Crafty Tales

(above: one of the rabbits I made for Easter gifties, finally got her picture!)
What a deliciously crafty time I've been having! I finished my brother's Christmas present, finally! E is ready to have it gone! And I agree, but for different reasons, once it's gone to it's rightful owner it can begin it's loving life with him! Crochet blankies are made to be loved!

Here it is! 6 pounds of Caron's natural fiber one pounder skeins! Phew, it's heavy too! But oh so soft. It was so long I couldn't get high enough to get it all in the frame. When I went outside the green (Kelly Green) was so dark next to the grass it mostly blended in.

But Mabel appreciated it. I don't think I've ever had a project that I've laid out and not had one of the corgis lay on it. Only the family projects though, if they're gifts I chase those lazies away! It's an Irish flag (obviously) blanket. I'm Irish and come from a strong line of them, but after marrying E I can proudly proclaim I'm Croatian! Little A was built to be tough, but how can someone so pretty be so strong? It's a mystery, that's for sure! But anyway, I knew from the moment I decided to make my bro a blanket it was going to be the Irish flag.

May first was my niece's, who is also my goddaughter, second birthday, and aunt Tabby had a very special present in mind. Of course it was going to be homemade, duh! But what? Crochet or quilt? QUILT! It had to be girly and pretty, pink and purple, but what pattern? I thought I would make hearts from the pink an purple and combine them with the green. But the hearts were oh so terrifying! So much cutting and piecing. It gave me heart palpatations just thinking about it! But then it came to me, a nine-patch!

No wait, better yet, a disappearing nine-patch! You make a nine-patch, first cutting all the squares, piecing them together, then cut them apart again!

Then you rearrange the pieces again and sewing them all together again. Intense, I know!

I made 12 squares that looked just like this one and sewed all the squares in the same sequence. This created what I call a "floating box" design. Pretty isn't it? Then after I sewed all the squares into strips and the strips into a quilt top I was ready for the backing and basting.

I basted and quitled a line, hated it, tore it out, basted and quitled again, and was happy. Then I made a truck load of binding.

I mean, A LOT! Then I binded the quilt, all with my machine, sewed in all the ends, and 'twas done! Yes! Go me! Two days before the birthday and party!

Needless to say, I polished my nails on my lapel and handed it over with a look of much satisfaction to my niecy who loves it to pieces!

What a great quilting adventure that was! It was almost as much fun telling the story as it was living it.

Enough of my crafty stories! Little A got her hair did by my friend, Megan, who also gave me a much needed hair trim! I didn't have enough courge, or is it patients?, to sit little A down and pull her hair back into piggies. So flipping sweet! She also got her ears piercedon Monday. The doctor who did it, not our normal doc, told us her ear lobes were great! And as we were leaving, after fussying for being held down but not even a flinch when her ears were pierced, I overheard the doc tell our nurse what a beautiful baby little A is. I'm bias when it comes to A so I know she's beautiful, but how it melts a mother's heart with pride to hear someone else exclaim the same! All you moms know what I be sayin'!

The little gold studs have caused her no problems and look so cute on her!

Besides all that, the hubbub has been minimal! I'm started some new projects, but that's nothing new, and had a super nice second mothers day thanks to E and little A. My garden barrels are full of my favorite flowers that I get to look at everyday thanks to them! And the hummingbirds and Baltimore Orioles are hitting up the nectar feeders we have out for them. There's nothing as exciting as catching a glimpse of an Oriole sitting proudly on your deck, or hearing his croaking frog call from the trees telling you to go away so he can eat without you seeing. Or hearing the chittering and buzz of a little hummingbird who are a lot braver than you may think! All exciting times when spring finally! reaches Kansas.

Until next time!

Edited to add: I had just come out after putting little A to sleep thinking how sad I was that I didn't have a picture of my oriole to show you. When I came into the kitchen he was literally tapping on my kitchen window!

Do you see him? So beautiul! He stayed and chittered at the hummingbird feeder for a good 3-5 minutes. What a thing to make your day!

I would also like to say congratulations to Daffny A. for winning the star garland! I'll be sending that out soon to you! Have a great oriole, or Oreo if you prefer, filled day!

