Trader Joe's is in the 'Hood!

I have been waiting for this day for years!  I was first introduced to Trader Joe's when I lived in California a couple decades ago.  I loved their selection of ready to go foods and their very reasonable prices. Needless to say I went through serious withdrawal when I moved to Colorado.  I would have my California friends send me things, or my parents would stop at a TJ's on their way from Indiana so they could get stuff on my list.

But that is not even close to having your own store in which to shop.

After years of emailing my request for a store in the Denver area, they finally listened to me (I am sure I am the one who convinced them!), and we now have THREE stores here.  That's right...three Trader Joe's right in my own back yard!  The closest one is less than two miles away.  I couldn't be happier.

All three stores opened today, and I knew it was going to be crazy, but I just had to go.  I stood in line for almost an hour, but it was great because we all got to shop while we were in line as it snaked up and down the aisles throughout the whole store.  Everyone was well behaved, and the TJ crew members kept the shelves well stocked.  It was a great experience.

Look at the beautiful tulips I got...

They were almost half the price I usually pay for my flowers ($5.99), and they are in much better shape than the ones I just bought this week.

I also picked up a lot of organic produce, all at great prices.  This was the best Valentine's Day, ever!  I love you, Trader Joe's!

Do you have a Trader Joe's in your area?  What is your favorite thing to buy there?

K

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are a couple cards I made when I was playing with my stamps the other day.  I missed the cut off for Operation Write Home this year, so I'll save them for next year's box.

I think the Stickles heart adds just the right touch to this one.  What do you think?

Gotta love the background stamp that I pulled out of the garage sale box.  I just couldn't part with it!

Supplies used:
Stamps - PTI Signature Greetings, Simple Sentiments, and Heart Prints, SU Looks Like Spring
Paper - PTI white
Ink - Memento
Accessories - Stickles

Hope your day is filled with love.

K

I Made a Card!

I know it is hard to believe, but yes, I made a card.  In fact, I have made lots of cards lately.  It has been fun playing with rubber (or photopolymer) and ink again.

And if you're lucky, I may even post some of them here.  :)

I love the bright colors and the simplicity of this card.  It doesn't even need any bling to make it pretty.  It is gender neutral, too, which makes it a welcomed addition to my card stash.

Supplies used:
Stamps - PTI Birthday Bash Sentiments
Paper - PTI white
Ink - Memento

Have a happy day!

K

Bringing Home the Pollen

My bees have done very well this winter, and that is such a relief to me since it is my first year as a beekeeper.  It is especially gratifying because I know many beekeepers who have lost 30-50% of their hives this year.  It is so sad.

The girls have been flying on the warmer days which is normal during the winter.  They won't poop in the hive, so they have to take cleansing flights to relieve themselves.  After all, they are still eating all that honey and pollen they stored up for the winter.  Honey bees can't fly when it is colder than 45 degrees, so there is always a lot of activity on the milder winter days.  And lots of poop flying!

I went out to check on them today, and much to my surprise, they were coming back to the hive with their pollen baskets full!  The juniper and maple trees are putting out pollen and the girls sure are loving it.

Incoming!

It felt like spring, but there is still snow on the ground.

Little ladies hard at work.

More food for the girls.

This little girl didn't want to get off my arm.  She was so sweet!

Yes. Bees can be sweet.  At least I think my bees are.  They have a great temperament and don't get agitated easily.  I was lucky to have gotten such great bees for my first year as a beekeeper.  If they continue to do as well as they have been, I plan on splitting the hive this spring, so I can have two hives.

Now I can't wait for spring.  It is going to be an exciting time in the bee yard!

What signs of spring have you seen around your parts?

K

Lines Love Curves, and Stripes Love Dots

My niece's 18th birthday is coming up next week, and I am trying not to procrastinate so long in getting cards out this year.  So far so good since her big day is one week from today.

This is only a little like the image I had in my mind when I started, but it is such an improvement.  It is always encouraging when my cards turn out better than planned.  : )

I love how the chevron panel looks like a cell phone, and the message could be a text.  That is the part that I didn't plan.  I think an eighteen year old might appreciate that more than flowers and butterflies!

