tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37869964568983613772024-02-21T23:11:01.093-08:00Susie FarmgirlThe world would be a better place if everyone had a garden.Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-5192777575397935192011-01-28T22:32:00.000-08:002011-01-28T22:50:51.246-08:00Amigurumi Ducks - Free crochet pattern<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc0L5IWLa0D_EQDcLmx3rwdgPc7q-y7hJXz-TnLpP1AlFLGgOuk6VyrCEjXTvwSzKv8Je8Z72I-NUObNQ8IuV6HgfDvSn2hkW72pfm4ewpE4SsfJKx028NXnh-tgvnoLuh8OYJ5s2s-ek/s1600/Duckies+Class+of+09.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizc0L5IWLa0D_EQDcLmx3rwdgPc7q-y7hJXz-TnLpP1AlFLGgOuk6VyrCEjXTvwSzKv8Je8Z72I-NUObNQ8IuV6HgfDvSn2hkW72pfm4ewpE4SsfJKx028NXnh-tgvnoLuh8OYJ5s2s-ek/s400/Duckies+Class+of+09.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567495020097310098" />This class of duckies all have embroidered eyes to make them safe for youngsters. The pattern below uses black craft eyes if you prefer.</a><br /><br />I've had a few requests for a pattern for these amigurumi ducks I made. Actually, it's a modified version of another free pattern from here: <br /><br />http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=154060.msg1531839#msg1531839. <br /><br />I modified the pattern by shortening the neck and making a bigger beak. Here's the pattern if you'd like to give my version a try. Enjoy!<br /><br />Amigurumi Duck <br />(My version) 6/20/09<br /><br />Materials used: <br />Lily Sugar and Cream Cotton Yarn <br />G crochet hook <br />2 safety eyes <br />polyfill for stuffing<br /><br />6 sc in a magic ring <br />2 sc in each sc around (12 sc) <br />1 sc, sc inc in next sc repeat around (18 sc) <br />sc around (18 sc) for 4 rows <br />sc inc in the first 9 sc, sc in last 9 sc (27 sc) <br />sc in first 6 sc, sc inc in next 6 sc, sc in last 15 sc (33 sc) <br />sc around (33 sc) for 3 rows <br />sc in first 9 sc, do 3 sc dec, sc in last 18 sc (30 sc) <br />sc in four sc, sc dec repeat around (25 sc) <br />sc in 3 sc, sc dec repeat around (20 sc) <br />sc in one sc, sc dec repeat around, end with 2 sc (14 sc) <br />Position eyes and attach <br />Stuff <br />dec around to close leave long tail. <br />I used tail to close and then to shape bottom so duck would stand even. Pull the yarn up through the back of the duck and back down to pull in bottom. Repeat on other side of duck.<br /><br />Beak<br /><br />6 sc in a magic ring <br />1 sc, sc inc in next sc repeat around (9 sc) <br />sc around (9 sc) <br />slip stitch into next sc and leave long tail for sewing <br />smash down and sew to body in a curved upside down “u” shape between rows 5 and 6.Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-12998114424233020932011-01-14T19:58:00.000-08:002011-01-14T20:08:23.278-08:00Tabi Sock Bunnies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPEcj2l8ybSF8R3vAiFYyqlBH0stPVE9MOkk1P3jzYE5kLQDnMpmL65PBHIqHc9YItZEH230MFLi-kKw5OnKyes5E-yRLXxUF0Y1gZtEVXDLf3UQ0C99OwHVd4dcWirwXbQ5ZiCshuGvo/s1600/Tabi+Sock+Bunnies.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPEcj2l8ybSF8R3vAiFYyqlBH0stPVE9MOkk1P3jzYE5kLQDnMpmL65PBHIqHc9YItZEH230MFLi-kKw5OnKyes5E-yRLXxUF0Y1gZtEVXDLf3UQ0C99OwHVd4dcWirwXbQ5ZiCshuGvo/s400/Tabi+Sock+Bunnies.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562259259151464402" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygsVzZmJz_YqGxiHltnPFYA7snB4OcQKIEpI6Ln-Oh8Wcy8YgJuh8sIII9bTuAIQ6wNKD7XStD9KvuT9ohYinZVW4CKME0GH-0n9R5UCSp9esc0OokTGmbhRd4w-6R2sdEEPuzpp9ygQP/s1600/More+Tabi+Sock+Bunnies.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygsVzZmJz_YqGxiHltnPFYA7snB4OcQKIEpI6Ln-Oh8Wcy8YgJuh8sIII9bTuAIQ6wNKD7XStD9KvuT9ohYinZVW4CKME0GH-0n9R5UCSp9esc0OokTGmbhRd4w-6R2sdEEPuzpp9ygQP/s400/More+Tabi+Sock+Bunnies.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562259166993964466" /></a><br />I was inspired by the shape of those Japanese bunnies, you know the ones shaped like a round ball with some ears on it? I decided to try to make some out of my supply of Japanese tabi socks. It's a little tricky figuring out how to pull back the ears (divided toe part of the sock) and I learned how to embroider some decent looking faces on them. It seems like there is a lesson in every new project! <br /><br />Here's a side view of one of the bunnies:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NUp-lpm4ZhQZygXjpz5een90SYCjzLmwTDHmDx2qbfzxly9SXr0DB5ORRL620sq0ds0jml7RyuXaoKoPdas-Z2qklGLyILJxV9JyeVwhr_rDtMJNIbfoQG7dpD-JflyFquYNfBQqvPT8/s1600/Bunny+Side+50.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NUp-lpm4ZhQZygXjpz5een90SYCjzLmwTDHmDx2qbfzxly9SXr0DB5ORRL620sq0ds0jml7RyuXaoKoPdas-Z2qklGLyILJxV9JyeVwhr_rDtMJNIbfoQG7dpD-JflyFquYNfBQqvPT8/s400/Bunny+Side+50.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562258668424044178" /></a><br /><br /><br />And here's a back view of one. I really like this tabi sock with the bunny design!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlcULRZyImS9tja7_uB2xyg1lIoS6NxT5bXcXy1IzUqgu_-XgdOvnxzks0E1CBK94A-s5x5qsQIXd0mOj9i-JKUZLXLSB7jJtMHQb1r3m2r2yJjALJ_sAk8gSuf46aTuY5efo29CjhT4v/s1600/Black+Bunny+back+50.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlcULRZyImS9tja7_uB2xyg1lIoS6NxT5bXcXy1IzUqgu_-XgdOvnxzks0E1CBK94A-s5x5qsQIXd0mOj9i-JKUZLXLSB7jJtMHQb1r3m2r2yJjALJ_sAk8gSuf46aTuY5efo29CjhT4v/s400/Black+Bunny+back+50.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562258825946015714" /></a>Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-42728595720852260342011-01-03T16:37:00.001-08:002011-01-03T17:36:26.751-08:002010 Year in Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAQLOeHOKTKQWIx1ktjeh5-7iOFZKiWjRM1VPgwZpVfMhSgVUboVJ0-LtrLdV_jY4P3bdlU_H0jCmUbh3CcpSIe6wxFGjaTAPpKoyZXmw1RiN-E3GiaXM9Gcg8vEG3SpXgvcJ9nikxbOx/s1600/Gertie+sunning.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAQLOeHOKTKQWIx1ktjeh5-7iOFZKiWjRM1VPgwZpVfMhSgVUboVJ0-LtrLdV_jY4P3bdlU_H0jCmUbh3CcpSIe6wxFGjaTAPpKoyZXmw1RiN-E3GiaXM9Gcg8vEG3SpXgvcJ9nikxbOx/s400/Gertie+sunning.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558135690884050834" />Gertie's taking a siesta on our deck</a><br /><br />I swear time goes by faster as you get older. The new year comes in a blink of the eye and you wonder if it's enough time to do anything. What did happen anyway?<br /><br />GERTIE<br /><br />Well, I never thought that Gertie, our outdoor stray cat would top the list, but she gets top billing for events of 2010. Last summer, we noticed this very small cat drinking water from the gutter and that may have been the biggest event of the year. From there we befriended her, trapped and neutered her, and released and lost her for a few weeks. It was JOYFUL when she returned to us. We chased bully tom cats from her many times a night and built a small house and a large condo for her outside. We bought her a heating pad to keep her warm at night and now my husband can even gently scratch her head when she comes for dinner.<br /><br />CRAFTING<br /><br />This year I finally got into my first craft fair and had a favorable response. I love it when I hear people come by, pick up my creations and say "OH HOW CUTE!!!!!". Also, I love when kids come by, eyes wide and then run off to retrieve mom or dad. Many people ask me what my amigurumi are for, what is their purpose? Is it a pincushion? My answer is, I make them to make you smile and they agree that they do make them smile. This makes me happy. I did a few craft fairs this year and it's been a learning experience for sure. I'm on the board of our Craftmen's Guild this year and have met some nice people.<br /><br />GARDENING<br /><br />I stopped making veggie deliveries this year to concentrate on my crafting hobby. I'm still gardening for myself and have a lot of healthy greens growing right now. Instead of traditional lettuces, I've been eating mizuna, shingiku, arugula and Italian dandilion in my salads and they are delicious. I'm also growing sweet pea flowers which I hope to sell at my spring craft fairs this year. The past few months we've had a lot of rain, and usually it rains one day and then it's sunny the rest of the week. The past month it's been raining constantly. I think it's a record amount of rain for our area so I never have to go to water the garden and the rain is so healthy for it.