The Chameleons Attic

Extra Love

2009-02-12T11:48:00.000-08:00

My sister has this scarf that she loves and she found a hole in it. It was done on knitting speed sticks. I identified the yarn and even found some on the clearance rack and bought three skeins. I started crocheting it while I was visiting because I only shipped my crochet needles.
I tore it apart and started knitting it when I got home.
I think my son is in love with this scarf because he has pulled it off the needles several times.
We set up a little pop up tent sometimes on the weekends for him and dad to play in. Well wouldn't you know there he was with the tent door zipped shut with this scarf stringing the yarn out everywhere. I hear HONEY you may want to come look at this! Panic has come over me because you just know that tone your spouse gets when you should have been there before he called your name. I look in the tent and my little boy has this yarn all over him and is trying to knit with the needles only the scarf is no longer on the needle.
He looked up with those big brown eyes and said, "hi mom I help" okay how can you be upset at this point? So to my sister when you get your scarf know that it was made with extra love.

Zutter Bind-it-all

2009-02-06T15:26:00.001-08:00

I love my zutter! And, now they have come out with a new version 2.0, it's pink and has a wider mouth for punching thicker boards.
The Zutter Bind-it-All is great for scrapbooking. You can easily make your own books in any size you need. With the binder your scrapbooks will be custom made just the way you want them.
What I love most about this item is that it's dual action. It puncheds the chipboard and the card stock but, it also binds the book.
It's easily portable, has a stabalizer and an easy pull handle. It all so has a collection area for the paper bits; just empty it right into the trash.
The only points I find I don't like with the Zuter Bind-it-All is that it's pink (I'm not a pink person) and that the collection area is small and must be emptied offten.

wow

2009-01-28T15:57:00.001-08:00

So the holidays are gone and like everyone who crafts we were just swamped. I of course extended my holiday craft making into making gifts for going to meet my Sister and her family.
I knew before the holidays that I was getting to do this but didn't realize that I would have come up with so many projects. So much so that some of the projects got packed in a box and shipped so I can finish them when I am out there.
We have yet to meet but we chat and laugh a lot so I can only imagine what my vacation will be like. I will keep everyone posted on how things go.
Thank you to everyone for the wonderful support.

A beautiful thing 2

2009-01-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

Wow how time flies!

I have gotten the privilege to meet an exceptionally wonderful person! It really is right up there with birth and marriage. With hopes of wonderful and great things my daughter and I got on a plane to go meet my sister. There was more involved then just me going to meet her, I have now included my daughter in this. After the fact we laughed but her husband was reserved because these two strangers were coming to stay in his home. My husband was concerned because he was shipping not only me but his daughter to this strange place. Me I didn't care I was going to be meeting my sister. The sister that I have held my breathe to meet.

It was above and beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the most indescribable events in my life. I will tell the story as it unfolded and hope you enjoy.

This weird calm was with me at all times until the plane touched down. We were there we were in Texas. Ohhhh my I am here get me off this plane I am on a mission as the tears streamed down my eyes because something I had waited half my life for was about to happen.

There they were with their noses pressed against the glass watching air planes taxi in and out. I quickly ran up behind them and said boo. (Not the way I pictured it going but just the same there we were) They all turned around with these great smiles on their faces. Believe it or not we didn't shed a tear it was as though we were visiting again and not for the first time. We fit right in. Texas does not look like Colorado in the winter time there was green everywhere. The conversation just flowed. Hey Aunt D guess where we are going for dinner tonight. Hey Aunt D! Those truly are some very awesome and dear words to me. So to home we went. The dogs welcomed us and we were shown our wonderful space that we would be spending three nights in. I shipped out a large box with many items in it. We opened them and handed out gifts and shared some photos. My brother in-law came home and like a goober I held out my hand to shake his and was embraced!!

We went to the melting pot for dinner. It was great to sit at a table and see our kids laughing and talking as though they too have know each other all of their lives. We told the waiter our wonderful story and he took our picture to mark the occasion.

I in this short weekend got to see my niece cheer and my nephew play baseball. It was a true gift to be able to see them both doing something they like.

I got to see my sister be a wonderful Mom. My brother in-law be a wonderful Dad.

I even got to meet the neighbors and enjoy dinner that the kids made.

I got to come home with the ability to blame someone else for the way I am. Now anytime my husband says anything about me being an animal lover I just look at him and say it is genetic.

I also use the excuse of well I was just following my older and wiser sister. My daughter and I got our ears pierced to mark the occasion and I told my husband well my sister did it.

I sit here with tears in my eyes and a heart full of joy being able to write this. I love you Sister!

