Crochet Blanket Completed

About 12 months ago I set about making a woolen crochet blanket.  For me I knew this was going to be a challenge as I am pretty bad for starting craft projects and not finishing them.  So a blanket big enough for a bed was going to be a long haul.  But having purchased all the wool I did not want to waste my money.
So I have persevered and my blanket has grown little by little.  I have taken it on all our camping trips and worked on it at night during university holidays but there have also been long periods while I was studying that no progress was made at all.
But it is done (bar sewing in the tails of the wool) and covers a double bed easily.

The finished product

I used 5 different colours in the blanket

I am really pleased with the end result and I have now had lots of practice crocheting so my stitches are now nice and even.  I already have another project in mind and I have purchased the wool for it but with only 4 weeks of my pregnancy to go I am not sure about starting it.  I need to have a think about if starting it would be better as I will be motivated to keep going or if I am being totally unrealistic about my time with a new baby.  Hmmm more thought required.

What have you been making lately?

Blog Hop Around The World - Creativity

The Lovely Lynda has nominated me to be part of this blog hop around the world and I am please to be able to join in.  Thanks for the nomination Lynda and if you are reading follow this blog hop back in time as there are some excellent blogs out there to enjoy.

A couple of my cards

The theme for this blog hop is creativity and like most blog hops there are a few basic rules/guidelines to follow.  The ones for this blog hop are:
Within a week of your nomination answer the following questions:

• Why do I create what I do?
• How does my creative process work?
• How does my work differ from others of it's genre?
• What am I currently working on?
• Who inspires me to create?
• Finally provide a quote 

Well time is ticking so I guess I better get on with this, other wise just like many of my creative pursuits it might just get set aside.

Why do I create what I do?
I create because it gives me balance in my life.  As soon as I stop being creative I start to feel all out of sorts and I feel irritated without being able to put my finger on why.  I also create because life is all about creation. Everyday there are situations in life just waiting for a creative approach to come along and take things in a new direction, to do things in a different way and find a creative solution to a problem.  Lets face it without creativity we might still be clubbing mammoths for dinner.



When it comes to what I create my interests vary.  From traditional crafts such as knitting, cross stitch and crocheting, painting, card making and scrapbooking to creative writing and blogging to all things cooking, baking and preserving.  Then there are all the crazy projects for around the home that I dream up that poor hubby gets roped into helping with.

How does my creative process work?
For the most part my creative pursuits are about relaxing and unwinding, letting my imagination take over are allowing my thoughts to just flow.  My job is very structured and I find that I need to specifically set time aside and give myself permission to be creative.  Otherwise because I am a very task focused person I feel guilty and like I should be doing other things.  There is also a practical side to it.  I like to make things for others and I feel that handmade gifts show a deeper sense of caring and giving that just going out and buying. I also like to learn new skills and try new things like knitting, crocheting and darning.
So sometimes my creative process is driven by the need to find balance in my life and sometimes by need or a desire to learn.  There are many practical old fashioned skills out there that I really want to master too.

How does my work differ from others of it's genre?

Well because I like to try everything and anything it often means that I have multiple projects on the go at once.  This means that I do not always perfect the skill before I move on.  So I would say I differ from others in the sense that I am probably not as dedicated to any one thing as I need to be to become a master of that task. 

What am I currently working on?

Well lets see... there is a cushion cover kit that I have been meaning to paint (the kit comes with fabric paint) for a long time now, a cross stitch book mark nearly finished, a crochet dish cloth that I have been making to practice my tension, a few different scrapbooking albums I am working on, a hand made garden journal and a handmade recipe book that are in progress, I have started making this years Christmas cards, I have about 35 draft posts that I have started, there is a large blank canvas waiting for inspiration (and paint) to hit, granny squares that might one day become a blanket and then there are all the sewing projects and I will not even start on the things in the kitchen.

Practicing my crochet tension on a dish cloth - based on those wonky sides
I'd say more practice is required.

Who inspires me to create?

Well this is the point where I get to nominate two other bloggers who inspire me.  Both of these ladies inspire me to learn new things and to come up with creative solutions to problems.

Liz over at Eight Acres is always coming up with practical and creative solution to the things she needs. She makes her own soap and just recently she made her own dressmakers dummy from duct tape which I think is fantastic.



Liz also inspired me with this post to make our dog Jessie a dog coat.  Liz has also taught her self to knit which is something I admire (and hope to one day master myself) and she had knitted up some practical items such that you just can't buy.

Linda from Greenhaven is creative in the way she thinks and deals with problems so it stands to reason that she is also creative in a practical sense too.  Linda Knits socks and beanies makes lovely gifts for her family and friends, she makes soap and looks for crafty ways to dress things up at home.



