Snuggle up!

I made this afghan to match my new niece's nursery. Her mommy chose the pattern and the yarn, and I think it turned out nicely. The afghan is so soft and the pattern is appropriately named Snuggle Up. Without further ado...

This is the tag I made for it. I cut it on the Cricut, and the body of the butterfly is raised on pop-dots to make it 3-D. Washing instructions are on the back of the butterfly's wing.

I also made a matching card, kinds inspired by one I saw at Target. It is kinda hard to see in the picture, because I had already put the card in a transparent purple envelope (which accounts for the line down the right side of the card). This one is also 3-D. It's very simple, but I didn't have a lot of time.

I love the Cricut, and the fact that I can make many cute 'themed' tags. I look forward to playing around with the back of the tag, is order to stamp my name on it.

I've also been working on my daughter's crocheted dress, and it's quite cute. I should have it finished shortly, if I can just make myself sit down and do it.

Quilt

The quilt is basted, and I began to quilt it. Then, my brand new walking foot broke in the middle of the second seam. The short version of the story is the sewing machine shop is going to replace it (after some run-around), and I go to pick up the new and improved foot tomorrow. Yay!

I'll be posting pics this weekend of my new niece's afghan - I love it!

I've also begun a crochet dress for my daughter, and I'm hoping it's not about 4 sizes too big when I'm done :)

After frogging the two projects I did, I've tried to be really selective about what I work on, and am really trying to make progress. The new pattern book and knitting needles I bought last week don't help the avoidance of new projects much. Need I remind you that I don't know how to knit? I guess I think really cute patterns and new needles will suddenly give me some mad knitting skill. Or not. Maybe I just like to collect cute patterns.

Frogger

The FlyLady has been teaching me to de-clutter my house, and my life. I've been trying to apply some of her basic principles to my projects as well. I'm tired of having the 'clutter' of so many UFOs, so I've begun to tackle them. Sounds good, right? I completed a baby afghan for my brand new niece, but can't post pictures yet, because I haven't given it to them yet. :)

As soon as I completed the afghan, I tackled a pattern that I'm helping proof for Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains - I got to round two of the hotpad, and got stuck. What?! I honestly think I've lost my mind. She's written a great pattern, and I can't wait to finish it - it's super cute! Anyway, that became another UFO.

I then grabbed the doily I began in January. I just knew I could finish it in one day - WRONG! I found my place in the pattern, and got to work. A round and a half later, I ripped it all out. When I joined Ravelry, I found out that a project that you rip out is considered "frogged." Why? you may ask. When you rip-it, rip-it, it sounds quite a bit like a frog's ribbit. :) So, the doily has been frogged, and I restarted it today. My stitches are to loose though, and I need to figure out how to tighten them up, so my doily is pretty, and not scraggly looking. I got frustrated with that, and moved to the next project.

I picked up my braided looking afghan, determined to work on it a little each day until it is completed. Well, after I thought about it, I frogged that one too. It's about 2 feet too long, and I have been mentally blocking it for about 2 years now, hoping it will just vanish. It hasn't disappeared, and I laid it out on our bed today, and determined that I'd be much happier with it if it were the correct size. So, out the yarn comes, and I'll start over.

I'm really bummed that I'm not finishing much these days, but I did vow to not start another project until I finished the one for the new baby, and I did keep that promise to myself. Until things start looking up, just call me Frogger.

Just to Share

I was telling my aunt C about this scrapbook page, and thought I'd share it with you.

It's an interesting page, and is from my trip to Spain. It is a tri-fold page, and the first picture shows the page closed. The second shows it open. Hope this makes sense!

Cropping the Aquarium

Here are my most recent pages from my trip to the aquarium:

I finished the following pages this morning:

I cut these letters on my Cricut. It took me a couple tries to get them right, but I'm learning.

I've also been working on an afghan for my new niece.

Progress Report

Here is the previously promised picture of my newly 'organized' craft area. Since these photos were taken, there has been even more progress, which makes me happy. I've completed 3 more pages in my aquarium album. This progress is making me want to crop even more. The little cart in the lower right corner is the one I referred to in my last post.

Below are the pages I completed last weekend. I'll post the other 3 once I actually take the picture. I'm happy with how this album is coming together. I don't have really cute ideas for the pages, and I waste way too much time on the internet, so I don't need to waste more looking for ideas. Just being honest.

Back at it

I've been working on organizing my craft area/room...again. I've attempted this several times before, but haven't ever found a 'system' that has worked for me. I decided I'd try again this weekend. Partially due to the FlyLady, and partially because it's cluttered nature was hindering any attempt of progress. Each day I don't crop means I'm one more day behind. However, when I get things done, I can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, I found a craft cart online, and then made a trip to Target to pick it up. I really haven't wanted to spend any more money on the organization, but figured out that my 'free' way of organizing wasn't working at all. I was very excited to get started with the organization. So much so that I've labeled each drawer, and certain 'topics' are ready to crop - paper and all! How exciting for me! The drawers hold 12x12 paper perfectly. I'll post a pic soon, to show you want I'm talking about, because I know this is about as clear as mud.

Since organizing, I've been able to find my table top once again, which has inspired me to get moving! I've completed two pages since Saturday. If you know anything about my cropping, this is a record pace! The pages aren't anything fancy at all, but you know what? They're done, and that's what matters to me at this point.

My cropping style has changed drastically since making my first scrapbook, and I actually prefer the old better. It's more elaborate, while at this point I feel like I'm just slapping pictures on colored paper. Oh wait, maybe it feels that way, because that's what I'm actually doing! I'm ashamed to admit that though. Maybe I can tap into the inner craftiness some day...but for now, a little progress is better than none at all.