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I have to go talk to the Easter Bunny. That's what I told my kids when they were little, so they'd let me go shopping for Easter basket goodies without them. For a very short, sweet period of time, I had my children convinced that all their treats came from the Easter Bunny, and that the all powerful bunny and I had to discuss whether or not they'd been good enough to get good loot in their baskets.
Now, my spoiled college kid and her junior high school sister have reached the age where they are being careful to point out that they aren't too old for Easter baskets and that they expect good stuff (more expensive stuff ) in those baskets. In fact, they aren't above suggesting the particular stuff they want ahead of time.
Then, last night, Easter baskets filled and hidden, the Love-Of-My-Life and I found ourselves at the kitchen table sharing a chocolate rabbit and dyeing Easter eggs—all by ourselves. We had fun...it was a little bittersweet because the girls had better things to do, but fun all the same. Rotten kids don't know what they're missing!
Dyeing done, I quickly stitched up a plastic canvas bunny from the Easter Rabbit Basket pattern above and glued him to a basket I found in the closet. I added some flowers and the eggs we dyed, and that project will be our Easter dinner centerpiece—a dinner where we will all be together at the same time for at least 15 or 20 minutes. Oh well...
Hope all of you have a lovely Easter!
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Have you been keeping up with author and knitting enthusiast—Debbie Macomber? Her new hardcover book, Hannah's List is out, and Leisure Arts has released the newest addition to Debbie's knitting how-to series—Knit Along with Debbie Macomber: Hannah’s List, featuring 13 patterns to knit.
Hannah’s List is the newest Blossom Street novel by New York Times best-selling author Debbie Macomber. As a companion for the novel, Knit Along with Debbie Macomber: Hannah’s List includes 13 knitted designs inspired by Debbie’s compelling story of how knitting helps a tenderhearted young woman reach out to a friend who is ill. For a young widower, a remembered gift of knitting reminds him that there are many different ways of showing love. Knitting also becomes an expression of concern for an elderly neighbor, as well as preparation for a happy event.
Projects in Knit Along with Debbie Macomber: Hannah’s List include sweaters, an afghan, a scarf, socks for men and women, a lace shawl, a baby bonnet and blanket, sculptured pillows, a dog sweater, a butterfly cat toy, and a man’s vest.
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Have you got your green on today? St. Patrick's is easy for me cause I like to wear green. In fact, the girl children tell me I probably carry my preference for all things green to an unnecessary level. Green clothes, green dining table, green living room furniture, green sheets, green dishes...the list goes on. Oh well.
I also liked this fun Lucky Shamrock Coaster instant download plastic canvas pattern that I found on LeisureArtsLibrary.com. Easy to make, they'll be a cute accents on my St. Patrick's dining table with all the green food I'm serving in honor of the occasion!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!
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I seem to be captivated by buttons lately. The Love-Of-My-Life keeps laughing at me cause I keep coming home all excited from estate/yard sales with bags of buttons that I carefully sort through and place in mason jars. What am I going to do with them? Not a clue...
But maybe it isn't so strange that I also find myself captivated by the button-embellished market bag on the front cover of the newest book from our friends at Gooseberry Patch—Farmhouse Crochet.
Crochet is such a relaxing way to add handmade beauty to a home, and it's a way to make use of my button stash, so you-know-who will quit laughing at me! This wonderful collection of designs also includes potholders, an apron or a dishcloth. Plus, my entryway could use a farmstyle oval rug. There are also a variety of afghans and pillows; maybe I'll make one for every room in the house—and embellish them with buttons! Any of these crocheted items will add a little more fun to your home or that of a friend—even if you're not obsessed by buttons...like me.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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."
Wishing You A Happy New Year!
Irene
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Hope you and yours are having the happiest of holidays seasons. Enjoy the simple things like food, fun, and being with the people you love.
Merry Christmas!
Irene
(If you like my little crocheted snowman, you can get the low priced, instant download pattern at LeisureArtsLibrary.com.)
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