Washing Scratchy Yarns

Months ago I saw a cool photo tutorial on washing scratchy yarns to make them softer by A Girl and her Needle. Like the blogger, Charmain, I absolutely love acrylic yarns. They are durable and cost effective, and you can really get some beautifully bright colors now (something I absolutely love).

Some brands are really nice and soft, while others can be pretty scratchy. Generally I use those scratchier yarns for things like accessories and some toys, depending on where it will be placed. Like most people, I don't like to use them for my hats or child items because of the unfavorable feel of them. This tutorial really opened my eyes and is bringing a whole new life to some of that unfavorable yarn I have in my stash.

I have a bunch of old scratchy yarn still hanging around in my stash. Most of it is from older projects and not being able to afford nicer yarn at the time. Well, a few weeks ago there was a charity hat project that I wanted to participate in (a little late now though) and I happened to have this green yarn that was needed as a required color, but I hated that it was scratchy so of course I never made my hats. After finally remembering this tutorial and buying a laundry bag, I decided to test it out for myself. 

So, here is the tutorial and my thoughts on it.  You'll also find some tips and tricks at the end.


:: Tutorial ::

What you'll need is your yarn of course, a laundry/lingerie bag, and your normal washer and dryer.  I found a 3 pack of laundry bags that are just the right size for a skein of yarn at my local Dollar Tree.  If you don't have any laundry bags, an old pair of nylons tied on the ends will also work.


Pull the labels off of your yarn so they don't get all wet and clogged in your yarn.  Now you want to loosen up the layers of the yarn by pulling on it.  I pulled along the sides and also got down into the center and gently pulled within as well.  Don't forget to loosen up the ends, but not too much because you don't want it to completely unravel.


Once you have it loosened up, close it up in the laundry bag. If you have more than one skein of yarn, I suggest using separate bags for each skein.


Throw the bag of yarn in the washing machine with a load of laundry of like colors! If you happen to have a bunch of yarn bags I suppose you could wash them all together, but if you have only one like me then you'll need more. Washing it with clothes is what will help to agitate it and get it to soften up.


Wash it like normal, with detergent and whatever. When the wash is done I suggest putting it in the dryer. Air drying probably isn't the best idea because it would take the layers on the inside much longer to dry.

Even after an hour in my dryer the center of this skein was still a little damp.  I decided that it was dry enough to allow it to air dry the rest of the way.  And that's it!  You should have a softer yarn!



:: My Thoughts ::

I used a skein of Red Heart Super Saver (RH SS) for this project. Anyone who has ever used this yarn knows it can be pretty scratchy (even though I've seen a few skeins that are softer lately). 

The washing process did soften it up, but I wouldn't say it was amazingly soft or anything. I generally buy I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby and their acrylic yarn is SUPER SOFT, but I wouldn't say that a washed skein of RH SS was as soft as that. 

There are times when I end up buying RH SS because the store might be out of my yarn or because it's the color I really want, and in those instances I would definitely use this washing technique. 

I wouldn't say that I'm going to start running out and buying cheaper, scratchy yarns just because I can now make them soft, but I can rest easy knowing that if I have to buy a scratchy yarn that I can wash it.


:: Tips & Tricks ::

If you have more than one skein of yarn I suggest using separate bags for each skein. On my facebook I had a nice lady tell me that she has had problems with the yarn tangling. If your yarn tangles, or if you have larger laundry bags, you can wrap each skein in an old pair of nylon pantyhose and knot the end. 

Don't unravel the yarn too much or it will tangle, even if it's in the bag by itself. I washed a second skein and did just that. It tangled up badly and it took me FOREVER to untangle it.

I used an older skein of yarn that I had already used and even unraveled and just wrapped back around the skein. You don't want the yarn to be tightly wrapped around the skein so make sure to wrap it back around loosely. This will still allow it to fluff up nicely in the wash without constricting the inner layer.

I've thought about washing it a second time to see if it will soften up even more. If I do that then I will let you all know how it turns out!


