the saddest yet greatest thrift store find

My last thrift store experience was probably one of the weirdest for me. Before I tell you about it I must tell you a back story on it.

Every Februrary the school that Seth taught at held an auction to raise money. I was volunteered to make something to sell at the auction last year. I had a hard time coming up with something and became frustrated when I couldn't think of anything I thought someone would want to buy. I browsed patterns online for hours. When I came across this panda pattern on the lion brand website I thought why not? It looked easy and fast.

I started working on it the day before the auction but it ended up taking much longer than I expected. Maybe I'm a super slow crocheter.... I don't know. But I finished him and I wasn't too pleased with the way he came out. He was pretty wonky. He sat funny because I must have not put his little legs on evenly. But after looking at it for awhile I thought it was kind of charming with his imperfections. Surely some kid would fall in love with him, right?

Well the night of the auction I was super excited to see how much he would go for. It seemed as though everything was going pretty high and then I took a look at the bids for my panda... there weren't any for a long time. Finally someone bid on him for a couple dollars. I was relieved he finally got a bid. I was a little bummed he only went for a couple dollars but at least he was going home with someone.

I thought that was the end of that story.

We ended up moving from that town in June & I missed the local thrift store there. Everything goes for super cheap.

This weekend we visited Seth's parents and we were going to go through our old town on the way home so we thought we should stop into our favorite thrift store! I was excited!

I browsed all my favorite aisles and then I got to the electronic aisle. I noticed something that didn't seem to belong in the electronic aisle. I spotted a cute crocheted panda. I thought "hmmm, that's cute. I used that same pattern once" but upon closer inspection I realized that he was much more familiar than that. He sat a little funny... He WAS the panda I made from that pattern.

After realizing that I became super excited about finding it again but then quickly remembered he was supposed to be loved by some kid that has already tired of him.

If you have been reading my blog for a while you may remember the post where I wondered what would happen to my creations when I was gone. Would they end up in thrift stores to be sold for cents or would they be cherished by those who recieved them? I didn't think I would find the answer so soon!

Well I couldn't leave him behind. I ended up buying him back for a dime. He now sits in the kitchen window where he makes me smile when I walk in the room.

candle making

Seth decided he wanted to try to make our own candles so he went to Michael's and bought a candle making kit & some cinnamon fragrance.

We tried it out on Tuesday night. We made up our own version of a double boiler and melted the soy wax. Even though they were going to be cinnamon scented I didn't want to just go with the typical red coloring & chose to do purple instead so we mixed the blue & red dye to make this pretty purple color.

We had a little extra wax left over so I found a little jar I had laying around & we poured the remaining wax into it for a smaller candle.

The scent is so strong & lovely! The house smells wonderful even when the candles aren't lit!

We had a lot of fun and it was a lot easier than we expected. We will definitely be trying some more candle making!

crazy yarn

I spent the weekend with my grandparents & they took me to goodwill to shop. I found a scarf for $2 made from a really pretty and soft yarn. I wanted it just for the yarn so I undid the scarf and rolled the yarn into a ball for a new use.

I took some crazy green handspun yarn that I had spun when I was first learning to spin so it has all kinds of crazy slubs & plied it with the recycled yarn from the thriftstore scarf and came out with this really crazy and fun art yarn. I don't know what to do with it now but I think the yarn itself is just fun to look at! I'll make something from it when the inspiration hits. :)

I plied it with a few other yarns I had laying around but the green one is definitely my favorite!

rainbow swirls

I love browsing etsy for handspun yarns. I've never bought any. I wish I could buy them all though. I love looking at all the colors and fibers. Each skein is a new piece of art in my eyes. However I see a lot of yarns and forget about most of them but I favorited this yarn by SpunRightRound a while back and I can't stop thinking about it! I wish I had some extra spending cash but for now I will just continue looking at these beautiful photos. It's so pretty!

Rainbow Swirls handspun merino yarn

a work in progress

I'm working on a little rug using some scrap yarn for under our new coffee table.

