Happy Little Things

In an effort to keep my own spirits up and appreciate the good things around me, I've decided to once again start posting the little things for which I'm thankful.  In the future, I'll probably do this post on Fridays, but this week, I thought it should be today.

Since I've been alone for the month of January, I've had lots of time to work on crochet and knitting projects.  Unfortunately, I'm in the midst of about half a dozen time-consuming projects, so I'm making progress but not getting finished products to share just yet.  However, I am enjoying myself.

I've been knitting away...

Currently, I'm working on a scarf that is a combination of knit and crochet.  I started it back in Georgia, but it's super duper slow progress since the yarn is so thin.  I'm excited to see the finished product though.

I've also been spending some time with my favorite furry guys.  Murphy and Duke are such sweet company.  My constant companions put a smile on my face daily...

Know what else can put a smile on your face?

A nice fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies made from scratch.  Yum yum. :)  

Sometimes I just need to remind myself to look around and recognize all the little blessings I have.  All too often, I completely overlook them.  It's the little things that come together to really make you smile.

What little things have helped make your day (or week) lately?

Life Lately

One of the reasons for my blogging absence lately has been the fact that I've felt like I must lead the most boring life in the world.  Yes, I took a trip home to Georgia for the holidays, and I enjoyed every minute of it, but I didn't take as many still photos as I would have liked.  I was preoccupied living in the moment and taking a few videos instead.  When the time came to leave Georgia and come back to Hawaii, I came alone.  Kent had to go to a school for the month, so it was just me and the dogs when I got back.

Me and the dogs.  I love those furry guys, but they don't provide much conversation.

The friends I have here are wonderful, but everyone is usually doing their own thing... work, kids, spending time with their husbands, etc.  It makes it hard to plan things and find times to get together.

With that combination, it's given me a lot of time with my own thoughts.  Sometimes I really enjoy lots of time with my own thoughts, but sometimes it's not so good.  This time has been a little difficult for me.

Usually when the husband is away, I keep myself busy and occupied by getting into a daily routine.  Get up, work out, walk dogs/go to the park, run errands, craft/work, eat, more work/crafts, eat, walk dogs, read, sleep.  In the past, that routine has always worked well, and I usually really enjoy it.  However, this time has been a little different.

Perhaps it is the sadness left over from leaving family, the stress of coming back to the island alone, knowing my Grandfather is going to have a major surgery soon and I can't be there, or worrying about an upcoming and fast approaching deployment, but something has brought back my unwelcome guest.... anxiety, and sometimes his fellow, equally unwelcome companion, panic.

The constant feeling of worry-- even over things that I know to be ridiculous-- has really worn me down.  For two weeks, I've walked around feeling exactly the same way I would feel if I were about to give a speech in front of 500 people.  Nervous. Shaky. Scared. A little dizzy.  Needing to take deep calming breaths.  I can't begin to tell you how annoying it has become.

Feeling these things has made me lose interest in some of the things I usually enjoy, and I find myself wanting to read more for a temporary "escape."  With that being said, it's easy to see how I haven't had a whole heck of a lot to say in blog posts lately.  I can't very well tell you how I read all day, worked on a crochet blanket, and didn't cook anything... haha.  It's a little too boring.

I feel a twinge of embarrassment as I write this because anxiety is something that's usually not a topic of conversation.  It's generally kept "hush hush," as people who don't understand it see it as a weakness.  I felt the need to share, though, because it's not a weakness.  It's not something anyone can control, and it's certainly not something anyone chooses.  I wanted to share this in hopes that it might make someone else dealing with the same thing feel less alone.

For me, I'm currently feeling like the worst of this particular "spell" has passed.  I'm feeling much better than I was, I've got more drive to work out and do the things I love, I'm excited to start new projects, and the husband should be back in less than a week... at least for a little while. :)  Hopefully this wasn't a "depressing" post... just one to help explain my absence.

Hope you all are doing well and taking care!

