Crochet Baby Dress for Isabella

Crochet Baby Dress

Crochet is another crafty endeavor that I enjoy when I sit and relax at the end of the day.  Recently I started making a dress for the newest grand girlie, and finished it just in time for her to wear to a wedding this past weekend.

I found this pattern on You Tube, written by Oana in Italy.  I am graciously thankful that she is willing to share her skills and video tutorials with the world, and that she took the time to make an English version of her video tutorials.

Our Selfie

Isabella is now 7 months old, and the pattern was written for 6 months.  When I started the project last month, the dress was more of a shirt so I had to add more rows of cascade stitch to get the length long enough to be a dress on her.  The top of the dress fit her just perfectly, so unfortunately wearing the dress was a one time deal, unless another special occasion pops up in the next couple weeks before she outgrows the top.

Isabella is a techy baby and is fascinated with cell phones.  She loves to take selfies and.the fact that the child knows what buttons to push amazes me.  The lighting was poor, but I had to capture the moment with her wearing the dress.  She wanted to hold my cell phone but Grammy said no.  She didn't give me a smile for the selfie in return.

What I've Been Up To

With another school year wrapped up I'm anxious to start my summer respite with some much needed soaping therapy!  The soap room is a disaster and the molds are screaming to be put to work once again.  Not to mention the poor neglected soap cutter that hasn't been properly broke in yet.

In April I took a trip to "not so sunny" San Diego with School Nutrition Association.  Perhaps it was a good thing the sun was hiding for most of my time there as I was at a conference and it would have been torture to be stuck inside.  It was still cold, heavy coat wearing weather, and snowy at home.  At least I got to break out the sandals, ditch the winter coat for a few days, and dip my toes into the Pacific Ocean while I was there.

My Sophie

As the past winter was a long one, and never seemed to want to ever go away, I spent a lot of time huddled under a blanket that I was crocheting as part of a Crochet Along project ~ Sophie's Universe ~ written by Dedri Uys.  Sophie became my best friend, and I would anxiously await the release of the next rows each Sunday from January through May.  This project started out as a blanket for our bed, the finished project needs very little added to fit our queen size bed.  However, it was mutually decided that this Sophie will be the perfect gift for some special friends of ours getting married this summer. Not to mention, I have several more Sophie's in progress.  :)

Ah, but I've been twitching to break out some new fragrance oils that have been waiting for me and restock some soaps that are...um...out of stock!  Now that summer respite from the day job is upon me, let the fun begin!

Hello, Spring... Where Are You Hiding?

Citrus Spring Spa Washcloth

 It's about this time of year that I start to feel cabin fever.  I know we're on the downward side of winter, given the number of frost heaves starting to make their appearance.  I am also eagerly anticipating another trip to Washington DC at the end of this month, and closely monitoring the extended forecast projections.  I'm hoping and praying that I'll be able to enjoy some warmer weather minus the snow for a few days, at least.  Mother Nature just needs to remember to take her meds and behave!  LOL

For those who are clueless about frost heaves, in Vermont there is a lot of slate and ledge which moves and shifts as the ground begins to warm.  We can't see the ground warming up now that the sun is getting closer and shining longer on our portion of the world, because we are still buried under piles of snow.  Not like the folks in Boston, but we still have our fair share to contend with.  Anyway, as the ground warms, and with all the shifting and moving underground, roads quickly turn into a roller coaster.  Roads that are paved tend to buckle which then the game of dodge the potholes begins.  Roads that aren't paved turn into mud holes, thus explains the fifth season in the Northeast ~ Mud Season.

Today is a very cold and blustery winter day with dangerous wind chills.  My husband is off snowmobiling (crazy man) and attending the annual winter cookout (totally crazy man) for the snowmobile club he is a member of.  Not to mention, I'm quite happy to stay tucked indoors where it is toasty warm.

