Ready for Easter?

We're getting all prepped for Easter here!  Well, mostly prepped.  I'm not sure if any of my spring decorations are going to make it out of their boxes this year.  But all of the "important" stuff has had some attention.

We spent a good chunk of time working on Tyler's hat for the kindergarten Easter hat parade.  He wanted a fire hat and I have to say, I think the end result is pretty creative :)  We used one of his plastic fireman hats from the dress up box.  Used cereal boxes to create a hat band with "burning buildings."  The fire is obviously tissue paper, with some of it pulled through a few of the "windows."  And Tyler insisted he needed a road (electrical tape with the lines drawn on with chalk) and some cars.

I'm a little sad as I post these because the hat parade is this afternoon and my little guy won't be going.  He started throwing up around 8:30 last night and it continued every 20-30 minutes until Sam took him to the ER at 2AM.  I'm told they were quick to give him anti-nausea meds and he was eating a popsicle and flirting with nurses by the time he headed home.  He's ok, but obviously we are all exhausted and he is spending the day at home on the couch.  He was upset about missing the parade but I told him I'm sure the teacher will let him show his hat to his class when he goes back to school.

 

Anyway - I was talking about Easter prep :)  The kids really enjoy the lunchbox jokes so I printed out a set of Easter ones and a set for Spring (I used the ones here).  I also plan on putting their entire lunches inside plastic eggs on Friday - doesn't that sound fun?  Cut the sandwich in pieces so it fits in a couple of eggs and stuff others with grapes, pretzels/goldfish, etc.

 

My husband has mentioned more than once in the last few weeks "you aren't going to go overboard for Easter like you do every year, right?"  Haha.  Isn't that my thing?  Well I completely had to laugh the other day - he had the day off on Wed and did a quick lunch date then decided to finish getting Easter stuff with a quick trip to Target.  And wouldn't you know it, there was my husband saying things like "oh I think we should get them a new bat and wiffle balls" or "we need some more Robin Eggs."  So I hold him fully responsible for aiding and abetting my with the Overboard-ness this year :)  Want to hear what we got them?  Kaitlyn was trying to talk her grandma into mailing her the roller skates they use there (our old skates from when I was a kid).  I told Gma to hold off and ordered the kids each a pair, along with knee/elbow/wrist pads.  For the baskets we also got them each a pair of flip flops/sandals, a giant bubble wand (I'm still amazed by how much fun the kids have with bubbles), and a smaller toy.  We tend to use Easter as a way to stock up on things we think the kids will need for the summer.  And I have these great sets of giant eggs that I like to use for larger items.  So in one I have the wiffle balls, in another a child-size football.  Swimming goggles, sand toys, and jump ropes round out the fun collection this year.  We also have mini juice boxes and a variety of candy for the small eggs this year.  Oh - and did I mention we have been trying to stock up on dog toys for the puppy and Target had some great ones so she will be getting a small basket too?  :D

 

I took the time to stuff everything in eggs and set up the baskets earlier this week.  So now it's on to finishing up plans for Spring Break which starts with a half-day on Friday...

Candy Corn! (31 Days: Day 12)

I am constantly amazed by the number of fun ways there are to recreate classic holiday items.  Who knew Candy Corn could be so cute?  But sure enough, I'm seeing all kinds of fun Halloween decorations and the like using the candy corn color scheme and I just can't help it - I wanted to make some too!  So far I've only had time to whip up a few candy corn crochet hats, but there are at least two more ideas I have on the back burner that I'm hoping to get to soon.

I'm not the only one with Candy Corn on the brain.  My friend Jessie made an adorable outfit for her toddler and we just had to grab a quick two minute photo session.  The little one wasn't in the mood to sit still, she just wanted to carry the pumpkin all over the place.  And my own children had just arrived home from school and needed homework supervision and dinner needed some attention too.  So it was quick and chaotic - but lucky for us, that worked!  Isn't she a cutie?!  I love the big blue eyes.
{I do believe Jessie has a pair of those adorable leggings listed in her shop if you're interested :) As for the beanie, it is in my shop too and I'm thinking about writing up the pattern.  If I ever get the time... }

Oh!  And let's not forget this little cutie!  He sleepily modelled all my new hats for me a few weeks ago :)  Aren't newborns just the best thing ever?!

 

 

 

Cute and Cozy (31 Days: Day 6)

One of my favorite things about fall is the crisp air and the cooler temperatures.  There is just something so appealing about making yourself all cozy in your favorite jeans, sweaters and thinking about snuggling up with a good cup of hot cocoa.  And since I started crocheting on a regular basis, fun new hats (mostly for the shop) are now part of my Things I love about Fall list.  I've been having so much fun playing around with new patterns and colors.

