Gingerbread House Ornament Finale & Heart Ornament

It's finally finished!

I decided to match the stitching color to the doorknob. While I was stitching it, all I could think of was green apple licorice so I'm imagining that licorice is what's holding my little gingerbread house together. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'm too in love with it to give it to anyone else! The next gingerbread house I make won't be quite so elaborate and time consuming, but just as cute - I promise.

Anyways, I was feeling so accomplished after I finished my gingerbread house that I decided to tackle another ornament:

I simply cut out two red felt hearts and then a slightly smaller white felt heart. I started out by stitching on the stars, then stitching the decorative stitching around the heart. With the gold I had left, I went ahead and added the little gold centers. When I finished with that, I realized that in my enthusiastic haste I had forgotten to add my ribbon to my ornament. Luckily I was able to carefully sew it on without it showing in the front or the back. After accomplishing this magnificent feat, I sewed the back half of the ornament on and there you have it!

I still have several more ornaments to cut out and make. I can't believe that there's only one more week til Christmas! Between ornament making and knitting projects (all my knitting needles have a project on them), I'm going to be one busy little bee. I hope to have something nice for everyone on my list in time for Christmas. Wish me luck!

Gingerbread House Ornament, Part 2

Whew! Exams are finally done and now I can focus on making gifts for the holidays. Here's my progress so far:

I'm using the bright colored beads to simulate gum drops and the various white beads to simulate sprinkles., like they might use on a real gingerbread house - I've never made a gingerbread house before. The white beads are a combination of clear, frosty, and pearlized and both they and the colored beads were attached with white floss to the snow on the roof and chimney. I piped the door and the windows in brown floss to make them stand out, accenting them with the colored beads and the green button doorknob.

Next, I'll finish the snow on the back of the gingerbread house and then attach the two halves together. I haven't decided what color floss I'll be using to attach them together - should I use the same brown on my windows and doors, go with the simple white floss that I used on the snow, or go with a completely different (but complimentary) color? Decisions, decisions... I hope to finish the ornament this weekend sometime, maybe tonight, to show you  all :)

Meanwhile, I've been doing a little decorating around the house. Since we're in the middle of renovating, cleaning, and everything else we don't really have the space to put up a Christmas tree or go all out in our directions this year. We've hung a long strand of shiny silver tinsel around the door and hung our stockings with care.

Mine's the bigger red one, of course. I've also set up a little Christmas display on top of the electric heater that we have. It looks like a little black stove, has fake glowing logs and what looks like flames in the background. The only heat coming from it is the warm air being pushed out of the bottom. Perfect for cold toes and safe to boot. The fact that there's a Christmas tree and nativity set on top of this little stove makes me smile for some reason. Maybe it's the cheery flames and the sparkle from the ornaments.

The Lego Christmas tree was a present that I have one year as a stocking stuffer and decided it needed a more festive home with our darling little nutcracker and the nativity scene my grams gave me. The snowflake and the red ornament were crocheted by my mom, just like the adorable stockings. (I'm not the only one in my family who is crafty - all I learned, I learned from someone in my family!)  Here's a close up on them:

Gingerbread House Ornament, Part 1

Hello all! I know I said I would start a tutorial on my holiday-themed crafts on Friday but instead I was out having supper with a lovely couple who are like my extended family and some dear friends. We were having our own little Christmas celebration, fun Christmas poppers and all! It was absolutely delightful :)

Now, to business. I started out by sketching a simple gingerbread house design on a sheet of paper, working on the size and the decorations I would like to sew on it. I would show you the process but unfortunately, idiot me, I cut it up the sketch sheet to help me create the template you see below. I used graph paper to try and keep the pattern mostly symmetrical and cut it out. Then using my pattern, I set out to cutting all my pieces.

My base was cut out of the cinnamon color felt in the simple house shape that you see above. Next, I cut out the snow for my roof and chimney out of white felt and then, using the leftover scraps, cut out the windows and door. Finally, I'll decorate and assemble - you can see how I intend to assemble it above. For my decorating, I'm using floss that I bought in a multi-pack from Michael's and some beads and buttons that I've collected over the years.

Next snapshot, I'll show you how I've started to decorate my little gingerbread house!

I'm Not Dead Yet!

