Many Layers of Kate

Beginner Crochet Kit - Crochet Tutorial On Getting Crochet Kit

2009-03-02T10:45:00.001-08:00

By Jennifer Walter March 10, 2008, 11:24 pm

These days Crochet is the most happening thing, Celebrities like Oprah and Paris Hilton too have been spotted wearing those warm comfy crochet boots. Initially my daughter never seemed to be interested in learning the craft of crochet but these days she needs them really bad and is willing to learn the craft. For a quick learning and good results the best suited thing is beginner crochet kit. This is normally a recommended way for any beginner to learn basic crocheting The list of supplies is not long but still the designs and offers make them a good deal. The beginner kit generally includes tools, designs and yarn and of course the instructions to make them. Most of these kits contain useful instructions, patterns and designs for you to start learning. Some of the brands like such kits often come with a set of tools, required yarn and designs with instructions to make them. Brand like Nancy Queen, Spin rite, Bernatand designs are better known for the quality of their kit and easy techniques to learn. Yet if you wish we have listed a few websites here below in our article where you can find all types of information regarding beginner crochet kit. My personal choice is Designs by Nancy Queen and is in the list of gift items I like to give to others. Although I have many other gift items but this type of design is one of my favourites. The beginner kit come in diverse options which range from hip pochos, trendy triangle scarves, large bags, tea shirts, slippers, shrugs rugs, shawls, baby clothing, hats, evening gowns, mobile pouches, jewelry to iPod Case; just name it and one can have a crocheted option for that. These kits are mainly like teach myself how to make a good quality crochet kit, where in the instructions are clear and simple on the ways to follow the step start to finish to get desired results. Then the main thing that arises is where to get these beginners crochet kits from? The answer is simple these days you can pick such a kit from online shops, large super stores or craft stores as well. An online search will help in determining the best place to buy in terms of rates, range and accessibility. Free home delivery … world wide is an attractive option which many online stores offer these days. Technology has made the world small and reachable. These kits can work as a gift for others as well as yourself. It is ideally suited for the females ranging from girls to women they all love it. It can be a daughter, relative, colleague, neighbor every one is fond of an useful gift. The main thing is that its an anytime gift may it be a birthday, anniversary or Christmas its always useful and givable. So why to waste time, go ahead and buy a pair of crochet boots which were worn by Paris Hilton as it is Fashion is not forever and don't miss a chance to wear it when its there.

Discover the secrets on how to make crochet beanies as well as a free tutorial how to crochet flower by Jennifer Walter, the owner of successful beginner crochet site at

Source:

http://www.beginnercrocheting.com

Katie Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

My Blog http://manylayersofkate.blogspot.com

Learn To Make Beaded Crochet Rope - Free Beginner Crochet Instruction

2009-03-02T10:42:00.001-08:00

By Jennifer Walter

Small rounded-off colored glass beads are known to all of us. We see them on our hand bags and fancy accessories, on paintings, shoes, jewelry and else where too, and there's no reason why they cannot be used in crochets! Wouldn't it be a great idea if we can use these beads on our sofa cushions, pillow covers, or even to decorate our wall hangings and crochet hats? These beads could add a new lease of life to an ordinary pattern. I am sure you will enjoy this method once you learn to make a crochet beaded rope. No reason to despair because here is your chance to learn and make your own beaded crochet. Before we go any further with the lessons I want you to understand one important thing, the use silk or cotton thread in the rope is disallowed, as they won't go the distance. The reasons being that the heavy nature of these beads will after some time make them loose and then drop leaving you to cry foul on your efforts. Polyester threads are recommended for beaded ropes. The other thing to remember is that try not using think thread as sewing and placing in a patterns shall not be easy as beads cannot be easily moved due the thickness of the thread. This can ruin if you are doing an intricate design. Now it is time that me start with how to do breaded crochet. Things To Do: 1. You will need a polyester thread of size 10, Crochet hook, glass beads of size 8. 2. Put beads in the thread. Take a different thread and place fifteen. Now capsize, leave one chain & get the hook in the middle of the up half and down half of the 1st chains to start the single crochet stitch. Draw the final bead you have from last strung, attach beside the chains & hook. 3. Place the wool and hook over (wool besides hook) the bead and draw a loop. You are having 2 loops there on hook while the bead must be adjacent to chain foundation. 4. Build similarly second wool; draw a loop, resulting in one crochet stitch. Bead is just worked in the 1st wool over; the other wool is a typical make of solitary crochet stitch. 5. Replicate for all 14(remember we skipped the 1st chain) 6. Thus like circular patterns can be created. In circular pattern you would be required to attach basic chain rope using the initial point to the last using help of slipstitch. 7. The more add more rows as per desire or pattern requirements. There are various things you can do on a completed project too, like adding beads or if projects like Tunisian crochet does not allow you to add the beads in it then you can stitch the beads on the outer part to make it attractive. But for good appearance use colorful beads and the work on it should be neat and tidy. These under mentioned websites could come in handy if you'd like to explore more ideas.

Discover the secrets of "how to attach crochet to knitting" and "how to crochet a dress" tips and tutorials when you visit Jennifer Walter's beginner crochet portal at http://www.beginnercrocheting.com

How-To Roundup

2009-02-19T14:08:00.000-08:00

The Wee Wonderfuls Freebies

Scarf Tuto rial

Pin Cushions

Storage Cubes

Artful Organization
Maya*Made
Molly Chicken
Kate Cannon

Heather Bailey

2009-02-17T18:12:00.001-08:00

Heather Bailey is very interesting. Check her out on her blog as well as in this issu of her local magazine Go, Gilbert. She has a lot of great free sewing patterns on her site, they are located on the right hand side of the page. Her images on the site are amazing. They look so professional. They are well lit and compossed.

I really think that her Trash Ties are a wonderful thing I just wish I could find them locally.

Katie Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

My Blog http://manylayersofkate.blogspot.com

What a great idea

2009-02-17T14:31:00.001-08:00

Maya Made has some very interesting ideas. I would love to make a few of these for my friends.

Kate Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

Some Beautiful Fiber

2009-02-17T14:28:00.001-08:00

I so Wish I could join this fiber club. http://blog.sweetgeorgiayarns.com/2009/02/fibre-club/ isn't this fiber beautiful go on over and look around she has some very beautiful things and it a very inspiring site.

Kate Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

A worthy Cause

2009-02-17T14:25:00.001-08:00

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/39717/yarn-mining-how-to-convert-an-old-sweater-into-a-warming-neck-gator

Kate Cannon

interesting picture and article

2009-02-17T14:21:00.001-08:00

I think that this is a wonderful picture. I found it on SFBay Girl

here is the link to the post, http://sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com/2009/02/ode-to-my-deco-dine-one-one.html

I love this Idea

2009-02-17T14:20:00.001-08:00

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/4924/knit-a-fabulous-fabric-clutch

Check out this link to find out how to make this cool bag.

Katie Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

My Blog http://manylayersofkate.blogspot.com

2009-01-05T17:44:00.001-08:00

My Thought for the day is : I am looking forward to a great day. As long as you keep a good attitude everything will look better, if things look bad change your perspective.

Here is another quote:

To Quote Matt Maddox: "Don't rule people out so fast!" You'd be so shocked at who just may end up on top! You'd also be shocked at who God decides to use! Never Quit!

