An ugly phone I bought for just two dollars has had a beautiful make over. I love tissue paper and have a wonderful collection of it. I picked out a pretty rose pattern and I glued it onto the phone with Modge Podge. I left the dial plain and put a little Hello in the centre of the dial face. So here it is. I am very pleased with how it turned out.

I've also been working on a project to give as gifts. They have turned out nicely and I will share the pattern in this post. I buy a bundle of these plastic hangers very inexpensively at our local department store. Then I just use left over yarn from other projects. They are wonderful to use to hang those clothes that have that nasty habit of slipping off the hanger. The pattern looks a bit long and drawn out but it's just that way to give you an idea of the way it works up. After you have made one side of this, you will be whipping them up without even thinking about the pattern. It's that easy.

Coat Hanger Covers

Ch 4, join with slst to form ring.

Rnd 1: Chain 3, 1 dc , ch 1, 2 dc in ring, (beginning shell) ch 2, * 2dc, ch 1, 2 dc (shell), ch 2. Repeat from * twice more. Join to top of ch 3 with a slst.

Rnd 2: Sl st into next dc and next ch 1 space. Beg shell in ch 1 sp, ch 2.. * Skip next ch 2 sp. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 2. Repeat from * twice more. Skip next ch 2 sp, join to top of ch 3 with slst.



Rnd 3: Sl st into next dc and next ch 1 space. Beg shell in ch 1 sp, ch 2.. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 3. Skip next ch 2 sp, shell, ch 2 in ch1 space. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 3. Skip next ch 2 sp, join to top of ch 3 with slst.



Rnd 4: Sl st into next dc and next ch 1 space. Beg shell in ch 1 sp, ch 2.. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 3. Skip next ch 3 sp, shell, ch 2 in ch1 space. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 3. Skip next ch 3 sp. join to top of ch 3 with slst.



Rnd 5: Sl st into next dc and next ch 1 space. Beg shell in ch 1 sp, ch 2.. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 4. Skip next ch 3 sp, shell, ch 2 in ch1 space. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 4. Skip next ch 3 sp, join to top of ch 3 with slst.



Rnd 6: Sl st into next dc and next ch 1 space. Beg shell in ch 1 sp, ch 2.. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 4. Skip next ch 4 sp, shell, ch 2 in ch1 space. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 4. Skip next ch 4 sp, join to top of ch 3 with slst.



Rnd 7: Sl st into next dc and next ch 1 space. Beg shell in ch 1 sp, ch 2.. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 5. Skip next ch 4 sp, shell, ch 2 in ch1 space. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 4. Skip next ch 4 sp, join to top of ch 3 with slst.



Rnd 8: Sl st into next dc and next ch 1 space. Beg shell in ch 1 sp, ch 2.. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 5. Skip next ch 5 sp, shell, ch 2 in ch1 space. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 5. Skip next ch 5 sp, join to top of ch 3 with slst.



Rnd 9: Sl st into next dc and next ch 1 space. Beg shell in ch 1 sp, ch 2.. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 6. Skip next ch 5 sp, shell, ch 2 in ch1 space. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 6. Skip next ch 5 sp, join to top of ch 3 with slst.



Rnd 10: Sl st into next dc and next ch 1 space. Beg shell in ch 1 sp, ch 2.. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 6. Skip 6 ch sp , shell, ch 2 in ch1 space. Skip next ch 2. In next ch 1 space, shell, ch 6. Skip next ch 6 sp, join to top of ch 3 with slst.



Continue in this fashion until you reach 8 or 9 stitches between the two shell sets. I crochet mine with a 4.5mm hook and usually 8 stitches are enough at my personal gauge. Check your piece by sliding it onto the hanger from time to time. You may need to do more or less than I do. Remember to make these slightly small so they have to be stretched onto the hanger. That way they don’t become loose with wear and tear.



Make two of these and sew together at the ch 1 on each side. Crochet a flower or tie a ribbon at the top for decoration.

