Giveaway!

Want an adorable, handcrafted owl made by yours truly??

• Just skip on over to my sister's blog Keep it Simple, and enter for this great giveaway to promote my new etsy shop, HandcraftedJoy. 

Meet the newest member of our family!

This is Quigley! Our 7 week old Teddy Bear GoldenDoodle. He's teeny-tiny right now, but he should get to about 50-60lbs! (just look at those paws)

Quigley is my new obsession. He's the sweetest little boy, just wants to be near you and cuddle. I don't think I've ever met a calmer puppy before either.

I had been wanting a puppy for a long time, and one time I jokingly mentioned to Michael I wanted a puppy for my birthday this year, but not just any puppy- a golden-doodle puppy. I found a breeder in Chewelah (just north of Spokane) and told Michael this breeder's pups were less expensive and we could drive to pick them up! One day he came home and surprised me by telling me he had talked with the breeder and all we needed to do was put down the deposit and we'd get our pick of the litter if it was still something I wanted to do. Of course it was! We went a couple weeks later, picked out our pup (it was Michael's choice we went with) and another 2 weeks later we have him!

Last night was his second night home, and so far no accidents in the house! I just take him out every hour-2hours (inbetween naps). His first night home was pretty traumatic, and I only got 3-4 hours of sleep, but he settled right in, and slept great in his kennel last night! I am so excited to have this dog because Michael, my husband, travels so often. I hate to be alone (see post entitled "Alone") and getting a dog was just the perfect thing to help me feel I have a companion and a little extra measure to keep me safe. Ok, now that I'm sure you're bored reading about him, here's a few more pics!

Tiny teddy

I have seen these thread bears all over etsy and the internet, and thought it would be fun to give it a try myself. I found a free pattern through ravelry found here: Icicle Mohair Bear and bought some size 10 crochet thread on sale at Joanne's. I used a size 7 hook- that's 1.65 mm (teeny tiny!) and some chocolate brown embroidery floss for the details (his paws, claws, eyebrows and nose).

I had lots of fun seeing this tiny bear come to life, and really enjoyed learning how to make a 5-way thread jointed animal. It's so cool that he is posable! I added a bow for the finishing touch and here's how he turned out:

Please forgive the obscene amount of pictures...I'm just so stinking proud of the way he turned out!

Piglet

Ok, so it's been a SUPER long time since I first mentioned this, but I finally finished him!

It's my design for an old-fashioned piglet! I couldn't find any decent patterns online when I wanted to crochet one, so I decided to write my own. Here's how he turned out:

What is my favorite part? So glad you asked! His ears are perfect, I just love how they turned out!

I gave him a test run this weekend with my niece, and she did exactly what I would have hoped for- she grabbed his little hand and walked around with him as if he were her best friend :) Just like what he did in the books with Winnie the Pooh- he's always holding Pooh's hand, and I think it's just adorable to see an 11 month old hand grasping onto him!

Now my dilema is, I have spent so much time making and designing him, I just don't want to put him in my etsy shop to be sold to some stranger. He is 100% original and I don't think they could appreciate that. Is that just silly? Maybe I'll keep him and give him to my child one day...ahh. Who knows?

Happy Father's Day Daddy

Here is the wonderful man who married the beautiful woman who birthed me!

Today my pastor preached on the importance of fearing the Lord and shared how God charges the men of the household- the fathers- to fear him and the many blessings that will be poured out on him and his descendants if he obeys. Pastor Bill used Noah's fear of the Lord in obedience to the command to build an ark as his example, referencing Hebrews 11- it was quite good, but it got me thinking about my dad, Peter James Loeffelbein. I have witnessed many times, my father's obedience to and fear of the Lord when I know it would be so much easier to fear man. And as a direct outcome, I have been privileged to experience many of the blessings God has poured out on our family- His grace never ends!

I thank you Dad for fearing the Lord- for loving your wife, disciplining us children in love and showing all who know you that the Lord of all is worthy to be praised!

