I've been playing with my scrapbooking supplies a lot lately while the snow's been on the ground. Specifically, I've been trying to put together an album for one of the Love-Of-My-Life's older relatives. She's beginning to have a little trouble keeping up with current events and family members that aren't around on a daily basis. In this new book, Preserving Their Stories, from Leisure Arts and Creating Keepsakes magazine, I've found some much needed inspiration.
Preserving family memories is a universal hobby that presents a special challenge for families with loved ones experiencing memory loss, such as from Alzheimer's disease. This ground-breaking guidebook provides a wealth of effective ideas to help individuals, families, and caregivers. It's loaded with advice on how to gather memories from various sources and have meaningful conversations with memory loss sufferers.
Projects include memory prompts, such as a daily journal, a guest book, puzzles, and games, plus informative layouts, such as a family tree, family recipe book, daily routine schedule, photo phonebook, and albums that identify grandchildren and other loved ones.
After looking at this book, my album took a totally different direction. I turned it into a large print address/phone book featuring large photos of her family and friends with all their important information listed with the photos. I even included their birthdays and other special events to make it easier for her to keep up with them. And to make it even simpler, I gave her some handmade cards and envelopes suitable for any occasion.
Get ready to meet some incredibly cute critters! I'm certainly captivated by them! In fact, amigurumi—the Japanese art of crocheted dolls—continues to charm crocheters around the world with their small size and appealing features. That’s why Leisure Arts decided to reintroduce these adorable zoo animals in this how-to book A Zoo For You by Cindy Harris.
These little figures are so quick and fun to make, you may be tempted to crochet the entire collection for yourself, your friends, and all the youngsters you know. Projects include Monkey, Brown Bear, Hippo, Tiger, Rhino, Giraffe, Polar Bear, Zebra, Elephant, Alligator, and Lion.
I've already got requests from all of the eldest child's college friends who want an amigurumi to call their own!
Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Hope you're having as lovely a day as I am...
I love Valentine's Day. The Love-Of-My-Life made breakfast for me this morning and presented me with a pot of daffodils and my favorite chocolate candy with nuts. I gave him a goody bag filled with cracker jacks, little bags of mixed nuts, and a bag of raspberry filled chocolate hugs.
I made a valentine basket for each of my daughters. The baskets are made with cotton fabric strips worked on 5 mesh plastic canvas from the Heartwarming Basket pattern I found on LeisureArtsLibrary.com. I actually made my baskets bigger than the one's from the pattern 'cause, of course, I went overboard and bought too many goodies to fit in a little basket, but everything worked out okay! The girls seemed pleased with their loot.
I've been teaching a friend's daughter to stitch on plastic canvas. We started out slow, with some easy coasters and magnets on 7 mesh canvas, but now she's ready to try some projects with some assembly required. Since we've got some fun holidays coming up—Valentine's Day, President's Day, and St. Patrick's, I got her started on a cute Seasonal Trio of tissue box covers that I found on LeisureArtsLibrary.com.
We've already finished the Valentine Train. She did all the stitching to cover the canvas, and I used the assembly (which was fairly advanced) to show her how to join plastic canvas pieces. Now she's ready to tackle the George Washington and St. Patrick's leprechaun tissue box covers all on her own.
Stitching on plastic canvas is a great way to get kids interested in crafts. Most designs are simple enough that a beginner can be successful with minimal input. And if the weather at your house has been as cold and snowy as it has been at mine, you know how important it is for kids to have something to keep them occupied besides TV and video games!
It's 2010! How did that happen? I seem to have misplaced 2009...It seems that time flies when you're having fun...
The beginning of a new year is a time for remembering. Remembering the year gone by, the things that happened, both the good and the bad. What did you learn from your experiences?
The start of a new year is a time for planning. What do you hope to accomplish in 2010? What goals will you set for yourself...?
Lots of thinking to do on this cold winter's day while I cook the traditional black eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread for our dinner.
And maybe I'll work on a little cross stitch while I comtemplate. I'm liking the little design pictured above. It reads, "Come close...that we may remember...when...winter comes."
