June Team Challenge - Time to Vote!

candy from a baby giant handmade resin dome and real sprinkles ring, photo by isewcute on Flickr.

If you're a fan of my work, please do vote for my 'candy baby ring' #6
... there is no signing up necessary!
VOTE HERE:
http://craftingincolor.tumblr.com/post/6632538218/june-theme-challenge-entries-and-voting

Just click & run...or stick around & find many lovely colorful items by the talented 'crafting in color' team!

It would be all kinds of awesome to win my etsy team's blog challenge for June & I'd really appreciate your support!

So I've Been Knitting the Cutest Mitts Ever - Pattern by TinyOwlsMagicAttic on ETSY

If you love to knit, adore cute kittens, & want to keep your hands toasty, you'll have a hard time resisting the cuteness that is this adorable knit 'meow mitts' pattern by Stephanie at TinyOwlsMagicAttic's on ETSY!

The dictionary should be rewritten so that under the definition of the word 'cute' you come across this pattern as an example!

I think that the difficulty rating that Stephanie gave her pattern is spot on, as I'm not an expert knitter, but the pattern along with the video she provided was actually easy enough to decipher. Stephanie also offers 'knitting support' if you have any questions as you go along. Isn't handmade grand?
I love that personal touch!

She promptly sent the pattern via a pdf email file & I was able to shop for my yarn right away. The only notions needed were the needles, a darning/yarn needle, a couple stitch markers, scissors & a few balls of yarn.

It only took a long afternoon & one evening to knit these up...which is pretty good considering the 4 year old helped me by un-doing many rows & taking the whole thing off my needle at one point. She tells me she's going to knit when she grows up! I bet she will!

I'm also knitting up a pair of these for myself... as I have perpetually cold hands even in Summer. The mitts are perfect because they offer that extra toasty warmth, yet the fingers are free so I'll still have the full use of them.

After that, my next-next project may be the 'sweet robin wristees' or the 'baby lamb cuffs' ...decisions ...decisions! How can you pick when it's all so charmingly cute?

As you can see, my 4 year old is thrilled with her new accessories! She even posed pretty so I could take photos rather than running from the room & hollering 'no pictures Mama!' like she usually does, LOL!

Please check out Stephanie's shop & her other darling patterns that she's offering. I highly recommend her patterns & her customer service is fantastic as well.

Stay crafty & knit on!

double rainbow all the way ttv - what does it mean

double rainbow all the way ttv by isewcute - what does it mean, a photo by isewcute on Flickr.

It was just before the sun set and just after a rain shower that we were graced with the appearance of a double rainbow! I was so glad to have had the camera with me at the time, because I would've been sad to have missed capturing it's beauty!
I think this one needs to be blown up poster size & hang in a place of honor in our home.

I Scream... You Scream... We All Scream...

For ice cream!!!!

Summer time is the right time. Somehow it just tastes better when you're trying to beat the heat.

I surprised the kiddos with these earlier this afternoon:

And I'm going to indulge in one of these new Klondike mint chip treats!

What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Baking Cookies Today!

I was given a cookbook for Christmas when I was 3 years old by my Grammie. At the time it didn't really seem to be an appropriate gift for a 3 year old, but I'm sure appreciative of it now! It's a great Betty Crocker cookbook called, "The Cooky Book".

There are a lot of yummy looking pictures throughout that I've been wanting to try & I must admit I've only made a handfull of the recipes to date.

Today I'm making the first recipe listed... chocolate drop cookies.

I didn't have chocloate squares, so used Hershey's coccoa powder instead & the dough smelled so good & super chocolatey!

When mixing the dough, I changed it up a bit & omitted the nuts & added coconut instead! I can't wait to see how they turn out & will keep y'all updated on what my little taste testers think of them!

I'm going to try every recipe in this book! Doesn't that sound like a sweet adventure to have? It will be like "Julie vs. Julia" only it's "June vs. Betty Crocker"!
I love cookies more than French cuisine, so it's going to be wicked fun!

If baking is not your cup of tea, you can always cruise on over to etsy & see what's cooking there! Here are a few treats that caught my eye this morning!
(warning) Photos will make you drool! Click the link below each photo to be directed to etsy for purchase if you're interested!

I adore these ice cream cone shaped cookies!

Ice Cream Cookies by mjammie


If I had these...I'd hide them from the kids & eat them all myself!

Cookie-Wich Lovers Sampler Pack by Tookies

Tookies' blog is so cute! Take a peek! http://ohmytookies.blogspot.com/

Aren't these the cutest cookies ever? Perfect for gift giving!

Farm Animal Sugar Cookies (12 Favors Bagged & Bowed) by TSCookies

If you are into baking your own treats, you may also like these helpful baking accessories!
Every baker should have a fun apron!

I Speak Cookie Handpainted Apron by Splashin


You need something to store those cookies in! I love these great vintage finds!

