I Heart ITunes

I have a huge music collection. I love music and discovering new bands. It used to be really hard to do that when I was in high school. A new music magazine I used to subscribe to helped feed my addiction. However, I used to be hesitant to spend my hard earned money on a CD I may not like. Or, I couldn't find the music I was looking for at Best Buy or Walmart or Target.

Not too long after I started college, I discovered Itunes. Some would say that was my downfall. I think it was one of my greatest discoveries. If it weren't for Itunes, I wouldn't know half of the bands I do, or have half of the music. This seems kind of a delayed post considering how long I've been using Itunes and how long it's been around. I just thought of it this weekend when I was considering a few albums I could never find here in South Dakota. I decided to sing its praises. (But you won't find that on Itunes. :P )

On an unrelated note, I just listed the above purse in my Etsy shop. I think it's a cute party purse. It has a beaded handle and a satin bow as well as a gold speckled lining. It's a smaller purse, so it probably can't fit all of your loot, but it will fit your party essentials.

The next purse I'm going to make is a medium sized purse. It has some funky fabric. Hopefully, I'll be able to list it by the end of the week. I'm moving slow this week!

Pet Christmas Pictures

I would never want to be a pet photographer. It was quite a job this weekend taking Christmas pictures of Dinky for my Christmas cards. My sister and I took around 160 pictures to end up with three good ones.

I bought the cute sweater above at Target. I thought it would be good for pictures because he always acts like he's in a straitjacket when I put clothes on him. I figured he wouldn't move around. Instead, he acted sad and depressed. So we took it off and kind of put it on him like a bib. That didn't work either. So after quite a few more pictures, the picture below is one of the three options I'll send in my Christmas cards.

I think it turned out cute enough. I'll have to figure out something else next year.

Christmas Tree, Oh, Christmas Tree...

I finally have decorations outside.... And inside too. As you can tell, the picture above is my Christmas tree. You can't really tell by the picture, but it's a blue tinsel tree. I love it! I'm a sucker for anything colorful and sparkly.

As far as the decorations outside go, I don't have an electrical outlet outside. So other years I was never able to put any lights out. My mom found some battery powered Christmas decorations this year. This year I have three lit up peppermint decorations. I also have a "candy cane" (which is really a shepherd's hook to hold the battery pack) and I wrapped the pot holder hanging on my house with tinsel too. It probably looks a little ghetto, but it's not Scrooge-like anymore! (I would post pictures, but in reality, it's pretty pathetic.)

Revival...

That's the idea anyway. If you were a reader of my blog, you'll notice I changed up the colors. I'm not sure how I like them yet. We shall see. My goal is to start routinely making interesting entries. I really hope that will happen.

Thanksgiving is over. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Back to reality tomorrow. That's ok though, we'll have a couple more long weekends soon enough. In the meantime, enjoy the holiday season! I always like this time of year, even if it's cold and snowy. But if it wasn't, I would feel bad because my sister and Mom really like the cold and snow. Guess I can't control the weather though!

Moving on, I've been continuing to sew purses and pouches and have a few available in my new shop 482 Reasons . All purses are my original design. Keep checking the shop to see the evolution. :D I have lots of ideas I want to try and a lot of really cool fabric. Here are a couple purses now available:

Hopefully, you'll be hearing a lot more from me!

Thanks for reading!

First Shipman Quack

First Shipman Quack
Originally uploaded by Home Hooked

It's been a long time! First Shipman Duckie is now available in my shop. I'm working on more duckie additions to the shop as well. I have some cute ideas rolling around in my head.

If you're in Brisbane, Australia, be sure to check out the art and craft fair that benefits Karuna Hospice on August 1. I'm not sure of the exact address of where the fair takes place, though. I've donated a white tiger and kangaroo. Go check it out! I wish I was in Australia!

Purse Lady

I have a purse fetish. I wouldn't call it an addiction, but I really, really, really like purses. (See the Purses, Purses, Purses blog post.) A few months ago, I was looking for a new purse on Etsy. My mom mentioned maybe I should make purses for myself instead. What a great idea! I could make them out of any fabric I want, whatever shape I want, whatever size I want. It took me a while, but the first purse I made is pictured below!

