~ nailed it! ~

I bought this 'starry silver glitter' nail polish because it's very pretty in the bottle.  It's just loaded with sparkles and such, but this is the result of 3 coats - I'm not doing any more. 

Just yesterday, I came across a blog that is all about nail painting.  I've never really been into the nails thing except for a short bit of time when I was working.  My sister Laura and I would paint our nails, but then I would go to work and they would be ruined within 2 days - so I stopped.  I guess when you do filing for a living that's what happens.

Well anyways - it's been a long while since I've paid any attention to my nails, and after looking through Elizabeth's 'Did My Nails' blog, I was inspired.  A trip to CVS drugstore and the Dollar Tree and I had enough stuff to start.  I bought a few bottles of polish and a package of little accents.  Look at these tiny little bottles - they're actually glass.  All of those were in one package for $1.00 - a great deal.     

 
I'm pretty sure I won't be getting too fancy with my nails (working on them takes away from my crochet time), but I am a girl (albeit an old girl), and I would like for them to look nice.  :)      

~ Two on Tuesday (on a Wednesday) ~

I know I've been lazy with these posts - I'm just gonna pretend that today is Tuesday.  :)

Two things that make me smile:

* my favorite daughter Erica and I went to Joann Fabrics Monday night - I picked up 3 skeins of beige Vanna's Choice, 1 skein of lavender Bernat Waverly Baby (which were marked down to $1.97 each skein), and 3 skeins of Red Heart Team Spirit in royal/white.  When we went to check-out, my favorite daughter paid for my yarn.  I love her.  :)

(p.s. I only have one daughter - that's why she's my favorite daughter.  I also have one son - and yes, you guessed it - he's my favorite son).

* more pictures were posted on Ft. Jackson's Facebook page, and I found another picture of my nephew Travis.  He's the 3rd standing soldier from the left with the girl looking at him.  You know, I told him to leave the girls alone - ain't nobody got time for that.  :)

  

~ fancy jars & crochet stuff ~

I've seen this idea on Pinterest for a while now, and I thought I would give it a try. 

All you need is empty jars, candlesticks purchased from the Dollar Tree, paint and some E-6000 glue. 

Glue the jars to the candlesticks and let dry.  Paint the tops and then fill with whatever your heart desires.  I filled mine with crafty stuff.

 

Can't get any easier than that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the crochet front:

I've been working on a scrappy blanket for me.  This will be an on-going project since I don't have enough scraps to finish it.

I also started an aqua and grey baby blankie.  I never would of thought to put those colors together, but while crocheting on the scrappy blanket these colors ended up being next to each other and I looked at it at thought it was so pretty.  Luckily I have 1 skein of each color to make a blankie with.  Sometimes it's good to have a yarn stash.  :)

 

~ 'Laura's ray of sunshine' hexagon ~

 

 

Materials:

- 4-ply worsted weight acrylic

- J hook

 

Size:  6"

 

Notes:

- I crochet tight, so you may need to adjust the size of your crochet hook

- the extra ch 2 at the beginning of Rnd 1 does not count as a stitch

- beginning popcorn (beg pc):  ch 3, 3 dc in same st, drop loop from hook, insert hook in top ch and into the dropped loop, yarn over and pull through 

- popcorn (pc):  work 4 dc in same dc, drop loop from hook, insert hook in 1st dc and into the dropped loop, yarn over and pull through

 

Directions:

Rnd 1:  Ch 3 (make the 1st ch a little loose), 12 dc in the 3rd ch from hook.  Join with a sl st to 1st dc.  (12 dc)

 

Rnd 2:  Ch 1, 2 sc in same dc as joining, 2 sc in each dc around.  Join with a sl st to 1st sc.  (24 sc)

 

Rnd 3:  Ch 1, sc in same sc as joining, ch 2, skip next sc.  *sc in next sc, ch 2, skip next sc.  Repeat from * around.  Join as before.

 

Rnd 4:  Sl st into 1st ch-2 space, beg pc in same ch-2 space, ch 2, 3 dc in next ch-2 space, ch 2.  *pc in next ch-2 space, ch 2, 3 dc in next ch-2 space, ch 2.  Repeat from * around.  Join with a sl st to top of 1st pc.

