Red, White, and Blue "Geeky" Moment

Ok. I'm going to be a geek here for a moment.  A "Big Trouble in Little China" movie geek to be exact.

A few months ago, I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased several things to make a 4th of July wreath for 2013.  I don't ever actually recall owning or making a wreath for Independence Day so this year I wanted to change that and put out something festive.  I finally got around to putting it together this weekend and I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out.  I think that it will be great for Memorial Day and/or Veteran's Day as well.

So how does this relate to my geeky movie moment, you ask?  Well, I had spread my items on my kitchen table and was looking everything I bought when I started thinking about all the red, white, and blue that was going to go on my wreath.  For some strange reason, a quote from "Big Trouble in Little China", a favorite movie of mine from years ago that I still watch periodically even today, popped into my head.  (It's a guilty pleasure.)  The line is, "Here's to America's colors, the colors that never run."  My geeky brain thought that this was very appropriate for the upcoming holiday and fueled my efforts to get this wreath completed as soon as possible.  I finished it up this morning, gluing it into place and proudly displaying it on my front door.

It's a silly reference but it got me motivated to complete my wreath.  Now, I think I'm going to go watch the movie with my hubby.

A New Addiction? Hmmm...Maybe

For the first week after my husband's surgery, my mother-in-law came to stay with us and help out any way she could.  Now, unlike some unfortunate wives, I have a great mother-in-law and enjoy her company.  We actually have a lot in common but the most obvious is our love of crafts.  So of course, since she was going to be staying with us for a week, she brought along a couple of projects that she has been working on, one of which is a latch-hook rug.

Now I've seen the standard latch-hook rug kits in Hobby Lobby in the past but I've never actually tried one.  Most of the time, the available kits are more simplistic patterns like smiley faces, tie die spirals, ladybugs, etc.  I was looking for something a little less cartoon-ish or child centric.  Before ordering online, however, I decided to go ahead and see what kits were available at Hobby Lobby since it had been quite some time since I last checked.  Much to my surprise, I found a really pretty kit of Daisies and Poppies.  I snatched it off the shelf (it was the last one) and headed home with it and my brand new straight latch hook.

 

I started separating the threads of yarn as soon as I got home and realized just how big my new project is going to be.  There's a LOT of small pre-cut yarn pieces in the box!  My Daisies and Poppies rug is going to be approximately 36 inches by 30 inches.  Pretty good size for my very first latch hook project!  Apparently, in this case, I didn't believe in starting out small!

 My mother-in-law was nice enough to help me get started and showed me how to use the latch hook.  I'm still trying to figure out how I want to proceed with completing the design.  My mother-in-law prefers to work one column at a time while the directions state to move horizonally, row by row.  I actually think I am going to try doing small blocks at a time but that may change as I move along.  If anyone has ever tried this craft, I'd love to hear how you prefer to proceed through the pattern.

My Handsome Pip...

...And sweet Casey

Oh, and I would be a terrible fur-mommy if I didn't mention that my sweet Casey and handsome Pip also helped with my new project.  Pip especially loved the yarn and had to make sure that I was separating the colors correctly!

I'm not sure just yet if this will be my newest craft obsession/addiction but I definitely am looking forward to seeing how my rug progresses!

Playing with Color

Over the last several weeks, I have been working on a deco mesh wreath for my front door.  It started as a project for spring but then I fell in love with the pink and orange striped deco mesh from Hobby Lobby.  I knew it would be perfect for summer but I wanted to create one wreath for both seasons.  It needed to have accents for both spring and summer.

I started working on it in late March but could not locate the perfect shade of green ribbon.  I made several trips to various craft stores but the strong pink and orange colors overpowered most light or lime green ribbons that I found and made them appear yellow and washed out.  I finally found a thick, double-sided satin ribbon that I think is working.  It’s green on one side and aqua blue on the other.  The blue does not really show but even if it does, I believe it will tie in the floral print ribbon as it has a similar shade of blue.  The only problem seems to be that it is a non-wired ribbon and does tend to flop about a bit more than a wired ribbon.  But, overall, I think it goes well with the pink and orange mesh and yellow sunflowers.  I found a few light green hydrangea flowers that I separated and added to the wreath to help tone down the overwhelming pinkness of it all.

My spring/summer deco mesh wreath

I have not glued it in place yet but I think I'm about ready to do so and get it up on my front door!  If I don't, spring will be gone!  As we say in the cross-stitching world, I don't want this WIP (work-in-progress) to become a UFO (unfinished object)!  What do you think of the green highlights?  Does it work?

Rainy Weekend Projects

This weekend was one of cooler temperatures, windy conditions, and almost 4 inches of rain.  There were areas of local flooding, overturned trees and power lines, and rising rivers and streams.  But…aside from these nasty problems some unfortunate people were dealing with, it was also the perfect weather to make you want to stay inside and work on crafts!  And that’s exactly what I did!

I did venture out on Friday afternoon after work to meet a friend at a local Hobby Lobby store.  She’s putting together two deco mesh wreaths for her mom and mother-in-law for the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday.  I met her to help pick out accessories to add to both wreaths.  She already had a good idea of what she wanted to do, including the base colors, but needed help deciding on how to make each more cohesive.  We wore out the floor walking back and forth in that store, pushing a cart around for almost two hours.  Two.  Hours.  Now, I like Hobby Lobby as much as the next crafty girl but that was a really long time to be in one shop!  But…we did get everything she needed to work on her projects this weekend and I think her mom and mother-in-law will be very surprised.

After dinner Friday night, I ventured over to her house to help her get started.  One wreath is a really cute ladybug-themed project with a punch of yellow to add some additional color.  (I may have to do one myself!)  The other is a jewel-toned, wine-themed wreath for a dining room.  It’s really large and includes a photo frame to hold a family portrait.  I think both ladies will be very pleased.  I was glad that I could assist and see her ideas begin to spring to life.  I can’t wait to see what they look like when finished.


Moving along


Saturday and Sunday were my “hermit” days.  I didn’t set foot out of my house on either day.  I had everything I needed at home:  cross-stitch, craft and garden magazines, movies, my fur-babies, and my awesome hubby.  In between a lot of reading and movie-watching, I mostly worked on the small cross-stitch design that I started last week to try to make it into a card.  It’s the one on the bright lime green Aida fabric and uses the bright, funky bird pattern.  I got quite a bit completed and I’m thinking I may give it to my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day.  She and my younger brother-in-law will be visiting from out of town this coming weekend.  I’m hoping to finish it by Friday.  I already have the card making supplies but I really need to find something unique to write on the inside of the card.  Hmmm….

As a side note, today is the fifth of May, a Mexican holiday known as Cinco de Mayo.  Per Wikipedia, “it is celebrated in the U.S. and in parts of Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla.  It originated with Mexican-American communities in the American West as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War, and today the date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.  In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.”

Happy Cinco de Mayo to you all!