My new Etsy Store

Please check out my new Etsy Store.  It is called My Ragtag Imagination and can be found at HTTP://MyRagtagImagination.etsy.com

Here are a few things I am selling in my store

A New Headband

Here is a headband that I made today.  I made it out of some fancy yarn that I had laying around.  It basically is made out of a simple single crochet throughout the entire thing.  It was very easy to make.  I think I am going to make another one but make it a little bit thinner.  I think this one was a tad bit to thick for my hair.  This would be a good band for straight hair.

What's Going On?

So a lot has been keeping me busy recently.  I got a promotion at work.  I am no longer a people greeter.  I was moved to the Vision Center and given a $1.30 raise.  That puts me over $9.00 an hour.  This really is a big help, and a huge answer to prayers.  Now I just have to learn everything that they want me to learn for the job.  The manual that I was given is like 400 pages.  Plus I have to do some computer training.  I know I can do it though!  God would never put me in a position that I was not ready for. 

I also have been getting things ready to go to school.  I am trying to get into Grand Valley State University.  I sent in my application and the fee.  I also filled out the financial aid papers and scheduled a visit.  I requested that my transcripts be sent from my last college.  So I guess now I just wait to see if I am accepted as a student.  I sure how this door opens for me.

So I really feel like my life is in a forward motion and it feels so good.  Everyday I think about how far I have come from the days that I could not even hold down a job, and it just makes me so grateful for the life I have today.  Without recovery I would not even have a shell of the life that I have today.  Things have changed so much in 3 years.

I have not stopped crocheting but I am working on an afghan right now and those take a lot longer.  I will post the pictures when I have finished.  That could be a couple of weeks from now.  It is a long process for such a big project.

Now I just hope the weather gets warm so I can go outside and get in some extra exercise that I need for this diet.  I could really use a walk on the boardwalk.  Its just not the same thing to always exercise with the Wii.  The Wii is fun but I want to go outside.

Hope everyone is good, and ta ta until later!

Crochet Tutorial #1 Chain Stitch

So this is the first in a series of crochet videos that I am going to post on my blog.  I hope to help teach others how to crochet.  This video is how to do the chain stitch which is the very first thing that you should know in crochet.  Enjoy!

New Hairdo and New Laptop

So I just got my hair permed yesterday.  I really like the way that it turned out.  It looks like a spiral perm even though the lady who permed it did not use a spiral wrap to perm my hair.  She used a regular wrap because of how short my hair is.  She also cut my hair before she permed it so that it would have a style once it was permed.  We went to "Amy's Hair Hide Away"  on M-104 in Spring Lake just passed Burger King.  The price to get my hair permed was quite reasonable, just $45, compared to other salons that wanted $85 and up.  I like the perm so much that I may just keep it this way for a while since it is so cheap!  Also, my mom and I went to Rivertown Crossing in Grandville, Mi for the day after I got my hair permed.  That was fun also since we never go to this mall and I basically didn't even know what stores were in the mall.  We ate at TGI Fridays and the food was fabulous, and then we shopped until our legs were tired.  It was a good day!  This was to celebrate me having six months without a cigarette.  So here are a few pictures of my new hairdo.

Also, this week I purchased a new laptop.  I love, love, love my new laptop.  It is HP's special edition Garden Dreams laptop that is only available at Walmart.  So what did I do with my old laptop you ask?  I gave it to my dad.  It was so cool to see the excitement on his face last night when he realized that he was getting a laptop.  I was overjoyed to be able to do that!  Now I can go to Jumping Java with my dad and hang out and play games with him on the Internet.  Which is what we are going to do next Saturday!
So here's a few pictures of my new laptop.

So that is what I have been up to the last couple of days.  I have not had a lot of time to crochet but I will get back into that very soon.  Hope you all are having a very good February and goodbye for now!

Where's the Goods?

So why am I being so slow to deliver you ask?  Well, for one I started a project and ripped it apart today because it just did not look right.  I was going to do a purse with the same blue material that I used in my last scarf.  However, the purse was turning out too large so I ripped it apart and now I am making a gloves and scarf set for a friend. 
Another reason that I am being so slow is that I have another project in the works and believe it or not its not a crochet project.  I am putting a puzzle together.  I don't know why just that I really liked this puzzle and it gives me time to think and listen to music.  So here's a picture of the puzzle I am working on. 

Also an exciting thing happened at our arts and craft table.  Joey finally got his art displayed at the coffee house that we go to.  I am so proud of him.  Here is a picture of his art that was displayed.

If you would like to see more of his art please feel free to visit his blog at http://joepainter.blogspot.com/  He is very talented, but a new blogger, and could use all the support from those in the blogging world.

Arts and Crafts at Jumping Java

So I finally convinced my best friend that he needed to start painting again, and that we both needed to spend less time on the Internet and more time doing creative things.  So every night when we go to Jumping Java now, instead of bringing our laptops Joe brings his painting supplies and I bring my crochet supplies.  We work on our projects and visit with each other.  I have finished my first project which is this beautiful circles and waves scarf.

