More Projects!

I finished a couple more little projects this week. My friend who ordered the blue owl from me last week ordered another one, so here it is! This time she wanted an all-white one:

And here is the cross-stitch pattern I told you about last week. Over the weekend I got a frame for it at Michael's. Now it's ready to go on the wall! 

And last but not least, I made this little one-skein shrug from my handspun "Starlight Princess" yarn. It's a little shorter than I wanted, but I still love how it turned out, especially the colors! It's just perfect for sitting on your roof and shining starlight on a chilly evening. And the great thing about a one-skein project is that it was very quick to make.

Have a great week!

Assunta

Surprise! A Light Box!

This is the surprise I was hinting at a couple of weeks ago. I finally bought a light box!

With light box

It's just the most simple, tent-style version you can get, but look how much better the colors and details of this yarn look! I'm very excited for how this little investment will help my projects shine in my blog and my Etsy shop.

Without light box

And yes, I'm still working on plying my blue alpaca yarn from Tour de Fleece. I'll admit my motivation has gone down since the Tour ended, but I am happy with how it's turning out. I decided to ply two strands of the blue with one strand of silver thread. It's one of my favorite color combinations, as some of you may know.

Have a great week!

-Assunta

Mermaid Tail Baby Booties!

It's been a few weeks since I blogged! I have been taking a creative writing class for fun but it has been keeping me busy. The past couple of weekends have been packed as well, with work sending me to a lighting convention in San Diego, and my mom coming to visit me for my birthday. It was wonderful to see her, and we did lots of crocheting together, in addition to visiting all of my favorite places around Orange County! 

These little booties are my latest crochet project. They are made with the crocodile stitch. I like to think of it more as mermaid scales or flower petals, depending on the color of yarn. My niece turned one year old last week, so I sent these to her as part of her birthday gift. 

Some of my friends have expressed an interest in an adult version. They do look pretty comfy!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful May with lots of flowers (unless you are allergic)!

-Assunta

Lovely Turquoise Roses

I chose the blue rose as a symbol for my blog and Etsy shop because it struck me as the perfect symbol of imagination and dreams: something beatutiful that has not yet been made a reality. It was likely the same line of thought that made it impossible for me to resist these turquiose rose beads when I came across them at Joann's!

I made this necklace and earrings set with the advice of some crafty friends who liked the contrast between the soft turquoise color of the roses and the more industrial-looking dark metal chain and ear wires, and helped me choose that color combination.

The metal I used for this set is black nickel. If I were going to make it for someone with sensitive ears I would use sterling silver, which would still be beautiful, but not as dark.

I chose a simple, elegant clasp.

A couple weeks ago I tried to learn the art of wire wrapping with some friends. My first attempts were not as successful as I would have liked, but I plan to keep trying, so maybe we will be seeing a ring to go with this set soon! 

If you could make an make an imaginary plant a reality, what would it be? I'll be dreaming of blue and turquoise roses until next week!

Dainty Cinderella Slippers and weekly updates

Hello, dreamers! I'm still figuring out how I want to structure this blog. Until now I have just been posting finished projects in the "pages" section. I had a thought that writing regular posts on in-progress projects and recent creations would make it more fun for me as a blogger and you as readers. So, welcome to the first of the weekly updates in which I share all of the pretty and fun things I am working on or have recently finished!

Lately I have been having a great time making these miniature Cinderella-style slippers. I have a vintage mold that I inherited from my Grandmother. I crochet around it in with beautiful silver and gold thread, then add fabric stiffener to create a lasting piece. Each shoe is about 3.75'' long and 2.75'' tall.

This is the original pattern that came with the mold. I developed the more solid pattern above. 

The sandals are also from a pattern. These shoes would make great holiday ornaments, party favors, or gift box toppers! I wish I could magically make them grow bigger so I could wear them! 

And here are the gold versions of each style. I'm planning on getting more creative with the styles and colors, so stay tuned!

I will probably keep making shoes in new colors and styles until I run out of ideas or get tired of them. Right now I am working on a pair of ruby slippers inspired by the Wizard of Oz! They will be up on the blog by next Wednesday. Also, if anyone has any particular styles they would like to see, comment and let me know!

Until then, keep imagining!