Our Yarn Field Trip

My friend Beth and I went on our yarn field trip on Friday. It was so much fun. We definitely have to do it again. It was like Nicole heaven. Not only was there all this beautiful yarn but they sell beads and jewellery making supplies so I was in love with all the beads as well. To top it all off there was unlimited coffee. They also have other knitters stuff and great little present ideas like pottery and local honey. If your in the Upstate New York area you need to check out Imagine in Bemus Point. It was so so hard to pick out what to get. We ended up being there for over 3 hours. We sat and chatted for a while and generally took our time because none of use was in a hurry to leave. I have taken photos of the stuff that I purchased. Above you will see the brown heathered Cascade 220 wool that I thought might make a cozy felted bag. I just love the colour and so many ideas come to mind with that colour.


I decided to buy a little something for myself so I got this cream yarn to make a chunky scarf. As you can see I couldnt wait to get started on the scarf. I had to restart this scarf about 10 time before I came up with the right type of stitch and amount of stitches to look how I want it. Once that was all sorted out it took me no time at all. I finished the scarf on Saturday night and wore it today. This yarn is made from merino wool, alapaca and silk. Its very soft, light and warm. It creates instant heat when it touches your skin so that should be good in the winter. It came out nice and long which is the way I like them.



I just had to buy these beads. Arent they so cute. I am going to make a necklace or something for Megan for Christmas. She loves frogs and turtles. The little turtle bead was only $1.40 and the frog bead was only $2 which is a steal because its a handmade glass bead. Beth had to get one of each as well because she loves frogs and turtles. I will have to keep these guys hidden from Megan until Christmas.


Later on that day we went out shopping and I popped into the craft shop. The bunny pyjama bag got picked up that afternoon and paid for so I had a little money in my pocket. I ended up getting the beige yarn above to use to knit a teddy bear.


I bought this Teal heather coloured yarn to make myself some new socks because my brown and pink ones died. I plan on listing this type of socks in my store so I thought once the socks are done I can take a photo of them to put up as an example of that style. See it wasnt just for me but for the good of my store too hehe.


This cornflower blue cotton yarn was the original reason I went in the craft shop. I needed it to finished of a bag that I have been working on. I really want to see how its going to look when its all done so I got this to finish that project.


Lastly I got these stitchmarkers and this leather cord. The stitchmarkers that you can open and close were really needed because the ones that I can broke really easily and were just driving me crazy. The leather cord I got to make the frog bead into a necklace for Megan.

So it looks like Friday was a very crafty day. I am having lots of fun with my goodies. Its keeping me well occupied, not that I wasnt already hehe.

I think this week is going to end up going fast. On Tuesday we have an Honours Dinner at the school for Megan because she was on the Honour Roll 4 times last year. On Wednesday I have Mops and Victoria has Girl Scouts, on Thursday Megan has Girl Scouts and Friday is Halloween. I will be going to school to join Victoria's class for their Halloween party and see the parade. Later that night we will go Trick Or Treating. Fingers crossed it will at least be dry.

Lots Of Packages In The Mail Today

I got lots of exciting packages in the mail today. One was even a surprise package which is always good. I got my Thank You cards that will go to my customers. They came out just as I had imagined. The wonderful Bitsy Creations on Etsy made them for me. They even have the website printed on the back of the card. The design of the card was done by McPrincess Maree on Etsy as well.



I also got my promotional stuff from Donna Pool today. Its so cool to have my very own badge and magnet. I can just see Megan wanting these when she sees them. The badges are little 1 inch badges. I was worried about the writing being easy to read but these look perfect. Just what I wanted.



Here is the stack of magnets that are the same size as the badges. For such a little guy the magnet is really strong. They came out even better than I thought they would.


The surprise package came from my sister. I had no idea she was even sending anything. She decided to send us a little pre-Christmas treat of Christmas pudding. I havent had one of these in a long time. My mum use to make them for Christmas and hide coins inside them and it was considered good luck if you got a coin. If I remember right we would drizzle cream over the top of the warm pudding. I dont think anyone in our house has tried this so it will be a new thing for them. Im not sure if Joe will go for it but my girls will try anything once, most of the time. So Thanks Big Sis for the surprise. She is suppose to be coming to visit us this Christmas. She is not much of a Christmas person and we are so she is hoping we can turn her from Grinch to Christmas Elf. We are up for the challenge hehe.

The Duck, The Bunny And Some Sheep

Last Thursday I finished off two projects in one day. I felt very accomplished. The duck is all done and ready to be loved probably by someone who has a love of duckies. I thought that the seaming was going to be really hard on this one but just by taking my time and making sure I did it right it came together and ended up looking just how it was suppose to. Not to bad for something that was made out of the stash of knitting stuff I already had. This toy was different because he has those little pellets inside him in certain parts to make it more weighted. He has them at the end of his arms and in his butt. I hadnt used them before. I bought them for a project that is waiting to be seamed up. I liked how the pellets worked so well I was tempted to fill it all up with pellets. Maybe one day I will try that with one of the toys and see how that turns out. Very squishy Im sure. Victoria had fun just putting her hand in the bag and feeling all the pellets.


