One of the facebook groups I belong to has all kinds of exchanges. Some are  Happy Mail where you mail to your partner things that fit the monthly theme and some we make specific things to send.  One of the upcoming exchanges is for textured tags.  I have never really played around with texture much.  I never really THOUGHT about it.  So I went and got myself some modeling paste, dug out some stencils, chip board, matte medium and other assorted items and got to it.  How hard could it be right? I am here to tell you that it is highly addictive.  Like chips, you can't have just one.

 The best thing that I discovered about texture is how you can manipulate color!  I had Gelatos ( I just adore the Faber Castell Gelatos BTW ), iridescent medium, acrylics, stamp dyes you name it I probably tried it.  Here is a sampling of the final products.

I don't think the pictures actually do this much justice.  I am really pleased.  I am listing some of the products that I used below.  Have fun!

Another piece finished.  This one took me several days.  Because it is colored pencils, it took a lot longer.  I love playing with colored pencils and wish I had a really good set. 

Here is the first penciled in version.  It is all just circles all over the paper.  All different sizes. 

As you will see in the final rendition, I ended up making a lot of changes.
I really need to work on my lettering.  I wonder if anyone is truly happy with something they create.   I love the colors though. 

Both knitting and crocheting have been frustrating me recently so this morning I chose to draw.  When I went to sleep last night I had a flower idea kicking around in my head and I started with that then I went back to pinterest to find ways to fill out the picture I had started and I found this... by Christine Hawkins

I loved it.  I thought it would challenge me on a couple of levels.  This is what I came up with.  Lots of changes but still very much her idea... (I am in NO way taking credit for that).  I like what I came up with though and once again, I learned a lot.  I love that so many people share the things they do so others can learn from them!

Here is challenge 4 again, this time with color.  I am just not really happy with it.  not all of it, just the "braided" part.  Guess I have to re think it but it is finished for now.

I finally finished another Zendala Dare from The Bright Owl.  This is #4.  Since I don't get around to doing them very often I am just picking and choosing as I go along.

This one went through several incarnations and I am still not entirely happy with it but the best thing about these is you can just print out another one and start again!  Thank you Erin!!

After I made my first #23 I kept thinking about the shapes and envisioning other combinations, especially since I started looking at the ones others had made and had seen their interpretations.  I am a color junkie too so of course, this one had to have color.  As I played with it and kept thinking I wasn't satisfied, I pulled out my gold metallic pen and went to town.  This now reminds me of an Oriental fabric I have sitting in my closet (waiting for me to decide on the quilt pattern it needs).  I don't have great colored pencils but love layering and blending them.  Someday maybe I will get a set of Prismacolors...(I truly do lust after them) but in the meantime, these will do.  Thank you again Erin!! Bright Owl  I am playing with #24 now!

I went back a week to get this challenge from The Bright Owl.  This was the challenge from two weeks ago.  Not only did she give the form but it was suppose to be done using just one tangle.  I tried several before landing on this one.  I really wish I had a bright red marker like these Sakura Stardust pens I used here.  I ended up using blue and green but I think red would have been wonderful!  Over all I am pretty happy with it.

I am working on another version of Challenge 23 now.  I sat here looking at a blank one and had another idea for it.  I can see how these can be very addicting.

I have recently gotten involved more in art journaling, doodling and zentangles.  I have lots of art supplies and really playing with them is a nice stress reliever. I am addicted!  I was browsing Pinterest and came across something from The Bright Owl . When I checked it out, I discovered that she posts a Zendala (a zentangle in mandala form) every week as a challenge.  I decided I would give it a shot. It took me an evening and all day today but I finally finished.  I did mine on the full size form she provided and that is a LOT of inking.  Some I like, some I am not so happy with but I gave it my best shot.  I can't wait to see what next Saturday brings! :-) It isn't a great scan either.  Don't know why it is so gray.  Oh well.  I don't think it is bad for a first attempt.

Thanks Bright Owl!

I never seem to take the time to update my blog even though I have good intentions and am always learning new things that I would love to talk about.  Every year I say I will be better and I never am.  Oh well.


Thanks to the folks at the Kenton County Library crafting group I have finally tried felting.  When the new Joann's store opened, I bought some Bernat Felting Natural wool

this color is crocus

 and took the plunge with a pattern from a free leaflet from Interweave Crochet.  The pattern worked up quickly as it was basically just half double crochet. I bet I didn't have more than 5 hours of crocheting time in it to finish.

My second shawl in this colorway is Persephone.  This was almost complete when (you guessed it) I ran out of yarn. I have gotten more though!!  It is great how the two shawls, even though they are exactly the same yarn look (and feel) so different!

In the spirit of not having a project pile, I have declared the last week of the month as a finishing week.  so this week I will be working my way though the WIPs in my bag.  There really aren't too many.  April 1st brings some new "a-longs" at Ravelry's Crochet Shoulder Wrappers group.  The one for sure that I am doing is Neptune's Tears (another Anastasia Robert's pattern as is Persephone).  I already have the perfect yarn for that...it has been sitting in my box patiently waiting for the right pattern to call it's name!  The Join-a-long is a gorgeous Lily Go pattern Piquant. I have the perfect yarn waiting for that too if I don't have too many other things on my plate.

OK, that catches me up pretty well for now.  More pictures of my bag after it dries and I have the ribbon in it.  Would I do that again? I don't know.  It was fun but probably not really the sort of thing that catches my attention for too long. 