This scarf is actually two pieces sewn together.  It is another project that I got from Interweave Crochet magazine.  It was actually very fast to make, and a lot easier than it looks.

And Joe finished his first painting this week.  Here is the first painting that he has done in a while.

I just love it when he does winter scenes.  He does very good with winter scenes.  The cabin in this picture is the perfect size compared to the trees and the river.  Good job, Joe!  Now I am just trying to convince him that he needs to start his own painting blog.  I hope he does.  When I told him that he could blog about his painting technique he looked at me like I was crazy, so I don't know if I will succeed in this.

Fancy Collar and Fingerless Gloves

I found this pattern out of Interweave Crochet Magazine.  It was very easy and fast to make.  However, it is not a cheap thing to make.  The buttons cost around sixteen dollars for this project.  For this reason alone I am probably not going to sell this one on Etsy.com.  However, if someone falls in love with this and wants it I can still make it, it just won't be very cheap.

 The other thing that I found difficult about this pattern was finding something to wear with it.  A black turtle neck would look good with this also.  However, I found it looks better with a shirt that has a pattern on it.  The shirt must have a collar on it so that there's no skin showing.

Overall, this was still a fun project to make and I might even make the gloves in blue sometime when I get the money for more buttons.

Ipod Cozy

 Here are the Ipod cozies that I just created.  Another thing that I will be selling on Etsy.com soon.  I am just trying to get a few things made before I open an account.  If you would like one of these they are $8 plus shipping and handling.  They are for an Ipod touch or an Iphone.  They were really easy to make and only took me about an hour.  I am going to make a few more in different color variations.  The one on the bottom was the first one that I made and the one on the top is the second one that I made.  The finished project will look like the one on top, in the black.

The Sweater I Made

Here is the sweater that I crocheted for my niece Lilly for Christmas.  This is the first sweater that I have ever made.  I have never crocheted anything with sleeves up to this point.  It turned out very well and fit Lilly perfect, with room to grow in to.  I am so proud of this creation.  I have to say this is the one that I am most proud of up to this point.

New Chain Scarf

I just finished a chain scarf for a child or a teenager.  This is the first project that I am going to post on Etsy.com.  I am so proud of this scarf.  I just think it looks fun.  I am going to give my blog readers one week to purchase this scarf before I post it on Etsy.com.  I am selling this for 25 dollars plus shipping and handling.  I still need to go to the post office and figure out what shipping and handling costs will be.  However, if you live in the area you can always pick it up and then there won't be shipping and handling costs.  So today's date is January 5, 2011.  I will wait until January 12, 2011 before I post this on Etsy.  Email me at wishes399@live.com if you are interested. 

Hooded Scarf for Mom

I made my mom a hooded scarf for Christmas.  This is a little different that most of the hooded scarves out there because there is no seam on the head.  The hood fits that head perfectly.  She really liked her scarf so I was really pleased with how this project turned out.  So here is the beginning of the projects that I could not show.

Crochet It Forward and The Holidays

Yesterday I taught someone how to crochet fr the first time.  I didn't teach her a ton of stitches as time did not permit.  I did however teach her the chain stitch, and the double crochet.  I also left her with a tutorial book.  It was fun to pass along the knowledge that I have learned to one of my friend's.  My hopes is that she will not get frustrated with the learning process and quit.  The first couple of projects can be quite frustrating because it is awkward and new to crochet.  Robin is very smart though and I am confident that she can become a very talented crochet artist.

Then when I got home last night I decided to have a baking party.  I baked 48 sugar cookies, 48 chocolate chip cookies, and a pan of raspberry chocolate brownies.  I am making all of this for a party that I am having with a couple of friends of mine on Tuesday, and for Christmas with my parents.  I will post pictures of both later.

I will also post pictures of all the crochet projects that I have not been able to post after Christmas.  Most of my crochet projects are Christmas presents and I have not wanted to spoil any ones Christmas.   So there's more to come!

Here are some pictures of my Christmas tree and my Christmas decorations.  I hope that you enjoy!

My New Cowl Scarf and Hat Set

I just got done crocheting myself a hat and cowl scarf set for winter.  Thank goodness too because it is starting to get cold here in Michigan and I am thinking that snow is just around the corner.  The scarf is very warm as it wraps around my neck completely.  I am very happy with the way this set turned out.  All together this took me about 7 hours to complete. 

