Hope Suspended

All those pretty painted baubles from the last post

came together to make an Advent mobile

to hang in the worship space

Z uses with his students.

The idea is that each orb represents the hopes

 of the student who made it.

When hung up above the font, 

their hopes are suspended during Advent, 

waiting and watching for Christmas.

Advent prep

Z recently asked me to lead

a crafting session 

with his students

to create a piece of art that

will hang in their worship space

during Advent.

Here's a sneak peak at what we did:

This is a really simple project

that yields really great results!

All you need are clear glass ornaments

(mine were a bit iridescent, too)

and some acrylic paint.

Take the cap off the ornament and drip in 

several drops of the colors you want to use. 

You can either let it drip down the insides slowly, 

or put the cap back on and swirl it or shake it. 

Make sure to remove the cap when you are finished

and let dry upside down in a disposable cup or newspaper.

You can also use glitter or stuff in bit of tissue paper!

These are fun, easy, and look awesome.

Pics of the finished project to come!

Sneak Peek

I've been keeping my crochet hook 

very busy lately with some new projects!

Another crocodile ruffle neck cozy.

(My first commissioned piece!)

A long (4-5ft) stripey scarf

And some fun, candy-inspired hats

I've also got some crocheted home decor items, 

baby & kids hats, and even some baby cardigans

in the works!

p.s. It is really difficult to model & photograph at the same time :)

Crochet giveaway!

(giveaway now closed)

That's right, it's my first blog giveaway, 

and I'm pretty excited about it!

Recently I had the good fortune to win 

two different blog giveaways, 

and I decided that I wanted to host one myself.

When I realized that this was going to be my

blog's 300th post, 

I thought it would be the perfect time to

give readers the chance to win

one of my handmade crocheted neck warmers.

I love this little neck warmer. It'll perk you up & keep you

warm on those gray winter days without the bulk of a full scarf.

It features crocodile stitch ruffles & a shiny blue button

for an adjustable fit.

Simply leave me a note in the comments to enter.

Be sure to include an email address (if not already in your profile)

 so I can contact you if you win!

The winner will be selected on Monday, November 21st.

Good luck! 

Head Gear

I've been busy crocheting up lots of hats

& new styles lately.

 Here are a few photos.

 The bow on this one is actually adjustable

& sits just over the ear...too cute!

 My college colors were orange, purple, & white.

I really love that color combo on this hat.

 My oldest nephew recently demanded a new hat, 

so this one's for him!

 Another new style for me, a cloche with a rolled brim.

I used a super soft yarn since this one is a chemo cap.

 Another super soft, but really simple hat.

This one and the next are for my brand new niece!

 I love how the rosette & ruffled edge makes it look

like a little cupcake top.

I'm loving experimenting with new patterns,

& coming up with some of my own.

More hats & other projects are already in the works!

This & that in LA

This past Saturday we headed over the

mountains to LA.

We started out with a trip to IKEA

for a few items we'd been needing.

This recycling sorter, for example.

Nothing fancy, but it saves spaces

& makes recycling easier,

which is always a good thing.

Plus it came with blank labels,

so I had fun customizing them!

From there we made our way to the Fashion District

to visit Unique LA. All the jewelry, clothing, crafts,

talented designers, and food were awesome.

We had so much fun browsing

& picking out a few special items.

From the Fashion District we made our way

over to Echo Park.

We are big McSweeney's fans

and had been interested in 826LA for all the

awesome work they do.

So when we found out they were having

a writing workshop for adults,

we had to be there.

We were so busy writing & editing

that I didn't take any photos,

but both of us had lots of fun

and met some really great folks.

Finally, we headed home,

grabbing veggie 'burgers' & fries

from the most crowded In-N-Out Burger

ever in Santa Clarita.

I'll leave you with some images of the

'Christmas' light show from our trip back to Bako.

Food stuffs..

So on Saturday

I finished up the last

of my grad school coursework.

It was incredibly anticlimactic

since I just submitted

my final paper online

like all the rest of my assignments.

I looked at Z and said,

I just finished grad school.

What do you want for supper?

Don't get me wrong,

I'm very glad and relieved

to be done with grad school.

It just feels strange,

& I'm trying to figure out what to do

with myself while I look for a job.

I really like cooking, so I'm starting there.

Since Saturday evening,

I've already made some amazing

spicy Egyptian lentil stew with brown basmati rice,

lemon-basil penne & peas,

and a yummy batch of hummus.

Unfortunately

I'm finding my camera

& poor kitchen lighting

to be incompatible, so I don't have a lot

of food shots. I'm working on this.

I'm also going to be picking up

some new yarn & crafting supplies,

so I'll post about those projects soon!