Crochet Pumpkin Beanie - Free Pattern!

When I think of fall, I think of trips to the pumpkin patch, brisk mornings, pumpkin pie, and of course, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte's.

Notice a trend, here? Yeah...fall, to me, screams, pumpkin!

 
This little pumpkin beanie is a super cute fall hat, whether for photography props or just an every day fall hat.  Want to make one? Great! Because I've decided to offer this pattern up for FREE! The only catch is, I only have the instructions written for 6-12 month and 2T-4T sizes.  Still, little kids make the cutest chubby pumpkins anyway :)

So, how do you get a copy of this pattern? It's simple! It's available as a free download in my Ravelry storefront.  Go ahead, there are seriously no strings attached.  I just felt like offering a fun, seasonal hat to you!

Happy Crocheting!

'Tis the Season...For Gift Making!

It's that time of year again! Well...not really. It's not Christmas time yet.  After all, it's supposed to be somewhere up in the 90's again here today. So no, it's definitely not the season...yet.

source

However, if you're anything like me-and I hope some of you are-you'll realize that yesterday was exactly 6 months until Christmas.  That's right.  Yesterday was 6/25.  So the count down has officially begun!

I know, I know.    Everyone is sick of hearing about the holidays earlier and earlier each year.  I promise I'm not going to start singing Jingle Bells and break out the decorations just yet.  In fact, I usually don't truly get into the spirit of Christmas until December.  Sometimes. The thing is, though, that for the last 3 years, I have sworn I would have a hand-made Christmas. Unfortunately, between running and online crafty business and keeping my daughter occupied, that has yet to happen.  Sure, I end up with a few hand-made gifts to give out, but nothing extra-ordinary.

I realized last night, that if I truly want to do this, I've got to start early.  You know, like June! So, here I am, compiling lists of crafts and fun ideas for everyone on my Christmas list.  I thought it would be fun to share as I go for anyone else interested in a DIY holiday.

Will you join me in planning a DIY holiday? I would love to hear about your adventure in handmade gift making!

Knitting!

Well, I promised myself (and all of you), that I would learn to knit.

I got started shortly after that attempting a pattern for a rolled brim beanie.  Let's just say it was a major fail.  Not because I can't handle knitting or anything, just because I didn't have the right needle, and-quite honestly-I may have been getting ahead of myself on stitch techniques.

The pattern called for a stockinette stitch, which is where you knit one row, turn, and purl the next row.  For those of you that don't know the first thing about knit, that's when all of those little "v" stitches line up on one side.  Really, this should be simple.  I mean knitting is two stitches.  That's it.  That's all I need to learn..well, apparently that and how to count and pay attention.

My problem with the stockinette stitch was that I kept losing track of what row I was on.  Was I supposed to knit or purl? Who knows! So it got really random.  After about 15 rows I looked down and noticed that my hat was taking on a pattern that it shouldn't have. Hmm...I ripped out the rows, and then realized I didn't know how to pick the stitches back up and start from there.

I ended up giving up the hat, swearing that I would come back and work on it again after my Port Townsend show.  Well, that show was last weekend!

I did pick up the knitting needles again, I'm proud to say.  Only this time, I decided to start with a very basic knit item.  A garter stitch scarf.  I learned the process through my Stitch n Bitch book.  It's actually the first thing she suggests you make...but you know me!

So, even though I decided to go back and do this very basic pattern that I was sure I would hate by the end of it, I still chose to make some changes.  Again, you know me!!  I can't make anything as simple as it should be.  The pattern in the book called for huge ginormous needles and extra bulky yarn, neither of which I had on hand.  I'm not about to go out and buy knitting supplies until I get into it.  I didn't with crochet, and I won't with knitting!  So, I decided to go with some yarn I had left over from making some newborn cocoon bowls and size 10 needles instead.

For this scarf, I wanted something big and bulky.  I cast on 30 to make this scarf extra wide, and I am now knitting every row in a garter stitch.  I'm so proud of myself! As you can see, I've even changed colors.  Successfully.

Now the weather just needs to cool off some so I can wrap this around my neck and enjoy my hard work. 

Learing a New Craft

In college, when people would ask me my major, I always told them I was going to be a professional student. I  just can't help myself.  I need to learn new things, and as a stay-at-home mom, that's not always easy to do. 