After Christmas Sale

2008-12-26T08:17:00.001-08:00

Hello! We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

We will be having a sale on all our scrubbies. 50% OFF until Jan 2, 2009
All notebook and vintage listings are also 50% OFF

knitting

2008-12-23T12:49:00.001-08:00

I love to knit. I know how to English and Continental knit. Crocheting help me control the tension on my yarn which in turn helped me loosen my knitting. I was always frustrated and spent a lot of time trying to cram the needle into the hole to knit. That is the biggest advice I would give someone who is learning to knit.
I love to knit hats and slippers and blankets.
I use circular needles because I sit in a big comfy chair and I find that I am always fighting the standard needles. I also noticed that if I am knitting a blanket the weight hangs on the needles and is hard on my wrists. You can use circular needles the same as standard ones.
It wasn't until about a year or so ago that I actually used double pointed needles and found them to be very helpful in doing a cuff on a sweater or something that I had finished.
knitting and crocheting are similar in the sense that you hold your work but with knitting it is already on the needle.
I practiced correcting my work a lot so that I got comfortable with it when I did make a mistake.
Also when you turn your work be careful not to add stitches.

to knit or crochet

2008-12-23T12:48:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a two part post. I am often asked if someone should crochet or knit. For me both serve a pupose and I enjoy each for different reasons. I think that a person should learn to crochet first. It is easier to tear it down to you mistake and start again. I learned to knit first but would have rather learned to crochet so I always teach people to crochet first. I believe that if a person can learn to control their yarn tension while crocheting it is easier to knit. I love to crochet small projects on the go or in the summer and large afghans in the winter. I am fairly fast at both but find that my mind works better with creating crocheted items. I also believe that crocheting gives you the concept of even and what will work and won't. Why you add here and why you don't have to there. Most knitted items can be duplicated into crochet. I also like to teach crochet first because it gives a person a chance to be comfortable with the twisting of the needle in and out of the hole. Learning to turn the piece you are making so it does come out even and not a triangle can be a challenge for learners too.

Twitter

2008-12-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

We are on twitter now! http://twitter.com/chameleonsattic

It's so much fun and you can get update info on our shop just by following us.

Patricia

Thankful

2008-11-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I try to tell people thank you everday for the wonderful things in my life. Although this is short, those of you who know me will know what I mean and that what I am saying comes from the very bottom of my rear end! (because it is bigger then my heart) Thank you for everything that I am and have been blessed with in my life. Thank you for the things that have made me stronger and more thankful as a person. I am truly bless to have everyone and everything I have in my life.

Deidre

I'm cool

2008-11-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

So having been sick has given me a lot of time to work on my projects. I craft in order to rest. I was looking for some quick projects that I would be able to complete in a couple of hours so I felt more productive. I was making some bath puffs when my loving husband came in and wanted to know if I was making it for him. Then the ultimate compliment came when my tween came in and wanted to know what I was making. I told her and she said cool are you making that for me. So I got very excited and thought they would make great Christmas gifts for everyone so being sick isn't so bad when you get to be cool and are getting projects done.
Deidre

A beautiful thing.

2008-11-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

I have had one of the most beautiful things happen to me aside from having two children and a wonderful husband. Many moons ago (40 years) my mother was married to another man before she married my Dad. In this marriage I was given a gift of a sister I always wanted but never knew. I was very young when I found out I had a (1/2) sister. Well my imagination went wild oh we were going to have great fun this was of course before I knew what adoption was and what sealed records were. I knew the agency she was given to but they wanted a lot more money then what I had to find her. I went through the drama and heart ache of what if she doesn't know how would I ruin her life? Our Mom then got sick and I knew that I had to look for her if only to let her know her medical history so the search was on. I searched for 8 years but still couldn't part with the fact that she may not know. As I got older I knew that she was getting older and the medical history that I had could and might save her life. After searching many adoption sites it finally hit me that she may not know her birth parents names and then I even wondered if she knew her real birth date. I drove myself crazy for awhile but then started only searching a little a day. I would get my hopes up when I would find someone with the same birth date but all the other information was wrong. One glorious day I came across a person that had very similar information. She had everything but the birth name and didn't know her birth parents names. I had seen this post before but with those things missing I moved on. The angels must have been on my shoulder that day because I looked again and all I could think was okay the name doesn't match and she doesn't know the birth parents but how many baby girl's were born on the same day at the same hospital with a mother that was the same age and the same agency was used.?

I knew I sounded like a crazy lady when I called her but I just had to know. We talked a couple times over the next couple of weeks and agreed that we should contact the agency. That confirmed it for me. I was telling the lady all the details I had and you could tell she was trying really hard not to say more then what she was saying. I sent all of my information to verify who I was and the agency let me know that they would only contact me in writing. Ohhh great another waiting game because the paper work said they would send the information in a timely manner. What is a timely manner? I learned a long time ago to listen to my gut because it doesn't lie. I knew it would be a week before I heard anything. The anniversary of my mother's death was coming and I knew the news would come on that day. It did indeed come on that day! In our talking we had agreed that it would be nice to get to know each other and not just exchange medical history. So I was the largest spaz anyone has ever seen when I opened that letter. It said she was indeed my sister and all I could say was I have a sister!!! I was jumping up and down and screaming and just flat out carrying on! My poor family all had tears in their eyes because I was just the most happiest person anyone had ever seen then of course when I started calling everyone nobody was home..... You can't just leave that kind of message on a machine. She wasn't even home nobody was home but I didn't care I was still bouncing off the walls and looked at my family and said dinner is going to be late... So I have gone through life without a sister and now I have one and it is just the most beautiful thing. We get to write our own relationship and I didn't realize just how blessed I was not knowing her till now. We didn't grow up together and we are both adults and able to handle the situation where as if we were younger it might not be as beautiful.
Deidre

So behind.....walking fast to catch up!