If you decide to try this pattern out, please let me know how it goes or if I need to make any changes. I'm not used to writing instructions for my work. I’d love to see how yours turn out. Happy crocheting!

Finishing up some UFO's

My mother died on January 2, 2008. In her wake she left several broken hearts and a closet full of unfinished projects. I know she had every intention of finishing them, just as I do mine. The idea of getting rid of them feels like discarding out hours of her life. I find myself clinging to what's left of her but I also know that I can't keep everything she ever started and didn't finish. So I'm going through some of the things deciding what to finish what to pack up and send out into the world and what to discard completely.

Finished is better than perfect

~Anonymous

Most of her Cross Stitch I'm going to get rid of. I've got tons of plastic canvas and plastic canvas patterns that I'm going to get rid of as well. I don't do plastic canvas myself.

One of the things I've decided to finish is an Afghan. There was just one more row to complete it. I've finished the blocks now I just have to sew them onto the afghan.

Clearing out my mother's UFOs has given me a lot to think about regarding my own. I have two sons and a step daughter.  None of them are going to want to finish my projects. Most of them were lovingly started with the intention of being finished. Some of them found their way to the finish line but most are still in boxes. I read once on the Internet about a way to make yourself finish those unfinished projects. You are allowed to start a new project only if you finish and old one first and then you must also finish the new project that you're starting. Before you can start another new project again, you must finish an old one. I've been trying this and it is working fairly well.

crocheted throw

When my mom died she was working on an afghan made with worsted weight cotton. She had just started her project before she got really sick so she was barely into it. So I had four large skeins of cotton and an afghan project from a pattern I'd done before. I didn't really want to do it again so I made a throw from a Leisure Arts book called Our Best Baby Afghans. The pattern is called Itsy Bitsy Spiderweb.

Sometimes we overlook great patterns because they are in baby books. It never hurts to baby yourself though. This afghan is warm and just the right size to wrap up in while sipping hot cocoa.

I changed the border a bit. I did a sc all around. Then I worked *ch3, sc in third ch from hook, skip next sc, sc in next sc.* Repeat pattern. It's nothing too fancy but just enough to make the afghan look finished.

A promise to keep

I did promise my mother many times that I would always move forward and never cling to grief. That's a tough promise to keep. But I am ready to try. I know I will never get past losing her because I still mourn for my father and brother after twenty+ years. But it is a kind of loving grief that I feel for them now. I know they're gone but they are still both so much a part of who I am.
My remaining dog Brady is lost. We moved here in July and my youngest son went back to the city after two months. A couple of months later, Brady's constant companion Beulah, my dog of almost 13 years, left us. Than a couple months after that, Mom passed. I can tell you, Brady is sticking pretty close to Paul and I. That's okay though, what's life without a dog to spoil?

If I don't shake a few things up in this house I will begin to believe it's a sad house and I know that's not true. It is one of those houses that you feel at home in the moment you walk through the door. I don't want to cast a gloomy shadow on a house that radiates love. So for Beulah, my mom, the former residents of this house and for Paul and myself, I am ready to live in love with life again.

This is a little off topic but I just can't resist. Here is a picture of Amos (A. Mouse) the rat. He is gardening in a plant arrangement I have on a side table. He just digs a hole in the center and chills out while Paul and I watch some television.

We are going to turn this big house into a B&B I think. We've got lots of work to do and I know it will be an on going hobbie. The bathroom on the second floor is completely off white. Clean and tidy enough but boring. I have picked my colour scheme for the room based on a teddy bear, cream and sugar set, from two of my collections and a button wreath I made several years ago. I just hot glued white and off-white buttons to a styrofoam wreath. Paul has to do a bit of repairs in the room but then it's mine. I am moving furniture around but I need to put my personal stamp on the bathroom quickly. I also found an old chandelier at a place called Beyond the Blue Box. You buy stuff by the pound there. I got the chandelier for a dollar and I plan to give it a facelift and put it in the bathroom. Hopefully I'll add a pic tomorrow.