<br /><br />TENNIS<br /><br />What a turn around. Last year was my worse year, but 2010 was pretty darn good. I really am not putting much effort into tennis, but am lucky or just getting good partners because it was a very good year and my USTA senior team even went to Nationals in Palm Dessert. It was an awesome experience to meet such nice people from all over. The weather happened to be gorgeous (one of the weekends with no rain). I really should get into better shape though, and in fact I'm working on it for this year. Really!<br /><br />KINDLE<br /><br />Seriously, this Kindle has changed my life. It's one of the best things I've ever gotten for myself and something I look forward to using everyday. After getting it I realized I didn't need all these books cluttering my house so I've been donating them all to the library. I also love that I can lie in bed and surf the internet on whatever topic I was curious about that day. And who cares if you have to wait somewhere as long as I have my Kindle with me, I am happy.<br /><br />HEALTH AND ENERGY<br /><br />In the second half of the year, my energy level begin to fall. I was really eating very poorly and even now my brain is somewhat in a fog. So I've made a lifestyle change in my diet. Basically I eat whatever I want in moderation, but mostly I'm eating whole foods and less processed carbs. I'm also trying to get some cardio in everyday, either jogging or Wii Zumba and also some strength training. I can't say I'm losing much weight, but I hope I will gain more muscle, endurance and energy. Life is all about energy, right?Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-27381336133630740042010-12-26T12:16:00.000-08:002010-12-26T12:25:26.338-08:00Here comes the bride and groom<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ViLBAwFc_Gq6qHyZ2b0xauRpFQj1Ebhs4qWx5Lesva0jIaebhGWXTBSgKCyAReo-KMnMzyWhPZih1PggAhU0BLwtAH0fhFHxh6luEkJWNaQHe97dgSTGK3Btt49KuYtctxkgqrAlRcSD/s1600/Wedding+Dolls2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 386px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ViLBAwFc_Gq6qHyZ2b0xauRpFQj1Ebhs4qWx5Lesva0jIaebhGWXTBSgKCyAReo-KMnMzyWhPZih1PggAhU0BLwtAH0fhFHxh6luEkJWNaQHe97dgSTGK3Btt49KuYtctxkgqrAlRcSD/s400/Wedding+Dolls2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555089434150741602" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluuvufeudvWcKlOH8uQBlPu-XE2hl91c4HGbCH1oH7N6UPsY0fNtDFPrM2GSqPS6BWDGrnsJ4GLL-Xdx6K-uRdYzuZeg59xCSL6g5ySaEpiilaJKY6R4LqGjP70VaaYz2WqGy3L6R0PEd/s1600/Wedding+dolls1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluuvufeudvWcKlOH8uQBlPu-XE2hl91c4HGbCH1oH7N6UPsY0fNtDFPrM2GSqPS6BWDGrnsJ4GLL-Xdx6K-uRdYzuZeg59xCSL6g5ySaEpiilaJKY6R4LqGjP70VaaYz2WqGy3L6R0PEd/s400/Wedding+dolls1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555089431831785298" /></a><br /><br />My cousin asked me to make some wedding dolls as a gift for a friend who has getting married. Immediately I thought about using lace for the wedding gown. I was pretty excited to get started, and luckily, everything fell into place in this project.<br /><br />Everytime I attempt something new, I never really know how it's going to come out. Sometimes it surprises me what can happen when you put yarn and embellishments together. This was one of those times and I got to try something new with lace and paper flowers. <br /><br />And I just had to take this picture of the groom after the wedding... Too much champagne?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPh0ciLNCvxGEX_VILKSF2_1chJHycM3o8M7Z1Z_M8y4dZ9PPeXQ4CbUo5v-6jbJCPV0bZXdaGRncM1MCWx1-X4QO9X8S2ggLU2mtHAiMCh-nB9u6jKyQy2wmHYIJY35BKM9lwVo-Zkgk/s1600/Wedding+Dolls3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPh0ciLNCvxGEX_VILKSF2_1chJHycM3o8M7Z1Z_M8y4dZ9PPeXQ4CbUo5v-6jbJCPV0bZXdaGRncM1MCWx1-X4QO9X8S2ggLU2mtHAiMCh-nB9u6jKyQy2wmHYIJY35BKM9lwVo-Zkgk/s400/Wedding+Dolls3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555089093184340658" /></a>Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-59779773197781635352010-12-19T15:58:00.000-08:002010-12-19T16:11:56.629-08:00If you love your dogs...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7306rkhsa5N62A1qZQ8Hgi9-Zgm9w9b53AiHI-nR0eGHUg6-ZWUNIKblpj6ljKeddD83Mw82CSQKSh_NNTTleKiiLT-fkltF1yp4IamKI0iJJDECbwDPAt9eJ8kvnck9783UcAfTcIH4/s1600/Sachis+Christmas+Stocking.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7306rkhsa5N62A1qZQ8Hgi9-Zgm9w9b53AiHI-nR0eGHUg6-ZWUNIKblpj6ljKeddD83Mw82CSQKSh_NNTTleKiiLT-fkltF1yp4IamKI0iJJDECbwDPAt9eJ8kvnck9783UcAfTcIH4/s400/Sachis+Christmas+Stocking.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552550036235836834" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKNtPGro2hKkLMsxUpFpawaNzrt-62UPsSEzEdUR4LKAlBPP1A4RCG33ss2ztHS0A99FJxX1kOts0AE2M4rrG0vTP6cGZd2YPVK24eDB8D8CyYaINR_lva4xWWVKK8iRCkl-EaFcnjVf6/s1600/Hana%252C+Yuki+and+Chibi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKNtPGro2hKkLMsxUpFpawaNzrt-62UPsSEzEdUR4LKAlBPP1A4RCG33ss2ztHS0A99FJxX1kOts0AE2M4rrG0vTP6cGZd2YPVK24eDB8D8CyYaINR_lva4xWWVKK8iRCkl-EaFcnjVf6/s400/Hana%252C+Yuki+and+Chibi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552550034697935010" /></a><br />My friend wanted a Christmas stocking made for her sister. I suggested we put on them little puppy heads that looked like her 3 dogs, Yuki, Hana and Chibi. They are yorkie, maltese and morkie dogs.<br /><br />I've never made a Christmas stocking, so now was the time to learn. I used a Lion Brand pattern that I modified to size and improvised the doggy heads. The stocking needed some color so I embellished it with holly leaves and used felt balls for the holly. (Finally, I found a use for the felt balls I purchased).<br /><br />I'm giving it to her tomorrow, so hope she likes it...Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-36963680006264842542010-12-16T08:56:00.000-08:002010-12-16T09:25:30.310-08:00A reason for everything...<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28vhXX0GI3YJcmbCSVdpLwVvFWkzfoPOsTlx289wnqAaSW_c8r_U5ch4VpcOmvpHllvYcbCyinvCsf8uCqx83eKnc9BCnObNH3FNKnUhbDz4JyA2SFq1dPbiz58Ll9uzOPeIs6uRv9WsA/s1600/Orange+Sam4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551331072168476082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28vhXX0GI3YJcmbCSVdpLwVvFWkzfoPOsTlx289wnqAaSW_c8r_U5ch4VpcOmvpHllvYcbCyinvCsf8uCqx83eKnc9BCnObNH3FNKnUhbDz4JyA2SFq1dPbiz58Ll9uzOPeIs6uRv9WsA/s400/Orange+Sam4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4wG_hefpqr-8a8KIQLoVuZxaCFrbytT7Vujf9A7EkYW3LeLqu1ypsXmH-iGQYzWF7qV0PXNxKu5rikTFhYTBFFbKjof7AOGY6XEHW2KbQV_CA603IfXvqHyX1QT-ABUH9zOGc1ba4RqA/s1600/Orange+Sam2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551331240541278338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4wG_hefpqr-8a8KIQLoVuZxaCFrbytT7Vujf9A7EkYW3LeLqu1ypsXmH-iGQYzWF7qV0PXNxKu5rikTFhYTBFFbKjof7AOGY6XEHW2KbQV_CA603IfXvqHyX1QT-ABUH9zOGc1ba4RqA/s400/Orange+Sam2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>A few days ago, I received a request from a customer to make a cat for her daughter. She wanted it to look like their orange cat "Sam". We discussed it a bit and she sent me photos of Sam, who I fell in love with at first sight. She needed a bigger size than I was used to making so I played with my yarn and made a few prototypes until I thought it was just right. I was excited about my "ball of fury Sam" and posted it on Etsy for her to purchase. Unfortunately, my customer decided to give the assignment to someone else who could make a bigger, more life like cat for less money. I was dissappointed to say the least, but I wished her well and took Sam with me to my mom's bowling league where someone purchased her on the spot!<br /><br />Every time I work on a special request, it's challenging and time consuming but I usually learn something from the process of being pushed beyond my boundaries. I have been thinking about writing up a new pattern, and I think Sam will be perfect for the project. So now I'm off to making more of Sam's litter mates for the pattern photos. Oh, I think I'll make a black cat, and a grey cat and a calico and.... Oh how fun!