As you know, I took matters into my own hands not too long ago to learn the art of crochet.  Now, I've taken matters into my own hands again.  Last night, I finally picked up some knitting needles.

Even more special, these knitting needles are from the same grandmother that taught me the basics of crochet! You know, the one I became sort of estranged from for years?  I saw her on my most recent trip and we got along beautifully! In fact, other than immediate family, I saw her more than anyone else this time.

I told her about borrowing needles from a friend and bringing them on my trip so I could learn...and then about how I forgot to bring yarn.  Unfortunately this was on my last day, because she said "Well, I have yarn!" Boo. I could have learned weeks ago and been a knitting master by now.

Anyway, while talking about knitting, she told me that while she's taken back up crochet since Paw Paw passed, she just can't get herself back into knitting and doesn't enjoy it anymore.  She then proceeded to take down an entire case of knitting needles and give them to me and told me to get good use out of them.

Wow.

Now, I had to make myself learn!  Since then, I've just been waiting for Stitch n Bitch to be available at the library.  I didn't use her books while learning to crochet, but a friend of mine did and the things she knew right from the beginning amazed me.  She even taught me some things (after I taught her to make a slip stitch).  I just felt it would be worth it for me to check out the book while I was learning since it's so informative.

Last night, I tried my hand at knitting for the first time. It was pretty easy to cast on.  Sure, it took some practice, but after doing a couple, I started getting faster and more comfortable already! So I decided to try real knitting.  That was a bit more awkward.  I had to end up watching a video tutorial on Youtube, but I finally got it.  I spent about an hour after that undoing all of my work and re-doing it. Once I was comfortable and satisfied with how my stitches looked, I started working on rows.  I got about 4 or 5 rows in last night practicing.  It's starting to feel more normal and rythmic like crochet does.  

I'm so excited to really learn and start making things.  Since this time I have a store and a daughter to focus on, the learning process may go a little slower, but before you know it, you may see a knit hat in my store!

98% Self-Taught

Posting in a Ravelry forum tonight got me thinking that maybe I should share my story on learning to crochet.  Have you taught yourself a craft? I would love to hear your stories.

For me, the journey of learning to crochet started when I was about 9 years old.  My grandmother always crocheted afghans and made booties for all of the grandchildren.  Looking back, it seems she always had a hook in her hands, and I was intrigued.

I honestly don't remember the little details on how she started teaching me, but one day when I was about 9, she gave me a set of crochet hooks and I picked out 2 skeins of yarn.  We got back to her house and she taught me how to hold the hook, tie a slip knot, and start chaining.  I chained the yarn all day long, making belts and necklaces and really long cat-toys.

I was due to come spend another day with her a couple of weeks later, so she sent me home with my yarn and hooks and my newly found skill at "crocheting".

All week long I crocheted chains, longer and longer. I attempted to make them perfect-same size, no twisting, big enough that future stitches would not be difficult.

I arrived back at my grandmothers house the following week, and she taught me the single crochet stitch.  I couldn't believe it! I was really crocheting! She showed me how to continue working more and more rows of single crochet with the promise of showing me the next stitch the next time we got together.

Sadly, shortly after that day, a series of events that I won't get into on my blog estranged me from that half of my family for many years.  I hardly saw them or spoke with them.  Holidays were tense affairs and hardly the atmosphere to ask for more instructions.  I never had another lesson or crochet-related gift from my grandmother. I regret now the years that I stayed away.  It could have been such a bonding experience for the two of us.

Eventually, I gave up learning to crochet.  This was before the time of finding everything on the internet (hard to believe, I know).  I sadly tucked my 2 partial skeins of yarn and set of crochet hooks in a box in my closet, telling myself one day I would go back to them when I had someone to teach me.  That day never happened.

Two years ago (almost to the day!), I found out I was pregnant with a little girl and grew determined to successfully crochet her a baby blanket.  I dug out the yarn and hooks I had stored so many years ago, and started practicing my stitching and looking up new stitches on the internet.  I never did manage to make her a blanket, but I know now that I had very optimistic ideas on what a beginning crocheter could accomplish.

