Don't know how they do it..

 Well I had the best intentions this Holiday Season to post lots of blogs and be very interactive. However, life has a way of interfering with the best laid plans. Two major blessings have side lined my ideas for this season so this is not a complaining post at all!
 First: my husband and I have started a Church - a desire that has been in the works for several years and after a very, very, very long season it has become a reality. Needless to say it is another full time position added to an already full plate of responsibilities, This one, though, is by the best time investment we have ever had! So Sunday school lessons, Newsletters, Potlucks, cleaning, minor remodeling, and and and ....have become the weekly norm. Honestly we are loving every minute of it!
 Second: this year my Etsy shop just took off! I have been working and trying for to get it to this point and unexpectedly it did! So orders since October have been constant and at times, overwhelming. For both Halloween and now Christmas I had so many orders I had to stop taking them! Such a sad thing truly but necessary to ensure the highest quality and timely shipping for those who have ordered. I am currently working on the last two orders and hope to be able to open up for more soon. It is a serious blessing as nothing brings me more pleasure than to create a one of a kind item for someone.
  On that note I want to share a Custom Order that just shipped out. I am always willing to do any color combinations and get so amazed at how gorgeous they turn out. So these are the latest Customer choices:

What's on your DIY List?

   I haven't been posting too much lately and thought I would share a few reasons why. It's all the fault of the upcoming Holidays and the fact that I love making gifts if possible. Couple that with making gifts (?)/ orders on my Etsy shop it doesn't leave a lot of extra time of the little extra time I normally have. Does that make sense to anyone other than me?? ;)
 So here's a peek at a few things I have been working on..since they are gifts, I can't elaborate more yet but I hope to post pictures of the finished products once it is safe!

Another Reason I Adore Custom Orders!

   Ok so a quick post to show why Custom Orders are absolutely wonderful! Customers come up with the most amazing color combinations.. ones that I would never think of on my own.. ones that make me go "why didn't I think of that!" 
Well these booties are a PERFECT example! 
Huge KUDOS to Anna Simon on Etsy for her fantastic taste!

Kitty Cat Purse

  A while back I had run across the most adorable Kitty Cat Coin Purse on Pinterest. I immediately pinned it under inspiration because it was too cute not to :) Later when I had a chance I clicked on the actual picture to see where it had originated from and to see if the pattern was available for it.
  Unfortunately the picture went to a very strange website that had a lot of pictures that were not linked to anywhere and had no information about them. To add to it, it had a disclaimer on the side panel saying it could take up to 3 hours or more for the page to fully load???? Insert eyes rolling around and around and finger strumming my lips. 

  Sooo as I find myself doing more and more I figured I would try to make my own version of a Kitty Cat Purse. It actually came out better than I had hoped and what's awesome is, given the style of the little purse, you can alter the colors and buttons/ eyes, whiskers and ear placement to create endless variations. You can also use it as a coin purse or clutch or add a a strap and use it as a shoulder bag. 

  Depending on the colors and style you use to create it, it would be equally appropriate for any age female :)
 The Pattern is available in my Etsy Shop or on Craftsy as some people prefer one to the other. Hope you enjoy making it as much as I did <3

I'm in LOVE!!

  So I have been MIA for a very good reason. Seems this month my orders went thru the roof so every spare moment (is there really such a thing?) has been spent crocheting away! I actually had to put my shop on a temporary Vacation mode to allow me to catch up a bit which I am hard at work doing :)
  I did have to stop for a few minutes to make this post because I just couldn't wait. Awhile back I posted about a Link Hat I had made for a good friend and offered up both the finished item or the pattern for purchase. Well for Halloween I had the pleasure of creating a baby sized version! It was so much fun and my customer was kind enough to send me a few pictures of the hat on her baby.
  The pictures are sooo adorable!! I was so happy with the way the hat turned out and how well it fit but that little boy with those gorgeous blue eyes stole the show!!
A huge THANK YOU to his mommy for sharing these photos with me and now with you :)

Big Hit!