Sorry I've been so out of touch lately. Last week I wasn't feeling well and unfortunately, this week hasn't been much better. When I went in for my two week check-up this past Monday, the midwife prescribed an antibiotic to hopefully rid me of my sinus drainage and earache that's lingering from last week and the cough that started up this past weekend. Hopefully, I will be feeling better soon.

In the meantime, I've put the Bright Patches Blanket project on hold - temporarily. I've have forty-seven out of eighty-one patches finished and I just need to work on something else for a while. Since Christmas is only eighteen days away and we're a little tight on money right now, I've turned my creative juices toward making unique presents for our loved ones. I have a list of potential present projects for people (which I can't share, in case they're reading) and I already have some of the presents in the works. Almost everyone will receive a handmade felt ornament along with their gift.

We picked out our Christmas cards last Saturday. I'm actually looking forward to sending out Christmas cards from the two of us and the style we chose is simply beautiful. It looks like a woodblock print of a farm that's been tastefully colored in cheerful Christmas hues with just a little bit of glitter to make it sparkle. We have some colored calligraphy pens that we're going to use to address the envelopes and sign with, which will be a lot of fun.I can't wait to send them out - after all, this is our first Christmas married. It's very exciting! We already have some decorations and two darling stockings, courtesy of my talented mother.

Speaking of my mom, this evening I went over to help her assemble and decorate the Christmas tree. We put on some Christmas tunes and just went at it! It was great fun because my OCD would kick in randomly while we were decorating. Mom would suddenly hear the tinkle of the bells (yes, bells) and the rustle of the artificial branches and ask, "Are you moving something again?" I would see a huge cluster of ornaments or similarly themed ornaments all in one spot and would just have to move something. I'd just have to move that Santa ornament, as my mom joked, two branches over and one branch down before it looked alright. She threatened to leave a few times and just let me complete the tree by myself so I wouldn't keep moving the ornaments she placed. She even went so far as to threaten to color code the ornaments or have them all on just one side of the tree come Christmas day just to mess with me. It was great spending time with her and just be able to laugh about it all. Here's our finished product:

The Beautiful Christmas Tree!

Anyways, I'll do my best to post on Friday with something as equally festive - maybe with a few of my ornament patterns! And for those curious few, the kittens are doing really well. Good night!

Patch 13 ~ 47 - Catch Up!

Project:
Last week, I was able to complete the twenty patches in White Angel - which is half of the number needed for the blanket - and all thirteen patches of Aqua. I'm currently working on getting ten more patches in White Angel completed before I move on to Duckie. Currently I have three out of ten patches completed.

Twelve in Goldfish, thirteen in Aqua, and twenty-three in White Angel.

Yay progress! That means thirty-four patches to go before I'm done!

Reflection:
Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. Last week I was on break all week for Thanksgiving but time got away from me - mainly because I was finally able to spend some quality time with my husband. Wednesday I made pumpkin cookies and attempted to make this Williams Sonoma molded cranberry sauce (because I have that Williams Sonoma cranberry sauce mold). The recipe is delicious but when I attempted to un-mold it, it went splat all over a plate. My husband managed to take a very funny picture of this happening. If I remember, I'll try to post the picture later.

Kitten Update! It seems that we've been adopted by our neighborhood kittens. Oliver and Skittles sleep on an old cat bed we've cleaned off and Huckleberry sleeps on the chair that my husband placed on the porch for me. As I'm getting on in my pregnancy (thirty weeks now), it's getting harder for me to crouch down for long periods of time and the porch step is just a hair too low for me to sit upon comfortably. He put the chair out there for me so I could pet my adopted brood.

In the mornings, I peek out the window to see if the kittens are awake yet. Most of the time, they hear me and suddenly I have two faces - Skittles and Oliver - staring at me from their spot in front of the front step. I'll open the door and they'll meow pitifully until I open the screen door to bring them their breakfast. Huckleberry, alerted by his siblings' diligence at the door, will have run off by the time I step outside to fill the food and water bowl. He always comes back, though, waiting for me to finish up so he can have some food too.

Skittles allowed me to start petting her last week! She likes to be petted around her face and ears the most. She turns quickly when you pet down her back, looking to nuzzle against your hand again. She's even started rubbing against my legs like Oliver does and I've had her in my lap once. Now if only we could convince Huckleberry to warm up to us...

That's about all I have to share right now. Look for a belated "I'm thankful for..." update on Friday!

Patch 7 ~ 12 - Kittens!

Project:
Good news! This weekend proved to be very productive. I was able to finish the last six patches that I needed in Goldfish.

