CrochetDLane

Love Inspires

2012-01-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is approaching and I have been inspired to decorate and create for the upcoming occasion. Last year I crocheted a heart swag to adorn my hutch. This year I made two more to hang all the way around.

I purchased a sweet little decorative hand painted block set on etsy from SimpleBlockSayings. I thought it was simply perfect in every way.

The white tree I found at Hobby Lobby on sale for half off. I was sad to find that one of the bird's tails were broken and even more upset to find that it was the last one they had. But when they told me that they would give me another 20% off for the flaw, I knew I had to have it. I think it looks like a mommy bird perched on a tree with her baby bird. Perhaps she is teaching it how to fly. I have so many plans for this adorable little tree for every season. The hearts on the painted tree on the blocks inspired me to crochet the heart ornaments.
I am not the only one inspired by this fast approaching day of Love. Look at these beautiful treasuries that feature my Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue scarf and hat set.

You can view them both HERE and HERE.

Zella's love for Pandas and her pretty big blue eyes inspired me to create a new hat design.

The Pretty Little Panda hat was made with the softest fluffiest polyamide yarn and has long textured braids attached to it's earflaps for a touch of whimsy fun. Remember the Fluffy Little Owl hat I made recently? I really loved the design of that hat and so I gathered inspiration from it to create the Pretty Little Panda. As I was making the eyes, I decided at the last minute that I wanted the panda to have blue eyes like Zella. Now that it is finished, I can't imagine it having any other color. I think Zella would agree too.

A New Year With a Pretty Blanket of Snow

2012-01-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

We are still here and enjoying our first REAL snow of the new year this weekend. We woke up this morning to this beautiful view.

So I thought it was the perfect morning to make a fun little breakfast to go with the "snow theme".

Then it was time to get our layers of clothes on; coats, scarves, gloves, hats and boots, and head out into the snow to play. We noticed a little feathered friend must have paid us a visit on our front porch early this morning.

The snow wasn't ideal for making a snowman or having a snowball fight but it was great for snow angels and sledding.

Christmas = Peace, Love, and Joy

2011-12-30T05:28:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful, yet relaxing celebration it was. Christmas Eve day was our busiest day. We visited my beautiful in laws at noon that day, and we had such a wonderful time. It was a bit hectic, but a blissful hectic with 8 little cousins running around ranging from ages 2 to 11. We enjoyed a turkey feast and then the opening of gifts shortly after. Dessert followed after that for those who still had room in their bellies for more. Grandma Karen (my mother in law) found them the most unique gifts. All of the older children were given marionettes that bared an uncanny resemblance to each cousin.

Everyone absolutely adored these! The 2 youngest girls were given sweet little doll houses that you could tell were going to be treasured for many years to come.

This year we found an equally unique and special gift to give to my beautiful mother-in-law. I shopped online at The Vintage Pearl and found the most perfect necklace for her.

It is called the layered circle of love and was hand stamped with all 8 of her grand children's names.
Later on Christmas Eve, we enjoyed dinner at my parents' home. Soon after we gathered around their beautiful tree to open gifts.

The girls were delighted (which may be an understatement) to open their gifts and find new lalaloopsy dolls to add to their collection.

The girls and I had made special Christmas ornaments for everyone this year. It has become somewhat of a tradition for us actually. Last year we made snowman ornaments made from infant socks, and this year we made cinnamon cookie cut out ornaments along with feather filled clear glass ball ornaments.

They turned out quite lovely I think.
We then had to hurry home so that we could set out snickerdoodles and milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeer and then it was off to bed. On our way home, we admired all of the beautiful Christmas light decorations.

Then 8 a.m. on the dot Christmas morning we were awakened by a very excited Xiera announcing that Santa had come! We ~~rushed~~ trudged sleepily into the living room to see what the jolly old elf had brought.

I believe there were two little girls who made it to Santa's Nice List this year!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and has a wonderful and safe New Year's this weekend.

It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas

2011-12-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

Our tree is up...

And decorated with our favorite treasured ornaments.

The stockings are all hung and we have a new little friend who came to visit us from the North Pole.

Her name is Holly and she is such a sweet yet mischievous little elf. She has been very busy popping up in different places in our home every morning. She is Santa's spy and she leaves us every night to tell Santa Claus if the girls were being naughty or nice.

The girls simply adore her as do I! :)
Last week Xiera and Zella took another art class making Christmas ornaments. They made many different kinds. They made puzzle piece wreathes, stamped Christmas cards, gingerbread people, and glitter ornament balls.

I am finishing up the last of my custom Christmas orders this evening and mailing them out in the morning. I am really cutting too close this year. Note to self: **Remember to switch your Etsy store to vacation mode right after black Friday to ensure all orders will get out in time for Christmas.** I have come to realize that people do not read the BOLD notice at the top of my store stating that I am no longer taking Christmas orders after December 2nd. I have pulled many late nighters because of this but even with the lack of sleep that I have had, I still have been very pleased with a few custom orders I have created.
One of my favorites was this custom stocking hat I made. It is reversed in color compared to my original Holly Jolly Elf hat and features a holly leaf and berries on the front cuff band with a red pom pom ball dangling from the end instead of a bell.

It turned out VERY cute I think!

Spending A Little Time With Santa

2011-11-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas is once again rapidly approaching us. Of course our weather isn't exactly as expected; 65 degrees in Ohio at the end of November. Not that I am complaining in the least. It is really nice to not have to wear a bulky coat everywhere.
We kept with tradition and visited Santa Claus at the community center. The girls dressed in their beautiful gingerbread girl dresses for the occasion. Their adorable dresses were made by Mandy of Gooseberry Lane Originals. I am making a pair of leg warmers to match these dresses. I unfortunately did not have enough time to finish them before visiting Santa but plan to have them finished before the girls have their Christmas portraits done. Karen of Layla*and*Stitch made their long sleeved peasant shirts they are wearing underneath their dresses. So cute!

There is something almost magical when walking into the center and hearing the orchestra playing Christmas songs and seeing their gorgeous Christmas tree all lit up and decorated to perfection.

The girls' eyes widened with excitement and their smiles expanded from ear to ear!

They brought along their American Girl dolls this year and I wished I would have had dresses made to match for their dolls. I will have to make a ~~mental~~ blog note and do that next year. Build A Bear Clothes do work great for American Girl dolls though. That is what we did for Xiera's doll so she could have her doll dressed for the occasion.
Santa arrived on his sleigh on wheels and you could hear the squeals of excitement come from every child there. While waiting in line to get balloon art from the talented balloon lady, the girls snuck onto the sleigh to take it for a "pretend" spin.

Finally after a long wait in line while filling up on chocolate chip cookies and dancing to Christmas music, the girls were next to have their balloons made. Most children had crazy elf hats, candy canes, snowmen, and reindeer made.

Xiera's request was so sweet that it made my heart smile. She had asked for a baby Jesus. I am so happy and proud that my girls remember the true meaning of Christmas. It isn't about the presents, the decorations, the lights, or Santa. It is about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The talented balloon lady didn't hesitate, and began whipping up a baby Jesus balloon for her.

and then she made another for Zella. :)

Soon after, the girls finally had their visit with the Jolly Old Elf himself, Mr. Claus. Xiera shared her list with him which included a few of her favorites that she would like to have this year; A Figit Friend named Willa, A Penbo Penguin, Laguna Blue Monster High Doll, and a few Lalaloopsy dolls; Rosy Bumps and Bruises, Suzette La Sweete, and Holly Sleighbells.

Then it was Zella's turn.

Zella didn't have a list but had only one special request; The Monster High Doll, Abbey Bominable. Santa reminded them to be good little girls and he would do his best to make their Christmas a happy one this year. :)

Last Minute Accessory...

2011-11-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

Zella had picture day at Pre-Kindergarten today and I had her outfit all clean, pressed and ready to wear last night when I started thinking about what I was going to do with her hair. Should I put it up? Should I keep it down and curl it? Do I even have any cute hair accessories to match? After some thought, I decided I was going to part her hair in the middle and clip the front sides back, but I had a small dilemma....I needed clippies to match the pretty pink and blue plaid K.C. Parker skirt and sweater set I had planned for her to wear. I then looked through my yarn and got an idea for a cute and quick pair of flower hair clippies.