I love you!

ETSY shop!

Announcing the Grand Opening of my own Etsy shop!!

I finally did it! You've been hearing me muse about it for months and months, but with the school year finally at a close and life finally at a slower pace, I have picked up my crocheting again, and also opened up shop!

Want to know where you can find such wonderful items such as these?

Just go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/HandcraftedJoy (and please ignore my hideous banner! if someone has expertise in this, and wants to help me out, please do!!) and spread the word!!

I specialize in making things for baby, but can also do custom orders- you think it up, I'll make it!

Swaps

Has anyone ever done a swap before? How do they work? How do I get involved in one?

Just curious! :)

...

Please excuse my long absenses. I've taken on a full time job, long-term subbing and it is literally taking all my energy and brain power to survive at this point. Please pray that I can make an impact on these kids' lives!!

Amigurumi Friday!- designing your own amigurumi

Disclaimer: I am absolutely not an expert at designing my own amigurumi. I speak out only out of a couple weeks of experience. I have however, been making amigurumi for a couple years, and have been crocheting for at least 6 years. So I do (kind of) know what I'm talking about.

1. Familiarize:
First things first: Get to know the shapes and techniques of increasing, decreasing and magic circle before you ever try to make your own amigurumi. Try some free patterns first- there's tons on LionBrand, FreeCrochetPatternCentral, and Ravelry. Check it out!

2. Visualize/conceptualize:
Once you feel you have a hand on some familiar construction techniques, shaping and such, decide what it is you want to make. I suggest drawing it out. That will give you a more solid idea of the sort of shapes you'll want to make, get you thinking on the construction of your ami, and get you excited to get started!

3. Go for it! 
Some people attempt things in a very loose manner, just going for it, and hoping by the time they have their ami stuffed and closed up that it resembles what was in their mind. As a Type A personality, that just does not work for me! I write out exactly what I'm doing, continually referring back to my drawing to make sure my proportions are correct. And if I ever decide to start selling patterns, I've got it all written out. I just need to edit, type, and have someone test the pattern. If I get half way through a feature or body part and realize it's all wrong, I rip it out and try something different. Frustrating? yes! But that way I know my finished product will end up being something I'm proud of. Even something I'd be willing to sell.

4: Don't be afraid to step away
So after all those really specific tips and instructions let me just say one last thing: I crochet because I love the craft, and I love the people I crochet for. 99.9% of what I make is gifted immediately following finishing it. If this whole process gets really frustrating and stressful- stop! Put it down and walk away. It's not worth losing that love of the craft over. You can try it again some other day!

Well, I hope those tips are helpful and inspire to try your hand at designing!
I'll leave you with a few images of the creatures I've designed in the last couple weeks:

Alone.

I hate being alone. I've never liked it. I grew up the 3rd child of 4, right in the middle of an older and younger sister. I've always shared a room, whether it be with my older sister, younger sister, roomates in college or now- my husband.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm an introvert for sure. It's not that I have to be around lots of action and people like an extrovert. In fact, I hate being around big groups of people. It drains all the energy out of me to have be social and friendly to strangers. But, put me in an intimate setting- coffee date with a girlfriend, dinner date with my hubby, craft time with my sister, and I could talk and be happy for hours!

That's just it. I like close relationships- I don't like small talk and introductions. I want to be intimate, and not in a romantic way (well, only with my husband). I want to feel the warmth and safety of a good friend who knows me well enough to deal with me being real. I feel I have to put up boundaries, barriers and masks of friendly faces with others- they can't handle the "real" me. I guess that's what I'm thinking.

I don't know. It's just hard for me to sit by myself, hop into bed by myself, eat dinner by myself. And tonight that's just what I'm in for. Alone. Hubby's off out of town on business and for some reason this night it is particularly hard for me to not throw a giant pity party for one.

Does any one else know this feeling? Or am I alone in that too?