This past October, I decided that instead of attempting a blanket, I would try and make her something smaller-a hat!  I had finally found someone with instructions I could follow and chose to create a hat for Addie based off of her video tutorials and patterns.

My first attempt was...well...a disaster.  I had yet to learn what an "increase" was and just kept putting more and more stitches in until I finally knew I must have it wrong!

I started over and followed her video tutorials-which where much easier to understand than most written instructions-and learned what I was doing wrong (Oh! So you only add an extra stitch once every 2/3/4 stitches then go back to one!).  Finally! After 15 years of chaining and single-crocheting, I had finished a project!

From there, I started slowly making more hats, with the hopes of selling them alongside my hair bows in my brand-new (at the time) etsy shop.  I made a few for friends, made a few to list, and Addie's hat collection grew and grew as well.

I thought I was doing really well with crochet when I listed the hats in my shop, but honestly, even just a few months later, I look back and think "really?!"  My style, skill, and techniques have changed so much in such a short time!

Crocheting really has become a passion for me, and I'm so thankful I'm finally getting paid back for all of my hard work.  It is truly rewarding to know that others appreciate my work and see the value and skill that must be behind each piece and make it worth the money they pay.

Have you taught yourself something? What was your journey like?

A Blankie for Zoey

It's about time I posted some more crafts for those of you that love this kind of stuff!  This week I have another baby blanket pattern.  The pattern was not made by me, and I will not take credit for the original pattern, only for the changes I made.

Tara, my cousin, was talking to me before the birth of her third daughter, Zoey, and said she really wanted to find a blanket to match her room.  My reply? HAVE NO FEAR!! (no not really).

This blanket was super easy and fun to make, and was a really quick project as far as blankie's go.

Here is the pattern if you would like to try it yourself.  The original pattern was found in the January issue of Crochet Today magazine. The pattern made a much smaller blanket, so I'll type up my revised notes here.

Materials:
Worsted weight yarn in any color you choose-around 800 yards
Crochet hook size J (6mm)

Foundation Row:
Ch 3,  DC in 3rd ch from hook (dc eyelet made), [ch 7, DC in 3rd ch from hook] 20 times

Row 1:
 Ch 3, turn; working back along foundation row, work shell in each DC eyelet across (21 shells)

Row 2-50:
Ch 3, turn; work shell pattern in ch 1 sp of each shell across. Fasten off.

Bottom Edging:
 Join yarn with sl st in top of last DC on last shell worked on Row 1. Ch 3; working along other edge of Foundation Row, work shell in ch sp of each DC eyelet across. Fasten off.

I had this blanket done in just a couple of days, but for the average crocheter that is not used to working on projects several hours a day, you may want to allot closer to 1-2 weeks to ensure your project is finished on time.

The beauty of this pattern is that you can completely customize it.  You can make it longer, wider, or even put a straight edge on it depending on your tastes. I made this blanket larger by adding extra stitches in the foundation row and working until I ran out of yarn.  The original pattern instructed to make 15 DC eyelets in the foundation row and work 45 rows.  I could have made this blanket much longer than I did, but to be honest, I ran out of yarn and time.

I hope to make another one while being fully prepared that while the pattern called for only 1 skein of yarn, it was a very very large skein!  I had to go in search of more yarn three or four times and finally gave up and said "this blanket is big enough for a newborn!"

In the end, it did end up being a decent size, just not as large as I had pictured in my head.  All in all, it is a great blankie for a new baby.  I hope Zoey enjoys it!

Happy Crocheting!

Linking to:

Well, I probably won't do that again..

Happy Day-After-Easter, dear readers!

No. It's not a holiday, but I'm lame and missed the real holiday, so take it or leave it. ;-)

Currently, I'm sitting on the couch watching Addie play with her little doggie.  You know, the one that is part of her harness for hikes and air ports? She's petting it, and then gave it too kisses on the nose and started singing to it.  All without realizing I was sitting here watching her.  So stinkin' cute!!

Anyway...that's not the point of this post, but it just happened and was so totally adorable that I had to share.

On to my post:

I tried something new this week!  With living on a budget and being crafty, I thought "why go out and buy a stuffed bunny for the Easter basket??"  I found a few patterns a few weeks ago to try out some amigurumi (<---stuffed animals made from crochet) toys for Addie, and thought that Easter would be a perfect time to try 'em out!