I think they complete the outfit, don't you? I am looking forward to seeing her adorable pictures and class picture with all of her little friends.

My Fingers and Hook have been busy....

2011-11-18T14:02:00.000-08:00

I have been very busy this week with custom orders. My beloved customers have such great taste. The first hat I made was a floral cloche hat very similar to my Isn't She Lovely Cloche design except it was done in more vibrant and fun colors.

The next custom hat I made was for a very special little customer I hold dear to my heart...my lovely daughter Xiera of course. ;) She requested a Lalaloopsy crochet hat made with her favorite Lalaloopsy character, Pillow Featherbed. Remember her Halloween costume?

How could I tell those beautiful big brown eyes no? Xiera actually helped me with the design of this hat. I made the hat to resemble Pillow Featherbed's actual pajamas. I used raspberry and light pink and trimmed it with a whip stitch using orange and white. As I was designing Pillow's hair, Xiera told me that Pillow's hair needed to be twisted and then proceeded to show me how it had to be done. I have to admit, my vision was completely different than hers, but I adore the final result. Her twisting method was brilliant!!

My final custom, which I actually just finished this afternoon, turned out better than I could have ever imagined. My sweet friend Bekah had asked me to make a special owl hat for her adorable daughter Shelby. It needed to be bright, fun, fluffy, and wonderful....

I LOVE all of the textures this hat has to offer and the colors are so vibrant! This hat just screams, "FUN!" It is the softest hat too. I used Yarn Bee's Cameo Bulky in Pink Pearl mixed with I Love Cotton yarn in pink.

I think the dramatic eyes with those eyelashes MAKE this hat. I know Zella loves it!

I plan on listing all three of these hats in my Etsy store early next week as customs so stay tuned.

First Free Pattern: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Hat

2011-11-14T07:14:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I had a request for my Very Hungry Caterpillar Hat pattern. I have actually never written a pattern before and do most of my patterns from trial and error and recreate from memory and measurements. So I took on the challenge and wrote my very first pattern, so please bear with me if it is hard to follow, but I did try to be as thorough as possible.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Crochet Hat Pattern

I use Sugar and Creme Cotton Yarn For this Hat and some scrap yarn for the the eyes.

Starting with your basic white color and using a g hook for small children sizes and an h hook for adult sizes, or hook needed for gauge. (infant hats will need a smaller gauge, or larger gauge for larger adult size.)
1. Ch 2, work 8 hdc in 2nd chain from hook;do not turn. Cap is worked in a round. You can place a marker on the last stitch of each row to keep track. (8sts)
2. Work 2 hdc in each st around. (16 sts)
3. (2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next) around. (24 sts)
4. (Hdc in next 2 sts, 2 hdc in next) around. (32 sts)
5. Repeat row 4, hdc in last 2 sts. (42 sts)
6-11. Hdc in each st around.
Changing to lighter grass green
12-14. Sc in each st around. Fasten off. Weave in all ends.

Depending on the size you can add extra rows or take a few out as you are working the rounds of the hat.

For the hungry caterpillar I made smaller circles in dark emerald green and grass green, and one larger red circle for the head. I made two tiny yellow circles for the eyes. I used a basic circle stitch for the caterpillar's body segments, head, and eyes.

Using a g hook or size needed for gauge. Starting with dark emerald green. Make 3.
1. ch 2, insert hook in first chain and sc 4 sts. (4 sts) Circles are worked in rounds, do not connect. You can place a marker on the last stitch of each row to keep track.
2. ch 1, work 2 sc in each st around. (8 sts) fasten off and weave in ends.

Using a g hook or size needed for gauge. Starting with lighter grass green. Make 2.
1. ch 2, insert hook in first chain and sc 4 sts. (4 sts) Circles are worked in rounds, do not connect. You can place a marker on the last stitch of each row to keep track.
2. ch 1, work 2 sc in each st around. (8 sts) fasten off and weave in ends.

Using a g hook or size needed for gauge. Starting with red.
1. ch 2, insert hook in first chain and sc 4 sts. (4 sts) Circle is worked in rounds, do not connect. You can place a marker on the last stitch of each row to keep track.
2. ch 1, work 2 sc in each st around. (8 sts)
3. ch 1, (sc in first st and 2 sc in next st) around (12 sts) fasten off and weave in ends.

Using an f hook or size needed for gauge. Starting with yellow. Make 2.
1. ch 2, insert hook in first chain and sc 4 sts. (4 sts) fasten off and weave in ends.

For the inner pupils of the eyes I use emerald green and embroider the eyes into place. I do a technique that is a bit different than what others may do. First cut a 24 inch piece of emerald green sugar and creme yarn and split the yarn fibers of 4 in half so you have two strands of thickness to work with. Thread this through the eye of a yarn needle and fasten it underneath one of the yellow eye circles with a small knot. Then come up the middle of the yellow circle with needle and pull the yarn all the way up and then make a knot close to the circle. Do this knot twice to make it large. (So make a second knot around the first.) Then wrap the yarn around and around the knot 2 or 3 times to get the size of circle you want. Then once you have your desired size of the eye pupil, insert the needle back down a side of the green pupil into the yellow circle. Then come back up near the middle knot with the needle and go back down near the middle edge of the pupil. Do this about 3 to 4 times until the pupil is securely fastened down into the center of the yellow circle. You will do this particular stitch 3 times. Twice for the pupils of the eyes on the 2 yellow circles, and once for the mouth of the caterpillar on red circle. Fasten off and weave in all of your ends.

Sew your eyes onto the red circle head of the caterpillar. After this step I make the mouth of the caterpillar using the above technique used for the pupil of the eyes.

Using the other 2 emerald green strands leftover from when we split the fibers for the making of the eye pupils and using an f gauged hook, insert the yarn into the top side of the caterpillar's red circled head and chain 3. Fasten off and leave a little bit of yarn left out to make the antenna. Do this again for the caterpillar's other antenna on the other side of the top of the head.

Now it is time to sew!

Position all of the circles the way you want along the bottom center of the hat right above the grass green edging. Starting with the emerald green circle first positioned to the farthest left and then the grass green next and so on and so forth. Sew the red caterpillar head on last leaving the antennas not sewn on so it has a 3d effect. You can sew the circles straight across or in an up and down pattern as I have done to make the caterpillar look like he is walking along.

So there it is! I hope you have a lot of fun and if you have any questions at all regarding this pattern please feel free to email or message me. Thanks and happy crocheting!

Exploring Our Senses of Sight and Touch...

2011-11-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

The girls enjoyed themselves this morning while attending their art class at the Troy Hayner Cultural Center. The class focused on different painting techniques besides the normal paint brush. The first project they created were pussy willow trees.

They dipped textured strings of yarn into paint and then pressed them onto paper. They then used their fingers starting with their larger fingers, (thumbs) along the bottom of the pussy willow tree first. Then working their way up the tree they used their index fingers and so on and so forth until they reached the top branches which required their pinkies to make the tiny pussy willow blossoms.

Their next project was painting landscape compositions. They picked out their favorite landscape picture and then painted what they saw. This time they were able to use paint brushes and fingers. They also learned about color mixing to create different shades of colors.
Xiera found a new technique to create texture to her painting by turning the brush upside down and using it to add detail. She used this technique to create bricks and grass strokes.

Zella preferred using only the paint brush for this project and used many different sized brushes to create her vision.

It is really amazing to see what they create. A child's vision is truly a beautiful thing. They are looking forward to the next upcoming art class where they will be creating handmade Christmas ornaments. It sounds like lots of fun and what is even more exciting is that mommy doesn't have to clean up the mess. ;)

Run! Run! As Fast As You Can...

2011-11-10T03:17:00.000-08:00

You Can't Catch Me, I'm The Gingerbread Man,is the name of this adorable treasury created by Nikki of Darcysdolls.

I can't help but to smile when I look at all of those sweet gingerbread faces. And I am so honored that she chose my candy gingerbread man hat to be apart of all the fun. ;) You can also view the original treasury HERE.

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

2011-11-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

I had a request for a custom Mr. Grinch purse to match one of my little customer's outfits. I knew this was going to be a lot of fun to create. The Grinch is such a mischievous and fun character. So here he is!

I think he turned out adorable even for being "The Mean One." I like how it turned out so much, that I listed a custom Grinch purse in my store. You can find it HERE.

