Google Eyes

This week at the Child's Play Challenge site the inspiration is carft based; google eyes.  The minute I heard this I knew the exact photos I wanted to use.  Some photos of Freya pulling funny faces.  This is my LO:

LO made using Basic Grey's PB & J papers.  This takes my LOs made to 65, just another 35 to go then I can subscribe to a monthly kit.  To be honest I really haven't noticed much of a dent being made to my stash even though I have made 65 LOs.

 

Pop on over to the Child's Play |challenge site and take a look at th other inspirational LOs.

Tuesday Tallies (16 October 2012)

This week I have again concentrated on my Rowan Cashmerino blanket. I crocheted the cream around the 9 squares I made last week.

 

I then made a further 6 squares.

 

 

This makes total squares made to 20.

I have spread these squares out on the bed and I need to make the blanket 8 x 12 squares to fit a single bed; 20 down, another 76 to go. Do you think I can manage to make 10 each week and have this blanket finished by the end of the year?  I should have enough to complete the blanket as I can't find any of the Rowan yarn; I did buy it over 2 1/2 years ago so I am not surprised really.  Will teach me to not hoard yarn and make one project before I get yarn for another or at least buy enough for the intended project!

Pop on over to Carole to take a look at some other one a day projects.

The Great Pumpkin

Today sees the release of this weeks challenge over at Child's Play Challenge blog.  The inspiration this week is the Charlie Brown film 'Its The Great Pumpkin'.

I have scrapped a picture of our pumpkin lantern from 2 years ago with lots of pumpkins and orange ink splats which I made with my new splat mask.

 

 

This fun challenge is open until the end of the month as are all the other ones released this month.

 

Big Hugs

At the beginning of September I was really surprised and honoured to have been chosen by the DT at Child's Play Challenge as one of their Top 3 for August.  I was then invited to be guest designer during October.  Soon after the announcement Tiffany e-mailed me the challenges for this month.  The first challenge was green slime.

 

 

My Mother being who she was would never allow such a thing for my Brother and I.  But I do remember all my friends having the slime and playing together with them.  I have taken the colour green as my inspiration and I used green paint and have gone a little messy with inks drips on the black cardstock.

 

                

 

I loved getting the paint out and being messy.  Paint and ink splashes are not something I do very often and I am always cautious about what I am trying.  I tend to struggle about when to stop, too much or too little and it never seems to end up as I imagined.  However, I was happy with the end result and proceeded to use the paint drips as a mat for my photo.  I am really looking forward to being part of the DT all this month.

 

I was even more surprised last week when I visited the Child's Play blog and saw that I had been chosen as Top Three for September and invited yet again to be part of the DT for November. 

 

 

I can't believe that this is happening, my LOs are being recognised and I am being asked to be a guest on a design team, wow.  Somebody needs to pinch me and pinch me quick lol!

 

Thanks for looking and enjoy your day x

 

 

Tuesday Tallies (9 October 2012)

The past week has not been too good here.  I was in hospital for a couple of days having some treatment on my elbow and hip and it meant I was not very mobile for a few days.  The hip is not too bad and it was only uncomfortable for a couple of days and pain killers worked well to ease things.  My elbow however is a different story.  It has been very painful and I have not been sleeping.  I don't sleep well at the best of times but the past week I have had a maximum of 2 hours a night and usually not at the same time.  Lets just say I am withered a little and I have to go back to the hospital today for a little bit of the same.  At least I know what to expect this week. 

 

All this has hampered any craty things I wanted to do let alone normal housekeeping, looking after children and pets.  Whilst recouperating on Thursday and having got very bored with the never ending all the same day time tv I set about sorting my yarn stash.  Anything to get me away from this so called entertainment.  I have a large number of projects on the go and not all of them have all of the yarn I will need purchased.  I made a big list of what I need and really want to buy up the yarn as some are discontinued.  One colour for my Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK blanket is discontinued and I need another ball (22 Fuchsia Pink). 

Don't know what I am going to do yet but if any one knows of somewhere that stocks it I will be very grateful and I am open to part balls too!

 

Well this sorting of yarn uncovered some projects that have been unloved for a long time, a very long time.  In January 2010 I purchased 3 packs of 10 balls of some Rowan Cashmerino DK yarn.  Three yummy colours; pink, green and navy.

 

 

I started the granny square blanket in the April and managed to make 8 squares.  I then crocheted a border of teal (Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK, Elkin) and that is how it  has remained. 

At the time I was not happy with the teal but at the same time didn't know what colour to use which is why there has been no progress. Speed forward 2 1/2 years....

 

 

On Thursday night I removed the teal border and began work on a new cream border.  The squares are five rounds each with a border of cream.  I had already made 8 squares which I have edged 5 this week. 

 

 

 

I love this blanket now, the cream is so much better and they are lovely snuggly pieces of yumminess.  Just love, love, love, love, love, love it!  This really has put a smile on my face.  My crochet, well crafting in general was not much fun the past month.  I don't know why but it seemed like a chore, nothing to enjoy but this blanket has changed that.  Can't wait to snuggle under this when it is finished.  I then made a further 6 squares up to the first 5 rounds.