2008-11-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

We are so behind on blog posts. Our two households have been way under the weater. Kids have been home sick, moms have been down under and dads have been avoiding us like the snotty, slobbery, ozzing monsters we are.

In the mean time however, I've had lots of time to plot out projects and work on little things when my boy is grounded to the coutch under a blanket.

I listed some things on ebay. Something I haven't done in a long long time. Just some Christmas ornaments I had from last years ebay inventory.

This link should (crossing fingers) take you to my ebay listings.
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/werincahoots_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ

I think I'll start listing book lots again. I know not very Christmas oriented but, people do like to read.

I've been putting together some new notebooks for the etsy shop. And, working on a custom order for Business card notebooks. I'm not thrilled with the look so I'm going to start over. I know what I want them to look like in my head. The vision just hasn't translated to a finished product yet.

I'll post pics here when they are finished.

Patricia

Whats been happening...

2008-11-10T15:23:00.000-08:00

Wow, lots of new things going on this week with our etsy shop, TheChameleonsAttic!
We were in another treasury! A beautiful treasury created by Briaberger. My vintage gloves were included in this beautiful collection. The treasury has expired but you can see the gloves here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16734742
We had some great success this weekend in our shop with rugs. We are looking thin on rugs so you know for the next few weeks I’ll be knotting away.
I joined one of the great Etsy street teams, etsy HOMEFRONT TEAM. This is a wonderful group of sellers keeping the homefront kicking for their military and retired military family members. Not always an easy job to do!
In the very short time I’ve been a member of this group I’ve chatted with several great people. They’ve been warm and kind and very helpful. I truly appreciate all the information they have shared.
If you would like to help support the etsy HOMEFRONT TEAM check here for many wonderful hand crafted and vintage items: http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title&search_query=homefront
You can also check HOMEFRONT shops by individual sellers:
Members: 1MaddieandMe, afloyd, AMKStitches, anchoredescapes, angoraknitter, APlanetNamedJanet, armywifewyo, artwhims, AspenSpa, astonesthrow, babybelle, babyloveblankies, battleshipbettie, beautybeadsnmore, beckym, berryblossombeauty, bethjt, bigblueeyes, bowsforbaby, BrooklynNiteOwl, bubbarye, burnttoastranch, ButterflyDesign1, bycoco, caligirlcrafts, camillam, capecodconsignments, cardsbylu, ceece, chichiclay, cleedesigns, CraftHeart, crafttastrophe, craftychk, CreationsAnew, creationsbychristina, crochetunplugged, crystalh9, CurlyGirlBowTique, cutesieclips, delilaboutique, dunkdesigns, eamonellery, earringparadise, earthangelstudio, ElizabethGwenOrignls, ellabearbowtique, elliedayphotography, emjdesign, Enthral, flyleafbookstudio, fraybabybibsandmore, freewiredesigns, gappygirl, gaudylittlesecret, geekdetails, gothchics, HandmadebyHalyssa, handsoncrafts, HeidisHandmades, homefrontwebdesign, HomemadeZen, hoppyink, hrphotography, imogensgarden, JensCraftCorner, JoyfulAbode, katierae, kimberlyanns, lalunedesigns, laungnome, lebeaubebeboutique, leelehman, lemonade, lifeinscraps, littlefarm, LittleLadyBoutique, littlethingsboutique, lizzieslittleliah, llyrric, lovelyyellowribbons, matchlessmasterpiece, maymouse, MayRaeCrochetnKnit, memoriestoyou, MFCrafts, mirkah, modcustomjewelry, mommylyssa, mommymafia2008, mommyslittlehelper, mommyto3cuties980407, monsterbugblankets, MooseThreads, MrsDStahl, mrsgruber, mymomento, myorangecrush, nanagirlcqplus, Naps, Neonelephant, nypapercrafter, oceankisses, patrioticpapers, peanutsboutique, pepper2, phrogphluff, qtpieproductscom, recycledjeans, rozzissweetpeas, RubyShoesSam, scarletdgn, sewlittletimeinnc, simoneladybug, simplyemma, sissypretties, smokeymountainscents, sockmonkeygreetings, Steffi67, StuStuStudio, sunshineandravioli, SuppliesfromtheHeart, swanmountainsoaps, sweetgrocerybags, sygnetcreations, TerisTreasure, Terryann, thejohnson3, theknittingsiren, themodernmama, tinystorm, tokyomommy, triquetradesigns, tuliptreebaby, tuliptreepapers, tumpuscreations, twoseasidebabes, vintagemomcreations, wastenotwhimsy, winddancerdesigns, wondrousstrange
Our shop has not been included in this list yet, you can use the link on the side bar to go directly to our shop.

