One Pillow, Two Pillow and a set of Booties. Year of Projects Week 2

So as soon  I decide to buckle down on my list I find myself suddenly diverting  onto other things. I've been trying to organize my craft room, putting yarn up and putting yarn together with patterns for a while. And as I move one more box and I then realize I've got a nice selection of pillow forms just hanging around. SO instead of working on a project that needed to be completed I started another. In my defense it was quick and I've added a spot of color to my living room/office space and utilized a pillow form. And did I mention that I used two skeins of yarn that I had in hand? Win/Win/Win in my book!

Its a pattern from the crochet crowd, Crochet Textured Flower Pillow, Here's the pattern I didn't have a bulky yarn I liked so I went with two strands of Red Heart that I had on hand. And I'm really happy with how it turned out. I'll be making another one in a different color soon, well as soon as I find two skeins of a color I think will work in that area. The stash hunt is officially on !

Then as luck would have it I got a message from a person who follows my daughters Instagram and she asked about a pillow I had done for My daughter a year or so ago. We struck up a conversation and soon she was placing an order for an Acorn Pillow, yes you read that right, Acorn. So that was pillow two of the week and I can't say how much fun those large stuffies are. In case you wondered the one for my daughter was a beet! My daughter is vegan and she loved the small version so well I thought a big one would be fun and a conversation piece too. I actually ended up making a few beet pillows and a couple of other veggie pillows last year for a friend of hers that had a vegan store on the coast. You just never know where the world of yarn will take you!

Then it was on to a special order of Booties. Dad is a baseball fan and with a new baby on the way and hope for the season opener, Mom ordered these Chicago Cubs inspired booties, These are fun and easy, toe of my favorite things, and I get it add a check mark to the finish column even if it's not on the list!

I'm hoping to dive into my project bags this week and drag out my long suffering cardigan, I might have it finished by the time it gets cold. I'm really glad I bought so much yarn for it since i"m pretty sure they don't make it any more.

So having said that It's time to track my Cold Sheep/ Clean out the Disaster  Craft Room

Yarn

OUT 2550 yards (rounded) 

IN 0

Other Craft Supplies

1 Pillow Form

So that wraps up another week of Projects for me, Please be sure to check out all of the other blogs in the group and  remember it's always a good time to join. Check it out here.

Have a Wonderful Crafty Week!

Creating Sanctuary by Jessica Bloom

Available November 27th

Amazon  B&N   BAM  Kobo

Creating Sanctuary is a first a truly beautiful book but is it also a wonderful reference for many levels of gardeners
 If you are interested in learning about creating a sacred space or even just a tranquil space in your backyard, this book has wonderful ideas for that. If your interests lie in creating a kitchen garden or an apothecary garden this book is for you. The way it is laid out and the writing encourages you to take what information you need to create your own place in your own time, and allows you to have a space that works for you. It's not a cut and dry blueprint, everyone has their own needs and this speaks to that part of a person that needs healing.
Bloom encourages the reader to use all of their senses, not just sight or smell but also touch and hearing and to use those senses to bring times to your garden that a uplifting and comforting to all five senses. She points out that we should be aware of how colors or scents affect us, is it a positive thought, do certain plants evoke memories?  I know I will always associate some plants with my grandmother and I find that I add those to my garden every year, just to feel close to her.
Other parts of the book discuss what kind of garden you are trying to create, all garden can be beautiful but why not create an area with a deeper meaning., Such gardens could be for memorials, spaces for healing, energizing you mind or just relaxation, a space to escape from the stress of the everyday world.
If you decide to delve into the world of plants for apothecary purposes or even kitchen purposes, the author shows how to harvest, preserve and collect seeds for the next growing season. Then there are recipes for teas, tinctures, essentials oils and lotions.
Over all a garden means so many different things to different people, and this book is a wonderful resource for creating your own Sanctuary. Becoming more attuned to the natural elements around us will help us to leave the stresses of daily life behind and enjoy our time just a bit more.  It is not just for the advanced gardener since it has information how to have an intentional design in mind, what to plant and where to harvesting your seeds. Creating Sanctuary is a great resource that I plan on adding to my library.

