craftydill

treasury love

2011-11-03T20:34:00.000-05:00

made...

2011-10-30T15:17:00.002-05:00

my niece's birthday was on friday and we are going to celebrate today prior to Trick-or-Treating. she likes to do crafty things so i knew i had to make her something [and quick, since i always wait til the last minute :)]. i used a free Knook Piggy Pattern created by Amy Gaines, added my own touches and decided to make it into a money holder by adding a pocket. here are the results...

she's not perfect, that's for sure, but i know my niece will love it and that's all that really matters, right?

everyone having a wonderful weekend?

treasury

2011-09-28T18:13:00.000-05:00

and this one...

treasury

2011-09-28T17:57:00.000-05:00

i LOVE this treasury!

[des moines, iowa] american pickers...

2011-07-06T07:00:00.006-05:00

or that's what my mom and i like to call ourselves :) can't really call ourselves the iowan pickers since the American Pickers guys are from iowa too...

in the last year, we've been lucky to have two friends of my parents connect us to others looking to have someone help them with a loved one's belongings. ultimately they are looking to sell whatever they can and we are looking to buy whatever interests us. but it's also rewarding to guide them on how and where to go to take care of what we're not wanting to buy and they seem appreciative for the help. a third time, my awesome friend Stephanie, called me and said that her parents were sitting at her house with a truck full of goodies they were looking to sell cheap...i was over to her house in under 10 minutes!

we've also been lucky that there has been really awesome finds at these picks! the one last month was just in time for the Valley Junction Antique Jamboree and the June Market Day. here's less than a fourth of what we brought home in June :

and here are pictures from the Antique Jamboree that include items from all of our picks [and then some]:

we make a good team, my mom and i! we have very similar tastes but with some variation...she knows a lot about depression glass, figurines and such and i love vintage kitchen and pottery.

i'm a guest

2011-07-05T23:09:00.001-05:00

Sarah of sarahndipities has welcomed the new arrival of her sweet daughter and she has kindly allowed me to share my doily bowl tutorial over at her blog while she takes care of her growing family. so, if you're so inclined, you can check it out here...

love

2011-06-11T23:33:00.007-05:00

giving you the bird

2011-06-08T22:42:00.002-05:00

the iowa state bird, the goldfinch, that is...

do you see him? i love spotting these little birds as their yellow feathers are so very bright and beautiful. one day earlier this spring, that cherry blossom tree was full of chirps and probably 8 - 10 pairs of goldfinches. they would constantly fly in and out and they don't sit still long, so i'm lucky to have captured them in focus at all.

[a sad/funny/one-in-a-million chance story including an iowa goldfinch and rob lowe, the actor... a few years ago rob lowe came to des moines to play in the pro-am golf tournament associated with the Principal Charity Classic- a senior pga event. during that tournament, rob lowe hit a golf ball which then collided with a goldfinch, our state bird, in flight! unfortunately, the poor creature flew no more :(
but rob lowe did survive the aftermath in the media and as the butt of many a local joke, which probably much to his relief, did not include a certain videotape scandal... :) ]

here's another goldie -or maybe it's the same one- in a different tree:

for being in an urban setting, there is a lot of bird activity around my house. here's a female cardinal sitting on our roof:

and her fella in his brightest red feathers in our back yard

we also have nuthatches, house & purple finches, sparrows [pests!], robins, blue jays, hawks and more. you can always tell when a hawk is soaring above- all of a sudden, all of the birds in the hood go silent and it gets eerily quiet.

what kind of birds flutter around your neighborhood?

pinterest has my interest

2011-06-07T21:38:00.000-05:00

i love pinterest! there are so many wonderful things to see and the 'Pin It' widget I put at the top of my Firefox browser window makes it sooo easy for me to mark things as i read through my blog roll. this is one of my favorite pins- a vintage mill used as a planter:

Source: designspongeonline.com via Michelle on Pinterest

feel free to check out my pin boards here and if you have pinterest, leave your link in the comments as i would love to see your pins... or you can follow me and i'll follow you. and if you don't have [but want] pinterest, leave me a comment letting me know you would like an invite to join- i have six to send out ...

treasury

2011-06-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

i love this treasury curated by Thrush sooo much...

busy, busy bee

2011-06-04T17:19:00.002-05:00

has it has been a busy month! the month of may was filled with:

high school soccer games

high school prom

driving golf balls

a weekend get-away to the Amanas [more on this in a separate post]

crafting wherever time allows

and the first Market Day of 2011

via Market Day

i would love to hear what you all have been up to... enjoy your weekend!

mentioned

2011-06-02T22:58:00.001-05:00

wow! i can't believe that one of my projects was included on whipup's flickr pool post...i LOVE whipup! so many wonderful projects in one place. thanks, kathreen!!

via whipup

to all who 'mother'

2011-05-08T13:21:00.003-05:00

i typed in 'definition of mother' in google search and at the very top of the results was this definition of the word in it's verb form...

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moth·er/ˈməT͟Hər/

Verb: Bring up (a child) with care and affection: "the art of mothering".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i like this definition best. why? it's the most base and simplest form, there's no gender or blood line boundary set by it and i easily converted it to a noun...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

moth·er/ˈməT͟Hər/

Noun: One who brings up (a child) with care and affection.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the beauty of the definition above is that a 'mother' doesn't have to be female, one child can have many [every child deserves to have at least one mother!] and the requirements to be one are clear and can be simply done.

so Happy Mother's Day to all who who raise children with care and affection!

H is for hook

2011-04-28T22:12:00.000-05:00

this is my most favoritest hook in my little crochet world...

i inherited this and a bunch of others from my grandma. she kept them in this old olive jar... [hubby surprised me by putting the daffodil in the jar on easter morning]

there's all sorts of colors, sizes, and types in that jar- plastic, steel, aluminum and size 12 through P. but whenever the pattern warrants a G, H, or I hook, i always reach for the bright blue aluminum 'H'. she's served me well and has been called up to service once again...

we'll be making squares as we hook along with Melissa @ Hooked on Handmade during her CAL

she's even selected 30 square patterns to use- one for each day. how much easier could it be?! if you're interested in joining us, click the image above to get all of the details...i just know it's going to be a whole lot of fun!

must do

2011-04-27T12:00:00.001-05:00

ack! have you seen this? i reaaallly want to try to make one of these....

but i'm definitely NOT going to be crocheting the doilies myself- not if i want to get it done in this decade ;)

you can find the tutorial @ Dos Family [found via crafterholic]

giveaway

2011-04-26T19:40:00.000-05:00

psst...i'm having a super dee duper giveaway of goodies handmade by yours truly over at Wild Olive.

and not only that, but there is a full day's worth of great tutorials and generous giveaways from Mollie's other sponsors. you really should check it all out!

happy easter!

2011-04-23T21:37:00.000-05:00

mail

2011-04-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

a couple of weeks back, Liane from enhabiten posted on her blog that she was selling bundles of joy- i mean vintage fabric- as part of her studio destash. and of course, i couldn't resist taking a look. i mean it all has to be fabulous, right?! just look at this beauty

source: enhabiten

and, of course, when i looked it was all fabulous and then i couldn't resist the big orange BUY button.

and this is what arrived in my mailbox... a box with a lovely typed note

on top of two bundles of fabrics in shades of blue

the top bundle is smaller cuts

with this one being my favorite out of the group

and the bottom bundle is larger pieces

with this vintage beauty being what drew me to the listing in the first place

i'm really hoping that Liane sent some of her creative vibes along with the fabric.

any suggestions on what i should make with the red, white and aqua piece?

swap

2011-04-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

i joined a ravelry group in january called Dishcloths R Us and they have monthly swaps- just a dishcloth, knitted or crocheted, and a postcard from your area are to be sent... easy peasy and minimal time commitment. i have to say it's been a lot of fun!

in february, my swap partner was PaulaE, from the UK. her profile said she likes the colors purple and green so i hooked up and sent off this:

and received in return this knitted beauty:

i signed up for march too and this time was paired up with Michele from Maine. this time i thought i would challenge myself to knitting a dishcloth in a pattern not written up by someone else. this is the result:

i have a pink sweater vest that has this knitted diamond pattern on it and used it as the basis. it was easier than i thought it would be to stitch it up, however i used needles twice as big as i should have so i ended up with a rectangle the size of a dishtowel. since the group was not named Dishtowels R Us, i decided to fold it in half, single crochet around the three sides and add a loop. i love the texture [and the color of course]! i have to say though, it took waaaayy longer to make than if i had crocheted one, but once the challenge has been made, there's no going back! [by the way, would anyone be interested in a tute for the diamond dishcloth?]

