Fun with Flickr!

Over at Crochet by Faye, she was playing a fun game with flickr photos. Thoutht I'd play along too!

Here’s how you play:

Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search.Using only the first page, choose an image.Copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker over at FD’s image maker.

The questions:

What is your first name? Jennifer

What is your favorite yarn? Mercinized Cotton

What was the first thing you made with yarn? Doll clothes

What is your favorite color? Blue

Which crochet or knitting designer do you have a crush on? Dee
Favorite handmade gift you have received? Deco jeans

Dream project? Knit sweaters

Favorite notion? Pretty stitch markers

What will you crochet/ knit next? Hat
What do you love most about yarn? softness

One word to describe your craft. Crochet

Main inspiration to craft. Heather

Photo Credits:

1. Jennifer, 2. Knit Picks Shine Sport - Crocus, 3. Practising to be a mascot?, 4. water droplets in the shower - o.k. bokeh, 5. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, 6. Vintage European Cat With Yarn Bolt Poster, 7. minisweater, 8. Pretty Stitch Markers, 9. ~maive~, 10. doesnt get any softer than this, 11. babette blanket, 12. golden frolic through the undergrowth

Congratulations!

A friend of mine choose a number for me and the winner of the neckwarmer is Anngelique!! Congratulations and your prize will go out in today's mail!!!

And thanks for all your comments on my 'baby cables". They were actually really simple and didn't even require a cable needle!!

Here it is!

The prize you've all been waiting for!! When you register on my website for my newsletter, you will be put into a drawing for this!! (see the contest post here!) It's a beautiful KNIT....yes, I said KNIT!...neckwarmer. I love the soft brown color and it features a three button closure! I can easily see it dressed up with a pretty dress or down with jeans and a tee! So, what are you waiting for?? I'll be drawing a name sometime tomorrow!

Product Review!

Come and check out my product review on MomFinds!

You can purchase your own pair of flip-flops at either the Pink Zebra or my website!

#10 cotton thread- For Sale or Trade

I have all of this size 10, 100% cotton threads that I will never use! It's all in very good condition and mostly unused. There are 7 total, in three different shades. Ecru, creams, greens, and one yellow-ish verigated. I'm looking to trade or sell them(CHEAP!) if anyone is interested. I can use some size 10 in WHITE or just about anything nice you may have available. If you are interested, please leave me a comment with your email address (I won't post it!) and I'll be in touch!

UPDATE: The lot is now listed in my Etsy shop!

CONTEST Time!

It's been a while since I've had some type of contest on my blog, huh?? So let's see.......how about a newsletter contest??? Go to my website here and sign up as a new customer so that you will receive my weekly newsletter. On Friday I will draw a name to be my winner. And don't worry, even you are already registered on my website, I'll still enter your name!

Now, what will you win?? Hmmm???? I've been working on my knitting, so probably a knitted project! LOL!! And I think I have the perfect one in mind!! I'll post pictures of it tomorrow!!

YUMMY Stash!

Lookie at this great stash I picked up yesterday!! All for my new fall line!! Just wait till you see what I have in mind!!! See anything you like??

Fun in the sun!

Happy first day of Summer! How will you be spending it??

Heather is really enjoying her new swingset in the backyard, especially when we added the pool to the bottom of the slide! She and Kathryn (the neighbor) spent ALL DAY yesterday out there playing in the 90+ degree heat! I just made sure they had plenty of water - to drink!- and sunscreen on!!

UGH!!

Anyone else having trouble with photobucket.com??? It seems that I can not get the site to come up at all! I get some message about the site being hacked into. BUT, everyone I have taked to says it is fine. They can log into their accounts and see their pictures! I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING THAT IS HOSTED ON PHOTOBUCKET ON ANY WEBSITE/BLOG! I am so frustrated!!! Anyone else having this problem?

Shhhhhh!

New pattern in the works.........just thought I'd drop in and give you all a little sneak peek!

FREE PATTERN!!