Patricia

Want to read some of my articles?

2008-11-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

I'm putting a plug in for my articles. I've been writting for ehow for a few months and have a pretty good selection of articles. You might find one that interests you.

http://www.ehow.com/members/PCOliver.html

You can leave comments here and let me know what you think.

Patricia

About our Etsy Shop, TheChameleonsAttic

2008-10-29T09:49:00.001-07:00

If you’ve already checked out our shop you’ve probably noticed one thing off the bat. It’s eclectic. The other thing you may have noticed is our pricing. It’s very reasonable. At least we think our shop is full of lots of different and wonderful items priced at very affordable rates.
I wanted to talk about our shop and hopefully give our customers some insight as to why our shop is set up the way it is.

The first thing to keep in mind is that our shop is a collaborative effort. All our notebooks are made by both Deidre and me. We have a lot of fun doing the notebooks and have been working on some new ideas. We also have items that are made or presented by each of us as individuals. In the listings you find details on which of us made the item.

When we thought about opening our shop we knew we would have different kinds of items because we are always trying something new. This means our shop looks a little eclectic. You will always find the hand crafted items we love, like our rugs, you will also find new and different items.

We thought long and hard about including our Vintage Cupboard in The Chameleons Attic vs. opening another store just for vintage items. We chose to combine our hand crafted items with our vintage items because we felt we would be better able to serve our customers with one shop then being divided by two shops.

All vintage and antique items have been put in our Vintage Cupboard. Before including the items we verify to the best of our ability that the items are vintage. Most are considered antiques and have probably been either part of my home or my mother’s home. I love going to auctions with my mom and finding treasures. Now I have a place to share those treasures…So, I can get new treasures!

You will also find in our store a section just for creative supplies. Many times we find we have more then we need. Ok, what really happens is our husbands say we have clear out some stuff before we can get more stuff. Those pesky husbands!

Often we are able to reclaim fabrics or notions but don’t have a need for them. So from time to time you’ll find buttons, lace, fabric, felted wool or denim lot listed. Oh, and there will be lots of things from my mother’s house as I clean out her closets. There are already two great fabrics listed.

We’ve had a lot of comments about our pricing. I think we’ve actually been disappointed about the comments we’ve received. We’ve been told our pricing is too low, that it makes our products seem like they are of lesser quality.

Why have we priced our items so low? We don’t think they are low. We feel like we are priced at exactly what the current market can handle. Our feeling is this, we would rather make a little bit less on our items and sell them and have our buyers feel like they got a value and want to come back to buy more.

We believe this is a better plan then pricing them higher and risking not selling anything because they aren’t affordable. We understand things are tight all over. We understand our items are luxury items. We want people to feel like they can buy an item from us and not feel guilty for spending too much money.

This doesn’t make the quality of our items any less. They same hard work and hand care goes in to each item weather offered at $100.00 or at $50.00. Which would you rather pay?
Take a moment to go look at our shop. And, if you fee like it, buy yourself a treat!!

Patricia

Yes when husband's lose what little man space they have it is time to part with projects that we have conquered and have excess of.

When people comment on our pricing they always say to me what is your time worth. Well I like to keep my hands busy so if we are watching a movie or I am visiting with friends I am doing something. I value that I am able to this and that my friends and family understand so I cannot put a price on the time that I spend doing this. I cover my supplies and a little extra for my next project. I have many projects that I have not been completely satisfied with and have learned from those stay in my house.

If Your Ever Driving Across Kansas...

2008-10-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Driving across Kansas is much like driving across Texas. Long and boring.

My parents live in Missouri, about thirty minutes past the end of nowhere. We've been visiting them more often to ensure our son gets plenty of time with them. Well...no matter which way you go it’s long, boring and windy. But, because we have been making this drive a lot lately and I can find no way around it, I've found a way to make it entertaining, at least, for me.

Not so much for my husband.

My favorite rout to go is from Denver to Kansas City and down to Springfield vs. Denver to Salina down to Wichita and over to Springfield. Both take you through Salina.

The important thing to remember is the stops. This is a great rout for anyone interested in odd little places to stop, antique stores or yarn and fabric shops.

Because we leave Denver at an hour when only zombies, we get to our first stop about breakfast time. My husband gets to eat and I get to stop at my fist antique shop! This is a great little place and every time I've been there the same gentlemen has been at the counter. He must get all the early morning shifts. This is the stop where my husband and my son pick out a gift for Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma usually gets linens and Grandpa gets tools or a plainer.

Southwind Antiques is an antique mall, with lots of vendor booths and a huge variety of wares. If you’re looking for tools, farming or horse related items this is a great place. There’s a booth by the back room with lots of old beautiful fishing lures, some great furniture and a cute selection of toys and holiday items at the front of the store. This place has a great selection of everything and the prices arn’t too bad.

http://www.southwindantiques.com/

When you leave don't for get to pick up at least one flyer with the listings of all the shops along I70.

