Home Hooked

I Work Out...

2011-12-28T18:00:00.002-06:00

I decided to get a workout in before I try to hit it hard again starting next week. My big goal is to flatten my stomach and build up strength in my legs so I can tackle hills this summer on my bike. I'm not a dieter and don't intend to be, so the improvements will all have to come from working out. I figure I'll still get ahead, though.

I don't go to a gym because I prefer to make a fool of myself in the privacy of my own home. My workouts consist of spinning, and Jillian Michael's Six Week Six Pack and Killer Buns and Thighs. I have a few other DVD's I throw in once in a while. It seems to be working. I'm not planning on ending up stick thin, though, just improved.

Book I'm reading: Just got The Hobbit from the library, starting it tonight.
Afghan Round: 65
Current amigurumi: Dinosaur still
Workouts: Abs and spinning today

Another year....

2011-12-26T16:50:00.002-06:00

Another try at blogging. Let's just face it, I am blog commitment-phobic. I think it's because I tried so hard to be like other blogs before, and failed miserably! I'm not going to do that anymore. Since I don't really have many followers/readers (thanks to those who are sticking with me!), I figure these will just be my musings to the great unknown. What I foresee (should I stick with this, because anyone that knows me knows I have a short attention span), are posts about crafting projects I'm working on, mostly crochet, fitness, music, movies, and books. Hopefully this will be come more interesting the more I keep up with it. If not, I'll try, try again.

I'm currently working on an epic afghan for my sister and relaunching my Etsy shop bigger and better than before. I have lots of new ideas that sprang from a recent commission I received from a lady I work with. So here are stats I'll share weekly, or whenever I post anyway:

Book I'm reading: Alison Wonderland
Afghan Round: 62
Current amigurumi: Dinosaur
Workouts this week: Zilch

My "To-Read" List

2011-01-29T20:08:00.004-06:00

On my immediate "to-read" list after I get done reading...

The Athena Project is...

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Weetzie Bat (Thanks for the tip MissIndie!)

Finish reading Anna Karenina. I started, but stopped when I read The Deathly Hallows.

I have lots more books on my Kindle, but I have to start somewhere.

It's the little things....

2011-01-17T18:21:00.004-06:00

Some of my Grandma's mini dishes......
Itty bitty cup, a miniture among minitures

Just because it's small too...

Book Worm

2011-01-16T18:09:00.003-06:00

Some extras to make up for last week....

Photo of the Day

2011-01-09T14:22:00.003-06:00

I'm going to try something new with the blog for a bit. I'm not committing to a 365 project, but I figure I'll take some baby steps and see what happens. Stay tuned for more pictures (and not just project pictures either).

New Product Line - Wall Hangings

2010-11-07T09:47:00.004-06:00

A long time ago, before I discovered amigurumi, Iused to crochet picture afghans intarsia style. When thinking about different products for my shop, my mind went back to those days. I figured the hat and scarf market is fully saturated and I didn't think I could add anything new to it. But the awesome thing about pictures is I can put my own stamp on them. Like art, they are unique to my style. That makes me really excited. So the two snowmen above are now available in the shop. Look for more snowmen in the future as well as other designs. I hope you like them as much as I do!

P. S. I can also get pictures off my camera again. Hopefully that will mean more blog posts!

Start Your Engines!

2010-10-06T17:30:00.008-05:00

Where I've been the past week....

The Nascar race in Kansas City! Yes, I like Nascar. It's one of my favorite sports, actually. I have way more pictures from the weekend that what I have here. I'm glad I got that new camera before I went. It was very worth it. We also decided to drive down ourselves instead of taking a bus tour this year. A very good decision! We could eat where we wanted, go to the track where we wanted, go shopping if we wanted to. Plus, it was much easier to drive in Kansas City (outer edge anyway) than I thought it would be. Coming from a smaller town and rural state, I was a bit scared.

One of the nights, we ate at a restaurant called T-Rex. It is geared more towards children, but it was one of the coolest restaurants I've eaten at. Outside, they have a ginormous dinosaur skeleton. Inside, they have all kinds of theme rooms. We ate in the Shark room with a really big octopus as the main attraction. There were also Aquarium, Ice, Sequoia, and Fern rooms. It was quite the experience! I thought about bringing my camera, but thought that might be overkill.

Unfortunately, I also brought home a cold with me. Once I recover from it, I'll get racing (hehe, pun totally intended) on some new things for the shop.

New Seasons

2010-09-19T19:18:00.002-05:00

The new seasons start for television shows this week. I'll have to start scheduling in my sewing and projects around the shows I watch:

Monday - Maybe Hawaii 5-0. I'm not sure though, since I have quite a few other shows I watch
Tuesday - NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles
Wednesday - Mythbusters and Dinner: Impossible (I don't know when the new seasons for these two start.)
Thursday - The Big Bang Theory and Project Runway

So basically, if I'm going to sew or work on something I have to focus on, I'll only have the weekend and Monday and Friday. At least I can crochet and watch TV, so all is not lost.

Happy Weekend!

2010-09-10T18:41:00.003-05:00

Aren't you relieved it's the weekend? They can't come fast enough and go by before you know it. Oh well, such is life. Do you have any big plans this weekend? I'm going to a sidewalk art and craft festival. I hope the weather will be nice. I've gone when it was pouring before, so anything would be better than that.

I'm also planning on buying a purse pattern. I've decided it would just be more fun to use a pattern to make the purses instead of figuring out my own, for the moment anyway. Then I might finally be able to use some really awesome fabric I bought a couple years ago!

Inspiration: Agatha Christie

2010-09-06T16:02:00.002-05:00

(Pictures via WeHeartIt)

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a bookworm. Some of the best books I've read are Agatha Christie books. She is the queen of mystery novels. I love trying to figure out the mystery. I'm usually wrong, but it's fun to try. What I really like about the books is the time period in which they are written, pretty much from the 20s to the 40s. My imagination runs wild on how life was back then.

Ch-ch-ch-Changes!