Hope all of you have a Happy Turkey Day in progress! I've got the turkey, the cornbread for the dressing, and the sweet potatoes in the oven. The pumpkin pie was baked last night along with the mini cherry cheesecakes. The layered salad and deviled eggs are in the fridge. Green beans are in the slow cooker, and it's almost time for the Love-Of-My-Life to peel the potatoes.
I've got one girl child getting the good china ready to go and the eldest (home from college!) is counting silverware. They're also getting out my pretty gravy boat and the divided cranberry dish that I found at an estate sale this summer.
And me, well, while they worked, I've been painting Thomas The Turkey on an ivy bowl. I'm going to fill it up with the leftover Halloween candy and hope some of it gets eaten by someone besides me.
The relatives will be arriving soon, so I guess I'd better clean up my mess and get the tablecloth on the table. Here's wishing you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
I know you've been seeing all those really cute sweaters in the store! And if you're like me, you want to add every last one of these outfit finishers to your winter wardrobe, but the budget really doesn't allow for such decadence...
It’s every woman’s dream to simply open up the closet door each day and find the perfect outfit ready and waiting. Thanks to The Crochet Closet, for crocheters, that dream can become a reality! These 15 feminine fashions by Lisa Gentry offer up the key pieces to finish any outfit with unique flair and confidence. For work or play, fashion-conscious crocheters will want to pair these dressy or casual sweaters, vests, and jackets with their favorite slacks, skirts, dresses, and jeans. Fun, figure-enhancing, casual, or elegant—the look that suits the mood is available with crochet!
The Crochet Closet includes: Carefree Cardigan, Buttons & Shells Jacket, Puff -Sleeved Cardigan, Double-Up Jacket, All-Buttoned-Up Vest, Classical Jacket, Blue Heaven Sweater, Something Special Cardigan, Openwork Jacket, Best Bouclé Cardigan, Belted Pant Coat, Weekend Warmer Sweater, Nice Stripes Vest, Elegant Swing Coat, and Sweater With Flair.
As a designer of crochet and knitting patterns, Lisa Gentry is always finding new ways to improve or embellish those arts. Many fans of crochet know Lisa as the Guinness Book of Records Fastest Crocheter. She’s also America’s fastest knitter, currently holding that title with the Craft Yarn Council of America.
As I may have mentioned before, sewing machines frighten me, but I've found another new how-to guide to help me cope with my fears—The Best of Sew Simple Magazine.
Welcome to the world of simple sewing! With this treasury of the best of Sew Simple magazine's fresh projects and easy instructions, you now have the freedom to express yourself. Even if you've never sewn a stitch, you'll learn the basic skills while creating polished projects that you'll be proud to flaunt. If you're a seasoned seamstress, you'll find tons of inspiration and dozens of irresistible ideas. With Sew Simple's easy-to-follow illustrated instructions, comprehensive technique guide, and timesaving tips, it's never been easier to express your personal style without breaking the bank! Revamp a room or make over your wardrobe. You can easily customize your world with these 50+ projects for home decor, clothing, and gifts.
I like to do paper collage art, and I collect vintage images and ephemera. So, when I saw this new book, Memories Sew Sweet, it immediately got my attention. The whole idea of another venue for using my beloved images was certainly welcome.
When creative interests merge, the results can be amazing. That’s what happened when Sandy Berry decided to add images from her paper ephemera collection to quilts and pillows. Reproduced on computer printer fabric, the girls and women from Sandy’s vintage photos, postcards, and trading cards show off their bonny hats and dresses to perfection. By adding fabric cutouts and other fun embellishments, Sandy made her designs one-of-a-kind.
The 14 projects include 6 quilts (Sweetheart Stars, Beth’s Summer Basket, Dance of the Dragonflies, Passion for Postcards, Paper Doll Dresses, and Vintage Memories) and 8 pillows and sachets. Sandy's images are included, or you may use your own. Either way, your creations are destined to become heirlooms!
In fact, I may have to borrow some of Sandy's images for use in my paper collages.