Katie Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

cool video pattern

2009-01-03T18:06:00.000-08:00

I thought that this was cool

2008-12-22T17:35:00.001-08:00

Found it here: http://treefalldesign.typepad.com/tree_fall/

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo's david in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies.
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone's life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person.
96. swum in the great salt lake.
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee

Katie Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

My Blog http://manylayersofkate.blogspot.com

Shopping Bargins and Cool Links

2008-12-14T18:18:00.001-08:00

Shopping Bargains:

Smart Bargins (9days left for christmas shipping)

http://www.smartbargains.com/default.aspx?aid=753&program=13456&isRW=0

http://www.123bargains.com/

http://www.shopping-bargains.com/

http://discount-shopping.mommysavesbig.com/

http://www.dailyedeals.com/

http://www.ebags.com/ (2days left for christmas GROUND shipping)

Cool Links:

http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com/wee_wonderfuls/2008/12/christmasy.html

http://www.twelve22.org/2008/12/gingerbread_house.html

http://treefalldesign.typepad.com/tree_fall/

http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/2008/12/did-you-say-scr.html

http://simplesparrow.typepad.com/simple_sparrow/2008/12/it-snuck-up-on-me-as-usual.html

http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2008/12/10-minute-craft.html

http://inspireco.blogspot.com/2008/12/here-i-am.html

http://hodgepodgefarm.blogspot.com/2008/12/crochet-today.html

http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/heather_bailey/2008/12/red-green-golde.html

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/12/in-the-kitchen-with-caroline-swifts-holiday-treats.html

http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/12-tags-of-c-10.html

http://timholtz.typepad.com

http://ammit.exblog.jp/9931665/

Katie Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

Cool Links and Free Patterns

2008-12-09T19:19:00.001-08:00

Beautiful Pictures : http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/12/design-guide-omaha-nebraska.html

Scarf Pattern: http://knitflix.blogspot.com/2008/12/fo-scrunchable-2.html

A very funny Comic: http://knitflix.blogspot.com/2008/12/fo-scrunchable-2.html

I want one of these: http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2008/12/seamus.html

A very fun and easy scarf pattern: http://nikkishell.typepad.com/wardroberefashion/2008/10/snowcapped-ever.html

I love this collar: http://whipup.net/2008/08/08/pattern-crochet-collar/

A very interesting review: http://hodgepodgefarm.blogspot.com/2008/12/crochet-genius-laura-normandin.html

Too cute I wish my kids would eat it if I made it; http://hodgepodgefarm.blogspot.com/2008/12/crochet-genius-laura-normandin.html

Katie Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

Cheap Technology

2008-12-09T19:10:00.001-08:00

With everyone trying to save as much as they can right now. I thought I would share a link to wonderful site that I found they take paypal and have very low prices and free to low shipping cost. It is called NewEgg and it can be found at www.newegg.com . I purchased a memory card with reader for my LG Rumor phone for only $7.95 (a savings of $20 off most local stores) and I was able to take advantage of free shipping. When you sign up for their newsletter they will send you coupon codes to get rebates and/or free shipping off various products. I have to say that I went back again and was able to purchase a Bluetooth headset for 13.99 and the shipping on it was only 3.99. This saved me almost $20 for this item as well. I hope that you will be able to save on items that you need as I have. I plan on using this site for most of my technology purchases in the future because the have great deals.

Katie Cannon

My Etsy Shop http://www.kates1021.etsy.com

My Blog http://manylayersofkate.blogspot.com

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

MyHotComments

This is so funny

2008-08-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

I had to share this I really think that it is so funny. A friend of mine showed this video over the weekend and I think that it is too funny.

A Great Read

2008-08-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to write this for a while now. If you are a fan of mysteries then this book is for you. It is a plus that it revolves around a weekly knitting circle who come together to help in a time of sadness, and fear.

Death By Cashmere, A Seaside Knitters Mystery
by Sally Goldenbaum.
ISBN 9780451224712

From the first page to the last I found myself unable to put this book down. Picture a beautiful seaside town, where everyone knows you and your business, where there are people that have lived there all their lives mixed with newcomers this is Sea Harbor, MA. Each of the characters are very well rounded, and well written, they each have such a depth to them that you really connect with them, and feel like you know them. With each page I began to feel like I was being drawn into the world of Sea Harbor, MA. I could almost see the details of the locations as they are described. Each and every chapter of this book with keep you wanting more. The conclusion to this story is so well written that when you read the answer to the mystery you really begin to see the clues that were written into each chapter but I did not put them together. I really would recommend this to anyone looking for a very good read. There is a lace knitting pattern in the back that I am really wanting to try it is for a scarf and it really sounds like it would be a great beginner's lace project.

Here is an excerpt from the publisher's website:
This brand-new mystery series spins a yarn about knitters and murder in a quaint seaside village.
Not long after Isabel “Izzy” Chambers opens up a knitting shop in the sleepy fishing town of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, a diverse group of women begins congregating each week to form the Seaside Knitters.Izzy raises some eyebrows when she rents the apartment above her shop to Angie Archer, whose reputation for loose behavior and a quick temper has made her unpopular with many locals. But could any of them have wanted her dead? Angie’s body is discovered drowned in the harbor, her long red hair tangled like seaweed in a lobster trap.An official investigation rules the death an accident. There are speculations of too many whiskey sours, a slippery wharf, a dark night… But Izzy and the Seaside Knitters smell something fishy. When several strange incidents occur above the shop, the women decide to take matters into their own hands. But before long, their small-town sense of security is frayed, and the threat of more violence hangs over this tightly knit community.

I would really like to read other books by Sally Goldenbaum, and I will let you know how they turn out.

I haven't forgot about you all

2008-08-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

This is a picture from a beautiful organic farm in Vermont, that I took on our road trip.

I have been so busy over the past month that I have not had the time or energy to post. I have been back in school since July 14th, and the girls started back on Aug. 1st. I have been crafting. I have made a baby blanket, a sample scarf for a kit that I am making up. I made a quick lap blanket for the house, and 7 balloon valances for the school that the girls go to. I have also been working on finding a job. I feel that I have not been keeping this up a well as I should be anymore. I will come back and post when I can. The last time I said that I was taking a break I ended up posting like crazy for a while. I thank you for reading. I really plan on posting as often as possible.

I have been going nuts over at YouTube lately. I am able to watch it on my phone and I have found a few that I would like to share.

More Road Trip Pictures

2008-07-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the cabin that we stayed in on Saturday night in Plattsburgh, NY.
I wish that we could have spent a few more days here because it would have been fun to cook in this little kitchen.

This is the living room of the cabin. Me and the girls slept here. The thought is was cool to sleep on a foton but I could not take another night sleeping on a metal rod.

The girls had to have cereal for breakfast Sunday morning. We all slept on the foton in the living room. Tim have the bedroom all to himself.

The nice lady that was running the campground offered to take a family picture for us as we were getting ready to go.

On the way home

2008-07-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

We are on the way home and I thought I would post a few pictures of where we have been.

Yesterday we went to Washington, DC and visited the National Botanical Gardens, the Lincoln Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. I have not transfered the pictures from yesterday but I will give you a taste of Vermont for today.

Road Trip Day 2

2008-06-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

We have really covered alot of ground today. Our day started out in Steven City, Virgina, and we are now in upstate New York. We have been through West Virgina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and finally New York. We are in the Adirondacks right now and I have very spotty service on both my phone and air card, so I am unable to post pictures right now because I know I will lose signal in the middle of an upload. It has rained on us off and on ever since Albany, and we are still at least 45 min until Plattsburgh, NY. I will be glad when we get there. we will stay the night there and then take the ferry over the Vermont in the morning. The girls are very excited about going in the truck on a boat. They do not understand how we are going to get the truck on the boat. I have tried to explain it but I still do not think that they really understand.

On the crafting side of things, I have made a couple of beaded crocheted chains and a cape for Shae's Barbie doll. She kept asking me to make her something and I figured that I could make her something that she could play with.

We will be going to Vermont, New Hampshire , Conneticut and New York City tomorrow. I really want to take the girls to see the city and I think we might try to go to Ground Zero, I really think we should make the effort to visit the this if we can. I really want to go to Purl Soho and pick up some new yarns.

Oh My goodness the views are wonderful up here but the light is so bad that my pictures won't turn out good. I really wish that is was clear so that I could show off these beautiful scenes.

