W.......edding Challenge

My latest endeavor has been to enter a "Wedding Challenge" through a couple of ETSY groups. I loved making the drape for this candle and thought it might make an appropriate entry. If you would like to see the other items in the challenge, you can click on http://jewelryonetsyteam.blogspot.com/ to see this along with the other entries. You can even vote for your favorites if you would like! One like this graced a candle at our wedding, so it will always be in my heart.

J.........oyous experience!

She began by singing in her deep, beautiful throaty voice:
"Just when I thought the sun wasn't going to shine anymore,
"God put a rainbow in the sky."
Perhaps you've guessed who this is already!
Last night we had the great pleasure of spending "An Evening With Maya Angelou", a presentation by the Kohler Distinguished Guest Series and the Kohler Foundation, attended by several hundred people right here in Kohler, Wisconsin.
She went on to speak about hope, her life experiences, and her thoughts with an incredible grace, humor, and spirit. She sang; she read her poetry; her soul danced. She talked about the effect we all have on each other. She spoke of those heroes, and sheroes...that's no typo...that have touched her life and I couldn't help but wonder if she realized how much she has meant to so many people, especially me.
I loved how she talked about "rainbows in the clouds of life", and was deeply touched when my husband told me on the way home that I was the rainbow in his cloud.
Thank you, Dr. Angelou, for the most inspiring and touching evening of my life!

C...........amille could not decide!

Camille had quite a day! First she had a visit from one of my little friends. She watched as she played with my Mytryoshka dolls and then they both sat on my lap while Katydid and Kirby watched. Yes that's a picture of little old me...more old than little!



Then she tried to judge the contest. There were 12 entries. Eleven are posted here and one posted on a thread from ETSY. She, and I, loved them all! So...we'll send out 12 scrubbies! Now we need addresses. We have the one from the ETSY thread, but the eleven who posted here can send me their snail mail addresses via email. My email address is in My Complete Profile just at the end of the "About Me" section on the right. As soon as I get the addresses the scrubbies will be mailed along with a coupon for my ETSY shop. Thanks from me and Camille! You'll see your ideas on this blog in the next couple of months. Just wait "til you see what dh came up with for the hot air balloon!

C.........amille has a contest!

So this is why Camille didn't turn around yesterday! She was hiding the prize for her contest! Camille is giving away two scrubbies! All you have to do is post another fun idea for Camille on the blog, and I'll have a friend pick the best idea. It could be a suggestion for an adventure, a good way to market her, some fun colors for her next "chameleon" change, or anything else that pops into your head! After the choice is made, she'll draw another suggestion at random from the list. Both of you will receive a free scrubbie soon in the mail. The contest ends tomorrow afternoon! She's "hopping" to get many suggestions!

U.........h, Oh!

True to form Camille has changed color..from bright blue to pale green aqua blue! But not true to form, she had a request today. She wants to go shopping! What's happening with Camille? Is there something we don't know about? Should I be concerned? And why won't she turn around? Perhaps we'll find out in the new post tomorrow!

I.........'ve been framed, part 2!

Camille was still a little confused when she sat among all the supplies, but was fascinated to see the work in progress. When Mom was done she hung it on the wall. Now she has an original piece of art with an original frame we can admire everyday! We hope that TinkersTrinkets likes it too!

I.........'ve been framed!

Camille was very curious yesterday about pine needles soaking in the sink! I explained to her that we were going to make a special frame for a special picture I had bought from TinkersTinkets on Etsy. (You can see much more of her lovely work at http://TinkersTrinkets.etsy.com ) Then she watched as I drilled holes around the frame with a dremel. They weren't quite big enough so Dad enlarged them with a special "high tech" tool (a knittling needle!)

C.........amille just couldn't wait!

She was supposed to wait until Thursday, but she just couldn't! She had to tell about her trip to visit Grandma yesterday! She hopped right into the car, and wanted to drive and then sit on the console, but then was a good girl and was buckled into the back seat to be safe. But it was all worth it. She even was able to watch Grandma craft. Over many years, Grandma has probably made thousands of dishcloths that she donates to

organizations for their craft bazaars and gives as gifts. Look at those marvelous fingers! They're almost 94 years old!

