P is for Puppies

Why is P for puppies? Only because they are the cutest darn things on the planet. Except maybe kitties, but they don't start with P.

Example one

Example two

This could go on all day, but I will try to control myself.


P is also for Penis

Ok seriously or maybe not so much. I came across this penis chapstick holder. It is for knitters and the pattern is FREE so I may just have to try it. Wonder if anyone would want one.


P is also for Play

The thing that ate my A to Z time. I wanted to share some of the pictures of the costumes that I helped work on. 

The lovely Holofernias dresses on the right.

I made two of the four pairs of pants you see here, though I don't know who got them. I also had a hand in the King's cape.

 I made the pages tunic and then helped alter it when the sleeves were too long.

 I also worked on this tunic, though I think it is the one I messed up and a dear friend had to fix.

 I had nothing to do with this outfit, but it is my darling Gwen so I had to include it.

As a bonus this is a shot of the whole cast just before we started dismantling the set.


Follow your craft,
Michelle

O is for Oh Crap It's May

Well as you can tell I was not able to finish the A to Z Challenge. I tried my best, but life just got in the way. Between getting sick twice and Gwen's play I was just over scheduled and exhausted. However, I like the alphabet theme thing and I have a few that I really wanted to get to so I am going to continue plugging along even though time is up.

O is for Octopus

I love it! I want it! So i must make it. Usually all the cute stuffy patterns I find are for crochet, but this one says for knitting. The drawback is that it is not one of the free ones, but $6 isn't much.

O is for Oil Painting Grandma

I wanted to share one of my Grandma's wonderful paintings. Someone once offered to buy it from me.

As I have said before my Grandma was of the Bob Ross school of painting. I love this painting because it has purple instead of dark blue depicting night fall. I also love how the two streams collide into the waterfall. Of course there are the obligatory happy little trees and they do look jolly. My most favorite part is how the clouds part in the center. I remember this picture hanging over my Grandparents couch for many years. It was not until after her death and my Grandfather's relocation to an apartment that it came to live with me.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

N is for Notions

Notions are on sale at Joann's. I was so excited that I bought a ton. I got a purple tomato, pearlized pins, new bobbins and a whole lot more.

I was so motivated when I got home that I started sewing a skirt. I had a concept in my head and just started. It is fine except that it is too long and I have to hem it. 

I started to hem it, but my bobbin was running out and it began making a mess.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

M is for Moss Stitch

Learning moss stitch was lovely. Knit one Purl one back and forth was almost like a meditation once I got the hang of flipping the yarn. I really love how the finished product looks.

It is very heavy and seems manly to me. I think if I had the patients to knit it into a blanket it would be great for my son. He sleeps better with a weighted blanket. We don't have one of the ones that are specifically made to be weighted, but he likes a comforter and a quilt on top. Not sure exactly how to make the blanket. Should I sew it with a sewing machine or do you weave it together? I guess research is in my future.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

L is for Letterboxing

Another one of my favorite pass times is Letterboxing. It is the reason I started carving stamps. The basic concept is that there are thousands of little containers (Lock N' Locks are my favorite) all over the world. In these containers are a stamp and a book. You also have a stamp and a book. You follow the directions, hopefully finding the prize which is the stamp. First you stamp the boxes stamp in your book. Then stamp your stamp in the boxes book. If you like it you repeat the process. Some of the stamps I have found are simply amazing. Most have been hand carved, which I prefer. The best place I have found to get the directions and discuss the finer points of the hobby is Atlas Quest. They have a great section for beginners and information on how the hobby started. I would like to share some of my favorite pages out of my book with you all.

This one is my favorite because Gwen carved them when she was 6 and 7.

These were from a Renaissance event.

 

L is also for LTC

LTCs or Letterbox Trading Cards are a branch off from letterboxing. They are 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 and contain a hand carved stamp. Other than that you there aren't other rules. Sometimes the swaps focus on a certain theme and those are my favorite. These are a few of the cards I made.

