Lemonade Crafts

HATS!!!

2009-08-23T20:22:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I was able to do any yarn-crafts. I've been sooo busy trying my hand at quilting lately, that my poor needles were neglected. I finally finished my quilt (yes, the photos are coming) and sat down this morning and made my Little One a hat for this coming winter.

She looks thrilled, doesn't she?

And no hat of mine would be complete without a flower. I like to think of it as "my trademark." That one thing I do to every hat (unless "no flower" is specifically requested, that is) that makes it a LemonADE original.

I am happy that I got to use this very light, very soft, very boy-ish blue for this hat, too. Far too often little girls are given no option but pink, and it's a shame really. My girl happens to look darling in blue...and you never know, my boy (unconfirmed) may look darling in pink!

Happy Knitting,

Sunday Photography (on Tuesday)

2009-08-18T20:13:00.002-05:00

A hummingbird moth. Caught on "film" on Sunday at my mother's birthday party. Sorry I'm two days late in posting to "Sunday Photography." I'll do better next time, I promise!

Camera: Nikon D60

Shutter Speed: 1/125

Aperature: f 8.o

Focal Length: 200mm

ISO: 200

Shoulders.

2009-08-12T13:27:00.003-05:00

I love taking photos of people's backs. I like being able to guess what their face may have looked like in the photo. Was Dayna smiling? Yelling at her nephew? Looking nervous and scared? The world will never know. The moment did not capture her face. But instead, I got the freckles on her shoulder - the ones she tries to hide. The ones that give her a unique beauty that even she does not know she posesses.

And look at the way the sun hits her here...she's glowing. The color in her hair, the way the sun hits the blonde and defines the curl. She's gorgeous, and I could take photos of her all day long.

Oh wait, I did. Congrats again, Dayna.

Be Merry-ied.

Love,
A

I Have a Nice Camera, That's All.

2009-08-07T12:14:00.003-05:00

People keep telling me that I take *insert compliment here* photos, and I keep saying that it's only because I've recently acquired a "fancy camera" as I call it. A Nikon D60 dSLR. Santa brought it to me last Christmas and I've had nothing but fun playing with it over the last 8 months.

I love the way it captures the detail on this wedding gown. This shot isn't SOOC, I've done some adjustments, but a point-and-shoot could never capture the dress this well.

And the focus! Only the rings matter in this photo. Sure, the dress is there in the background, but it's not distracting from the beauty of the rings.

And this one? Flowers and diamonds, together, in one great photo. What more could a girl ask for?

Maybe I'm wrong...maybe I do have some "skill" in the photography department. But I'm not ready to admit it yet. I'll keep blaming it on the quality of my camera until further notice.

Best,

Sunday Photography

2009-08-02T20:31:00.005-05:00

Focal Length: 55mm

ISO: 200

Aperature: 5.6

Shutter Speed: 1/60

Camera: Nikon D60

I took a photo of my girlfriend's engagement ring at her bridal shower a few weeks ago (full blog post here) This photo is one of my all time favorites. I love that the only thing in focus is the ring, and that it seems to be playing a game of "peek-a-boo." I can't even begin to explain how much I love all the bokeh in the shot...in the front, on the sides, behind. It's everywhere.

I am by no means a photographer, but I like to play around, and I love that I have friends who are willing to let me try. Thanks to all who have encouraged me, and as Miz Booshay says,

Encourage one another,

Living up to the Hype.

2009-07-18T10:52:00.004-05:00

Here you go, Rebecca. Hopefully it lives up to the hype. Elena is up, and therefore I had trouble getting a photo of the top unfolded, but this gives you a great idea what the quilt looks like.

Cheers,

In Suspense

2009-07-17T21:07:00.003-05:00

I've officially finished the back of the quilt that I'm making. I've put the batting between the layers, and pinned it. I'm about 10 minutes away from starting the quilting process. I still have no photos for you. Since I didn't see an uproar in the comments section of my last post, I'm assuming that not too many of you are that upset by this. Unless, of course Rebecca is my only reader, in which case, 100% of my readership is waiting anxiously for photos.

In any case, I'll try to take some photos tomorrow when I have the morning light to aid my camera. I have a thing about using a flash...it tends to change the colors and distort photos. I like natural sun...it really does make for the best shots. But that's another post for another time.

Cheers,
A

It's Not A Quilt Top...

2009-07-14T19:40:00.005-05:00

But it is a photo of something I made recently. And who doesn't love a good cinnamon roll?

Can't you just smell the yummy goodness? Would you like to make some, too? Well, since it is ~~the season of giving~~ Tuesday, I'll share the recipe with you wonderful, loyal, horribly quiet readers.