If you've done this before then tell us how it turned out for you!  :D

Super Giveaway :: Paracord Bracelets

This is the fifth of 5 total items being given away for my SUPER GIVEAWAY!  As promised, for reaching 100 Likes on the Two Little C's facebook page I'm doing a giveaway.  And the best part is that I'm not doing just one giveaway but 5 GIVEAWAYS!  I figured it would be best to split them up into separate posts to make it easier to follow and that way you can decide which giveaways you want to enter.  This way you won't win anything that you don't actually want to win.  You can enter them all but you can only win ONE of the 5 giveaways.



This giveaway is for two of my paracord bracelets that are shown above!  You'll get a black with Military Support Ribbon and a white with Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon.  These are sized to fit a 7.5-8" wrist, so they should work great for anyone from young teens to adults!  You can enter 5 different ways, and yes you can do all 5, for a total of 11 or more entries. With the ability to tweet about the giveaway every day, that is a whole bunch of entries! 

Now, the SUPER GIVEAWAY is going to be open for entries for two weeks.  This allows lots of time over the holiday season for you to get as many entries in as you would like and to tell all of your friends about it too!  So get to it and start entering and check out the other giveaways as well to be entered in them as well! 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Super Giveaway :: Cupcake Headband

This is the fourth of 5 total items being given away for my SUPER GIVEAWAY!  As promised, for reaching 100 Likes on the Two Little C's facebook page I'm doing a giveaway.  And the best part is that I'm not doing just one giveaway but 5 GIVEAWAYS!  I figured it would be best to split them up into separate posts to make it easier to follow and that way you can decide which giveaways you want to enter.  This way you won't win anything that you don't actually want to win.  You can enter them all but you can only win ONE of the 5 giveaways.



This giveaway is for the super cute cupcake headbands pictured above.  It's hot pink icing with chocolate cake makes it a delicious site.  The tulle is sewn between the cupcake applique and the felt backing to ensure a soft rest against your head.  This headband will work great for any age! You can enter 5 different ways, and yes you can do all 5, for a total of 11 or more entries. With the ability to tweet about the giveaway every day, that is a whole bunch of entries! 

Now, the SUPER GIVEAWAY is going to be open for entries for two weeks.  This allows lots of time over the holiday season for you to get as many entries in as you would like and to tell all of your friends about it too!  So get to it and start entering and check out the other giveaways as well to be entered in them as well! 




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Super Giveaway :: Owl Applique Hat

This is the third of 5 total items being given away for my SUPER GIVEAWAY!  As promised, for reaching 100 Likes on the Two Little C's facebook page I'm doing a giveaway.  And the best part is that I'm not doing just one giveaway but 5 GIVEAWAYS!  I figured it would be best to split them up into separate posts to make it easier to follow and that way you can decide which giveaways you want to enter.  This way you won't win anything that you don't actually want to win.  You can enter them all but you can only win ONE of the 5 giveaways.


This giveaway is for the cute Owl Applique hat pictured above.  It's cream colored with sparkly flecks in it and has a super cute owl applique on it, sized for a 2-5 year old! You can enter 5 different ways, and yes you can do all 5, for a total of 11 or more entries. With the ability to tweet about the giveaway every day, that is a whole bunch of entries! 

Now, the SUPER GIVEAWAY is going to be open for entries for two weeks.  This allows lots of time over the holiday season for you to get as many entries in as you would like and to tell all of your friends about it too!  So get to it and start entering and check out the other giveaways as well to be entered in them as well! 




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Super Giveaway :: Sock Monkey Hat

This is the second of 5 total items being given away for my SUPER GIVEAWAY!  As promised, for reaching 100 Likes on the Two Little C's facebook page I'm doing a giveaway.  And the best part is that I'm not doing just one giveaway but 5 GIVEAWAYS!  I figured it would be best to split them up into separate posts to make it easier to follow and that way you can decide which giveaways you want to enter.  This way you won't win anything that you don't actually want to win.  You can enter them all but you can only win ONE of the 5 giveaways.



