Sunday, March 30, 2008

New Marker Holders!

Look what I got from Mary's Esty shop! New stitch marker holders! The one that looks blue is actually a pretty dark, but bright purple. And since I don't have my Photoshop for my laptop I can't correct the color in the photo..... And just look at the adorable fish & dragonfly buttons she put on them! How cute is that? Now my markers (some of them) are organized & stylin! Of course I have them loaded up with markers. I told Mary she could make me one a mile long & I would still not be able to get all of my markers in there! LOL

And.... I have some kitty markers getting ready to go into my Etsy store. I've made kittys before but I've never been super pleased with them, but I like these. Similar to the ones I did for Jessi, those were the inspiration.


And everyone go on over to the Knittin Coop & send Robin & Milo some good thoughts & get well wishes. Poor Milo is sick & having to stay at the animal hospital, hopefully he will get to come home soon!!!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Anne is having a contest too!

Anne is having a little contest, go over and send her a link to one of your favorite blogs. She is giving away yarney goodness!! :)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Easter Eggs & A Puppy


First let me show you our Easter eggs! The Hubby & I dyed them today, he he, he tolerates me so well & definitely indulged me today by joining in on the mess. Such a sweetie! Let me tell you, he has NO interest in crafting (except to build remote control airplanes), he is proud of me & tells everyone how I can create amazing stuff (his words, not mine!) that I sell online, etc... but he usually says no to any invitation I send his way to join in. We tried out the tie dye kit this year, it sucked! I like the regular dip 'em in vinegar/water/dye version. But we forged ahead & got a dozen of them prettied up. His turned out the best. :) And of course the Easter Bunny (aka ME) got each of us a Reester Bunny. LOL

And this little puppy is awaiting his trip to Chan's house to await his final new home with the winner of her bloggiversary contest. Unless Chan decides to keep him for herself! ha ha!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Anyone Craving Seafood?

Yep, seafood.... but these turned out too cute to eat! I like the Crabs ok, but the Lobsters are my faves! I just love putting these eyeballs on my critters, they look so silly I have to giggle every time I look at 'em. :)

What we have here are 3 red crabs + 1 blue crab... and down here where I live blue crabs are special, we even have a Blue Crab Festival every year....

And what can I say about these lobster cuties... I just love them, they make me smile.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Happy Bloggiversary Chan!!!

Ok everyone, hop on over to Chan's blog & tell her a story about someting you got talked into doing! She is having her 1 year Bloggiversary and wants us to entertain her! The contest will run through midnight on April 1.

Happy Bloggiversary Chan!!!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Worth the Wait!

My Defeat the Winter Doldrums package from Cass came today! So, while I'm sitting here sipping some yummy spicy tea in my new "hearts" mug let me show you what was inside... Warning: this is going to be a photo heavy post! I think it deserves it since Cass put so much into the package... she did it twice! The first one is lost in the mail somewhere, hopefully to turn up sometime in the future. :)
If you look in this first photo, the brown jar contains home grown by Cass herself Catnip! I'm sure Jazzy will love this stuff! If I can get a photo of her with some of it I will, she drools when she has too much catnip! ha ha!!
There were 3 beautiful cloths in there, all of them were different patterns but done in coordinating yarn, soooo soft & pretty, almost seems a shame to use them (almost!).

There was some sweet smelling lavender soap, a sweetheart mug which I left in the box for the photo because the box was so cute!



Some really delicious Good Earth Organic Original Tea, Sweet & Spicy, and it's really good nice & warm. Also in that photo there to the right is some of the yarn she included, it's Honeysuckle Yarns cotton, in Sea Breeze colorway. There in the back you see my Googley Pets Kitty Pen! How adorable is that cutie! I'm taking him to work with me so I'll get plenty of work done with him & lots of giggles at the same time! :)


In this next one.... some Sheep of a Different Color yarn in Teal & Bronze. All of this yarn is so beautiful, the photos just don't do it justice! Some teal tissues & a teal covered note pad.