The bling was also an after-thought, but is just what the card needed...it was definitely nekkid without it.

Supplies used:
Stamps - PTI Big Birthday Wishes, Chevron Stripes
Paper - PTI white
Ink - Memento black, SU Cool Caribbean (retired)
Accessories - washi tape, SU designer label punch (retired), markers, rhinestones, dimensionals, corner rounder punch

On a side note, just after I posted my "Spring is Just Around the Corner" post, we received over 8" of snow, and it is snowing again today.  It is so beautiful outside, and finally looks like winter around here.  Yippee!  Time to curl up under my afghan with a cup of tea and a good book.

K

More Color

Once I finished my ripple afghan and hearts for my tree, I started right in on my next crochet project.

I decided I needed a pillow (or two) to go with it.  I have always wanted to make a granny square afghan, but since I made a ripple afghan, I decided to make a granny square pillow instead.

So I have been crocheting mini granny squares.

They are a little over an inch big.  (Or should I say small?)

Two hundred of them so far.

They only take a minute or two to make (talk about instant gratification), so it hasn't taken all that long to knock them out.

I laid them out in a planned random pattern.  By planned random, I mean that each row and each column only contain one of any particular color.  Even the edges when placed together won't repeat any colors.  I plan on putting a border around the edges, so the border randomness wasn't necessary unless you are compulsive like me and have to have it that way!

I have started binding them together...something I know nothing about, and am just winging it as I go along.  The work is not bothersome to me because it goes fast, and once again I am instantly gratified as soon as another square gets attached.

Yes!

All that being said, my tree is begging to be decorated with Easter eggs, so this pillow may have to take a back seat until I get some eggs done.  I'll be sure to post a picture when it is finished.

K

Spring is Just Around the Corner

Or is it?

It has been cold and snowy here this past week, and we are supposed to get more snow this weekend.  We've had such a mild winter this year, and are in a pretty severe drought, so we'll take all the snow we can get.

But that doesn't mean I am not looking forward to spring!

I bought some tulips this week that were not even close to opening.  I like to buy my flowers 'green' so I can enjoy their full bloom.

Two of them started to open up today.  I couldn't have arranged them any better if I would have tried.

I love yellow tulips.

Little rays of sunshine to brighten snowy days.

What is your favorite flower?

K

Good Luck Piggy

I made this card for one of my daughter's teammates who is competing in her first Elite gymnastics meet this weekend.  She loves pigs, and this one is just too cute.

(Sorry about the iPhone picture.  I forgot to take one with my real camera before we left home.)

The big googly eyes are compliments of my daughter.  She loves big eyes on everything! And the tail, too.  When she was going through my 'pink' embellishment drawer, she found the spiral paper clip and thought it would make a good tail.  She was so right!

Supplies used:
Stamps - SU Button Buddies, amuse oval
Paper - PTI white
Ink - Memento
Accessories - glue pad, green flock, googly eyes, button, spiral paper clip, dimensionals

Hope you have a great weekend!

K

Valentine Tree

Here is a fun little project I have been working on this week.  I decided to bring the outside in, and planted jammed some twigs in a pot.  I will be able to decorate them with festive holiday decorations and bring some much needed color into the room.

Colorful hearts just in time for Valentine's Day.

The little hearts are very easy to make, and are a great way to use up scraps of yarn.  They only take a couple minutes each.

I've caught both cats eyeing them, or in this case playing with them.  Every time I walk by my 'tree' I expect to see hearts gone astray, but so far, so good.  Let's hope they continue to behave themselves!

Do you have a 'tree' that you decorate for the holidays/seasons?

K

A Punny Card

Someone very near and dear to me (Hi, Mom!) came down with a nasty case of the shingles a while back.  If you've ever had this, or known anyone who has, you know it is very painful.

I knew she would appreciate a get well card, and I could only think of one thing.

Shingles!

(My thought while driving by Walgreens and reading their sign out front that said "We have shingles shots" was..."Why is Walgreens selling shingles?  Does Home Depot know they are taking over their inventory?")  

I'm such a nerd!

