Silhouettes

We've had 5 empty frames on our wall of framed pictures since I put them there.  My husband had made names for the pictured people in them (the pictures were those that came with the frames when purchased).  I knew I wanted to make silhouettes of the family but unsure of how to go about doing them.  So I dug in and just figured that if I accidentally cut the silhouette paper wrong - well, then, it's just paper and I could try again.  
This is by far one of the easiest projects that I've done and wished I had done it awhile ago to really capture the difference in face shapes from an infant to a toddler for the kids.  

Of course, as I say it's been easy, I also want to redo some of the face shapes and haven't done so yet.  My daughter's hair is a little weird in one.  One son's face shape could be bigger and my husband was weirdly jutting his chin forward when I took his picture.  
This was as simple as taking a picture on the digital camera and taping the wrong side of the picture to the wrong side of the silhouette paper (since it really didn't matter to me which way everyone was facing) and then cutting it out.  I actually used a really good pair of nail-trimming scissors to cut them out because they are tinier and really sharp and I could get more detail with them.
Projects finished: 20
Projects given away: 7+ 
Weeks: about 40?

The holidays were busy but that's no excuse for not crafting!  So, the next few days will include some of these finished ones and one that is steadily progressing...

First, a needlepoint bag.  A Martha Stewart kit that I found on clearance (of course, the way most of the crafts have been attained), probably in 2011 or thereabouts.  Unfortunately, I recycled the paper insert that shows the instructions and 'finished' copy.
So here it is,

Actually, it's quite pretty.  The colors are bright and it has just enough detailing on it.
I wish I would have left the name off of it.  I think it would be a nice gift for someone and frankly, I have a few wristlets and I've really been purging all the STUFF that I do have around the house and not trying to accumulate as much, but maybe this will be the push to get rid of another wristlet. 
 

And here's the one that is progressing, a crosstitch stocking, started, oh, maybe 9 years ago or so?   Ideally, I wanted to make a crosstitch stocking for the hubby, me and any kids we had, but, well, they take a really long time to make so I ended up making the kids some fairly easy felt applique ones, myself - I kept the one my mom made for me and my hubby has been stuck with a stocking I got as a gift from a friend a while ago.  Maybe 2014 will be the year  he'll have a handmade stocking. :)

I'm trying to get one strand of floss stitched up each day.  Since I picked it up around New Year's Day, I've finished the tops of the trees and all the deer that is done and lots of little odds and ends.  
 

Projects finished: 19
Projects given away: 7+ 
Weeks: about 40?

Shopping the patterns...

Here's a pattern I printed up awhile ago and bought the yarn sometime last year with the original idea to make one of these for my daughter and another for my niece for .... last Christmas!!! 
And then, I had the yarn sitting on my nightstand for months waiting for the right moment to start, especially because the beginning was something like, chain 89, which I knew would take me some time to do.  I have a harder time with crochet and figuring out what goes in which stitch.   
Nevertheless, I finally started the pattern a few weeks ago and finished, actually fairly quickly - in about a month.  And the result - its still quite big for my 7 year old - so it will have to wait until at least next Spring to get worn...  That should give me enough time to put a button on it :)

A needlepoint bracelet

Working on a kit...




 
 















I purchased this kit on sale (that is a theme with the items I get!) a few years ago and well, it fits the crafty need of both jewelry making and needlepoint/crosstitch. 
So I forged ahead with it.  The needlepoint part was very fun.  Stitching the ribbon and the beads on - not too fun.  It's nice to do when I have someone to talk to - so a good project to work on when my friend comes over for our craft/jewelry making time!
And to be clear... I started this in June and just finished it today! 

I do like the way it turned out!  
The beads around the edge are a little wonky - they don't quite cover the fabric and
 I  may need to tweak the button strap on it - but that should be easy.
This is the first item I've done this year from my stitching bin - I really enjoy the stitching part and really would like to get to more of these items!  Sometimes, it is just overwhelming looking at all the options of what I can do -  it's such a first world problem to have, isn't it?

 






Projects finished: 15
Projects given away: 7+  I think this can be included as a project.)Weeks: about 27

Shopping the Yarn Store...

In my basement, that is.  
I am determined to only use the yarn that I already own to make things, even as gifts for other people.
So here is another set of baby booties, for another friend who just had a baby. 

