The Pearl of Great Price: An Anthology

Dearest Readers,

Check out my second book! It is a collection of my poetry and short stories to date, and a few other sweet surprises. ;) You can find it here. Feel free to leave a review! Also, some tidbits: Amazon Prime subscribers can get my books for free! And, starting tomorrow "Apples" will be given away free to everyone as part of a promotion!! The promotion only lasts five days, so get your copy soon!

Free Promotion! July 23rd to 27th

Starting Monday, you can get my book, Apples for free! This promotion only lasts five days, so upload your copy soon!

                       Find it here! 

Summertime

Ahh, the last days of summer. You know those summers where you have a huge list of lovelies to complete or pet projects that you have always wanted to finish, and they somehow never get done? My summer has been a little like that. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. ;) College is coming soon, and so is structure to my days. I did manage to pull together a bunch of projects too enter in the 4-H section at the county fair, and my crewel embroidery, crotchet blanket, and bird mobile are all going to the state fair! It was nice to see that my work keeps improving (and getting larger!).

Another interesting development is my new room. I am now in the little basement room, and I LOVE it. So does my cat. ;) We are preparing for me living in a dorm, because currently, I share practically everything with my three lovely sisters, and I need to figure out what I still need. I have enjoyed re-styling the shelves with my books, and it has been interesting to go through all my craft supplies and make sure I don't have a bunch of extra stuff in there. :)

On a different note, I have library problems. I love to read, as you know, and I hoped to read some incredible fiction this summer in preparation for lots of textbooks this fall. ;) Unfortunately, there were not many books at our library that I am willing to subject my brain to. When I read, I like to challenge myself with vocabulary and get a well-written, interesting, wholesome book. Let's just say there aren't many of those in the teen section at our library. And there seems to be a surplus of vampires. So I filled out a request form for eight books. Apparently, they don't normally get a request for that many forms to fill out-I received some funny looks. :) Hopefully, they will get them all in before I leave, because I only have a month to go. They were interesting books. Have you read: Eon? Eona? (By the way, I am still trying to figure out the order of those...there are eight books total, and it looks like there are two series...)Soulbound?
Albeit, some of these books I am getting because their covers looked cool, but I do think their plots sound interesting after reading the descriptions online. If you have suggestions, I would love to read them!

Bird Mobile for Baby

Well, Readers, I have the cutest project to show you all! It is an adorable baby mobile made from sticks and little stuffed birds. (When I mean little, I guess I mean about six inches long.)

My good friends from Florida, who used to babysit me and my sisters just had babies! I am so excited for them, and for the little girl I made this mobile. I found a different bird pattern to use for the little boy mobile, which I will take pictures of later. 

I found this project lighthearted and fun, and the only trouble I had with it was getting the faces of the birds to look the same every time. :) I think they all look a little bit different. ;) It can be our secret. 

All in all, it was lovely to make the birds, but the coolest part for me was finding a stick to put the birds on for the final product. I ended up using this "curly stick" that comes from some tree or bush in a couple that goes to our church's backyard. My mom likes to make flower arrangements, and the couple thought the sticks would add some neat texture and interest. Well, they certainly did in my piece!!! I LOVE the sticks, and I LOVE how God makes His creation so wonderfully interesting! 

That's it for now!

Alexis

Bells are Pealing

Hilari Bell. Incredible author-and I love her style! I have been reading her series: The Farsala Trilogy. They are excellent, and I am going to the library today to get the third one. I have also been reading fairytale redo-type-things that are so innovative and fun! I think I would like to try my hand at another one. You can catch my first one here: Apples, which is the re-telling of Snow White.


Have an awesome day!

Etsy!

I now have an Etsy shop called GingerOutlet. Do you get the puns? I am a ginger, and the shop is sort of an outlet for my creativity. :) I know it is kind of lame to explain it, but I thought you all as my faithful readers should know all the backstory.
So, if you are ever around Esty, check me out! Right now I am selling catnip (Well, in a few hours, I will be selling catnip), so if you have a cute kitty, they absolutely love the stuff. It is fresh from our garden, dried, and packaged adorably, of course. ;)

Crewel Embroidery

Here we are! Finally, I have a picture of the embroidery I did for my mom. :) She loved it, and I love that she loved it. ;)

What do you think?