Follow the instructions very carefully:

1) Get in car

2) Go to grocery store, market, etc.

3) Go to the dairy aisle

4) Pick up package of Grands Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

5) Pay for item

6) Snicker at how sly you are

7) Leave store

8) Return home and bake before any family members wake up. Claim you spent hours toiling in the kitchen so that your family would have the perfect morning.

9) Revel in your craftiness, and lack of dirty dishes.

Keeping your hands soft,

Fighting for Susan

2009-07-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

Take a look at Fat Cyclist's blog here and read the story of his wife's battle with breast cancer. I clicked the link and donated a few dollars to the Lance Armstrong Foundation in their name, as it is the least I can do.

I cannot fathom Susan's courage. Her tenacity, as Elden says, or her strength. I, like the fat cyclist himself, would find new ways to complain. I, too, would make it my hobby.

And for that I am more than willing to donate some of my money to help Susan win her fight, and to help others fight their own battles, too.If you can help, great. If not, then you'll have at the very least, read an amazing story of an amazing woman and her very loving, very helpful, incredibly amazing husband. And that is a victory in itself.

As Miz Booshay says,

Encourage one another.
~A

A New Project

2009-07-08T12:15:00.003-05:00

I've started a new quilt recently and I'm excited to report that so far it's going (slowly) well. I'll put photos up soon (I swear). After viewing my friend Rebecca's finished quilt, I thought I would join the Old Red Barn Co. quilt along (after it's been finished). I went to one of my local fabric store, Fat Quarter Fabric Shop in Coon Rapids, MN and found some great fat quarters and got to work. I've cut the strips and pieced the blocks, I just have to start assembling the quilt top. Again, photos are coming, I promise.

But, since no blog post is complete without a photo of some kind, I'll leave you with a photograph of my fabulous new haircut (obtained only yesterday). It's rare that I put up gratuitous photos of myself, so I apologize for forcing you to look at my mug.

But I do thank you for doing it!

Blessings,

Behind Drawer#1

2009-07-02T19:41:00.001-05:00

Look at this photo and (besides the mess, the ridiculous amount of stuff on my counters, and horrible tile above the kitchen sink) tell me what you notice about it? Does anything look strange?

Your eyes do not deceive you my friends, there is only one drawer in my entire kitchen. A fact I failed to recognize prior to purchasing my very first home. Upon further research, I've discovered that most people don't notice my utter lack of drawer space either. This makes me feel mildly better about buying a home with a slightly defunct kitchen. As far as practicality is concerned.

I would like you, if you could, to fathom what life would be like if you had only one drawer in your own kitchen. Where would you put your plastic bags and tinfoil? Your kitchen towels? Your rolling pin? Your iPod headphones, memory cards, camera charger, spare keys, scotch tape, post-it notes? Where would you hide your (nearly) 2 year old daughter's "gockie" in a futile effort to de-pacifier her once and for all?

How would your counter breathe under all the stuff that can't go in a drawer?

Welcome to my nightmare. If and when the market turns around, DRL and I will be doing one of two things: selling this "starter home" and getting into one with at least two kitchen drawers, or remodeling this kitchen and making it larger. Much, much larger. Full of drawers. And countertops. And cabinet space.

The moral of my story? Enjoy your junk drawer. I wish I had one. It would be messy and wonderful. It would be mine, and I would love it. And I would probably hide chocolate there, which I would find and eat in moments of frustration and sadness. Moments such as this....

Now I'm hungry.

Cheers,

I Can Sew: Proof

2009-06-29T20:41:00.005-05:00

A close up of the back of the quilt. In all its crookedness.

The whole back of the quilt. I had some problems with thread tension and I got some back loops. The flaws are what give it character. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

The front of the quilt.

Update: I am currently working on the binding. I've sewn the pieces together, ironed the whole long bit of it, and have stitched it to the front of the quilt. All that remains is the hand stitching and it will be complete. So, dear handful, I'm off to sew.

G'night!

I Can Sew

2009-06-29T13:09:00.004-05:00

No, seriously, I figured out how to thread my machine, wind the bobbin, pull up the bobbin thread (thank you for your guidance Theresea), and I winged it from there. I managed to put together my quilt top, I cut and pieced the back, I basted (thanks to this tutorial) and I started quilting. My lines aren't straight. In fact, some are rather un-straight, but I like it, er, I love it that way. Looks homemade. Unprofessional. Authentic.

I love authentic.

I'll take photos tonight, I promise. I will not disappoint the five of you who come to see my crafts, no, no I won't.

