New Years Changes.

Instead of resolutions, which I always seem not to accomplish. I decided to make CHANGES to my life for 2010.
I read this article on a blog recently "Zen Habits". You can find it in my favorite blogs bar on the right side of this page.
So here ya go, I am personally going to follow this myself so that the changes I make will be permanent.

6 Changes

Choose 6 habits for 2010. I'll help you form them.
Read more. Free ebook soon. Also read: The Power of Less.

December 15, 2009

The 6 Changes Method

So how does the 6 Changes method work?

It’s simple:

1. Pick 6 habits for 2010.
2. Pick 1 of the 6 habits to start with.
3. Commit as publicly as possible to creating this new habit in 2 months.
4. Break the habit into 8 baby steps, starting with a ridiculously easy step. Example: if you want to floss, the first step is just to get out a piece of floss at the same time each night.
5. Choose a trigger for your habit - something already in your routine that will immediately precede the habit. Examples: eating breakfast, brushing your teeth, showering, waking up, arriving at the office, leaving the office, getting home in the evening.
6. Do the 1st, really easy baby step for one week, right after the trigger. Post your progress publicly. (Read more.)
7. Each week, move on to a slightly harder step. You’ll want to progress faster, but don’t. You’re building a new habit. Repeat this until you’ve done 8 weeks.
8. You now have a new habit! Commit to Habit No. 2 and repeat the process.

I go more into this method in the free ebook - you’ll be able to download it soon.

For more on successful habit change technique, as well as ways to simplify your life and become more effective, check out my book, The Power of Less.

New hat patterns in my etsy shop!

I've been really busy and having fun writing up patterns to sell in my etsy shop. The two newest are the radical helmet hat & the fun like totally bomber hat.
The bomber hat is done in 4 pieces, the main hat, then the ear flaps and front flaps are done in separate and sewed on. You could also use felted sweaters for the flaps, I am planning on doing this in the next week, and will post pictures when I'm done.

If you are interested in purchasing these patterns please go to my ETSY shop, (Click on etsy to go to my shop).

Two new crochet patterns in my etsy shop!

I've been really busy today making up two of my most favorite patterns. I'm just really getting into putting my patterns to paper, and it's not as hard as I always thought it would be! So I wrote up 2 new patterns today, one for a coffee cup cuff (as shown above), and the other for a rockin' ski beanie.
The cuff is very simple to make, and looks so nice with a little bit of a bubble effect to it, along with a little lacy. The button hole is very easy to make, and I had a blast making these and using up all my vintage buttons that I have gotten throughout the years. You can really make them in different themes depending on the colors of yarn and the buttons you use.

A Fast and Easy rockin' ski beanie.

My 14 year old kept asking me to make him a rockin' beanie, so I finally had him show me what it was. Basically the kids are taking old ski hats and not folding up the bottom, which leaves it long on the crown. I decided to make up a beanie pattern, and then make it longer to look like a rockin' hat. My son loves it because it's cool lookin', and keeps his noggin nice and warm under his ski helmet.

If you are interested, both patterns have been put up in my etsy shop, and on ravelry.

Gluten Free Disney Coconut bars & Homemade Cocoa Mix.

I have been wanting to make homemade cocoa mix for awhile, so I made one up from Martha Stewart's website. Not sure if I like it yet, It for sure needs something else, more sugar? not sure.

Anyway, click HERE to get the recipe from Martha's site.



Today was my holiday baking day. I only got through 3/4 of it before I pooped out. Tomorrow will be gluten free cookies day.
I did change one of our favorite recipes to make it gluten free thou.... So here it is.

Disney's Chocolate Coconut Bars
3 c. GF Gingersnap cookie crumbs.
2/3 C. Butter, melted
1/2 C. Sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 1/2 C. Sweetened Flaked Coconut
1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. Pecans, chopped
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
Red & Green Jimmies or Sprinkles

Preheat over to 325. Line 13 x 9 pan with foil, enough to overhang sides, coat with pam. Combine crumbs, butter, sugar, & cinnamon. Press onto bottom of pan.

Combine coconut, chips & pecans. spread evenly over crumbs mix, pour milk over coconut mixture, sprinkle with jimmies.

Bake 30 minutes, or until light brown. Cool. Use foil to lift from pan.

