So we had our 3rd crochet class today, and let me tell you; the young girl (who is a lefty) really took off with her skills! She used the cheat sheets I gave her and really got moving on an infinity scarf! Go girl! She made a special trip to her nearest Hobby Lobby (about an hr away) and bought her own hooks and yarn in different sizes so she can make even more things! I'm so happy to have given someone else the knowledge of a fun new skill!
That's all today folks, I just had to share, I'm so stoked!
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
A little progress goes a long way
I taught myself to crochet shortly before starting this blog. You can see my first project in a previous post of mine, Catching Up to Christmas. A small scarf that I made and remade until I learned the stitch. Back then I only knew a few stitches thanks to YouTube. Now I have taught myself so much more. I know all the basic stitches, a few combinations, and I can finally read patterns and diagrams!
I should have posted this before my I Taught Crochet Classes post, cause I know y'all are all thinking 'she taught those people without knowing it herself!'
No, I just haven't gotten around to posting a lot about my crocheting. This is mostly a craft and DIY blog. But then, I guess crochet is a craft you DIY, right?
Well, now you are getting that. I have been working on a blanket for my mom's birthday for about a year now. It's been one of those on-and-off projects that keeps getting set aside.
I stopped working on it for a few months so I could make a baby blanket for my niece. I mentioned her in my post, What's Up?
Axle is always wanting to help me with my crocheting.
Once I finished and delivered the baby blanket I was able to get back to my mom's blanket. I'm finally able to start joining them all together now! All 216 squares of them! Here they all are ready to be joined.
Now, my mom knew I was making her this blanket. Heck, I've been making squares everywhere I went. How could she not know? So when the day came to start joining them, I told her she couldn't see the rest of the process. It would spoil the ending. So I invited her to come and see the pile before I started joining them.
This is what she did...
"Oh, they are so soft! And cuddly! I just want to bury myself in them!"
And that's exactly what she did! And I got a photo of it!
All you can see is the top of her head and ponytail. She just laid on my bed and covered her face with them! We both got a good laugh out of that.
Here you can see my joining method. Its just a simple slip stitch, but it works beautifully!
Axle really enjoyed this blanket. He was always either on it, or under it. And occasionally he wrapped himself up in it!
So, now comes the worst part of crocheting. For me anyways, it's the weaving in the ends!
I still have a long way to go with this blanket, but I'm well on my way to being finished with it. Once these dreaded tails are gone, I can start the border. Then a wash, and I can give it to my mom for her birthday!
I should have posted this before my I Taught Crochet Classes post, cause I know y'all are all thinking 'she taught those people without knowing it herself!'
No, I just haven't gotten around to posting a lot about my crocheting. This is mostly a craft and DIY blog. But then, I guess crochet is a craft you DIY, right?
Well, now you are getting that. I have been working on a blanket for my mom's birthday for about a year now. It's been one of those on-and-off projects that keeps getting set aside.
I stopped working on it for a few months so I could make a baby blanket for my niece. I mentioned her in my post, What's Up?
Axle is always wanting to help me with my crocheting.
Once I finished and delivered the baby blanket I was able to get back to my mom's blanket. I'm finally able to start joining them all together now! All 216 squares of them! Here they all are ready to be joined.
Now, my mom knew I was making her this blanket. Heck, I've been making squares everywhere I went. How could she not know? So when the day came to start joining them, I told her she couldn't see the rest of the process. It would spoil the ending. So I invited her to come and see the pile before I started joining them.
This is what she did...
"Oh, they are so soft! And cuddly! I just want to bury myself in them!"
And that's exactly what she did! And I got a photo of it!
All you can see is the top of her head and ponytail. She just laid on my bed and covered her face with them! We both got a good laugh out of that.
Here you can see my joining method. Its just a simple slip stitch, but it works beautifully!
Axle really enjoyed this blanket. He was always either on it, or under it. And occasionally he wrapped himself up in it!
So, now comes the worst part of crocheting. For me anyways, it's the weaving in the ends!
I still have a long way to go with this blanket, but I'm well on my way to being finished with it. Once these dreaded tails are gone, I can start the border. Then a wash, and I can give it to my mom for her birthday!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
A Super Anniversary Gift!
It finally came!
It's here!
I'm super excited!
Our wedding anniversary was the 14th of this month, and we didn't do anything too special for it. Hubs asked for his favorite meal for dinner and I made sure that there was an extra serving for him, just because I love him and I know he would eat it. He always asks for such simple things, but I guess most men do, don't they?
