Today is/was my late husband's birthday. It is still a day to celebrate because he did exist and made a difference in this world.  He was the father of three and as long as we are still alive he will be remembered.

He is deeply missed every single day. It's been two years and nine months since he died.

These puzzle blanks were decorated and needed a container of sorts so I went into the studio to brainstorm.

After awhile I came up with these small fleece pouches sewn from leftover squares.  A coworker made no-sew fleece pillows for friends and gave me the leftover corner squares. I used shoestrings for the ties and it worked out perfectly.

The way things work out constantly surprises me.  The coworker gave me 16 squares and I needed exactly 8 pouches. Awesome! 

Using a serger and sewing machine made this project a breeze.  I love it when everything falls into place exactly like a puzzle.

This is a free Lion Brand pattern - Tea Wrap - size K hook - unlabeled cone yarn (nylon-acrylic). Counted the beginning chains as stitches and changed the dcs to trcs. The stitch counts didn't always come out correctly so I did fudge it whenever that occurred. I ran out of the darker shade of vanilla so had to do the last section with a lighter shade.  The neckline is not completely straight so when wearing the shawl the top will fold down as pictured.

I could not decide which configuration I preferred so I took pictures of some of the combinations so I could compare. 

Basically, it's crayon art that is cut into quarters and framed. (Kind of what my brain feels like most days.)

Simple...what could go wrong?  (I do hope you understand that I'm joking. Although, on the other hand, I'm totally serious. You can only imagine what can go wrong and often times does.) 

Free pattern by Milobo - Eva's Shawl.  Size J, unlabeled cone yarn (acrylic/nylon), the border is from Doris Chan's Cocobay Shawl - All Shawl.

This deceptively simple looking birdfeeder was inspired by Pinterest. It brought two to tears of frustration as they couldn't tie the yarn onto the corners. I'm not even sure that the glued sticks can hold the weight of the birdseed.  Another annoying comment was that the birdseed wasn't the correct type for outdoor birds. What the !@#$. 

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Saw Star Trek...Into Darkness.  AWESOME! 

This is what they're putting together today for their moms.  The words are cut with the Cricut Expression 2 - Wild Card cartridge. The paper twist flower is made from a flower loom. The key ring fob is a decoupaged heart with their photo on the other side.

Simple, straight-forward...what could possibly go wrong?!

Free pattern by Milobo, Carmen's Shawl.  Size K hook, an unlabeled cone yarn (nylon/acrylic)

Size small, added length and pewter buttons.  Free pattern at Lion Brand - Cropped Raglan Sweater.   Knit Picks - Main Line - Silver Sage 10 skeins.  Size 7 needles.

I may have mentioned in a previous post that I love coloring books. Anyway, this diy coloring book project was the result of some last minute scrambling.  I turned some photos into coloring books and attached alphabet crayons to them.

I  bought the alphabet molds at Hobby Lobby. 

This out-of-focus cell phone pic shows a finished decorated drawstring backpack.