Crafty Goodness Swap Show and Tell

The funnest part of hosting this swap has been seeing what everyone made for each other. In order to make it easier for everyone to see what you made, or received please blog about them! In addition to that I made a link list from linky.com. Simply add your blog post on the list below, so that all the posts are in one place and easier to find. I am going to wait to post about what I made until my partner receives their gift, can't wait!


For those of you that have a flickr account I made a group for it as well. It is called Crafty Goodness Swap, simply follow this url: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1474285@N24/ or click here to join the group, and upload your pictures. If you don't have a flickr account it is really easy and free to join, it doesn't take long either.

Isn't show and tell swell? :)

XOXO, Callie

the magical bean

Inside My Sketchbooks+ Life

There are two things in my life that are typical constants: drawing and running.

Somehow though I had gotten out out of the habit of doing them :(...

As you can see that is no longer the case! I have been drawing so much lately. I am very glad to be back in art classes again. I love to draw and this taking a drawing class has really pushed me back into the swing of it :)

I am also taking a physical conditioning class, which I am enjoying so far.
It was a lot of things but really I have really been wanting to begin again so this is the perfect way. I want to be healthier because I know that when I actually am running and drawing all the time things flow better.
And as you can see, I finally got around to taking better pictures of my sketchbook (which I blogged about here)!

This little bright green moleskin sketchbook I keep in my purse, just in case. Jessica (my sister) of Jessica Leigh La Lou actually drew this picture. Isn't it grand?

She's a really amazing artist!
I drew this fox below while sitting in the Dr. Pepper Museum, watching their old commercials.

This next one is the inside cover, which I attached a little quote my mom gave me from a fortune cookie to it.
It reads "You discover treasures where others see nothing unusual".

Wouldn't it be wonderful to ultimately find the treasures in everyday life? To see the extraordinary where others see the ordinary? That's what I try to do, to see the goodness that life offers, and make something with it :)

What "treasures" did you discover today?

XOXO, Callie

the magical bean

Swap Send Date

1. visitor, 2. The wavy sleep., 3. in my livingroom, 4. first amigurumi job, 5. Alice in Wonderland, 6. Blue Dress, 7. Little Brother, 8. odessa17, 9. Blue flowers, 10. Untitled, 11. Petit Moi, 12. Singing in the Rain?, 13. Untitled, 14. ., 15. o pato, 16. 淘气小朋友, 17. Little Sweet Pudding, 18. はらドーナッツ, 19. Untitled, 20. rummaging for answers in the pages, 21. Untitled, 22. Postcard 1, 23. Swan, 24. Alice concept piece by Mary Blair, 25. Untitled

Today is the date for the Crafty Goodness Swap send off!

For those of you taking part be sure that your package is mailed off to your partner today.

My package was sent off last Thursday, and I can't wait to see what everyone has crafted up.

So exciting :)

Happy pappy Thursday!

Callie

Have Faith

"Have faith in yourself and the future."

Ted Kennedy

Summer's Farewell

Why must summer leave so quickly??

Not that I'll really miss the heat but rather the extra free time I get to work on projects. Actually I will be glad for the cooling that comes with fall, maybe I will actually be able to wear some of the cold weather things I have been making. That brings me to my latest finished project another shawl! I used the pattern 198 Yards of Heaven by Christy Verity, but I used four balls of yarn to make it bigger. It was made with Noro Chirimen in the green colorway.

I love the way it turned out.

Plus I had a little bit left-over, which is always nice,and guess what I made?

Ta-Da!!!
A headband!
It is from another free pattern called Tangled by Emily McLaughlin.
Click here to visit her blog, EmmyBear, and get the pattern.

I finished it in only two days, working on it on and off, yesterday and today.

This is Sheila "helping" me finish the headband, as she often does.

I love how peacful and sweet she looks like this :)

Then wam-oh!!

Oh no, watch out yarn!

You are her prey!!!!

I spent this afternoon cooking up some little treatsies for Jessica, so first up I made some chocolate covered strawberries. One of her favorites, of course.

Then I made some meltaway cookies, which she also loves but really we all love them.

I have been working on sewing up some pot-holders and other bits as well, trying but failing to forget today is the last day of summer...

Oh well, here's to a grand fall of new beginnings, new classes, and new-found friends!

XOXO, Callie

Turquoise Necklace

The other day my precious kitty Sheila decided to chow down on the leather cord of one of my turquoise necklace. I was infuriated! It is one of my favorite to wear, however while lying in bed the other night I got inspired all of a sudden. I suddenly thought of the necklace I had in need of a cord, and the tiniest bit of Noro yarn leftover from making these socks. It seems strange that they went together so perfectly in color...