Michele sent me this fantastic dishcloth:

i just love the pattern and will have to see if i can find it on ravlery....you know, to add to all the other thousands of patterns in my favorites :)

granny egg tutorial

2011-04-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

easter has snuck up on me with the stealth of a ninja and i figured i should get out a few decorations, but when i went through what i already had, i thought 'meh, i'm not really into so much pastel anymore'. so what to do, what to do...

well, i had to go to hobby lobby for a few things for my son's school project and thought i would take a look to see what they had in their easter aisles. i came across ceramic eggs in a cream color and immediately thought 'i will grannify you eggs!' [yeah, i doubt grannify is a real word too]. i walked out with as eight eggs, paper grass and pipe cleaner chicks and ended up with these:

i made the up the granny eggs as i went and am excited to share the process with you guys. i know easter is less than one week away but these hook up really fast! you could even do this over plastic eggs you have laying around the house...

Supplies [chick not required]:

*i used creme de la creme yarn and an 'F' hook OR cotton crochet thread and a 'D' hook, but this can vary depending on the size of your egg

Stitches [US terms]:
magic ring= great tutorial here [use through step 3]
sl st = slip stitch
sp = space
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
granny stitch = 3dc, ch1 [i doubt this stitch is in any book, it's just what i call it :) ]
granny increase = ch3, 1dc in same space, ch1, 2dc in same space, ch1

Pattern:
Round 1: in magic ring, ch3, 2dc, ch1, 4 granny stitches, sl st in top of ch3; before pulling yarn end tight to close the hole, feed it through hole to the right side

Round 2: sl st in next 2dc and ch1 sp, granny increase, *granny stitch in next ch1 sp* four times, sl st in top of ch3

Round 3: sl st in next dc and ch1 sp, ch3, 2dc in same sp, ch1, *granny in next ch1 sp* five times, sl st in top of ch3

Round 4: sl st in next 2dc and ch1 sp, ch3, 2dc in same sp, ch1, *granny in next ch1 sp* five times, sl st in top of ch3

Round 5: sl st in next 2dc and ch1 sp, ch3, 2dc in same sp, *3dc in next ch1 sp* five times, insert egg into cup you've created, sl st in top of ch3; from this point you are working in the round with the egg inserted

Round 6: repeat Round 5, minus the egg insertion

Round 7: sl st in next 2dc and ch1 sp, ch3, 1dc in same sp, ch1, *2dc, ch1 in next ch1 sp* five times, sl st in top of ch3

Round 8: sl st in next dc and ch1 space, ch1, sc in same space, sc in next ch1 sp 5 times pulling yarn tight around the small end of the egg, sl st in first sc of round; fasten off; weave in ends

the pattern as written above is for the thicker yarn and bigger hook [fuschia and yellow eggs in picture above]. the white, red and pink eggs made with the crochet thread required an extra granny increase row in the beginning and an extra row of 3dc w/o ch1 in between [like Round 5 above]. the pattern is truly customizable to your egg, yarn and personal preferences.

another feature you could add would be a chain loop to hang your egg with, like this one:

please let me know if you have any questions or find any errors... enjoy!

m.i.a

2011-04-17T12:10:00.001-05:00

well, it appears i've been away for longer than i thought! my daytime job has been kicking my a+double dollar signs...i should call it my day, night, and weekend time job. but, there is light at the end of the tunnel and the craziness should be over by the first week in may. and it cannot come soon enough! i miss writing, crafting, surfing [the web kind, of course] and spending time with my family.

but i have found some time today to touch base and write up some posts to share what i have been able to do with any spare seconds from the last couple of weeks or when i just needed a sanity check!

like this, for example:

i was looking through my adhesive bin for glue for my son the other day and came across a bottle fabric stiffener that has been in there i don't know how long. i thought 'i want to make a doily bowl' and so, i did!

i crocheted the minty green doily, put the stiffener in a plastic container with water, dunked and soaked the doily and molded it around a pyrex mixing bowl. and when i got up this morning, voila, it was a pretty bowl. just stiff enough but not too hard or crunchy. i was worried that with sitting and age, the stiffener might have lost it's effectiveness but i'm really pleased with the results!

these are super simple and fun to make! i think i might make some up in other non-traditional colors and various sizes to use in displays and sell at Market Day [which is another reason i can't wait to be done with this big project at work...i need to get ready for the first show of the season on May 28th!].

i would love to hear what you all have been up to in the last two weeks!

**update: found 'Crowns Surround' pattern by Cille Heckenbach on Ravelry but i did not stitch the last round in the pattern

love

2011-04-01T21:17:00.000-05:00

i just cannot get away from aqua! first it was orange and aqua- now red and aqua. here's some of my recent etsy items...

1. Kitchen-Mid Century Modern Print by handz
2. Vintage General Electric Hand Mixer by AlexisBrookeLane
3. Upcycled Girls Dress by SewnNatural [if i only had a girl]
4. Lovebirds Print by Geninne

have a great weekend everyone!

vintage finds: rummage sale

2011-03-27T21:38:00.001-05:00

i cannot resist a hand-written sign that says 'rummage sale', 'garage sale' or 'yard sale' when driving by it. i wasn't quite prepared for the one i saw yesterday. i mean, it felt a little early for the sale season, especially when we've had tornadoes and snow in the same week! however, you can have a rummage sale inside a church anytime of year i guess and i was pleasantly surprised and felt absolutely giddy when i saw the sign for one in my neighborhood yesterday! immediately my brain pushed out all other obligations for the day and repeatedly said 'must get to rummage sale now', 'must get to rummage sale now' [which is ridiculous, i know]. so i drove around the block, adrenaline pumping, and entered the church. as i entered, i realized that i made it to the last 15 minutes of the two day sale but there still were some goodies left...

vintage electric food warmer [price tag said it still works!]
blue Ball jar w/lid
homer laughlin plate with brown & black motifs on the rim
green metal tray [i will probably make this into a chalkboard or magnet board for my market displays]
1950's book titled 'Around the World in 1000 Pictures'

wood potato chip bowl
two wood display trays [they have cork on the bottom and will also be worked into my market displays]
a very small set of glass shakers with red lids
a trivet in a scandinavian language i haven't figured out yet

and the most beautiful embroidered tablecloth...aren't those lilacs wonderful?!

now i'm off to clean everything up...did you have a good weekend? i would love to hear what got your adrenaline pumping lately!

remembering

2011-03-26T13:00:00.001-05:00

i think i've mentioned this before but it's worth mentioning again... i love classic films! and this week, the film industry lost a legend and the world lost a beautiful, caring and passionate woman who was so many things- actress, philanthropist, entrepreneur and AIDS activist, to name just a few. so today i'm remembering Elizabeth Taylor...

source

tutorial @ wild olive

2011-03-25T22:01:00.000-05:00

i'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the super-talented Mollie from Wild Olive. but if you have yet to be introduced, click the image below. i'll wait...

she really is a fantastic designer, illustrator, crafter and embroiderer! and as an extension, her blog is equally wonderful! i really love her style- simple, clean, fun and colorful!

last month, one of her posts mentioned sponsorship spots were available on her blog. the beauty of her sponsor program is that only your blog -not your shop- can sponsor her blog, which really intrigued me. so i shot off an email and she accepted my blog as sponsor-worthy!

