custom crochet cowls & flowers...

A few more crocheted neck cowls this week for a custom order for a friend near LA. This sweet lady had bought a bunch of stuff around Christmastime, wore it, and now wanted to buy a few for her friends. It was fun to get to have the freedom to create a few shawls and flowers to go with them in whatever colors I chose. The flowers are removable of course, so they can be worn on or off the cowl, or on hats, etc. Such a soft way to stay cozy & stylish...

crochet for the babies...

 I always like to challenge myself with creating new things, and these blankets are a great example of that. I wanted to learn a new crochet stitch or two & be disciplined enough to follow a pattern for something. Both of these blankets are made from a basic shell stitch, but with different colored yarns, so you can see either more or less of the pattern. They were time consuming, but turned out to be some of my favorite projects, reinforcing the idea again that some things just take time. I found myself picking these projects up every night to relax with as we watched movies or tv together as a family. There's something very therapeutic & relaxing to crochet the same stitch pattern over & over.
Anyway, these blankets have both been given as gifts for two sweet babies making their appearance in the next few weeks or so. They are super soft & a good size to fit right in the carseat or stroller during  brisk morning walks.

charcoal shawls

A few new shawls made this past week for a mama and her sweet little  3 year old. She requested that the shawls be matching, so they are just slightly different sizes. I made the clips in coordinating colors, but made sure they were all different colors/shapes so they would be able to unclip them off of the cowls and put them on beanies, in their hair etc. I love the bright colors in contrast to the charcoal cowls.

Many more projects to come...been creating plenty lately, thus the reason for so few posts lately!

showin' some love...

Ahhhhh...the day of love is approaching (ok, it's still a few weeks away) but around here Valentines Day is being anticipated. As you can see below, Tatum is already working on her cards to hand out, and I have even gotten in the spirit with a few simple crochetted hearts. I wanted something new besides a flower or bow in Tatum's hair, and these are a great way to use up leftover yarn from other projects. I attatched them to a snap clip so they ly flat & made a few different sizes.

 Such a sweet little way to share the love...

I like the small ones to put in pigtails...

 Also trying out a few larger flowers...more of a doilie style...I think these would be great on the crochetted beanies...

Owl always love you....

I have seen about a gazillion animal beanies online over the last few years, and have always thought about trying one out. I found a few free owl patterns online & decided to combine them to whip up these little cuties. They are a bit more labor intensive than I have done in the past, but I am really happy with the end result. A goal of mine is to take the time every once & a while to learn a new pattern or technique & challenge myself to create something that takes longer then normal. Later this week I'll show you a few more time-consuming, but worthwhile projects I'm workin on. One of those happens to be my Etsy account...ugggh I am so particular when setting up shop...but it'll come. In the meantime, shoot me an email for all custom orders & requests. If you want to grab one of these beanies (or want a different color) just let me know, they're $30 each and are ready to ship out!

Oh, and I couldn't help but post this sweet photo of my darling niece...she happened to come over just after I had finished these hats...having her around makes me so excited for our baby coming in April!

This little one just started smiling..so fun!

I didn't make 'em, but I love 'em...

These are one of my favorite handmade items...for the fond feelings they provoke & their simple functionality. No, I didn't make these, but I thought they should be featured in today's post. Every Christmas my husband's grandmother makes us a stack of hand-crochetted dish cloths & they are a gift I love to recieve. She makes them for each of the ladies in the family & makes crochetted hangers for the men-folk. These little babies get used every single day in our house & I love the reminder they are to me of all things handmade, grandma-ish & beautiful. It's the simple things in life that make me happy people...I hope the same is true for you too.

Oh Boy, Oh Boy, let's go to Disneyland!

These little Mickey Mouse shirts were a custom order for a pair of brothers, around ages 3 months & 3 years, that are headed to Disneyland this next week! Such a fun place to take kids (and adults!)

somethin sparkly...

Wehave had a lot of little girl birthdays lately, and being right after Christmas, I am tired of toys. I decided to whip up a few little necklaces and bracelets to give as gifts instead of toys & so far the little girls love them! They're made of acyrlic stones & stretchy cord so they're super comfy & durable. My little Tatum is so into accessories lately, these are her favorite gift to give (and receive!)