Flowers Everywhere 🌺 A (Crochet) Pattern

Hello my lovely friends 💕

I have Spring on my mind! 😎 The temperatures are finally in a ‘I can do this’ range 😎 I saw the first Robins in the yard 🌞 and there’s even a little bit of green in the otherwise brownish lawn.

Now all we need are flowers 🌺 💐🌻🌷🌼⬅️ That’s pretty, but not enough! I changed my FB profile picture, and decorated it with a pretty tulip frame

And I started crocheting flowers like a woman possessed 😊

Here’s the first one…

They’re not the real thing, but they’ll do until Mother Nature wakes up 😍

They’re great for sprucing up hats, scarves, sweaters…anything that needs a touch of whimsy!

If you would like to make one…here’s how

For this beauty I used ‘ Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable, colorway Sunrise’*

Stitches:

single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), double crochet (dc), half treble crochet (htr), treble crochet (tr), slipstitch (slst)

Picot – ch 3, slipstitch in first chain (work Picot on top of the first treble crochet)

Pattern:

Ch 3, 6sc into first ch, slst in first sc

*Ch1, in same stitch work a sc, hdc, dc, htr, tr, picot, tr, htr, dc, hdc, sc.

(It seems like a lot of stitches…but they’ll all fit. Promise 😊)

Slst into next sc

Repeat from * 5 times

You’re looking at the back of the flower. You want to keep working on that side!

Ch 4, slst into space between the next two petals (this will be the base for the second row of petals.

Repeat 5 times for a total of 6 loops.

*Ch1. Work into ch4 space – sc, hdc, dc, htr, tr, picot, tr, htr, dc, hdc, sc

Slipstitch into next ch4 space.

Repeat from * 5 times. Slipstich into sc from the first loop.

Next layer of petals:

Ch 6. Slst into space between the next 2 petals. Repeat 5 times for a total of 6 loops.

*Ch1. Work into ch6 space a sc, hdc, dc, htr, tr, picot, tr, htr, dc, hdc, sc. Slst into next loop.
Repeat from * 5 times. Slst into sc from the first loop. Fasten off.

And you’re done! Turn it around…isn’t it pretty? 😍

I love this yarn for the flowers, but they do look great in various other yarns too.

Sugar ‘n Creme Cotton Yarn*

Caron Simply Soft *

Bernat Baby Blanket *

As I’ve mentioned before, they’re great for embellishing all kinds of garments and accessories.
I also designed a loop-and-tuck scarf, with the flower as a focal. More on that later. 😊
Here’s a sneak peek…

I hope you find this inspiring, and will fill the world with pretty flowers! 🌺💐🌷

Have  wonderful, fabulous, creative week! 💕

* I have no affiliation with the companies mentioned here.

Your ~ Weekend ~ Chuckle 😎

Hello my lovely friends 💕

Today I can (finally!) send you some sunny Smiles 🌞 Yep…you read that right! The sun is out, the temperatures are climbing 😎 It’s a good day!

Let’s top it off with some belly-laughs 😅 Really! The ones I have today really had me ‘laugh-crying’ .

Like this one here! You too?

Then there’s this one…

People are hilarious! 😂

🦔🌺🌞🌺🦔🌞🦔🌺🌞🌺🦔🌞🦔🌺🌞🌺🦔🌞🦔🌺🌞🌺🦔🌞🦔🌺🌞🌺🦔🌞

This one is ‘groan-worthy’! But…you’ll be singing/humming/whistling all day! You’re welcome 😜

‘Face Wind- Knee Wind’ 😂

🌺🌞🌻🌞🌺🌻🌺🌞🌻🌞🌺🌻🌺🌞🌻🌞🌺🌻🌺🌞🌻🌞🌺🌻🌺🌞🌻🌞🌺🌻🌺🌞🌻

Now an ‘Awwww’ Moment! This just makes my heart happy 😍

🌺💐🌻💐🌺🌻🌺💐🌻💐🌺🌻🌺💐🌻💐🌺🌻🌺💐🌻💐🌺🌻🌺💐🌻💐🌺🌻

Hopefully you laughed right along with me! 😊

I wish you the happiest of days! 💕

I’m sending you more Smiles 🙂 Hugs 🤗 and Love 💕

A Kansas Icestorm ~ A Few Impressions 🌨

Hello my lovely friends 💕

We always knew that Kansas weather is a bit crazy 😏 But yesterday it got outright weird.

The temperature dropped from 62* on Monday to somewhere in the 20s Tuesday morning. That brought, of course, thunder, lightning, and ice rain 😳 Heavy icy pellets were bouncing around on the pavement, and accumulated very fast. So what looked like a beautiful blanket of snow was actually a treacherous thick layer of ice.

Tell you what – it’s a good thing I had all those delicious Brownies on Monday. Otherwise I might have skated around instead of breaking the ice 😂

But enough talk…here are some pictures. It was actually quite pretty. 😊 Easy to say from the safety of my back yard 😉

That’s a lot of ice! The frogs were not amused 😆

Lorelai is just annoyed 😏

Did you see the pretty icicles hanging from the table?

