I had some scraps of wool yarn that I didn’t want to waste, so I made a teeny tiny felted needle book and I really love how cute it is…
Plus, I have all these super cute little antique glass buttons to use…
…and some really cute scrap fabric that’s perfect for this tiny project.
Sewing tiny things is so much more fun that sewing giant things…
So, this very well may be the result of spending too much time home with children…
Meet Susan.
Susan is a hamster.
Susan enjoys training on her hamster wheel.
When she’s feeling sassy, she throws on her favorite red tube top.
When she’s pooped, she has a quick snack and rests in her sleeping bag.
Oh yeah, and she squeaks when she’s squeezed (but we don’t do that much because Walter gets some wild ideas about Susan when he hears that sound).
Yes, this is what I did today. You’re welcome.
Better late than never, here are the three amigurumi that I crocheted for Christmas gifts…
…Bambi is made from a pattern in this book with only a few minor alterations by me (because it’s virtually impossible for me to use a pattern in its entirety – character flaw).
…kitty that resembles ‘Hemi’ is made from this book that I borrowed from a friend at the last minute (thanks Annora!)
…another one from the first book…
do you see the resemblance?
and here are my rewards…
and
(Olive’s given in to a recent Bambi fetish)
These little guys were pretty easy and fun to make (the amigurumi, not the kids…well…nevermind) – my first for the most part and there may be more coming (amigurumi, not kids)…
We got the tree decorated, the lights up, and the rest of the decorations placed about…Yay!
Side note – for some reason, every year, when we get the tree decorations out, I always have some type of ‘issue’ with garland and I always want to change it and am never satisfied with whatever garland I’ve got…blah, blah, blah…
Anyway, I found a bag of super cute really old wool granny squares at an estate sale a while back and so far hadn’t done anything with them. (When I say I hadn’t done anything with them, I mean except accidentally felting the whole lot of them by getting the ‘old’ smell out in the washer – oops. At least I know they’re real wool for sure now – still super cute btw).
So, I strung them all onto some yarn and used them as garland on the tree – there are like 86 or so and they’re the perfect small size (about 3″x3″). Aren’t they cute???
Finally – I love my garland! (I think I’ll string them on something better next year though…)
And here’s my lovely little clump of snowmen in various shapes, sizes, and states of dishevelment…
oops, I nearly forgot – this is the cutest little old serving plate/stand that I found at the farm where we got the tree…
I love it. And it looks great full of snickerdoodles too…
oh, and here is where I hung up all the kids past and present holiday art work favorites (I love this adjustable wire and clips I found at ikea. I leave it up all year and change out their art work as it comes – best thing ever! Plus, I get weird about a messy fridge so it’s perfect for my OCD.)
And here are the dogs enjoying the festive atmosphere between carpet licking sessions…
We went to Miller Farms Market yesterday to chop our tree down. As we traditionally get our tree a little late in the season the people at the farm were doubtful we’d find one to our liking in the patch, but they don’t know us well…
Okay, so you can’t really tell here…
Ta-da! Of course we found the cutest tree ever!
The girls cheered Dave on as he commenced sawing…
They inspected it for squirrels (as we had screened National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation the night before)…
no complaining or crying = success!
It’s adorable…(btw, it’s not super tiny, it’s mostly laying down).
Binding to the roof of the car was a success, as the tree made it all the way home sans any road rash (Dad).
And the girls got to play on the dirt pile since they followed all the rules inside the Market!
As close to perfect as a trip to the farm gets…
I just came up with this design and I’m very happy with how it came out. Cute!
I’ve tried them out on all kinds of tea bags, even a ridiculously huge one that I found and they work great.
These would make good gifts for tea drinkers who love granny squares…
We’ll see how they do on Etsy… 
I’ve been making…
…and making…
…and making…
So I took a chance and put myself out there locally, and to my very happy surprise, received in return for my efforts, a first order of made stuff! My favorite local farm has a nice little gift shop with great locally made things and it was just begging for some of my locally made things, so that is what it’s getting. Yay! (Now, I need to head downstairs to sew up a bunch of linings for all those totes in the photo…)
On our way to Ellensburg, we made a quick stop over at another relative’s house in Oly and look at all the pretty sand dollars we found on the beach!
Lots more animal friends in Ellensburg…plus, I didn’t know cantaloupe grew over there, but apparently it does…at least the tiny variety.
Cocoa had so much attention in three days that I think he could have benefited from some of Walter’s prescription downers toward the end.
I think this is Rowdy
I know this is Ladigo (pretty sure I spelled that wrong – sorry Dad)
and the new guy…he’s shy…
the rest of the horses were grazing afar, or in so much bug armor that I couldn’t really see him anyway (Bubba)
but there was Scout
and Ruby
It was pretty nice and refreshing to be in a hot, dry climate for a change…and then we packed up for home…
Okay, that’s not really our luggage, but it could have been (some people have a thing for shoes…my parents have a thing for suitcases – there are like five more in the garage too. no joke.).
It was so much fun hanging out around my childhood stomping grounds with my brother and his family.
The girls were dirty the whole time and made a lot of new friends, not of the human sort.
I think that’s called a stick bug (or something like that). Pretty neat.
Weird-tailed lizard anyone? It looks like it has a graphite tip on its tail, but I was not brave enough to see if it would write.
chickens…
…and eggs
frogs, frogs, and more frogs. my nephew happens to be an expert frog catcher…
harassing the frogs in their temporary habitat while looking super cute
and then there were the horses…of course.
It was like going to the zoo without leaving the comfort of the back yard (and the free soda/beer machine in the carport). Also, plenty of fun heavy equipment to play on and drive around (I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again, ‘safety’ is not my middle name, nor does it make an appearance in any name in my family).
Okay, so we’ve been back for over a week now, but I’m still going to post this stuff like it just happened.
We spent a few days with Granny and Papa where we were meagerly greeted by Jake (formerly Bob) who is officially my new favorite dog (sorry boys).
The girls had a lot of fun in the kiddy pool/slide combo that is officially unsafe, but still a lot of fun. Also came across this super good cucumber soda that the kids loved. Will try to find it out here…
Did my favorite Oly shopping with D&H, but mostly with H.
I look angry, but really I’m having a wonderful time. (Plus, I got to wear my new square dancing skirt that I found a couple days before whilst thrifting in Sea with H.)
I sooo remember having and loving this toy when I was little; and now it’s ‘vintage’ (I suppose that’s supposed to make me feel old, right?). I want one under the Christmas tree this year…
Shoes!
H got the most magical fluevogs in the BEST color. Last pair and just her size. Good thing my feet are bigger because there could have been wrestling…in dresses and skirts…not pretty.
sorry H, there was no way to crop out the boobs (they do add some pizzazz to the photo though).
P.S. The weather was wonderfully sunny and nearly cool!
