“I'm thinking balls are to men what purses are to women."

Out of the night, when the full moon is bright....rides the pursestress known as ME! **pursestress is a made up term, used to express that one is a maker of purses. A seamstress of purses, if you will.**


Busy, busy, busy! That's what I have been lately. Last minute Christmas gift crafting is common in my world of procrastination and unpredictable hours, but this year has been especially crazy. So many things to crochet/sew/design/glue/whatever else! Not to mention, these gifts need to be WRAPPED. As it turns out, my level of crafting expertise really does not influence my ability(or lack there of) to wrap...anything. Who knew that wrapping is a craft unto its damn self.

I spent a good hour ruining Christmas the other day by somehow making my once adorable penguin paper, ugly and horrible looking. Honestly, I now completely agree with those stands at the mall filled with people who fancy themselves professional gift wrappers. I wish I could say I've never mocked this service, but that would certainly be a lie. My most sincere apologies for not recognizing the skill behind tactfully wrapping a present.  

Now that I've successfully insulted and applauded gift wrapping in one blog entry (I'm a confusing individual, it seems) I would like to share with all who take interest,  a few pictures of a recently finished purse. Although this resembles a yellow purse from my blog entry months ago, it is in fact GREEN! Can you believe it? Vanna's Choice Olive to be precise. I would love to start slangin' these bad boys places other than over my own shoulder right after the holidays. The contrasting liners combined with a fun/unique yarn color really please me. Can't wait to make more!

Hobo Baggins

Thanks to Ravelry, I was able to track down a pattern for an adorable hobo bag! I added my own little twist to the pattern by weaving ribbon through the front side and tying the ends into a bow at the top. This particular purse shown is going to be a gift, so I chose a purple liner that was sewn into the purse and the strap. Finally, I added a snap closure so it doesn't have to be just an open bag. So much fun to make and a nice alternative to the longer strap styles I've been making.

Looking out the window with a blue hat on

Last winter I was on a slouchy hat kick for months. I probably lost sleep and friends during this bit. There were quite a few different styles that turned out pretty well, but my favorite of all is this bubbly looking stitch. These are extremely fun and fairly simple to make. I made a few of these bad boys for friends, who seem to enjoy them greatly.

I am hoping to post these in my (sadly/currently empty) Etsy shop very soon. I just need to get through my holiday gift projects before I can focus on promoting the slouchyness.

The yarn I use is Vanna's Choice, and the color of this blue hat shown is using Sapphire. (LOVE!)



So tell your friends, tell your kids, tell your wife...a whole new world of slouch will be available soon. I am willing to provide these hats to anyone and everyone who chooses the color and hooks me up with $25.(get it, 'hooks' me up...because I crochet them, with a hook..)

My goal is to crochet a few randomly colored hats to have in stock to post/sell, but also give customers the option of choosing their own specific color.

I will post more pics in various shades at a later date. Perhaps plop one on my own head to give a better idea of how one should look on a person! In the mean time, do me a solid and spread the word! Uniquely and custom made hats for your head wearing pleasure, sold by yours truly!

So many hats and only one head!

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/brain-waves-beanie

Brain Waves Beanie

by Liz McQueen

I crochet hats constantly. I could probably end up on some sort of hoarding show with the amount of crocheted hats I have accumulating in my bedroom. Slouchy hats, beanies, flapper style, brimmed...you name it, I've crocheted it! 

 Luckily, I have a supportive boyfriend who appreciates my crafting habit and has no problem sporting one of my hand crafted man-caps. This particular hat had me totally geeked from the moment I saw the FREE pattern on Ravelry. After some doubt and hesitance, I took my bf to Joanne's to pick out colors for his very own Brain Waves Beanie. Whenever I see a project that requires a lot of color switching, I tend to shy away from the entire thing. Overwhelming for an easily distracted person, with a tendency to spazz, like me.

This beanie shown is white, navy and grey...I ended up making him another just like it, only instead of navy I used a deep purple. I had a blast making these hats and highly recommend trying out this pattern to any fellow crocheter who finds this as fun as I do!

Papas Got a Brand New Bag!

