gallery wall

This is something that I have been wanting to share with you.  I think I finished my gallery wall a little after Thanksgiving.  I wanted to put up something on my living room wall, initially I had a square mirror and two picture frames on each side.  I really wanted something meaningful for the family.

So I framed the kids art.  On the left side it's Valeria's kindergarten hearts and apples.  I think it's so cute how she wrote her and her dad's name.   On the upper right the big colorful frame is Sophia's abstract art. You see on the lower hand corner a child and her mother...well that represents me and her!  Now, the two wooden frames on the top left I painted with chalkboard paint to give the kids a chance to redo our portraits now and then.  On the bottom left it's a piece of pallet that I painted with chalkboard paint as well and made our family name sign.  That helps me complete another item on my 45 by 45 list "make something with pallets".

In the center it's the mirror that I mentioned I had there initially.  I was just too lazy to take it off.  At the bottom is Sophie's (her nickname is Moncy) and Xavi's portrait.  For some reason Xavi wanted Sophie's frame next to him.  It's funny because he just found out he is going on a snow ski trip with his cousins and my brother and the first thing he asked is Is Sophie going?...aww he loves her sister.  On the right is this living art wall decor with air plants that so far have not died on me.  I also made them out of pallets a bit crooked  I know but I am very proud of myself.. 

And finally here is the last section of the gallery.  Here are Vale's and Emma's portraits.  The fish and the flower Xavi made them with color chalk on 2nd grade and I framed them simply because I love chalk :) And finally the jazz frame that really has no meaning but thought it fit well in the mix.  I have to fix Xavi's crooked flower picture ha ha!  So funny I didn't noticed until I downloaded the picture.

So here you have it my whole gallery wall.  I am happy with it!  I love seeing it everyday.  

Have you done any diy projects lately?

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Happy post

Yes my friends today is a happy post!  Full of positive things!!

My husband changed the hard drive on this old computer and things run faster and smother! but not without a bit of frustration at first until I figured out how to do things on this 'old new computer' sigh...

Next, after almost two years of job hunting, frustration and disappointments Javier finally landed a job close to home!  No more 1 1/2 hours commute or having to stay down in San Diego a few days during the weekday. I will again have a full time husband that comes home every night!!  Now he can help me with Emma in the evenings, feed the dogs clean their poop of course, he can wake up in the middle of the night when the dogs are barking, take the trash bin out on Tuesdays and bring it back inside on Wednesdays, take Xavi to soccer practice (I will probably tag along on this one still because being at the park is relaxing really) referee Sophie and Xavi when they argue and many more things...welcome home honey we missed you!  But in all truth it's certainly wonderful that he will be at home!

Talking about soccer and practices Xavi's team has won 9 out of 10 games and tied one.  

So next week they are playing semi finals and we are hoping for the best! 

More good news!  I completed one more task on my 45 by 45 list.
Item number 4 which is knit a pair of gloves. 

I wanted to do a trial and was not going to invest a lot of money so I bought a couple of sets of double pointed metallic needles for a few bucks at a thrift shop and used my yarn scraps.

It was a success!  I was able to read the pattern and finish it.  You don't know how afraid I was of decreasing stitches :/  I used two different size needles therefore the two different colors I also was eager to finish the little project and tackle those decreases that I didn't it make it long enough that's why the mitten looks like an elf's hat or something weird I know :/

I learned a few things watching youtube videos:

• Using double pointed needles is not that hard, it's similar to using a circular needle (which I've used before) you just have to get used to managing 4 needles at a time instead of two.  A bit intimidating at first I must confess.  I saw in a tutorial that using wooden needles instead of metallic ones is better as the stitches will slip off the metallic needles if you aren't careful enough.  Lesson learned 
• When reading patterns you have to be very  VERY careful. (k stands for knit, p stands for purl and tog stands for together) Because how can you  k2tog p2tog? when the pattern asks you to k2 k2tog then you will end up with 9 stitches instead of 15 what the?? yea read carefully! 
• It's difficult when you start a project with only a few stitches, then it gets easier as you go by, because the project stretches a bit but by the end of the project if you start decreasing it gets difficult again. 