Hmm....probably won't try that again.  I mean, in theory, this was a great idea. Addie loves yarn.  She loves anything crochet-related, really.  I mean, her lovey blanket is crochet and she can't get enough of it.  She hugs skeins of yarn while I work. She steals blankies from her friends if they are crochet or knit.  She even pretends to crochet with me!

So...yeah.  I figured she'd love an amigurumi Easter bunny.  I fear, though, that she has the same thoughts on this bunny as I do.  If you ask me...he looks pretty creepy!

CUTEure Feature and a Give Away!

Hello, all! It's late tonight, but I have very exciting news!!



CUTEure was featured on the front page of Etsy today! How exciting? This earned me hundreds of views on my bunny booties and 30 hearts-which if you are familiar with Etsy-land you'll know that's a big deal!

I also have more exciting news for those of you eying my products but leary to buy.  I have agreed to enter CUTEure into a blog giveaway over at Giggling Kids. Please go check out her blog for a chance to win a $10 gift code to my shop!  Good luck!!

In other news...well there isn't much.  We are getting ready for a weekend get-away starting tomorrow!! We'll be spending the weekend in Bend, Or to hopefully go snow shoeing and spend some time with my aunt and uncle.  I really can't wait! Although...it won't be a vacation from "work" for me! Thanks to my feature (and just the plain cute-ness of the booties!) I have six pair to complete and get shipped out in time for Easter!

A Blanket for Linus

I recently finished my most in-depth, time consuming crochet project and thought I would share it here for all of you to enjoy.

A month and a half ago I was at a loss as to what to get my friend for a "welcome baby" gift for the imminent arrival of number 2.  I'm a stay-at-home-mom married to a college student. We don't have a lot of disposable income, and since this was her second in less than 3 years, it's not like she needed anything.

Suddenly, the thought came to me that I should make her something special-something he would get a lot of use out of-but what?  At that moment, Addie walked by holding her blankie-her lovey.  Perfect!

So, here it is, a blanket for Linus.  And yes, that's his name.  She did make it too perfect!!

I love this blanket.  I wanted colors that are perfect for a little boy, but something other than just a basic blue and white baby blanket.  I decided to use colors found in nature for this blanket, and I think they look great together.

I used Lion's Brand Wool-Ease yarn in Caramel, Avocado, Fisherman, and Blue Heather.

With these colors, I made 9 granny squares for each color-totaling 36 granny squares.  Since this was a much bigger project than most everything I make, I decided to work on it little by little in between other projects which is why it ended up taking as long as it did.  Every night after I was done making a hat or hair bows, I would make a granny square, or many granny squares depending on the night.

 

Once I was finished making all of the Granny Squares, it was time to sew them all together.  To do this, I just held two Granny Squares together and used a darning needle to sew them together and weaved in each end.  That's a lot of ends!

 

 

Finally, to give the blanket a finished look, I decided to do a shell stitching* around each edge. This helps hide the imperfections such as slightly different squares.  The finished product...

 

...Is the perfect little blankie for a new little boy.

I hope he enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to give him his gift yet.  He went back into the hospital before I got to meet him due to a bacterial infection he picked up during birth.  All is well though, according to his mom, he is improving quickly and will be out of there as soon as he finishes his antibiotics!

So, here is a big, giant "Get Well Soon!" for baby Linus, and a big, giant hug for his momma-if she happens to read my blog.

I hope you enjoyed my reading about the process! 

This post has attended the I Made It! Blog Party over at Everything Etsy. Check out the other attendees!

* Shell Stitch: 2 hdc, ch 1, 2 hdc in same stitch, skip next 2 sts and repeat

My Plea Was Answered!

Remember this post? You know, the one where I begged, pleaded, and got down on my knees in front of the organizational gods asking for help reining in my mess?

Well, I am here to tell you that my plea was answered!  While staying in the model home, I realized how well Addie played by herself when her toys were in the living room vs. the play room.  It really got me thinking about how I'm constantly sitting on the floor in the play room (gee, I wonder why I have a bad back?) watching her play while I crocheted or tried to hide my laptop from her lest she maul it.