 

  

I am much more happy with the cream, if you didn't  guess.  The cream is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK.  The original 8 squares had been blocked and you can really see the difference.  My aim for this week is to block the new makes and finish the cream on the remaining 9 squares. 

 

Sorting through my stash has shocked me by the number of projects I actually have on the go and the fact most of them have a long way to go to reach completion.  I really don't have much odd stash, by that I mean stash that does not have a project in mind. I suppose that is a good thing as I have only ever brought yarn with a specific project in mind instead of the other way round which can be very dangerous on the purse.  Shame I don't have that feeling for scrapbooking!

 

This year one of my many goals was to make 'one a day'; one crocheted row, stripe or square.  I knew that I would not actually make 1 each and every day of the year but the intention was to make 366 by the time Big Ben starts to strike on the dot of midnight.  I am really happy to say that yesterday, 8 October I reached this goal.  Admitidly some of the items have been 2 round grannies but I reached my goal well ahead of time, something that does not happen too often in my life.  I am still going to keep tally and hope to make a further 100 by the end of the year.  I may get some of these WIPs finished some day and the one a day goal is keeping me on track.  Only thing that is holding me back is the number of projects that I have started.

 

Now you have read all about my one a day project, pop on over to Carole to take a look at some other great yarn projects.

A LO Is Made....

The past few weeks have been a little strange mojo wise around here. When I was in Wales for the summer all I wanted to do was scrap and couldn't as I did not have many supplies. Then I got home to all my supplies and just no mojo! Just so typical.

 

This weekend I went to my local crop in Bromsgrove and to be honest I wasn't that productive.  I worked on my LSNED album.  I have 3 double pages to put the papers on,18 pages for journaling and all the photos to add that also need to be sorted and printed.  I also managed to LOs.  One I can't show you until Thursday as it is a GDT item but I can show this one:

 

 

Photo of Liam and freya climbing on the rocks over the summer in Wales.

 

I collected some of the photos from over the summer and I am really annoyed with myself.  I spent what seemed like forever making collages for my project life album and it appears I didn't upload them. Very very annoyed with myself and this now puts back the work on the album!

I was hoping to continue joining in with the Counterfeit Kit Challenges but with a lack of mojo last month I only managed a handful and have many supplies left in August and September's kit.  I havent even managed to look at this month's kit in detail and I dont think I will have much chance to this week either.  I may therefore skip making a kit but use up the two kits I already have.  This LO was made using my August kit bringing the tally now to 11 LOs.

I will show you my Guest DT work and share some news for the Childs Play Challenge site on Thursday as well as my LO for last weeks challenge that I have been unable to blog until now.

WOYWW (3 October 2012)

I don't know about you but I think Summer is over and Autumn is certainly here.  Its gone a little nippy here this past week.  The days of going out with no coat are over.  Luckily we haven't had any frost yet but I have had to put the heating on a few times just to take the chill off.  This week has not been very productive.  nothing has been done at my desk apart from pile more things on it.

 

 

Nothing too interesting, yarn (must get working on this blanket this week) camera, shawl, my morning cup of tea, cross stitch kit and LSNED papers and album. 

Scrapping mojo has left the building for a few days now and I'm just not wanting to scrap.  I collected some photos last Friday from Boots and I haven't even looked at them; this is so not me.  I'm hoping a day a my local crop on Saturday will get the mojo flowing.  I need to get on top of Project Life; I have done nothing since Mid May and the photos are to get me up to date to the end of August.

 

Don't forget to go over to Julia to look at some other crafty work spaces.

Tuesday Tallies (2 October 2012)

October??  How did that happen?  This year is really flying by.  On the domestic front not a lot has got done but I have looked at lots and lots of sofas and then looked at 2 houses on Saturday.  The first, a cheaper one, was not quite right for us and then the second one was right at the top of my budget.  Well the search will continue.
 

This week I have only managed 12 squares for my blanket but I have knitted a hat.  Yes, you did read that right, I knitted a hat.  Super easy garter stitch on circular needles.  garter stitch is all I can do but I really want to extend my knitting skills and make some clothes.  I order some Amy Butler yarn and have knitted the choke for a cardigan over the weekend.  All these crochet blankets are great but I think I am at getting quite close to the upper limits of how many a family of three could ever possibly need. 
 

Here are my squares for this week:

This makes my total to 174 squares.  I think I may need about 500 for the finished blanket, maybe more.  Pop on over to Carole to take a look at some more one a day projects.

Right Now.....

 

Right now I am constantly going over and over in my head which path to choose.  From here there are a couple of ways I can move my life forward.  I really am being pulled in different directions and I honestly don't know which path to follow.  All I know is that the current direction can't continue.  Why does life throw these dilemmas at us?

 

 

If i choose the wrong path, life for my family could suffer.  We need to be happy and I so need it to be a happier life soon. But how do I bring what I hope for to fruition?  What if i make the wrong choice?

 

Right now the only thing I know for sure is that tonight I will once again go to sleep tonight worrying about what is on the horizon for us....hoping and praying I make the right choice.

This post is inspired by this inspirational blogger.