I've been making a ton of these with all my leftover scraps of yarn. Thought I'd share it with all my wonderful blog reading friends! Enjoy! Please read and follow my copyright info....THANK YOU!!

Pretty Little Headband
By Jennifer J. Cirka/Jaybird Designs
A pretty little headband that uses up those scraps of yarn!

Copyright
Copyright 2008 by Jennifer J. Cirka (aka Jaybird Designs) all rights reserved. This pattern is for personal use or for gifts only! Sales of this finished product are discouraged. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author. Please feel free to link back to this pattern.

Materials
~Any yarn and corresponding hook size [my samples are usually #2 (fine, baby, sport) weight and a D/3.25 mm hook]
~Yarn needle
~Sewing Needle and thread
~Small piece of ½” elastic

Finished Size
Custom made to fit

Gauge
Not Important

Notes
Before beginning, measure your (or whoever you are making it for!) head. Most women should be about 19” and girls about 18”

Pattern
With MC, ch a multiple of 6 stitches + 1 (for most of mine I chain 91).

Round 1: 2sc in second ch from hook. Sc in each ch across. 3sc in last ch. Working up the unused loops of the ch, sc in each ch across. Join with a sl st to first sc. (184sc)

Round 2: ch1, sc in same st as joining. *sk 2 sts, [dc, ch1] 2 times in next st. dc in same st. sk 2 sts. Sc in next st. Repeat from * around. Join with a sl st to first sc. Finish off and weave in ends. (If necessary, you may need to add a sl st or two at the ends to help the ends to lay flat. Be sure to space the dc/fans across from one another)

Finishing Instructions
Measure finished crocheted piece. Subtract this measurement from the head circumference measured earlier. Cut a piece of ½” elastic the remaining measurement. Fold each end of the elastic over ½” and hand sew onto the wrong sides of the ends of the crocheted headband. Put on and feel pretty!

My New Hook Case

Lookie what I just made for myself!! A new crochet hook case! I found the tutorial online and love it! I may make a few changes the next time I make one, but I may be offering them for sale if anyone is interested.

Tagged

I've been following this fun tagging game all around the crochet blog world. I've learned a lot about a bunch of different people that I admire!! So, since Kim couldn't think of anyone to tag....I tagged myself for her, LOL!!

What was I doing ten years ago?

I was married to my ex-husband, broke, and mountain-biking A LOT! Not to mention hating every minute of it! He was really into all the mountain biking....and spending all my money that I was making working for the post office...and like the good wife, I just went along with it! GGrrrrrr!!! What was I thinking!?!?!?! We would soon divorce in 1999.

Five things on my non-work to do list today:

1~wash the sheets

2~walk to the grocery store

3~paint Heather's nails....I promised!

4~make dinner

5~ummmm...welllll.....can't really think of anything else. It is either work related or I just don't have anything to do today, LOL!

Snacks I enjoy (in no particular order):

~rice crispie treats...prepackaged

~cheesecake

~french vanilla moolatte from DQ

~just about anything from starbucks!

Things I would do if I was a billionaire:

~Move my mom closer to me so I can see her more than once a year!

~Move dh's parents closer too.

~Help my little sis get back on her feet and out of all the "bad choices" she has made in her life

~buy lots of stuff, LOL!!

Places I have lived:

~Baden, PA

~New Brighton, PA

~Fruita, CO

~Grand Junction, CO

Jobs I have had:

~Grocery store cashier

~USPS....many positions including custodian, clerk, mailhandler

~Choice Hotels reservations phone line

~Receptionist for an accountant

~mom

~wife

~crochet designer

People I want to know more about:

Looks like I'll tag Ellen!

Another Gift

Did I tell you that I have 3 friends having baby boys in July?? Well, needless to say, I've been very busy making baby blankets! Here is the latest! It went to my friend Shanon from the Pink Zebra. She is having her third child...her first boy. I am so in LOVE with this set! I was inspired by pictures of the bedding set that she had purchased. Unfortunately, thanks to my "partner in crime", the colors are all wrong! **Hey T...check the colors on your monitor!!!** But I do really like the colors I ended up choosing and so does the mom-to-be!