Suddenly, it hit me.  Why don't I just trade with her?! She can play in the dining room where my "craft area" used to be, and I can take over her play room and have my own room dedicated to ribbon, yarn, glue, felt, and clay!

I must say, it's worked out beautifully.  I spent the entire day today in my new craft room, finally.  It's been ready for a little over a week but sometimes life happens, and sometimes death happens. There's always something keeping me out of my new space, but today I spent most of the day relishing in the semi-organized craft supplies, and making hair bows.  I think this room will help keep me productive. There are much fewer distractions in a room dedicated to crafting.

So, without further adieu, I present you with...my craft room!

 

The obligatory "before" picture. Post play room, pre- craft room.  As you can see, it's not a very large space, but I've done what I can with it.

 

This is where the majority of my crafting will happen.  Eventually I plan on getting a bigger table, but this is a freebie that has come in handy!  At one point in my bachelorette days it even served as my kitchen table.

 

Close up of some of my ribbon. Again, a free, innovative way to keep my ribbon organized. There is another dowel on the other side.  The table originally had thick handles here on the sides to move it easily. All I did was unscrew those and slide them out, then I slipped a thin wooden dowel into it's place and filled it with ribbon spools.  Easy, free, and organized!

 

Here is my yarn! It is no longer tossed into the ottoman in our living room.  I have a crochet-bag that has the yarn needed for my current projects, and the rest is getting stored in these two baskets and slid into the bottom shelf of a small book case to protect them from Addie. 

 

 Here's my works-in-progress shelf.  Now I know I won't lose projects I set aside.

 

These are fabulous, so I had to include a picture.  At some point in the near future they will be chopped up and made into hair accessories...but until then they can brighten up my new workspace...and my blog! 

I do have more organization than this. The majority of my supplies are now stored in one of those tall white plastic drawer container things.  And yes, that's the accurate terminology!  I thought I would spare you a photo of a tall white and clear cabinet with drawers. I mean...unless you want to see it, of course.

I still have a lot of work I would love to do. I mean, it's still a pretty far cry from the photos I fantasize about while browsing the internet, but it's a start.  One day, I'll have the workspace of my dreams. Until then, I'll settle for having it all in one room!

 

A Work In Progress

I must make this short, dear readers.  You see, I am temporarily displaced from my home (more about that later) and have no internet of my own.  I wanted to write a quick blog post though so you know I haven't forgotten about you all!  It will be short and sweet, and hopefully leave you wanting more.  Here is a teaser of one of my largest projects...still in progress.

What is it you ask?  Well, you'll have to wait and find out! I will definitely update as I progress.

In the meantime, I will leave you with something to look forward to over the next two weeks.  A list of posts I am working on offline until I can load them online.

-A Not So Natural Disaster
-My Plea Was Answered and a Decision made!
-Addie Vids
-From Playroom to Craft Room. A Transformation

**Disclaimer: names my change in the writing process**

Until then, readers, I must be off to my home away from home.  Cheers!

A Plea To the Organizational Gods

Does anyone know how to get in touch with the gods of organization?  Anyone??  I really need them.  I mean, is it like the Tooth Fairy? I just sweep my mess under my pillow at night and wake up to a nice, clean, organized apartment?

Image  from HGTV's "Rate My Space"

A girl can dream, right?

So, since it doesn't appear to be as easy as the tooth fairy, what do I do?  It seems that every year when we move, we go through all of our clothes, all of our beloved kitchen accessories, and all of our miscellaneous items that don't really have a place.  We make our "inventory" of personal items we can't part with, and try to figure out the best ways to store them.  Each time we move, we end up buying something else for storage, because it seems that each apartment has less and less space to hide things and make it all neat.  In the end, we have a big mess of stuff piled in boxes or tucked inside a desk that still can't seem to stay organized, despite being hidden.

Last night, it took me close to 45minutes to attach a bow to the side of one of my beanies.  Why??  Because all of my materials were scattered between three different places.  Once I figured that my glue gun was not in 2 of the 3 places I keep crafting materials, I still had to dig for it within three bags hidden in my storage ottoman.  Then I had to find my wire...another three places to look, another three bags to dig through.  But wait.  I have to pick a ribbon and measure it to the hat!  Great...repeat steps 1-5 again.  Sigh...

