Glade Expressions Bzz Campaign

As many of you may remember, I am a BzzAgent and from time to time, I recieve samples of products to test and review.  The latest campaign I have been able to join is for the Glade Expressions Collections.  I had already tried the Fragrence Mists and I do like them.  I love to change scents with the seasons and was happy to find the Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice scent.  This scent reminds me of Fall and I really like it.  The only downfall to the sprays (any brand) to me is that the scent doesn't last long, but it is a nice burst of freshness when needed.

For the Diffuser, I was hoping to also get a fall scent, but when I went to get my sample at the store, the only scent they had left was the Pineapple Mangosteen.  I figured that since it was free, I would give it a try.  I was a little worried about what it would smell like as Pineapple would not have been my first choice.  As I opened the package and set up the diffuser, I was pleasantly surprised and how refreshing it was! I was also pleased with the looks of the diffuser also.  I didn't want just a bottle of something sitting out for everyone to see and if you try and hide diffusers, you usually can't smell them very well.  My other concern was if it would be to strong and how long it would actually last.  It actually is quite refreshing without being overpowering and after stepping outside the house for a bit and coming back in, you get that little burst of freshness again.  Great for guests!  I also LOVE that you DO NOT have to plug it in.  I would recommend this to anyone and will be purchasing more in the future.  To find out what other scents and options are available, you can visit Glade.com  





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Happy Fall Everyone!

Wow - I have neglected this blog for the last month :(  I am so sorry!  It has been a wild ride around here.  A lot has been going on. 

First, I want to share some fantastic news with you all...... We will be welcoming a new little one into our family in April of next year.  Since we have 3 girls already, it would be fun to have a tiny boy to cuddle with, but as long as everything goes well and the baby is healthy we will be happy!

Second,  with football season back in full swing - so is the sports hats I make.  I have been working on an order for 9 Oregon Ducks Mohawk hats....It has taken longer than I had hoped ( I've had a few dental/medical issues - but all is well now.  It just wore me out for a bit)

This is my work in progress (WIP).  I just need to add a few more logos and then all the mohawk and they will be ready to go. 

Another friend of mine asked if I would make her a couple of baby things to put away for her daughter.  She is a Packers fan and her husband is a Red Sox fan.  I think they turned out cute!

And another friend asked if I would be able to make a hat to look like a mascot from our local college and this is what I came up with for her.  She requested the buttons for eyes, but to offer an actual pattern, I made another one with eyes and now have the pattern up and running for Free on Craftsy Mr. Bull Features Patter . The pattern is only for the features and does not include the hat info.  I figures there are enough beanie patterns out there, there was not a need for me to make another one.  This was made for a toddler, but you could easily adjust the sizing up or down by using different hooks. 

NFL Hats

I am officially back to selling the NFL hats.  I thought I would take a short break from writing patterns to get caught up on some orders and get some hats ready to ship.  While working on 2 hats last night - a fantastic thought came to mind for some new patterns...so much for taking a break - lol!    So, I will be trying to do both for the next little while.  It shouldn't be to hard.  I just need to set a schedule and make myself stick with it. 

This is the most recent addition to the logo set.  I had it last year, but never got around to actually making the hat - better late than never  - right?  BUT - since it's not quite Fall yet - maybe I'm just ahead of the game instead of behind??? - Yep - I like that thought better!

These sell for $20 + shipping and I offer free shipping for orders of 2 or more. 

I was about to post this Lions hat for sale this afternoon and my husband stopped me because it might already be sold.  (not bad!)

These 2 hats are for a custom order.  As soon as I get everything I need for the logos - they will be "Duck" hats! 

Free Emerald City Flower pattern

I was able to upload the Emerald City Flower patterns to Craftsy and Ravelry tonight.  They are not "unique" to other flowers by look, but they do use the same stitch as the Emerald City dress so I thought they should be free.  

