The Funky Fringe Pillow

As far as I am concerned, you can never have too many pillows, especially if they are crocheted. Am I right?

The latest addition to my pillow collection is my Funky Fringe Pillow.

I worked on this pillow throughout the fall, finished all the pieces, and then set it aside for a considerable while before deciding one afternoon in the lull between Christmas and New Year's to finish it up, sewing it together and making and attaching all the fringe.

The bobbles and the fringe are my favorite. This was the very first time I ever worked the bobble stitch, and I love the texture that it gives the finished fabric.

 

My pillow currently lives on the living room chair, nestled up against my Cosy Stripe Blanket, and adds some much appreciated color to the room on these dark, dull winter days.

And it has been dull. I mean, there have been a few moments of sunshine (thank goodness, because that made picture taking more successful), but all in all it has been quite dreary. In an effort to embrace the season, I am trying not to complain about the lack of light, but rather light a candle, put out my colorful crochet blankets and pillows, and snuggle into the couch to crochet a little more (I have just finished another blanket, and have a new pillow on my hook). It's all about embracing where things are at, and adding some colorful and funky crochet to the mix does not hurt either.

Pattern: Funky Fringe Pillow
Yarn: Patons Canadiana in Pale Teal

Crocheted Green Flowers

After finishing my Seaside Scarf, I had a bit of leftover yarn and so to keep it from languishing forgotten in the bottom of my yarn drawer, I had a go at making a few flowers.

I've done this many times, with many bits of leftover yarn. There is something so satisfying about making crochet flowers; I spent a lovely evening sitting on the sofa in my pajamas, with a tea and a candle burning, crocheting these beauties - true relaxation.

These flowers are excellent as coasters, and also look adorable under a flower pot. I have a small windowsill in the kitchen and I love to put plants there as it is the only place in my house where plants survive. And nothing is more homey than a little plant sitting atop a crochet flower.

Now, this pattern is not my own, I printed it from somewhere years ago, and for the life of me I can not find the link anymore. So I've included the pattern here should you wish to make a few flowers of your own. From my experience any yarn type works well, just remember that the bulkier the yarn used, the larger your flower will be.

Crochet Flower

ch 6, join with a slip stitch to form a ring.

Round 1: ch 3 (counts as first dc), 19 dc in ring, join with slip stitch in top of first ch-3 (20 dc total for this round)

Round 2: ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in next dc, *ch 2, dc in each of next 2 dc**, repeat the directions between * and ** around, then ch 2, slip stitch in top of first ch-3 of this round.

Round 3: slip stitch in next dc (to reach starting point for this round), slip stitch in ch-2 space, ch 3 (counts as first dc), (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in same ch-2 space, *skip next 2 dc, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-2 space**, repeat directions between * and ** around, then slip stitch in the top of the first ch-3 of this round

Round 4: slip stitch in next dc (to reach starting point for this round), slip stitch in ch-2 space, ch 3 (counts as first dc), (6 dc, 1 sc) in same ch-2 space, *(7 dc, 1 sc) in next ch-2 space**, repeat directions between * and ** around, then slip stitch in the top of the first ch-3 of this round, end off.

Make several flowers and put them in a little pile - so satisfying.

Happy crocheting friends.

A Summer Blanket Ta-dah (in the Fall)

I've finished my Summer Blanket (named as such simply because I began working on it in the summer). And I've finished it at the perfect time too, as autumn has truly arrived. While I have often reserved blanket making for the colder months, when you think about it, making a blanket in the summer is the perfect situation; working away all summer and finishing in the fall means you will be completely prepared with a new blanket to cuddle under when the temperatures drop.

To say I am pleased with how my blanket turned out would be an understatement - I really love it. The colors, the softness of the yarn, the edging that just finished it off perfectly - it is a favorite project of mine for sure.

It was an enjoyable project to work on as well - I loved making it as much as I love the final product. Every evening, after the girls were in bed, I would settle into in my corner of the sofa, prop up my feet and crochet a few rows. It was both calming and therapeutic and a moment that I looked forward to everyday; thank goodness for crochet and its restorative benefits, I can not count the number of times I have thought that, or proclaimed it aloud.

My blanket currently lives in our bedroom, either in my crochet corner or draped over the edge of the bed where it can easily be pulled on top of my legs when I am crocheting or reading.

