Drum Roll Please...

First up is Austin's roving turned to yarn. Here it is on two yarn bobbins. I tugged the roving in half and spun up each half...hence the different colors. Here it is on the swift. Austin looked at it and he said "I will call it Green Eyed Monster"
Green Eyed Monster has now set and dried and is ready to go up for sale. Keep an eye out for it on Etsy!
Next was Brady's. He insisted on wearing it and being in the picture. Silly Boy!
He has called his "Frosty the Snowman" Not too sure where that came from but hey, whatcha gonna do!

Brady's has now set and is still hanging to dry.

I believe I saved the very best for last! The colors on Drew's roving is so very bold. I feel like it will make the best yarn yet. I have not spun it yet. That is tonight's project. Hopefully, I will have pics of it up tomorrow. ♥

Book Tag...I'm it

Dianna has tagged me with his blog question/book thing.

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five other people.

Hum...ok...a book of at least 123 pages. Thankfully, for YOU, that rules out all the Elmo, Dora, Blue's Clues books laying around.

My closest book is by Beth Moore, a phenomenal author who has such neat insight. The book is called "DAVID 90 Days With A Heart Like His". Here goes:

"The psalm provides an unquestionable testament that David responded to his difficulty with prayer. Few of us would argue about prayer being the proper response in our crises, but we often don't perceive prayer as being the most practical response. We think, "God can save me from my sins but not from my situation.""

Now for the tagging...Jeanetta, Michelle, Diva Cyndi, Julie Anne, Brandy


On a totally different note, later today...after the kids get to school, I will post some pics of Austin and Brady's spun yarn. I LOVE them!

The Roving is Ready!

Yesterday, the boys roving hung and dried. While drying, I was amazed at the similarities in the three sets. The boys all used different colors, but yet they looked so much the same. Tye-dyed, a dead head's dream! Here is a pic of the roving drying:
This morning, they were completely dry and ready to look at more in depth. Below is Brady's; it spotty with gray and loads of other colors.
Next is Austin's. His has a lot of blue shades. I can't wait to spin his up with the blue and yellow and purples. The spinning on his will start today! Hopefully, I will have some pictures to post of it tomorrow.
Last, is Drew's. Wow! His is very bold and strong. This one will spin up gorgeous as well. He placed his colors with a bit more care than his brothers and it really pays off in the color scheme!
I had to lay all three out side by side so you can see the differences. The yarn will look similar but with the distinct differences of Brady's being more sporadic, Austin's being blue, and Drew's being boldly beautiful!

On a different note, the craft show I have been planning on being in has been canceled. Bummer! I was really looking forward to it. Hopefully, I can find one more major show to be in before Toad Suck Daze. Yes, to all my dear friends in California, I DID say Toad Suck.

Toad Suck Daze is a bit event here in Conway, Arkansas. There is a near by town...very small, called Toad Suck. Back in the day, boats used to pull up and dock at a Tavern in Toad Suck. This was before the county was dry (yes that mean they sell NO LIQUOR in the county). The town folk used to say that the sailors would suck on the liquor bottles until they swelled up like toads. So, the name Toad Suck came about...and darn those sailors, they are probably the reason the whole county is dry. Always takes a few to ruin it for the whole.

Toad Suck Daze is a huge (300,000 +) fair with crafts and rides and great fair food. So now you know! I will be sure to post links and more, once the event gets a bit closer!

Until tomorrow! ♥

Play Time

Every six weeks or so, the hubby has to work the weekend shift. I hate those weekends. Well, not as much as HE hates them I am sure...but being a single mom for the weekend presents many challenges. With the weather being rather gray and cold, it is difficult to keep them entertained throughout the day. I thought, why not let them paint their own roving? First it started with them changing into yucky clothes, then they were handed the roving. You can see the "ham" in all of them coming out. Daisy wanted in on the fun, but she had to head to her crate.

After the roving soaked for about 30 minutes, it was time for the creative process to begin. Must start with the plastic gloves (I didn't want to get the dye on the boys hands!). Below is Brady modeling his spiffy gloves.

Painting Time!!!
The boys chose their colors and carefully started the process.

There were jars of dye EVERYWHERE!!!

This was Drew's final product:

Here is Austin's:
And Brady's too:


After it was all over, I steam set the colors...and the roving actually looks pretty much the same. Little variations here and there. Once the roving dries I will be sure to put up some pictures! More pictures will come once I spin it up. The boys are excited about naming their own yarn.

The entire process really only took about an hour. Who knows what we will do tomorrow! ♥

Back to Etsy

After several weeks of no new items, my shop exploded yesterday! Here is a new lace yarn named after my grandmother's Iris Garden. It was recently pointed out to me, that I must like purple. I guess it is true! To nail me down to one color as to be my favorite though is hard. A true color lover!