An Offering of Thanks-Graduation Poem

For our graduation, my friend and I volunteered to plan and play music, and give the offering of thanks at the very end. I debated about what we should do-since there were two of us speaking, most of what we spoke would need to be planned, otherwise it would probably sound cheesy and girly and pretty sentimental. ;) Plus, I felt like tag-teaming at something as huge as our graduation wasn't an option. The light-bulb flickered on and I went on a search for a graduation "thank-you" poem. I couldn't find one. Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not very internet-searching savvy, but I did not reveal any poems in my search. So I wrote one. Feel free to borrow it if you wish, but remember all the plagerism stuff they taught you in middle school. :) How would you feel if you were the author?

It is meant to be in two speaking parts since there were two of us, so I will include those, but it can also be spoken as one piece.

#1: I dream of heaven,
     At night when I close my eyes.

#2: God's given us a tiny taste of it
      In these young years of our lives.
      In happy times, in challenging
      Moments when He pulls us through,

#1: But most of all He's shown us love,
      And grace and heaven in you.
      Thank you for the time you've given-
      For sharing wisdom in your arts.
      For teaching us and helping us
      To grow with God inside our hearts.

#2: The knowledge you've imparted
      We'll take with us as we go,
      But before we say our last farewells,
      There is one thing you should know:

#1& 2: For every lesson taught,
           Our desire to learn has grown.
           We thank you for preparing us
            To set out on our own.

            We pray we'll be a light
             To all those in our path.
             Just like you are lamps and beacons
             Shining now and in our past.

             Thank you all!


Written By: Alexis Piscatello

Quirky Octagons Back on Track~"Project UFO"

I am so thankful for bloggers. :)

I undid all my work (admittedly, I did wait a couple weeks so that I wouldn't take my frustration out on the pieces...) and have restarted the stitching. It looks SO much better. I am glad I have a wise mother who "advised" me to take out the messier stitching and redo my work. I am excited for the final product. So far I have one row done-nine more to go, and my "UFO" will be complete!!!!

Jacobian Pomegranate Final Product!

The past couple weeks I have been busily finishing up high school. I have also completed my crewel embroidery piece! I took it to the dry cleaners and they did a splendid job of blocking and cleaning it. Honestly, I was a little hesitant to do all of that myself. I am so glad we have dry cleaners!

After my project, all clean and beautiful, returned home, I went to Michael's and picked out mattes and a frame with my mom. Little did she know it would be a surprise for her on Mother's Day!

We were unable to have the frame completed by Mother's Day, so I kept the piece so I could actually give her something, and today I officially bought the frame and mattes, and the final product should be finished in a few weeks! I will post pictures when it comes back in splendid glory. :)

Crafty Bag!

Hola! Remember the crafty bag I made several months ago? At the same time I made others in different colors. I ended up giving them all away, as per usual, but I found one this week, and I think it will be an excellent addition to the county fair. ;)

I really like the colors of this one, so I am glad I was left with it. :) It is interesting working with cotton yarn again after crocheting with the acrylic yarn for my blanket. It likes to stick to the hook and pulls through with a lot of grip required. :)

Anyways, thought I would keep you updated. Does this count as a Project UFO?

Quirky Octagons~"Project UFO's"

Here is how much I have completed of my blanket! A whole row and a half. It took me such a long time to connect the pieces and change yarns for each little side.

I HAVE TO TAKE IT ALL OUT.


Let's let that sink in a little bit.

ALL OF IT. IT HAS TO BE REDONE.


Can you believe it? After all my work, I must painstakingly remove each square from its octagon and each octagon from its square. Why? Because I have never put together anything like granny squares, and the front must look like the back, but when I sewed the pieces together it left the bottom with a ridge and the top with a slight pucker. I am sure I puckered my lips into a bit of a pout when I heard this. After all, it was a lot of work. However, if I fix it, it will be an extraordinary accomplishment. :) So, here I go to take out my work. See you all in the future.

Necklaces for Etsy

Here is my latest project:

I have always been interested in designing jewelry. I seem to have a knack for it. Anyways, when I learned that you have to be eighteen to have an Etsy shop, I began the preparations so that I would have something to sell once I am eligible. :) Here are the products of my imagination (partly because Michaels did not, in fact, have all of the collections advertised in stock-or had pieces of them missing, and partly because I am imaginative. :)

And this, this became the most interesting and challenging piece for me so far...

TADA!!!! 

I had to catch every angle. :)

I hope you will soon be able to check out my very own Etsy shop. I will have other cool things on there, like cute crotchet coasters, organic catnip-makes the cats go crazy!- and so much more!


Alexis

First Test: The Beginning of an Incredible Journey

Kel, short for Kelandry, is a young girl who wants to be a knight. In the kingdom of Tortall, this is unusual, and had been forbidden for hundreds of years. However, a brave girl before her had secretively journeyed from page to Lady Knight, and had paved the way for other girls to try for the title.
Kel is the first. Can she pass the "First Test"?

