MY SIXTH "BUILDING OUR HOMES" TOGETHER FOR THURSDAY - JULY 7TH

 I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER...WITH JESUS" SERIES OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM. IF YOU LIKE TO PARTICIPATE OR JUST PAY A NICE, FRIENDLY VISIT, CLICK HERE.  I ALWAYS ENJOY SPENDING TIME AT THE FARM. 

Hi everyone,

How has your week been so far? Mine has been good .  I'll talk some more about that at the end of this post.  I'm feeling especially crafty today. In truth, I'm feeling "especially crafty" EVERY day :) :)  Today, I thought I'd share a really cute, easy crocheted flag pattern with you.  I'm making up a bunch of these. It's fun, easy and quick.  You can make one in a day...actually way less than that, but I haven't actually timed it. I'm just enjoying this.

  THIS IS WHAT'S ON MY MIND TODAY. OH, AND YES, THIS IS MY DINING ROOM TABLE. DO I USE IT FOR DINING? NO. IT'S A CRAFT TABLE NOW ;) :)  IN THE FOREGROUND IS THE CURRENT CROCHETED FLAG TABLE MAT THAT I'M WORKING ON.   I'LL BE EXPLAINING ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF YOU SEE HERE, TOO  IF I FORGET, JUST LEAVE ME A COMMENT, AND I'LL RESPOND.

I found this pattern on the "Create and Decorate - The Blog" site. If you click on the title it will take you to the pattern. You can find the instructions there, if you'd like to crochet a flag for yourself. Let me tell you, I'm a beginning crocheter, and it's an easy pattern to follow, even with the three different colors. Oh, check out the "Create & Decorate" magazine, too. Here's the link to their website. If you click on the magazine tab, there's info there if you want to subscribe. I have been subscribing to this magazine for awhile now. It's FULL of really cute projects.

 In the background of the above photo, you'll see my Human Bean coffee granita cup with Hershey's syrup sitting on top of a flag that I crocheted. The mats aren't big, but just the right size to act as a mat for your cups and maybe a small plate of snacks. It's fun.  We have enough patriotic holidays in this country, that you could use these multiple times a year, or everyday, especially if you like Americana. I'm starting  to really LOVE it ;) :)

 THIS IS THE FLAG MAT THAT I'M CURRENTLY WORKING ON.   IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE, IT'S  SO ADDICTING AND FUN, THAT I LOSE TRACK OF TIME. I KEEP TELLING MYSELF "I'LL JUST CROCHET ONE MORE ROW". AN HOUR LATER, IT'S TIME FOR BED ;) :) :)

 I used different colors than what the pattern called for. In addition to that, I used a different brand of cotton yarn. The pattern calls for Lily's Sugar N' Cream yarn. I purchased Lion Brand cotton yarn instead for two reasons: 1) I didn't have enough gas to drive across town to Joann's Fabric store to purchase the yarn 2) My local Fred Meyer store is much closer. They have Lion Brand cotton yarn. It was on sale, I get more yarn, and it works great for this sort of project, too. 
            This pattern is especially nice, because you can manipulate it in different ways. Just have some fun with it.  Here are the yarns I used. I'll just post the photos, since the information on there will be self-explanatory if you have any questions. I tend to like the darker colors, or jewel-toned colors. The reason I chose these colors in particular, was because that is what was available at the store at the time. I would have preferred a slightly darker red, but this works great:







Those are the yarns that I'm using for this project.  The yarn is really sturdy and it's knits/crochets up wonderfully. It's also 100 % cotton, so it's perfect for household projects that you might be working on, too.

These are a few of the extra supplies that I'm using:

I like to use an old-school wooden ruler with the metal blade to measure my work.  It's consistent meauring every time. It won't stretch out like a flexible measuring tape is wont to do.  A good pair of scissors are handy for cutting yarn, when it comes time for that. Oh, yeah, a crochet hook is helpful when making a crocheted flag... hee hee hee :) :) This particular crochet hook is a Size H8 - US / 5 MM.   Depending on your yarn choice and which size crochet hook you use, your flags may come out different that mine. That's perfectly okay. If you like your project and it makes you smile, it's good.

THIS IS WHAT I ACTUALLY BOUGHT WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT TO JOANN'S FABRIC STORE.  I LOVE LILY'S SUGAR 'N CREAM YARN. IT'S FUN. THEY DO NEED TO MAKE SOME MORE JEWEL-TONED DARKER COLORS. HOWEVER, THE CURRENT SELECTION IS ALSO REALLY NICE. 

