Re-inventing Pretty things

The jewelry part of my store was looking kinda lame as of late. It's been the same for like a year now, I should have changed it sometime ago, but I didn't know Pinterest then! It's so cool and inspirering, you don't even have to leave the home page--because that is loaded with cute shit.

I usually browse through some keyword photos, then turn it around and try to imrovise with what I have (I'm getting super good at that!) I recently bought out the rest of the garage sale items from a retirement home (jackpot!) and it came with a lot of cool goods.

This week, I improvised frames. My cool volunteer store person just gave me a lot of acrylic paint and I have been searching for a reason to use them.. So BLAMO!

I painted this frame antique yellow, I love this color, so much. The back of the frame conveniently hat little pegs nailed in to hold in the glass and stuff.. so I laced thin yarn through them repeatedly to make it strong enough to hang earrings from.. like soooo...

Then I seen a Pinterest photo were they used twine to decorate things. In the pile of garage sale goods, there was a cork board, but it was also pretty lame with it's white border.. so I hot glued twine to it! Looks pretty sweet!


Close up on the twine

I also re-painted this odd looking number.
I think it turn out well.

Nailed tacks to the front, tied twine to it..
now I can hang things from it!!
**Cute to hang pictures from**

MaryJanes.. for children..Baby

I was recently asked to make some Mary Janes for a mother and daughter, which is pretty cool, because I haven't crocheted in like 3 weeks at this point (sad face) Soo busy, but yea, knocked out the adult pair using this pattern by the little house by the sea blog.. Super cool to find a free pattern for them. However, it wasn't so easy finding a children's pattern.. well for free.. and my dutch stubbornness prevents me from buying anything that I could possibly create.

So last Sunday during my movie marathon I began my trial and error of writing a crochet pattern for children's size 10 shoes. A few things would have made this a little easier.. like a shoe that size sitting in front of me for reference to make sure I made them not only long enough but also wide enough. So I began crocheting away, without checking to see how big the shoes actually were and made way too little bugs..

It wasn't too bad, I know that I could sell them or give them away to the many people I know who have recently had a baby girl.. but they were a leetle small haha.. Turns out, size 10 shoes are 6 1/2 inches long, not 3 inches long..

But again, trial and error. I now know how to make baby Mary Janes:)

So round two was a little easier because I had my computer in front of me, and I pretty much used the adult pattern as a reference, and I know now the length they needed to be, so I just had to figure out how to shape them mini size.

This is the first pattern I have EVER wrote down, hopefully I took good notes, and I haven't tried it again yet after I wrote it, so if you find errors, please tell me!

Materials

• I used Loops & Threads, and Sugar and Cream
• G hook
• 2 Buttons
• Large blunt ended needle

Stitches Used

• Ch
• Sc
• Sc2Tog

Toe Cap

Foundations Chain: Chain 6

Round 1:  Sc into second chain from hook, sc in next 3 chains, 3 sc into last chain, then turn your work, sc in next 4 chains, 3 sc in last chain. (I like to mark the beginning stitch)

Round 2: Sc into next 5 stitches, 3 sc into next stitch, sc into next 6 stitches, 3 sc into next stitch (17 stitches)

Round 3: Sc into each stitch

Round 4: Sc into each stitch

Sole

The sole is worked from the toe cap, and worked in rows

Row 1: Sc into first 6 stitches of round 4, chain 1. Turn. (Sometimes when I am crocheting, I improvise, I may edit this part to make it more understanding)

Row 2-12: Sc into each stitch, chain 1, turn

Row 13: 2 sc into first stitch, sc into next 4 stitches, 2 sc into last stitch, chain 1, Turn.

Row 14-19: Sc into each stitch, chain 1, turn

Row 20: Sc into next 2 stitches, Sc2tog, Sc2tog, sc into next 2, chain 1, turn.

Row 21: Sc into next 2 stitches, sc2tog, sc into next 2 stitches, chain one turn. <4 stitches>

So at this point, we start working on the 'Upper' part by working in rounds around the whole slipper. hot tip: Keep using the blog I linked at the top for reference. She uses great pictures!