Happy Lala Ween!

2011-11-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what the girls were for Halloween this year?

If you guessed Lalaloopsy dolls, then kiss your brain and give yourself a pat on the back. ;) Xiera was Pillow Featherbed mainly because she wanted to be "warm and cozy" while trick or treating this year. Her favorite lalaloopsy is Spot Splatter Splash. Zella dressed as Marina Anchors, her absolute favorite! Xiera's costume with wig was purchased online at buycostumes.com. Zella's costume was custom made by Karen of Layla*and*Stitch. I made the wig to match. Making that wig was quite the task and I hope never to make another again, (I am terrible with a sewing machine believe it or not!) but it did turn out adorable and went perfect with her costume.

Karen also made their pet candy bags to match their costume character's pets. Aren't they the cutest?

We carved pumpkins the night before Halloween. Xiera helped with taking all of the pumpkin pulp and seeds out while daddy and I carved. Zella was in charge of supervising. She was not a fan of the cold and slimy seeds and pulp. This year daddy carved a whole kitty instead of a kitty face like the one I carved last year, and I carved Jack's face from A Nightmare Before Christmas into the other.

This year was blissfully sad for me because it was the first year that the girls went trick or treating without mommy or daddy accompanying them up to the doors. Daddy and I watched at the end of each driveway as they walked up together to each door and we both wondered where did the time go? Our little girls are growing up right before our very eyes and are so independent now.

We all had such a great time last night and the girls received all treats and no tricks!

Fall Family Portraits

2011-10-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

We decided to do amateur family portraits this year and had a good friend of ours photograph us with our own camera right before our evening nature walk last night. I thought they turned out really good. It is so hard to get a great photo of all of us at once. He took about 30 shots and only about 6 turned out. Zella was getting antsy during the middle of the shoot so most of the shots at the end were just a blur of her. Xiera made a lot of cheesy grins and I kept blinking in almost every shot. The only one that looked great in all of them was hubby of course.

Instead of us matching we went for more of a casual feel and focused more on dressing in fall colors.

The jack o' lanterns were not planned but made the perfect touch I think.

For The Love of Pumpkins Treasury

2011-10-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this fun and festive treasury made by Jennifer of Vivianboutiquebows. I am so thrilled that she included my pumpkin purse. I simply adore that crystal pumpkin necklace and harvest fairy decorative too. You can see the original treasury HERE.

Falling in Love with Fall

2011-10-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

Fall fever has definitely set in here. All of the leaves are changing into a beautiful array of sunset colors. Mustard seed yellow, bright orange, plum purple, brick red, and chestnut brown. We have been enjoying long trail walks through the park admiring God's beautiful display of color. Last Saturday we went to the fall festival. We enjoyed scenic hay rides, petting farm animals, pony rides, pumpkin picking, stilt walking, face painting, and family fun classic games like corn cob toss and corn hole.

I loved that they had a bucket of water available to wash the pumpkins. :)

On Monday Zella and I went on a trail walk in the park. I wanted to take a few fall portraits of her there so I dressed her up for the occasion. The first picture reminds me of red riding hood spotting the wolf along the trail.

This one is by far my absolute favorite. It was taken right in front of the old Iddings log cabin that was built in 1804.

The Iddings Log Cabin is the oldest structure on it's original site in Miami County, Ohio. The following picture shows the cabin and all of it's glory. It was photographed by Ron Hart. Simply Stunning!

Yesterday evening the girls and I went pumpkin picking at our favorite farmer's market. Sadly their famous corn husk tepee wasn't completely up yet but the amount of pumpkins to choose from was amazing!

The girls made sure to bring their mini me's along to help decide.

And I forgot to mention their gorgeous mums!

The girls couldn't get enough of their sweet smelling aroma. Xiera and Zella had found a few that had fallen from grace and wanted to bring them home to display in their vases. Of course I said yes!

Candy Corn Sweetness

2011-10-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

This season always has me craving my absolute favorite fall candy, Candy Corn! (Those delicious green apple lollipops come in second place ;)) While I was eating this sweet and yummy candy, I was inspired to create a candy corn purse. This is the finished result.

Zella of course fell in love with it so this one pictured is hers, but if you would like another or know a cutie who would, I have listed a custom candy corn purse in my etsy store.

You can find it HERE

Stay Sweet! ;)

A Cozy Treasury

2011-10-03T05:12:00.000-07:00

October has arrived and it is already extremely chilly here in Ohio. My hat and leg warmer orders are beginning to pick up and I am finishing up an adorable newborn pumpkin hat order and another special fall purse today that I will be featuring in my Etsy store later on this week. ;)
I am very honored to have my Girly Ruffle Leg Warmers featured in this cozy little treasury created by lemondaisydesign. You can see the actual treasury HERE.

Those little newborn stocking hats are simply precious.

Expressions of Fall Using Yarn

2011-09-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

I was browsing online this morning for a few fun craft ideas to do for fall. I enjoy craft time with my girls so I was also looking not only for crafts to do on my own but also some to do with them as well.
The first autumn craft idea I found was this adorable yarn leaf mobile made by Jessica over on Two Shades of Pink.

I just fell in love with it's simplicity and how easy and fun this craft would be with the kiddos. And what a great idea to use up all of those extra scraps of yarn lying around.
The next idea I found also from Jessica of Two Shades of Pink uses the same concept of wrapping yarn but instead of wrapping to make leaves, you wrap pumpkins and gourds.

This yarn wrapped pumpkins and gourds craft might be a bit more advanced for children to do but I am sure they would be more than willing to help out.
This last autumn craft find was made by Bobbi over on Bobbi's Art.

I love this autumn garland. She even posted the pattern for those cute little maple leaves that you can find HERE. I really want to make this and hang it from my hutch this season.

Just in Time For Fall!

2011-09-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of fall! I just love EVERYTHING about fall. Hay rides, pumpkin pie, beautifully colored sunset leaves, and that wonderful autumn aroma that fills the air!

I just finished this adorable custom pumpkin drawstring purse for a beloved customer of mine. It turned out so cute.

I love it so much I added it to my Etsy store. You can view it HERE.
I think my favorite part of the purse is the leaf and the curly vine.

I wonder what special treasures a little princess would put inside?....a pretty leaf, maybe a pine cone, or maybe a few bracelets and necklaces.

Wordless Wednesday-First Day of Pre-Kindergarten

2011-09-07T06:28:00.000-07:00

Zoo Inspired Hats

2011-09-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day Everyone! Our Labor Day so far has been a relaxing one. The girls slept in until 10 in the morning so I got a little crochet time in and finished my last zoo inspired crochet hat for a customer of mine. Her son is celebrating his first birthday party in the next couple of weeks and is having his birthday pictures done in his zoo animal inspired nursery. She sent me pictures of the animals painted on his walls so I made the hats to match accordingly.

The first one I made is this sweet giraffe hat.

The monkey hat I think is my favorite. Just look at his cute little smile.

The last one is a lion. His mane was a challenge. I didn't want to hook yarn strands all the way around but instead make it have a bushy like appearance that was standing straight up all the way around. I think this design worked out the best.

I can't wait to see his first birthday pictures. I know they are going to be absolutely precious!

Wordless Wednesday- First Day of Second Grade

2011-08-24T12:17:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday- A Beautiful Storm

2011-08-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday-The Beauty of Summer

2011-07-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

Projects in the Works

2011-07-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Since the weather has been topping out in the high 90's all week, I have been keeping busy with crochet projects indoors while enjoying our newly installed central air.
One project that has been taking up most of my time is an afghan I am working on for our living room sofa. I just loved this particular design I saw in a Spring issue of Crochet World in April, 2010. The colors really caught my eye and I really love the design as well.

I recently finished a custom order for an infant ducky hat.

Isn't he sweet? I think I shall call him Quackers.
I also want to share a few *SWEET* treasuries. The first is a Christmas in July theme. LOVE all the candy cane stripes! I am so honored that Iamblessed featured my candy cane leg warmers design. You can also view the treasury HERE.

The second one is simply yummy. After I saw it I seriously began craving strawberry cupcakes and had to make me a batch immediately to enjoy. Thank you glassdezignz for featuring my party cupcake top design. You can also view the treaury HERE.

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T21:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Fourth of July from my Independent Girls!

