What is on my sticks?

I have been looking for a beret pattern that is cute, solid and fun...lo' and behold wilst endlessly searching on Ravelry I found a loverly fair isle beret/tam I adore! The pattern can be found on Pop Knits a site that is full of vintage-esqe lovelies!

The changes I made: The main color of course... Since I sized up on the needles and the weight of yarn (worsted wool, and worsted poly/acrylic blend) I casted on less stitches. I am going to have to rework the decreases in one way or another to match the rows in the hat so it won't look all wonky when I am done.

Progress shots:



I am loving how it is turning out I am on row 21/29 in the pattern I am so close to being done I can taste it.

<3 W

Doggie Biscuts!

Earlier I tried my hardest to take a nap, to no avail because of the heat I decided to bake something ( genius, I know right?) except this time it wasn't for me or my family it was for my 4 legged fur babies, I have never attempted to bake dog treats before so I wasn't quite sure how it would work out, all I have to say about it is sooo easy!


My favorite ones are the little men shaped ones, I am sure If I would of done them all that way the dough would of yielded way more than it did. Here is the basic recipe I used, I changed it up a bit due to lack of peanut butter.

Basic Doggie Biscut:
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375'F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container

The changes I made; I only had 1/2 cup of peanut butter left so I subbed the other 1/2cup with apple sauce (unsweetened), I also added a packet of chicken gravy to the dry mix(the kind with no sodium)...
A tip: When you roll out your dough, be sure to use lots of flour on your working surface, hands and cookie cutter because the dough is extremely sticky, also instead of oiling use bakers joy baking spray, that way your doggie isn't ingesting excessive amounts of oil.

The dogs went nuts over them, they absolutely loved them. I love the fact that these took 30 mins from start to finish and the price is maybe .02 cents a biscut...


Peanut biting the head off her biscut :)))

<3 W

Things on my craft agenda

These are things I hope to start working on/finishing within the next week.

1. 2 cross stitch pieces
2. knitted/crocheted hand warmers found here. The pattern is from the blog creative yarn, I love all her patterns they are so cute! You really must check her out :) I'm sure I can pop these babies out in no time.
3. Find a beret pattern that I like...
4. Make some big fuzzy socks for my Auntie J
5. I really need to finish my surprise embroidery for Gabriel.

Obviously there is no way to complete all of these in a week, but I can try. Updates soon!

<3 W

Ps: Did you know I didn't receive one damn pink stitch marker?!? What part of:I DO NOT LIKE EARTH TONES OR GREENS Don't people understand? I mean seriously :(

Exciting news!

Me and Gabriel are "tying the knot" August 27th 2010. We are getting married here I love it, it is just like a Vegas wedding! I have always hated traditional, huge elaborate weddings, and since Gabe wanted to get married in Vegas we happened to come across this jewel.

It is so cute! The only people that are going to be there are Gabe, Myself and my Auntie J and Uncle D...My aunt and Uncle are like second parents, even though My Aunt didn't give birth to me, she is my mom--point blank.

I am so friggin' excited I'm about to pee my pants. Though I don't get to wear the 500.00 wedding dress I bought from David's Bridal, I get to buy a new dress...I am thinking of getting shirred white eyelet lace fabric and doing it myself, if I can't find the style dress I want...It would be an easy task considering it would only be one seam up the back and a seam across the bottom to add length...I can't waaaaaitttt!

<3 W

Yay, today was a thrift day!

I scored some pretty awesome(by my standards) goodies!


Yes I got a beddazzler. What? I am going to bedazzle everything. The date on the back is stamped 1974, it came with bunches of different studs, the instructions and pattern transfers.



The yarn loveliness I got, the two balls are wool and I believe the coral color ones are some form of wool mixture, the blue skein is homespun, and the multi is just plain ol' red heart acrylic.


I love this dish, it is a clown face soup bowl his little hands are the handles...I admit it is a bit on the creepy side but it is going to be a kitty food bowl.


On to crafty news, I finally learned how to knit socks! After I whined to Gabe I would never be able to. It is actually a whole lot easier than I though. Here is my first sock! I got the lovely hand painted merino wool from an awesome swap partner. I am also in love with bamboo knitting needles, they feel awesome in my hands and they knit like a dream. Throughout the sock process I learned 4 things; The eye of partridge stitch, picking up stitches, short row heel turns, and the kitchener(sp?) stitch. All these things where learned via youtube.




If you are ever considering learning to knit, these websites helped me out tremendously:
Very Pink Knits : I used these videos to learn how to knit socks. Her channel is chock full of videos to help out newbie knitters, and she is a wonderful teacher! A huge plus is the way her cameras are set up and the quality of the videos are outstanding.
( I got the pattern for my sock from here She also teaches you how to knit a pair of socks with different weight yarns, it is visual, with no videos, for me I need to see it in action or I cannot pick it up as quick.)
Knitting Help: Is a must see when you are first starting out...It pretty much has everything you need to know.

