Thankfully Stuffed…

Published November 24, 2009 Family Fun , Holidays , Life Leave a Comment

There have been lots of dust bunnies and yarn scraps floating on the air this past week.

That’s what happens when it’s our turn to host my family’s Thanksgiving celebration dinner this year.

Let me make this quite clear:  I have 3 sisters and one brother… with each of their husbands/ boyfriends/ wives/ children/ grandchildren, etc… including our four, we should be having about 30 people over for supper!!!  Because it’s the first time we’ll all be in Tacoma for the festivities, I’ve made sure to extend warm invitations to my aunt, who also lives here, and her family for a little bit of party crashing while they’re preparing for their own Thanksgiving meal….so this could bump the numbers in the house considerably!  Should be fun! :D   Our little house will be bursting at the seams, I think.

I’ll make sure to take pics, so you can see a glimpse of the festivities and what the inside looks like all stuffed with loved ones. ;)

I certainly hope your own Thanksgiving celebrations bring a brimming supply of happiness and blessings into your life…may your day be filled with delicious tastes, warm friendships, and the comfort of home…

and a little fibery goodness thrown in wouldn’t hurt a bit! ;)

Happy Holidays!

Bethany~

Loomy Mystery Part 2!

Published November 16, 2009 Knitting , Life , Loom Knitting , Looming Patterns , Project Preview , Tutorials 9 Comments

Well…we’ve been keeping you all in such terrible suspense, I know!  It’s time to alleviate your “dying to know” strains, lol…

The Girlies at ProvoAs you’ve already read, Isela Phelps, Jenny Stark, Shannon Erling, and myself have been very much blessed to be able to have the opportunity to work on a project together for Provo Crafts!  It’s been an absolute fantastic time getting to know these 3 ladies better and in person!!!  I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, truly!

The first part was to help produce a new infomercial promoting the Knifty Knitter Looms.  The 2nd involved another trip on a plane to Utah, to create a tutorial project DVD that will be placed into every package of Knifty Knitters sold…can you believe it?! :D   This is so exciting!  We each got to show, step by step, how to do 3 projects… the ones I demonstrated were these:

Start your pumpkin patch today!

finished-design Ruff-les and Stripes from the front

  • Felted Wooly Pumpkins
  • Beaded Butterfly Choker
  • Ruff-les & Stripes Doggie SweaterOn the Set
  1. Hopefully it all comes out smoothly on the DVD, because it actually took about 6 hours to film my part of it…Yikes!  But the cameraman, Cameron, was a very nice, gentle soul, who made the whole process very laid back, smooth & easy.  There were a few technical issues as well, so the entire 6 hours weren’t exactly filled with just my own monotonous dronings-on, lol! ;)

After the filming, I was met at Provo Crafts by Jenny, Isela, and her hubby, the famous loom maker, SAM! :D   We all went on a fun tour of the whole facility, and then headed back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner.  Sam was great to taxi us all around town, searching for just the right place to eat…we ended up at TGI Fridays, and the funny thing is that we all ordered the exact same thing: Combo Chicken/Steak Fajitas!  Mmmmm…they were delish!  Isela was once again very happy to be fed, lol. ;D  Sam was a really fun person to meet and get to know a bit better.  He has a great sense of humor and a quiet, polite personality.  Between the two of them, Isela and Sam make a very cute couple indeed!   We were all joking and laughing throughout the entire meal, and just having a great time in general. :)

Jenny at the hotelIsela doing her nails at the hotelThen it was back to the hotel where Isela gave herself a manicure for her filming the next morning, and Jenny finished up some last-minute looming on her projects for the next afternoon.

Then, guess what?  I got to have a sleep over with Miss Jenny Stark! :D   She’s such a little sweetie and even though she has a very quiet demeanor, put her in pajamas and she’ll talk your ears off, lol!  hehehe…I’m just joshing…we both had plenty to say to one another, and I completely enjoyed having her company that night.  She’s really a true kindred spirit!  Thanks so much for your friendship, Jenny!

