All you need is love - the BLUE kind...

When you have beautiful yarn, where can you go wrong? These standout bright blue shades are Knit Picks Palette in Jay and Crystal Palace's Mini Mochi in Neptune Rainbow.  I did order the Knit Picks yarn online, but the Mini Mochi was purchased in person. I had the pleasure of visiting the famous San Francisco yarn store Imagiknit a couple of years ago. Yay me for using up my stash! And if you have never been to Imagiknit, you must go. Both the customer service and the yarn selections are AMAZING! 

I recently watched Too Too Amy's great YouTube tutorial on quick and easy crochet hearts and found this yarn combo to be perfect. As you can see, I could not stop making them :) 

The turquoise section of the Mini Mochi proved to be my favorite as you can see :) But for each of the hearts, I have to say I am head over heels, goggly eyed for the Knit Picks Jay. Literally the perfect beautiful, bright blue. 

I'm now leaving you with two more pretty pictures, just cause I couldn't stop snapping and I'm hoping you can't stop looking :) 

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Mom's Day 2013

Happy (belated) Mom's Day!!! 

Above are some dishcloths/pot holders I crocheted for my lovely momma.

I used Lily's Sugar and Cream Cotton Yarn, the pattern can be found here. (Thank you Apple Blossom Dreams!) Pattern is very simple and this project is ubber quick to complete.

Side Note: I am in LOVE with the texture of these cloths. They are perfect for the real dirty work, I am all for saving elbows here :) 

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Crochet in COLOR

I whipped up some crochet granny squares and circles. All made with 100% cotton.

The colors are so bright and happy - I am now ready to embellish and make some more :)  

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Cowl Fashion

The grey cowl is complete. Actually its been complete for quite some time now, but I wont get into that. I will just say I will try my VERY BEST to keep y'all updated from here on out.

 *pinky swear*

Life is hectic, to say the least, but I am currently "attempting" to live my life with no excuses. This is MY passion and I refuse to excuse myself from MY dreams and MY aspirations. 

Anywho back to the cowl, Caron's Simply Soft is literally simply soft and the cool grey is perfection, if I do say so myself :)  

My sister was nice enough to be my model (thx Girl) and rocked it with neon and camo. 

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Mother's Day

Happy belated Mother's Day!!! I hope it was beautiful for everyone. 

I know this special occasion has come and gone and I am super late getting this posted. I am still busy, busy, busy. I am hoping to get some blogging time in soon I really miss it and I have a million 'n' one updates for ya :) 

Anywho, getting back to the post at hand; I made my mom and grandmother some good ol' simple homemade cards and some one-of-a-kind flower pot magnets. The idea magically popped into my head Saturday night, remembering I had some tenny-tiny terra-cotta pots stashed away. 

I used felt, craft thread, yarn, paint, acrylic gems, and wire as my materials. And not to forget, the ultimate crafting tool- "hot glue gun". 

I began by crocheting circle discs then adding felt and acrylic gems to make the flower come "alive". Painted the pots in the chosen colors after first priming the pots with a white base. I attached a wire and glued it in the pot  along with some green wool yarn to serve as  faux moss. I then trimmed the yarn down so it would have that fuzzy effect.  Single coat of glaze with Triple Thick. I debated using a hot glue gun to attach the magnet and decided to use E-6000 instead. 

I am so happy with how they came out and am excited to possibly make more for sale. 

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

WIP's

Works in Progress that is :)

I have a lot. As in a whole lot. Due to this I am only posting a couple at a time as not to overwhelm myself. I love crafting and sometimes another project calls my name before another is finished. One of my goals this year was to completly stop working on more than 2 projects at one time and to finish up all my older WIP's. Therefore I plan to stick to this plan. I am either going to finish everything or finish most and frog the rest to use for another new project.

I am uber excited for the task at hand and am hoping that my blog will help in keeping me on track. Without further ado here goes it:

 A felt bear plushie I am working on. Everything shown is felt aside from the ribbon for attaching a key ring and the mouth which is a back stitch. All I have to do with this project is sew him up and stuff.

 Fingerless mitts in this gorgeous Carribbean color Knit Picks Swish Worsted. Lovely ribbed pattern happening and a nice quick project. I only need to finish up the second mitt and weave in all ends.

 Ribbed hat worked flat. I find that I sometimes enjoy working with straight needles over circular. Something "old fashioned" and relaxing about it.

Doll worked with wool to be felted. I can't wait to decide what to dress him/her in. :)

My first attempt at an infinity chain scarf/cowl/necklace. I love the colors!

