Trying to save money and create gifts that are original, appropriate and appreciated is difficult. When I saw the pattern for this awesome stuffed cat I immediately thought of my good friend Kate!  Thank you Wee Wonderfulls by Hillary Lang!

This cat was simple to make in one evening. Most people are amazed that the cat will still stand with it's over-sized head, but stuffed firmly it will! I'm excited to find more patterns of cute stuffed animals like this, they're simple, straightforward and the finished product is quite rewarding.  Give it a try! I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

Tags: Other Crafts

My friend Holly helped to organize the creation of a blanket for Annie and her family.  She asked that I create three 12" x 12" squares for the blanket and then she proposed the idea of Canadian maple leafs!  I was initially skeptical of my abilities to fulfill such a request, but to my surprise, as you can see below, the squares turned out great.  If I ever get my hands on a picture of the finished project I'll be sure to post it. I hope Annie and her husband and kids enjoy it.  What a great idea Holly!

I found the maple leaf pattern here.  Through the leaf I crocheted with both red & white yarn, hiding the colour I wasn't using. I dropped the red yarn and just left it while I crocheted the white border, on the way back across I would pick up the red again for the leaf.  Play with it a bit, you'll find a way that works for you.

Tags: Other Crafts, Crochet Projects

I always love it when my friends wear the gifts I make them :) Kristiina seems to really like the hat and fingerless gloves I made for her Birthday. 

She removed the pom-pom from the hat, but I knew that she probably would prefer it without, so I made it removable! She calls the gloves her "driving gloves" and finds them comfortable for long drives.  With Kristiina's reaction to these gifts, I will have to make more for other friends! 

This hat was fairly simple to make. I had to research a new stitch, but once I practiced the stitch a couple times it was straightforward.  I found the pattern here: http://www.allcrafts.net/f.php?url=crochetme.com/patterns/simple-cable-hat
and I thank Sarah Margaret Crittenden for her pattern!

I didn't use a pattern for these gloves. I started with a tube that was the right width for my hand and wrist. I worked in rounds in front loops only and when I decided I was ready for the thumb hole I just created a string of 4 or 5 single crochets and attached it appropriately to the other side of the glove. This cut the glove into two sections, thumb and hand.  I continued working in rounds, first I finished the thumb hole and then slip stitched back to the crease spot between the finger and thumb to continue working in rounds to finish the main finger section. I made the second one to match. 

This is really the first thing I've made without a pattern. I enjoyed it, but it was simple.  I can't imagine trying this on something more detailed... Eek!

I spend hours searching the internet for crochet projects that are at least somewhat in style right now.  Most of the hat, scarf, glove and mitten patterns out there are very old looking.  If you have a crochet project that is funky, send it my way please!  I'd like to see what you're making right now.

Tags: Crochet Projects

I'm now certain that designing for yourself is the hardest thing to do!  I can work closely with my clients, study they're business mission, image and target market to develop an appropriate brand or logo for them, but doing it for myself is painful. I truly believe the only reason we successfully finalized our logo was from the motivation, support and feedback from our family, friends and clients. Check it out!
My design process from brainstorming to application and critique finally created a more modern looking logo.  The concept is two small business coming together to form a close relationship and building websites. This is represented by the html coding brackets inside the two roofs. 

No potential client will see all this in our little, funky logo but we're happy with it.  I'm excited to get started on business cards!

We've already incorporated the new logo on our website.  I'm not totally happy with the site anymore but in time with some changes I'm sure it will become the professional site we want.  Let me know what improvements you think I could make, please visit the Home Cooked website.

Tags: Graphic Design

Nothing beats Halloween!  Fall colours, costumes, pumpkin seeds and an excuse to get creative!  This year I had fun carving pumpkins with my husband and baking bread and pumpkin seeds.

       

Carving is always fun however, if you're like me, you have fun carving but you're not the best at developing your own pumpkin face.  In the past, as a child, I loved making up a good scary pumpkin face, now I prefer finding a pattern or stencil that I like and copying it. 

There's lots of sites that provide free stencils and that's where we got our pumpkin faces.  I think my preference of using somebody else's design is because I'm not the best at visualizing negative space.  Your typical, cut out the eyes, nose, and mouth of a pumpkin (like my husband's) is simple to visualize.  Using light and dark differently like my little monster face provides many more options of detail which my mind just can't invent on it's own.  Some sites to visit for free pumpkin stencils are:
www.ehow.com/halloween/templates.html
www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm
www.pumpkinmasters.com/free_patterns_main.asp

My pumpkin bread had mixed reviews. Some friends loved it, some wouldn't even try it.  If you're going to tackle this egg free bread recipe it's important to remember that this is not a sweet bread.  This is a normal bread. It is not light and fluffy, it's quite dense and moist and it tastes like regular bread with hints of pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. I enjoyed it, but will only make it once a year. 

Visit www.ehow.com/how_2138243_bake-egg-free-pumpkin-bread.html for the recipe. 
(I sneaked in a little sugar, used less oil and more pumpkin) Enjoy!

Don't forget about pumpkin seeds, they're delicious!
Wash them, let dry, toss in cooking oil, salt and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes turning half way through.
Watch out, they'll be gone in a day!

        

Tags: Great Recipes, Other Crafts