Craftin' Bug Satisfaction

Things have been so busy that I am just now getting a chance to share with you my crafty weekend... which started last Friday.
I don't know what got into me but I was feeling mighty crafty.
I stayed home from Celebrate Recovery with Saiya on Friday night because she was feeling a little under the weather so I decided that while she slept I would browse my favorite blogs and ran across a pattern for this cute little guy. (I finished him Sunday as I got distracted with life)

This little creation is called "Owl Puff" and is actually suppose to be much smaller but thought the kids would appreciate something a little bigger.
I will be making lots of these in their intended size which is like 1/4 of what this one is.
I love owls and they seem to be quite popular these days.

I had shared a fun wreath on my personal facebook page that I thought was kind of odd but oddly enough... it grew on me.
So I went searching for a few hours looking for the key ingredient which were eyeballs.
Didn't find them.
BUT
my wonderful husband found them at the Halloween store next to hobby lobby and bought me a few bags to fulfill my crafty itch.
I'm so lucky to have a man that is so thoughtful and looked for eyeballs for me while I worked the yarn store. <3
So Saturday night I worked and worked (for a couple hours at least) and made this wreath as a Halloween decoration.

I added ribbon for a touch of class and sophistication.
I know... Like ribbon helps but I think it is fun!

I did mention the handwarmers that I had been knitting for the kids at the Wounded Knee Indian Reservation.
Though I didn't get a picture of all of them I thought that I would post a picture of a pair that I made nearly 3 years ago so you have an idea of what they are and what they look like.
These are so easy to make.
You just knit a piece in garter stitch and seem it, leaving a hole for your thumb.
This is the first project that I have ever made.
I have made quite a few pairs and am able to make a pair in a couple hours.
Makes for the perfect last minute gift.

Sunday night I hosted a knit night for the teen girls that go to the youth program at Celebrate Recovery which was a lot of fun.
The girls had the option of learning to knit or crochet but we all ended up knitting in the end and watched a (very appropriate) chick flick..
We started the simple earwarmer from about 3 posts back and I managed to finish mine Monday morning. I am sure the girls are anxious to finish theirs and am certain they will have questions when I see them on Friday.
I will be doing this once a month and will more than likely extend this to all teen girls within the youth group.

Well, I need to go.
My husband is home after a long day of work and I would very much like to hang out with me without the distraction of the cyber world.
I hope that you all have had a good week and that your Halloween weekend is fun and SAFE!

Love you ALL

Caren

Giveaway Sharing

This is not my giveaway but It is on a blog that I frequent often and thought I would share it with all by crafty friends that can appreciate handmade/custom clothing!

The Willy family (which is my family) takes pride in our collection of hooded sweatshirts.
We love them and seems that when the cool weather comes around we pretty much live in them.
My only issue is that I have a hard time finding super cute ones that don't make me feel frumpy.
Check this out!

CUTE RIGHT?!
I'm a ham for stuff like this!
so unique and so cute!
<3

You can enter for your chance to win a hooded sweatshirt from the talented owner of Mungo Crafts by going to the provided link.

http://www.loveelycia.com/2011/10/review-giveaway-mungo-crafts.html

Good luck to those who enter!

Blessings!
Caren

Much about nothing

Halfway through the week.
Happy Wednesday!!!
Been busy knitting over the past few days.
and I say the past few days because I had to take a couple day break to allow my wrists to rest.
Seems I get so focused on what I'm making that I don't take the time to stretch my wrists and fingers during my productivity and I usually get to be pretty sore as a result.
Anyway.
After knitting away on orders I decided that I needed to make something that wasn't going to take any thought.
Thankfully by friend Sabrina posted a projected on Facebook that fit perfectly into what I consider "Mindless Knitting".
You can find it at...
www.ravelry.com/patterns/its-a-cinch-head-wrap-and-collar

I made it out of Malabrigo (of course) and gave it to my friend Emilee for her birthday as well as a bracelet that I didn't take a picture of because I didn't think of doing that until now.