Road Trip and no Cell signal

2008-06-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

I am on the first day of a few day road trip and I do not have any pictures yet, :-( so sorry. I really need to get back to my old blogging self. I have no cell phone service here in VA but I am able to use my air card for my laptop, I know it doesn't make sense. They say that it is something about the type of towers that they have here is messes up out of state cellphone. ARGHH....
Well I may have no pictures but I do have a couple of links to recommend. So here they are in no particular order.

This one is an Etsy crafter that I found through her ad in Ready Made and my girls really think that her creatures are cute. She is Debbi von Zyl, and she makes one-of-a-kind hand-knitted toys/creatures. Here link is here.

The next one for today is a really good food magazine called, Clean Eating. I just discovered this one and after only one issue I am hooked. The recipes are great and are very healthy and the way they are presented even a picky eater will try it. Here is the link.

Let me know what you think about these 2 and I will try to post more soon. I am going to take a few pictures of the beautiful views of the Virgina countryside and post them in the hotel tonight.

2008-06-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Scrappy Blogs
Power By Ringsurf

Oh My Goodness

2008-06-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that I have let almost 2 months go by with out a post. So much has gone on that I really do not know where to start.
April was a pretty calm month for me and I really did not get much done on the crafting front, school has been my focus, so I guess that I really did not have anything that I thought would be intersting to post.

May, now this month is another story. It has been a rough one for my husband's family. His father Joe Cannon was admitted into Emory Hospital on May 7, with an infection of the stomach and the lungs. He bravely faught these infections for 20 days before he was moved to hospices and then passed away peacefully on May 27, surrounded by the people he loved. He was only 59. A little back story: He recieved a lung transplant on May 3, 2006 and did very well for a few months until a stroke weakend him, he was in and out of the hospital until the end, and we are greatful for the excellent care that he recieved from the Emory family. If it had not been for the Lung transplant we would have lost him much sooner so we are truly thankful for the time we were given with him because of this transplant. (I will change this to a link as soon as I can to a previous post about Joe).

May also signaled the beginning of Summer Break for the girls and so we had all of the end of the year parties and getting the teacher gifts created. I really am a bad blogger in that I did not take any pictures of the gifts that we made. I also took the first half on the Teaching Exam for my certification, and waited on pins and needles to see if I passed.

June: on the second I recieved my test scores and I passes all 3 parts of the first section of the GA teaching exam. I am now getting ready for the 2nd section, the Art Certification section. I will be taking this on Saturday, June 14. I have also made a trip to Nashville this month and a trip to Lexington, KY. I am now on the road back home from KY. I hope to be able to update this with pictures of the things that we did over the past few months. By the way my computer crashed twice in the past 3 weeks, Yikees ! ! I guess that I need to get a better Anti Virus Software. If anyone has any tips on which on the try please let me know. I really would appreciate it. I hope that you all have a good week.

Katie

New Digital Scrapbook Pages

2008-04-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

This one is from Shae's birthday we took her to ride the Wild Woody Racetrack on the strip in Pigeon Forge, TN

This last one if my new desktop on my computer.

I made these new Digital Scrapbook Pages with recent pictures from our trip to the Smoky Mountains.

My Newest Obsession

2008-04-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

. . . Ribbon Covered Clothespins. Here are a few pictures of the ones that I made yesterday.

These are covered with vintage ribbons that I have collected over the years. I seend to have gotten so carried away making them that I have so many now I put a few in my etsy shop.

New Finished Objects

2008-04-08T12:51:00.001-07:00

I thought that I should post a few FOs, that I have made lately. Please let me know what you think. I have also posted these in my Etsy shop.

This a pair of dangle earrings that I made. Each bead is one its own headpin and then placed on a one inch long chain. The mount is a lever back for added security.

This pair of earrings are made on a antiqued silver headpin with brown and pink Swarovski Crystals.

My Etsy Shop

2008-04-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

What I have been up to for the past few weeks.

2008-04-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

I think that a couple pictures with captions will explain it all. Both of my girls have had the stomach bug that has been going around, and each of them have visited the hospital because of it, Anastasia only was borderline dehydrated and so they gave her meds and it really helped her along with 2 days of rest at home, but Shae on the other hand had to have IV fluids and meds to get her symptoms to stop. She also had to have 2 days rest per the doctor and it seems to be helping, but she is still very tired. We are at home today for her last day of rest before she can go back to school. Before this she had never missed a day of school this year and she was very upset that she would not get to go to school. She really loves going and getting to be with her friends. By the way in the first picture you can see a new finished object that I made for Anastasia. I made it with Lilly's Sugar n' Cream. The pattern is a improvised shell blanket.

I have been spending the day today updating my Etsy shop and I have alot of new items in the shop and I have taken so many pictures of items that I hope to get uploaded today. I have really not been keeping my shop up and I feel like I need to have a good showing this time around. I have books (with multiple copies) , yarn, knitting needles and handmade items that I really enjoyed making.

Update

2008-03-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

I need to get some picture taken but the light has not been good around here for the past couple of days. I have two finished objects this week. I made Anastasia a crochet shell cuddle blanket, and I made Shae a large one square crochet cuddle blanket. I really enjoyed the process of making these blankets and I really need to get pictures when the light is better. I used Lilly's Sugar and Cream crochet cotton for each of these blankets and the best part is that I got these yarns on clearance at Hobby Lobby and only payed about $2.25 to make each of these blankets. They had the 3 ball value packs (2100 yards for kit) on sale for only $7 and it only took one full skein (710 yards) to make each blanket.

Facebook and more

2008-03-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

I am so addicted to Facebook that I have neglected my poor little blog. I really have not gotten much crafting done this week, and this time change is not good for my system. I did happen on a great find today at Goodwill. I really have need an electric pencil sharpener. I found one that looked just like one that I used in school. I love it. It is very heavy duty and it works great. Now all of my pigmacolor pencils look great and are really drawing me (no pun intented) to them. I will have to get to work on some new ATCs. I have a few that I need to post that I would love to swap.

Happy Leap Day

2008-02-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy day. I am so tired. I worked all week at the girls school, and when I work all week I really do look forward to the weekend. This weekend we have a birthday party, a gymnastics meet that Anastasia wants to go and watch, and I have two projects for school to have done by Sunday, with one due on Sat.. So this weekend will not be a restful one.

On a very happy note, I lost 5lbs this week. Yahooooooooo. I hope that I will be able to lose another 5lbs. by next weekend. I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend.

Scrapbook Paper update

2008-02-28T06:34:00.000-08:00

I am trying to get the new shop up and running and I hope to have Paper Kate up and running very soon. I will be offering more than just digital scrapbook supplies I will also have embelishments for paper crafting, yarn, knitting and crochet books, and much more. I will be excepting PayPal as well as check and money order. I have posted a sample of one of the embelishment kits for digital scrapbooking. I am also searching for Design Team Members for my Digital Scrapbook kits. If you would like to be considered for the design team please e-mail me with links to your blog and galleries that you post to. You can e-mail me here. Also you can leave a comment to this post with a link to your blog and I will look it over and let you know.

Pay Per Post

2008-02-27T08:14:00.002-08:00

Have you heard about Pay- Per-Post?
I just signed up for this and I think that I am going to enjoy this. It is a great way for me to make a little bit of money from my blog. I am able to choose the companies that I would like to talk about and that I think that my readers would be interested in and tell you all about them. I found a link the other day while surfing the blog rings and I really can’t remember where I saw it but I thought it might be interesting. I really would like to update my blog and move it to my own domain, so I hope that this new venture will help me do this. I really think that this is a great opportunity and if you would like to make a little money from your blog then this is a great way to do it. I like it that I can pick and choose the content unlike other advertising programs where they decide what is placed on your blog, I really get to have a little fun and write about the things I like and earn a little money for my time. I really hope that you go and check it out and let me know what you think. I signed up on Sunday and by today I knew that my blog had been approved, and not I will start posting a few here and there to get a little feedback from my readers. This blog will not become an all advertising because I really plan on just doing this a few times a month just like I have always done with my reviews.