Wordless Wednesday-Yet Another Milestone

2011-06-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday-Strawberry Picking

2011-06-15T04:51:00.000-07:00

A Lalaloopsy Birthday For My Love

2011-06-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

Xiera's turned 7 years old on Friday which was also her last day of first grade. We celebrated on Saturday and the theme was Lalaloopsys.

For those of you who do not know who the Lalaloopsys are; they are these colorful little dolls with button eyes. They come with their very own birthdays. Their birthdays represent what their interests are for example Blossom Flowerpot enjoys planting and gardening and was born on Earth Day.
This party was slightly difficult to do since there are no Lalaloopsy party supplies currently out yet so I had to get creative.
I found the adorable Lalaloopsy birthday banner on etsy and am a bit sad I forgot to take a closer picture of it when it was hanging. Every other letter had a lalaloopsy character on it. I strung little buttons I had laying around in between each letter. You can somewhat see it in this angled picture of the party table.

I found out how to make the pretty tissue paper flower puff decorations from Martha Stewart's website. I actually originally made these for Zella's bird themed party earlier on this year but forgot to hang them up.

I placed a variety of candies on the table for our young guests to put into their goody bags. I also made the yummiest peanut butter button cookies to snack on. I found the easy recipe HERE.

The goody bags were filled with a variety of goodies that represented each lalaloopsy character. I put pencils in them for Bea Spells A Lot, flower rings for Blossom Flowerpot, star stickers for Dot Starlight, wands for Jewel Sparkles, and pinwheels for Peanut Big Top.

Bea supervised the goody bag table from her Ferris Wheel ride.

It was a pizza party so I was happy I could focus less on the menu and more on the decorations and the overall enjoyment of the party.
The girls played pin the tiara on Jewel Sparkles. I painted a picture of Jewel onto poster board and cut out tiaras from pink poster board. We used Xiera's sleep mask as the blindfold. The girls LOVED this game!!

Then it was time to color your favorite Lalaloopsy character.

Xiera opened up a lot of wonderful gifts. Her favorite was her newest Lalaloopsy, Patch Treasurechest, (who was born on Pirate Day.) Her beautiful Jewel Sparkle inspired dress was made by Charity of Twirlicious & Company.

This year I decided to take the easiest route and purchase her cake from the bakery instead of baking it myself.

It turned out beautiful and it tasted great!
Make a wish my love!

Happy 7th Birthday Xiera!! Hugs and kisses!

Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week

2011-05-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

This is Teacher Appreciation Week and the girls and I were all sitting down scratching our heads wondering what special thing we could do for their wonderful teachers who do so much each and every school day for them. I found this great idea over on Little Birdie Secrets to make these cute little fabric covered button magnets and tacks and knew this was the perfect gift to give. They were so simple to make that even Xiera and Zella were able to help!
Just Look at how pretty they turned out!

The little ones make the cutest little tacks.

I think I have found myself a new hobby. Can you imagine these on hair clips and hairpins? A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!
I also wanted to share this adorable treasury made by bibsblanketsandmore. She included my Hip Chick Hat. :)

Kitten Love

2011-05-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

We have been fostering these sweet and adorable kittens. We are trying to find them a forever home since we are at our capacity of animals. (1 cat, 2 guinea pigs, and 1 gerbil.) Needless to say that the girls are in absolute heaven!

How can anyone resist the cuteness?

April Showers Bring......

2011-04-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

RAINBOWS!!

Patriotic Stars

2011-04-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

I just finished this adorable little custom drawstring purse for a dear customer of mine. I think it turned out so cute! I made it to match this cute little pageant outfit.

Painting With Yarn

2011-04-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today Zella wanted to paint so I brought out my inner preschool teacher and got a little creative. Instead of the regular paint brushes to paint with, why not use pieces of scrap yarn? (Which I have lots of!)

Materials we used were...

construction paper
yarn scraps
wooden clothes pins
washable paint
paper plate

First I placed small amounts of paint in a variety of colors onto a paper plate. You can also use a regular plate. I just wanted clean up time to be as easy and fast as possible. Then I attached small pieces of yarn onto wooden clothes pins and dipped them into each color of yarn. Zella then picked out a piece of construction paper and we were ready to paint. She dragged the string along the paper like a worm and laid it in different ways to create different designs. It was a lot of fun. We also used texture yarn for a different design effect.

It turned out really neat!

Happy Late Easter!

2011-04-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Our Easter was a very busy one, hence the reason for my late post. We spent all Friday and Saturday coloring eggs. We colored some eggs using duct tape, lace, and stickers. We then added some sparkle and glitz to a few others. On Saturday we saved the day to color eggs using old silk ties and handkerchiefs we found at the local thrift store. I found the silk tie egg coloring idea on Martha Stewart's website and they turned out amazing!! Just see for yourself!

I think this is going to be a new tradition for us because we had so much fun making them.

I made the girls these adorable lambs for their baskets. I got the idea from the April issue of Crochet World. Field the lamb is actually on the front cover. We named Xiera's lamb Daisy because she is Field's girlfriend.

Sunday morning the Easter bunny came and gave the girls lots of goodies. They were absolutely thrilled.

We then got ready and went to church. Although I bought Xiera a new dress to wear this year, she decided she wanted to wear the same dress she wore last year. It still fit her and she looked adorable. Zella wore Xiera's skirt and peasant top set that she had outgrew. They looked so pretty.

Our Easter was a rainy one so the girls enjoyed an Easter egg hunt inside the church.

They didn't seem to mind.
Happy Resurrection day from our home to yours.

Spring Ruffles and Buttons

2011-04-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

A customer of mine emailed me interested in having a skirt and halter set to match the blue bunny hat I had made awhile back. So I took on the challenge and came up with this!

It actually really hurts to let this set go as it turned out absolutely breathtaking. Of course Xiera wants me to make her one now. I am thinking for her upcoming lalaloopsy birthday party perhaps. (Notice, the brand new exclusive only at target Cotton Hopalong mini lalaloopsy doll in hand. We just LOVE our lalaloopsys!)
The most time consuming piece of this set was the 3-tier ruffle skirt with a total of 96 buttons sewn onto the scallop trim of each tier of ruffles.

I purchased the pattern for the skirt on etsy by mytreasuredheirlooms. You can find it HERE.
The halter top features the blue bunny face on the bodice with scattered buttons that match the trim of the hat.

I purchased the pattern for the halter top from anjibeanecrochet. You can find the pattern HERE.

I also finished 2 pairs of leg warmers for 2 sweet sisters. One sister wanted lavender leg warmers accented in pink and the other sister wanted the reverse of that.

I just love how these turned out.

I also love how they are mismatched. If my girls were to pick the colors they wanted, Xiera would say she would want hers all pink and Zella would say black and white striped. Yep they are completely opposite. :)

A "Birdie" Party For My Little "Tweetie"

2011-03-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

We finally were able to celebrate Zella's Fourth "Birdie" Party yesterday with our family and friends. We originally planned for her special day to be held on the 19th of February but Zella and I were sick with the flu. We then rescheduled it to be held last Saturday but then hubby/daddy came down with strep throat. So we rescheduled it once again for yesterday and it was a success! Third time is a charm right?
The theme for her party was birds. And even though it was a yucky rainy day outdoors, we brought early spring indoors with lots of pastel pinks, blues and yellows. Xiera and I spent most of the week cutting out birds from pretty spring designed scrap paper. We made enough to string together to create a garland of birds for decoration.

The party table had a lot of yummy treats.

Xiera and I made these delicious chocolate bird nests and marshmallow pops the night before. For the marshmallow pops, we stuck lollipop sticks into the center end of a few handfuls of large marshmallows. Next, we poured a bag of semisweet chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and melted them in the microwave. We then dipped the opposite end of a marshmallow into the melted chocolate and sprinkled them with candy sprinkles. For the final touch we added half of a jelly bean to their centers. You can use M&M's too.

We made the bird nests by mixing melted peanut butter and chocolate chips together. We then added chow mein noodles and spooned them out onto wax paper. Finally we added jelly bean eggs for the bird eggs and set them in the freezer overnight so they would be ready in time for the party the next day.

The bird nest serving tray was made out of old dishes and glasses I found at our local thrift store. I was going to glue them together but decided not to. I thought I might reuse them somehow later on.

