While Walking My Dogs

Ornament #9 – Ball of Yarn and Needles {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 9, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #9 – Ball of Yarn & Needles

If you love yarn for knitting, crochet or any fiber art, then this is the ornament for you.

For lovers of yarn, there is nothing more satisfying that a yummy ball of yarn with (or without) needles poking through. For me it’s the possibility of what the skein of yarn contains – what will it end up being? A scarf, socks, a sweater, slippers, gloves, a coffee cozy, a cat toy, or a blanket.

This was a very easy ornament, very fast and a great chance to use scraps of yarn. I used a glass ornament, my glue gun, tooth picks, beads, ribbon and scraps of yarn.

Starting at the top of the ornament, I ran a thin bead of glue around the top of the ball and laid the yarn in the glue. I continued around until I reached the bottom then I wrapped the yarn haphazardly around the ball. After I was happy with the end result, I secured the end with a dot of glue. For the “needles”, I took a toothpick, glued the end into a round bead and tucked them into the “skein”. Took no more than 10 minutes.

Item #31 – Finish Central Park Hoodie

I have a horrible habit of starting knitting projects and then not completing them. There are two projects currently and one is the Central Park Hoodie.

Question of the Day: What are your favorite Christmas cookies and do you make them or just eat them?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

There will be Mini Give-aways on the 15th, 22nd and 29th days of November.

The winner of each mini give-away will get to choose an ornament from the previous week. For instance, the winner on the 15th will pick from Ornaments 8-14, the winner on the 22nd will pick from Ornaments 15-21, etc..
The Mini Give-away winners are still eligible for the Grand Give-away on December 1st.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Links to {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}
Ornament #1
Ornament #2
Ornament #3
Ornament #4
Ornament #5
Ornament #6
Ornament #7
Ornament #8

Did I hear the word “cookie”?

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Beads, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Crochet, Decorating, Goals, Homemade, Knitting, Quest46, Repurposing, Yarn | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, crochet, Decorating, goals, homemade, knitting, Quest46, repurposing, yarn | 15 Comments

Surprise Mini Give-aways {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 8, 2014 by gracieed

I want to thank everyone who has taken part in the {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments} Give-away so far. It’s been so much fun reading your responses and connecting with old and new friends alike.

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE giving gifts probably more than getting them. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy receiving gifts, but it brings much more joy to watch someone open a gift I’ve given them.

To that end, I’m having a REALLY hard time waiting 30 days for this give-away. So I’ve decided to add 4 mini give-aways throughout the month of November.

The details:

I will pick a winner on the 8th (today), 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of November.
The winner of each mini give-away will get to choose an ornament from the previous week. For instance, the winner on the 8th will pick from Ornaments 1-7, the winner on the 15th will pick from Ornaments 8-14, etc..
The winners are still eligible for the Grand Give-away on December 1st.

Without much further ado — Today’s winner of the 1st mini give-away is: Michelle

Congratulations Michelle!

Eek!!! I’m so excited for Michelle. I wonder which ornament she’ll pick?

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Homemade | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, homemade | 3 Comments

Saturday Snippets | November 8, 2014

Posted on November 8, 2014 by gracieed

Welcome to Saturday Snippets. This is where I share links and odd bits of info from the past week.

1. I recently discovered Rachel Ryle, an Award winning Illustrator and Animator. You can see her work at http://www.rachelryle.com. This is one of my favorites.

2. Do you work better with ambient sounds? Say the sounds of a coffee shop or a lunchtime diner. According to Coffitivity.com, most people do. I’m not one of them, but if you are, there’s an app for you.

3. I’m fascinated with how people efficiently use space, and this 86 square foot apartment in Paris in no exception. (And no, 86 square feet is not a typo) I would be faced with the paralyzing decision of where to store my craft supplies and where to put my dogs. Okay it’s settled, I won’t live in Paris in a super tiny apartment.

4. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James is describes as “a rare meeting of literary genius: P. D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem.” – Amazon.com

And now it’s been made into a mini-series by PBS.org. Episode 1 is available here.

5. Need a color palette? Explore Color.Adobe.com all for all things color. You can create your own palettes or download ones that other people have created. Here are some of my favorites.

Don’t forget to checkout today’s {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments} post to enter the Giveaway for 30 Christmas Ornaments.

Well that’s all the snippets I have for today. Have a wonderful Saturday,

I think I would generate a beautiful color palette.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Art Journal, Books, Coffee, Education, Goals, Organization, Paper Crafting, Saturday Snippets | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, art journal, books, Coffee, education, goals, Organization, paper crafting, Saturday Snippets | Leave a comment

Ornament #8 – Felt Dog Bone {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 8, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #8 – Felt Dog Bone

For today’s ornament I’m once again playing with felt and embroidery floss. I made a dog bone pattern, but out two pieces of white felt, a small heart and set to stitching.

When I made the Paw Print Felt Heart on Day #2, I used a running embroidery stitch to attach the heart and to sew the front and back parts together. Today I wanted to use a blanket stitch, but it’s been many years since I worked that stitch so I consulted YouTube and found a great tutorial.

In no time at all, the dog bones were stitched and stuffed. I used a polyester fiberfill stuffing just like the Paw Print Felt Heart.

These would also be cute with your dog’s name stitched on them. I think I may have two make 3 more for you know who.

Item #30 – Improve my time in the Urban Cow Half Marathon.

Last year, I completed the Urban Cow Half Marathon and this year I want to improve my time. The race is in October, so I’ll have a good amount of time to prepare.

Question of the Day: Do you participate in fun runs over the holidays?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Links to {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}
Ornament #1
Ornament #2
Ornament #3
Ornament #4
Ornament #5
Ornament #6
Ornament #7

Did momma say “fun run”? I’m not sure what “fun” is, but I know what “run” is. We should help her with that.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Exercise, Goals, Homemade, Quest46, sewing | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, exercise, goals, homemade, Quest46, sewing | 14 Comments

Ornament #7 – Bottle Cap Snowman {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 7, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #7 – Bottle Cap Snowman

For the past 26 years I’ve collected Santas and Snowmen as part of my holiday decor. Each collection has exceeded the number of surfaces in my house, so now I alternate years when I display them. Obviously when I saw these guys on Pinterest and knew I just had to make a set of them.

I gathered bottle caps, white spray paint, my glue gun, acrylic paint, buttons, twine and fleece scraps.

First I spray painted the bottle caps white and let them dry. Then I fired up my glue gun, ran a bead of glue down the back of each bottle cap and laid the twine in the glue. I cut the twine longer than the height of the three bottle caps and was able to loop the excess back and glue it to the top cap. I also placed a bead of glue between each cap where they touched to keep them from twisting. After that I painted on the eyes, nose, mouth and buttons. Finally I wrapped a piece of scrap fleece around the neck and hot glued a button to the scarf.

These would also make great decorative tags for gifts.

Item #29 – Complete all the achievements of the 7 Minute Workout.

In this blog post, I shared my Quest46-Item #2 – Lose the rest of my weight and increase my fitness. This is one of the ways I plan to do that. I downloaded a free app to my iPhone called the Seven Minute Workout. I learned about this workout through a fellow blogger. It’s 12 exercises that you perform for 7 minutes and your progression depends on your fitness level. I was drawn to this program because of the time requirement – everybody has 7 minutes – and because they’re all exercises I know how to do. I may not “be able” to do all of them well, but I “know how” to do them. The app has 29 achievements that you work through by doing the 7 minute workouts. I’m more successful with exercise when I’m working towards a goal.

