Quick crochet coasters

Apologies for the brief break in posting. I have a little confession to make in as much as I've spent most of my blogging time recently playing with some free graphics software I found and making pretty pictures for my blog. I'm new to this sort of thing, but I'm quite proud of the results for a first attempt, although it's took me forever and I'm still not 100% happy with the results, but it's a start!

Anyway, back to the main point of this post! Earlier this month I happened upon a great guest post by LuluLoves over on Claireabelle Makes with a tutorial to make some cute crocheted coasters. At the time I was getting bored and frustrated with essay writing and revision, so I had a dig around in my craft cupboard and set to during my study breaks. A little bit of quick and easy crochet was just what I need to keep me sane, so thank you LuluLoves and Claireabellemakes!

I finished the last of the set of four last week, all bar sewing in the ends, but over the weekend I decided to make a couple more to make it a set of 6.

It's been so miserable here the last few days that it's taken me forever to get decent photos as opposed to instagram ones, but at last today the sun actually shone! I was so shocked I opened all the windows to let the fresh air in, declared it spring and then promptly sat and froze for the best part of an hour before giving in!

They were really quick and easy to make and the pattern was really easy to follow, so they'd make great gifts or just nice things to make for yourself. I can definitely see myself making them again in another colour way as presents.

Thanks again to LuluLoves and Claireabelle Makes for the tutorial!

Alex

aLittleBlonde is 1 today!

I can't believe it's been a year already! I still feel like a very new blogger, yet at the same time it feels like I've been doing it forever. I've come a very long way since my first post, but there's still a lot I've got planned over the next few months, especially once I've finished my degree and have more time on my hands.

If I'm honest I started off blogging as a form of procrastination really. I decided I quite fancied blogging and started playing around with blogger during my breaks from doing coursework. Once the coursework was handed in my first post went up and that was that. I did everything a bit back to front and inside out and started blogging before I knew much about it or had really read any craft blogs.

Now of course I am a craft blog addict, follow a couple of blogs specifically for their content about blogging and have recently read Robin Houghton's book Blogging for Creatives* - I'll be posting a review up soon.

So, I would just like to take the opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who reads my blog, has followed me on various social network sites, left comments or got in touch. I never really expected anyone except my Mum to read my blog, so it's always nice to see my page views building up.

Most of all though I'd like to say thank you to all the bloggers who inspire me on a daily basis and have provided me with advice when I need it. Despite my organisation session the other day I still follow way too many blogs, but keep an eye out and I shall be putting up a list of my absolute favourites in the next couple of days.

Now that I've been at this a year I thought it about time I shared a little more about myself, so...

Here's to another blogging year!

Alex

* Just so you know, this link to Robin Houghton's book is an Amazon Associate link. If you'd rather not use this link then please click here.

Instagram round up: December 2012

At long last the mid-year assessment period is over, the essay has been handed in and the exams sat. Few, glad that's over! At long last after a Christmas spent revising and writing essays I can have a couple of days break at home with my parents before heading back to Uni for a new term and new modules (snow permitting!!).

So, now that I have a little bit of time on my hands, I thought that it was about time I got December's Instagram round up up here for all of you to see. Here we go...

Top: I indulged in a bit of Christmas cross stitching with my little reindeer. He's still being used as my bookmark at the moment actually - must remember to swap him over for something else! I also spent a couple of train journeys cross stitching on my travels between Sussex and Dorset. You can see the finished stars garland in this post.

Middle: I finished my job at a well-known high street fashion and home store. I was really sad to leave and am missing the lovely girlies who work there already. They spoilt me rotten and gave me this teacup Pandora charm to remember them by, seeming as they get through so many cups of tea a day! Church set up a stable in the quiet room for local schoolchildren to come and see and we decorated the dog's bed for Christmas. Hector ate the fairy lights about half an hour later.

Bottom: I made my mutant iPhone case that never quite got there and enjoyed our Christmas decorations.

Top: More Christmas decoration admiration and watching Hector rip open his Christmas Present. I started crocheting myself new, slightly more slimline iphone case, which I then posted about here.