Me, ...not so much. (That makes me sound terrible, doesn't it?)
My wonderful hubby got me the camera I've been swooning over for a couple of months now!
I love him! And not just because he spoils me! :)
I was so excited when I picked it up from the post office, that I couldn't wait until I got home to open it!
So I opened it in the car like a 5yr old at Christmas. Hehe!
Everything I could need came with it, including Elements! (That's the newest editing software for readers like my mom)
As soon as I got home I started charging it up! And of course, a selfie!
I really do have the greatest husband in the world!
<3
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<3
Saturday, May 10, 2014
I Taught Crochet Classes!
So through my family's church, I was able to start up a crochet class for the summer. We meet on Saturdays at the local library. I can teach for free there, and we have our own room too. Today was our first class, and we learned the basics, chaining and a single crochet.
I made some cheat sheets for everyone to take home, and will do so for each class we have. I really hope these ladies learned a new skill they will enjoy!
My mom even came!
Monday, February 17, 2014
Happy Valentines Day!
This weekend was kinda eventful for me. I bought some goodies for myself a few days back and they came in the mail today! I got a yarn winder from Knit Picks, and a set of vintage suitcases from Ebay. I don't usually buy from Ebay because I'm always outbid, but these guys were just what I was looking for and I was the only bidder! I love them! They were also super clean and were not smelly at all, surprising for their age. They even had the original set of keys!! (Swoon!)
I also made my homemade laundry detergent for the 3rd year in a row! I found it on Pinterest (where else?) here, and have been using it ever since! I was about to throw away Axle's empty litter container, and decided it was the best place to store my detergent. Its meant to keep the contents dry, and holds like 5 gallons! Don't worry I did wash it first, even though it was just fresh litter!
Here it is all finished! Not pictured are the Fels-Naptha soap bars. For the first 2 years that I did this I grated the soap by hand. This year I bought myself a food processor for about $30, well worth it! Especially since I have found a great salsa recipe too! Just make sure your processor is cleaned thougholy before switching to food again.
Once I got everything put back into its place, Hubs came home and took me out to dinner! That sexy man knows I love some chips and dip!
Is he not just the cutest dang thang! (Ignore the cig, he is trying to quit and just holding it helps him, ...men)
Well, see you next time!
I also made my homemade laundry detergent for the 3rd year in a row! I found it on Pinterest (where else?) here, and have been using it ever since! I was about to throw away Axle's empty litter container, and decided it was the best place to store my detergent. Its meant to keep the contents dry, and holds like 5 gallons! Don't worry I did wash it first, even though it was just fresh litter!
Here it is all finished! Not pictured are the Fels-Naptha soap bars. For the first 2 years that I did this I grated the soap by hand. This year I bought myself a food processor for about $30, well worth it! Especially since I have found a great salsa recipe too! Just make sure your processor is cleaned thougholy before switching to food again.
Once I got everything put back into its place, Hubs came home and took me out to dinner! That sexy man knows I love some chips and dip!
Is he not just the cutest dang thang! (Ignore the cig, he is trying to quit and just holding it helps him, ...men)
Well, see you next time!
Friday, December 27, 2013
Merry Christmas from our house to yours!
Remember that tiny little stray kitten we took in? Well, he has really grown since then, and has really gotten spoiled on human touch. And yarn, he loves to play with whatever crochet project I'm working on.
Here are some photos from my Instagram page, my phone did not back anything up when I got a new one for Christmas, so sadly, these are all I have right now. Yall just be sure to save everything before you switch phones!! Ok, here's our little Christmas!
Our beautiful little tree, decorated in a cowboy theme.
I found these adorable cast iron deer at Target!
This is one of my Dad's wine jugs, and I just put a string of lights in it. I love the glow its sets off!
Some of the new ornaments I bought.
Here is Axle sitting so sweetly for me to take his First Christmas photo!
My little brother also got married this month! Can't believe that he is old enough to do that! I'm getting old!
Here are some photos from my Instagram page, my phone did not back anything up when I got a new one for Christmas, so sadly, these are all I have right now. Yall just be sure to save everything before you switch phones!! Ok, here's our little Christmas!
Our beautiful little tree, decorated in a cowboy theme.
I found these adorable cast iron deer at Target!
This is one of my Dad's wine jugs, and I just put a string of lights in it. I love the glow its sets off!
Some of the new ornaments I bought.
Here is Axle sitting so sweetly for me to take his First Christmas photo!
My little brother also got married this month! Can't believe that he is old enough to do that! I'm getting old!
