Catching up...

Remember back in May when I blogged about going on a family vacation?? You can read about it here. Well, now that I have my camera back, here's a couple pics. We stopped at a rest area that featured this geological site. My prego-baby-brain is preventing me from remembering the name of it even. It's on Hwy 12 in Washington.

We also took a family pic on the concrete, you can see my prego belly and the square of the camera on my head.

Once at the Great Wolf Lodge, I learned about MagiQuest, I had briefly heard of it before, but as a video/computer game (I don't even know which it is). The resort made it an actualy wave-your-magic-wand game that you can do quests, adventures and the like with. The little one really enjoyed it, it requires A LOT of walking on foot, back and forth down hallways and in the lobby, and up and down stairs, sometime five floors worth. It's great for wearing out kids. :)

Here's a couple of WIP's...they both started out for my PIF but my super creative brain just went with the flow of how they were laying out and both are not want I had intended them to be. But, they're not bad.
This one is copper pearls, square matte onyx, black faceted glass, copper seed beads, Swarofski AB bicones and the center bead is a stone that again, baby-brain is not allowing me to remember. The button is one from my vintage stash that I blogged about months ago here. So, just to tell you a little bit about it...I'm beading along with my needle and thread, going back from having finished the button end of the clasp, when I get my needle stuck in the first copper pearl from the end. I pull and shove with the pliers to get the needle through, which I was beginning to feel like was a bad idea, when the thread breaks!!! AAHHH!!! I was SO CLOSE to being done with it, now it has to be completely restrung. That's why it's a WIP.

For this one, I bought these lampwork glass beads on the craft retreat I went on with my mom, aunt and grandma back in February. I wanted to play with some wirework, just the simple loop and wirewrapping. I had plenty of beads in my stash to match to the focal lampwork bead. Again, this started as a simple elegant necklace for my PIF receiver, but turned into something more elaborate than I wanted and some parts became difficult to find. The copper chain is not right and the focal lampwork needs a couple tiny pendant drops. I don't know....it headed in a completely different direction, so I took a break. That's why this one is a WIP.

I have a ton more WIP's to show off once I find my other camera cord to download them. They are all crochet related. I'll be catching up more soon!!

Contests and Giveaways

Well, I submitted my bracelet for the semi-precious gemstone contest last night. YEAY!! Wish me luck! I'll find out more around April 17. I think I'm going to put together a tutorial on how to make it, it was pretty fun and easy. Although, before I get carried away, I need to finish my Golden Compass Lyra Hat from this post. I need to keep my promises. I'm also almost done with my PIF...another big YEAY!!! I've been so excited to show it, until I get it to the lucky receiver, it's a top secret project. Here's a sneak peak though...

This isn't my picture, but it's a free pattern from another blog that I took a part of from and created something different. I'll tell all in good time.

On another note...it's looking as if our Etsy shop is dwindling. I'm considering letting all the items expire and posting new and different product. I've been looking into ideas of mine, some are saturated already on Etsy, some have none at all. I'd like to sell something that is desired but not overly sold already. We didn't get many bites, nor sales, with the jewelry and buttons, but they are both areas on Etsy where's there's plenty to look at. It would have helped if we added new product weekly. My mom, aunt and I all work full time and just didn't get to it as often as we should have. We shall see!

Catching Up

YEAY!! My husband is home!! He's been gone for three weeks for military training (he was the instructor) and now he's back! It's so nice to have him home. It's also the reason I haven't had a computer to download pics. Now to catch up...

I received my PIF from YarniGras the first week my honey was gone, a baby hat and blanket. Isn't the hat adorable! It has inspired me to make a bunch for myself and 5 other of my pregnant friends. It is SO SOFT too!

The view from our room from last weekends Leavenworth craft retreat with my mom, aunt and grandma. So beautiful!

In Leavenworth, I bought this Misti Alpaca 100% baby alpaca yarn made in Peru that I want to make a baby blanket with for the next baby (cross your fingers that the pink is appropriate, we still don't know). Unfortunately it will only make about a 14" square knitted, at least that's what the sales lady said, and I can only gently hand wash the completed item (am I a glutton for punishment or what?). I guess I'll find out. I'm thinking I will start with a knitted square, buy more, then maybe crochet an edge. I just found a book at the library that combines knitting and crocheting. Very encouraging, inspiring and FULL of ideas!

And of course, ALL the beading that I did on our Leavenworth craft retreat. My two beaded beads, my fan-fare necklace component, the anomone bracelet and the New Jade and silver incomplete bracelet.

Gotta go! We're heading to the grandparents now!

Weekly Update

I always feel guilty when I don't type a new post every few days. There are SO MANY new crafty things that I can post about but just haven't been able to. This past week we closed the office at work, so I had an entire week to be creative. Instead I travelled to my parents (where I began my PIF for muntedkowhai, I'm pretty excited about it, a new design!), then spent two days home full of non-work related meetings and playdates (so fun! can't wait to have more for my son's sake) then this past weekend in Leavenworth, Washington for our yearly family craft retreat with my mom, aunt and grandma. All in all, I guess I was crafty, but not as much as I had hoped for.


This past weekend was beading devoted, so I have 5 new beaded items to post about. The difficult part is that I don't have a computer at home and thus cannot download pics until I do. For now, it's going to be just words describing them all. I made two bracelets, one completed green "Anemone" bracelet from this instructional technique link at Fusion Beads (one of my FAVORITE bead stores to go to in Seattle), the other bracelet is just an incomplete inspirational piece so that I wouldn't forget it later. I also made two beaded beads, one with size 11 seed beads over a wooden bead and one with black seed beads and copper pearls over a black faceted glass bead. The fifth item I made was a pink, red and white fan-like component to a necklace project out of Beadwork magazine that I will probably turn into a pendant type necklace. As soon as I am able, I can download the pics and add them to a later post.