Ta dah! I am so glad to be able to show this beautiful crochet blanket to you. It is a lovely copper and cream combination. This time of year when the weather is so hot I always think of the cooler weather of Fall. I can’t wait for the back to school sales and the beautiful new Autumn colors.
The pattern is my own design. The blanket was approved by all the men in my house from my husband to the boys (24 and 19 years old). The deemed it properly masculine, properly soft and just perfect. I wasn’t sure I was going to get it away from them to be able to list it in the Studio shop.Â
Even the border was guy approved. Just the right finish to the edging. I left off the picot scallops that were to top the border. It just didn’t seem to need it.
This blanket is longer than I usually make. Anyway, it is finished and I hope to put the pattern in the shop as well. It was one of those lovely “let’s see what happens if I do this” paths and it turned out quite nice. You can find the blanket in the studio shop here!
This week has been slow as I had a procedure done at the hospital that forced me to sit around for the past week. It wasn’t a big deal but it has slowed me down. I am not getting out and about. The weather was a unusual 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit  in what is usually the warmest time of year. Today the weather will achieve it usual goal. It should reach about 100 degrees +. So, even if I feel better it is still not enough to go outside  and deal with the heat.
I did finish this blanket and I can’t wait to get the pattern written and in the shops. Here are a few sneak peaks. If you are my friend on Instagram or facebook you have probably already seen little photos of this blanket.
It is lovely and warm. The crocheted fabric is not holey and it is larger than I normally crochet. I thought I would never finish it.
I am feeling more like myself and I am hoping to finish another WIP or work in progress this week. I received a wonderful yarn order in the mail last week while finishing up this one and I think that I have an idea on how to use it!
Talk to you later,
I finished the ridged baby ripple quite some time ago. I hated to show it off until I had written the pattern. Here it is: a wonderful soft cottony baby blanket.
The blanket is 18″ x 24″. A perfect size to cover baby in their carseat.
You can find the pattern on etsy, craftsy and the blanket for sale on Etsy as well.
What are you working on and how are you doing this week?
We took some time this week to go to the Monet exhibit at the Philbrook art museum in Tulsa.
It is a lovely museum with lovely grounds and gardens. It was a bit too warm to wander around the grounds on this visit. We  did get to see the Monet exhibit.
We were not allowed to take photos in the exhibit so the only photo I have of any Monet work is this one from the front entrance. His artwork is lovely and I really enjoyed how he worked with light. We also saw some Native American Pottery.
The pots on the bottom are easily 3-4 feet tall.
I hope that if you live in the are you will take the opportunity and go see the beautiful paintings by Monet. FYI kids 17 and under are free!
You know how you start to look for an important piece of paper and it isn’t to be found, ANYWHERE. I have had that problem three times in the last four months. I have been been putting off working on our files since we moved to Iowa. There is so much that we just dumped in a drawer or cabinet when we moved back. I have been letting things like filing and organizing slide around here. I am an artist/packrat type person, my husband is the Engineer/keep it we might need it one day person, and together we have children that are a wonderful combination of our two personalities. We have been drowning in clutter. I would really like to say that I had planned organizing today several weeks ago and as it came up on my planner I got right to work. HA! Really, I am procrastinating doing something else.
Here is the before photo. I hate to share it but we are real people around here.
Umm, the toilet paper is for noses and dog ears.
This is the top of the dining table and my drafting table height desk, which I love but I had given to hubs to use when we moved back in. We have a spare door that belongs on the laundry room door but doesn’t work when you actually have a washer and dryer in the laundry room. So, it has been stored in the house in another room and was just waiting for this use.Â
Here is the door on top of the filing cabinets, which are full of paper, which is the reason I started this anyway. The other reason I started this was to do this with our common everyday papers.
Isn’t it beautiful! I love how organized she is. So, I set out to do something along the same lines without running to the store. I have set a challenge for myself for the year to do as much as I can without buying new organizing things. I love her color coordinated notebooks, and it would look so much more put together but, I have a busy, busy life, and I won’t get it all together and keep it together long enough to do this.
This is my take on her organization method. I also added a front piece on each binder because, and there are two of us using these, and it would help to have directions. The perfectionist in me wants to rip that label out that is cut crooked and fix it. I am NOT going to obsess about this. IF this system works then I might revamp it later and pretty it up.
Here are some after photos of my desk and his desk. I am working on the files on his desk, so it is more cluttered than mine. I also wasn’t sure where he wanted his white board hung.
The green and red box is for paper to shred, which should open up some room in the file drawers. My Mom sent me this great link about which papers to keep and which to shred.
To keep it all real, here is the photo of the table that I am still decluttering. Why does organizing always make things look worse before it looks better?
I am excited to have a landing pad for my laptop. I am determined to spend less time on the screen and more time with my family. So, I am going to try to treat my laptop as a desktop. We are also washing the dog beds and dogs. We did sweep and mopped thoroughly. The floor had been in bad condition since it had been raining, and the dogs have had access to this room only.
I am sure that you remember these from my sewing binge last week.
Here is the midpoint.
Here they are in all the beauty. These turned out so well that I can almost forget all the zip bag failures!
I spent a whole day piecing these together. Then the better part of a morning stuffing and hand sewing the opening closed. They are cute and lovely. They will also be available in the www.ChocolateDogStudio.etsy.com shop on Friday at 6 pm. There are all sorts of lovely colors in each one and they are stripey and fun. I am working hard on the fun part of the shop! When they are gone they are gone as I used bits and pieces I had been collecting for awhile. Each one is unique. These could easily have fit in with the use my stash challenge!
Here are some new items for the shop. I finished these last week.
Do you remember these fabrics from Instagram and facebook? Here are the finished products.
They are fully lined with a white cotton fabric. The neck straps are adustable with D-rings. Most of these aprons have the extra long ties like a chef’s apron so you can tie it in the front. They came out beautifully. I love them. I have three more that I need to cut out and sew but I couldn’t wait to show you these. These will be available for purchase in ChocolateDogStudio.etsy shop on Friday of this week!
Anyway, it is finished and I hope to put the pattern in the shop as well. It was one of those lovely “let’s see what happens if I do this” paths and it turned out quite nice. You can find the blanket in the studio shop here!