This next pic is more handspun. I worked on part of it while I was at the Women's Convention a few weekends ago. It is Sanjaya 2 BUT and I cringe at what Erin will say about this...it sold already! My cousin lives around the corner from me and her Mom had just started knitting. She was visiting and wanted to see my yarn. I went on over and she bought Sanjaya 2 from me. So, Erin, I promise I will make a Sanjaya 3, or maybe I will just name it Idyllhands and then it is yours for sure!
I came across some roving recently and it is perfect for felting and for new spinners. Since I am only spinning up my own hand painted roving, I felt the need to share this small stash. They are being listed individually on Etsy. Check out this one to see what I mean!

Hopefully, today will be in the dye room. Drew and I went crazy last weekend thinking of ways to naturally dye some roving. I will post some pics of that experiment soon! Have a nice day! ♥

AREtsy Valentine's Day Swap

I had a lovely morning chatting with Jeanetta at Hippiti Hoppiti watching the boys bounce off the walls and each other. When I arrived home, I was greeted with a package on my front door step! Hooray, my Secret Swap Gift was here!!!

AREtsy just got finished doing our very first Valentine's Day Secret Swap. I was lucky enough to have Jenniferz make my item. One look in my favorites on Etsy and you will see how much I love the little wool bearing critters. Sheep are by far my favorite! Jenniferz makes the most adorable items in her Etsy Shop. Please be sure to check her out, she totally rocks!

My swap gift was a large handmade bag with a gorgeous SHEEP on it. Check it out:
The bag is big enough for me to carry around all my knitting projects, my purse items, and a few skeins of yarn!
The inside is lined with cute fabric and has SEVEN little sewn in long pockets for my knitting needles. Also a larger pouch to fit a skein of yarn. This thing really rocks the free world, let me tell you.

Honestly, if this was for sale somewhere, I would have had no choice but to buy it. The fact that it was a gift and made just for me makes it even more special. I love it so very much! Thank you so much Jen!

Sunshine!

Years and years ago...I was an only child. My mom used to sing "You are my sunshine...my only sunshine" to me. Then after 11 years of being the "only sunshine" along came my beautiful sister! I have to tell you...I was not so happy. I wrote a story in sixth grade about what a pain she was. In the story, I went on and on about having a dream of having a sibling, chasing it, and getting it...then wanting to give it back! My darling sister was a very energetic child. I believe I even went so far as to say I never wanted children, I had seen the job and DID NOT WANT IT! My mom, being ever politically correct, stopped singing "You are my sunshine....my only sunshine" and started singing "You are my sunshine...my little sunshine"

Today, I have to tell you, my sister is a precious gift from God! She is my best friend, my strength, and my encourager. Without her, my world would not be the same. She brings sunshine to my life daily! Thankfully, my parents never took my advice and did not give her back. Love, love, love!

The above image is from a cute little shop in Clovis, California called Hands on Clothing! CLICK HERE to check them out.

Last night, I had the amazing opportunity to meet some really neat people from our church. I am looking forward to building friendships in the following weeks, months, and years with them all! Today, I am meeting with a fellow artist from AREtsy (and ALSO my church...small world/BIG church LOL) I can't wait!

Tomorrow, or Friday (can't make any promises) I will have to tell you all about the Women's Conference I attended last weekend. It was a very unique and fun experience.

I Got to Meet My Girls!

For those of you who could not make the Meet N Greet yesterday, here are some faces to put with shop names!

Listing from top left: TheTwistedPurl's Sister (Twisted Sister LOL), ParrotiseBeads' friend (hopefully she will have her own shop soon!), TheTwistedPurl (me), Ekioart, ParrotiseBeads, Divaschmiva's Friend, Dyzart's Friend, Dyzart

Bottom Left: Frontporchcrafts, dogwoodlane, macygirl, DeniseFelton, casserole, DivaschmivaI had such an amazing time meeting all the AREtsy Girls that were able to attend! Such an amazing group of creative women. I felt honored to have all of them in my home. I wish, WISH, wish I had got a picture of all of our art work spread out. It was an amazing site!

Here are a few more pics:

Sally and Debbie "oooooooing and ahhhhing" over ParrotiseBeads GORGEOUS glass bead work...you really need to get some of those listed girl!

Good friends, good food, good times!

I do hope we are able to get together again soon. I really enjoyed the whole day. My voice is STILL gone! LOL At least back to typing will save the vocal chords a bit.

Poor little Daisy was beside herself with all the activity. A few ladies had said they really wanted to see her. So, I figured I'd let the diva dog make an apperance. Poor baby girl, she was so scared she shook. As breif apperance as it was...she had to be a small part of the fun.

It was a bummer some of the lovely AREtsy Gals couldn't make it. But there is ALWAYS next time! Hope everyone has a fantastic day. Enjoy the SuperBowl...I won't be yelling at the TV during the game like normal. Hopefully my voice comes back soon. Much love ♥