This giveaway is for the cute sock monkey hat pictured.  You'll get the cute grey with red Sock Monkey Hat in a Size 2-5 years (it will fit any child who wears a 2T-5T).  You can enter 5 different ways, and yes you can do all 5, for a total of 11 or more entries. With the ability to tweet about the giveaway every day, that is a whole bunch of entries! 

Now, the SUPER GIVEAWAY is going to be open for entries for two weeks.  This allows lots of time over the holiday season for you to get as many entries in as you would like and to tell all of your friends about it too!  So get to it and start entering and check out the other giveaways as well to be entered in them as well! 




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Super Giveaway :: Hello Kitty Hat

This is the first of 5 total items being given away for my SUPER GIVEAWAY!  As promised, for reaching 100 Likes on the Two Little C's facebook page I'm doing a giveaway.  And the best part is that I'm not doing just one giveaway but 5 GIVEAWAYS!  I figured it would be best to split them up into separate posts to make it easier to follow and that way you can decide which giveaways you want to enter.  This way you won't win anything that you don't actually want to win.  You can enter them all but you can only win ONE of the 5 giveaways.


This giveaway is for one of my super cute Hello Kitty hats in any size you request.  Because this particular giveaway is going to be made to order, you will need to wait a little longer, so please take that into account. You can enter 5 different ways, and yes you can do all 5, for a total of 11 or more entries. With the ability to tweet about the giveaway every day, that is a whole bunch of entries!

Now, the SUPER GIVEAWAY is going to be open for entries for two weeks.  This allows lots of time over the holiday season for you to get as many entries in as you would like and to tell all of your friends about it too!  So get to it and start entering and check out the other giveaways as well to be entered in them as well!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gingerbread Man

So I recently found this super cute blog called Repeat Crafter Me when I was looking for patterns on Ravelry!  The creator of the blog, Sarah, has done something so super cute with her blog that I couldn't help but fall in love.  It's all about crafting, crocheting, and crockpoting, all things I love!  :D  Even her blog's name is ingenious, get it? It's "repeat after me" but with a CR in it because all the things she talks about starts with CR, and of course it also makes the word "craft" in it, LOL!

So, while I was there I came across so many super cute crochet patterns that I just wanted to try them ALL! Haha!  I decided to start with her Gingerbread Man pattern!  She showed it in a boy and girl version (the girl has a cute bow) that I immediately thought of my munchkins.  I decided to make one for each of them and hopefully we can take some cute Christmas card photos and such!  Here is a photo of the one I made for my son!

My version is a little different than the one Sarah made.  Of course I added some cute earflaps to this one with a red trim, but also it's in a lighter color.  I just happened to have this shade on hand with enough for both hats, so I went with it, hehe!  I just can't get over how absolutely adorable it is!

I've also envisioned possibly making the kids some cute shirts to go with these hats.  Maybe some brown shirts and I can either sew on some crocheted gingerbread men or make them out of layered felt!  I'll definitely post some pics if those ever come to fruition!  :D

Blankets for Kitties


So yesterday I had the pleasure of going to the Humane Society and donating my blankets that I made for the kitties!  I had lots to do that day and going to the Humane Society actually put a smile on my face!  I ended up finishing a fourth kitty blanket, added to the blanket my sister made while she was here I was able to donate 5 blankets total!


While I was there I was asked to take a photo with one of the kitties and one of the blankets I brought!  His name is Brick and he's a cutie!  I love the long haired cats and this one seemed pretty cool, unfortunately I already have a dog who isn't entirely keen on cats and being a moving military family makes it hard to have too many pets.  If you live in or close to the Colorado Springs area you should definitely go and see the kitties at their Humane Society.


Here are some pics of the table and some of the blankets that were donated!  There was a nicee array of colors and patterns, it was beautiful sight for crafters!  Well, I'm sure these kitties are going to be warm while they wait to be adopted!



Thank you for reading!  :D

From Facebook to Giveaway

Hey there everyone!  So if you aren't a fan of my TLC facebook page then you haven't heard the big  news yet!  I'm asking everyone to share my page and invite all of their friends, because once I reach 100 Likes then I will be doing a SUPER GIVEAWAY!  It's going to be pretty fun!  There is going to be a spectacular 5 items that I'm going to give away, and I'm going to post photos soon of all the things you can choose from!

