mittens in the making...

 'mom, i want to make some mittens'

she was holding up a ball of yarn and a crochet hook.

i have tried to teach her how to crochet a couple of times but it was always a little too difficult and she didn't last too long.

mittens, hmmm...

we started with just a simple chain.

i showed her once and she figured it out.

 love it!!

she decided to just make me a bracelet and next time we would work on the mittens

next time...

they make me smile....

 this wall art...I can't remember where I came across it, but it is perfect and inspiring if anyone knows the source let me know,

this sweet face...even at 6 am when the sun is just rising over the hills and streaming through our window,

 coffee...so that I can function at 6 am and can make

 some homemade waffles on our new waffle iron...apple cinnamon and banana pecan are my two favorites so far,

 yum, these are dangerous,

 this sweet girl playing

 with the late afternoon sun hitting her and  her bubbles perfectly,

 crocheting on cold nights,

 little dogs trying to steal big bones from big dogs

and being successful

Andy and his hoarding of car parts.

New Hats

 Here we are embracing the camera and sportin' a couple of new hats I just finished. For this picture Ella said, 'let's do funny faces'.  I guess that is Julian's new funny face.  It used to be grabbing the sides of his mouth and pulling it out to the sides.  Now it's pulling his eyes.  I guess I will have to explain to him at some point that people might take offense to that funny face.  
So our new hats were a couple of the easiest hats I have ever made.  I started E's a while ago but it was buried under some yarn.  Such a great surprise to find a project that is already half way done.  I made my hat a while back, but I didn't like the way that it looked and never wore it, so I took out a couple of rows and replaced them with the cream colored yarn and made it a little tighter.  Much better.  New hats and just a little bit of work.

 I made Andy embrace the camera with us.

Interview with Anjelica Rodarte

My friend Anji, who is an amazing photographer, has decided to follow her passion and love for photography professionally.  I look at her work and I am so amazed.  
I love reading interviews so I decided to do one of my own.  Anji was nice enough to be my first interview.

What inspired you to start your business?

 God first and foremost, then a true love for capturing time and moments.  Trapping them in a photo that will live on longer than me.  It's kind of hard to explain, but I've always felt like God gave me this ability to visually see things like colors, patterns and compositions differently than others may see them.  My absolute goal every time I pick up the camera is to capture how I see the subject so that others may find the same beauty in it.

What/who are your favorite subjects to photograph?

Kids, unposed doing what they love best. They have raw, real emotion that I love shooting.  That is also true for older people. Every line on their face tells a story.  Then it would be nature.

Where do you find inspiration?

Just about anywhere, but it's funny because where I think I am going to find inspiration is the last place I find it.  If I go in with a pre-set idea of how I am going to capture a moment or thing it always gets turned in a completely different direction and I end up capturing something even better!

So there you have it.  Thanks Anji.  I plan to do a few more of these with people who inspire me.

For this newborn shoot shown, Anji had asked if I could make a couple of little hats and a baby cocoon so I gave it a try.  I had never made a cocoon or a hat so small before.  They were fun to make so I think I will be making some for my little shop.  They are perfect for a newborn shoot or for just keeping a little babe warm.

 Go check more of her amazing work here.

Lace and Crochet

A little lace and crochet love.

Love these really beautiful lace necklaces and earrings by White Owl.
So beautiful!

And here are some pretty crocheted pillow covers by Dottie Angel.

a someday doll house

I finally finished Ella's granny square blanket. Yeah!!!! It turns out 9 squares makes the perfect size blanket...or maybe I was just really over it and didn't want to make any more, hummm?

I do have high hopes of making one for my room out of small squares. I think I will first give myself a little break.

Someday...
I want to make a little doll house with all handmade furniture and accessories. When I saw these pics here, I wanted to start right away, but then I remembered how easily even large items are lost by 2 and 4 yr olds., so I figured I could wait a couple more years. This one is so adorable. It even has a little flag garland strung across.
a tiny phone
Too cute!

