Happy Holidays!!!!

Well, it's officially Christmas-time!!!!  Only three more days until the big day.  I'm really really looking forward to Christmas this year.  All of my gifts are purchased and/or made.  Now, all I have left to do is wrap them!  I think in keeping with my hubby and I's tradition, we're going to sit down tonight with a good old fashioned Christmas movie and wrap, wrap, wrap!

Last week we had our emergency craft night/cookie exchange and it was a huge hit!  I had never participated in a cookie exchange before, and I think it actually may have been the highlight of the craft night!  Not that we didn't all love having more time to work on our projects, but the cookie baking and sharing was a nice change of pace!  I also LOVED the fact that I didn't have to go to near as much work to get such an awesome (albeit peanut-buttery) variety of cookies!  I will definitely be doing more of this in the future! 

Here's just a few pictures of the baking extravaganza...there were a few pics of the projects we worked on, but many of us were working on gifts for the holidays, so I didn't want to post pictures and spoil any surprises.

I'm sure everyone will cherish the gifts that we've all put so much time,effort, and love into making!  After all, isn't that what the holidays are all about...love?

So, Merry Christmas to each an every one of you!  I hope your holiday is a crafty one!

:) Jack

P.S.  We will still be having craft night December 28, same time, same place!  The January evening is being moved due to a scheduling conflict.  Instead, we will meet a week earlier on Tuesday, January 18th.  Hope to see everyone there!
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Update....

Sonja attended our emergency craft night and got to finish a fabulous crochet blanket!  It was intended to be a Christmas present for her dear sister and we didn't want to spoil the surprise on the chance that her sister (hi Ash!) might be reading the blog!  So, here's Sonja's completed blanket in Texas A&M colors, no less! 

Scarfette...and (gulp) Knitting

So here's the deal...you all know enough about me by now to know that I just can't pass up trying to copy something to make it more affordable.  Well, surprise...I'm at it again!  When my Momma and I went out shopping after Thanksgiving, I came across this cute little...what shall I call it....Scarfette!  It wraps around your neck and is just so soft and cozy, but you don't have to mess with having all of this material draping around your coat.  For someone who doesn't even like to wear a coat, this is a great option for me to minimize my layers at winter!  But, like most times, I wanted to try making one myself...it's all about the challenge after all!  I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out!

The first photo is the original...it's by Fossil, and retail price was around $32.  I got it way on sale, so that's a bonus, but there's no way I could justify paying that much to give them as gifts.  I went to work trying to figure out how I could copy it...first off, it's knitted (yuck) so I knew I'd have to come up with a crocheted alternative.  I thought if I used a bulkier weight yarn (like a 5 or 6) and a larger hook size (like a P) that I could simulate the fluffy-ness of the scarfette and make it quick and easy to work up.  Joann's seemed to be the best option around me to find the large buttons to use.  The one on the original scarfette measures in at 2 inches!  Once I figured out my pattern and was satisfied with how it all looked, I worked one of my copy scarfettes up in only 30 minutes!  And that's start to finish!  Can you believe it! 

I love these little cuties and they'd make great gifts!!!!  Give them I try!  I'll post my really abbreviated instructions for guidance below the pictures!


original Scarfette by Fossil



Jackie's copy

 

comparing size, stitches, and button holes

 

Crocheted Scarfette Instructions

1 strand of 5 or 6 weight yarn, or 2 strands of worsted weight 4 yarn

Size P crochet hook

2 inch button

Thread for sewing button on

Chain 50 loosely
Row 1 - single crochet in each chain space (50 sch) - chain 1 & turn
Row 2 - single crochet in each space (50 sch) - chain 1 & turn
Row 3 - single crochet in each space (50 sch) - chain 1 & turn
Row 4 - work 6 single crochet in the first 6 spaces - chain 3 loosely - single crochet across starting in the 4th space from the last single crochet (6 sch, 3 ch, 41 sch) - chain 1 & turn
Row 5 - single crochet in each chain space (50 sch) - chain 1 & turn
Row 6 - single crochet in each chain space (50 sch) - chain 1 & turn
Row 7 - single crochet in each chain space (50 sch) - finish off
Sew button at the end about 5 inches up from the bottom. 