So, here is my first attempt at crocheting a purse with a sewn in liner...I first got the idea off a friend who was going off a picture idea she found on Ravelry. Which is, in case you haven't noticed, the greatest pattern site out there! Hers was a bit different in style, but the crochet stitches are very similar! Here is where the idea came from...

http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/BeachBabyMom/8168868/img_2405_medium2.jpg

This pattern features a strap that is shorter than mine, and continues around the sides and bottom of the bag. Mine I chose

I have yet to sew on the strap, because after speaking with my fabulous mother, she suggested I use the zebra fabric underneath the strap as well...so once that's finished I'll post again! To paint a picture, the strap is long enough to go over my head/shoulder so it will be the perfect bag to take to concerts and on vacations this summer! WOOP! I will be testing it out this Sunday at a Deftones concert...can't wait!

It's been super difficult to focus my attention on just one project lately. I've got so many great ideas just waiting to be executed! These purses are fairly easy and quick to throw together, so I plan on making a variety of colors and styles soon. Who knows, maybe I will even post some on Etsy.

Well, back to the real world I go. Holla.

Color Me Lime

This eyeshadow by Lime Crime has got me completely giddy today! I'm a huge fan of Hayley Williams from Paramore...her blog is both inspirational and addicting! She apparently received some cosmetics from this vegan make up company, blogged about it, and filled my life with joy! I plan on ordering this shade of eyeshadow and maybe a few others...unless I can find something like it in stores over the weekend. I think this color will do wonders for blue eyes, if it's description is legit!


http://www.limecrimemakeup.com/


On another note, I've been crocheting purses, a blanket, and designing my personal resume this week. Hoping to post pics asap.

I have also been slowly piecing together my Hermione costume for the Harry Potter 7 Part 2 midnight show I plan on attending this July. So far I have a black pleated school girl skirt, mary jane flats, and a gray button up, v-neck sweater. Still missing gray knee highs, a white blouse, and a Gryffindor tie. I know July will be here before I know it so I'm trying to get this stuff asap!


Lots to look forward to in days to come! Crafts, movies, and fun with good people!

Pattern Rant

Check out this awesome way to create your own amigurumi patterns! I have a really difficult time writing patterns and crocheting without patterns, personally. I think this neat idea may come in handy for future pattern ideas that I will certainly refuse to pay for! So, without further ado, I offer you a Crochet Amigurumi Pattern Generator!


Which, by the way, brings me to a tricky topic. I cannot stand when people charge for patterns...I completely understand charging for the finished product. What I do not understand, is why I would pay $5 for an online, handwritten, likely to have errors pattern from a complete stranger, from who knows where! If you have created a fabulous pattern, why not be a doll and share it with fellow crafters for free, or a dollar or something?! It's full profit, assuming it cost you nothing to write the pattern! Ugh. If I had the skill and time to write patterns from scratch, I would spread them all over for the world to grip up for free, and charge only for the product if requested!

Am I alone in this argument? I can't get over it. I can get a crochet pattern book for $12 full of neat stuff...so why would I pay $5 for ONE pattern?! Rude. I really wonder how many people actually pay for such things.

Holler if you feel me.

Awkward Bird

So, the other day I came across a fabulous crochet pattern for Angry Birds and decided to try my luck at whipping one up for my super cool bf. It turned out pretty good, and got some awesome feedback from friends, so I started making the 'Bomb Bird' as well. That way the cardinal won't be so alone! I really hope I can figure out the pig pattern on my own sometime soon!


 Here's how my Angry Bird Cardinal turned out...

Click Here for the Pattern!

That entire blog is fantastic and filled with a superb blend of amigurumi patterns! I can't wait to go through and see what else I can make!

Todays project may consist of melting childhood plastic toys together to form bowls and other various decorative holders I can think of, or maybe I will continue working on the Bomb Bird..decisions, decisions.

Dinosaur Necklaces!

The time has come for me to try my luck in the infamous world of Etsy. Yesterday, I took it upon myself to create my very own Etsy shop. In this shop sits a dinosaur necklace, handcrafted by yours truly. Not to brag or anything but whattup....84 viewers in 24 hours?! I'll take it! If only one of said viewers felt so inclined to buy this dainty dino necklace for the low, low price of...$8.50!!! Which, I might add, is a fantastic deal as opposed to it's competitors that are going for double that and then some!


Here is what the dino's look in progress..pretty slick, if ya ask me!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71431395/gold-dino-necklace

So, with all of ^that^ in mind, it's no wonder I decided to blog about it! Today is a good day, and I can't wait to paint more dinosaurs.

Feel free to do me a solid and tell your friends about my latest craft. I'll be sure to post future craft projects as often as I can, for those who share my obsessions with yarn, duct tape, and toys. <3



Word.