2010-09-05T14:50:00.003-05:00

As I'm sure you noticed, fall is on it's way! I hate to see summer go, but what can you do? I hate to admit it, but I really don't mind fall that much. Up here, it doesn't seem to last long before the snow starts flying! (Not that I like snow....)

Speaking of fall, I've updated my shop with some autumn duckies, such as the hunter duckie above. I also added a scarecrow duckie and pumpkin duckie. Go check them out!

Another thing that has changed is my hair color, as of yesterday. It used to be light to medium brown, now it is medium reddish brown. I like it! My natural hair color is so drab, in my opinion.

I'm still working on sewing the shirt. I've been crocheting to update my shop, though, so it's been a bit on hold.

Next items up......safari duckie and sumo duckie!

The Magical World of Sewing Knits

2010-08-30T19:43:00.004-05:00

Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert at this as I just started sewing knits. Just want to save you some heartache, time, and trouble!

I've been inspired by the amazing custom T-shirts and other jersey clothing I have been seeing on Etsy and in stores in general. But since I'm trying to save money (and most shops do not make clothing in my size), I decided to give customizing a T-shirt a try. How hard can it be, right? What a wake up call! The first stripe I sewed was just fine, nice and smooth. (Probably because it was on heavier jersey and ribbing.) Then, I tried to sew that stripe onto a tissue weight T-shirt I spent a day ripping apart. It was so frustrating! The seam was rippled, puckered, and just looked terrible. So I got to rip it out again and again while I was trying things that I thought would fix it.

I did my due diligence and tried to find some tips on sewing knits online. It seemed like sewing knits must be some magical talent you're born with because I couldn't find hardly any tips or directions on how to sew a smooth seam on knit fabric. I did find a couple good tips, but mostly, it's all been trial and error (and help from Mom). So to save you from having to rip out seam after seam, here are some tips I learned the hard way.

* Buy ball point needles for your machine. The ball point will push through the knit instead of punching a hole in it.

* Use a stretch stitch on your machine. I've been using what my machine calls a stretch straight stitch. It's pretty much a version of the zig-zag stitch.

* Don't stretch the fabric by pulling it through your machine. Instead, let your feed dogs do their job to guide the fabric through. I usually just guide it to keep it straight (or straight-ish in my case).

* My #1 tip is to use tear away stabilizer! It does wonders for sewing a smooth, non-rippled, non-puckering seam. I haven't even had to adjust my stitch length or width when using it. But I would stay away from the sticky backed tear away stabilizer. It's a huge pain to pull off and tear away after you're done sewing. You're going to pin the seam together anyway.

* Finally, sew test swatches first. If you're anything like me, they seem like a waste of time. But wouldn't you rather just throw the swatch away instead of spending hours ripping out seams?

I hope these tips help! I'll be sure to let you know if I find out any others as I sew!

Goals

2010-08-29T19:32:00.003-05:00

I couldn't really think of a super amazing topic to write about today (tomorrow's will be better), so I thought I'd share some of my goals with you. Plus, I hear it's better to write down your goals anyway.

* Blog more often and on a regular basis
* Include more of my own pictures in the blog posts (this one will be hard since I tend not to think too highly of my pictures. This will give me a chance to work on them!)
* Non-blog related: Increase the inventory in my Etsy shop to 40 or so by Christmas shopping season.

Those are mostly the goals I can think of blog and shop related. Of course, I have a few other personal goals. But the world doesn't need to know what they are. Watch for a post tomorrow where you can learn from my trials & errors/mistakes.

Now to crochet some before I read and go to bed. Back to work tomorrow after having last week off.

Shop Update!

2010-08-25T15:18:00.002-05:00

While on their photoshoot, the camo monkey, rainbow bunny, and purple bear decided to take some time for a tea party.

The amigurumi above are just a sampling of new items in the shop update for today. In total, there are four new bears, three new bunnies, and three new monkeys, plus the penguin listed earlier in the week. My shop finally looks a little more respectable!

In other news, I got my new car yesterday! I love it. Though the trunk is smaller than I thought it was going to be. And now I feel broke. Due to that reason, I've had to resort to inexpensive ways of entertaining myself, like sewing seams, and then ripping them out! The sewing knits isn't going quite as planned. Oh well, live and learn and then try, try again!

Deconstruction!

2010-08-23T21:34:00.004-05:00

I started working on a new project for myself. If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know what that it is. I've been seeing all these awesome custom T-shirts on Etsy. However, most are too small for me (I'm not a big girl, but I'm not super skinny either). So, I'm going to sharpen my sewing skills and make some for myself. First, I found a T-shirt that fits well. Next, I ripped it apart so I can make a pattern. (Which is quite theraputic.) Here's what I have so far!

Tomorrow, I'll make my pattern, then start cutting and sewing! I will post an "after" picture after it's done. After that, watch for a step-by-step blog post, if you want to do it yourself. Unless I fail miserably, then it may be awhile. :D

Shop update: I already listed a new penguin in my shop tonight. The rest of the bunnies, bears, and monkeys will be posted this week.

Blog Love

2010-08-17T19:44:00.004-05:00

As you've no doubt noticed, I've fallen off the proverbial blogging horse. But I've gotten back on and will try to stay on longer than last time. Anyway, moving on.

If you're in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area, you should come and see me at Cute as a Button Children's Expo (and mommy's too) at the Washington Pavilion on Saturday, August 21. I have lots of new items that aren't in my Etsy shop. Such as.....

I will also have a couple other new items available as well as old favorites (such as a variety of duckies). I'm pretty excited. This is the first big craft show/expo that I've taken part in. I'll see how it turns out. Whatever doesn't sell at the expo will be part of a shop update the week after. I'll let you know when that's coming. Stay tuned! (Or if I sell out, I'll let you know when I restock the shop.)

Things I'm loving right now:

Sherlock Holmes - The books and the movie. I love it when the movie quotes directly from the books. "Data, data, data. I cannot make bricks without clay." Fun fact: Spock quotes Sherlock Holmes in the new Star Trek movie.

Florence + The Machine - I'm a little slow to this one. My favorite songs are Hurricane Drunk and Blinding. For some reason, some of the songs seem like they should be in a movie set in New York. No idea why.