I only had a few minutes to open the box & get a quick looksie at everything before I had to leave to make it to my knitting group at 6:30 tonight & I totally missed these sparkly stitch markers! When I got home tonight & dug everything out to oogle & pet it all I found these pretties tucked in the mug box. The photo doesn't show just how sparkly they are, heck they are the fishhook kind, I just might wear 2 of them as earrings tomorrow! ha ha! They are really that pretty!

Awwww.... Lester has found a new friend!

Thanks so much Cass!!!!! I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you sent!!! I know it really sucked to have your package lost in the mail, you were awesome to put together such a wonderful package a second time! Hopefully the first one will turn up, I'd hate to have to poke some stealing slug in the eyeballs with my knitting needles!! Actually I'd enjoy it if I ever found out someone had that package!

You ROCK Cass!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Need a laugh?

Ok, for those of you who are in need of a good laugh, SNOL, ROFL, LOL, etc... you have to go on over to Uberstrickenfrau's blog. She has a therapy session going on which is funny enough as is, but click on the comments & read those. OMG! I thought I was going to fall off the couch here! There are some truly comedic geniuses at work here! Thanks guys for the good laugh, that was great! :) I know sometimes I have a quirky sense of humor but if you don't find this stuff funny, what's wrong with you?!

Monday, March 17, 2008

More Packages & More Progress

I have progress to report on the wrap, I'm 50% done. I'm sure it will look much better once finished & blocked, it's a bit wavy at the moment. We'll see who finishes first, me with my wrap, or Chan with her Clappy. (probably Chan) he he!And I'm using a couple of my Easter Egg Chick markers to mark the border just because I can.Let me see.... what did I get since this weekend..... I received my Valentine's Dishcloth Swap package from Angela, this was the swap we were signed up for when our group disbanded for some reason... however Angela & I decided to follow through with our packages. :) She sent a great B&W dishcloth that goes great in my kitchen, another skein of the same yarn, a Valentine's monkey, compact mirror, a bunch of Valentine erasers, & 2 cute towels. Thanks Angela! I'm glad we got to meet before the group went klapunk.



I also got my Longing for Spring Swap package today! It came from Jenn, It included a pretty flower card with a nice note inside, this lovely little bag with pretty spring flowers on the outside & polka dots on the inside, yummy smelling Mango lotion, some Snickers Eggs & Gummy Bears (can't wait to dig into those!), and a felted bracelet kit, how sweet is that?! Of course I pulled my current project out of the old bag I was using & promptly put it in my new bag! And here is a closeup of the really neat Blooms Bracelet kit, I've seen these online & thought they were so cute but never thought of buying one, I'm so glad she did! This will be a fun & fast little project. Thanks so much Jenn, I just love everything!

You guys are all saying, wow, how did she rate all of those great packages?! Well, I have some awesome swap buddies, that's how! I kind of went a little crazy after the first of the year & joined a bunch of swaps, but I'm done now. I am just waiting on one package from Cass & that will be it for the swap packages for a while. Poor Cass, she got my dishcloth exchange package all ready to go, went & mailed it, now it's lost in mail land somewhere & we can't find it!!! I sure hope it turns up, I'd hate for that package to be lost forever, I'm sure there was some awesome stuff in there! And I really hate for Cass to have to do 2 packages for me, even though I know that's what she is doing. :)

I'm off to get cracking on that wrap for a little while before bed.....

Friday, March 14, 2008

Another swap successfully completed!

Well, the Longing for Spring Swap package that I sent out made it safely to it's destination, thank goodness! AJ got her package today & liked everything. :) Go on over to her blog, (Not-so) Cynical Knitting Gal, say hi & check out that yarn that I couldn't post here the other day, cause it was a secret! I sent her a skein of Dream in Color Smooshy (Funky Fuchsia), it was absolutely gorgeous yarn!! It was really tough to part with once I saw it & felt it, but I knew that she had been wanting some Dream in Color & I didn't want to disappoint. And I did treat myself with the Giant Peach Classy yarn, you know I couldn't order some Dream in Color yarn for someone else and not buy some for myself! That would just be wrong! ;)

I still don't know who my swap partner for the Longing for Spring swap is.... have to wait for that package to arrive. That is part of the fun, the secret part.


