Sunday, January 26, 2014

Inspired by...

The last two days, I've been visiting the blog, Tales From A Happy House.
http://www.talesfromahappyhouse.com/

From the first blog entry, I've already learned something.  I've learned that Hama Beads are not just for kids.  She played right along with her kids and made 4 very unique coasters out of these beads and I am absolutely in love with them.  From visiting these blogs lately, I'm really learning to keep an open mind about crafting and the different methods or techniques that are out of my normal crafting scope.  This craft was a real "eye opener" for me.

Here are some more highlights of her blog (or at least what I found interesting):

I got a real kick out of "John" being so specific in his "wants" in regards to the Leeds United scarf she made him.  :)  It's nice to see a man that knows what he likes and isn't settling for anything less.  Once he received it, he's wearing it non-stop, so that's a real testament to her crocheting skills.

I'm not really big on stuffed animals, but I do enjoy the "homemade" ones.  I could really see myself purchasing an animal like Bella's Rabbit as well as a wardrobe of clothes for her.  I wouldn't want it for myself but would love to get a couple of them and put them away for my future grandkids.

She shares a great tutorial for making bird cakes to hang in the trees for the winter birds to eat.  We're big bird feeding people here in my household so this is something my husband might be interested in trying.

The "cleaning out the cupboards" post has inspired me to do the same with mine.  I know I've got partial bags of chocolate chips, some pecans, and other things left over from my Christmas baking that I should be using up instead of letting go to waste.

I think it's so sweet that she made Angus a dog "softie" and then she really completed the whole present off when she wrapped it in a blanket and put it in a suitcase.  Sometimes, I don't think about the "whole package" when I make something and this teaches me that I should.

The flower hair clips and the alphabet beaded bracelets she made for the treat bags for her daughter's birthday really personalized the bags for each girl.  That took some time to do and it really made it special.  She's a thoughtful mom.  I like that.

She has a great idea for her granny square blankets.  After she made all the little circles, she threaded them on the yarn end of each color she's using for the next round.  That's a truly inspirational idea!

I feel like I'm not alone in regards to my knitting issues after reading her experiences with The Knitted Washcloth.  I am NOT very good at knitting, but I do try.  Her post made me smile and say to myself, "I've been there".  Heck, I'm still there.

The crocheted scarf she made for her 6 year old niece is just darling.  So sweet and girlish.  Just what a 6 year old would want.  If I was 6, I would want it.  I might want one now.  In black, red and gray.  A grown up version to match my winter coat.

In her Sept. 17th, 2013 post, I totally adore her "garland #2".  It's very similar to what I'm wanting to make for my bedroom.

She re-did the kids' small wooden playhouse on a very limited budget and it came out great!  She did a great job recycling and reusing items.

I like that her crocheted items are not all done in the soft pastel colors that a lot of other people favor right now.  She uses the colors that she likes.  I use a few pastels every now and then, but my home is very masculine in it's style so most of my projects end up using the rich, deep jewel tones of green, blue, red, etc. with some browns thrown in.  I always feel a bit out of place in the crochet world due to my color choices but she shows me that she also uses a different color palette so I don't feel so bad.

She's inspiring me to try "lemon curd".  I've never had it.  However, Big Daddy and Small T love the taste of lemon, so it would be worth a try.

I like that she makes jams and jellies.  This year, we will be making them again.  Our current stock is depleted.  I'm lucky in that I have a cherry tree in the back yard so I have plenty of them for my own use as well as for sharing or trading.  My favorite jam I make is blackberry/cherry.  It's fabulous!

I like how she re-made her daughter, Bella's room.  I particularly like the thick striped blanket on her bed and the spray painted picture frames.  So cute!  And the fairy lights are gorgeous in there as well.

She has a great tutorial for sprucing up your gardening pots with a bit of paint.  Lovely!

I'm intrigued that she gave potted sunflower starts as one of the party favors at her son's birthday party.  That's a unique idea.  To go with the topic of the sunflower starts, this is the first time I've seen a grow house versus a green house.  I wonder if they have them here in the USA?  Apparently it comes in a kit, so I will have to do some checking around.

In the April 16th, 2013 post, she shows a knitted cushion cover on her daughter's bed.  I love it!  It's something I could make even with my limited knitting skills.

I really got a kick out of the Shoebox Bedroom For a Little Mouse that she blogged about.  Such creativity astounds me!  I wish I had thought about some of these things when my kids were making diorama's for school projects.  (There is also a Shoebox Kitchen.)

I like her quick and easy tutorial for making Granny Chic Tea Lights.

You know, I never thought I'd say this, but toliet paper rolls can really turn out some great craft projects.  Just take a look at the Nativity they made (Dec. 6th, 2012 post).  All I can say is "Wow".

She shares a good tutorial for making Felt Christmas Stockings (big ones).

I never thought of calling chocolate dipped pretzel rods "edible sparklers".  That's a much better name for them!

Her "How To Applique" Tutorial is something that might just come in handy someday.  I'll have to remember this post of hers.  I think she did a bang-up job covering the holes in her blanket with the applique birds.  It looks absolutely wonderful now.

And last, but not least, while reading her blog (yep...the whole thing), I ended up googling several things.  First, what's the difference between fairy cakes and cup cakes.  Then, what is lemon curd.  Also, what is clotted cream.  There was another question in there too, but I can't remember what it was at this moment.  I'll think of it later on, I'm sure.

Anyway, if you're up for a good blog visit, stop by this one.  There's lots of beautiful photography, recipes, crafts, and much more, so you'll have plenty to read about, and hopefully be inspired by.







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