First Test is one of my favorite books. It was written by Tamora Pierce, who also wrote "The Alanna Series." Hopefully we will get to read all four chapters of Kel's story together, and discuss what we think of the book!

"First Test" is appropriately titled, as Kel is put on a 'probationary period' to test her willingness to become a knight. In Kel's eyes, this is extremely humiliating as no one has ever gone through a probation before-this is the first test she must pass to prove her resolve to become the second Lady Knight of Tortall.

Quirky Octagons~"Project UFO"

My octagons are complete! I am now crocheting the little squares that go in-between. My family is anxious to see the blanket put together, and keep asking when I will have enough squares to do it. :) Humoring them, I will make a few from each color so I can start the first row at least.
These squares look like granny squares-they are probably a form of them, anyways. If I had know granny squares could be so simple, I might have made some before now!
This might be the second-most ambitious project I have taken on. The first is the Jacobean crewel piece that I recently finished. I am taking it to the cleaners, so that it can be professionally blocked (I really don't want to mess all that hard work up) and then I am going to frame it. I want to post about it, but I think it would be best if y'all waited to see the final project.

I'll post in a bit!

Alexis

Back to the Book List

Hello!

I am going back to the book list. I love how that kind of sounds like "back to the basics". :)

Here is a new list that I am going to attempt to keep reading from. As always, the list is subject to change.

First Test
A Girl of the Limberlost
Fairest
Goose Chase

Well, fellow readers. Let's get started.

Quirky Octagons~"Project UFO"

Here we are with another "UFO". (Un-Finished Object) Because I am nearing completion on my Jacobian Pomegranate Crewel Piece, I am enthusiastic about bringing out this lovely.

"Dusty Blue" pieces to the afghan.

This quirky octagon is actually part of a afghan! It looks like it will end up all askew, but besides the octagons, I will be making little squares to put in between. The picture on the back of the pattern is actually very symmetrical. It is all the different colors that make it look like it could be all uneven and just thrown together (in a good way).

The reason this project is a "UFO" is the octagons. :) When I first started this blanket I was on a crotchet-high from finishing my first (albeit smallish) afghan. It was in a gorgeous blue and brown varying yarn in a wave pattern. It was much more simple then this pattern, but I liked the look.

I went to Michael's (the best store on the planet, if you ask me) and picked out all the yarn of the same dye-lot with my Mom. Everything went as planned, until I began to crotchet. At the time, I didn't have quite enough experience with making circular objects, and unfortunately, many of the octagons I did in the first color, "Navy", are different sizes. I admit, it was so frustrating I stored it away for a year and then tried again.

The second round went much more smoothly! I was able to make all of the "Dusty Green" octagons and finish the little squares for the "Navy". Then, for some reason-possibly pillowcase season-it got put back into my closet.

The color isn't the best, but this is "Dusty Blue" making a
reappearance and "Dusty Green".

As of today, I have finished the octagons of four of the five colors. (!!!!) I am working on the final color, "Linen", right now. After the octagons are finished I will work on the squares and begin putting it together! I am finishing the octagons first so that they will all be the same size for sure. :)

This is a project that I was really excited about completing when I picked it out, and the excitement is still here! I am hoping to finish within the next two weeks.

What projects have you left undone that you would like to get back to?



Have a good one!
Alexis

Lovely Flower Pillowcase For A Homey Country Quilt

Hello Again!

Friends of mine are getting married this summer, and I thought I would get a head start on their pillowcases as I constantly seem to be finishing projects like this last minute. I searched their wedding registries and I found the quilt that they requested-it is a darling quilt with green, blue, and purpley tones in a homey country style. It has little flowers in all the small blocks, and I thought of this pattern that I found a few months ago.

Here is the "P" after I sketched it onto the pillowcase.
 

I am thinking of doing a sort of candlewicking with it. Candlewicking is where part of your embroidery is roughly the same color as the fabric you are working with, and the other part is bold, brilliant color. It is gorgeous and really pops. I am, in this case, making the "P" what pops, and the vine flower white like the case. 

Here are my supplies. :) Small hoop, scissors, floss, and the ever-useful reusable gallon bag! I store all of my smaller projects in these as they are very easy to keep neat and stash in my bag. :)

As you can see from the picture the "P" will be a nice deep green with an olive temperament. I am excited to finish this! It will be an enjoyable project. 

Alexis

Welcoming Back the Blogger in Me

Hello All!

