Drive by crochet projects ....

I've been subbing the past couple of weeks now that I'm a shiny new college graduate (yes, I plan on gloating a wee bit) and haven't really had the time to sit and just take a moment to say "Ahhhhhh." My evenings are full of kids and bubbles and my first attempt at Pho soup and ...and .... and..... all the things I've been missing out on.

However, in the grand tradition of being me and unable to sit and do nothing, I have found a minute or two (during Dr. Who catch-up) to crochet few little projects.

A bit of back story: you might not know this about me. I'm quite obsessed with microbiology and the history of disease. I get oddly and absolutely giddy over the prospect of studying the Black Death or perhaps growing some E. coli in a petri dish. It comes from being a history and science nerd, I suppose.

Anyway, since I spent weeks working on my lesson for the Plague in Europe, and it was all around my students' favorite, I decided to crochet a plague doctor doll as "thank you" present to the teacher I worked with at school.

Why yes, yes he is hanging out on la Guillotine replica made by a student for a project, but that's a whole other post. Ha! I didn't come up with this pattern, but it is available by NeedleNoodles. Super cute and creepy!!! For those of you kind of wondering what the heck a plague doctor is... these were the guys who walked around in slightly terrifying bird-looking masks trying to save those suffering from bubonic plague. Creeptastic!!!! 

I was also able to work with another wonderful teacher who let me take over her biology class. I'm certified for both because I can't make up my mind on a single thing, ever. So of course, nothing would do but that I continued the plushy theme and crocheted her a cute little E. coli! He's my favorite bacteria after all. 

I loved him so much I had to crochet one for myself immediately and then added in a little Rhinovirus (aka the common cold  to you non-nerds) so that he has a friend. This may become a slight addiction as the pattern by TheSoftScientist I found had several viruses and bacteria to play with. Mr. E. coli is not included in her pattern, I worked his little flagella up on my own and added it to her pattern for Tuberculosis. Icky, squishy, adorable microbiology fun!

To step out of the realm of slight gross, but no less weird.... I also crocheted this little guy as a gift for one of my very favorite kiddos. He is in love with all things Toy Story, but he didn't have a lot of the alien toys. Voila! 

Once again, due to time, I purchased a pattern, rather than worked him up on my own. I made changes as I went, but that's mostly because I can't seem to stick straight to patterns. Every time I picked this guy up, I was thinking "The ..... CLAAWWWWWWWWWWW." Hehe.

Since it's the beginning of summer, I've picked up the forever unfinished Ugly Awesome Granny 'Gahn to work on again. It's almost done crochet wise, but may take five million years to weave in ends and put together. I've tried to set a goal for myself to enter it in our state fair to see if I could actually finish it up. If you remember, I had to practically start over as I really didn't know what I was doing when I set out.

Wish me luck! Get out and enjoy the sunshine!!!

Hello, stranger.

Where have I been?!?!

Where are pictures of all the fabulous Christmas presents I made?!?!

Am I stepping out of the blogosphere?!?!?!

Nah. Life just keeps getting in my crafty, creative, word loving way. And it ain't over yet!!!

This is just an update to let you all know... If you are still there... that I am here in spirit at the very least. Work...school...kids...preparing for student teaching....it was either do fun projects or blog about them. Since glitter playdough, afghans, and crocheted earrings were on the menu, I had to step away from the computer.

The next few months may be quiet around here and full of student teaching rather than crochet... but just know, I love you. Yes, you. And you. I love that you are emailing me and checking on me and staying with me. I will try to keep up with the Facebook page and could absolutely use some cheering on as I start teaching Monday. Eep.

Missing you. Really. Missing my crochet hooks too. Loves!

PONY (pizza princess) PARTY: the final three

So, as I should have anticipated, the last three ponies were a mad dash rush. School seems to be pouring out homework and exams and papers and certification exams... so I was crocheting around all of that while trying to remember important things like bath time, dinner time, laundry time, and snuggle time. Being a mom is tough! Being a school attending mom of two who is working on her teaching certification and with a compulsion to crochet awesome gifts (and blog about it!) makes for one extremely busy schedule.  So, I'll apologize for my lack of blogging/FB updating/emailing lately. I also can't express how much your well wishes on FB as I was taking the ginormous tests for my teaching certification meant to me. You helped me pass! Really!