Granny Square Creation

I feel like I should apologize for being such a bad blogger lately.  I took a full month-long hiatus.  During that time, I spend more time with family, visited home in Georgia, and came back to Hawaii attempting to get back into the swing of things.  It was nice to not feel like I had to be on the computer at least once every day spending hours in a virtual world.  Face to face relationships were the priority, and blogs, tweets, editing photos, and the sort all faded into the background.  It was a nice little break, but I found myself missing my outlet to express my creativity and thoughts.  So.... here I am.  I hope you guys didn't completely forget about me.  :)

I thought I would kickstart my return to the blogosphere with a new project that I'm a wee bit excited about.  Last week, I finally decided on something I wanted to get with my Christmas money.  I had been debating back and forth on whether or not I wanted an iPad that bad.  I couldn't stop thinking about it though, and since it had been forever since I'd splurged on something I didn't really need, I decided to go for it.  I brought it home and LOVED it, so I decided it needed a cute, one-of-a-kind, home for safekeeping while it sat around the house.  And since my ongoing obsession with crochet has yet to dwindle, I thought I'd put it to use.

This is what I came up with.

Right now, I'm really loving old fashioned granny squares, but I had never made anything with them, so I decided to give it a whirl.  I Googled and looked at my handy-dandy crochet and knitting buddy Ravelry.com for patterns, but I had no luck.  I just had to make one up.

First, I decided my case, sleeve, or whatever you want to call it, should have a thick soft liner.  Since I had some extra tan fleece material laying around, I decided to use it.  I doubled the fleece over, and then folded it smoothly again, then I placed my iPad on top and cut about an inch around the three cut sides. (I left the folded side because it would be less work for sewing later.)

I didn't take photos of every step, so this is more or less a general guide.  If you've never sewn anything like my fleece sleeve, you could research making a pillowcase or pillow, and it would be the same concept. 

To me, the double thickness of the fleece felt perfect.  It will offer a bit more protection from slight bumps.

My next step was the artsy part of it.  I wanted to add a granny square cover to the fleece lining.  I had one failed attempt the first time, as it turned out too big, but I eventually figured it out.  Plus, you'll notice I changed my mind about the colors.) My first granny square photos are from that attempt. :)

I made twelve old American granny squares, six for each side.

For this particular yarn and my gauge, I found that four rounds would make it too large, but three was perfect.

I used the single crochet method to join them.

When I had the face of each side joined, I joined the two sides on one of the shorter ends (two squares).  It created a piece that was two squares by six squares.  When I folded it in half, it wasn't quite wide enough for my fleece sleeve. I added two extra rows on each long side following along with the three double crochet chain one pattern, followed by one row of half-double crochet.  Then I folded the long rectangle right sides together, and joined the edges with single crochet.

This created the "pocket," or sleeve.  I wanted to add a little extra length, so I added one row of single crochet and two rows of half-double crochet around the open edge.  It was then the perfect fit for my fleece sleeve, so I used embroidery thread to sew them together.  (Thanks to the double thickness of the fleece, I couldn't make it work with a yarn needle and yarn.  You could possible do it with a lot of patience and a thimble, though.)  

When the fleece liner and the crochet outside were assembled, I decided I wanted to add a mechanism to keep the iPad from sliding out, so I sewed a button to one side (through the fleece, not just the crochet), and added a crochet loop to the other side.  When it's buttoned, the iPad isn't going anywhere.

Now I'm happy knowing that I have a one-of-a-kind case for my new favorite toy. :)

What do you guys think?

If you would like a similar case, or if you would like one to give as a gift, shoot me an e-mail at TailstoTell [at] Live [dot] com.  I'd love to talk about it with you and make it happen. :)

No-Slip Slippers

Since I made the moccasins for my Mimi the other day, I decided to create a few more pairs for Christmas gifts.  This time I decided to add some flower embellishments instead of fringe and beads.

It was my first time creating crochet flowers and leaves, but I think they turned out quite well. :)

With these slippers I learned a few new things and went back to fix some things on the moccasins.  For one, I wanted to add an inner sole, so I bought some simple insoles and sewed them in.  It added a little extra cushioning, and made them look a little more professional.

