Test Pattern Update

I recently asked for testers for my Snuggle Puppy Blanket.  I had three ladies test it for me and have heard back for two who have finished him.  I loved the way they turned out.  As soon as I hear back from the last tester I will get the pattern up for sale.  Here are some of the testers pics and links to their blogs.


This one was done by Melissa at Hooks, Lines and Singer.  She did a post on her blog about it.  I love the brown and cream colors she used.  He looks so cute.  Mr. Boo loved it too.

This one was done by Traci at Do Fairies Fly Backwards?.  She used up some of her left over yarn to make him.  I'm glad I had a fairly new crocheter test this also because she helped me get the basics in there.  His face is so cute.  Thanks for testing ladies!!  I can't wait to get the pattern up for sale.  Have a great day.

Finally I Am Back!

Hello Blog Friends!!  I have had a very busy time of it here since my last post.  I worked 4 out of 5 days last week at my son's school.  When you are a substitute you are either busy all the time or there is no work at all.  This tends to be a busy time of year for me to work.  So far this week I've only had to sub on Monday.

Here is the sad state of my one a day projects.  That poor little pink puff is finally finished and has a friend in the works.  Then I have a lovely square for SIBOL.  It is in Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn.  The colors are peacock and yellow.  The peacock is a green blue color.  My camera just didn't capture it very well.  I can't wait to get more of them worked up and sent out.  Hubby is very proud of me for getting some of my stash used up and for a good cause on top of that.  Miss sissy roo is working on some granny squares to send also.

I have been very busy finishing up all of my swap goodies and can't wait to show all of you the finished products.  I do have a few more sneak peeks.

 This is a peek at the white thing from here.  I loved making this and love how it turned out.  Can't wait to show you the whole thing.  There was a lot of sewing together on this project but the finished product was  worth the work.

These are some extra last minute goodies added to the other lovelies.  My hubby thinks I am crazy for doing the swaps.  I don't think I am though.  I love doing and making for others.  That is what this hobby is all about.  If you can't share your hand made goodies with others what else would you do with them? I got the goodies all boxed up and now they are ready to go tomorrow so I know for sure they will be there by Valentines day. I promise to show lots of pics of the stuff after they arrive at there designated locations.  One has to go to CA and the other NY.  One end of the US to the other.
Here is a pick of a few of the goodies from my Birthday on January 21.

I got 3 new hooks.  They are large ones that I already had in plastic hooks.  I'm not fond of the plastic hooks.  Two of these have a bamboo handle on them.  A journal to use for writing down my crochet patterns in.  A granny square dishcloth that sissy roo made for me, and some charms and lobster claw clasps that will become stitch markers.  I have been looking at some on Etsy and decided to make my own.  I will post more pics when they are finished.  I am also getting a sharp crochet hook from HERE.  I just ordered it so it should be here in a week or so.  I think it will be neat to use.  I have always wanted to put crochet edging on stuff but didn't want to take the time to poke the holes and all the stuff to get it on there.  With this hook you don't have to do all the extra prep work.  I want to make some little socks and baby goodies with it.

 

And now for some pics of my goody box I got in the mail.  I opened it a little early.  I wasn't even thinking when I did.  My mom (I-L) brought it from the mailbox on Saturday.  Sometimes they drop our boxes at her house because they don't want to come all the way back to our house to deliver them.  So I couldn't figure out who in the world this lovely little box could be from.  Then I opened it and said ooops these are my swap goodies from the Ravelry Valentines Swap.  Oh well.  So here is a peek.

Here is the box.

And here are all of the goodies that came out of it. I don't know how she fit all of that in that little box. And I thought I was good at stuffing things full.

 4 packages of counted cross stitch cloth.  Sissy roo is already asking if mommy is going to share these goodies with her.  She loves to cross stitch.

 A lovely 2012 pocket calendar with a beautiful lighthouse picture on the front.  A cross stitch pattern of Amish Shadow Quilts and some thread. (LOVE the blue one!)

 2 little squares of smelly good soap(hard to see sorry), cupcake papers (hubby says "going to make some cupcakes to go in those for me?"), a candle and wax melt (both smell wonderful), recipe cards, and a note pad with pen.

 Three balls of yarn.  I was so excited about the red one.  I used some just like this to make sissy roo a pair of house shoes and had a little left over of the red so now I have more to add to it to make something else. The silvery blue is so pretty and soft.  I'm thinking the thick and quick might make a cute pillow for sissy roo's room.