Being a perfectionist, I didn't think the cake turned out as I had hoped. Who knew making a simple 3 layered round cake could become such a hard task? But I guess when you start on it after midnight, the morning before the party, and are sleep deprived, things can get a little wonky. I made a large chocolate bird nest to put on the top with candy coated chocolate eggs inside. The mommy bird I purchased from Party Hoppers on Etsy. She made it to match the cute birdie on Zella's invitations. Everyone at the party loved the cake and it got the birthday girl approval so that is all that matters.

I found the adorable birdie gift boxes at Oriental Trading Company. They were just too sweet to pass up.

Inside each little box was a bird whistle, little bird ornament art project, (both I found at Oriental Trading Company.) bird stickers, gummy worms (bird food), and a smiley foot ring, because honestly what is a birdie party without a smiling foot ring?

For craft time, the little guests made feathered birds. We had lots of beautiful colored plumes to chose from.
Zella loved all of her wonderful gifts she received. Xiera was there to help her little sister every step of the way. :) I think her favorites were her coloring books she got from grandma, her new A Fairy Secret Barbie, and her adorable Lalaloopsy dolly, Blossom Flowerpot.

Make a wish my sweet little princess!

Her BEAUTIFUL party hat was made by Kel of Posh Party Couture. Kel makes the BEST party hats around. We simply adore this one and plan to keep it as a keepsake on Zelly Belly's shelf. Just look at all of the detail!

Happy Birthday Zella! Even though you are 4 years old now, you will always be my sweet baby girl.

Birds of Paradise Crochet Halter

2011-02-26T16:35:00.000-08:00

I just listed THIS adorable crochet blue bird crochet halter for DillyDally Boutique SpringItOn Guest Launch on ebay.

I collaborated with the very talented Shawnta of Mamigirlboutique. Don't forget to check out the Gorgeous Set she made to match.

Her adorable daughter Mica modeled the beautiful set.

Don't want to wait for the auction to end? Then come into myEtsy store to find it or you can click HERE. I will custom make this halter to fit a size 12 months up to a 6x.

A Little Bird Named My Conscious....

2011-02-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

told me that I was being a very bad blogger and that I needed to blog more often. I have to agree and I do apologize. My only excuse is that family and life was calling and I had to set my blog on the back burner for awhile.
So what have we been up to, you ask? Well we have had snow and ice and we were able to build a beautiful snow ice princess.

For a Valentine's Day gift for Xiera's teacher, I made a Sweetheart Swag. I found the pattern in the February 2010 issue of Crochet World.

I fell in love with it so much, I of course had to make one for myself too.

Zella's birthday was on the 21st and we were planning on celebrating her birthday this past Saturday. Unfortunately Zella and I caught a nasty flu virus that left us laying on the couch while watching Despicable Me over and over again for a few days. We started feeling much better on Monday so I whipped up a batch of yummy strawberry cupcakes for the birthday girl to enjoy. I can't believe my baby girl is already 4 years old!

We have rescheduled her "Birdie" Party for this coming Saturday. :)

Speaking of birds, I am so excited to share a little something I have been working on. I am collaborating with Shawnta of Mamigirlboutique for an upcoming guest launch with Dilly Dally Boutique. You can visit her wonderful blog HERE. Shawnta is making a beautiful set using the Treetop Fancy collection by Free Spirit. I just love the fabric print of the blue bird on the brown background. It was that blue bird that inspired my design. I made a halter top with criss cross straps in green and brown to go over a peasant top she is making.

I think the blue bird embellishment adds a touch of whimsy fun to this precious halter. I am so excited to see it modeled with her set.

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo Treasury

2011-02-01T21:23:00.001-08:00

I am in love with this treasury made by Sarah of littlejellyfish. You can view it HERE. I am so thrilled that she included my red and black mohawk hat too. :)

A Little of This, and a Little of That..

2011-01-27T06:43:00.000-08:00

I have been a busy little bee, crocheting custom orders. Leg warmers seem to be very popular this time of year. I have made so many pairs. I recently made a pair of custom ballet leg warmers for a 4 year old ballerina. Her little legs have been so cold during her practices so her mommy ordered a sweet ruffle pair of leg warmers in black and pink.

I adore these, and decided to list them in my Etsy store. You can find them HERE.
Speaking of being a busy little bee, I crocheted a few adorable bumble bees, daisies, and ruffles for embellishments.

My dear customer and her little pageant star diva, needed these for her adorable little yellow bathing suit. :) I can't wait to see it all come together.

About a week ago my grandparents in law celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

They are the parents of 2 daughters and 1 son, grandparents to 9 grandchildren, and great grandparents to 17 great-grandchildren. What a wonderful journey their life has been.

One of their cakes was an exact replica of their original wedding cake.

What a beautiful cake it was! Simple yet elegant. :)

Diamonds were the theme as it was of course their "Diamond" Anniversary.

Congrats Iris and Jim! May you both enjoy many more beautiful years together making memories!

Ruffles and a Valentine Treasury

2011-01-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank ImSewCrafty for including my Euro Floral Cloche hat in her adorable Valentine treasury. Everything looks so pretty and sugary sweet. You can view the treasury HERE. This treasury has really put me in the Valentine mood! I think I may crochet a few hearts this evening. There is a heart swag pattern I have been wanting to work on.
I recently finished a pair of girly ruffle leg warmers in shades of green for a special mommy customer. I really like this style in green.

Happy New Year!!!!

2010-12-31T17:54:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a very happy and wonderful New Year in 2011! God bless each and everyone.

Wordless Wednesday The Countless Ways to Play In The Snow!

2010-12-29T05:14:00.000-08:00

No Naughty Girls Here

2010-12-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

Santa's list must be different than mommy and daddy's list, because the girls woke up to stockings full of goodies and a Christmas tree full of presents underneath. Well I guess they can't be good ALL of the time, right?

One of the girls' favorite gifts were the Lalaloopsy twins. The girls just adore these dolls right now. Xiera wants to collect them all.

Another favorite that Santa brought was their very own look alike American Girl dolls.

Xiera calls her "Little Xiera" and does just about everything with her.

Zella likes to have tea time with hers and offers her occasional candy treats.

Merry Christmas from our happy home to yours! :)

A Crochet Treasury

2010-12-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank Sue of The Handmade Emporium for including my rainbow leg warmers in her beautiful crochet treasury. I really adore the little mini crochet cupcakes and tote bag in this too. You can also visit the treasury HERE.

What a View

2010-12-14T05:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I woke up to THIS!

It was the school's first snow day and the girls made the most of it! It was WAY too cold to enjoy it outside so we enjoyed it by admiring the view indoors.

While the girls were playing dolls, coloring, painting, playing with playdough, and hiding Phoebe the cat in the hamper, I was busy crocheting these.

I made the hair clips for my niece. I think they turned out so adorable.
I also finished this cute custom cat hat for a beloved customer of mine.

It was made to match their family cat. Her name is Katty, and she is a cutie.

Dear Santa,

2010-12-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

Xiera wrote a list out for Santa this year and she went over it with him. The funny thing is that Santa turned it over and exclaimed, "And there is back?" Xiera then told him that she circled her favorites because she knows he isn't able to get everything she wants. :) It was so cute! Zella is pretty easy to please this year. "I just want Princess Jasmine."

We also were able to get our Christmas family portraits done this year and I couldn't be more pleased.

We went to Sears for pictures this year. As soon as we entered the studio Zella's eyes became fixed on a colorful little bear wearing a tutu and balerina slippers. She pleaded for that bear and we all knew ballerina bear was going to be apart of our memories forever.
We were able to get a few pictures taken without Miss Ballerina Bear but only a few.. :)

New listings, New Designs

2010-12-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

Sugar3 Faze2 is having their Boy Meets Girl Valentine themed launch this week. I listed a brand new leg warmer design for the occasion.
Introducing the Girly Girl Ruffle Leg Warmers!

You can find the ebay listing for them HERE. Don't want to wait for the auction to end? You can buy them now in my Etsy Store HERE! Don't forget to search Sugar3 Faze2 Meet for the adorable matching outfit and accessories.

I have been busy today adding a few more designs to my Etsy store. A few oldies like the Cat's Hat and The Elf Hat. And a few newbies too!

Xiera has been asking me to make her a kitty cat hat for a long time now so I went ahead and made her one similar to one I had made for a customer last year.