You'll notice that this post does not stop here...no, I decided that I loved my scarfette's, but wondered how hard it would be to try one of these little babies with my dusty/never-used/sticks-from-hell/knitting needles.  For those that know, I'm a crocheter through and through.  My good friend and fellow crafter, Hannah, tried her best to get me to knit.  She even got me these awesome little orange needles and gave me a full day's worth of lessons.  But try as I might, I could not get them to create anything like the gorgeous scarf she made me a few years ago for Christmas!  I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never be a knitter.  Well, fast forward to yesterday...after a little inspiration from the scarfettes, and a little assistance from YouTube...look what I have done!  I'm KNITTING!!!!!  I can't say it's my favorite thing to do, but so far, it's turning out lovely!  I've held on to this variegated blue and tan yarn for a long time now, and it's finally getting put to use.  I just love how it's coming together.  So, Hannah, you'd finally be proud of me! :) 

If you'd like to learn how to knit and don't have an awesome Hannah to teach you, check out these videos...they worked wonders for me!

How to Knit - the Basics (YouTube video)

How to Knit - the Purl Stitch (YouTube video)

 

Look at me, I'm knitting!

 

My stitches don't even look that bad!


 If you happen to try out the scarfette pattern or find the videos as helpful, let me know!

Emergency Craft Night/Cookie Exchange

The people have spoken... 

We've decided to have an emergency craft night December 14th to try and help everyone finish up their last minute craft gifts that they've been working on for Christmas!  Would you like to join us?! 

Since it's so close to the holidays we also thought that a lot of us could use a good old fashioned cookie exchange to help out on the baking front too!  (And truth be told, who doesn't love cookies at the holidays?!) 

So, if you'd like to come on the 14th and work on some crafts we'll be here - same time, same place.  You don't have to participate in the cookie exchange if you don't want to...but if you do, here's the details....

Crafting in Cornfields 1st Annual Cookie Exchange

Each participant brings 5 dozen (that's 60 cookies) of their choice to share.  (Also, be sure to bring the original recipe with you to pass along.)  We'll divide the number of participants by the number of cookies to determine how many of each variety you'll get to leave with, but you won't leave with any less than the 60 cookies you brought!  How awesome is that?!  Your holiday cookie tray will appear to have been slaved over, when really you just got to make the kind you're best at AND spend the evening crafting! 

(If you're going to participate, please e-mail Jackie with the type of cookie that you're bringing so we don't end up with duplicates!)

So, I hope to see you and your 5 dozen cookies on December 14th, anytime after 5:30pm, here!

Craft Night #4

Hey everybody!

I'm about a week late in getting this updated, but considering it's the holidays, I'm going to give myself a pass!  I hope everyone is well on their way to enjoying the holidays and about done shopping!  I'm in pretty good shape, so this craft night on November 30th was a great chance for me to spend time with everyone, do I little teaching, and finish up a couple of gifts. 

We ate chili with all the fixin's which was great because this particular craft night happened to land on one of the first days of snow flurries that we've seen.  Top that off with cookies, pumpkin bars, and birthday cake and it was one great evening!

There's a lot of photos, so I'll just share those, rather than a bunch of dialogue! 

Enjoy! 



Danielle's crocheted blanket is really cute! 



Sonja's almost done with her crocheted blanket!  Love the fall colors!

 

Momma's first crochet project is coming along, I think she's officially got the hang of it!  Notice how red, black, and white seem to be her favorite colors! :)



Renee's granny square crochet afghan is going to keep her daughter warm soon!

 

Steph quickly mastered the fabric flowers...great job, Steph!  Glad to have you at craft night!