Willy Wonka Dark Chocolate Domes - They are so addictive! You can't eat just one. Trust me, I've tried. It's impossible.

I Heart ITunes

2009-12-14T19:42:00.003-06:00

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

2009-12-07T20:02:00.003-06:00

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...

2009-12-01T17:35:00.003-06:00

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...

2009-11-29T21:00:00.006-06:00

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

2009-07-21T20:05:00.001-05:00

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

2009-06-28T12:26:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-16T18:26:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-30T09:06:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-10T20:24:00.001-05:00

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

2009-05-03T18:24:00.003-05:00

Look for a kangaroo coming to the shop soon!

Awe....

2009-04-22T19:14:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-04-08T18:25:00.001-05:00

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

2009-03-25T18:35:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-03-19T20:59:00.003-05:00

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?

2009-03-14T07:01:00.003-05:00

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

2009-03-07T08:56:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-02-21T10:27:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-02-14T18:51:00.003-06:00

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

2009-02-08T21:31:00.003-06:00

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?

2009-02-06T13:26:00.003-06:00

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

2009-01-25T10:11:00.002-06:00

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!

2009-01-18T18:57:00.002-06:00

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

2009-01-16T21:19:00.004-06:00

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

2009-01-08T18:44:00.002-06:00

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

2009-01-03T17:01:00.002-06:00

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!

Happy Post Holidays!

2008-12-26T17:14:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone had a good holiday season. Guess New Year's is still left. Today was pretty warm (close to 40) so I played outside with my nephews. I'm going to really feel it tomorrow! I'm already starting to get black and blue and somewhat sore. Oh well. I don't do that often. Maybe I should!

The picture above is Dinky laying by my heater. He spent some quality time there last weekend when it was so cold. It's kind of his play area. My mom and I also made some homemade treats for Dinky this weekend. Mom found the recipe, so I can't take credit for that. Hopefully they won't irritate his stomach. I'm sure he'll still make himself sick with routine changes though. With any luck, he will grow out of that!

I know I said before I should have a couple new Duckies to list on Etsy after Christmas, but it's looking like only one might be listed within the next week. I think it'll depend on how early my sister and her family leave. I'm also making a black chihuahua amigurumi for myself because I can't find any black chihuahua figurines or stuffed animals. Then I need to do 4 baby shower gifts. I'll try to add new items to the shop while I'm doing those projects.

Dakotas Treasury

2008-12-20T16:10:00.002-06:00

I snagged a treasury this morning. So I thought I would promote my fellow Dakotans on Etsy. Check out the treasury! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=28021 I've included both North and South Dakotans. There is some amazing talent!

Also, be sure to check my shop after Christmas. I have two new Duckies I will be listing. Plus I have some ideas for a couple more keychains. I'm excited about them!

Have a good Christmas week!

Bad, bad me

2008-12-16T10:23:00.002-06:00

I've been terrible about updating my blog (and my website for that matter). I have no excuse and no energy, haha. I work the later shift at work this week, so hopefully I'll be able to get rested up this week. I'll need to! My nephews will be at my parent's house during Christmas. I'm excited to go home, even though it's really close to where I live, and I do go there quite often. It just seems more like Christmas at my parent's house. I'm weird, what can I say?

Speaking of Christmas, I bought myself this awesome shirt from applenoggin. She has the cutest stuff!!

In case I'm really bad and don't update this before the end of next week.....Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Going to be an Interesting Weekend!

2008-12-12T22:04:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow I'm going to my nephew's birthday party out of town. That should be fun, he's turning 5 years old. His birthday party is going to be in a McDonald's at a play place or whatever it's called. I'm hoping to finish up my Christmas shopping tomorrow too.

However, later Saturday it's supposed to start snowing and blowing and we're in a blizzard watch starting Saturday night into Sunday. Fun fun fun! Gotta love winter in South Dakota. Then the beginning of next week, we'll be lucky to get above zero for a high! I'm not sure what to do with Dinky when it's so cold. He doesn't like to go potty on papers in here. Should be interesting!

Maybe I can get a new duckie done or two. I should restock the gnome keychain as well. We shall see! I also want to make a girly duckie, but I'm not sure what kind of girly duckie to make. Hmm...

Visiting Professor

2008-12-10T18:53:00.004-06:00

Meet the newest addition to the Duckie family, Professor Duckie! Though, I'm torn if he's a mad scientist or just a geek or a professor. Either way, his glasses were handmade by me and there's a "pen" in his pocket.

I today off, so I tried to be productive. I donated some clothes to the Salvation Army, and finished up Christmas shopping, for the most part. I also finished this guy. Oh, and I started my Christmas cards. I guess I did pretty good today!

Sneak Peak

2008-12-09T23:39:00.003-06:00

This is a sneak peak of a new Duckie I almost have done. He/She just needs a finishing touch. Maybe you'll even be able to see the Duckie this week, provided I can find what I am looking for tomorrow. I really like this particular Duckie. I hope you will too!

I also have another Duckie body finished (my "blank canvas"). I'm hoping to start outfitting him tomorrow. I have a really good idea for him. I just hope I can figure out everything I want to do!

This is quite the ambigous post. But like all good TV shows (or movies), all of this will make sense in time. (I obviously watch too much TV and too many movies.)

I should head to bed. My dog doesn't think it's fair that I stay up later than he does.

Stay tuned everyone!

Art Appreciation

2008-12-07T15:51:00.003-06:00

Do you appreciate art? Pierre the Painter does! He is determined to be the next great abstract painter. Pierre is just one of the new duckies that are making their temporary homes in my Etsy Shop. Will they find a permanent home with you?

It's been cold here lately. I suppose it is December. Speaking of December, can you believe how fast it's going? It seems like Christmas will be here in no time!

In other unrelated, sporatic thoughts, I love The Big Bang Theory. I got the first season on DVD last week. It is so funny! If you want a good laugh, I would definitely recommend watching the show.