Keep Hooking!

Behind the Pink Curtain - Komen's Political Agenda

I just read this article. I am the daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and friend to numerous breast cancer survivors and a LONG time support of Breast Cancer research programs. Susan G. Komen foundation is one. Now I am going to say WAS one. I have read some stupid stuff about SGKF...or I thought it was stupid. Now I realize I was the stupid one.

Susan G. Komen no longer has my support at all... nor will it, ever. Politics should not be a decision in women's health issues. People who advocate for women's health should NOT use their politic agenda's to guide the system for their benefit. It should be about the health issue...JUST the health issues.

So the enablers at Ravelry have me signing up for emails from the various yarn stores and I really should not read them.  Today from Elann...

Louisa Harding Mulberry at 59% Savings! New Stock!
Fibre Content:	100% Silk
Made In:	Italy
Care:	Hand Wash/ Dry Flat
Knit:	22 st/4 inches 4 mm (US 6)
Yardage:	124 m (136 yards)
Size:	50g (1.75 oz) ball
Featured Design: A delicate ruffle and picot edging trim the Osprey Scarf, from Louisa Harding Belle, which also features a series of textural lace panels. With approximate finished measurements of 35" in length by 8" in width, it uses just 4 balls of Louisa Harding Mulberry! See more designs using Louisa Harding Mulberry when you view the contents of Louisa Harding Belle and Louisa Harding Queen of Hearts. Standard price for this yarn is US$17.95 - elann discounted price saves you as much as 59%!
$7.25 USD / 7.54 CAD*

And then they have the nerve to put the most lucious pictures of this beautiful silk yarn in with the email!  I cannot believe it.  I am on a stash REDUCING spree.  I have banned myself from purchasing anything and then I see this...*sigh* there should be a law against it.  LOL

 I put a box in the mail today to my mother with two more shawls for the prayer shawl ministry at her church.

Doris Chan's All Shawl Done is Caron's Simply Soft Paints Oceana

Diagonal Stitch Shawl done is Red Heart Soft Icy Pond

A Hat for Emily

a cowl for Rachel

Vickie Mikulak's Flying Diamonds in Paton's Lace Sachet

And then there is my Christmas Helper!

She is getting so BIG!!!!!!!!!!

That's it for now.  I am off to snoop around Elann and see what else I want!

This is crochets in Caron's Simply soft and I made several small changes to the pattern so it fit her a little better.  ( just added a couple of rows and changed a hook size on the edging.  We love it.

So that was my Saturday.  Today Papa is working grandmom is watching TV, Izzy-bug is at her granny's house while mom and dad work so M-ma is going to finish reading Split Second by Catherine Coulter (one of her favorite authors).

Enjoy your Sunday where ever you may be!

I haven't been on here but I have been busy... Lots of Blankets for Project Linus and now prayer shawls for my home church.

First the shawls...  I have re learned to do tunisian crochet. 

This one is based on a pattern from the Crochet Geek called Andrew's Keepsake.  I just enlarged on the scarf that she had made.  hard telling from this picture but the shawl is actually a light thyme green.  You can find the pattern here Andrew's Keepsake It was crocheted with TLC Essentials.

This one is a little on the the large side for a shawl but it sure is warm.  Crocheted with Red Heart Collage in Rust and I Love This Yarn  in burnt pumpkin is it done in entrelac tunisian stitch.  I had the idea of doing the pumpkin stitches in the honeycomb stitch but after I got started I wished I hadn't.  Plain tunisian would have been just fine.  Entrelac crochet video made by Beth in Texas.  SUPER easy and fast to work off.  I actually have extra of the Rust yarn enough that I bought Vanna's Choice yarn in tangerine mist and I am going to make another of these (a little smaller and sans honeycomb stitch.)





This shawl is going to my husband's place of work as a donation to the fundraiser they are doing for the Susan G Komen foundation.   It was crocheted with Sensations Little Treat in turquoise/white.  It is so soft and pretty I almost hated to donate it!  I also sent in 2 baby blankets for them to sell as well. Fan Shawl Pattern.  Just a word to the wise with this pattern should you try and print it, there are ads all over this site and I could not get a readable print so I ended up copying it and pasting it into a Word document to get a working copy I could read.  (Sensations yarn is sold at Joann's Fabrics)




Four more blankets for Project Linus! As a said above, I donated 2 blankets for the Susan G Komen fundraiser.  I also donated a large blanket and a baby blanket for a fundraiser to help with the medical expenses of a young woman recently diagnosed with cancer so I guess they are getting around now.  I should probably invest in some labels to put in them.


 I already have another shawl underway.  They are very addicting.  After this one though I need to get back to the blankets.  I think a have another dozen of them already trimmed and punched, ready to stitch!

I also ordered some lovely threads from Carrie's Creations to make at least one more of these.  While I like the stars, I think you could put in Rhode's Hearts or Butterflies so I want to give that a try.  I love the flower motif and the simple yet elegant corners so there are more coming I am sure.  It was also quick to work off.

Other than that, the count down until I hit the half century mark is under 30 days now.  Mark's graduation is 6 weeks away.  Izzy is growing so fast I can't keep up.

I love this face!!

 I have times when I wish time would just stand still for one moment...let me catch my breath and absorb everything that it going on but if it did, THEN what would we miss?
OK, off to the dentist for me to replace my temporary crown for the permanent one!  One less issue!!