To finish off the trivia bits (in the previous post I shared about Isela), I’d like to share 5 things I learned about Jenny:

  1. She looks great in the color purple!
  2. She’s very diligent about her daily exercize…100 pushups!…not even if I tried, lol…
  3. She loves to laugh and giggle. :)
  4. She’s extremely giving…even when she will end up going without.
  5. Her family comes first always, and she can be a ferocious mama bear when her kids need sticking up for. :)

Here are 5 things I learned about Sam:

  1. He’s got a great sense of humor…once the ice is broken, lol. ;)
  2. He used to be a substitute teacher.
  3. He goes through about 40,000+ pegs a MONTH!  aiaiai…
  4. He’d rather read a book than watch a movie…especially a Jim Carey one ;)
  5. He’s extremely polite and opens doors for his wife! :D   I know…awwwwwwww!

Well…that’s about it for now…except to remind you to be watching for our smiling faces and loomy projects in the new infomercial that should be making it’s debut the week of Thanksgiving on most major networks, including your local and DIY channels.  It will be just like we’re popping by to chat about looming for a bit, right in your own living room, lol! ;D 

Have a wonderful week!

Bethany~

…a walk on the WILD side~

Published November 15, 2009 Crafting , Family Fun , Just Because , Kids 1 Comment

First of all I have to tell you…my computer has been slowly dying…one cyber cell at a time.  We finally had to take it off life support the other day after a power surge.  This gave me the extra incentive I needed to hurry up and get my awesome new racecar of a computer up and running on our home network.  We’ve been a little bit out of commission while figuring things out.  I’m extremely happy to say that I’ve been able to do this entire post, downloading/uploading/editing pics and video, completely from the new compy!  Let me tell you…it’s FAST!  I think I love it, lol.  Now I just have to get all the programs and drivers up to date and then all will be good…

My Niece’s baby shower was yesterday and we had a lot of fun!  She received a ton of really lovely baby gifties…one of which was crafted by me! ;)   Here’s some pics of the box that I painted and mod-podged with the cute stickers on Friday:

Monkey LoveBox closeupHer baby shower theme was “Jungle Animals” and you would not believe the tons of super cuteness out there for babies along this idea! 

Cute…Cute…Cute!

The monkey was from my daughter Megan…she wanted the soon to be arriving addition to the family, Tristan, to start early with the monkey love, lol! ;)

The clouds were added using a pouncer brush and just tap-tapping away until they were the shape desired.  It really gives it a 3-D look, doesn’t it?

I’m going to have to make more of these little boxes…it was kinda hard to let it go, lol.  But I knew it was going to a good home, and will be used and loved. :)

My other Niece, Katie, organized the shower, and let me tell you…it was such a fun time!  We had a relay race with baby dolls, diapers, peanut butter sandwiches and a clothesline!  My sister, Tammy, beat me at the final stretch, lol!  I have to chalk that up to her having way more recent baby experience than me, what with being a new grandma, and all!  (hehehe..just had to get my comeuppance, lol!)

Jungle CakesKatie, her brother, Chris, and his girlfriend Mesato, created these super cute jungle animal cupcakes…just check out this genius!  So fantastic!  I really think they should think about a catering business on the side…

 

 

 To top off the night…what do you think we all do as soon as the three of us girlies walk in the door from the shower??  We play with the helium balloons, of course! What else, lol?  I think you might get a real kick out of this video…you’ll see us in a whole different light, LOL!  ;) **edited to add: please don’t think we condone drug use in any form! hehehe…just a little quirky humor…

Hope you had fun watching!  I’ll be posting about our loomy mystery project part 2 tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Bethany~

Fun Pics from Halloween~

Published November 5, 2009 Family Fun , Holidays , Kids , Spooky Things 3 Comments

Halloween Fun 2009

November LAL Fun~

Published November 2, 2009 Free Loom Patterns , Knitting , Loom Alongs , Loom Knitting 2 Comments

PrettyPedsRemember these beauties??

Well…we thought we’d spread the joy of wearing princess gear on your feet, as well as knitting with the simply amazing EvenKnit Sock Loom by Dalooms.com this month!  In the mood for pirouettes and prances?  Or just to feel very pretty as you go about your household duties?  Or need a wonderful giftie for someone special?  Well…this is the time for all of the above!

Here are the places to join in on the LAL:

Decor Accents Chat Group

Gettin’ it Pegged Loom Knitter’s Chat Clique

Ravelry Monthly Loom Along

Pretty Peds KK side with fade…not had a chance to order your EvenKnit Loom yet?  Or anxiously waiting for it to arrive at your doorstep?  Well…we’ve even thought of that!  You can adjust the pattern to match the gauge of the fine gauge loom that you are planning on using… AND I’ve just managed to whip up the alternate Knifty Knitter pink “scarf” loom instructions! :D   See the Pretty Ped pic in blue up above…yep!  That’s it! There’s no excuses now…you’ll just have to grab a loom and join in on the fun.  Hope to see ya’ there!