I also managed to finish a scarf that I started on almost two years ago.
I hardly ever make scarves.
I've made a total of 3 which adds up so far to about 1 a year.
It just seems like never ending knitting and I have project A.D.D. and seems that I start a lot of things but don't finish them.

hmmm.... looks a little bright in this picture.
It really isn't that bright... looks more like a marbled cotton candy pink...
Not anywhere close to hot pink.
The yarn was hand spun and so the consistency of the thickness of the yarn varies.
But all in all it's ok.

I have also been busting my butt working on super simple garter stitch hand warmers for a friend of mine.
My friend Ashton is going to leave for Wounded Knee Indian Reservation soon and asked if I would help knit hand warmers that she can take to give to the kids there.
I was more than happy to help and have been working with the two skeins of yarn that was donated to bust out a few pairs.
I'll have to post those later.

Christmas has been on my mind and I started thinking about a different kind of Christmas knitting.
Not knitting to give as gifts.
I have plenty of that and am tired of thinking of it. Ha!
But I was thinking back to a thought I had about my Christmas tree.
Every year I paint an ornament for Brodey and last year was my first painting one for Saiya being that she arrived last year.
Its a tradition that I started and one that I intend on doing every year until my kids are at least 18 years old.
But in addition to those hand painted ornaments... I would very much love to cover my tree in yarn.
I came across this pattern that is a composite of numerous Christmas ornaments on KnitPicks.com.
I pulled the pictures to show you what I have in mind!

These pictures are ridiculously spaced apart.... Not by any fault of my own but I just had to show you and deleting any of them would do no good.
But yes.
I think they are perfect and maybe someday my tree will be covered in pottery and yarn arts!
Not to mention I will have ornaments that the kiddos made in school which I can't wait to receive.
I just want my tree to be one big love mess.

I hope you all are having a great week so far!
Love you ALL!

Caren

Happy I Love....

Happy I Love Yarn Day!!
Today is a day where you thank your stash for always being there for you.
Hug your yarn for allowing you to take out your every day frustrations on it while you tug and pull and knit those stitches.
I celebrate with yarn.
I grieve with yarn.
Yarn is my Therapy.
Yarn is such a part of my every day life and such a huge and very important part of my passion, that without it... I don't know what I'd do!
I'm sure I'd survive but don't be surprised if you saw me trying to knit some grass out in some field somewhere.
I'm sure I'd get pretty desperate if it just disappeared off the earth.

Took a picture of my favorite kind of yarn though!
Malabrigo!!
100% Merino Wool from Uruguay!

I think I've bought more of this kind of yarn than any other.
In 2nd place would probably be Cascade 220 which is 100% wool and knits up beautifully and evenly.

Though I love yarn, I often times have to check myself.
There are greater things than yarn.
Though yarn is wonderful... Yarn is not God and sometimes I feel like I focus more on my knitting than the things that help me grow in a relationship with my saviour.
Without him my life would lack purpose.
Without him my life would lack substance.
Without him my life would lack peace, hope, and grace.
Without him I would still be indulging in my selfishness while I hurt and destroy the things and the people that I love the most.
Without him I would be nothing more than what the world has labeled me.
I am not defined by my talents.
I am not defined by my family.
I am not defined by friends or acquaintances.
I am not defined by YARN.
I am what God says I am.
I am a princess to the highest of all Kings.
I am a daughter to the world's greatest Father.
I am a warrior for my biggest defender.
I am his hands and feet to serve others as he has served those who would seem so undeserving.
I am a knitter but first and foremost I am a Christ follower.
The follower of a God that has loved me more unconditionally, more deeply, more purely, more intimately and a God that loves me so much that he would give the ultimate sacrifice for my sins. He sent his only perfect son to die for me.
Every day is "I Love Caren Day" in his calender.
I am so blessed and so undeserving but am so thankful.
So on "I Love Yarn Day" I am declaring I LOVE GOD because he is and will always be my first love.


I felt like I had to write this because as I sat and thought about "I Love Yarn Day" and how I was going to write about how much I love yarn, I felt like God was saying "when are you going to write about how much you love me?" and I said "Good point! I'll do that now!"

So yes.
I love yarn.
But
I love Jesus MORE!
I love God more than any skein of yarn out there.

I also love ALL of you!
I hope your week has been a blessed on and that you have a great and safe weekend!

Caren

p.s. wish I could knit Jesus a sweater. He would have a lot of them.