<br /><br />Always look for the silver lining in every situation! :D</div></div>Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-9850868299189936712010-11-26T14:54:00.000-08:002010-11-26T15:03:33.718-08:00Keep those hands clean!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFhUuL0I6an8vpgwYrtfj7LWuyLDVrC3a56d-rCgh4NyO6Wf6jEC4iK95t0YMM6jDhRy-CFekVHypLX_jiHAcTkV3wlAo-F6RRGz33kcdg7Y8Wfxvy_vxWrIXguWtgs3kW3H2s5DTuf_O/s1600/Yellow+Purell+Holder+cropped.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 385px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGFhUuL0I6an8vpgwYrtfj7LWuyLDVrC3a56d-rCgh4NyO6Wf6jEC4iK95t0YMM6jDhRy-CFekVHypLX_jiHAcTkV3wlAo-F6RRGz33kcdg7Y8Wfxvy_vxWrIXguWtgs3kW3H2s5DTuf_O/s400/Yellow+Purell+Holder+cropped.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543997648161610242" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4OaJsrpuB9igz4xKP1MzzE0bAzR7e7qWpJioqEWAWFlKOp8Z_mN4hXXJf8OaPHT0OcB2klYkrqO5zkvk4gzvYynBSY3fsgCIYD_OXxQ80EjUCMLiiXaYoiX7RJRr5bqZlGDz3XQi5S1V/s1600/Purell+Holders.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4OaJsrpuB9igz4xKP1MzzE0bAzR7e7qWpJioqEWAWFlKOp8Z_mN4hXXJf8OaPHT0OcB2klYkrqO5zkvk4gzvYynBSY3fsgCIYD_OXxQ80EjUCMLiiXaYoiX7RJRr5bqZlGDz3XQi5S1V/s400/Purell+Holders.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543997477362187378" /></a><br />These little purses hold travel size bottles of hand sanitizer. They look simple enough, but it took me many prototypes to come up with this idea. First of all, a friend put a bug in my ear that it would be nice to have a holder for her Purell because she keeps losing it in the bottom of her purse. So I decided to take on the challenge. I had a hard time finding little bottles of Purell around here so I had to buy a case of them online. Next, I played around with different shapes for the holder and decided to make it so that the bottle could be used without removing it from it's holder. I liked the look of these "mini purses" and embellished them with sequin and ribbon flowers. What do you think? Are they cute?Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-45794879586578111602010-10-01T08:10:00.000-07:002010-10-01T08:31:15.932-07:00Eddie and Gertie<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHunHyzZag9EkhiQpHfmaVYPxQm87KQf57t_c3_nKI-ihaX7BePOuZrJnCihaYDggqf7VRB9dcDIHLw3Rp6I_hvxq5msRSK1HRXTr0mlMmpxWkBKEmsiqNgZaAtvO4G2KghjOGSE0IsMoh/s1600/Eddie+sees+Gertie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHunHyzZag9EkhiQpHfmaVYPxQm87KQf57t_c3_nKI-ihaX7BePOuZrJnCihaYDggqf7VRB9dcDIHLw3Rp6I_hvxq5msRSK1HRXTr0mlMmpxWkBKEmsiqNgZaAtvO4G2KghjOGSE0IsMoh/s400/Eddie+sees+Gertie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523100081500372946" /></a><br />A few months ago, my husband noticed a stray cat drinking water out of the gutter. Well, that was totally unacceptable, so we started to feed her. She was small, so small, we thought she was a kitten. We feared she was being pursued by neighboring tomcats so we trapped her and had her spayed. We found out she was not a kitten, but a full grown cat and we named her "Gertie". We took care of her in our spare bathroom for a few days, and then released her back outside hoping she would stay with us as an outdoor cat. We were so sad when she did not come back the next day, or the next and as the days went by, I walked the neighborhood looking for her. Then almost a month later, she shows up at our front door! How can a stray cat make you so worried and happy?<br /><br />Now Gertie is staying with us and she is loving her 3 meals a day of Fancy Feast. We have 2 cats indoors and our male, "Eddie" has taken a liking to Gertie from the beginning. He hates the territorial tom cats that come by and will alert us when he sees them. Eddie takes his job seriously, watching over Gertie's safety day and night.<br /><br />They have recently created a bond together pawing at each other through the glass patio window. Sometimes I see them lying across from each other looking at each other through the window. <br /><br />Gertie seems too feral to come indoors and we worry that our other cat will not be happy sharing her attention, so we try to make Gertie as comfortable as possible outdoors. We are enjoying her company so much!Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-50361589971262952712010-08-09T18:15:00.000-07:002010-08-09T18:22:29.082-07:00Scappy Cats<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AW-EbXrqBVs_ikYmLY4ZzRZ_OTGlsJXiCdjyQ89TkTe2COzo3MytvRWPeANjwFU7S3Rk0mwVblUx_q1KVwutXbp8J4Z1w4IeeRkB33UCSzIvu9q5jVi-D_Au7XPtMRCS1N_Y1cfg5uW4/s1600/Spicy1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AW-EbXrqBVs_ikYmLY4ZzRZ_OTGlsJXiCdjyQ89TkTe2COzo3MytvRWPeANjwFU7S3Rk0mwVblUx_q1KVwutXbp8J4Z1w4IeeRkB33UCSzIvu9q5jVi-D_Au7XPtMRCS1N_Y1cfg5uW4/s400/Spicy1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503585260619034130" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6viqdvZ73y-v_0LYq1Tgecf8fgiirgWFtBP-qE356MxgPoXftN_cqZSl6wOVpML91bipqa_5KDr3Q4GfEruLb7h_ff9z6XEzkkzJdZx72sywIqz2GFISGgTgUjbtQUJKD89S7Vw7Bqbp/s1600/Rikki1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6viqdvZ73y-v_0LYq1Tgecf8fgiirgWFtBP-qE356MxgPoXftN_cqZSl6wOVpML91bipqa_5KDr3Q4GfEruLb7h_ff9z6XEzkkzJdZx72sywIqz2GFISGgTgUjbtQUJKD89S7Vw7Bqbp/s400/Rikki1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503585187487249410" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZa6xfYOjZzhMjFdRdwKtx8xqqabKsvUXttfs5PmucGhRJ991o8hvIA8F6OrkIlSG_-S6oQDRe_pEf_slXVNG5u9dkUXgPlsy7ADTpRoETr8l9GN_w1XWncYF3WlOLMYAiqXPKxLlCFgl/s1600/Punkie1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZa6xfYOjZzhMjFdRdwKtx8xqqabKsvUXttfs5PmucGhRJ991o8hvIA8F6OrkIlSG_-S6oQDRe_pEf_slXVNG5u9dkUXgPlsy7ADTpRoETr8l9GN_w1XWncYF3WlOLMYAiqXPKxLlCFgl/s400/Punkie1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503585052724265122" /></a><br />For some reason, I'm in the mood to make cats. But of course, I just can't make the same cats...I need to do something different. It all started when I looked into my box of yarn scraps, which you can imagine, I have a good collection. I was inspired by a chunky brown yarn speckled with orange and burgandy. From there, I decided to make some cats inspired by a yarn in my scrap box. Here they are: "Spicy", a burgandy and brown cat; "Rikki", a green and magenta cat, and "Punkie" a turquois blue jewel colored cat.Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-28814203176542506912010-08-01T15:32:00.000-07:002010-08-01T15:39:48.915-07:00The Donut Kokeshi Club<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5buM3z9G06-CnS6-vm_wCr3ztAxte8rOt5kvTPYLfGGqszz9XSOQS5VyhrUk1m9ReSNHpYamEEKWJwts9FTeN_MK6strwRVN8iCWems3_kgRrPJtbsrZrL54W6rx3RUv51hjeNaqwP8Kl/s1600/MIe4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5buM3z9G06-CnS6-vm_wCr3ztAxte8rOt5kvTPYLfGGqszz9XSOQS5VyhrUk1m9ReSNHpYamEEKWJwts9FTeN_MK6strwRVN8iCWems3_kgRrPJtbsrZrL54W6rx3RUv51hjeNaqwP8Kl/s400/MIe4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500574369887835058" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis614Tar9O76mc17ETxkDrIKtydJipolLfHicnAFJAN5wZlJddwGUbmOplc759LnYSc3VIC8fbsS9jpxfEwgwLOuRAjeMvI0r_R_1OG8m0e1SG0bhByKTIC9qGTm0nkozE2GXW7bnI_FRG/s1600/CupcakeNami5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis614Tar9O76mc17ETxkDrIKtydJipolLfHicnAFJAN5wZlJddwGUbmOplc759LnYSc3VIC8fbsS9jpxfEwgwLOuRAjeMvI0r_R_1OG8m0e1SG0bhByKTIC9qGTm0nkozE2GXW7bnI_FRG/s400/CupcakeNami5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500574264432652274" /></a><br />Well you see, there's this girl named Mie, and one day while shopping in Shibuya, she found this cool donut thing and thought she'd wear it in her hair. The next day at school, her friends saw it and thought it was "kakoii" (cool) and so they all started to wear them. This was the start of the "Donut Kokeshi Club". And then, there is this girl named Nami who decided to wear a cupcake dress. These crazy girls!Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-39158769214420929642010-07-24T07:19:00.000-07:002010-07-24T07:34:06.056-07:00"Ni Hao!" Kai Lan...With Headphones?<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVAieQm4kMBT_H1qGR_KQHQXVbRUHgUs0YNfrjgvOPAFXYJiJ4i6V9ta208iQG-bePLHHvkAZ6SjIagDbaN-unrIKrZKMSqNRmC7ySZxU9hMzSXTCbNXYclPe0aQcM8f9Q4Vlc7CFaOTT/s1600/Kai+Lan+Earphones1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497479137335850370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVAieQm4kMBT_H1qGR_KQHQXVbRUHgUs0YNfrjgvOPAFXYJiJ4i6V9ta208iQG-bePLHHvkAZ6SjIagDbaN-unrIKrZKMSqNRmC7ySZxU9hMzSXTCbNXYclPe0aQcM8f9Q4Vlc7CFaOTT/s400/Kai+Lan+Earphones1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw15jvFtjM1Q9X_RgZZta1e_QM5Iy4CiooDc9zIS4Gn0qcLndSYsQxep1V_Ex8mqmnolo0L6HMlXq6aSQ5rdsJO6YmnFiJoUC7eFEg1eTAqXHI5jTZjOYKsk_oqUxSWTPFo0wBIHEpW1es/s1600/Kai+Lan+Side.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497479390053163842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw15jvFtjM1Q9X_RgZZta1e_QM5Iy4CiooDc9zIS4Gn0qcLndSYsQxep1V_Ex8mqmnolo0L6HMlXq6aSQ5rdsJO6YmnFiJoUC7eFEg1eTAqXHI5jTZjOYKsk_oqUxSWTPFo0wBIHEpW1es/s400/Kai+Lan+Side.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>This was another special request from one of my best customers. She asked me to make a Ni Hao Kai Lan doll with some removeable headphones. I thought she was a bit nuts (in a cute way), but this is the result. I'm quite proud because she is completely improvised. HOWEVER, I should have written down how I made her because after some people saw her, I ended up with orders for 3 more! Sheesh. She is about 8 inches tall and wide.<br /><br />Later, I was making more kokeshi dolls and decided to give them the Kai Lan hair style: </div></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-va9C47wb_Wo7rd8M6kSj-0p7drnKcFq3MojL4ySKqsnSztRz6jzo6aciYIWyzcq8TPBrib2dm7oVF-VNracM8fepZjGXiaum2rHVonw2415bI3BF8B67r7Dlk7XC2Dj4U8opSjoyxIQw/s1600/IMG_9599.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497480289702720258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-va9C47wb_Wo7rd8M6kSj-0p7drnKcFq3MojL4ySKqsnSztRz6jzo6aciYIWyzcq8TPBrib2dm7oVF-VNracM8fepZjGXiaum2rHVonw2415bI3BF8B67r7Dlk7XC2Dj4U8opSjoyxIQw/s400/IMG_9599.JPG" border="0" /></a>Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-51915582630586967582010-04-17T19:26:00.000-07:002010-04-17T19:42:01.948-07:00My First Craft Show!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhua14WH_yCixImcbwuRZv3z5i-hzX9oN-3ksFcrPaD33F4JK-UZxmyqgnMM38nBfH3cDGtYO8FVMsbUgUETzOc2ImSSDePSDqCFDjd2gZanJtd_ReHvjLVLQ3gCAP85rX8mzNvLA_IhKwM/s1600/Amigurumi+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhua14WH_yCixImcbwuRZv3z5i-hzX9oN-3ksFcrPaD33F4JK-UZxmyqgnMM38nBfH3cDGtYO8FVMsbUgUETzOc2ImSSDePSDqCFDjd2gZanJtd_ReHvjLVLQ3gCAP85rX8mzNvLA_IhKwM/s400/Amigurumi+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461301127869724274" /></a><br />Finally, I got my act together and prepared for my first craft show at the Torrance Craftsmen's Guild Spring Faire. What a lot of preparation for a one day show. It took a lot of thought to come up with a display for my "shop". I realize it is a work in progress and it will take some time before I'm happy with it. The theme is a flower garden and the centerpiece is a flower garden cart I've had in storage for a few years. It happened to be the perfect size for my little shop front. I added a garden flag sign and made a shop sign. It was a great starting point. Then I decided on the color scheme...garden green, pink and yellow. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5PRDExkVXdXpPclE3-NVen-dFpbImwDPuEHZl5o-6eZlq799fqpOK0EZcVV9njlmX26NzyDOF5zLQ52i4p1L8by3-dlrrocuQX0-LdzZwVpoLf78rpFJbOO3mTm0ttylA7KvMNev2ylb/s1600/Table+View2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5PRDExkVXdXpPclE3-NVen-dFpbImwDPuEHZl5o-6eZlq799fqpOK0EZcVV9njlmX26NzyDOF5zLQ52i4p1L8by3-dlrrocuQX0-LdzZwVpoLf78rpFJbOO3mTm0ttylA7KvMNev2ylb/s400/Table+View2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461301331760241058" /></a><br /><br />I needed something to display my items, and instead of a shelf, I found a garden fence and used it to hang things on. It worked great and was inexpensive and easy to store.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbq0YsKeVNVHfK8oc-UBSlZuJvPl_XAe7oGT9yw8hdcfU8ugSX1KDtyc7NbXwarvtKpjxy2sOKNfPhrfuGAcqBMUzleL6J49cuw2t_J_5UHFu0YlbgGkDt9nIK-ADkW0C_E3LspAGHHoW/s1600/Amigurumi+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbq0YsKeVNVHfK8oc-UBSlZuJvPl_XAe7oGT9yw8hdcfU8ugSX1KDtyc7NbXwarvtKpjxy2sOKNfPhrfuGAcqBMUzleL6J49cuw2t_J_5UHFu0YlbgGkDt9nIK-ADkW0C_E3LspAGHHoW/s400/Amigurumi+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461301827369800066" /></a><br /><br /><br />When I make amigurumi, I want to make something to make people smile, and I'd have to say I saw a lot of smiles today and received a lot of positive feedback! This makes me very happy and suddenly, all that preparation and work paid off big time!Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-7609030229905917452010-02-05T17:58:00.000-08:002010-02-05T20:54:36.473-08:00Juggling Cats<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3LakkTOri5sOpyoTFgN8NV7MM8Nk1iRjIQw2OBZeULQC0pq1bd9AScDi4n8lvdx83m3UtXyb2KUtqeAMQMmLvGqbydLYuITHLKd0QsY0Er60ZYgXEWtqTLOQCMjJd16R0lsg9x2FgGei/s1600-h/Juggling+Cats2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3LakkTOri5sOpyoTFgN8NV7MM8Nk1iRjIQw2OBZeULQC0pq1bd9AScDi4n8lvdx83m3UtXyb2KUtqeAMQMmLvGqbydLYuITHLKd0QsY0Er60ZYgXEWtqTLOQCMjJd16R0lsg9x2FgGei/s400/Juggling+Cats2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434945624706606226" /></a><br />I call these “Juggling Cats” because they are just the right size to do that. However, if you are not into juggling, add catnip to the stuffing and give it to your cat to juggle. Or, add a cord and hang them to make people smile. Make them into ornaments, a keychain, a zipper pull...<br /><br /><strong>You need:</strong><br />Lily Sugar and Cream in colors of your choice. <br />“G” crochet hook<br />Polyfiber stuffing<br />Optional craft eyes (6 mm)<br />Yarn needle<br /><br /><strong>Body: </strong> <br />Using white yarn color for face:<br />Make magic ring*, ch 1<br />Round 1: sc 6 into a magic ring, pull tight.<br />Round 2: sc 2 into each sc around (12 sc) <br /><br />Change to yarn color for body:<br />Round 3: (sc 1 into next sc, then sc 2 into next), around (18 sc)<br />Round 4: (sc 1 into next 2 sc, then sc 2 into next) around (24 sc)<br />Rounds 5 to 9: sc around (24 sc)<br /><br />If you are using plastic safety eyes, place them now. <br />Round 10: (sc 1 into next 2 sc, sc2tog) around (18)<br />Round 11 (sc 1 into next sc, sc2tog) around (12 sc)<br />Stuff with polyfiber.<br /><br />Round 12: (sc2tog) around (6 sc)<br />Join with sl st to next st. Fasten off, pull tight to close and hide yarn end.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Ear - (make 2):</strong><br />Make magic ring, ch 1<br />Round 1: 4 sc in magic ring (4 st)<br />Round 2: (sc 1 into next sc, sc 2 into next sc) twice (6 st)<br />Round 3: (sc 1 into next sc, sc 2 into next sc) three times (9 st)<br />Join with sl st to next st. Fasten off, leaving long end of yarn.<br /><br /><strong>Tail</strong><br />Ch 12<br />2 Sc into 2nd ch from hook, 2 sc into each ch until end<br />Fasten off, leaving long end of yarn.<br /><br /><strong>Assembly:</strong><br /><br />Sew ears on top of face. Sew tail on back of body. Embroider some whiskers…and play!<br /><br /><em>* Don't know how to make a magic ring? Do a search on YouTube to see a demo...