Turn Up the Volume

I've been out of sync with my blog...don't exactly know what's happened.  I've been experiencing some down time in my artistic endeavors as well, guess I've been going through a dry spell.  That happens, but the creative juices are starting to "bubble" up again and I feel a surge of activity coming on!

We have a trip planned for the end of this month to Canada to visit with my husband's family.  We will be staying with his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.  We are so excited.  We will be driving, takes about 14-15 hours depending on how many stops we make.  We usually pack sandwiches, fun snacks and drinks so the majority of the stops are for gasoline and the bathroom!  We have made this drive at least a dozen times.  Yes, we could fly, but we actually enjoy the time on the road and then having our own car when we get there is always a plus.  Since we will be very close to a great outlet mall and a huge Ikea store, having the big car is actually a must!

My stepdaughter, Chris is one of the brightest lights in my life.  Our time together is always full of laughter (so much to it's to the point of tears many times), hugs, long talks, many shopping trips and a lot of crafting time.  Our spa day is already planned and we will be accompanied this year by my delightful granddaughter, Amanda.  I have already purchased some summer hats that I am going to embellish for us to wear on our day of beauty.  I have heard that Amanda has some other plans for us as well and has even created something for Grandma already...see what I mean, I can hardly wait!

Our grandson, Danny is graduating from high school this year and we are thrilled to be there as he gets ready to begin his university years.  He and his grandpa have a wonderful time together talking spots and science fiction.

And Bruno, our son-in-law....what a fantastic man.  While he tends to be somewhat quiet when first meeting him, we have learned over the years that he has a tremendous sense of humor, quick wit and is a wonderfully gracious host.

The whole family has been working on updating their basement, so we have a big treat in store when we get there.  Last year when we visited we enjoyed the new paint and updated living room on the main level.

While in Windsor, we will also be seeing Bob's brothers and sisters and as many nieces and nephews as possible.  I was born and raised in the Detroit area, so going to Windsor is very much like going home for me, since it's just across the border.  Those of us with family in Canada are fortunate that our 2 countries enjoy such easy border crossing.  While the lines can get long and the questions sometimes a bit tedious I am eternally grateful that the folks to the north are our friends.

Two Word Tuesday

Mug Cozy

While I do not drink coffee, I do love a nice warm cut of tea.  I had never made any mug cozies until a friend told me she needed some for a Christmas present and would rather buy them from me than give her money to a stranger.  Well, naturally I could not refuse a request like that, now could I?  So, I pulled up Pinterest and Ravelry, found some really cute patterns (free by the way), went through my stash of yarn, picked out the right crochet hook and away I went!

I had just the right mug to use for display! Yes, I had to add a couple of my favorite crocheted flowers.

Doesn't look like much until you put it on the mug!

Thank goodness I collect buttons!

I love the buttons

Now that I found out just how many people love having a cozy for their mugs you can bet I've added it to my repertoire of hand made items to sell!  Hey I can recognize a good thing when I see it!

Crochet Flowers

As much as I enjoy crocheting scarves, shawls, afghans and the like, I think one of my most favorite items to crochet are flowers.  I think they so much in the way of finishing an item.  I've had a ton of fun creating "posie toes".  Since flip flops are a guilty pleasure of most women all over the world, I thought why not fancy them up a bit.

Finding patterns for crochet and knit flowers is really easy these day, all you have to do is log into Pinterest.  There's a whole bouquet of them sure to help you embellish your own hand made creations.  Of course, you can always purchase the directions, like I did for this particular flower, unfortunately for me, Pinterest was not around when I was looking for just the right flip flop topper, but that's fine, there's never enough flowers for me!  And I bet this one is also on Pinterest now!