 Emerald City Flower

 Stitches:

SC – Single Crochet                                       HDC – Half Double Crochet

DC – Double Crochet                                    TR – Treble Crochet

Sl St – Slip Stitch                                           Ch - Chain

Small Brick Stitch – SC, Ch 2, 3DC in the same stitch

Med. Brick Stitch – SC, Ch 3, 3 TR in the same stitch

Lg Brick Stitch – SC, Ch 3, 5 TR in the same stitch

Small Flower:

Emerald City Small Flower Pattern

Ch 3, Sl St in 1^st Ch to from a loop

Ch 1, 12 HDC in loop, Sl St to Ch 1 to connect

R1: Ch 1, Small Brick Stitch in 1^st HDC, 

       Sk 1 HDC,

      *Small Brick Stitch in next HDC,
       Skip 1 HDC* 

       repeat from *to* around,

      Sl St in Ch 1 from beginning of round 
      to connect.(6 Brick Stitches total)

R2: Ch 1, Working behind the Brick stitches 
       in row 1,work 1 Large Brick Stitch in each 
      of the skipped stitches of round 1.   
      Sl St in Ch 1 of beginning of row to connect. 

      Fasten off leaving a tail long enough for stitching.

Emerald City Large Flower Pattern

      Large Flower:  
Make a 47 HDC Chainless Foundation

Small Brick Stitch in 1^st HDC, Skip 1 HDC

*Small Brick Stitch in the next HDC, Skip 1 HDC* Repeat from *to* 3x

**Med. Brick Stitch in the next HDC, Skip 1 HDC** Repeat from **to** 5x

***Lg Brick Stitch in the next HDC, Skip 2 HDC*** Repeat from ***to*** 7x

SC in final space.  Fasten off leaving a tail long enough for stitching.  Twist into a flower by wrapping the large petals

around the smaller petals and securing them to the center.

         

Final Release for the Emerald City pattern

How is everyone doing today?  I hope you had a fabulous weekend!  The seasons are starting to change where I live.  The days are cooling off a bit and it's time to bottle peaches and pasta sauce.  Hopefully my peppers will grow a bit more so I can freeze them along with my carrots and onions we have in our garden.  It's a lot of work, but I love being able to grab a bag of veggies that I have done myself and just toss them into whatever I'm making for dinner.  It saves a bunch of time in preperation :)

This week, I will be releasing the Child size pattern for the Emerald City dress.  I have a few photos of finished dresses back from testers in these sizes and they are looking pretty cute! 

I will be teaming up with Jonna from Frayed Knot to offer a pkg deal on our patterns.  It will include her "Addie" hat pattern and a choice of 1 size (infant, toddler or child) Emerald City pattern for $6. 

Together, they make a beautiful set!  This weekend, I was able to do a quick pkg deal with Lisa from Loops of Love.  She designed an infant bonnet called the "Cora Couture bonnet" wich is fantastic with the infant size dress!  Her pattern is available here: Cora Couture on Craftsy.

Infant Emerald City with Cora Couture Bonnet

Toddler Emerald City with The Addie Hat

Child Emerald City with The Addie Hat

The flower on the yellow dress and hat is from Bonita Patterns and can be found here: http://bonitapatterns.tumblr.com/page/2

The flower on the pink dress is my pattern and I will be offering it for free later this week.  I will post a link to it as soon as it is available.

With fall and winter nearing, I will soon be starting to stock up on my hats for the boutique in town and to have ready to ship for my online shops.  If you would like to order any of the NFL hats, you can email me at craftingfriends4you@yahoo.com

Emerald City Toddler pattern Release

Can I just tell you now - I LOVE what I do!  It has been stressful at times.  It is NOT by any means fun or easy to deal with people who offer to test patterns and then do not actually produce the product.  It is also not easy to try and work with some testers who get defensive and "KNOW" that they are right and I am wrong about my own pattern.  BUT - When I get to see photos of some adorable little girls wearing something that I designed - It makes my day everytime!  The look on their faces is priceless.  This pattern has been a huge hit with the testers and the little models.  I wish I could show you the photos, but I don't have permission at this time.  I can link you to a few pages of the women who did test for me.  There are a few photos of their work posted there. 

Instead of running a Pre-Sale, I have put the pattern on sale for $3 only running through Sunday the 20th.  You may purchase this pattern on Craftsy here: Emerald-City-Toddler-Dress on Craftsy or a discount will be given at checkout if using Ravelry: Emerald City Toddler on Ravelry

Jonna from Frayed Knot designed a hat to match this pattern and it is darling.