 But please don't let my word discourage you.   Knitting is fun and very rewarding! 

Here are some pictures for your delight or shall I say mine?

You should know that I  choose Emma because she is a smaller model  and I know what you must be thinking mittens or gloves? but please be easy on me.  I did little mittens :/  Let's just say I am being flexible with my list now.  My main thing was the challenge of reading the pattern as I am a beginner at that, using 4 double pointed needles was also a challenge as I have never used them before and of course finishing the task was another challenge in itself!  Please give me credit for this one.

I took these pictures as soon as I finished the first one.  I just couldn't wait to try it on her and of course and I just couldn't resist to take the pictures then.  A couple of days later I did the second one.
The final result and my little model hair undone are so cute! 

Still on my list I have to knit a hat and some socks ay Claudia!  

I also want to give the gloves a try but I am not putting that one in writing again ha ha ha!

So there you have it!  Too many good things that I had had to share with you all!

Hope you have an excellent week my friends!

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short naps

Have I ever told you that Emma takes short naps?   I mean very very short naps!  20 or 30 mins at the most.  I really can't complain she sleeps on the car and most of the time while out shopping and running errands and best of all she has been sleeping all thru the night for some time now 8pm to 5 or 6 am. So, I really cannot ask for 3 two-hour naps right??  cannot have the perfect child!  haha!!

Well the other day something happened that she took such a long nap I kept waiting for her to wake up. I honestly didn't know what to do with the extra time, not that any time is extra for me but...  I really didn't know what to do!!  I had just vacuum and mopped the floors the day before, I had dinner ready...leftovers really but who cares right? as long as the family is fed! I just decided I'd browse the web and waste time anyways she'd be up soon. No she was still asleep. I thought watching some Netflix you know I deserve some me time now and then. But no no Netflix. I also thought of all the little unfinished things mainly for my etsy shops...cut and glue papers, take pictures and list new items, maybe work on my crochet projects ahh so many unfinished projects I tell you! and she was still napping :/

But why finish something when you can start something new? ay Claudia!!  I remembered that I had some clothespins stashed away and I have been meaning to get my hands on them to make dolls.  I know dressed them up with all the odds and ends.  When I was a little girl I loved sewing my dolls wardrobe.  I remember I also loved paper dolls. Was Emma still breathing?  yeah, she was I had to check every now and then in amazement.  This girl.  I was able to paint the dollies faces and hair, cut the dresses, glue them, crochet a little scarf and even take pictures to show you guys.

I know I got a little carried away with the pictures :/ Great little project that I enjoyed doing. I loved seeing how these girls came out.  Now they are sitting upstairs in Sophia's desk...I'd like to make some more I just need Emma to take longer naps here and there :)  

I really hope your have a great week ahead :)

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bathroom dresser

This was supposed to be a before and after post but there is no before picture...I was so excited I forgot to take one, my husband did though but he deleted the picture :( 

Maybe I should start the story at the beginning you see I been wanting a bathroom dresser for a while now because I was just storing my bathroom towels in a basket.  So one Saturday morning I mentioned it to my husband and showed him my pinterest board where I had pinned some ideas. Go ahead he said let's look for one on Craigslist.  I did and was not successful, those things take time right?  even on thrift shops you have to keep looking and looking.  So that morning we headed for yard sales like we do some times.

Guess want I got lucky!!  I found it!  I found the perfect dresser for only 15 dollars I saw it and fell in love instantly!  How lucky am I?  only 15 dollars? as my husband and I were putting it in the back of the truck a lady parked behind us and told the seller "oh you sold that already?"  Yes, lady it's sold can't you see we're putting it in the back of our truck?!  It's been paid for and we are taking it home! of course I didn't say any of this, I am not rude like that but these words went through my mind with excitement as I had snatched it and it was mine now.  I only smiled and nodded a yes...

So the next Sunday we went out for breakfast, went towel shopping at kohls, we stopped for some paint got home and I could not wait to get started.  This is where the before picture should be!  But no such thing like I mentioned at the beginning, Javier said he downloaded the picture but cannot find it I say he deleted it.