as a added bonus, she has fun and interactive posts each month where she asks her sponsors a question and each person provides an answer. this month's "the story of:" was about sneaking away from everyday life for a while- where would you go and what would you do. there was some great answers and it was a good way for me to get to know my fellow bloggers.

today, Mollie is featuring great giveaways [think embroidery patterns, embroidery supplies, a baby blanket, a shop credit and a fawn necklace] and diys [creative packaging and a crocheted Granny Square Tutorial] from her sponsors. can you guess by reading that list which is mine? :) i would be most humbled if you would check out my crocheted Granny Square Tutorial and let me know what you think...

frank lloyd wright & mason city, iowa: part II

2011-03-24T20:01:00.001-05:00

so, a couple posts back i showed you the Stockman House designed by Frank Llyod Wright in Mason City. while driving through the area of town where i though the Wright house to be, i realized that i was on a street lined with Prairie School design homes [and my pictures just don't do these houses any justice but you can click on them for a closer view].

i just love these beauties! and my favorite was this one...

can you believe those windows!? the red glass really stands out from the dark trim and white exterior. yummmmm...

the Prairie School architecture in mason city has so much historical and artistic significance that a newly built Mason City Architectural Interpretive Center, located next door to Stockman House, will have its grand opening in May. we are definitely taking a weekend trip up north this summer so we can take one of the walking tours they are organizing.

have a great weekend everyone!

featured

2011-03-21T18:00:00.001-05:00

check out this beautiful treasury curated by craftedbylindy ...

i love the calming effect this treasury creates!

listed

2011-03-20T21:41:00.002-05:00

vintage just put on the virtual shelf...

*update* i added these children's books too...

frank lloyd wright & mason city, iowa: part I

2011-03-18T01:16:00.000-05:00

my excuse for my short absence from this space is that my husband spent the better part of the last four weeks working in Mason City, which is about two hours north of Des Moines. a couple of weekends ago, i drove there to visit for a night. while looking through the hotel's local attraction information, i discovered that Frank Lloyd Wright had quite a presence in Mason City. so before i left town, i went on a search for the Stockman House...

built in 1908, this house is in the Prairie Style, has been re-located once and restored to its original simplicity. at one point the church next door to the house's original location wanted to buy the land and demolish the house to build a parking lot. but thankfully, certain members of the community saw the worth in keeping the house and raised money to relocate it and turn it into a museum.

unfortunately i had to leave town before the museum opened day so i couldn't see the inside. however, at StockmanHouse.org there are plenty of pics of the inside as well as the history of the house and Frank Lloyd Wright's presence in Mason City [he also designed the Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank that are currently being restored].

while looking for the Stockman House, i came across other Prairie Style houses in the neighborhood and i will share those pics in part II...

luck

2011-03-17T11:01:00.000-05:00

today, i'm wishing you lots o' luck and a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

happy st patrick's day!!

giveaway

2011-03-16T22:13:00.001-05:00

psst...i'm having a giveaway over @ The Vintage Sheet Blog starting today. i made the needle book and pin cushion mostly from a pretty blue, green and white vintage sheet. the giveaway is open until March 23rd, so if you're so inclined, stop over to enter and have a look-see.

my boss made me do it

2011-03-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

yep, if it weren't for my boss, i wouldn't have picked up those needles, re-taught myself knitting and abandoned everything else. i taught myself to knit about five years ago and had resisted re-learning because i knew that i just didn't need to have ANOTHER craft in the mix. but noooo, my boss had to ask me if i would help her and her daughter with a knitting kit they had bought- to make sure they were doing it right. so, i 'reluctantly' took it home to make sure i knew what i was doing and that i was teaching them the right way. that was the beginning of the end of all things not knitting for a while. here are a couple of by-products...

Kittyhawk Cowl: Pattern by Katy Osterwald

Sock pattern found here

i really have had a lot of fun making these things but i had forgotten how time consuming knitting can be! this is my first pair of socks i've knitted ever and good golly are they slow going [Courtney, i'm looking for your feedback here!]. but, i'm a sock fanatic and so i am really excited to finish up the second one...besides winter is almost over and i don't think wool socks will be very practical when it gets warmer out.

have you picked up a new or forgotten craft lately?

love

2011-03-15T10:32:00.000-05:00

i'm really loving orange and aqua together...here's what i've found on etsy lately

1. Modern Stripe Bottle Vase by dahlhaus
2. Instant Collection of Garden Water Faucet Knobs by sushipotparts
3. ALPencil Print by teconlene
4. Beach Day Quilt by sugarcubed

orange

2011-03-01T09:00:00.001-06:00

i just love the color orange, don't you? i recently purchased this canister set at a flea market here in town...

my original intention was to buy them to sell in my Etsy shop, but once they made their way into my kitchen, i could not part with their orange-y goodness!

i'm guessing there is one size missing from the set that would fit in between the largest and the next smallest, but i really don't care :)

and the canisters served as a bit of inspiration for helping me decide my color choices for a little spontaneous crochet/recycling project.

the can held peanuts and is much like a crescent roll package - paper on the outside, metallic inside and metal bottom. so, i carefully washed out the inside of the can and hooked up a cozy for it. and here is the final result...

it's pretty tall which makes it perfect for holding longer items and looks nice sitting next to the canisters.

what spontaneous projects have you finished lately?

mail

2011-02-28T09:00:00.001-06:00

remember my recent post on some favorite cuffs i found on etsy? well, i loved that leather arrow cuff soooo much, i put in a request to Batwings & Battleaxes to see if i could order one half the width and to fit around my wrist. Kyle was a treat to work with... he even sent drawings in our convo conversation to make sure we had the same vision.
and boy, did he deliver the goods!

it is exactly what i hoped for in both look and fit. and it came super fast...i placed the order on friday and he sent it out the next monday!

so, if you find yourself in the market for a leather bracelet or cuff, for a man or woman, go see Kyle... if he doesn't have exactly what you're looking for, he's wonderful to work with on custom pieces.

thanks, kyle!

weekend

2011-02-27T21:51:00.002-06:00

hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

mine was pretty good even though i was sick most of last week [cold, cough, yuck] and am still trying to shake it. so, let's see what did i get accomplished?

-worked friday night at my day job [a contradiction i know but i have have to work one friday night about every other month] during which time it snowed a bit

puppy prints

-took some pics for Etsy vintage listings..here's a sample of what's to come

peacock napkin holder

-went through a box from an auction last summer full of vintage fabrics and quilt pieces. i LOVE going through the box and seeing exactly what goodies i ended up with, all the while picturing what i'm going to sew the already cut squares or sewn blocks into. but i HATE the soaking, washing and ironing that it all requires. i know, i know, it's a necessity but to me it's the worst part. however, almost the whole box was worth all the work...here's a few pics that shows about 1/4 of what was in the box total [and you have my sincere apologies for these dark, flash bombed photos, but it was dark outside. what are you going to do?]

oh, and did i mention there were four full feedsacks in the stash! mwahahaha! [can you tell i love feedsacks? :D ] three are the same pattern but the one on top is wonderful and still vibrant!

AND there was a couple of good-sized pieces of bark cloth in the mix too!

one last thing: Rachel from One Pretty Thing so very kindly included my crocheted wrist warmer pattern in her Crochet Roundup yesterday! thanks soooo much, Rachel, i really appreciate the mention!!

well, those are the highlights of my weekend. i need to go swap out a load of fabric...

what exciting things and projects did you work on this weekend?

changes

2011-02-23T20:43:00.001-06:00

well, i finally got around to making a new blog banner [see up there ^^] AND a new Etsy banner....

they go together without being the same and run in the same theme as my business cards...

oh, and in you case you missed it on my new Etsy banner, i'm going to start adding a few handmade things to my shop. i've been waiting for Etsy to have their system set up to allow multiple shops under one ID/email, but i figure if i just work things in and see how it goes... i'll let you all know when i've started adding handmade items to my shop, but here's a peek at the first items i will be listing...

it's almost the weekend! hooray!!

pattern : crocheted wrist warmers

2011-02-16T06:00:00.003-06:00

as promised, here is my very first written pattern! it's for these wrist warmers...

i'm really nervous about posting this for fear that it won't make sense to anyone but me :)
but here we go....