 A pair of had knitted fingerless gloves.  I love the blue color at the bottom of them.  They are so soft and snugly and fit perfect.

 Some had made note cards.  I love all of the different colors and designs.

 Some yummy chocolate mint taffy and a lovely post card from the company to go with it.

 A pack of tissues, a nail file with balls of yarn and knitting needles on it (too cute), 4 orange flavored tea bags (YUM), 2 dark choco truffles(ummmm good), 2 dark choco and raspberry squares(smack smack tasty), yummy flavored candy sticks, and a tube of watermelon gum which seemed to disappear as soon as Mr. Boo entered the room.  I wonder where that went off to.  He loves watermelon flavored candy and gum.

And last but not least the sweet lady sent me a pack of treats for my puppies.  They loved them.  They chew on everything (even little boys bike seats) so these were great for them and maybe it will help keep them out of trouble.  They have all kinds of raw hide bones and chew toys but they still chew on things they are not supposed to.

Hope you enjoyed the pics.  I am off to check the other one a days at Gingerbread Girls blog and then off to work on more crochet loveliness.  Don't forget, there are still a few days left in my pattern giveaway HERE.  Good luck all.

Fiber Trends Pattern Giveaway

This Giveaway is closed.

As promised, I am having a giveaway in honor of my birthday (shhhh #37) on Saturday, January 21, 2012. Even though it is my birthday who says one of you can't get a gift also! The contest will start today (1/20/12) and end on Saturday, Febuary 4, 2012. Thats two weeks. At that time I will use a random generator to pick the number and will post the winners name on my blog along with a pic of the wining number shown on the generator.

This pattern giveaway has been sponsored by Fiber Trends. When I contacted them and asked if they would be interested in me doing a review (more on that another day) and some giveaways (yes, that is plural more than one), they loved the idea. They have the cutest knit animal patterns as well as many other knit and crochet patterns, needle felting supplies, yarns, sock making supplies and more. You can visit their site at the link above.

Fiber Trends History
Bev Galeskas established Fiber Trends in 1994 with the printing of one pattern followed by five more the next month. From the beginning, Fiber Trends’ patterns were sold through retail yarn stores and this continued support has allowed them to expand their line to over 200 patterns. Fiber Trends was based in Bellingham WA until 2001 when they moved to E. Wenatchee, WA at the warehouse shown here.

This past year Bev Galeskas passed away leaving them a legacy. They plan to continue to honor her memory by keeping Fiber Trends on the cutting edge of the knitting industry, providing you with great products and excellent customer service.

GIVEAWAY

This giveaway is for a Fiber Trends Huggable Hedgehogs Pattern (FT-228) leaflet. This is not a PDF pattern but an actual leaflet and will be mailed to the winner. This is a KNIT pattern NOT Crochet.

How to win.

1. This is mandatory. You need to be a follower of my blog and leave me a comment letting me know you are one. Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you. (1 Entry)

2. Visit the Fiber Trends Website by clicking HERE and then leave me a comment about your favorite pattern on their website. Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you. (1 Entry)

3. Blog about this giveaway and then leave a comment that you did this along with your blog address so I can check. (1 Entry)

So that gives you three chances to win. Please, Please, Please, make sure you leave me your email so I can reach you if you are the winner.

Good Luck To All.

An Update, Some Good News and A Stay Tuned

I hope this post finds all of you well in body and spirit.  I just wanted to post a quick hello.  I had planned on doing something fun on here tomorrow but I was called in at the last minute this evening to sub for Mr. Boo's Kindergarten teacher from last year.  She is a good friend and knows she can depend on me to take her class at the last minute.  Her son was running 102.  But fear not blog fans. *Giggles to self*  I will share the fun hopefully on Friday.  In honor of my cough cough cough...37th birthday on Saturday, I will be hosting a giveaway.  More details to come.  Now I am off to bed as soon as I take care of my first order of the year from my etsy store.  *Lots of cheering in the background* There's not a lot there now but more will be coming in the next few months I hope.  We are all well again and momma is ready to get swap goodies finished so I can get my projects floating in my head to come forth as yarn creations.  Thank you all for your kinds words and excitement over the mystery pics.  Have a great night and I hope to blog to you soon about the giveaway.
STAY TUNED!!!

I've Been Busy!