I have another brand new design to share; The Fun Fringe Tassel Hat.

This cute hat can be made in an infant size up to an adult size. It can also be made in a variety of colors.

You can find Kitty Cuteness and the Fun Fringe Tassel Hat both listed in my Etsy store.

My Cute Customers

2010-11-21T12:40:00.000-08:00

I just love it when I get pictures of my customer cuties!! Thank you Vanessa, Bekah, and Yvonne for sharing these! They are so precious!

Holiday Custom Gifts

2010-11-17T07:49:00.000-08:00

The Christmas holiday is approaching faster than you can say "Ho! Ho! Ho!" And the custom orders are pouring in! All of my lovely customers have been keeping my fingers busy with elf hats, gingerbread men hats, candy cane leg warmers, and custom gift orders for their loved ones.

Here are a few custom orders I mailed out this week! I had Zella model this adorable hot pink cowgirl hat trimmed in black right before I mailed it out yesterday. I really like the pink and black combo for this!
Here is the front view..

and the side view...

The mini me hats are still as popular as ever. This week I made one for a baby boy! I really like his little blond curl I stitched on. :)

I also wanted to announce that I am now a proud member of the Ebay Boutique Group

Faze2 and Sugar3 have joined forces and I am so excited and look forward to working with all of these talented ladies! Come and check out our mini launch on Ebay called That Cat. Remember to search Sugar3 Faze2 I relisted my Cat's Hat just for the occasion. ;)

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

The girls were able to go Trick or Treating twice again this year. Once on Thursday night and then again last night in my parents' neighborhood. Zella was Snow White once again on Thursday night. (She can still fit into her Snow White costume from last year and wanted to wear it again.) On Saturday evening Zella went as a fairy princess. Do you remember THIS tutu dress? Well it fits Zella now so we added some fairy wings, a wand, crown, and a pair of pink converse and we were ready to rock and roll. Xiera went as Coraline this year. She had every last detail of Coraline down to her polished blue nails, button eyed doll, freckles and dragonfly hair clip. ;)

Needless to say, the girls had a great time getting all of that yummy candy.

And seeing all of the wonderful Halloween displays was an added bonus too.

Bootiful Kitty

2010-10-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

Xiera and I transformed our pumpkin into the most Boo-tiful kitty cat! Isn't she cute?
We had a lot of fun while carving her too!

Showing Some Pumpkin Love

2010-10-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

This month has been a busy month for us. Earlier this month Zella had to undergo yet another surgery for the removal of several large chalazions that were putting pressure on her right eye causing astigmatism (blurred vision). The surgery went very well and all of the chalazions were removed successfully. Unfortunately more have returned but are small enough that we hope will go away on their own with the help of warm compresses and Occusoft eye lid scrubs. These things have been plaguing Zella's upper and lower right eye lids for a little over a year now and she has already endured three out patient surgeries to remove them. We are told that she will more than likely out grow them but there is a chance she may not.

We have been enjoying this beautifully colorful autumn season. All of the leaves have begun to change and with the few storms we have had, some have even begun to fall. The girls have taken full advantage of this and have been participating in many funfilled leaf wars.

The sunsets have been absolutely breathtaking these past few days as well. My favorite sunset of all happened about a week ago. All of the pinks, blues, and purples in the sky looked like cotton candy.

I took the girls earlier on today to pick out the perfect pumpkin.

We visit the same place every year. We just love their corn stalk tee pee and the rows upon rows of pumpkins to choose.

The girls settled on a few "baby" pumpkins and one large pumpkin which we plan to make into our jack o' lantern. We may pick up a few more pumpkins this weekend so our "Jack" will have a few friends.

It's a Holly Jolly Elf Hat

2010-10-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

I would like to announce that I am now a member of the talented ebay boutique designer group called FAZE2 and I couldn't be more happy about it! It is so nice to be among so many wonderful and talented ladies. For the next 2 weeks Faze2 is having their Christmas Holiday themed guest launch called Holly Daze. I teamed up with the multi-talented Jennifer of jade*and*rosescouture. I made a super cute elf stocking hat to match her adorable elf set to match! You can find the elf hat HERE! Her adorable daughter Rebekah modeled for us.

This hat was a lot of fun to make and what makes this hat so much fun are the 3 gold jingle bells I attached to the end of the stocking hat. Don't forget to search Faze2 Hollydaze on ebay for all your "Holly Daze" outfits and accessories.

Bright, Fun, And Colorful

2010-09-29T05:58:00.000-07:00

I just love how these custom leg warmers turned out! The pink, orange, green, turquoise and lavender compliment each other so well.

In the Spotlight

2010-09-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

Isn't this the most vibrant and colorful treasury you have ever seen!? Thank you Emmigracekids for featuring my rainbow leg warmers in your lovely, eye-catching treasury titled The Rainbow Connection.
The very talented Jeanine of Bella Jewel Photography also put my gingerbread man hat design into the spotlight this week on her blog post titled, "What to Wear for Fall/Holiday sessions…from ETSY" What an honor it is to be featured alongside so many amazing designers. Thank you so much Jeanine! If you haven't seen Jeanine's work then I suggest you make time to do so immediately! Her work is absolutely stunning. I am always in awe over each and every photo session she does. The girl has talent beyond words!!

Hop Along Baby Joey

2010-09-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of mine contacted me and asked if I could custom design an infant kangaroo hat for her granddaughter who is still a little bun in the oven. :) How could I resist?

I only have one word; "Precious!"

Another great friend of mine requested Minnie Mouse Ear custom hair clips for her daughters to wear on their upcoming trip to Disney.

I wonder if she will let me tag along in her suitcase....

Modeling for PBJ*Boutique

2010-08-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

Brittni of PBJ*Boutique sent Zella this BEAUTIFUL set to model. I just love how comfy and practical this set is. I also LOVE how it can be worn casual or dressy.

I made a sweet Bow Tie Cloche to match. I found the pattern for the cloche HERE. I am going to have to make a lot of these to match my girls' fall wardrobe this year, and maybe a few for myself too. They really are adorable!

Wordless Wednesday-First Day of First Grade

2010-08-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Cat's Hat

2010-08-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Jayne of Baby Grace Designs sent another fun set for Zella to model. I just loved The Cat in the Hat theme so much that I knew I had to make a hat to match!

I found the pattern to make it on Etsy by Desert Diamond Crochet. She has a lot of really adorable crochet patterns in her store that you can check out. I altered the pattern just a bit and added an extra row to each red and white stripe. I wanted it to be a bit tall like the original Cat in the Hat. I also used an H hook instead of a G hook that was requested, and instead of red heart yarn, I used Caron simply soft. I think it made it a bit sturdier and gave it more shape.

O Mr. Sun, Won't You Come Out To Play?

2010-08-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

One of my lovely customers asked me if I could make her daughter a Mr. Sun halter top with matching hair clips. For those of you who do not know Mr. Sun, he is a character on the popular kids television show called Ni Hao Kai-lan. Well I couldn't turn down this cute custom idea. I just love the light blue color of this halter. Each ruffle is trimmed in a different color of the rainbow. And then there is Mr. Sun smiling so sweetly at the top of all of those pretty little ruffles. I couldn't help but smile once I sewed his little face on. Too cute for words!!

I also made her little red flower hair clips to match. Just like the flowers Kai-lan wears in her hair. This little birthday girl is going to be absolutely precious on her special day!

Here Kitty Kitty...

2010-07-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

Meet Kitty, the cat purse. Xiera has been asking me to make her for awhile now and I finally had the time to do so.

Do you remember awhile back when I had bought THIS pattern book?

I am personally not too fond of those round plump cheeks or of the pink pom pom ball nose but Xiera wanted it to look just like the picture so I did just that. Xiera says her new purse is purrr..fect.

I am planning on making another soon but it will look much different than Kitty. Think Halloween! ;)

Girls Rule!

2010-07-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Jayne of Baby Grace Designs sent Zella this FUN and COLORFUL set to model! I just love the fabric she used for this set. It has the phrases, "Girls Rule" and "No Boys Allowed!" on it. What fun we had modeling/photographing this set. I crimped her hair for the occasion and her silly bandz and flower sandals were the perfect accessories to match. This set just screams FUN all over!

Lots of Color!