To pass the time, I'm buried under blankets on the couch armed with a crochet hook and a ball of yarn in spring like colors.  As I stitch away, the colorful ball of yarn is magically transformed into a useful item ~ A Citrus Spring Spa Washcloth, to be exact.  Made with 100% cotton yarn, a renewable resource, makes this an Eco Friendly option.  Colors may fade and shrink slightly on the first wash, but the cloth gets softer and more absorbent the longer you use it.  These spa washcloths quickly become a favorite to use for washing.

IT IS FINISHED!!!

A custom request from a local customer. Whew...and I'm relieved it is finished and ready for delivery in ample time for Christmas so they can get it framed and wrapped up for gift giving!


Now what to do with my "idle" hands? LOL

~Thank You to Two Awesome Ladies~

I have met some of the most amazing people since I opened my shop on Etsy. I was taught from a young age that it is better to give than receive. I tend to be a giver and find great pleasure in giving. I give never expecting anything in return.

The past couple weeks have been hectic with craft shows, physical therapy sessions, Thanksgiving preparations, etc. We've had our 20 year old move back home and then less than 2 days later take off again. We can only hope that she smartens up when she has that baby.

I can't begin to describe how blessed I felt when I received not one, but TWO surprise packages in the mail this week.

A while back I called for product testers, and Lucky Ladybug Designs was selected as one of the testers. She gave me her review along with this fabulous scarf! I will get a lot of use out of that scarf this winter!
Lucky Ladybug Designs has some awesome soap pouches that are very reasonably priced. You must stop by and give her shop some love.


And let me tell you what! My favorite Witch from The Copper Cauldron has THE most awesome Chocolate Raspberry Cream Roll Soap. I personally own a bar of this awesome soap, but can't seem to get it dislodged from my nose (I look pretty funny). I'm amazed at the talent and awesome swirls in her soap...looks good enough to eat.

What an awesome surprise when Witchy Woman sent me a bar of her Chocolover's Milk Soap made with Goatsmilk.

Chocolate and soap ~ this cow is doing the happy dance! Be sure to stop by The Copper Cauldron and give her shop a little love.

It's Organic!

New Organic Spa Washcloth Gift Set perfect for Holiday gift giving. You may purchase your set here.

In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin

My head is feeling better, stitches are a pain to deal with but I'm surviving. What concerns me now is the multi colored elbow and persistent and growing intensity of pain in my right hip. I tried to get into the Dr. today but...well, you know how Dr. & Hospitals can be sometimes. I'm going to try first thing tomorrow and will stand in the ER if need be to get this looked at. They did a Cat Scan of my head and X-rays of my chest right after the accident, but didn't check my elbow or hip despite my complaints...such is life. It hurts my hip when I attempt to stand, sit, walk, or lay. Sitting and laying seems to be the least painful so long as my legs are elevated. Which means, I've had lots of time to crochet the past few days, and here is one of the fun projects. YIPPEEE!!! You can find this in my store.

Cupcake Fever

And I'm JUST getting started! I've been busy making these absolutely adorable cupcake purses. I scaled back the size of my bath puffs to fit the purse, and at the same time more closely fit the size of smaller hands and bodies. I'm "hooked" on the super cuteness of these cupcakes. Since my girls are older, I enlisted the help of an eager young girl to help pick out colors, etc. And of course she was the recipient of the first one off the production line for all of her hard work and input.

Neon and Colorful Frosting on White Cupcake, Purple Frosting on Chocolate Cupcake, or Jazzy Blue, Pink & Purple on White Cupcake.

Sunday Afternoon Project

I have been playing with some new yarn today. This is Lion Brand Organic Cotton yarn. Quite a bit pricier than the cotton yarn I typically use. What is nice about this yarn is that it is free of pesticides, herbicides and other agri-chemicals that are used to grow or color yarn. All of the harvesting and sorting is done by hand and it has been grown in the natural shades. Impressive that this yarn gave consistent results throughout the project with the benefit of being extremely soft and dreamy to work with. I'm hooked! (no pun intended)

The Many Colors of Crochet

I've been crocheting my fingers to the bone as of late. I couldn't resist taking new photos to show off the many colors that have stock piled. It looked so cool, I just HAD to update the photos in my store.

