Where Bloggers Create 2016

I'm really happy to be participating in the Where Bloggers Create event for 2016. Thank you to Karen at My Desert Cottage for organizing this event.

Among the creative things I do are cross stitch, jewelry making, beadwork, sewing, and all kinds of miscellaneous crafting. I consider myself very lucky to have a designated space in my home that's just for working on projects and storing supplies. A small extra bedroom became my craft room as soon as we moved into this house seven years ago. It has evolved over the years, when I move things around and added things here and there.

This is what you see when you walk in.

I've worked on making my creative space as comfortable and organized as possible. Fun second-hand finds make up most of the furniture in here. Below is a bookcase that we bought for our son's room when he was young. Now it houses craft books, cross stitch charts and magazines, jars of important crafty items, and odds and ends.

Jars are recycled to hold buttons, wine corks, scrabble tiles, and other stuff. And that is indeed Mr. Peanut holding a lot of orts (cross stitch term for thread ends), which you might be wondering why I keep. I don't really know.

On the right in the picture below, you can see my armoire. This used to be a TV cabinet that I got a great deal on. Getting it home and into the craft room was another story. My husband and brother in law say that the only way it's leaving the room is through the window in pieces. I don't want to think about that. I like it too much!

Here's a look on the inside. Thanks to my husband, Mark, it now has extra shelves and a closed back. And it really does hold a lot. I keep cross stitch threads, miscellaneous craft supplies, and even a little tool kit in here.

On to the closet. This room has a standard bedroom closet in it, so we got rid of the hanging space and added extra shelving. Perfect for bins with ribbon, yarn, fabric, more cross stitch thread and fabric, paints, pine cones, and more. That thread holder makes me so happy. And I'm filling up a second one!

This bead cabinet is one of my few "new" purchases. It just is the best use of space for organizing beads and jewelry supplies. The little table to the right of it is an auction win and is my first chalk paint project.

This is what an organized bead drawer looks like. You should have seen how I used to "organize" them.

Let's go to my craft table. It's one of my favorite things in the room. I found a local furniture maker who makes rustic furniture and he made this simple piece. I like that it has two drawers that go almost the width of the table. You can see it in my first photo waaaaay at the top of this post.

Antique store metal three tiered display shelf.

Metal parts bin from a hardware store spray painted a copper color. Great for misc. items.

Also on my craft table are a couple of items that Mark made for me. He does lathe wood working and created this lamp and pencil holder.

Below is an old ladder display shelf that has seen better days, but it does a wonderful job of holding sewing baskets and boxes.

It's not wonky. That's just my photo taking.

There's a little seating area in the craft room. I'd wanted a comfy chair to sit in and stitch or do some beadwork and watch TV. Yes, there's a TV in the room. Don't laugh. Sometimes a little mindless television watching does wonders for the creative process. Anyway, the chair issue. The problem is that the doorway to this room is so narrow that many really comfy chairs are impossible to get in! This is the second one I've tried. It's ok, and it's cute, but not a chair you just want to sink into. Still on the lookout.

See that cushion? It's from a 1970's Avon kit and I embroidered it in, well, the 70's!

Here's one of my favorite projects from a while back - my fabric bulletin board! You can barely see it with all of the stuff on it, but take a look anyway.

Thank you so much for visiting my crafty space today. I appreciate it and welcome any comments, feedback, or suggestions you'd like to give. Please come back to visit my blog sometime and consider becoming a follower of CraftyCat! Now, I can't wait to see all of the fun creative spaces when I start my own visits to "Where Bloggers Create 2016".

A Little Bauble - Pinterest Project For June

I really like the idea of "floating necklaces".  They just have a light and airy look, especially for summer.  So when a tutorial for one popped up on Pinterest one day, I took it as my opportunity to learn how to make one.  This project comes from the blog "A Little Love Everyday!"

It seemed especially easy, using pretty basic materials - wire, beads, and a clasp.  This one in particular was done with two strands of wire, which would secure the beads to give the necklace its floating look.

Here's what I came up with:

I like it, but my necklace refused to do the alternating bead thing that the tutorial shows and describes.  Look at the next photo (from the tutorial) and see how the blue and white beads alternate?

Not my photo.  This is the photo shown in the tutorial.  Pretty, isn't it?

In one bead set, the white bead is on the bottom, and in the next, it's on the top.  Then they alternate.  I like the way that looks, but my bead sets of three refused to do that.  I'd get it right, and the next thing I knew, they were jumping back to what THEY wanted to do. 

Talk about stubborn. 

I used 6mm faceted beads in a blue/purple blend color, and 6mm beads in silver-lined clear.  If you look closely, you'll see that I used a mix of faceted and non-faceted silver-lined beads.  I had to roll my eyes at this goof because I didn't even notice it until the necklace was finished.  I figure that if I didn't notice, then not many people would either.  And if they do, they'll just think I was being artsy.  Yeah, that's it.

Would I attempt this project again?  Yes, but I would try it with a heavier gauge wire.  Maybe that's my problem. I used .012", 12#, 7-strand beading wire.  Also, I could possibly use lighter weight beads.  Or less beads.  That's the fun of jewelry making.  You can create and re-create to see what happens.

I have worn this necklace and will continue to because I like the way it turned out.  No matter that it doesn't look exactly like what I was attempting.  Thanks to "A Little Love Everyday!" for this tutorial.  You can find the tutorial HERE.  Try it, have fun with it, and see what you can do!

Want To Stitch For A Good Cause?

A Facebook group called Rainbows For Peace And Comfort has been started.  The goal of the group is to stitch enough squares to complete two quilts and numerous banners for the victims, survivors, responders, and others involved in the Orlando tragedy that happened last Sunday. 