'Warm Your Wrists'

Supplies:
~F hook [3.75mm]
~worsted weight yarn [i used wool ease yarn for these. I LOVE this yarn!]
~yarn needle

Stitches used [in US crochet terms]:
ch = chain
ss = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet

Tips:
~check the fit of the first glove [including the thumb hole size] as you go, you'll be glad you did! and make adjustments whenever necessary...these are very customizable.
~in order to have evenly spaced scallops, it helps if you have an even number of rows at the end of step 5
~this pattern assumes the mitts are a single color. to make stripes like mine, you just need to pick up and drop colors as you're moving back and forth across the rows

Left hand glove:
1. ch 28
2. row 1: dc in third chain from hook (counts as first dc); dc in each chain across; [27 dc total]
3. row 2: ch 2 (counts as first dc); turn; dc in next stitch from previous row and in each stitch across [27 dc total]
4. rows 3-14: repeat row 2
5. check for size by wrapping around hand/wrist. it should be a little smaller since it will stretch when you put it on...I used 14 rows total for my mitts.
6. do not finish off but fold rectangle in half with rows running horizontally
7. sl stitch two sides together until you are 9 stitches from the end
8. stitch only on side closest to you for 5 stitches, creating a thumb hole and then continue stitching sides together to the end; do not finish off
9. ch 1, sc in same stitch; *in next gap between row stitches 3 dc, in next gap 1 sc*, repeat pattern evenly around and join in first sc [this is the top where your fingers will come out]
10. now you can finish off [can you tell I don't like ends :D]
11. join yarn at seam on opposite side, ch 1 in same stitch, *in next gap between row stitches 5 dc, in next gap 1 sc*, repeat pattern evenly around and join in first sc, finish off.
12. weave in ends

Right hand glove:
1-6. same as left hand
7. sl stitch two sides together for 4 stitches
8. repeat step 8 above
9. ch 1, sc in same stitch; *in next gap between row stitches 5 dc, in next gap 1 sc*, repeat pattern evenly around and join in first sc
10. finish off
11. join yarn at seam on opposite side, ch 1 in same stitch, *in next gap between row stitches 3 dc, in next gap 1 sc*, repeat pattern evenly around and join in first sc, finish off.
12. weave in ends

Options:
~i added little woolie flowers to my pair [ch 4, join, *ch 5, sl stitch in center* repeat 4 more times, finish off and use ends to attach to mitt], but you can embellish anyway you choose.
~use a larger hook for fewer rows and a faster finish

I have the pattern out on Ravelry too- you can find it here.

I would love to hear how the pattern hooks up for you if you decide to try it!

friends

2011-02-15T06:00:00.002-06:00

every year right before the holidays, i get together with long-time friends for an ornament exchange. in years past, we would get together in the evening during the week, but this year we changed it up and had Sunday brunch with mimosas and bloody marys...yummm. as usual the food was delicious and it was great to see everyone!

and of course, everyone brought awesome ornaments.. we exchange dirty santa style and everyone secretly wants to be the person who brings the ornament(s) that get 'stolen' the most. the ones i took home were awesome [didn't get a photo before packing them away] but here is a picture of the ones i brought- modeled by my good friend Steph @ iowaharleygirl [and yes, she rides her own Harley...isn't that awesome!?]

for the last couple of years i have been making ornaments for this exchange and this year i went with a matching set. the ball is from Pip's crocheted christmas baubles and the hex is an African Flower on one side and a hex pattern I found at Attic24 in the same color scheme on the other.

i look forward to getting together with this crazy bunch every year and 2010 was no disappointment! no matter how long it's been since we've all seen each other, it seems like we just pick right up where we left off at our last get-together. do you have friends like that ?

ravelry love

2011-02-14T12:00:00.002-06:00

ravelry crochet patterns recently added to my favorites....

1. happy groundhog day by Trish Young of genuine mudpie
2. octoberfest doily by Denise Augostine
3. crochet mobius cowl by Marilyn Wallace of marilyn knits
4. cabled jacket by Treva McCain

happy valentine's day!

2011-02-14T02:34:00.000-06:00

here's a granny heart from me to you...

i hope your day is filled with love!

xoxo -Michelle

keys

2011-02-13T12:46:00.000-06:00

have you ever wondered what you could do with thousands of these?

well, click on this photo and see....

photo found at ScoutingNY

If you're like me and are interested in all thing New York City, architecture and/or history, then you really should look around ScoutingNY. The young man that writes the blog works as a location scout [hence his nickname 'Scout'] for movies in the NYC area and has a great eye for the most interesting details. He takes great pictures and provides his readers with the must-know history of his finds.

not-really-a-blizzard blizzard

2011-02-06T14:51:00.002-06:00

well, unlike the other parts of the state and those places east of Iowa, Des Moines only received 7" of snow this last week- not very much by our standards :D
but that's not to say it wasn't cold or windy...just check out this casualty. poor, poor Santa...knocked right on his plastic butt! and then to add insult to injury, buried in snow.

i think he'll be all right- maybe just a broken light bulb. here he is in his glory days [December]...

do you have that special holiday decoration that MUST be displayed every year no matter what? Santa is it for me...he's just so cute and I love that he greets me every time I come home. so i suppose i should pick him up and brush him off so he can be at my door next year. or maybe i'll just wait until the snow melts off him this afternoon...

but back to the weather, i just have to say that i'm soooooo glad the worst of this last storm missed us and i'm hoping everyone impacted by snowmaggedon is safe and warm!

to see some pics of the 'real' blizzard, check out Amy and Jen's drifts...

treasury

2011-02-05T00:00:00.001-06:00

a set of my vintage screwdrivers is included in this 'mantastic' etsy treasury curated by PoleStar....

you can click here to take a closer and leave a comment if you so choose.

have a great weekend everyone!!

love

2011-01-30T22:07:00.000-06:00

i'm loving these cuffs I found on etsy:

1. Triple strand cuff bracelet in gray and white floral @ PonderandStitch [Amy was one of the first people I 'met' on Etsy. She is sooo sweet and she makes the prettiest cuffs from vintage feedsacks and trims.]
2. HARRIS bracelet @ OrangeistheSun [love the look of the stamped writing on linen with the vintage button]
3. EcoCuff - Giant Crosscut Vintage Button on Soft Leather Band @ greenbelts [LOVE this button!]
4. Which Way To The Beach Brown Leather Wrap Cuff Bracelet With Arrows @ Batwings&Battleaxes [I am immediately drawn to anything with arrows... at Cornell College I joined the social group Alpha Sigma Pi (kind of like a sorority) and the members are called Arrows.]