And I've picked fabric for my next endeavor. Perhaps a brother and sister quilt for either my Little One and Number2, depending on gender, or my Niece and Nephew. Isn't it purty?

Dear Hormones,

2009-06-23T17:30:00.001-05:00

You suck.

Too harsh? Okay, let me put it this way. I can't handle the tears any longer. I no longer want to be the crazy woman in the CRV who randomly and without warning flips a certain finger for no other reason than another driver's failure to appropriately signal an impending turn. Or lane change. (You know who you are, other drivers. A blinker is not something to do to be courteous. And the use of one is certainly not optional). Also, dear hormones, I would like to make it through one Kare11 news extra without crying. Or ASPCA commercial. Or an episode of Cops.

I think that DRL would agree with me on this. Please leave my body. Or at least do me a solid and level yourselves out already.

Who was it that said we must embrace our raging hormones as a necessary and beautiful part of the miracle of gestation? I would like to shoot them. And then cry in their arms. Minus the shooting.

Love,

Oh, and a P.S. for you 2.5 readers out there...I, Athena Pelton, am the unluckiest person on the planet. Want proof? Over on Ree's blog, I actually managed to enter her daily trivia challenge and was the first to post the answers to the movie quotes. YES you read that right. THE FIRST to post on a quiz about MOVIE QUOTES. And wouldn't you know it, in all my (google searching) haste, I missed two. TWO. Google, your open letter is coming.

I am so ashamed.

Sewing Lessons

2009-06-22T15:43:00.002-05:00

I need them so that I can put together the squares I have completed for my first ever quilt (gasp!) I cut all the squares and pinned them last night - and worry not friends, the photographic evidence is arriving shortly. As soon as I make it home from my job-that-pays-the-bills I will be uploading photos into the computer and streaming them straight to you. And they are glorious. And as promised...here they are:

This has not even seen a stitch yet, it's just a layout. as afore mentioned, I can't figure out that pesky sewing part. And I'm kind of afraid of it.

(gratuitous photo of squares prior to assembly)

Oh, yeah...who can teach me to sew? Er, I mean, post me a video of how to thread my machine, and then make it work right? I think I can manage the straight line part. I used a sewing machine all through eigth grade, so I guess that makes me only a mild novice. The kind that breaks needles in a deeply misguided effort to thread the bobbin.

I told you I needed help.

Cheers,
A

To Do List.

2009-06-16T12:24:00.003-05:00

According to Ali, it's time to set my summer knitting goals. So here is what I want to get finished before summer's end.

1.) The dress for my Little One (see here) that I started around Thanksgiving.
2.) A newborn baby cap for good friends of mine who just became parents for the first time. I will be meeing their darling little Calvin this Saturday, so time is of the essence on this one.
3.) A winter hat for my soon-to-arrive Niece, Mackenzie. Something girly and fun.
4.) A "matching" (or coordinating, if you'd rather) hat for her brother, my nephew, Logan.
5.) A sweater or newborn sleeper for NumberTwo..set to arrive in January.
6.) A sweater for myself from the summer issue of Debbie Bliss Magazine. This will be the motivation to lose the baby wieght I am currently putting on
7.) Enough hats to sell at my work's annual Craft Fair this November. I have about 10 from last season, so I'm hoping for about 20 or so new hats.
8.) A stuffed bunny (Debbie Bliss pattern) for Number Two. Little One has a stuffed bear, so it's only fair. She also has a crocheted blanket..but Number Two is getting a quilt. We'll call it even! (And yes, that quilt is on the list...but it's not knitting...)

Holy cow, that's a big list. I'm slightly intimidated by it. And while it's supposed to be a "Summer To-Do List," realistically I'm hoping to have 1-4 done by end of summer, and the rest by November. I think I can handle that. If I give up sleeping 8 hours each night. And playing with Little One on the weekends.

And everything else.

What's your list look like?

Cheers!
A

Ragged Squares Quilt

2009-06-15T10:30:00.002-05:00

I think I have settled on a pattern for my first ever quilt. I found it here, and I think it should be relatively easy for my first try. It looks like less cutting and piecing than some of the other patterns I've seen, and I really like the finished look of it. Trouble is, I'm pretty sure I need to order more fabric!! Oh, and I still have to figure out how to work my sewing machine. I always find the most trouble in the simplest of details!

Now...here's my question: What exactly do I need to get started (other than my sewing machine, the skills required to get it working, and a plethora of desirable fabric)? Scissors? A rotary cutter? A ruler? What's the best way to cut squares? Do strips first and then make cuts to make the strip into squares?

Help?