P.S. doesn't Jenny look absolutely adorable in her pink hair and the scarf I made for her!? This picture is so pretty & it always makes me so happy seeing something I made being loved by someone else!

brooch

I found this brooch a year and half ago in an antique store in Springfield, MO and it had been sitting in my jewelry box since then. I love it but I always forgot about it. I found it the other day when I was digging through my jewelry box and today I crocheted this doily to pin it to.

valentine swap

It is yet another snow day here! It is pretty crazy. This is the second week I haven't worked at the food bank. I feel like I haven't been there in forever. According the the weather channel it looks like it is supposed to warm up soon so maybe the mountains of snow will start melt so this town can go back to our normal schedule!

It hasn't been bad though. I have enjoyed watching the snow come down and how the town has seemed to have slowed down. I have spent this morning in my Grinch pajamas & red slippers, listening to some Jeremy Larson while doing some crocheting. It's been so nice & cozy!

A couple days ago I recieved my first package from the Valentine Swap by Strumpets Crumpets. I actually ended up with two partners, I'm not sure if it was an accident or not but it was fine with me!

This one is from Karla of The Itsy Bitsy Spider. She is a crocheter as well and she sent these cute little gumdrop mice! Aren't they the cutest? If you would like to make some of these for yourself, she is selling the pdf pattern for these in her shop here.

Remember that flag bunting I made last week during our last big storm?

It was so much fun to make that I have been making more triangles for more of them. Right now they are being blocked. I made the turquoise one out of one my handspun yarn.

I love the texture the handspun gives! I need to spin some more so I can make more flags!

snow day crocheting

Wow! What a snowstorm! Seth went out into it yesterday to show me how high the snow was. When I took this picture it was still snowing so that wasn't even it. It snowed into the evening!

Instead of doing any cleaning like I should have, I chose to crochet the day away while watching some Glee. First I decided to finally dig into some of the nice yarn I had bought over the summer. I made this little flag bunting out of my Wisdom Yarns Poems yarn. The colors were so pretty and I loved how they worked up. It looks super cute in the kitchen.

Then I used some of the Lion Brand Homespun yarn that my parents gave me for Christmas to make this cowl.

I think crocheting is the perfect activity for a snow day. Cleaning the house can always wait! :)

yarn vases

I recieved the latest lion brand catelog this week and was really inspired by their yarn wrapped vases.

I have been saving tin coffee and soup cans and thought they were perfect for this project. I took 3 different sizes and wrapped some scrap yarn around it and added the contrasting black for some texture. It was exactly what I needed to place on top of our entertainment center. I'm really loving simple decor lately.

In other news... how come nobody has ever told me about Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog!? Seth found it on Netflix and made me watch it. It is so weird but so funny! Neil Patrick Harris never fails to make us laugh!

Love these scenes!

valentine doily

Wow! I have actually finished something! That doesn't seem to be happening a lot around here lately. I'm still feeling worn down this week but I have had bursts of energy. When I am feeling good I try to get some crafting done. I'm sure this snow isn't helping my energy. Snow makes me want to stay cozied up in my bed all day!

I made this doily for Valentine's Day but because I made it in a denim color I think it will look good anytime of the year! I love the shape of the hearts!

pattern found here

hearted

I realize it has been over a week since I have last posted. I was feeling really worn out last week. I really didn't have much to blog about nor the motivation. I still don't have much to write about but I hate going this long without blogging! So I thought maybe you would be interested in taking a look at some items I have recently hearted on Etsy.

crochet bib necklace, ruffle layers in heather gray by acommonthread

meow mitts KNITTING PATTERN by TinyOwlsMagicAttic

i heart Missouri-Leather. by truche


Snuggly Owl limited edition print by AshleyPercival

Set of 3 hanging bowls in azure by vesselsandwares

scarves

I'm finally doing something with all that yarn in my stash that hasn't been used in a long time! Making scarves for those who need them this season.

inspired

jellyfish

I was browsing etsy and came across this crocheted jellyfish and really liked it so while watching Elf last night I made myself one for my kitchen. He is hanging over my sink!

organize

Whenever we eat soup or canned vegetables I save the cans so I can make these crocheted covers for them and use them as organizers. They are kind of addicting to make! I made the middle one in blue and white this morning for Seth to take to his office.

My Christmas Mantle

I pulled out all the Christmas decorations today. I threw this garland together using some of the granny tree ornaments I had made using this pattern. This is my mantle as of now. Knowing me, I will change it a ton of times before Christmas actually gets here though :)

Old Christmas Cards

I found a way to reuse those pretty cards that were sent to me last year. I crocheted around the edges of each card and attached ribbon for hanging and I have easy and cute Christmas decorations!

what i've been working on

Here's a little sneak peek at some ornaments I'm making.