There will be one giveaway to enter for each item, so you have LOTS of chances to win!  I can't wait to start the giveaways, but until then we need to get to 100 Likes on the facebook page!  You can go to the page HERE or use the link in the sidebar!

Blankets for the Kitties

So, before I mentioned that I was going to be making a few things for charity, and I'm so excited to be working on that.  I've managed to make three little charity blankets and even got my sister to make one for me as well.  She's not much of a crocheter, but my Mom taught myself and my sisters at a young age, so she caught the crochet-bug while she was visiting me this past week! Haha!


My sister made the dark blue one on the right while I made the other three.  I used leftover yarns from a stash I received as a gift from my friend's mom! I figured this would be a good way to pay it forward, by donating what I've made!  I pledged that I wanted to make at least 2 blankets to donate, so I'm really excited to have 4.  I'm hoping to make another 1-2 more blankets before the deadline comes in two weeks.  What do you think?  Have you made anything for charity lately?

Adelaide

Now and then I get a custom order for things that aren't necessarily in my normal shop products, and this one was one of them.  I got an order for a cute amigurumi for a baby girl and I really wanted to try something a little different then what I normally do.

This cute little doll is now one of my faves and I'm so excited to be sharing it with you.  I decided to name this little cutie Adelaide.  She's a little kittie and has joints in her arms and legs so they are poseable.  I dressed her in just a little skirt and she has some cute flowers in her "hair"!  Haha!  I do love how she turned out though and I'm really excited to share her with her "buyer"!


If you have something that you would like for me to create for you then please feel free to contact me!  I love to do custom orders within my style of work and love to try new things as well!  So what do you think about this little cutie?  

Crocheting for Charity

I'm so excited to have found some amazing charities to crochet for and donate some of my time to!  I love helping others and love what a good crocheted piece does for the heart, not just the recipient but mine as well.  It just fills me up with joy to crochet for others and that they could receive something they needed and brought them joy also.  Charity crochet can be an amazing thing for everyone and that is why I am going to share some of the charities that I'm going to be crocheting for this year.

Last week I was contacted by someone locally about crocheting for our local Humane Society.  The Colorado Springs Community Alliance is collecting blankets for the kitties at the Humane Society and have asked everyone to join in.  I can't wait to get started on this project because I'm really excited about doing something more locally.  While I'm not particularly a cat person (just being honest  here, LOL) I do love animals and have compassion for them all, so I really do want to help out.  The blankets they are asking for need to be 18x18 in size, so I'm going to attempt to make at least two blankets, hopefully more.  There does happen to be a deadline for this, but since they are always in need of these blankets I was told that they will accept more blankets after the date if I contact them!  if anyone else would like to make some blankets for our local Human Society then please feel free to email me about sending them to me.

Another great cause used to elude me somewhat before I actually knew more about it, but it's for breast cancer survivors.  Craftsy has teamed up with Knitted Knockers to provide knitted and crocheted prosthetic breasts to mastectomy patients.  Now, in all honesty, I used to see patterns for these types of items on ravelry and so on and never quite understood why someone would make these or how functional they would be, but truth be told they are more comfortable, breathable, and their light weight makes them more realistic when worn.  After reading all the info provided on the websites and what real survivors were saying about them, I knew that I really wanted to help this wonderfully amazing cause.  My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor, as well as a cousin on my husband's side of the family, so I enjoy doing what I can for breast cancer awareness!  This is going to be a very awe-inspiring charity for me and I can't wait to make as many knockers as I can!  ;)  Here is a nice crochet breast pattern I found on ravelry that I plan to use!  :)

So I posted about Scarves for the Special Olympics last year and was very ambitious in thinking I would make soooo many scarves on my knitting machine!  In the end I didn't have a chance to buy the second color of yarn I needed and therefore never created any scarves.  This year, it just so happens that National Committee of the Special Olympics has decided to discontinue the scarves program.  The good news is that several states have decided to proceed on their own.  It just so happens that the state I currently reside in, Colorado, is one of them (YAY, me). If you want to see what states are participating and where you should send your scarves to then you visit and join the ravelry group State Special Olympics Scarves.  There they have a comprehensive list of participating states, as well as addresses, yarn colors, and more!  My goal for this project is to make at least one scarf.  With all the charities I want to participate in, as well as my shop, my family, my personal fitness, and so on, I don't want to overwhelm myself with too much.  I do, however, want to contribute something, because we don't know if they are going to be collecting scarves next year!  Right?