Useless Information

2008-12-03T19:58:00.004-06:00

Here's some useless information about me:

1. I grew up in a town of around 300 in the middle of nowhere South Dakota.
2. I've been crocheting ever since I was little. I always say since I was 7 years old, but I don't know for sure how old I was.
3. I played flute for 9 years in school.
4. One of my favorite movies is Dick. It's a fictional story about who Deep Throat was in the Watergate Scandal. (The fictional story is much better than the real story.)
5. I have a gnome and pink penguin fetish.
6. I have an addiction to new music.
7. My favorite band of all time is Garbage. My current favorite band is Within Temptation.
8. I have a strange facination with watching Twinkiechan ebay auctions. (I hope that's not creepy.)
9. I love to watch cooking shows on Food Network even though I hardly ever cook.

Now if there's ever a Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit question about me, you'll be prepared. (Hahaha.)

Ho! Ho! Quack?

2008-12-02T21:50:00.004-06:00

He knows when you've been bad or good, well, if you're a duckie anyway! Santa Duckie has flown down from the North Pole to check on all the little duckies. Good thing he got here before the snow hit!

In other news, I've been trying to teach Dinky to lay down. He couldn't figure it out today. He just kind of gave up and went over to where he saw me get the treats from. He definitely can sit good though!

I also got my apartment decorated for Christmas. I would take a picture of my tree, but it's blue tinsel. I'm not sure the pictures would turn out the best. We'll see though.

Suppose I should head to bed soon. Today was my first day back at work after Thanksgiving. After a 5 day weekend, it's hard to get your endurance up for an 8 hour day! Just kidding!

Supersize Me!

2008-12-01T09:14:00.003-06:00

Meet the newest addition to the Duckie Family, Larger than Life Duckie. He is 7 inches tall, 4 inches wide, and 6 inches beak to tail. He's quite cuddly. I was a little worried while I was making it. It's harder than I thought to enlarge a pattern so the proportions would be the same. I want to make a mini duckie sometime too. Though it might not be mini, it might be just smaller, time will tell. I've decided to just make duckies to stock up my shop and not worry if I'll end up with a small duckie army.

Also, I've been horribly neglecting my blog. My goal is to post once a day again, like I did last year. We shall see if that happens.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T18:34:00.002-06:00

This is a little late in the day, but I want to wish all my readers a Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for following and reading what I have to say. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Don't have too much fun tomorrow!

Treasury again!

2008-11-26T14:54:00.002-06:00

I got another treasury. I think this is the 2nd one I've made in the year I've been on Etsy. This time, I decided to make a deer treasury. There are such cute deer on the site, I had to do it. Here is the link if you want to check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=23428.

I almost have the front done on a sweater I am working on. I hope to make lots of progress on it this long weekend.

Travel safe everyone!

Here's to Trying New Things!

2008-11-22T13:43:00.004-06:00

My hours just got cut at my full-time job, effective the week after Thanksgiving. I will be working 32 hour weeks instead of 40. It could be worse, I could have gotten laid off. Plus my benefits are pretty much staying the same. But now I'll have an extra day off. So I thought, what a good time to try a few new things to get my shop name out there.

I started Project Wonderful a couple weeks ago. It is not free, but it's not really expensive either. Since I started Project Wonderful, I've noticed a few more views, hearts, and two sales. I'm not sure if that's directly related to my advertising or not. But my two sales have paid for my advertising expenses so far. Not too shabby!

I also thought I could do a few more free things to get my name out there. So this morning, I just started Twittering. I can see why people think it's addictive! You can follow my Twitters right here on the blog. It would be awesome if you would follow me on Twitter too, if you're on there.

Brr! It's cold out there!

2008-11-20T18:08:00.003-06:00

It's perfect time of year for a beanie! This beanie is currently available in my Etsy shop. It has been Upper Midwest cold weather tested. You can't see it the best in this picture, but there's a slight spiral pattern in the hat. There's also a ribbed band to keep your ears warm. I made a bright pink and grey hat for myself. I'll definitely need it!

Etsy Anniversary and Thanksgiving Sale!

2008-11-16T21:53:00.003-06:00

Hello, hello!

I can't believe tomorrow is my one year anniversary selling on Etsy. Crazy! In one year (as of tonight), my mom and I have had 41 sales and 277 hearts. I think that's pretty good!

To celebrate my anniversary, all of my duckies (except for the patterns) are on sale until Thanksgiving! The specialty duckies are now $12, the regular yellow duckie is now $8, and the angel and devil duckie set is now $17.

Have a good week everyone!

New Etsy Purchase

2008-11-09T12:21:00.002-06:00

Check out this fawn necklace I just bought this morning from Tizzalicious. Isn't it cute! Orange is of course my favorite color and I've been having a thing for deer lately, though I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because there have been so many cute deer I've been seeing online. Such as the Bambi plush in EnnaDesignShop. She also has a ton of other cute plush and animals.

On the Project Wonderful update, I've gotten 10 clicks on my ads so far. Currently, my ads are on 3 different blogs/sites. I've also noticed I've received 4 more hearts since I signed up for Project Wonderful. But I don't know if that's directly related to the clicks or not.

Turkey/Wonderful

2008-11-08T14:19:00.003-06:00

I made this Duckie for my mom for Thanksgiving. She had a cute name for him, but I can't remember what she called him. Anyway, I think Duckie looks really good in his Turkey garb.

In other news, I signed up for Project Wonderful last night. Project Wonderful is a website that you can advertise on different blogs and websites. Be on the look out for my ads. I'm thinking I'm going to give it a trial run for a month or until Christmas, or until the money I put in my account there runs out. I have noticed a couple more views since I started advertising. Plus I figure it's a good way to get my name out there.

Also, Dinky is recovering fine from his surgery. He has been playing like he didn't even have anything done on Friday. So that's good. He hasn't been too impressed with the snow though.

Blizzard!!

2008-11-06T15:31:00.002-06:00

Well, not really, where I live anyway (right now). It's just raining here (actually, I just looked outside and it's snowing lightly now). But western South Dakota really got socked (or is still getting socked). I heard one place had 32 inches this morning and there are 60 mile an hour winds. Crazy! I guess it is November though, so it's to be expected. I heard we're supposed to have a hard winter this year. Poor Dinky and poor me too! (I do have to mention that one of the weather guys this morning about said there was a Wizard Warning. I found that funny.)