It has been a little while, but I have been doggedly moving forward on my many projects. I promise-you will see pictures and new posts very soon!
For my writing, I am in the middle of writing a trilogy. Yes-all at the same time! The irony here is I began one book when I was twelve, one when I was fourteen, and one when I was sixteen, and I somehow named the city in the books the same name. A trilogy was born! You can imagine my surprise when I had extra time and pulled out the battered notebooks to continue the epics. ;) Then the genius of not-quite-connected trilogies popped into my mind, and now I am having a fabulous time connecting them in secretive ways. Writing is so fantastically fun to do!
And...wedding season is beginning again! I am so excited about the gifts I am planning to make! Also, my friends and I graduate this year, so I am looking for memorable gifts I can give to them.

Happy Living,

Alexis

Let's reach 20!

I am trying to reach 20 copies sold on my book, Apples! It would be awesome if you could help me out by picking up a kindle copy! You can find it Here and can get it for just $0.99! For those of you who are Amazon Prime members, you can rent it for free!

Honesty...

Honestly, I have been apprehensive about posting any of my writing on the internet. So for those who plagiarize out there, don't look at my blog. :)

Here is a poem I wrote the other day. It is still a little rough, and it doesn't have a title yet, but I like it. :)

Running

In a field of newborn dreams, I

Breathe

Sweet Perfume and

Listen

To Your voice.

It follows me and

Whispers promises of

Joy,

Everlasting Love,

Life.

All I desire is

You.

You lead me through the flowers

Holding my

Hands.

Willing,

I follow You.

Take me where You

Will.

Life

Without You is

Unimaginable.

Torture.

Never

Let me

Go.

You will

Never

Let me

Go.

I reach out

Searching

For answers to my

Problems

In this life.

It sometimes seems too

Hard

To try

But I trust

You’ll work things out

Sometime

Soon.

Love

Is a struggle when I

Love others

More than I love

You.

You should hold my

Heart.

I keep giving my

Heart back then

Taking it away,

But I want you to

Keep it.

I do.

I’ll wait for

The One.

I’ll wait for

The Time

When you send him.

Keep

My searching

Satisfied in

You.

Even when I

Fall,

Never

Let me

Go.

You will

Never

Let me

Go.

The Not-So-Nifty-Knitter and the Magic of Crotchet

Have you ever used a "Knifty Knitter"? This is what it says on the package:

Well, I can definitely say that it was a new experience in knitting. I had this incredibly cool yarn that was really hard to make anything with, and when I spotted the "Knifty Knitter" in one of our craft drawers I thought, "Hey! That looks like it will work with my yarn! It doesn't involve twisting yarn with needles and all I have to do is wrap and pull! This will surely make a great slouchy hat that I can wear in public!"

It was not to be.

Here, though, is my enthusiastic start. I actually took a picture!

You can kind of tell that the yarn has a little bit of sparkle and is multi-colored in this photo. 

Let's just say that after a few rows I looked in the booklet at the hat pictures and they were...ugly...

Change of plans!!!!!!

After I ripped out the few rows that I had done, I "googled" 'crotchet slouchy hat pattern' and came up with this: Slouchy Hat. (Thank you bloggers!) It was a good end to an interesting beginning. 

For the actual construction life went smoothly, and I was able to finish the hat in just under three hours! 

Here is my sis modeling the hat with her wonderfully curly hair. :)

Lovely!

I am extremely pleased with how this turned out, and I am excited to keep crafting! :)

$0.99!!!!!!!

Here is the direct link to my book Apples! You can find it for $0.99!!!!

News From the Author (!!!!!)

Good Afternoon, Readers!

Here you can find the direct link to my author's page on Amazon.com. Just scroll down and you can find my book! Though "Apples" is in Kindle format, the format can be uploaded onto iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, and regular computers. I hope you will find time to read my book and leave a review on the site. Reviews are really appreciated as I am a budding author. :)

Thank you all, and please read! :)

Alexis

Flowers for Spring

I love to crotchet, even though I don't get to do it very often. :) I made a crotchet flower for my friend's Birthday, and I have pictures of all the steps for you!

This is the yarn-it has these awesome little fuzzies coming off of it that look fabulous in the flower.

This is the "Flower" when it is almost completed. (It only has three rows so it is quick and fun to make)

A close-up of the stitching.

Final product with a nice brown button inside to add a pop of color and to highlight the cool brown fuzzies.

The second flower I made for my friend is out of sateen ribbon that I had folded and sewn for a dress I was making. However, I ended up using a darker brown color instead of this "sweet caramel". All I did was roll it up and sew it with an embroidery needle! On the back of both flowers I hot glued a piece of felt and a little brooch pin to make it professional and easy to put on and wear. :)

Isn't it lovely and elegant?

