Halloween Swap Sent

Pin It

As you now, I'm hosting a Halloween Swap this month to start off my favorite season (I'm a hardcore fall freak). I'm sure you've heard me speak of Katie many times before on this blog. She's one of the first bloggy friends I ever met. She won my very first giveaway! We've been friends for almost two years and have been swapping almost as long. Katie and I arranged a private swap for Halloween/Fall and she received her package today! So now I can share what I sent.




The handmade goodies were so fun to make. I mostly used Lizzy House fabrics with the exception of the Chicopee dots on the strap of the boxy pouch. I had originally made a patchwork version for Katie but I loved the pumpkin one so much, I had to send it to her! I made her a patchwork coffee cozy using Jeni's fab tutorial. And I used this pattern for the star crocheted trivet.




I went a little crazy adding extra treats- I couldn't stop myself! Target is evil. I almost died when I saw those mini spatulas. I know Katie loves to bake so those were a must. I also sent her a ton of candy (I filled the boxy pouch with a lot more!) including some of my favorite Mexican candy called Pulparindos. Sooo good!

I hope this package helped put Katie in the Halloween spirit. It was so much fun putting it together! I've got a little surprise giveaway for you tomorrow so don't forget to stop by! In the meantime, you can check out some of the other cute projects from the Halloween Swap in our Flickr Group.

Halloween Goodies

Pin It

I've been working on some fun goodies for the Halloween Swap. I really enjoyed making the jack-o-lantern boxy pouch awhile back and I wanted to see how it would look in a patchwork version. I love them both! I also made another crocheted flower trivet in Halloween colors. So fun! Have you started any Halloween or Fall projects?

Anyone up for a Halloween giveaway? What would you like to win??

Crocheted Baby Blanket

Pin It

My nephew, Lennon, was born on Monday and since we didn't get to travel to San Antonio to hand deliver his baby blanket, I shipped it out earlier this week. I used altnernating rows of single and double crochet throughout the entire blanket. Hope mommy and baby love it and put it to good use!






In other news, I finally got my sewing machine fixed! Yay, I'm alive again! Just kidding. Well, sorta. I am so happy to be sewing again. I got to work on some blocks for my sister's baby blanket and I've been piecing some pretty triangles together with the help of my Zakka Style book.


This is my first time using this technique and it feels good to be learning something new. I find that using pretty fabric helps me be more patient so I cut into some Flea Market Fancy (I ordered extra yardage so I can still hoard this bundle of goodness!). I'll share more with you soon. Have a great weekend!

As Of Late

Pin It

First of all, thank you for all the positive feedback and kind words about my Love Bird Tote. I've been so incredibly busy lately, I haven't had much time to blog or respond to your comments/ emails. But they are all greatly appreciated!!

So what's been taking up all my time? Well aside from planning an upcoming camping trip, I've been teaching sewing classes and working on a crocheted baby blanket for my sister-in-law. In last week's class, we made these adorable card wallets (using Keyka Lou's pattern, which unfortunately is no longer available).


The girls in my class are hilarious and amazing. I find myself looking forward to this "girl time" that I get to have with them every other week. It's great to meet other ladies that are as passionate about fabric as I am! Speaking of which, I just couldn't resist snatching up these fabric bundles at Fabricworm this week.


Aunt Edna by Denyse Schmidt


Pezzy Pez by American Jane
I love anything and everything by Denyse Schmidt (I've already pre-ordered my Flea Market Fancy bundle!!) and how perfect are those great Pez prints? You can never have enough basics in your stash. Aside from sewing class, however, there hasn't been much sewing around here. I've been working on this little guy.


It's coming along slowly but surely. I can't wait to see it all finished. It'll be such a great feeling to get it done!

I want to give a quick shout out to Kendall from Songbirds and Buttons! I won a giveaway on her blog and received this huge package yesterday!


Thanks Kendall!! I love everything! You are so kind and generous.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will continue to prep for this camping trip we're going on for Spring Break. We rented a beautiful cabin by the Guadalupe River and I'm so excited! What are your plans for Spring Break??

