I've Lost It

Yeah, I've become one of THOSE people. You know the people you look at and know they are a bit off their rocker. I know I have people suspicious of that before, but let's just prove it, okay?



I've turned into one of those people who dress their dog. I even made the little dress she's wearing. Is that even worse? Cause I'm afraid it is. Last week when she wore this to the vet's office, all the ladies went nuts over her. A cute little dog is enough to create a stir, but they are even cuter when their human folks force them in silly outfits. I think half the people working there made a point to pop in the room to see what the fuss was about. They kept taking her out of the room to show more people my puppy and her little dress.

She entertained herself and the family by grabbing the skirt of her dress and trying to take it off last night. Tomorrow, she'll be wearing it again to meet a few more people.

I'll be making a couple more identical dresses like this in the next day or so. The vet loved it so much that when she found out I made it, she asked if I could make one for her parents' poodle. Because she was unsure of the size, she asked if I'd make 2 sizes. Normally, I'd say no, but since I think there could be a a decent amount of potential to get business this way, I agreed. At least these are small projects, so they shouldn't take very long to make. I just need to have a free moment to get them done. Hard to find the time this close to the holiday.

I keep telling myself all this could be worse. As long as I'm not sitting in my rocking chair with 40 cats surrounding me, maybe I'll still be on the side of sanity!

My Early Christmas Present

Yep, I've been quiet lately, what else is new?

At least this time I have a really, really good excuse.

What is it?

Just the most adorable thing you'll ever see.


Meet my new long hair chihuahua! She's 10 weeks old and weighed about 1 and 3/4 pound with a doggie dress on today. The vet didn't take her new dress off, before weighing her, so I'm sure she really weighs a little less. I got her last week as an early Christmas present.

Yes, I still have my 2 dachshunds and my pekingese. Thankfully, they are adjusting well to the new puppy. Due to her size, they can't actually play with her, although one dachshund in particular is dying to play. However, we hold the dogs and let them visit her, and they really like that. It's only the new puppy who is afraid of them because of their size.

This past January, we lost my favorite dog ever. She was my first dachshund who died after eating an acorn that got stuck in her instestines. If you are really interested, I wrote about this in detail in January if you want to look up the details. Anyway, she was a cuddly lap dog who I missed terribly. Our other dogs are loving in a different kind of way, but they aren't cuddly and certainly are not lap dogs. I had many bouts of depression for missing her over this past year, but the rest of my family was not ready for another dog. Finally, they relented, so once again, we're those crazy people with a bunch of pets.

Our new puppy is everything we hoped she would be. In reality, she's much like having a baby. But she's very cuddly and loves to be held as often as anyone will pick her up. We're already having to work hard not to spoil her too much, so she won't turn into one of those dogs from hell that you see on tv.

Normally, I don't get this deep on my blog, but I felt so strong about this that I believe a lot of people could be inspired by it. The first part is a story about my past. The last part is a current story.

Many years ago I was at the hospital, waiting while a family member had some tests run. When I walked in the waiting room to sit down, I immediately went to the best seat in that waiting room, some comfortable chairs off to the side of the door. Actually, I thought how lucky I was and wondered why they weren't taken as they are ALWAYS occupied, so I never got to sit there when I was at the hospital. As I was sitting down, I realized why those seats were available. As I looked to the chairs beside those, my eyes went to this woman I knew I'd seen on tv and then my eyes went to her daughter. My eyes then looked to the far dark corner of the room where everyone else was squeezed together.

See, this little girl was born without a face. She had a mouth, but that was it. No nose, no eyes, and really no facial features to speak of. Doctors had done their best to give the illusion of these features for her. At the time I saw her, she had slits for eyes and this little web of a nose. Her mom is actually her second mother. Her birth mom abandoned her at the hospital when she was a baby. It was one of the nurses who took care of her who became a real mom to her.

While it was shocking to see and I'm ashamed to admit my first reaction was to go run in the corner too, I wouldn't let myself do that to that family. I sat down. There was at least one other person with them, so they were talking the whole time, so I didn't want to bother them. However, in the hour or so I was in that waiting room I was amazed. Here was a little girl that most of us would assume couldn't possibly have a life. Obviously they faced people being afraid of her when she went out in public. She was blind. She didn't have a face. However as I was sitting there, I noticed something. This little girl was happily talking about how they were going to have lunch once they could leave the hospital. What shocked me more was that she was smiling....and laughing.

For me, that was one of those "wow" moments in life. See, I was 13 at the time. That awkward age where you feel weird anyway. I had been having a pity party recently because at that ripe age, I got my first hearing aid. Let's just say somehow that didn't see so important anymore. If that little girl could be happy with the life she had been given, then there wasn't a reason why I had much excuse to feel bad. Suddenly my problems didn't seem like a big deal.

I was reminded of this feeling again recently and was so touched by this that I had to share.