Round 1: With the bottom of the sole facing you, sc down the side of the slipper 18 stitches, sc into each stitch in the toe cap (14 stitches) back down the other side (18 stitches) and sc into the 4 stitches on the back of the slipper. (54 stitches total)

Round 2-3: Repeat round one

In rounds 4-6 you will decrease at both ends on each side by sc2tog at the beginning and end of each side

Round 4: Sc2tog, sc in next 14 stitches, sc2tog, (toe-cap area now) sc2tog, sc into next 10 stitches, sc2tog, (other side of slipper) sc2tog, sc into next 14 stitches, sc2tog, sc into next 4 stitches. (you never sc2tog on the back of the slipper)

Round 5: Sc2tog, sc into next 12 stitches, sc2tog, sc2tog, sc into next 8 stitches, sc2tog, sc2tog, sc into next 12 stitches, sc2tog, sc into next 4 stitches.

I like to switch colors for the last round in the back here

To make strap, I chained 18, sc into 6th chain from hook to create a button loop (could probably be smaller, but o well) and sc into the next 11 chains.
Attach strap about 5 sc from the top of the slipper with a slip stitch, (moving in a round like before..)

Round 6: Sc into next 2 stitches, sc2tog, sc2tog, sc into next 6, sc2tog, sc2tog, sc into next 10 stitches, sc2tog, sc into next 4 stitches, sc2tog, sc until you reach the strap again, and end!

**REMINDER** I am not confident in this pattern just yet, I have to do it a few more times to fix some errors, I just wanted to at least get it down so I didn't forget or loose the pattern. I don't really know just yet how to make them into different sizes--for kids, sometimes it is just changing the size hook you use.


Any-who.. this is how they turned out.

I promise next time I make these, I will give more photos on the step by step!!

Framing Life:)

Roomie and I are currently addicted to Pinterest and as a result.. I use it as inspiration:) Roomie thought this little tutorial was cute, and I have a lot of frames at my store so I am giving it a try! Here is a link to the original tutorial that I found for reference>> Talia Christine

First, I found a frame that I could at least do two layers of string to hang photos..

I made sure that I could fit at least 4x6's and drilled holes all the way through.. so that I could pull the string through to hide the knot. On the other tutorial, they just used a nail to tie the string around in the front.. but Desty thought to pull it through a hole.

I drilled holes to put the string through, but ended up
not liking it so much, so a nailed some tacks
on the front to tie the string to

I then drilled leetle holes to screw in the eye hooks that I had on hand, next time I think I would either use smaller ones or the kind of hanging thing for the middle.

I used some ole string to hang from..

Measure to make sure you have a straight line!

The eye hook I used to attach string to hang on wall

Almost finished. This was a VERY quick craft project

Ta-Da! Stay tuned for what it looks like in my home!

Its funny how you have a general idea as to how you want things to turn out, or how you go about creating it in the first place. Each step I took, I changed- instead of hiding the string in the back, I used the tacks that I pulled out of this frame to tie the string to in the front.. and instead of crochet yarn, I used this straw looking craft stuff (mostly because it doesn't stretch) and this other brown stuff I found in my crafting goodies. I am going to use the clothes pins we have at our house because they are discolored due to weather, and it will look really cute with black and white photos:)

T shirt turned Rug:)

So many people these days are finding that old t-shirts could make good crafting material. In the past, I have used them to make:

Scarfs

Hats 

Can Cozies

 I have also created T-Rope to crochet with, but man did it give my hand a work out messing with a VERY large crochet hook... and made a rug.. but I wasn't too impressed as to how it turned out. I have no idea what made think of messing with T-Rope again, but this time I used strips of T-shirt to weave (or braid, I'm not sure what you would call it) to make a rug.. again.

Well... I was totally obsessed with trying to get this project finished, so I started to work on it in my bed while watching The Vampire Diaries (totally obsessed with this show now, sad face) and aaaahhh it got all messed up. You see, it is very important to work on a flat surface to insure that you have created enough tension in the t-rope. Blah Blah Blah, I worked on it for quite some time, and when laid on a flat surface, it curved up! Soo I turned it into a purse!! I will prolly never be able to re-create this gem, but it turned out pretty coooool.

One inch strips of t shirt

Weaving.. Braiding.. whatever

and now I have a purse!

So then I started again, always working on a flat surface! Good thing about creating something, it doesn't necessarily have to turn out 'right' just how you want it to be:)

Wish Lists for your home

I recently was turned on to Pinterest. I swore to avoid new trends, like Farmville and Angry Birds, but this picture book is so cool! It inspires the re-arranging of my store, and new ways to decorate my home!

