*** Aqua Baby Blanket Update ***

 (Birdie and the Pink Blanket Nursery Bassinet 4x6 Art Print by CharlieEveRyan)

      Hello!...Let me start today's post by saying: "Is this Monday?!...Where did Sunday go?!" O_O ... I missed a whole day! *blink...blink* It must've been the paint fumes from having the bathroom painted! ^_^

      As a matter of fact, I'm surprised I'm even posting on the blog right now, because the painter had to come back to finish the bathroom this morning! O_O Strangely enough, I'm not smelling the paint as strongly today as I did yesterday though. O_O Hmmm...Is it possible to become immune to paint fumes?! LOL

      Anyway!...^_^...I don't think so! I just think that maybe having the air conditioner on has made the paint fumes dissipate faster or something. That's my story anyway! ^_^

      I'm not here to talk about paint fumes, or missing days, though. I'm here to give you a quick update o my latest project...the aqua green baby blanket! :-) ... I hit a wall over the weekend about crocheting all of these green blanket rows...row after row, the SAME THING! Ugh!...I knew that if I didn't speed up and get it done soon it was gonna end up in a bag somewhere...*probably hanging out with a certain rainbow baby blanket that I have yet to re-find!*! :-)

      So, I hit the 'fast forward' button a  couple of times on my crocheting....and now the baby blanket that did look like this...and that had about 8 more rows of the middle piece yet to go...

 

      ...now has the middle all finished, and has about 5 of the 8 edging rows all done! ^_^ ...
 

      The photos are showing what it looked like when there were about 3 edging rows done, and no ribbon put on it yet...
 

      I'm determined to get it done before Wednesday. I'll share the end result with you before I list it in my shop...that is, if my fingers hold out!...*yawn*...This blanket is VERY labor intensive! I don't think I'm ever gonna make this one again...without a custom request that pays for it ahead of time!!! ^_^
      By the end of the week it'll be onward and upward to the next project! ^_^ I just found out that I have a lot more yarn in the house than I ever thought I did! I've got to find some way to make it all useful....no wasting!! :-)
      Okay...I'm off to work on row six...or take a nap. :-)) Have a good rest of the day, Everybody!! ♥

Blankets Of Love

I make blankets, in my own time;
putting love in every stitch;
I let no one rush the process;
I'm not concerned with getting rich.

Crocheting brings about a calm
that nothing else quite seems to do;
I get such joy from choosing patterns,
and from choosing colors, too.

The more intricate-the better;
that gives me much more time to think,
'cause I can slow down, and can read it,
keeping brain cells in the pink.

Just the steady, jutting motion
of my needle's in and out
makes me remember who its for,
and what the pattern's all about.

I made a blanket for my sister,
with kittens crocheted all around;
and another, for a friend,
with her name written up and down.

I made a special one, one year,
(made lovingly-to give away)
It marked the 20 years of love
that we remembered on that day.

We threw a party for our friends;
We had good food, and dancing too;
and on the blanket, there was written:
'Roses are red, violets are blue'.

That was a special blanket;
but special is always what I say
'cause I put the time into them
and they don't even dare to fray.

They are blankets made with love
that I'm proud of-from 'chain one';
To watch the faces of receivers
is, without doubt, half the fun.

So-if I ever make a blanket
for your anniversary,
or your wedding, or engagement,
here's the thought you'll have from me:

That 'I love you very much,
and making it was fun to do;'
and that 'with every single stitch
my every thought had been of you!'
 

A Good Reason For Bacon, Grits, And Eggs!!

  (Cat in Scarf Winter Art Illustration by Adelaida)

      I needed something to keep me warm! :-) Bacon, grits, and eggs seemed like the perfect trick!...and it was! I'm all nice and toasty and ready to talk now! :-)

      It is F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G outside!!! O_O We woke up to minus 14 degrees! It's risen to a balmy minus 6 degrees now, and is suppose to get up to the heatwave of 25 degrees by this afternoon! Brrrrrrrrrr!!...

 (Pallet Sign by designsatdaybreak)

      It's a good thing we have sweet memories of 86 degree weather in Bora, Bora Tahiti on our 'virtual date' yesterday to keep us warm still! ^_^ The music was good, the food was better, and the company I was keeping...one six-foot tall, dark, and handsome 'drink-of-water'...was the best ever!! ^_^ ...