Anyways, the dresser had some glass which I didn't really care for because I wanted chicken wire instead.

I took off the hardware and did some sanding.

A little paint...

It took me half a day to paint it but it sat in the garage for an ENTIRE WHOLE WEEK before my husband and neighbor carried it upstairs. 

Once it was upstairs all decked out I loved it some more!

New towels always feel great don't you agree?

I asked everybody over and over...how do you like it?  my husband liked it a lot, the kids did too but said loose the creepy pictures!  No, I like them.

I really liked the color and how it all came together. 

I plan to put some flowers on the top baskets, I really don't know how long will it take my dear husband to install the chicken wire but if it does not happen I am still happy with it!  oh and the middle knob is in its place now it needed a screw I just couldn't wait any longer to share with you guys!  I am happy I get to stare at my bathroom dresser every single day!

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Crochet along Mary Jane Slippers

Mary Jane slippers was Januarys Crochet Along pattern on The Curious Pug.

This time I made a pair of slippers  for Sophia.  
She really loved them.

Remember I had done some other different kind of slippers before?  This time I learned a couple of new tricks.  Such as DC 3 together on the last row before closing up the slippers and SC 3 together to round up the corners. These are really easy to whip up in one sitting really.

I don't think I am at the corner of expert and pro yet, but I really liked how these came out.

 Sophia got a little carried away with her feet modeling

What do you think?? 

Come and check out the link up party at The Curious Pug

 

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Crochet along slouchy hat project

Two days before the New Year rings, I am happy to report that I am having a nice break.

This month I  decided to join Alycia from The Curious Pug 

on December's crochet along! 

I've told you before that I do not how to read patterns, this was my main reason for joining plus the slouchy hat seemed super easy.  And let me tell you it was.  

  

I sat down and started watching a movie on Netflix, carefully reading the pattern and counting the stitches.  I lost one stitch on the third row, but now problem I was able to fix that.  After the fourth row everything went very smooth.  

At the end of the movie I decided to go get the ruler and it only shows how fast and easy this project can go!  The pattern calls for 9 inches and I had done 11 inches of work :/ It was time to go pick up the kids from school so I put the project on hold.

 After we came home and the kids had eaten  I sat with Xavi to do his homework I picked up the project again.

 The first one to try it on was him of course!

The next day I made one for the little stinker. His ninja moves while being taken a picture cannot fail, you know that!

Finally got him to put the slouchy hat the right way 

and stay still!

I love it when you can do a project in one day although mine took literally ALL DAY LONG :/

But it really is super easy and remember I had mention in one of my post I didn't want to stress this Christmas? I didn't!! This was the perfect slouchy hat to crochet for nieces and nephews, for the smaller heads I just decreased one or two rows. I also did one for my husband and for my mom and for a friend...get it?? how easy and fast this is? 

One of my nephews asked for a beard so I went to you tube for help and did one for him and also for Xavi.  How can you say no when they tell you 
"I love you tia" (auntie)

So this is the first pattern that I read on my own!  Yay!  
Thank you Alycia!

 

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Crochet bug

This is what I've been up to lately...crocheting.  Now I am not a pro and barely learning how to read patterns  but I've had my fun making my own adjustments.

A pair of slippers for me, I ended up not loving the color because one looks pinkish and the other looks greenish, and one button is higher than the other one. Oh well I still like them it's just the color I don't like that much.

A pair of slippers for the kids, they loved them.

As well as a pair for my nieces!

I also been working on a scrap bag, made entirely out of odds and ends bits and pieces of all kinds of yarn left over from various projects.  I kinda color coordinated the colors on this one. I put it up for sale on my etsy shop. I am currently working on another one and can't wait to see how it turns out.

 you can find it here

On my many trips to the various thrift stores I struck gold!  I found a bag full of yarn scraps.  I could not resist to buy it.  I guess the crochet bug as bitten me.

Oh the possibilities!  

Can't wait to get started on a new scrapbag.

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