Crochet Owl Hat

I made something the other day(s).  It was one of those projects that I started and stopped a lot-- which was kind of nice.  Usually it's very hard for me to stop a project.  But this one I would work on whenever I had free time and we were sitting around.

I decided to make an owl hat for my 3 year old.

I looked at two useful patterns one from Repeat Crafter Me and one from Daisy Cotton Patterns.  Both, probably very helpful-- the problem is I can't follow crochet patterns.  When I see directions like "*1 HDC in the next stitch, 2 HDC in the next stitch* around. (18) " my whole insides twist and my brain starts taking over convincing me, "Oh, don't try to understand that-- that's just crazy talk.  Plus, they want you to count and keep track-- where's the fun in that?"

So as usual-- I skipped trying to follow any patterns...and did my own thing.

The result?  It was a very fun project-- though maybe not as professional as it would look if I would have followed a pattern.

We went outside for a quick "photo shoot" in our freshly fallen snow from last night.

My girl's a natural.

After-- we came back inside and put on all her snow equipment and she and brother played outside this morning until they were too cold to stand it (about a half an hour).

Fun project, the boys are requesting Monster Hats now...I'm sure I can make something up for them, too.

A Grateful Person-- Chalkboard Idea

I saw this printable via LDS Printables HERE.

 Lovely, had to add it to the wall. 

I'm grateful for many things in my life.  

I am blessed and made happy every day by my family and by my husband who gave me this lovely print to hang upon my wall.

Printable Valentines for Sell!!

Remember the Star Wars Valentines I made last year?

Well, literally the day before Valentine's Day I decided to make these.

And they were super fun.

Well, we've had some free time on our hands this winter break since the POLAR VORTEX (intense, huh?) entered our part of the country.  Thus my boy had three extra days of no school.  So with that extra time we started thinking about some new valentines we wanted to make early this year.  

We had so much fun last time we knew we wanted to make more.  

The trouble was narrowing down what to do?

Well, why make one set of Valentine's Day cards when you can make....7?

I decided to go all out and put these in my shop, but here's a preview of some of the cards I made to give you an idea:

Up first and probably my favorite are the Peg People Avengers that I painted two years ago.

 Then we have some real Action Figure Avengers.

Then I made some cards using these cute squishy dinosaurs.

Then for my Hot-Wheel-Loving younger son, I made these Hot Wheel Valentine's Day Cards.

Next up some Transformer Valentines.

It was then that I realized that everything I was making was very boy dominated.  So I decided to make some cute girl cards, too.  Enter, these adorable Little People Valentines.

Up last I used these darling Zoo puzzle pieces to make my last valentines.

Pretty darn cute Valentine's Day Cards, right?

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Enjoy!!

Monthy Baby Photos-- ideas and tips.

I'm excited to share with you something I've been working on for the last year.

 

You've probably seen this idea all over the web...well, there's a good reason-- It's a GREAT idea.  Babies grow into toddlers way too fast.  This is my fourth baby and the time has flown by in a blink of an eye.

Knowing how quick these things go I decided this time I'd better document how quickly my baby grows.

Here's some useful tips:

1. Pick a date/place/location/prop that you can easily repeat each month.

I decided to do in front of my chalkboard so I could write three things that she had learned to do during that month.  I placed her rocking chair on top of a larger chair, with a blanket behind it.  This location was close to our big window so I was able to let in lots of natural light.

2. Be consistent-- pick a date that you will take your picture each month that you'll remember.

I chose to take her photo on the same day as her birthday each month. During the summer months we missed a few of the exact days, since we were gone.  But as soon we we returned it was the first thing I did.

3. Take lots of photos. 

 I took tons of pictures both far away and up close.  

**See the up close photos located below.  

Of course I wanted her to smile but it was also fun seeing her clap her hands or wave at me.

4. Pick something simple for baby to wear.

I choose a white onesie.  We have many of those in all sizes.  I thought it was fun to do her last shoot with a long sleeve white shirt to show how mature she is now.

** Here's my favorite close up photos.

I love this idea and am so glad I was able to document these precious moments of my dear baby growing a little bit each month.