I spent a lot of the weekend crocheting orders and granny squares. What kind of fun did you have this weekend?

sport

2011-01-25T21:18:00.003-06:00

oh great football gods, how could you not send this face to the Super Bowl?!

image found here

now i must wait another eight months to see that smile every week...sigh! we used to be Colts fans but after the debacle last year, we decided to go straight New York [we are BIG Yankees fans too]. and i swear my choice of a new team had nothing to do with what the quarterback looks like...their running back Shonn Greene played at Iowa, ya know!

do you 'celebrate' the Super Bowl or any other major sporting event?

organize

2011-01-24T23:32:00.002-06:00

remember how i said my new beginning would require some additional organization? well, these planner pages are where i'm starting...

have you ever been to Tricia Rennea's blog, trillustrations? [i credited her last year for creating the great free red, white and pink graphics on my handmade valentines.] she develops very pretty and practical stationery, labels, invitations, scrapbooking pieces, coloring pages, origami papers and so much more. if you can print it on paper, she has probably created something just like what you need! and get this...she has a whole section of print-at-home items, some of them even customizable!
so go drop in and check out all of Tricia's goodies. you won't be sorry.... i will be anxiously waiting for her to provide the planner pages online later this week so i can get organized!

love

2011-01-22T10:46:00.001-06:00

here's what i'm loving this week

1. Sliced Au-Go-Go - au naturelle A4 Giclee Print at inaluxe [love every one of the prints in this shop]

2. Vintage Blue Plaid Metal Thermos at CathodeBlue [i cannot say enough about the vintage sold here- fantastic]

3. Gustavsberg Bersa Plate by Stig Lindberg at JollyPollyPickins [sold but still a great shop to check out]

4. Large Cathrineholm Striped Yellow Bowl at thewildplum [also sold and another great vintage shop]

have a great weekend everyone!

community

2011-01-19T23:24:00.001-06:00

i'm sure many of you follow Sarah London's blog and are already aware of her new project to gather granny squares for afghans to be provided to those impacted by the flooding in Australia, but i wanted to continue spreading the word... if you can help out all, please sign up here and get hooking! [and if you need help with crocheting a granny square, please let me know.]

hook

2011-01-19T18:35:00.000-06:00

i haven't been feeling up to snuff in the last four days. i twisted my back- not sure how but woke up with it all knotted up on Sunday morning. then on Monday, i started feeling flu-ish in the afternoon. needless to say, i've spent the last two and a half days with an electric hot pad on my back and a cool wash cloth on my forehead. awful!

i'm hoping to get back on my feet and back to work tomorrow- just in time to have Friday off for a three day weekend and do the things that didn't get done this past weekend. i haven't been out of the house yet this week and would really like to have a chance to wear these fingerless gloves i made...

i was going to just do the simple quick rectangle sewn up the side leaving a hole for my thumb but then i thought 'why not try stripes?'. which the led to small scallops on the top and larger scallops on the cuff.

and when they were finished, i read my husband's mind which was saying 'oh god, another gray/black item in her wardrobe- imagine that' and i knew i needed to add a little pop of color to throw him off track.

i'm thinking that the next pair i make i will sew on a small round button and then make flowers in various colors and interchangeable. i'm also contemplating making this my first ever tutorial...would you be interested?

remembering

2011-01-18T06:30:00.000-06:00

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'" ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

list

2011-01-17T02:09:00.001-06:00

new in the shop...

community

2011-01-12T23:29:00.005-06:00

wow, i've been fortunate on the treasury front, considering how i haven't listed anything in what seems like ages. i want to mention a couple of the most recent...

if only i had more room in my cupboards for more pyrex [link]

and here is one that features members from the newly formed Des Moines Etsy team [link]

and i agree with the caption...winter white is OUT! and i'm sure that people in 49 states agree with me this week. if you so desire, link over to Etsy and check out all these great items!

have a great thursday!

a new year, a new beginning

2011-01-11T23:19:00.001-06:00

i don't know if anyone is still out there, but I am back [and I really mean it this time- not like last AUGUST]! i haven't quite figured out the reason for my absence.... because i not only neglected my own blog and flickr, i also wasn't reading or commenting on others and i neglected my etsy shop too. i think i got too wrapped up in all of the online stuff that i overwhelmed myself. i was over-inspired by what others were doing [and there is sooo much good stuff out there!] and not taking any time for myself to hook, sew, take photos, etc. i was literally spending my entire evenings just reading blogs and nothing else. the break was definitely a good thing and allowed me to MAKE things- not just read about making things.

so, the new year brought with it a new perspective, lots of organization and planning and a new drive and focus to not only grow my vintage business online and locally, but to also add handmade items into the mix.

so here's to a new year and a fresh start! i am so excited to be moving forward and i would love to have you join me!

how time flies...

2010-08-26T22:41:00.000-05:00

i cannot believe that it has been exactly one month since my last post! wow, either i'm a real slacker of have been really busy...we'll go with really busy :)
actually, things have been a little crazy here in the Des and here's what has been going on:
1. we went on a super relaxing trip north to the cabin and spent time with wonderful family [more pics will be coming soon!]

2. the Sunday night we got back from Minnesota, we got 4-6" of rain in a couple of hours and our basement flooded for the second time in three years...ugh!
3. the next night, our basement flooded again... double ugh!
4. i drove back to the cabin the following weekend to pick up youngest son, who stayed on and missed all the drama at home [man, was i jealous!]
5. work has been crazy busy
6. school started today... yeah!!! both of my boys are now in high school and all i can say, again, is how time flies!

new etsy widget!

2010-07-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

it's called Pocket Shop and you can see mine on the right sidebar of this page [under Please visit]. the widget provides access to a lot of of your etsy shop information, is super easy to set up and install, and there are seven different layouts available.

and this great tool is provided by the always helpful craft cult folks. if you have an etsy shop, you should check it out!

schoolyard

2010-07-22T09:29:00.002-05:00

schoolyard
Originally uploaded by mummysam

isn't this wonderful? it reminds me so much of when my boys were younger and always outside playing baseball...

this piece was created by mummysam, whose work i just stumbled upon. i love her sewn and fabric art as well as her new fabric line @ Robert Kaufman. there really is so much more, so i would suggest taking a peek if you're not already familiar with her work!

for the brids...

2010-07-20T23:48:00.000-05:00

... no, that's not a mis-spelling above. an absolutely hilarious etsy treasury curated by chuckhodi was brought to my attention by regretsy on facebook today. check it out here!

have you seen this?!

2010-07-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

Mara Skujeniece is a ceramic genius!

She used these spools for inspiration

to make these molds

to create these beautiful vases

and i cannot tell you how badly i want this!

[all photos via skujeniece]

you can find the entire 'spools' collection and many other wonderful creations [the hyperbowls are fantastic too!] at skujeniece... [website found via Aesthetic Outburst]

flickr favorites...

2010-07-05T21:24:00.005-05:00

1. Ann Kelle- Remix for RK, 2. flickr.com/photos/8905938@N08/3125723013/, 3. Waiting, 4. ARGYLE

i have, do and always will LOVE argyle [i still have a pair of argyle socks from college, which was only twen- ...ummm not so long ago]. those simple geometrics just never seem to go out of style...

you too can play flickr favorites over at ArtMind...i forgot there would be a theme since it's the first week of the month, but oh well...

happy 4th of july!

2010-07-04T18:43:00.001-05:00

[photo found here]

i just watched this movie for the bazillionth time and i love it! i always feel so proud to be an American after watching it- plus it's just a great movie with wonderful songs and dancing! hope you're having a wonderful weekend, no matter where you are...

it all starts with the magic ring...

2010-06-24T11:00:00.002-05:00

i've been busy with the 'F' hook and cotton

[top pic is side one, bottom is side two]

1. i made the cozy for a recycled glass jar... perfect for pencils, paintbrushes, etc
2. the granny square potholder i decided to do off-center
3. the round potholder is your standard increasing circle
4. the circle to square pattern i found on Lion Brand Yarn
5. the scalloped potholder is a design by Priscilla Hewitt

have you been hooking lately? ;)

etsy treasury...

2010-06-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

... titled Sweet Soft Sage Green, curated by SweetAnneVintage

mail call...

2010-06-23T11:00:00.002-05:00

...wonderful fabric has been arriving at my doorstep

1. The top set is a super cute set of screen printed fabric panels from June Craft. Kayanna is super-talented and has wonderful things in her shop and a really cool blog [oh, and she lives in Iowa]! I've been saving up for these beauties and am so glad they are in my possession since she is only doing a limited run.
2. When I saw this flying squirrel fabric, my first reaction was to giggle. It is sooo cute and is the creation of my recent Feeling Stitchy button swap partner, Rose of Crafty McGee. She also sent me a pretty sewn and embroidered badge, which I also love!
3. I have a couple of vintage wood chairs that I need to recover and I ordered this beautiful upholstery weight cotton from Swanky Swell in a dark- almost red- orange called 'mandarin'. Unfortunately, the pieces weren't quite big enough for chair cushion covers but, no worries, the fabric will get used!
4. This is a stack of fabric I purchased from SewMamaSew during one of their 15% off sales recently... it's a mix of prints and yardage. No definite plans for any of it yet, but I'm sure it won't take long to figure out :D
Have you been stash building or busting?

