Happy New Year!

Happy 2012!  It feels so great to begin a new year with exciting prospects on the horizon, and a fresh view on things to come!

I promised that I would post finished pictures of the afghans I made for each of my kids! 

So here you go!

This one I made for my oldest (and so very handsome son)! 

I made this next one for my lovely daughter!

And last but not least - this fun one for my baby!!

We had a wonderful Christmas back home with our family and friends, but it is nice to be back to our normal schedule and get some fresh and new things started!

I also have a new project on the go, and completing some unfinished projects that have been on hold!  It will feel good to get them done and crossed off my 'To-do' List.  I will post about it next time!

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Teaser!

Photo Inspiration on the project I hinted on the other day!! Can't wait to show you the end result! Enjoy this teaser for now! 1. Comfort, 2. Cold Process Felted soaps in Jasmine Scent/ Sorbet Sunset color palette by luckyloulou, 3. Felted Pebble Soap, 4. Felted Soap 096, 5. Felted Soap 092, 6. A Pile of Felted Soap Pebbles, 7. Polka Dot Felted Soap, 8. felted soap in bowl, 9. Highland Suds Felted Soap Pin It

Aussie Owl

I wanted to show you all the Owl I received from the 'Ogling Owl Swap' on Swap-Bot. I received it from Leah (MadeinMonty). It came all the way from Australia! Very Cool!

There is a Mommy Owl and a baby Owl. The baby owl fits into the pouch on the tummy of the mommy! So Australian (kangaroos!) :) Leah made the whole thing from recycled materials which is so inventive! She also included a pretty handerchief and some yummy Australian tea!
Thank you again Leah for the great package!


Since our family has moved here to the Calgary area - I have noticed that we have the most AMAZING sunrises and sunsets! I am a sucker for beautiful skies and keep taking a million pictures almost every day! Here is one taken about 2 weeks ago from my front yard! I love it and love that I captured the birds flying by!

I heart coffee!

So the greatest thing happened to me today! I was heading into town right after I dropped the kids at school to get some errands done. I decided to stop by Tim Hortons to get my coffee. I get up to the window to pay $1.79 for my Xtra Large - Single Single coffee and the employee says to me "Don't worry about paying - the lady in front of you took care of it!".

I almost fell out of my car! This has never happened to me before and I literally felt giddy with happiness and joy. That lady did this random and simple act of kindness for me and it completely changed my day.

So I thought to myself that I would love to make someone feel the way I do right now and change the way they see their day and also have them see how they then can do the same for someone else! Just like in that Mel Gibson movie - Pay it Forward. It doesn't have to be some big thing like 'Extreme Home Makeover', just a simple cup of coffee.

I encourage you to do the same next time you are in line at the grocery store, or Starbucks, or McDonalds, or anywhere!

We can change the world one caffeine addict at a time!

It's that time of year when we all go searching for the perfect wrapping paper to match our Christmas decor. Or we try and think of some different ways to wrap instead of the basic santa wrapping paper and curly ribbon! I have been looking all over the web to find some creative ideas on how to wrap this year. Here are just a few of my favorites that I have found so far!

**If you need to learn to tie a bow more complicated than the one you tie on your shoe visit here.

** This idea is so cute and such a GREAT way to recycle all those extra grocery store bags!

**Of course Martha always has good ideas and I really like this one in particular!

**If you can't find that perfect patterned paper that you want for Martha's tags above - check these out - just print the one(s) you like and voila!

**Here is a link to a huge list of ideas! Check it out!

I hope this helps you get started on your wrapping and getting those gifts ready and under the tree!

Hooters and Creepy Dolls

I haven't 'blogged' for a while so I thought I'd just do a quick one with a couple of things I have been working on this week.

I am a part of the 'Ogling Owlies' swap on Swap-Bot. For this Swap you need to make one handmade Owl using your choice of materials. I did a little research and decided to do my little owl in felt! I LOVE the way he came out! I have decided to do these owls for another swap I am in - The Handmade Christmas Ornament Swap. I will need to make 10 to send off and in return I will receive 10 different ornaments from around the world! So fun!

I also tried making a "Dotee Doll' for a 'Dotee Doll Swap'. Here she is! I called her 'Paisley'. Jamie hates her - he thinks it is creepy! I think she is 'Ugly Cute'! My daughter wanted to join in the fun and has been making some of her own!

I included a 'Sunshine' knit dishcloth with this swap, I should have taken a picture before I rolled it up so you could see the design, silly me!

I also created this little felt pouch to house all these items in. I made a cute yo-yo flower out of the same material as my Dotee Doll to embellish the front...

and I used a simple black button for the back so it could be used for stuff in the future - like makeup, purse items, whatever she likes!

I have been pretty crazy busy trying to get all of these done! I have almost completed all of my 'hooters' and hope to get them in the mail on Monday! I will post a picture of them when I have them ready to go!

Special Day

So yesterday was my birthday....I woke up to freshly brewed coffee made by my 9 year old son, and peanut butter toast (my favorite) made by my 7 year old daughter! What a great way to wake up!

My husband had to work, but surprised me with some beautiful red roses that smell great, and 2 books that had been on my wish list for awhile! The books are: "Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson & "Seams to Me" by Anna Maria Horner. They are beautiful books, with great pictures and really simple and creative patterns! I am so excited to start tackling them!

I had a great day going out for the day with my kids and then coming home to watch a movie with them. We watched "Kit Kitteredge - An American Girl" which was really sweet, even my 9 year old son thought it was great! I have the best kids ever. They are so thoughtful and wanted to make my day as special as it possibly could be!

By the way - I found my staple gun in the garage! But wouldn't you know it - I had no staples in it! So tomorrow I will make a run to the Home Depot and pick up some so I can actually finish my bench project.

I have a couple of other projects on the go right now as well. One is a knitted afghan for my adorable niece Charlotte. Now Charlotte just turned 2 years old at the end of September and I
started making her a blanket when she was born! Unfortunately my life has been full of craziness the last couple of years and knitting a blanket has been something I have not been able to focus on. But of course my sister (Charlotte's Mommy) is wondering where this 'baby blanket' is! So now that Charlotte is not a baby any more - I have decided to make her an afghan instead. I have found a pattern that I like that is pretty classic. What do you think of it?

So I have started that and it is going well. Hopefully I will complete it before she is married and I have to make her a wedding present! I'll let you know how it goes! :)

The other project I am working on is this cute knitted baby bunny. I have a few people in my life that are pregnant and I think this would be such a cute gift! Click HERE for the pattern.

I will post some pictures of my progress on these 2 projects soon!

How are you liking the Christmas theme I am going with? I LOVE Christmas as I'm sure you all do too! Make sure you play the Santa Game on the right side of the page - it is SO addicting!