More Scrunchies

I've been working on an HUGE project lately - which is why my posts have been so few - and it has really been taking a lot of my time. But I take a break here and there to do other things. That way I don't get too tied down to one thing and get bored with it LOL
So in between dinosaur toes & arms (more on that when it gets completed) I try to fit in little do-dads for my shop. I figured out that I can comfortably make 2 Scrunchies a day ... 3 if I don't do anything else that day ;-)
So here's a few I've done recently

Silver Scrunchie

White & Red Valentine's Scrunchie

Red & White Valentine's Scrunchie

Gold Scrunchie

Getting Organized

Being the Creative Creature that I am, my work station is usually a BIG MESS!! :D
So I've decided to Get Organized!
As soon as Christmas was over, I cleared off a spot on a bookcase in the dining room for things I could stack neatly away when needed - actually I had to clear off 2 wide shelves, as my baby is quite the creative creature as well! He has as many projects going on any given day as I do!
Well just that shelf (wide as it may be) was not nearly enough, so I've had to find other places to put things away ... But keep them visible and easily accessible whenever I need to get at anything. So to help me out, Hubby & I have been buying tools to assist the organizational process - A Label Maker, A Printer (great big YAY to best husband ever!!!), a Large Binder, a 3-Prong Hole Puncher, a Plastic Container for Yarn - see-through so that I always know what I have on hand - and a lovely Tackle Box with many compartments for all of my small items. Whew! With all that, who couldn't be organized!

Last night I gathered all of my printed patterns, punched holes in them, and stored them away in my large pink binder - divided properly by the nice Tab Seprators I also purchased. WOW do I have a lot of patterns!! But it's so great to have them all in one place, right at my fingertips. And I love that I can also make any notes and markings on them if I wish. Sometimes when I'm working on a Cross-Stitch pattern (for instance), I hate to have to mark in the expensive book the patterns come in. A wonderful lady who also has a Bog - Loredana - suggested that it's much easier to scan your pattern and print it out, so that you can make as many notes on it as you like without messing up your original pattern. Thanks Hun! It's working great!
A good cleaning, a little rearranging of furniture, and few stacked hat boxes and I'm no longer working in a great MESS!
I just love being organized!

Crochet Scrunchies

This is something really fun I did in no time at all!
Originally it started out as the top of a market bag, but I wasn't quite clear on some stitches while I was working it, so I decided to just pull out the whole second part. And this is what I was left with! ;-)
Not too bad for a mistake that ended in a fresh pile of yarn ... and an adorable Scrunchie!
The first one is a Multi-Colored hair accessory and the 2nd one I did was really just me playing around with some scraps of yarn I had left over from other projects. I just love it when you can do that! Barely any dark green left over, but it was able to be turned into something pretty and useful!
I put them both up for sale on my Etsy shop. I figured when someone was buying an item, they could easily add a scrunchie or 2 to their order - simple. I definitely plan on adding more - this is something that can be made so fast and easily!

I Do Love a (Crochet) Purse!

I do love a purse! ... A purse, a tote, handbag, clutch, pretty much any kind of bag is a great thing to me! And you know how I love to crochet! So what could be better than a crochet purse?!?
I couldn't sleep last night (had a cold; went to bed at 6:00 pm; woke up at 1:00 am wide awake; got out of bed at 2:00 am and decided to get some work done) so I made this purse! YAY! It doesn't seem so bad, not-getting-any-sleep, when you can accomplish something during that time. And here's what I did: My very first Crochet Purse!! I predict more in my future. But for the time being this little cutie is currently featured on my Etsy store - just click the Etsy Button, top right corner of this Blog ;-)
I can't wait to try out different colors!!
This really came out well - although picture after picture seemed to reflect ever bit of light in the room! Blah!
A simple pattern, a lovely color and a yarn-covered button - it's as simple as can be and yet came out so well! I went with a cream-colored worsted yarn and decided to add a heather gray one to it when it came to the strap. To help incorporate the gray, I covered the button with the same material. It really brought a nice touch to the purse and complimented the cream nicely.  Hope you like it!