Now on to the moment I've been promising.... PONY PARTY EXTRAVAGANZA!

To read about Pony Party Part 1: Rainbow Dash, click here.
To read about Pony Party Part 2: Fluttershy, click here.
To read about Pony Party Part 3, AppleJack, click here.

Pony number four was Twilight Sparkle. This was no regular Twilight Sparkle, she had to be an alicorn. For you non-MLP people (is it alright if I come stay with you for awhile?) that means a pony who is both pegasus and unicorn. It's a big deal. There was much screaming and joy jumping at my house when Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn.

Cute, right? You can't see her wings very well in this picture, but I promise you, they were much appreciated by Lilster.

Pinkie Pie fought me. Every. step. of. the. way. First, the original colors of yarn were not quite right. Found and bought new yarn, didn't realize the weight was off. So Pinkie's a bit smaller than the others. She also looked like a deer without hair. Not even kidding a little bit. I had lost my camera right before I finished Twilight, so I couldn't take any pictures. At least I know I can crochet Bambi if need be.

Despite the Pinkie drama, she turned out to be so sweet and cuddly. Her hair is so much twirly fun!

I need to pause and set the stage here for a moment...Picture this....

It's the night before Lily's birthday party, which was actually the day before her birthday. Constant questions all day long had made their way out of my extremely excited daughter. The one that caused my heart to pound with anxiousness was, "Mom, can you give me your present at my party?" This meant that Pinkie and Rarity had to be completed in less than 24 hours. Less than 24 hours....

I stayed up really late, finished Pinkie, woke up, headed to the local cafe to sit and crochet Rarity.

If you look closely, you'll see Rarity is missing something. Can you tell what it is? Hmm?

If you guessed ears, you'd be right on the money. I was crocheting right up until 11:30 at which point I had to rush home, wrap without getting caught, and away we went to the museum/pizza/squeal-fest that was my daughter's birthday (more on that in another post!) and it wasn't until I was wrapping her that I started using words I don't allow my daughters to use as I realized Rarity was actually incomplete.

Oh well!

Lily L-O-V-E-D these. Best birthday present ever. She won't put them down. I have even had to stop her from taking them to school where they would be confiscated. She picks one each night to sleep with. She talks about how I need to make their cutie marks and their elements of friendship. Oh, and could I please, please please crochet Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and Dr. Whooves and Shining Armor and......

Long, long story short: I'm pretty much the best mom ever. I can drag out this gift forever as I am virtually unlimited in the number of ponies I could make. I'm also exhausted. :) 

Pattern info: visit acrylicsheep on Etsy or Ravelry for the pattern I used to make all of these delightful ponies!

I have linked this post to: Hooking on Hump Day and Craft Frenzy Friday!

Random Roundup: Crochet Christmas ideas

I've lost my camera... it's gone to hide somewhere and I feel like I'm missing an arm... or at the very least several important fingers. The loss of my dear friend also means I can't post pictures of my latest completed pony, Twilight Sparkle... so you'll just have to be patient and wait! (Unlike me....)

Since I can't share any of my own pictures with you, I've decided to do a random roundup of the things I want to crochet after I've left Ponyville. Mostly, I need a mental break from ponies. Whew, this project turned out to be bigger than I thought. I have two days and two ponies left to finish. Send some happy, productive thoughts my way ok?

These are all ideas that may end up on my Crochet Christmas list. I'm seriously wondering when I'm going to get everything done, but after the month of a million scarves last November and December, I'm hoping I can find the inner madness to complete everything I hope to do. 

First off, I believe I posted this on the Facebook page, but it's so pretty!

The Green Dragonfly has created this delightfully colorful case for her iPad and I just love it. She even took the time to sew a lining and a zipper. Impressive to me, because I usually get done hooking and can't wait to try my latest creation out. She includes the tutorial on how to join squares as you go... a process which actually makes sense to me now. I love that I could use all my bright little bits left over from ponies to make this for my own tablet (hey I need presents too!) or as a Christmas gift  for a family member or two.