It was easy to do, and finished in one night. I strung on some black beads, and added a vintage button for the clasp. It is love!

I'm actually very glad that Sheila destroyed it now. I love it so much better than before.

Life is funny like that, isn't it?

:)

Yummy Amigurumi

I made some amigurumi food!

First up is a crochet cupcake that I made from the book Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet, even though I ended up making alot of alterations to it. Firstly I changed the frilly part on the icing because the way the pattern in the book said to do it and the way it was showing up on my cupcake was totally different, so I just did my own thing.

I did buttons for the eyes, felt for the mouth, and added a red pom pom to the top.
:)

Remember this little guy? I got the pattern for him all the way back in September 2009, which I wrote about here.
I actually started and finished him in the same day, it was so quick to do :)

Hooray for finishing projects!

How's your Thursday coming along?

XOXO, Callie

the magical bean

Draw Me Something

"What do drawings mean to me? I really don't know. The activity absorbs me. I forget everything else in a way that I don't think happens with any other activity..." -John Berger

“In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing”-Vincent van Gogh

Sometimes, when you don't have anything better to do, you should crochet yourself a pencil and draw something with it.

Why a pencil you ask?

Because pencils are an ode to my love of drawing.

And in case you didn't know I love to draw.

Late Night Painting

I have been working a whole lot and this had been resulted in trying to create things late at night. I have been doing a little of everything into the wee hours of night. As you can see also had to take these pictures late as well, so they aren't the best quality. Woops.
I found this watercolor book at Hobby Lobby a while back and was so excited! I couldn't wait to begin to paint, and so I did :)

This is the second page, a little owl carrying a basket.

I have been wanting to make a crochet blanket for some time and just started making little blocks from leftover bits of yarn. While listening to my ipod, everything seems to go by so quickly lately. I can hardly believe summer's almost over.

I just started reading the second book by Muriel Barbery called Gourmet Rhapsody. I read The Elegance of the Hedgehog a while ago and loved it. I immediately set out to see if she had any books and viola I found another! I've read so many good books this summer, as well as some bad ones, but all in all this was a summer of delicous books.

Yummy reading :)

Better pictures to follow on Thursday.

XOXO, Callie

the magical bean

Randomness Abounds

1. lucy's froggy bonnet & booties, 2. Sunflowers, 3. Yoke, 4. Green, 5. Bow competition in my blog, 6. good morning!, 7. -, 8. Untitled, 9. little visitor, 10. Far far, there's this little girl. She was praying for something good to happen to her. Everyday she writes words and more words just to speak out the thoughts that keep floating inside., 11. Aimee Creating, 12. sunday, 13. Perfect timing, 14. [02.05.09] squishy, 15. Wheat and Sunflowers, 16. babette's granny's terrain, 17. The Bass Rock, Scotland:), 18. Things I Love Thursdays, 19. Little horse, 20. vintage velvet mustard dress, 21. One Year, 22. Polaroid, 23. Tiny Things Collection 1, 24. La piccola fiammiferaia, 25. Mitten Kit

This summer is ending all too soon. I wish I could make each moment go slower somehow. But in reality I am happy for the coming year. Albeit there will be some major changes coming up, but I welcome them. Today I was off from work, and was seriously glad for the reprieve. I spent the day, crocheting, cleaning, and cooking. Not all at once of course. Lately I have been reading so much, book after countless book, that I feel like I have my own mini narrator running through my mind, complete with an important sounding voice and a philosophical attitude about life. Its strange. Just like this post. I have been running low on sleep, as you can probably tell. I am off to sleepy- time -land. Will talk more soon.

Hope your Sunday was relaxing.

XOXO, Callie

the magical bean

(P.S. This is probably my favorite Mumford and Sons song, from their new album. Enjoy!)

Lumberjack Gnome

Look who's hiding in my garden??? A little lumberjack gnome!
I love his little mustache, notice his little belt buckle, green boots, pointy red hat, and divine mustache and beard. What more could a amigurumi lumberjack gnome ask for??!!!

This little gnome was crocheted from the pattern Amigurumi in the Garden and as usual I edited it from the pattern. It doesn't look anything like the original but then again that's why I like him.

Hope your Friday is great!!

xoxo, Callie

Texas State Cemetery+ Giveaway Received!

We went to the Austin State Cemetery, on our way home from our trip.

There were many neat grave sites of so many famous people straight out of Texas History.

^^^Stephan F. Austin's grave. :)

Isn't this pond beautiful?

Also Pip received my giveaway package and did a post about it on her blog, Pip and Life. Click here to go by and see it. It's so sweet and cute! Thanks Pip ,for all your kind words, so glad you like your winnings. It was my pleasure :)