Oh, and one last item that came in the mail a while back...

...this fantastic 'Hyperactivityopgraphy From A to Z' book made the blog rounds about a month ago [I found it via How About Orange- like everything else, it seems] and I decided to order two. The book was sold out the next day! Wasn't I lucky?! But why did I get two, you might ask... you'll find out soon [heehee]!

flickr favorites...

2010-06-22T07:13:00.001-05:00

... inspired by the Flickr group 'This is Iowa' administered by Chrissy (from Domestica), I decided to pick a few of my favorite b&w pics out of the group. These pictures give only a small glimpse into what defines my fabulous home state of Iowa...

1. Iowa_Snow_1939_Edwin_and_Car_Dug_out_and_Running, 2. lots of letters, 3. Spring Time at the Sunrise House, 4. Curious Cattle

Stop over to ArtMind and play along with Flickr Favorites...

vintage finds...

2010-06-21T20:21:00.001-05:00

...from a garage sale I stopped at last week (I had sworn off garage/estate sales and auctions for a while, but I just couldn't resist!).

The spice rack [$0.25] has two drawers at the bottom, the Tupperware [$2.00] has never been used and the Corning shakers [$0.25] are super cute!

I'm definitely pleased with my 1970s finds! What goodies have you 'found' lately?

2010 summer trade guide...

2010-06-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

...at oh, hello friend is a great list of Etsy shops that participate in trading. The guide is beautifully laid out and has been broken down into sections like jewelry, stationery, artwork, photography, and vintage (thanks for including my store, Danni!). If you have an Etsy shop and love to trade, you really need to check out the 2010 Summer Trade Guide! And if you've never been to oh, hello friend stop in and say 'hi!'... I promise you won't be sorry!

putting my name on paper...

2010-06-10T17:45:00.002-05:00

... I mentioned a couple of weeks ago I was participating in the May Market Day [more on that later in a separate post, but it was better than expected!]. You know, I don't think I ever truly appreciated how much work goes into getting show-ready! Whew!

My first order of business was to create business cards and a table banner:

It took a while for me to figure out what I wanted my 'brand' to look like. But here's how I created the final results...

First, I downloaded the vintage looking Matchbook font [found via How About Orange], formatted my business cards and large banner letters in MS Word and then printed them on paper... Avery linen textured for the business cards [I love the feel of these cards!] and card stock for the banner letters.

The backs of the cards and backgrounds for the banner are printed with colors and patterns I created at tartanmaker.com [alos found via How About Orange]. The common color on all of the tartans is gray and then the accent colors are based on colors of washi tape I had previously purchased from Tinted Mint.

The tape was used to hold the letters on the backgrounds for the banner and to put a stripe on the left side of the cards. [Oh and I also used the tape to attach price tags to my items- I love this tape for being low-tack but sticking when it really needs to!] For the banner I then crocheted a white rope and attached the letters with small silver clips.

So, what do you think? Do they work for both vintage and handmade? Do they look like something a third grader would make in art class? Any feedback would be much appreciated!

crochet love...

2010-06-07T15:08:00.002-05:00

Originally uploaded by sarah london textiles

...for this beautiful lamp shade made by the the fabulous Sarah London! do i have any spare drum lamp shades in my house?

vintage swap: summer 2010

2010-06-05T15:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the sign-ups for the Summer Vintage Swap began!

If you're interested in joining in, please stop by Vintage Swap blog and get your name in quick... there is a max of 100 people and it filled up really fast for the winter edition.

this saturday...

2010-05-26T21:39:00.001-05:00

... I will be participating in my first show as a full-blown vendor! The venue is called Market Day and the show is held on the last Saturday of each month from May-October and then on Black Friday in November. There will be a mix of vintage, art and handmade, all with an Indie flair. And it's located about one block from the DM Farmers Market...

I'm really excited but soooo nervous. Granted I've helped my mom at the local antique show in Valley Junction [which we are doing on June 13th- more on that another time], but I have never have signed up for, organized for and set up for a show all on my own. I was asked to participate based on my vintage shop on Etsy but thought I could also have for sale some of my craft items I've been making. Well, getting the vintage stuff picked out, cleaned up and priced (thanks, Mom, for your help!) took a little longer than I anticipated ... plus I had to design business cards, come up with signage, etc, which means the handmade will be light this month.

My biggest fear is that I haven't selected the right type of items and it took me forever to decide what to take but I just decided to go with my gut feeling. Hopefully it will pay off! If not, I can adjust for June, right?

I can't wait to meet all of the other local artisans, crafters and vintage sellers! If any of you are in Des Moines this weekend, please stop by... I would love to see you!

flickr favorites...

2010-05-25T19:19:00.000-05:00

... daisies are my second favorite flower [after tulips] and I think it's their simplicity that draws me to them. The white petals make the yellow centers just pop!

1. Yellow and White., 2. Vintage Aqua Daisy Pique, 3. one among many, 4. Crochet Daisy Flowers

Stop over at ArtMind and play along!

etsy...

2010-05-24T17:43:00.002-05:00

... I've been included in this fabulous treasury, which made the Front Page at 12:00am Sunday [hey 11:00pm cst is better than 0:00 in any time zone!]

My vintage individual metal trays with the seashells are my contribution. I just love the blue tones... thanks BenefitJewels for including me!

And equally exciting, one of my items was in the Etsy Finds Decor yesterday!

The Storque article featured the home of Hilda Grahnat, who some of you may know from her blog Forever is Today. I just recently found her blog and it really is fantastic. I highly suggest you check it out if you haven't already!

vintage find...

2010-05-22T17:29:00.001-05:00

My friend Stacy and I went to an auction about a month ago and I scored this sweet little dresser for $15! [Of course, this wasn't the only thing I bought at that auction much to my husband's chagrin :D]

It originally had metal casters with wood wheels but two of the wheels were gone so Mr Dill cut off the casters. I gave it a good scrub down and put felt underneath the legs and it is now located in my entryway. It's added the pop of color I needed there... the walls are a dark red and at first I thought 'No way does the aqua match the dark red' until I remembered the lovely painting I purchased from Mariette @ Petit Bijou Art Shop. The painting really tied the whole room together!

flickr favorites...

2010-05-18T11:00:00.001-05:00

... I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but my husband and I are HUGE classic movie fans. Our television is pretty much tuned to TCM unless there's a movie we just can't stand to watch again (hey, they can't all be Giant!). So on the subject of classic movies and classic stories, James Dean is the focus of my flickr favorites this week for many reasons. First my favorite book of all time is 'East of Eden' by Steinbeck and I love the movie just about as much (how often can you say that the movie is even half as good as the book)- Dean was magnificent! And then 'Giant' and 'Rebel Without a Cause' are equally wonderful! If there had only been more films made with James Dean...

1. James Dean etc 707, 2. James Dean etc 549, 3. James Dean with Rolleiflex, 4. James Dean etc 500

Head on over to ArtMind to add your Flickr Favorites...

Editorial: Wouldn't it be great if you could purchase just one or two stations? We have one kazillion channels and pretty much watch TCM all the time- oh, except on Thursdays when CSI and the Mentalist are on (Simon Baker can read my mind anytime! hehe).

my creative space...

2010-05-12T19:53:00.002-05:00

... lots of crocheting goin' on. I've been trying out new color combos and product ideas...

Share your creative space at kootoyo....

flickr favorites...

2010-05-11T11:00:00.004-05:00

... this week is all about the letter 'M'

1. Alphabet - letter 'M', 2. Clock, 3. The Letter "M" / Entrance to Little Switzerland, 4. The letter M

'M' as in motherhood, merriment, motion, magnificence, the name Michelle and, of course, mosaics!