I also decided to give the slippers a no-slip bottom for safety.  The last thing in the world I'd want is for my sweet little Mimi to be wearing these and slip and hurt herself, so I did some research online to find a good solution.  I read lots of suggestions and watched a few YouTube videos, and I ended up combining several things to create my own method.

I think what I did turned out well, so I decided to share it with you guys in case anyone wants to create no-slip or non-skid crochet or knit slippers.  

Lots of people online suggested a product called Plastidip.  It's original purpose was to make the handles of tools non-slip, but many people have begun to use it in the crafting world.  

However, no one gave a really successful step-by-step tutorial.  I watched one YouTube video in which the woman slopped the stuff on with a spatula and it looked like a big mess, but seemed functional in the end.  I thought it was worth a try, but I wanted to tweak her method a bit.

First I traced my foot on some foam board and cut it out.  When inserted into the slipper, it helped keep the surface stretched and flat so the surface was easy to coat.

Next, I made a template or stencil for the no-slip area on the bottom of the slippers out of cardstock paper.  I did a simple slender foot shape, but you could easily to hearts or dots or paw prints or anything else you could dream up as long as you have the patience to cut the shapes out.  

On a covered work space, I attached the stencils to the slipper bottoms with a few small circles of tape.  Then, I used an old paint brush (old or cheap paint brushes are essential because it will RUIN the brush)  to paint within the stencil.

I painted one coat, waited thirty minutes, and then painted another semi-thick coat.

Four hours later, the slippers were ready to use with their new no-slip bottoms.

Hope this helps someone to make some fabulous non-skid slippers. :)

Moccasins for Mimi

I just finished another Christmas gift, and this one I can share with you.  I made some crochet moccasins for my sweet Mimi (my mom's mom).  Since she doesn't have a computer or the internet, I thought it would be okay to show you guys her gift before Christmas... so don't tell her! :)

Mimi isn't able to get outside very much, so my normal crochet hats and scarves wouldn't be a very good gift for her.  She does enjoy watching TV in her comfy chair, though, and she's usually wearing cozy socks or slippers while doing so.  With that in mind, I decided to branch out a little and try something different.  I decided to make some booties/slippers.

I hopped on over to my favorite crochet resource Ravelry.com, and I found a great pattern.  I wasn't sure when I decided to try it, but now I'm thinking it turned out quite well. After completing the crochet pattern, I thought it needed a little something extra, so I added the beads as a final touch.  Pretty soon, I might experiment some more and make myself a pair to lounge around in. 

What do you guys think?  A good present for a grandmother?

In the Holiday Spirit

I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting more excited about Christmas by the minute.  I've almost finished my Christmas shopping, I'm gearing up to go home for a couple of weeks, and I've put up a few Christmas decorations here in Hawaii.  

I must admit that I get a little jealous of all my friends back home with houses they own and big beautiful Christmas trees.  In our little temporary home here in Hawaii, I can't have a big tree like I really want.  Mine is just a little three foot tree that sits on a table.  I try to make the most of it though... lots of glitter and lots of sparkle!

I also added a little color outside my house by putting some lights around my door.  It makes me smile every evening when I come home.  :)

What about you guys?  Do you have a big tree, a little tree, a live tree, a pink tree?  Lights on your house?  What decorations put you in the Christmas spirit?

New Artwork!

Hello all!  I've been busy continuing to work on my Christmas gifts, and I've also finally completed a pet portrait that a friend asked me to do.  I thought I'd share it with you guys today. 

I felt so honored when I was asked to do this.  This special dog recently lost her battle with cancer, and my friend wanted to give her owners a portrait as a gift.  As soon as I received the photo to work from, I knew that Roxie had been a special dog.  Her eyes seemed to smile, and she looked so happy to have been splashing in the water at the beach.  

I hope her owners like it and will always be reminded of her sweet spirit.

What do you guys think?