Fall/Winter/Wallinter

Fall is here which means that people are getting an itch for cute, cozy, Knitted accessories.
I have a few orders right now that I am trying to get on and quickly off the needles just so I have time to knit for Christmas without having to put icy hot and compresses on my wrists.
One thing I miss right now is knitting for myself.
I know I know... I just made a hat a couple weeks ago but I have all of these patterns that scream "Make me and Wear me!"

Thought I'd share with you 3 of my knit must haves for this fall/winter/wallinter.

Danforth Pullover by Pam Allen
www.ravelry.com/patterns/danforth-pullover
I love the simplicity of it.
I love the cowl neck.
I want it. I want it. I want it.

Susies Reading Mitts by Janelle Masters
The pattern is free on Ravelry @
www.ravelry.com/patterns/susies-reading-mitts
They just look so cozy and I love the design!

Bad Oyster from Alexandra Tinsley
www.ravelry.com/patterns/bad-oyster
I have a thing for shawls/scarves.
Don't think I will ever knit a shawl without wearing it like this just because I love the drape in this style of shawl.

So those three patterns are waiting to be knit and I will hopefully soon get around to at least one of them.
I'm thinking I'll just have to cast on one of these and work on it during a designated time.
We Shall See.


What are you wanting to make that you feel would be perfect for fall/winter/wallinter?
If you have a blog please post cause I would love to see what you have pending in your queue or what you are currently working on.

I hope you all are having a great week so far.
Love you ALL!
Blessings!

Caren

A Sister's Gift

In my previous blog I had mentioned that my sister, Carrie took my family pictures over the weekend and that I would probably be sharing them with you.
I am so excited about them that I had to share them with you TODAY!
I just picked out a few of my favorites to share with you and by a few of my favorites I mean that I have a lot of them and didn't have time to load them all on this thing. :)

My sister has such a talent!
She has always loved taking pictures but over the past few years it has really become a passion and she has invested so much into this hobby and has elaborated so much on her skills that she has decided to become a professional photographer and announced the launch of her new business "Carrie Lea Photography" recently!
She would probably laugh at that statement because
1. she is modest
2. i'm sure she still sees this as a hobby more than a profession.
3. i'm sure she feels unworthy of that title.
Now I could be wrong about that and I am sure she will correct me if I am (haha Carrie!) but sometimes I think she under-estimates herself.
In a lot of ways I see her as being super woman and
Sometimes I wish she could really herself the way so many of her friends and family do.
I know sappy.
(tune in the violins and past flashback of all those loving, sisterly moments)

No but seriously.

Carrie I am so proud of you!
Thank you for being such an incredible Sister, amazing friend, awesome auntie to my babies, and now for being my photographer that helps capture who the Willy's are and those priceless moments in our lives. :)
I have been blessed in so many ways by you.

Carrie has a blog as well called "Hebert Everyday" and can be found to the right of my blog posts under the section titled "Blog Stalking".
Please pay her a visit!

Hope you all are having a good week so far and that the extreme sentiment of this blog posting hasn't made you sick. :)

Love you ALL!

Blessings!

Caren

A perfect weekend- my first being 26!

It is Monday and it feels like I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.
It was one busy weekend but it started out with a busy Friday which was full of errand running.
I have joined this facebook page called Casper Parents Free Cycle where people can join to either get rid of unused things or put in requests for things that they may need.
Well there was a gal on there that has some pretty amazing paintings that she was just giving away!
By the time I responded to the post she had given them all away.
She then randomly posted a picture of one and somehow it was bumped down a few listings and I managed to see it and snag it!
So cool!
I felt like I had won though it wasn't a competition.
Thought I'd share a picture of it...

Love it!
So in addition to picking that up I had done some last minute finishing touches to an order and got it shipped it which felt good to do because I am always so anxious to get feedback on the work I do.
My cousin Jenny had ordered a couple of diaper covers for her photography business to match some hats that I had knit for her a while back.

So my Friday was full of last minute catch-ups and errands before the weekend came...
which was a very busy weekend mind you.
It was my birthday weekend and it was pretty full of fun things to do!

