Snapshots of Life

I try not to stay absent for too long from this blog, but sometimes I don't get as much creative work done as I would like to, so I don't end up having that much to post about. Other things end up taking priority and my Olympic fever doesn't help much... Here are a few snippets I've captured of life around here:

1. Growing lettuce from kitchen scraps. I've always wanted to try this to see if it actually works. I was skeptical at first, but then I noticed these tiny little leaves of new life popping up the other day. These are juxtaposed next to the failed wildflower experiment I was attempting...

2. Remembering the day M and I got engaged and thinking back on our whirlwind of a romance. Such lovely memories.

3. Crocheting up a storm. My love for crochet has been revived and I've been a madwoman making wooly cozy things!

4. Wearing my pride as I watch the Olympics on the telly. Yes, you got that right- mittens on my hands indoors. By myself. Ahem, as I said, Olympic fever... Alexandre Bilodeau steals the gold and steals my heart yet again.

5. Also enjoying the atmosphere of Sochi. Those opening ceremonies were beautiful! I can't help say that though as anything including ballet wins my heart. I put these out again a few days ago. This is my Russian support for my slightly Russian heritage! 

6. Delicious baking of triple berry muffins. Thank you mom for the ever so tasty recipe. Even the small things remind me of home sometimes. 

A Yarn Life

This is my life while not working. Lots and lots of yarn. And Netflix. But it's cozy feeling and enjoyable for the time being. We'll see how far it takes me, but I do have many more ideas along the same "thread" (pun totally intended). It's amazing what kind of satisfaction a little yarn and some hard work will bring. I've been working on a project for my mom and her business Something From Nothing along with making infinity scarves to sell for myself. It's funny, I started this blog out as a way to post a few crochet creations I was working on at the time and it's deviated from there since. But somehow it has come back full circle (wow. puns all over the place)!  I think that no matter what I do with this small skill, it will always be a hobby of mine- I find it so relaxing and therapeutic. And there's just such a sense of accomplishment when something gets finished, even if that only happens 75% of the time!

Snippets of October

A few glances into my life from the month of October (so far...) I've been attempting to create one piece of watercolour illustration per week- so far it's been going pretty well, but we will see if that trend continues this week... I've also been crocheting like mad to make infinity scarves to sell*. These are so cozy and warm, I want to keep them all myself! But alas, I already have a suitcase (literal suitcase) full of scarves and definitely do not need more. And lastly, a family shot from Thanksgiving weekend taken by my mother-in-law. Me and Him- our tiny family :). We are having fun being married! Now that we're in the routine of things, we've started creating traditions of our own, finding ways to enjoy this merging of two separate lives. Discovering what we enjoy doing in our leisure time, together (especially as we're trying to save money, which means less going out on the town!). Surprisingly, the game of checkers has somehow become the activity of choice in our attempts to out-think the other (all in good fun, of course!) And yes, sometimes we act like old people, but we like it that way.

*If interested in purchasing a custom made scarf, they are going for $35.00. Contact me for more details!

Starting out Somewhere

I'm going to do a little shameless self promotion today. Even though, I'm in the beginning stages of my career, there comes a point after a certain period of time where you just can't hold onto pieces of work anymore. I've recently hit that point and am storing pieces in every nook and cranny of my living space. So this means, I actually have to get my stuff together and start selling (which is both scary and hard, especially when it comes to motivating myself to do so). The quickest and simplest way for me to start on this venture was to create a Facebook page and post some pieces for sale. So please head on over to my page by clicking here and have a look at what I am offering! In the meantime, here is a sneak peek...

 In other news, it's always neat to come across something that I've posted about here on my blog in other regions of the interweb. Today I came across my crochet infinity scarf featured on Tipnut! It's just a link in an article on making crochet scarves, but I was pretty excited to see that I made the cut! You can see the post here!

DIY: Autumn Infinity Scarf

Ok, I'm not too fond of taking pictures of myself, but I'll give this thing a try so you can see how it looks on...

Well, the scarf's a little twisted-oops! And maybe not all that natural. This is when making faces comes in handy...

Let's try an upward angle??

Nope. Still don't like taking pictures of myself. This may be a rare few you will ever see of me on here! And for all you crochet skeptics out there, this one's easy peasey! Enjoy the pattern!

Autumn Infinity Scarf

You'll Need:

*a J10/6.00mm hook

*2 balls of yarn in your choice of colour (I used mustard!)

Ch 25

Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc in each st following, ch and turn

Row 2: dc in each sc of previous row, ch and turn

Repeat Row 1 and 2 until desired length (I used both balls of yarn) and use a slip stitch to join to the first chain set to create a loop!

That's it, Schmidt!