That's all for now folks! I am going to get back to my huge task at hand. Wish me luck!

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

More Crochet Roses :)

Did I mention I love making these roses? Quick, easy, gorgeous - what's not to love? :)

Excuse the unfinished ends, I still have to sew them up :) As promised I have been working on making them smaller. I am using craft floss and a 3.25mm hook. They measure approximately 2.5" across. I am loving the vibrant colors, but I will also be making some more muted colors including black and a nice chocolate brown.

I am having trouble on deciding whether to add on a hair clip or a pin backing. I don't think I will be adding both. I think that the rose is a little heavy already as I am using cotton floss and not wool. Any suggestions would be amazing.

peace n blessings, b.

Crochet Rose in Etsy Shop

I have finished my crochet rose pins/ hair clips.

So far I have only listed the cream in my shop. I am still trying to take the perfect picture of the red and the pink was a definate guinea pig therefore it won't be in the shop at all. However, it is a great new accessory for me or maybe my mom :)

I am addicted to these beautiful roses are am going to be experimenting with making them smaller. Currently, I am using a sport weight wool yarn and it measures approximately 3.5" across.

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Valentine's Day Crafts

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I was feeling crafty as usual :) I am in the process of making not one, but two different crafts.

First up is, gift tags. Earlier this week on Pinterest (love that site) I found a great tutorial from Make, Grow, Gather on making diy stamps using adhesive foam, an ink pen, and wood blocks.  I thought this to be pretty darn ingenious and I couldn't help but to try it right away. I don't have any wood blocks so I used my acrylic block designed for clear stamps. I am thinking that I can just remove the finished stamp from the block and attach to wax paper to reuse when needed.

The rinestone and paper punched heart were attached with Mod Podge.

Next up are some crochet roses. I used the method of making a scallop strip and rolling up. I had a lot of fun with these as they were super easy to whip up. All I'm missing now is adding a felt backing with a pin and hair clip. I am thinking I am going to make a ton more out of all colors and sell in my shop.

For now I am going to get back to crafting. I hope that this post has inspired some of you to do the same. Happy Friday!

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Etsy Shop Update :)

I am super proud of myself lately, getting all this work accomplished with what little time I have to spare :)

I posted 4 more pairs of crochet earrings on my site along with 4 of those squishy granny square keychains. You can take a peek here.

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Knit/ Crochet Essentials

As with any craft/ hobby there are certain "essentials" needed to create a beautiful project. Personally I dabble in just about every kind of art and crafty thing there is, so I have a lot of essentials :) However, for the time being I thought it would be a good idea to list and show how I store my knit and crochet essentials.

I carry along a clear view zippered case from Knit Picks with me always. This is their Tool Pouch from the Knitting Project Bags line. I absoutely love this bag! Sturdy, small yet big size, and zipper were winners for me. I throw this bag in my purse where ever I go. I do not have a knitting bag as I also have to tote around a 3year old, lol, so that's enough for me :)

I keep (from right to left):

• View Sizer purchased at Knit Picks- handy ruler, needle sizer, and magnifying glass
• Steeking Scissors purchased at Knit Picks- pointy tip, sharp, cover
• Plastic Darning Needles purchased all over- for sewing and weaving with bulky yarn
• Emergency Fix Keychain purchased from Knit Picks- dual sided crochet hook for picking up dropped stitches, adding on tassles, etc
• Tape Measure purchased at dollar store- measuring :)
• Curved Daring Needles purchased at Michaels came in two sizes for weaving in ends and sewing, great twist on closure
• Cable Needles purhased from Hiya Hiya- cabling
• Extra Yarn great for holding onto live stitches ie: sleeves
• Altoids Tin purchased at drug store- breath freshners??? :)

Of course its not for mints! This handy dandy tin is filled with knitting notions!

All these useful little gadgets would always be lost with out this tin.

• Bobby Pin I found that this common object is 100x better at holding crochet stitches than the Slip Stitch Markers
• Stitch Markers in 3 different sizes for knowing where the beginning of your round is in circular knitting
• Slip Stitch Markers in 2 different sizes and 4 different colors for crochet
• Row Counter from Lion Brand- counting rows, I attach mines to a stitch marker with a ball chain
• Locking Stitch Markers from Hiya Hiya- these safety pin look alikes are perfect for knowing where you are
• Darning Needles purchased all over for those pesky ends and sewing  
• Point Protectors must protect those knitting needle tips and keep work from sliding off!
• Interchangeable Needle Key for both my Boyle and Knit Picks Harmony Circular knitting needles
• Wire Yarn Stranding Guide purchased from Knit Picks for intarsia which I have yet to master

I hope this helps the newbies and also the seasoned knitters and crocheters.