But the story does not end there. One evening I was sitting on the sofa with my yarn basket at my feet, leftover bits of yarn from my blanket inside, when I was inspired to make a mandala. Following Lucy's brilliant and simple mandala pattern, one mandala was made, and then another, and then another....I stopped at four for fear that I was becoming a little obsessed. My favorite thing about making mandalas is trying different color orders and combinations. I mean look at these four and how different they all look while they are all made with the same yarns....

Ahh, things have been quite wonderful around here on the yarn front. Lots of time creating and lots of beautiful projects. I am a happy yarn lady....

Blanket Pattern: Happy in Red Diamond Stitch Blanket
Edging Pattern: Happy in Red Granny Stripe Edging
Mandala Pattern: Attic 24 Mandala Wheel 
Yarn: Deramores Studio DK in Pearl, Mustard, Blush, Topaz, Indigo

I'm joining in with the Winter Project Link Party over at Thistlebear. 

Rustic Pumpkins

Autumn means pumpkins and when I saw the pattern for these rustic pumpkins over on Meg's blog, I knew I had to make some.

So simple and quick to work up (they are made holding two stands of yarn together), they are the perfect addition to my fall decor. Not that I decorate a lot for fall, but it is nice to add a few seasonal touches here and there.

The stem of the pumpkins is actually just a piece of a stick cut to size and hot-glued to the top - very rustic indeed. And to increase the rustic factor even more, I tied some jute around the stem.

While orange pumpkins lend themselves well to Thanksgiving and autumn decor, I think this pumpkin in black would be great as a Halloween decoration.

Yarn: Red Heart Soft
Pattern: Megmade with Love
Are these necessary in your life: Yes, make one now.

(My hubby had a great time playing around and being creative with the camera to get these amazing shots. Thanks, hon.)

A Crochet Cactus Garden

I've always loved cacti and succulents; they are the most unusual and beautiful plants.

When I was a little girl, maybe twelve years old, I had a cactus garden growing in a pink ceramic pot on my dresser. I was in love with all things southwestern at the time and even had a cow skull decoration in my cactus garden. One cactus I had grew so well, and I was so amazed by its growth, that I measured it weekly, keeping a little log sheet. Unfortunately his spurt came to an abrupt end when he suddenly got all mushy and died. It was disappointing, but my love of cacti remained strong.

When Steve and I were newly married and living in our first home, we bought a cactus for our living room. There was a part of the cactus that looked very much like someone waving so we affectionately named our cactus "Yo". Unfortunately he died as well - got mushy and died, poor guy.

I don't have many places in my house now where plants survive, (not to mention, while I love cactus, I do not have the best track record when it comes to keeping them alive), so I decided to crochet myself a little cactus garden.

I wanted to make this all with scraps, so lacking an assortment of greens, I opted for some different colors. I love how it turned out....colorful cacti in a polka dot mug.

I've thought of finding some old tea cups at the thrift store and then crocheting some cacti and succulents for inside them....just a thought right now, a fun creative idea....we'll see if it comes to be.

Pattern: crochet succulents
Yarn: scraps of Stylecraft DK
Care Instructions: no watering needed, no specific light requirements

Crochet Coasters

While watching a movie with the girls, and while sipping a cappuccino in a neighborhood coffee shop, I made these four crochet coasters.

Another small and satisfying project.

Whether I'll keep them for myself or tuck them aside as a possible gift for someone, I'm not sure yet. But they were fun to make. And they're pretty.

A Pink Crochet Bowl

Like all little girls, Bridget loves to collect random things and keep them in little boxes, bags, baskets....whatever she can find really. Of note, is her lip balm/chap stick collection which she was storing in a flowerpot that she decorated at a birthday party years ago. With her collection growing, the flowerpot was not working anymore, so I made her a crochet bowl.... 

You may ask why so many chap sticks/lip balms are needed, but did you know that you choose your lip balm based on your mood? Today Bridget was feeling like vanilla coconut.

I love being able to use crochet to organize things in my home; it just looks so much prettier and cozier to me than a plastic container....or a flowerpot covered in dusty foam stickers.

Joining in with the Winter Project Link Party at Thistlebear. 

My Wreath

Sometimes you just need to get on with it when it comes to certain projects. After months of my wreath sitting in a basket in the corner of the living room, I pulled it out and declared that I was going to 'get it done', not in a hurried or frustrated sort of way, but more 'I need to stop overthinking this and just get going with it'. Because I had been overthinking it. A lot. Specifically I was not sure how full or empty I wanted my wreath to be and as a result I did nothing with it. It just sat there...silly, silly, silly....