I don't mean to sound cocky, but I think it turned out really good. It has a couple inside pockets, one zippered and one not. I also really like this fabric. There are a couple things I would do different, but I can do that with my next purse. I may also shorten the strap of this bag, I'll see after I use it a couple times.

I would really, really like to sell purses on Etsy. But I'll obviously need some improvement, so we'll see.

Tiny, but Mighty

If you've seen Beverly Hills Chihuahua, you know the title of this post is not original. Oh well, it's a cute phrase. The movie and Dinky (my chihuahua) were the inspiration for my latest amigurumi. I'm really glad the chihuahua turned out how I imagined him in my head. I'll make a couple more before the pattern for the chihuahua is available in my shop. I'm not sure what I'm going to make next. Probably a cat using the pattern I made for the tiger. I've decided to sell more patterns in my shop. If you see something you like and want to make it yourself, let me know. I can fast track getting the pattern listed.

I also want to start making some more cartoony things. I have a ton of colored yarn and can't really use it on normal colored animals.

I also finished And Then There Were None. It is a very good book. I highly recommend it if you like mysteries. I didn't figure it out until they explained it at the end of the book.

Bad Me, again

I have been so bad about updating my blog lately. Sorry loyal readers! I have been doing fun things recently.

Last weekend, I went to two movies: Star Trek and Angels & Demons. I'm not a super big Trekkie, but I loved the movie! It's way better than the other two Star Trek movies I've seen. They have a great cast, lots of action, and I'm a fan of JJ Abrams. I wouldn't be able to tell you how loyal it stays to the original Star Trek TV show. I haven't seen enough episodes of that series. I've always liked The Next Generation and Deep Space 9 better. And this movie was way better than those! I'm planning on seeing it again when it's in a cheap theater next week (I think.)

Angels & Demons was very good as well. I was expecting it to deviate from the book a lot. And it really didn't. A couple things were made more realistic and a couple other parts were changed. But all in all, it was quite close to the book. Some of the dialog was even taken directly from the book. Which I thought was cool.

I also bought three books last weekend. The one I'm reading now is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I like it so far. It's not super suspensful, but it still makes you wonder, how the events in the book are happening. I can't remember the other two books I bought right off hand.

I've also been busy crocheting. I made a prototype of a tiger cub last week. Now I'm working on one for my sister. I think I'm going to donate the white tiger cub that's finished to a charity in Brisbane, Australia. I also need to make a kangaroo to donate. I'm trying to get them done as soon as I can so I can send them off. The next animal I'm going to try to make a chihuahua. Hopefully, I can do a chihuahua justice. Atleast I have a live model to look at.

Enough blabbing! I'll try to update this more often in the future.

Mr. Kangaroo

Mr. Kangaroo
Originally uploaded by Home Hooked

Mr. Kangaroo is now available in my shop! Get him before he hops away.

Look for either a tiger cub or a koala next.

Have a good week everyone!

Evolution of an Amigurumi Design

Look for a kangaroo coming to the shop soon!

Awe....

I think this is just the cutest face/head. I'm having trouble making a suitable body for this cute head. I think I'm being too picky. Tonight will be my third try on the body. But I'm getting closer, so that's encouraging.

Hopefully, I'll be able to list some photo albums and journals my mom locker hooked, hook locked? Lock hooked? I'm not really sure what it's called, but it's awesome.

In non-crafting news, my dog is a mini toy destroyer. He's currently working on a rope creature I got him from Walmart. He's now making it so he can't have it while I'm at work. This weekend I'm going to Pet Smart (yay!) to get him a ball that he can play with that dispenses treats. That should keep him busy while I'm at work. I still think it's a bit sad that Pet Smart is one of my favorite stores. Oh well!

Cute Monkey!

Cute Monkey!
Originally uploaded by Home Hooked

Who are you calling Monkey? It's me, it's me! Well, the latest animal listed in my shop. I really like how he turned out. He seems so cheerful and happy. Makes me smile. I hope he makes you smile too!

In other news, I started working out using My Fitness Coach for my Wii. I'm not sure if I've gotten much skinnier, but I'm not as out of breath when I go upstairs at work. I've only been working out for 3 or 4 weeks. My mom says she can see a difference, which is good. Or she's just being nice.