Morning Star

Hugin and Munin

Gadget

Dronkey

Yellow Trumpet Tree Blossom

Hey Diddle Diddle

Gwen made this one it is Epona from Zelda.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

King Charles Brocade

I am behind again. This A to Z has been a real challenge, but it is helping to keep my nose to the writing grindstone. The King Charles Brocade pattern looked like complicated at first, but when I just started and took it one direction at a time it was much easier to follow than I thought it would be. I am still having trouble seeing the patterns. Someone did suggest that I get a lighter color yarn and I think I will try that. So off to the store for me tonight. This pattern is like the Inverness Diamonds, but a double thickness of diamonds.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

J is for Jenga With A Twist

Not only do I craft, but it runs in the family. My Mom pours and paints ceramics and plaster. My Grandmother was an amazing Bob Ross style painter, happy little trees and all.

Now I can hear you asking what does this have to do with Jenga and where the heck is my twist. Hold on, I am getting to it. My sister is the most amazing of us all. She created Drunken Jenga. It's played like Jenga, but there are things written on each block. When you pull out a block you read it and who ever it applies to has to do what it says. They say things like: If you're a red head, take a shot and If you sweat next to the air conditioner, take a shot. I have only had the privilege of playing a few times, but can tell you it is the best craft ever and my favorite drinking game.

I can't make the pic go the right way. even though it is correct in every other thing I pull it up on.

J is also for Joy In Crafting

Crafting of any kind makes me very happy. Which is why I do it as often as possible. It is like a moving meditation for me. My favorite part is figuring out something new. I love trying a new stitch or carving a design with finer lines and more detail. I like designing a pretty card, then figuring out how to make an assembly line that will duplicate it quickly and efficiently. Of course that is usually where I loose interest and move on to the next project.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

I is for Inverness Diamonds

So I tried this Inverness Diamonds and I think I needed to repeat the pattern more than just the once. Here is my first attempt with the Acrylic yarn.

I am sure I have said it before, but I don't like this kind. It seemed to stick to it's self and that made the pattern harder for me. However, I do like that you can see the diamonds in the acrylic. I liked working it with the wool better, but as you can see I ended up with a very ragged edge. I am starting to practice the edge stitch so hopefully that will make a neater edge. The pattern also looks more like an X to me in the wool.

I really like the way this pattern looks and plan to use it to make a doll blanket.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

H is for Hard

Blogging every day is hard.Thinking up something new to talk about with life getting in the way of crafting is extremely hard. Wah wah, now that I got that out of my system I can move on and get this done.

H is also for Hearts

This post was supposed to be about Simple Stockinette Hearts. Whoever named this pattern must have been quite a better knitter than I am because this pattern took me several times to get it correct. I am still not sure I can see hearts. There was lots of knitting, pulling out and cursing. I kept loosing count though that was probably because the kids were running amuck. I also felt rushed, to get the sample done so I can write about it and I guess I don't work that well under pressure. Anyway here it is.

 H is also for Hat

I want to learn  how to knit a hat. During Queen Elizabeth the First's Reign she mandated that everyone should wear a white wool cap on Sunday. She did this to support the knitting guilds that she held so dear. My family does Renaissance recreating and he wants a cap like that so i thought it would be nice if I could knit him one.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

G is for Gaming

Gaming and crafting fight for me. This epic battle rages constantly. Both sides are dueling to win my time, effort and favor. We have already established I am a fickle crafter who flits from one  project to the next and the allure of a game is strong. To me there is something irresistible surrounding a mage who is about to level up or a quest near completion. Just 20 more minuets can effortlessly turn into hours.