Can Christmas be so close?

It's only 10 days until Christmas Eve. Where does the time go? I think this is my first year of being so completely unprepared for it. I have a few trees up, have done a little decorating and have purchased some gifts but I haven't even started my Christmas baking. Today, I promise myself.

To the left is a pretty little snow scene on top of the corner shelf. The house is cut from 2x8 inch lumber and the snowman and trees are from 1 x 6 inch lumber. The white paint splattered on the finished pieces add the excellent effect of snow. It's a simple design from a Christmas book that I no longer have. I can't even remember the name of it but I will try and find out. I made several projects from that book. Most of which one of my sons stole when he was setting up for his first Christmas in his own place. No matter. What greater compliment is there than that?

In the opposite corner to the picture above there is a small Christmas tree adorned with crocheted snowflakes. I need to make more but that will come after Christmas. In front of the tree is one of my bears in a child's rocking chair that Paul picked up at the auction a couple of weeks ago.

Here is a snowflake ornament that was a gift from my friend Jill. The ladies in this next ornament represent Lisa and I. She is another friend and though we don't get to shop together, we dream about it. I like to imagine the shapely dame in the black dress is me but I think it is more likely her.

recycled Christmas cards

ere is a sweet little project to recycle some of those Christmas cards you received from last year. I cut out an oval shape out of clear plastic as a template. That way you can centre it over your card to get the best image. You can use two card front but I like to use one card front and the Christmas greeting from inside for the back. Place the two ovals together and punch holes around using a small punch.

To crochet:

Rnd 1: Sc into any hole, chain 4 or 5 chains depending on how far apart your holes are. Sc in next hole. Continue around. Sl st into first sc.

Rnd 2: Sl st into chain space. Ch 1, sc, hdc, 2 dc, tr, 2 dc, hdc, sc in chain space. *Sc hdc, 2 dc, tr, 2 dc, hdc, sc in next chain space.* Continue from * around, Sl st into ch 1. finish off.

Here I am again. Paul and I were out sifting through boxes at an auction sale and came up with a few items to buy. Needless to say I picked better stuff than he did. Well, it will be after I'm done with it. He bought this ugly lamp for a whole dollar. This picture doesn't do it justice.

The dirt on the glass will have to be chipped off and the shade, it's plastic! Do you remember those plastic curtains you used to buy? The shade reminds me of those. I must admit, there is potential there. He wanted it for his room. I know that sounds weird. We share a bedroom but in a house this big, we each have a room designed specifically for our personal tastes. They are really guestrooms but we call them His and Hers bedrooms.

I picked up these two sweet sugar bowls, excuse the pun, in a job lot for a dollar. You can see we are big spenders LOL. I like to use sugar bowls for candy dishes. I also picked up an old Bell phone for two bucks. I know this phone is ugly but I have plans for it. Check back in a few days and it should be looking a bit better. These phones were so clear in tone and comfortable to wear snuggled against your neck and under your ear. Today's phones to me have more static and simply cannot be balanced on your shoulder as you use your hands for more important things like crochet.

Speaking of which, here is a picture of an afghan I finally finished. I have been working on this for years. It's not that it was challenging, it's just because all the little granny squares were made up of end pieces of yarn. I had to make a total of 834 of them. Then I just had to crochet them all together. It turned out very well and is a good warm afghan.

To keep rust from forming on the inside of metal salt shaker lids paint the inside with clear nail polish. When it is dry, poke through the holes with a pin from the inside out.

Keep a pair of cotton gloves in your lingerie drawer. Put them on when donning your pantyhose to keep fingernails from causing runs.

Thanks for stopping by. I am off to find something to create, fix or bake.

Home. . . where the dearest treasures of life can be gathered,
the purest pleasures enjoyed,
the richest comforts and conveniences preserved,
and where God can smile. . .

Rev James H Potts 1888