Repeat Crafter Me posted this absolutely adorable hat pattern and even though it's really close to all the pony craziness going on at my house right now, I think this would be too cute on Lily with all her happy little crocheted ponies. Maybe closer to Christmas, after I've forgotten my current tiredness of anything equine related. Gah! The cuteness!

Doily crochet has always kind of scared me... but I have been falling in love with a few of the rugs I have seen lately. Craft Passion has a great explanation and tutorial which makes it look pretty easy. I know one or two people on my list who have homes and floors that are begging for these happy rugs. We'll see if I can drum up the courage to try it!

For the Sage monster in my life, I'm thinking she may just get her very first tea set. This has been an idea "brewing" in my head for awhile and I found a great pattern at A[mi]dorable Crochet which might do the trick. Chances are I'll be moving from Ponyville to Teatime. I mean, crochet cookies? How could I possibly resist? There's also a few gorgeous dolls over there that may make it on the list too.

Finally, the last post isn't technically a Christmas gift idea, but it's beautiful, amazing, and stunning all the same. I've mentioned Lucy at Attic 24 over and over because I'm slightly (ok, more than slightly) in awe of her yarn and hook talent. She recently particpated in a yarn bomb and helped collect granny triangles to make bunting for a convention. There were more than 6,000 triangles from over 30 countries!!!

You should really read her post here about the bunting to see the time and effort she put into the project. I'm just a teensy sad I missed out on contributing! Something for next time, perhaps. It was an absolute inspiration and has got me thinking about how I can use my own yarn addiction to do something positive.

Hopefully I'll find my camera soon and I can show you what I'm up to!

FINALLY. It's SCARF season!

I can't help but love a fabulous scarf. Fall is my favorite season just because it means I can wear scarves...well and pumpkin everything, but that's a story for another day. It's finally cooling down here in Idaho. We have a week or two of fall and then the endless winter that always gets me slightly grumpy. I have more scarves than I have shoes. The beginning of the season meant I had a reason to take a break from Ponyville and make myself a new addition to my collection.

I found this gorgeous yarn awhile back and fell in love with it. I'm not going to lie, half of the love comes from the name of the colorway: Parrot! There is absolutely no way to accurately photograph the colors of this yarn. It's stunning. Pinks and reds and blues and greens that fade flawlessly. It's roving yarn too, which I love. So cuddly soft. I wanted something different than what I've done in the past. Don't get me wrong, I love a good infinity scarf or a traditional scarf, but it was time for something new. Something with fringe.

I found what I was looking for after surfing Ravelry for a bit longer than I care to admit. That place can be worse than pinterest for me. I'm not even kidding a little bit. Hours can be wasted surfing patterns. Yarn holds a special place in my heart, but all the lovely patterns people create leave me deliriously happy. I'll never get around to writing any original patterns because I always get sidetracked. This pattern from Cortney Young is called the Easy Triangle Fringe Scarf and Shawl.

 

Easy was exactly right. I needed a break from ponies where I didn't have to count stitch after stitch. Just mindless relaxing with hook and yarn. The scarf itself took less time than adding all the fringe. Of course, the fringe is what makes it so fun! This really is more of a shawl than a scarf, but the yarn is light enough it can be worn lots of ways. I feel like I have a warm and comfy blanket on when I wear it. I really can not express how much I love this thing.

I'm all snug and wrapped up as I write this and my motivation is back to finish the ponies that are going to be the highlight of my daughter's birthday in (gah!) 8 days. I am in a perfect autumn mood now. Bring on the pumpkin lattes and pumpkin bread and everything else pumpkin that I can get my hands on. Happy Fall!

Also, I've finally gotten around to actually setting up an account on Ravelry. If you'd like to see what projects I'm working on (because there is always more than one) come find me!

I've linked this post to: Link Party Palooza Hooking on Hump Day Crafting Along Craftionary Show Off Friday Obsessive and Creative Show and Tell Saturday
Inspiration Gallery

PONY PARTY 3: AppleJack and Bronies!

To read PONY PARTY part 1: Rainbow Dash, click here.
To read PONY PARTY part 2: Fluttershy, click here.