To make the shingles, I rubbed a brown ink pad over soft suede paper to give it a mottled shingle look.  Then I cut it into strips and added more ink to the edges.  Then I put the strips on my ScorPal and used a soft suede marker to make the scored lines.  This gives it a nice texture while defining each 'shingle'.  Each strip was adhered to the card base with a little overlap.

Supplies used:
Stamps - Just Right alphabet
Paper - PTI white, soft suede
Ink - soft suede, real red
Accessories - ScorPal
Techniques - DTP (direct to paper)

I'm happy to report that my Mom has healed from her case of the shingles.  No doubt the laugh from my card helped ease her pain.

Do you like to use puns on your cards, or do you think puns are cheesy?

K

My Word for The Year

COLOR

There are many things about myself that I could 'fix', but one thing that has been eating at me for some time is the lack of color in our home.  So I'm going to fix that first.  My word is COLOR!

I came across Lucy's blog last December, and fell in love with her use of bright colors.  (Take a look at her blog, and you'll quickly see what I mean.)  I decided right then and there that I was going to add color to my life.  And what better way to add it than with yarn!

The great room/kitchen, where I spend most of my time when I'm not in my craft room, is lacking considerably in the color department.  We have a few nick knacks and books that have some color, but all I see is brown.  Brown hardwood floors, brown built in bookshelves/cabinets, brown stone fireplace, brown leather sofa, brown bookshelves and antique furniture, brown (ok, tan) walls, brown kitchen table, brown kitchen cabinets, brown granite counters, brown bar stools and chair pads.  Brown.  Brown.  Brown.  Aaaaagh!  The room has a very 'warm' feel, but the lack of color is making me go insane!

See what I mean?  Dull and boring.

The first way I decided to add color was to make an afghan.  I ordered my yarn right before we left on our Christmas vacation cruise, so it would be here when we got back home.

Aren't the colors beautiful?  I couldn't get a hook in my hand fast enough!  I used Lucy's Neat Ripple Pattern, and started my afghan on Jan 2nd.

In progress and loving the colors already!

I am not one to take my time when I am working on a yarn project - I can hardly wait to get it finished, and it becomes an obsession.  So I worked on my afghan every day and/or every night, sometimes for a little bit, but most days for hours.

I really liked the border on Lucy's afghan, so I put one on mine, too.

And then...

before I knew it, it was finished.  It wasn't made to fit this bed, but I thought it made a pretty picture.  : )

I absolutely love how it turned out.  There were times when I thought I made the wrong random color choices while I was making it, but the next few rows would change it back to a pleasing overall combination.  Looking at it now, I wouldn't change a thing about it.  I think it is perfect.

Just one little afghan draped on the back of the sofa brightens up the whole room.

Hi, Motorboat!  I can tell we are going to be fighting with the cats to see who gets to use the afghan!

Here's the nitty gritty...

Yarn - Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller, Washable Ewe (100% superwash wool)
Skeins - 20...at least 2 each (some colors 3), 9 different colors; 100g/183 yds each
Finished size 60" x 82"

Here are some fun facts...

Base row 227 stitches
138 rows
Color changes - 68
Total stitches - approx. 32,800
~25 minutes /row + borders = approx. 65 hours
26 days to complete
Mileage - 1.87 miles of yarn

Cost - priceless

Do you have a lot of color in your home?  How do you accessorize with color?

K

 

Big News!

Hello!




Hello?





Is anyone there?

(That makes a great answering machine greeting, btw.)

I know, it has been forever since I posted to my blog.  Sorry.  There have been many projects in the works, and some even finished, but I have been lazy.

Very lazy.

Baaaaad blogger.

Well, to keep you enticed, here is a sneak peek of one of my projects.

The kitties love to sit on my lap when I crochet, and sometimes they even get to play with a scrap of yarn!  That one is Moonshine, aka Moonie or Moo-Moo.  Can you tell she loves to knead?  If I could just train her to knead on my back, I'd be all set!    I will be posting about my ripple afghan soon.

Now, for the Big News!  I wanted to let you know about a new blog I am starting.  (For one who can't even keep up with one blog, one thought it would be a good idea to start another!)