Stop over at Artmind and play Flickr Favorites too...

etsy treasury...

2010-05-08T15:16:00.000-05:00

... Amy of PonderandStitch included my Pyrex bowl in her wonderful treasury

And here's a funny story... I saw this treasury on Etsy's front page and immediately noticed the headband on the top and knew it belonged to Jody of thelittleprints. So I sent Jody a 'Congratulations, you're on the FP' convo without looking at the entire treasury. It was then that I received a convo from Amy letting me know that one of my items was on the FP! So, I went right back and there was my bowl. Guess that will teach me to look at all of the items on the FP!

So go on over and check out the great collection Amy has put together!

Oh and if you're not already familiar with Amy's blog or Jody's blog, you really should check them out. They are two of my favorites AND they are both in the midwest :D

des moines artists featured...

2010-05-06T22:41:00.001-05:00

... have you seen the Featured Seller on Etsy the last couple of days, huh, huh? Urban Posture is based out of Des Moines and it makes me proud to see them and their work introduced to a world-wide audience. I knew it wouldn't take long... I found them through Shop Local on Etsy last year and have also seen their fabulous items in local indie craft fairs.

My personal favorites are their binders and folders... hmmm, now that I that I say that, I think I'm in need of some office organization. I hope they are at Market Day this month so I can stock up!

flickr favorites...

2010-05-04T21:48:00.002-05:00

...are all about how art is created by logic/math/science [and, yes, i was a math geek in high school, but let's keep that between you and me!]

1. Logic is the begining of "creative" - poster, 2. Orange Silicon Mandala CU, 3. FF3399, FFCC00, 000000, 4. flightpattern.2158

wanna play flickr favorites? stop over at artmind and join in...

pincushion swap received...

2010-05-01T15:48:00.000-05:00

...from Leah @ handmadebitsandpieces in Australia [for the Foxs Lane Pincushion Swap]

Isn't it beautiful?! I love the felt and fabric mix and the ric rac trim....

I LOVE it- thanks so much Leah!!

did you see...

2010-04-26T18:21:00.003-05:00

... this fabulous piece of vintage sunshine?

photo by linaloo

Lina @ Linaloo made it using entirely thrifted vintage bed linens- the front, back, batting, everything! You can find the details of the Not Mellow Yellow here....

pincushion swap sent...

2010-04-21T18:28:00.006-05:00

...which included this pincushion and needle book.

I really like how they turned out and am very proud of myself for several reasons...

First, with inspiration from sew ritzy-titzy's daisy chatelaine tutorial, I created my own crochet pattern for the pincushion. I'm a chronic pattern-follower but decided it was time to break out! My thread colors were dictated by my second proud moment...

I actually got up the courage to cut into one of my vintage feedsacks! (You can do it too, Courtney :D ) I used the feedsack as the inside cover of the pincushion, for the pocket on the back cover of the needle book and the closure on the book. The closure leads me to my other proud moment...

I finally found the nerve to use that intimidating piece of metal, the Crop-a-dile, to set the snap for the closure on the needle book! It really is a wonderful piece of machinery but I'm sure it will take me five years to figure out all of its multi-tool potential.

I really had fun making these and I hope the recipient -who lives in a far-away land- likes them. even just a little bit...

And of course, Kate @ Foxs Lane deserves a very big 'THANK YOU' for putting this swap together! I'm so grateful I had a chance to participate!

mail call...

2010-04-20T19:54:00.001-05:00

I just received these beautiful merino wool yarns from Shivaya Naturals. Shivaya Naturals is a shop owned by Heather, who organized the fabulous vintage swap I participated in a couple of months back, and all of her profits are donated to charity. She also has a wonderful blog full of recipes, creativity and community.

The colors are Black Cherry and Sunshine... aren't these hand-dyed yarns gorgeous? They feel wonderful too! Now I need to find just the right projects to use them... they seem more suited to something knitted, which means I will need to re-teach myself the use of the two pointed needles. Suggestions for projects, anyone?

i hope...

2010-04-16T23:12:00.002-05:00

...your weekend is full of color and sunshine!

photos by Michelle Dillman

flickr favorites...

2010-04-13T20:45:00.002-05:00

1. a green apple on my bed, 2. transmission of power, 3. purple alarm clock, 4. Crochet flowers

If I ate healthier and got more sleep

I would have more energy,

Making my non-craft time more productive, which would then give me more time

To create beautiful things

Come over to ArtMind and play Flickr Favorites too!

what i've been up to...

2010-04-13T18:46:00.001-05:00

The weather is wonderful!

The boys and I have started golf lessons... Golf = Summer around here!

On Friday evening, Mr Dill and I spent what seemed like hours unwrapping all the loveliness sent by Cathe @ JSIM. I still can't believe I won her giveaway! I was mentally creating projects for the items as they were coming out of the box! I spent the rest of the evening organizing it all, using mostly the containers included in the package. Thanks again, Cathe!!

I spent a lot of time Sunday cleaning off my three season porch. Actually it's really more of a two season porch- in Spring and Fall it is totally usable but not so much in summer or winter since there is no heat or air conditioning out there. If we leave the doors from the main part of the house open, we can cool or heat the area but only to certain low or high temps. Last summer, I set up the porch as my Etsy space, where I keep the vintage stuff I've listed and the kazillion things I have not listed yet [and wouldn't you know it that garage sale/flea market/auction season is here and so my pile to list is growing already!] I'm really hoping to get the porch set up so it's easier to take pics [windows on all three sides make for wonderful natural light out there] and list items as well as have some crafting space for work and/or storage. We'll see how it goes and how quickly the weather gets really hot!

And here is a bracelet I finished up last week...

It is six joined granny squares with a loop and vintage mustard yellow button. I really love how it turned out and was the brain child of the random crocheted shapes I mentioned in a previous post.

So what have you all been up to?

mail call...

2010-04-08T21:32:00.003-05:00

...some lovely things have been delivered to me recently.

Vintage linens from Evelyn @ Use the Loot [in a special addressed envelope by someone not an adult- love it!]

I asked for my linens to be mainly green and put in a special request for the 'gingham' print specifically, and boy did she deliver!

I had ideas on how to use these before they even arrived!

I also received very lovely packaging from Nice Package. Unfortunately, Ez had to close the online store due to a move halfway across the country, but stop by her lovely blog Creature Comforts- you won't be sorry...

And the last item I received in the past week, but not through the mail, are these pillow cases embroidered by my maternal great-grandmother.

My great-aunt had them stored in her cedar chest where they have been living for at least 30 years and I don't believe they have ever been used. My great-aunt wanted to make sure we (the great-granddaughters) all had something our great-grandma had made.

Little Grandma Smith did a lot of embroidery. When I was a young girl, I had a pillow case that she embroidered that looked like Cinderella. It was my favorite and ended up with some tears and holes after all of the use and eventually my aunt sewed it into a doll. Hmmm...I know that doll is around here somewhere. And I'm hoping my mom can find the baby blanket she made for me too...

I just can't believe how lucky I am to now have these! So, do you think this proves that craftiness is in the genes? :D

paint-by-number tree...

2010-04-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

... I was scanning my 'starred' items in Google Reader and ran across again the wonderful paint-by-number mural on a Before & After segment on Design*Sponge.

photo via design*sponge

And I was reminded of pictures I took of a tree early last winter while waiting for my son to come out of school. This is the trunk...

and here are the upper branches...

and here a couple of shots in black&white.

Isn't the bark wonderful?! My pictures don't quite do it justice, but every time I pass the paint-by-number tree, I'm reminded how much I really love all trees! Are you a tree lover?

flickr favorites...

2010-04-06T06:43:00.000-05:00

...the rain today reminded me that I need to make sure I have an umbrella in my car since Spring appears to be here. At that point I decided that 'umbrella' would be my flickr favorite topic for this week. In searching for photos, I realized that umbrellas are used for rain, sun and even snow...

