvas 3" circles the pattern called for and my pumpkin is little more "squat" than in their picture but I love it being "squat"...lol  My only real issue is that it is not very stiff.  I would've imagined the curling ribbon would make it stiff but that is just not so.  I haven't done it yet but I plan to use a homemade stiffener and test it on the pumpkin.  I'll post my results soon.

On another note, it has been snowing on and off since Monday here in middle Tennessee.  The kids are thrilled!  They came home early on Monday and haven't been back since....and I recently received a call from the schoolboard informing me that school will be closed tomorrow too...I've found I don't get nearly as much done when the kids are home...lol...not a shocker, eh?

Along with the snowy weather came more indoor time for my 3 cats...lol...Normally, they prefer to stay outdoors for the most part and only come in for food and the occasional scratch.  BUT...due to the nasty weather, they have refused to go outside more than just a few minutes...Princess Ella (pictured below) is modelling the preferred pose for cold weather in front of the gas stove...lol

The other 2 were much more modest in their sleeping behaviors...lol...

Take care and keep warm,

Maggie



Kitchen scrubbies and dishcloths

A couple of months ago, I got on a cotton dishcloth kick...lol...I made dozens of dishcloths.  My favorite pattern (another free 1 from Lily) is a flower.  The original pattern was too big for my confort....sooooo....like I always do....I altered the pattern.  I love them.  I remember seeing how someone on Etsy (sorry I can't remember his/her name and can't find the item on Etsy any more) packaged several crochet dishcloths to make them look like a bouquet of flowers.  I thought it was an awesome idea...sooo....I did not mimic this other person's idea but I remembered what I like about it the most and ran with it, so to speak. 

During this process, I discovered crocheted pot scrubbies.  With yet another free pattern off the www (and a bit of alteration...lol), I added tulle crochet butterfly scrubbies.  The butterfly is attached to a wooden spoon and 1 large dishcloth/hotpad and 2 smaller dishcloths are arranged in a 2-cup measuring cup to look like 1 large flower.

I gave my mom the first scrubby.  She says it works great and is just the right size (about the size of an adult palm).

I made several of these with plans to sell them at the big craft show at Fort Cambell, KY, this fall.  They are all packed and ready to go...Plus they make great last-minute gifts.

Take care,

Maggie

Being "Mom" and recently finished crochet and loom knitting projects

My oldest son will be wearing his first real tie tomorrow...*sigh*...He's growing up so fast.  Up late tonight doing the "Mom" thing and hemming my oldest son's slacks for tomorrow.  I'm not the greatest seamstress but I can tackle a mean hem...lol

Recently, I discovered this cute little thing called the Knifty Knitter...I LOVE it!  I've seen it in the craft stores for years but always passed it up...Now, I'm addicted.  In addition to several hats (no pics, sorry), I made leg warmers for my 6-year-old daughter.  She loves them, especially the multicolored set.  I also made a furry scarf with the eyelash yarn.
(I warn all that my photography skills are sketchy at best.  Usually due to horrible lighting and taking pics late at night...lol)

It's sooooo easy.  You see results fast too.  I can knit a bit but I'm always dropping stitches or forgetting where I'm at...lol...so I gave it up...but the loom knitting has been a joy.

I found this cute free Irish hat pattern online.  My daughter begged me to make it for her.



I also made a dog sweater for a friend of mine.  I need to get a pic of it on her dog.  It will probably look cuter than lying flat on my table.

I have been crocheting up a storm lately and have more but will save those for another day.

Y'all take care and God bless,
Maggie

My First Blog...lol

On the advise of a good friend (thanks, Jess!), I have entered the world of blogging.  My plan is to discuss my craft projects (maybe even drum up a little revenue) with the occasional lapse into my home life to include kids, animals, family, and friends (not necessarily in that order...lol).

Please understand this is a work-in-progress.  There are so many blog options.  I'm a bit overwhelmed and will start pretty simple.

I'm off to bed...Have to make a run to Hop-town, KY tomorrow...ugh!

Goodnight and God bless...