Speaking of Dinky, he got fixed today. He's currently still at the vet. I can pick him up in a half hour or so. The vet's office called me at work and told me he was recovering fine, so that's good. I'll be happy when he's all healed up I think.

Now onto the reason for the pictures above! This little Duckie is ready for Christmas with a Santa print shirt and a red ear flap hat. I had an urge to make an ear flap hat for a duckie and I thought this was the perfect duckie to make one for. I think he turned out really good. This little Duckie is now available in my Etsy shop.

New Items Coming Soon!

2008-11-02T14:24:00.002-06:00

The pictures above are just a teaser of the new items coming soon (or in the case of the pumpkin pin, already in) my Etsy Shop. Keep checking the shop for ornaments, yo-yo Christmas trees, pins, more Snow Babies, and more winter edition Duckies. I'm really excited! I will also soon be listing something you can wear on your head, whenever I can get a good picture of it.

In other news, Dinky is getting fixed at the end of this week. I'm kinda nervous about it. I'll be very happy when it is over, I think.

The Amoebous Plushie

2008-10-28T21:12:00.005-05:00

This is my new sewing machine I was talking about earlier. I picked it up yesterday. Yeah! Now to just master the thing, or atleast not have to call my mom because I can't get it to go around a curve. Anyway, I think it's a cute little machine. Sitting in front of the machine is "The Amoebous Plushie" (my first project thingy that wasn't straight lines or spirals). I should have called it the bone like shaped plushie, but who's being technical?

This turned out neither cute nor pretty nor strangely cool.....

But Dinky likes it just fine anyway! (I'm not sure how long it will last though....)

I decided tonight that I have this strange need (problem maybe?) to want to learn how to do new things. This doesn't sound bad right now, but I have a tendency to get frustrated or lose patience and go back to what I can do well (crocheting). I really hope this doesn't happen with the sewing because I have some cool ideas of plushies and things I want to make. Maybe that's the real problem, I have these big ideas and then when I don't get to the point to do them fast enough, I drop it and go back to crocheting. Mom thinks I'll be able to figure this whole sewing thing out though.

Radio Silence...again.

2008-10-25T13:58:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted for a while again. I really need to start posting on here more often. Not too much great has been going on. I went on a business trip for work a couple days last week. We got our first snow (grr) but it didn't stick around, thank goodness! My sewing machine hasn't come in yet. I'm thinking I might end up making plushies more on it than clothing. But maybe that's just because I'm not sure good I'll be at sewing clothing. But I did tell my sister I would make her some flannel Rudolph lounge pants. Time will tell I guess!

I'm so mad at myself too. I ordered some mini cards from Moo.com and aparently I didn't spell Hooked right. It made me mad. I could have sworn I double checked the spelling! I also thought the yellow of the logo didn't come out right, so I'm going to put a colored background on the cards this time.

Well, I should get busy doing something. I need to start being more productive!

Shop Updates and Am I Crazy?

2008-10-18T19:43:00.002-05:00

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

I wanted to let everyone know that Home Hooked now ships internationally. I have the shipping set in my Etsy shop for most items. If you don't see it on the item you want, just convo me on Etsy and I will find out the shipping costs for you.

So, I've been thinking that it would be cool to make my own clothes. So today I put down a deposit for a sewing machine. The store I am buying it from didn't have a new one in stock. I'm excited. Though, I'm kind of scared because I'm not the most proficient sew-er in the world. But I guess I'll get better with practice. I think I got bit by the Project Runway bug and all of the awesome clothing I see on Etsy.

I got a really cute sewing machine though. It's a Baby Lock Audrey. I told Mom it reminded me of an Ipod Nano because it's got most of the features of this higher priced regular sewing machine, but it's more compact.

I'll have to keep you updated on my progress. I'll let you know when my clothing line is available. (Lol, I think I am crazy!)

South Dakota State University Duckie

2008-10-15T18:30:00.003-05:00

Here is Jackrabbit Fan Duckie! My sister works at South Dakota State University (and I graduated from there) and she wanted a Duckie to have at work. So I made this South Dakota State University Duckie. The ears are sewn onto the beanie and he's got a Jackrabbit t-shirt on. I think he turned out good!

I've kind of run out of my ambition steam. But I should keep going because my luck, if I stop, I'll end up selling a bunch of Duckies before Christmas. Then I'll be scrambling to fill my shop. And who knows, I might end up having an army of Duckies. There could be worse things!

Buzz, Buzz

2008-10-08T19:29:00.003-05:00

Meet Bea the Bumblebee! She's an adopted member of the Duckie family. She has a curly stinger, which you can't see in this picture. Making a bee was actually my mom's idea. She is so good!

I hope you like her!

And the Rock Goes On

2008-10-07T21:13:00.003-05:00

Meet the latest Punk Duckie available in my Etsy shop. This is more of a punk grrl. My headphones used to be attached to my head, so I wanted a Duckie to have headphones too. I love it. My wonderful sister (who made the icon for me) made the the wires for the headphones for me.

Speaking of rock, I purchased the new Cruiserweight CD from Itunes. It's called Big Bold Letters. I haven't listened to it yet, but I can't wait to. Another awesome CD I bought is The Silent Force by Within Temptation. I absolutely love it! If you like a girl fronted symphonic rock band, you'll love Within Temptation. Check them out, both of them!

Logo!

2008-10-05T13:01:00.004-05:00

My wonderful sister made this logo for me. She did awesome! I love it. I'm planning on putting it on address labels, on stickers for the boxes I ship my creations in, my website, and anywhere else it will make sense. Yeah! I'm pretty excited to have my own logo.

I hope everyone else likes it as much as I do.

Rock on!

2008-09-29T23:10:00.005-05:00

I haven't mentioned much about Dinky lately. Or maybe have, I can't remember. Anyway, my mom made him this spiffy little lounge chair for him. He really likes it. He really hardly ever just chills out on it like he is in this picture. Normally, he's pawing around on it, or playing on it with a toy. I thought he looked cute in this picture though. Dinky loves to cross those paws! And, should he ever get the inclination to read, he has a nice selection of books at his fingertips!