The first thing I decided was that I needed a focal point. So I made a bower bird using the wonderfully written and very photo-heavy tutorial from Attic24.  I especially love the embroidery stitches and how they add a little kitschy detail to my bird.

Okay, so once my focal point was decided on, I made a second triple layer flower, (I made my first back when I first began working on my wreath), as well as a collection of leaves in various shades and combinations of green. Patterns for the triple layer flower and the leaves can be found at Attic24.

You'll notice that I used the same colors for all my decorative embellishments, simply changing the order of them. I wanted everything to coordinate together, but not be too matchy-matchy.

And then it was time to arrange things on my wreath. I positioned my flowers on either side of the wreath with my bower bird nestled in a bunch of leaves at the bottom. I considered making a few more flowers, but I really liked the simplicity of what I had created. It was then that I decided that a less-full wreath was what I was making; while decoration laden wreaths are gorgeous, clean and simple is much more my style. Sewing everything on to my wreath was not easy, there were some tense moments, but in the end all the things were secured. I spent a few days glancing at my wreath, second guessing my decision to stay simple, but in the end I stuck to my guns. 

Simple, symmetrical, and colorful...and I love it. My wreath was undoubtedly inspired by the gorgeous and breathtaking wreaths over at Attic24, and I loved taking various elements from those creations to make a wreath that is all my own.

Joining in with the Winter Project Link Party at Thistlebear. 

My Little Crochet Corner

I've claimed a spot in our bedroom and made it into a little crochet corner, a space just for me.

It's nothing fancy - just an old chair, a table I borrowed from my Mom, my works-in-progress, and a good light - but it brings me happiness, calm, and a sense of accomplishment.

I sit here in the early morning on weekends, if I can slip away in the afternoon, or before I go to bed at night, and crochet a few rounds. I think we all need a little time and space of our own, something that is ours alone and that feeds our soul. After I spend even a short while crafting - be it crochet or another type of craft - I feel so much calmer and at peace, so much more able to deal with and handle the busyness of life. And that is always a good thing. Also good is that slowly but surely, with more moments spent in my corner, I am making headway on my projects. And I need this. I need to feel like my creativity has a place to happen, that I can actually start and finish some of my projects. If I try and craft in the common areas of our home I am often distracted and/or drawn into something else, but here in my corner, I am alone with my hook and my yarn and I am able to finally get some of my projects done, and see some of my ideas come to life.

My little crochet corner, my spot, thank you for all you've done so far to nourish my creative soul and bring some relaxation to my days. I hope to see you again very soon.

Making Covered Hangers

When I was a young girl I made a lot of covered hangers. My sister and I would sit on the deck at my grandparents' cottage, sheltered from the hot sun by the tall trees, and make hangers. There was one summer when we spent weeks on the couch at home making hangers and listening to Shania Twain. And there was even a time when we got a 'contract' to make blue and white hangers for a couple who was in the business of making and selling t-shirts decorated with bubbly fabric paint.

I remember my Oma telling me that making hangers was a good thing because you were making something 'practical and useful'.

I remember taking the bus with my sister to Woolco, a department store long closed up, to buy 'hanger material' and being so excited when new colors were found.

I remember watching movies with my Mom and us each making a few hangers at the same time.

I remember racing my sister to see who could finish a hanger faster.

So many memories around this simple craft.

Every so often I make another hanger. I search through my stash of material, some leftover from years ago and some given to me by my Oma as she cleans out her closets, select my colors and go. No matter how much time has passed, my fingers know exactly how to move. It is like riding a bicycle: once you learn, you never forget.

And I don't forget. Instead I feel the summer breeze off the lake, see threads and fuzz covering my lap, hear "Any Man of Mine" by Shania Twain, remember the heavy bags full of fabric that we hauled home from the bus stop.

And it is wonderful and amazing to me that all these memories are wrapped up in the simple craft of braiding nylon fabric around wire hangers.

Let Christmas Begin...

I am absolutely in love with our new Christmas tree.

We bought a new tree this year: pre-lit (thank goodness because stringing the lights on the old tree was the worst - think scratched arms and needles all over the floor), and much slimmer (which fits in our living room better).

We also splurged on new decorations; they are big and pretty and coordinated.