2010-07-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share this colorful Etsy treasury made by mistycrochet. As a crochet designer, I am always amazed and intrigued by what others create with their yarn and hooks. There are lots of cute and pretty things in this treasury for sure. Thank you mistycrochet for featuring my ice cream purse in your treasury. Don't forget to check out her Etsy store as well. She has a lot of beautiful crochet pieces available too. ;)

Custom Blue Mediterranean Flip Flops

2010-07-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

I finished this lovely pair of flower flip flops for a dear "mommy" customer of mine. I really like the blue and green combo on this pair. Now I am finally all caught up and ready to start some new designs...and get ready for my next giveaway.

Speaking of giveaways.....
Come check out giveawayscout.com for some really nice blog giveaways. Are you planning on hosting your own giveaways on your blog? Giveawayscout.com helps to give you more exposure by publishing your giveaway on multiple channels such as their website, twitter, facebook, widget network, etc.

Wordless Wednesday-Summer Days

2010-06-30T10:02:00.001-07:00

Back From The East Coast

2010-06-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

This past week we had a wonderful time at Virginia Beach. This was the girls' first memorable vacation at the beach. What a fun and exciting time we had. We made sure to visit the beach almost every day. Xiera LOVED gettting splashed by the waves.

Zella enjoyed feeding the seagulls and playing in the sand.

Daddy (The Other Kiddo) had a blast boogie boarding.

During our stay, we visited the Virginia Beach Aquarium. The girls loved getting up close and personal with the komodo dragon there.

And getting eaten by a GIANT shark! LOL!

It got up to 110 degrees during our stay so we found this fun "air conditioned" 3D putt putt golf game to play.

On our last day there we went to Bush Gardens where we rode lots of fun rides.

And cooling off at their waterpark was a must!!

Cupcakes to Match

2010-06-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

I made Xiera these sweet cupcake hair clippies to match her ADORABLE custom birthday shirt I purchased from makmaydesigns on Etsy.

I really love how they turned out and plan to add them to my Etsy store this coming week. Hair clippies are my new favorite thing to design! I was thinking about making a few flowers, fruits and bugs. What hair clippie designs would you like to see?

Pizza, Cupcakes, and Chocolate Cake

2010-06-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

That's what was on the menu at Xiera's BIG birthday party celebration at Chuck E Cheeses yesterday afternoon. And what a fun and exciting celebration it was!
I mean what kid wouldn't love playing games,riding rides..

exchanging high fives with Chuck E. himself..

and getting a chance to grab as many tickets as possible in the brand new ticket blaster??!!

Make a Wish Sunshine!

I think she had a great day!

And it wasn't bad that mommy got a little break for once too. ;)

And the Cupcake Pin Cushion Winners Are...

2010-06-04T07:46:00.001-07:00

Saying Cheese before the BIG name drawing...

Zella brought all of the Princesses to attend.

Drum Roll Please...

And the first winner is...

Harmony who said, "happy birthday xiera & may u have many more lovely b-days to come... =) i love all the cupcakes... my favorites... r the swirl, cherry, and flower one..."
And the second winner is...

Katie who said, "happy birthday to your daughter!!! i love this one..Wisterialane Boutique Party Cupcake Crochet Pin Cushion! sooo cute"

Congrats to you both and thank you to everyone who played! Off to email you two lucky gals!

6 Years Ago Today....

2010-06-03T13:42:00.001-07:00

God gave me the most precious gift on Earth. It was the day I became a mommy.

Over the years I have watched her grow and blossom into this beautiful, bubbly little princess! It seems like yesterday when she was this small.

Happy 6th Birthday Xiera!! You are and will always be my little Sunshine!

Wordless Wednesday-Wild Mulberries

2010-06-02T09:16:00.001-07:00

A Little Splash of Euro

2010-06-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

I am truly loving this pair of flip flops I finished for one of my lovely customers. And just look at those bright and fun colors she chose! Now I have to bid them farewell and send them on their way. Ta Ta for now!

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

We have had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We attended a Graduation Party, went swimming 2 days in a row, visited our loved ones we have lost, and just got back from a yummy barbeque with our beloved family! Now it is time for a little nap!

Happy Memorial Day!

Fun With Flip-Flops Continues...

2010-05-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

I just finished a few more adorable pairs of flowered flip flops!
The daisy flip flops were custom made for a special mommy customer of mine. ;)

I really adore these, especially since the daisy is my absolute favorite flower, so I am going to be making me the same pair later on today.
And this next pair was made for another dear customer's young daughter. I really love the bright colors her daughter picked. Lots of fun!

I also forgot to mention yesterday that I listed the WILD cupcake hair clips I had shared earlier on Ebay.

You can find them HERE.Don't forget to search Wisterialane on Ebay for more sweet cupcake designs listed.

Sweet Treats Cupcake Pin Cushions And a GIVEAWAY

2010-05-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

Aren't these pin cushions simply SWEET? I just listed all 4 of these late last night for Wisterialane's SWEET launch starting this week. Don't forget to search Wisterialane on Ebay for other sweet treat listings.
Including in this collection debut is the Pink Party Cupcake Pin Cushion. You can find it HERE.

The Chocolate Swirl Cupcake. You can find the listing HERE. What is neat about each of these is that their casings are removable just like a real cupcake!

The Shabby Rose Cupcake. You can find it HERE!

And last the Daisy Lavender Cupcake. Which you can find HERE!

To celebrate my daughter Xiera's upcoming 6th birthday, 2 lucky winners will receive a cupcake pin cushion of your choice. This giveaway is for the pin cushions ONLY! Clay Pins are not included.

Just leave a comment below letting me know which cupcake is your favorite and my birthday girl will draw 2 lucky winners next Friday, June 4th. Remember to have fun and good luck!

Feeling Guilty

2010-05-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

This morning started out like any other morning. I got Xiera on the school bus and planned on a funfilled day of shopping with Zelly Belly for Xiera's upcoming birthday. After breakfast I brought Zella into her room to figure out the daily dilemma...."What should she wear today?" After we settled on a cute Gymbo outfit, I laid her down to change her morning pull-up (Sadly yes....we are still not quite out of the potty training phase.) I began putting on her new pull up and shorts. Once they were around her legs, I asked if she was ready to sit up. She held out her hands and I took her by the wrists and hands and pulled her up into a sitting position. That is when something went VERY wrong! Zella began crying and holding her right wrist. It wasn't a normal cry. It was a cry of serious pain. I began looking her wrist and arm over. I tried to move her wrist and she screamed even louder. I knew something was seriously wrong and called hubby upstairs. He examined her wrist and arm and told me to call the doctor immediately. She just kept holding her wrist close to her body sobbing. I felt so completely helpless and utterly guilty! I took her in to see our pediatrician soon after. Once the doctor came in to look at her wrist, she began moving her wrist around and pulled her arm back against her body in an upward motion. Then something popped back into place, and immediately she was all better and able to move her arm as if nothing even happened. The doctor informed me that she had what is known as Nursemaid's Elbow. It is the dislocation of the elbow joint caused by a sudden tug of the extended arm. The doctor said this is seen a lot in children between 1-3 years of age. She did not need to have an x-ray done or wear a sling or cast home. I was so overwhelmed with relief!

NEVER again will I pull a young child by their wrist or hands, even the slightest, for any reason what so ever! I have learned my lesson! So PLEASE pass this information around so that you can spare a child from this painful and traumatic experience.

WILD Cupcake Party!

2010-05-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

My precious little niece Gracie who recently celebrated her first birthday, came to play today and modeled an ADORABLE birthday cupcake set made by my talented friend Sharon of *Mimisgirls*. I made the little plush cupcake prop to match.

Isn't she the cutest thing?
I also made a sweet little cupcake clippie to match!

Keep a look out for this adorable set and hair clippies to match next week on Ebay for Wisterialane's upcoming sweets launch!

Wordless Wednesday-Toothless Grin

2010-05-19T11:54:00.001-07:00

Fun With Flip-Flops

2010-05-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we saw rain, rain, and more rain. Glancing out my back window, I can see more rain coming down as I type. It isn't suppose to stop until Wednesday. Well I have been having fun indoors embellishing flip flops while dreaming of the warm sun and walks on the beach with sand squishing in between my toes.
I just finished 2 custom pairs of flipflops for a customer of mine and her daughter. She said that she wanted hers black with a splash of color.

