Friday, December 30, 2011

New projects for the New Year

Hi everyone!  Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season.  Santa was very good to me, and as usual, left me a pile of books under the tree (Thank you Amazon wish list. I love you).  There are a couple of projects I would like to start right away, but I seem to be sidetracked with cleaning and entertaining, or going out to be entertained.  Anyway here's what I got. . . . .
That's my kinda present!  Then I bought something for myself.  I caved to the dozens of emails flooding my box with fabric sales.  I tried to look away. My delete button just wasn't cooperating. I am weak, I know.


Not very exciting color wise, but I wanted some linen.  Also let it be noted that this is the first ever piece of fabric, or piece of anything for that matter, that I have bought with an owl on it.  I know there are a lot of owly things out there, and it has become very popular, but I grew up in the 70's when owls first appeared and they were bloody UGLY.  I have turned a deaf ear to all things owlish ever since.  But I feel myself melting a bit.  I have seen some very cute crochet owls out there, as well as fabric, so I figured a yard of Japanese owl linen would hurt.  We will see.   I want to sew today, but I'm doing this instead. . . . . .
We are having friends over for dinner tonight and  I have to run back to the store again.  I can't wait for next week, when everyone goes back to school and work, and I can dig into my sewing room, clean it up and start making things! During the holidays, my sewing room was the temporary store room for presents, wrapping station, and general "just throw it in there for now" room. What a mess. 

Ha Ha.  It looks even worse in my head.  Anyway, Happy New Year!!!!!!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Last minute littles

I just finished up the last of my Christmas shopping and present making.  Here are two quickies you could make this week!
Coffee cozies.  Pattern and tutorial from House on Hill Road.  I've made these before and they always turn out great.  Whip one of these out of your purse next time you go to Starbucks, and everyone will say "Ooooh!  Where did you get that?"  Way cuter than the cardboard ones.  Just remember to take it off before you throw away your cup.  Speaking from experience here.
And more crochet washcloths.  I like these best out of white Cotton Ease.  Pattern on Ravelry, called Simple Stripes Dishcloth by Doni Speigle.

Tomorrow my daughter and I are going over to my sister in laws house (Hi Karen!) to help make the Tamales for Christmas Eve dinner.  I imagine all the women folk will be in the kitchen, wearing our holiday aprons, cooking and having a glass of wine. It should be fun!  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Christmas rush hour

Are you enjoying these last few days before Christmas?  The Christmas music, the cocoa, cookies, wrapping presents, decorations......ahhhh it is soooo fun!!  My crochet hook is running at warp speed as I finish up my projects.
Among the avalanche of boxes arriving daily (I did a lot of online shopping this year), I managed to sneak something in for myself.  I ordered this basket and Paton's canadiana acrylic yarn in a million juicy colors (well maybe only 14 colors), from Joann's.  The basket is only sold online.  It has a cute green and white cotton liner and it's on wheels.(As I write this post, they now offer it in white with a blue liner...aaaagh, I like that one more!)  My daughter laughed at me as I wheeled my yarn around the house.  Hey-I like my yarn OK?
I'm test driving a little block found here.  I don't know what they will be yet, just enjoying the colors and quickness of it all.

Also made a snowflake garland from this blog. Very easy and cute! Nice blog too!
The big snowflake in the middle is from Attic 24.  I'm still working on the giant granny blanket for my son.  Only six more rounds and a border to go.  But today I have to put down the hook  in order to clean house and wrap a sleigh load of presents.  The music is on and I am home by myself sipping tea and looking through cookbooks.  Oh, Jingle bells, Jingle bells, jingle all the way..........

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Christmas Magic

Magical thrifty find:
Seriously this was $1.50 at the Goodwill Thrift shop.  Why would anyone want to get rid of this cute little pillow of Christmasness?  I feel like I rescued something from The Island of Misfit Toys.

Magical Photo Op:
We finished decorating the Giant Sequoia Redwood Christmas tree and when I took pictures afterwards the Star of Bethlehem appeared in the window above.  Actually it was the moon, but I like the star thing better (goosebumps, like when I'm listening to Josh sing Ave Maria).

Monday, December 5, 2011

Santa on steroids

O.k. ladies, gather round with your cups of Christmas cheer and find out what happens when you leave things up to the men.  Yesterday I left for a shopping trip to the mall (hate).  My husband and son were going to get the tree.  Now usually we all go together and make a big production out of it.  Even though my girls are grown and moved out, we still get together as a family for the tree shopping.  It goes something like this: argue about what day to go, argue about where we are going to buy the tree, then go out to dinner first (including another argument about where to eat), then lots of drama at the tree lot (of course) and finally bringing it home to decorate.  I love my family.
For a few years we were getting the tree flocked with a light dusting of the fake snow, but this turned out to be a pain, since we had to come back and pick it up the next day.  Nobody wanted to do that and usually ended up with more bickering and in the true spirit of Christmas, led to comments like (cover your ears if you offend easily) "Flock you" and  "Flock off".  So much for Peace on Earth.

Are you still with me?  This picture makes me dizzy.  Anyway, back to yesterday.  We haven't been able to coordinate schedules, so we broke with tradition and the GUYS bought the tree.  Since we moved into this house, my husband and son have wanted to put in a HUGE tree.  Something so big and filled with testosterone, that it belongs in a town square, with hundreds of little WHO characters linked arm in arm singing "Fa Who Do Ray", or whatever Seussism  is chanted.  But us three girls,(estrogen) kept the purchase balanced and practical. Not. This. Year.
When I got in from shopping, the smell of pine slapped me in the face and cleared my sinuses.  I thought the whole tree lot was in my living room.  Well almost.
I have to hand it to them, I don't know how they got it in here.  I  envisioned them cutting a swath through the house like a giant tree tsunami, leaving behind a pile of area rugs, lamps and pictures off the wall.  Putting up a tree this size would be worth a divorce if my husband and I were trying to get it into the stand.  But they did it, and I don't want to know how, especially the part where my son was hanging over the balcony to put on the tree topper. (Women would have put the topper on when the tree is laying on the ground right?)
I don't even have a tree skirt for this thing.  To the boys credit, they put down some old pool towels to protect the hardwood floor.  There is a big metal stand under there with wooden shims to keep it straight.  Yes you heard me. Shims.  This is turning into a Home Depot project.
Tonight we go out to dinner, then come back and trim this behemoth.  It should be hilarious.  I will need to get more lights today.  We may blow a fuse.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Maybe next year

Do you love this?  Me too!!!  I only wish I had seen it in September or October when I would have had a chance at making my own.   Christmas is creeping up, and unless I want to pay Anthropologie prices, I don't foresee these beauties under my tree or on my mantle anytime soon. 
 Crochet Christmas tree skirt and wool bunting.  For next year!!!