I am very passionate about making healthy choices, and I want to share my thoughts and the obstacles we face when trying to make those choices in a culturally unhealthy environment with all with you.  It can be done!  So I created a new blog, Wellness and Health For Life.  I hope you will join me there, and learn how to make healthy choices for a lifetime of wellness.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

K

Placemats to Purse

Happy Monday!  I have a really fun project to show you today.

Placemat purse

A repurposed placemat purse.

I bought these placemats at Pier 1 last fall to repurpose into a purse, and after sitting on my craft room shelf for most of a year, they were finally transformed.  Aren't the colors great for fall?  The strap and lining fabric was a remnant of home decor fabric I got on clearance for just a few dollars, and I think it compliments all the colors in the placemats nicely.  I was going to make a tutorial, but got ahead of myself and didn't take that many pictures.

Oops.

I sewed the ends of the placemats together so the fringe would hang down from the bottom of the purse.

Cell phone pocket

One of the sides has a pocket for my cell phone.  There is elastic at the top so my phone won't slip out on its own.

I made a pocket on the front of the purse body under the flap.  This is where I keep the all the necessities (like Joann and Hobby Lobby coupons), and my home made lip balm.  Easy access, baby!

Zip pocket

The inside has a zip pocket on one side...

and segmented pockets on the other.  I made two skinny pockets for a pen and pencil, a larger middle pocket, and a pocket to put my reading glasses in.  (Not that I need them or anything.)

To give the purse shape and to keep it from looking slouchy, I put a piece of Timtex in the bottom and tacked it down in a few places.  It works great.

The only thing I wish I would have included was a ring to clip my keys to.  I'm still trying to figure out how I can add one without tearing one of the seams apart.

This turned out great for my first attempt at a purse.  I am really loving it, even though it is a little bit on the large side.  I don't carry a lot of 'stuff' in my purse, but this one is big enough to hold my camera too, and that is a plus.

It's even big enough to hold a kitty!  Hi Moonshine!

I made this up as I went along, but if you have questions about measurements or anything, just let me know.

K

Craft Show

For the last seven years, I have sold marble tile coasters at craft shows. They have been fun to make and sell, but I wanted a change.  So I started making doll furniture to sell.  I get to use power tools and sew.  What could be better than that?

My biggest craft show of the year was today, and this year I am so relieved it is over.  This particular show is always on the first Saturday in October,  and it is outside in a big park.  Up until today, the weather has always been unbelievably warm on that day.  Perfect fall weather every year, and some years it has been down right hot.

But today was different.

Oh, yes.  It was much different.

It was wet.

It was freezing.

And it drizzled and spit snow all.  day.  long.

I'm not sure which was worse; following the forecasts all week knowing the weather was going to be miserable, or actually being miserable.  It would have been much worse had my hubby not run out last night at the eleventh hour and bought a portable propane heater for me to use.  He can be so sweet sometimes.

Thank goodness the die hard customers showed up and the day wasn't a total loss.  They were the real troopers.

So do you want to see what I sell instead of hearing my sob story about how cold and miserable my day was?

Here you go...

Bunk beds for American Girl type dolls

Bunk beds.

Farmhouse beds for American Girl type dolls

Farmhouse beds starring McKenna.

Doll Picnic Tables

Picnic tables starring the Raggedy Ann Doll my aunt made for me when I was a youngster.

Doll High Chair

High chairs starring my Cabbage Patch Doll circa 1984.  (Don't tell anyone in was in college when I bought four (yes, four) Cabbage Patch Dolls.  I had to have one of each - a normal baby girl, a preemie boy, and twins.  Yes, my completion tendencies go way back!)

American Girl Doll Bunk Bed

Isn't this fabric the cutest?  It is my new favorite, and looks awesome with the green bed.

I only have one more show this year, and have to finish up the orders I have been getting.  Then I won't feel so guilty when I end up spending too much time on the computer or sewing the purse that has been half done for months.  I won't know what to do with myself!

Have you ever been a vendor at craft shows?  What do you sell?

K

One More

This is my second post for today.  I'm on a roll.

Ok.  I just couldn't help myself.  After I posted my ombre chevron cards, I had another idea for another color combination.

Blues = ocean waves + fish.

Tell me this isn't the cutest!