So, that's the charities that I found this past week that I plan to participate in.  Wish me luck!  Are you planning on creating something for a charity?  What type of charities do you like to create for?  Let me know in the comments section!  :)

Pinterest Project :: Phone Number Bracelets


So I saw this photo on Pinterest and knew that I just HAD to make one for my daughter.  It linked to the cute little blog called The Good Stuff Guide.  In the description is says it's good for using when you're traveling or going through the airport, just in case your child ever gets separated from you.  This way authorities can call you.  Now I immediately thought that this was a great thing for my daughter.  She's 5 years old now and often goes to the playground across the street and to her friends' houses (all with my permission first).  I thought this would be a great idea for the parents of her friends to be able to contact me if need be!

Here's what you need:
• number beads
• elastic thread
• decorative beads of choice (I got some brightly colored flower beads and some matching seed beads)


So, what I did is leave the elastic on the spool and just string all the beads on there as is.  Start with your phone number first and then the decorative beads next.  It's a good idea to put spacers in there so it's easy to read.  You can wrap it around your child's wrist every now and then to see if you've made it long enough to fit or what you might need to adjust.  Here is what my finished bracelet looked like, though I did blur out my number.


This was such a quick and cute project, but you have to be careful how you use this.  If you are worried about your number getting into the hands of people you may not want to have it then you will need to rethink about how you use the bracelet.  We luckily live on a military installation and I'm not extremely worried about my daughter wearing it to the park.  :)

I just love finding things all the time on Pinterest and I hope I can bring more Pinterest Projects your way.  Feel free to follow my Pinterest boards to see all the cool things I pin, and more!  :)

My Friend is Having a Giveaway

Hi there everyone!  My friend, Shannon, is having a super cute giveaway on her blog and you should hurry over there to join!  Her blog and etsy shop name is ShaunnaMichelle's and she makes super cute jewelry!  She's giving away this adorable purple button bracelet for one lucky winner who signs up.


I absolutely think these button bracelets are the cutest thing ever.  It's a cute spin on charm bracelets, which I'm a HUGE fan of!  Shannon made this bracelet in shades of purple for Domestic Violence Awareness, but it's also a great color for October and Halloween.  Visit her blog today for more info on this bracelet and links to her shop to see what other awesome jewelry she has in her shop!  I think she has some really fantastic stuff that I would love to wear!

More Free Patterns

I forgot to mention that I made some more of my older patterns available on the Free Patterns page!  There is the baby bottle with pacifier and the baby food with spoon and bib!  The bib is the perfect size for my baby doll pattern but can go with just about any doll you like!  These are older patterns from when I first started creating my own designs so please feel free to let me know if there are any problems, but so far everyone has really enjoyed them!  :)



Are You Following Me?

No, I don't mean following me around, well sorta, but that's a good thing, LOL!  You can find me on facebook, twitter, ravlery, and pinterest.  I'll be the first to admit that I don't always update my blog, but I'm usually using lots of social media, so it's a great way to find out what I'm doing!  If you haven't found me at any of those sites yet then you definitely should!

My facebook page has sadly been neglected as of late, but I promise to start using it more.  I'll probably even be using it more than this blog, so if you want to see more updates and more about what I'm doing then please be sure to go like it.  You can get there by clicking the little icon to the left!  If you want to see some of my public personal statuses, then feel free to subscribe to my personal page here!



I'm not a heavy tweeter by any means, so feel free to follow me on twitter if you want random sharing and updates from me!  My twitter can be more playful and I tend to retweet more from others and share my pinterest there!  If you want to follow me then please do!