 

Jen stopped in to visit and share some completed projects that she'd been working on!  We all loved her necklaces, and I think a few of the ladies are already working on some copies!  Way to go, Jen!

 

Kim was working on a re-design of a necklace that her mom had!

 

Autumn has mastered the stretchy bead/chain bracelets...I love these colors!

 

Emmy wins for most dedicated!  She made this necklace as a first-timer with only one good hand!  What a pro!

 

Diana had been envisioning this necklace for weeks now, and it all came together beautifully!

 

My bracelet #1

My bracelet #2



Happy birthday to Danielle! 


I'll have an update about Craft Night 4 1/2 shortly....stay tuned!

A Quick Reminder

Just a quick reminder....Craft Night is TOMORROW!!!! 

Hope to see everyone there!

Word is that we're having Chilli, Corn Muffins, and Pumpkin Bars!  Yummy! 

Come hungry and bring a friend!

-Jack

Greeeeeeeen Acres...

Happy Almost Thanksgiving to you all!!!

I'm just about ready to burst...I'm so excited to stuff myself with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, dressing, pumpkin pie...the whole shebang!  In my haste for Thanksgiving, however, I've quickly realized that Christmas is almost here!  I need to get moving or I'm never going to get all my gifts made!  On that note, I'm kicking around having TWO craft nights in December to help facilitate some more time to work on things...if you're interested, let me know!

I've been doing some Christmas shopping this last week...I'm trying to stay ahead of the crowd and not have to spend the last minute days of the year cramming in manic shopping for last minute gifts.  While I was out, I popped into Barnes & Noble and cruised through the bargain section...well....let me tell you...a bargain did I find!  Who would have ever thought that you could find such a treasure in the bargain section?!

When Halloween is your favorite holiday, you're always looking for the next awesome decoration/craft...well, needless to say, I've found mine!!!!!
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On Sunday, we celebrated the hubby's birthday, so I got to see my family for dinner.  Momma made some AWESOME fried chicken per the hubby's request, and we got to play with my little Nephew!  He's walking now, which is crazy, but so fun to see!

After the evening's festivities subsided we spent some quiet time watching the old original Batman movie!  Let me tell you, the shark attack at the beginning of the movie might be my new favorite scene of all time...classic! 

Anyway, while the boys continued to watch Batman & talk motorcycles, Momma & I pulled out her Christmas present from last year so that I could get her started on it again.  We made some good progress once we got going, and I think she probably went to bed thinking..."yarn over, go through the V, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through two, yarn over, pull through two...chain one...yarn over, go through the V, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through two, yarn over, pull through two"....poor thing...but I think she's got it!  Check out her progress!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone....I'm thankful for all of my fellow crafters!

Weekend with Momma

You know the expression when the cats away, the mice will play?....well, this weekend, my Momma and I got to play!  Our guys were gone on a motorcycle weekend, so we got to have some quality mother/daughter time...and I must say...it was wonderful!  We ate, we shopped, we watched gobs of gooey chick-flicks...and we crafted! 

After our long day of shopping on Saturday, we made a final stop to Michaels because I needed some more toggle clasps for some Christmas presents I'm working on.  While there, I found some neat chain links that I thought would make a good substitute for a copy-cat bracelet I wanted to try.  While shopping earlier in the day, we stopped in to Bergners to use our $10 coupons...I found a really neat Fossil brand bracelet that just begged to go home with me (I really liked the vintage/charm look that it had to it, and truth be told, I wanted to try and copy it myself!).  So, after a successful trip to Michaels I had all my supplies and we had another movie to watch at home!

Here's what I came up with...

The top bracelet is the copy-cat version that I came up with...the bottom is the one I bought for about 5 times the cost of making it myself.  Not bad, huh?

I also tried making a similar bracelet with this double brass chain that I had lying around...I really like how this one turned out...I'm even wearing it today!

 

On Sunday, our fun had to come to and end so I spent the rest of the weekend on the couch watching Sons of Anarchy (love that show) and trying to finish up a project that I had started in my mind weeks ago. 