Bethany~

Part One of the “Mystery Project” Unveiled!

Published October 30, 2009 Loom Knitting , Looming Patterns , New Projects , Project Preview 14 Comments

What does a girl say when she’s been away from her bloggie for an unprecedented 2 weeks???  Does she say life has been chaotic and she just couldn’t grab the extra few minutes to pop onto her computer with all pics at the ready and chat a while with you?  Does she say that her daughters have been monopolizing all available computer time with their online schooling and homework?  Yarn Ends! yeah...Does she say that she’s been so busy knitting up a storm that there has not been a moment to spare to even collect her thoughts, let alone coherently write about them here? On the Plane...Does she say that she’s been jet-setting across state lines and meeting interesting and exciting people, while working on a heretofore top-secret loomy project?

Well…I could really take my pick of the above, as they’re all true! :)  

As I won’t bore you with the hum drum details of fighting over the computer with my girlies, and the every day pressing matter of trying to unpack bits of my life from the boxes in which they have been hiding ever since our move last month…I’ll get right onto the more juicy tidbits of what I’ve been doing while I was away…sound good to you?

Well…The most exciting piece of news is that I’ve been involved in a project for Provo Crafts!  They’re in the process of polishing up their promotions for the Knifty Knitter Looms, and the first stage of that is a brand new world-wide (gulp!) infomercial…of which yours truly got to participate in!  I know…crazy, right??  The best part of this whole deal is that I got to travel to Salt Lake City, Utah,  to meet and work with our own Isela Phelps, who is also a part of this new promotion.  Super splenderific, right?!  :D   The other best part:  since we were there, not a half hour from another loomy favorite, we planned to get together with a loomy threesome...the very sweet Jenny Stark (Guppy Girl!) and her hubby for dinner after the taping was complete.  It was one of the most enjoyable times I’ve ever had…both ladies are everything I’d hoped they would be and more so!  It’s really quite amazing to meet people who you’ve only known long distance, and when you’re finally face to face, it doesn’t seem like it’s the first time…that’s when you know you’re true Kindred Spirits.  :)

Last minute makeup, lol...The infomercial is set to be shown the first of December, so be watching for it!  I didn’t get much sleep the night before, as I had to get up at 3am to catch the plane… long story, lol… SO, if you notice that I’m all puffy and red-eyed, and can’t string a coherent thought together, this would be why, lol! ;)  Isela, Producer Beau and myself...

Isela, on the other hand, was both professional and stunning… flashing the camera and everyone around with her amazing mega-watt smile!  :D   It was truly a pleasure to get to hang with her for the day.

The infomercial will be jam-packed with loomy goodies from several designers including:Shannon Irling hard at work Shannon Erling, Anne Bipes, Isela, and myself.  Many of these I’m sure you’ll be able to recognize, so keep your eyes peeled for your favorite projects!  It was so fun getting to see so many models sporting our pieces and strutting their stuff in front of the camera…what a surreal experience!

There will be several new pieces to be seen as well…such as:Ruff-les and Stripes from the front

RUFF-les & Stripes Doggie Set!

Ruff-Ruffles & Stripes Set!

 

 Ruffles and Stripes hat

hehehe…I’m not that great in hats, just wanted to let you get a look at what the shaping looks like while wearing. ;)

Scarfie to match my Half Fingered Gloves!

Okay… I have to say that I love these Half Fingered Gloves (pattern by Karen Gielen) and the colors they’re made in.  I pretty much always find excuses to wear them, lol!  They’ve been laundered, blocked and shaved numerous times, and still look great!  (Thanks, Karen!)  When the producers needed a basic scarf for the infomercial, I just knew that now was the time to give my favorite snuggies a buddy.  So, onto my looms went the same yarn, and soon I had this marvelously stripey scarf… L-O-V-E it!  I have a new thing to find excuses to wear now, lol (in fact I’m wearing it now!  ;)   )  The colors just make me so happy and calm and at peace with everything…and this is a very good thing.