Autumn Craftiness

Fall is here and so is the urge to pull out the yarn! I've been part of a knitting/crochet club lately which has helped to motivate me to finish projects. We do fun things like drink tea, eat cookies, and watch historical classic films. At the moment, I'm working on two projects at once, but already I'm thinking about the next one! Once I'm finished my recent ones, I'll be sure to post pictures- I'm almost done my cute mustard infinity scarf! But I've been longing all things cozy lately, and I think these are the coziest as they come- slipper socks! (Ok, the one pattern is more slipper than sock, but they are adorable)

I absolutely LOVE what this site calls "Soccasins"! So comfy looking. Here is the pattern.

The oh-so-cozy cottage sock pattern #1 here and #2 here. You may have to register with Lion Brand Yarn in order to view them, I'm not sure (I would suggest it, as they have so many fabulous free patterns!).

And as a side note, I would like to announce my recent advertisement and sponsor feature post on Kyla Roma's blog. She has such a beautiful blog design and so many wonderful ideas. I find a lot of inspiration looking at her finds around the internet and reading about her daily life! The sponsor profile this month also features some great blogs and shops which you should be sure to check out! Thanks, Kyla!

Crafting Galore!

Lately, with a bit more time on my hands, now that I am done working, I have taken up some of my favourite hobbies- sewing, crocheting, painting, crafting. I find it so enjoyable and thought I'd share some of my recent projects with you! But before I do, check out my new "Grab a Button" link on the side! Yay! I have a button (after long hours into the night trying to figure out how to do it....) Please, feel free to advertise my blog on your page by picking up that link! I would feel honoured. Now. To the projects!

1. I have wanted to become more advanced in my sewing skills and the only way to do that is to keep sewing! So I decided to make something practical and pretty-a paintbrush holder! It's great for the on-the-go artist and it was SO easy. I picked up the pattern from a book I gave my sister for Christmas called, One Yard Wonders.

It holds quite a few paintbrushes and organizes them so nicely!

2. I haven't crocheted in a while- in summer, I tend to gravitate towards other projects. But my nanny family recently adopted a 20-month boy from China and I knew I had to make something special for him. I came across this cute project in Crochet Today, which is a fabulous magazine. It really has a whole lot of nice patterns and I encourage all you crocheters out there to subscribe!

He's sitting on a granny square blanket that I have been working on from the same magazine. Doesn't he look so sweet?

3. Yes, you've seen these before, but these lace flowers are so pretty, they deserve a second look! They are incredibly easy and just require a bit of lace and a small bit of felt along with hot glue.

5. I wish I had some better pictures of these last two, but I was finding it hard to get a clear picture with the corners curling up on me...oh well, you get an idea. These are two watercolour cards I've been doing and it's been so fun. I love exploring new mediums and I will definitely be painting with more watercolour in the future. I love the bright, vivid colours and the imaginative quality it creates.

Well, there you have it. Be inspired and go create!

Bringing Back Vintage

I was recently reminded of why I started this blog in the first place when I was looking for something from last year October (Happy Birthday, Blog! You are 1 year old). I started it as a way to share crochet patterns and what I've been working on! Oh, how far I have strayed from that path!! But since I have been furiously crocheting these past few weeks, I will now share with you my latest love- vintage patterns. I think that the style of the early 1900's was such a classic and timeless style. I'm trying to bring back some of that beauty by recreating these old patterns. Here are some of my newest finds with links to the patterns, if you happen to be as interested as I am in creating them!

Toy Elephant

Ballet Slippers

1940's Half Hat

Pixie Hood

Delmar Sweater

Hopefully these patterns will keep you going until spring when I get my next crochet pattern up....

For Emma

Heeeey. It's been a while....I know. I know. But I have been busy preparing- No, no, not thanksgiving dinner. I've been preparing for the annual craft sale season! So much to do, so little time... But if you are in this area in the near future, come stop in at the Western Development Museum October 15 (4pm-10) and October 16 (10am-4pm). I'm selling all kinds of crocheted goodies, so you really should come and see!

Also check it out- I'm a guest blogger today on No Waste Wednesdays! My post is on clothing swaps and the like. I haven't written about No Waste Wednesdays before, but it is an initiative to start living greener through a Facebook group and blog. Each month focuses on a different aspect of life in which we can change how we do things- this month focuses on clothing. If you join the group, each Wednesday a message will be sent with eco-friendly ideas along with a new blog post.

Ok that's all the updates for today...p.s. This post is not for Emma, it's what the song of my favourite youtube video is as of late:

These Old Things

So today I feel compelled to bring something to the front of your memories. I once upon a time spent hour upon hour creating crocheted pieces for a craft show, proceeded to sell next to nothing and was left with a stash of crocheted bonnets, hats and one sweater which I didn't know what to do with. Upon cleaning my room the other day, I came across these precious items and would like to remind you of their worth right now! If you should want a cute little bonnet for your child or someone you know, I am selling these heirloom bonnets at $20.00 (Down from $25!), and the sweater at a new low price of $35.00 (Down from $40!). Please let me know if you are interested and I will be sure to get back to you!