I now have a Duckie especially for thos rockers out there...Punk Duckie! He's got a white tipped green mohawk. He also accessorized with a beak ring (it's a bit hard to see in this picture) and a tie dyed necktie. He's defintely ready for his next gig. If he goes over well, you may see a couple more rock/punk inspired duckies. I have a couple ideas I'm excited about. I'll see how things go.

Crisp Fall Air

2008-09-23T21:18:00.003-05:00

I just got in from taking Dinky out. It sure cooled off! It's really not that cold, but it was just like in the 70s during the day. But anyway, I have a point with all this. Duckie knows winter is right around the corner in our neck of the woods. So he/she is getting ready! He/She has already bought his/her hat and scarf. Bring on the cold! Wait, no, I don't mean that.

Snow Babies are Available Again!

2008-09-15T21:51:00.004-05:00

Snow Babies are now available in my Etsy shop again. I currently have the two shown listed, but keep checking the shop for more colors. This year, there will be a few fleece hatted Snow Babies. They're super cute and a little bigger than last year. I'll also be listing some Winterized Duckies in the coming weeks.

Retirement Home Duckie

2008-09-13T21:54:00.004-05:00

Gertrude is out for a day on the town. She's got her purse and her cane and she means business!

This is a Duckie I made my sister. It was her idea to make an old person Duckie. I glued this Duckie on her feet slightly tilted by accident. When my sister saw her, she thought of an old person Duckie immediately. I love how she turned out. She is my favorite Duckie for sure. My sister made the cane for this Duckie, by the way. And I bought the glasses from Hobby Lobby.

I also have a Snow Baby listed in my Etsy shop. I'll post some pics of them later.

I'm a Bad Girl

2008-09-10T21:30:00.004-05:00

Well, not that bad really. I bought myself a new orange Ipod Nano though. And that in itself isn't bad, except there's nothing wrong with my current Ipod Nano, except it's black and it doesn't have those new features. I'm mostly excited this new one is orange. I've wanted an orange one ever since I bought my first Ipod Mini! I'm terrible. But oh well, I had a difficult day at work today, so I deserve it. Right?

Hopefully, I'll have some new Duckies to display in the near future. Oh, and maybe you'll be able to see Dinky in his Halloween costume!

Jack-o-Lantern Duckie and Newsletter

2008-08-31T11:34:00.004-05:00

This Duckie is dressed up as a Jack-o-Lantern for Halloween. His outfit is complete with a pumpkin lid hat. He is now available in my Etsy Shop. He will most likely be the last Halloween Duckie that will be listed in my shop. But I'll see.

I am also proud to annouce that I now have a newsletter that I will send out when I add new items to my shop. I will also send out a newsletter with general updates as I deem neccessary. Email newsletter@homehooked.com to sign up for the newsletter.

Friends for Life

2008-08-30T14:23:00.003-05:00

This is Dinky's best friend Stinky. The first night I brought him home, this was one of the first things he played with. I didn't intend for it to be a toy for him, but he took right too it. Dinky and Stinky have been inseperable ever since.

So now you know how insane I am. I actually named Dinky's stuffed animal. But I figured I needed to call it something other than "his toy" as he has lots of toys. After much thought and consideration, and the amount of spit the stuff animal had accumulated, I decided on the name Stinky. It has a perfect ring to it!

Today, I made a flying trip to the town where I live to get some "bland" food for Dinky from the vet. He's been having an upset stomache lately, and it has started to concern me. Anytime he doesn't eat, it concerns me. And of course, I was at my parent's house this weekend. I gave him some of his disgusting smelling bland food, and he did eat some of it. I don't think he's used to moist food. I did have him on dry dog food. Hopefully this helps!

Now I should get to work on Duckies. I have lots to make and a ton of ideas for different ones!

Go Speed Racer Go!

2008-08-19T19:23:00.005-05:00

Dinky's new favorite toy is a little matchbox Nascar. He started playing with one when we were at my parents' house with my nephews. My sister let me bring one back. At first he couldn't remember what to do with it, but then he figured it out. He even knows how to move it. He either pulls it or pushes it with his paw, or nudges it with his nose. He likes to chew on it the most though.

Olympic musings (random blabber): I kind of got sick of watching swimming. It's great that Michael Phelps won all of those golds, but it got kind of monotonous. I liked watching the gymnastics, but they were always on late. So I went to bed before they were over, so I wasn't crabby the next day. I also liked watching the diving. But I wish NBC would have showed more variety of sports instead of always the same thing in the evening. I suppose they had other sports on during the day while I was at work. Oh well.

Trick-or-Treat!

2008-08-11T18:13:00.003-05:00

The Duckies are ready to go Trick-or-Treating! Are they coming to your house? All three are now available in my Etsy shop. These are the first projects, other than the bunnies that I've gotten done since I got Dinky.

The poor dog is scared now because there's a line of nasty storms heading our way sometime this evening. Can't say I blame him, except he doesn't want to eat now. And I was going to work on training him to "come here". Right now, he goes running and teases me when I ask him if he needs to go outside. So I'm thinking I won't make much progress since he won't want any of the treats I was planning on using to bribe him. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Halloween Witch Duckie

2008-08-09T22:17:00.002-05:00

I have a new item in my shop! I just finished Halloween Witch Duckie tonight. I'm really happy with how she turned out. It was awesome to finally accomplish something and add something new to my shop. Keep looking for new merchandise for both Halloween and winter.

Progress!!

2008-08-03T11:38:00.004-05:00

Yeah! I've made some progress on the bunnies for my co-workers and friends who are pregnant or have just had a baby. These two are for one lady who just had a baby girl, and one who will be induced at the end of August. The one on the left is for a baby boy, obviously. The other one is for a baby girl, obviously. I wasn't planning on putting bibs on them, but I needed to try to figure out how to incorporate Jeff Gordon into the pink one. The lady is a Jeff Gordon fan. So my mom came up with the idea of bibs. I couldn't find pink Jeff Gordon fabric in the town I live in. But my mom had this fabric from something she made for my sister. So there we go! I think they turned out good. This picture doesn't do them justice.