 

 (Wall decal Words Quote by HouseHoldWords)

      I'm still hanging out with 'Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome' today...but only because he gives off good body heat!! LOL It's so cold that even the car wouldn't crank!! So, his plans to be running around, doing banking and stuff...NOT! :-0

      Me?!....as soon as my 'tootsies' warm up to a reasonable degree...reasonable enough to tear myself away from my human blanket warmer! ^_^...I'm gonna get to work on some crocheting!...It looks like I'm gonna be working on another custom order. This time it's gonna be a wedding package! :-)

      As of right now, it's a groom's boutonniere and four tiny lapel groomsmen pins. I'm still waiting for the bride and groom to discuss colors though. A certain 'toasted almond' thread is on the table right now...We'll see if it stays there later! :-)

      In the meantime, I'm watching "Ocean Mysteries" with Jeff Corwin, and also watching the black and white woodpeckers, with the little tuft of red on their heads, out my backyard window at the feeder. :-) {They seem so comfortable in this freezing cold weather!!}

      I know!...some of the things I talk about of my life sound so boring! ^_^ ... but 'trust me' when I tell you, you don't wanna hear the gritty real of certain parts of my life!! ^_^ And, no disrespect intended, I probably don't wanna hear yours either!! LOL Some things should be done...dealt with...and endured...in real life only! Not online, where you can throw people into a deep depression and not even know it!! ^_^

      That's why I keep my good eye on my 'tall, dark, and handsome' one! I have to make sure that the depression I throw him into is escapable through love and a lot of laughter!! LOL...And heat!...lots of heat!!!!! Brrrrr!...

(Owl Print Illustration by bellablackbird)

      Have a good weekend, Everybody! :-)

Blankets Of Love

I make blankets, in my own time;
putting love in every stitch;
I let no one rush the process;
I'm not concerned with getting rich.

Crocheting brings about a calm
that nothing else quite seems to do;
I get such joy from choosing patterns,
and from choosing colors, too.

The more intricate-the better;
that gives me much more time to think,
'cause I slow down, so I can read it
keeping brain cells in the pink.

Just the steady, jutting motion
of my needle's in and out
makes me remember who its for,
and what the pattern's all about.

I made a blanket for my sister,
with kittens crocheted all around;
and another one, for a friend,
with her name written up and down.

I made a special one last year.
(made lovingly-to give away)
It marked the 20 years of love
that we remembered on that day.

We threw a party for our friends;
We had good food, and dancing too;
and on the blanket, it was written:
'Roses are red, violets are blue'.

That was a special blanket;
but special is always what I say
'cause I put the time into them
so that they won't easily fray.

They are blankets made with love
that I'm proud of-from 'chain one';
To watch the faces of receivers
is, without doubt, half the fun.

So-if I ever make a blanket
for your anniversary,
or your wedding, or engagement,
here's the thought you'll have from me:

That 'I love you very much,
and making it was fun to do;'
and that 'with every single stitch
my every thought had been of you!'

I Think I'll Call It...UGH!

No robin stories. No 'Date Night' stories...No!!! LOL No tornado stories. And No hat stories today...But I do have a story. It's the story of 'UGH! The Yoyo Bag handle'!!! And here's the story:
One day I saw a beautiful photo of UGH!, attached to it's mama, on the blog Alittlesprite, and I fell in love!

So I sent a message to Alittlesprite, Shannon, and asked if I could have the pattern so I could make one of the gorgeous crocheted Yoyo bags, and it's handle, myself. She said yes! So, across the globe came my new project, my focus, my love.
The pattern was written simply...exquisitely. I could see she put so much time into making it easy to read. And everything went great....until....time to make what I fondly named...UGH! The handle.

It 'seemed' simple enough! Chain these many, single crochet these many rows, BAM! You're done!.

But then I couldn't figure out how to attach it!! Was it suppose to be like the handle on a pitcher of lemonade? Or just be like a hanging handle, for decoration?! Or like a section of padding on your shoulder so you could carry it properly?...Fascinating questions, right?! LOL
I read the pattern over and over...and over and over...and over some more. But, as there were no photos of the handle part up close, I couldn't figure out how to attach it! This is when I decided to name it! Grrrr!...And this is also where I decided that it didn't matter where the handle was attached....I wanted to be DONE with it....NOW!!!!
So, UGH! was put in the place that I thought it would best be used...if I ever want to look at it again, that is!! LOL

Yeah....I know!!!...UGH!...