B.........unny hopping with Camille

Meet Camille...that's short for Chameleon...because she has been known to change colors...at least when she hops away from my etsy shop! Camille is starting out on a series of "excellent adventures". Every Thursday morning you can catch Camille hopping around the house, helping with my crafting, and visiting as many people and as many places as she can. Here you can see her coming and going! It's amazing where this 6 1/2" bunny can hop, so please watch for her every Thursday. This weekend she's planning to visit Grandma and in May she's going to LA! Stay tuned!

A.........pple Scrubbies

Because fall is the season for apples, this post seemed perfect for the the September 29 blog carnival! It seems that everyone likes the standard nylon net scrubbies, I thought I'd show my original design for scrubbies in the shape of a red apple with a green leaf. They work as well as the other scrubbies and I find them more fun to look at...of course my kitchen has apple decorations!
Seeing as many of you asked for the pattern, I'll give it as briefly as I can. You will need a size "I" crochet hook...if you crochet very tight, you might want to up it a size or two...and two 2" strips of nylon netting, about 8 yards of red and 1 1/2 yards of green. Because nylon net comes 72" wide, you can get quite a few from one purchase.
With red, ch 3, sl st to form a ring. Work 8 sc in ring. Join with sl st to first sc. Ch 1. Work 2 sc in each sc around and join with sl st to first sc. (16 sts). For row 3: ch1. Work sc in next 3 sc, 2sc in next sc around. Join with sl st to first sc (20 sc). Last row (apple shaping): Sl st in next sc. Work hdc in next sc. Work 3 dc in next sc. Work hdc in next sc. Work 2 sc in next sc. Work sc in each of next three sc. Work 2 hdc in next sc. Sl st in each of next 2 sc. Work 2 hdc in next sc. Work sc in each of next three sc. Work 2sc in next sc. Work hdc in next sc. Work 3 dc in next sc. Work hdc in last sc. Sl st in first sl st and finish off.
Join green strip in the sl st you just finished. Sc in next 2 sts on top of the apple. Work 2 sc in next st on top of apple. Ch 3. Turn. Work sc back to center and finish off.
Hope you can follow this! If I would need to write it out more carefully with illustrations I would have to sell the pattern Hope you understand. I do have finished scrubbies for sale in my etsy shop. There's a link on the right!

H......... e really deserves the compliments he gets!

Today, my dear husband (pictured with my younger daughter in New Hampshire last summer), received another cute compliment from a lady as he was helping me at JoAnn Fabrics. He seems to get alot of these! Most women say their husbands will only wait in the car. Today I'd like to let him know how much I appreciate his help, patience and support with my crafts and so much more. For example, yesterday he did all the vaccuuming while I played on the computer. Am I lucky, or what? I'm so grateful for the joys life gives to me!

T.........est pattern

Funny, but when I wrote this title I immediately thought of the old "test patterns" on TV! Most of you reading this blog have never experienced a "test pattern", I imagine. Originally, they helped you tune in your TV. Boy, am I dating myself!

This, however is a much newer type. I was given the privilege of testing a pattern for a crocheted felted purse by the talented kellykat, another etsy shop owner. She designed the purse using giant granny squares in bold colors. It was crocheted in wool and then felted in the washer to make a very solid bag that measures about 11"x11" without the strap which is shoulder length. She gave me the option of making an additional granny square for the flap, but I chose to add a small solid flap instead, which fastens with a large snap.

Be sure to visit http:// kellykatcrafts.etsy.com to see all of her cute designs. I really enjoyed making this project! I chose these colors because it matches several outfits I already own.

F.........riendship shawls

One of my recent projects has been making a dozen friendship shawls that I'm using as gifts for dear friends in the hope that they will come in handy for our very chilly evenings. They come from a pattern from friendshipshawl.org and cannot be sold. I have, however, varied the edgings on them as you can see from the close-up images. They're made from two skeins of Caron's Simply Soft yarn which can be machine washed and dried. Right now, I've been able to find enough different colors for everyone!