Now, I only have 4 (or 5, if one chick is having twins) more bunnies to make for my friends. But atleast they're due at the end of the year or next year. I just remembered another family friend who was pregnant. Then I'm going to make some to put in my Etsy shop. Speaking of my Etsy shop, I really need to get my butt moving. I'm thinking about making 3 Halloween themed Duckies. Then I need to start making my Winter Duckies for both the Etsy shop, and for a craft show my mom goes to. And I need to get that Pug cross-stitch picture done before Christmas. I'm not so sure that's going to happen now.

Dinky has been entertaining himself quite well now. He just thinks he wants to go outside every 5 minutes after I get home from work. And the one time I don't take him out, he goes on my floor. Oh well, there's a puppy for you I guess!

New Projects!

2008-07-27T00:33:00.002-05:00

Hello, Hello!

Today I realized how many of my friends are pregnant. I used to make afghans for my friends who were pregnant, but I don't really have the time to do that any more. Especially since I have 4 friends I need to make things for. So I decided to make them amigurumi animals instead. I'm thinking I'll just make bunnies, but I'm not sure if I'll decide to branch out into bears. I'll have to post a picture of the one I'm making for my friend that's due in August.

Dinky is very close to being housebroken and I'm starting to trust him more. So I might start being more productive on the Etsy/craft front. Let's hope so!

Long Time No Blog!

2008-07-07T16:11:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's been a really long time since I've blogged. Dinky has been keeping me more than busy. But his potty training is coming along! I wouldn't say he is potty trained yet as he has accidents in the house still, but he's gotten better about going outside. And he's sort of started telling me when he needs to go out....should I pick up the signs. He gets very distracted outside though, but the progress is encouraging. He has also gotten better about playing by himself. He still loves attention though! I think he misses my family on Monday, since it's just the two of us during the week.

Maybe sometime soon, I can start working on my stuff again. I hope so!

Dinky is a Weird Dog

2008-06-23T19:20:00.003-05:00

So Dinky became inadvertantly playpen trained. I'm not sure how it happened, but he refuses to go potty outside. I only had him in the playpen I borrowed from my friend with the pugs the night I got him (last Thursday) and then the next day while I was at work (last Friday) as well as two more hours while I was at a jewelry party. (He made a royal mess the two hours I was at the party, so I decided to train him to go potty outside. Plus, I couldn't stand the smell.) So all this weekend, and today after work I've been working with him to go outside. But he won't go! So I get concerned about his bladder and put him in the playpen and he goes right away.

Then today, I was talking to my mom, and he started pawing to get into the playpen. So I took him outside, and surprise surprise, he didn't go. So then I took out the playpen, and he kind of went nuts because he was in the playpen, and could see outside, but couldn't get out. I brought him back in and called mom, and he started pawing again. So I put him in the play pen, and he went right away.

I go to my parent's house quite often on the weekends (pathetic, I know) and I do not want to haul a playpen. What am I going to do? Does anyone have any tips on how ot break him of the playpen?

Meet the Newest Member of the Family!

2008-06-21T13:29:00.003-05:00

Meet Dinky! Yes, I did get permission from my landlords, just last week actually. I was going to wait to get Dinky today, but one of my friends at work convinced me to get him Thursday. He is quite the cutie. And he seems pretty mellow and laid back for a chihuahua. He is three months old, well, almost 4 months. Now onto the task of housebreaking him. I need to get trained too, because I don't know what signs to look for to know he needs to go outside. But it's only been a couple days, so I don't expect miracles quite yet. I have looked online about housebreaking a puppy, but it's all so confusing! And it's got me scared that by my being at work all day and not being able to come home to take him out at lunch, will make Dinky have some bad habits....

However, until I can get him somewhat trained and so he plays by himself a little better, I probably won't get much accomplished on the Etsy or the gifts for my friends front. But oh well, I can deal with it!

EtsyHookers Team Challenge #2

2008-06-16T18:08:00.002-05:00

I decided to enter this Duckie in the EtsyHookers Team Challenge #2. It's a rainbow challenge. I thought this guy would fit right in. If you want to check out the other entries, go to Etsy.com and type in etsyhookersCC2 for a tag search.

Gnome Duckie

2008-06-10T18:33:00.002-05:00

Here by popular demand! I finally decided to finish the Gnome Duckie last night. All I had was the beard left, I just couldn't get myself motivated to get it done. I really like how he turned out. Right now, he's keeping the amigurumi Gnome company. They look rather cute together. The Gnome Duckie is now available in my Etsy shop.

What I'm Working On

2008-06-07T11:25:00.003-05:00

Hello, Hello! I thought it would only be fair to show you what I've been working on. I bought this cross stitch pattern from Crystalyte925 on Etsy. Definitely check her out. She's got the cutest patterns! The best part about the pattern I'm working on is no back stitching! Yeah!!! Back stitching is my least favorite part of cross-stitching. I'm making this pug puppy for a co-worker of mine for Christmas. I check on her pugs once in a while when she and her husband are out of town. She is a pug fanatic, so this will be perfect! She also has told me I could bring my dog over to her house while we're at work.....That is should I get the nerve to get one without my landlord's permission. If I only knew I wouldn't get evicted, I would have gotten one today. But they haven't called me back yet and it's been at least 2 or 3 weeks. Ugh....

In other news, I recently found out Shirley Manson of Garbage is going to be a series regular on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. That makes me excited! I love Shirley Manson! She is so awesome! She's been my idol ever since high school. I also found out she will be releasing a solo album this year. Yeah!! I can't wait. But anyway, I'll have to start watching Terminator.

I'm Still Here!

2008-05-29T18:42:00.002-05:00

I was doing so good updating this almost daily there for a bit. But I've been lagging lately. Lagging in everthing Etsy it seems like. I did have a quite a few sales though. And I did just sell a yellow Duckie. But I feel lazy and not ambitious at all! That's not to say I'm not doing anything. I've been working on a cross stitch picture for a friend that I bought off Etsy. I'm making it for a Christmas present. I thought I should start early on it! However, I haven't crocheted for a few days. Which is weird for me! I normally crochet every day. Oh well, I guess a break doesn't hurt anyone.