Apples

My cover-designed and photographed by my fabulous mom! (lifeinwc.blogspot.com)

You can now find my book, "Apples" in Kindle format on Amazon.com!!!! I am so excited to have it published, and I thank the Lord that he provided this wonderful opportunity.
Please check it out and leave reviews! :)


Alexis

Edible Delights

Today's post is a shout-out to a girl extremely talented in areas I can only dream of. :)

Have you ever seen anything so delicious in your life? My little sister makes the best sugar cookies on this planet. :) She even decorates them beautifully, as you can see! The other day she was making a clay cosmos flower, and it reminded me of her fabulous creations in icing, gum paste, and fondant. I definitely see a future in the pastry business, don't you? ;)

Love you, sis!
Alexis

Jacobian Pomegranate Take...3?

Hello Everyone!

I am crewel-working again, and this piece will be finished by State Fair Time this year! I am trying to decide if this piece should go into the UFOs, but I think, likely not. This piece is the reason I have UFOs in the first place. :)
Here are some recent snapshots. I am working vigorously to finish. It is actually much more pleasant to work with the wool during the winter. It doesn't stick to you as much. :)

From this photo you can actually see my different stitches!!! Thrill!

Short Story: Lexi's Playtime~A Photo Montage

This is my cat. She is rather adorable. (This picture kind of makes her look evil so I thought I had better say she is adorable...) She likes to play with her toy mice, and sometimes she will fetch them for me.

"I am so ready to play I even sat in the basket with all the toys!"

"Oh, right! You can't play with me if I am sitting on the toys! Here is a toy for you to throw for me. We can play now!"

"You know what? Just take them all. I think I will stay here and fall asleep sitting up."

I just love my cat, and this is only one (albeit funny) reason why! I hope you enjoyed!

Alexis

Lost and Found

Today I was browsing through our old pictures and I found the pictures of this completed pillowcase! (I knew I had pictures of them somewhere!) This was a gift for a friend's wedding. Her house, based on her registry, was going to look "Old World Italian", and I found a simple font that seemed to compliment the decor. I added the swirls and voila! A simple but very lovely gift.

A close view of the "B" and my satin stitch.

A view of my stem stitch. Here you can see how the stitches intertwine. 

Little Lady Pillowcase~"Project UFO"

The "Little Lady" herself.

Because I LOVE embroidering I asked for things to embroider Christmas of 2010. I haven't exactly gotten to finish them yet, but now I will begin to do so! We now begin Project UFO (Un-Finished Objects)! The first project is a pillowcase with a sweet little ruffle on the bottom. The pattern is actually a southern belle and the ruffle is the bottom of her dress! I have the first color completed on the first pillowcase so far. This project mainly consists of stem stitch, lazy daisy stitch, and french knots, so it should be a fun and easy "tv project" I might work on it tonight. :) My next post on this UFO will (hopefully be a "how-to" on the three types of stitches; This project is a cute one for those of you just beginning, and I would love to help by passing on some tips!

The colors I have left to finish. You can see a small section of the periwinkle in the corner. :)

Valentine's Day: Spreading God's Love

The stack of cards. It kept growing!

This was a highlight of my month. My Junior Optimist Club decided to show God's love to the community by making Valentine's Day cards for the residents at two local nursing homes. I hosted a "valentine-making party" and the fun of creating beautiful designs began! We had oodles of supplies: embossing tools/glitter, stamps, fun paper, cards and envelopes, and of course, people to enjoy the time with!

Abi, decorating one of her cards. 

One of the lovely cards! I wish I had gotten pictures of more of them!

I was so excited as cards began stacking on our little bar area. Every single card was an expression of creativity and beauty! I loved the different designs the girls who came thought of. I wish I had more pictures so that I could praise their work in much more detail. :)
As a shout-out to them: Thank you again for coming! I relished the time we spent together preparing to share God's love with the residents of the nursing homes. When I delivered the notes (After I placed scripture verses inside) the smiles on their faces were so inspiring. I hope we can continue doing things like this for them!

Rachael, pasting paper. :)

Sparkling Adornments~Additional Pictures!

I found additional pictures of the jewelry I made and I am now posting them for your enjoyment! I thought this project was the most fun to create this Christmas, and I hope to continue making more jewelry in the near future!

These are the matching earrings I made for the gold necklace. It was my first time trying the double strand. I think it turned out quite lovely, don't you?

A close-up of the incredibly cool wire-covered beads.

A better view of the peacock pendant and dangling beads. :)

The whole set!

A close-up of the flower pendant and design of the beads.