N.........ote Cards

It is always a joy for me to receive a quick note in the mail, an act that is rapidly becoming passe. Today I would like to share the story of a wonderful friend who is fondly known as "The Postcard Lady." Whenever she feels that someone could use cheering up...for what ever reason, she sends them a series of postcards with encouraging words or silly jokes. I know those cards were very helpful to me a while back when I was going through a hard loss. Her simple act of kindness has inspired so many people! Here are some of the cards I have created for various occasions that will be posted for sale on my ETSY site soon.

D.........aughters

"A son is a son 'til he gets him a wife; a daughter's a daughter for the rest of your life!" Thank goodness for our daughters. We had occasion to deal with two daughters and a niece yesterday and it was fabulous. My older daughter drove up to visit and we worked out a lovely summer outing at The American Player's Theater to see "Ah, Wilderness", and stay at a nearby hotel. Then we went to see David's sister's daughter who is here in Wisconsin visiting from Atlanta with her adorable five-year-old son. This was the first time I met her and she is a lovely, charming girl whom I hope to see more often. When we got home, there was a message from my younger daughter, with ideas for our short trip to Los Angeles the end of May when we see her receive her master's degree. There are times when life is so full and it's not possible to feel enough gratitude!

S.........pring!

Today I put out the hummingbird feeder! That might not seems like a big deal to many, but to me it's a sure sign of spring. After a very hard winter here in Wisconsin, we can finally prepare the garden beds and can see signs of birds returning and tulips popping up. This lovely feeder was a gift from my daughters and the little garden angel from our dear neighbors.
Of course, this close to Lake Michigan, our weather forecasters are always saying, "Cooler by the lake." Therefore the following rhyme overheard on a college campus many years ago, fits perfectly:

"Spring has sprung,
Winter has fell,
Upon my word,
It's colder than could be expected!"

Notice that I said I overheard it; I don't necessarily agree with the grammar!

S.........crubbie/dishcloth Part 1:

For many years, I have loved using handmade dishcloths and nylon net scrubbies. Finally, it hit me that I could combine them and make the most useful dishcloth ever! For those of you who crochet, this mini-tutorial may give you all the directions you need. The complete pattern and finished dishcloths are also available on my etsy site in the right hand column.You need about 7 yards of nylon netting cut into two inch strips. One purchase of the netting which is 72" wide will give you many scrubbies. With an "I" crochet hook make a loop. I crochet loosely, so you may want a "J" or "K" hook. Single crochet three rows, increasing as needed to lie flat. It should be about 3" in diameter. Finish off. You now have a very useful scrubbie as is. If you wish to continue with the dishcloth, see the post below!

S.........crubbie/dishcloth part 2:

Once you've decided to continue with the dishcloth, using the same size hook, crochet a row of single crochet around, using cotton yarn in a variegated color, increasing as needed to stay flat. Then add three rows of double crochet, again, increasing as needed. Then with a solid color, add a row of single crochet, also increasing, and finish with a final row of loops of chain stitches and single crochet. You have produced a scrubbie/dishcloth that can be machine washed and dried that will serve you for a long time, getting dishes ready for the dishwasher, cleaning tables and counters, and doing dishes by hand, getting off stuck on food while not scratching dishes!

P.........art 3:

Between the Barbara Walters Special and the hype over John Ratey's book, "Spark", aging and exercising is becoming fashionable! From this wonderful group of participants in both, whose average age is just under 70, comes more inspiration to get going and keep going. Biking is another popular activity which is followed by stretching. In this post, and the last two, remember that ages here run from 52 to 85. Can you spot the 85-year-olds?

P.........art 2!

Here are additional activities that the exercise group enjoys at 7:00am! (Just don't tell the rest of the world that we're already zoned out by 7:00pm.). One particularly good activity is working with balance cushions. As we age our sense of balance can be compromised, so we work at it on these lovely blue cushions that help us strengthen muscles that can be of great help to us later. Of course, as my friends and family will tell you, I'm a little off balance normally! The final segement of this series premieres tomorrow when you will see more "instruments of torture"!