My most popular hat is, by far, my green/teal monster hat.  So I decided to make a sister version!  I love the little stand up antennae on this one :)

And I just had to come up with some fun new striped hats.  I'm realling loving the bold bright color combinations.  I also have a new favorite flower rosette pattern - cute! 

And here is the baby boy version.  Isn't he a cutie?!  Part of the fun of coming up with new hats is that I get to talk all my friends into borrowing their adorable little ones for photo sessions.  Not only do I get to see how the hats look on real babies, but I've found that I truly love the practice photo sessions.  There is just something that has always drawn me to babies.  And to photography.

And one last baby photo!  This particular monster hat isn't brand new, but it was the first time I had a baby available for pics.  Love it!  (I gush like that the whole photo session.  The moms probably think I'm nuts.  But babies are just so dang cute!  Who can resist?)

Linking to:

A Little Show and Tell

I had the urge to blog today, but no idea what I wanted to blog about.  Does that happen to anyone else, or am I just a nut? :)

Anyway.  I realized that I probably haven't shared some of my more recent crochet projects.  I'm building up quite a collection of favorite patterns and ideas and it's getting hard to narrow it down to just a few to take to craft shows (well I haven't done any of those yet but I'm totally thinking about it!) or list on Etsy.  These are a few of not only my fav, but also some I think would still work well for summer wear.

Crochet cowboy hat and boots - cute right?  I came up with the boots pattern all by myself.  (insert big self-satisfied grin here)

My other monster hat is by far the most popular, so I came up with a double pom pom version.

And a fun lacey-type version of a cloche hat.  I like that you can change the look of it by switching out the flower for a different color or type or a bow or a hair fascinator or...

There - just like Show and Tell in Kindergarten I'm keeping it short and simple :)  Happy Friday! Linking to:

Pin It Challenge (#3)

Time for another Pinterest Challenge post! (need a little more info? See my original challenge post here) This week I chose to try out a crochet pattern I had pinned - an infant earflap hat. (pattern is here) I also braved one of my storage areas and dug out a baby doll to be my stand in model as I don't have any handy real-life models in this particular size :) I was a little concerned about the fit but no fears, it works perfectly! It was my first attempt with a crochet flower too. I'm surprised at how quickly the flower came together.
Cute, huh? I think this little beauty will soon be joining her brothers in my shop.

I've also been trying to get better at "product photography" for the items in my Etsy shop so I thought I'd try out this tutorial for an easy, inexpensive at-home technique for studio quality photos (link here).
This was my test photo - what I would normally get with my camera in my craft room with the light in the morning.

Then I did the "studio" set up. First problem is readily apparent - the trim pieces in my windows cast shadows where I'm not going to want them.

First test shot:

Yep see, shadows where I don't want them, and the vellum and aluminum foil aren't quite big enough so we're getting a streak of light across the bottom. I wanted to be able to compare them straight out of the camera, but I think with a little bump in editing this isn't bad. I do like the backlit look.

Test shot #2: again with the size issues on the vellum and aluminum foil, though slightly better use of the reflector has the photo coming out a little sharper and with better color.

Not bad really, but it's obvious I need to keep practicing!

So I'm anxious to know - has anyone else made something they have pinned?

Oh and let's not forget the other ladies that are doing this challenge along with me.
Julia

Jackie

Shana

Linking to:

Argyle (Take 2)

I pulled out the crochet hooks again the other day and took another stab at the argyle hat - this time in more girly colors. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I think I've almost perfected my technique on the diamonds. Kaitlyn has decided that pink is no longer her color though so I went ahead and listed it in my shop.

*For those of you that would like the pattern - I'm working on it! It's my first time writing a crochet pattern and I want to make sure I get it right. I might even have one or two people try it before I'm confidant enough to post a tutorial here. I'd love your thoughts though - how does it look?

Linking to:

Argyle

I think argyle is adorable as an accent piece, don't you? I ran across an argyle knitted hat pattern a couple weeks ago and really wanted to make one. Except I don't knit. And have you tried finding argyle crochet patterns online? They don't exist! I was shocked. And annoyed. And after much searching I finally decided fine! I'll make my own pattern!

So here is my first attempt. What do you think? Not bad for an amateur, eh? I'm pretty pleased with it (despite the fact that there are a couple things I will change next time I attempt it) and Kaitlyn's in love. I may or my not keep this prototype but it's cute enough to list in my etsy shop, right?

After a few more practices I may or may not write up a pattern (for anyone that's interested. Is there anyone interested?). But for now I will tell you that I started off with a pattern I already knew and liked, then worked in the brown for the diamonds as I got to that point (I won't tell you how many times I unpicked the first couple rounds with the brown because I kept getting the spacing wrong lol). After the hat was completely finished I went back in with the lighter blue yarn and top stitched in the second set of diamonds. And viola!

Linking to:




Stories A2Z

Not Just a Housewife