I Won I won

2008-02-27T06:13:00.000-08:00

I won, I won. Blog candy from Splashes of Watercolors. I won a $10 rubbernecker stamps gift certificate. I will have to look a little more, I had wanted Tim Holtz's clear embelishment tiles, but I might just have to get one of the Tim Holtz's stamps.

Who is yout Celebrity Soulmate

2008-02-26T16:11:00.000-08:00

. . . . . mine is

Take the Quiz
Take this quiz and post it on your blog, then place a link to my blog in your post and leave me a comment with a link to your blog post and I will enter you in my blog candy contest. If you leave a comment I will enter you once, if you take the quiz and then post a link to my blog, and leave me a link to your blog I will enter you 3 times. I will post a picture of the prize later tonight. You have until Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 at midnight to enter. I can't wait to take a trip around the blogs to see who is your celebrity soulmate. As seen here.

Digital Scrapbook Kits

2008-02-24T15:51:00.000-08:00

I will be posting some new digital scrapbook kits this week. I have started a blog just for my designs and it is called Paper Kate. I am really enjoying creating these kits. I have posted a sneak peek of one of the papers that I have created for the kits Grunged Out. There is also a sample layout using this Grunged Out kit.

The Quote is a freebie from Designer Digitals, and the font is a free font from Two Peas.

New Blog Header

2008-02-21T19:28:00.000-08:00

I just uploaded my new blog header. Take a look and let me know what you think. I really would love some feedback.

New Layout

2008-02-17T19:24:00.001-08:00

Hey there

2008-02-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that I have let a week pass with out a post. I had finals this week and the start of a new class. I have gotten a little creative work done also. I made a mini scrapbook for each of my daughters' teachers for Valentine's day. Let me know what you think if these pages. I also created a new template for packaging tea bags as gifts. I will post the picture as soon as I can get the camera hooked up.

I also started a new blanket project for Anastasia. Hobby Lobby had the 3 ball super saver Lilly brand cotton yarn on clearance, it is normally $21 for 3 large balls, and they had it for only $7. I picked the pink kit. It had two shades of solid pink and one ball of varigated. I love the colors and I might have to go back and pick up the blue kits for Shae. Each kit has over 2100 yards in it and this is plenty of yarn for a nice size throw. I also continued work on a baby ripple blanket that I am doing in two colors and one a 4 row repeat.

Another Small Layout

2008-02-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

I have not had much time to work on these because I have been working on a few traditional scrapbook pages.

Layouts of the Day

2008-02-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

These are for a 4x6 scrapbook for my mother for to take on her vacation at the end of the month. I love the way that these turned she loved them. I printed them at wal-mart today and they were ready in an hour online. Let me know what you think. I made these with a free kit. I will have to find the link and I will post it as soon as I can.

Layouts of the Day

2008-02-04T17:46:00.001-08:00

I did not realize that I had not posted the past few layouts that I have made. I have them posted in my scrapbook galleries, but I forgot to post them here. Please let me know what you think I really would love some feedback on these. Thanks so much in advance for your replies.

Featured Site

2008-02-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

I would like to start featuring sites once per week. The first featured site is The Shabby Princess.

This site has all you need to get started Digital Scrapbooking, with great how-to's and freebies. The Dinner Party kit is one of the great freebies that are avaliable on this site.

The shoppe is filled with beautiful papers, embelishments, fonts, and kits.

You can also find great premade blog headers and buttons. All you have to do is add your blog title, and you have a great header.

Even if the digital scrapbook medium is not for you this is great for digital collage and other types of art because you can print these images out with your home printer and use them for any traditional crafting.

Digital Scrapbook Paper

2008-02-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

I have just completed my first set of Digital Scrapbook paper. I am working on the embelishments to go along with it. I have ribbon, tags, and flowers in the works. Please let me know what you think about them I will be posting layouts using them as soon as I can.

Layout of the day

2008-01-31T12:11:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken on New Years Day. It was a sunny cool day and I wanted to take a few pictures out side.

How To:

I created the flower with a couple of patterned papers and clip art in a flower shape. I overlaid the paper with the help of a vector mask. Then I used the mosaic filter to change the look of the paper varing the size of the tiles and the grout. I then added a button embelishment on top for the center.

The Scallop paper border was created with a vector mask also. The shape was created in photoshop and then the patterned paper was laid over it with the vector mask switched on to shwo the scallop shape.

The frame was created with a layer mask painted white, and the photo was placed on top of it.

All of the elements and papers are freebies that I have downloaded from various sources.

I am working on a few designs of my own and I have a kit in progress and I am looking for people who would like to design a couple of page layouts with the papers and elements that I have made.

Blog Candy Winner

2008-01-30T06:18:00.000-08:00

Just letting you know that the winner of the blog candy suprise package is "gettingby" Please e-mail me at kates.1021@yahoo.com with your address and I will get it in the mail.

A New Slideshow

2008-01-28T17:23:00.000-08:00

A New Layout

2008-01-27T15:31:00.001-08:00

I just finished this new layout and I wanted to share. This one is from my vacation back in September. I go on a Ladies' Retreat with the ladies from our church for a week every year to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This is another layout using only the freebes from Designer Digitals.com.

Blog Candy Contest

2008-01-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

This scrapbook page is a sketch from Got Sketches it is Sketch #44, go check out Valerie and let her know what you think of her sketches. . Please let me know what you think.

I have been posting here for a while now and I thought that I will give a little Blog Candy away. If you are new to the blog candy thing, here is what it is. I will be taking comments until Monday night Jan. 28, 2008 at midnight EST. In you comment tell me what is your favorite color and what you feel when you see this color. I will pick one commenter at random from all the comments that I receive, and send you a suprise blog candy package.

I am using this free kit from Memory Makers Magazine. I love playing around with this. It is very bright, and fun. I am scrapping my beach pictures with this . I will post it as soon as I can.

A couple of new pages

2008-01-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

I am having so much fun with Digital Scrapbooking. Here is a page that I created using only freebees from Designer Digitals. I am trying to see how many different pages that I can make out of these freebees. There are 48 different sets of downloads and I think that just using these I will be challenging myself. I will be uploading them here as I finish them. I hope to be able to make at least double this number, by mixing these kits. This is one of my favorite sayings. I really want to paint it as a border in my bedroom. I think that this is something that you should always do to your children every night. The years when they want a goodnight kiss is so fleeting that I feel like I need to take advantage of it while I can.

My next page uses Anastasia's favorite quote. " I love you to the moon and back", when ever she tells me that she loves me she will say that to me, and I love if when she says it.

New Pictures

2008-01-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

I have been sick since Friday afternoon. We spent the long weekend at a friends about an hour and a half from our house. They have 2 children about the same ages as our girls and we only get to see them every couple of months or so. Well I ended up sleeping most of the weekend because of my cold and any medicine that I take knocks me out for the count. I did get a few new pictures of the girls though. They are very experimental so please let me know what you think.

The Camera's Back

2008-01-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

I found my camera cord so I can finally post my pictures. So be warned this will be a picture heavy post.

Here are a few of the cards that I have made over the past few weeks. The first two were welcome back cards for the girls teachers. I made them little bags of nugget candy with welcome back on the lables and a card each. I used stamps from a kit that I bought at Michael's it was a huge collection that came with ribbon, ink pads, chalk, wood mounted stamps, markers, paper, stickers, and more. The paper for these cards is All Dressed Up and I used a 1 1/2 in scallop circle punch, with a 1 inch circle layered on top.

The letter stamps that I used for this card are from all night media, the brads are making memories, the stickers are from hobby lobby, and paper is just a blue scrapbook cardstock, I inked the bottom section with distressing ink from the making memories distressing kit.

It is getting late so I will post a few more pictures tomorrow.

Digital Layout Of the Day

2008-01-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

I made another layout over the weekend. Let me know what you think. I am having so much fun with these. It is really helping me to get my pictures onto layouts. I had a few printed at wal-mart and I love how they turned out. I framed the previous layout and I plan on making a 5x7 album for mother's day for my MIL and Mother.

