How I Love to Learn! (Well Most Things Anyway)

Whether it was the twelve year old customer on Saturday, so taken with the intricate knots she was working on her friendship bracelet, that she wanted me to understand the technique. Or the fourteen year old that saved some of her school work in order to teach the technique to me....I do love their enthusiasm and that they don't see me as too old to learn something new.  

Rachel and I had a lovely couple of hours together again tonight as she worked on her ongoing T-shirt quilt. It's a learning curve for both of us and yet we enjoy the lessons we learn together.  All our cardmakers may like to know that she's just as conservative of material as I am.  

So what have you been up to this week?  I have some more mittens knitted for the school and have begun in earnest to prepare for both the upcoming Mega Crop Weekend and for the All Day Card Class. Though we haven't been able to secure confirmation of our preferred date yet for the Card Class, we know it will be happening and have five cards in the works already.  Two made, three in the works and just five more to go, not too shabby.

Talking of Card Classes, we had a lovely time with the ladies last Thursday as we put them through their paces, and they came out glowing with pride in what they were able to achieve with ease.  

Using the We R Memory Keepers envelope score board and the measurements Linda and I had worked out, they were able to make an easy envelope box for the Valentine card they made.  

This card had a paper bow on it, which the ladies made on the envelope score board. 

The bow caused the card to be a bit thicker than the average card, hence the need for the box, which they decorated with stamps as well. 

And here you see the box.

                        

As you can see from the side shot, it's an envelope style of box, and once you've got the measurements worked out, as easy as pie to make.

Just so that you can get a good close up look at it, here's the other card the ladies created.  

Using one of the Cover-a-Card Impression Obsession stamps on both this card and the Valentine card (yes the hearts were stamped from a Cover-a-Card Background stamp), the ladies learned a little more of the versatility of these stamps.

Having them on sale last week, they were pleased to have the opportunity of a bargain.  

One of our customers came up from the city last week, especially to purchase one of these stamps when she saw them on sale in the newsletter. She was thrilled to find the one she wanted was in stock!

You never did tell me what you have been working on this past week?  

I know my sister-in-law has been busy knitting double thick mittens for my mother-on-law, with just one more to finish.  

We gave a quick little lesson in the store last week on how to make these to Diane.  

I know my sister has been busy sorting through her crafting stuff, partly in preparation for her upcoming move, but also for  her granddaughter to take some to nursery school.  

Have you been sorting through yours ready for the garage sale? 

Although we don't have confirmation of the All Day Card Class date, which impacts on the Garage Sale choice of date, it is coming up soon.  So be like a girl scout and "Be Prepared".  Imagine how much fun it is to change that which you aren't using into an in-store credit note to purchase new "stuff".

As for knitting, I was browsing the Internet the other night and came across this design, which I promptly fell in love with and just HAVE to try.  You know how it is don't you?

 

I'm not in love with the colour, but love the Celtic Cable design, and the pattern is available here for free.  

In some blogs it was called a Saxon Braid.  

I see it as a band around a toque like this, how do you see it?   Click on the highlighted words and you can download the pattern for the toque. This website, though not as full of patterns as Ravelry, still it's a good resource.

I was privy to some nice show and tell last week. Not only did I see the finished large crochet doily that Carol's been working on, she also showed me a lovely little beanie she crocheted for her granddaughter for Valentines Day.  

Carol found the free crochet pattern on the Red Heart website here.     

Isn't it delightful?  We tried to find a free shamrock pattern, but didn't have any luck there. If you know of one, please leave a comment at the end of the blog and Carol can make another for St Patrick's Day.

Well we've segued nicely into Valentines again, do you have a card made for your beloved, but are looking for the perfect words?  There are some nice words here, and you can print them directly.

Now we've looked after the knitters and crocheters above.  

Don't forget if you want to learn either of these needle arts, all you have to do is, let us know, and sign up for the Friday Night Crop and Craft Night to learn. 

