April 1st, 2012
Each year as Mother’s Day approaches I’m reminded of this poem that always brings me to tears. As my children have long since left home, it hits harder with each passing year. Love you little ones while you can and cherish these years before they’re long gone only to fade into memories of the past.
“Wet Oatmeal Kisses……”
The baby is teething. The children are fighting.
Your husband just called and said,
“Eat dinner without me.”
One of these days you’ll explode and shout to the kids,
“Why don’t you grow up and act your age?”
……And they will.
OR: “You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do.
And don’t slam the door!”……
And they don’t.
You’ll straighten their bedrooms all neat and tidy;
toys displayed on the shelf, hangers in the closet, animals caged.
You’ll yell, “Now I want it to stay this way!”
…….And it will.
You will prepare a perfect dinner with a cake
with no finger traces in the icing and you’ll say:
“Now THIS is a meal for company.”
……And you’ll eat it alone.
No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti.
No more dandelion bouquets.
No more wet, knotted shoelaces or rubber bands for ponytails.
Imagine. A lipstick with a point. No babysitter for New Year’s Eve,
washing clothes only once a week,
no PTA meetings or silly school plays.
No carpools, blaring stereos or forgotten lunch money.
No more Christmas presents made of library paste and toothpicks.
No more wet oatmeal kisses.
No more tooth fairy. No more giggles in the dark,
scraped knees to kiss or sticky fingers to clean.
Only a voice asking: “Why don’t you grow up?”
And the silence echoes: “I did.”
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February 27th, 2012
I’ve always loved the holidays and enjoyed decorating, crafting, and cooking for each. As I’ve gotten older though I have to admit – I didn’t even decorate for Valentines at all – guess I have to step up my game and decorate for St. Patrick’s and Easter.
Of course Easter is one of my favorites for decorating and crafting. When the kids were young, I would often make sugar eggs. It’s like packing wet sand in a pail and then turning the pail upside down to dislodge your piece of art…very carefully of course!
Making sugar eggs is much like that using a special egg mold and tinted sugar. Once the eggs are ready to remove from their mold the fun begins; decorating the inside! Half the fun is choosing the pieces you’ll need to create the desired scene. Care is taken in securely placing each piece to the inside bottom of the egg half using royal frosting. Then “glue” the egg halves together using royal frosting and piping trim and flowers for the final touch!
Each of the panoramic Easter eggs I’ve designed in crochet take me back not only to those early days when my kids were young, but further back to my own childhood. I just loved peeking in the peep hole to see the scene nestled securely inside!
Let’s decorate for Easter; here are some fun free patterns you can make for you and your family!
Free Bunny Door Knob Cover
Free Lace Egg Basket
Free Easter Crochet-a-Long/Mystery
Free ‘Lil Lamb “Steelwool Holder”
Free Fridige Easter Basket
Free Multi-Easter Eggs
Free Filet Cross Easter Egg Cover
Free Easter Bunny Napkin Ring
Free Ribbon Plaid Cross Bookmark
Free Gangly Easter Chick Fridgie
Free Easter Bunny Fridgie
Free Easter Bunny Fridgie
Free Butterfly Bookmark
Tags: free crochet Easter patterns, free crochet patterns
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February 12th, 2012
Nope, I’m not talking baseball. I’m talking pattern theft. In fact, I’m tired of being vague, so here are the facts!
1) Crafty_Critters@yahoogroups.com is the group involved.
2) teryll_2000@yahoo.com The owner of this email is the person who shared within this group
3) She shared two patterns - and this is a repeat offense - the first time I’m aware of 25 of my most popular patterns were shared taking literally hundreds of dollars of revenue away.
I want one, just one person who steals patterns to come forth and say they’d like to work for free. I doubt one of them would. In fact, money means so much to these people they are willing to steal inexpensive patterns for the purpose of pleasure. It’s not like they’re stealing bread and milk to feed their hungry children and it’s not like this is something they need in order to survive. Yet, they have the audacity to steal patterns and think they are above the law and those little inconvenient words that say; “copyright…” have no meaning to them. It’s just words.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again; I can’t help but wonder what kind of families these people come from. Did their parents teach them to steal. And what kind of example are they setting for their children. Stealing is stealing plain and simple. Only the law put emphasis on the amount of the theft and determine if it’s petty or grand. To me it’s grand because it represents hours and hours of hard work and time and money to take a ball of thread and an antique steel hook handed down to me from my mom to create and put this pattern online and keep it online. So you’re not just stealing a pattern, you’re stealing my time, my money, my work, my talent and my income.
Tags: crochet pattern theft, stealing crochet patterns, stealing patterns
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January 25th, 2012
It changes the entire perspective of a design. Take for instance the Wedding Lace Doily. I designed it with white in mind; symbolic for a traditional wedding and then added all the elements I associate with a wedding. Pearls, hearts, double interlocking bands to represent two hearts now linked together forever.