Here's the little duckie butt shot. He's not very modest this one.


I finally finished off the bunny pyjama bag which is the last of the order from my friend Natalie. I am so pleased she has liked what I have made for her. I really like how the red looks on this bunny. I dont like how these photos turned out for some reason. I wish I had of retaken them. Yet again Mr Ringo Kitty couldnt resist getting in the way making it difficult to take a shot without him. He is such a camera hog. I think Victoria has her eye on this Bunny Bag because her favourite colour is red but she already has one and this is not for her. These girls would hijack every stuff animal I make if they could.


Here's where the pyjamas go, right inside his belly.


On Friday I got my business cards. Arent they just so cute. I love how they turned out. I have already given two away. Now its like a real business.

Yesterday I got the custom stamp I ordered in the mail. I was so excited to get it I had to come straight home and try it out. I got out my fancy circle cutter and the pearly pretty cardstock I had bought and got to work. I just love how the stamp came out. It is just how I wanted it to look.

I have two more things to come in the mail probably by the end of this week and I am all set. Its getting all too exciting because my vision is coming to light.

I am counting down the days until Friday this week because I am off to the yarn/cafe shop with my friend Beth from the library. She is excited to be going as well. I cant wait to feel all the yarn and taste all the goodies. I can already see myself having a hard time deciding what to bring home. I think I will have to sit down and figure what will be useful and what kind of yarn I would like for certain projects before we go so I have some sort of game plan. That may all get thrown out the window once Im there though hehehe.

I am working on two projects this week. A cable bag that I have been wanting to start for a long time. Its one of those things where I have everything I need to make it and just havent started. Its actually knitting up really quickly because the yarn is chunky. I could see myself making another one in a different colour.
The other project I am working on is a pair of socks for Victoria. She had two pairs of socks that I made her and she loves them so much that she has wore one of them out. All the time she asks me to make her some more so I started on some yesterday. I think she will like them because I am making them in Spiderman colours, red and blue, to go with her new pyjamas.

Now that its getting close to listing things on Etsy I think I better get out all my finished projects and projects waiting to be finished. Im not even sure what items I have ready to list so I will have to get that done soon.

Autumn In Sinclairville

This past weekend we had some beautiful weather. It was sunny and warm like summer but the leaves are all changing for Autumn. I took this opportunity to take a walk around our neighborhood and take some photos of all the beautiful colours. Of course I took alot more than these pictures and it was very hard to choose which ones to put on here. Can you believe the brilliant colour of those leaves in the first photo. Everywhere around you are the smells of Autumn. The wood fires, the leaves and the faint smell of apples. It makes you want to be able to bottle it all up and keep it forever.
Sadly all these beautiful colours dont last long around here. In a couple of weeks all the trees will be 'naked' and getting ready for the snow. So we try to soak it all in and wait patiently for it to arrive next year.


I took this shot above while looking up at a huge tree covered in orange leaves. It feels like standing under a big orange umbrella.


These trees line the creek that is at the end of our street. What a view.



This bush is sitting in someones backyard surrounded by green grass and trees. It stood out so much with its wonderful red leaves that I just have to stop and take a photo.



This is one of my favourite photos. The way the light hits this tree and the way this shot shows off the height and brilliance of it all.


I took a ton of photos of Victoria playing in the leaves even though people drove past looking at us strangely hehe. This was one of my favourite one. Cant you just see the delight on her face as she tosses them in the air. Victoria had to come along with me on my walk. She brought along her pretend phone that makes a camera noise when you press one of the buttons. She was taken photos of everything. I think we need to get this girl one of those little kids digital cameras. I would love to see it all from her point of view. I think it would be interesting.


This last photo is of our beloved Maple St. Isnt it cute? I hope you enjoyed a little peak into Autumn In Sinclairville.

All Sorts Of Businessy Stuff Happening Today

I finally feel like I am getting somewhere with my Etsy shop today. They money order my mum sent cleared yesterday so today I was on a business buying frenzy.
I paid for my wonderful stamp which I cant wait to see and use. I ordered and paid for my Thank You cards. I ordered and paid for my business cards (Yay!) and lastly I got into discussions with the lady who is making my promotional buttons and magnets. She is busy this weekend so on Monday will start putting the design together for those. Tomorrow we are going shopping and I can buy the circle cutter and cutting mat for the tags and all the stuff that I wanted to get will be all set to go. Its all very exciting. I can finally put some life into my shop and get going on this scary but exciting ride I have jumped on.