Knitting can be a pretty daunting thing and is full of trial and error, the biggest thing with knitting is you have to go out side the comfort zone and try new things that you aren't comfortable with, if not you will be stuck with just the basics. I am completely hooked! In this past year I have learned so much because I was tired of just the ST ST, and G ST...My next thing is to learn how to knit bobbles, and try my hand at lace knitting.



<3 W

Recently Knit items.

These items were crafted for the Knitters Vs Crocheters on Craftster.org

Since my awesome partner has received...

Peace, love, happiness washcloth set

Headbands; the first was from a pattern found on ravelry, the other two I didn't follow a pattern I just kinda went along as I went, all of them have button back closure...My favorite is the Hounds tooth!

Shawlet, another item I didn't have a pattern for I just knitted a triangle and made it bigger and bigger, It has a removable pin that is made with different shades of brown felt, tulle, vintage buttons and lacy cotton ribbon. Def. my favorite item in the box.

A view from the front;

Back:

Close up of the pin:

Bracelet and earring set:

My favorite part of the bracelet is a little pewter sheep charm, hanging off a charm that says "create" the other charms say "wish" "hope" "believe" you have no idea how bad I wanted to keep that sucka!

Earrings:

<3 W

Buuusssyyy I'll get back on track next week, I swear

Ok sooo, I have been working on swap packages like a mad woman. One thing about swapping I CANNOT AND ABSOLUTELY STAND the following...



I cannot stand rude ass people, look if you don't have the decency to respond or even say thank you when you receive a package from someone--you should not be swapping. Reason: You have put out the message that the person who has made you something that their creation is shit (see below). Believe me I have received some really, really, bad packages in the past and I have always said thank you, because I appreciated the time, effort, and love that goes into a project, and if I didn't want handmade then I wouldn't be swapping. For this reason I think that after I am done with my current swaps I am done. Why waste my time, and effort on someone who does not appreciate anything... Gotta' love manners. Seriously. I love craftster, and It's not like I am asking for a gold plaque I just wish people would take two seconds to notify they have received and a simple thank you, if I can bite my tongue then so can you. With that being said, eff it.



Can you tell I'm mad? I really wish I could go on a tangent and show you all what I am rambling on about, but there is no sense in being hateful.



Stitch markers for the Stitch Marker Swap on Craftster




Are they really that bad? I feel defeted... Why keep doing this to myself?



<3 W

Free Pattern Friday!

Uh-oh I missed a few days! I have been so insanely busy, it's not even funny!

This weeks free pattern Friday is going to be quilt related, I have been working hard on my sewing machine (trying and trying to get better!) and I am going to be stuck on sewing projects for a while.

Crazy Quilt Block, from Craft & Fabric Links is a wonderful beginner friendly quilt block, the directions are for making a potholder/hot pad, definitely another scrap buster and a great learning tool. The directions are also very clear and precise. I am going to give this a try, I'll post the results soon.

<3 W

I suck on the sewing machine, and when I say suck I am not exaggerating! I can barely sew a strait line, much less make anything remotely aesthetic to the eye. I definitely need sewing lessons, but unfortunately I live in BFE Georgia and I don't have much of a choice other than google. I scoured the net in search of beginner sewing guides, only to come up with tutorials on how to make pillows with directions that were not clear and concise...Come on now, I am not so bad I can't sew a square! I want to know how to sew efficiently and do nifty things on the machine without having to sew by hand. I found the site Sew, Mama, Sew (apparently I have been living under a rock!) this site is jam packed with phenomenal projects, that are hip and fresh, I am in love! Did I mention the plethora of free patterns and tutorials?! This week I am featuring: Reverse Applique Quilted Heart Coasters. I admit I was intimidated by this project simply for the fact that I cant sew jack on a machine, but I am always up for a challenge, plus I want to learn the following 2 things; applique and quilting, this project has both (hence the title). It's very beginner friendly, the directions are clear and to the point, it doesn't require a huge amount of fabric or time either, plus the results are awesome! I gathered my supplies and went on my way.

The results:

My coaster is a bit different because I made my own heart template and sewed up and down instead of a border and up and down. I love it, I actually did it and it came out like it's supposed to look ( which makes me incredibally happy. The possibilities are endless with these things, They would make awesome house warming gifts too.

<3>

New Agenda for Blog Revamp.

I often find myself not sticking with something for long, especially when I lose interest or I get a severe case of writers block. So instead of going through the pain of deleting all previous (personal) posts and starting all over, I am revamping. This blog is going to be solely dedicated to my one passion; crafty endeavours. I'll refrain as much as I can from going off topic into personal business, you are here and reading because you want to hear about crafts, not someones (whom you don't know) personal life!

I have decided to keep things fresh, and interesting and dedicate certain days of the week to a specific topic.

Tuesdays; Tutorial Tuesday
Wednesdays; Wordless Wednesday, wistful Wednesday
Thursdays; Things I love Thursday, Etsy items
Fridays; Free pattern Friday, foodie Friday, DIY weekend

Let's hope I take off on the right foot this time :)

OMG, where have I been?

