Crochet tip.

Joyce says -  'When hooking black or navy, or any dark colour for that matter, I find it much easier to have a white background.  A plain white tea towel is the perfect lap size for this project, and especially since most of my crochet time is at night with my little ones in bed and the kitchen sorted, and the laundry. . . . '. 

yeah well, let's forget the laundry for now, and the 1950's style crochet tips.  Who cares as long as the wine is chilled, the chocolate is plenty and I have my hook in hand baby!

This is one of 6 custom ordered hangers I am making.  

All black, and looking rather swish, even if I do say so myself.  

 I made some in this colour for my market stall.  I have only got three left. 

Jee!

It's so nice to stop by for some crafting blogging for a change.   

Hopefully there is more to come.  

Have a wonderful Monday at your place.

xx

Yarn Bombing - A New Member.

Grey skies are not always a bad thing.

It just means a change in activities.

From lazy sunny beachy days, sand castle-ing, long evening walks, reading books under the shade of a big tree, cooling off in the various shades of shimmering aqua through to deepest of blue waters.

To pulling out the lego, painting, playdoh, reading books flat out on our bellies on beds of cushions and pillows, puzzles and boardgames, and toasted sandwiches.

(Wet days at home are also good for catching up on orders, paperwork, housework, and well yeah, let's just not go there, let's just be happy that certain jobs are done for now.)

Wet days are also good for yarn bombing.  Yup!  Yarn bombing light poles.  I had just finished another customer order and wanting to make something other than my coasties, whipped up this flower with leaves, thinking I would do some sample headband/halo pieces for my next market.  It ended up on a light pole instead!  I like it, I like it alot.  (Headbands and halo pieces still coming.)  I should have been making these and bombing along the way when we did our big trip last April/May.  Oh golly, now THAT would have been fun.  Well there is no time like the present, so the experts tell us!  *giggle*

If you have any information about yarn bombing, or if you are an active 'bomber' in your area, I would LOVE to know.

If you have never heard of yarn bombing, but are now curious, then check out below. 

Australia « Yarnbombing

Yarn bombing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

25 Amazing Yarn Bombs

Yarn Bombing Australia (Facebook Page)

Thanks so much for stopping by my place today.  

Have a wonderful week at your place.

Today's post has been brought to you by the letter 'Y' - 'Y' is for Yarn.

Snapshots of the making kind.

Here is part of why Joyce has been rather blog absent of late.  

Going to try my best to keep it short, well as short as things go for a Joyce.  

Welcome to the making-ness.  

A custom order for a little friend - crochet beanie being modelled by Russell.

Markers of the book kind.  

Neck warmers (market stock)

Playing with fabrics, making brooches.  

'the boyfriend' scarf.  (market stock)

Hairbands aplenty.  (market stock)

wristies - to keep your wrists warm. (market stock)

monster birthday cake for my Mr Eggy-man.

ohhhhhh birthday party table making - soooo much fun!

cot/pram blankie.  (market stock)

a variety of roses, hair clip and brooch backings. (market stock)

Paper bags for my customers' goodies they purchased at the markets.  Even the customers that had a bag, when they saw these, they decided they needed a Joycie bag.  It was so much fun, I never realised such a small bag would bring so many smiles.

Part of my table set up at my very first ever market day on the 4th December 2011.  

I so love my little 'J' for Joyce.  Thank you for all the lovely comments on my 'J'.  

You can just see the moustachness in the background.  I was so shocked they were selling.

What fun to see people totally enjoying themselves with a little bit of moustache love.  

Denim hair elastics. (market stock)

Happy birthday my itty bitty minni.  First time using marshmallow fondant.  

Thank you to a very special lady - you know who you are my dear!  xx

Funny face biscuits sent to school to celebrate the birthdays to share with the class.  Using the pink marshmallows, just melted in the microwave.  woo hoo!

Joycie's coasties adorn wine glasses all over the Coast this Christmas.

These are currently all sold out!  How fabulous - spread the bling I say,

spread it far and wide.  There are more coming in 2012 but not these colours. (market stock)

My most recently finished lacy loveliness, winter wonderland scarf.  (market stock)

So that is what has kept Joyce busy lately.

