Heart Stitches

I spent K's nap learning some new stitches yesterday. It was a ton of fun. The chain stitch might be my new favorite. Anyway I put all the stitches together in this stuffed heart I made for K. The book I was learning from didn't have a ton of stitches so I think I'm going to order a couple more from the library.

What I'm up to

I haven't had any new posts latley because I've been working on several things and not really finishing anything. C helped me cut a spoon out of wood and I'm going to start carving it next, I've been working on my knitted turtle, I've been trying to learn to crochet, I made a terribly ugly window star, AND I'm going to work on learning some new stitches today. Perhaps by tomorrow I"ll have something finished to post. More likely not till the weekend though.

Valentines day table and gnomes

I made K and I a mother/child valentine gnome pair. They have hearts on their chests that you can pull off and trade. I also made a valentine mushroom. I've been wanting to try and make a mushroom for quite awhile and am excited I finally had the time. I'd like to make some more in other colors too. I've also included our nature table decorated for Valentines day. :) I might end up making a couple more things but this is how it looks for now.

Spider Gnome

I'm adding the spider gnome to by bug collection. Someone she ended up a black widow. I didn't set out to make a black widow but am happy with the results. I had hoped to get started on the bee gnome today but someone... I"m not naming names... decided not to nap today.
On another note. K and I had a ton of fun today at our local nature table. The staff was super nice and let us touch two snakes, a turtle, and a frog. K did not care for the frog as it was too hoppy. We also took a nice hike through the woods with some friends. I really love being outside even in the winter.

Homemade Bread again

K and I were at it again. This time we tried an oatmeal loaf, had live yeast, and were a little more careful about getting the right amount of ingredients in. K had a great time pouring and mixing and of course tasting the finished product. Our loaf didn't turn out pretty but we are still happy with the results. :)
We made this loaf without, but later that day we bought the Learning Tower off of craigslist. K loves it so far and played on it for the remainder of the evening. I"m really excited to start using it in the kitchen and not having to worry about him falling off a chair.

butterfly gnome

I am really excited about my next three gnomes. I had this idea to do three different bugs. The butterfly/caterpillar was the first, next is a spider, and then a bee w/ hive. Anyway this one was really fun to design and make.
On another note I'm looking into getting a learning tower off of craigslist. I'm really hoping they haven't sold it yet. The learning tower is an adjustable safe stool for toddlers and young children. I've been trying to bake more with K and this will be perfect for him to be able to reach the counter and actually help. It can also be used as a fort and a puppet theater.
On the baking front K and I baked a loaf of bread in the bread maker this past monday. I want to try and bake with K once a week or so. K loved it! In fact that might be partly why it didn't turn out too great. He was happily dumping in ingredients and taking them back out so I'm sure the recipe was a little off. The other problem was that I hadn't baked bread in so long it turns out my yeast was dead. I'd post a picture of the loaf, but it really was a sorry sight. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to stop somewhere to get us some fresh yeast.

Blue Window Star

I've made my second window star. The going was much easier this time. It still has the wrong glue on it, but I think this one turned out pretty good. I also worked on a whole new gnome today but am only half way done. It's going to be a butterfly/caterpillar gnome. I'll hopefully get to post it sometime this weekend. We are pretty booked this weekend though seeing family and friends so we'll see.
Also... I really need to find a better window to take these pictures. I just don't have a good window facing in the right direction.

My sweet friend

I have a sweet friend who sent this to me in the mail. She is a big Ebay seller and is excited for me to have opened an Etsy. Anyway she sent this surprise for me in the mail and I love it!

Sorry nothing new on the craft front. I spent the last two days making two new fall gnomes. I really should get a pic of them all dancing in a circle.

I think tomorrow I'll make a new window star. Also I really need to get C to help me get started on cutting out the wood for me to carve a spoon. I have all the supplies but just need a quick lesson. I'm very excited!

Anyone out there in the world know good wood carving supply store?

Window Star

the book, "Magic Window Stars as a guide.
I've made my first window star! I've realized I need new glue, but other then that it turned out fantastic! Now I just have to find a way to hang it in a window. hummm. Any ideas? I used kite paper and a little glue. I've never used kite paper for anything before and I have to say I like it. I'm excited to try a few more stars. :)

Summer gnome and seasons

I started my summer gnome at my aunts house and have finally completed it. I took some pictures with all the season gnomes together also. I think they look pretty neat all in a row. I'm going to have to say that the fall gnome is still my favorite.
Today I started working on a window star. I only half completed it and am hoping that it will be done by tomorrow.

Fall Gnome

I'm back! I ran off for a few days to help my aunt unpack her new house. I'm afraid I wasn't too help as K probably made as much trouble as we helped. Anyway before I left I finished my fall gnome. I think he may be my new favorite. I worked on my summer gnome while I was gone, but he/she isn't quite finished yet. I'm excited to get a group photo of them all.
This little guy is listed on my etsy if you're interested. Although you might have to fight me for him. :)

Feed the birds

Well I'm off for a few days to help my aunt unpack her new home. Before I leave though I wanted to share our outdoor ornaments. When we took down our Christmas tree we saved the sliced fruit. K and I spread peanut butter and birdseed over the fruit and K and his dad hung them on a tree out back. We already spotted a skinny squirrel feasting. :)

My etsy shop

Here is a link to my new shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/seasonalgnome

Soon here I will make a button to put on my blog and perhaps you nice folks out there can put one on your blog too. :) I'll post it when its ready. For now I'm off to make more gnomes.

Oh on a side note I received a saw and carving tools for Christmas so I can attempt to woodwork. We also have a little wood burner already and yesterday we finally bought a clamp. So pretty soon here I'm going to attempt to make some little animals.

Seasonal Gnomes

Along with my knights and royalty gnomes I'm also going to be listing seasonal gnomes. Right now I only have spring and winter done. You've seen the winter gnomes but here are some much better pictures of them.

Kings, Queens, and Knights

So I've gone and done it. I've opened my Etsy shop. I'm very excited. For now I just have a few things on there. I'm most excited about my whole knights and castle theme. Here are some pictures of my king, queen, and knight