Vintage McCoy Little Red Riding Hood Collectible Cookie Jar by ccaappp

VinTaGe...supeR .RARE....CooKie MonSter........Cookie JaR..... by plumberryvintage


You can also find a wide variety of cookie cutters on etsy! I simply adore this tiara! My babygirl would love the tiara cookies!

Pink Princess Tiara Crown Cookie Cutter by CupcakeSocial on Etsy

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did! Cheers!

Working on Some New Embroidery Patterns! Fairies Galore!

The rain has made the grass so tall & green, as well as little buds popping up all over the place adding more color to the landscape. The hummingbirds have returned, frogs from the creek are singing to one another in the evening & buzzy bees have been bumbling around looking for a sweet blossom.
Add to all of this the sweet smell of Spring with grasses, flowers, and the earth on a light breeze & you've got me itching to work on some new embroidery patterns!
I rediscovered this cutie in my sketchbook from back in January & have decided to expand on it & do a series of fairies!

Sketching is my 'go to' craft which helps me to take all those images in my head & get them down on paper before they fade away.
Coming out a bit of a creative schlump, I'm finding inspiration in nature beyond my continuous search for four leaf clovers to make jewelry. Thank Heaven for Spring & the urge to be creative returning once again!

Real Mothers

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.
Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.
Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.
Real Mothers know that dried playdough doesn't come out of shag carpets.
Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.
Real Mothers sometimes ask "why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says,
"because I love you best".
Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measure by height or years or grade . . .
it is marked by the progression of Mama to Mommy to Mom.

Author Unknown

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful Moms out there!

Tudor Swap Package Update of Crafted Items Sent

I've been way behind on my blogging due to some family health issues & life in general taking over my free time to liesurely sit with my coffee & put my thoughts out there. I even quit coffee for awhile, but am now happily back to indulging in it again. I have a lot to blog about too...so expect an overflow of posting in the next few days!
I did wrap up the Tudor swap a few weeks ago & received an amazing package from my partner. Here are the things I made for her in case you were wondering how they turned out.

First, I ended up scrapping the x stitch King Henry VIII project because it would've taken a couple months to finish. I still plan on finishing it because it's so dang neat looking, but I need to just dabble at it without stressing over a deadline. This is the replacement project...a mixed media portrait done on canvas in acrylics, oils, and embellished with irridescent medium, feathers and a faux pearlescent gem.

Then we have the charm bracelet in it's entirety. I loved this so much I ended up making a similar one for myself! I adore those portrait charms so much.

I used an extra charm of Queen Elizabeth I to make a coordinating ring.

Finally, here is a resin glitter heart charm with a regal looking crown which I turned into a keyring. I couldn't resist crafting a little glittery something as an extra.

This was one of the most fun swaps I've ever had the pleasure of crafting for & I'm so pleased with how everything turned out...especially after having to scrap the first project & switch gears right in the middle like that.

Tudor Swap on Craftster

I'm busy as a bee working on a couple of very time intensive projects for the Tudor Swap on Craftster. I hope my partner isn't stalking me here on the blog for crafting ideas at this point of the swap, or it may be a bit of a surprise spoiler for her!
I started my first project...the big one right away & early on had discovered that at the rate I was going it would not be completed in time.
Call me crazy, but this is what I had set in my mind to do:

I'm about one fifth of the way done & it's been slow going. I forgot how long it takes me to do one of these charts!
My back up plan is to do a couple of paintings. My partner has wall space, not shelf space, so I think artwork of some kind is the way to go here. If I don't get at least halfway done by the end of the day today, I'm scrapping it for my paint & brushes.
The medium project I'm working on is my personal favorite. I like to make things for my partners that I would like & can find a use for.
It's a loaded Tudor charm bracelet! I won't show a photo of the whole thing just yet, so if my partner does peek at my blog, she will still be surprised by the rest of the design!
I've got a silly sense of humor in placing a baby carriage next to Anne Bolyn... I crack myself up!

If you'd like to make something similar to this or different...but just really love the look of the portrait charms, you'll want to check out the etsy shop, "marlaot" THE MOON & STARS-Unique jewelry supplies & findings.
Marla makes the portrait charms by hand herself & I must say the quality is top notch! She can make them in a couple of different finishes, so if you prefer antique brass to the silver...you're all set!
I'm so pleased with the charms I received & they arrived rather quickly too for being handmade! Marla was a pleasure to work with. She had to customize one of the charms for me & made a change with some of the hardware & was so courteous & answered my convos in a timely manner. I'd highly recommend her to anyone for these charms!

I can't wait to see what my partner will think of her swap package! It's such an awesome feeling to know you've made someone's day with something you crafted with your hands and your heart!

Little Owl Sculpts...

I've been having fun playing with some modeling compound & creating these little owls for a friend! I'm not sure if they're going to be glittered or resinated yet...so it's going to be fun seeing what happens from this point on. I haven't sculpted much except for one custom order & then the Simpson's Nativity I made for the wist swap on Craftster. I really enjoy getting my hands into the work like this. It's so different than crafting with resin & wearing gloves, goggles, a respirator & taking care to not get any of it on anything until it's cured.