Cheers,
A

Timeless Treasures

2009-06-08T13:46:00.009-05:00

I went to Fabric Worm on a friend's suggestion, and made my very first fabric purchase. I had seen the owl pattern before, and was ecstatic to find enough coordinating fabrics that I can actually start my *gasp* very first quilt!! Here's what I ordered....

The cream fabrics will be the front of the quilt with the brown as the back. I'm planning on using the brown flowers as the edging. Anyone have links to some patterns for me?? I'm sooooo excited!!!

Cheers,
A

Watermelon!

2009-06-04T21:40:00.007-05:00

This is my Chatterbox enjoying her first taste of watermelon. The photo is too cute not to share, and photography is turning into a great new hobby of mine, anyway. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking up a (Nikon) Digital SLR camera. If you've got little ones, these cameras are worth their weight in gold. My friend Rebecca can attest to this, too.

I think I could manage to craft a felt watermelon slice...I bet she'd love it!

Cheers,

I felt it.

2009-06-03T22:47:00.005-05:00

Well, I felt something, anyway. Okay, okay, double entendre's aside, I saw a cute felt sandwich on Esty, and though to myself, "hey, I could do that.." and so I did. Here's proof..

Carrots.

Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese, and Bun.

(I still have to make the hamburger patty. So right now, we'll call it a veggie burger!)

This was an amazingly easy craft to make. Some felt, embroidery thread, and some poly fill, and voila. I eyeballed each piece and hand stitched them. The cheese is made of two squares, the tomato is two circles, and I stitched over the top so it looks like it has sections, and the lettuce is a misshapen circle. Instead of whipstitching the edges, I used more of a gathered stitch which gave it the look of an actual lettuce edge. I had to make the top bun twice, because I didn't realize until halfway through that the top needed to be a larger circle than the underside (thus making the dome shape.) Chatterbox thinks it's the greatest toy ever. And it cost less than $7 to make. Talk about crafting on a budget.

Cheers,

As Promised...

2009-06-03T21:56:00.005-05:00

Here are the photos of the dress I've started for my little Chatterbox. I should feel accomplished that it's halfway done, but oddly enough, I don't. Maybe it's because what I have finished took me nearly six months! Oi Vey! Hopefully the second half will go much faster, or Chatterbox will be too big for it by the time it's done. Plus, I really want to try my hand a quilting, but I can only do one thing at a time, so it's further motivation to get this dress done. Debbie Bliss is an amazing designer, and if you haven't already, I highly recommend picking up one her fabulous books for baby, or checking out some patterns in her knitting magazine. I've included a photo of what the dress will look like when it's done. The color is light, so it was hard for my camera to pick up the detail, but it really is gorgeous.

And here's what I'm working toward (isn't the little bag too cute?!?)

Sorry for the small photos...you can see larger ones if you google Debbie Bliss Picot and click on images. Therefore, these photos were lifted from google.

Cheers,

WWKIP Day!

2009-06-02T09:23:00.007-05:00

What on Earth is WWKIP Day?!?!!

Don't fret, I'll explain. WWKIP is short for WorldWide Knit In Public Day, and this year it falls on Saturday, June 13th! Make sure to take some time and knit in public. Gather some friends together, go by yourself, or join me as I partake in my first ever WWKIP Day!! My favorite local yarn store, Double Ewe, is hosting a knit in public extravaganza of sorts, and I can't wait to bring the dress I started for Chatterbox back in November and finally get in some quality knitting time. It's a summer dress, out of one of my Debbie Bliss pattern books, and I'm hoping to finish it before summer's over! I'm using a fabulous bamboo/cotton blend by Knit One Crochet Two (in lilac) and it's soo soft and supple. Plus, it's actually washable, which is a must for children's knits. I'll take a photo tonight of what I have so far and upload them as soon as I get home. I have a feeling it's going to be worth all the hard work!

Cheers,
A

Welcome!

2009-05-28T14:41:00.001-05:00

I’ve been wanting to start a craft blog, and I thought I should probably get a jump on it already. It seems I've missed out on Sew Mama Sew's May Giveaway Day, so hopefully I’ll be up and running for the next exciting event. The purpose of this blog is to share my hand knits, crochets, and various other projects with the interwebs and to meet those of you who are involved in the crafting community. Either through your own handmade items, or your love of all things original. Welcome. I’m glad you came…

If you’d like to enter into some great giveaways, visit the Sew Mama Sew site, and also check in over at Craft-A-Little, that blog is run by a very close friend of mine, and her skills are quite impressive.

P.S. if you're wondering where LemonAde came from..The Ade part is my family. A for Athena, D is for my husband, and E is for my daughter.

Cheers,
A