My morning started off with Starbucks coffee with my Momma!
We had originally planned on getting breakfast but David surprised me with Cinnamon rolls and I couldn't pass that up so I tried a Salted Caramel something or other as a recommendation by my friend, Amanda.
It was the perfect way to start the day :)
Yummy coffee and great company.

Shortly after that David and I headed to church where we helped bag meals for
Kids Against Hunger.
You can find out more about it by clicking on the link below.
http://www.kidsagainsthunger.org/
It was honestly a lot of fun and I felt greatly blessed by being able to serve like this.
Often times it seems people think that they have no way of helping poverty stricken countries that are hungry and without any means of getting a meal.
This is one way you can help... Allllllll the waaaaay from Wyo.... You can make a difference and it felt good to be able to participate in feeding thousands of people.
I would volunteer for this again in a heartbeat!

Afterwards David and I hit a massive garage sale!
Usually I am not very optimistic on garage sale and thrifting finds.
I luck out from time to time but it is rare when I go and find the perfect fit/find.
For the last 4 years David and I had toyed with getting me a bowling ball but those boogers aren't cheap.
But tucked away in a neon lined bowling ball bag with a flame on the front of it was the perfect bowling ball for me. :)
It is purple and teal marbled and my fingers fit perfectly!

The purple looks blue in this pic but I promise it is purple :)
I also scored an awesome quilt which I have been wanting for a while now.
It was free and my ball was $5.
Score!

A little bit after that I went and picked my mom up for some pottery painting at
Pottery By You.
David had bought my mom a gift card to that place for her birthday and surprised me with one too so we could go together!
My mom painted a super cute frame with a little lamby on the corner of it.
I painted a sugar bowl/jar/dish.
whatever you want to call it.
I did take a picture of it but when it is fired in the kiln it will be much brighter and much darker.
Figured I'd post a picture of it pre-firing just because I am slightly proud of myself even though it isn't anything super extravagant or detailed.

As soon as I got home I got ready for dinner with my hubby for a fancy dinner at a local Italian Restaurant that we had yet to eat at together.
It had been years since we had been there and thought that it would be the perfect start to our night of celebration.
We ordered and giggled as we pretty much slaughtered the names of the dishes and how they should have been pronounced.
At one point I thought I wanted desert until I looked at the menu and realized that it was also in Italian, without description, and I had no idea what the deserts were unless it had the word "cake" in it.
We paid for our meal (duh) and headed out to the.....
Bowling Ally!

I'm not the best of bowlers.
My first two games were awful as I'd throw too far one direction or too far the other and ended up in the gutter.
At some point my friend's little boy, Carson, was beating me and I honestly believe it was because he was using bumpers.
Did I mention he is 3 years old?
Well a miracle happened and I broke 100 for the first time in 5 years!
I'm tellin ya! It was birthday luck!
The cool thing about that is that my mom and I finished the game with the same score!
What are the odds of that?!

My score is the second down from the top and my mom's score is the one below mine :)

Needless to say... I went home and slept.
Sunday was going to be full of church, a mini family bday party, and family photos.

I got this awesome Fuji Instant Polaroid (not the brand, Polaroid.) camera and I have really enjoyed taking pictures with it.

This isn't the only thing I got for my birthday.
I got a lot of thoughtful things and am so fortunate and thankful.
This has just been one of those things that I've been wanting for a little over a year.
I love taking pictures but usually don't have a way of printing them very fast.
It is nice to take some sweet photos here and there and have them print out instantly.
Like today... I took a picture of Brodey reading his VeggieTales Bible to Saiya!
I love that picture!
Such a sweet little keepsake.

I enjoyed my time with my family yesterday as we ate and visited.
and as a topper for the weekend, my sister took pictures of the Willy family (that's us. Willy is short for Williams) up on the mountain and it was a lot of fun!
I love seeing the creative ideas my sister comes up with and am anxious to see how all has turned out!
I've seen a handful of them and so far I am in love!

Needless to say it was a very busy birthday weekend and a super fun one at that!
Kind of hard to return back to routine after having so much fun!
Definitely a birthday to remember.
Thank you to everyone who made it such a special day!

Guess I will be posting family pics soon! :)

Hope you all had a great weekend and hope that you all have an awesome week!

Love you ALL.

Caren