I had surgery on Thursday to remove the "Growth" on my left wrist.(AND, I'm left-handed!) Yes, after 15 years of annoying pain and unsightliness, I elected to have my pesky ganglion cyst removed.
I don't mean to sound like a whiney-hiney, but this keeping my arm elevated with a heavy cast and not being able to lift or move anything is getting old...quick! The arm itself is not THAT painful, but more of a pain in the "you know what" to follow Doctor's orders!
I will be off work and out of the crafting scene until Thanksgiving. So unlike me, not having 3 projects going at once, but its necessary for the healing. Happy Healing to me and Happy Halloween to YOU! :>)

October has been an uber busy month, as always! With Birthdays, Pumpkin Patches to visit, Halloween Parties and town Festivals, it seems there is always something to do!!!

On this day, I'm taking it pretty easy, sitting in my recliner with my yarn and hook, working on a particularly complicated lace scarf. To avoid the Sunday evening question, "What's for Supper?", I put some chicken breasts in the crock pot to cook and I'm going to make Chicken Kisses.

If you click on the link, you can see how easy Aimee's recipe is. I think it will really hit the spot on this cool Autumn evening. Of course, I'll have to make some mashed potatoes to go with all the gravy and creamy goodness! Thanks to Aimee for sharing this and many other delicious recipes!

I finally completed the Halloween Rag Quilt today!!!! Got up extra early this morning to finish clipping the last 2 rows 'cause I wanted to get it finished in time to ENJOY it this season. The finished quilt measures a little under 5 foot by 5 foot (due to slight shrinkage during the washing today). It just started to "rag out" on the first wash and dry in the following pictures. Can't wait until the seams get the wonderful chenille-like softness...

I'm pleased...hope you like it, too!

Here's more of a close up:

Dear Daughter's Birthday is right around the corner and she wanted a pair of cheery owl slippers which had really caught her eye. So.... being the dutiful mother I am, I decided to make her a pair. It was a real "hoot" when the newest Opus-Gluei challenge happened to be Owls. These are made from plain ol' Red Heart yarn, some scraps of Simply Soft and a size G crochet hook. A fun project, in my opinion!

I am double posting today, but as I said earlier, I really get my "craft" on in the Fall. I have been working on a Halloween Rag Quilt and finished sewing the blocks together this afternoon. I took a break from clipping seams and when I turned around, my little Blue-eyed cat had jumped up on my work table and curled up on it to take a snooze. Oh well, it will have to be washed 2 or 3 times anyway to rag out the seams. She does look kinda cute laying there.

Fall rejuvenates me. Its this time of year that I really get my "craft" on and start making things I couldn't bring myself to start during the hot, lazy days of summer.

Thought I'd share my recently finished Halloween Altered Bag Book. I posted a 2 page spread earlier of the "Little Witches Dancing" and thought I'd show the rest of the book completed.

This is the cover. I used masking tape and several painting techniques before doing the Mod Podge transfer method for the image.

Here's another 2-page spread of just some random stuff I thought would look nice at the time.

I really like the crow and the Ouji Board idea that I saw in another Halloween Book on a search - yes, its NOT my original idea, but what the heck.... Thanks to the person who did think of it!!!!!

Here is the last page. By the time I was here, I just wanted to finish it. I already had the image, so just glued it in and added a few embellishments. I do seal all of the pages with either Mod Podge or clear acrylic spray for protection.

Hope you like it! It was fun to make.

I must admit, I'm ready for Fall. After the long, hot summmer, Autumn brings the promise of cooler days and crispy evening temperatures. For his first trip to the local Pumpkin Patch next month, I made my little grandson this cute crocheted pumpkin hat. It fits him perfectly and he loves the bright orange color!

I used Peanutz Mom's pattern, only I used a "G" sized hook instead of an "H". I thought the larger hook would render a hat too large and I was correct. The G hook was perfect for him. This is a "very do-able in an afternoon" project, so maybe you'll get inspired to bring out your hooks and yarn to make a little one in your life a Pumpkin Hat, too... Enjoy!

I thought I'd share a two-page spread from the altered Halloween bag book I'm currently working on. Originally thought I'd use 3 plain brown paper bags for the book (12 pages), but now I'm leaning toward only using 2.