If you remembered to pick up the flyer you'll see all the shops along I70. But, have no fear if you missed the flyer there will be no shortage of road side signs to tell you where to stop. From Colby to Salina the road is heavily marked with signs for quilting shops, yarn shops and antique stores.

I usually make it to Hayes before I require another shop, I mean stop. But, there are some nice places in all of these locations: Oakley, Quinter, Wakeeney and Ellis.

Hays has several shops I like to visit. There are two antique malls right off the I70 on the south side, use the frontage road to get to them. They are a little pricy. Unfortunatlly I can't remember the names of either. But, in Hays there’s is The Antique Mall of Hays and Brunswick Antique Mall. Both have a great selection and about average prices.

Antique Mall of Hays

201 East 41st Street

Hays, KS 67601

(785) 625-6055

http://www.antique4sell.com/

Hays also has a great quilt shop! http://www.quiltcottageco.com/

This is the place where I learned how to make a locker hook rug. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The fabric selection was great; they even have a nice selection of specialty yarns.

Our next stop is the Antique Mall in Russell. I don't get to stop here as often but, they have a nice selection, average prices and nice staff.

Russell Antique Mall 17925 Stickney Rd
Russell, KS 67665 (785) 483-2281‎

Between Hays and Salina there’s a wonderful side note. On the North side of the Highway you will see hundreds (at least I think there are hundreds, I never counted, Ok maybe just a lot) of windmills. Not the old fashioned ones you think of but, big high teck sleek looking windmills. For some time Kansas has been erecting these windmills on windmill farms. On our trip last Easter we saw work men putting together the mill parts. We passed semi after semi hauling huge mid sections and blades. It was really quite a site. These windmills are very much like the ones that have been used outside of Palm Springs, California for years and even Las Vegas Nevada only I think they may be even taller. Why don't we have more of these windmills in use? I'm sure it is an expensive endeavor to set one up but, don't the long term benefits outweigh the initial cost? I'm guessing the people of Kansas think so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power

http://www.awea.org/

http://www.alliantenergykids.com/stellent2/groups/public/documents/pub/phk_ee_re_001502.hcsp

http://www.vlib.us/windpower.html

Just an interesting wind fall of information. LOL I know bad pun.

So lets move on. Our next stop is Salina. There are signs as you head into Salina for both antique shops, quilt shops and a yarn store. Unfortunately for me my husband makes sure to this area when I'm asleep and breezes right past. So if you get to explore the shops in Salina please let me know what I'm missing!!

He does however; know better then to pass our next stop! Abilene Kansas. Antique stores in multiples. Most I've been to. I try to stop at a different one each time.

http://www.abilenekansas.org/page.aspx?page_id=44

But, even better is the Russell Stover candy factory and outlet store...YUMMM!!!

http://www.russellstover.com/

http://www.abilenekansas.org/page.aspx?page_id=21

I get the Toffee in the bag. I think its buy one get the other 1/2 off. It's so good.

Paxico is the next stop for us. I love this place!! It's this cute little town with a row of shops, a cafe and that’s about it. But, there are lots of shops. And, every one of them is nice, the staff in each shop is wonderful and friendly, the prices are good to average. If you can only go to one antique area on your drive go to this one.

http://paxicomerchants.com/

Even my husband likes this stop! Well...this one and the candy store.

That is the end of our stops on this trip. However, there are lots, I mean lots of places I didn't mention that are great shops and all the places we haven't had the opportunity to visit. If you stop at a place on this rout you think should be included let me know. I'd love to hear about your favorite travel stops where ever you go.

Patricia

VCR tape bag

2008-10-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

This like the plarn was an accident but a fun one. My mom used to work for a video store and we have tons of old movies laying around some of the not so good ones. Patricia kept saying I should try it and I did. I took the whole tape apart but didn't rewind the movie before I did so needless to say I won't make that mistake again after 30 minutes of trying to get all the tape on one reil.

VHS tape is not like plarn at all it is quite fun to work with even if it makes more noise and the family has to turn up the T.V.

Downfall was my son absolutely loved to spin the tape out of it while I was working on it causing me to give him the other reil to play with but it just wasn't as fun without the tape.

I really like the look of the bag. Up close it looks like an evening purse. I am excited about it and will be making another one!