    I recently made a pair of Boot Cuffs for a friends birthday. She adores them and pins them a lot on her Pinterest pages. As I had hoped, she really loved them. This style fits at the top of the calf sticking out the top of the boots.
    I created the pattern myself loosely based on some photos I had seen but I added a Picot pattern to create a bit of pop to them especially since they are a very small accessory (though they make a HUGE impact) so I thought I would type up the pattern and offer it for sale on my Etsy. I decided to offer it pretty cheap as a pattern and actually pretty cheap as ready made Cuffs. 
   Well, my oh my, are they a BIG HIT!! I mean I know they are quite the rage but I didn't anticipate the demand.
  So if you are a crocheter I encourage you to make a few.. for yourself, as gifts, stocking stuffers etc. You can make them in any color and in any size yarn. Perfect for those hard to buy for Teens and Tweens as well! How much better can it get? They are tons of patterns out there besides mine so you aren't limited to one style either.
  If you can't crochet I would be honored to make some for you, or a friend or loved one etc. I have priced mine pretty reasonably since I have seen them average $30-$40 a pair (insert HUGE GULP)
I have to add though that this month has been so busy for me that my usual week turn around is up to 3 weeks from ordering to shipping so you may have to be a bit patient. Hopefully I can get that time frame shortened up soon :)

X's and O's Bootie Pattern

    I have been wanting to offer these for quite some time and am so happy to post this pattern! These adorable booties are the compliment to the X's and O's Infant Beanie Style Hat Pattern. If you are anything like me, you enjoy giving a set -especially one that coordinates or matches- when gifting someone or even dressing your own special bundle! 
  Just as the hat, the booties' name is inspired from the combination of the Puff Stitch Round and the Cross Stitch Round. Love the name if I do say so myself! These booties are also equally appropriate for a boy or a girl just by changing the color choices.
ENJOY!

Supplies:
   Size 0-3 Months

• Worsted Weight Baby or equally soft Yarn in the color of your choice. I used Crochet Simply Soft
• Size F Crochet Hook *Using a larger size hook and/or thicker yarn will increase the finished size of the booties for those wanting a larger size. 
• Large Eye Tapestry Needle

Stitches:
SC: Single Crochet
DC: Double Crochet
SS: Slip Stitch
BLO: Back Loop Only
Puff Stitch Directions: *Yarn Over Hook and insert thru stitch. Pull up a loop and pull thru*  Repeat from * 3 more times. Yarn over and pull thru all loops on hook. Chain 1 to close. Puff Stitch Made

Directions:
 **Beginning Ch 3 counts as a DC
Ch 12
Round 1: DC in 4th chain from hook, 4 DC in same stitch, DC in next 7 chains, 5 DC in last chain. Working down opposite side of chain, DC in last 7 stitches. Join with SS in 3rd chain of beginning chain

Round 2: Ch 3, DC in same stitch, 2 DC in each of next 4 stitches, DC in next 7 stitches, 2 DC in each of next 5 stitches, DC in last 7 stitches. Join with SS in 3rd chain of beginning ch 3

Round 3: Ch 1, SC in same stitch, SC in BLO of each stitch around. Join with SS in first SC

Round 4: Ch 1, SC in same stitch and in each stitch around. Join with SS in first SC.


*You will be working back and forth across top of bootie to create toe area for the next 3 rows.
Row 5: Ch 1, SC Dec over next 2 stitches, SC in next 6 stitches, SC Dec over next 2 Stitches, SS in next 2 Stitches on previous row, TURN
Row 6: Ch 1, Skip 2 SS, SC Dec over next 2 stitches, SC in next 4 stitches, SC Dec over next 2 Stitches, SS in next 2 Stitches on previous row, 
TURN
Row/ Round 7:  Ch 1, Skip 2 SS, SC Dec over next 2 stitches, SC in next 2 stitches, SC Dec over next 2 Stitches, SS in next 2 Stitches on previous row,   DO NOT TURN
Ch 1, SC in same stitch as last SS, SC in each stitch around, Join with SS in first SC Dec

Round 8: Ch 3, DC in last SC of previous row- creating the first X Stitch, * Skip next stitch, DC in next stitch, DC in skipped stitch. Repeat from * around. Join with SS in 3rd chain of beginning ch 3.