I think I fell off the world. Ugg. Right straight into homework hell. If you don't know what homework hell is....can I come live with you? I have been doing ecology studies, statistical analysis, spanish for hours, coming up with exciting lesson plans, writing partially ranty history papers about colonialism.... whew. I'm ready for a break. Good thing I get one in about 8 weeks! (college student problems....)

To add a bit more stress, I'm sick. Not quite "OMG! I'm DYYYIINNNNGGG!" sick, but pretty close. So forgive me for taking too long on doing the big reveal on AppleJack. I'll catch up! I've got to finish a pony this weekend to stay on schedule. I can do this!

Remember how I told you there are MLP fans called Bronies? Well, Now I can say that I know they are really real. There is a Brony club on my college campus. Haha. I was at a school club function today and was amused by the several guys I saw sporting pony shirts. After a time, it was explained to me. Apparently, they just took donations of MLP merchandise and toys to give to kids in need. Cute right?

They have posters all over campus and I had to snap a picture as proof that they exist!

Anyway, I am thinking after I get through all of Lily's ponies, I may make a few to contribute to their next toy drive.

This week's pony is Applejack. She turned out adorably. I love her hat. I nearly forgot her tail ribbon, but my dear, sweet, darling husband reminded me. I told him I didn't think that was correct and he had to start an episode to show me otherwise. Haha, he watches too much of that show with us girls. The poor guy.

I attempted to be artistic here and put a picture of an apple with AppleJack. I'm not sure it worked like I saw it in my head, but whatever. She is so cute! I would have liked to get her freckles on her face, but it was not working out. I will probably try again because it's bugging me.

AppleJack marks the halfway point. I have Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle left to go. I'm really trying to talk myself out of also throwing Princess Celestia in there... because I have to sleep at some point. I'm a sucker for crochet, as you know, and I have started taking a few Christmas orders here and there... which tickles me to no end. People are starting to pay me for what I would do for fun! 

Lily's party is in full on planning mode. She wants a princess pony pizza party. Say that fast. What exactly that is has yet to be determined, but I'm assuming it means costumes and MLP at Lily's favorite pizza joint. I'm hoping to find someone local who can make her cake. I think it would be adorable to have a pony cake too!

Wish me healthy thoughts, luck, and no homework for the next couple weeks, okay? That way I can CROCHET ALL THE THINGS.

I've linked this post to: Hooking on Hump Day Inspiration Gallery The Weekly Creative Look What I Made Whatever Goes Wednesday.

Crocheted Owl Hat GIVEAWAY!!!!!

I'm so happy that fall is nearly here. In Idaho, that usually just means "early winter," but it's still my favorite season! I love layers and scarves and hats and boots and pumpkin EVERYTHING.

Since it's almost hat season, I've decided to do my first GIVEAWAY!!!!! 

For those of you who have been asking for one of my crochet creations, this is for you! I will make a one of a kind, specially for YOU owl hat. And by the way, before you say adults can't wear them, let me say, pfffft!  These are SUPER cute no matter what age! 

Use the giveaway entry form below. There are a couple things you need to do to enter. 

1) LIKE Jubilant Jessi on Facebook. You can use the nifty box to the right of this post if you need.

AND

2) Leave a COMMENT on this post telling me what two colors you would like your hat to be if you win. Also, please tell me the size you would like. I can make this hat to fit anyone, from newborn to adult. The choices are yours! 

If you want some extra entries, you can pin any image from my blog onto Pinterest or share the post on Facebook. Each time you share the post, you receive an additional entry, but only once per day please.

That's it!

I will randomly select a winner on September 19th, 2013. The winner will be notified via email and on Facebook. Once the winner is confirmed, the hat will take 2-4 days to make and then it will be on it's way to you in the mail!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND LOVE. It means the world to me. 

GOOD LUCK!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PONY PARTY Part 2: Fluttershy

To read PONY PARTY Part 1: Rainbow Dash, go here.

There ain't no party like a pony party..... 

I have about five million pictures of horses and ponies on my camera right now. There was a TON of horses at the fair. (I'll post my annual fair report in a day or two.) So the pony party has moved beyond crochet! On a semi-related note, I am pretty sure I could train a mini horse to be my next dog. I would never need to mow my back yard. I could take it on  walks and put it in sweet little outfits... ahhhhhhh. Dreams.