A New Layout

2008-01-12T13:19:00.000-08:00

I completed 8 traditional scrapbook layouts over the last week but I still cannot find the cable for my camera. I have a mini memory stick so it doesn't fit in my reader (ugh!). I made this digital layout to show. I took this picture last January after school on day. I was a unusually warm day, so we went to the park. We took a walk down to the small pond and they decied to walk back and forth across it and on one of those crossing they decied to hold hands and I was lucky enough to catch it with my lens.

Digital Scrapbook Pages

2008-01-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

I decied to try to my hand at a new medium. Please let me know what you think. I just wanted to post a couple of FOs for today. I have been working at the girls school everyday since they went back on Jan 2. I am so glad I really needed a good paycheck this month.

I will try to give a list of the kits that I used because I used a couple of Digital scrapbook freebies from a couple of different sites.

My oh my

2008-01-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that I have let almost 2 weeks pass since posting, but it has been very busy. I hope to get my pictures off my camera (I lost the cord). So, you can see why I don't have any pictures to go along with this post. I will try to upload some of my newest FOs tomorrow.
Talk to you all soon.

Can't think of any thing clever

2007-12-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

I hope that you all are having a great holiday. I know my girls are having a great day. I hope that you all are able to spend time with your families as this is the most important thing at this time of the year and all times of the year. Be thankful that you are healthy and safe, and that you are are together.

A Couple of Quick Gifts

2007-12-23T20:44:00.003-08:00

Start with to store bought fleece blankets (with blanket stitch edge), a little cotton yarn, and some felt.

Cut out 3 inch squares out of 4 colors of felt and 3 inch triangles out of the same colors. Then sew the squares on with a straight stitch 1/8 inch from edge of felt in each corner of the blanket and the center place the triangles.

On the other one Double crochet, chain, in each blanket stitch bar around the edge of the blanket and then finish off with a slip stich and weave in ends.

I made both of these in under 1 1/2 hours. They were very quick and easy to complete.

Merry Christmas To All

2007-12-23T19:33:00.001-08:00

I think I might be too busy to post over the next few days.

So, here goes, MERRY CHRISTMAS I hope that you all have a good one. I have included a few of our new ornaments that we have aquired over the past few weeks.

The Star is from Khols and the Strawberry is from Bloomingdale's

The Snowman bell is from Kohl's and the Good Night Moon is from Bloomingdale's. the Gingerbread Man is one that Anastasia made in Kindergarten last year.

Here is one of my most recent cards. I used the Making Memories Distressing kit and a Marvy 1' circle punch and one blue snap. I set the snap with the fisker's eyelet setter and punch. I also used an ink'ed phrase stamp for the happy birthday.

Pink Pig Pictures

2007-12-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

This is my niece Jessica, and my mom and the girls. Waiting in line took for what seemed like forever.

We knew we were close when we finally saw this.

A Cool How-To

2007-12-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

I really love this how to at this site and all the other ones that are on there also. This picture from there also. I just thought I would give a little inspiration for today.

Paper Crafting Blogs

2007-12-19T17:57:00.000-08:00

This picture makes me feel cold just looking at it. I took this last evening in my back yard.

Here are a few paper crafting blogs that I found today, so I thought that I would share a few links that I thought some of you might like to check out. Let them know that I sent you.

I hope that you all have a good evening.

{Letters from Lizzie}
The Scrappy Chick
Stampin' Spots & Other Crafty Thoughts
Stampin and More with Crystal
pine is here.
No Time To Stamp?

NGT
Musings of an Addict
little treasures
Listen to this...
Just Give Me Stamps...

Inky Paws
imagine. dream. create.

erika designs
card creme

Gingerbread and Christmas Cleaning

2007-12-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

Today has been spent cleaning out my cabinets and my counters and getting it set up for the luncheon that we are hosting on Christmas Eve.

Here is a picture of our gingerbread house that we made last week. We had to decorate the roof flat while the rest of the house parts dried.

Shae and I also made a batch of Peppermint Bark. She got to use the hammer to crush the candy canes and she loved it. This is the recipe that I use. It is my own and I really like the way it tastes.

12 oz of vanilla bark

12 candy canes crushed

4 drops of peppermit extract

Melt the vanilla bark in the microwave until smooth in 15 sec. spirts. Mix in candy canes and extract. Spread on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and chill to harden. Then breakup into pieces. enjoy

Inspirations of the Day

2007-12-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

I love this idea. printable wrapping paper. I found this on Blueprint magazine's website. I thought I would share this very unique find. I really have gotten inspired lately to do more paper crafting. Here is a very cool blog by Tim Holtz, he is a mixed media, stamping artist. I used my weekly Michael's coupon for the Making Memories Distressing Kit. I love how it works but I think I might have to practice a little bit more before I show off anything. The bone folder that came with the kit is great I like hw crisp my folds look. I am working on a new scrapbook layout for Anastasia's scrapbook. I hope to have it done tonight. I

had to stop to watch my favorite show, NCIS. It was supposed to be a brand new one but, it is a rerun. I guess that I will get more done on my scrapbook than I thought.

I really am loving being out of school this week. I really needed the break, an essay each week has been a little hard in the sleep department. Going to bed at 12am and getting up at 6am to take the girls to school and hope that I would get to work that day (I am a substitute teacher at their school) then not getting home until 3 in the afternoon. When I got home I would have to cook dinner, do laundry and get the kids in bed by 7:30, and then start my school day over again.

I also got to watch Carol Duvall's Holiday Workshop today, and I loved the idea of the folded paper tree. Here is the link for this I hope that you find it as interesting and easy as I have.

School Is Over For The Year

2007-12-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

I finished my classes on Saturday and the girls on Friday. I have been going crazy this weekend making a few things and letting the girls make collages. I bought myself a new cabinet to store my craft stuff that we use in the house so I don't have to carry things back and forth from the studio. It is a Making Memories Embelishment Cabinet, Michael's had then on sale for 30% off and I just had to have it. It has been great. I have things for paper crafting, stamping, scrapbooking, and beading all in one cabinet. It has made keeping things organized and easy to get to. Look at all the storage space. I love the ribbon rods, I thought I had more ribbon than this, I will have to look through a few more drawers. I have the jars filled with floss, buttons, beads, paper scaps, paint daubers.

Here is one of the scrapbook pages that I made last night. This one is Shae's first trip to Stone Mt. in 2003.

Supply list:

Black Dye Ink Pad

Blue Eyelet Snaps

Forest Green Cardstock

Round Journaling Stamp

Flourish Stamp

Tree Stamp

1 inch round paper punch

Green Crinkle print paper

All Night Media Typerwiter Key Letter Stamp Set

Dark Blue Ink Dauber (used to distress the edges of paper)

Anastasia's first year in school.

Supply List:

1 inch round paper punch

Paper Flowers K & Company

Large Brads K & Company

Fabric Stickers

Making Memories Heart Brads

K & Company Chipboard accents

Plum Ink Dauber

Scallop Scissors

Round Journaling Stamp

Striped Pattern paper

Pink Cardstock

Amy Butler Mat Stack

I also got an early christmas present. I bought my self a new camera. It is a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S700. Circuit City had it on sale for $20 lower than wal-mart and they gave a 1G memory stich with purchase. Yipee, my last one fell in the atrium waterfountain at the Georgia Aquarium, this summer.

Here is the list of books and magazines that I have used to get some ideas for my paper crafting.

Vintage Paper Crafts

The Decorated Page

The Encyclopedia of Scrapbooking Tool & Techniques

This weeks update

2007-11-29T19:06:00.000-08:00

We have been really busy this week. We made two countdown calendars, one for each of the girls.

Anastasia's is a bottle cap tree with round tags for the covers and I left the strings because I thought it would help her pull the tags off each day.

Shae's is made out of origami water cups that were glued to a piece of poster board.

Each of these took less than one and a half hours and they offer a fun change of pace.

