Crochet Inspiration

so darn cute

Never have enough dishcloths!  No tutorial for this, but I really like the pattern

I'll have to figure out what it is someday!

Love the colors!

Crochet Symbols

Can you follow crochet symbols?  

I have not mastered that yet.  I printed out a chart from www.craftyarncouncil.com and I'm bound and determined to learn how to follow these patterns.  My biggest reason for learning is all the great patterns on pinterest that only have a symbol chart to follow.  I have found that very frustrating and decided it's not their fault..I need to learn how to read the symbols!  Teaching an 'ole dog new tricks may not be to easy....but I believe we need to learn something new every day to keep our brains exercised and healthy just like our bodies.  So here I go. 

Click on the link above it you would like to print out the chart as well.

Arts and Crafts

It feels like I've read a million words or more on blogging; what and what not to do...one article that has bothered me since reading it, basically said that if you blog about arts and crafts you shouldn't say you blog about arts and crafts, instead you should use the phrase Artisan Entrepreneur, not that I have anything against fancy names, but, la-de-da shut the door and give me a crown!  Forgive me if I shun the vernacular of the day, I AM a DIY arts and crafts person, always have been and always will be and I'm proud of it.  

So, now that I have that off my chest and have finally decided I'm going to stop trying to be what someone else says I should be, it's time to get on with things.

After all these years I am finally going to take a class in running an Arts and Crafts business.  I've been doing this for decades and have never consulted an expert on how to manage the business end of what I do.  I believe the biggest challenge we all face in this line of work is how to price the items we create.  Crochet, knit, quilts, hand-made jewelry, whatever you create, takes time, energy, thought and there are expenses involved (sometimes, a lot of expenses) and that elusive component...creative talent.  If we are to sell our creations at a fair price to everyone, we have to include every facet.  At least that's what I think.  This is a struggle with each item I create and I don't think I've ever gotten it right.  I believe I price too low because the majority of the people I have sold to are friends and I don't want them to spend too much.  But, is that fair to me and all the time I have put into an item?

I am looking forward to this class; it starts August 21st, on-line through
Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS, and runs 6 weeks

Week One

*finding your own niche
*choosing a business name

Week Two

*work space options
*setting up the workspace

Week Three

*creating a marketing strategy
*pricing

Week Four

*how to be a salesperson
*getting your crafts to the marketplace

Week Five

*selling retail
*craft shows

Week Six

*setting up for a successful craft show
*teaching your craft

I'm very excited to take these classes and so happy they are on-line.  I suppose it seems a bit backwards to be taking classes now for what I've been doing for decades; but I think it's cool and will re-ignite my passion for my crafts and hopefully help me sell a few more.  Can't believe I'll be taking quizzes, doing projects and taking a final!  It's been a long time since I've done that...I'll let you know how it goes.

Stop the Noise and Let Me Create!

Been turning inward a bit lately and have found these thoughts helpful...

Netflix, Granddaughters and Getting off My Butt

Netflix

Ok, my husband and I have pretty much turned into home bodies as we have "matured".  I can remember the times when we were on the go non-stop, family, friends, neighbors, business, school activities and just plain fun took us away from home a majority of the time.  

Of course we lived in Southern California at the time with a wealth of entertainment at our fingertips, the weather alone kept us outside a great deal of the time.

Now we live in the Kansas City area and are empty nesters, with the notable exception of our 4-pawed children, and spend many evenings in front of the TV.  I always have a craft going (or am being totally frustrated by Candy Crush!) and Bob is usually reading as well, but the TV is on.  We have become great fans of Netflix, in fact I don't know how we would live without it.  On Wednesday we finished the entire "West Wing" series; 7 seasons of fantastic characters, dialogue and story lines.  

So Thursday we looked at each other and said, what now?  Sad but true, we were feeling a tremendous let down!  Well, we muddled through that evening with "America's Got Talent" and some 

baseball for Bob (I was reading) and now we have discovered "Orange is the new Black" produced by Netflix- we find it witty, engaging, and totally entertaining.  

So if we "have" to watch TV, at least it's worth watching!

Granddaughters

We have 2 and a half granddaughters. I say half because our son and his lady fair will not be married until next year so I guess technically I can't claim Lexi as my granddaughter.....yet.  The two oldest are teenagers and what fun to watch them becoming charming, talented, intelligent and of course beautiful young women.  They actually let me friend them on Facebook and one on them has a fascinating Pinterest account.  Unfortunately both of these girls live far away , one in Canada and the other in Michigan, and we only get to see them a couple times of year if we are lucky. 

We have missed so much but with social media we feel as if we can "see" them more often and be apart of what's going on day-to-day.   

Now the little one (actually 10 years old) lives close by and hopefully as we get to know each other better there will some fantastic Grandma/Granddaughter adventures in store for us.

 I know we already share a love of Monster High Dolls and she loved the headband I crocheted for her (wore it to school the next day!) so I think we are off to a good start.  

While I would love to have all 3 of them just around the corner, I will be happy with the precious moments that we do have together and build a lifetime of memories with those bits and pieces of gold.

Getting off my Butt

The few regular followers that I have, have obviously noticed that I lack consistency in actually publishing posts.  Start, stop, start, stop....what is my problem?  

Well I am bound and determined to make this work, I enjoy it too much for it to be a failure.  I have several projects in the works and a series of corresponding posts. 

