Wednesday, December 5, 2012

And the winner is...


My Textured Fingerless Mitts pattern!! Yay! My pattern won the Rising Star competition on Hubpages!!

And what did I win, you ask? A "virtual" trophy! And bragging rights for a little while :)

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who voted! I really appreciate your support!

Check out my Hubpage for more free knitting patterns and craft ideas!

Thanks again!

Friday, November 30, 2012

Please vote for my pattern !!


Yea! My free pattern for my Textured Fingerless Gloves or Mitts (by purl3agony) has been nominated as a rising star on Hubpages!!! I really have no idea what this means but please go to http://hubpages.com/topics/arts-and-design/2 by Wednesday, Dec 5, and vote for my pattern (pretty please). If I win, then we'll all find out what this is all about :)

You don't have to sign up to vote, so vote early and often!! While you're there, check out my other free patterns and craft articles at http://purl3agony.hubpages.com/

Thanks!!!!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Craft Project: Fall into the Holidays Wreath

 
(c) Donna Herron 2012
I stole the inspiration for our latest decorating project from Lauralee at Yellow Mums.  She creatively "borrowed" the idea from Delia at Delia Creates.  I really loved how Lauralee mixed berries and fabric with the sticks to make a warm, rustic, and charming wreath.  However, I knew I wanted to add more red and brown to my wreath so I could use it throughout the fall and into the holiday season (Honestly, I plan to keep it on display until it falls apart).

So, I used some brown and red fabric, and some woven black fabric that I had in my stash.  I found some fake red flowers that were described as cherry blossoms (I thought cherry blossoms were white?) and added some berries from a garland I bought at Christmas Tree Shops.  Since we live in a warmer climate, I think the red flowers are a nice touch!

Instead of making rosettes, I just ruffled the fabric around the center and glued it down in place.  I meant to take some photos during the assembly process but I forgot :(  No matter, both women have good instructions and advice on their blogs above.  Here I'll just add my two cents of what I did and wished I'd done differently:

1.  For my cardboard base, the outside diameter of my rings was 11 inches and the diameter of the inside hole was about 4.5 inches.  I think my twigs are a bit longer and more irregular around the edge than Lauralee's.  My wreath is quite wide and fills the entire width of a standard door.  I might need to trim it back a bit.

2.  We (hubby and I) found it was easier to start placing the sticks at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, then go in and fill between the starting points.  This way, I think we were able to control the shape of the wreath and mix the texture of the twigs.

3.  Having said that, I kinda wish that I had used all the same sticks from the same type of tree (we had plenty of sticks) for a more uniform texture to the background element.  Well, maybe next time :)

4.  I made the two fabric strips each 2 inches high for the center decoration.  If I were to do it again, I think I would make the black strip wider, so only about 1/2 inch of the brown would be showing.  I think it would be more dramatic.

When the holiday season comes, if the wreath is still in one piece, I may fill the center with pinecones for a more wintery look.













Thanks to Lauralee and Delia for sharing their creativity and inspiration!!  Check out their blogs for more great ideas!
 
 
 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Favorites



I love this painted box of mine.  It’s not really old – the aged appearance is faked and just put upon it.  But it’s not new either – I bought it about 10 years ago at a semi-antique shop for $20.  I think it was newish at the time and probably made in Mexico, Bali or Thailand for the export market.  Who knows?  But the front, sides, and inside are all hand painted and the top and doors have a wonderful curve to them.

And I love its primitive quaintness and quiet beauty.  (My mother refers to it as my “alter piece”).  I love the possibility of hiding secret treasures in it (like the scorecard from a miniature golf game with my husband where I got 4 – count ‘em 4! – holes-in-one).

 
When we moved into our new house, I definitely wanted to buy a nice console table to display this box on.  We found this Craftsman-like beauty at Homegoods and I couldn’t be happier with how the pieces look together.  It just makes me smile J  No wonder it’s one of my favorite things!