Crochet Blanket for a New Niece

My sister is having a baby girl!  So being the good Aunt that I am, I just HAD to crochet a blanket for this new little bundle of joy!

As you know, I just started crocheting during the last week of December, 2011.  So, since I had NO IDEA how to read or follow a crochet pattern, I was forced to make one up....I think I might have a knack for designing my own creations, because this blanket turned out much cuter than many of the patterns that I looked at and attempted to decipher!

:) Rachael

 

 

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Crochet Rosette Hat

Here are some pictures of the hat that I made for my niece for Christmas!  Isn't she adorable?!

This was the very first hat that was completely my own design and pattern....I love how it turned out!

If you have a special little lady in your life that you would love to have one of these hats made for, I'd be happy to make one for you!  It could be made in any color/s you want.

The price range is $15 - $20 depending on your choice of yarn and the size needed. If you are interested in ordering please post a comment below or send me a text message at 616.308.6922.

***PLEASE TEXT MESSAGES ONLY, NO VOICEMAIL.***

Baked Avocado & Egg

A few weeks ago, I came across a recipe for baked avocado & egg on a different blog.  Click here to see the recipe.  I LOVE avocados and I LOVE eggs, and the picture looked amazing, so I decided to give it a try.

The result was visually appealing, but I didn't really like the flavor.  Here are a few additional pictures I took of my baked avocado and egg.  For me personally, I would rather just slice my avocado, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and eat.  Baking avocado, did not improve it in any way.

Crochet Spiral Topped Hat

Here are a few pictures of the hat that I made for my oldest nephew, for Christmas.

This hat features a neck/ear warmer, tie-straps and 3 spirals attached to the top.

This hat is EXTREMELY thick and warm....

especially good for cold, snowy days!

This hat can be special ordered in any color/s you want.  

The price range is $20 - $30 depending on your choice of yarn and the size needed.  If you are interested in ordering please post a comment below or send me a text message at 616.308.6922.  

***PLEASE TEXT MESSAGES ONLY, NO VOICEMAIL.***

Crochet Hat with Mouse Ears

I made these "Mouse Ear Hats" for my two youngest nephews for Christmas.  It's hard enough to get one baby to sit still and smile....getting them both to do that at the same time was pretty much impossible.

These hats can be special ordered in any colors you want.  

The price range is $15 - $25 depending on your choice of yarn and the size needed.  If you are interested in ordering please post a comment below or send me a text message at 616.308.6922.  

***PLEASE TEXT MESSAGES ONLY, NO VOICEMAIL.***

Hawaiian Themed Dinner

Yesterday around noon, my friend Adriana told me she had received an apron as a souvenir from some family members who had traveled to Hawaii.  She then said that she wanted to do a Hawaiian themed meal, so that she had a good reason to wear her new tropical print apron.



By 4:30 we had thrown together an impromptu "Hawaiian" meal!

Our menu featured a pork roast, seasoned with fresh herbs; a freshly made salsa that included fresh mango, pineapple, tomatoes, peppers of assorted colors, freshly picked herbs and some seasonings, garnished with fresh picked mint; rice noodles cooked with sausage, cabbage and coconut milk and a tropical inspired mixed drink that included tequila and orange liquer, garnished fresh strawberries and pineapple.

DELICIOUS!

Fresh From the Garden - Cabbage

While at my Aunt & Uncle's house last week, I got to bring home some super fresh goodies from the garden.  One of those items being Cabbage.

Often when I incorporate cabbage into a meal, the cabbage tends to be part of the main course, but two nights ago when I decided to cook up one of these beautiful, crunchy heads, I was going to be serving it to children, and I wasn't sure if they liked cabbage or not.  So I wanted to make it a side dish.  I decided to bake some fish and instead of making fresh coleslaw, I went with a cooked cabbage side.

I cooked the cabbage with an onion and some pork sausage, then added some softened Asian rice noodles to round out the side, so that it provided not just veggies but also some grains/carbohydrates.  The result was a unanimous success!

As the 3-year old put it, "Cabbage is good!"  Yay!  Anytime I can get a 3-year old to say those words about any vegetable, I consider it a job well done.  :)  Rachael

Fresh From the Garden - Turnips

Those of you who know me, know that not only do I have a fondness for plants and gardening, I also LOVE to cook!  This past week, while visiting family in South Eastern Georgia, I was fortunate enough to receive some fresh picked veggies from my uncle's garden.

One of the items I received was some turnips.  I know a lot of people do not like turnips and the truth is, if they are not cooked correctly, I don't particularly like them either.

However, if they ARE cooked correctly they can be delicious!  And being the fantastic cook that I am, they were delicious!  I even fed them to 3 children who had never had turnips before and they all loved them and ate seconds!

Smashed turnips & potatoes with onion and bacon....a HUGE hit!

Vintage - Cowrie Shell Necklace

This is a beautiful vintage Cowrie Shell Necklace.  It is quite heavy and features a double row of Cowrie Shells, with a round, red bead nestled between each set of shells.  It also has a very cool pendant made from 23 Cowrie Shells, with a larger red bead in the center.  The pendant is part of the necklace and cannot be removed.

The necklace is a 15" chain, with the pendant adding an additional 3" in length.  For a total hang length of 18".

Price: $35 (shipping included within the United States) (Additional shipping fees required if being sent outside the United States)

To purchase or for more information, please text me at: 616.308.6922.  Be sure to mention the item that you are interested in and the best time for me to call you to make arrangements for payment and shipping.

Adventures in Crocheting - Part 3 - Handbag of Errors

Story continued from: Part 1 and Part 2

Bolstered by my relative success with the pattern free potholder, I started looking online for something simple that I could try making.  I found a little handbag with an online video tutorial.

Remember though that I had only purchased 1 small ball of yarn, but I started out following the tutorial and making this small bag.  I realized once I got the bottom completed that I was going to run out of yarn, so I put it away for the night and went back to Hobby Lobby for another ball of yarn the next day.  Of course, when I got to Hobby Lobby, they were out of that particular yarn...so I chose another color that I thought would compliment the turquoise (lucky me, I got to figure out how to change colors mid pattern).  I also, picked up another size crochet hook and 2 additional balls of yarn (for future projects).

Here is the final bag...it has a lot of errors.  Truthfully, I still hadn't realized how important counting is in the world of crochet.  So somehow, I managed to add enough extra stitches, that by the time I got to the point where I was ready to make the handles, I had an extra 13 stitches in my top row!  AAAGHHHH!

 Of course, I had no intention of going back and fixing the error, so I did my best to recalculate where I needed to begin and end my handles, and the length that they needed to be, given my extra stitches.  So no, this bag is not perfect...but it's nice enough that I can actually give it to one of my young nieces, without having to apologize for it.

To make up for my errors, I found a tutorial on how to make a simple rosette and I added it to the bag for a little extra detailing.

OH, I almost forgot!  I now KNOW what a single crochet is!

Here is the yarn info for anyone who is interested...

  Turquoise: I Love This Cotton (Hobby Lobby Brand), 100% Cotton, Color #/Name - #70 Turquoise

  Purple: I Love This Cotton (Hobby Lobby Brand), 100% Cotton, Color #/Name - 252 Purple