When Jewel sent a picture of the Wedding Lace Doily worked in rose and white, it transformed the doily into a whole new piece! I love how the interlocking rings now stand out and add drama to the piece. The curves stand out and then tying the rose bands with rose hearts and a matching center – it just balanced the piece perfectly!
It could still be used for a wedding – using the wedding colors, but how about an anniversary or Valentine’s, or Sweetheart’s Day, or Mother’s day… the list goes on! Thank you for sharing with us Jewel and showing us an entire new element to an old design.
Tags: A: Crochet Patterns, crochet bridal doily patterns, crochet doily patterns, crochet hearts, crochet interlocking ring doily patterns, crochet romantic doily patterns, crochet wedding patterns
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January 19th, 2012
I just completed my newest design; Spider Lace Crinoline Runner. My favorite steel hook is still smoking…
LOL Next to pineapples, spider web stitches are one of my favorite stitches and this new runner boasts plenty of spider webs with crinoline girls at opposing ends. Their skirts are edged with more spider webs and then petite rosebuds with vines and leaves adorn each long end of the runner. The crinolines hold a dainty rosebud!
Tags: crochet, crochet crinoline runner pattern, crochet crinolines, crochet thread runner patterns
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January 17th, 2012
Recently I read; “when granny meets filet” as a “new” crochet idea. I immediately thought about my Heart Patches Tablecloth I designed about 15 years ago. “Granny meets filet…” filet squares are joined together with a variation of ideas for making a square or rectangular cloth, big or as little as you want, plus the hearts can be turned in different directions. In fact, you could make this cloth several times over and still come up with something unique. Or for those who dislike large projects – a doily or runner are perfect solutions. New idea – I think not! What’s old is new…
Tags: A: Crochet Patterns, crochet filet patterns, crochet heart patterns, crochet tablecloth patterns, crochet valentine patterns, Crochet valentine tablecloth patterns
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January 9th, 2012
Mondays are always busy for me. But mostly that’s because I do a lot of housework from the weekend traffic and catch up on emails and paperwork. There’s ALWAYS something to do on Monday!
Candee sent me a lovely picture over the weekend of the Valentine Crinoline Girl Doily she worked up. She’s beautiful!
Candee writes: “She is beautiful. I used white ribbon instead of yarn for the bow and added a little flower to the hat!”
Tags: crochet, crochet crinoline girl doilies, crochet Valentine crinoline girl doily pattern, Valentine crochet patterns
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January 4th, 2012
Sometimes I think the title “War and Peace” could summon up the life of a designer. When everything is running smoothly, the ideas are popping, and the actual stitching is fluid, its pure bliss; peace! But if it isn’t… well you know – war!
After all the ideas from last year and finding the time to design them, I’m wondering where are those ideas now?
I guess it’s that time to go through my “idea folder” to see what I jotted down or drew out. Outside of a decorative hat to finish, I’m not sure what’s on the menu. There’s nothing like a luscious doily filled with texture, but equally as pleasurable is the simplicity of something easy. And sometimes the prettiest designs are the most simplest.
Well moving on I can’t help but show off another customer photo. I have to say; I should hire Candee to take all my photos – pssst… don’t tell hubby!
Candee writes: “Here is my completed Tooth Fairy. Your patterns are just fabulous and I think she came out beautifully!”
Tags: A: Crochet Patterns, crochet, crochet crinolines, crochet toothfairies
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December 30th, 2011
Carol writes: “For this Christmas season, I really wanted a gigantic snowman to hang on the wall over the loveseat in my hearth room. Your Jolly Snowman stocking design was just perfect, except it was only 16″ tall.
“By using a large hook and three strands of yarn held together with one of thread, I was able to increase his height to 33″. Because of those modifications, I had to crochet his eyes (rather than buying squiggle eyes). Then for contrast, I added an orange carrot nose, gave him three crocheted coal buttons, and I crocheted his cheeks rather than using felt circles.
“To give homage to my 35-year old interest in crochenitting and to reinforce a red and white crochenitted stocking hanging nearby, I replaced your beautiful crocheted lacy red thread scarf with a crochenitted hunter green and white yarn one.
“Finally I added Suzetta Williams’ Holly Embellishment to his hat band. Now I have exactly what I wanted all along! It became the focal point of the room, and elicited many compliments from my guests. Thanks, Cylinda!”
Carol, he’s adorable! Thank you for taking time to share with us!
Tags: A: Crochet Patterns, crochet snowman, crochet snowman holder pattern
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December 20th, 2011
For a beautiful photo of our Christmas Angel Crinoline!
Candee sprayed the pieces with silver glitter and then the glitter preserve before assembling. She also used some spray stiffener to make the wings and arm stand out.
Tags: A: Crochet Patterns, crochet angel patterns, crochet crinoline patterns
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