Guest Post: Becky (Strumpet's Crumpets) - Embroidered Book Illustration Tutorial

Hello Gang! I'm Becky from Strumpet's Crumpets! I was very stoked to help blog during Carol's move into her awesome new home!

So here goes, what's your favorite book? I have a list of favorites, but one that is most important - Hope for the Flowers! If you've ever read it you know it's amazing! The book has a very special place in my fellow and my life! So I thought why not embroider the illustration on the cover. It's hanging in our bedroom, so everyday we are reminded of that sweet story!

To begin I photocopied the cover, so I wouldn't mess up the actual book, then I got these supplies together:

1.hoop (paint if you paint your hoops - I always do)
2.fabric (paint again if you paint part of your fabric, I did)
3. embroidery thread
4. carbon paper
5. pencil

Instructions:
1. Take fabric and tape it down to a hard surface.
2. Take the carbon paper and tape it carbon side down on the fabric. Then tape your photocopied book cover on top of that! 3 layers; fabric on the bottom, carbon paper, top is the paper! You must tape because you don't want the layers to shift or it will be wrecked!
3. Grab a pencil and trace the illustration you want. Use a colored pencil so you see what you've traced.

4. Take the tape off each layer and put your fabric in the hoop (you can paint wooden hoops if you'd like, of course let them dry before placing the fabric in the hoop).

5. Start embroidering! :)
6. I use my hoop as a frame, so I hot glue the extra fabric to the back of the hoop!
7. Hang it up and enjoy!!

And tada!
So what's your favorite story or book? This is great for kid's rooms too! Dr. Seuss, fairy tales, fables, etc. I'd love to see your embroidered book illustrations! Stop by my blog and send me a link to your embroidery photos! I hope you all have an awesome day and lets all wish Carol and Seth happy moving and unpacking! :)

Guest Post: Kyla (The Fiction We Live) - Autumn Patterned Fortune Cookie "Crackers" Tutorial

Hello everyone!

I’m Kyla also known as OneLateNight from The Fiction We Live. Carol is currently on the move to her new fantastic home!
While she is away she asked if I would do a quick post to give you all something to read while she is moving and unpacking. I decided to do a quick DIY for autumn.

During Autumn I have my very specific go to decor items; Pinecones, Leaves and Cinnamon Sticks. This time I thought I would show a really cute addition to your table, or family gathering. On Christmas specifically my family will open crackers before we eat, and wear the silly crowns and laugh at the ridiculous toys inside. This time why not grab some great scrapbooking paper and goodies from your craft room and throw together a really fun addition to any table.

Autumn Patterned Fortune Cookie "Crackers"


1) For Supplies you will need:
Preferred colors of paper
Scissors, or cutting tool
A perfect Circle to trace (I used 3 inches for the small cookies, and 5 inches for the large)
Glue or Glue Dots
Additional paper to make fortunes, or fun buttons

2) Cut up your paper into the amount of circles you would like to make into paper cookies

3) Follow the picture below to fold your cookies. Fold your circle in half without creating a crease; have the open end facing to your left. To begin the bending of the paper cookie place your thumb and middle finger on each end. While still holding the opening closed with the other hand place your pointer finger in the middle of the folded circle and start pinching with your thumb and middle finger.

As you start to “pinch” you will see the paper to all of the work and a paper cookie will form.

4) Once you have folded your cookie place a dab of glue, or a glue dot into the newly folded crease and hold your cookie together until dry. If you want to add in a paper fortune, buttons or charms do so before gluing.

5) Place a bunch in a bowl, or on individual plates for a fun dinner party addition. You can add in your own fortunes, Jokes, notes, charms, or even buttons. I think buttons would be a great after dinner game!
Place all of the same color buttons in each paper cookie. Place 2 different coloured buttons among the group. Those who open the cookies with the different coloured buttons are on Dish Duty! Easy as Pie

Thank you so much to Carol for letting me guest post to share this DIY!
Carol I wish you a happy and easy move and I’m sure I’m not alone in being excited about seeing pictures of your house when you’re all settled.

Happy Autumn everyone!
XO. Kyla