Side Tracked

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful Holiday. I just love cooking and eating all the food. Of course it is tradition around here to put the tree up the weekend following Thanksgiving.

The tree is up but it will take me several days to form the branches and then comes pulling out all those memories of past years events.

I am one to go on my adventures and pick up items, such as a rock, pine cone, napkin, card, whatever it may be and save it as my souvenir.

This year, I decided to hand down my tradition of crafting with the things I pick up on my adventure throughout the year and making ornaments for the tree to another family. I was invited to attend the pumpkin patch farm with them and it was a blast. The corn maze, which I have never experienced before was so fun. Watching the children run and play and laugh is always a wonderful thing.

Sometimes I think we forget that the happiest times in our lives is not about money or the things we have, but about the spirit of play. It really doesn't cost anything to run, jump, walk and laugh and it brings such joy when shared with others.

As I walked around, I started noticing the rocks and small pine cones. I though well, I might as well pick up one of each and make something for my tree.

I finally began creating on Thanksgiving Day my ornaments for the tree in remembrance of the event. As I worked with the pine cone, I thought, I need to give this to the family that invited me and share my tradition with them. Maybe they will, maybe they won't incorporate it, but hopefully they will appreciate it.

I still need to make something with the rock, but the pine cone ornament is finished and delivered. I think it was well received and will be enjoyed for many years.

I even used some of my vintage buttons and the stuffing as always, is plastic grocery bags. I thought it was so cute that I had to go back several times and admire it and count the stitching so I can make myself one. That is not an item I would make over and over again, so there was no need for me to write the pattern down. Especially a gift as a memory, they are one of a kind and based on what I know of the person and what I feel will bring the happy thoughts.

I can say, I have seen these from other crafters floating around but this is a one time gift that I thought reflective of the person so no need for me to write patterns and I am sure there are some out there.

So here is my whimsical owl with pine cone. I like the idea of crocheting a square of rectangular shape and then turning that into something. So now, back to working with my tree and pulling out the ornaments.

Have a great weekend........

T-Shirt Rag Rug

Here is the starting of my t-shirt rag rug. It will be a colorful one. Good practice before I start working with blue jean material for the rug I am going to make for the living room. I am using whatever t-shirts I have around the house that are worn out or not worn anymore.

In the process of starting the rug that will be going in the room where the dogs have taken over, another idea comes to mind to make dog collar necklaces for the dogs. I am not sure that Boston the Boston Terrier will enjoy it but the Shotzy the doxi will.

The nice thing about the rugs are they are washable. I love my pets just as much as I love my children, but they are a higher maintenance and carpet and dogs just don't seem to mix in my house. I have not been able to train my dogs or my children to not track dirt in, take your shoes off, wash your paws. As you can see, I am not a carpet person at all.

The one nice thing though, is the majority of the house has tile or prego flooring. The bedrooms have carpet, so we are slowly but surely pulling it up and replacing it with the fake wood floors, but for now the spare room gets painted as we work on the other rooms. It will take me months to figure out what I want in the rooms. These kind of decisions are always so difficult for me.

Sea Life Crochet

My weeks are becoming more and more busy as year end approaches. I don't seem to have the time to craft as much as I would like to. I am putting together my sea life series of crochet bottle caps. These are always so fun to create. Writing the instructions on how to create them is another.

I have so many ideas and just not enough time. I have noticed about myself, as I work on one project in the back of my mind there is another stewing away for my attention. Most of the time I have to drop the projects I am currently working on and get the next started in order not to loose my thoughts.

As I create and design my bottle cap sea life series, I am sitting here crocheting and realize that, wow, I need more color in my home. I have always stuck to reds and I really need a more cool color as in blues. When I entered this home it was already custom painted on the inside and I like all the rooms, but my living room is so dark with the dark brown paint. I have been contemplating painting it a light gray. So, four years later, I am still looking at dark brown walls. Painting is not a pastime that I really enjoy, but still today, I would like to see them light gray so that I can incorporate any color or a multitude of colors in the living room.

I am thinking well, I can start to change the color out by crocheting a rug out of T-Shirts, great idea, so I started one. What color do you think I start with, yes, red. Since it is a practice one, it will be very colorful, as I work with the technique. I am of course making excuses for why it is ok to start out with red when I want to change to a more cool color palette.

I think the only resolution is, make the rug out of blue jean yarn and use the t-shirts for other projects.

Then I say to myself, get back on track, stick with the sea life series and finish designing and creating. I have completed my crab, jelly fish and working on a star fish, just two more, then I can start the rugs.

I am very excited about Thanksgiving this year. My daughter has the day off, which I am thrilled about. With school and work, I don't know how one keeps that kind of schedule. Amazes me, the drive and motivation people have to accomplish their personal development and goals.

At the end of the day though, it about the connection that we have with our family and friends and this should be a fabulous Thanksgiving.

My Trip with Crafts

Since I am on a roll with plastic bottle caps and preparing for Thanksgiving, I choose to share my acorns. I will have plenty to sprinkle on the dining room table this year.

My second day, I had to come up with something new. I decided to stick with the bottle cap. I love mushroom. I collect them. So with my crochet hook in hand and bottle caps in my pocket away I went with my theme. I won't post my first attempt. It wasn't meeting up to expectation with everyone. The one thing about creating, is you can fail but not beat yourself up about it, because you can always say, hey, it is in the works, I am building up to a masterpiece, I am developing, exploring, drafting. I wish it was like that in other areas of life, but sometimes you don't get second, third and fourth chances.

My last and final day was to come up with a jewelry piece. I could have used a bottle cap, but I wanted to try wire. Talk about hard on the hands, I have blisters on my fingers, but, oh, oh, oh, this makes me want to invest in sterling silver wire. Just beautiful. Before I venture down that alley though, I need to practice, practice, practice.

T-Rope

It is good to be home. My size F crochet hook became my best friend for the last three days. Today, I have access to my other hooks. In my last three days of being with crafters, it seems that yarn made from T Shirt was a big hit.

I pulled out an old T Shirt and some scissors and away I cut. Pull the strip and it curls and hides the unfinished edges and you have yarn. I think my T Shirt was a little too thick, because I found to crochet with this was difficult but the results are just beautiful.

This is defiantly a project I will go forward with.

Bottle Cap Acorn

God does work in mysterious ways.

I want acorns to scatter on my dining room table for Thanksgiving. I picked up the bag of acorns and caps at the thrift store and proceeded to crochet the nut portion for the cap. Cute idea, I see them all the time. Felted ones, as well.

I know I am suppose to be thinking about my plastic bottles and the second round of crafting and the things you can make with a plastic bottle. As I sat and came up with patterns for the nut portion of the acorn and how the cap should look, I am asking friends to send me acorns, I will pay for the postage, you know the story.

Then low and behold, it dawned on me, I have another bottle cap crafts.

I already had everything I needed.

I will be away for awhile, have a great week everyone!!!

Acorns

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love everything about it. The food, the colors and the closeness of family and friends. It is a time that everyone gets together and shares the closing of the year. It is always a time for me, when I reflect upon the year and start setting goals for next year.

Acorns seem to be a fascination for me this year. I was quite fortunate to find a few at a thrift store. Where I am from, they are not something that you can find on your daily walks.

I have stared the process of painting the caps and crocheting balls for the bottom to make some decorative acorns to sprinkle on my dining room table for Thanksgiving. I may trying some felting as well.

In the process of doing this, I realized that another plastic bottle craft creation is being formed. It just hit me that I can make acorns from one of the section of the plastic bottle.

Today, I will be working towards a new creation with the plastic bottle.