This will be turned into a different project, which I'll probably share with you next week :) :)  It knits up in really nice red, white and blue stripes. Oh, tip, save the labels from these skeins of yarn. They always include a free pattern. You can save them and maybe print them out for your own personal pattern book.  It's a great reference source for gift ideas.


THIS IS THE BACK LABEL ON THE YARN, IF YOU NEED IT FOR INFORMATION.  IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, THIS PARTICULAR LABEL INCLUDES A PATTERN FOR MAKING YOUR OWN PLACEMATS.

 So that's what I'm up to today.  I've been keeping up with my devotions.  It really does make a HUGE difference in my day. It keeps me sane and really puts a focus and direction on my day :) :) :)  
            I had errands to run yesterday and today. Yesterday, I was really complaining about having to leave the house. I do like going out, but yesterday, I just wanted to stay home. However, there are things in life that HAVE to be done, including paying bills etc ;) :)  Well, the errands went much more smoothly than I had anticipated. It was a gorgeous day. Everything went so FAST. 
            Today I had some errands to run. I had to get money out of the bank to pay rent.   That went really smoothly, too. So now I'm home and working on my craft projects and enjoying the air conditioning. Summer is officially here in Oregon. It's in the 90s  today...and it's HOT.  So I'm staying indoors and keeping as many lights off as I can. It helps to keep things cooler :) :) Oh, I think I need a nice iced tea right about  NOW :) :)
            Oh, I almost forgot, here's a close-up photo of Linda Stubb's Americana flag fabric. You can find this at Joann's fabric. It's a gorgeous fabric. It's Americana, it's vintage. I purchased two yards of this fabric. I'm not sure what I' ll make with it, yet. It's so pretty, that I just keep looking at it. Click here to visit Prairie Flower Farm and Linda. She's the fabulous lady who designed this fabric.

            Thanks for visiting me. Oh, yes, welcome to the new followers. I'm so happy you are here. Feel free to leave a comment and say hello :) :)  That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)

MY 3RD "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" FOR WEDNESDAY - JUNE 15TH, 2011

 I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" SERIES OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM. IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN ON IN THE FUN,  PAY LINDA  A VISIT. THIS IS A SUPER FUN AND VERY ENCOURAGING SERIES.

Hi everyone,
How has your week been so far? Mine has been very good.  I've really been experiencing a burst of  craft inspiration the last few days. I'm not sure if it's coming from getting my house in shape. That leads to a less stressed-out Heather...and I have more time to think about fun stuff, like knitting.   Today is going to be a bit of a hodge podge of craft stuff.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this small wall curio cabinet that I  purchased at a yard sale last Saturday or not. This is going to be a redecorating project for me.

THIS IS THE SMALL WALL CURIO CABINET THAT I PURCHASED AT A YARDSALE LAST SATURDAY.  YOU CAN SEE SOME OF MY CRAFT STUFF JUST LYING AROUND EVERYWHERE. THAT IS USUALLY WHAT THE LIVING ROOM LOOKS LIKE...STASHES OF CRAFT ITEMS ARE EVERYWHERE....INSERT BIG HEATHER SMILE HERE, PLEASE  (PHOTO HAS NOT BEEN RETOUCHED)

 One of my goals in making my home beautiful is by using items that I've purchased at yardsales, garage sales etc.  Why? Mainly, it's because I'm "in between" jobs, so I can't afford to pay retail. Also, I like to keep as much money in my wallet as I can...job or no job :) :)  So I saw this curio cabinet and just had to have it. The lady wanted $5 dollars for it. However, I only had $3.50 in my wallet...literally. I asked her if she would take that and she said YES :) :) Score!!!! What a treasure and such a great price.  If you go to Ebay's website and type in "curio cabinet", you can find similar ones and even an exact replica selling for quite a bit more.  It reminds me of something from my childhood. 