I'm starting to really learn a lot about myself from this blog...I'm noticing that I am VERY visually oriented!  I can make pretty much anything...or at least a pretty good copy...if I can just see it first. 

So, like so many times before, I bought a bracelet at the Loft with the intent of bringing it home and trying to make my own in other colors...here's the result!



The lighter one is my copy...the darker is the original





I love these!



Back to Jewelry...and a Few Pumpkins

So after the craziness of Halloween settled down I went back to the craft store with the intent of getting some more fabric to continue with the flowers.  They've been a huge hit and I know they'll make great gifts for the holidays.  I have this ambitious goal of trying to hand-make the majority of my Christmas gifts this year.  I know, it's probably unrealistic, but I'd really like to try.  It seems like every year Christmas gets more and more about buying presents rather than the thought that goes into them...so I'd like to try and redeem myself a bit by making gifts that I can give that truly come from the heart.  We'll see how I do!  :)

So anyways, I was at the craft store and bought a ton of new fabric to hurry home and play with.  I of course have to check out all the other aisles that pertain to my craft interests, and what was supposed to be a quick trip turned into 2 hours at Hobby Lobby...seriously people, I need an intervention! :) I ended up back in the jewelry aisle and discovered some new crystals/beads that I thought would make an awesome bracelet.  I'm usually more into making necklaces but for some reason I was feeling like trying a bracelet...go figure. 

When I got home, the majority of what I bought came from the fabric/ribbon sections...but, what do I sit down and do...I make a bracelet!  If someone ever figures out how my brain works, please let me know!  Lol!  I'm sure I'll get to the stack of fabric sitting on the table in my craft room, but for now I'm LOVING these bracelets.  They work up pretty quick, are very simple, and really pack a punch on the bling factor!  Tell me what you think!

 

I also had to post a couple of quick photos from my Hubby and I's adventures in Pumpkin Carving!  When he wants to be, my husband is actually really creative.  I don't want to do anything to diminish his Man-Card, however, so I'll only disclose his craft-savyness on things that are appropriately manly.  (He reads this blog after all!)

Check out our mad pumpkin carving skills!

 



Craft Night #3

So, like I said in the last post...I'm really late in getting this posted.  Sorry!

Craft Night #3 was a big success!  It seems like we get a consistent group of faithful crafters each week, along with a few new people.  I love it!  This time, I was so excited because I had a couple of family members that were going to join us.  My Mom and my Aunt Barb made the long drive to come craft in the cornfields, and they even volunteered to bring the main dish for our food contributions!  Needless to say, anytime someone volunteers to drive up here and bring homemade Chicken and Noodles crafters everywhere rejoice! 

One of the neat things that seems to be happening with craft night is that everyone is stepping out of their comfort zone and is trying new things.  That's something I never expected to have happen, but really appreciate now that I see how much people are enjoying it.  This week, there was a lot of interest in the jewelry making process as well as how to make the new fabric flowers that I just debuted.  Check it out...

 

If you could only smell the deliciousness coming from the Chicken & Noodles.  And there's nothing quite like a Pumpkin Pie flavored Caramel Apple!  Yum!!!

 

Autumn & Kim helped Renee & Diana with some awesome necklaces

 

The finished products turned out great!!

 

Sonja & Momma's flowers turned out beautiful!  Word has it that Sonja even wore hers to a formal dinner that she got to go too!  I love how Momma used some feathers to accent her flower...they're so cool!

 

I can relate to Aunt Barb so much because she is a perfectionist at heart just like me!  Her flowers turned out awesome and I love how the organza took on different colors when she mixed the red and blue together.  Gorgeous!

 



I made a quick flower headband for Renee's daughter who wanted to be a hippie for Halloweeen.  I used this awesome elastic velvet that I found at Joann's for the headband.  Danielle used a bunch of different fabrics to make this beautiful purple/gray flowered headband...it turned out awesome!

So...one more post coming and I think I'll be all caught up!