I used 'I Love This Cotton!' by Hobby Lobby and it really knits (or crochets) up so much nicer than the Lily Sugar'n'Cream.  Another point as to why to only knit with good yarn!


And also a simple baby hat.

 Using up that yarn and making some nice gifts!

Projects finished: 16
Projects given away: 7+ 
Weeks: about 29

A Spark

That spark..... that feeling that I'm buried in stuff and I want to get rid of it!!! is continuing.  Its funny how I have been living in the same house for years and haven't bought that many new supplies in the past two years or so and yet, now, it just seems overwhelming when months ago, it felt fine. 
Now, I realize where I want to spend more of my time, with family and friends and doing other healthy things, than doing so many crafts.

 

I thought when I quit my job to stay home with the kids that I would be overwhelmed with free time and finally be able to do all the crafty things I had purchased through the years.  But the reality is, it takes time and work to raise a good, healthy family and I'm finally embracing that.  All this reading about intentional living and I think I'm finally getting it. 

• I don't want to tell the kids that they can't play something because I can't get to the toy or supplies because of all my stuff in the way. 
• I don't want to read all those backload of nursing journals that I thought I would get to once I quit work.  (I have nursing journals from ten years ago that haven't been touched!) 
• I don't want to spend all my days sitting on the couch knitting and crocheting (although I do like to relax with it while watching a good show at night). 
• I don't want to look at all the craft stuff in the basement and not know what to do because I have too many options. 
• I don't want to make things just for the sake of making things.

It's seeing those limits that is helping me want to pass on my stuff.  How long do craft items last anyway?  
I do want to spend my at-home time with my kids doing fun stuff.

• I do want to read current information in my field of nursing to keep up-to-date.
• I do want to be more active - not sit on the couch.  (I realized this when I saw there was a knitting/crocheting club at my church and its the same time as an exercise class that I've been going to for awhile.  I would rather go to the exercise class than the knitting club - that helps choose my priorities).
• I do want to spend more time designing jewelry to sell.  This too needs to be a priority over the other crafts if I really want to be successful with it.
• I do like to make things with intended purposes - either as gifts, or artwork with a place to go in the house.

And with these thoughts in mind, I have a big purge today...
Major amounts of yarn - not all of it, but enough to get rid of one of those 91 gallon bins.
My plan is to try and sell it on Craigslist, although I just checked and there are a lot of other people purging their yarn collections too.  So we'll see how it goes.

I'm getting rid of all of this.....


That's a lot of yarn!  Enough to fill up 3 garbage bags!

 

Even getting rid of some knitted items (They will be donated to the before-mentioned church knitting club).

 

And that's one empty container of yarn!

Getting rid of the guilt....

Is gardening a craft?  Surely, it is a hobby, I don't know if it would be considered a craft.  It can be added to the repertoire of things that I like to do. 
When we moved into our house, we were the 3rd owners.  The first owners included a gardener.  Someone who made the yard beautiful with all kinds of flowers (or so I am told) and from what I have seen.  We had an area of a yard that used to be a bed of weeds - or so I called it.  I'm sure it was beautifully curated at one time but between the first owner and us, I don't think it was taken care of too well!.
Here's a picture from 2005 - nicely overgrown

 Since then, we have scaled back on flowers, trees and weeds and made it fit our lifestyle.  So here's the now picture:

When we were cleaning out that area, which we did in stages, my husband just wanted to whack everything down and then roto-till the land.  However, in part of that wild area were hundreds upon hundreds of daffodils - they were just gorgeous in the spring.  And all different varieties.  And so I insisted on painstakingly digging each one up, because of course, I seem to think I live in a land with 100 hour days and I would have time to replant all of them.  (Mind you, with 3 little kids underfoot.)
Picture of some of the beautiful daffodils....

Well, reality has set in, and I have finally, after many requests from my husband, decided to get rid of all of my daffodil bulbs.  It's just one more guilt-ridden thing to look at that needs to "be done".  So, I don't know how long daffodil bulbs are good for, but I put them on freecycle 30 minutes ago and already have 2 requests. 

 

 Look at all those bulbs!!!

Projects finished: 14
Projects given away: 7+  I think this can be included as a project.)
Weeks: about 27