Some Finishes

Pin It

A couple of week ago I got two custom orders for laptop sleeves. My sister and her friend both got MacBook Pros but that's where the similarities ended. They each had their own completely different vision of what they wanted.

My sister chose a simple design in black, grey and yellow. She wanted a double lattice quilting and a vertical entry for her laptop. She also requested a D-ring on the side so she could attach a matching zipper pouch where she keeps her charger.



Her friend chose a design similar to the purple patchwork iPad sleeve I had made for my shop. She wanted straight line quilting (in groups of three) and an asymmetrical flap on a horizontal entry.




It's always a little intimidating when someone has a perfect picture in their mind of what they want and it's my responsibility to make it happen. I'm always scared I won't come through for them but I lucked out in this case. They both loved them!

I went to Corpus Christi with my hubby last week "for his work" and while I was there I picked up some mohair lace yarn. I had never worked with it before but I saw a scarf pattern I just had to try out. It really seemed like I was getting nowhere with that delicately thin yarn, but five days later, I finally finished it.




Here it is in all it's crumpled glory. I love the slightly fuzzy look to it. Minutes after I posted it on Facebook, someone offered to buy it. So I might be in the mood to make another one very soon.

Have you been productive lately? I'd love to see your recent finishes. Feel free to leave me links. Have a wonderful day!

Ready to Give Thanks!

Pin It

Are you ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow? I'm so ready to put on a few pounds. Not that I need them because I surely don't, but I'm going to pack them on anyway! We only do this once a year after all. And I am definitely going to make the most of it. My plans are to have a Thanksgiving lunch at my mom's house around noon, then head over to my grandma's later in the day and do it again! Looking forward to my mom's stuffing, my sister's apple crisp, and my grandma's tamales. Yuuuum! I wanted to make a little somethin somethin for my grandma so I whipped up these crocheted pot holders last night.






I think the harvest-y colors are just right for Thanksgiving. And I'm liking the solid look as opposed to the striped ones I made last time. I used this pattern.

I am so thankful for SO MANY things this year. I have a beautiful, healthy family. I've met so many amazing friends through this blogging/crafting community. This blog has served as a creative outlet and given me something to look forward to every day. I'm thankful for all my mentors that have helped me learn so much this year. And I'm so so thankful for all my readers who have supported me, helped my blog grow and made my day with all your lovely comments and emails. I have a very special giveaway lined up for tomorrow to show my gratitude. I'll give you a hint: it involves fabric!

And you still have time to enter this giveaway with As Hue Wish. You have up to 8 chances to win $25 to her shop! Giveaway ends Nov. 29.


Have a wonderful, blessed day tomorrow! Enjoy your families, give thanks, and fill your bellies til your heart's content!

Crochet Therapy

Pin It

AJ and I have been sporting colds for the past several days. That's the thing about living in south Texas. Our bodies get so used to the heat that they are totally thrown off track when we get a few cold days. Needless to say, I haven't really been wanting to be confined to my sewing machine but I couldn't just sit here and be idle. I only have one week and a half before the Christmas Market! So I picked up my crochet hooks and got to work.


Fringe Scarf


Ruffle Scarf


Colorblock Scarf

I've said this many times before but crochet is so therapeutic for me. And I love the portability of it. I can relax on the sofa and watch cartoons with my son. I can sit outside on the porch and watch him play. It's just so relaxing.

I will be offering these three styles of scarves at the Market and also through etsy (after the market) for custom orders. Please message me if you're interested. Apparently, it's already freezing in places outside of Texas. I've even heard that there's something called "snow" in many parts of the world. Haha! I hope you all are enjoying the weather, whatever it may be!

Oh and please come "like" my Facebook page if you haven't already. Thank you!

I'll be linking up at these fabulous parties.

Two Down, One More To Go

Pin It

I made another crocheted stash basket for my yarn!



Now I have one in teal and one in fuchsia.



I just need to make a purple one and I'll be done with that!



Have a Happy Sunday!

A Birthday & A Stash Basket

Pin It

Today is my dear little sister's birthday! Well she's only one year younger than me but she'll always be little to me!