Aren't merry-go-rounds so pretty? I love the details and the slightly terrifying faces on the horses. They're not as cute as this week's pony for Lily's birthday project extravaganza though!!!

Here's Fluttershy!

She's so soft and the colors, though not my usual bright favorites, turned out fantastically. 

If you remember, I'm using the pattern from AcrylicSheep on etsy. She's got some great pony creations on her ravelry. I also found out that she has all the cutie mark patterns for FREE. I was really impressed because they were so simple. Time is of the essence with this project so I'll have to save all the cutie marks until the end. I just think the ponies look incomplete without them! That is also the kind of detail Lily will notice.

I was planning on finishing Pinkie after Rainbow Dash, but I got my hands on the yellow yarn first. I crocheted all the smaller pieces first and the head and body later. It made things go quickly. My biggest problem is convincing myself not to rush through. Two done, four go!

I still say Lily is going to be extremely spoiled, don't you agree?


I shared this post at Hooking on Hump Day!

PONY PARTY Part 1: Rainbow Dash

Look what I got in the mail yesterday.

A WHOLE BOX OF YARN! 

Aren't the colors pretty? A little scattered, I'll admit, but that's because I'm working on my latest project.

Lily's birthday is a little over a month away. She'll be 9 years old. 9 YEARS OLD. Every year I do this. I wonder how the heck she's grown so fast. Then I cry about it a little.  

Lily l-o-v-e-s My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. We watch it all the time. We have conversations about the "mane six" characters. My husband can quote the characters. I'll admit, I am a bit of a pony geek too, it was one of my favorites when I was little. 

I had the idea brewing to make her the ponies as a birthday gift, but had no idea how to pull it off. So I did a bit of searching and found out that MLP crochet is actually a pretty popular activity. Who knew? There are some gorgeous patterns and plushies out there. I bought a few because they were so cute. (I don't normally buy patterns, but the madness overtook me.)

AcrylicSheep on etsy had the pattern that I decided to actually use. Look at her adorable ponies!!!! 

Find this picture and the pattern here.

They're small enough to realistically do all six and the pattern gives you instructions for all the pony accessories! I may have become a pattern-buying convert. I'm so excited! With my first week of school out of the way and homework already piling up, I need quick and easy. This fits the bill without sacrificing cuteness or the end product. I love that I can do any pony from the show with this pattern. I may have to add in one or two extra if I have time. Lily would die if I could pull off some of the other characters like Princess Celestia or Princess Cadence. (For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, I apologize. I guess I should have put up geek warning sign at the top of this post.)

I've started on Rainbow Dash first. She's one of my favorites. 

The pattern was very easy to follow. Since this is my first attempt at amigurumi, I'm extremely pleased with how little Dash turned out. 

I'll post each pony as I complete them so be prepared to see lots of pony pictures over the next month. Next, I think I'm going to work on Pinkie Pie. 

Did you know that there is enough guy fans of this show that they have their own "BRONY" convention? Isn't that kind of awesome and goofy at the same time? Girl fans go by Pegasisters. The things people come up with these days! Very clever...I do love wordplay.

What do you think? BEST PRESENT EVER, or what? My kids are so lucky to have me as a mom. Hehe. It's a good thing I'm pretty humble about it.  *wink wink*

I have shared this post with Hooking on Hump Day Show and Tell Saturday Frugal Friday and Overflowing with Creativity!

Random Roundup: Yarn + Biology = Win.

This version of Random Roundup is brought to you by my ecology textbook. I get the feeling it's going to be quite the carbuncle. Lots and lots of studying for that class. For your mini-science lesson today, ecology is a part of biology. Biology studies life and how organisms are formed. Ecology studies how organisms interact with their environment. In case you weren't aware, I'm kind of a biology geek. I adore learning about all the different types of life we can encounter on our pretty planet. I shoot right past adoration and into delighted tremors and squeaks when yarn and biology are combined. Talk about some "lively" crochet fun!! (Nudge, nudge...get it? Biology is the study of life, so "lively" crochet? Eh? Eh?)

Find the original picture here.