The Golden Snitch Ornament

I was searching on Ravelry today for what to do with all this cotton yarn that I have. Until today I have only made different dishcloths with it. This is getting kinda boring.
Behold, I found the perfect little project to work up while watching a harry potter movie today. And what's great is that we have an ornament of Harry catching the golden snitch.
So I got to work making my snitch with some sparkle bernant handicraft for the wings, and yellow peaches and cream for the ball. If you are interested in making one of these very simple ornaments to go http://www.innerchildcrochet.com/patterns/the_golden_snitch.php. While your there, make sure you check out some of her other patterns.

New Pattern... Bomber Hat!

I have been going crazy, trying to make a bomber hat from several different patterns. I finally threw up my hands and wrote my own.
Very simple, and the lining pieces are made separate, and then sewn on using a blanket stitch. I'm thinking about making a full lining to see how it would turn out. For sure not something I really want to do because it will take more than one night, so it doesn't fall under my... "Instant Gratification" terms for crochet projects, but I guess you need to step outside the box every once in awhile.
I have posted this pattern in my Ravelry & Etsy Shops.

Well, now that I spent the day writing a new pattern, tomorrow it's clean the house day, and make Christmas goodies day! I'm already tired just thinking about it!

Recycled sweater ornaments

Hey Everyone,
Not very much longer
until Christmas huh? This is a great, and very fast ornament or last minute gift topper you can make for all your friends. I made Stockings, Gloves, Stars & Hearts. I also have Gingerbread Men and Trees ready to make tomorrow.

I have been racking my brain on what kind of ornament to make for an exchange my MIL is having next week. It's also a cookie/candy exchange, but that was the easy part for me.

So today I started searching around the internet and found the coolest idea from DOLLAR STORE CRAFTS.
I decided to make her 10 second ornament project, and the great part about it? I had everything I needed here at home, wooo hooo, no extra money was spent! CLICK HERE to get her instructions on how to make these ornaments.
She has you use lots of different materials to wrap your ornaments with, but I have tons of felted sweaters on hand, I decided to use them instead. I think they really turned out good. Let me know what you think. The more the pattern on the sweater, the neater they turned out.


COZY AT HOME NEWS!!!!!!
I was playing around on Flickr today, and decided to make a cozy at home group for projects that I have featured on my blog. If any of you have made any of the crochet patterns, or other crafts I have had on my blog, please join this group and add pictures. I am so excited to see what you all have been doing. Please follow this link if your interested.... http://www.flickr.com/groups/1285623@N20/

Rockin' Crochet Fingerless Gloves Pattern

I'm so excited to have written my latest crochet pattern. Here is a little blip that I wrote about it in my etsy shop.... Click on the picture of my gloves above to go to my etsy shop.

Rockin' Crochet Fingerless Gloves...

The look or knit, and the speed of crochet. These gloves work up super fast, and are totally fun to make.
Make a pair tonight to give as a last minute Christmas gift. Fingerless gloves are all the rage right now, especially with the teens. This pattern is worked in medium worsted weight yarn. I used classic shades by universal, just because I love they way the stripes come out perfectly. But I suggest you use any nice, medium worsted weight you can find. Fisherman's wool, Vanna's choice, encore, or lamb's pride would be awesome for these, Red Heart does not work well for these. Just remember to hand wash and dry flat if using wool.

The beauty of this pattern? You can totally make it your own. Change colors at the thumb hole, or wherever you wish. Have fun with these, make them in rockin' colors and color combos.

New etsy shop.

I started a new etsy shop called Mountain Paper Treats. My first love is scrapbooking, with crochet a close second. So I decided to start a shop with something that really brings me a lot of pleasure.
I haven't filled it with very much so far, but I am working on it. I'm hoping to do more work on it over the next couple of days. So please check it out off and on.

Team hats.....

I have been having so much fun making hats that I decided to make some team hats... Here is a Seahawk beanie that I made for one of us! I have put some up on etsy, it would be so nice to actually sell some. I might make scarfs to match. I also put up a couple other hats as well that are different, pretty colors.

If you want to check out my etsy shop go to.... Cozy at home accessories.

I've been making hats!

I've been working on hats for all this kids this Christmas! I love this pattern, it is one of my favorites.... Go to Double Double crochet hat pattern to get it. I have made just plain beanies with it, and I have also made some earflaps. My fave is the alpaca in the middle. It's so soft, and I love the color. I have been dying to go and get more of this yarn at my local yarn shop (something olde something new), but keep looking at allllllll of the yarn that I have on hand and it just doesn't make sense to go buy more. I have two more hats to make for presents for my friends kids, and then it's on to something new, like valentine themed hats and scarfs, or who knows!