Now, I LOVE Pinterest!  If you're on Pinterest then you know what I'm talking about, and if you haven't then you definitely need to join the addiction, LOL!  It's an amazing thing!  There you can find just about anything and everything you're looking for, and awesome links to cool sites and blogs.  I have all sorts of boards to reflect all of my interests, and you can follow some or all of what I pin there.




Ravelry is the go to place for all things crochet and knitting with it's huge community of fellow stitchers.  If you've been accepted there then you know what I'm talking about here too!  Many of you probably have come to my blog from ravelry because of my free patterns, so you know what a great place it is to find patterns, join groups, and connect with other knitters and crocheters that share your interests!  You can find me there and friend me if you like!  :D


Now I just wanted to let you know that even if you don't use these links today, they are always on the sidebar under my About me section!  :D  Happy social media to you all!  LOL

Crocheting Again

I've been crocheting again, and it feels great!  Ok wait, I might need to clarify on that!  I've had to put my personal projects aside for a few months because I had a big order and summer time slowed down my crochet productivity, LOL!  Now that I've finished that order and my daughter has started all day kindergarten, I've been able to devote a lot of time to crocheting the projects I love!

First, I'll show off the custom order I was working on.  It was a remake of the monkey blanket I did on the knitting machine for my son, only this time it was completely crocheted.
I will start by saying that I wasn't happy with how this pattern was working out with my crochet technique.  I used the same crochet technique as described by Todd Paschall and the crochet by numbers portrait afghans.  In the portrait afghans there are so many color changes that you can't see some of the inconsistencies when you're working on the wrong side of the crochet.  With this pattern the technique just didn't work with the black lines and I was unhappy about that.  I ended up having to go back and embroider over those lines to fill in the color gaps the technique created.  The picture above shows it before I embroidered it, but I forgot to photograph it after I worked on it.  In the end, it looked better, but my perfectionist nature still wasn't happy with the outcome!  So that was a big reason why I just didn't enjoy working on it, because I also didn't have the time to devote to it to fix it the way it needed to be fixed.

So, in more exciting news, I finished a work-in-progress that was sitting around for over 2 years.  Can you believe it?  My daughter dragged it around and around for those two years, even in it's ugly duckling stage, and it was dirty and fuzzy and needed some serious love.  I actually thought about tossing it and never looking at it again!
As you can see, this little guy (or girl?) was a sight for sore eyes!  But she got a quick make over and is now even more of a favorite of my daughter's.  Of course I finished her leg and did the shoes.  I actually had to redo the first leg to add the shoe.  Originally I had thought of doing separate shoes and clothes that could be removed, but that quickly went out the window this time around.
This little girl got some cute details around the eyes and a cute ponytail with a little matching bow!  I'd been calling her Dolly, because that's what I call all the girl dolls I make, LOL, but my daughter has now named her Sally the Ballerina!  :D

Now, for the last update!  I'm only going to talk about it briefly because soon I'm going to post a little more extensive update on this piece.  It's my personal photo portrait afghan!  This little puppy was on hold for quite some time but it's so exciting to be working on it again!  Here it is at about 45%!  Can you see it coming together?  I sure can, and I can't wait to finish it!

A Charity Project for the Little Warriors

Being a seller on Etsy, I'm also a part of an awesome Team called Cafemommers (moms who use CafeMom and sell on Etsy).  One of our awesome group members has brought to our attention an amazing charity requesting handmade goods.  It's called Project 16 :: The Littlest Warriors and it's at Craft Hope.

Basically they are requesting handmade hats and tote bags for children battling cancer.  I really can't wait to get started and get into this project!  I love creating things for charity and hopefully putting a smile on someone's face.  Since I've been completely into making hats I see this as an amazing opportunity to share that with these children.

If you want to participate then make sure you head on over to Craft Hope and read up on Project 16.  The deadline is March 12th, 2012, so you have to hurry!  The address is there as well to mail your items in to!  Even if I only manage to make one, I will be happy!  Let's get going!