Question of the Day: Have you ever made a snowman from real snow?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Links to {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}
Ornament #1
Ornament #2
Ornament #3
Ornament #4
Ornament #5
Ornament #6

We are ready to be your workout partners. Mindy can sit on your feet while you do crunches, Woody can do step ups with you and I (Ellie) will lie right next to you when you do planks. And I’ll try not to lick your face.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Exercise, Goals, Homemade, Quest46, Repurposing | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, exercise, goals, homemade, Quest46, repurposing | 12 Comments

Ornament #6 – Glitter Paws {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 6, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #6 -Glitter Paws

I’m going to do a bit of a spoiler alert right now. There will be several ornaments that are dog related involving paws and bones. Just wanted you to know so you won’t be surprised :-).

So by now you know my favorite shapes are hearts and paws. But what you probably didn’t know is that, after yarn, my favorite craft supply is glitter. Sparkly, twinkly, glittery glitter!! It was just a matter of time before I combined Paws and Glitter.

I gathered my supplies of Christmas ornaments, glue, glitter, q-tips, coffee filters and ribbon. Crafty Tip: Coffee filters are my favorite item for using with glitter. The glitter doesn’t stick to the filter and you can easily pour your excess right back into the container.

I dipped my q-tip into the glue (any glue will do) and quickly “drew” out a paw and four toes. You need to work quickly for this part because the glue tends to dry quickly. When the “drawing” is done, you dump a good amount of glitter over the ornament (which is over the coffee filter), tap off the excess and voila, a Glitter Paw Ornament. I have great plans for a “Dog Christmas Tree” this year and these are going to be featured in mass quantities.

I used an empty egg container to hold the ornaments while the glue dried completely, then added ribbon. Eek, I’m in love with these!

Item #28 – Make homemade dog biscuits for Christmas gifts.

I take care of dogs for friends and family and this year I want to thank them (and their dogs) for trusting me with their animals throughout the year. As I was making this ornament, I thought this would be a great “tag” for the gift bag that will hold the dog biscuits. Sshhh. It’s a secret.

Question of the Day: Do you send out Christmas cards and if you do, are they handmade, store-bought or email?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Links to {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}
Ornament #1
Ornament #2
Ornament #3
Ornament #4
Ornament #5

Don’t forget – we’re available if you need any taste testers for these dog biscuits you’re going to be making.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Dogs, Goals, Homemade, Quest46 | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Dogs, goals, homemade, Quest46 | 20 Comments

Ornament #5 -Map Ornament {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 5, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #5 -Map Ornament

With this ornament I was inspired by a decorating project I saw on Pinterest. Old maps were used to cover books and I wondered if I could use maps with my ornaments. I knew I could sew on paper with my machine and gave that a whirl, but it really didn’t give me the effect I was looking for. Then I remembered those old sewing cards I had as a kid and I knew what I wanted to do.

I decided to use a heart shape again (one of my favorite shapes) and cut one large and one small out of my maps. I made a template using an old cereal box and traced two of each size. For each tracing I made sure there was a major city visible on the heart. For the big heart, I chose two cities in England (where my family’s from) and for the little heart I chose Brussels and Paris. I cut out the hearts and then used my paper piercer to make evenly spaced holes around the perimeter of each heart.

I used red embroidery floss (4 strands) and did a running stitch on the small heart and a backstitch on the large heart. I stuffed both of them with polyester fiberfill to give the ornaments some dimension and then glued glittery hearts near each major city. I’m really pleased with how they turned out.

This isn’t a traditional ornament, but it could make a really cute gift ornament for a newly married couple, someone new to the area or any occasion where you want to make note of a special location.

Item #27 – Plant a cutting garden

I love fresh flowers and love the idea of being able to go into my backyard, snip a bouquet of colorful beauties, pop them in a mason jar and set them on our table or better yet give them to someone. I figure while I’m in the yard tending to the vegetables and the fairies, I might as well grow flowers.

