You Make Me Happy When Skies are Grey

Ready for another sketch challenge at The Memory Nest?

Here is the sketch:

Like the last challenge, I decided to make a card for this one as well.

Inspired by the sketch? Well then get crafting and link up your creation here.

Little Yellow Squares of Sunshine

About two weeks ago, I grabbed my bag of yellow and white variegated yarn and my 4.5 mm hook and started making little granny squares.

I have had this yarn for a few years now and have made a few things with it – this basket for Claire’s fishing game and this purse – but wanted to find some other use for it.

I made square after square, they just flew off my hook, and when people asked me what I was making all these squares for I told them I was not sure....because  I really wasn't.

But as my pile of sunshine squares grew, I decided what I was going to do with them all.

I was going to make a pillow. Join all these little squares together for the front of a pillow.

I am at the joining stage right now...and then I need to sew in all those ends.

And figure out what to do for the back of the pillow.

I am calling this my Sunshine Pillow...for obvious reasons, and it is the perfect project to be working on during the summer.

Petals and Puffs Mandala

So I made another mandala.

I wasn't going to, but then I saw this pattern for a Petals and Puffs Mandala and I just could not resist.

This brings my total mandala count up to six (including the one I mailed to Yarndale and was so happy to see that it arrived safe and sound after its trip across the ocean.)

And I am now going to stop. Because I am running out of colors.

Moving on to other crochet projects....

Thank You Bunches

Good Morning.

It is time for another sketch challenge at The Memory Nest.

Here is the sketch:

And here is the card that I created:

I used paper and embellishments from my favorite standby – Jillibean Soup – and loved using so many patterned papers on this card. 

Interested in playing along with this sketch? Head here to see what others have created and to link up your own project.

Three Things

Three things that are making me smile this week:

Flowers blooming in the garden. Just look at these begonias, aren't they gorgeous?

Plant experiments (grass) grown in the kindergarten classroom. Claire was so excited to bring this home and tell us about how she took care of her grass - watering it and checking it everyday - and that it grew so tall because she cared for it. So sweet.

Fresh lettuce from the garden. It is delicious and we have had it with dinner every night this week. I am happy that the bunnies left it alone this year so that we can eat it.

So, growing things are making me smile this week. What is making you smile?

My Ying Yang Mandala

Most mandalas I have seen are very colorful, and while I have said that my favorite part of making these circles is deciding which color to use next , I decided to try something a little different with this mandala: using only black and white yarn and alternating these two colors.

It is definitely striking, but I am undecided if I like it.

What do you think? Are the multicolored mandalas more to your liking or is a two color version something you would try?

Granny Mandala

I have another mandala to show you today.

I used more muted colors for this one, mostly because making these circles has used a considerable amount of yarn from my stash and my available color options are dwindling.

The pattern is available here.

Smile, Love & Laugh

Thank goodness that I have two adorable girls who love to get their picture taken and thereby provide me with countless cute photos to scrapbook.

I used two of my many pictures to play along with the current sketch challenge over at The Memory Nest.

 

There is also a twist to this challenge: use paper from more than one manufacturer.

This was definitely a challenge for me - I am very much a one-line-of-paper-per-page kind of girl. I figure everything has been coordinated within a line, why not work with it?

But after rummaging through my stash and trying different papers together, I found something that worked and created this layout:

The background paper is from Echo Park (A Perfect Summer), the patterned papers are from Echo Park (Beautiful Life) and Simple Stories (Vintage Bliss), and just for fun, the die cut is from October Afternoon.

I love how it all came together.

Want to play along? Head here to see what the other Design Team ladies have done and to link up your own creation.