Since I'm actually on break this week, I'm able to devote more time to this project. I hope to be knocking out about half of the White Angel patches in no time! I've already started :)

Anyways, my mom asked a great question when she visited on Sunday: "Why are you knitting with circular needles?" I'm sure some of you have been wondering the same thing, since I'm only casting on thirteen stitches per square. When I initially went into Michael's, I had no idea what kind of baby blanket I would be making. From the little research I managed while standing in the yarn section, I gathered that I would need to cast on about one hundred thirty stitches.

After having the circular knitting needles for almost three weeks, I have come to the conclusion that they have a lot of advantages. First, if you're clumsy (like I am), you usually drop your needles and often lose sight of them. With circular needles, if you drop your needle it's easy to find. Second, if you travel with your knitting (which I sometimes do), it's much easier to keep your work safe by simply pushing the stitches down the needles until they're resting on the connector. And third, if you decide to knit a bigger project later on, there's no need to buy new needles!

In other words, I find them very liberating. I think I'll just buy circular knitting needles from now on - when my budget allows, of course.

Reflection:
It seems that some of the neighborhood cats have taken a liking to us. This is probably because I recently purchased a cat dish bowl and some cat food but that's after we met Boots. One evening as my husband was about to walk out the door on his way to work, he looked down and caught sight of Boots on our porch. His soft 'Well hello,' made me curious and when I saw the cat and heard his pitiful meow, I fetched some tuna and a plate. After some coaxing, he started to eat and afterwards I was able to pet him. He's all black with a little white on his front paws (gloves) and a little more on his back paws (boots).

Saturday, my love went outside to work on his car some and we caught sight of Boots again. Then Boots caught sight of me and I went back inside to retrieve the bowl and some food. He met me with an anxious meow. While curling up cross-legged on the cool, hard ground is probably not the wises thing to do while pregnant, it did allow me to pet Boots again. Unbeknownst to us, we had an itty bitty audience. After observing the elder cat not only getting attention but also getting food, the three kittens that we had spotted off and on since August start to make their cautious way over to investigate.

Oliver

The most adventurous one - mostly black with white markings - approached but he and Boots didn't get along. Despite all the hissing coming from Boots, the little guy went straight for the food bowl and ate for several minutes before turning his attention toward me. Boots didn't like this so he took off, which enabled me to give the kitten my undivided attention. I named him Oliver because he has obviously had human contact before and he quite enjoys being the center of attention. He's always begging for more food and to be petted more. He'll climb into your lap or brace himself against your leg just to look you in the eyes. He's my favorite.

Huckleberry

Then there's Huckleberry, so named because of his mischievousness. While I was petting Oliver, Huckleberry just lay in the grass behind him, ready to pounce. He's very willing to play by himself - attacking trees and bits of debris when he's not stalking some unseen foe. He seems to be the most human shy of the three since he wouldn't even come near the food bowl unless he thought I was utterly distracted or far enough way. His markings are very similar to Boots but he has a little white on his face and a tiny black mustache.

Skittles

And finally, there's Skittles or Skittish Skittles. My love named her since I named the others but we're only guessing at the gender. She seems content to sit with her tail curled around her in a very ladylike manner, sitting where you can easily see her but she isn't within easy reach. The more she gets used to you, the closer she'll get but she appears to have not desire for human contact. Just don't let her demure demeanor fool you - she's the very devil to Huckleberry, stalking the stalker and instigating little squabbles.She has long hair and is mostly white with black markings.

The kittens visited again briefly on Sunday but we didn't see them today. I hope seeing them becomes a regular thing - cats and kittens are adorable and they make me ridiculously happy. We're already talking about getting a few more bowls for water and food so they all aren't crowded all around one bowl like they were a few times on Saturday. Fingers crossed I'll see them tomorrow.

Patch 5 & 6 - Married for a Month

Project:
Woo hoo! I'm halfway through the number of patches needed in Goldfish!

My six patches :)

Reflection:
Here's just a quick list of things that I've learned while being married for a month to my love best friend:

• One of us folds laundry funny - we're still debating which one of us it is.
• I am almost a hopeless cook. I can't cook without someone or something giving me directions, especially when it comes to meats. I think I've called my parents three times within the past week to figure out how to cook something!
• We will not have to buy coffee for a very long time. He roasts and grinds his own coffee, which is incredible. It's great sharing a cup of coffee with him in the mornings when he's able.
• I'm more of a gamer than he is - he can play first person shooter games but when it comes to strategy, story-lines, and actual game play, I reign.
• It's nice having someone tell you how beautiful you are when you feel tired and rotund.
• When I'm getting bombarded from the front by the babe and elbowed from the back by my husband, it's nice to know that I can at least make one of them stop!