More than anything both these ladies inspire me to see creativity as part of everyday life not just something you do as a hobby (although for now that is what a lot of mine is and that's ok).  It is a way to make gifts, devise solutions, clothe yourself, decorate, provide for your basic needs, celebrate and add a few more strings to your bow in terms of the things you can do for yourself.

So the final thing I have to do is offer you up a quote.  This is a quote I love because it applies in so many situations.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Stay tuned for what Liz and Linda have to say in the next week when they have their turn.

A Crafty Clean Up

Things have been so busy lately I have hardly had time to blog.  But yesterday I found time to do a job I have been putting off for ages, cleaning out my craft cupboards.

Hidden behind these benign looking doors away from visitors eyes lies a disaster area, a dirty little secret that threatens to expose it's self should you decide to investigate further.

All tidy from the out side

This is the state of things before I started in the right cupboard, not too bad but it is the lesser of the two evils and was not my major cause for concern.  This cupboard is for non scrap booking supplies, gift bags and boxes.

This one below, on the other had was my cause for concern.  Scrap booking supplies gone crazy.
Really I had no idea some of what was buried amongst some of these piles, and this was not all of it either.  On top of the fact I had just been poking stuff in and quickly shutting the door, lest it should want to jump back out, there was also the pile on the floor (no photo sorry) of all the other things that needed to be sorted and stored.
Part of the problem with scrap booking is that you get into the habit of saving everything that you could use in the future.  The big issue here is that almost everything could be used if you are creative enough and knowing where to draw the line is challenging, well for me anyway.

But I was determined to get it into some sort of manageable order so I sorted and at times even threw out (reluctantly) but it was all for the better in the end because now I know exactly what I have and can find things easily.

Now below is the result of my efforts and while it may still not look like the picture of perfection this is about as good as it gets.

While I was sorting things out I found I really needed a couple of storage methods for quite specific things, rolls of ribbon and scrap booking papers that are 30x30cm.
These storage containers can be purchased, at a price, from most big scrap booking stores and on line but I really was not prepared to outlay the money.  So I got creative and made my own.
I turned and old shoe box into a ribbon box by threading a piece of dowel through the middle threading on the rolls of ribbon and securing each end with rubber bands, then I made a slot for the ribbon to come out the front.

For the papers I picked up some stackable fruit boxes from the supermarket and cut one of the sides out leaving just enough to lock into the box below. 

Now things are a lot tidier (for a while) and I found a whole lot of stuff I had forgotten about.

Do you have cupboards like this at your place?

PS while on the topic of craft, don't forget today is the last day you can enter my birthday giveaway so make sure you comment on that post from earlier this week.

A Birthday Post And Gift For You

Well how on earth did we get here?  Has it really been a year already?  Apparently so.

Well Happy Blog Birthday to me!

And what would a birthday be without cards?  So for you my followers, instead of cards for me, there will be a cards for one of you.  There will be hand made cards (made be yours truly of course) up for grabs because your support and feedback is very much appreciated.
In addition to the cards I have already made, I will make the winner a card with a theme of their choice.  The winner will be able to nominate a card of their choice.  It could be a wedding, special birthday or event coming up, it's up to you.

If you would like to be in to win these hand made cards all you have to do is leave a comment about which post you have enjoyed from my blog.   
Then just tell me what kind of card you would like your special card to be. 
You can leave a comment anytime until Friday midnight.  I will then draw a name out of the hat over the weekend and post the results on Monday.

Until then here are a couple of the cards up for grabs.

Crafty Christmas Cards

Being crafty is something I find really helps me to unwind.  So I try and take some time out each week to do something crafty whether it is paper craft and scrap booking, sewing or learning to crochet.

For the last month or so I have been making Christmas cards and here is a few that I have made.  The first and last ones stand up on their own and fold flat to be posted.  The rest are just your standard folded style (some of which blogger will not rotate, so apologies if you get a crook in your neck)

A Crafty Weekend

Phew where did the weekend go?

This weekend was busy busy busy with jobs but I was able to squeeze in an afternoon of paper craft at my local scrap booking class.
We meet once a fortnight, sometimes more often for card making, scrap booking and other paper crafts.  This weekend we were making some lovely stitched cards.



Everyone getting crafty



Anne (who is also teaching me to crochet) doing the stitching



The completed card (sorry about the angle)

One of my next projects, other than making my Christmas cards is that I am going to make a garden Journal to record what I planted when and how it all panned out.  I am not sure when it will be done but hope fully soon so I can start tracking everything that is happening in the garden.

Does anyone else keep a garden journal?  What do you record?  How is it set out by month or season?