A lot of things have changed since the last time I posted, without going into specifics or getting too personal the major reason why the postings came to a dead stop is lack of funds, the company Gabe and I were working for went under and it took us until November to become gainfully employed again. We are now finally starting to catch up and get in the good again. The huge change I was speaking of before I disappeared off the face of the blogging earth; Gabe is in the Army now and will be leaving for BCT September 14th!

With all of that being said, I am back! Look for crafty goodness the next few days :)
Sorry for the followers I lost (I can't really blame them), but thanks to the ones who stuck with me!

<3 W

A whole lot of things are going to change around here! So look out for some new posts and such.

lazy days

The last couple of days have been lazy days, I have had no desire to do anything. I think it maybe has to do with the fact the house was disastrous when I got back and I finally got it back in shape last week, and now it needs another cleaning. I hate how I am so anal about cleaning and having things well organized, I hate clutter. If I have clutter anywhere in my bed room I have to fix it or I will not have a good nights sleep. I have some major news that is going to change my life for the better but I can't leak it out just yet, not until everything lines up. So in an effort to save money to get said better life I have been obsessive about furniture, a few of my favorites are:
Safari Siena Chair from Home Decorators Collection I know animal print might seem a bit on the tacky side but I think this chair would be glamorous in a craft room.






















I will have this for a craft table! This one is also from HDC with another pretentious name, it's called Hampton Bay Work Station. This sucker is $649.00 which I know is kinda steep but look at it! I love love love the bun feet.















Another item that would be absolutely perfect for displaying fabrics and kitchy items would be stackable lowboys similar to these found on HDC, again I love the feets on this collection! Stacked on the top of the solid lowboy...

I want something similar to this set for a living room

















I have furniture in storage, most of what I have is hand-me-downs. I don't want to be wasteful, yet I don't want to try and reupholster it either, me+staple gun=accident waiting to happen. So I will probably end up asking family members if they need anything and pass it back around or just donate it to the salvation army. Either way I am hoping our plans will line up, until then I am pinching my pennies, crossing my fingers and toes.

<3 W

The best present ever

So last post I was telling you all about my b-day present from Gabe, and proof men do listen (when they want to) when you talk about crafty things...

The whole lot

He got me a Sizzix big kick...eee...You would of thought "he went to Jared" ( I know my puns are lame) when I saw these goodies all layed out for me!

Now time for some closeups!




1.Felty goodness
2.Hello Kitty die cuts- I seriously love everything Sanrio
3. Multiple die cuts
4. Fabric quarters and zippers :-D

Second part of this post- why all of my "people" pictures from my trip are in black and white... The walls in my room are stark white, so to liven up the walls a bit I bought 6 unfinished wooden frames from the Dollar Tree
and I did this to them:

The finished effect:


I love how they came out but I want to do about four more for the same wall. The picture I took came out really dark since I took it at night they don't look as bright as they do during the day.

<3 W

lots of pictures from my trip!

As promised here are a select few of the pictures I tool during my stay in Florida. Originally I was only supposed to be there for a week but issues arose so I ended up staying through my birthday. We had a nightmare trip back up though, the friggin car broke down 3 miles from home at a service station and it was a bajillion degrees hot, I had oysters on ice in the back seat for my dad that had to stay iced or they would of been raunchy.... 2 hours later and the car was running again and I saved the oysters... First set of pictures up is from my birthday bash number one. I have never been drunk in my whole adult life so on my b-day I got wasted and I didn't puke. I had 6 bay breezes, 4 shots of hot damn, 1 jagerbomb, 1 mind eraser (which is a shot for 3 people) and to top it all off I had two draft beers.

This is me at the beginning of the night.

This is me at the end of the night.... I could barely keep my head up!

On to my second birthday bash (the rest of the pictures I took from the night above are so terrible looking :) I'll spare you all...) which was held after my birthday, my mom wanted to wait until Gabe got there to have my cake and what not.

My itty bitty sister :)

Gabriel

Katie and I

My step-dad shucking oysters

Gabe, his double chin and me.

Happy Birthday to meeeee ( I am 24 as of 4/23)

mmm oysters on the grill!

Me, Katie, and Mama
Now on to just random shots from the places I went.

eep!

Lady bug on the beach

This turtle is so creepy looking, I had to get up close to him too.

Funny story about this, we went crabbing and were out there all

day and this is all that was caught (snagged)! The orange is the lure.

Tree roots



I love this shot I wish I could of got closer.



This is why I miss Florida so much.

St. Marks light house

Overall my trip was relaxing and super fun... I have tons more pictures and I still have to show you all what brilliant Mr. Gabriel gave me for my birthday ( it proves that men really do listen, when you go on a tangent about craft stuff)... You will want one once you see! I'll show in my next post. You also might notice that all of my people pictures are in black in white, I had craft reason in doing so and that over rules all weirdo ideas I might have. The project I had in mind is complete, which I will bundle in the next post :)

ciao

<3>