 

Rnd 5:  Sl st into ch-2 space, beg pc in same ch-2 space, ch 2, skip next dc, 3 dc in next dc, skip next dc, ch 2.  *pc in next ch-2 space, ch 2, pc in next ch-2 space, ch 2, skip next dc, 3 dc in next dc, skip next dc, ch 2.  Repeat from * around.  Join as before.

 

Rnd 6:  Sl st into ch-2 space, beg pc in same ch-2 space, ch 1, skip next dc, 3 dc in next dc, skip next dc, ch 1, pc in next ch-2 space, ch 1.  *(2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-2 space, ch 1, pc in next ch-2 space, skip next dc, 3 dc in next dc, skip next dc, ch 1, pc in next ch-2 space.  Repeat from * around.  Join as before.  

 

Rnd 7:  Sl st into ch-1 space, ch 1, sc in same ch-1 space.  Sc in each dc and ch-1 space around with (sc, ch 2, sc) in each corner ch-2 space.  DO NOT sc in the pc stitches.  Join with a sl st to 1st sc.  End off.

 

***Debi Y's pattern***    

~ candlelight garden ~

On the schedule today was laundry, a quick trip to CVS and a little bit of gardening.  Last Saturday, Vince and I went to Lowes to get some petunias to plant outside in some of our gardens, and I also bought a large cactus and a weird wavy plant.  Both plants were marked down to 50 cents each - can't beat that with a stick - so I had to get them.  The wavy plant had a tag in it that says it's a 'Kalanchoe' - I'm not sure about that because the plant on the tag does not look like the plant I have.  Oh well - it doesn't matter - I like it anyway.  

The very large coffee mug planter (7" tall - 10" diameter) was bought at the thrift store quite a while back.  Just like the other one I had bought before - it was either $2.90 or $4.90 - can't remember which.  I planted the 2 new plants, went outside to get a 'hens and chicks' cutting from the large plant I have on the patio, and planted that one too.  Also got some rocks from our collection to place around the plants.  Stood back and looked at it and thought that it needed something else.  I don't have any other fairy stuff to use so I had to wrack my brain a little (you know - sometimes that hurts) and came up with the candle idea.  The 'candle holder' is actually a glass insulator that my Vince collects.  He has tons of them, so I know he won't mind me using this one.  I turned it upside down, pushed it into the dirt and added a small tea light candle.  I'm really happy with this garden - I think it's cute.  :)

This is a glass insulator:

 
  http://www.hemingray.info/

size comparison to a regular coffee mug:

  

~ new hexagon & my nephew Travis ~

I crocheted this hexagon a few nights ago when I was just playing around with my yarn.  I probably won't be making a blankie with it - I'm kind of done with the motif making for the time being - but I did make a dishcloth using Crème de la Crème cotton yarn.  It only measures about 6", but I think it'll work.

Can anyone offer up a name for this hexagon?  It would be much appreciated - I've wracked my brain and can't think of anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My nephew Travis is in the middle of basic training at Ft. Jackson - and can you believe they have a Facebook page?  Yeah - me neither.  Well anyways - I was looking through some pictures and found one with him in it.  He's the last guy on the right - he looks so serious.  We're all very proud of him, and I'm hoping a certain someone (his mother, my sister Laura) doesn't embarrass him too much.  :) 

 

~ pure joy earrings ~

I call these 'pure joy' because they were so quick and easy to crochet, and if I may say so myself, they're very pretty.  :)

Materials:

- two 1" plastic rings
- embroidery floss or size 10 crochet cotton
- size 1 steel hook
- two fish hook earrings
- needle nose pliers

Size - 1 1/2" x 2 1/4"

Note:  I crochet tight, so you may need to adjust the size of your crochet hook.

Directions:
Rnd 1:  Join thread with a sc around the plastic ring.  Work 29 more sc around the ring.  Join with a sl st to the 1st sc.  (30 sc)

Rnd 2:  Sc in same sc as joining.  (ch 2, skip next sc, sc in the next sc) 10 times.  Sl st in next sc, ch 3, dc in next 2 sc, (ch 1, dc in next 3 sc) 2 times.  Turn.

Rnd 3:  Sl st over to ch-1 space, (ch 3, 2 dc) in same space.  Ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 space.  Turn.

Rnd 4:  Sl st over to ch-1 space, (ch 3, 2 dc) in same space.  End off.

- weave in ends

- use the needle nose pliers to open up the loop on the fish hook earring.  Insert the loop through the middle sc at the top of the crocheted earring, close the loop back up.

***Debi Y's pattern***