I had a lady into the store on Saturday and she was just learning to knit.  She  told me she'd never knitted in her life before, and her first project was a hat and scarf with a cable stitch.  This lady shared with me that she was 82 years young!  She also said she wished she'd learned years ago, so don't have the same regret yourself, start now!

For all of you who have a Silhouette Cutting Machine, have you looked at this blog here?  It's a great resource for learning how to get the best out of your machine. Why not hop over and take a look. There are so many tutorials to learn from. None the least is how choosing a design from the Silhouette online shop can sometimes nab you more than the simple design you are looking for, but perhaps more embedded within that design that you can use. You can also download a full manual from this site if it would be helpful to you to have one on hand.

My very last item this week is for the needle artists in our midst. If you like to embroider, then you'll enjoy this little design which I've had on my PC for a long time, so don't know where I downloaded it from.

Wouldn't it be cute on a pillowcase or a quilt block?

The words for this week are keeping in mind that Valentines Day is almost upon us......

If you look carefully, you will see I've taken the liberty of altering these words just a little here. You could maybe use them for the inside of your beloved's card.

Whichever way you may use them, please enjoy Ginger's House words.

Until later....Happy Crafting

Lilian

Do You Believe Six More Weeks of Winter?

No way I say, that ground hog must be wrong.  However I'll take the snow and cold every day over the flooding in other parts of the world.   Did you also know, that February 3rd is usually the coldest day of the year?   At least that's what I heard on the news last night, so that's behind us now as well. Looking and moving forward to warmer weather.

I came upon this as I was trolling the Internet this past week, and thought what lovely gift it would make. With Family Day and Valentine's Day soon to be on us, maybe it could be an unexpected gift for someone in your family?  

Just a simple black frame, a flourish and the word family cut from black cardstock on your Silhouette machine.  Add to it the photo of your choice, and you're done. Quick, easy and inexpensive to boot.

We have some nice 12 x 12 shadow box frames in stock 

at the Craft Nook.

Here's a flourish I found on Google images. To use it, all you have to do is take it into your Silhouette program, and trace it to make a cut file. 

I took this flourish copied and pasted it, then overlaid it to make a longer flourish before I made it into a cut file that I've saved in my Silhouette library for future use.

Don't know how to do that?  Then why not join us on a Friday night for some instruction.

We had a good night last Friday and although I didn't get any knitting done, I did start on the bones of a scrapbook page that I've since completed.  Here's how I go about creating a scrapbook layout.  

After I've chosen the photos I want to use, I begin my pages by finding a layout that appeals to me.  My page may not look the same as the sketch by the time I'm finished, but I like that jumping off place that a sketch gives me.  I may rotate the original sketch, flip it, or mirror image it to make it work for me. 

My next step is to crop, or more likely to reduce the size of a photo in my photo editing program, to fit the suggested sizes in the sketch. I'll also look at the sizes and placement of the papers on the sketch, making note of the measurements.  

Once my photos are printed I look at the paper combinations I want to use and perhaps the embellishments at the same time.  

I prefer to do some legwork before I begin my layout and then the actual layout doesn't take me long to put together.

Here's my beginning sketch and my finished layout.  Taken from Scrapbook and Cards Today.

The photos are very personal so I've blurred and covered them, but you can still see the colour concepts that caused me to select these papers.

You can see how I've flipped the page with the large circle to the left page and only used four rather than five photos on that page. My journaling was minimal on this layout so I removed the journaling space and used an 8 x 10 photo on that side. The title went on the top left corner instead of the bottom middle and I didn't add the circle highlights to either page.  You can see how my sketch was the jumping off place, but then I made it my own layout.

Marta was asking me about a place to get title ideas from.  I have posted it before, but for those that missed it here are not one, but two websites that offer a myriad of ideas.  There are groupings and then sub groupings so save them to your favorites and you should never be at a loss for a good title.

Come and join us in two weeks for some scrapbooking and crafting fun on Friday night. 