The Purse - in all it's glory!

The Heather Gray covered Button

Crochet Hot Water Bottle Cozy

So after I was finished with Mario, I was ready to make something simple & fun and just for myself! I'm always cold, especially in the evening. I have a rocking chair that I love to sit in while I crochet and work on various projects. I have it set up perfectly with my small table for my coffee (or Dr Pepper, depending on what time of day we're talking about here). I have a medium sized container for my yarn and an hat box for finished scarves and scraps. I even have a footstool to prop my feet up on ... But there tends to be a draft, being that the chair is situated in front of the opening into the dining room and a sliding glass door as well. Like I said Brrr ...
So I came across a hot Water Bottle the other day while shopping with Hubby and he buys it for me, telling me that it would help keep me warm while I'm in my chair, creating! Of course, I told him I've wanted one for years!!
But looking at it, sitting there, alone with its red rubber staring at me, cold and bare, I thought Hmmm .... You Need a Cozy!! LOL So I whipped up this little Cozy yesterday on my day off. It was fun to do and I really love something I can do in one day's time!
It's Double Crocheted in Lion Brand Yarn Hometown USA with Minneapolis Purple & Green Bay. Hometown USA is the type of yarn and is great for this sort of project! It's super Bulky, Roving Yarn and so soft! It feels lovely to hold!

I crocheted it the same size all the way to the top and has a cute little ribbon worked into the stitches to tie it at the neck of the hot water bottle into a cute bow. I simply fill my hot water bottle, screw in the plug and slip in into the cozy. Tie it snug at the top and carry around my warmth where ever I go! It's so great for staying warm, for pretty much any aches & pains you may have, tummy troubles, and I even hear it's good for babies with ear infections! The heat comforts them and the weight of the bottle soothes away the pain! Huh! Who knew! Well I love mine. And now with my cozy, I'm comfortable all the time!!


Look for it soon to pop up in my new shop on Etsy! I certainly plan on making more!!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/cecegreengal

Mario Amigurumi

This was so much fun to do! It was a request from a friend. She bought a Luigi a while back & said she'd love to have a Mario as well for her little boy. It took me no time at all to find a really great pattern. It was easy to follow - the instructions were clear and and in very good order. It did however have a lot more details than what I'm use to! LOL Every little detail is there: ears, side burns, mustache, suspenders with yellow button. Mario has several layers of felt making up his shining blue eyes and a nice cluster of black curls in the back of his head. The hat alone was quite a job! But every bit of it was fun to do! 
Mario's eyes are cut from felt (white, blue, black and then white again) and hot glued together. Then hot glued onto his face. The buttons on his suspenders are also hot glued into place, however the suspenders themselves are sewn into place.
The M on his hat is also cut from felt and hot glued into place. The white "circle" on the Logo is crocheted and sewn to the hat. The hat is sewn to his head and the "curls" are sewn to his head and beneath his hat.
Mario took quite a bit of work and has a lot of details ... but it's going to be well worth the effort to make a little boy happy!
And of course, a project that has so many details, is going to need a lot of pictures! ;-)

Mario Standing

Mario Sitting

Close up of Mario's Face

Mario's Back

Side View of Mario

I Love French Cooking

A little tidbit about little 'ole me: I LOVE FRENCH COOKING!!
I've always wanted to cook like Julia Child and on my birthday last year, Hubby gave me Mastering the Art of French Cooking ... Volumes I & II!!! These books have opened up a whole new world to food and cooking for me. And my family as well! Even the children love my Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons (that's chicken breasts with mushrooms and creams). It's so yummy! My husband said "That book is the best money I ever spent!" LOL He's very happy with his investment, as you can see!
Well for Christmas, one of my gifts (from hubby) was an apron. A plain white canvas one that I can decorate & embellish as I wish! He bought me a Rhinestone Crown applique and some Iron-on letters and I was ready to create!
Here's what I came up with:

Not too bad, eh? ;-)