Round 9: Ch 1, SC in each DC around. Join with SS in first SC

Round 10: Ch 1, Puff Stitch in same stitch, *Skip next stitch, Puff Stitch in next stitch. Repeat from * around. Join with SS in chain 1 closure at top of first Puff Stitch. 
Fasten Off. Weave in any loose ends

Optional: If you feel the booties need a tie to stay on better you weave a thin ribbon thru Round 4 or make a chain approx 12" long and weave it thru Round 4- make ends meet at middle front and tie in a bow.

Hope you enjoy the booties and if you have made the booties or the hat or the set I would ADORE seeing the photos! Please post them here or on the hat pattern page

Birthday Fun!

 I had some special birthdays last week and had a wonderful time trying to make some equally special gifts. I shared over the weekend my adventure making my niece's gift. After all was said and done she looked adorable in the dress/ top as you can see here:

 

I also made a super fun apron and some Boot Cuffs (PDF available) for a dear friend.

 

Lastly my nephews got these two super awesome Dragons!!

 I had so much fun (mostly) creating one of a kind items for the people I care for! Making gifts that are specifically designed for each person just makes it so special and very rewarding! I am looking forward to making many more special items. I would love to make a special gift for someone in your life as well

My Personal Pinstrosity!!

     So about 2 weeks ago I stumbled upon a very real and very humorous blog called Pinstrosity. It is a compilation of all the attempts folks have made trying to replicate DIY projects from Pinterest. I didn't realize how many failed and funny results were out there as I, along with those who have posted on Pinstrosity, thought-think that the instructions given are going to be full proof! Wrong!!!
    Well fast forward and less then 2 weeks later I have my own personal Pinstrosity to share :(
    It all began with a gorgeous little dress than I had pinned and planned to make for my niece for her birthday. I should have seen the warning signs when I went to the website to get the instructions and all the photos were missing. Now I must say the missing photos were no fault of the Blog owner- she had recently, somehow, lost ALL her photos on her blog and was undergoing the daunting task of trying to replace them all. UGH I can't imagine the stress of that process! 
    I felt quite confident that I could still make the dress sans photos as I am a moderately skilled sewer and so off I went. I cut out all the random pieces in the correct measurements and was even able to manage cutting out an off center skirt :p But the minute I started actually sewing everything went to ^&*&^^%$$# 
    I sewed the bodice together the wrong way three times and had to rip it out after every fail. I finally got it together the correct way but then the halter straps did not line up the way they should have. I then discovered I had to "shir" the back of bodice which I had never done but I learned and it actually wasn't bad except I did the shirring on the wrong side of the fabric! The shirring was also not tight enough to make the back fit right. Heavy Sigh!
    The skirt part ended up being much too short to be a dress even with the ruffle attached and the back hung open and so I decided that if I added the gathered sides it would pull the "dress" up too high to even be a decent top. Instead I added some wide ties and created a double back bow to help pull in the excess fabric in hopes that it will actually fit my petite niece. 
     A significant part of the problems I had were the lack of photos. For example, even though I used her pattern template my bodice looks nothing like hers. When you are working with no pattern and someone else's ideas it isn't easy to mesh the two without visuals. Store bought patterns always combine written instructions with pictures-- know why?? I sure do (now)
     The dress/top wasn't a total loss though and my niece is still getting it. It actually is quite pretty but bears little resemblance to the original pattern I based it on :(
    I now consider my a full fledged member of Pinstrosity and have the mental battle wounds to prove it!

Couldn't Wait

   Just a quick post to share the sweetest picture from one of my customers showing off her brand new baby boy wearing a custom order!! I am so blessed for her and her family on their new addition and adore the way the hat and booties look on him!! Thanks again Guiselle for sharing and can't wait to see him in the other items as he grows!!