And..... I snuck a photo of Jasmine last night when the hubby had her distracted for a moment.... I got "the look" after I snapped it but it was too late then! ha ha! That's the mail that is sticking out from under her, silly cat. Every time you put something on the coffee table she either has to lay on it or knock it off into the floor.
Have a great weekend all!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

The Easter Bunny Has Arrived!

I received another of my swap packages today! Wendy sent me this great Easter package for the Easter Stitch Marker Exchange. She doesn't have a blog but her Ravelry ID is Browndog, so go on over & say hi! :) She is really sweet & sent an AWESOME package!

All of my goodies were packaged in Easter grass, how cute! The package included yummy chocolate, yummy chapstick, some really pretty egg cups (now I'm definitely dying eggs this year!), notepad, some great sock yarn (hope you can see it in the photo, it really is pretty!), a cute sheep card with a sweet note inside, gorgeous stitch markers, and the most darling hand knit Easter bunny named Lester!

Just look at him, don't you just want to squish him! He's very soft & cuddly. Here is the cute little note Wendy included about him, "The bunny's name is Lester. He is a little on the chubby side due to over-indulgence of chocolate covered carrots. However, he has a very cheerful disposition and was looking forward to going to NC!" So now Lester has come to live with me, and Wendy was right, he does have a cheerful disposition, and he is very sweet! I'm very glad that he came to live here in NC with me!! :) I just can't tell you how touched I am that someone would knit me a little bunny... *sniff, sniff*

And here are a few photos of the gorgeous stitch markers she sent... (I've been struggling to figure out how to take a decent photo of my markers with my new camera... what do they look like to you guys? They look different depending on the computer....) The cute little bunny charm on the pink/white set wiggles & jiggles! he he! Wow, you guys should see these great markers in person, she really did a wonderful job, very talented! I can't wait to use the loopy ones, I haven't ever used that kind before....



Thanks so much Wendy! You made my day! I just lourve everything!!!!! Oh my gosh, I'm so spoiled! All of my knitting/blog pals & swap pals have been so great to me!!!

A little late but check this out!


For those of you who haven't already seen this... and probably most of you have....our friend Michelle got published in the latest Knitty issue! I'm sooooo pleased for her! Congratulations Michelle! Woohoo!!!! :)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

For My Dog Loving Friends

I get a newsletter from the makers of "Wellness" cat food, that is what Jazzy eats, she has a sensitive tummy & has to eat food that is more natural, not so much "stuff" in it..... well, I saw this in the newsletter & thought I'd share it with all of my dog loving buddies out there. #5 is probably more for the kitty lovers, but I suppose a puppy could eat something like that! :) We all have heard about not giving dogs chocolate but this tells us why & gives us a few other item that aren't good for them either....

HUMAN SNACKS & TREATS TO WATCH OUT FOR

5 Dangerous Ones to Watch! In general, we do not advocate frequent or excessive feeding of human snack food to your four-legged family member. Typically, "people snacks" do not meet the pet’s nutritional needs, may unbalance a previously balanced diet and may have detrimental side effects. Individual animals can have food intolerances to specific ingredients or foods, just like their owners. Any food that is normally not included in a pet’s daily intake, or whose consumption amount varies considerably, could also cause gastrointestinal upset.Here is a list of 5 items pet owners should be especially cautious of:

1. Xylitol – This sweetener is used in sugar free chewing gums and candies, and is available in a powdered form for use in baking. In people, this five carbon sugar alcohol is used in diabetic dietetics and does not impact insulin levels. However, xylitol is a strong promoter of insulin release in dogs leading to hypoglycemia. Common presenting clinical signs in affected dogs include vomiting, weakness, ataxia, seizures, and collapse. In 2007 ACVIM Research Abstracts, Dr. Lyman and Dr. Bichsel discussed toxic effects seen with ingestion of 150 mg xylitol/ kg of body weight; consisting of hypoglycemia and hepatic failure. That is about 680 mg xylitol for a 10 pound dog. (A teaspoon of xylitol weighs about 5 grams)

2. Macadamia Nuts – Macadamia nuts consumption by dogs has been associated with toxic clinical signs consisting of hind leg weakness, depression and tremors. However, no mortality has been reported.

3. Grapes & Raisins – Grape and raisin ingestion has been reported to cause renal toxicity in dogs. The specific mechanism is not known with clinical pathologic findings related to acute renal failure.

4. Chocolate – Another beloved human treat that can make pets ill. It can contain high levels of fat, and methylxanthine. The darker the chocolate, the higher the potential for clinical problems, which include vomiting, diarrhea, panting, increased thirst and urination, arrhythmias, and tremors/seizures. According to ASPCA Poison Control, "As little as 20 ounces of milk chocolate or 2 ounces of baking chocolate can cause problems for a 10 pound dog."

5. Easter Basket Grass – Although not exactly a human snack, this festive artificial turf surrounding candy and goodies is especially attractive to kittens. It is often played with and eaten and can cause intestinal obstruction or act as a linear foreign body.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Ok, I'm finished


I finished up Robin's stitch markers. She wanted a mixed set of farm animals... don't know why I never thought of selling them like this before, DUH.... I think they look really cute together as a set.

And I finished up my Easter Eggs. I sprayed them with a pearl glaze, that stuff takes forever to dry! I have yet to find a spray glaze that works well with my markers. My hubby even made me some hangers for my markers so I could spray them with glaze to make it faster... but I just can't find a glaze that goes on & dries without remaining sticky to some extent. Therefore I end up hand painting the glaze on each animal.... very time consuming, but they are worth it. :)

New Arrivals & New Listings


Lookie what I got!!! This came in the mail on Saturday from the Sweet Sheep. Dream in Color "Classy" worsted weight yarn in Giant Peach color, the Dream in Color shrug pattern, & they also sent along a pretty fingerless glove pattern for free. I also ordered some other yarn but I can't show that one because it is a secret... but it's really pretty too, going to be hard to part with! :) Chan did this shrug & I have been wanting to give it a try ever since I saw hers, go take a look at her photos. I actually dug back & found that post Chan, aren't you impressed? he he!


Then Robin got me working on some more stitch markers, which was a good thing, I have been a bit lazy lately & really needed to get some made! I haven't quite finished Robin's set yet but here are some cuties I did get finished... Easter Egg Chicks, the Easter eggs hatched! :)
I also have some Easter Eggs & Robin's Farm Animal Mix that I'm still working on. I'll get photos of those posted soon.
Got to go finish up some sheep & watch the NASCAR race.... hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Mystery Swap Package Has Arrived!

Not only did my NEW COMPUTER come in today, but my Mystery Swap package from Lani came in!! Wow, what a Monday! :) Still trying to figure out this new computer, it has Vista on it. So far I like it. Got the email going, now if I can figure everything else.....


Well, let me show you what I got in my wonderful package... heck, even all the tissue paper was pretty! Of course before I tore into it everything was wrapped all neat, this photo is the "after" photo. :) I believe my theme was Costa Rica, I've got to ask Lani about that, she forgot to put the note in the box, sounds like something I'd do! ha ha


A list of the goodies: Costa Rican Coffee beans (OMG do these smell wonderful, even sealed!), Yummy Chocolate, Gummy Bears, 2 patterns (that I had in my Ravelry Que!), Designer Tissues (how appropriate at the moment, with all the nose blowing going on here), a Row Counter, Needle Sizer, Chibi Needle, Bamboo Knitting Needles, a really pretty Flower Pen, a Journal with tropical flowers on it (I've so wanted one of these for my projects! How did she know?), Tropical Flower Sticky Notes, 2 skeins of Panda Cotton for my sock pattern (in pretty tropical peach, salmon & green), & 2 skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash wool (a pretty bright blue) for my bag pattern!