</em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKE33g8pOTiUGUiTuu3f5uq3Qfg9VcAeBKse77mMjQw9J5rGjxMRZ66P2foSeGIYDZx_kzLlP1tYh5mi1N1JVFd8TfDLxj3uryZxZvtjeg6bIPLP3mVijH65BUURZ4dBTxcliQRTWzUFjh/s1600-h/Juggling+Cats1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKE33g8pOTiUGUiTuu3f5uq3Qfg9VcAeBKse77mMjQw9J5rGjxMRZ66P2foSeGIYDZx_kzLlP1tYh5mi1N1JVFd8TfDLxj3uryZxZvtjeg6bIPLP3mVijH65BUURZ4dBTxcliQRTWzUFjh/s400/Juggling+Cats1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434946011416877874" /></a>Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-28605578159187967052010-01-19T16:58:00.000-08:002010-01-19T17:06:29.997-08:00Bunny Pencil Toppers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMx0FGQzzTSOeIlUJIc7jBr0IfGnBUlM_j4eGffevOTP44sobk_PTK_q9aPVmR-V2IPbo8PT1ujwC-WZ6QwUqKQKzlkkxGkAge3jYAB-ehyeQ3dI_1Whd4eXFtissPfYU_w97wuHidOLp/s1600-h/Bunny+Standing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMx0FGQzzTSOeIlUJIc7jBr0IfGnBUlM_j4eGffevOTP44sobk_PTK_q9aPVmR-V2IPbo8PT1ujwC-WZ6QwUqKQKzlkkxGkAge3jYAB-ehyeQ3dI_1Whd4eXFtissPfYU_w97wuHidOLp/s400/Bunny+Standing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428621915403087442" /></a><br />Okay, so everyone needs one of these, right? Probably not, but they can brighten your day with their cute little faces.<br /><br />I was inspired by some plastic bunny cabochons that I have. I decided to try to crochet some bunnies in a similar shape and ended up making these pencil toppers. They turned out better than expected... <br /><br />Meanwhile, in the real world, we are getting a lot of rain this week. It's been awhile since I remember having a good rain. Usually this means my garden turns into a pond, but the rainwater really makes the plants perk up. I guess the city water has too much clorine or something in it. We are in a drought too, so the rain is much appreciated. I'm one of those people who'd rather walk in the rain without an umbrella. So I say, bring it on. I just hope it doesn't hurt the folks threatened by mudslides.Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-27945248830724192172009-12-31T09:26:00.000-08:002009-12-31T10:19:22.426-08:00Out goes 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePR_VzpkwZ9ZthPSZtYXmA6zcmOO2JFHA8QurLySKiXYsF6GyL5y_wacWc2Gfu8VY8ma12atWCwad-GIwtipyqZ47G29EXIZCOY6XDwyc7Lltuq80zeptwvpD6uV-vSoHr_GFQPdeaXjS/s1600-h/Contented+Cats.jpg"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePR_VzpkwZ9ZthPSZtYXmA6zcmOO2JFHA8QurLySKiXYsF6GyL5y_wacWc2Gfu8VY8ma12atWCwad-GIwtipyqZ47G29EXIZCOY6XDwyc7Lltuq80zeptwvpD6uV-vSoHr_GFQPdeaXjS/s400/Contented+Cats.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421462915286275842" /></a><br /><br /><center>"It's a rare moment when the mature princess allows the restless youngster to get his paws on her..."<br /></center><br /><br /><br />Another year goes by. A time to reflect on the past year. How fast time flies...<br /><br />DUSTY AND EDDIE<br />Eddie's been with us a year now and it's changed our lives. We have a feeding issue...uh hum! Eddie wants to eat all the time, so food can't be left out. But Dusty is a grazer and likes to eat a bite here and there. This means I am constantly sneaking food to Dusty throughout the day (it seems like she wants to eat every 15 minutes!) and on top of that, I get up at 4 AM every morning to make them their breakfast. I have no choice since something is pawing my face and pulling my hair. <br /><br />CRAFTS AND MORE<br />I opened a new shop on Etsy. It's my "golf stuff" shop called Teeball where I sell my fun and funky golf gifts. It's been a slow start, but I can't complain. Hopefully more golfers will start finding my shop. Surprisingly, my Mutts amigurumi shop does better and much of my business goes to people outside the US. I've met so many nice people through Etsy!<br /><br />I joined our local craftsmen's guild. They have a crafts fair in spring and fall. I didn't have enough inventory to participate in the fall fair, so right now I'm trying to stock up for the spring fair. <br /><br />I can see that crafters are doing this for the love of crafting. They couldn't possibly do this for a living, especially in this economy. So my motto is to pace myself, enjoy the moment and make things with care and pride. Hopefully, I can break even! This year I spent more than I made. I have a habit of buying things I MIGHT need someday just because it's on sale. This puts a strain on my bottom line, but now I have enough stock to last oh, 10 or 20 years...<br /><br />WII Love LEGO<br />My husband and I are spending our "quality time" playing Wii games almost every night. We just love Wii Lego games because we can both play and work together smashing everything in sight to complete our mission. It's relaxing, very funny and makes you think too. And, if we disagree we can always smash, shoot or punch each other. We've played Indiana Jones, Star Wars and now Batman. Another game we completed this year was "Mini Ninjas". It's not multiplayer, but it's very cute and the art work is a joy to see and the Japanese taiko background music is wonderful.<br /><br />SWEET PEA FARM<br />I'm still farming and delivering veggies, but have scaled the business down since I've been focused on building up my craft hobby. Things at the farm are in the groove for me although I still have to work with and around Mother Nature. I had a bad spell with Harlequin bugs this year and they wiped out my Sept and Oct plantings. It still surprises me how good it feels to be out in the garden. Something happens to you and you just feel so great that you want to stay out all day.<br /><br />TENNIS AND GOLF<br />:( I had a horrible tennis season this year. Oh well, it had to happen sometime. I played for my old team who were short on players and didn't do anything at all to help them out. But, I really did enjoy being with the team again and also seeing all my friends from other teams. Golf? I think I played once this year.<br /><br />I FEEL GREAT!!!<br />This year I really stuggled with fatigue. I realize now that life revolves around energy. With no energy, you just don't feel like doing much. I saw the doctor and made some changes and dang! I've got to say that right now I feel better than I have in years! This is so, so, so great that I can do more than one thing in a day. Now, wouldn't it be nice to have more time in a day? <br /><br />Okay! Now onwards to a great 2010!<br />Happy New Year!Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-5010044765938851682009-11-21T11:01:00.000-08:002009-11-22T19:38:26.497-08:00Mutts and Alley Cats Donation 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7reMoDsPXAzJO9JKcZfObDvh1f-1ofTQsgh134MQ5nihEjc6A8lAiq3xyr32NLXqJbVem28Fgl8r82ny3gyaRjq_fUzYq_M5G5KlzJdpdmFuf64nYI6kftii-c0-QtQ5sfm76Qr5_visK/s1600/TLC+Donation+2009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7reMoDsPXAzJO9JKcZfObDvh1f-1ofTQsgh134MQ5nihEjc6A8lAiq3xyr32NLXqJbVem28Fgl8r82ny3gyaRjq_fUzYq_M5G5KlzJdpdmFuf64nYI6kftii-c0-QtQ5sfm76Qr5_visK/s400/TLC+Donation+2009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406636748894937986" /></a><br />It's the holiday season again. How quickly it rolls around. The weather is getting frosty and I worry about the homeless pets outside in the cold. Last year, several of my mutts and alley cats made some money to be donated to the Best Friends Animal Society. This year, some of them went to the TLC pet adoption here in Southern Cal. I adopted three precious cats from them over the years and met a wonderful lady named Lisa. She saved our Eddie and fostered him and has been a wonderful contact. Lisa is also a veterinarian and I keep her updated on Eddie. She is truly concerned about saving cats and I can tell she loves them all. I hope the donated mutts and alley cats help them raise some money to help many more.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDU_tVJD4mvTnR94yC897sy42dptvN_oICkFMrlC6Ga5IoDzLZziev-chXaMhm1JXqfvcwWCobTEkYfUSIB9eqq0jOOj9UoDV4WJo1YiTVLHvAXIVMxr-MfgEB_ctAzqCIhElFSqB-WIWt/s1600/IMG_7749.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDU_tVJD4mvTnR94yC897sy42dptvN_oICkFMrlC6Ga5IoDzLZziev-chXaMhm1JXqfvcwWCobTEkYfUSIB9eqq0jOOj9UoDV4WJo1YiTVLHvAXIVMxr-MfgEB_ctAzqCIhElFSqB-WIWt/s400/IMG_7749.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406637289863701858" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3zUCQtuZkttxEGVX3qoAu2pMvcapSLKPwVMIgNJRJ0zuap4Ivfek3i8_WHR1mPrvlr1QQR63ZjVTuOTwY8J_mxtdfq6eIUJNuS87t1HgB4aMR7vV_-q7J6ovXCWfxVDwYDexOBPYqAji/s1600/IMG_7747.