I also firmly believe if you do something enough times it becomes an automatic part of your daily routine.  So I guess I'm asking you to stick with me, even if you have only enjoyed one little thing you have seen here at Laughing Cat Creates.  I am making a promise to you and myself  that I will be more involved and much more active on this blog.  Stay tuned!

Knitting Beaded Bracelets

Two of my most favorite creative endeavors are anything to do with yarn and designing jewelry.  

When I can combine them I'm a really happy camper.

I've recently started a collection of knit beaded bracelets.  

The supplies are pretty simple, a variety of small decorative and seed beads;

Cotton thread or polyester embroidery thread and knitting needles

 The cotton thread comes in a nice selection of colors as well as some metallic and is quite easy to work with.  One ball will make several bracelets

The polyester embroidery thread has a shimmery look and is 6 ply.  It can be a little more difficult to work with and I have learned the hard way that some of the beads may actually tear the thread.  Bracelets usually require 1, 2 or 3 skeins.  This also comes in a nice variety of colors.

String the beads on the thread first.  The bracelets pictured below use about 200 beads; for me, this is the longest part of the process....getting all those little beads onto the thread.   Most of the patterns I have used call for about 9 stitches for a size 2 knitting needle.  Begin by knitting 3-4 rows without any beads.  You will want to leave an edge on each side for sewing up your tube when you have reached the length desired.  Two stitches on each edge is a good rule of thumb.  Depending on the size of your bead, you knit in 1, 2 or 3 beads with each stitch between the edge stitches.  Knit to the desired length making sure to knit 3-4 rows at the end without any beads to match the beginning, sew the long sides together, attach a clasp and you're done!

The picture below shows the 4 bracelets I am currently working on.  I have finished all the knitting and now need to sew the edges and attach the clasps.  As you can see the design possibilities are endless.

I'll share the finished product in another post.

Sunday Thoughts to Ponder...A Journey...

I recently reconnected with a high school buddy through Facebook.  In our conversations I said that I didn't post too many personal things on FB as I questioned whether anyone would really want to read what I had to say...was I smart enough, witty enough, informed enough...etc.  Her response was, "Helen, at our age we should be able to say whatever we want and not worry what others think."  That one little sentence has been replaying and replaying in my mind ever since...

As I wrote in an earlier blog, I have struggled with exactly what I want this blog to be.  I know if I am not true to myself,  readers will see through the BS and pretense and not care to follow.  I also know I run the risk of alienating folks if I keep changing but....if the shoe doesn't fit.....

Sometime in my mid-30's my mother's DNA kicked in and I started gaining weight.  And after being diagnosed and treated for Graves Disease, I gained even more weight and have struggled ever since to get it under control.  My family watched my mother deteriorate as she aged, as she gained more and more weight...the diabetes, heart trouble, back surgery and eventual Dementia.  It was painful to watch and left an indelible scar in my brain and on my soul and I do not want to be that person.

So here I am, overweight, high blood pressure, pre-diabetic, filled with arthritis, high cholesterol and in my opinion spinning out of control.  I KNOW what I need to do, no question, I am smart enough to realize the consequences of not making my health my number one priority.

I've done Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins and even went to a weight clinic.  They all work, but you have to keep following the plan and that is where I run into trouble.  It's someone's birthday at the office, or somebody brought in left over goodies from the weekend, samples at the grocery store, not having the healthy stuff on hand, being bored, being sad, being happy....being out of control.

So it's time to begin a journey and I think the best way for me to succeed is to share it with others.  I cannot be a successful business owner/blogger if I am not a successfully healthy human being.  The two do not mesh....it may work for awhile, but one or the other will break.

I am not a particularly athletic person, but I do enjoy being outside walking and working on my container garden; I have practiced a bit of yoga and Tai Chi.  I think these are excellent places to start my journey: with small steps, adding/expanding a bit each week or so until I feel comfortable again in my own skin, and not ashamed at what I have let myself become.

Sun Salutation is a great way to start the day.  I did 4 sequences this morning.

Well, I don't know if I'm at this point yet; BUT, a I had very similar advice before my double knee replacement surgery and it was so appropriate and made a HUGE impact on my recovery.  I need to adopt this attitude right now and apply it to my whole life.

Now, for the eating part of this equation.  I felt most comfortable and had the most lasting success with South Beach.  Getting through the first 3-4 days of no simple carbs and no sugar is quite difficult, but I did it and felt increasing better each day I followed the plan.  The biggest element to being successful is having the right food on hand at all times and never letting myself get so hungry that I would eat the table if I could fit it in my mouth-believe me I have felt this way at times!

Adopting a healthy eating plan and sticking to it may seem simple to many people.  Trust me, it is not.  Like any other addiction, food/eating incorrectly does not have an easy "fix" (pardon the pun).  It takes planning, small steps and a positive attitude....and it can't be done cold turkey.  We do need food to survive, damn, it would be much easier if we didn't.

So, how does all of this tie together, you may ask...when I started this blog I  had every intention of making it all about "physical creativity"...crochet, knitting, sewing, gardening, journaling with snippets of items that I sell sprinkled in along the way.  But ALL of life involves creativity and I feel I must also share how I create a healthier life, and in turn continue to grow my "hands-on" creative life.  And my high school friend?  I'm going to tell it like I see it, the good, the bad, the ugly and most importantly, the successful, the positive, the healthy...creating on the wings on serendipity, one day, one step at a time.