I look forward to learning and sharing more once we've survived being married to each other for two months. Have a great weekend!

Patch 3 & 4 - Sharing Joy

Project:
So far, I'm doing well on this project. My initial stack of two squares has expanded to four, I have a fifth one nearly done and, over all, I'm excited. It may be silly to be excited about this small progress but I have nearly five out of twelve squares that I need in Goldfish done. Soon, I'll be able to move on to another color! The next color will probably be White Angel. I need forty of them so I'll probably do about fifteen or twenty to start with and then switch colors again. One thing that I've learned while working on other knitting projects is that it's easy to get burnt out on a color if you try to tackle too much at once.

Reflection:
Lately I've been working on letting go of my fear of what others will think when I tell them that we're having a baby. My love and I are happy about the babe and I have to give others the opportunity to be happy with us. The fact is that I'm twenty-eight weeks pregnant and this babe will be born in just a few short months. For the past few weeks, I've been working on telling all the people that I work with and those that I see on a regular basis on campus. It's hard sometimes to find the right words for each person, especially since I'm never sure whether their reaction will be positive or negative.  The reactions so far have all been the same - shock and disbelief, followed by the are-you-kidding, followed by a growing excitement, and ending with a demand for me to show them the change in my silhouette.

When women who have had children find out, the first thing out of their mouth is "You're carrying it well." I find this funny because my internal response is 'How else am I supposed to be carrying it?' This observation is usually followed by a moment of disbelief, with a piece of advice hot on its heels - "Six months? You need to put on some more weight!" I've only gained about fourteen pounds so far and apparently this is a crime. One woman, after finding this out, went so far as to say "You need to put on at least forty pounds with the first baby, then less with the second one." A woman standing beside her merely nodded at this sage advice. The whole conversation tickled me.

What's even funnier is when mind find out. They usually nod appreciatively, then ask "Is it a boy or a girl" and "How are you feeling?" I think it's because they feel that for the most part anything beyond the basics is none of their business. Truthfully, I prefer their stoic approach to that of their female counterparts. Women tend to ask at least a dozen questions and then they tend to, good-naturedly, over share their experiences and opinions on everything. One thing that both sexes seem to share is the desire to touch the swell of my stomach - either with a quick rub, a pat-pat, a simple press, or an awkward hold. For the record, I sincerely doubt that there is a pregnant woman alive who appreciates having her space violated to be touched there unless it's by her partner. It makes me very uncomfortable.

Over all, this experience has taught me that people tend to be very open when it comes to bringing a new life into this world. They're willing to share with you their experiences (if they have any) or point you toward a source they think may be of assistance. So far everyone we've told has been incredible. The level of support and selflessness of others has been surprising and humbling. I still find it astonishing how the news immediately creates a sense of community. I've also learned that I shouldn't let my fears control my actions or rule over my happiness. I should open myself up to the joys that life is offering me and allow others to share in that joy with me. As Bernard Baruch once stated, "Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter."

Patch 1 & 2 - Home Sweet Home

Project:

So after being told by my loving and observant husband that my first sketch was too directional, I went back to the drawing board. After spending this weekend with paper, markers, and his valuable input, we managed to come up with nineteen patterns before finally settled on one we both like.

The nineteen patterns we came up with.

This is the pattern we finally settled on.

I decided to start this project off with Goldfish and I'm using Takumi bamboo premium circular knitting needles, No. 9 gauge. I finished my first patch Wednesday before starting this blog at my house and I finished my second patch Thursday while visiting my parents at their house. I cast on 13 stitches creating the first row, then stitched twenty-one rows before binding off. That's twenty-three rows total to create a square of about three inches in length (see pattern instructions).

My first square, right before I finished.

Reflection:
What makes a house a home is the people that reside there. That isn't to say that someone living by themselves can't make a house a home - and they often do - but I think that it's easier when there's someone else there to share things with. For the longest time, the people that I shared and associated home with the most was my immediate family, especially my parents.I'm their youngest child and I've lived with them almost continuously for twenty-something years. Now that I'm married, my life and sense of home are very different.