Isela and Bethany during the taping...Well…There is still one more piece to the puzzle before the complete mystery is revealed (well…there might still possibly be a couple in the works…we’ll see & I’ll be sure and let you know). This will entail another trip on a plane and another visit with my wonderful best loomy buds ever…BIG SMILE from me! :D

**Little extra tidbits:  5 Things I Learned About Isela:Isela and Bethany, meeting for the first time! edit

  1. She’s every bit as fun and lively as she is online!
  2. She loves to eat!  It’s amazing that as tiny as she is, how healthy her appetite can be, lol. 
  3. One of her favorite shows on TV to watch is The Nanny with FranIsela modelling a new way to use the Felted Basket Bag, lol Drescher- hehehe…I’ll always remember this, Isela!
  4. She’s very good at meeting people and being warm and open with them… she was friends with everyone on the set before the day was done. 
  5. She has a wonderful, quirky sense of humor! ;)

After the next phase of the project, I’ll be able to give you 5 things I learned about Miss Jennifer Stark…something to really look forward to! :D

One last thing:  Happy Halloween, everybody!  Wooly Felted Pumpkins with Spencer the SpiderI hope you’re all ready for trick-or-treating and pumpkin’ carving fun… I just love this time of year!  I also wanted to remind you that you can find a Wooly Felted Pumpkin pattern here at the site, just itching to be worked up on your looms…it’s quick and easy and something that’s great to display clear through Thanksgiving!  Spencer the Spider is one you’ll be able to whip up in a quick jiffy to add to your Halloween decor, or a last-minute touch to your costume…he can be made in about a half hour, tops!

So what are you waiting for?  Happy Haunting!

Bethany~

The Sneak…

Published October 14, 2009 Family Fun , Holidays , Life 1 Comment

This is the danger of trying to stock up on Halloween Candy before the last minute…I found this note stuck inside a torn hole of this bag of goodies:

Child's Play Candy...

I think it’s hilarious that the bag of candy is labeled “Child’s Play”, lol!  I think Halloween brings out the kid in all of us, don’t you??  ;)

Bethany~

Birthday Blessings~

Published October 12, 2009 Birthdays , Crafting , Family Fun , Kids Crafting , Life , Movies , Pets 7 Comments

Well…as many of you know already, yesterday was my 38th birthday!  :)   I’m not really one who loathes these things…actually, any reason to have some fun is great with me, lol!  Once I got past my 30th birthday, which came at a really troublesome time in my life, and probably really affected my ability to be happy about turning the 30-something corner, every other one has been a breeze.  My 38th one was no exception!

Since it fell on a Sunday, we kind of made the whole weekend a fun celebration, starting with Friday.  I traveled to my hometown to get my hair done and be generally pampered by my favorite beautician (thanks, Jeannine!) and then on Saturday, the girlies and I had a day of craftiness and fun in our new hometown.  We first went to the Great Pumpkin Event at Michaels Crafts, each creating our own spooky pumpkins, which you can see below in the pics.  After that, we went to lunch, explored a new antique shop (this is one of our family’s favorite hobbies…we’ve raised our girls right, wouldn’t you say??) and then checked out a new yarn store: Shibori Dragon, which I believe I saw at the Sock Summit, and which is actually stocked with much, much more than just yarn!  It has beads, embroidery goods, and fabrics as well…most of which are specialties from Japan…very nice place to hang out! :)

Sunday, my hubby took me to a very nice breakfast, then we planned on going to Lattin’s Country Cider Mill (one of our family’s yearly traditions), but after doing a little grocery shopping, waiting for my youngest girlie to finish baking a cake ;) , and walking the bunny, it was really too late to try to fit the cider mill in.  We decided to give this fun event the time it needed, and thus move it to next weekend, and headed off to a movie instead: 9.  It was really very interesting, kinda spooky, and very visually impressive.

Before the movie, we had cake made mostly by my youngest, which was absolutely delish and amazingly creative!  She crafted it into a jack o lantern pumpkin…out of a heart cake pan!  Isn’t that just clever??  And let me tell you, it was absolutely melt in your mouth goodness of Devil’s Food Chocolate…mmmmmm!  See the pics for one of the most awesome birthday cakes ever…

Another absolutely amazing thing?  My eldest daughter (with some creative juices from my younger thrown in) created this tiny sock money out of itsy bitsy crochet…all her own design, with no pattern!  I swear she needs to sell these little things, don’t you think?  She put on the little green bow because it’s her favorite fuzzy yarn, and it looks like a Dr Suess bow tie…cute, huh?   She knows I have a thing for sock monkeys and have never yet had one of my own.  Now I do!  :D

Here are the pics of one of the most enjoyable birthday weekends ever, spent with my favorite loved ones and blessings all around:

Bethany's 38th B-Day funI hope your upcoming week is filled with just as many wonders…

Bethany~

…another idea!