I really can't believe that these pictures are so dark, but I don't get home until late and it is still dark when I leave so I have to deal with afternoon light and the dreaded flash.

The effect of e-mail on people's communication skills

2007-11-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

E-mail has given us more freedom to communicate. We “talk”, to people that we have not seen in years, and might not even be able to carry on a face to face conversation with. It has also made people lazy. We send one to the person in the next cubical instead of getting up and talking to them. As in the second sentence of this paragraph the over use of quotes can be attributed to e-mail use. People even uses air quotes with their fingers to make a point, and they are not even used for their original purpose.

E-mail has given way to less face to face interaction in the workplace. One such example of this is in my mother’s workplace. Her boss would rather she ask questions via e-mail, instead of walking across the hall to ask him face to face. A question that would take less than a minute to answer, could take all day because they have to wait for the answer. If the answer is not clear then another is bounced back and forth until they answer is clear.

Sometimes e-mails can be misunderstood because there is a lack of tone in the written word. People will take things the wrong way because people write short and to the point. Instead of elaborating say what they mean and it can seem a little harsh. If you look back at letter writing, you will see how it was a true art form. This has been lost to the present generation because of the overuse of e-mail. Some e-mail etiquette sites even say to be short and to the point and that it is not a spoken conversation. If you look at an e-mail as this you will not really be able to communicate as well as if you take your time to get your point across with more information it is needed.

Junk e-mails can be anything from poems to a new form of urban legend. People really waste their own time and the people that they send it to by forwarding junk mail. This has become such a problem that companies have implemented policies to ban the practice. Take a look at your inbox and see how many junk e-mails that you receive in a twenty-four hour period. This is not Spam but mail that is forwarded to you someone that you know.

Spam is one of the worse things that have come because of e-mail. When you sign up on website beware, you e-mail address is more than likely going to be sold to another company and you will be spammed. Looking in my spam folder in less than two hours I had thirty spam e-mails. You have to look through them just to make sure that regular one has not slipped though. There are ways to avoid spam by using a disposable e-mail address that can be deleted if it starts getting a lot of spam. These types of e-mail addresses are available through most services.

People’s communication skills have really slipped back to high school when everything had an acronym. This has led to poor grammar because people use more slang. Some of the most commonly used acronyms are, Laugh Out Loud (LOL), Be Right Back (BRB), For Your Information (FYI), and By The Way (BTW). It can be very annoying if you do not know the meaning of the acronym that is being used. If we learn to look at e-mails as just another way to write a letter and get back to using proper grammar and etiquette instead of acronym and smilies [ :-) ] we would be better understood.

Bad spelling has become rampant because people have come to depend on spell check too much instead of making sure that they are spelling something correctly. Sometimes the errors remain in the e-mail because the word is not spelled wrong but the wrong spelling has been use. This is the case with homonyms and is a growing problem. People depend on spell check so much that they do not proofread the body of the e-mail and just take it for granted that spell check has done it job. What they do not realize is that they are really depending on another person – the person that entered the words into the spell check program.

People are wasting so much time using e-mail to ask simple questions that it could take all day to get a project done. They send one sentence answers back-and-forth countless times, when one phone call would have taken less time. If they would take the time to pick up a phone instead of opening their e-mail program, they would be able to get their job done so much more quickly.

Edited to add: This is an essay that I wrote for my current english class and I though that I would post it here.

What I have been up to this week.

2007-11-18T12:08:00.002-08:00

School has been taking up so much of my time this week. I thought I would see what you think about some of my drawings.

I had to draw this chair and chest of drawers for my History of Furniture class.

Favorite Things

2007-11-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

I am just loving it that one of my favorite magazine is back. Victoria Magazine, has always been something that I loved to read and the eye candy is a plus also. I really am glad that I subscribed as soon as it was announced. My first issue came in the mail a couple of weeks back just in time for my birthday. The Christmas issue did not disappoint. Here are a few of the finds that were listed in this issue, so I thought I would share the ones that really caught my eye.

You can find links to there site here.

I also got a new books this weekend and I am just loving it. The pictures a beautiful and the projects range from simple to intermediate. It is organized into sections based on where the item will be used in the home. The illustrations are very easy to understand and I really have a few items that I plan on making for quick gifts.

Here is a partial list of the projects that you will find in this book.

Sleep Mask
Large Strawberry cushion
a few cute softees (cat, dog, bear, horse, doll, and an angel)
Fabric roses
Floor mats
Tea Cozy
Wall Hangings
Handbags and totes
Fabric Boxes
and much, much more . . . . . .

It is really worth the money for this book. I know that I will make a few things.

Somebody's Hero

2007-11-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

Shae's class was making a best friend book this week and when they asked her who her best friend is, she didn't tell them it was one of the little friends that she has at school. No, she said that her mommy was her best friend. I almost cried when they told me. I thought it was so sweet. I heard this song on the way home today, and I thought that it fits how I am feeling today.

She's never pulled anyone from a burning building

She's never rocked Central Park to a half a million fans,

screaming out her name

She's never hit a shot to win the game

She's never left her footprints on the moon

She's never made a solo hot air balloon ride, around the world,

No, she's just your everyday average girl (but)

She's somebody's hero

A hero to her baby with a skinned up knee

A little kiss is all she needs

The keeper of the cheerios

The voice that brings Snow White to life

Bedtime stories every night

And that smile lets her know

She's somebody's hero

She didn't get a check every week like a nine-to fiver

But she's been a waiter, and a cook and a taxi driver

For twenty years, there at home, until the day her girl was grown

Giving all her love to her was her life's ambition

But now her baby's movin' on, and she'll soon be missin' her

But not today, those are tears of joy runnin' down her face

She's somebody's hero

A hero to her daughter in her wedding dress

She gave her wings to leave the nest

It hurts to let her baby go down the aisle she walks right by

Looks back into her mother's eyes

And that smile lets her know

She's somebody's hero

Thirty years have flown right past

Her daughters' starin' at all the photographs

Of her mother, and she wishes she could be like that

Oh, but she already is

She's somebody's hero

A hero to her mother in a rockin' chair

She runs a brush through her silver hair

The envy of the nursing home

She drops by every afternoon

Feeds her mama with a spoon

And that smile lets her mother's smile lets her know

She's somebody's hero

I am in a mood tonight

2007-11-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

so I am just going to post this. It really expresses how I feel.
Why do I, choose the things I choose,
Why do I, always find some lame excuse,
Why do I, not realize what I could do,
Oh, I wish I knew the reason why,
Why do you, get that sad look on your face,
why do you, pull away from my embrace,
why do you, see all my faults and my mistakes
Oh, I wish you knew the reason why,
Why do we, treat each other like we do,It's like we never even try,
Why can't we, get back to the love we knew,
Oh why oh baby why,
Why do we, have to play those same old games,
Why do we, run away from who's to blame,
Can't they see, to lose this love would be ashame,
oh I wish we knew the reason why,
oh I wish we knew the reason why.
Song Lyrics by Vince Gill

OK OK OK

2007-11-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

I guess that I missed one of my days so I will have to add a day at the beginning of December. I started back to school this week. I have 15 classes left to finish my degree. I am so ready to be done. I hope to finish Dec 08. Here is one of the drawings that I completed for my spring studio class.

Cupcakes Cupcakes and more Cupcakes

2007-11-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

We spent the afternoon a couple of weeks back and made 2 dozen cupcakes. I have been meaning to post these pictures but I keep putting it off. So since I said that I would post everyday for the month for the month of November. I would love to be a little more creative with my post but I am having a little trouble being creative off the computer also. I guess I am in a creative block right now. I have completed 5 more Zentangles, 2 last night and 3 more today. I need to get them scanned in so that I can post them. So my post today is all about the inspirations in my life. My baby girls.

Zentangle

2007-11-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

Ok I saw this on another blog the other day and I had to try my hand at one. Once I got started I realized that I used to make these alot when I was in school. I really like the way that this one turned out. Here is a link to the Zentangle Gallery.