Middle: I also started a cross stitched case using felt and waste canvas, although I haven't got all that far, and appealed to Instagram for help in choosing a button fr my crocheted case. I also crocheted a chunky hat for my cousin's beautiful new baby boy and met him for the first time.

Bottom: Finally to round of 2012 I had a Daddy daughter evening with Dad and played a rather lengthy game of Monopoly (Brighton & Hove edition!), Gloria did some posing, and I accidentally cut our Christmas cake into heart shaped pieces! 

As you can see I had a reasonably busy month which was surprisingly productive actually, considering I also did so much Uni work. I wonder what next Christmas will be like? Will it be quiet and filled with all the crafty things I wished I'd had time to do this year, or will I have a new job by then and be rushed off my feet?

aLittleBlonde

The iPhone case that is

So if you've read about my first attempt at crocheting myself an iphone case the other day, then you'll know it wasn't overly successful. Well, I wasn't going to let that get the better of me, so I had a quick trip into town on Christmas eve and came back with this King Cole Galaxy.

I was fully expecting it to be absolutely horrible to crochet with, but actually it's surprisingly nice! I started on Christmas Day afternoon, pulled all the sequins through to the right side, did the facebook and instagram button test...

... and come boxing day evening it was all finished!

I'm rather pleased with it actually - it keeps my phone safe, it's hand made and most importantly it's sparkly! It's stretched a little with use, so if I made myself another one I think I'd make it a little smaller to allow it to give a bit with wear, but with the button done up it doesn't make much difference.

In fact I so enjoyed making it, and Mum liked it so much that she went out and bought me this...

Here we go again!

Happy Saturday, 

aLittleBlonde

The iPhone case that wasn't

A couple of weeks ago I got a nice new shiny iPhone 5. I absolutely love it, and what an improvement it is on my old 3gs! The only problem is I am absolutely terrified of scratching it. It's so shiny and new and I want to keep it that way, so up until Christmas I was carrying it around in a sock. Yes, quite literally a sock. Well that obviously wouldn't do, so I set about making myself a cute wintry case from a pattern in cross stitcher magazine. It feels more like a chore than relaxation though, as it's stitched on felt using waste canvas and it appears that me and waste canvas really don't get on!

Anyway, my cross stitched case is progressing so slowly that just before christmas I decided to have a rummage around in my room looking for some suitable wool to crochet myself a case. It was all coming along nicely and choosing such chunky wool meant it crocheted up incredibly quickly in just one evening. I even got as far as choosing a button to keep my phone nice and safe. Thankyou to those of you on facebook and instagram that gave me your opinions vis a vis which button to pick by the way, it was much appreciated!

I checked the size before crocheting the sides together and it looked good, I was on a role! I crocheted it all together and then came to the horrible realisation about just how chunky my chunky crochet was. What's more it appeared to have grown sideways when I crocheted both sides together. Apologies for the poor quality photo, it's somewhat problematic to take a photo of your phone when your main camera is, well... your phone.

As you can see, it's not one of my more successful crochet projects! I'm undecided whether to frog the lot and make in ipad case instead or not. The wool was a bit splitty so might not take too well to being completely frogged, but it's nice and easy to work with, so we'll see. It's made in Sirdar Big Softie which I've since developed a bit of a soft spot for, as you may have seen on instagram, but I'm saving that reveal for another day.

Anyway, the failed case has been hidden in shame somewhere in my bedroom and I have since successfully made myself a new case which I'm off to photograph for you now. Until next time...

Happy Friday,

aLittleBlonde

Blog Clear Out (ahem)

I follow too many blogs. Way too may. It really is an illness you know, at the moment there are 85 blogs that I'm subscribed to and 31 posts waiting to be read. That's quite frankly shocking. And you want to hear the scary thing? I read every single one of them. Every. Single. One. I refuse to ever click the read button, unless it's a post from my blog of course.

So what have I done about it? I've made myself a spreadsheet. Yes, a spreadsheet I hear you exclaim. This girl is clearly studying for a Psychology degree and has been drilled in statistics to within an inch of her life. That and she is quite obviously a geek and proud of it. What can I say? I love a good spread sheet, I think they're pretty.