Thanks to Timber Press and Net Galley for an Electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Urban Arboreal - A Modern Glossary of City Trees

Release Date September 6th 

Amazon       B&N      BAM      Kobo

Trees are one of those things that are so present in our lives but we blindly pass them everyday with no thought to their origin or age, we might notice simple things such as the change in leaf color, blooms or the absence of leaves. What if we slowed down and spent a bit more time taking in our surroundings, to be more present in our lives be more involved in our environment, what a difference it could make. This beautiful book will encourage you to become a Arboreal Tourist, to have a chance to touch history and be a part of something larger than yourself..

Urban Arboreal harkens back to victorian times with their engraved Botanical illustrations. Each of the 70 trees included in this coffee table size  is given with its location, common name and latin name. A bit of history is also included, some from when they were planted, the myths associated with them and how to find their locations. It helps the reader to gain a better understanding of the importance of the trees in our communities, and how they have touch so many lives before our own. They are so so endangered by urban sprawl, we must learn to recognize their importance as well as their grace to ensure that they are not taken from us forever, this book is a large positive step in that direction.

From New Zealand's Christmas tree, the crimson flowered Pohutukawa to the ancient Cotton Tree in Freetown, I was enchanted by all of the variations of trees living in urban areas. The drawings are exceptional and the stories are very diverse. This would be a wonderful gift for anyone interested in botany or travel, it covers both categories effortlessly.

Thanks to the Quarto Group and Net Galley for bringing this book to my attention and a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Famous Chickens!

Amazon       Barnes and Nobles      Author's Website

If you love chickens, have a backyard flock or wish you did this is a coffee table book for you!
This book is full of enchanting pictures of Kathy Shea Mormino's flock, beautiful backyard and coops.Ms. Mormino is the self described Chicken Chick, who gives tips on having a healthy backyard flock. She has also been an advocate for backyard chickens in communities for many years.

This book however is not a how to book, it's really a "look how beautiful my Girls (and Roos) are" and I totally agree.  Kathy's Chicken's have been facebook and Instagram stars for a while and now she's sharing them with the rest of the world in book format! The adoring public has followed along with their ups and downs and now they are immortalized on paper.

Beautiful scenes are captured in the pages and the ever iconic Rachel is even given her own chapter!
You'll fall instantly in love the Araucanas and Frizzles, Marans and Cochins (think fuzzy feet).
The seasonal photography is breathtaking and it will make you want to pull up a chair and visit with them for a while.

She starts with the littles and seriously what's cuter than a baby chick? I personally have chickens and I can tell you that they have personalities from day one. It's an amazing thing to watch them grow from fuzzy little poofs to mini dinosaurs with their own distinct personalities.

Later chapters are for the girls and another for the boys. As I the perused the pages I saw many expressions that I have seen in my own flock. Scarlet steals my heart, she looks like our Martha and even has the same attitude, I wonder if it has something to do with being a redhead?

And of course there is a whole chapter on the Fluffy Butts, who doesn't love to see those bloomers?

Even better, if you are considering a flock of your own, there is an index listing every bird and their breed along with their name in the back. That way if you find The One, you'll know exactly what to ask for when at that next Chicken swap!

Chickens have so much personality and Kathy Shea Mormino has captured some of it in a most enjoyable way. This book would be great for kids, and adults alike. It is a picture book with some small amount of commentary. If you have someone on your gift list missing the farm life or dreaming of their own flock this book is a must.

I received a copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
This review is my own work and my own opinion.

H like hula hoops

It's Monday again and were starting back with the A to Z Challenge with H, I know there could be lots of items, including hutches  and hinges that could fit this upcycle category but I'm choosing something near and dear to my childhood heart; Hula Hoops.  They were a staple in my childhood, I have many great memories of jumping them, twirling them around and playing crazy games of monster ring toss. But now that I'd matured a bit I can see how they could still be upgraded into some pretty cool items. I scoured Pintrest and now that I have all of these ideas, I'll be running by the dollar store for a couple for me so I'll have them on hand for all of these cute ideas!