Oh My, What Fun

2007-11-03T18:35:00.001-07:00

Here we are coming in for a landing. If you look off to the left you see a skydiver preparing for a landing.

Here is the view from 1500 feet up.

Here is a shot looking back right before they jumped.

Ok I do not mean to turn this into a skydiving blog but I really have wanted to do this for so long. I spent the day at the local DZ (dropzone) and I went up as a co-pilot (ride along). This time I got to ride in a Otter (plane) there was an actual seat for the co-pilot instead of sitting in the floor riding backward. I would like to go for my tandem next weekend. I have alot more pictures I just do not have time to post them all.

Pay it Forward

2007-11-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here is the just of the "Pay It Forward" Exchange.

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.” So if you would like to participate, I will make and send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment.

Found at Heather's blog. Via WhipUp.

Edited Nov. 5th to add : Only one more spot.

Books For Sale

2007-11-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

All books listed are Brand New and I have multiple copies of some of the books. I was doing fairs and teaching fiber arts in my studio and I would like to offer a few things here. Shipping is included in the price, and I accept check or money order, only. Thanks in advance for looking.

Beader's Companion $19.95 regular price My Price $17.95

Crocheter's Companion $19.95 regular price My Price $17.95Getting Started Crochet $16.95 regular price My Price $14.95

Wrap Style $21.95 regular price My Price $19.95
Domino Knitting $16.95 regular price My Price $14.95

Felted Knits $21.95 regular price My Price $19.95

Getting Started Knitting $16.95 regular price My Price $14.95

Knit Fix $19.95 regular price My Price $17.95

Handy Book of Patterns $24.95 regular price My Price $22.95

Handy Book of Sweater Patterns $24.95 regular price My Price $22.95

I will also be posting some back issues of Interweave Crochet and Knits as soon as I can take an inventory of how many I have of each issue. I also have a full selection of yarns that I will be posting also. I have not been having classes for a while and I really need to get the studio redone where I can use the space to create and not just for a store.

REMEMBER shipping is INCLUDED in all of the prices. I will also give a discount if you purchase more than one item. Here is the scale.

Buy one book at regular price, get the second one for 20% off of equal or lesser value.

Buy 3 books and get 10% off of each book.

Buy 4 books and get 15% off of each book.

Just e-mail me if there is any title that you would be interested in. Thanks in advance.

A Post a Day for November

2007-11-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

I am going to try to make a post a day for this month.

The subject of todays post is my dream to go skydiving. I have been dreaming about this for the past couple of years. I have wanted to do it longer than that but I started doing reasearch about 2 years ago and this summer I started visiting Dropzones, (this is what the skydiving centers are called), There are two within driving distance of my home.

The most popular one is almost two hours away, at over 90 miles away, it is called The Farm or Skydive the Farm. I liked the way it was laid out and how open the area is, but the drive adds alot more to the cost of the jumps. If it were closer I would do my jumps there.

The other one is called SkyDive Atlanta, it is only 50 miles away, it is located at an airport, so the only area to land is in the middle of the runway. They are very nice there, but the only drawback is they are about $$ more than The Farm but with the gas savings I guess that I will have to do my first jump there. I really wanted to make the first jump this year but the season is ending here as it is getting cooler. I guess I will have to wait until next spring.

I might have to go to the Thanksgiving Boogie which is a jump all day event and the price is lower for jumps and tandems. I have put some links in this post if anyone is interested checking out the info an skydiving. I also thought I might use these post to share some of the Many Layers of Me. Please let me know what you think. I hope with the daily post I will draw some of the lurkers our of hiding and get a few comments.

What a busy month

2007-10-28T19:49:00.001-07:00

October is the busiest month for birthdays in out family. My niece starts the month off on the 5th (she turned 20 this year), then it is me next on the 21st (29 here this year), My cousin's daughter on the 25th (8 this year), My oldest daughter on the 26th ( she turned 7), and my mom and her twin sister today ( I will not mention how old the are here).

I worked all last week at the school and by the time I get off, help the girls with there homework, get dinner on the table, the bathed and ready for bed I barely have time to take a breath. Planning a birthday party for my little girl I felt like I just pulled if off. We had finger food and over 30 people here and oh my. She did have fun though. I got her an MP3 player because she had been wanting my I-Pod and I did not feel like I should let her have it because her little sister would have a fit.

For my birthday my mother gave me money and so I decided that I would buy something that I really needed and that I would remember after the day and so I bought a new bedding set that I have been looking at for sometime now. I purchased it at Linens N Things and they have it on sale now so here is the link.

I hope that I can make more time for making some of the things that are on my christmas gift list.

If you would please pray for me, I am going through somethings that I don't feel that I can go into here but it is very personal and important to me. Thanks in advance for your prayers.

Things that I find Inspiring

2007-10-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

I just thought that I would give you a little taste of what has inspired me today.

These are ribbon belts that I found via Martha Stewart.com Photo Jewelry also via Martha Stewart.com Strawberry Pincushions from Martha Stewart.com

and last but not least Yarn Gift Wrapping also from Martha Stewart.com

Kumihimo Video

2007-10-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a great Kumihimo Video that I found through you-tube.

A new promise to myself

2007-10-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at how much I spend on crafting stuff, whither it be yarn, hooks, paper, stickers, and I really need to start using what I have. So for the next month or two I will be using what I have to creat all of my gifts for the holidays. If you saw my studio you would know why I will be able to do this. The only way that I can get new items is to swap. I will be posting things that I will be willing to swap with a list of things that I would like to get in return.

Oh My, Oh My

2007-10-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that it has been over a month since I have posted. So mush has happened over the past month that I do not know where to begin.

On Sept. 11, I left for a few days of relaxation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I went with the ladies from my church for our Ladies's Retreat.

Here I am with my BFF Amy, duting one of our nightly meetings.

Here I am getting ready to go Parasailing, I had so much fun, this was my second time doing it and I plan on doing it every year I go now.

I had planned on posting the week after I come home but I never seemed to get a chance and then on Sept. 19, our family suffered a great loss. My Cousin Greg Garner passed away very unexpentantly. I really have now felt like posting because I really did not know what to post.
Please keep my Aunt Jean and his family in your prayers.

My New Business

2007-09-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to my new business. I now sell Beauti control products. You can click here to go to the shopping page.

New job and much more

2007-09-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

I started a new job on Thursday and, so it means early to bed and early to rise and not much more than housework in-between. I have been able to get some crafting done though. I started a crochet blanket for my bed. It is in the round, and I am about 20 inches from side-to-side. I was gifted a full cone of yarn at the Peachtree Handspinner's Guild meeting last Saturday and I came home knowing exactly what I was going to make. The yarn is a mercerized cotton in a creamy color. I really love how it is turning out. I am just using a double crochet stitch with an even increase all around. I just finished a pair of baby booties today with a dark pink cotton and a brown ribbon as the tie. I really need to take some pictures. I feel bad that I have no pictures to go with this post.
On the job subject, I am not working as a Substitute Teacher at my girls school. I love the time that I am there. I have been there most of the school year as a parent volunteer and I really just love knowing that I can be there if my children need me and I can help out where I am needed, and help their teachers.

A little Crochet Cupcake

2007-08-21T12:40:00.001-07:00

I made this very easy last night. I found the pattern through Ravelry and so I decied to link to this pattern here it is the Quick Cupcake Pattern on Bittersweet. . I hope that you find it as fun as I did. I made it for the Vice-Principle at my girls' school. It was so quick and easy that I just had to share it.

I made the box also with a free how that I found through a yahoo search, the words that I used were Origami Box How-to.