I would love to have an organized apartment.  I try so hard, it just never seems to happen.  Everything I see that could maybe help costs money...which we don't have, and takes up space...which we also don't have.  I loath apartment living.  I used to love it.  None of the hassles with yard work or broken plumbing.  It just seems that here in the Seattle area, you just can't find an apartment with the amount of space and storage that we could find back in Texas and Louisiana for half the price!

I dream of craft rooms.  I imagine having a room one day all to myself entirely devoted to crafting and storing materials. Technically, I could have that here.  This apartment does have a small study at the end of the hall (which, coincidentally, I am sitting in right now as I type this), but I decided when we moved here that this room would be for Addie.  Her toys were beginning to take over the living room in our old place, and that was before she actually had a lot of toys to play with!  I couldn't imagine having all of these toys in our living area now.  As it is, her play room is on the brink of exploding.

So, here we are, back at square one.  How do I organize all of our stuff?!

In the meantime, here is my prayer (or plea if you will) to the gods of organization.  Please, please, please, please...if you're out there (are you?) HELP me figure out what to do with all of this junk!!!

Crafter...Extrordinaire?!

You all know I'm a mom.  That's what this entire blog has been about since I started it.  My journey through motherhood, weeding through all things baby and finding my place in that world.  Well, I've found my place, and I'm beginning to feel more like the old me.  I'm beginning to venture out into the rest of this world again, learning new things and exploring old hobbies all over again.

What you may not know, is that I love crafting.  I love learning new things. I love creating something out of nothing.  I'm sure many of you have gathered that much if you've ever looked at my work.  While I'm still focusing on crochet for my shop, I'm also enjoying learning new things. 

Willie got me a sewing machine with all the attachments as an early Christmas gift.  Now, I didn't even know how to thread a needle.  I had no idea what a bobbin was, and had to read the instructional video to learn what the foot pedal was used for, but since that first day, I feel I have come a long way!

I am almost finished with my first complete project.  Not clothes or anything.  I don't have that much confidence in myself.  I made the best thing I could make for myself-a case for all of my crochet hooks!  I thought I was finished with it-hence the photos-but after traveling with this case to a friend's house, I realized I need a flap over the top to hold the hooks in as they fell out everywhere after getting tossed into my crochet bag.  So, feel free to leave constructive criticism-in a nice way of course-about what I should try next time.  I know this project is far from perfect, and I'm okay with that.  I'm still pretty darn proud of myself for finally learning the basics of sewing!

I also participated in my very first craft circle last night.  If you read my tweets, you'll know that it was more of a craft line than a circle, as there were only two of us.  There are three of us involved in trying to get together for this regularly, but our third person was tied up with the daily issues of having a toddler.  These things happen!   I taught my friend how to single crochet a row and then turn.  She is now a crochet-ing fool!  Maybe next week she can learn double crochet.  She taught me about polymer clay-something I've never messed with at all.  It was a lot of fun!  I created a purple rose.  I may have to go pick up some clay myself so I can really learn more.  Oi.  This craft circle could get me into trouble! Or really acquainted with the cashiers at the craft store...one or the other.

 We decided to try and meet once a week, or as often as we can.  Each week we'll plan some activities and have supplies ready.  Once a month, we'll get the kids involved by trying things like finger painting and basic crafts.  I'm really looking forward to the future this group can hold!

In the mean time, while I wait to learn something new on Monday, I will continue with my crochet work.  I'm branching out, experimenting with new techniques, and veering away from my safety zone.  I've been working for several days on a thick winter poncho that I have never attempted, and never even attempted to follow a pattern for a poncho at all.  So I started this 100% from scratch and I'm just going with the image in my mind.  I am hoping to finish tonight, fingers crossed that it comes out as great as I want it to! Otherwise, it was sort of a wasted 4 days of productivity!  Then again, since the glass is always half full, I guess I should say it wasn't a wasted 4 days, instead it was just a 4-day learning experience that will help in the future. Still, though, I'd rather the poncho look fantastic.   Check back soon for photos and an update!

I Have Some Resolutions Afterall..

In my previous post, 2009, An Overview, I mentioned only having one resolution this year. One that I didn't want to share.  After thinking on this for a couple of days, I have decided that this is not true.  I have several resolutions this year, most of which I would love to share with you all.

