Crafts | Bead Happily Ever After

Joie de Vivre

Posted on September 14, 2010 by crystal

They say if you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life!

Easier said than done – but oh so true.

I was recently reminded of this fact in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. Sir Beads and I had spent that morning doing weekend chores and then spontaneously agreed it was too nice a day to spend inside – so we went for a drive. As we motored through the quaint town center of a neighboring area, I suddenly spotted a Yarn Shop that I’d never seen before. I burst into a delighted cry of, “Oh wow, look at that!” Sir Beads smiled and quickly snagged a parking spot. (The man is a saint, I tell ya!)

As I opened the door of the shop, a little sign informed me that it was 5 minutes ’til closing. I explained to the lady who met me at the entrance that I’d just stopped to take a peek, and if I could spend 2 minutes scanning the store, I’d at least know what was available for a future visit.

She assured me it was no problem – she and her co-worker had some restocking to do. They’d simply lock the door after I entered, and I could stay as long as I wanted! (Sir Beads too, of course. Yep, he’s definitely a saint.)

These ladies were so very dear and so anxious for me to love their shop as much as they obviously did. I got the grand tour and seeing the joie de vivre – the joy in living – these ladies exuded, left me with no doubt – they LOVED their jobs!

And what did I think of the shop? OMG, it was fabulous!

So many kinds of beautiful yarn – many of which I’d heard about, but was never able to find! You know I left with a few. 😉

I plan to make some “one-skein” items with these beautiful yarns, which are made of bamboo and sugar cane.

And I have a plan for the pretty charcoal grey and light tan you see here.

I’m thinking of a couple of new friends for this little guy. (You can read about him here).

But back to the yarn shop . . .
Those ladies made quite an impression on me. Their enthusiasm was magnetic. They reminded me of something I already knew . . .

Finding the joy, in whatever you do, is the secret to happiness! 😀

Hugs,

Circles and Squares

Posted on September 2, 2010 by crystal

Remember a couple of months ago when I showed you these?

I had whipped them up one evening as I was ~~delaying~~ waiting to make dinner. 😉 I called the post Playing Hooky and you can find it here.

Since then, they’ve acquired a few new friends….

I plan to make a pillow – I’ve even bought the pillow form – but I still need to make the reverse side.

At the same time, I’m working on a coordinating pillow that, believe it or not, will be round when it’s finished!

This summer has been a little on the warm side to have yarn on my lap, but there’s nothing like a cool autumn evening to squeeze in a little relaxation . . . and knit or crochet or do anything else you think is fun! 🙂

Smiles,

Playing Hooky

Posted on June 16, 2010 by crystal

There are days when you just need to break away from the old routine. Am I right? 😉

Yesterday, when I should have been making dinner, I decided to play hooky for an hour.

Well, not the usual kind of hooky . . .

I was actually using a hook!

The yarn on the bottom left might look dark blue on your screen – but it’s a beautiful shade of teal, in person.

Anyway, I had finished 4 squares before Sir Beads raised an eyebrow, which means he’s wondering if dinner is scheduled for the near future – ahem! 😉

“What will this be eventually?”, you ask.

I really don’t know yet, but I’m thinking throw pillow, maybe.

So Kids . . . play hooky soon – by doing whatever will give you a few restful moments.

Dinner can always be a little late! 😉

Hugs,

eeks!!!!

Posted on June 8, 2010 by crystal

My recent post about “woman or mouse” reminded me that I had a pattern for a tiny knitted mouse tucked away.

It looked quick and easy – so I put it in my folder of TV Time projects!

I actually think knitted mice, fabric mice, or mouse figurines are adorable! They make really sweet ornaments, too!

After all, you gotta have a mouse near the Christmas tree for – you know – “Not a creature was stirring . . . ”!

All that being said, I am afraid of real mice! 😉 Silly, yes?

Well, here’s the little guy. And the pattern is here.

Why oh why didn’t I remember to put something else into the photo, so you’d be able to see how small he is??? Duh!

He’s about the size of an egg. 😀

One last thing . . .

If, on a “dark and stormy night” (as Snoopy might say), I ever happened to awake and see a little face like this staring at me . . .

Well, let’s just say you’d probably hear me screaming wherever you are! 😉

Hugs,
Crystal

Mopsy and Me

Posted on April 30, 2010 by crystal

Last week, as I was tidying up my work table, I had a decision to make . . . Should I just put everything away?

There were supplies and extra fabric for an item I made at Easter.

Remember “Pamela Cottontail”?

Even though, I had cut out enough pieces for two bunnies, here it was weeks later and I still hadn’t gotten around to making the second one – time flies!

As I held the pattern pieces in my hands, I decided it would be easier to go ahead and make a second one while the supplies were still out. If I put them away, it would be harder to gather them in the future.

So, I began with every intention of creating a “brother” (Peter!) for Little Pamela. There was just one problem. The second bunny wasn’t looking much like a boy by the time I was finished. Her vest was too fancy!

What to do? Well, I figured Pamela could use a sister, too, so I made her a girly hat, and named her “Mopsy”! 🙂

Well, Kids, after I went on and on yesterday about comments, Carapace said there should be a way to “subscribe” to comments! And of course she was right!

So, I put on my thinking cap, and now you’ll find a new button in the sidebar to click on – if you’d like to subscribe to the comments, here. (As always, the orange button is for subscribing to the blog posts)

May your weekend be fun and relaxing . . .

all at the same time! 😀

Hugs for all,