Star Garland Tutorial

Yay! Just for you! A crochet tutorial on how to make stars and "string" them up to make garland to decorate where ever, with your own bit of crochet goodness! (If this is a knock off on your own star pattern, I apologize. When I was looking for star patterns online I could not find one, so I figured out one for myself. It's not my intention to claim credit for making the star pattern, just sharing with others how to make it.)
For starters, grab your hook of choice and your yarn of choice to begin.
1) Make a slip knot, place yarn on hook and chain 5. Slip stitch in chain furthest from the hook together to form ring.

2) Chain 3, counts as first double crochet.

Do two more Dc (double crochet) into the ring, then chain two. 3 Dc, chain 2 four more times for a total of 5 Dc clusters and 5 chain two spaces. Slip stitch in the top of the chain 3 to join.

3) Slip stitch in the next two Dc and one slip stitch into the chain two space.

Chain 3, counts as first Dc. Dc two more times, chain two. 3 Dc in same space.

Do NOT chain two, Dc three times in next space. Chain two, three Dc.

Repeat three more times. Total of 10 Dc clusters and 5 chain two spaces, and 5 no chain spaces. Slip stitch in top of chain 3 to join.
4) Slip stitch in the next two Dc and one slip stitch in chain two space. Chain 3, counts as first Dc.

Dc 2 more in same chain two space. Chain two, 3 Dc in same space.
5) Do NOT chain, single crochet (Sc) into the space between the two clusters without a chain space.

6) Do NOT chain. 3 Dc, chain two, 3 Dc again in the chain two space and repeat step 5) and 6) three more times. A total of 10 Dc clusters, 5 chain two spaces, and 5 Sc. Slip stitch into the top of the chain three from the beginning to join. Fasten off and leave a tail for weaving in.

7) Weave in all ends and repeat all steps to make desired amount of stars.

8) Chain 5 with your choice of yarn. Yarn over on your hook as if you were going to do a regular Dc and insert hook into the top of a star through the right side, yarn over and pull through, yarn over, pull through two, yarn over pull through two again. Dc completed. The chain and yarn will slip a little when you Dc in the top of the star but you can do it! It's not impossible, just a little awkward at first.
9) Chain 20-25, or however Manu you desire, and repeat step 8) when you come to each star. Once you've reached your last star and completed step 8), chain 5 and fasten off. Weave in all ends and find a nefty place to hang your beautiful and handmade star garland!

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and please let me know if you have any questions! Happy hooking!

Until next time!

Give Away Surprise!

(Above: Tonka resting in the yard on a windy day. Good day to hang out laundry!)
Hello! Good Tuesday to you all! I have kept my promise and made a lovely, fantastical crochet goodie to give away! By the way, some of you have still not claimed your boxy pouches! But anyway, are you ready to see it? No, no, you have to hear the story first.

On Wednesday, E sent me a message saying we needed something at good ol' Wally world and since we had just gotten home from hanging out with out friends I told him we would just go when he got home from work. He said ok, be ready when I get there! When he got home we wrestled Little A into shoes and carseat and were just about ready to go when I HAD to get some crochet to go with us. I hurriedly looked for some fun yarn to take with me with my favorite hook and settled on some white yarn. Not so fun. But as we were driving a lightning bolt struck me between the eyes! BAM! Something to satisfy my crafting needs and fulfilling my give away promise to you!
I finished one before we reached wal-mart and picked up three new skeins of fun colors. I was so excited to make more of the thing ASAP. But wait! Wal-mart didn't have what we needed so we had to drive another 15-20 minutes to go to Home Depot to get it! Yay car crafty time!! On the way there and back to home I punched out quite a few of these things. They were so fast and easy! Are you ready to see them?

Ok. Here they are!

Stars! Fun and fancy, crochet stars!

After I made 11 of them I chained them all together to make a little garland. I made a chain of yarn then double stitched into the top of every star and before dinner I hung them up.