Looking to the weeks ahead, have you cleared your calendar so that you can attend the April Mega Crop Weekend?

You know what they say about good intentions don't you?  

I had intended to knit a few pairs of mittens this week to donate to one of the schools, but I only managed one pair. Still one pair more than I had last week.  

How about you?  Did you dig out any of your scrap yarn to use up this way?  

Did you see some of the lovely yarn that just came into the store? Oooh it's nice and if you want to try some arm knitting there's some really great chunky yarn now too.

Linda and I are always up for show and tell, so it was lovely when Pauline emailed to us a photo of a card she made.  

In the last Thursday Technique Class we had introduced the ladies to some quilled flowers. Pauline used this idea on a sympathy card she made. You can see the quilled flower in the centre of the heart cut out.  Didn't she do a terrific job?  

Thanks Pauline for sharing.

If you are interested in the heart die, let us know.  Although we don't presently have it in stock, we can get it for you.

Make sure you get signed up for the Thursday Technique Class to learn new ideas you can use on both your card making and scrapbook pages.  

Just two spots left this week!

I'm pretty sure most of you know about the elastic band craft that's so popular right now.  Well after the exams were completed last week and Rachel had three days off school, she spent the first day just vegging out. 

Here's what she created, what do you think?  All done with elastic bands!

We have the bands and clips back in stock right now, but still waiting on the looms.  Let us know if you want one and we can tag one for you as soon as they arrive.

Do you have your valentine card made for your sweetie yet? 

Linda showed you

lots of items that will help you create the perfect card, so don't delay.
Get in early before they're all gone.

For all the crafters and recyclers out there.  See how to change these empty wipe containers into useful bag storage. 

 By using Mod Podge a foam brush (both available at the Craft Nook), and either fabric or scrapbook paper (available at the Craft Nook) a somewhat boring container can begin a new life.

This blogger also explains here how to fold your plastic bags so that you can pull them from the top of the container.

Your words for the week....

Until Later....Happy Crafting

Lilian

I'll Be There, Will You?

Are you joining us on Friday night to crop and craft?  We know it's cold outside, but it's warm inside once you get there, and full of chatter, laughter and creative fun.  

I plan to do some knitting this week. However I've found before that my plans often change as someone asks me to show them a "new to them" craft, idea or simply a tip or two on what they already know. Whatever I end up working on, I know that I'll go home at the end of the night having enjoyed the time spent with others.  So if you aren't already signed up, call or email the store and make it happen for you too.  Don't forget also that if you create a previous Basic Grey page that night, then you'll get the evening at half price! An already economical night out for half price...great deal methinks.

My sister in law shared a word saying with me last week after reading that I was going to be working on my PhD.  I thought I'd share it with all of our readers.  You can decide if it describes you, or close to you, and if you're brave enough, you'll leave a comment at the end of this blog posting.

Maybe these words describe me in fact.  

However moving forward and speaking of Basic Grey,  I was finding that I wasn't using all of the embellishments that I had from my Basic Grey packages, simply because I had them stored in a cupboard and it was a nuisance to sort through them. 

I solved that problem on the weekend by taking a dead corner in my craft room, installing four lineal feet of pegboard which was 54" high and now everything is pegged and visible. 

Randy, Linda's husband, helped me by cutting my 48" of pegboard into the two pieces I needed to fit my corner.  

I cut and painted four strips of strapping, which I screwed to the wall at the height I wanted.  Screwed the pegboard to the strapping and I was good to go.  

Here's the corner with just the pegboard on the wall, I forgot to take a before picture, but you can see the space and visualize a blank wall.  

And now, the pegboard prettily filled so that I can actually see what I have.  

I even had space to hang my extra self healing cutting mat and large plastic ruler below everything.

I'm very pleased with the finished look and now I can see what I have, I'll be able to use it.

I have to tell you that I'm thinking about how to incorporate this idea into my craft room now.  I saw it today on a blog I subscribe to and fell in love with the idea.  What do you think?

