A crocheted cup of dark hot chocolate

Is it me, or does the marshmallow look scary??? I think it still turned out pretty cute! I love these quick and easy projects! This will be a set of food items I am making for my youngest granddaughter. I used safety eyes.

My crocheted bauble stitch!

Played around with learning a new crochet stitch last night. This is called the "bauble stitch" for border edging.

I added it around the edge of the little glass ornament I am developing, and it makes me think of a turtle! I do have ideas for making these into personalized Christmas tree ornaments.

I will keep learning new edgings and trying to get some things made that actually might look kinda neat.  I used brightly colored variegated yarn, and love how each bobble became one of the colors!!! 

EVER ONWARD

Check this out, all ye old succulent lovers!!!  I just made a pledge to kickstart this product!  It's pretty, and it's pretty cool, and useful.  Good for all kinds of plants to grow indoors, but especially succulents.  A modern touch!
http://www.plantenvy.us/

A happy fall holiday basket!

I just got this black basket with orange wrapped handles that contained birthday presents, and I decided to use it to display my and Emily's painted and glittered pine cones, my crocheted pumpkin pie, a candle, small fake pumpkin, and a dancing glow-in-the-dark skeleton.  It is sitting on top of microwave, making me one happy camper these days!  

Here's to happy holiday crafting!!!
XOXO- Julie

National Black Poetry Day

My friend, Teri, from Teri's Painted Daisies (http://painteddaisies.blogspot.com), is doing an artwork each day, which is celebrated yearly.  I found a list of those days here:  http://nationaldaycalendar.com/calendar-at-a-glance/

There were about 5 celebrations today, on October 17, and one of which was Black Poetry Day!  I thought I would post a poem by a beloved poet of our time, who, on May 28, 2014, left this world.  It is a powerful poem, and I love it.

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STILL I RISE

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.


Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.


Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.


Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.

Weakened by my soulful cries.


Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.


You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.


Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise
I rise
I rise.

-Maya Angelou

Crochet a 45 minute cowl with Crafty Gemini, and enter a giveaway for Lion Brand's yarn!!! FUN!!!

This gal, Craft Gemini, makes the cutest things, and she builds, crochets, sews, and does tutorials for all.  I am about to use her tutorial (free) for making a pillowcase with french seams.  She is just plain awesome!  But she is having another Lions Brand yarn giveaway, so I wanted to post it here if anyone wants to get in on the fun!  Here is her tutorial for the 45 minute cowl, which I am planning to make TODAY!  EVEN though I won't have much use for it even over the winter, but I don't think it will necessarity be hot, so I can probably just wear it for fashion anyway.  It's so adorable!


Her website (a wealth of knowledge) is here:  http://craftygemini.blogspot.com/

Little pumpkin coaster and fall pinecones!

Sitting around doing laundry this morning and decided to make a pumpkin coaster I found at http://www.irarott.com/Free_Crochet_Patterns.html

It's so cute!  I love it!  The 3-D vine makes it really cute.  Gonna make another one and send both to a friend.

Emily (6) and I decided to paint some pine cones that we had gathered, and we found we liked just painting the tips orange...that way the brown still showed through, and they looked pretty classy.  

Then we cheapened them up some by sprinkling on a thick rough cut gold glitter I have hanging around here!  They have some shimmer now, and we placed them into my orange bowl, and voila...lovely pine cones for the table.  Perfect craft for a child with adult supervision, of course!  I think a bowlful done with the tips painted in all different fall colors would look particularly nice...some lovely mustard yellow, orange, cranberry ones.....ahhhhh.

Blooms from my zinnia garden today!

This rather small baby is suddenly appearing on one of the liliput plants...all cute and vibrantly striped!  So sweet.

The zinnias just keep on producing!

The yellows are tempramental.

Whites are so sweet and pure!

My favorite color....ORANGE!

These California Giants grow such long stemmed flowers, they are great for bouquets!

The colors of the mixed variety are so vibrant!

For the pinkaholics!

Liliputs.

Another little candy striped variety!

Crocheted pumpkin pie!

For my non-Facebook folks, and just to record on my blog....I made this adorable crocheted pumpkin pie tonight.  The recipe for it was found here:  http://craftyiscool.blogspot.com/2011/11/free-pattern-friday-squeeze-n-sniff.html

I found a more pumpkin pie colored yarn ( more of a burnt orange) at JoAnns today, and also a gray yarn with metallic in it for the pie pan.  The crust is made of beige yarn.  There is a little sachet I made (just like the instructions shows to do) that has cinnamon and cloves inside, so when you squeeze it, it smells good.

I used safety eyes just because I thought they were so cute, and I felt they would look better than if I tried to embroider them on.  It called for 10mm eyes, and they only had a size 12mm, but I think bigger eyes look even cuter!  I just realized I forgot to make the whipped cream for the top!  I will try it.  It might be too complicated for me...but will post when and if I get it done!

I'm all set for Thanksgiving now!  Hehehe.
XOXO_ Julie