Her daughter loves the color pink so I had a bit of fun designing these. And what little girl doesn't love hearts?

Because of all of this rain, I have big plans to update my Etsy store. It definitely is in need of some new items. Maybe some new hair accessories, hats, or flip flops? What would you like to see in my store? Maybe there was a past design I had listed on Ebay awhile back that you liked? Or maybe a custom design you saw pictured on here? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Custom Baby Bloomers

2010-05-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Today I finished an adorable pair of baby bloomers for a customer of mine. They are for her baby boy who is turning one. She wanted them simple in a natural beige with pockets.

I added white stitching around the back pockets to help them stand out a bit more. I think they turned out really cute.

O The Cuteness!

2010-05-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

This past week the girls had a great time playing dress-up and striking their latest poses modeling for Jayne of Baby Grace Designs.

Can we say C..U..T..E?!

This one was our favorite! Xiera just adores The Princess And The Frog right now.

Keep an eye out for these next 2 sets for next Easter!

Love this next Christmas set! The little gingerbread man and girl faces are so sweet!

And that dangling Gingerbread Man House on the hood is simply clever and cute!

And the Winners are....

2010-05-07T06:45:00.001-07:00

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who entered the Crochet Headband Giveaway! I really appreciate it!! Don't forget to keep checking back for more fun crochet goody giveaways!

The random online number generator picked the following winners....

Winner number 8 is Kelly who said "Hey Lindsay! It's Kelly T. I like them ALL, but I really like the colorful ones in the last pic. I also like the one with the 2 white flowers"

And winner number 10 is Jenn who said, "I Like them all too, But My favorites, I think is the Big Blue flower headband and the little rosettes."

Thanks again for playing and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Wordless Wednesday-Spring time

2010-05-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

Crochet Headband Giveaway

2010-04-29T05:36:00.000-07:00

I made a promise to host a monthly giveaway on my blog and I am going to keep it!

2 lucky winners (YES I said TWO!!) will win 2 (Yes I did say TWO again!!)Custom crochet headbands of their choice in ANY color or design.

Just look at my latest headband designs!

Maybe you would like to have two completely different headbands for that little someone special or maybe that someone special is yourself! (Mother's Day is just around the corner!) Maybe you would like sister matching headbands or a mommy and me matching set!

I will be drawing TWO winners who will win TWO custom crochet headbands of their choice on Friday morning, May 7, 2010. This giveaway is for anyone! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below telling me which headband design is your favorite. If you do not have your own blog than please leave your email within the comment for contacting purposes. Good luck and have fun!

A Cupcake Treasury

2010-04-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

I received an email this morning from Lenore of strawberrycouture (an amazing crochet hat designer on Etsy so go and check her out!) She created the most yummy Etsy cupcake treasury and included my Pink Cupcake Party Purse!

Isn't it deliciously sweet? Thanks Lenore!

More Nicey Jane

2010-04-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

Here are my last two contributions for Wisterialane's Nicey Jane Launch!

The Triple Flower Headband. You can find it HERE!

The flowers on this headband are sewn onto french clips making the flowers interchangeable so you can wear the headband a number of ways!

The Nicey Jane Flip Flops. you can find them HERE!

This is a custom auction. The sizes I have available are 12/13 toddlers and 1/2 little girls.

Don't forget to search Wisterialane on Ebay for more beautiful items for this launch!

Crochet Flower Headbands

2010-04-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

This week Wisterialane is having a launch themed around the BEAUTIFUL new fabric line by Heather Bailey called Nicey Jane!
Here are a few of my contributions to this launch. I am planning on listing a few more so stay tuned!

Introducing the Hello Rose Headband. You can find it HERE.

And debuting the Blue Church Flower Headband. You can find it HERE.

Both headbands can be custom made to fit an infant size up to an adult size. Don't forget to search Wisterialane to find more beautiful items listed for this launch!

Patriotic Pageant Custom Top

2010-04-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I had made this really cute patriotic halter top with dangling stars around the midriff. (Notice how little Xiera looks in the picture! Sniff! Sniff!)

Well I was excited to have the chance to make another recently for a customer of mine. She asked me to glitz it up a bit since it is going to be worn in a pageant. So I came up with this!

I thought that the gold and silver star buttons and the fringe were the perfect touch for an extra glitz. I also made an extra star clip so she could have the choice to wear them on the halter or in her hair.

Opening Our Hearts

2010-04-15T02:13:00.000-07:00

With a lot of thought and consideration; pondering on all the pros and cons; we have decided to open our hearts and welcome into our cozy home two adorably sweet guinea pigs. I would like to introduce Applesauce.

And Fluffy.

We brought them home last weekend and the girls were in instant love, as am I. It is so amazing how their personalities are so different. They both have their own unique preferences. Applesauce is really laid back. He enjoys cuddle time especially when getting brushed and kicking back in his cozy pet den. His favorite foods are broccoli florets and apple slices. Fluffy is more adventurous and can be seen on most days popcorning around in his cage. He enjoys play time where he can have full access to run and jump in Zella's room. He enjoys grazing outdoors on grass and dandelions and his favorite food to nibble on is a fresh green romaine lettuce leaf.

We are looking forward to getting to know these two a bit more and look forward to all of the little adventures we will share with them. Welcome home!

Wordless Wednesday-Sweet Dreams

2010-04-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Friday Pattern Finds

2010-04-09T05:13:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled across the cutest patterns and wanted to share!

Look at this darling little purse! Wouldn't this be the perfect touch to accessorize that spring outfit? You can find the pattern which is available for purchase on Etsy HERE!

Something fun for the kiddos! And who doesn't like a freebie? You can find this adorable kitty cat neck pillow for FREE HERE!
These next pics have given me a little inspiration for my next project.

Can you tell I have a case of the spring fever?

Happy Resurrection Day

2010-04-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

I wish everyone a blessed, happy, and wonderful Easter Sunday!

Spring Treats

2010-04-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

Late last night I decided to make a little something special for the girls. My dear and sweet mom sent me THIS recipe for the most adorable bunny cupcakes. As I was looking for other fun ideas to make on the website, I found THIS recipe for cute chick cupcakes. I knew that I had to make both!

Instead of using the marshmellows for the bunny bellies, I thought they looked better as bunny tails. ;) I also used the regular sized chocolate chips for eyes instead of the miniatures. (They were all I had here.)

Off to add some color to a bunch of pale looking eggs! ;)

All Caught Up!

2010-04-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

I just finished the last Easter custom order and mailed it out this morning! Phew! It turned out really cute too! It is the blue bunny hat style, but in pink! ;)

Now I have to get back to enjoying this BEAUTIFUL and WARM weather we are having but first I would like to share a customer cutie wearing her Hip Chick Hat!

Awwww isn't she adorable!? She also made the newspaper this past weekend while attending her town's Easter Egg Hunt wearing this adorable set too!!

Happy April Fools!! (Sorry I have no jokes to share but I have enjoyed teasing the girls about the giant bear in our backyard!)

Spring Hats, Egg Hunts, and Snow...O My!!

2010-03-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I decided to make my girls new spring hats. I had never made a slouch beret style hat before so I took on the challenge and came up with this!

I really LOVE how it turned out! It reminds me of the vintage Strawberry Shortcake hats Strawberry and her friends use to wear. I made it to match a duster sweater I had made Xiera awhile back which still fits her by the way! ;) Here is a front view of the hat.

And here is the back view!

The other hat I made is for Zella. It matches a custom spring outfit I had bought for her. I have had the gingham chick buttons for awhile now and finally had a chance to use them! Aren't they cute?

We took the girls on an Easter egg hunt this past Saturday. It was freezing and there was still snow on the ground from a few days prior. Xiera and Zella didn't mind at all though!

One of Xiera's eggs had a ticket inside and she was able to claim her prize. She picked out a pink bunny. Zella got LOTS of eggs this year!

The girls both enjoyed spending time and getting their pictures taken with the Easter bunny too!

Wordless Wednesday-Hair Art

2010-03-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hoot Hoot Cute!

2010-03-19T09:41:00.001-07:00

I am honored and flattered to have my Smarty The Owl Hat featured in mimisdresshop's Etsy treasury! How Owl-Dorable! ;)

Thank you you so much for the feature!

Wordless Wednesday-Cuppy Cakes

2010-03-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

Crochet*D*Lane