I'm getting it!

All the little pieces are falling into place in my brain with this crochet thing! I'm really proud to say that I made that pretty red scarf up there! I used Caron Simply Soft yarn (I think the color is Autumn Red) and a pattern from the Feburary issue of Crochet World. It only took a me a few days. I love how fast crochet goes. That's just the kind of thing I need, because my project attention span is quite short.

I'm working on another scarf at the moment, but I'm hoping to make several of them as gifts. (Again, this is assuming the short project attention span doesn't win out.) So, I don't want to give away too many details just yet.

Just Swappin'!

It seems that at this time every year, I kind of go into a sewing slump. I don't add anything to my shop, I just sort of coast. Pretty much the same thing is happening this year, except that I AM sewing, just not for my shop. I've been doing a few swaps and making gifts. I'm also working on my crocheting, too. My afghan is almost done!

I have not been making very many bags. In fact, I haven't a made a new bag for the shop in over a year!! However, I joined a bag swap over on Swap-Bot, and so dug out my trusty Bronte Bag pattern and went to work. I pulled this adorable teapot fabric out of my stash, and since my swap partner likes to wear her bags with the strap across her chest, I lengthened the strap. It was really relaxing to sew this bag again. Kind of like chatting with an old friend! I even made it on my "new" old Singer 401a. (I am loving that machine!)

For a little extra fun, I added some fabric yo-yos and buttons to the bag. I like the way these turned out. I'd like to make some bigger yo-yos, too. (I use a yo-yo making tool. I don't think I have the patience for actually cutting and hemming my own circles.)

So, that's what I've been up to! I'm also spending a bit of time watching the Olympics! My kid thinks his non-athletic-no-sports-watching parents have gone a bit nuts, but hey, it's the Olympics!

Pincushion Swap

Lovebird Pincushion by feltmates
Red Zinnia by TheDailyPincushion

Red, Yellow and Teal Bottle Cap Pincushion by upthecreek

I've been collecting pincushions since I bought my very first one back when I discovered Etsy over three years ago. So far, I've only collected handmade ones, and frankly, it'll probably stay that way! I love the way that these essentially utilitarian objects are adorned and decorated so beautifully. There are such a variety of styles and looks. I could keep collecting them for years and not get bored!

To help grow my collection and, hopefully, add some variety to it, I'm hosting my very first Pretty, Pretty Pincushion swap over on Swap-Bot! I'll make a pincushion and send it off to my partner, and I'll be the lucky recipient of a handmade pincushion from my partner! If you're a pincushion lover, you're welcome to join us!

Winners!

It was a big weekend for my boys! Lil' Kay got to participate in his very first Cub Scout pinewood derby race on Saturday, and he totally rocked it! His shark car came in first place in the Tiger Cubs division AND it won Best of Show out of all of the Cub Scouts' cars!

Mr. Kay entered a car in the Outlaw Division which just means that anyone who isn't a Cub Scout can race. His car came in first place in HIS division! Mr. Kay felt a little guilty that we came home with three trophies, but I say, WHATEVER! Everyone got a chance to bring a car and race it, and it isn't like there were only three trophies! Other kids got trophies, too!

Lil' Kay was so pleased to get two trophies so that he could give one to his baby sister! Isn't that sweet? Sally now has a pinewood derby trophy in her bedroom.

Here are the winning cars:

Note: That is not a real $100 bill. It's a giant fake one that Lil' Kay got for the 100th day of school!

Next year, I want a really fast pink Hello Kitty car that I can race!

Crafty Materials

I'm a sucker for old board games. I love to see the little bits and pieces that come with them, and I'm always trying to think of fun ways to use them. I don't usually get around to actually doing anything with them, but I like to dream! If I had the space, I think it would be fun to cover an entire wall with the playing boards from vintage games.

When I was a kid, my sister and I "inherited" a bunch of old games and magazines and whatnot from one of our cousins. Most of the stuff was from the 70s, and most of it has not survived. However, we do still have The Bride Game! The idea is to collect all the "necessary" items to plan the perfect wedding. You know, bride, groom, attendants, cake, flowers, rings, something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. All of those components are printed on these little chipboard cards.

My mom dug this game out of the closet for me a few weeks back. The images on the cards are kind of charming, so I'm trying to come up with a good use for them. The gameboard was pretty beat up, but all but about three of the cards are still there.

So, what to do with these little cards? The small ones are about 2 1/2 inches square. The large ones are about 3 inches by 5 inches. They're all about 1/8 inch thick. They're quite sturdy, and I thought about using them for scrapbooking embellishments, but frankly, I don't have a lot of wedding pages to do these days!

I turned to my fellow Etsians for ideas, because, obviously, they're a creative bunch! Agentjane suggested incorporating them into table markers or centerpieces for weddings, and UpsideDownsideDark suggested making them into little boxes. I

love both of those ideas, but I'd like to hear more!

So, my dear, dear blog readers, what should I do with them? What should I make? You know, in between the umpteen other projects that I have floating around in my brain.

Label It!

I'm a wannabe organization nut. I love the idea of neatly labeled jars and boxes and what not all neatly lined up on a shelf. The fact is that I'm very good at organizing stuff. I'm very bad at maintaining that organization. But, yesterday I bought myself a handy dandy little Dymo LetraTag label maker. It's the cutest little printer and it makes all kinds of fancy tags in different fonts, and you can even put borders around your labels. I made one for Lil Kay that had a crocodile around his name! I spent a good chunk of last night labeling my ribbons, buttons, scrapbook supplies, cats. (I'm kidding about the cats. I ran out of time.)

A New Sickness

Yes, I bought this yarn with no particular project in mind. It's beginning. A new obsession. But, it was on CLEARANCE! And it's PRETTY! And I'm sure I can do SOMETHING with it!

Actually, I do have a plan. I want to make this scarf with it. I just didn't know that when I bought the yarn. (On sale. $1.79 a skein!) It's from the book Interweave Presents Crocheted Gifts: Irresistible Projects to Make & Give. Isn't it gorgeous!? Unfortunately, I don't think I have enough of the solid color for the border. So, if anyone has or comes across a spare skein of Sinfonia yarn in that pretty rust color, tell me! I'll buy it from you! And I'll be eternally grateful!