That's all I have. The post just evaporated as I was writing it and now I am stick until I post this. So apparently G was for showing my geek card for no reason, but don't worry I made it myself.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

F is for Fabric

And my sick obsession with it. I have LOTS of fabric. I keep buying more without finishing my last project. Maybe this is the thing I started with about abandoning projects or perhaps I am trying to pad every inch of my home with fabric bought at a fantastic discount. I am sure I don't have to tell you that fabric bought at a discount is automatically better than full price. I am excited about some of the projects lined up for this fabric. My husband has promised to make me a Gates of Hell and he is making himself a Kaftan. I am not one hundred percent sure if this is the kind of Kaftan, but they give you an idea of what he is going for. They are supposed to be finished by May 19^th so I will bet back to you with photos.

F is also for Felt Fruit

One project that I have been wanting to make is felt fruit. Simplicity pattern 4464. I have the pattern and bought lots of felt, but sadly I have not found the time to get started. I also had trouble understanding the pattern. I am not a big sewer so had to read one part like 5 times before I understood what they wanted me to do. Maybe May will be felt fruit month here at Crafts From The Moon. What do you think?

Follow your craft,

Michelle

E is for Etsy

I have been shopping on Etsy for a long time, but am now thinking about putting some things up for sale. I have been wondering if my stamps and the cards they make would be interesting enough to sell. Has anyone had luck or have any tips for using Etsy? My photo's aren't the best, but I know a good photo can really help sell your creations. I am not sure what I can do besides up grading my camera.

These are the note cards that the winners of my contest received. Ok, so they look WAY better in  person than this picture. This makes me very sad.

Sorry for the short post, but it has been one heck of a day.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

D is for Done

Done, done. DONE!  What you can't believe it? Neither can I. I actually finished a knitting project! It has been such a long time I forgot what it feels like. Gwen's scarf is finished just in time for the warmest spring in a while here in Florida. Not that she will need it more than 12 days a year, but it is what she wanted so I made it for her and she loves it.

I just love the color and the acrylic yarn was a pleasure to knit, until I got to the giant knot. Though I am sure that was operator error.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

C is for Carving

Carving is one of my favorite pastimes. My first carving was on an eraser with a Speedball gouge. The results were at the time very pleasing to my eye. Now it looks fairly sloppy and simple. At first I was mostly carving around larger block images with only small details if any.

When I got my Steadtler tools, which has a much finer tip, I began to leave the large stretches white and carve out the lines. When I discovered the Speedball pen holder I switched back to their products for the bigger spaces. Then happy day of happy days I got the best tool ever. A nice man made a custom tool that is much like this one. I can't remember his name, but owe him much thanks. I found that my end product was much improved by each upgrade in equipment. Also, lighting so important. My style is very cartoonized. I love cartoons because they make people happy.

I learned how to carve stamps from this sight. The only thing that I found that I really didn't like is the recommendation of using magnifying glasses. They did make it easier to carve, but my eyes started to need them after several months. Now I can carve without them again, but for a while I had a lot of trouble focusing on small things.

C is also for Collage

I wanted to share with a collage of some of my favorite images.

I also like to share how they look as a carvings.

C is also for Cotton

Just wanted to make good on my promise to talk about the cotton. I don't like it. It sticks to it's self making my stitches uneven. It also doesn't have the bounce that the wool and acrylic that I have used have. The stitches look loose to me. Not sure if it is just because I am new at this, but it was making me nutty trying to use it.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

B is for Basket Weave Stitch

So this stitch was under the easy category. The pattern didn't have me dropping or picking up stitches or anything I hadn't done before. However, the yarn I chose to make it out of gave me fits. First, it is variegated. The variegated yarn is awfully pretty on the spool, but rough on the eyes when combined with basket weave. Second, it was cotton yarn which behaved totally different from the acrylic and wool I had been using. Of course that is another story for another day...like tomorrow's C. I couldn't really see the pattern with the variegated yarn.

I tried some of the yarn left over from Gwen's scarf and the pattern just popped out. I love the way it looks. This stitch would look amazing as a huge blanket and it is dense so it would keep you toasty all night.