Cotton Bath Puff Mania

Lately I have been making a lot of these Cotton Bath Puffs. Good thing since they've been selling quite well from my store. Made with 100% cotton yarn, they are kinder to the skin and come from a renewable resource.

Crochet Inspiration

One of the first projects that inspired me to take up crochet again was the above valance design. I just had to dust off the crochet hooks and buy some cotton thread to make them! They were originally made for the room we were using as a dining room. About 2 years ago I decided to change that room to the living room and the valances didn't fit with the living room look. Nor did they fit with the wall covering in the "new" dining room. So, when we remodeled the kitchen and created a laundry room out of the unfinished room behind the kitchen, I decided to recycle the valances and make my laundry room high class all the way. Who says a laundry room can't have nice valances??? I have since been working on new valances for the dining room. I'll be sure to post pictures here when they are finished. I can't wait!

Love

noun ~ 1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
verb (used without object) ~ to have love or affection for another person; be in love.
Verb phrase ~ love up, to hug and cuddle: She loves him up every chance she gets.
Idioms ~ for love a. out of affection or liking; for pleasure.
b. without compensation; gratuitously: He took care of the poor for love.
for the love of, in consideration of; for the sake of: For the love of mercy, stop that noise.
in love, infused with or feeling deep affection or passion: a youth always in love.
in love with, feeling deep affection or passion for (a person, idea, occupation, etc.); enamored of: in love with the girl next door; in love with one's work.

Well, you get the point. I love my day job, but my passion is what takes place in my "spare time" ~ making soap, cooking, gardening, crocheting, and spending time with my family.

At the end of a tiring day I enjoy sitting down to crochet. I am very proud of the piece displayed above. If you enjoy the piece as much as I have enjoyed creating it, you may learn more about how to make it yours by visiting my Online Store.

Making soap has been a passion for several years now. It never ceases to amaze me with the chemistry that takes place as one makes a batch of soap. I was never very good with chemistry in High School, so my chemistry teacher would be so proud. Needless to say, chemistry was not in the cards for me when I went off to college. Not every batch of soap has been successful. I've had some flubs and blunders that were better off destined for the trash. On the flip side, I've had many successful batches of soap that have made me proud. Speaking of successful batches of soap, you can view all of the soaps I currently have in stock by visiting my Online Store.

Inspired to Organize

I woke up this morning and decided to pull out all of the soap from the crates that serve as storage and transporting and then used for display at shows. The space I had to work within did not permit the entire display to be set up, but compact and organized enough for what I needed. Everything listed in my Etsy store is in the display. Now that I've got it all in place, I see there is room for more soap, and I haven't even started hauling down all of the soy candles and the rest of the felted bags that I've made and are waiting for homes.

The "table" that the display is set upon is an old free-standing cupboard & counter that I recycled from the kitchen when we went through a remodel last spring. I keep all of my bags, boxes, recycled packing, fragrance oils, and misc. supplies in the cupboard. I've hidden the fact that it is old and in need of serious painting by creatively covering the cupboard with a cloth in an attempt to camouflage the fact that it is hideously old!

Rainy Day

We are experiencing RAIN (and lots of it) instead of that other ugly 4 letter word that starts with "S"! Our driveway is in the beginning stages of a lake. The town never cleared the snow and ice from our storm drain, so the water from the road is adding to our lake. ARGH!!! Now when it turns colder we'll have frozen globs of rain saturated snow...aka ICE! I'm so ready for spring to get here!



I haven't made any cold processed soap today but I've been working on a few glycerin soap projects that I've had up my sleeve. Zero Calories Chocoholic soaps are back... There was a quick inventory of soap I have in stock so I can make a soap making list. Some new fragrances came in this week that I was itching to open and sniff...can't wait to get those made into luxury soap! I also finished weaving in the ends on several wash cloths and made a few more bath puffs. The dreary weather isn't the greatest for inspiration today, so I stuck with simple projects that offered quick results.