You an view my VCR bag here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17237379

Deidre

Upcycling

2008-10-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

My daughter has told us time and time again that we are just crazy. Two Adult woman at a Birthday party watching someone getting ready to throw away all the plastic table clothes. We look at each other and then as if one knew what the other was thinking we both say at the same time ohh don't throw those away we can fuse them into reusable gift bags. you
When my son was in preschool they took all the crayons from the year and melted them and cut them out with cookie cutters and sent them home with the kids. Well when you have kids in your house you most always have a box of broken crayons well not in our houses we melt them and upcycle them into more crayons.
Most of my yarn comes from people that used to crochet but haven't in years and know that I will use it hence why I have yarn everywhere. I love to make scrap blankets and anything I can make up in my mind. I have problems following patterns because I am always loosing my place so some are committed to memory and some are just made up.
Everyone knows what we do so most of the time we get we aren't going to use these anymore do you think you can give it new life and that is what we do.
Deidre

Cold Weather

2008-10-11T15:15:00.001-07:00

It is cold in Colorado! Not quite cold enough to start a fire in the fire place but Patricia and I keep up our creative spirits when neither one of us want to go out of the house by communicating through Instant Message! For the two of us this works out great because we just leave it up and running all day and check in whenever we need a break with what we are doing. So just because we are in two houses doesn't stop us from laughing or being creative. (Today is one of those days)

Toothbrush Rugs

2008-10-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

So I get a call from my wonderful friend Patricia one day wanting to know if I've ever made a toothbrush rug. A what? So she carries on about how cool they are and tells me exactly how to make them well me being me with my I can do that attitude break out a set of sheets that are folded and put away. I start tearing away and my poor husband comes in the door to see me in my chair with a pile of strips and asks what are you doing? Well Patricia said you can make rugs out of gently used sheets so I thought why not she says all I have to do is this...... The next thing you know I have this wonderful and beautiful bowl. Well come on I can crochet a rug this has to be close what am I doing wrong.

Patricia comes over a couple days later after I have made several attempts at these beautiful rugs. She finds me sitting in my chair with one on my head and I tell her this one really would make a lovely sun hat what do you think? After she is done laughing at me she explains that she read somewhere that you have to add stitches. I let her know that I had figured that out hence the brim of my new sun hat. So after watching me struggle because I had decided to make a couple as gifts for friends she decided to try it. We laughed and laughed at our sun hats.
Deidre

I fell in love with these two rugging techniques I discovered over Easter vacation. My husband, myself, our child and our golden retriever set out across Kansas to Missouri. We were to spend Easter with my parents and my sister and brother-in-law. It’s about 14 hours from Denver to my parent’s house. 14 very very very long hours driving with a husband, a child and a dog. I was so board, even my crocheting my scrubbies didn’t entertain me, and forget trying to do my needle point while in the car with the boy kicking the back of the seat.

So to make the trip more enjoyable for me (I to realize this is what made it a full 14 hour drive) I made my husband stop at all the crafty craft places in Kansas. Do you know how many there are? Oh my, yarn must be the unknown craft industry of Kansas. Everywhere you look on that stretch of road between Salina and the Colorado line there are yarn store bill boards. Huge signs blaring at me “STOP HERE”, “BUY MORE YARN”, “AGRIVATE YOUR HUSBAND”. Of course these signs are all mixed in with antique signs making the same subliminal statements to me. So, to be fair on the way to my parents, who by the way live thirty minutes past the end of the world, I stopped at all the antique stores. Too fun! My husband and son got into in at picked out nice gifts for my parents (in-between stops there was lots of grumbling from the husband). Now on the way back home for the second 14 hour long drive we stopped at all the craft type shops. OH MY!!!! Yarn, Yarn, Yarn and quilting fabrics! It was so much fun.

The point is I discovered and fell instantly in love with this type of rugging called locker hooking. Locker hooking is nothing (well maybe slightly like) hook rugs. Beautiful rugs. I had the lady explain the whole process and bought some of the special hooks I needed. I’ll explain the hooks at a later date. When I got home I went to work researching these rugs. Let me tell you there is not much out there on them. But, what I do find is info on another primitive form of rugging called the toothbrush rug. It was very interesting and seemed easy enough. Some times I like a project that you can see fast growth in and these rugs do that. You get started and BAMN your half way done. But, at that half way mark is also when they slow down to a crawl.

Anyway I thought the history of how the rugs were made was interesting. They are called toothbrush rugs because people used an old toothbrush handle carved into a needle to work the strips. Originally the needle may have been made from bone or wood. These rugs have been around a long time and were a great way to re-use fabrics no longer usable for clothing.

The knotting of the rugs makes them very sturdy, durable even with already worn fabrics and full of rich texture. You never know when you start how the pattern of the fabric will look in the knots or what colors will become prominent. There is defiantly some trial and error in making these rugs and you have to be able to be flexible with how the rug will come out.

Deidre and I have had a great time learning to make the rugs and working out our own designs. I hope soon you will be seen more intricate patterns and shapes.

Patricia

Etsy.com Front Page Treasury

2008-10-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

I found out today that one of our Etsy listings had been featured in a treasury on the Etsy front page!!! How exciting is that???

For those who are not Etsy patrons I’ll explain what this means.

When you log on to Etsy.com on the first page you see there are several windows with pics of items. You will notice all these items fit together, either by style, color or some other theme. There will be a title for the collection and a curator.

These collections are called treasuries. Sellers and buyers from all corners of Etsy can create a treasury made of 12 listings (with a couple back up items in case of sales) and add them to the main treasury list.

It’s not easy to get a treasury on the list; you can only add a new list when the number of current lists drops below 333. Your timing has to be spot on!

