Chasing Vermeer

For all of you out there who enjoy puzzles and patterns, this is the book for you! It is actually the first of two, I believe, the second one is The Wright 3.
In this book, two unlikely friends solve an ancient mystery involving art and a crime. It is a wholesome, well-written book that readers will enjoy!


~Read on!

Peace, Love, and ALL THAT ROCK AND ROLL

I just had a thought~Pithy titles are coming easier to me. YIPPEE!

The school year is coming to a close, and everyone is turning in final pieces of homework. The youth population of America lets out a big sigh of relief: Ahh, summer is almost here! 

To celebrate the end of the year, we are having a decades party! 60's, 70's, and 80's: Here we come!

These decades are great for costumes and I am wavering between two styles: A "hippie" dress from the 70's and a Madonna/Cindi Lauper. 

The Hippie Dress will probably look something like this:

Well, I don't think you can see that... So more like this:

(There we go)

I am going to make it out of a knit fabric that has large leaves on it. I think the effect will be charming. :)

Then, for the Madonna/Cindi look:

If I went this direction it would be toned down quite a bit-but it would be a cute costume that would nod its head to the 80's style. 

I'll post pictures when the final costume is decided!!!

Try something adventurous today~you might find you like it. :)

~Alexis

Princess of the Midnight Ball

For all you readers out there, this is a great book.  (I'm doing a little experimenting with colors)

Dear Readers,

Princess of the Midnight Ball, by Jessica Day George, is an excellent book. It is a redo of the twelve dancing princesses-sort of. :) I would recommend it and give it five HUGE stars! It also has a sequel: Princess of glass, which is also an excellent read.
Have you heard that the fourth book in the Inheritance Cycle is coming soon?! I am super excited, and I want to re-read the first three books so that I can drink in every detail! :) If you have them, you can read along with me.

Cuddle up in a chair outside and enjoy this beautiful spring weather!

~Alexis

Shh!! Keep Quiet...

Guess what? I'm making pillowcases for a friend of mine's older sister whose getting married. Here's a picture, but you can't tell. :)

The "B" is going to be black, and the curlicues are going to be red and cream. 

I am also making a vest.

It has yet to have buttons and buttonholes, but I will show you how to do one of those when I do them. 

My crewel piece is coming along nicely! I'll post pics of that soon.

Yarn, Yarn, Yarn Yarn Yarn!

How many of you enjoy walking down a well-stocked aisle of yarn? I can tell you that it makes my day! The other day I spotted two colors of the new "trendy" yarn. Here they are:

Aren't they gorgeous? 

Anyway, I want to crotchet (Or tie knots and weave) interesting scarves with them, but I have not been able to find a pattern that would go with the yarn. If you have any suggestions for patterns that would be awesome!!

Let those creative juices flow~Alexis

Redo, Refurbish, Reuse! "Peach Sweater"

There is a saying: "A lesson lived is a lesson learned." It's true. :)

Here is the completed sweater!

It came out really nicely, but the belt is so adorable I have to find some way to use it! My mind has begun racing...

Meanwhile... I have this lovely Jacobean Crewel piece that I am going to make. It is really complicated, and it is probably going to take me awhile. :)

I hope this inspires you to create things of your own!!! ~Alexis

Redo, Refurbish, Reuse! "Peach Sweater"

So.... The belt is a little too bulky for the sweater-I think. We will see what happens with that. I might use some brown ribbons and tie bows to hold the sweater shut....

Things are moving along!!! Final Pictures to come!!!

Redo, Refurbish, Reuse!

I have decided to expand my blog! Besides reading and writing, I love to sew and embroider. For this new section~Redo, Refurbish, Reuse!~ I will be "recycling" clothing to make it more chic and interesting. 

I started with a knitted pullover sweater in a lovely peach color that was a little large and needed some fixing up. I cut straight down the middle of it, using the point of the v-neck as a guide. Then I cut off the ribbed border at the bottom and attached some lace to it-This will end up being a tie for the sweater.

I felt that since the sweater was a solid color that the cream lace would add a nice touch.

Next, I pinned the front of the sweater with the unfinished part folded twice so it wouldn't unravel. I intentionally took a significant amount of it and folded it over so that the sweater will lay open an inch or two-as shown.

Having it lay this way will really show off the belt, which will tie right in the middle, and it will also show off whatever you are wearing underneath. 

This is all I have so far, but the rest will be coming soon!!!!!!

~Alexis