My first one is to be more crafty.  Willie bought me a sewing machine with all the accessories for Christmas (isn't he the best?!) , and my mother-in-law bought me a Dremel, so I'm learning how to use those day by day.  I'm almost done with my first real project, so I will share here when it's done. 

That's  my second resolution, by the way.  I am going to incorporate more of my interests (cooking, crafting, my ETSY shop, and maybe even some TV or movie "reviews" if I'm in the mood) and not only focus on being a mom, because I am so much more than that.  Be expecting my first ever giveaway this spring for my anniversary to Surviving Motherhood, too.  I'll tweet about it as the time gets closer, but I'm already brainstorming some great stuff!

My third resolution is the obligatory "work out and lose weight" resolution.  I know, I know. How unoriginal, but hey, it's something I need to do, so what better time to start than now?  Some friends and I joined up and we are participating in a WiiFit challenge, so that should be fun.  I'm also playing with the idea of starting up a brand new blog, completely dedicated to this journey.  I gained a lot of weight when I met Willie, more when we got married, and of course, even more when I had Addison.  I am now at least 20 pounds heavier than I was the day I met him, and would love to get back (or close) to that weight again.  I'll decide this week whether I have time enough for a second blog, and if I start it up, you'll be the first to know.

My fourth resolution I feel should be more of a warning to those of you in my personal life.  From this day forward, no longer will I rely on the internet and on texting to keep in touch with those of you important to me.  I feel we should bring back the phone calls and the personal relationships-you know, the face to face kind-so don't be surprised or worried when your phone rings.  It's only me, trying to bring back the old concept of actually talking to my friends.

So there you have it. My resolutions for 2010.  What are your resolutions? Is there anything you (my readers) want to improve on in the upcoming year? Please share.  It's so nice to get it all down on paper.

My First Sale

Well, I know I haven't mentioned my shop much on here since I opened it-other than just telling you all that it existed-so I thought I would write a post entirely dedicated to CUTEure Creations.  It is, after all, the reason you haven't heard from me in over a week.

I had my first live sale this past weekend, and have just been so busy focusing on that for awhile.  This sale was focusing mainly on hair bows, although I did have a bit of my crochet work up as well.  It was a very slow time, ending in only 1 trade and no sales.  That is Okay though, it was a great learning experience as to what people really want to see, and how much more of an impression I can make if I kick it up a notch (okay, a couple of notches).  The good news is, no one else really sold anything last weekend either, so it wasn't just me.

The other good news is that I did get to trade another vendor for this cute little guy on the right.  She does such cute work.  I'm hoping she will actually go into business soon! This was just a trial run for her, but I love her little hand made plush toys!  She helped me unload one of my 100 hair bows and I just need to get crackin' on the hat she ordered for her little boy!

All in all, it's been a busy-but fun-few weeks full of creating new items, learning new things, and planning what comes next.  I have so many fun ideas for this shop, I only hope I can keep this energy up and keep creating and putting new things out there.  As for now, I have a couple of orders, and one more Christmas gift to take care of these next few weeks, and then it's on to production time!  I plan on getting into more craft shows and fairs this spring, so I need to start getting things ready now.

Ah, To Be a Chocolatier!!

Today, Addie and I had a new experience.  Unlike our grocery store experience, this one was actually a good time.  Addie and I got to experience the world of candy making today!

Okay, so to be honest, I did most of the work.  I know-shocker!  Addie did have fun, though.  She roamed around, watched me fill the chocolate molds, ate carrots, and played with boys.

Meanwhile, I filled molds, crushed lifesavers, melted chocolate, and created a masterpiece!  Well, maybe they weren't beautiful masterpieces, but they sure were delicious! My favorites have to be the mint chocolates shown in this picture! They are soooo good, yet so rich!  I could seriously eat them all.  I mean, we were supposed to make these to give away as gifts, but, ahem, don't you need a trial batch first??  Right?!  I also made a few peanut-butter cups, which-let's face it-I messed up.  They are still oh-so-yummy, but definitely not something I would be proud to give away as a gift.  I'll just have to practice those some more.

So, now I know a new craft.  I just love learning new crafty things!  Especially crafty things that are delicious and just melt in your mouth!