Over the past year or so, I have seen this guy on tv a few times, but never really paid much attention to him. You know how it is when you have problems, you always feel like it's "only you" who gets it. We've all been there at some point in our lives. Maybe you're there now.

Out of the blue about a few weeks or so ago, I happened to catch the middle of another interview with this guy and sat down to watch. Finally, I took the time to check out his site and was truly amazed and inspired by his story. His name is Nick Vujicic, and yes, he was born without arms or legs. Today, he is a motivational speaker as well as a minister. Even if you do not share his faith, I know that you'll find his life story to be very meaningful, so please check his site out when you get the chance

Another custom order

Previously, I mentioned I was working on an afghan for myself. I got off to a good start, but I lost steam big time. Considering this thing has 82 squares to it, I need to give myself a good kick so I'll actually see it completed before I die. I don't know what I was thinking starting a project that big. I've barely worked on it in weeks, but I'm going to pick it up again soon.

Thankfully, I got a little break to pick up my crochet hook again for a smaller project. Although technically, I'm not listing on etsy right now, a former customer lost a hat she bought from me 2 years ago and asked if I would recreate it for her. Although the yarn I thought I used for the first one is now discontinued, I recently bought yarn that matches it closely. Since I have more ribbon than I know what to do with, I already had the brown ribbon in stock. The completed hat is included in this post.

Yes, I am aware that is a horrible picture. Sorry about that! However, the weather here is horrible, and I really needed to get this package in the mail soon because I'll be busy later in the week. Gray skies means horrible pictures, so that's what I had to deal with today

For Me

If you have tried to visit my etsy shop in the past month or two, you will see that I went on vacation again. Truthfully, I thought I would take a summer break and then be ready to come back. Instead, I found myself just plain burnt out with selling.

Instead I've actually been making something for ME. I can't remember when I've had time to devote to something for myself. I've been crocheting an afghan. Normally, I do not tackle huge projects because they do not go well for me because I'm not patience enough to complete them. However, I needed a throw for a chair and apparently the stores do not carry throws anymore. Or if you find one it's brown, and I do not like brown. So I'm making one. Hopefully it won't turn out like the very first project I did when I decided to really start crocheting a few years ago. Back then I did an afghan too.

Forget I barely knew how to crochet and hadn't done it in years. Forget I never knew how to read a pattern. Forget I didn't even USE a pattern. I did this H-U-G-E lopsided afghan that by the time I was done with it, fit a queen size bed. Oh, and I did the whole thing in single crochet stitches. Yep, I've come a long way.

My newest afghan is actually coming from a baby blanket from lionbrand. I'm making the same squares but adding more of them and will be arranging them in a different way. I'm trying to use up some of my never ending yarn stash, so I'm hoping I've got enough of the correct colors to finish it the way I want to. I'll try to show off some pictures as I go along.

Featured Items- Random Loves

It's been a long time since I've featured any etsy sellers on my blog, but I know a lot of people enjoyed seeing the featured items and sellers, so I thought I would do those again from time to time. Although I normally show of a theme of items, I decided to show you a variety of things this month just so you'll have more things to enjoy and admire. I'll be doing the featured seller towards the end of the month as I did in the past.

Thanks to all the sellers for allowing me to show off their items. All pictures belong to the artists who made the items, and they have graciously allowed me to use them to share these great choices with you.

This Claycraft Forever Flower Mini Pink Passion Rose Bridal Toss Bouquet by midoridesigns is so pretty and feminine. Don't those roses look real? Obviously perfect for a wedding, but I think this sweet bouquet would look lovely in a shabby chic or cottage home as well.


I've been waiting to show off something from this seller for a long time and finally settled on these Isabelle earrings by JenniferRydinDesigns for a long time. Perfect for the gal who wants something elegant that can be dressed up or down. And how many of us don't love pink?


This Blueberry Patch Moisturizing Soap with Sweet Almond and Shea Butter from DressGreen is so pretty, but it's good for the skin because it cleans and softens your skin. Perfect for yourself, for a friend, or just as a decorative soap to keep in your bathroom.


Didn't you love playing with paper dolls as a child? This Paper Me Personalized Paper Doll by angelafehr brings back a lot of memories. I'm sure any little girl in your life would love to play with these little dolls that are custom made to look like them. Someone I knew a long time ago had a child they adopted a daughter from China, so they were always on the lookout for a doll that looked like their daughter to help her identify with her culture. A customized doll like this would be great for hours and hours of fun play for any little girl like her.


Here is a lovely Great Expectations Necklace from mylavaliere. Made out of vintage materials, this one has a great antique feel. The seller will even all you to choose the length of this necklace for no additional fee. This would make a great gift for you or for someone loves the Victorian look or even re purposed items.


If you like something that is sold out, please look around the sellers' shops for more great finds. Many times they have more than one of an item, or they are available for custom orders. Thanks again to all the artists for allowing me to use their pictures!

Always Busy

Yep, I'm still around, just really busy. I'll be showing some of my etsy favorites in a day or two.