Crafty

Crafty blog?  What crafty blog?  If it doesn't have anything to do with fleas, it's just not on my radar today.

While I'd love to tell y'all about the sweater I just finished, I can't.  I just can't. 

I've spent the last three - or is it five?  I've lost all track of time - days obsessively cleaning my home.  My poor, sweet fur kids got fleas.  They have lumps and bumps all over their big, beautiful bodies. 

Do you want to know the kicker?  It's my fault.  Somehow, I've managed not to give them their flea medicine in...well, I can't rightly tell you how long it's been.  I just haven't thought about it.

I'm a bad mom.

So I've been spreading boric acid around my house and vacuuming it up like it's going out of style.  I've been obsessively picking these crafty little buggers out of my girls' fur and taking great delight in crushing the life out of them one by one.

I've been torturing my beloved doggies by forcing each of them into the bath - AGAIN - to eradicate the crafty bastards. 

After that, I committed the most heinous of all my crimes: I locked them in the kitchen all day while they dried off and the boric acid and I did our work.  I sprinkled the stuff around the living room after The Princess left for school, and I left it to really work its magic throughout my work day.  I then proceeded to vacuum each couch, nook and cranny again and again and again, all while they watched helplessly from the other side of the gate.

All the beefy treats and cheese slices in the world wouldn't make up for what my girls have been through in the last week.

So: crafty?  I'll give you crafty.  Each and every one of those crafty little bloodsuckers is going DOWN.  Mark my words.

'Til next time,
OCB

Bobbles and Cables Bag

Hey, y'all!

Holy poop on toast...Thanksgiving is tomorrow!  I can't believe how the time is flying.

Now, I'm assuming you are familiar with my purse obsession, especially given that about 1/2 of what I've posted on here is purses.  What you may not know is that I love big bags in funky colors.  Oranges, turquoises, hot pinks...for me, no color is taboo when it comes to purses.

Browsing through the local shops earlier this fall, I fell in love with quite a few mustard-colored leather bags.  You know, the ones that feel like butter and cost as much as a car?  Yeah.  Those.

Since I can't exactly justify spending a mortgage payment or two on a bag, I thought I'd raid the ol' stash and buy some new handles.

 

This project also helped me to begin the process of overcoming my fear of sewing.  I've never lined my bags in the past, but I think that's going to change...and soon...based on how well this one turned out.

Whaddaya think?  I may be in love.

Yarn: Caron no-dye-lot one-pound skeins in off-white and mustard yellow (100% acrylic)
Hook: Aluminum M
Handles: Nylon with braided detail from Jo-Ann
Lining: Modified standard pillowcase.  Oh, yes.  I did.
Total Project Cost (if I bought everything full-price and new): about $25-30 plus time



'Til next time,
OCB

Color Block Sweater

Ok, y'all.  This thing has been a work in progress for I-can't-tell-you-how-long.  One night last week, I decided to let it graduate to the next step: a finished project.

I saw the pattern for this sweater in Crochet Me a couple of years back and instantly fell in love.  Parts of it didn't work for me, so I tweaked and full-out changed quite a few things.  The result is this super-cozy, totally-me color block sweater:

For anyone who is interested, I made it with Caron one-pound skeins of no-dye-lot worsted weight acrylic yarn.  All of the stitching is done with an H hook, and there was a hell of a lot of sewing involved...not my favorite.  When I make my next one, I'll be modifying even further to remove that part as much as possible.

But, I gotta say, I had great timing.  The weather here is transitioning into that perfect sweater temperature, so I can see this baby getting a lot of use over the next few months.


'Til next time,
OCB

Controlled Burns

Walking through a couple of our local forest preserves last week, The Hubbs and I lucked into some interesting scenery.  Apparently, this is the time of year to do controlled burns in order to rejuvenate the landscape.

I also have to admit that I was surprised by the amount of wildlife we saw during the burn.  Here are a few of my favorite pics from the day...enjoy!

Oh, and don't forget: these are mine.  I'm very possessive, and the promise to poop on your foot if you steal them is very real.  Very real, indeed.


'Til next time,
OCB