Goodbye, January...

I hope your week has been warm.  It was very cold here this week... but on a good note, we finally got a small amount of snow.  I love snow.  I wish it snowed everyday in winter.  It always looks so peaceful and beautiful when everything is covered in the white glitter-like stuff.  These last two winters have been sparse on the snow.  Maybe it's payback after that crazy blizzard we had a few years back.

Speaking of the cold, I have pictures (made beautiful by Holly Briscoe) of the cowls I took to DreamScapes that will keep you nice and warm! 

What do you think?

In addition to taking my new pieces to the shop, I had a few orders. 

 Some cute little flowers! 

 Valentine's Day heart hat!

The one that stood out the most was a custom order.  It's a boxy cowl and I had a blast making it!  I want one for myself now!  I plan to show you the pictures next week.  It will be available for special order.  Here is a sneak peak...  See it on the bottom among the blue and pink cowls?

 Speaking of cowls, don't forget that until Feb 1st (only a few days left!), I am running a coupon code in my shop:

At checkout on etsy, use coupon code:

COWLSALE to get 20% off your cowl/scarf! 

Lastly, the moment many of you have been waiting for...  the winner of my handmade coffee cozy!

And the winner is...

Tony Melissa M! 

Thank you to everyone that shared and liked my posts on Facebook!  I am always so flattered when people enjoy my work...  and I can't wait for the next giveaway!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Until next time!  Happy February!  (Have you planned your Valentine's Day yet?)

Partying Pinterest-Style!

Sorry for the late post.  I had an idea to talk about on here, and then I changed my mind...  hence the delay! I completed about 10 cowls and 10 pinbacks to go with them for the little shop that sells my wares:  DreamScapes Boutique in Wauconda.  If you're ever in the area, I encourage you to check it out.  I can't seem to leave there without purchasing something unique.  Plus, they have an awesome little coffee shop a few doors down called Honey Hill.  My mouth is watering because I can't wait to have a regular coffee with a shot of almond and some heavy whipping cream.  YUM!  There are more shops and such to talk about there on Main Street, but I'll save that for another time, along with some pictures of the cowls that will be heading to the shop today.

Speaking of cowls...  I have a new one I put up in the shop!  I love the color, and it's made from very soft yarn.  Look!

The full listing can be found here!

So what do you think?  This one might be my favorite...  that felty flower really makes it pop!  Speaking of the felty flower, that was one of the two projects that we whipped up during a pinterest party at my house this weekend.  Look at Jamie and Naomi showing off their dahlias:

Want to learn it, too?  Here you go!

In the spirit of flowers, we also made cute little pendants, too!  I didn't get a chance to take a picture of everyone's, but I can show you a picture of mine.  My sister-in-law crafted me one for the holidays and I just had to figure out how to do it!

If you want to learn, too - have at it!

Lastly, I asked all of you what you would like to see as a giveaway...  I had various responses.  I think the biggest response I received was to give away a cowl.  I thought about it - and I would love to - but I don't have one on hand to just give away at the moment.  So I brainstormed...  what can I do with cowls...  And I remembered you can use a coupon on etsy if I set one up!  So that I did.  It will be up through February (10 more days) for you to use:  

 

At checkout on etsy, use coupon code:

COWLSALE to get 20% off your cowl/scarf!

But I can't just limit this post to a coupon.  I  promised you a giveaway!  And here it goes...

Warm and lovely!

This little coffee cozy doesn't have any pockets like the heart one from last week, but it is made of 100% cotton and wool felt and dmc floss.  Quality materials!  Here's how you can win:

You will receive an entry for each of the following:

1. Comment below on this blog and tell me something that you look forward to each year about Valentine's Day.
2. Like my blog post link on facebook.
3. Share my blog post link that is on facebook.

Three ways to win!  I will announce the winner next week!  

 

 

Until next time.... stay warm!  It's going to be insanely cold here this week.  It's a great week to stay in, drink a cup of cocoa, and craft!  I leave you with a picture of more of those felty flowers... 