Goals Part 3...this is a big one

So I have undertaken a new challenge for the year 2010. Last year my husband did not buy any clothes, new or old, for himself and would not let me but him anything either. Why, you may ask. Well, we are a society of excess. Everyone has enough clothes to probably last 10 years...as long as there is no drastic change in size, pregnancy, eating a lot of donuts, etc. It was a personal challenge for himself and I am going to join in this year. OK, so I already bought a pair of pants, but that's it. That's it. I am committed now. I will make a little exception to the rule though. Handmade and thrift stores are not off limits. I am actually a little excited thinking about it. I have been wanting to sew more clothes for myself, so this will push me to reach that goal. They go hand in hand. I was also challenged by dottie angel's personal challenge. I just can't commit to that undertaking quite yet. For now I will spend the next eleven and a half months having fun in thrift stores and sewing up some cute little number...hopefully. I will also continue to look at these pretty little things from Anthropologie.

Now I need to go work on this project I started a while back and still have not completed. Christmas has come and gone and my 9 squares still sit waiting for their friends. I have finally figured out how to connect them. Thanks dottie angel.

fabric shopping bags

So I'm sure everyone has a few fabric or some sort of reusable shopping bags on hand by now. If you don't, you really need to. There are plenty of cheap ones at most stores now and they are also so easy to make. I made quite a few this past summer and let me tell you, they have gotten a lot of use. I am gearing up to make a few more because library books and crocheting projects have been known to steal them and not return them promptly. It surprised me to see a third world country like Nicaragua charging for plastic bags and here in most cities in CA they are still handing them out like candy. You do get 5 cents off at many stores if you use a reusable bag, but for the most part plastic bags are still a favorite for most. Let's all do our share. Here is a simple tutorial on a very simple bag that can seriously fit more than you think.

Here it goes...simple simple.

This is a large bag finishing at approximately 13 X 8 in and 16 in deep.

This bag takes up less than a yard. You can probably make 3 bags with 2 yards. I suggest a heavier weight fabric for durability. I always ask the bagger to load them up.

There are 5 pieces to this pattern.

1 large piece which will be the front, bottom and back of the bag - 13 in X 45 in

2 side panels - 9 in X 18 in

2 straps - 4 in X 24 in
Sorry you are straining your neck right now to read this, but I don't know why it keeps rotating my pic.

Straps : Fold strap in half lengthwise with wrong sides facing and iron. Unfold and turn both edges lengthwise 1/2 in and iron. Refold in half and sew along both edges. Strap should finish at about 1.5 inches Body of Bag : 4 seams total

Pin length of large piece (13 in X 45in ) to one of the side panel going along the length (18 in) across the width (9 inches ) and back up the length. Sew. Repeat with other side panel. The large panel is now the front, bottom and back side of the bag like a big U.

Hem top a double fold hem. Turn under 1/2 in and turn again 1.5 inches and sew along bottom of hem. Top stitch around top of bag 3/8 in from top.

Attaching handles : last step. Pin handles in place approx. 1.5 inches from side seam. Again sorry about diagram. You can either sew handles to inside or outside of bag. It is just a matter of preference. Make sure to box stitch and X through for support. These babies are going to have to put up with a lot of abuse.

I also came across this crocheted bag pattern at the purl bee and I think I may give it a shot. I've got to try at least one, it is so cute.

The 25 year old hat

That's right, my grandma made this hat for me when I was just...a little one year old...HA! I wasn't much older than that though. I found it a couple of months ago and actually love it a great deal more now than I think I did when I received it.
I not only love it because, come on, it's made out of granny squares, but also because it was made by my grandma. She is so talented and she is the one who actually taught me how to sew, crochet and knit. Oh, that is another goal for 2010 - pick up some knitting needles. I love that this is Ella's favorite hat also. It's pink, duh!
Thanks grandma for you. Love you!