Pictures forthcoming of the finished product!

Once again, I was inspired last week while "blogging" around. So inspired, I actually made a trek to the local kitchen linen store AND the fabric place. The source of my inspiration was this uber cute Halloween kitchen towel! Being the practical person I am, I opted for Autumn prints so they can be used until Thanksgiving. Hopeful they will be finished by next weekend. ( Have another busy week coming up! )

With cooler weather approaching, I just HAD to make this cute candy corn hat for my little 7 month old grandson! The pattern I used can be found here. I did make one change to the pattern to make it a little bigger...on the 8th row, I increased 4 stitches evenly spaced, as the pattern was sized for a newborn. Can't wait for him to try it on later today. Sure hope it fits!

BUT, I couldn't stop with just a candy corn hat! With all of the orange, yellow and white yarn left, I was called to make something else. So, back to, what else? COASTERS! Here for your viewing pleasure and crafty inspiration, I share my candy corn coasters. Enjoy!

Kris Dickinson over at "A Nostalgic Halloween"
is having a give away on September 6, 2011. I don't know about you, but I would love to win one of these packages! Go on over and check out her lovely nostalgic Halloween altered art-collage work and get inspired!

A while back my daughter and I spent a happy, crafting afternoon decontructing a t-shirt. We started with a Men's white, short sleeved T-Shirt, a tie dye kit (available at Hobby Stores or Wal-Mart), scissors, needles and thread. Basically, we dyed the t-shirt(gradiated), cut away the neck, sleeves and some length from the bottom. Then we cut the scraps into strips to make the rosettes and embellishments. The fun part for us was custom fitting the neckline to our taste while trying it on and hand sewing the rosettes with a twisting, woven motion. We also pinned in and used a sewing machine to make the waistline a more flattering "girly" fit. I was very pleased with the results... How about you?

I like to bake on Sundays. While having coffee this morning, I grabbed up one of my MIL's old cookbooks and while skimming through, I found this recipe for "Petticoat Tails". I guess I've lived under a rock, because I'd never heard of these shortbread cookies... so I did a Google image search and it's apparent these are a very popular cookie!

Anyway, here is the easy recipe from the "Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook" (1955):

6 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
2 sticks butter or margarine

Blend sugar with flour, cut in butter until mixture holds together. Using a fork, pat into a round cake pan and chill overnight. (I think I'll try putting into the freezer for about an hour and bake same day!). Using a table knife, score 16 wedges into the top. Bake at 300 degrees until lightly golden. (About 20 - 25 minutes) Store in airtight container. Makes 16.

I can see how these buttery cookies resemble the edge of a petticoat, can't you? Enjoy...

Gray and Yellow have always been one of my favorite color combinations. As a matter of fact, they were the colors I chose for my wedding! When I was looking around on different craft sites this morning, I ran across this lovely nursery ensemble. The website calls it a "Citron and Gray Nursery", but to me, it looks like bright yellow and gray. For any of you who like this as much as I do, you can find the complete tutorials and patterns for sewing these fab nursery accessories, as well as where to order the fabric HERE. Enjoy!

Hello Bloglanders,
I have decided to start blogging again about my creative endeavors. I hope this time around, I will be able to devote at least one entry a week here and also keep up with my other blog, DejaDoo. As well, I'd like to get back with my friends over at the Opus Gluei and join some of the fun with their weekly challenges!

I wanted to share a quick and easy little coaster I made today. I think the whole thing took 20 min. and that included picking out the yarn! To me, its like a cute little sun which should brighten up my coffee mug on a cold winter's morning. The pattern I found on a deep blog search and for the life of me, I can not get to where I was to find it. If I could, I would give all credit to the wonderful crocheter who shared it. I want to state that I did not design this pattern! AMENDED! Here is the link to the pattern, over at Yarnchick's Blog!

So if anyone is interested in having it, please leave a comment with your email and I will get back to you... Happy Crafting!

Hi Everyone,

Wanted to invite you all to stop by and check out my NEW blog. It might be your cup of tea, or maybe not. Anyhoo, here is the url...hope you'll follow me in this newest venture!!!

dejadoo.blogspot.com