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Etsy Shop: Now Open!

I have finally been able add items to my Etsy shop. So exciting!!! :))

As of now I only have one item listed, but I plan to post more in the next couple of days. Those descriptions take time :) I also was able to make cute, simple little packaging for my crocheted earrings. What you don't see in the pix below is the clear baggie with my new business cards on the back. Please let me know what you think!

In the meantime here's the link to my shop listing. Please recommend circles for me to join and also any selling tips would be very much appreciated.

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Plushies!

I have been enjoying spending time crocheting and sewing lately, and I am oh so happy I have the time to do so :)

I was looking on Pinterest the other day and came across an Angry Bird pattern over at Obsessively Stitching. I have to say I have fallen in love with this blog as a whole and just had to "try" making the plushie. I say try because she is so talented and I am just starting out. I decided to use felt as opposed to the fleece recommended. I am pleased with the way my bird came out but will most likely make another red one as mines has a crooked beak :( I am going to try and make the whole collection as well. My daughter loves the red one, and can't stay away from the game on my phone :)

:( at the crooked beak 

I have finished my other granny square plushie as well as the Hello Kitty keychain. I decided to use pink felt for the center of the granny square and am happy with the results.

The flash brings out the colors so much better than natural light

For Hello Kitty I used no felt as a lining and decided not to add on a face, I like just having the shape and bow a lot better. I attached the crochet bow with hot glue as opposed to stitching it on so not to pull at the crocheted stitches as there was no felt lining to cover up the polyester stuffing.

peace and blessings, b 

Busy Crocheting :)

Good Afternoon!

Last nite I crocheted my daughter a cute little shrug to go with her holiday dress for a Christmas program at school. I used Vanna's Glamour in Grey Stone and 4.0MM hook. I love how the shrug turned out but am now unsure of the color choice. I bought the yarn yesterday at my local Michael's without relooking at the dress before leaving home. The grey yarn is a darker shade than the dress and her shoes and tights are both black. I feel I should have went with my first instinct at the store and bought the black instead. So I will have to decide tommrow what exactly she will be wearing. Either way the shrug is definately going to be worn :) 

On another note I finished the Pink, Yellow, and Blue Squishie Granny! I used the yellow felt for the lining as I had noted in my previous post. I also remembered what yarn I used :) Claudia Hand Painted Yarns, I am however still unsure of the colorway.

As you can see, my daughter decided to add in her cute little chickie, I couldn't say no :) I am also, currently working on a possible hello kitty keychain plushie. I am excited to see how it will turn out.

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

Sick Days :( Time Spent Crafting :)

Hi All !

I know I have been away for quite some time. Being sick and then being sick with a 3 year old in the last hot days of summer will do that to you. Now that I am almost completly healed its time to get back to business :)

As I had what felt like the flu it took me awhile to craft period, all I wanted to do was sleep :(  Then, the worst of it passed and crafting was the only thing on my mind!

I have been diving into many different projects and loving each and every one. I also finished up some goodies to be posted to my Etsy shop and then some made just for me :)

Plushies:

A cute cupcake with beads sewn on as sprinkles. Attached keyring with butterfly printed ribbon

Poptart awaiting to be sewn and stuffed. Sprinkles are made with Scribbles 3D Paints

Crochet:

I completed the Corner to Corner Afghan. It came out pretty small, more like a lap blanket (36" square) as I was just using up yarn that I had in my stash. I wound up changing the Wheat color to Charcoal and used it as a border only instead of continuing in the granny square pattern. The bottom picture shows more of the detail and a better representation of the colors.

Circular Crocheted Dishcloth/Washcloth. It has a slight ruffled edge around.

Beaded Granny Square Earrings I'm working on

Quilling:

Blank card, the first in a collection I am making.

In the garden the lettuce has been replanted and the carrots are big as ever :) Can't wait to see them!

Enjoy this Sunday!

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B 

What's on my hooks n needles???

Completed my munchkins cardi besides the sleeves. Had the hardest time finding #9dpns, but I got ahold of some yesterday at Michaels and am going to complete this weekend.

I was getting really tired of the pink yarn and so I have switched to grey :)

Currently working on a SUPER skinny ribbed knit scarf with Patons Classic Wool in Dark Grey Marl and a SUPER wide crochet scarf with Carons Simply Soft in Grey Heather.

Love. Peace. Happiness. 
B