 

Valentine's Day... is a month away!

This week has flown by.  The first week back at work always does.  Even though it moved quickly, it ended up being a wonderful week.  I hope yours was the same!

Sadly, the only day I had to take pictures was today... and it was rather gloomy.  Luckily my friend Holly Briscoe is super talented and made sure my pictures weren't too terrible to put up.  (Thank you, Holly!)

First I wanted to share with you one of the gifts I am giving to my mother-in-law on her birthday in a few weeks.  Of course, the pattern is totally from Attic24.  I hope she likes it! 

A little flower pin!  What do you think?

I haven't just been making gifts for my mother in law; I had a few orders on etsy, too!

I had an order for a koala hat!

And an order of flowers!

...but what I have been wanting to show you the most is what I thought up for Valentine's Day.  Little coffee cozies!  I bought one at a shop in Grand Marais, Minnesota that sold handmade goods, but it's a little big.  I thought maybe I could crochet a little cotton one.  Then I remembered that I had bought some nice wool felt a bit back in a few colors.  A heart!  I could use my DMC floss and stich a little heart on my cotton cozy!  That would be too plain!  Oh!  I know what I could do...

Do you see the secret? 

It's a little pocket!  I made the wool heart so you can tuck a little note inside.  So many things you can say!  The possibilities are endless.  I could give it to a friend and tell her she's awesome...  I could give it to someone who is having a hard time and give them a word of encouragement...  I keep coming up with so many reasons to give it to someone. 

Anyway, if you're interested in purchasing any of them, you can right here.  I've made a few others, but I am going to wait to put them up, as I want to make a few more variations.

Next week, I promise to show you some of those blocks I said I would work on.  Remember one of my crafty resolutions?  One crochet block a week?  Well, I have made zero.  So I am going to get started on that right now. 

Please let me know your thoughts, suggestions, opinions in the comments below or on my linked post on facebook...  I love all your feedback.  Have a wonderful week!  Until next time...

Goodbye Winter Break

Here we are at the end of our first week in 2013.  I don't know about you, but I had a great week.  I usually don't travel this time of year, but I made my way to Austin, Texas to visit one of my friends.  It was a great trip... even if it decided to be cold.

I made my way to Country Hill Weavers before eating at Wurst-Tex food truck.  Of course, I broke my New Years Resolution of not buying more yarn.  However, I also made sure that this yarn was for me.  I wanted to make some items that would always make me think of my winter trip to Austin.  I'm thinking that one negates the other and I don't need to really be upset about breaking any resolutions, right? 

Here is a little cowl that I made with Mochi Plus.  Perfect for work!

I made this light scarf with Noro.  I am in love with the colors!

With leftover Noro I made a coffee can cover.  I usually save my change all year...  and I usually save the change in an ugly box.  I decided to switch to this coffee can.  I love the colors... but I am unsure how to finish this off?  I was thinking of maybe spray painting it one of those beautiful hues that I see in the yarn?  Or maybe I should crochet a huge flower and attach it to the top?  I'm unsure.  If you have suggestions, I am wide open to them!


I've also been busy in my etsy shop.  I've put back up all the hats I make, and I also added a few new cowls, a scarf... and a new hat!

Smiley Bear Hat

The Rainbow Scarf

The Easter-Pastel Cowl

The Violet-Purple Cowl

I've been a bit obsessed with making little flower pins like the one on the cowl above.  I have more to show you, but I'll unveil them a little later on, when they're all finished.  All of them were inspired by Attic24. 

Now the moment that some of you have been waiting for!

The winner of my little tree is...

Aimee H!

Thank you to everyone who commented, posted, and shared my new blog.  It was flattering and fun, and I can't wait until my next giveaway!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I'm very excited about these giveaways, and I have a bunch of items lined up.  I also have a few crafty friends that are thinking about participating in the giveaways, too.  I can't wait to share their creations!