Here I played with the black-and-white option in the editor 😊

The yard isn’t all that big…so that’s it 😁

Oh, wait… I have this one from a few years ago. This beauty formed between the house and a tree right after a winter storm. Nature truly is amazing, isn’t it!? 😍

I hope you’re warm and safe in your neck of the woods. 😘

Thanks for peeking in. 🤗 I hope you do so again soon!

Until then 💕

The Fantastic ~ Bake ~ Along

Hello my lovely friends 💕

Last week/weekend it was time for our monthly fun and delicious Bake-Along. 😃

So here’s the post that falls in the category ‘She also ran baked’ 🏆

I have been reading a lot of the wonderful baking posts…so, yes, I do believe I’m the last one!

The lovely Tracy, quilter, baker, author of It’s a T-Sweets Day hosted another Bake-Along.

This month’s star-baker was Tami over at Tanglewood Knots 😊Tami baked her devine looking ‘Chocolate covered Peppermint Patties’, and asked everyone for their favorite Chocolate recipe.

Well…Hello….Say ‘Chocolate’ and I’m there! 😜
Since most of you have already seen/baked my favorite chocolate recipe (Chili/Chocolate Bread ) I decided to follow Tracy’s Brownie delight!

Now, honestly, I had sworn to never make Brownies from scratch again. I was convinced that the only good Brownie is the one out of a box. But Tracy was very convincing, so I gave this one more try.
What can I say? By golly she is right! 😎Never again will I bake brownies using a mix!
These devilish things are sooooooo good! I can’t even begin to describe it!

Don’t believe me? Here’s the recipe…go ahead! Try it!

Ingredients:

• • 1c salted butter –not margarine

• • 5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

• • 2c sugar

• • 3 eggs

• • 2 tsp vanilla

• • 1 1/2c flour

• • *optional 1c chopped nuts

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa, and eggs.  Mix until smooth. Add flour, vanilla, and nuts.  The batter will be thick and light brown.   Spoon into a greased 8×8 pan . They will be thick. Cook on the middle rack of  a 350* oven for 40-45 min.  Start checking at 35 min.  They are done when a knife comes out clean but just barely clean.  Do not over cook.
I baked them for 42 minutes (convection oven).

They’re ready for the oven….

After 20 minutes the house filled with a wonderful chocolate-y fragrance. I could hardly wait to pull them out of the oven. After checking a few times, the knife finally came out (almost) clean.

Hubby and I nibbled on them all evening…until we agreed that we have to move them out of sight. Good thing we did or there wouldn’t have been enough left for a nice picture! 😁

If you’re looking for more chocolate goodness, please check out what all the other bakers posted for ya

Lucia @ Crochet, Knit, and more

AJ @ A Petite Slice of Life

Marcia @ Una Regiaen Bicicleta

Rebecca @ Twinklehook

Abbey @ Three Cats and a Girl

Susan @ Granny Smith’s Quilting

Kathy @ Sewing etc.

Brenna @ Crochet539

Emma @ Emma’s Crafts Design

Kate @ Life, Tea, and everything

I hope I can add your name to this list next month! Happy baking!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will do so often!

Until then 

Your ~ Weekend ~ Chuckle 😸

Hello my lovely friends 💕

I hope today I can bring you some (much needed) Smiles, Chuckles, maybe even a heartfelt ‘LOL’ 😊

But first an ‘Awwww’ moment 😍 I would like to introduce you to ‘Dixie’ … the latest addition to the giraffe family at the KC Zoo 😃

Isn’t she just the cutest? 😍 I love that goofy look on her face 😆

💜🦄🌸🦄💜🌸💜🦄🌸🦄💜🌸💜🦄🌸🦄💜🌸💜🦄🌸🦄💜🌸💜🦄🌸🦄💜🌸

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day! 💕 We kept it simple 😜

🐘🌺🤩🌺🐘🤩🐘🌺🤩🌺🐘🤩🐘🌺🤩🌺🐘🤩🐘🌺🤩🌺🐘🤩🐘🌺🤩

This kid 😅

💕🦄🌸🦄💕🌸💕🌸🦄🌸💕🦄💕🌸🦄🌸💕🦄💕🌸🦄🌸💕🦄💕🌸🦄🌸💕🦄

I’m so very happy for them 😍 But the comment cracked me up 😂

🐠🐙🐟🐙🐠🐟🐙🐟🐠🐙🐠🐟🐙🐟🐠🐙🐠🐟🐙🐟🐠🐙🐠🐟🐙🐟🐠🐙🐠🐟🐙

Alright my Lovelies…that’s all for today. Have a fabulous Sunday!

Hugs 🤗 and Love 💕 to you!

What’s New You Ask? Okay, I’ll Tell Ya 😁

Hello my lovely friends 💕

How are you on this fine day? And a fine day it is! 🌞 What a difference 40 degrees make! 😜

I already walked the dogs, so I can chat with you without getting interrupted 😍

I hope I won’t bore you too much (or, preferably, not at all 😊) but today’s post is a ‘sorting my thoughts, WIPs, ideas’ kinda deal.