...A story about the handle on a crochet Yoyo bag! ^_^ {Oh why, oh why, couldn't you just be a 'blanket'?!!!!}...Silly...frustrating....just wanted to share!. Don't you feel special, being put in my 'frustration loop'?!...Just wait until you get to read about the sequel, "Arghhhhh! The Lining"!...And now, you know what comes next?!...THE END!!! ^_^
Well, not exactly the end...yet! On this blog the end sometimes comes with music. But always comes with a poem...Have a good weekend Everybody!!! :-)


Blankets Of Love

I make blankets, in my own time;
putting love in every stitch;
I let no one rush the process;
I'm not concerned with getting rich.

Crocheting brings about a calm
that nothing else quite seems to do;
I get such joy from choosing patterns,
and from choosing colors, too.

The more intricate-the better;
that gives me much more time to think,
'cause I slow down, so I can read it
keeping brain cells in the pink.

Just the steady, jutting motion
of my needle's in and out
makes me remember who its for,
and what the pattern's all about.

I made a blanket for my sister,
with kittens crocheted all around;
and another one, for Tammy,
with her name written up and down.

I made a special one last year.
(made lovingly-to give away)
It marked the 20 years of love
that we remembered on that day.

We threw a party for our friends;
We had good food, and dancing too;
and on the blanket, it was written:
'Roses are red, violets are blue'.

That was a special blanket;
but special is always what I say
'cause I put the time into them
so that they won't easily fray.

They are blankets made with love
that I'm proud of-from 'chain one';
To watch the faces of receivers
is, without doubt, half the fun.

So-if I ever make a blanket
for your anniversary,
or your wedding, or engagement,
here's the thought you'll have from me:

That 'I love you very much,
and making it was fun to do;'
and that 'with every single stitch
my every thought had been of you!'

THE Button Nut!

I talk about the things I love, but there's one thing I love that I haven't told you about yet. And it's such a biggie that I can't believe they don't have a 12-Step program for people like me who love them..."My name is Debbie, and I'm a button-aholic!!!"

  I'm almost embarrassed to show you all of my buttons! There's enough of them, if one was dropped every 4 seconds, to help Hansel and Gretel find their way out of a 40 mile wood!!! LOL

  My friends and family, instead of helping me get over this addiction, encourage it! They give me all of the buttons off of clothes they're throwing away, find, or spot in a store. They call and say: "Oooooo! Guess what I found?!" I know that it'll be either some new and interesting button....or one of my other addictions.

   OKAY! Buttons is not my only addiction!!!!...*Lowering my head in shame*...Thankfully, my addictions aren't against the law! They include: Buttons...of course...shoes, hats, jewelry (especially necklaces and earrings), purse pulls and pendants, books, board games, recipes, jewelry boxes, and candle holders. That's not all of them, but I just realized while I was listing them JUST HOW SICK I AM!!! LOL

  I get absolutely giddy about them. So you can just about imagine how much fun my tag sale was recently! It took my hubby and friends DAYS to talk me into putting some of the things out for sale. I got such peace when most of it didn't sell and had to come back into the house!!

  My love of these things doesn't have anything to do with their value, necessarily. Everything has a story and a memory. I guess being a poet, I live on the stories behind things...and the people who tell me the stories. You should see the emotion in the face of my friends when they give me a button that came from a collection that used to be owned by their grandmother, or that they saved from when their kids were babies.

   So, you see, buttons are just one avenue for me to collect love!...Enough talking! Let me show you some of them!...It'll be pretty easy to see why I love these...

 ...they're all flower buttons! This one is a particular favorite!

  I love the way it's so airy and easy to sew on...I'm kind of fond of a swirl too!

   And if it's a big wood button...with a swirl...EVEN BETTER!

Truth is, I love both sides of this wood button!

    I guess the flower I make will dictate which side I use. The person who buys the flower brooch I make with it will have to re-collect the button after the flower is unwearable, and make something else with it, showing the other side of the button! (Okay...delusion and wishful thinking creeping in! I keep forgetting that this is MY addiction, not everybody else's!!! LOL)

  Sometimes they're really simple, and not expensive buttons. Sometimes the simplicity doesn't tell the whole story. Look at these. Which ones do you think are the more collectible and expensive?!

  I think you'd be surprised at the answer!...This one IS a collector's item...

  You can just look at it and see the story, can't you?!...This one too.

   With that little bee on it, it looks so simple, but it's REALLY old! I probably should try to find out how much it's worth now, before I put it on one of my $10.00 necklaces!!...It shows how much I love an insect on my button too. Here are some of my Czech Glass rhinestone fly buttons. I have a couple of items in my shop with these buttons on them. They are VERY RARE...and I love them!

   This is what they look like on the other side...

   And last, but not least, is my BIG BOLD button!