Question of the Day: What is your favorite family tradition over the holidays?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Links to {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}
Ornament #1
Ornament #2
Ornament #3
Ornament #4

So you’re planting a vegetable garden, a cutting garden and making a garden for these fairy creatures. Is there going to be any backyard left for us? I need space to flex my ball-catching muscles. Sorry for talking with my mouth full.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Backyard, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Dogs, Gardening, Goals, Homemade, Quest46, Repurposing, sewing | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, backyard, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Dogs, Gardening, goals, homemade, Quest46, repurposing, sewing | 16 Comments

Ornament #4 -Hand Painted Dog Bone Icicle {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 4, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #4 -Hand Painted Dog Bone Icicle

As with Ornament #3, I was able to re-purpose the beads from 4 napkin ring holders. I also raided my stash of beads to add some color and interest. I purchased wood cutout dog bones, but had Memory Wire and wanted to use it because when it’s coiled, it gives the ornament some bounce. Bounce is important in an ornament.

Here’s what I started with: (not shown is burgundy and gold spray paint)

I gathered my materials and immediately pulled the beads off the napkin rings with wire cutters. I set those aside while I first chomped 1/4″ holes at the top of each dog bone with my Cropodile. I then spray painted the wood dog bones with gold and burgundy paint. I chose these colors because of the colors of the beads. I sprayed the bones twice for good coverage and while those were drying I worked on the beaded hanger. Memory wire is awesome because it will maintain any shape you mold it into. I used our knife sharpening tool which looks like a 1/2″ solid pipe to wrap the wire around about 4 times. I used my pliers to make a loop at the top and then started to feed beads onto the wire. I set the beaded hangers aside and went back to the dog bones. They were completely dry by now so I took my white paint pen and wrote “Bone Noel” on the burgundy bone and used a burgundy sharpie to write the same sentiment on the gold bone. I also drew two paw prints in opposite corners. I let those dry and then attached the beaded hangers with my pliers. And here they are:

Item #26 – Paint Patio Furniture

As we’re nearing completion of our retaining wall and eventually our patio, I want to give our patio furniture a face lift so we can use it to eat meals outside in the warmer months.

Question of the Day: Do you use an Advent Calendar and if so, is it store-bought or handmade?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Links to {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}
Ornament #1
Ornament #2
Ornament #3

So let me see if I understand you correctly – Although these LOOK like dog bones, they’re really NOT dog bones. But you wrote the word “Bone” on them – how are they NOT dog bones? I’m confused.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Backyard, Beads, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Dogs, Goals, Homemade, Quest46, Repurposing | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, backyard, Beads, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Dogs, goals, homemade, Quest46, repurposing | 19 Comments

Ornament #3 – Vintage Snowflakes {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Posted on November 3, 2014 by gracieed

Ornament #3 – Vintage Snowflakes

With this ornament, I was able to re-purpose a couple of vintage rose boughs as well as some tiny pearl Christmas decorations and tinsel. I also raided my stash of dried roses. I spotted the snowflakes at my local Dollar store and loved them just the way they were, but knew I wanted to jazz them up for this project.

I gathered my materials and began pulling the rose boughs apart with wire cutters. I separated the leaves from the roses and the vines, cut the tinsel and removed the hardware from the pearl Christmas decorations. In the end, I didn’t use as much tinsel as I thought I would because it overwhelmed the ornaments.

Using my trusty glue gun, I just arranged my materials over 5 snowflakes and here’s the result. They make me think of a vintage English Christmas. Not sure why ;-).

Item #25 – Start a Fairy Garden

I first discovered Fairy Gardens on Pinterest. (In fact, I have a board dedicated to Fairy Gardens) I love how tiny everything is and the whimsy associated with creating a make believe nook in the corner of the garden. I love doll houses and all things miniature, so it’s no surprise that I’m really taken with these gardens. Eek! It’s a yarn basket made from a walnut shell. —->

Question of the Day: What is your favorite food to eat over the holidays?

Remember to enter the giveaway – here’s how:

1) Leave a comment on each day’s post by answering my “Question of the Day”. The “Question of the Day” will be right above my closing.
It looks like this ::

2) Over the course of this blog series, you can enter a maximum of 30 times.