Good morning everyone.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Our kids had a 3 day weekend.  Mr. Boo got a little bug and it migrated to his ear so he gets at least one more day off.  If I can keep his temp down today he will be back at it tomorrow.  I am in a rush because he has allowed mommy to use the computer for a short short in order for her to post on her blog.  He NEEDS back on soon to play on ToonTown Online.  So here we go. 

Blogger is making me crazy with the picture upload issues.  Anyway.  As you can see from the picture below I am way behind on my puffs.  This is all I have gotten done in a week.

I have been very busy making goodies for my two swaps I am doing.  As soon as I finish up on the goodies for those I can catch up on my puffs and work on some new things I have in my head and scribbled on paper.  So here is a sneak peak at some of the goodies I have been working on but just a peek in case anyone is peeking who shouldn't be.

This is something in red and white.

This little guy is purple and blue.

This nifty little thing has it's very own little pocket to keep goodies in. I can't wait to fill up that pocket and get it sent off to it's new home.

And this is going to be lovely and flowery.  Right now it is all in pieces.  Can you guess what it might end up being.  It has two more colors that will be added to it and maybe a little card. Good luck.

So that has been the extent of my week.  I have also had a trip to the Dr. with either broncits or walking pnemonia.  And of course I had to wake up yesterday with a HUGE cold sore (#3 for the year) on my lip.  Whine Whine Cry Cry WAHHHHH.  Ok I feel better now. Sniff Sniff.  This has been a rough winter.  The bad thing is it has not been that cold.  Well I guess I am off to check out the other one a days at GingerBread Girls Blog.  Before little man realizes I am finished.  He is in the living room with large sheets of paper, markers, pencils, scissors, and tape.  I am afraid to look since I already picked up in there this morning.  Have a great week if I don't make it back here.

Sew Up A Home Makeover

 

I just received a beautiful copy of Sew Up a Home Makeover by Author and Designer Lexie Barnes.
I just have to tell you that if you have not seen this book, well you need to!!  I LOVE it!!  I do not use my sewing machine much.  I will even admit that the thing scares me just a little.  I can sew anything by hand but a machine EEEEK.  After reading this book from cover to cover, I feel the NEED to drag out my sewing machine and use it.

Before I get into the book I have to tell you a little about Lexie.  The following is from her website:

Lexie Barnes thrives on the entrepreneurial energy of running multiple ventures with her husband Cory Barnes and keeping up with their beloved troupe of boys, Henry, Sebastian, Monty and Calvin.

Lexie's first book, Sew What! Bags, is a top selling craft book and her next one, Sew Up a Home Makeover is available for order now. She also founded and produces Twist, a boutique craft show in Northampton, MA, twice a year and continues to work with Cory on their first business, Spire USA.

Lexie prefers sneakers to heels, is a rabid movie buff, a compulsive redecorator, and has never tasted ketchup.
Follow Lexie on twitter and like LB on facebook!

Lexie is a designer of the most wonderful bags that I have ever seen.
Here are a picture and description of just a few of them in her new Candy Collection for us yarn lovers.

LADY B

COCO

LIBBY

This one is from one of her other lines. Betty Those are just a few of the great bags that she has.  There are also diaper bags, yoga mat bags and more. Lexie not only designs bags, but she has two books out also.  Here first book is called Sew What Bags. (Click on the link to see pictures from and buy the book.) And the second one Sew Up a Home Makeover: 50 Simple Sewing Projects to Transform Your Space.(Click on the link to buy the book.  You can also request a signed copy when you order.) The wonderful projects in this book are just what the title implies, simple.  I loved every project in the book. Here is a peek of some of the things you can make to dress up that room in your home that needs a little something.  (Go to Amazon.com to see more of the inside of this book.) If the pictures are not enough to tempt you I don't know what is. In her book Lexie talks about six basic principles to help you achieve your decorating goals. She also talks about different types of fabric and tools that you can use.  There is even a section on tips and techniques. There are projects in this book for pretty much every room in the house.  Some are sewing and some are not. All you need is a little fabric, a little time, and this awesome book to create the beautiful things for your home. All of the ideas in the book would be great weekend projects. The first project I am going to do is the lamp shade recover. My daughter just got all new bedding, curtains and rug for her bedroom for Christmas, and her current lamp shade does not match her new lovelies.  We had talked about redoing it some how but couldn't decided what to do.  After looking in this book, we can't wait to get to the fabric store and get lots of pretty things to fix it up with.  I also want to make some of the big Ravioli Floor Pillows (fits a 26" square pillow).  I know the kids would each love some of these for their rooms.  Like I said before, I am not the best seamstress in the word.  I have made a few things for the kids but that has been the extent of it.  This book has inspired me to get out my poor dusty sewing machine and use it.  It have a feeling I am going to enjoy using it too. All of the ideas in this book a simple and easy to make.  There are step by step instructions that tell you what to do.  There are even graphics that show you, for example, how to place the straps to sew onto a bag or how to sew a zipper in place. There is even a pattern to make some oh so cute slippers. I LOVE IT!! As soon as I get some of my lovelies made I will post some pictures of them.  Until then, run out or log on and get your own copy of this book.  I promise you will be glad you did. I received this book for review from Lexie Barns/Storey Publishers.  The views expressed are my own.  I was not compensated for this review.