1) This first project isn't crochet (gasp!!!!) which I'm willing to overlook because it. is. so. cool. Fungi is my favorite Kingdom, after all. Leigh at BromeLeighad is knitting a different species of mushroom for each week of the year. Her series, 52 forms of fungi, is full of beautiful pictures and nerdy fun. I will be impatiently awaiting each week's installment. It almost makes me want to learn to knit. Almost.

Find the original picture here!

2) Who loves a virus? I do! I do! What's my favorite? This little guy. He's a bacteriophage. Crocheted by Oh Look, It's a Rabbit!, this idea opens up millions of microscopic crochet plushy possibilities.

You can find this picture here!

3) ELINart's etsy shop is full of fuzzy, moldy goodness. She crochets bacteria, lichen, and mold onto all sorts of fun things. I really love this "Moldy Madness" brooch. She's also done petri dish colonies in crochet. So fun!

Original picture here.

 4) Are you in need of a study buddy for your anatomy lessons? Shanell Papp at Bawdy has created that special someone for you! Her crocheted anatomically correct skeleton is sure to help you learn all of the human body's systems. I love the fuzzy green yarn used for the large intestine. Kind of gross in an awesome way. She's got some great pictures of her skeleton on display as well as the organs in jars. Check it out!

Original photo here

5) Last, but surely not least, is the Crochet Coral Reef by Christine Wertheim and Margaret Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring. In honor of the Great Barrier Reef, this project has grown from a coffee table sized reef into several sub-reefs! When I first saw the picture, I didn't realize I was looking at crochet. I would really recommend reading this article if you are a crochet nut, it has some awesome info on hyperbolic crochet, a technique I want to learn more about! You also need to see the rest of the pictures. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.There's information on how to start your own satellite reef...anyone wanna crochet some coral with me????

That's it for this week! I hope this has got your creative brain mojo brewing! How fun would it be to crochet some of these projects? Any biology related items you'd like to see yarn form? I have attempted a human heart before, but for some reason never finished. I may just have to try it again someday! Even though history is my one true love, teaching science would be too much fun because I could fill up my classroom with crocheted fetal pigs and other icky fun. 

(Insert evil genius laughter here.)

Hat Party!

I finally have to admit that autumn is just around the corner. Everyone's talking hats. I'm crocheting lots of hats. Since I just recently sold my first crochet creation, a cutie owl hat, I've since sold several more and keep getting orders. Cool for my yarn addiction, not so cool for my homework in the upcoming weeks. Let's be serious, though. Yarn totally wins!

My favorite hat was the zebra hat. This one was for Lily as she was watching me make hat after hat. She asked me, "Mom, I might like a hat. Did you consider that?" We spent some time on pinterest and she decided on a pink zebra hat with googly eyes and long braids. I looked at several different versions being sold on Etsy and came up with my own design. It's a mish-mash of cute ideas.

I had to dig out my pom-pom maker for this hat and I can't seem to stop making the little fluff balls now. Sage likes to toddle around with them and throw them at the nearest innocent bystander when she feels she's being ignored. I have this idea of a pom-pom garland for my window. We'll see if it goes anywhere. I bet I could promote Lily to official pom-pom maker.

I also made a hat for myself. Having dreads usually means hats are hard to find, unless you don't mind wearing slouchy beanies or tams all the time. This hat, like so many of my other projects, has no rhyme or reason. I picked a stitch and a color as I looked through pictures for inspiration. Few rows of stitching are the same. I love the big happy flower on the side. 

I am now venturing into superheros and monsters. No, seriously.

 

It's the AMAZING Spiderman hat! 

The webbing will haunt me. Spent waaaaay too much time worrying away at that part. I finally ripped out the original yarn and replaced it with puffy paint. It's off to be loved by a cutie little guy in his up and coming photo portraits. 

Currently on my  hook is the wing for a Captain America's helmet. Is it weird making these is giving me the urge to have a hero movie marathon? I also get to try a monster hat next. And then maybe a My Little Pony. Lily's birthday is a few months away and she would die for a crocheted set of the "mane six" characters. Now that the idea is in my head, it's not going anywhere and I want to try it so I can play with them too! I'm such a sucker for kid's toys.