Please excuse the photos if they look too bright, I don't have my regular photo editing software on my new computer yet..... :)

Here are more photos of the goodies..... I know the blue in the photo isn't right, it's too bright here, it is more of a deeper blue, not so aqua as the photo shows.


Thanks so much Lani! You are awesome!!!! I LOVE, love, love all of my new stuff!!!

All of this great stuff and it's only Monday! We aren't done with this week yet!! I took 3 packages to the post office today, some knitterly goodness of my own going out to points unknown.... I'm expecting a package from Cass.... and I'm expecting a yarn shipment from The Sweet Sheep which will include a few patterns. Yes, I said "shipment".... he he, it probably isn't that huge of an order, really.

Ok, enough about me, how did your Monday go? I'm off to blog surf & find out....

Sunday, March 2, 2008

NH Knitting Mama Contest


Everyone go over and take a look at NH Knitting Mama's etsy store! She has some awesome yarn over there! And go check out her blog, she is having a contest & giving away YARN!!! Tell her that I sent you & I'll get a 2nd entry. :)

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Good Stuff Comes to Those Who are Sick...

Well, I might still be coughing & blowing my nose but I got lots of good stuff today & good news.... First, my new computer has shipped! Woohoo! I should have it one day this coming week!

Second, I got a great stitch marker swap package from Taryn. The theme was "It's Raining Cats & Dogs". She sent me some really cute kitty stitch markers, note pad, kitty calendar, yummy chocolate, and some great Suri Merino yarn with a fingerless glove pattern. She also included some treats & toys for Jasmine! How sweet! Awesome package Taryn, thanks!!! Her package is going in the mail on Monday, along with a few other secret packages....

I finally got a good photo of the stitch markers that Debbie sent me earlier..... aren't they pretty?!

Cass has informed me that she is my "sucky dishcloth exchange pal", her words not mine! Well, actually she said "I suck" :) She felt bad about not keeping in touch through the exchange & emailed me to let me know that my package will be in the mail on Monday. Yeah! Can't wait to see what kind of goodies she has put in there! I told her it was no problem, if I had fallen & hit my head as many times as she has I would probably forget to comment too! ha ha! Just kidding Cass.... you know I love ya & love reading your blog!!!

My Mystery Swap pal, Lani, has also emailed me & let me know that my package was in the mail & I should be receiving it Monday or Tuesday! Oooooh, next week is going to be sooooo great!! All these packages arriving, going to be like Christmas all over again! :) Lani received her package & loved it, thank goodness! I always worry that my swap partners aren't going to like what I send.... she posted a nice Thank You on the Mystery Swap blog.... go check it out if you want to see the goodies that I sent. :)

Ummm.... I have a new tape measure ready to list in my Etsy store, a green one.


I don't think I ever posted these here either, I have Snowball stitch markers in my store now too. I got this idea from some ceramic Christmas ornaments that I made years ago, they are my favorite ornaments.... I think these little cuties turned out great! Although everyone is probably sick of snow now. ha ha!

And I have made a little progress on my shawl/wrap. I'll be working on that tonight too. I haven't made enough progress to warrant another photo yet though. :)

Oh, Chan, I ordered that shrug pattern & some Giant Peach Dream In Color yarn! Hopefully that will be here sometime this week too!! If I have any problems with that pattern I'll be emailing you! ;)

It was beautiful here today, I believe it got up to 75!! Maybe tomorrow will be just as pretty so I can get some more yard work done... need to prune those roses and get some more pine needles raked up. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!