Memo Board Upgrade

As much as I love my memo boards, I decided that I was going to add an upgrade to a few of them that I am giving as gifts this year. It might be difficult to see in the picture, but can you see anything different?

If you look along the bottom, I added three miniature clothes pins hanging from a ribbon along the bottom edge.

My husband questioned why a memo board would need a place to hang notes when you can just write the note on the board, but sometimes, you just have things that you need to hold on to- business cards, receipts, etc. This new addition will be a great place to hang them! I hope that the receivers will like it as much as I do!

Peacock Party!

My niece is turning six after Thanksgiving (where does the time go?!), and has decided to have a peacock party. Evidently, peacocks are "all the rage". I'm not sure where she got the idea, but she dressed up as a peacock for Halloween and it has just gone from there. She is having a little party with just a few friends, so my sister asked me if I would design some peacock feather hair clips to give to the girls. She asked me to focus on just the "eye" of the feather. Interestingly enough, I saw her party invite after designing the "feather".
I must admit, it's not something I would have thought of without prompting, but I think they turned out very pretty. I love that the long stitches seem to create a "feathered" look. To me, at least. I'm sure the girls will love them.

Halloween/ Thanksgiving Pumpkin Deco

My husband has been interested in "carving" a fake pumpkin for several years. This year I found one at Michael's for such a good price, I couldn't pass it up (even as I was cringing inside trying to figure out how I was going to store one more thing...) . Roy spent hours online looking up a pattern to immortalize, finally choosing one we both loved. Given the fact that his Dremmel kept messing up, I think he did a pretty great job.

What he didn't know was that I had plans for this pumpkin as well. I was so busy before Halloween trying to finish teddy bears, that I decided that rather than carving a pumpkin for Halloween, I was going to decorate one for Thanksgiving. So, by simply turning the carved portion of the pumpkin to the wall, this pumpkin is serving double duty!
I love this Pineapple Pumpkin Lace! Ann at BellaCrochet is a genius, seriously. The pattern worked up quickly and is so beautiful. And the picture on the other side of the pumpkin can be our little secret!

Thanks for our Freedom Bears

It all started with a bunny. I remember when I made my very first amigurami (basically, crocheted stuffed animal, if you didn't know). I sat down with a pattern, completely intimidated and sure that I wouldn't be able to do it. I had only recently learned how to read patterns, after all. Several hours later, as I was sewing on the second leg, I looked at it and realized that I had done it! I had crocheted my first amigurami. And it even looked like the bunny in the picture! I was so excited and proud. My love for amigurami took off. Within a year, I was crocheting bears to donate to the church's Humanitarian Program. If you've ever done charity work, you know that it can be so very addictive. Over the next few years, I made hundreds of bears, baby booties, bibs, balls, dolls, and other toys.

After we left St. George, I was saddened to discover that the Humanitarian Program worked a little bit differently in Northern Utah, and I wouldn't be able to do what I was. So, I was so excited when I talked to my Relief Society President about crocheting some teddy bears for Christmas this year.

After I got going on them, I realized that I may have bitten off more than I could chew. Not only was I going to have to create my own pattern (not hard, it just takes time and trial and error)to compensate for the bulk weight yarn I was using, I was making them nearly twice the size of the bears I typically make. However, in spite of the fact that I got blisters on my callouses, and my thumb actually split open from rubbing against the hook, I am so pleased with the results!

My only regret is that there are only 25. I really wish I were able to make more. Each teddy bear is going to be given to a child whose parent is serving in Afghanistan over Christmas. Given that fact, 25 isn't nearly enough!

To honor our soldiers, each bear is wearing a freedom ribbon with a star on its' chest.
If you noticed, some of the "girl" bears have bows. Rather than sew these on, I mounted them on clips so that they could be removed from the bears and worn, if they choose to.

I am so grateful to my mother who sewed the faces on each and every one of these bears. That lightened my load considerably! Don't they look like they love their faces?

I admit that this turned out to be a bit more difficult than I expected because of making so many is such a short period of time. But, now that I am done, I can look into each of their faces and be so excited, wondering about the family they will be going to, hoping that they know how much I appreciate their sacrifice.

One last note, if it seems as if I am bragging about this, I'm not. My purpose in sharing these teddy bears and their story is not to boast but to hopefully build in you some excitement for charity work. If you have ever considered doing charity work of any kind, don't hesitate. I've never seen the face of any child who has received things I've made, but I've heard some of their stories. It's all about them.

Flower and Butterfly clips

These sweet little clips were inspired by some headbands I made earlier this year. I have to thank Rachel for her special request for these. They are so dainty, delicate and sweet. I couldn't be more pleased.

Of all of the flowers I have crocheted this year, these have to be my favorite! They can be sweet and delicate or bold and fun depending on the size of thread/ yarn used and colors.

Happy Fall!!

In my humble and somewhat biased opinion, I think this is one of the cutest Scarecrows I have ever seen!

Unlike my Halloween Bunting a few posts ago, this little guy did not come together quickly or easily. I worked on him one piece at a time over a few weeks. He was well worth the time he took and will put a smile on my face for years to come!

Inspired by a marshmallow

Have you ever been inspired by food? I am a big fan of food, but I think this may be the first time I have ever been truly inspired by a marshmallow!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a little obsessed with Peanuts- as in Snoopy, Charlie Brown... you know, Peanuts. I love Snoopy, but especially at holidays, the Peanuts Gang hold a special place in my heart. That's why I wasn't surprised that my mom picked up this Snoopy marshmallow "sucker" for me.

My first thought when I saw it was, "Well that's just cute... what do I do with it?" You can't eat something this adorable, but do you really want to keep it? I don't think storing things like this is a great idea- bugs and all. So, I decided to recreate it as something more permanent...
Tail and all...

Given how much I like Peanuts, I realized that this is the only item I have for Halloween. I think this is the perfect piece. Seriously, I love marshmallows, but I couldn't be more pleased. The sucker on the other hand- have you ever actually eaten one? They're disgusting. Evidently, they really are just for show!