If you haven't noticed yet, I have started an FB page! I would love for you to join me and share your crafty creations or say hello! 

I've shared this post at Hooking on Hump Day!

My answer to why I don't just buy you gifts.

So, I mentioned to someone the other day that I am going to do a crochet Christmas again. (Spoiler alert: if you are on my gift list you just might get something crocheted!!)

That someone asked me in a slightly sarcastic voice, "Why don't you just buy gifts? Don't you think people would rather have something that isn't handmade?"

...

...

Wow.

I don't remember what I mumbled as a reply because inside I was reeling.

I love hand making my gifts. When an occasion for a gift arrives, I don't wonder what store I need to run to, I wonder what I can make that they will enjoy and use. If I decide to buy something, I always look for a handmade option on a place like etsy so I can support someone who uses sweat, tears, and possibly a little blood (crafting type activities aren't for sissies) rather than some mindless drone from who knows where.

I have made scarves, blankets, hats, toys, kitchen cloths, more toys, clothes, and even the occasional edible treat. I have always been proud of myself since I made the shift to handmade gifts. I am not putting cash in an envelope, I am taking the time to put love and caring in each of these gifts.

Is that wrong? Have I made a mistake? Do people pretend to enjoy my gifts all the while wishing I had thrown some cash into a card with a sentiment someone else wrote? Have I looked like some poor, clueless hippie chick who doesn't realize people want the store bought crap any other person can have?

That One Comment threw my confidence and pride in countless hours of work out the window. Gone. It hurt. If words were weapons, I would have been bleeding from somewhere vital.

After stewing and replaying that one comment over and over in my head, I came to one conclusion.

If you don't want handmade gifts from me then you're missing out on something special, you idiot.

Okay, that's probably a little harsh. Lily would tell me not to call other people names because it is mean.

If I make you a gift, know that its probably not perfect. It may have imperfections, it maybe isn't the gift card you wanted. It may not be the latest fad item that everyone wants and it may not be from that popular store. That handmade gift doesn't have a price tag to compare to other gifts. It doesn't have a designer label or a famous person attached to its marketing campaign.

But before you toss it into the  back of your closet for dust bunnies to live in, consider something for me.

It often costs more for materials to make one item than to buy several. No price tag doesn't make it worthless. Even a quick and easy project will often take several hours to crochet, sew, or glue. That's time that could be spent with my kids or cleaning my bathroom, or reading that book I have been waiting months to read. I can't set worth to my gifts because they are worth more than fabric or yarn. They have my heart and affection attached to every single stitch. These gifts are made to be loved and you can keep them for years and create memories with them. In fact, it is my greatest hope that you do.

If you choose gift cards over my handmade gifts, that's fine. I will even go buy you the gift card and take my handmade creations back. Better than the alternative of having my hard work unappreciated and discarded.


I won't stop hand making gifts. I won't stop being proud that handmade is a big part of who I am. I am still going to blog abut these things that I make and continually bother my husband with questions about color choices. I am still going to worry about taking pictures of every single thing I make so that I can remember each project. I am am always going to hope that my gifts are loved and appreciated. I am always going to look for new gift ideas. I am going to crochet as many Christmas gifts as I can and I am proud of it. I am going to put my personal projects aside to make something specially for you.

So, like I said, if you aren't happy with my gift to you, that's fine. I will take note and not waste my time on you in the future when another birthday comes. Just know that you're the one missing out. Not me.

To those who have enjoyed my gifts and appreciate them, THANK YOU!!!

Owls and rainbow bags...

I finished two great projects this week. I'm pretty proud of them.

 The bag is another one from Lucy at Attic 24. I think I've mentioned in the past how much I love her crochet patterns.

 The owl hat has the distinction of being the first crochet item I've ever sold. That's big for me because I've been pretty seriously thinking about selling my crochet through etsy or some such way. Having someone buy and appreciate what you've made is so extremely satisfying.

 
 I love the bright happy colors of the bag. I love that there was no rhyme or reason to the color stripes. I love that I can take it to the Saturday market and fill it up with the treasures I find there.