Here is me and the Hubs all dressed up for the wedding, I took so many photos and videos that my phone died before we could get a picture together!
I must say these 2 are really cute together!
Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with love and laughter. I look forward to the new year!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
What's up?
Wow, what an eventful past few weeks! I've been super busy! I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted anything!
The first week of August is a big thing in Gadsden, Al. We are part of the world's longest yard sale. Now, yard sales can be awesome or crappy, depending on whats in them. This yard sale is AWESOME! Just in the first 2 counties it cuts through, I can find everything from the usual baby clothes and musty old covered rockers, to the coolest old western buggies and coaches! All for sale! I found a guy I love to visit every year. He comes from Jackson, Al to sell all his antiques. He had mantles, deer heads, old wagon wheels, and lots of blue mason jars! I can always expect him to have some of the coolest stuff around!
Sadly I didn't get to buy anything from him this year. We had a sale of our own, mostly from the junk in the closet. We made good money too. Not sure if I'll do it again next year though, I missed not seeing "Jackson." Another thing about this event is that its kind of my birthday gift for my mom. Her birthday and the yard sale coincide with each other and we usually try spend all day together junkin' around! Mother/daughter time is the best birthday gift!
The whole family took a road trip to NC the weekend of the 17th for my cousin's wedding! My brother and his fiance, my mom, and me and Dw all got in our Impala and took off up the interstate! Had a great time visiting family and friends! On our way back we stopped to visit another family member who lived less than an hour from where we stayed. It felt so good to see all my family members I don't get to see very often. At the wedding; I saw cousins, and aunts and uncles that I haven't seen in years! I didn't recognize half of my little cousins! They were either married or dating, and a few even had kids of their own now! So much time passes by us without a notice. It was wonderful to see everyone and spend time catching up. I won't post any photos from the wedding because I'm sure those in the photos would say "take those down!!!!" I know I got a few 'incriminating' shots of some folks being crazy(er) than they should have been.
I turned 24 on the 23rd. Hubs and I spent the evening out at my favorite lil mexican joint in town. I enjoyed a pina colada with my dinner, and then we went to a friend's house and hung out with all our buddies til around 2 am. For a while, it rained on the guys playing cornhole (in the dark), and so they came in and we all played a few rounds of quarters.
Also, I am officially an Aunt now! My other cousin, the bride's sister, (& maid of honor) was about to burst at the wedding! Yesterday (Aug. 27) my lil niece came into this world. Only a few days past my own birthday!
In between all this excitement, I've done the usual dishes and laundry, but more importantly, I've gotten more accomplished in the 2nd bedroom. I purchased 2 bookcases to go on the wall with my Krafty Kloset, as more storage for more accessible items. I got a few more photo boxes on clearance from Hobby Lobby as well. I can always use more of these great storage bits!
Got the closet organized and cleaned out thanks to that yard sale. Before/now shots below. Still moving things around, so more will go back in, but not nearly as much! Thank goodness! Yall forgive the squiggle down the center. I was going to leave it out, but because this is 2 pictures merged, it left this weird double look in the center. The line makes it easier on the eyes. Don't want yall thinkin' you went cross-eyed! Same with the above picture.
I finally have all my Christmas stuff organized too! I have 2 tubs for Christmas decor and my wrapping paper is resting on some fishing wire I strung up to hold it under the shelf. My lights are wrapped around hangers and connected end-to-end. No more tangled lights!
That's about it for now! Lots left to do, but that's another day, another post.
See you soon!
The first week of August is a big thing in Gadsden, Al. We are part of the world's longest yard sale. Now, yard sales can be awesome or crappy, depending on whats in them. This yard sale is AWESOME! Just in the first 2 counties it cuts through, I can find everything from the usual baby clothes and musty old covered rockers, to the coolest old western buggies and coaches! All for sale! I found a guy I love to visit every year. He comes from Jackson, Al to sell all his antiques. He had mantles, deer heads, old wagon wheels, and lots of blue mason jars! I can always expect him to have some of the coolest stuff around!
Sadly I didn't get to buy anything from him this year. We had a sale of our own, mostly from the junk in the closet. We made good money too. Not sure if I'll do it again next year though, I missed not seeing "Jackson." Another thing about this event is that its kind of my birthday gift for my mom. Her birthday and the yard sale coincide with each other and we usually try spend all day together junkin' around! Mother/daughter time is the best birthday gift!