Braclet Bag Pattern

2007-08-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

Bracelet Bag Pattern:
Crochet hook : G
Yarn: Any Cotton DK weight

Pattern:
Chain 4
round 1: 12 dc in the 4 chain from hook join with a slip stitch chain 3.
round 2: 2dc in each stitch around (24 stitches) join with a slip stitch, chain 3.
round 3: *1dc, 2 dc in next two stitches * repeat around, join with slip stitch, chain 3.
round 4: 1dc, 2dc in next stitch repeat around, join with slip stitch, chain 3.
round 5: 1dc in the back loop of the previous round stitches around, join with a slip stitch, chain 3. (this round with start the sides of the bag)
Round 6: 1 dc in each stitch around, join with slip stitch, chain 3.
Repeat round 6 for 9 rounds.
Round 15: 1 dc in each stitch around, join with slip stitch, chain 2
Round 16: sc in the next 4 stitches, chain 10 skip next 4 stitches, sc in next 8 stitches, chain 25, skip next 4 stitches, sc in next 4 join with a slip stitch, chain 4.
Finishing round: sc around and in all chain stitches, slip stitch the end and finish off.

Pictures to Follow.

The Baby Surprise Jacket

2007-08-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

AGHHHHH, I ordered the Knitting Workshop, and it came in today I put that I was casting on today because I planned on it for tonight. Then I find out the pattern is not there it only talks about it. I feel like screaming. I wanted to start working on it tonight and now I do not have the pattern, I don't know what to do.

Hollywood Comes to Town

2007-08-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks Hollwood has come to visit. Shadowlight Pictures, is filming Good Intentions, a movie staring Elaine Hendrix, Luke Perry, Leanne Rimes, Garry Grubbs, Jon Gries, Jimmi Simpson,and more.

Here I am with Elaine Hindrix (Parent Trap, Superstar, ROMY & MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, and more).

Ok, so you might be asking what this movie is all about. Here is the story from the production company:

ETTA'S hopeless husband CHESTER, wannabe entrepreneur and liquor store owner, blows every nickel he makes trying to get rich on hare-brained inventions. After their young boys, SHANE and CHRIS sneak off to try smoking and blow up the backyard shed full of Chester's homemade fireworks, smart and sassy Etta realizes she must take matters into her own hands to fulfill her dream of sending the boys to college one day.

Inspired by the success stories on ‚"The Antiques Roadshow," Etta formulates the perfect investment strategy. She'll invest in antiques and sell them off later to bankroll the kids' college fund. Now all she needs is some seed money. To raise investment capital, Etta dons a ski mask and takes to a life of crime, robbing Chester at gunpoint. Moonlighting as the county's‚Äö most wanted criminal, Etta turns quiet Myra, Georgia upside down, outwitting local authorities and pulling heists between carpools and little league games.

Etta's plan takes an interesting turn as she uses her 'loot' to purchase the heirlooms. What she doesn't know is the antiques she's buying are fakes. And the cunning antiques dealer is interested in Etta for more than just her money.

With their 'savings' gone, her husband suspicious, and their children in peril, Etta concocts a scheme of unexpected proportion to get back their money and save her family. There are just a few things she has to do first, including blackmailing the sheriff, holding up the grocery store and getting some much needed advice from the stripper at the Shangri-la.

100th post and Ravelry Invite

2007-08-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yipee, Yipee, I get to have fun now. I got my Ravelry invite today. I am so excited, I can't wait to get into the studio inventory my stash of both yarn and books. I also need to make a list of the hooks that I have so that I stop buying the same size so many times. Look me up over there I am Curiously Kate.

99th post and a Free Pattern

2007-08-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that this is my 99th post. I got a free pattern in an e-mail, it is also accessable online, so here it is. I hope that you like it.

I would make this post longer but I have not been feeling very good for the past few days and so I just thought that this would be a nice pattern to share.

School Has Started

2007-08-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I had to give up my baby, Shae to Kindergarten. I guess I could say that I really had a hard time that day. I cried so much I felt that the tears would leave permanent trailes down my face. I have heard it all, "you should be happy, think about all the time you will have to do what you want", "it will be good for her to be away from home" " I would be jumping for joy". Well not me I just want my baby girl back home with me. If you think about it I have not really been alone for 7 years.
She did good the first day and the second day, but yesterday, the third, she had a meltdown. her dad took her to school and she decied that she was going to scream and pitch a fit and let everyne know that she was there. They said that they could hear her all the way to the office (her class is at the back of the school, at the farthest end of the hall) you get the picture.

Well, I decied today that since I would have to take her this morning she would be dropped off at the front door and have to walk herself to class. I still have to go in because I hade things for Anastasia's classroom, so I let them out and then parked and waited about 5 min for them to get to their rooms and then I went in and dropped off the things and I spoke to Shae's teacher and she said that she was like another child today, she walked in all happy-go-lucky and all smiles. So I guess I will have to pull this act from now on when I have to work at the school.

Only 6 weeks left

2007-07-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

I will be going to the beach with the ladies group from my church. I really need to lose a few pounds. I will be honest here I now weigh in at 160 pounds, and I am only 5' 3". So according to all of my reading, for my bone structure, and age (28) I really only need to be about 120-125 at the max. So as of today I am going to change my eating habits and cut out somethings that I know are not good for me, like:

Regular Cokes
Refined Sugar
Overly Processed Foods
White Bread
Fat

I am going to add back to my meals some of the following:

Fresh Fruit
Raw Veggies
Complex Carbs

I am not going to depribe myself but I will make sure that I enjoy what I eat and keep you up on my progress. I will post any good recipes that I find and I will also list my struggles that I know I will have.

I know that if I post this here it will hold me accountable to everyone. I hope to be able to follow the Eat Clean Plan.

I just had to check

2007-07-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Found you!
You signed up on June 12, 2007
You are #8439 on the list.
1917 people are ahead of you in line.
11598 people are behind you in line.
31% of the list has been invited so far

I am a little antsy so I had to check today. I have been hearing all the great stuff about Ravelry that I really can't wait, I really need a place to organize my stash because I know that if I do I will be able to see what I have and when I go to pick a pattern I will know if I have something in my stash to make it with. I also can't wait to get to explore the pattern and group features.

Ok so I would like to pose a couple of questions.

1. Are you on Raverly?
2. If so, what is your favorite feature?

School Starts

2007-07-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

It seems like only yesterday that Anastasia graduated kindergarten and now this Friday is the first day of school for both of my girls. Shae starts kindergarten this year and Anastasia will begin 1st grade. I guess I have to let them grow up. Shae, told me today that I will have fluffy to keep me company, so I do not have to be lonely.

We took the girls the park to let them ride their bikes, they had so much fun and then we took the to the playground and where they both decided to start acting like monkeys.

We had so much fun today, we went to one park and then to the walking track that is about 5 miles from our house, it borders a river and is very beautiful but not much shade so we only stayed there for about 15 min before we went home.

Cat Pictures

2007-07-18T20:39:00.001-07:00

I figured I could offer a few better pictures of the girls and their cat. I just love this one she looks so cute in the pots.

You can tell how happy Anastasia is with this one. This picture is from last Monday when we got her. I think that she has grown alot since then.

Deal of the day

2007-07-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have a new shipment of fabric and I have decided to offer a few boxes for sale this time instead of just selling in my studio shop. I will offer USPS flat rate boxes for $12.00 each (shipping included). I will make sure that each box will have a good selection of different types. the types of fabrics that may be included in the boxes cotton, decor, and some decor silks. I will make sure that you get a good amount of each. You should get 7-8 yards total of fabric in each box. I will take orders for more than one box per person. I might do this again but I do not know how soon this will be. All you need to do is e-mail me and let me know how many boxes that you would like and I will send you an invoice and you can mail me either a check or money order.

UPDATE: July 20, 07

Only a few more left. I will be sending out a lot of boxes next week. If you want one or two I will be glad to get them to you. e-mail me .

Only 8 boxes left for online sales.

A new image

2007-07-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

When I went on my plane ride this weekend I also got some shots of one of the Tandem jumps and I am playing with it in photoshop to make it an image that I can screenprint on some bags and maybe a t-shirt. Let me know what you think. I am still playing around with it, but you can see that there is 2 people being supported by this chute. (The image below is from the above photo.)