Blog Posts of the Week X

Blog posts of the week; a semi-regularly published collection of my favorite blog posts from the past week. (Or however long it's been since the last time I shared my favorite blog posts.)

Jelly Xmas Star Tutorial
Jelly Wares is sharing this cute little crocheted star pattern. Although crocheting is not my preferred mode of crafting, I will be trying this pattern. It looks like the perfect size for my little Christmas tree.

Keep it Simple, Stupid
I'm Knitting As Fast As I Can notes that as time goes by, she seems to prefer simpler patterns. At the end of this post are some clever little I-cord bracelets. Since I love knitting I-cord, I see a few of these in my knitting future.

My Craft Room
French Press Knits has just finished turning her basement into a craft room. As you can see in the picture below, ours still needs a little bit of work to look as clean and organized as hers. She also just had a baby - congratulations!

December 2010 Desktop Calendar
I have been using these calendars from Chocolate and Zucchini all year. They always make me smile, and sometimes crave the food pictured. This month the picture is of chocolate clusters. Yummy!

From The Craftiblog:
Explosion Mini Gift Birthday Box - This is the cutest little box and when you take the top off, it 'explodes' to reveal candy or whatever else you put inside. I think these would be prefect to include with Christmas gifts.
Candy Bar Gift Card- This is also a very clever card and gift box all rolled into one sweet package.

From Jon's Thread Escapades:
Merriment Doily/Coaster - Jon is generously sharing this lovely pattern with her readers. Doilies have always intimidated me, but I think I might be able to manage this one.
Adding a Bead in the Centre of a SSSR - Jon has created a technique to insert a bead in a Single Shuttle Split Ring.


Little Teapots
Umi and Tsuru has been tatting little teapots from Martha Ess' Tea is for Tatting book.

From Yarnplayer:
It grew around a bottle cap - featuring a necklace that started with a bottle cap pendant.
Truckload Giveaway - Yarnplayer is hosting a giveaway, including a 'truckload' of HDT, a copy of her newest book, and some other goodies.

I hope you have fun checking out these blog posts!

25 Things I'm Thanful For

This month I decided that I would find at least one thing each day to be thankful for. Some days were easy, and some weren't so easy. Here's my list.

1. The availability of information through internet, newspapers and other sources.
2. The right to vote.
3. Election results, and getting the craft room rug installed.
4. Spending the evening doing crafts with friends.
5. The ability to make dinner for my family, and having enough food.
6. Daylight savings time! Plus an extra hour of sleep!
7. My Church Family.
8. Clothing.
9. The doctor said my knee was ok, I just need to do some exercise to strengthen it.
10. Wednesday night Bible Study, and being able to meet freely.
11. Shrimp for dinner! Also, finding a lot of things for my Operation Christmas Child boxes.
12. Shopping time with Mom. :)
13. Physically able to swim - I'm not very good, but at least I can swim!
14. Good discussion in Sunday School
15. The car I drive passed inspection! Whew!
16. I 'fixed' the problem with my ITunes, 'all by myself'.
17. Having the energy to get a lot of things done today.
18. We started decorating the craft room!
19. I got a haircut! Also, being able to buy food for Thanksgiving dinner.
20. Dad's __'th birthday! Dinner at the China Buffet - Yummy!
21. Operation Christmas Child, and completing 2 boxes.
22. Warmer weather.
23. My chiropractor, and my insurance covering the appointments.
24. Safety while cooking Thanksgiving side dishes - I cut my finger on a blade, but didn't need stitches. Some friends had their first baby today! 
25. Thanksgiving Day. Today I am thankful for a day set aside to be thankful. Too often we focus on our problems, and not on what we have to be thankful for. 

I am making a resolution to write in my calendar every day at least one thing that I am thankful for. What are you thankful for?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sarah
Clip art by: Webweaver

Tatting; Motifs & Bookmark

Here are pictures of my most recent tatted pieces. The motifs were for the birthday tatting club, and the bookmark was for a friend.

These two are the Seed Bead Earrings from the Big Book of Tatting. I have made them several times, and prefer to use them as motifs, rather than earrings.

This heart pattern is from a free pattern sheet, published by Lizbeth Thread. I have also made this pattern many times. It is fairly quick and easy, although the first try gave me quite a lot of trouble.

I found this pattern on Be-Stitched.com. It is called "Tatted Flower Medallion." I made two of these. The pattern seemed to have been made for the thread, or vice versa. I used Lizbeth Springtime. The pattern was easy to make, although I did have to think through some of the instructions several times before fully comprehending what I was supposed to do.

This is the same pattern as this cross bookmark. (Last picture in post) The pattern is from Elizabeth's Lace. She uses "front side/back side" tatting, which I taught myself the first time I made the bookmark. This time, I was in a hurry, and I just tatted the way I normally do. Next time I try this pattern, I plan to leave myself enough time try a split ring 'tail' as seen in this post by UMI and TSURU.

Happy Tatting!

Scrappin' Saturday XI

Welcome to Scrappin' Saturday - take a peek into the pages of my scrapbooks, and learn how I made them.

Background Paper: I used the paper that came in the scrapbook sleeves.
Photos: The glove-mitt photos were cropped to the size I wanted, and the corners rounded. The remainder of the photos were cropped using  Creative Memories Custom Cutting System Oval. I also used the CM system to cut backgrounds of solid colored paper for the sock pictures.
Die Cuts: The paisley die cuts were made with Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Paisley. I used the paisleys to write information about the patterns, where to find the pattern, and the date completed.
Other: The rectangle above the Mary Jane Socks came with a package of journaling die cuts.
I wanted the glove-mitts to be on their own, and not just jumbled in with the rest of the pictures. To accomplish this, I used  a sheet from the 8x8 DCWV Luxury Stack, rounded the corners, and pasted it in the bottom left corner of my page. Both the pictures fit nicely on the sheet, and it gave me the effect I wanted.
Projects Pictured: Glove-Mitts, Mom's Socks, Dad's Socks, Ally's Mary Jane Socks