Destash Necklace

I've been trying to reduce the clutter in our house. What does that have to do with this necklace? you might be wondering. Well, I was looking at my craft room the other day, thinking that I had a ton of supplies for crafts that I rarely do anymore. Wouldn't it be nice to try to reduce my stash by making items that I'd actually use. I used up a lot of my charms and chains on this piece. Nowhere near all of them, but, a significant dent in the bunch, none the less.

I used washers, nuts, fossils, shells, pearls, gears, keys, crystals, beads, brass stampings, a locket, a cameo, and anything else that caught my eye. The theme of this necklace is light and dark...hence, the color separation. I have a feeling it will be a perpetual work-in-progress as I change the charms around and add new ones.

Veggies!

The blueberry and raspberry bushes that I ordered came in the other day! Yay! But, it's a bit early to plant anything. We had snow just a few days back! Now I'm really getting impatient for the warm weather to show up. The seeds we planted are starting to sprout, and I'm having to cut back the seedlings. I didn't expect some of my old seeds to be so prolific, but I'm definitely not disappointed that they all seem to be sprouting.

So, I'll go back to studying my cookbooks until I can do more with my garden, in the sincere hope that I'll know what to do with my bounty by time it arrives. =)

Tiny Tomes

With all that's been happening this last week, I'm surprised that I got anything done. But, I did. A handful (literally) of new, tiny journals. Well, two tiny journals and three really tiny journals. =)

Time For Planting

We're having another go at a vegetable and flower garden. This will be our third, and, hopefully our most successful, year of gardening. Growing up, I only had ornamental plants, so this is an adventure that I've only recently embarked upon...growing food. It's so rewarding!

Anyway...we planted all of the plants that will need transplanting...peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, eggplant, etc. Some of them will go into our garden plot, others will be part of a container garden on the patio. I figure I'll be better inclined to take care of plants that aren't that far of a walk...so, at least some have to be close. I sincerely hope my desire to have a crop to harvest will outweigh my tendencies to procrastinate my plants to death. =)

We've also ordered raspberry bushes and a small blueberry plant from Gurney's. Even when it's in season, I can never seem to find fruit in the grocery stores around here that isn't hours away from rotting (or rotting already), so this will be ideal.

Busy Hands

I've been trying really hard to not begin any new projects without finishing the ones that are already in-process. Yeah. I haven't been succeeding at that. Now, I only have three projects going right now...a queen-sized quilt and two dolls...but, I've completed no fewer than twenty-seven items since the first of the year. Since last Friday, I have made four hats and finished off some yarn.

The hats vary in size, depending on how many scraps I had that were similar. I tried to keep all the yarn in each hat of the same weight. Overall, I'm really happy with them as an exercise in stash-busting. I'm hoping to do a craft show in the next year, so they're contributing to my stock. Of course, they may just end up as gifts.

I picked up the fiber for this yarn at the Michigan Fiber Festival last August. It's about 4 ounces of a merino-silk-bamboo blend. It's about 330 yards and averages 13-14 wpi. I'm sending it to my mom as an early Mother's Day gift. It was such a dream to spin and it'll be difficult to part with. Guess I'll have to get more this summer. =)

American Idiot

I'm a huge Green Day fan. One of the first CDs I bought with my allowance, much to my mother's chagrin, was Dookie. I made sure never to play that when she could hear it because, somehow, I had gotten my young hands on an unedited copy (I was 11 when it was released). I had a falling out with my boys when their music took on a more political tone...but, only because I was so apathetic to the topic. Over the past few years, I've caught back up with them, ideologically speaking. And, wouldn't you know it, I love them more than ever! Well, like any good punk rocker, I needed a band patch for my bag or jacket. Like any good crafter, I made one for myself.

I used variegated cotton thread to give a camouflage appearance, and I made it pink so it matches my jacket. Of course, right now, it's pinned to my bag.