I did find a use for the swatch I made with the variegated yarn. It is the perfect size to be a Monster High Doll skirt. Gwen seems pleased with it.

This is the pattern that I used, the same one that I shared with you earlier. I wish I had looked around a little before I picked the pattern because the E-How video is simpler. I can't wait to make something out of this stitch using the easier method.

B is also for Busy

We were blessed to get to go to Disney and a few other outings that have kept me from crafting as much as I would like. Your bonus for B is an adorable picture of the kids at Disney.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

A is for April

So today it starts! The Blogging From A to Z April Challenge is something I have been thinking about for a while. I am number 480 on the list and supper excited. As of the time I wrote this post there were 1579 bloggers signed up. Whooo Hoooo! I can't wait to get to hopping and see what everyone has to say.

A is also for abandoned projects

It is interesting how so many people begin something with such a bang then get busy or find something new they want to try and things fall by the wayside. I looked around and found a handful of abandoned projects that I would still like to share and hope to finish. (Eventually) I thought a lovely group shot would be the best way to start.

I am sure we all remember Scarfzilla, you know the scarf that thought it was a blanket. Oh no, you forgot about him. Well, so did I. Here he sits waiting for me to buy more yarn and come back to him.

More recently abandoned is this lovely cotton scarf. I was having a great time working on it, but had to start learning new stitches for this very challenge.

This beautiful fairy card, while finished was never given to the intended recipient. So it sits sadly in my box of unfinished projects.

These baby announcements feature one of my favorite carvings I have done. I carved the stamp for a friends first baby girl and she did use it for her announcements. However, this sad prototype was never finished. I was supposed to add a shinny pink ribbon to the edges, but this fantastic ribbon has been lost somewhere in the depths of my crafting stuff.

This stamp was discarded when I decided that I didn't like the way the scales bowl looked carved out and wanted to start over. I was able to finish the project, but this poor little guy has been waiting to be finished for quite some time now.

This stamp is one of my favorite mythological creatures, the hippocampus. I honestly can't remember why I stopped carving it, but do remember that I was very happy to find the image it is based off.

I love the art of JRR Tolkien. I wanted to try and capture some of the beauty with this stamp that was started on a family vacation. However, the vacation came to and end and as you can see the dragon is still uncarved. 

I hope you enjoyed being drug down memory lane with me. I can't wait to show you some of the things I was able to finish and learn in the coming days.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

A Short Trip!

The repetition of the same stitches is driving me crazy. I desperately want to learn some new stitches. A friend suggested that i just complete the pattern once or twice across and make a hair band. She said that way I wouldn't be committed to a huge project, but I get to try some new stitches. I think this is a great idea! I have already looked at some stitches that I want to try.

Basketweave Stitch

Inverness Diamonds

King Charles Brocade

Moss Stitch

Simple Stockinette Hearts

Windmill

ZigZag Waves


As for Gwen's scarf I have been applying myself and Gwen commented today that it was a lot longer. I am getting excited to start something else.

Follow your craft,
Michelle

Like it, you will. Late, it is.

Ok, so this whole posting the winner of my contest on the 15th didn't work out so well. First because life got in the way and I am just now able to get it up. Second, because no one was able to figure out what the stamp is. The Green Man was a great guess because it is a green man. . . And the answer is Yoda.

I love how this stamp came out but, every time I look at the stamp I start singing the Weird Al song which has been in my head for weeks now. Since no one was able to get it, I will give a set of eight cards to all three people who took a guess.


What did I do with it you ask. I made a valentine for my dorky husband of course. Who loved it, by the way.

 

Now that the top secret project is over I am focusing on getting Gwen's scarf finished. Not that she has needed it much this year, but she is so excited to have a scarf made by Mommy. I wish I was making more progress, but it just seems that there are a billion things to do and not enough time.

Follow your craft,
Michelle