The whole family took a road trip to NC the weekend of the 17th for my cousin's wedding! My brother and his fiance, my mom, and me and Dw all got in our Impala and took off up the interstate! Had a great time visiting family and friends! On our way back we stopped to visit another family member who lived less than an hour from where we stayed. It felt so good to see all my family members I don't get to see very often. At the wedding; I saw cousins, and aunts and uncles that I haven't seen in years! I didn't recognize half of my little cousins! They were either married or dating, and a few even had kids of their own now! So much time passes by us without a notice. It was wonderful to see everyone and spend time catching up. I won't post any photos from the wedding because I'm sure those in the photos would say "take those down!!!!" I know I got a few 'incriminating' shots of some folks being crazy(er) than they should have been.
I turned 24 on the 23rd. Hubs and I spent the evening out at my favorite lil mexican joint in town. I enjoyed a pina colada with my dinner, and then we went to a friend's house and hung out with all our buddies til around 2 am. For a while, it rained on the guys playing cornhole (in the dark), and so they came in and we all played a few rounds of quarters.
In between all this excitement, I've done the usual dishes and laundry, but more importantly, I've gotten more accomplished in the 2nd bedroom. I purchased 2 bookcases to go on the wall with my Krafty Kloset, as more storage for more accessible items. I got a few more photo boxes on clearance from Hobby Lobby as well. I can always use more of these great storage bits!
Got the closet organized and cleaned out thanks to that yard sale. Before/now shots below. Still moving things around, so more will go back in, but not nearly as much! Thank goodness! Yall forgive the squiggle down the center. I was going to leave it out, but because this is 2 pictures merged, it left this weird double look in the center. The line makes it easier on the eyes. Don't want yall thinkin' you went cross-eyed! Same with the above picture.
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| Before |
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| After |
That's about it for now! Lots left to do, but that's another day, another post.
See you soon!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Crafty Updates
Getting it all under control....
Sort of!
So, I showed you guys a few of my organized things already, my yarn mostly, and some decorum that makes my house at least seem organized. So now I want to share with you a few more things I've done and had to DIY and make work for me.
When I bought my Krafty Kloset, it had this mysterious, oily, greasy, stain right where my mouse would have gone, and it took me a while to find something to remove it. It hit me quite suddenly to try nail polish remover. I use the full strength kind because when I do some one's nails I want to make sure they are good and free of anything old. I figured, why not? So I grabbed a few q-tips and tested my hunch. Worked wonderfully! I stepped it up a notch and got some paper towels to really cover the big area that was stained. Here you can see where I poured acetone right onto the stain and it just lifted right up! Awesome!! :D
So now my ugly spot is gone, gone, gone! The acetone may have also removed a bit of the clear coat (if there even was one) but I plan on painting the interior of the Kloset anyway.
Oh, say hello to our newest member of the family! Axle Grease!
This little guy was stuck under my hood! After a few hours trying to coax him out, Dw finally got under the car himself and pulled him off my axle. (Hence the name Axle Grease!) I immediately asked we could keep him, and Dw being a sucker for anything fuzzy, agreed! Our lease at this new house says no pets, so we are keeping him under wraps for now. I have taken him to the vet and had him neutered and vaccinated. He also got a bath and some flea killer (Dawn) when he first arrived.
At first he was very flighty and kept getting into my couch. Yes inside it! There was a gap where the underpinning wasn't attached and he would hide in the arm of the couch. I fixed that quick!
Now he is very comfortable in our home and with us. He likes to lay next to me while I crochet. Or on my crochet! He is beside my laptop now actually, enjoying the heat thats blowing on him I bet.
Sort of!
So, I showed you guys a few of my organized things already, my yarn mostly, and some decorum that makes my house at least seem organized. So now I want to share with you a few more things I've done and had to DIY and make work for me.
When I bought my Krafty Kloset, it had this mysterious, oily, greasy, stain right where my mouse would have gone, and it took me a while to find something to remove it. It hit me quite suddenly to try nail polish remover. I use the full strength kind because when I do some one's nails I want to make sure they are good and free of anything old. I figured, why not? So I grabbed a few q-tips and tested my hunch. Worked wonderfully! I stepped it up a notch and got some paper towels to really cover the big area that was stained. Here you can see where I poured acetone right onto the stain and it just lifted right up! Awesome!! :D
Ewwww! Look at whatever that is!! Gross!
So now my ugly spot is gone, gone, gone! The acetone may have also removed a bit of the clear coat (if there even was one) but I plan on painting the interior of the Kloset anyway.
Oh, say hello to our newest member of the family! Axle Grease!