Pattern by Frayed Knot.  Made by Loops of Love

 I was able to test it for her and it works up easily!  It is available here The Addie Hat by Frayed Knot on Craftsy

I am in love with this pattern and it is going to be hard to beat!  The child size pattern is being tested as we speak and should be released next week.  As always...I hope you are off to a wonderful weekend!  Have fun my friends and keep safe :)
Kate

Emerald City Infant pattern release

Happy Saturday everyone!  I can say that, because I have finally finished the Emerald City Infant pattern and I believe I have figured out the sizing for the toddler patterns :) :)  Oh Happy Day!! Oh Happy Day!!!

Ok, now that I have that song stuck in my head...lol..Here is the link to the pattern on Craftsy:
Craftsy Emerald City Pattern.  It is on sale for $4 for 1 week and will be changed to $5 next Saturday.

This is the link to the pattern on Ravelry: Ravelry Emerald City Pattern . The price on Ravelry will be adjusted at check out.

Also, for those of you who are interested, on Ravelry only, if you add 3 patterns to your cart, the 3rd one will be adjusted to free at check out automatically. 

I can't wait to release the toddler sizes because I have a few other ideas just waiting to burst onto paper.  One of those ideas will be generic, so even baby boys can wear it!  Woo Hoo!
Have a wonderful rest of the weekend my friends.

Kate

Emerald City Infant Dress

Happy Thursday everyone!  It has been a good week here.  Monday, I watched my 2 nephews and received a cute little call from 1 of my nieces asking if she could have a sleep over...How could I resist?  I love my family!  When my niece went home, they took my oldest daughter with them for the week. Brodie had the day off today, so we took the girls to a local park/small zoo that they like.  They get excited to see each new animal and feed the fish.  Brook just informed me that I'm "the bestist mom"  It all makes life worth it - doesn't it? 

So, on to some crochet news :)  I am so happy to say that I  was able to pick back up the Emerald City dress pattern.  Sometimes setting a project down for a while is not a bad thing.  I made a few small changes to what I had previously written and love it even more!  The infant sizes are almost through the testing phase and I will be releasing the pattern on Craftsy and Ravelry this Saturday. 

Right now, I have a Pre-Sale running.  You can get the pattern for only $3 during this sale.  Once the pattern is released, it will be $5.  It is slightly more difficult than the Basic dress patterns, but not as difficult as the Angelique.  If you know the basics of crochet and how to read a pattern, you should still be able to work this one up.  Also, for the first time, I decided to try the pattern in Cotton along with Simply Soft.  To my surprise, Peaches & Creme cotton worked up the same and with beautiful results also.
To Pre-Order the pattern, just email me at craftingfriends4you@yahoo.com and I will send you an invoice...OR, you can comment on my FaceBook page Crafting Friendswith your email address and I can track your order that way.  Which ever works best for you.

Here are the 8 dresses I have been able to complete over the last week and a few others are by testers.

made by Emma from Graceful Whims

This was made by Jennifer from LittleLuvies

Princess Britt Child Pattern Release

I actually am starting to feel like I am accomplishing something :)  I am able to release all of the patterns I have been working on and feel caught up at the moment.  Today, I released the Princess Britt Child size pattern on Craftsy and Ravelry.  They will be on Sale until Wednesday.  You can get the instant download from Craftsy here : http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Princess-Britt-Child-Pattern/22958

I'm thrilled to be able to move on to another pattern that was set aside while I worked up the larger sizes of the basics.  Hopefully it will all come together the way it is working in my mind :)

Swirly Whirly Childs Sundress Pre-Release Giveaway

I am so excited to be able to release the first Child size pattern I've made.  To celebrate the occasion, let's do a giveaway before it is available for purchase. 
1. Leave your name and email in 1 comment below (if you prefer not to leave your email in the comments, please email me at craftingfriends4you@yahoo.com so I have it listed and have a way to contact you if by chance you win)
2.Tell me what colors you would use to make this dress
3. And how you would photograph it - How you would make it a fun photo. 

I will only add 1 entry per person and only if all of the above are mentioned. Winner will be chosen through Random.org tomorrow morning at 8am MST.

Here are a few more dresses from the wonderful women who have tested this pattern for me :)

Dress made by Chelsea (worn by her daugher)

Dress made by Lori (worn by her daugher)

Dress made by Amber from CraftyBunkerCreations

(worn by her daughter)