Yesterday, I had the WHOLE day off. Not the norm for me, and what did I feel like doing? Clean my house!! I find it therapeutic, weird.. maybe. But while I was cleaning, I was redecorating for the amazing winter we have been having here in Traverse City. The sun is shining like a spring day even though it is super cold:) It works, things could be WAYY worse.

You see rust dirty thing, I see a future piece of furniture
to store linen in and use the top as a work table perhaps..

Any-who, while I was cleaning I began making a list of things that would make the room just work better, little things like pictures above the washer and dryer, and something to put on the wall above the fish tank. I am a list maker by habit, but usually if I write it down, I accomplish it.

Everyone needs something to store coats in. This wardrobe
is PERFECT for this use. Or dresses.. list goes on!

My ask this week is that next time you are just hanging out at home, take a look around and think of things you wish you had, a shelf over the couch, spice rack for the kitchen... a sweet clock for the living room.. and send me that list! My goal is to bring in the cutest eclectic home decor to make your life that much easier! It is that time a year again when we are weighed down by the stay in your house-super cold outside always-winter blues, and I find that buying something as simple as a doily for under a plant or hooks to hang said plant, makes me feel goooood.

I see.. growing plants in there!

You can send them to my facebook, or my stores, either way we both win! I would love to help you decorate your home!!

This is a vintage wicker bed frame. Or use it outside
and grom vine-y plants on it!

In need of some inspiration, not perspiration

Things that make me think, I clipped them from the Northern Express Magazine, obviously from the horoscopes. But not all of you people are Taurus's so you probably don't read them. But this one is good.

Mythologist Michael Meade says that the essential nature of every human soul is gifted, noble, and wounded. I agree. Cynics who exaggerate how messed-up we all are, ignoring our beauty, are just as unrealistic as naive optimists. But because the cynics have a disproportionately potent influence on the zeitgeist, they make it harder for us to evaluate our problems with a wise and balanced perspective. many of us feel cursed by the apparent incurability of our wounds, while others, rebelling against the curse, underestimate how wounded they are. Mead says: "Those who think they are not wounded in ways that need conscious attention and careful healing are usually the most wounded of all." Your task in the next few weeks, Taurus, is to make a realistic appraisal of your wounds.

For when I need "what the eff am I doing" inspiration:

Your meditation for this week comes from writer H. P. Lovecraft. "What a man does for pay is of little significance. What he is, as a sensitive instrument responsive to the world's beauty, is everything!" While that's always good counsel, I think it's especially apt for you right now. You're in a phase of your astrological cycle when you'd be smart to evaluate your own worth based less on what job you do and more on who you are. Practice thinking this healing idea: The soulfulness you embody and express from moment to moment is the single greatest measure of you success as a human being.

Melting ice from my walk<3

Crochet tagged FrankenJetta

Last summer, among the many things that I had went through, I took it out on my car. You see, this wonderful lady donated a ton of yarn, most of it was like from the 70's or something. While being inspired by the tagging of downtown Traverse City by a crochet group called Hookers, I decided to decorate my car:)

Sweet colors, my favorite was the musturd yellow. This is all
done with single crochet, and I just did one long chain and
sewed it in half around the steering wheel.

My steering while was kinda jacked, flaking and during the summer, kinda sticky. Gross, I know. For this, I just measured how long it was and thought for sure I got the gage right, buuut I didn't. I'm not very good at determining the gage while crocheting, but mostly because I don't take the time to do a small motif to measure stiches/inche. It turned out to be like 4 inches too long so at first, it moved around while I was steering but now that it is worn in I don't even notice it.



I was inspired by a pattern I used from Lionbrand.com, it is
simply worked with double crochet for 3 stiches or so and then
a popcorn stitch. Looks complicated just because I used many
colors, but it wasn't hard.

Next, the passenger side door handle. Nice and cushy.

I actually started with the headrests, and then decided to tag as much as possible just to make my car super cute.

I very much love disco. Shut your mouth. <front>

Yo. <back>

Tagging my car was a great experience because I dabbled in things I wasn't too familiar with. Like not following any pattern what so ever, just had a vision, and then 'Jerry rigged' it in my favor. This one, I just did a long panel, again, not worrying about gage or how it would fit, I just wanted a plain 'canvas' to write something on. I slipped stitched the word DISCO on it, and went back over it to make it more bold.

The panel I made fit around the head rest just fine, but I was short some width so I added the sweet two toned spiral on the side. I love it.


Drivers side

This one, I started with a chain and worked it as if you would if you were making a rug.. I'm not really good at describing patterns, but it is worked in a continuous round, increasing on the 'four corners' until it was wide enough and then just worked in single crochet with out increasing- that is why it gets longer and not wider.