Curators take lots of care in choosing the items they want to feature in their treasuries making them a living art collage right on Etsy.

Getting a treasury listed is hard enough. I’ve been toying with one or two layouts but, haven’t hit the timing right yet. I couldn’t imagine making one and then to have it chosen by Etsy Admin for the Etsy front page!!!

So imagine my shock when I was Googling around earlier today and Googled our store name and found this link: http://flickr.com/photos/28488923@N05/2808093431/in/pool-etsyfrontpagers. Holly molly Etsy fans, we were included in a treasury that was actually on the front page of Etsy.com on 8/28/08.

Our front page rug!

We never knew! I seriously just found this today by accident. How cool is that!!

Our sherbert cotton facial scrubbies were included another treasury by TLCbyStephanie called Sweet Sherbert. TLCbyStephanie let us know of our inclusion and we could not have been more pleased with how beautiful her treasury turned out.

Set of 8 sherbert facial scrubbies

I believe it’s a real honor to be included in a treasury. It means that another Etsian valued our item and the photographing of it so much that they wanted it included in their treasury collection. I just think that says a lot. And, it makes me feel very good about what I create.

Patricia

Holy Moly was right. We were dinking around doing something else. I was on the phone with her and she starts screaming WE ARE ON THE FRONT PAGE! (I was looking but didn't see us) that was all she could say for five minutes so after I got her calmed down enough she explained it was on 8/29/08. It was still very exciting but I don't know that my computer enjoyed being refreshed that much. Thank you to everyone because I got to tell my tween see we are cool.

Notebooks

2008-10-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ohhhh lordy our notebooks are quite the thing. Everyone has gotten involved with these. "Hey mom, can we buy these yummy ding dongs? You can use the box for a notebook." I will never look at any food box the same.
So...one weekend, in the garage we set out the table and start spreading out our food boxes. We both had blank paper we weren't using in our house so away we go. Start chopping, clipping, measuring, and hey that is really cool do you think you could make me one for school? and ohh yeah that would be really cool to have a little note taking thing in my pocket while I am out in the field? and can you make one for my music sheet for guitar class?
We just laughed because both our husbands and my daughter walked away with a notebook for school. We found a couple of places that were going out of business in our area so we bought some of the paper they had. We have even taken some of the business card notebooks to craft fairs and they have been a wonderful hit.
Deidre

Holly Box Tops Bat Man! Everything in our house has become fodder for notebooks: Crayon boxes, wall paper samples, un-used cards, used cards, greeting cards, playing cards, parts of kid games (since all the other parts are lost anyway, why not?), the men even started saving beer boxes! I once looked at a toilet paper cardboard roll and wondered how I could use it to make a notebook. We had no clue how well the note books would take off when we decided to do them. If we had we might have gone a different rout with the binding equipment. But, still we couldn't be more thrilled. The notebooks are fun, creative and expressive of our personalities. A little out-there. Since starting with them we've evolved our notebooks into what we felt they needed not just to make them stand out from the other guys selling them but, to really be of use to the buyer. One of the things we enjoy about making the notebooks is that they are made from primarily recycled materials. The covers range from box tops to what ever we can easily fit into the binder, the paper has been collected from several sources and as yet we haven't needed to buy paper (I'm secretly crossing my fingers for that custom order that is sooooooo big I have to buy a case of paper!), we both had an abundance of un-used mismatched envelopes and no end to our ideas.

We had no clue how well the note books would take off when we decided to do them. If we had we might have gone a different rout with the binding equipment. But, still we couldn't be more thrilled.
The notebooks are fun, creative and expressive of our personalities. A little out-there. Since starting with them we've evolved our notebooks into what we felt they needed not just to make them stand out from the other guys selling them but, to really be of use to the buyer.
One of the things we enjoy about making the notebooks is that they are made from primarily recycled materials. The covers range from box tops to what ever we can easily fit into the binder, the paper has been collected from several sources and as yet we haven't needed to buy paper (I'm secretly crossing my fingers for that custom order that is sooooooo big I have to buy a case of paper!), we both had an abundance of un-used mismatched envelopes and no end to our ideas.

Patricia

My Friend is a trooper

2008-10-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

So Crafting is a lot of fun when you have someone to bounce ideas off of and someone who brings out the best in you when you are creating. What happens when that friend gets sick and you aren't able to get a craft date! (This is a drag because you don't even realize just how much one helps create the other) Patricia got a really bad tooth infection and she has been down for over a week. Finally she had the teeth that were causing the problem pulled. (wonderful wisdom teeth) So to keep your friend upbeat about not being able to craft you create a project list for when they get better so they have something to look forward too. Here are my ideas. We need to more Christmas Ornaments since the holidays are getting closer, I need to make another shag rug since the one I made has been taken, Patricia needs to make another rug because she is really good at it and the kids need some strips to tear, and notebooks we really are starting to get a pile of boxes.

So to my friend who is a trooper you have to get out of bed soon because we have lots of therapy days ahead of us and my husband needs some time in man land.