What's in my spreadsheet? Well, there's the date I last reviewed that particular blog's place in my blogroll, it's name obviously, the category I've filed it under in my bloglovin' feed and which social networks it's a member of, complete with usernames. It's a mini blogland database if you will. I'm thinking of making a blogroll mark 2 to include ravelry and etsy/folksy shops as well and maybe a bit of colour coding. With the help of my trusty spreadsheet I shall be able to keep an eye on the blogs I read, and hopefully weed a couple out from time to time?, and be an all-round more organised and happy bunny.

See - I told you it was an illness! Some people collect teapots, some collect anything with a frog on (Grandma) and some people collect small model elephants (Great Aunt Gendy). It appears I collect blogs. Well I suppose there are worse things to collect, at least they don't take up any physical space, only virtual, and they require little to no dusting...

Ok, well maybe I haven't really managed a clear out, but I have at least created some order. That's enough to keep me happy for now. And maybe some of the contents of that little spreadsheet of mine will make it into a little blogroll page in my navigation bar. Maybe. At some point in the future.

Anyone else fancy coming clean about how many blogs they read, Blog Readers Anonymous style? All are welcome, no matter how shocking the revelation.

Happy Friday,

aLittleBlonde

Edit: I've just realised that Blog Reader's Anonymous' acronym would be BRA. Haha, I rather like that. Perhaps that's an idea for a regular feature for some time in the future?

Christmas Decorations 2012

Time managed to slip away from me this year in the run up to Christmas and there's lots I didn't manage to get done or tell you about. I've saved a lot of my ideas in my head and on Pinterest ready for next year when I shall hopefully have the time and the money to put them into action, but for now I'd like to give you just a little glimpse of a couple of our Christmas decorations this year.

Decorating the Bassets for Christmas - Hector ate
the fairy lights 30 mins later

Our porch on Christmas eve

My bauble, bought last Christmas

Our baby potted Christmas tree

My finished cross stitched garland
hanging in my room

They missed a real trick with those cross stitched star garlands. It came free with Cross Stitcher issue 257 and was so popular that loads of people wanted to buy additional kits with the punched paper stars. They released a tutorial on how to make your own, but it's not quite the same. I know I for one would have bought a pack them if they had they sold them.

Anyway, apologies if you've seen some of these photos before or they get repeated in my December month in pictures, but I hope you've enjoyed having a little look at a few of our decorations this year.

Happy Wednesday, 

aLittleBlonde

Happy New Year 2013!!

Happy New Year to you all! I trust you all had a good evening celebrated in the way you wished, wheather that be at a party, out and about, snuggled up at home like us or fast asleep. And I do hope no one is suffering too much this morning, not that you would be of course!

This is how we celebrate new year in our house!

2012 was a good year wasn't it? I think I can say with some confidence that there is unlikely to be another year quite like that again, at least not in my lifetime, in which we have a diamond jubilee and the Olympics and Paralympics. Last year it felt really good to be British, especially when the Olympic and Paralympic fever started going viral.

However this year, 2013, well I have a feeling it's gong to be another memorable one for me, although for completely different reasons. Providing everything goes to plan this is the year I will graduate from university and enter the big wide world. Scary, right? And at the moment I'm not even sure what I'm going to do post uni, except breathe a sigh of relief of course.

So, for that reason I have decided to split the year in half - pre-graduation and post graduation and set my New Years resolutions accordingly, the first half now and the second half some time in June, maybe even earlier depending on when my last exam/deadline is.

The only problem with this cunning plan is that I can't think of any New Years resolutions for this half of the year aside from making it to the end of uni in one piece with a half decent degree classification. It's a big one and sensible admittedly, but it's not exactly exciting is it?

So, of you've got any suggests for me I really would like to hear them! If I can think of any more exciting resolutions I shall drop in again over the next couple of days, but for now I shall wish you a happy and healthy new year. I hope it's everything you wished for plus a little extra!

Happy Tuesday,

aLittleBlonde

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