1. ...umbrellas, 2. UMBRELLA, 3. Beach umbrellas, 4. Umbrella Land, 5. Snow Walking, 6. Orange umbrella, Central Park, NYC

So, why don't I carry an umbrella in my car year round? Hmmm, I may need to rethink my strategy on weather preparedness...

And don't forget to stop by ArtMind to play along or take a look at the other mosaics!

[easter] ballet bunnies....

2010-04-05T22:35:00.001-05:00

...made for two of my nieces...

These little cuties were created using the easy-to-follow Ballet Bunny tutorial from the generous Jo @ Chubby Hobby with a few of my own modifications:

-Instead of making the bodies rectangular, I made them more in an A-line shape

-I added embroidery to the ears

-I added strips to the bottom of the 'skirts' for a little extra somethin'-somethin'

These were a lot of fun to make! (Did I mention that I decided at 9pm Saturday night to make these?) I think I can see how one could get hooked on making stuffed dolls/animals/toys!

weekend wrap-up: happy easter and button love...

2010-04-04T20:21:00.002-05:00

... I hope your Easter weekend was wonderful!

The weather here was in the 60's and our flowers are starting to really bloom.

We had a very nice dinner with hubby's side of the family with the usual Easter fare... ham, green bean casserole, twice-baked potatoes, rolls and fruit.

The second part of this post is to send out a huge THANK YOU! for all of the blog love I have been getting for my embroidered buttons I created for the FS Swap!

The full set was included on yesterday's Flickr Friend Roundup @ One Pretty Thing (if you have not seen Rachel's daily postings of some of the greatest tutorials and DIY projects on the internet, you really need to check out her blog!)

The rain cloud with lightning has been tumbling around on Tumblr, with it all starting with adaiha's Tumblr page, Neat Stuff. (To be perfectly honest, I hadn't even heard of Tumblr prior to this... I'm really out of touch!)

And finally, the robin's egg nest was included in a post on Feeling Stitchy about some of the many beautiful buttons sent and received through the swap.

I really appreciate everyone's kinds comments and adding my buttons as favorites on the blogs mentioned above and on Flickr!! It's very humbling, exciting and a boost to my crafting confidence to have my work enjoyed by others!

Have a wonderful week everybody!!

holy cow!

2010-04-02T12:39:00.000-05:00

...which isn't what I actually said, but look, look at the box of goodies I won from Cathe @ Just Something I Made!!

photo by Cathe

When I got up this morning, I had an email from Cathe letting me know I had won the Mystery Box Giveway and asking for address. So, after yelling 'holy ----!' and jumping up and down, I immediately replied with said address and then headed straight to JSIM to find out what the mystery was. I was shocked to see all of the wonderful things that are headed my way! [Heck, I would have been happy with empty boxes wrapped in all of that Divine Twine!] You can check out all the beauty here.

If you are unfamiliar with Just Something I Made, you really should check out Cathe's blog. She is truly inspiring, creative and generous and has wonderful tutorials!

Thanks sooooo much, Cathe!!

color inspiration...

2010-04-01T17:38:00.002-05:00

...from one of my vintage feedsacks. I was looking for color inspiration for all the cotton yarn I have and decided to use this

to determine my colors for these

I really love the gray and yellow... who am I kidding? I love just about any color with gray :D

Would it be sacrilegious to make a tea towel out of part of a vintage feedsack? It would make for a really cute dish set, no?

my creative space...

2010-04-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

...is usually on my dining room table. It's where you'll find the yarn currently in use, my Mac, my watchful German Shepherd figurine and other odds and ends [and obviously horrible lighting- sorry!]. More on what the yarn is being used for later...

You can share your creative space and visit other fabulous spaces @ kootoyou... stop over and check it out!

first garage sale of 2010...

2010-03-31T17:25:00.003-05:00

...one of my favorite seasons of the year has begun! you thrifters out there all know what I'm talking about (especially you, Ponder!)... it's the start of garage sale season! Yipeee! It's time to start scouting for those Friday garage sales I can hit on my way to work and to start carrying cash in small bills at all times :D

So, this is what I found today, not much, but it will do...

The paint-by-numbers are not dated but are still cute. If nothing else, the oak frames are worth a $1 each! Then there is the milk glass vase with the cute blue and green mod flowers and next is a Shenango restaurant ware bowl with dark green stripes. Oh, and I also picked up a wool/cashmere sweater that I am going to attempt to unravel in order to reuse the yarn.

So, have you been to any garage sales yet this year?

flickr favorites...

2010-03-30T21:28:00.003-05:00

1. Strawberry, 2. berry buttons, 3. Summer Strawberries Pincushion, 4. knitted strawberry

...sweet strawberries

inspired by:

1) the berry buttons above made by Red Canoe Designs for the Feeling Stitchy button swap and

2) all the news reports about the bumper strawberry crop, of which large amounts had to be tilled under due to market prices being lowerer than the costs to pick them all. Really, you couldn't open your farms to people to come in and pick the berries themselves or donate at least some of them to homeless shelters and food banks in the area? Oh well, who am I to judge?

Want to play along with flickr favorites? Stop by Artmind and add your own mosaic and check out all the others!

busy bee...

2010-03-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

... I can't believe it's been a full week since my last post! So, what have I been up to?

-Flying to Columbus OH for work for a couple of days. It snowed our last night there (Thursday) and I took these somewhere between Columbus and Detroit the next morning

-Lounging around the house all weekend after I got back to Des Moines since I wasn't feeling well (sorry, no picture of that!)

-And when I was feeling like it, making stuff like these granny circle earrings after making various granny shapes (and I have a plan for the squares too)

-and this ruffled granny square dishcloth

This particular granny square was an experiment. I had seen a larger square in color quadrants made of smaller grannies and then sewn together. I wanted to see if there was a way to create the quadrants within one larger square but without having to re-start each color in every round. And I think it worked out great! Now, I'm sure someone else has thought of this long before me and who knows, there is probably a pattern out there, but this one I actually figured out on my own... and to be honest, I'm pretty proud of myself! :)

It looked really cool without the ruffled edge too, but I decided to add yellow to the outside since that was in the center. And then I thought: "Hey, maybe I can submit this to the Ruffle Your Stuff craft contest being held by Disney at rufflesandstuff!" There's a lot of really cute things being submitted, so you really should go check it out and/or submit your ruffles, if you haven't already!

Now tell me what you all have been up to in the last week?

flickr favorites...

2010-03-23T11:00:00.002-05:00

... are all about colorful, circular crochet. So bright, lovely and inspirational!

1. Cushion in progress, 2. Chair pad, 3. African Flower blanket, 4. striped pouf

Would you like to play Flickr Favorites? Stop by ArtMind and submit your faves and/or view all of the other beautiful mosaics!

weekend recap...

2010-03-22T21:11:00.001-05:00

...is actually for a week since I was off for the boys' Spring Break. We didn't get to go anywhere warmer, which was actually a good thing since hubby and youngest son both ended up being sick for at least three days. So, I crafted and crafted and crafted...

First, I finished up the embroidered buttons for the swap.

Next, I took out the hems out of my pajama pants that Bernie shrunk (we pretty much split the housework, but he has been banned for doing my laundry - he dries everything on Hot...grrr).

Third, I made great headway of my squiggles trivet (sorry no pics but I'll take some when I've finished it).

Then I finished up six crocheted dish towel toppers that one of my friends at work 'hired' me to do.

(Oh, and speaking of crafting jobs for my co-workers, A's SIL loved the two green and pink minky blankets I made! Whew!)

And my final crafting venture was to make a chain for a bead I re-discovered as I was cleaning off my craft desk. The bead is ceramic and I got it at a garage sale for $0.75! I decided to crochet a wide chain for it.

There were other goings-on, of course, like non-stop NCAA Tournament action and YES! UNI beat Kansas!! and as predicted, we woke up to 6" of this on Saturday morning

which has now all melted, thank goodness!

What did you do this weekend?