Most of the decorations are from a local shop. I also added a few stars and bells that I had from past years, as well as some adorable mushrooms from IKEA.

Oh, and did you notice the bow on the top of the tree....best topper ever.

The most beautiful Christmas tree ever is now standing in all its gorgeousness in my living room. I love how pretty it looks both with the lights on and off, and that it seems to fit and coordinate with the whole room much better than the old one ever did with its mismatched decorations.

Let Christmas begin.....

A Happy Evening & Autumn Bunting

It was Saturday night. The girls were asleep, Steve was watching something comic book related on TV (?), and all my chores were done....so what did I do: I made myself a cup of tea, cued up the playlist on my phone, and settled down at my craft table for some much needed creative time.

It was glorious, refreshing. And at the end of the evening, I had made a beautiful autumn bunting:

Using papers and embellishments from the Happy Harvest Line by Doodlebug Designs, I worked away on my little crafty project while singing along to every song (out loud). Yes, I was in my happy place.

I picked three patterned papers from the line and used them to cover cardboard triangles.

I love arranging little clusters of embellishments, which I did on my bunting pieces.

All in all, a very happy evening.....and a beautiful autumn bunting.

Bunting is such a happy thing, isn't it? I've made several over the years - some sewn, some crocheted, some paper - and they always make be very happy. 

Crochet Bunting

I have so many works-in-progress at the moment and so many ideas and plans rattling around my creative mind tempting me to start yet another project. Which I guess is not a bad thing - I can only shudder when I think about how dull it would be if I had no more crafty ideas, nothing on my creative to-do list. Yes, best to have several projects on the go....

That all being said, I did manage to complete one project this past weekend: nothing huge, just some fun, whimsical crochet bunting to hang on the barn board in our living room.

I used my leftover yarn from the Garden Patch Granny Afghan and my Granny Cushion, though much fewer colors as my stash of these yarns is dwindling.

Cheerful and cozy, don't you think?

Once I hung the bunting, Steve commented to me that perhaps that we have enough crochet stuff in the living room using this yarn. He does have a point - between the blanket, the pillow, and now the bunting - there is a lot of these colors...but they are so pretty together. I did pack the remaining yarn (and there is not much) away in my yarn bin for another time....but that in no way means that I do not already have a few ideas of what to make next.

My Tired Craft

Some nights I am just too tired to scrapbook and when I look at my crocheting my eyes blur over. But, I still want to make something...because a day without making is not good. Making things feeds my soul and at the end of a long day, I need that.

So I make covered hangers.

Looks like I am tired quite often because I have made quite a few.  

Back when I started this blog (nearly two years ago) I posted about these hangers and it has been my most popular post ever.  Surprised the heck out of me, because I really thought this was an obscure, old-fashioned craft that no one would pay attention to, much less be enthusiastic about. Not the case at all.

It is really fun and quick to cover these hangers and I can finish one in about 20 minutes so long as I am not too distracted by the TV.

And it is amazing to me, that no matter how much time passes between working on my hangers, that my fingers know exactly what to do....kind of like riding a bike.

So on those nights when fatigue washes over me, I cover a hanger and then head off to bed...

What crafts do you work on when you are tired but still feel the need to create?

Mixing it Up

I have been doing a little sprucing up around the house lately. Nothing major, just tidying the bookshelves, framing pictures that have been waiting to be framed for a long time, placing candles around to be lit on these dark winter evenings. I always get the urge to do this after Christmas; once all the decorations are put away, the house looks so bare and I feel the need to make it a bit fuller, a bit cozier. 

Shortly after Christmas my sweet husband was in the book store and picked up this magazine for me... 

.....and it the most beautiful magazine I have ever seen. So many beautifully styled pictures, so much creativity, great articles about designers. I have spent many hours pouring over the pages soaking up the inspiration.

I was particularly inspired by this picture, specifically the pillows on the couch. I love the mixing of traditional patterns – the rose pillows that look like something my Oma would have – with the graphic, modern pillows that look like they could have come from IKEA. And I was inspired to try something similar in my living room.

Using some IKEA fabric that I fell in love with and bought a few months back, I made this polka dot pillow and added it to the others on my sofa. 

The fern pillow came with our couch and looks a bit more traditional to me, similar to the rose pillows in the magazine, while my new polka dot pillow is definitely a little more modern; the same could be said about the tulip pillow that I made a few years ago. 