Thanks so much for stopping by my place today.

May the creative-ness be flowing at your place.

Every Girl Should Have One.

It doesn't need to be big.

 It just has to be hers.

Her very own little nest egg.

Dedicated to my Grandma and Nanna.

xx

Red, Grey and Navy Scarf

An order placed by a friend.

She told me she likes red.

She said she wears lots of blue.

She is moving to a cooler climate.

I thought I would give it a shot.

I had her smiling face in my mind as I chose the colours.

She tried it on.

She loves it.

It warms her neck.

I love that she loves it.

She told me every time she wears it, she will think of me.

She made me feel all gooey inside.

I like feeling all gooey inside.

Now I just made it, I 'finished' you at last. . . . . . .

Don't-chya just love when something works?

Don't-chya just love when it looks and feels better than you thought it would?

I do.

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do. . . . . . . 

(yes, sung to Abba, notice the title of this post? - we are a little 'Abba-rish' tonight.) Actually I was a little bit MC Hammer earlier singing, not Hammer time, but choccie time - break it down.  *giggling* like a crazy lady.

This was made using the exact pattern instructions from Ravelry made by Heidi Hirtle.  Thanks again Heidi.  I just made this one longer and joined the ends for a loop-a-liscious lushness in blue.  I shall call you Jean.  

Jean has been sold.  I have a little page on facebook.  

It's called Just Joyce and you can check me out too if you want to.  I only started it up last night, so it's very brand new sort of new.  

 Have you made something lately that you just gotta share?  

You just can't conceal it, don't you see, can't you feel it?

Don't you too? I do, I do, I do, I do, I do. . . . . . . 

I would love to share another scarf in this pattern that I love.  Go check it out here just scroll down the page.  Don't you just love those colours!!

Come on, don't be shy, post it in my comments and I can come check you out too.  

Would love to see what you are making, so come on now, let's try it.

Thanks so much for stopping by my place today.

Have a wonderful day at your place.

xx

Scrappy Tails Scarf

Lots of odds and ends but not sure what to make with them?

Don't waste it.

Hook it.

This was made from lots of 5 ply scraps, blue ribbon and even kitchen twine features in this scrappy tails scarf.

I started by joining the ends of the scraps together, no matter how short/long, they got tied together and crocheted into the scarf.  Once I had finished, I intended to weave in all my ends, however, fell in love with the scrappiness of the whole scarf, so left it.  

I did make a scarf from the yarn my neighbour gave me which was donated to the hospital, however, didn't have enough to make another full scarf.  The smaller oddments have been taking up space and I didn't want to waste them.  When I finished this, I wasn't sure if it would be 'donatable' and not sure that your 'regular' person would enjoy wearing this, so decided to keep this one for me.  I really love it and have been wearing it quite a lot as it goes with pretty much everything I own.  Every single time I have worn it, I have been asked where did I get it, and how great it looks, which really surprised me, as it's not your average scarf type scarf.  

I am going to make more of these now to donate for sure.  Perhaps other people really would like to wear them too.  

Thanks so much for stopping by my place today, and thank you for all the lovely well wishes.  It's all systems go here this week at our place, just the way I like it.  

Have a great week at your place.

Neck warmers

Still loving this scarf pattern.  

This is the scarf completed from this post.  It was super quick to hook up, and I just love it, especially with this dark purple top.

This can be either a scarf or . . . . . . 

one of my loop-a-liscious lushness' by stitching the ends together.  

These are all for sale.  I am not scared about taking the leap for these, cause if they don't sell, then they get to live with me.  When I tried each one on to photograph, I was rather quite tempted to not put it up for sale, and the next one and the next one.  

Please forgive the 'model' if you can call her that.  It's scary hair day, as in washed it, and head banded it 'cause it was my day off and that's just how it is.  Also my study books don't seem to mind if my hair is done or not.  

Thanks for stopping by my place today.

I hope you are having a lovely week at your place.

you and me.

How are you weekending?