It's been a good winter break, but I am also ready to get back into work and start teaching the students again.  With that, I leave you with a picture of my high-school friend, Bren, and I at the Capitol Building in Austin...

Cheers until next time!

Resolutions

Well... Happy New Year!

I've always liked new beginnings. Maybe it's one of the (many) reasons I became a teacher. I've always enjoyed the idea of change, of starting fresh. There's always this wonderful feeling that you can now tackle something you've put on the back-burner for quite some time.

With that being said, I've decided to start a blog for my crafty adventures. I find that facebook is too limiting – in words and in photos. Although I am not naïve enough to think that reading a blog (of any sort, regardless of subject) is for everyone. I'm a little hesitant doing this only because I know if someone has a status update on facebook any longer than 3 sentences, I'm out. I thought I would just give this a shot and see where it takes me. Why not? It's a new year... I'm trying something new. 

Beautiful sunrise from my couch. Even Fronk, my dog, loves it!

For this first entry, I thought I would start out with resolutions. Most people have picked theirs for 2013 and I am no different. I'm going to stick to some crafty ones for this blog. If I say them to you, then I will be more likely to keep them, correct? Well, here goes:

1. Do one “granny” crochet block a week. More than one a week is fine, but for now, let's keep it reasonable. (I know some of you are laughing at me right now because of the word 'reasonable' in that sentence, right?) And of course I will be updating my progress on ravelry (username: tacodiscos) and on this blog. In the end, I plan to practice some joining techniques, and if they're up to the right standards, donate some of them to Project Linus.
2. Make stuff for myself. I know this may sound selfish, but I am always crocheting and crafting, and for some reason I don't usually do any crafts for myself. I don't know why... it just happens that way. I already made a scarf for myself over winter break... and I love it. Although, I think I should have made it a tad bit wider. Oh well. Everything is a learning experience.
3. Clean my craft room. Doesn't every crafter have this same thought? I clean it, I mess it up. I clean it, I mess it up. It doesn't stay clean. Maybe that's a better resolution: Keep the craft room clean. Boy, that would make my husband happy, too.
4. Go on a yarn diet. I have accumulated so many skeins of yarn, I can fill about 12 of those little cubes you can buy to store stuff in. You know, the fabric ones that everyone is into. For those of you that don't know what I am talking about, how about I just say that I have over 50 skeins... easily. Probably close to 100. I watched an episode of Hoarders and it freaked me out, so it's time to start limiting myself on those little yarny purchases and using up what I have.
5. Write one full pattern by the end of the year, have it tested, and put it up in my etsy shop. People often ask for my patterns... and I just don't have any of them written down. They're upstairs - in my head. I'll probably do a giveaway of it when it's complete.
6. Speaking of giveaways, I am going to promise to do one a month. I like giving back to those of you that find interest in what I do. Let's do that right now... shall we?

See this little guy? Well, I fell in love with the idea of him from Mollie over at Wild Olive. I read her blog quite often, and I love her ideas and her work. Full disclosure: I am not getting paid to tell you this, promote her, etc, etc.  I just love her work, and so I made this little guy:

You can find the tutorial right here.

Why did I make him? Because I wanted to... not because I had anything in mind as to who it would go to or what I would do with it. Then I realized that I bet someone out there would like to own him. So in honor of my first crafty blog post, I'm giving him away for free - shipping and all. How can you win him? Here's how:

1. Please post as a comment on this blog or as a comment on my facebook page under my linked post.
2. Win another entry, if you share my post on facebook on your own wall.
3. But wait! There's more! Share one of your resolutions (crafty or otherwise) for the new year in your comment on my blog/on facebook, and win another entry.

I know not everyone is going to be on facebook reading this today, so I am going to keep the little free giveaway open until Sunday, January 6^th. I hope to hear from all of you and I can't wait to send this little tree to someone soon!

I leave you with one of my favorite shots of the season. Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!  Happy New Year!