It's not very pretty now, but it's got possibility aplenty. My plan  is to sand it, prime it and repaint it using creams and pinks.. making it romantic, country, shabby chic, etc. You get the idea - totally feminine and totally frufru :) :) 

THIS IS A TEA BAG COZY THAT I KNIT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. IT JUST SO HAPPENS, IT WILL FIT IN NICELY WITH A PROJECT HAPPENING OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM :)

 Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm and some other incredible blog ladies are working on a project to help and encourage women in Joplin, Missouri. Click here to read Linda's original post on the project. It's called "Purses with Promise"   You can find out all the details there.  There is also a link to Angie's blog "Berry Homespun Primitives". She's also a sweetheart of a lady, just like Linda. She recently drove through Joplin, Missouri and took some photos of the devastation. Folks, this doesn't even begin to describe the difficulties the people are going through there. However, we are a country of resilient people.  Just look at all that was accomplished by those that came before us. We come from sturdy stock, that's for sure. In any case, Angie's photos really show just how much the people have lost...literally. Both blogs will give you some perspective as well as information on what this love project is all about :) :) It's a simple way to encourage the ladies of Joplin, Missouri. It's also an opportunity to use our talents to help others.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE SMALL CROCHET FLOWERS THAT I'M MAKING FOR THE "PURSES WITH PROMISE" PROJECT OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM.  YOU CAN SEE THE ORIGINAL COLOR OF MY KNITTED TEA BAG COZY. (THIS PHOTO HAS NOT BEEN RETOUCHED)

The three crochet flowers on the left, were my attemps  at crocheted flowers.  Not too bad, but not what I was looking for. Linda of Prairie Flower Farm is  fabulous lady who loves Jesus. She sent me a link to an earlier blog post with the pattern for Miss Clarice's crocheted flowers. Click here if you'd like to try this pattern out for yourself. It's really easy. 

HERE'S A CLOSE-UP OF MY REPRODUCTION HERSHEY'S COCOA TIN. THIS IS NOW THE OFFICIAL "HOME" FOR ALL OF MY SMALL CROCHET FLOWERS. ISN'T THIS JUST THE CUTEST. CAN YOU IMAGINE A WHOLE TIN FILLED WITH LITTLE FLOWERS IN DIFFERENT COLORS?

These small crochet flowers taught me a lot about not being so concentrated on perfection. I was a little frustrated when I first started crocheting these. It's funny really, but true..  I can crochet doilies, knit lace edgings, socks, mittens, hats...and I couldn't crochet a simple flower.  You know what? That is okay. We aren't expected to be perfect. God doesn't expect perfection from me, but He wants me to give my all to HIM...and that's what I did. I prayed and asked God for help, because this project means so much to me..and I want the ladies who receive these to be blessed and encouraged :) :) God came through and once I layed my worries at HIS feet, the project automatically started getting easier. I'm still "new" to crochet in general, but these flowers are sure a lot of fun to make :) :) Give them a try.

THIS IS THE TOP OF THE HERSHEY'S TIN. IT WAS MADE IN ENGLAND IN  1982.  I PURCHASED IT AT A YARDSALE FOR JUST $0.50.

Remember what I said about this post being a hodge podge of craft stuff today? :) :) :)   You can find all sorts of cute ways to store things in your home. You don't have to use plastic or stick with boring colors.  Yardsales and garage sales can be great places to find vintage tins, bowls etc, that can be repurposed as storage units for all the bits and pieces in your home :) :)

FLAG DAY IS CELEBRATED EVERY JUNE 14TH IN THE UNITED STATES.  THIS IS A LITTLE FLAG TABLE MAT THAT I CROCHETED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.

 Flag Day came and went yesterday. However, if you love fun and easy craft projects, this is for you.  Click this link to visit Create & Decorate magazine blog.  Here you can find the instructions for making your own flag.  The pattern is from  Vickie Zelizo. It's a really cute pattern and very easy to crochet in an afternoon. I used slightly different colors, because that was all I had on hand.  This would also be a perfect project for the upcoming 4th of July holiday :) :) So start working the yarn and crochet needles :) :)  Oh, if you'd like to subscribe to Create & Decorate magazine or just find out more, click here. It is a fantastic magazine full of super cute projects from front to back cover. I subscribe and it is worth EVERY penny :) :)

I  PURCHASED SOME COTTON YARN AT MY LOCAL FRED MEYER STORE.  THIS WILL BE CROCHETED INTO SOME MORE FLAG TABLE MATS.

The pattern calls for a really fun "Lily's Sugar N' Cream" cotton yarn. That yarn is really fun and comes in some fun colors.  I usually purchase mine at Joann's Fabrics or Michael's. Both stores are on the other side of town, so I settled for Lion Brand cotton yarn at Fred Meyer today.  It's much closer and not as much gas was needed to get there. Although, now I've got a hankering for "Lily's Sugar N' Cream" yarn...so eventually I will have to make my way to that part of town :) :)

AFTER ALL THIS YARN SHOPPING AND GROCERY SHOPPING TODAY, I NEED A NICE GLASS OF WATER :) :)