The bonnets come in sizes small and large in most colours

Also, as a side note, I think I will start posting about the books I am reading or have read, maybe do a little review here and there! I just barely finished (before I had to return it to the library so I wouldn't get more fines than I already have...) the book, Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki. It's a very interesting autobiographical read. I've always been fascinated by Japanese culture and Geisha lifestyle, so I picked this up one day thinking it might just be a story with information that I already have gathered about the lifestyle. But it is much more than that, I found. I really couldn't even put it down some times! Her story is fascinating and the conviction and determination she displays is inspiring. And any misconceptions you have about Meiko and Geisha, she will be sure to set you straight! The word "geiko" (another name for Geisha) means "artist" and I've discovered that is exactly what they are and maybe that is why I am so drawn toward it. Although, they are much more disciplined artists than I. I think I could learn a lot from the way they discipline themselves to learn and study their art forms. I'm so lazy about it...

Time Stealers

Things that seem to have been stealing my time lately:

1. First of all the Spring Concert held last Saturday- took up most of my time last week, but I made it through and it went well! We performed Fiddler on the Roof songs among others and look! I'm on the poster! No, I'm not the one playing violin or singing the solo, but I'm standing behind the soloist on the left! I'm almost famous! ha!

2. I seem to be doing more cooking and baking lately to keep Rebecca fed up and happy! Here are some cookies that I made that seemed to be a big hit with her from Mennonite Girls Can Cook. Delish!

3. Tapioca Pudding. Ok, this didn't take much time at all because I gobbled it down, but yum! A fantastic treat!

4. Although, this picture makes me feel like singing in the rain, I'm not sure I actually would. It has been raining all week and it's been cold and miserable. On the bright side, though, everything is looking a whole lot greener and prettier...I just wish it would warm up a little.

5. Because of all the cold weather and rain, I have turned to crocheting my time away from my new magazine- Crochet Today! It is a fantastic magazine and I have found quite a few patterns I would like to try in this issue. So I am making a little baby sweater- for which baby? I do not know, but it is sure fun to make!

Well, now I am off to bed, because I am writing this late because my time is being eaten up by so many of these things that I haven't been able to post. Goodnight!

Summer Lovin'

To you, it may seem as though I have forgotten all about this blog, but I know that I have not! Thoughts of posting something have been in my head for days, but I have been incredibly busy and will probably be quite busy for a while yet and I also was not quite sure what to post! But here I am and all I can really say is, what beautiful weather outside- I want to spend all my time out there. And I am almost done classes! Only 2 left! I am very excited to be done. It's time to do art on my own, and not be forced to draw something such as a fake flower or ugly skull! Unfortunately I do not have any of my own pictures to post, but I will try to leave you with some imagery:


I am in the midst of making these Granny Square Slippers from The Pearl Bee. I am going to make a whole bunch of different sizes, stick them in a basket by the fireplace, and then when guest's feet are chilly, they can grab a pair and have toasty toes!

And this photograph has everything I want right now: A spiral staircase exactly like it, and a place to store my art! Wow, this is so beautiful. I can just imagine my studio being at the top of those stairs! Unfortunately, I cannot tell you where I found this picture, but it is the nicest thing I've seen all week!

Yellow

This post is dedicated to all things yellow. But I actually only have three yellow pictures. And actually I just wanted to share the pictures at the bottom, but I was in a yellow mood. So here's yellow!:

Here they are! Finished slippers! Finally... I love them! They are so cute and warm and I made them from a free pattern! I did change some things though- I used an I hook (and I don't have wide feet) but I was using thinner yarn and I added one row to make them longer. I am very pleased with the result! Happy Yellow!

Oui!

Well, who would have thought, it would take me so long to post something new! There are so many new updates involving my crocheting, I don't know where to begin!

In November, I entered a craft sale for 3 days and after 10 days of madly crocheting, I whipped out hats of all kinds, including baby bonnets (which are pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!)

And I do think that these also make fabulous gifts...just putting it out there!

I have also finished one of the links that I was hoping to finish- unfortunately I don't have a picture of it, but the Phannie hat turned out quite well. Easy to make and very pretty! I also stumbled across a different hat that is super cute and also turned out nicely for a christmas present- Puff stitch beret. The only thing about this pattern was that there was no guage, so I had to experiment with it a few times. But it turned out the way I wanted! And I love the puff stitch!

Ok, inspiration for the day:

At iDIY, under the topic Freebies and Downloads, you can find some amazing printables such as these antique french labels:

So pretty, I think! That's all for today- be back in another 3 months! But, hopefully sooner, as in next week....