Awesome Crochet School by CraftyMinx

Have you ever wanted to learn to crochet but didn't know where to start?  Perhaps you know some basics but you don't know additional stitches, or how to read patterns, or finishing techniques!? Well I've found an awesome blog by CraftyMinx that teaches you the ins and outs to crochet and everything you need to know to make you a pro!  The best part is that she has written direction and video, and gives you additional links for more info.  It's definitely a must read!  It's so cool that even I wanna read through the entire 23 lessons, and I already a whole bunch about crochet!  So make sure you check it out, even if you're a pro!


Great Free Printable Valentine's

I am so excited to create some super cute valentine's for my daughter's first year in school so I decided to go searching the web for great crafty ideas!  Man was I not prepared for what I was about to find, there are so many great printables out there, so I decided to share what I found here!

Living Locurto has this super adorable iPhone printable.

She also has these Rock! Valentines and Candy Kiss Bag Toppers which are great for boys.

There also happens to be these Cute Animal Valentine's by Secret Agent Josephine that I find super adorable and perfect for preschoolers.

I thought these free printables were cute by Amy IS The Party.  I love those kitchy sayings!

For a simple but super cute look, Be Mine Freebie by The Rubber Punkin is the right choice. I absolutely would love these as tags to some homemade cookies for adult friends.

For that special man in your life, go with this Chocolate Bar Wrapper by Jeanne Winters.

I absolutely think these Bee Mine Lollipop Tags will be all the buzz, and even their chapstick counterparts would be a hit.

I even think I might do this non-candy treat for my daughter! Homemade crayons attached to a card that reads "Happy Valentine's Day, for 'crayon' out loud!" Get it? "Cryin" out loud? LOL

So, what are you going to be doing for your kids and/or loved ones this Valentine's Day?

Starting My 100 Things


So I previous told you all that I wanted to start the 100 Things Challenge. I've started my list with my basics that I know I will not get rid of! It's short and simple but part of the list none-the-less. So here it is so far.

1. Cell phone and charger
2. iPod touch and charger
3. Crochet & knitting stuff (I've decided to count my crochet and knitting stuff as one since I do use it in my business and it's more of a collection. I'm not counting the yarn since it's the materials for my business.)
4. Sweater Knitting Machine (It's separate to me so I'm counting it considering if I don't use it I could get rid of it.)
5. Twilight Saga book collection (I might get rid of this later since I have them on audio also, but haven't decided.)

I've been thinking more and more about how I really want to go about reducing my possessions to 100 things. I don't like the idea of counting each pair of shoes I own or each pair of jeans or tops, however I will go through and make a conscious effort to get rid of things I absolutely don't need. I think I will count shoes as one thing and clothes as one thing and leave it at that! I don't really know where to go from there however!

I do dabble in a little extreme couponing and have started a small stockpile of things. I definitely don't think I will count those items as they are compromised of food and hygiene products that are also meant to be for the household!

I think that there is definitely some more contemplating to be done and going-through to do! This is going to be a year long thing, so please stay tuned!

Have you ever thought about minimizing your life's possessions?

Mystery Crochet-a-Long at Totallee

So now that I finished my other crochet portrait piece I was going to continue crocheting my personal one of my husband and I for my daughter.  While perusing my fave blog, Totallee.net, she's posted an awesome crochet-a-long (CAL)!  I honestly can't wait to get started.  I'm using some left over colors from my Edward CPA and stealing two colors from my personal one!  I'm super excited!

So, if you don't know what a Mystery CAL is then here's the low down, LOL!  A pattern is posted without the picture of the final outcome, therefor it's a mystery.  You do the pattern and find out what it is, voila, a Mystery CAL!  So, Lee of Totallee has posted a color palette that consists of black, grey, and white, and a light and dark shade of a color of your choice.  I've decided to switch out the black for a lighter grey and I'm using purples as my color of choice.


So, I'm so excited about this that I started it last night! I got a few rounds done before my hands couldn't take anymore but it's on its way!  I'll post some progress pics when I get some more done!

Head on over to Totallee to check out the Mystery CAL for yourself!  Follow along and do it for yourself!