Have you found a space in your home for your craft supplies?  Do you have a dedicated craft room?  

Do you remember how my sister in law Di shared her crafting room renovation here. 

Why not share some of your ideas with others who read this blog?  Send us a photo of what you've done or are doing and inspire others to find a small or large spot in their home for their hobby.
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YARN BOMBING IN OTTAWA

Did you read or hear about the yarn bombing that took place in Ottawa recently?  What a story and what an example we have the opportunity to follow.  

If you've ever visited downtown Ottawa you may well have seen The Valiant's Memorial.  These are statues of some of our Canadian war heroes.  Well these heroes were recently decked out with colorful scarves tied around their necks.  Each scarf had a note on them saying.....

"I am not lost!   If you are stuck out in the cold, 

take this scarf to keep warm.”

The "yarn bombing" as it was being called was the work of a group of knitters calling themselves "Dropping Stitches to Make a Better World".   What a great way of enjoying the craft that you love, and being able to share it to benefit others. We could all do this in our own towns and cities couldn't we.

No we don't have such enormously visual monuments to tie the scarves around, but we all have social networks working to help those who are in need in our communities don't we. A thought to ponder at the very least in this bitterly cold weather we're experiencing.  Children perhaps who don't have proper mittens, hats and scarves as they walk to school.  I can almost guarantee that the secretaries and teachers at most of our schools will  be able to wrap them around a child in need, perhaps only because that child forgot to put them on before leaving home, and shouldn't have to walk home without warm clothing.