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3zUCQtuZkttxEGVX3qoAu2pMvcapSLKPwVMIgNJRJ0zuap4Ivfek3i8_WHR1mPrvlr1QQR63ZjVTuOTwY8J_mxtdfq6eIUJNuS87t1HgB4aMR7vV_-q7J6ovXCWfxVDwYDexOBPYqAji/s400/IMG_7747.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406637192301683746" /></a>Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-27549172651610128962009-10-24T13:54:00.000-07:002009-11-22T19:39:50.560-08:00GoLf HeAd CoVeRs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcduu_2xtzwFKB450o6gK4uyPEZnomCv9FvUXxTfpC1IPldrEKF3zvuLzGq0vgIXcMh8hyphenhyphenKCxFO38oH3hD97OpnFbixSrgAB6ydiY9AIoPBFEkbUQgTImIfZ2341pc555bTRsrSLI3Oncd/s1600-h/Kokeshi+Series.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcduu_2xtzwFKB450o6gK4uyPEZnomCv9FvUXxTfpC1IPldrEKF3zvuLzGq0vgIXcMh8hyphenhyphenKCxFO38oH3hD97OpnFbixSrgAB6ydiY9AIoPBFEkbUQgTImIfZ2341pc555bTRsrSLI3Oncd/s400/Kokeshi+Series.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396273646368874674" /></a><br />I've been racking my brain to come up with fun and funky designs for some golf head covers. After all, there needs to be more FUN playing golf, don't you think? So, here are some of the head covers I've come up with this month. No, they are not selling like hotcakes...but I hope some people will find my shop on Etsy and start thinking about the holidays. I quarantee you won't find anyone else with head covers like these...<br /><br />The series above is my "Kokeshi Series". I guess I got the idea from making all those amigurumi kokeshis last month. I had these gorgeous J fabric fat quarters in my stash and am thrilled to find a use for them. I like how these came out. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjki7-iDGNIH7u6DkvODq5vyupQO_0kS_UT19t81UwQ4o0EOqLRZIQN6lFfgq3YxqiODCat7NAvkUAZkfDoSzsNDljME15lqv0Z_1mWtQDIyqTuZRI0nmETg7X3j3Nf_PeSW_Trh52nk1Sw/s1600-h/Cactus+Series+Head+Covers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjki7-iDGNIH7u6DkvODq5vyupQO_0kS_UT19t81UwQ4o0EOqLRZIQN6lFfgq3YxqiODCat7NAvkUAZkfDoSzsNDljME15lqv0Z_1mWtQDIyqTuZRI0nmETg7X3j3Nf_PeSW_Trh52nk1Sw/s400/Cactus+Series+Head+Covers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396274203235414850" /></a><br /><br />This is my "Cactus" series head covers. They are topstitched with zigzag stitch to give it that ribbed cactus look and embellished with a rough cut funky shaped flower and topped with a selected button (again from the old stash). <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD06hJ1nvgZ671JNjOSVL4_5WA3J_AsD9YHf4m5WZ9oAMN02_ce54x71v4NlwiHahwzQ1HStDv5p5TcwkDGy3PMnvBZ9xk3yWNkVF2zFM9i59lBFS0TxQv3ZL5DVl8hKjuLY053StdJVKr/s1600-h/Bird+Series2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD06hJ1nvgZ671JNjOSVL4_5WA3J_AsD9YHf4m5WZ9oAMN02_ce54x71v4NlwiHahwzQ1HStDv5p5TcwkDGy3PMnvBZ9xk3yWNkVF2zFM9i59lBFS0TxQv3ZL5DVl8hKjuLY053StdJVKr/s400/Bird+Series2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396274879126939634" /></a><br /><br />This is my "Birdie" series of head covers. They were fun to make and I love working with fleece. It's so easy to sew, feels soft and cuddly and now comes in so many designs.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKl1lxC47MxdjJTw4RpUqvOC0co-TvVCEFIzP_RlYaYSIwCaIYwltrFqEhYaA5qikybOdQqpFqMejE48fVSmIh4IoUZVu5KZEGYp3t4-RPFnDUVAfWSWwYfFfXKLfIiWR8kagaPGELkmO/s1600-h/Plush+Art+Series+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKl1lxC47MxdjJTw4RpUqvOC0co-TvVCEFIzP_RlYaYSIwCaIYwltrFqEhYaA5qikybOdQqpFqMejE48fVSmIh4IoUZVu5KZEGYp3t4-RPFnDUVAfWSWwYfFfXKLfIiWR8kagaPGELkmO/s400/Plush+Art+Series+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396275299660528194" /></a><br /><br />And lastly, this is my "Art" series of funky animals. A shocking pink cat, a hooty eye owl and a camoflauge monkey.Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-24354246418543025862009-09-18T21:22:00.000-07:002009-09-18T21:37:50.702-07:00Kokeshi Kokeshi and More Kokeshi<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKt30cVHSyIwLCVRU-ogbcoefWGZMJEdaXHW7hcQQO8OB8Oomu6xal4oX2_8dv0Q7dOrDKrUxUNcO6-LFsiyvpWgLpmULdtskm-UwC_IP9xo3LDd2KnzPKuT6Bdze6dPd8TsDQGovWj5F5/s1600-h/Kokeshi+Group.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKt30cVHSyIwLCVRU-ogbcoefWGZMJEdaXHW7hcQQO8OB8Oomu6xal4oX2_8dv0Q7dOrDKrUxUNcO6-LFsiyvpWgLpmULdtskm-UwC_IP9xo3LDd2KnzPKuT6Bdze6dPd8TsDQGovWj5F5/s400/Kokeshi+Group.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383031314520309106" /></a><br />I've been meaning to post this a month ago... Time just jets on by...<br /><br />I needed to put together some items for a local craft show in November. I think the audience for this event will be mostly Asian, so I decided to make some kokeshi amigurumi. Kokeshi dolls are traditional Japanese dolls usually made out of wood in a simple cylinder shape with a round ball head. Ah, perfect for amigurumi. I made some traditional geisha type ladies and then spun off into other areas, like China dolls, ninjas and even fishermen. Check these out:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7znDecPqDKJAAvJsuV-0qX_7xkDaz9v7V58gSCutD_v0g04St6Wkmbe9gG1OgdDo94EFUFT_ZgecQg-Z8DM9z6jaF3a7eBmsQM-o3mPepUaQsIy25qc6bB9btHX7yJyviDWkUsSA7Cz6/s1600-h/Girls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7znDecPqDKJAAvJsuV-0qX_7xkDaz9v7V58gSCutD_v0g04St6Wkmbe9gG1OgdDo94EFUFT_ZgecQg-Z8DM9z6jaF3a7eBmsQM-o3mPepUaQsIy25qc6bB9btHX7yJyviDWkUsSA7Cz6/s400/Girls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383031597435101010" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZm_tdQrRN0g1OxApRJbpHQ74ZAlONDhlnyFVle7QI4xtMpqeVRV_sQq5ZeRRqOlFLsgfnW8HVvEtwNIe_gzocjOl6XbUC1NY61Qky1LfTXSeUc5XAtnFL6kTBTHEktXZBu6uHDt8tkQ18/s1600-h/Pinks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZm_tdQrRN0g1OxApRJbpHQ74ZAlONDhlnyFVle7QI4xtMpqeVRV_sQq5ZeRRqOlFLsgfnW8HVvEtwNIe_gzocjOl6XbUC1NY61Qky1LfTXSeUc5XAtnFL6kTBTHEktXZBu6uHDt8tkQ18/s400/Pinks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383031746670769890" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLF7PtGfq0bRLw2SqT3cnUAP4AA9-7jDU9IPpMKD_Bv1beSF9uMo-DY3AHwvra9HiBR4NBeHdSrAgRXqm6tZTMyev173hO0l_864OAqmoPX218FP6CDqWz5tcuw0r9fUjwU_jIm2piz9AD/s1600-h/Warriors.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLF7PtGfq0bRLw2SqT3cnUAP4AA9-7jDU9IPpMKD_Bv1beSF9uMo-DY3AHwvra9HiBR4NBeHdSrAgRXqm6tZTMyev173hO0l_864OAqmoPX218FP6CDqWz5tcuw0r9fUjwU_jIm2piz9AD/s400/Warriors.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383031890800442434" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBosLEIYgBcl0CCGlCKq971mG5gf71izJP_AkW0pga-kgbuYYzdScnsvOC-Ntqu56H5GmpldkOHKda9R0iVQ2-zAQXba_j6LGJmTxsS1NdAxtlZwxxTL18vVyMj8aeKCo2GQwDnp3nXWw/s1600-h/Fisherman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBosLEIYgBcl0CCGlCKq971mG5gf71izJP_AkW0pga-kgbuYYzdScnsvOC-Ntqu56H5GmpldkOHKda9R0iVQ2-zAQXba_j6LGJmTxsS1NdAxtlZwxxTL18vVyMj8aeKCo2GQwDnp3nXWw/s400/Fisherman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383032038641614322" /></a><br /><br />These are the first 10 I made, and there are 10 more I haven't photographed yet. Hope they like them!Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-12650169902362245432009-07-16T09:06:00.000-07:002009-07-16T09:21:05.656-07:00Watermelon Turtle and Flower Garden Turtle<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwKscwoHNfEKKpOWwfrILWS07V-uK4wxDX4thY-Z4L2JgeWDMbklrxd6dZkbup7CRCCp__wM5qfkzR5pOd25uuU36bCXRfd_31_xJw_nofF6BqsCORqnKKJEhC56CrMUJW-4SZAetvuBZ/s1600-h/Watermelon+Turtle1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359091538461354386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwKscwoHNfEKKpOWwfrILWS07V-uK4wxDX4thY-Z4L2JgeWDMbklrxd6dZkbup7CRCCp__wM5qfkzR5pOd25uuU36bCXRfd_31_xJw_nofF6BqsCORqnKKJEhC56CrMUJW-4SZAetvuBZ/s400/Watermelon+Turtle1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I finally got around to making this "Watermelon Turtle". The idea was swimming around in my brain and I finally got it made. I used cotton yarn for the shell and a bright green acrylic for the body. The "seeds" are made with French knots. I think he looks delicious! </div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFAgXsBTAF6C8X228aoFoAZcbMjFBeaq2D5QjAaSKWe_SeJgrjt230A0Z-hB1LSrrqlDDhwAadoDfXv8vvtDV0-hLEid44z1YLYTX0BjUW8j5Xd2R81TYVOBy6bp3lFF0Yr6861S5MHB2/s1600-h/Simone1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359092339141103122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYFAgXsBTAF6C8X228aoFoAZcbMjFBeaq2D5QjAaSKWe_SeJgrjt230A0Z-hB1LSrrqlDDhwAadoDfXv8vvtDV0-hLEid44z1YLYTX0BjUW8j5Xd2R81TYVOBy6bp3lFF0Yr6861S5MHB2/s400/Simone1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And, this is my "Flower Garden Turtle". She's a colorful girl with daisies embroidered on the top of her shell. <br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-4058485087472570012009-07-03T07:08:00.000-07:002009-07-03T07:25:44.507-07:00Fun and Funky Golf Head Covers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittcOv17YRu49qjp3LyEU_8i6q73sqdFau8ermpcrlU6vbAYM3AiCGNCQlTk_5-4-djDjrwvby_Y3Q_24-uuEIXtZTC1qSwNzhvR4OfZl0MuQHHfkFFtkkVWMM6eUjEtdlXYKXXV-IoUbz/s1600-h/Covers1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittcOv17YRu49qjp3LyEU_8i6q73sqdFau8ermpcrlU6vbAYM3AiCGNCQlTk_5-4-djDjrwvby_Y3Q_24-uuEIXtZTC1qSwNzhvR4OfZl0MuQHHfkFFtkkVWMM6eUjEtdlXYKXXV-IoUbz/s400/Covers1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354239553434843234" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfja-WcD4rX9AAoBsWpNYPGvO8QmPSPWC__Yud_jUeIS2QNNYxJxpZloJmDALaZVO3DES7OvVrJXe-rfd8T6CoNWSHOyuSslFZpeDiVh8pwNO6PkUOVQWicJruYQS5GFK7G7hYnCrU1Hg6/s1600-h/Ninja+Series.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfja-WcD4rX9AAoBsWpNYPGvO8QmPSPWC__Yud_jUeIS2QNNYxJxpZloJmDALaZVO3DES7OvVrJXe-rfd8T6CoNWSHOyuSslFZpeDiVh8pwNO6PkUOVQWicJruYQS5GFK7G7hYnCrU1Hg6/s400/Ninja+Series.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354239804038553250" /></a><br /><br /><br />I've been wanting to make some unique, fun and funky golf head covers. So finally, I came up with a great base for the covers. The inside has a thick plush lining with an elastic band to hold the club head. The club still slides in and out easily enough that you can take it on and off while playing if that's what you do. I've been designing the outside using fleece. It is so easy to work with and the colors are vibrant. I found a skull pattern that I just love. I looked everywhere and can't find any more of it. So far, I've come up with 2 series. The first one is the contemporary series. It's a triangular shaped head in various prints. One of them was made with soft minky fabric. The second series is called "Ninja Skills". Take a look. I've got them on sale right now in my etsy shop: www.teeball.etsy.com.Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-25965501072958281712009-06-01T08:40:00.000-07:002009-06-01T08:56:01.085-07:00Mame Wanko, Little Felt Dogs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2NhheQvdXAe0zCRr9xxVBD8O2DGtbqnmNuNoQjRede3IM0rBm28e9tHkfrm1qqVNpN4jyuuHcqsdoV1VjeF_M1Sf-V3iPu1ZRme8Ia_YQqiiI7zNPWofDGFSAc7BG-CD_2Fet-mn9s_7/s1600-h/Terrier5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2NhheQvdXAe0zCRr9xxVBD8O2DGtbqnmNuNoQjRede3IM0rBm28e9tHkfrm1qqVNpN4jyuuHcqsdoV1VjeF_M1Sf-V3iPu1ZRme8Ia_YQqiiI7zNPWofDGFSAc7BG-CD_2Fet-mn9s_7/s400/Terrier5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342387790753733442" /></a><br />I found these super cute Japanese Craft Books called "Mame Wanko". They are little, tiny felt dogs and they are absolutely adorable! The dogs in the book are only about 1 1/2 inches tall. I tried making one that size, but it's really difficult to turn the fabric and stuff them, so I increased the pattern by 100% and the pups end up around 3 1/2 inches tall. Still cute and manageable. <br /><br />This is my first dog. He's a bull terrier. I just love his flat, chunky face. I hand stitched him with contrasting embroidery thread and stuffed him with polyfiber and a few black beans for weight. I named him Butch and put him in my Etsy shop. Butch is the fifth generation, meaning it took me 5 tries to get him right! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKK5qiSIgMpHMNpaV_iT4iKrWZ-fwSJBpcBzcOvWutsEzHijTMvmbexyQ4D5Ap6VVp6Qu-y3d6Aiud_pQLls_VRWVer83TJpnNM57yNBWuYh_AXiGSLf-Se1HUxWYckD0x8iCMaPlh7prs/s1600-h/Terrier2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKK5qiSIgMpHMNpaV_iT4iKrWZ-fwSJBpcBzcOvWutsEzHijTMvmbexyQ4D5Ap6VVp6Qu-y3d6Aiud_pQLls_VRWVer83TJpnNM57yNBWuYh_AXiGSLf-Se1HUxWYckD0x8iCMaPlh7prs/s400/Terrier2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342388174245693026" /></a><br /><br />Speaking of felt, I'm on an out-of-control shopping rampage. Joann's had a felt sale at 2.99 a yard, and on top of that I had a 10% off everything coupon. I bought 12 colors of felt, 1 yard each. I would have bought a yard of every color, but it was already toppling off my shopping cart and all the other people in the cutting line were giving me dirty looks for holding up the line! It was a great buy though, so there's a big pile of felt cluttering up my sewing room. On top of that, I bought some felt from the UK from Etsy. 71 colors! Also, some patterned felt coming in the mail from Joann's online...<br /><br />I can make about a million of these little felt dogs with all that felt!Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-87257754218527278502009-02-27T07:20:00.000-08:002009-02-27T07:27:32.785-08:00Golf Tee Balls are here!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCVrMKkjToQUOegnq_ISziUPYZZNdmCqvM_E-4015sHjSlXG6gICR8bdW5out3K1CvkdHJjKasOtvEgbJ2aJPV5uO1fdnyl2ivHJ2_2gcrqSZkcPMjg4mXWRlsOExdbwCxdRDu5v57mxc/s1600-h/Sock+Monkey+bag.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCVrMKkjToQUOegnq_ISziUPYZZNdmCqvM_E-4015sHjSlXG6gICR8bdW5out3K1CvkdHJjKasOtvEgbJ2aJPV5uO1fdnyl2ivHJ2_2gcrqSZkcPMjg4mXWRlsOExdbwCxdRDu5v57mxc/s400/Sock+Monkey+bag.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307498994567336866" /></a><br />I just opened a new store on Etsy to sell my golf tee balls. What are tee balls? It's a handy gadget to hold your favorite tees and it's a unique signature of your personality to boot. I've been having fun coming up with new ideas for them. I'm so excited to have sold a few sock monkeys. Yea! <br /><br />Even if golf teeballs don't improve your game, at least it might make it more fun. Since I've been making these, I even get the urge to play more golf. Which is weird for me...<br /><br />Check out my teeball store at www.teeball.etsy.comSusie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-81949786528396322482009-02-19T09:58:00.000-08:002009-02-20T07:48:25.333-08:00A Bunny For YouHere's a fast and easy crochet pattern just in time for Easter! I used Lily Sugar and Cream, but you can use whatever yarn you want. The size of the bunny depends on which yarn you choose. This one is about 3 inches tall and 1 1/2 inches wide. Enjoy!<br /><br /><em>This is a copyrighted pattern. Please do not copy or post this pattern on another site. Also, do not sell this pattern or make these items for commercial use. </em><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzi4nLkMSnHbJ1tRA76h-VefAehYFG-XJSR-V1bGXhjI9IRn2KlFR-J5naA8Bg3e-Bw8UAGO2IM_Gf2C11KXAzKGeiM1v7lEzWcCui0PAOiDEVk1q0ZaNge5dnorbijkcBEB036Erb5xl/s1600-h/Bunny.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzi4nLkMSnHbJ1tRA76h-VefAehYFG-XJSR-V1bGXhjI9IRn2KlFR-J5naA8Bg3e-Bw8UAGO2IM_Gf2C11KXAzKGeiM1v7lEzWcCui0PAOiDEVk1q0ZaNge5dnorbijkcBEB036Erb5xl/s400/Bunny.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304571693577845650" /></a><br />BUNNY<br /><br /><strong>Materials List:</strong><br />- Cotton yarn like Lily Sugar and Cream. <br />- Polyester fiberfill stuffing<br />- Embroidery floss for eyes, nose and whiskers<br />- Plastic safety craft eyes - size 9 or small buttons (optional)<br />- Yarn needle<br />- Stitch marker (I just use a small piece of contrasting yarn to mark the end of each round.)<br />- Crochet hook size “G”<br /><br /><strong>Body</strong><br />Make magic ring*, ch 1<br />Round 1: sc 6 into a magic ring, pull tight.<br />Round 2: sc 2 into each sc around (12 sc)<br />Round 3: sc 1 into next sc, then sc 2 into next, around (18 sc)<br />Rounds 4-11 (8 rounds): sc around (18sc)<br />Round 8: (sc2tog, sc) around (12 sc)<br /> If using craft eyes, insert now.