Rear Passenger

Drivers side passenger

Crochet Flowers, Yippee!

   Today, I shall show you the many ways you can wear a crochet flower. I generally put them on my girly hats, but you know, you can add one to your too! Seriously!!:) I could even do it for you if for some reason you don't trust yourself with a needle and string.

  I have sold them separately to people who have used them to pin to their jacket, and one lady bought them to add to the fabric she was using to make new pillow cases.

Crochet flower attached to an elastic band. Fits most
little girlies and people like myself, grown.

I have also whipped up flowers attached to clips, and crochet bands to wear around your skull like a hippie. Like this:

I tell you, these are perfect for long hair and short fly aways around your
face, holds your hair out of your face.

You can attach them to your purse, well I think you catch my drift. You can attach them to anything. Could even glue them to a wall if you really wanted to.
So here are some more pictures of what I've done with flowers:)

Headband

Flowers flying solo

Clutch

Yea, this one is sweet.<3

Bored Board times

Those how know me, know that I stay interested in way too many craft stuff. The last two weeks, I've been thinking of letting people in on cool one-liners that I find super funny. Today I was like "I'm bored, I'll just cut something in half."

By day, I am just this long haired weirdo who smells of incense and happy things...

But by boredom, I become the next power tool crazy...

Yea, be scared because I literally don't know what I'm doing. But oh well.

As you see here, I am wearing one of my fine Ear warmers as a shield from all the noise this fucker makes, and protective eye wear OVER my glasses. Genius. Turns out, all you have to do is push this 'safety' button and squeeze the trigger and the fun begins. I only needed to cut two pieces of pallet wood in half. Took a total of 30 seconds. Boooo.

I made this one during the weekend. I think it's cool.

So stay tuned to what I end up making today because it sorta looks like I may be stranded here:( The weather looks scary.

Finished product:

I looked up the lyrics to see how he spelled something, and he totally says 'yo' instead
of your. So the next one will be not so correct.

Side note:
         I woke with the urge to hear Neil Young. I shall influence you to love him also.

10 Life Lessons

I received this in a business newsletter. I see these often, well I sorta look for them I suppose to kind act like a mental checklist on "How to be an adult"

I added some wisdom too.

10 Life Lessons

by Ryan Allis

• Surround yourself with people you like and admire. You are who you surround yourself with. It pays to choose the people you surround yourself with carefully. (Hanging out with smart people will make you smart over time, true story. Absorb all their smartness)
• Put positive thoughts into your head. The internal message that you tell yourself over and over becomes reality. Thoughts become things. Don't be insecure. Be confident. YOU ARE AMAZING! You are all here because you are brilliant. Life is a wonderful opportunity. Believe in your power to do good. (The one I have been repeating all day today:" If you build it, they will come." Cheezy, I know, but whatever, I'm tryin')
• Take time to think about and write down your goals and frame them!!! Set bigger goals than you think are actually possible to achieve and try to hit about 50% of them. If you're hitting more than 50% of your goals, they're not ambitious enough! (Framing them might be kinda dumb, but definitely write them down, even daily goals. I find that if I write down things I wanna see, I usually finish the list by the end of the week.)
• Laughter is the best medicine for stress. Laugh at yourself often. Find what is funny in whatever situation you're in.
• Don't worry about what other people think about you. Just be yourself

It took me a long time to not judge myself if someone else's eyes

Sally Field

• Travel the world at every opportunity you get. Take an interest in what's going on in the world. Know about the tremendous opportunities in Asia, Africa, Central America, and South America
• Build authentic relationships in which you give. Don't build fake relationships.
• Find something you're passionate about that you love doing that you enter the "flow state" when you do it, then figure out how you can create value (and maybe make money) doing that!
• Save and invest money whenever you can and never ever go into debt for something you don't need. Make your money work for you.
• Spend more hours reading than you do watching TV! Book recommendations: Think and Grow Rich, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and How to Win Friends and Influence People. (Agreed.)

***

Ryan Allis is the founder of iContact, one of the world's largest email marketing companies. Starting from nothing at the age of 22, Ryan has raised over $45 million for iContact and has grown the company to attract over 1 million subscribers.
Ryan is also the author of "From Zero to 1 Million" a book on entrepreneurship published by McGraw Hill. He is also involved with two non-profits: The Hunger Campaign and Nourish International.