Alright, that's my post for today :) :) After buying the yarn, buying groceries, and running other errands, I needed to sit down for a bit. So I promptly sat myself down in my dad's nice cushy recliner and grabbed a nice glass jar and filled it with water and ice cubes. This is the good stuff and so simple :) :) :) Oh, doesn't the water look cuter in a Mason jar than in a regular cup? Again, simple things that we can do to make everythings look more beautiful :) :)

I'm a bit behind on my devotions - by two days to be exact. So I'll be catching up on my reading today.  I'm telling you what...ladies..it's so important to have a regular devotion time, even if it's just a few minutes every day.  It makes a huge difference in my day.  It's a noticable difference. So if you'd pray for more regular quiet times, that would be AWESOME. I'll do the same for you, too :) :)

Oh, this was a really long post.  I also experimented with most of my photos today. In fact, all of them were retouched in some way, except for those where I said "This photo not retouched" in parantheses. I'm obsessed with vintage photography. So I'm playing around with photos, to try and create a "vintage" look :) :)

Thanks for coming to visit me :) :) I always enjoy when you come over here...and even more so  when you leave comments :) :)  That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

365 Day Photo Challenge for November 1 - November 5, 2010 !!!

Hi everyone...

Eeek...I'm missing three weeks worth of photos...from October 6th thru October 31st. So I'm not sure what I"ll do to catch up...I think I'll start doubling up on photos for each week...keep your eyes out for that because I'll make sure to let you know when those are coming :) :) :)

Here is my installment for the last five days...I've included some brief comments...

Monday - November 1, 2010 (photo actually taken on November 2, 2010 - Tuesday) There's something really neat about a barn...new, old, lonely...lots of paint..no paint...This one is pretty..and so far the only one I've been able to take a photo of from a moving car ;) :)

On this day...it was my only day off...my days off are split during the week. I was a bit grumpy and not really wanting to go anywhere so early in the day. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because my father and I were able to get some errands done. On this day, we drove to Ashland and Jacksonville . . . looking for a Bible (in J-ville) and some very nice knitting yarn in Ashland. The yarn was a gift from my father :) :)....gotta feed my fibre habit!!!

Tuesday - November 2, 2010    This photo was taken from the car. My dad and I drove to this little Christian bookstore that's housed in this old brick building. This building used to be a doll hospital at one point in time..so I thought I'd take a photo of the view down the sidewalk :)

My father found a really nice new study Bible here which he was going to keep for himself. However, after some thought, he put a new leather hide cover on it...and is planning on giving it away to someone who could use it..besides that...Jacksonville is so pretty, it's like stepping back in time 150 years.  You can't help but WANT to take a walk around and see what there is to see :) :)

Wednesday - November 3, 2010 - This is my latest project...a knitted Christmas stocking. The pattern has a really unusual twist to it...It's actually pretty cool. I'll be posting about this later :)

A great, super fun knitting project is always worthy of a photo. Oh, and notice the very nice "Create and Decorate" magazine on the background? I'm making that stocking...although I manipulated the yarn choice every so slightly. Hey, if you like any kind of crafting from knitting & sewing to punch needle embroidery...this magazine is FOR YOU...TRULY!! It's front cover to back cover...super cute...and great craft ideas. Click here to visit their site. You'll go crazy happy over all the crafty eye candy :) :) I can only count five magazines...that I think are worthy of the title  "front cover to back cover" good and this is one of them!!!!

Thursday - November 4, 2010  Okay...okay...more knitting...this store is the source for my knitting habit :) :) It's a great store...I always enjoy paying them a visit...and I never leave disappointed.  There's always a new yarn to try.  It's like being a kid in a candy store.

I like to visit The Web*sters whenever time permits. It's a really nice upscale yarn shop. Yes, they do focus on luxury yarns...but they have something for everyone and in every price range. The quality is always really good...so that's the main reason I LOVE shopping here whenever time and money permits. Usually I buy cotton yarns. Those tend to be the least expensive and they make great projects for the home :) :)

Friday - November 5, 2010 This is a sneak peek at an upcoming project.....no spoilers!!!

Those are my photos for this week.  I'll make up for the previous three weeks worth of photos throughout the month of November :)  Oh, work was very challenging today.   It was  one call after another with no pause in between. I'm so thankful to be home for the rest of the evening ;) :) :)

That's pretty  much it for this week. I'm going to finish up one project this weekend....until then, I'll be starting another one tonight. Knitting is really relaxing...for me anyway...knitting and coffee....extra love and hugs :) :) That's the news from Oregon today. Bonus love and hugs, Heather :)