With some clever masking and omitting, I was able to stamp my sentiment from two different stamps.  The largest fish has glitter pen on its spots to fancy it up a bit.  And in retrospect, I would leave off the little splashes since I think they distract from the fish, but I had already done the card over once, and didn't want to do it over again.  I have lots of things to do today!

Supplies used:
Stamps - Stampendous Summer Scene, SU! Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper - PTI white and light blue, SU! Tempting Turquoise, Marina Mist, Pacific Point
Ink - Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Marina Mist, Baja Breeze
Accessories - chevron punch, SAMJ, markers, Spica glittler pen

I'm sure I'm not the first one to discover ombre chevrons, but I am loving them!  What is your latest love in the paper crafting world?

K

Chevron + Ombre = L O V E

I have had a chevron punch for quite some time, but since stamping got put on the back burner for a while, I never quite figured out how I wanted to use it.  Instead of playing with it, I let it sit on its little perch looking cute in my craft room.

Then I had a brainstorm.

Ombre is in.

Chevron is on its way out.

Why not combine them for a timeless look?

So I rummaged through my drawers of card stock searching for a few ombre combinations, and these cards are what I came up with.

All the fall colors have inspired me lately.  They are so warm and comforting to me.

Once again, I thumped the leaves for a multi-colored autumn leaf look.

I loved my card so much, I used my other ombre combination to make a similar card.

I love it even more!

Get it?  Love grows.  I couldn't resist.

The hearts are just miscellaneous single stamps, "love" is from a small alphabet stamp set, and "grows" is hand written.

I really love how the ombre chevrons ground the trees without being too overpowering.

Supplies used:
Stamps - PTI Falling Leaves, misc heart stamps, mini alphabet stamp
Paper - PTI
Ink - Choc Chip, So saffron, More Mustard, Tangerine Tango/Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Real Red
Accessories - chevron punch, markers for thumping

Have you ever used ombre and chevrons together?  I would love to see what you come up with.

K

Thumped Fall Leaves

For this card, I used a layout that I cased from Susan (aka LateBlossom).  Here is her original card.  I changed it up a little with the placement of the stamps and sentiment, and I used different colored inks on my leaves.

Thumping is a great way to give leaves a changing colors/fall look. To do this, I first inked them with the lightest color ink, then thumped them with different colored markers, using different color combinations for each leaf.

If you are looking for a great but often forgotten technique to try, get out your markers and start thumping away!

Supplies used;

Stamps - PTI Leaf Prints, Hero Arts Classic Messages

Paper - PTI

Ink - Memento Pear Tart, Rhubarb Stalk 

Accessories - Various Memento markers

Hope you're able to enjoy the fall weather this weekend!

K

Birthday Candles

I'm here today with a colorful and fun birthday card.  And thanks to a gridded block, it was a breeze to stamp.

Birthday Candles

The row of candles is actually a single candle stamped multiple times.  By positioning it on a clear gridded block, it was very easy to line up the image across the bottom.  This technique is fairly easy with a clear stamp, but it is possible to do this with a rubber stamp like this one if you line the block up in the same position with the same distance between images every time.

Happy birthday was strategically stamped in the sweet spot - about 1/3 of the way from the edge.

The photo doesn't show it very well, but the flames were outlined with a Spica glitter pen, and they are sparkly IRL.

Supplies used:

Stamps - Party This Way (SU!)

Paper - PTI

Ink - Memento rose bud, lady bug, tangelo, pear tart, bahama blue, grape jelly, lilac posies, dandelion

Accessories - Spica glitter pen

K

Halloween Soap Dispenser

I'm back with a fun little project I made on a whim.

I love Trader Joe's liquid glycerin soap.  Just ask my Mom.  (That is another story for another time.)  I used to fill up a soap dispenser that matched the other bathroom accessories, but after our kitties knocked off and broke two of them, I decided to leave the soap in its original plastic bottle.  It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because now I can decorate it with vinyl for each season or holiday.

Halloween Soap Dispenser

After removing the labels from the front and back, the dispenser was all ready to decorate.  I cut out the vinyl images on my Silhouette Cameo, and just stuck them on.  A pretty orange and yellow gingham ribbon is the perfect finishing touch.

Now we are all ready for Halloween.  (At least in our bathroom!)

K