You can read more about the article right here and apparently it happens in other cities too.

~~~~~~~~~~

Have you been thinking of Valentines coming up soon? I have been working on a few samples that you can see if you drop into the store.  In the meantime here's a photo or two to get you thinking.  

I was looking at the purple felt flower in the store last week and started to think if it was made in red it would be a nice Valentine brooch on a coat or a scarf as an embellishment.  

This is simply made by cutting six flower shaped pieces, folding them in quarters and attaching them together.  I then sewed three pearls into the centers of three of them, some leaves and a pin-back to the back for a brooch.

The felt, pearls and pin-backs are available at the Craft Nook

The pink flower was what the ladies made in card class last week and they were very pleased with their results.  Again a simple enough project once you know the steps, and an introduction to some quilling as well.  We cut five different scalloped circles with the Spellbinders Scalloped Circle dies.  Then by inking the edges and cutting between each scallop into the centre, shaping, fluffing and gluing them together, the base flower was made.  The centre was created by making tiny cuts into a narrow strip of white card stock and rolling it around a quilling tool.   

The hearts to the side here are both made from layers of felt. 

I began by wanting to make a hand warmer in the shape of a heart and the word "love" on it.  

As with anything that you don't have a pattern for, it takes on a life of it's own as you create it. 

I added some layers, embroidered my word and then thought....maybe some beads around the one layer.  Oh and then came the little heart beading in the top corner.  I completed it by filling it with rice (ready to heat in the microwave) and blanket stitching all around the outer edge.

Great, I thought, I like this look. Then came my second thought......hmm, if there's any metals in the glass bead to give the shine, then I'm pooched putting it in the microwave.

So, how do you like my fancy pin cushion? 

Now a little older, (the next day) a little wiser, (no beads) I made my heart shaped hand warmer.  A few embroidery stitches and a ribbon for embellishment..........microwave safe.

Are you registered for the Thursday Night Technique class next week?  I believe Linda said there were only a few spots left.

My plan is to have the ladies play with the We R Memory Keepers envelope punch board. So if you have one, or are thinking about purchasing one, you need to be there to see what you can make beyond envelopes.

It's a pretty neat tool, and those that know me, know that I'm not big on tools, beyond my Silhouette Cameo, Cuttlebug and Score Board that is. Oh, and of course my favourite punches.
Anyway if you don't want to miss out on this opportunity of instruction, make sure you call or email us to grab one of  those last few spots.

I'm looking forward to Wednesday of this week when I can spend some time with my granddaughter Rachel. We are very much alike in so many ways, but none the least in our love of sewing. Rachel holds on to many things of importance to her, such as T-shirts that she has long since outgrown but have a memory to them, or just a design that she loves.  She has had a plan for these shirts for some time now, and they are going to become a quilt.  Before Christmas we began the planning stages for her quilt. It was difficult for Rachel to understand how to sew all these different shapes and sizes together without creating awkward corners. When we were on the Christmas House Tour, she was able to see a beautifully sewn quilt and came to understand how many different shapes are stitched together to form squares which are then sewn into the final quilt.  Though we may not get to the sewing stage on Wednesday, we will spend a few hours "hanging out" together playing with fabric.

Well I hope in this blog posting I've been able to once again inspire you to stretch outside of your comfort zone and try something different perhaps.  To realise you have the ability with your crafting skills to perhaps "pay it forward" in some way, doing a random act of kindness for someone you may don't really know and may never meet again.
If you don't know the concept of Paying it Forward, check it out  here and don't get blown off by the first two paragraphs, continue reading and watch the video.



And the words for the week as we suffer through this hard winter, we can apply this thought not only to the winter weather, but to life in general.....

Until Later....Happy Crafting

Lilian

Where Were You?

We had a great time last Friday night, with a group of ladies working on many different projects at our Crop and Craft Night .  Some of them scrapbooking, some card making, some falling in love with Distress Inks for the first time, some creating invitations, but above all, they were all enjoying a lot of laughter together.

Our Friday Crop and Craft Nights afford you the opportunity to learn new areas of crafting, so don't miss out simply because you don't commit to the night.  Jeanetta enjoyed the opportunity of taking cards down from the wall displays and learning how to create them.  Elaine was able to catch up with some cards from previous classes she'd missed.  Jill worked on her Basic Grey pages.  There wasn't an idle hand around the tables as everyone worked, chatted and simply enjoyed being with people who like to create.

I don't think I've shared with you that this year I'm working on my PhD did I? It's going to take a lot of dedication, a tremendous amount of focus, but I've set my sites on the goal and I don't plan to fail. I'm sure once I'm further along the road, I'll find it easier, but right now I tend to become distracted, however I don't plan to fail!  

Have you ever considered the lofty goal of working on your PhD?  I know, I've heard it all before.......I don't have time, I have a full-time job, a household to run, children to raise.  I'm sure though, like me, you meet the criteria and have the supplies to work on many "projects half done," don't you?   