OH....and if you want one of these for yourself or a friend, you can purchase it here!

JBD News

I've been working hard on the website this week and have lots to show for it! I hope you all love the new items I've been adding!

First, I now have GIFT CERTIFICATES! Purchase one for yourself or for someone you love! Available in $10, $20, and $50!!!

And the newest
Jaybird Designs original crochet pattern is available for sale! You can now make your very own Criss-Cross Skinny Scarf! This pattern is so easy, yet makes a wonderful accessory to your wardrobe!

I've even started a new WOMEN's category! And to start the ball rolling, you can now purchase a custom made Mesh Cami! The color choices are amazing and you will want one in each color! I need to sit down and make me a few more, LOL!!

Well, that's it for now! Don't forget to use your discount code and save even more
on your purchases! Have a great weekend!

A day in My Life!

I've been having so much fun reading about some of my bloggy crochet friends (and people I admire) that I decided to let you all have a peek at one of my days. Thanks to these great people for sharing their days with us!

Ellen - Go Crochet
Crochet by Faye
Vashti
SkaMama
Brett Bara

OK, so are you ready for mine? Just remember, this was our first "official" day of summer vacation with nothing to do. Plus we are trying to drive the car less now that gas is at $4 a gallon!

My Monday as a SAHM, crochet designer, and online boutique manager

6am~dh's alarm goes off I'm happy that I don't have to get up this early anymore! But he is not feeling well, so I offer to "get him something" to help him feel better. He declines....I go back to sleepp.

7am~Finally get out of bed. Put on a pot of coffee and head down to the computer. My fish, Spot, is right next to me, so I decide to feed him. Have I ever told you that this guy is bigger than my HAND!!!!

7:15~Heather wakes up. Make her hot chocolate while she watches PBS cartoon. Pour myself a cup of coffee and back to the computer I go.

7:45~Heather decides to go outside...pj's and all...to play on her new swingset that was just completed the day before. I'm still on the computer.

7:50~She comes back in because it is still a little chilly outside, LOL!! She asks me to help her set up Playhouse Disney on daddy's computer so she can play while I work on mine.

8am~I start working on my grocery list. THIS IS TAKING FOREVER! I am searching the internet for sales and coupons. Writing my menu for the week and organizing my list.

9am~Finished list and it's time to feed the kiddo. I make beds and decide that I should wash my sheets.

9:10~Jump in the shower.

9:30~Call my "partner in crime" but she doesn't answer. Decide to check emails again, remind dd to get dressed, unload and load the dishwasher, clean all the old leftovers out of the fridge, and take out the trash.

9:45~WOW! Can't believe all that only took 15 minutes!! So I finally sit down to eat something. Cottage cheese and a banana. Have I told you we don't have any food in the house??

10am~Off to the grocery store. We decide to walk since it is only a few minutes away. DD decides she wants to ride in the wagon on the way there, but I make her walk home. I can't believe we fit all those groceries in the wagon!

11:45~Home, put groceries away.

12pm~Finally get to talk to Trevor on the phone. We discuss life and busniess. I make lunch while talking.

12:15~We have peanutbutter and Jelly sandwitches with raisins for lunch. I read the paper and check emails while eating.

12:30~I finally get to sit down and watch cartoons with dd and pick up my current crochet project....a cami for Trevor. Finished it!

1:15~Play a game of Wii bowling with dd. I win...170 to 155!

1:30~Sit on my new porch swing and start a new crochet project while watching dd play on her new swingset.

2pm~Popsicle break!

2:10~Neighbor kids look over the fence and see the new swingset. They say "Hey Heather, would you like us to come over and play?" LMAO!

3pm~Start work on the new Yarn Can Make This newsletter for YouCanMakeThis.com while kids play on the swingset. Prepare a new free pattern for the newsletter and contact a fellow crochet artist to ask for permission to use part of something she has written in the newsletter.