To find the group, please go to:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/rainbows4peace/

It is a closed group, so you'll have to join.  To find out what the group intends to do, go to "Files" and then click on "Quilts And Items Being Made".  To get more info on the stitched square specifics, click on "Square Guidelines".  Also in "Files" is the Sign Up List, where you can edit the document by listing your name and what you'd like to stitch.


One chart in particular is called "Rainbow Butterfly" and can be found on Etsy HERE for $3.97. This will be a recurring square in all of the projects so many are needed to be stitched.  If you decide to stitch one of these, please use the colors recommended by the group - 321, 720, 444, 700, 995, 208, and black or white for the body depending whether you're stitching on black or white fabric.
Here's mine so far.

Other designs and motifs can be stitched too.  There are a few additional designs in the Files section, plus you can stitch an appropriate chart you already may have - something like hearts, peace signs, doves, butterflies, etc. - as long as the finished stitching fits into the square guidelines.

Do you only have time to stitch one square?  That's great!  All help is welcome!  Can you stitch two, or three, or even 4?  That would be wonderful too! 

As I write this, there are 179 members.  That is amazing, but more are needed and appreciated.  Do you have questions?  You can post them to the group.  There are a lot of helpful people there. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  Please consider stitching a square for this worthwhile project.

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Giveaway!

Nancy at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is having a giveaway and it's a good one!  Actually there are two of them going on.  First is the Patchwork Quilt Floss Collection Giveaway, a collection of beautiful, rich colors perfect for Halloween stitching.  Then there is the Star Spangled Banner Floss Giveaway with a selection of reds, whites, blues, and golds.  So click on the links to go over there and enter!

I'm happy and excited to say that I have completed the stitching portion of my secret stitching project.  I still have more to do to complete the entire project, but getting the stitching done is a major accomplishment.  It will be a while before I can unveil it, so I appreciate your patience!

But look!  I am back to stitching on Kaleidoscope.  It's fun to dig out the WIPs and decide what to work on. 

Do you like this design?  Check out Sheena Rogers Design website.  You'll find a huge selection of her mini cushion designs along with others.  I can't decide which is my favorite!

Have a great remainder of the week.  I'll be back soon to show you my progress.

May Pinterest Fun!

I have really been on a crochet kick lately, haven't I?  In an attempt to expand my crochet horizons, I've been pinning small crochet projects to teach myself new stitches and techniques.  The project I chose for my May Pinterest attempt is something I've been wanting to do since the first time I saw it.
I found this pattern on Starting Chain on Facebook.  Starting Chain offers tutorial videos for all kinds of crochet projects and stitches.  So if you're on Facebook, take a look at their page.  I will put a link to the actual project below.

Back to my project. 

Is that not the cutest thing you've seen in a long time?  Look at his adorable face!

I used Sugar N Cream cotton yarn (the same yarn that I used for my cat cup cozy) in an off white color.  This is supposed to be a trivet, so you want to use cotton yarn because it will be able to withstand the heat of whatever you put on it.  Synthetic yarn might melt, so please take note of this. 

The question is:  Would I want to put something on this and cover it up?  Maybe not.  I might just hang this up somewhere.  Either way, he will be my kitchen mascot.

You can find the link to the Chicken Hot Pad project HERE. 

To sum up, I liked the easy-to-follow instructions for this crochet project. The instructor tells you how many stitches you should have at the end of each row.  That really helped me.  I think I had a little miscount right at the end, but it didn't seem to have much of an impact on the cuteness of this finish.  The instructions also are very clear on how to make each type of stitch and I appreciated that reminder. 

See how I'm breaking out of the "I can only crochet things that are square or rectangular" routine?  Now I can crochet things that are chicken-shaped.

Spring Cross Stitch Giveaway Winner!

I'm happy to announce that the winner of my Spring Cross Stitch Giveaway is:

Christine Barnsley

From the blog Patchwork Allsorts

To determine the winner, I used the random number generator at Random.org.

Number 8 was drawn, and counting down 8 on the comment list was Christine's name.  Congratulations, Christine!  I will be contacting you by email.

 Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway.  Come back and visit often to see what's going on in the CraftyCat world.  A Summer Giveaway will be coming up!

Spring Cross Stitch Giveaway!

I haven't had a giveaway in a while, so in honor of my favorite season and my favorite month, May, let's have a giveaway! 

I started this blog intending to post about all kinds of crafts, with the main focus being on cross stitch.  You've noticed lately a definite lack of cross stitch, haven't you?  With the secret cross stitch project going on, I just can't post yet.  I am really concentrating on getting that one done and am not working on any others right now.  Therefore, no stitching posts. 

To hopefully make up for that, my Spring Cross Stitch Giveaway includes a colorful chart in lovely springtime colors, fabric, floss along with a cute charm and beads.

The lucky winner of the giveaway will receive the Lizzie Kate Flora McSample chart "Heart Sampler", the 28-count Cashel linen fabric in mint, a tiny heart charm and beads, and every color of DMC floss that you'll need to complete this project. 

The fabric color is really a pretty mint green color!  Sorry I couldn't get that in the photo. 

Just look at the beautiful color combination of the floss in this project!

And all you have to do is:
1.  Follow my blog. 
2.  Comment ON THIS POST by noon EST on Friday, May 27th. 
That's it.  Nothing complicated or demanding. 

I will draw the name of our one winner on Friday, May 27th at noon, and will announce the winner right here on my blog.  I'll also contact the winner by e-mail.  Oh, I almost forgot.  Please, please, please, make sure that there is a way I can contact you!!  

Thank you for all of your kind comments.  I appreciate each one, as I do all of my followers.  If you're not a follower yet, please join by clicking on the "Join This Site" button.  

Good luck, everyone!