My whole evening tonight is going to be sitting in front of the TV. Mythbusters is new tonight and is on for 2 hours. But it overlaps Dinner Impossible. That's ok, I'm sure they'll have this Mythbusters episode on again. Robert Irvine is back on Dinner Impossible. Yay! I like him. It's amazing how he pulls everything together in time. He rocks!

WIP

Here is a sneak peak of the Christmas present I'm making for my sister. I really don't have too much done yet. Which is probably good just in case she happens to find my blog online! Knowing her, she'll guess what it is. She has been hinting at me to make it. Oh well.

I'm starting early because I'm making a set of dolls. And they need to live up to what she's expecting. Hopefully I can make it happen!

In other news, I'm also working on a birthday present for my dad. I'll show you it after I give it to him at the end of April. I'm also working on making some purses for me. It's a good way to feed my habit!

Dog with Blog?

If Dinky wrote a blog, would you read it? Someone brought up the idea and think it might be fun. His life is way more exciting than mine. Hehe. Must ponder this.

I also must start updating this blog more often. I bet you loyal readers get awful bored seeing the same old post. Here's a topic you can discuss amongst yourselves: Is it juvenile for a grown adult to buy Happy Meals? I've been doing it lately because I can't eat 10 chicken nuggets. I also got some really cute toys to boot! I have them displayed proudly at work and at home. Right now, they have Little Pet Shop (or something like that) toys for girls. They are so cute! I should really get boy toys and give them to my nephews. The youngest one would stick it up his nose, and the oldest one would end up wrecking it or getting it taken away. There, just talked myself into continuing to get girl toys. That was easy!

Guess I just had that discussion amongst myself! Now, does anyone have any good remedies for getting rid of hiccups??

Me, a Gamer?

The Wii may just be my downfall. Or not, haha. I was fortunate enough to get a Wii a couple weeks ago. I thought it would be a good way for me to move around and get more active. We'll see about that. I did buy a personal trainer game and I love boxing on Wii Sports. It's a good way to take out my frustrations.

But anyway, the point to this whole post is that I am now addicted to Mario Paper! My brother let my sister and I borrow some of his games. I've been playing Mario Paper most of the week. Hopefully, I can find it used today. I love how you can play in 2D or 3D. Dinky likes it too. He likes watching the scenery go by. Yesterday, he was barking and growling at a boss on the game. Silly dog!

New

Hello everyone! I've neglected this blog for far too long. I have been somewhat productive with the rest of my life though. I recently purchased a Wii. I'm getting better at guitar. I finished Raspberry Star (above) last weekend. She was made with the adjusted pattern I was talking about last time. I really like how she turned out. The stars on her T-shirt are sequins. Look for more girls like this in my shop.

In other news, my mom pointed out the obvious to me. I love purses. I've been craving a new purse and was looking on Etsy for one. Then my mom suggested I make my own purses. She's a genius! I made up a trial purse yesterday, just to make sure I knew what I was doing before going at it on my own. I'm really excited about this. I can make the purses any way I want, and can probably have more than I would normally buy! Yay!

Shiver Me Timbers!

Captain Rum Duckie has come ashore! He's brought his loyal parrot with him. He may not be the most dreadful pirate on the high seas, but he is probably the most adorable. Welcome Captain Rum into your house!

I also finished another little girl named Jasmine. Once I complete her photo shoot, she'll make her debut in my shop. Also be on the look out for another currently un-named girl that I'm working on now. I've made some adjustments to my original pattern that hopefully will work out. I'm so excited making her. She is definitely more my style.

Well, enough blogging, now to crocheting! Have a great weekend!

New!

New line coming to my shop. Polly is the first doll in a new line of little girls I am adding to my shop. They are really fun to do. I'm excited to do more. Polly's clothes were made separate and are a 2nd layer over the amigurumi. Her hair is also a separate layer. I'm very happy how she turned out.

New waterfowl in my shop. A goose! I don't know why I didn't think of it before I had the custom order for a goose. Oh well. I have lots of ideas for different geese that will hopefully migrate to my shop in the coming weeks.

Another new thing is new and hopefully better pictures. I finally decided to read the book that came along with the camera. It's amazing what you can find out. With any luck, better pictures will help me get more traffic to my shop. Time will tell!

Tomorrow is the start of the Nascar Sprint Cup season. I can hardly wait! I'm hoping either Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, or Brian Vickers can win the Daytona 500. But if Jeff Gordon wins, I'll be fine with that too.

