Pay it forward, part deux

 Today my second pay it forward gift was delivered to Lisa Kemp, the sister of my sister-in-law Shannon. Lisa is a fun girl and crafty in her own right. She doesn't need any knit items, so I pondered for days about what to make for her. Then I came across a fun idea that I wanted to try: Instagram magnets.
Here's how I made them!

1: In Photoshop, I resized 9 photos to 3x3 inches & 300 resolution. I made a blank page that was 12x12 and put all the photos on it.

2: Sent to Costco for printing. Cheap!

3. Cut apart photos.

4. Sticky magnet sheets! What a great idea! These were 4x6. Had I realized that, I probably would have made my photos 2x2 instead, to fit more on a sheet.

 5. Trim off excess magnet.

 6. Admire your handiwork so far!

 7.Apply Mod-Podge dimensional adhesive slowly over the top. This was what they had at Michael's. You can use any type of dimensional adhesive.

 8. Allow lots of time to dry. Like 4 hours. Try not to let any bubbles form. This is harder than you would think. I had tons of bubbles.

 9. This is what they look like when they are dry.

10. Super awesome!

pay it forward, creatively!

I signed up again this year to do a creative pay it forward, where you make and send a little something to 5 people, and then those people are supposed to do the same thing, It's a nice way to brighten someone's day, and you feel really good in the process!

This  year's recipients are Jan Connair, Lisa Kemp, Cari Brennaman, Regan McDonald, Stacey Bogert, Jen Brecht, & Jennifer Hignite. Yes, I realize this is 7 people. I have a hard time saying no :)

I sent out my first 2 packages. This is the first!

Topiary beanie from weekend hats

for Jan Connair.

I love the lace motif on this hat, and it is gathered in the back so that it slouches just perfectly on your head. I overdyed the yarn, to make the pattern stand out more. The yarn took the dye oddly, so it's greener in some places, and there is a purple tinge in there as well. WTF? I used a dark teal dye, and am baffled as to why it came out unevenly.

The hat looks a different color in all 4 photos. Sigh. The last is the closest representation of what it really looks like.

It's a beautiful hat, but next time I won't screw around with the color. Kind of bummed me out.

Anyway, it's done and in Jan's hands!

13 in '13

My friend Jen blogged about goals the other day
so I thought "I should get some of those".
After a few minutes many hours of careful consideration,
I decided that I have two goals this year.
For right now, anyway.

1. Knit 13 pair of socks in 2013. This should be a fairly respectable challenge for me. I know that it's possible to do, but still a lofty goal. I have no less than 4 socks waiting for partners, so I'm already well on my way. I am going to knit thru the massive stash of sock yarn that I own.

2. Run the entire 5K. October 20,2013. If I can't run the whole thing by then, I never will be able to. Plenty of time to train. Plenty of time to breathe. Plenty of time to find my groove.

There are also things like 'I want to lose weight' and 'I want to spend less money' and "cook yummy things" that I plan to do but I'm not calling them goals. If I keep up running, I will lose weight. If I knit from my stash, I will spend less money. If I meal plan, I will spend less money. All beneficial side-effects of the original goals.

Keeping it simple.

Knit in 2012

This is the fruits of my knitting labor for 2012: 30 projects. This doesn't include things I made for my shop, and I know I knit a baby hat/booty set that I forgot to photograph. There may be one or two more things I've forgotten, and many things I started but didn't finish. Wow.

In 2013, I want to knit even more!

Create something!

Y'all know I love making stuff.

The only way to combat the torture that is January, I plan to make lots of things.

First up, I made this frozen birdseed wreath.

Super simple, used products I had on hand.

Naturally, it's decided to warm up a few degrees since I hung it up. I hope the birds find it before it totally melts.

I got the idea from Pinterest, and here is the link to the original recipe. If you haven't signed up for Pinterest yet, what are you waiting for?? All the coolest ideas can be found there.

Sadly, I had no cranberries, and there weren't any at the grocery store. I will definitely do this again next year, with the berries. The berries make it pretty. I don't think the birds care one way or another.

What are you making today?

Hey, it's 2013!

So Happy New Year.
I haven't blogged since July. 6 months.
I did stuff. I went places.
My kids grew. My pets were crazy.
My Buddy passed away.
I baked. I cooked. I played.
I knit lots of things.
I took lots of pictures.
I read lots of books.
I laughed. I cried.
And now we're caught up!

Going to try to be a little more consistent in 2013.
Happy 2013!