Unfortunately, I really like them up there, and so does E. So that garland is going to stay there. Fortunately! I'm going to make another strand just for you! Whoever the winner might be picked randomly. Double fortunately, I'm opening it up to my blog subscribers AND my blog readers! Just send me an email at tabbysorangemarbles@hotmail.com with the subject as "crochet stars" and tell me you would like to be entered, or comment on the blog post and tell me. But wait! Triple fortunately, I'm going to make a tutorial for the stars and how to chain them to make garland! I'm super excited about all of it really. I hope you're as excited as I am!

(Little A eating breakfast)
At the end of the month or the beginning of the next month I've been creating a post called "Things That I Love," well this month I'm still going to post it but it'll be a little different. I still hope you enjoy it. I'm going to post that tutorial too, so there's going to be two more posts after this one. Just warning you! That's probably enough from me for now. Thanks for reading!

Until next time!

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no cost to you! I'll be paying the shipping! Also, please enter by Friday! :-)

Crochet Goodies + Easter Stories

Easter was pretty good this year. E had to work but my dad and brother came out to keep little A and I busy until he did get home, then we went to E's parents for dinner.



E took little A on a tractor ride that she loves last year but this year wasn't so sure. She didn't cry just fussed like she didn't know what was going on, and we told her we were going bu-bye. She looked around and said, "bu-bye" in a said little voice as if she was really saying, "can I leave this place for something better?" The tractor ride didn't last very long, E was disappointed, but there is always next time!


The dress that almost wasn't... I waited until the night before Easter to wash little A's dress, because I was worried about washing it anyway. I had good reason to worry. The seams in the skirt of the dress fell out! The fabric frayed and unraveled (which I didn't sew to closely to the edges) and parts of the arm holes came undone (only two spots were I did sew to closely to the edges). I was understandably upset, it made my stomach tighten up and tears well up in my eyes. I wasn't altogether upset because the dress had fallen apart, I was upset because if I couldn't fix the dress little A didn't have a back up dress to wear because I didn't buy one! If I couldn't fix it she wouldn't have a dress to wear for Easter! But thank goodness, I was able to fix everything! And of course, she was adorable in it.



Oh, here it what I made for all the littles in my life! I made 5 of these babies. Of course, I was so excited to give them away I didt get pictures of all of them. *Sigh* I seem to be doing that a lot lately. But they were so much fun to make and that much more fun to give away. The two in the picture are Mario and Luigi, both belong to little A.


The other day I got a wild hair, or is it hare? Anyway, I'm working on that hexagon blanket (I'll post a link as soon as I can/have permission) and it's a join-as-you-go process, meaning you join the pieces together as you're working on them instead of piecing them together when every piece is finished.


I thought to myself when I first saw this method how lazy and unprofessional it was. Boy was I wrong! Big time! It's so much fun and it looks better in a way, I think, plus I was able to finally do something with all the granny squares I had made and wasn't doing anything with because I dreaded the sewing together.


Look how beautiful it is! I'm so happy I found the join as you go! This is actually the first traditional granny square anything I've done. It's only a little afghan but I'm so in love with the whole granny experience now that I want to so everything granny! But I must fulfill my other crafty obligations before I get to play around.


Look how big they're getting! No buds on the sunflower but it as the basil smell amazing!

But anyway, next week I'm going to have more crafty goodies to show to you! And I'm thinking of a crafty give away because I'm nearing 200 views on my blog. Yes, yes! I'll have to think of something fantastical that you'll enjoy.

Until next time!

Easter Bunny PSA

(Above: Rabbits on display in a pet store)
It's that time of year again. Pet stores pray for a good turn out every year and most gets their wishes. Mothers and fathers love the looks on their little ones' faces when they see a cute little fuzzy rabbit, with a wiggly nose, and soft ears and whiskers. Sure, they're small enough now, and seem like a great idea for an Easter present, but PLEASE DON'T fall into the Easter= rabbit for Junior. Don't buy one because it seems like a good idea at the time.
Rabbits are a life long commitment, at least 5-10 years depending in the breed. If you can't or won't take at least an hour out of your day to play, groom, and check over your rabbit, clean their potty pan/litter box (yes, rabbits can be box trained) 1-2 times a week and be prepared to spend 30$ weekly for romaine lettuce, hay, and pellets, don't get one.
Rabbits are considered exotic animals and most vets will see them but many are not well versed in rabbit. Specialist are well versed and will be better qualified (meaning experience, but meaning more expensive too).
Rabbits are the only mammal that can neither pass gas, burping or otherwise, or vomit. Therefore, if your bunny gets a hair ball he cannot spit it up like a cat. That's a trip to the bunny doctor. Nail trimming, teeth examining, shots, well being, all things the bunny doc will do for your exotic treasure.
I'm not saying don't get one if you want one, just know they're expensive and time consuming. But if you're heart is in it, it's also very rewarding. Though similar to cats, they are very playful like dogs. They give kisses and click their teeth, and jump and bound around when happy. With a personality bigger than body.