4pm~Starting to get a headache, LOL!! Take some tylenol and get snacks for me and the kids.

4:30~Watch cartoons with dd while crocheting.

5pm~Just got an idea for a design from the cartoons! Grab my sketchbook and get to work drawing it up!

5:30~dh home from work...time to make dinner. Leftovers! YUCK! Have dinner and clean up kitchen.

6pm~Family time. Watch some tv, check emails, crochet a little.

8pm~Time to put Heather to bed. Brush teeth and make sure she goes potty. Read two stories....The Chocolate Wolf and 9 Fruits Alive. Snuggle for a few minutes and then she falls asleep.

8:30~Feed the cat, set the coffee pot for the morning. Watch tv and crochet.

9pm~Dh comes up and we watch the Denver Murder Show, aka the Denver news. Get tired so I go check emails one last time.

9:45~Off to bed!

WHEW!!

Well, we worked all weekend and finally got my daughters "playground" finished! Not to bad since we started it on Memorial Day. My wonderful and amazing husband did most of the work, but I did help hold/move things and paint it! My little one can not wait to actually get to climb all over it today...since yesterday the paint was still wet!

Guess what we'll be doing all day? Actually, she just went out....pj's and all! And it's not even 8am yet! LMAO!!!

How cool!!

http://www.naturallycaron.com/gallery/gallery.html

Does the baby in the first picture look familiar?? If not...scroll down a few posts, LOL!!

CGOA Conference, Here I come!

Well, as close as I'm gonna get anyways!!

I just shipped off my entry for the first CGOA Crochet Design Contest that is being held at the 2008 summer Knit & Crochet show in New Hampshire. Man! I soooooooooooo wish I could be there!! But at least my crochet can, LOL!!!

So if you are one of the lucky ones that get to be there, look for pink and green in the baby category!

And maybe even vote for me if you get the opportunity!

Whoo Hooo!

Remember last year when I told you all about my booklet with Leisure Arts that was supposed to be published? Well, I was soon told that it was put on hold....I can't tell you how disappointed I was!! Well, I just found out that it is "tentatively scheduled for a January 2009 release". I am so excited!!!! I even got a phone call from one of the technical editors working on my patterns! WOW, I've learned so much in the past year about writing patterns....I can only imagine what a mess those ones are since they were my first, LOL!! So, lets keep our fingers crossed that all goes as planned and in January you will be able to walk into any craft store and purchase a booklet of some of my favorite....and most requested....patterns!!!!

Here is a sneak peek! Happy Crocheting!

What a cutie!!

I just finished this baby blanket for a friend of mine who is due with a baby boy next month. I used another friends little one to model for me....isn't Taryn ADORABLE!?!?!?!?!?! The blanket is made from the new Naturally Caron Spa yarn in Green Sheen. It is a WONDERFUL bamboo and acrylic blend that is soooooo soft, light, and silky! Perfect for that summer baby!

Now, is there any interest out there in the pattern???

What's New!

Can you believe it is June already!?!?!?! And boy do I have a lot of things planned for this month!
On Sunday, I will be featured at the Girl Indie Birthday Bash! I will be giving away a beautiful crocheted skinny scarf in my newest pattern design! I hope to have the pattern debut at the same time!

I have also hunkered down and started work on my first crochet book proposal. Of course, I can not tell you much about it, but I am so excited to get started and hopefully have a full fledged book under my belt soon! Plus, I am waiting...patiently...to hear back from a few magazine design proposals I have sent in over the last month! Keep your fingers crossed!

OK, so I have been working on the website when I get the chance, so I'd like to tell you about the newest items I have listed! You can now purchase custom made finished projects of my published designs! Mini-Wrap Sweater, Easter Bonnet Hat, and the Flower Girl Shrug.

And don't forget that I have some GREAT items in my SALE category! Just in time for the Fourth of July! Don't pass up these great deals!