This little guy was stuck under my hood! After a few hours trying to coax him out, Dw finally got under the car himself and pulled him off my axle. (Hence the name Axle Grease!) I immediately asked we could keep him, and Dw being a sucker for anything fuzzy, agreed! Our lease at this new house says no pets, so we are keeping him under wraps for now. I have taken him to the vet and had him neutered and vaccinated. He also got a bath and some flea killer (Dawn) when he first arrived.
At first he was very flighty and kept getting into my couch. Yes inside it! There was a gap where the underpinning wasn't attached and he would hide in the arm of the couch. I fixed that quick!
I found him like this this morning! Isn't that just the cutest little face!
Monday, July 22, 2013
A toy and a surprise...
No you dirty thinkers, get your minds out of the gutter.
This weekend we went to the gun expo with my Dad, and I bought a little toy for my self.
And it fits in my pocket.
(Again, wipe that dirty mind clean!)
This weekend we went to the gun expo with my Dad, and I bought a little toy for my self.
And it fits in my pocket.
(Again, wipe that dirty mind clean!)
I bought a .22 pistol!
And only for $145!
So after work today we decided to go to the gun range and test it out and get used to it and just blow sh*t up! That's always fun! What wasn't fun was what was waiting for us when we got back home...
You see that space there in the last photo? That's where we park the Impala. Yeah. Sooo glad we were gone during this. Odd thing was, no storms came through! Nothing. Really weird. We are so glad that it was the tree out front and nothing got broken. Had it been the one next to the house, oh boy, I don't even want to think about that! I was super glad that my El Camino was unharmed also. I love my truck!
On a good note, our landlord will be coming to remove it in the morning.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Welcome home Lil' Bro!
As I said, super busy this past week. I did all that decorating and cleaning and organizing for one party. LOL! Hubby Dwayne's little brother is in the Air Force, and he wanted to throw him a welcome home party. He is back in Alabama for two weeks before he is shipping out to go to overseas. He is a cargo plane mechanic, so he should be relatively safe from danger, but we Southern folks say prayers for him no matter what.
Anyway, now the house is decorated and clean, but now I have to decorate and prepare for a party! Yikes, the week is almost over and party day is on its way! Good thing I planned ahead! My dad let us borrow his horseshoe set, and Dwayne's cousin brought his grill and cornhole game over.
I had been to the dollar store and picked up blue tablecloths, plates, and cups during the week. I also got some toy planes and spray painted them blue. They got set around the cake as favors for the kiddos.
Oh, the cake. Such high hopes I had for it. I had found a very nice idea on Pinterest for designing your own cake decorations from printed images, and was going to make the Air Force symbol.
It didn't work out like I hoped, so I justblended smeared the design into the icing already on the cake. I also dyed the cake blue! I thought it would be fun to surprise everyone with a white iced cake and blue interior. It did! Everyone loved it! My cake came out a bit more turquoise-y than the one below, which is the image from the recipe I found. I think it was because my cake mix was the box kind, not scratch made. The boxed vanilla is still a bit yellow too, not white.
I didn't get many pictures because we were all busy having fun and chatting it up, but I did manage to get a few. It started raining for about 20-30 minutes during the party, so everyone was inside or on the porch. The guys turned on the Xbox and were zombies for a few rounds of Call of Duty, and all us girls sat on the porch just conversing with each other. Mostly poking fun at the guys and their game faces.
All in all we had a good party. Most all the food was eaten, so we didn't have many leftovers. Except the cake, no one took any home for later. :P So, now I have half of a half-sheet cake sitting on my table. I'm trying very hard to NOT eat it all. (Yeah right!)
So, who wants to come over and eat some blue vanilla cake with me?
Anyway, now the house is decorated and clean, but now I have to decorate and prepare for a party! Yikes, the week is almost over and party day is on its way! Good thing I planned ahead! My dad let us borrow his horseshoe set, and Dwayne's cousin brought his grill and cornhole game over.
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| Left: Husband Dwayne and his little sister (youngest) Right: Dylon (guest of honor) and his wife playing cornhole |
I had been to the dollar store and picked up blue tablecloths, plates, and cups during the week. I also got some toy planes and spray painted them blue. They got set around the cake as favors for the kiddos.
Oh, the cake. Such high hopes I had for it. I had found a very nice idea on Pinterest for designing your own cake decorations from printed images, and was going to make the Air Force symbol.
Decorating tutorial here.
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| my cake's design |
It didn't work out like I hoped, so I just
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| Blue Velvet Cake "Pinspiration" |
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| Dylon and Dwayne vs Bubba and Blake |
So, who wants to come over and eat some blue vanilla cake with me?
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