I wanted to make her a little something. She's been asking me to make her an apron but I just haven't found the perfect pattern so instead I made a great sacrifice and cut into my delicious Elephant Canvas fabric JUST FOR HER. I knew she would love it (and in grey no less!).



It ended up being pretty perfect because I had gotten her this adorable elephant necklace at American Eagle. She's into "middle eastern" stuff.



I gave it to her this morning and she wore it to lunch :-)
Oh and look at this adorable TEAL crocheted stash basket I made for my yarn!


I got the pattern from here. Pin it! Granted I still need to make about four more of these to house all my yarn but it's a start!

True Blood tonight, don't forget!! Have a great evening.

Linking up here.

Crocheted Flower Hot Pads

Pin It

Lately, I haven't really been wanting to sit in front of my sewing table for more than an hour. I decided it was time to dust off my crochet hooks and try to make some of these. When I first saw these months ago, I was too scared to try them because they looked so complicated. But, they could not be easier to make!



It felt good to get back into crocheting. I hadn't made anything since this market tote. Crocheting is just as soothing as sewing, except you can take it anywhere with you. Yesterday, I sat down on my living room couch and watched a Reba marathon while I made a bunch of these flowers.



I also wanted to share this little treasure with you. I've always kept a journal since I was in elementary school but having a baby has made it a little difficult for me to keep up with one. This journal is called One Line A Day- A Five Year Memory Book and it allows you only a few lines to write in each day. For example, one page with hold everything you wrote on the 17th of May for five years. So easy to keep up with and it's interesting to see what you were doing a year ago today.





I got it online at Barnes & Noble but I've also seen it on Amazon.com, if you're interested.

I've assigned partners to the Swap this morning so please check your emails if you signed up and gave me all your info this week. If you didn't receive any notice from me, it's because I couldn't find a way to get in contact with you. I checked profiles and there were no blog links or email addresses visible. So sorry! But don't worry, I will be holding another swap closer to fall so next time please include you email address in your comment if it is not on your profile! Thanks to everyone who showed interest. I know it'll be a lot of fun and I can't wait to see what you all create!

Linking up here.

Crocheted Market Tote

Pin It

I finally finished this gorgeous market tote last night!

It is really big. Big enough for fresh produce, fresh flowers... or fresh yarn! (wink, wink) I used a bone colored yarn for the bag itself and then a beautiful plum purple for the trim and flower (which is removeable, by the way).




I'm in love with crocheted flowers. This particular one is huge! It has three layers of petals (kinda hard to see in pictures). I've made these sort of bags before, as I've posted in past entries, but this is by far the biggest one. And I *heart* it! This bag is also going up in my shop.

With The Husband

Pin It

My hubby was home this past week on his days off and I was delighted to finally receive a request from him! I've been asking him forever if there is something he would like for me to make him, and of course there wasn't. My options are kinda limited with him. He is so down to earth and happy with the simplest, plainest things. 

His hobby is a looooooot bigger and more expensive than mine. He likes to build trucks. He is currently working on an old Chevy C-10. Don't even ask me the year, I am so bad at that stuff. Anyway, he had shown me some t-shirts last week that he wanted to order. But when he saw me working on the onesies with my lovely Silhouette machine, he went to Wal-Mart and bought a pack of white t-shirts instead. We started looking up fonts online and settled on this cool graffiti font.



The shirt was pretty simple to make but it was so fun working side by side with my husband. He was so adorable, even helping me iron the freezer paper to the shirt. He didn't want to paint though, afraid he'd mess it up.




It turned out pretty cool. As long as he loves it, I'm super happy. He went back to work today and I'm missing him like crazy already!

I've been pretty preoccupied lately with my crochet. I'm makin a little surprise but here's a sneak peek!



What do you think it is?? I love crocheting. The only bad thing is that it takes a lot longer to make something, as opposed to sewing. Buuuut the good thing is that I can crochet while I'm watching a movie with my son or while he's playing outside. I don't have to be confined to my craft room :-)

Have a Happy Tuesday!!!