<br />Stuff body with poly fiberfill. <br />Round 9: sc2tog around (6 sc)<br />Leave long yarn tail. Using a yarn needle, gather up the stitches in round 9 and pull tight to close. Weave yarn end into body.<br /><br /><strong>Ears (make 2)</strong><br />Round 1: sc 4 into a magic ring, pull tight.<br />Round 2: (sc 1 into next sc, then sc 2 into next), twice (6 sc)<br />Rounds 3-7 (5 rounds): sc around (6 sc)<br />Join with sl st to next st. Fasten off, leaving long end of yarn.<br /><br /><strong>Tail</strong><br />Use a fluffy white yarn if desired. <br />Round 1: sc 6 into a magic ring, pull tight.<br />Round 2: sc 2 into each sc around (12 sc)<br />Round 3: sc2tog around (6 sc)<br />Fasten off leaving yarn tail. Stuff very lightly into a round puff shape. Use the yarn end to gather stitches of round 3. Pull the yarn end to close the tail.<br /><br /><strong>Assembly</strong><br />Attach the ears to the top of the body. Pull the yarn end of each ear through to the bottom of the body. Tie ends of both ears together at the bottom of the body and pull up to flatten out bottom. Tie securely and weave in yarn ends. <br />Attach the tail to the back of the body.<br />Embroider eye, nose and whiskers as desired.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVUJSB7dkKbrJtTAaHFGpadmPu5CaTMebTKLvP_vBKMumpRHQ52gxOIyF9RejQVc3FcmPoxOrPHtrHjrtyu6RzVp7eSHco-F9-PemdErtNozNEiKHDYxN1MLhk4C0cBLFE2RKa_F08vyv/s1600-h/Bunny+back.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVUJSB7dkKbrJtTAaHFGpadmPu5CaTMebTKLvP_vBKMumpRHQ52gxOIyF9RejQVc3FcmPoxOrPHtrHjrtyu6RzVp7eSHco-F9-PemdErtNozNEiKHDYxN1MLhk4C0cBLFE2RKa_F08vyv/s200/Bunny+back.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304571913931703106" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbsc3i4Yln787cb_aEzyRpgqjHZ34V5DqLguujqy4TsVpVvbnQC5PvI8athYtuVM6rjDMuVGOkVYbuX-KPFTK8j0JbaPTJIw833CyNvNZYnNyIBnpFfIOHdcR8e1nNdGja8jAJ2ePvou0/s1600-h/Bunny+side.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbsc3i4Yln787cb_aEzyRpgqjHZ34V5DqLguujqy4TsVpVvbnQC5PvI8athYtuVM6rjDMuVGOkVYbuX-KPFTK8j0JbaPTJIw833CyNvNZYnNyIBnpFfIOHdcR8e1nNdGja8jAJ2ePvou0/s200/Bunny+side.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304571824866168674" /></a>Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-210840711557525242009-02-01T07:40:00.000-08:002009-02-01T07:57:01.573-08:00Felted Mutts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaNQnh7d8LQ-pbiXoWgQJsDVqsxeuv9IB7rv0NtKEaOZ0rm2dM-9Mqncnu6kdw7A1pHmWS1UaSixiKlJCW6OWxLowy_LDOku1Zr3n2ec-r8NrzNsHKtdEhC4oUVdL-30R_u41MRErwpkzn/s1600-h/IMG_4199.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaNQnh7d8LQ-pbiXoWgQJsDVqsxeuv9IB7rv0NtKEaOZ0rm2dM-9Mqncnu6kdw7A1pHmWS1UaSixiKlJCW6OWxLowy_LDOku1Zr3n2ec-r8NrzNsHKtdEhC4oUVdL-30R_u41MRErwpkzn/s400/IMG_4199.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297858116558527650" /></a><br />First of all....HELLO Susie Farmgirl, are you still farming??? I only see crochet posts!<br /><br />Yes, I'm still farming, but it's January, oops, it's already February. Where did the time go? Usually this time of year the weather is so cold that the veggies don't grow much, but stay nice and fresh in the ground. This January has been unusually warm and this week it's actually been in the 80's. The plants are very confused about what to do because the weather fluctuates so much. But that's farming...<br /><br />Right now I'm concentrating on crocheting and building up inventory in my Etsy shop. I've been having fun making different kinds of mutts and I wanted to try felting some. So, I made some up in 100% wool (Patons) and washed them in hot water in the washing machine. This makes the fibers shrink and supposedly meld together into a beautiful surface. Well, I washed one dog 3 times, and the others twice. I put them in pillow cases and washed them with some clean towels for friction. The fibers shrunk and the dogs became very soft and fluffy to the touch. They also got this forlorn look in their eyes. I didn't get the felting I was expecting, so maybe the water wasn't hot enough, or there wasn't enough friction and agitation. Here's my litter of felted mutts:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvh1Xbq5pQbBzoCu556mrbUsx0bBrGDcgxFGFNkdbHewp5rSzNYTxDUetcpTduiACWlmUjXXqzKRs3847mVdZ-Un5LlTZO6kq4joHZfcauKdfjSiaRSSCcjIxalSIOsoFM0suD9jf_Jiz/s1600-h/IMG_4106.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvh1Xbq5pQbBzoCu556mrbUsx0bBrGDcgxFGFNkdbHewp5rSzNYTxDUetcpTduiACWlmUjXXqzKRs3847mVdZ-Un5LlTZO6kq4joHZfcauKdfjSiaRSSCcjIxalSIOsoFM0suD9jf_Jiz/s400/IMG_4106.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297857719438018578" /></a>Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3786996456898361377.post-22189997144902909592008-12-31T09:50:00.000-08:002009-01-05T10:17:40.834-08:00OMG! 2008 in review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBsoXjWwKjit5JW3YmMMxuyfsyV-uCLVonzFLavJs96rfDsYJs41XDon_0ul1e4Coe129xIKQF3FNA1-2btimEUEH09Jp22e5aYkNn63aS__z320rpqtJxybnfvTEHxIL-F31UnSBvG6E/s1600-h/Eddie+in+Lion.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287874110631430546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBsoXjWwKjit5JW3YmMMxuyfsyV-uCLVonzFLavJs96rfDsYJs41XDon_0ul1e4Coe129xIKQF3FNA1-2btimEUEH09Jp22e5aYkNn63aS__z320rpqtJxybnfvTEHxIL-F31UnSBvG6E/s400/Eddie+in+Lion.jpg" border="0" /><br /></a><div align="center"> Introducing Eddie...</div><br />I just realized it's the end of the year. I'm just not paying attention to time.<br /><br />In the past, I'm usually busy cooking all day, following the Japanese tradition of having a feast on New Year's Day. This year, I haven't even thought about it. I think I better go down to the nearby Marukai and pick up some sushi and mochi. I'm really getting lazy!<br /><br />ANYWAY, here are the highlights of 2008!<br /><br />CROCHET<br />Probably the biggest change this year was that I started crocheting. I guess that doesn't sound that big, but it really spun off into new directions. I discovered amigurumi and learned to improvise my own patterns. I joined a great community of yarn crafters on Ravelry. I made a ton of mutts and alley cats and sold them to benefit animals in need at the Best Friends Animal Society. I even got my mom and her friends interested in amigurumi and she's really enjoying it. I opened up a store on etsy called "Mutts" where I'm selling my amigurumi and patterns.<br /><br />GARDENING<br />My SPF hobby business had a few new acquisitions. I finally got a new car, a Honda Element so I can actually carry more cargo. This made a big difference in my quality of life. I started a new garden at my father-in-laws house and he takes an interest in the garden and we have more bonding time. I started a worm bin in January and it’s expanded nicely. I got a food dehydrator over the summer and started drying fruits and veggies. My husband built me a new light bar for my seedlings and I’m now growing the best ones yet.<br /><br />ECONOMIC CRISIS<br />It’s been a really bad year for everyone economically, so I’m glad to have the garden to supply our veggies. Gas prices went up to $4.50 gallon over the summer, so I bought a bike and started riding as much as possible. In a few months, shockingly, gas prices fell to $1.75 in December, so the bike is gathering dust for now. We’ve been cutting expenses as much as possible. The computer doesn’t stay on all the time anymore and the air conditioner wasn’t turned on in the heat of the summer.<br /><br />TENNIS<br />I said goodbye to my tennis team. I’ve invested a lot of time to tennis over the years and I’m finding it harder and harder to stay motivated towards it. I’ve got my mind on other things right now, so I’m giving league tennis a break, although I’ll still play now and then to keep in touch with friends.<br /><br />EDDIE<br />And last, but not least, this weekend we adopted Eddie. He’s a very sweet, alert, 8 month old and we hope he’ll be a good companion for Dusty.Susie Farmgirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382215222665458475noreply@blogger.com0