On December 1, 2014, I will have a random drawing for one (1) lucky winner. I will contact the winner for their mailing details and will mail to anywhere in the world.

Links to {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}
Ornament #1
Ornament #2

When you finish this Fairy Garden thing, can I sit next to the door and wait for the fairies to come out? I won’t bother anything, I’ll just sit and wait. I’ve never seen a fairy before. Is it kind of like a butterfly? Or a hummingbird? I’m so excited, I can’t wait.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Christmas movies, Decorating, Fairy Garden, Goals, Homemade, Pinterest, Quest46, Repurposing | Tagged 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, accountability, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Decorating, Fairy Garden, goals, homemade, Pinterest, Quest46, repurposing | 22 Comments

Paws || Walk On – 10.26-11.8

Posted on November 2, 2014 by gracieed

Every now and then when I’m walking dogs, I will just stop, ask them to sit for about 30 seconds and then I will say “walk on”. That is there cue to start walking again. I do this for a couple of reasons: 1. They’re super focused when they’re on the walk and I like to know I can get their attention any time I need it. 2. It’s good to continue to incorporate training into their daily routines. Just as we need to continue to refine our skills, so must dogs.

This always reminds me how important it is for me to pause and reflect on the past week and then think about the next one as I “walk on”.

Paws | Week of 10.26-11.1

• planned, prepared and celebrated my Mom’s 70th birthday. Our friends in England bought a “Happy 70th Birthday” sign and took pictures with my Grandpa (her dad) holding it. That was very special.
• made a Coconut Chocolate Tart for Mom’s party. It’s sugar free, dairy free and gluten free. And it was really good.
• called my Grandpa in England.
• picked up some more books from the library on the subjects of weaving and macrame. They’re all from the 70’s – they’re awesome.
• finished reading Shattered by Dani Pettrey.
• started reading Stranded by Dani Pettrey.
• The 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments has begun. Join me for the big Giveaway. Details here.
• Took Mindy to the vet and she did very well. She’s a very brave girl.
• Ellie went to the vet also for a follow up from her dental surgery. Good news is she’s healing beautifully. Bad news is she made such a fuss the vet had to come and see her in the car. We have the best vet in the whole wide world!
• walked the dogs everyday and I am just loving all the roses that are in bloom.

• cut up denim jeans for the beginning of a dog pillow for my craft room.
• made a cover for my ironing board.

Walk On | Week of 11.2-11.8

• call my Grandpa in England.
• make more dog beds and collars to sell on Etsy.
• post daily to Instagram for the #dogphotoaday challenge.
• prep, organize and post my November blog series, “30 Days of Christmas Ornaments”.
• Take care of other people’s dogs this week.
• Skype/Knit with a friend who lives in San Diego.
• watch a free workshop on CreativeLive all about starting a handmade business.
• go to the dentist for a cleaning.
• prep for and attend a Pinterest party. I’m teaching them all about bows using the Bowdabra.
• make birthday cards for November birthdays.
• finish reading Stranded by Dani Pettrey.

My favorite quote from the week: “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Abraham Lincoln

Have a wonderful week,

You know what I am? I’m a good dog.

Posted in 30 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Accountability, Books, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Dogs, Goals, Homemade, Pinterest | Tagged accountability, books, Challenges and Contests, Christmas, Dogs, goals, homemade | 1 Comment

While Walking My Dogs

Ornament #9 – Ball of Yarn and Needles {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Surprise Mini Give-aways {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Saturday Snippets | November 8, 2014

Ornament #8 – Felt Dog Bone {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #7 – Bottle Cap Snowman {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #6 – Glitter Paws {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #5 -Map Ornament {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #4 -Hand Painted Dog Bone Icicle {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Ornament #3 – Vintage Snowflakes {30 Days of Christmas Ornaments}

Paws || Walk On – 10.26-11.8

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