I am not a decor whiz by any means, and I often fret way too much about how things look, but I am slowly realizing and accepting that if I decorate with things that I love and that mean something to me, everything will come together. I love this polka dot pillow, I love the pillows that came with our sofa, and I think they look good together. I may add a brighter colored solid pillow to pull everything together a bit more – maybe a teal pillow. What do you think? I really like the mixing of traditional and modern – it gives things a collected and timeless look and I love that.

I did put my polka dot pillow on one of my kitchen chairs and I love how it looks there.

And while I was out scouring the clearance aisles this past weekend I found these beautiful dinner napkins for a mere $1.50 each – I am going to sew these into a pillow and see how that looks on the couch. Worth a shot for only $3.00.

So in addition to crocheting (projects to show you soon), scrapbooking, and all the stuff that makes up regular life, I have been working on mixing things up in the living room. And I have really enjoyed doing so - making my home, where I spend so much of my time, a little cozier. It has also been nice to get the sewing machine out again...it had been a while since we spent some quality time together. 

Using a Crochet Basket to Organize

A few days before Christmas I purchased this beautifully painted, second hand dresser for a very reasonable price.

I had been searching online ads, garage sales, and the thrift stores for such a dresser for quite some time. You see, we have a large empty wall in our kitchen and I wanted some sort of storage there. I had bins of candle holders, table linens, cloth napkins, napkin rings, and other miscellaneous stuff standing in the corner of our bedroom and looking at these bins was driving me nuts. Not to mention, since all this stuff was packed away upstairs, I never used it. I wanted to get it out of storage, into the living area of our home, and get using it (or get rid of it, because honestly there was a lot of stuff in those bins that I should have gotten rid of a long time ago).

Unpacking my long hidden possessions into my new dresser was so much fun; I really enjoy organizing and purging things. While I was sorting things into the dresser I quickly realized that I would need something to store all my napkin rings in, to keep them corralled together rather than sliding all over the inside of the drawer.

So I decided to make this crochet basket. This is exactly the same basket I made here to collect all the mail and papers on my kitchen counter.

I worked on it quite furiously and when it was finished I filled it up with all my napkin rings and placed in the drawer.

Pretty, functional, and handmade. The best combination.

Have you ever crocheted something to help you organize your home? I have made several of these baskets, for a variety of items, but would love to hear what you have done.

Barn Board Wall Art

The wall above the sofa in our living room has been bare for years for two reasons: our sofa is very long and we have never found a piece of art long enough to fill the space (for a reasonable price), and my husband and I have very different ideas about what to hang on the walls of our home (it is a miracle we have anything hanging to be honest). All that to say, we were looking at this blank, bare wall for a really long time.

But then inspiration struck. Steve can't remember where he saw the idea - a magazine, a website, Pinterest - but the idea was presented to find some barn board and use it to make a piece of wall decor. Sounded like a unique solution to our bare wall problem, so we decided to give it a try.

We found the barn board at a local shop that specializes in reclaimed materials from old barns, factories, homes...it is a really neat place to wander through.

We selected barn boards in varying widths and brought them home. The first step was to play around with different arrangements: where to put each width of board, and how to space out the knots and imperfections in the wood. Notice that the end on the left is uneven. We played around for quite a while making sure that the imperfections were randomly spaced across the piece knowing we could just cut everything down to the final size once it was secured together.

Once we had the design finalized we needed to attach the boards together. To do this we cut small pieces of wood to size and laid them across the back of the barn board.

We glued and then screwed them in place and they, in cooperation with the tongue and groove edges on the barn board itself, held everything together quite nicely.

Once everything was secured in place, we cut the ends of our piece even in order to arrive at our final dimensions of 6" x 2". Sorry for the lack of pictures for this part, it was really a two person job with Steve manning the circular saw and me holding the wood in place. 

Lastly we added these little hooks to the inside edge of the end support bars, and ran some heavy duty hanging wire between them.

Here you can see everything. The three support bars running the width of the piece and holding everything together, the ends of the piece cut even, and the hanging wire strung between the two end support bars.

Then we hung our barn board on the wall above our sofa.

And we are so happy with how it turned out. It fills the space perfectly, yet does not compete with anything else in the room. The wood is the perfect color too, a little blue-grey which picks up on the pillows on the sofa.

I have a few ides on how to spice it up a bit - maybe a bit of granny bunting, some Christmas bunting, a few colorful plates...but for now, I am thrilled with the warmth and texture that it adds to the room.