Dyed My Hair

Before

After

So, I have not posted on here in a couple of days.  I have been working on a couple of projects for Christmas and I can not post the finished pictures until after Christmas because I do not want to ruin the surprise.  So I have not quit crocheting, I just can not show you what I am working on because it will ruin the surprise for someone else should they look at my blog.
Well, I was on a quit smoking site today and I read a very good quote that I would like to share with my recovering friends.  "A trigger is not a command."  That is so true, too.  Just because we are triggered to smoke or drink it is not the same thing as being commanded to do it.  It is not like we are being forced.  This is how we need to look at it.  I think in early sobriety I looked at my triggers for alcohol like they were commands.  That is probably why I relapsed so many times.  Luckily, I can learn form my mistakes and now I have almost 3 years of sobriety.  Now I can take what I learned from quitting drinking and apply it to quitting smoking.  And I am proud to say that as of today I have 2 months and 3 weeks smoke free!

Third Hat for Charity

This is the third hat that I have completed for Warm Up America and Save the Children.  As promised it is a boys cap.  I did it with green denim yarn that did not show up very good when I took the picture.  I really need a better camera.  Hopefully I will get one for Christmas.  Anyways, the hat only took me about two hours to make so I think I will make another one with the blue denim looking yarn as well.

Second Hat for Charity

So, here's the second completed hat for the Save the Children and Warm Up America charity.  This one took me a little longer than the last one to finish because I completely forgot how to make a pom pom.  It has been a few years since I made a pom pom so it completely slipped my mind on how to make one, but I am glad for the refresher.
The next hat that I am going to make will be for a boy and will be a completely different style.

The First Hat for Charity

Here is the first hat that I have completed for the charity challenge.  It only took me one and a half hours.  I just used old yarn that I had laying around the house.  Finally, I have something I can do with all of that left over yarn!

I also want to include a picture that I took last night on my lunch break at work.  It had just gotten done raining and I was able to capture the prettiest rainbow ever.  It is good to know that God still keeps his promises.  What a picture of hope!  Maybe this was God's way of telling me that my hat project is a good idea?

Winter Project for Charity

So this winter I have decided that I want to do something that is a little more meaningful than just sitting on my butt and wishing that it was warmer.  A year ago I was working as a director for a drop in center that helped people with severe mental illness.  Now I am a greeter at Walmart.  I really miss doing something that is meaningful and that makes a difference.  Even though my job is a lot let stressful and I am very grateful for that, it just does not have that level of satisfaction that I used to get out of going to work.  So I decided that the answer to this predicament is a project.  I am going to combine my love for crochet with my love for helping people out.  Warm Up America and Save the Children are asking people who can crochet to make baby hats for newborns and send them in before February 28, 2011.  One of the reasons newborns die in third world countries are illness due to not having their head covered properly. So I am going to try to make 1 baby hat a week between now and then and send it in.  So the goal is to make 21 baby caps between now and February 28th. 
I also would like to challenge my readers to come along with me on this journey.  You can visit this web site and either donate $10.00 to the cause, or you can make your own caps to send in.  http://www.goodgoes.org/caps Lets make a difference for some little boy or girl that is just trying to make it through the first year of their lives.  If you donate or decide to make a cap it it would be nice to hear from you through a comment.  Lets start something cool!

Inspired to Blog

So last night instead of going out and running all over the town with a friend like I usually do I stayed home for a change and watched a movie.  The movie that I watched was "Julie and Julia"  which was a movie based on the true life stories of two women.  One was Julia Child the American woman who wrote a book on cooking french food, and the other was Julie Powell, a young woman who became famous because she spent a year cooking all 520 or so recipes in Julia Child's cook book and then she blogged about it.  What made people fall in love with her blog was that she was so inspired and so honest.  She was authentically herself.  She knew who she was and she wasn't hiding it, she was embracing it, and that is what people fell in love with.  So that is what inspired me.  I have always loved to write but in some ways I feel like my writing has been inhibited and not as honest as it can be.  So here's the challenge.  This blog is going to be the authentic me.  Its going to be about the things I love like crochet, reading and my cats.  But more than anything it is going to be about my thoughts before the editing.  I am not going to hold back.  What you see is what you get.  I am tired of writing about the weather or how nice the weekend activities have been.  Sometimes I think as adults we become so good at holding back that we almost forget how to let go and be authentic.  So now I will express myself authentically.  If you disagree with me that's fine, I didn't write this blog to impress you. 
   So what else is this blog going to be about?  One of the things I am going to blog on is my crochet projects.  Here is a hat that I made this summer for my niece, Lilly, who is 1 year old.  I have included a couple of pictures of the hat for you to see. 

The other things that this web page is going to be about is the books that I am reading.  The reason I want to write about this is because I really have a passion for reading.  I feel as though I really can escape when I can find a good book to read.  My favorite books to pick up and read are usually Christian fiction, or inspiration, or science fiction.

The last thing that this blog is going to be about is my life in recovery from drugs and alcohol and my recovery from anorexia, and my new recovery from smoking cigarettes.  Everyday I thank God for freedom from these chains.  I have 7 years free from Anorexia, 2 years 9 months free from Alcohol, and 2 months free from cigarettes.  Everyday God gives me a beautiful gift and I want to share this gift with the world.