Testers Chosen

I have chosen the testers for my Snuggle Puppy Blanket pattern.  They are CyndelD, Traci, and Mlissabeth.  Congrats ladies.  Cyndel and  Traci I posted a comment on your blog with my email.  Please send me an email or leave a comment with your email address in it so I can get you a copy of the pattern.  I can't wait to see how it turns out in smaller yarn.  Have fun with him ladies and send me lots of pics when he is finished.  Thanks

Good Morning Blog Land!

Good morning everyone.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  We had a quiet one at our house.  Saturday was spent fishing for hubby, playing for the kids and crocheting for me. My daughter and I also caught part of the parent trap marathon that was on.  She loves the new one with Lindsay Lohan. I got a lot done Saturday which was a good thing because Sunday I had church, a headache and laundry.  I am sitting here now in my pj's enjoying this cloudy cold day at home.  We have had some wonderful weather in Arkansas so far this winter.  But since my hubby is not around I will have to say I would love to see some snow.  He works for the highway department so snow is a four letter word to him.  Giggle Giggle.  Today though it is cloudy and cold with a chance of rain.  I love sunny days but I also love cloudy ones too.  I feel like God gave us the cloudy rainy days to curl up in our favorite spot and just relax.  It is a good day to just recharge our minds, bodies and spirits.  May God bless all of you with some cloudy, rainy, peace filled days.OK now on with the show. Visit Carole at Gingerbread Girl to see who else is playing this week.



I am three behind on my puffs, counting today's.  So if I can get two done today and two tomorrow I will be good again.  I didn't get any Sunday or Monday.  I was at Boo's school all day volunteering Monday.  Here is what I do have finished though.

I love the colors so far.  They look like ice cream. Sis likes the blue one with the little bit of pink on the end.  I have just been crocheting till I come to the end of a color then just adding the next color on to that.

I got my Pick Your Plum prize pack, from here,  in the mail on Saturday.  It came is this box.

This is what all was inside.

Three lovely metal wall hooks, and they are VERY heavy.

A package of 4 earrings to make.  They are unfinished wood circles.  Sis loved them.

A small long sleeved T-shirt.  (This fit Mr. Boo and made him a lovely dress). He wants it for a sleep shirt.  I told him all he needed was a sleeping cap to go with it and it would be a manly dressing gown.

A package of 12 large wooden buttons.

A bag of 20 different sized plastic flowers, a pin with a flower, a blank pin to make into something and a alligator clip/pin back to make into something, and a banana flavored laffy taffy which Mr. Boo snatched but did give me a tiny bite of.

I am calling this a doggy collar.  It is a leather collar with metal brads and snap closure.  It came in the fabric bag.

10 brass finished paperclips.  I thought they would make great bookmarks and so did the kids. I can just see them with a crocheted flower or animal head on them.

I am almost finished with my baby goodies.  I am finished with the star blanket. Thank you to Sis for holding it up for me so I could get a pic.

And Mr. Snuggle Bunny.  Except he still needs a face.

I have three washcloths finished.

The look so cute when you roll them into the bunnies.

Then I had a dream the other night about a crocheted blanket that I am going to try to do and she may get it along with the rest.  Now I just need to find a basket to put it all in.  I found a cute pink one for the little girl set I did, but am having trouble finding a blue one I like.  Now I just have to get busy on my swap goodies.  I signed up for two for Valentines day.  I had forgotten about the one on Ravelry here.  Received the info on my partner last night.  Then I also signed up here  for my first blog swap.  If you would like to sign up for the second one it is open until Jan 14. I have a few things planned for each person now I just need to get busy.  I have not received info on the last person yet.  Should hear something by next week.  I am off to get busy on some of this stuff.  I hope everyone has a great week.  If it is cold at your house stay warm.