   A lot, huh?!...You have NO idea!!! LOL........Oh yeah, I left out my addiction to crocheting!!! Ha! Ha!

Blankets Of Love

I make blankets, in my own time;

putting love in every stitch;

I let no one rush the process;

I'm not concerned with getting rich.

Crocheting brings about a calm

that nothing else quite seems to do;

I get such joy from choosing patterns,

and from choosing colors, too.

The more intricate-the better;

that gives me much more time to think,

'cause I slow down, so I can read it

keeping brain cells in the pink.

Just the steady, jutting motion

of my needle's in and out

makes me remember who its for,

and what the pattern's all about.

I made a blanket for my sister,

with kittens crocheted all around;

and another one, for a friend,

with her name written up and down.

I made a special one one year.

(made lovingly-to give away)

It marked the 20 years of love

that we remembered on that day.

We threw a party for our friends;

We had good food, and dancing too;

and on the blanket, there was written:

'Roses are red, violets are blue'.

That was a special blanket;

but special is always what I say

'cause I put the time into them

so that they won't easily fray.

They are blankets made with love

that I'm proud of-from 'chain one';

To watch the faces of receivers

is, without doubt, half the fun.

So-if I ever make a blanket

for your anniversary,

or your wedding, or engagement,

here's the thought you'll have from me:

That 'I love you very much,

and making it was fun to do;'

and that 'with every single stitch

my every thought had been of you!'

The Old and The New

The backyard rested yesterday, while I rested last night! Yay! 8 whole hours of sleep,... and everything stayed in it's place! (For those of you who saw yesterday's post!) Rest looks good on a backyard...and on an old body.

  Before I went to bed last night I was looking through my old photo albums. I didn't realize how many of my old craft projects I had actually photographed. I guess, back then, I wasn't sure if I'd ever do another project, so I wanted to document the event of getting something finished! I'd love to hear about and see some of your old projects...whether you finished them or not, and whether you liked them or not! I know that can be a factor when you start going back into the mire of things long past....My first projects were not even crochet!  This was a little puppy and kitten latch hook project, and a crocheted doily made with crochet thread instead of yarn. I am SO glad I kept at it until I found something I loved to do...it wasn't latch hooking or doily making...just saying!

  The new things and artisans of etsy are many and beautiful!!! These are a couple of my favorites. Cindy, of cinlynnboutique http://www.etsy.com/shop/cinlynnboutique who makes the most interesting and well made purse pulls and bracelets...and has a beautiful section for wedding items too! You can also find her on Twitter @Beadlynn7 ...Next is  http://www.etsy.com/shop/abeadonawire or @etsyjodi on Twitter, who makes the most fun jewelry you'll ever see! Cakes, telephones, and toasters on wearable rings!...Then there's  http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatesCache who makes the most adorable bears and other animals. PERFECT as gifts for little ones who are in the market for their first stuffed friend that they want to keep for life!...And Raceytay on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/Raceytay who, after I ran across her shop on etsy,...and spent a lot of time just staring...I found myself crying over the memories it evoked and the beauty of her work. Check it out and let me know what YOU think. In fact check out all of these beautiful shops!

Okay, talk to you tomorrow. On to some new projects of my own...3 crocheted hats I'm trying to finish! See you in the backyard tomorrow! Here's today's poem:

Blankets Of Love

I make blankets, in my own time;

putting love in every stitch;

I let no one rush the process;

I'm not concerned with getting rich.

Crocheting brings about a calm

that nothing else quite seems to do;

I get such joy from choosing patterns,

and from choosing colors, too.

The more intricate-the better;

that gives me much more time to think,

'cause I slow down, so I can read it

keeping brain cells in the pink.

Just the steady, jutting motion

of my needle's in and out

makes me remember who its for,

and what the pattern's all about.

I made a blanket for my sister,

with kittens crocheted all around;

and another one, for Tammy,

with her name written up and down.

I made a special one last year.

(made lovingly-to give away)

It marked the 20 years of love

that we remembered on that day.

We threw a party for our friends;

We had good food, and dancing too;

and on the blanket, it was written:

'Roses are red, violets are blue'.

That was a special blanket;

but special is always what I say

'cause I put the time into them

so that they won't easily fray.

They are blankets made with love

that I'm proud of-from 'chain one';

To watch the faces of receivers

is, without doubt, half the fun.

So-if I ever make a blanket

for your anniversary,

or your wedding, or engagement,

here's the thought you'll have from me:

That 'I love you very much,

and making it was fun to do;'

and that 'with every single stitch

my every thought had been of you!'