I am working on two things at the moment knitting wise. I am at the seaming stage of the cream bunny pyjama bag with red accents. I need to get some new red yarn to do the eyes and nose. It should be finished this weekend. I also just started on knitting a duck. The pattern comes from the Knitted Toys book that I made the piggy from. Its actually knitting up quite quickly. I am using some yarn I forgot I had. Its always nice to make a project that you can just use things that you already have and not have to buy anything extra for it.

On the home front there have been some spooky things happening around here. Just today I was using the computer while Joe was sleeping. He popped his head out of the room and asked me if I had just said something. I said no and he asked me if I was sure looking very confused. I said I am just here using the computer, why? He said that he had just heard someone saying his name and then when he turned over thinking I had given up trying to get his attention, it felt like someone was shaking the bed trying to get his attention. Well it wasnt me and I was the only one here. He still thinks I was just messing with him but I swear it wasnt me.
We were talking about this at dinner and Megan said that last week she was up in the morning getting ready for school and she thought I was up and calling Hello to her but it wasnt me, I was sleeping.
Last month Joe came home in from work in the morning as usual. Megan was just about to leave for school. He noticed the kitchen windows and the bathroom looked all steamy like it gets when someone has just had a shower. He asked Megan if she had had a shower and she said she didnt which I believe she didnt because she waits until soccer practice after school.
To top it all off, last weekend I went to get a new battery put in a watch that I hadnt used in over a year. It ended up that I couldnt get the battery put in. I wore the watch out that day so I wouldnt forget to get the battery put in. I knew it definitely wasnt working. After I found out I couldnt get the battery put in that day we shopped around a little more and I happened to look at my watch, not only was my watch now working but it was on the exact right time.
Doesnt all this just send shivers down your spine? Who knows. We live in a house that was built in the late 1800's so I am always telling Joe you cant have a house this old and not have some sort of leftover stuff hanging around. The longer we live here the more these stories keep popping up.

Well now that I've officially freaked everyone out I better sign off because even though the girls have the day off school tomorrow Victoria will still be up at 7am (grrrr).

Piggy Number 2

Megan loves her piggy Wilbur. I think he is snuggled in her bed as we speak. Tuesday afternoon I finished Victoria's pig. She has not put him down since. Everywhere she can take him he has been. I have to buy some more stuffing and try to restuff one of his front leg without undoing the seam because likes to carry him by his front legs and has squeezed the stuff out of one leg hehe.
And what does she call this piggy? Why Fluffy of course hehe. Apparently he is so soft and that is why he is called that.


I used safety eyes for this pig because the stitches were tighter and I knew they wouldnt fall off this one. I like the safety eyes better than the embroidered eyes.



This guys tail holds its curl a little better than the other one which is always a good thing. You've gotta have a good curl on your piggy's tail.

Now that I have made two pigs in a row I need a little break from piggy making although I see more of them being made in the future. I am working on the last part of the order for my friend Natalie. A bunny pyjama bag that is cream with red features. I have been working on this on and off for a couple of weeks so most of the body is done. This isnt needed until November so I have a good feeling it will be done in time.

The navy blue and lime green cotton monkey went off to be in his new home last night. He waited patiently and his day finally arrived. I hope his recipient falls in love with him.

Wish me luck as tomorrow Megan has her sleepover night tomorrow to celebrate her birthday. I think there will be 4 of them including Megan. It will be a night of pizza, munchies, Disney Scene It, Twister and movies. Oh and you cant forget the many giggles. Joe is usually at work when this stuff has happened in the past so he will be experiencing his first crazy sleepover. All us girls against one boy. Although he told Megan he wants to join in which Megan has said NO WAY!! hehe. It should be interesting.

A Tribute To The Birthday Girl

This past Monday my Megan turned 14. I cant believe she is now 14. So I thought I would pay tribute to my Meggy with a few old photos of her. We've come a long way. Its hard to believe this girl is now just about as tall as me and can wear my clothes hehe.
The above photo was taken when she was 4 months old. Dont you just want to pinch those cheeks.


Here she is at about age 3 with a mirror in her hand. She very much loved to admire herself in the mirror and why wouldnt you when you look so cute. One day she said to me, "Mummy did you always know I was going to be this cute?" and I said "Yes I did" hehe.


Here she is all dressed ready to go to a party on her favourite swing under Grandma's magnolia tree.


Megan's 3rd birthday wearing her favourite dress she got that day. She wasnt a fan at first but then she wanted to wear this dress until she could no longer get her arms through the holes. She says it reminds her of Alice In Wonderland. The wonderful and talented Glenda made that dress and apron.


Here is Megan at her 5th birthday party. This party she had invited all boys something that she would never do now hehe. Two of the boys were her boyfriends at the time. Perhaps she got that all out of her system then because now she doesnt really have an interest in boys except to make fun of them. I know all to well this could change at any time hehe.

Well that is just a little glimpse into my Megan. Happy 14th Birthday Megan! You've certainly made it an interesting, hilarious, surprising ride. I love you to pieces.