That's where the Crop and Craft Nights work so well.  All you have to do is say every other Friday, I'm going out to work on my PhD. That's my commitment to myself this year and I went to the Crop and Craft Night with a project, but of course I became distracted.  Helped instead with some invitations, some Distress Ink samples....focus!

So tell me, how do you focus on your PhD, or UFO's, or whatever you call them?  I'd love some suggestions to help me focus.

Today I finally finished my husbands double hand mittens.  He was really pleased with the fit of them and figures they'll keep his hands lovely and warm, though hard to pick up a coffee cup whilst wearing them. 

Can't please everyone can you. 

Though these mittens take a little longer to make, they're well worth the effort for the additional warmth. I showed you the pair I made Linda here.  Just scroll down to the third photo and read how I make them.

Do you recall that Linda knitted "Minion Slippers" for her two girls?  I have been meaning to add that pattern for you, but always seem to run out of time, so here it is this week.

This is a photo she took of the one pair of slipper's and then realised she forgot to embroider the smile on the face, but don't they still look great.

The basic pattern is easy and you can change it up to be whatever you'd like, even adding a crochet flower to the front for decoration.

You need a ball of thick yarn, or two strands of double knitting yarn.  One pair of size 5.5mm needles

Basic Pattern 
Instructions are for Child's size with changes for Women's and Men's in parentheses
Cast on 27 (29 - 35) sts

HEEL:  TOE:
Row 1: this is wrong side - K9(9-11), P1, K7,(9-11), P1, K9,(9-11)  
Row 2: Knit all stitches
Repeat these 2 rows for 5 (6-8) ins., or 2 (2 1/2-2 1/2) inches less than the desired finished length.  
TOE:
Row 1: P1, *K1, P1; repeat from * to end  
Row 2: K1, *P1, K1 repeat from * to end  
Repeat these 2 rows of ribbing for 1-1/2"(2-2)ins ending on wrong side  

First Decrease Row: work ribbing over 7(7-9) stitches, *slip next st onto needle, K1st, then pass the slipped stitch over (psso), K1, K2tog.*, work 3(5-7) sts in rib, repeat the instruction between* once.  Finish row in ribbing:  23(25-31) 
Next Row: Work 7(7-9) sts rib, P3, work 3(5-7) sts rib, P3 finish to end of row
2nd Decrease Row:  Work 6(6-8)sts, * K2 tog, K1, slip 1, K1 psso *, work 1(3-5) sts and then repeat between * once, finish row.  19(21-27)  
Break yarn leaving about 12" for sewing.  Thread yarn into yarn needle and weave through remaining stitches on needle. Pull yarn tightly to close and secure the toe end. Sew from toe edge to ankle about 3(4-5)inches or just enough for your foot to go inside the slipper.  Re-attach the yarn at the heel and sew the back heel seam in an upside down "T".  The two sides stitched together and the sole piece squished to make upside down "T" and sewn up.

When our daughters were young, I made an extra pair of soles for each pair of slippers.  Sewed them on, removing them when they wore out, and replacing them with another pair.  The body of the slipper never wore out, but of course the soles did, so this increased the life of the slippers for them.

If you plan on making a "Minion" slipper then just follow the basic idea in the photo. Changing from blue to yellow just in front of the ankle, and part way along the front, knitting 2 rows of ribbing in black for the strap. The eye was a crocheted circle with a black button sewn on.  Consider too a Googly Eye for added interest.

Are you coming out to Card Class this

Thursday night? There are a few places still available and a warm spot at the table for you to learn something new.  Here's a peek at a little of what we did in the last card class.

The masculine ship was created using the ever popular distress inks changing the kraft paper to look like two entirely different papers.  

One coloured with Walnut Distress Ink and one simply shot through the Cuttlebug embossing it.

With some easy cutting and patterned paper we were able to create two similar, and yet uniquely different cards. Certainly Elaine much preferred these chevrons to some we've presented in the past...easy peasy...done!

We  had a customer in this week in need of help working beads into her crochet project.  She had threaded all the beads onto the crochet cotton, but was having trouble working the bead into the design so that they were visible. Though I'm not a cotton crocheter, with some trial and error we were able to figure it out and she happily went on her way to continue a very beautiful doily with a pineapple design on it, similar to the one on the right.

I mention this because I stood in awe of this crafter's determination.  She had begun to crochet with a very fine cotton, but found it too difficult for her at the moment and had switched to a heavier cotton, though still fine.  My hat was, as I said, already off to her because I find no pleasure in working with such fine cotton. More than that though, I have to dub her with the title of "Crafter of the Week".  Why, you say?  Well she had sliced the ring finger of her right hand (she is right handed) and it was splinted, but she was crocheting some beautiful fine work, only conceding to go to a slightly heavier cotton.  How deserving of a title is that?

Our customers often amaze me with their ability and their willingness to not only ask for help, but to share the projects they are working on, or have completed.  You never know when I may make mention of a conversation that I've enjoyed with one of you as you share with us.

Did you know we have one customer who filled over two hundred shoe boxes last year for the Christmas program.  She constantly knits all year small teddy bears and dolls to add to these boxes.

And now for the embroiders in our midst, here'a a lovely Jacobean design which could be worked in a variety of embroidery stitches.  There are more free designs here for your personal use.  Drop into the store and pick up a booklet with embroidery stitch instructions.

And of course our words for the week.....

Until Later Happy Crafting......

Lilian