Piglet Snuggle-Up Set

Good day everyone! I always have several projects going at once, so it is not often that I get to really sit down and tell about them, mostly because I have self-set deadlines and need to move on to the next one. But today I wanted to do something different and tell you about this Piglet Snuggle-Up Set I just finished yesterday.

I absolutely love to hear about the expectancy of grand-babies, especially firsts, because it reminds me of my own 14 and it gives me a great opportunity for creativity. So, I was ecstatic when one of my cousins told me she was expecting her first granddaughter.

The creative curiosity in me took over immediately and I learned mom-to-be was decorating with Hundred Acre Woods and grandma-to-be wanted something made to match. What got me most excited was this not being the latest trend of grays, e.g. grays and yellow, grays and pink, grays and blue. Also, there was no pattern for this complete set (yet), and it would challenge my skills once again.

To start, I wanted the more vibrant colors of today in the characters but I wanted more of a muted, vintage like, woodsy background to begin with. So, I pulled colors from the following image, the cream background, green from the leaves, and pink camo from the tree trunk.

Image courtesy of Evelyn Parker at quotesgram.com

 

Then I had to find patterns to work with. The first was the blanket and hat pattern, Bitty Baby Cap & Wrap by Francis Hughes, in Chemo Caps & Wraps (Annie's Attic: Crochet). I have used this pattern before and love it! 

 Next, I needed to find a way to incorporate characters which meant excluding the lovely flowers for placement of  characters but sometimes that happens for the sake of creativity. After some research on the characters and finding plenty of patterns for pillows, plush dolls, and even purses, I finally found some applique patterns in two separate sets,  Pooh & Piglet, and Eeyore & Tigger, by Knotty Hooker Designs. They were easy to work up and the perfect size for this project after adjusting hook and tension a bit.

Lastly, I already had in mind the booties I wanted to make. Since I have made so many in the past and it is so easily remembered, I didn't even need the pattern, but I made them using a variation from Precious Baby Booties by Deborah Hamburg. If I recommended any book for baby booties it would be this one since it has so many variations using the same basic foundations.  It truly is my go-to book for booties.

Image courtesy of Amazon

 ~ And, all of that before I actually start crocheting. 

So, that is my story for this Piglet Snuggle-Up Set. Occasionally I will do a project that is cut & dry, but for the most part they all come with a little creative adventure. Hopefully customers will have a better understanding of the process because it's not just crochet. And, crafters will be inspired to explore more options because it's okay to mix & match colors, textures, and even patterns.

 (final image coming soon)

Again, If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment below.  And, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook.

Canning Jar Boxes, YES!

(This is NOT a paid review. Just sharing a great jar storage/moving solution.)

When I asked a group of canners what they would recommend for canning jar moving boxes, I was surprised that most of them recommended the plastic ‘Jar Box’. Have you seen the price? Yikes! Nothing against the plastic containers, but I did not think they would be an economical option since I have more than 400 jars to pack. So, I did some more research and found that ULINE offers some reasonably priced cardboard Canning Jar Boxes. In fact, I could order 10 sturdy boxes for same price as 2 of the plastic containers.

I was so excited when my order was delivered to my front door in just 2 days and they were exactly what I needed.  So, with only 3 months left before moving, I had to quickly figure out where to put all the boxes so that I could fill them with the clean jars and continue with emptied jars as they come out of the dishwasher. My dining room table became my “packing station” so I could easily sort and pack the various sizes. 

Now, I have confidence my jars will be well protected. But, for additional safety measure I am placing the rings on the jars to prevent any possible chipping of the glass rims. I also won’t have a big box of jar rings to pack. Win! And, I am able to replace any used, lost, or damaged rings and lids now, while I’m packing, so I will be prepared to start canning as soon as we are settled without having to rush to the store for missing supplies. 

No joke, it is very depressing to empty my pantry of the beautifully filled jars in preparation for a move, but it is wonderful to have heat & eat meals while preparing for this move, and I so look forward to refilling all of them. Just imagine a Canner’s Dream Come True to have 400+ clean jars to fill with whatever your heart desires.

So, I have to thank U-Line for offering their products to the home canners, such as us, and delivering a product that are not only durable, but reasonably priced. And you should see everything else they offer that would be useful for us canners, from Canning Jars & Replacement Lids to all sorts of  Shelving, Bins & Storage.

All I will have to do when we get moved is hunt down and possibly stalk (hehe) a local farmer since we are moving June/July, but I hope it’s not that difficult to find some fresh meat and produce until we can start growing our own next spring. 

Like stated above, this not a paid review. I just want to share a product with my readers and I would love your feedback, too. So, if you find this information helpful, please let us know in the comments below.

Where to Begin

Oh My! So much has happened so fast that we don't even know where to begin. We have only began the home buying process and it is sucking the life right out of us. It's exhausting! The only things we know for sure is Oak Nuts Hobby Farm will be the name of it, we are going to have chickens, rabbits, and of course goats for milking, and a garden big enough to feed the two through winter.

So, let me tell you why we chose Oak Nuts Hobby Farm. How to pronounce Acorns is the other thing we argue about. He says A-corns and I say Akerns. Since we could never agree about it (that would take the fun out, wouldn't it?) I decided to use the alternative acorns, 'Oak Nuts'. The Hobby Farm part derived when we were looking at properties and determined 35-40 acres was way more than we wanted to maintain and 2.5-5 acres acres should be sufficient for what we need to live a semi-sustainable life.

Now, onto the good stuff. We have finished our end of the paperwork on a 2.5 acre farm and waiting for the results to come back. If we get this one, Great! If not, we try again. But either way we moving somewhere around the end July. Yes, right in the middle of growing season. But I'm still going to make the best of it and share this great experience with you. We'll write about topics, such as De-crapifying, Jar Boxes, Using Up Food Storage -Meals, and Preparing for the Big Move!

We will also have plenty of planning and semi-sustainability ideas as soon as we know what we are going to have to work with. Some thing that already come to mind are a graywater re-use system, gardening plans, and comparing animal shelters.

 I will for sure keep you updated as to the status of our future farm. So, please, wish us the best in the comments below.

And, If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook.

Thank you for visiting and Happy Farming!