Deidre

Let me tell you all this was no picnic. To begin with I was told many times as a teen I didn't have any wisdom teeth to be pulled. Apparently they were all wrong. They being the dentists, the orthodontists, those mean people! So, I'm 40 I've just had 4 wisdom teeth pulled, my face isn’t just discolored it's black from the bruising, and my jaw feels like it was opened and pulled over my head. And, I just don't feel like doing anything!

Anything, except hanging out with family and friends and maybe starting a new rug! Hmmmm, been thinking of making a fish shaped rug.

Patricia

Plarn

2008-10-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

Plarn was a complete accident. A crochet loving woman at my son's preschool was always doing it while she was waiting for her kids to get out. We would chat off and on. One day she came by and asked me if I liked her bag? I thought it was very neat looking and I got a little closer and really looked at it and that is when she told me it was made out of Plarn. She told me to go home and look it up. Well me being me I think to myself I can do that but still had no clue what plarn was but I was going to make me something. So come to find out plarn is a way of recycling plastic bags. There wasn't a lot on the Internet about plarn when I started but before the day was over I had all my plastic bags that I save with a pair of scissors and a crochet hook in hand. The next thing I knew everyone was saving bags for me and I have a lot of plastic bags. I had friends asking me what I would do for a large red bag! So as a spoof I had made a bunch of them up and Patricia suggested that we sell them at our next craft fair. Okay well how much do you charge and I don't really think they are going to sell but okay. Yeah all the plarn bags were gone in a matter of minutes. Those and my potholders were the only things that sold that day. We had a lot of fun stringing plastic and making more bags while we had wonderful conversations with people wanting to know what we were doing. Patricia draws the line at making plarn items but will sit and help string and cut the same as I do not crochet food looking items but she will.

Deidre

Ok, I was reading this today and had to take a minute to comment. LOL, you should have seen us at this craft fair. Nothing is selling, I mean NOTHING! Not even the other vendors are selling. Then out of nowhere this lady picks up a plarn handbag and loves it! And, she buys it. YES! So I go to work on this great speal about how they are recycled and no two are exactly a like and what do you know two more sell. I'm all excited and I'll look around to see that we only have 2 more to sell. I'm frantic! How can we sell more if we don't have more. We get out the scissors and I start cutting bags. Deidre's fingers are flying to crochet another bag. I think one of the things that got us attention at that movement was that we were working on a bag and people stopped to see what we were doing.

Patricia

What crafting is to us.

2008-10-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

Patricia and I love to craft!

We love how we can take a material and give it life. Watch it grow and take shape (not always the shape we want or the shape that we started with in our minds). We've even managed to get our entire families into crafting. The men have an excuse to hang out in "Man Land" together playing ladder ball and razzing each other along with us from time to time. The two younger boys love when we make rugs because they get to help tear the strips and laugh. My thirteen year old loves to hover over our shoulders and tell us what is cool and what isn't (we are so not cool-Patricia) . She is always reminding us how goofy we are until the project is done and she thinks it is COOL. Over the summer the "tween" started sewing and is making her own version of Patricia's T-shirt bag. We hang out in my garage because we have a fenced in front yard so the little ones can't escape.

For Patricia and I crafting is like a girls day at the spa. We laugh, eat good food, relax, harass the older boys, and walk away with a new source of energy. Therapy!

Deidre

Oh wow that sounds so dreamy! Can I come? Wait, I'm the other half of that duo. What Deidre isn't telling you is this... We have to use her yard because my yard consists of a spit of grass, I checked, it is grass and not a weed. The fenced in part to keep the boys from escaping is so true, what she didn't mention is that the little nippers (one 5 and one 6) are escape artists and that not only does the fence contain the little boys, it contains the big boys (the big boys, meaning our husbands and my 23-year-old nephew).

But seriously WE ALL have the best time. The men get the front part of the yard and the drive way as "Man Land". And, we get the garage. Which means we have control of the tunes and they are suppose to be in charge of the kids. Reality Check: we do get control of the tunes but, they most definitely are not in charge of the kids!

Still it works, we all have fun and there's always lots of LOLing.

Keep an eye out maybe we can get the guys to share their Ladder Balls rules and directions for making a set!

Patricia

2008-10-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

First before we get to the important stuff I would like to take a spot and explain us. I met Patricia when a crazy lady ran into the back of her car. The accident had gone unnoticed so I ended up looking like the crazy one trying to run Patricia down to let her know what happened. So in the end we started chatting about everything and sharing a lot of laughs. I have always crocheted and am self taught. Patricia and I decided one day that we should craft together and our two sons played dis functionally well and so do we so....

Our first post

2008-10-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Patricia. I'm just one part of this blog. Deidre should be along soon to leave her own commentary. In fact Deidre will be doing a majority of the blogging.

As this is the first breath of life for our blog we are not set in stone about what our blog should contain. What we do know is we'll be posting information our our craft projects, patterns, directions, topic discussions. All revolving about crafts.

Check back with us often to see how our little blog spot evolves.

Patricia