Divinely Crafty

In amongst keeping up with all that life hands us, I have managed to work on a few crafty projects. Shortly after I returned from my trip I got a custom order through my etsy shop to do some hand dyed yarn that was based on the colors in The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It was a fun order to do and I was very pleased with the results. But it really drove home the fact that even though I am feeling a bit better than I was earlier this year that I am far from ready to take on any real work. I put all the energy I had into the project and then proceeded to go to bed and not get up for several days. I am bummed about my limitations, but it was fun to do and helped me remember the thrill I get from making pretty things.

With limited budget (as in zero budget) for acquiring of new yarn for my stash, and a need for a significant but not too brain taxing project I decided to give a Log Cabin style blanket a try. It is a stash buster project using up all the odd bits and bobs left over from other projects and a few odd skeins that have been with me for way to long and needed to be used up or given away. My original intent for it was to just make something for the family. We can always use another nice warm blanket. But then I remembered that our friends are getting married in late June and it would be a perfect wedding gift for them. They are very eclectic people and it is definitely an eclectic blanket. So far it measures roughly 2ft x 2ft and I am hoping to make it no less than 4×4. I might need to raid some yarn from my shop to meet that goal but if ever there was a reason to do so, making the perfect gift for good friends is as good as it gets.

I have a few other projects that I would like to get started in the next few weeks. I had hoped to make a shrug with some nice cotton that my friend Anna gave me last year before I go to Seattle in July. I’m not sure that I will get to it by then, but it would make a good project to work on while I am there if I don’t finish it before hand. I have another project planned that I really want to get done before the end of June, but again I am not sure that it will be possible. Its another gift for another wedding and I can’t say anything more because the recipient just might be reading this blog. But if I don’t get it done before that wedding I will give my apologies and get it to them as soon as possible. Hopefully before their first anniversary!

Tags: hand dyed yarn, knitting, log cabin

Wanted to give you a heads up on a super crazy good sale I am having right now. FREE Shipping (First Class in the UK/Airmail to all other locations) on everything in my etsy shop!! That’s right – FREE! Now’s your chance to get the stuff you’ve been dreaming of without paying international shipping costs. (of course as always, any customs charges are the responsibility of the buyer). Sale will last through the month of May. I am adding new things regularly as I unearth inventory that has been packed away in boxes with our frequent moves, so be sure to pop into the shop frequently to see what delights await!

Lakshmi Mama etsy Shop

If I may be so bold as to borrow a phrase from Mark Twain, “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated!” Yes, I am alive still.  Even a bit more alive than when I last wrote.

As seems to be my pattern, I blog  fairly regularly for a time and then I disappear for a time.  I am consistent if not reliable anyway I suppose.  In keeping with my rhythm – I hereby declare that I am once again back from my short hiatus.

My time away took me half way across the world and back, and from the depths of struggle with my illness to a renewed sense of hope that there may be renewed health in my future.  Still many long and hard miles to go on my healing journey before I reach what I would call wellness, but the first crucial steps have been taken.  I will catch you up on the details as time passes, but for now just know that I now have hope that had been missing from my coping.  Hope that someday I might not need to cope with quite so much.  What a joy that would be!

For now I must attend to preparing dinner for my family.  This alone is a delight given that a few months ago I could barely get myself a bowl of cereal.  Some days it is all I can do to gather the energy to cook dinner and I am exhausted and in pain when I am done, but simply to be able to get up and do it, no matter how hard is such a gift.  So off I go to make some yummy Sweet Potato Lemongrass soup and Lime Coriander Chicken. Its not as  fancy as it sounds but it is  every bit as  delicious!

dylan earrings2

Originally uploaded by Divinely Crafty

The weeks leading up to Christmas this year were marked by one of the worst flares to date in all the years I have lived with fibromylagia.

Normally the holidays are a time of busy crafting and creating. I have always loved attending to the details that make holidays special times. Not always showy or grand, but always with heart.

This year was no exception I am glad to be able to say. I had picked up a good bit of beads and jewelry making supplies when we were in Barcelona with intentions of making more felt / glass bead pieces. I had only used a few as originally planned, and with the addition of some lovely beads my sweet Anna brought me from her time in India this summer, I had a brilliant collection to choose from for little holiday treats.

Pictured above is a pair made for my oldest daughter,Dylan. Gorgeous Indian glass rounds with Chinese medallions. May they bring her good fortune.

Next is for Kiah. A mix of Czech glass and silver. Elegant with an edge, just as she is.

Delicate stones with a touch of sparkle for Anja. Her first pair of dangly earrings. If the grin on her face when she tried them on means anything, it was a special gift for a special young girl!

All three pairs made in a quiet, stress free afternoon. I was able to sit comfortably in my bed with supplies neatly laid out before me thanks to a bit of organization that I confess is actually unusual for me. There is something about scads of tiny glass and stone bits that begs even the most die hard of mess-makers to straighten up and invest in a few fish tackle sorters. Biscuit tins make great storage for tools, wires, and such and the lids double as work surface. Complete with raised edge to prevent an errant bead from rolling off and into the sheets where it would without doubt cause a painful living interpretation of The Princess and The Pea that night.

The earrings were received with delight and I have seen them worn on many occasion. Dylan reports that her mates at school are asking about buying some if I make them to offer. Not sure what I think of that, but it could be fun. I’ll tuck that aside to consider on another day.

For now I am in the process of re-visiting crochet and the quest for the perfect string bag pattern. Wish me luck as I foray into thus avoided territory of SC, Ch St, and a host of abbreviations I have little understanding of! I will report back shortly with progress.

I hope.

Tags: beads, coping, daughters, fibromyalgia, gifts, glass, jewelry, organizing, parenting, simplicity