Little Red Riding Hood Duckie

Here comes Little Red Riding Hood, off to Grandmother's house she goes. She can wear her hood up or down, depending on the weather. Little Red Riding Hood is one new addition to my shop this weekend. I also listed a Duckie wearing bunny ears for Easter. He/She was quite popular last year, so I brought it back! I'm also working on two other items for my shop. You should see at least one new listing next weekend, if not two or more. Time will tell.

Don't forget to check out the cute Easter/Spring Bunnies currently in my shop. Get them before they hop away!

In other news, I now have my 6th string on my guitar. So I can play it again. Yay! My parents' are dog sitting this week for me since I'm going to a play in a nearby town Tuesday. It would be a really long day for Dinky to be home alone while I'm at work, then that night too. So now it's really quiet here. I'm sure he's keeping my parents busy, though.

I should keep working, or wind down before bed. Whatever I end up doing.

Keep checking the shop for new updates!

That Awful Sound You Hear?

Is me attempting to play guitar! I recently sold my blue Squire guitar to my brother so I could get this awesome Atomic Pink Daisy Rock guitar! It's really pretty, I love it. It's also smaller, which actually does make a difference. Unfortunately, the guitar is currently silent as it currently only has 5 strings instead of 6. I keep breaking my high E string. I'm going to try a heavier guage string tonight. Atleast I know how to change strings now! My younger sister also bought a guitar last weekend. She's doing really good with hers.

In crocheting news, stay tuned, I hope to have 2 new Duckies in my shop this weekend. Fingers crossed! I also gave my first crochet lesson at work yesterday.

Duck, Duck, Goose

Yes, goose! I had a custom order on Etsy for a white duck that could be passed off as a goose. So I made a couple modifications, and I present the goose! I never thought of making a goose before. What a great idea! I also made mittens to go with the duckie and goose. They were much easier than I thought they would be.

In other news, I tried to dye my hair a "dark copper", which I thought would be a brownish orange. Boy was I wrong! So, this morning, I tried to dye my hair "dark ashe blonde". That only toned the orange down slightly. At least I don't feel like my hair is ridiculously bright any more. Oh well, live and learn! With any luck, the color will fade fast.

Baby Gifts Done!

Yay! The baby gifts I had to make are now done. One of my friends is a huge pug fan and has a couple herself. She's getting the pug, of course. I got the pattern on Etsy. The other monkeys and bunny are my own design. I'm glad one of my friends mentioned she was decorating the nursery in a jungle theme. The monkeys were fun to make. The blue monkey was the last gift I made. I think he turned out better than the pink one. But anyway, it was nice to mark these off my list.

Now I'm going to start on a custom order. It'll be nice to be able to restock my Etsy shop too.

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail

Isn't she cute? With her Easter bonnet, and her pink nose, and her big bow. How can you resist her? This is the newest creation by my mom, the creator of the Snow Babies. I love how they turned out.

I promise, there will be new Duckies coming. I just need to finish the last monkey of the baby gifts. In the meantime, I have two other bunnies to list. Stay tuned!

This and That

Sorry for the lack of posting. Not much exciting has been happening lately. My lack of shop updates is because I have been trying to get four baby gifts done. I have two of the four done so far. Yay! Now I'm working on a pink monkey. I have another bunny to make too. I'm thinking of trying to sell a bunny in my shop. But I'm not sure with the new lead regulations and stuff. I'll see.

I've been reading a really good book I got for Christmast called Remember Me? It's by Sophie Kinsella. She is the author of the Shopaholic books. I actually am liking Remember Me? better than the Shopaholilc books. But I still have over half of the book to go.

I should get to work. I'm trying to get the baby gifts done and a birthday gift for my older sister. Then I can add new items to my shop. Yay!

Catching Up

I hope everyone had wonderful Holidays. Well, it's a new year, and I have a new duckie in my shop....Binkie the Clown Duckie. He is really cute. He turned out good. I hope everyone else likes him too. He's so bright and cheerful.

You may have noticed a new option on my blog. I now have a mailing list you can sign up for. I'll let you know before everyone else when I'm going to have sales at my site. I'll also let you know any news regarding Home Hooked.

Well, that's all the news I can think of now.

Happy New Year Everyone!