I have two homes - my parent's house and my husband's house. When I visit my parent's house, I don't need to ask where anything is because I grew up with their system of organizing. Even if they've moved something from the last time I was there, I can logically go through a short list of possibilities of where it could be and usually I can find it. I still have my room, with most of my things still there. If I ever needed anything I always knew my parents were just down the hall and all I had to do was ask. I know the routine and what to expect. Everything is familiar and comforting.

Then there's my husband's house. Yes, it is my house as well but it's still new to me as a home and I don't feel like it's mine just yet. Just about everywhere I turn, all I see are his things. Sure, there are a few places where my influence is clear - the kitchen, for example, with cleaning and some new items that we chose - but for the most part, I am enveloped in his very antique-military-bachelor-esque style. Don't misunderstand me, I find it comforting especially since he doesn't get to spend much time with me - he works nights, I attend class and work some during the day. We see each other most when we're sleeping but this too shall pass. We'll make his house our home as we continue our life together.

Both houses are my home and they make up different chapters of my life. I am straddling the pages in between those chapters, making a transition in life beyond being my parent's daughter to being a wife and mother. It's hard sometimes to be away from my parent's house but I know that my place is with my husband, and I don't mean that in any sexist way. I genuinely feel that my place is beside and with him because he loves me as I love him. And while the road won't be easy - what road in life worth taking ever is? - it's worth it knowing that I do so with the love and support of my family. My whole family. I'm home.

Patch 1 and Patch 2.

Hello World!

My name is Heather. I am a university student that recently married the love of my life and we're expecting our first babe the first week of February. I know, I know, that's a lot to take in but life is full of surprsing and wonderful things. I met my love in April of 2008 and we've been together ever since. On July 4th, 2010 we decided to wed and have an October wedding in 2011. This past August, we found out that we were expecting and we couldn't be happier! Sure, the timing leaves a little to be desired - I had thought I would finish my degree before we thought about children - but nothing in life is perfect and that's part of what makes life so interesting.

This blog is an exercise of sorts. Since I'll be taking a semester off from pursuing my degree in English, I need a project to keep me active and engaged. And since I enjoy writing and crafting, I'm combining the two into this blog, Bright Patches. My current goal is to create a square or two a day for my blanket project (outlined below) and once I finish for the day, I will reflect on my current situation in life - whether it be more about being an expectant mother, a new bride and wife, a university student or any combination of the three - and share that reflection and the new square(s) with you.

So let's get started, shall we? These are the colors that I've chosen for my first project:

(From Top): Aqua, Sweet Pea, Duckie, Goldfish, and White Angel

The yarn I am using is Vanna's Choice Baby which has a weight of 4, or medium. I purchased them on a whim because Michael's is currently having a sale, with each skein only costing $1.99 when usually they cost about $3.50 each. Initially, I bought the yarn thinking that I would make a stripped baby blanket but my fear, after walking around with them in my basket while I continued to shop, was that the stripes in such bright primary colors would seem too beachy and therefore not appropriate for my winter due date. When I got home, I immediately went to the Lion Brand website and started flipping through their free patterns.

I'll be honest. Although I enjoy crafting, I posses no great prowess at any one form of crafting - be it scrapbooking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, or anything else so when I look for a pattern, I look for something almost simplistically easy. Thankfully, I found a knitting pattern called Vanna's Choice® Baby Bright Garter Patches Throw that met my low skill level perfectly. Not only did the pattern use the same brand that I purchased and some of the same colors, it also gave the blanket a pieced together look.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the color randomness of the pieces overly much so I tweaked the pattern: 

The arrows signify which direction the garter stitch will be going.

According to the pattern, there are 81 individual squares. Based on my pattern, I'll need 11 squares in Goldfish, 10 squares in Duckie, 10 squares in Sweet Pea, 10 squares in Aqua, and 40 squares in White Angel. Once these squares are completed, they will be sewn together in strips (according to the directions) and then those strips will be sewn together to form the blanket.

I hope to finish this project before the babe comes and I hope you'll enjoy this journey with me!

Edit: My loving husband pointed out that while my pattern is beautiful, the color pattern I have (Goldfish, Duckie, Sweet Pea, and Aqua) is very directional in my outline, so that the pattern is shown only across from left to right and down. I'll be uploading a new picture later this evening with this corrected so that the colors can be showcased from any direction.