Published October 10, 2009 Knitting , Life , Loom Knitting , Looming Patterns , New Projects , Peggin' Pages 3 Comments

I was cruising through my (sadly, rather large) backlog of emails this morning, when I found a link to a pattern from Berroco… it’s a really very useful pattern for needle knitting… an ice pick glove! Now, you really must click on the link, so that you can see what I’m talking about, and then come right back here, K?  Go on ahead… just don’t forget to come back for the punch line, K? ;)

Are you back now??  Did you get a good look?  Cute idea, isn’t it?  Let me show you something else that will be of the utmost interest to us loom knitters out there:

Bath Mitt from the Spa Set~

Bath Mitt from the Spa Set~

Doesn’t this little item from the Spa Set found in the Peggin’ Pages look just like it could be used as the same kind of thing?

Let me tell you as the maker of this little design that YES!  It would be perfect for it!

All you would do is cinch the finger tip area up around the ice pick edge using a gathered bind off, rather than sealing it closed upon itself… couldn’t be easier!

What a great idea for a Christmas gift, right?

It’s so funny that this was in my email box today, because just a few days before, an idea popped into my head about this very same Bath Mitt.  Actually the idea was inspired by the true life events of my friend GuppyGirl, who has been experiencing quite a few reasons lately in her household to have need of this little trick:

FAM_ICE_BAG_RUBBER_9-1946This is a pic of the exact ice bag that I own a pair of… twin ice buddies that have come in very handy for assorted surgeries and bumps and bruises.

The only thing is that you can’t really use it straight on the skin… it’s just too cold, and it tends to condensate, leaving you all damp as well as cold, lol!

The answer??  Just slip this baby inside the Bath Mitt and then fill it with ice…voila!  Ice bag cozy!

Bath MittSo, now that I’ve inspired you (hopefully, lol!) to set out upon a journey of bath mitt making frenzy… are you wondering where to find the pattern for this very versatile little item?

Just click right here to the Peggin’ Pages and scroll down until you see the Spa Set… it’s actually 3 patterns in one, and thus a very good deal. ;)

Have a wonderful weekend!

(I know I will: my family is making a journey to the pumpkin patch on Sunday…which is also my birthday!  I just love birthdays, lol!)

Bethany~

Tip for Tuesday~

Published October 6, 2009 Crochet , Knitting , Loom Knitting , Product Review 3 Comments

It’s happened to the best of us…

We fall in love with a special knitted item, be it sweater, mitts or bag, and then we proceed to use this favorite fibery goodie every chance we get…I know I’ve done it many times, lol! ;)

But, alas…before long, all that sumptuous softness is displaying itself  in pills and snags.  Your smart design is now blurred and fuzzy.  I’ve tried to remedy this in the past with shavers you can pick up from clothing stores, etc, but none seemed to really do the trick…until I found this little beauty:

Defuzz Shaver by DritzSee how’s all scattered with bits of fuzz and fluff?

That’s because I put it to the test…a big one!  My most fuzziest of all favorite purses, the Braided Cable Bag.  Braided Cables Bag-angle viewI’ve loved this baggie to pieces, literally, and I thought for sure I’d have to make a brand new one before I could again enjoy this as my traveling companion.

But guess what?  I found this shaver in a fabric store (Joann) and thought I’d give it a try…it’s Dritz brand, so I thought that maybe it would be a little more powerful than the cheaper versions I’d had disappointing run ins with before.  I was right!  :)   The little holes are a bit bigger than the norm and the motor seems quite strong and puts up with long sessions of de-fuzzing without burning out.  I was so sold on it’s good qualities that I thought I’d pass the tip along to you! (fyi: just be sure to not get too deep with your shaving, as it’s kind of addicting, and I wouldn’t want you to slice through the actual fibers you need to hold your item together, lol! )

Here’s a few before and after pics for you to see for yourself how good it worked for me:

Defuzz before & after rosettesDefuzz before & after strapDefuzz shaver encircled

I hope this helps you be able to get out those old fuzzy favorites that you just couldn’t bear to part with, but still love as much as the day you first laid eyes on them.

Enjoy!

Bethany~

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