I know some of you think that Hula Hoops went out in the 70's and you could be right, but they are making a come back along with something else that went out back then too; Macrame! Don't you remember those owl, towel hangers and of course plant hangers? Well both of these things have had an update and people are using them to create something pretty awesome. Once you see it I think you'll want one too!

Swings! Check out the options and instructions below!

Classy Clutter has worked all of the bugs out for us and gives this great tutorial on what and what not to do when creating your own swing with hoops.

And swings just aren't for us big kids either..

Check out this pattern at Relexlil.com (Hungarian site) I found lots of pictures of this type of item on Etsy but none were still available. 

If you have little ones at home how about a play space or a bed canopy?

This is a great updated tutorial from 2 little hooligans. All you need is some sheets and a bit of time

Check out Apples for Olives take on this easy to make Canopy for your Princess or even for you.

How many times have you heard "Take it outside"? We can do just that here are a couple of ideas for using Hula Hoops in your garden or for your new flock.

Did someone go to tractor supply or your local feed store for bird seed and come back with birds? Need a quick chicken tractor? Check out this ideas from Chicken Coop Tips

This would have been a great idea for us but we ended up using our old trampoline, this takes up way less space and is much more mobile!

Have a vegetable or other plant that vines and needs support, You could use some supports and two hoops like Beth Ramos posted about in her trip to a local community garden. I think this one is using bike tires but you could do this with a hula hoop too. I think it would make the harvesting much easier and take up less room than traditional horizontal trellis ideas.

And the ideas go on and on for hula hoop upcycling, they would be a great solution for your cold crop  covers, add some lighting to your patio or create a mandala for your wall. If you get the hankering for something old to be new again, run out, pick up a couple and let me know what creation you come up with. 

That's it for Monday but it's just the start of week 2, stop by tomorrow to see what we can do with the Letter I!

New Places

I've been trying to become more active, I have a sedentary job and a couple of sedentary hobbies, as well as a sedentary dog..

We started off the year with a First day Hike  walk at Cliffs of the Neuse, I've lived here for 9 years and it is less than 30 minutes away and I had never visited, we've been back a couple of times now and I'm hoping to take full advantage of it as the weather warms up

. My daughter and I braved the bracing cold and took the fuzzy dog for that hike. He's all about walking but we had an issue when we got to the stepping stones across the creek. He was not impressed. It was a bit embarrassing for all of us so I'll just leave that part out..

While the Princess slept in..

I finally got back on track with the walking/Hiking. I had done a lot of it in past years but it got lost in the shuffle of everyday. So in that ideal, The Princess and I have joined a dog walking group recently, it's more fun than it sounds..lol

A local town is working very hard to encourage people to get outside and be more active, in this case they have carved out nice trails, some are even paved, some are wooded and others along existing roads.  This is us with the group in January, before the paving. 

This is the princess after our first  walk..lol

We went a bit further than we had originally expected..she has recovered..lol

We've been to new parks and had a great time meeting new people and dogs. This weekend ironically with the weather being so wonderful for February didn't have a planned walk, (Sorry to all of those who ended up with snow and flooding)  so we ventured to see the newly paved trail near the local hospital and community college.

Nice wide trails

It's really getting green and the weather was in the high 70's, Never fear it will drop off again

Enjoying her Walk, much better than a month ago..

She was so enamored of the little fish in this creek that she would have stayed all day to watch them. There was a little turtle who had ventured out too but we missed getting his picture.

It feels like I should be out planting things but my grandmother always said to be careful of planting until Good Friday. We've started some greens and I'm working away on crafts, but also enjoying these stolen moments of nice weather in the tail end of winter. 

Thanks for stopping by, now get outside and do something fun!