Do you ever have so many things swirling around in your head that you, in the end, don’t do any of them? But instead crochet Granny Squares that have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with anything? Show of hands please 🙋🏻‍♀️

Yep, this happened last night 🤦🏻‍♀️

And since there’s a Meme for everything…😁

But – today’s another day, and, hopefully, this will help me get everything organized! 🤓 Thanks for letting me bend your ear! 😘 Ear? Eyes? Hmm…you know what I mean!

So here’s everything in a nutshell…

First some things that actually did get done…

I finished another purse…well, I still have to sew in the lining

Things I learned while making the purse:
1. Pay attention to what you’re doing! Trying to solve a murder alongside “Monk” while crocheting the base, will lead to a tote, not a purse! 😋
2. One skein of (gorgeous, beautiful) handspun yarn (72 yards) is just barely enough for 4 rounds! 😳
3. I love the “Bobble Stitch”! 😍

This next one made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside
I made a Puzzle Poncho for my lovely friend Lili

And these are some of the things that are swirling…

The ‘ Puzzle Sweater’ is coming along quite nicely – of course, now that it’s getting warmer 😅

Since my waist is nowhere near her’s, I will have to finish it away from the Mannequin 😄

The start of a new poncho…

Last week I came across this   ⬇️ on Facebook. I got all swooney, thinking they’re gorgeous Agate slices. Nope – they’re Puzzles. How cool is that?!

And then my ‘Crochet Brain’ kicked in, and I thought “This design would make a beautiful blanket”! Can you see it?
So I got started on that – different ideas came to life

Or maybe a pillow? Or a Purse? I’m still mulling it over.

Aaaand last but not least I now also have to figure out what I’m going to do with the Granny Squares from last night! 😜

Oh….one more thing! Since I even skipped ‘Your Weekend Chuckle’ last weekend – here’s my favorite one! I don’t know why, but it made me laugh ’til I cried

Okay – now I’ll get off my soapbox, and let you carry on with your life!

I’m sending Smiles 🙂 Hugs 🤗 and Love 💕 your way!

 

Do You Love Purple? 💜

Hello my lovely friends💜 How are you on this fine day? I hope all is well! 😍

It wasn’t too long ago that I discovered my love for purple. It actually started with some beautiful Amethysts I found in my Jewelry making days. 😊

So here are some things and facts in/about Purple 😀
>THE MEANING OF PURPLE AROUND THE GLOBE • In Thailand, purple is worn by a widow mourning her husband’s death.

• The purple in the U.S. military Purple Heart award represents courage. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the United States armed forces who have been wounded in action.

• In Tibet, amethyst is considered to be sacred to Buddha and rosaries are often fashioned from it.

• A man with the rank of Roman Emperor was referred to as “The Purple” — a name that came from the color of the robe he wore.

• In Japan, the color purple signifies wealth and position.

• Purple was the royal color of the Caesars.

• In pysanky, the traditional Ukrainian form of egg dying, purple speaks of fasting, faith, patience, and trust.

• Purple denotes virtue and faith in Egypt.

• In Tudor Britain, violet was the color of mourning, as well as the color of religious fervor.

• Traditionally, in Iran, purple is a color of what is to come. A sun or moon that looks purple during an eclipse is an omen of bloodshed within the year.

(Source: Wikipedia)

💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 🦄 💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 💜 🦄 💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 🦄 💜

This is one of my favorite poems. 😍 It was written in 1961 by Jenny Joseph. The 2nd line was actually the inspiration for the ‘Red Hats Club’ 😁

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

When I’m an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick flowers in other people’s gardens

And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple

💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 💜 🦄 💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 💜 🦄 💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 🦄 💜

We all know the beautiful Lavender fields of the Provence.

I just learned that the UK also has purple scenery 😊

Castle Lavender Farm is the largest lavender farm in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧

💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 💜 🦄 💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 💜 🦄 💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 💜 🦄 💜 ☮️ 💜 ☯️ 💜 🦄 💜

Beautiful Projects…

…like these Wristwarmers <— Link will take you to Ravelry or this ‘Purple-icious Shawl’ 😍 This is my design, but this Link will take you to Ravelry Here are a few things that you normally wouldn’t think of when you hear ‘Purple’ 😁

Like the purple kitchen! Yay or Nay? 😋

Purple doors are a definite Yay for me 😍 How about a purple car? 😎 Purple Candy! Yes, please! 🤩 Did I forget anything? 😄 What do you think? Is purple your color? Or are you still waiting to fall in love with it?

I would love to know! 😁

Have a fabulous ‘Purple-icious’ day! 💕

🌺 Happy 🌻 Birthday 🌸 February 🌷 Babies 🌼

Hello my lovely friends 💕

Here are some flowers 🌸🌺🌼🌷🌻🌹💐 Cake 🎂 and good wishes

for all you February Babies out there! 😍

Celebrate, have a blast, get spoiled – ’cause you’re fabulous! 😁

Didn’t I tell ya? 😊

And…

Enjoy the party 🛍🎊 🎈🎉🎁🍰🥂🍾

Happy Birthday! 💕