Soccer is done for us for the weekend, we managed an early marathon of both boys playing at 9am seemingly at opposite ends of the earth.  Hubbie collecting and dropping off of various friends and offspring, then picking them all back up and dropping/collecting them back to where they belonged.  Thanks to wonderful friends, and an awesome Hubbie, all our kids and their mates got to their required games in record time.  As for me, I was dropped off at our local sports store who very generously donated to our club to raffle, a treadmill and they offered us a table outside their store to sell the raffle tickets this morning.  

*phew* all turned out rather quite well, we are all home and snug and warm out of the cold and wet and I am about to sink my teeth into one very cosy Saturday afternoon.  

I am very aware that holidays are almost over, I gave myself one week off the study books, I thought that was fair.  I am cramming in the crochet while I can.  

This is a lovely little pattern from my 200 crochet blocks book.  I love it.

This is a sample square, I am going to undo it and turn it into a scarf, using this lovely pale blue cotton yarn.  It really is a very pretty pale blue, despite the cloudy, rainy shade of grey that is photographed here, which perfectly matches our weather today.

I am also loving, and finally starting, a granny stripes pram/cot rug.  

Do you have a few crafty things going at once?

Yes?

That's ok then, 'cause I do too.  

Let's multi craft together!  

I like that!

You over there, me over here, together!

Thanks for stopping by my place today, and have a most wonderful weekend at your place.

b.r.e.a.t.h.e. . . .

Focus on the journey, not the destination.  

Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.

- Greg Anderson -

Thanks for stopping by my place today.  

Have a wonderful weekend at your place.

nb. Joyce is wearing her hooked raspberry latte loop-a-liscious lushness.  

A Blanket for Lumar

The overseeing of the squares, apparently I am doing ok, and will not be blasted into outer space  -  yet.

As promised, Lumar can now be snuggly warm too.

Lumar likes the camera!

Thanks for stopping by my place today.

Have a wonderful day at your place.  

Today's post has been brought to you by the letter 'L' - L is for Lumar.  

Lumar comes from Dubbo Zoo, but lives with us now.  

Granny Squares for Jacky

'Mum, Jacky told me he gets cold at night, he needs a blanket.'

Minnie chose the colours and Joyce got busy.

Finished product - a blanket for Jacky.

Jacky loves it.  

Minnie loves that Jacky loves it.

Joyce loves that Minnie loves that Jacky loves it.

Eggy has requested same for Lumar.  

I promise to share when done.

What do you love right now?

Thanks for stopping by my place today.

Have a wonderful day at your place.

b r e a t h e

A quiet moment of the experimental hooky kind.

It's Friday night down time before a busy weekend.

Thanks for stopping by my place.

Wishing you a quiet moment at your place too.

'T' is for Today.

I was going to use this Monday of our long weekend for study, I was going to pull out the books and do a bit more and leave my boys to entertain themselves for the day.  

 Then I thought to myself - there is time enough for study.   

Today is my gift.  Today I will never get given back to me ever, never again.

  

If I were to die tomorrow, then at least for today I have lived.

 

 At least, for today, I found time to enjoy the rain on my garden. . . .

at least, for today, I got to write letters with my boys. . . . . .

at least, for today, I will have coloured and drawn. . . . . . 

If I die tomorrow, then, at least today, I will have seen my boys set up their rally racing indoor course. . . . . .

and watched as they taped and rolled the cardboard for their jumps and ramps. . . . . .

at least today, I will have tidied our wardrobes and have had a mini clean out, so then there will be less for hubbie to sort through . . . . . .

 

at least today, I would have snuggled with my darling boys and read a bit more of our current favourite book right now.  

If tomorrow was the day that was marked for me to breathe no more, then at least today I would have had a chance to make a few more squares for charity. . . . . .

Today is your gift too, make the most of it, treasure it, hold it gently with both your hands, savour each particle of it, the low bits the high bits, the choccie chip bits and the bits in between.  You will never get them back again, absolutely never.  

I am out of here for today, it's happy hour at our place now, and I am thirsty.  I hear the feint but persistent calling of a board game, it's getting louder. . . . . 

Thanks so much for stopping by my place today.

Today's blog post has been brought to you by the letter T, the letter T for Today . . . . . . and for Thirsty.