(Above: My home set up for Joey and Alfy)
I know both sides of the "Easter bunny." Joey was an Easter bunny bought for brother when I was a sophmore in high school. Like most people will do, we were unknowingly killing Joey very slowly. We only fed him iceberg lettuce, which is just water basically, and carrots, which are full of sugar and fat. Nothing heathy really. Within two years Joey hadn't gained any weight and was being to loss fur from his legs and belly. Luckily, E's (we were dating at the time) mom had been raising house rabbits for awhile and set me straight on a lot of things that a lot of people get wrong if they're not ready or educated for a bunny. Joey's story has a happy ending. He got better with proper care and nutrition and is still alive, living into a very old age.


(Above: Alfy in his potty pan)
We have had three rabbits altogether. Colby, who we rescued because he was a school rabbit not wanted and yet again another instance where he was not properly cared for and he unfortunately passed away two years ago because that poor care caught up to him. And Alfy, whom we got right before Colby passed away as a baby from the pet store.



(Above: Joey on his shelf)
In short, I don't want to tell you what to do or what not to do, but please know the facts. Our animal shelters are packed to the brim with animals that people picked up and brought home before they truly understood what they were doing and got rid of because they couldn't take care of that animal or didn't want anymore. Be educated and be prepared. Make wise decisions before you commit to something you weren't ready to commit to. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them or point you in the right direction if I cannot answer them for you.

Happy Easter!

Call it Good

Hello! This week wasn't quite as strange last week but still just as disorganized! Until yesterday, our kitchen table was still in our living room. Now it's back in it's rightful place and the kitchen is slowly getting back to it's regular chaos. E has done a great job painting the kitchen!! The paint, called "Pool Party" is a wonderfully light and bright comparison to the hunter green that used to hover on the kitchen. All that is left to do is trim the sliding glass door! Yay!


Remember this? That green behind the bag is what used to be in the kitchen. The. Whole. Kitchen. Blah! I mean it's a nice color, I just don't feel it's best in a kitchen.


We had to Kilz over the green first and then do the blue. Look at E go! He did such a wonder job with everything! I knew he would though. A is pretty excited to have her play area back upstairs and I'm ready to get the house back in order. I slacked a lot more than usual while the kitchen was being made over.


But never in the craft department! While E spent his evenings, after A went to bed, in the kitchen I worked on A's Easter dress! And...


It's finished! Thankfully next Sunday is Easter because it is almost too small! I made it without a pattern so I just made my own measurements and I obviously didn't measure for some wiggle room. (C'mon! It's my first attempt! :-))


But she loves it! And so do I! Now I know, kinda, what I'm doing, the next dress I make will be better/bigger, and trust me, there is probably going to be a LOT more dresses!


And I have my kitchen window back an now everytime I wash my hands I get to look at my growing plants. They are going nuts! No blooms on the sunflowers yet, but they're huge. The basil is actually putting on the leaves you can cook with and eat. Next week I'll be able to show you a bunch of goodies I've been working on! Until then, here's the new blanket I'm working on, my first one I'm making for myself! There I said it, now I can't turn around and give it away.



It's a scrappy hexagon blankie! I'm using only the left over yarn I've collected over the last year or so from previous projects. I love it!


I love the new paint too! It makes the kitchen seem so much bigger.


Little A loves it too! But anyway, that's about all the babbling I've got for today.

Until next time! And Happy Easter everyone!