Forest Witch

Another swap ami! Of course!  This one is a forest witch who is a were-owl, and has the ability to transform fully or partially into an owl!  The theme for this swap was "Enchanted Forest" and my partner seemed a bit evil witch obsessed, so I thought this would be perfect. 

She has owl wings, legs, and feet, and bugged out owl-like eyes.

 I was going for maximum creepy with the eyes, as my swap partner has a thing for the super creepy.  Making the eyes was the most fun! They are polymer clay!

Bird feet.

A witchy, a-line, textured bob.

I learned crocodile stitch for this, and used it to make her wings!  I love how crocodile stitch looks, but it was a little confusing to figure out.  This is the wonderfully free pattern that I used to learn it:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crocodile-stitch-barefoot-sandals  Thanks Miss Tegg!

Hopefully I can resist swapping for a minute and come up with a new pattern for you guys, but I'm not promising anything!  Swapping is just so much fun! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Mr. Frog

Most of you know by now that I love joining swaps.  Well, I recently did an art doll swap, and this is what I came up with.  Originally I had been toying with the idea of sculpting a doll, but I really love crochet so much, that I just couldn't resist making a fancy amigurumi.  I call him "fancy", because I used more than just yarn, and more than just crochet to create him.  

He has sculpted oven-bake clay hands, a cross stitched design on his torso, and a little ribbon ruffle around his neck.  He also has jointed shoulders and hips which makes him somewhat poseable!  It was my first time doing all of these techniques, and I have to admit that I really had fun making him! 

Can you tell what the design is?  It's supposed to be a rose, and I really hope it reads as one.  It is hard doing giant cross stitch!

I think it is safe to say that he is a "mixed-media" doll.  I will definitely be trying all of these techniques again!  In fact, I'm currently working on another top secret doll for another swap. Stay tuned!

Thanks again for visiting!

Something New!

Look at what I've learned!

Ok, so it's a far cry from an amigurumi, or a pair of socks, but I am so excited that I am learning how to knit!  There are SO many wonderful knit patterns out there that I have longed to make for the longest time.    Right now I'm still working on my 'knit', next will be 'purl', and hopefully I'll continue to learn at a steady pace.  Yay me!  A special thanks to my big sis for being my patient and loving teacher.  She's also the one who taught me how to crochet 14 years ago!

Thanks for stopping by today!  

Bumbee Pattern

Hooray!

I finally got my very first PDF pattern written and available for purchase!  It seemed like a lot of hassle to get all the little steps done, but now that I have a workflow, I expect it to go much faster the next time.  I will be listing my patterns on both Ravelry (where you do not have to be a member to purchase), and Etsy.  I have added links to both of these shops to my blog's sidebar so that they are always easy to find!
And here she is...

I decided to name her Bumbee.

It was hard choosing a name as all the good ones are taken, but this one felt just right.

I hope you folks like her!  Of course, I will continue to offer the occasional free pattern as before.  Also, I want to start a series of posts with tips and tricks for common crochet issues.  Ah, but now I'm getting ahead of myself.  For today I think I'll slow down a bit and enjoy today's accomplishment.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

A Little Makeover...

So, I decided that the old blog needed a little makeover.  You may have noticed that I've been doing quite a bit of fiddling lately.  Mostly, I just changed the banner, but there are a few other tweaks here and there.  I like it, and I hope you guys do too.

It's been a minute (or two, or three, or five hundred!) since I posted on a regular basis, but that's okay because this is just a hobby to me.  A hobby that I cannot live without, but a hobby nonetheless.  I would love to say that I'm a professional crafter/artist/blogger, but the truth is that I still have to go to a 9-5 (which if you've worked retail, you know is rarely actually 9-5) retail job, pushing product, and recovering aisles.  I enjoy my job, but it's a job.  It's not a passion, and it's not a life.  That is where this blog and my various crafting communities come in.  Between my arts and crafts, my job, and my lovely little family, I feel that my little slice of pie is complete.  Good times.

Anyway, I have been rather busy crafting my little heart out, but rather than do a review, I'd rather give you all a peak of what's ahead.  I've been playing with the idea of trying to sell some of my patterns.  I still want to offer free patterns on occasion, but I thought I'd try my hand at making some side earnings out of all my crafting.  I figure if I could get to where my crochet can pay for itself, than all will be well in the land of Spiderling Dreams.  It's a thought anyway.  I'm currently working on some stuff for Spring, inspired by my love of "bugs."
Here's a medley of stuff that I've been working on, and stuff that has been inspiring me as of late.

Thanks for the visit!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Normally I don't make a big deal about Valentine's Day, but my husband  made me happy today with this humble show of affection. 

I hope you all feel as loved as I do today!

A Little Birdhouse

Back in September of last year, I posted about a little birdhouse that my now 13-yr-old had made at a Home Depot workshop when he was about 7-yrs-old.  Well, I finally got around to finishing it.  I had been hoping for years to interest him in painting it himself, but I finally faced the fact that he doesn't share my love for painting things.  It's okay because we share other interests.  

There's actually more decoupage going on here than painting.

I went with a butterfly theme because, as you know, I have a thing for "bugs."

The photos were taken at different times of the day (and in fact different days) as, after taking the first one, I realized that I neglected to take a picture of the side design.  Brainfart?

Also, I am quite excited as I have some new blooms in my tiny container garden!

    

I don't know what either of these flowers' names are, but they are my favorites so far!

I hope you are all enjoying your Spring!

Thanks for stopping by once again.