 This bag is BIG. In fact, big is not a big enough word for this bag. Gigantic. That would be a good word. It's really TOO big to use as a daily purse... but I have been anyways because it's so awesomely colored. Sage fits in this purse. With a teddy bear or two for company. (Hey, she crawled into it, I didn't put her there.)

You can read about Lucy's bag and find the tutorial here or here. I have yet to put on the flowers because I got too distracted by wearing the bag to the market.

 The owl hat was super fun too. I'm totally in love with owls. And since I can sneeze and probably hit something owl related every time I go into a store now, I know I'm not the only one. These hats are all over etsy and pinterest. Isn't it cute?

 
 It's part of a much more owlish Halloween costume that my dear friend is making for her adorable daughter. She still had to wear it at the park this morning, even though it was sweating, holy moly hot outside.

 
I didn't follow one single pattern, but I did use a few for inspiration. You can find them here and here.

For you yarn lovin' folks, I used Lily Sugar and Cream cotton yarn for the bag. I wanted it washable. My life is full of adventures, I need easy. I used plain Jain acrylic yarn for the hat. Wouldn't it be fun do do in some chunky, delicious yarn?

Summer's going by too fast. I don't have near enough time to crochet all the things I have saved up to do!! I wonder if there is a bachelor's degree in crochet that I could switch to for the fall? Would that fix the problem?

I linked this post to Hooking on Hump Day  Craft-O-Maniac Monday  Making the World Cuter Mondays  The Weekly Creative Link Party

Random Roundup: what I've been up to.

Those of you bloggers out there who do this regularly in the summer have my deepest respect! It's tough to fit in. I have five million things to blog about, but no time. So, I'm doing a roundup of things I have been wanting to blog about.

#1: My dreadlocks are now 4 years old! Happy dreadiversary!



I'm kind of to the point where I want to cut them. I have to do so in 6 months anyway, and I'm really loving on short hairstyles right now. Dreads are hot, yo. I'm waffling. I would keep them forever if I knew I could, but teaching with dreadlocks in my area is probably as possible as Lily eating broccoli. So now that I know I have to cut them, I want to cut them when I want to, not when I have to. And yes, I'm listening to how much sense I'm not making. I think it's time to break out some funky dye and do something wild. When in doubt, add a rainbow. That's my motto.

#2: Colored. Ice cubes.



I randomly saw this on pinterest and can't remember who had the original idea to credit. I threw some neon food dye in a batch of star shaped ice cubes and let the kids play with them in the pool. They were so entertained I was able to read a whole chapter in my book. That's rare during the monsters being awake portion of the day. You should probably put kiddos in older swimsuits in case of staining.

#3: The coolest mushroom in existence.



It's called a lionhead mushroom. It's furry. And delicious with a bunch of other mushrooms in mushroom risotto.

#4: ANT INFESTATION.



I feel like a mass murderer lately. They just won't. stop. coming. out. of my front porch. Normally I'm a let live type, but it's gross and Sage sits there and tries to eat them. Ugg. I have kids and dogs and can't use chemicals.  Tried a gazillion non-chemical remedies. Verdict? Soapy dishwater and cornmeal. Worked amazingly. My walkway is covered with the little ant bodies. (Note to self: spray off the walkway.)

#5: Lily left us last week. So Sage decided to practice for when she gets her Hogwarts letter.



She crawled into one of Dad's shirts and grabbed my wand off the bookshelf. Much hilarity ensued.

#6: Sage also had her first painting session! She painted almost as much as she ate the paint.



I simply put food dye into corn syrup. Once her masterpiece dried, I sprayed it with some top coat and I'm going to frame it for our wall. Clean up was not easy, but the rainbow colored water did look pretty.

#7: I made another baby shower gift. This time it was an owl lovey. Turned out super cute. It even rattled! Working on writing the pattern for it, possibly to share later.



#8: I wore makeup. Haha. I nearly made it to 60 days makeup free! Oh well. It was date night and the Hubster got all fancy, so I did too. I forgot how much fun makeup is when it's not a daily chore!!



So there you go. What we've been up to lately, if you leave out about half the stuff we're doing. Hehe. Who agrees with me that there needs to be at least two more hours added to the day?

Anyone?

Anyone?