I promise as soon as I get my ambition back, I'll have something new to post. I'm almost done with a particular project I was working on before I became lazy.

I also need to get my butt moving on promoting my shop again. I'm stumped on how to promote the wonderful items Mom has made. Hmmm......

Fish Tissue Cozy

2008-05-24T00:30:00.002-05:00

Fish Tissue Cozy - Bottom
Originally uploaded by Home Hooked Creations

Hello! A new line will be available in my shop starting this weekend. This is the first of four tissue cozies. The fish tissue cozy is currently available in my shop. These, of course, were made by my mom. I can't sew very good at all. But Mom is awesome! These cozies are made for a travel size tissue pack (one is included with a purchase of a cozy). However, you could even put some loose tissues in the cozy. Keep checking the shop for the other cozies!

Treasury and Memorial Day

2008-05-22T19:05:00.003-05:00

My Frightened Fruit Kabob was recently included in another treasury. I've lost count of how many it has been in. I think this treasury is super cute. It would be really cool if it made it to the front page of Etsy. A girl can dream can't she? Thank you miasophia!

I would also like to take some time to pimp my mom's goods that are in my shop. She has awesome merchandise perfect for the 4th of July or any patriotic person you know! She has some spoons and a fork painted with a flag, such as this sugar spoon. Painted silverware not for you? How about a patriotic pin. Once again, there are a few different ones to choose from, such as this heart shaped flag pin. Are you just not interested in flags? Maybe you need something to put your cell phone or mp3 player in. Mom has also made some shirt shaped cozies, such as this Asian print one. Check them out!!

Have a great long weekend! Happy Memorial Day!

New Patterns Available!

2008-05-17T13:51:00.002-05:00

The Duckie bunny ears, bikini, and tutu patterns are now available in my Etsy shop. Now you can outfit your Duckies! These patterns are sold all together. They will be available separately as well as together with the Duckie pattern (I'll be listing that later today). I hope you like them!

A (final probably) update on the dog situation. I asked my landlord again last night about getting a chihuahua. I told them that I found out the puppy would be fine in my apartment (in the bathroom) while I'm at work. The lady said she needed to talk to her husband and would call me back last night. But they never called me back. I'm thinking she was trying to think of a nice way to tell me no. But I guess we shall see. If she never calls me back, then I'll forget about the dog.

Have a good weekend!

I Survived!

2008-05-15T17:48:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! It's been a really long time since I posted on here. I've been playing with my nephews and now recovering. I don't know how kids have so much energy! As I'm sure you can guess, I haven't accomplished much. I am working on something for my shop that I will most likely be able list next week. With any luck anyway!

I have been working on my magna drawing. It's not perfect by any means and is really my first magna person I've drawn. He's not my original idea, it is a dude from the book I bought.

This Isn't Just for Eating!

2008-05-05T20:18:00.003-05:00

Silverware isn't just for eating anymore! You can now decorate your home with these decorative forks (and soon to come spoons). Each piece is one of a kind. My mom (with masking help from my sister) did a fabulous job. The fork is now available in my Etsy Shop. The spoons will be coming soon!

I should also note that I will be on "vacation" from Tuesday, May 6th through Tuesday, May 13. I'll be helping my mom watch my two nephews (age 1 and 4, please pray for us). So I'm not sure how much of a vacation it will be. But it'll still be fun. However, due to that, I will most likely not be able to ship anything until I get back. Unless it's something Mom has made.

Also, an update on the dog situation. I talked to my landlords last night. They stated that I can't have one, well, in more words than that and for a different reason than I thought they would. I wish I could be like my friends and get one anyway. But I'm too much of a good girl. So I guess it's a no go for right now. : ( Tear.

I want a dog

2008-05-03T18:58:00.003-05:00

A chihuahua to be exact. My family had a chihuahua mix. And ever since I moved to my current apartment, the thought of getting one of my own has kind of been rolling around in the back of my head. Recently, I've been thinking more seriously. And this weekend has got me wanting one really, really bad. For the past few days, I've been checking in on two pugs for a friend at work. Today, I went to a birthday party for a dog that another co-worker has. One person brought her teacup chihuahua that she just got. And then another person who was at the party went and got one too. Now I really, really, really want a chihuahua. A regular one though. I'm afraid a teacup chihuahua would get lost in my apartment.

Here are the cons. My apartment contract says I can't have pets without permission from my landlords. I've been a really good renter. But I'm not sure if they'd agree. I'm trying to decide if I'm serious enough about a dog to ask. However, I don't want to get too serious about wanting one in case they say no. I live in a duplex and my neighbors are chain smokers I'm sure they way the smell wafts over here. Maybe I should just call my landlords and find out and be done with it.

The worst part is I even have names picked out if I get a dog. Lelu for a girl (from the Fifth Element, of course) or Chevy for a boy. For the car, not Chevy Chase. Even though a drive a Ford. Then I can say I own a Chevy. :D I'm not sure if I want a boy or a girl. And I don't really care the color.

What should I do???

Canadian Shipping Now Available!

2008-05-03T11:28:00.002-05:00

Happy Weekend!

I have updated my Etsy shop so I now offer Canadian shipping. (And international shipping, by request).

In other news, I rented Juno last night. I've been wanting to see it. It was pretty good. I don't know if it's something I'll eventually buy to watch over and over. Maybe if I can find it used. I did really like the music and the story line and the look of the movie. Ellen Page was excellent. And I am a huge Jennifer Garner fan, so of course, I thought she was good.

Gnome!

2008-04-30T18:16:00.003-05:00

This gnome is my newest creation. I thought he turned out quite good! The Gnome Friend is now available on my Etsy shop. I've been working on him for quite a while. He is the first amigurumi in my shop that has split legs. I weighted down the feet so he can stand on his own. I'm not sure if you can tell on this picture, but his hands have little thumbs as well.

I hope you like him!

Not Snowed In!

2008-04-27T20:10:00.003-05:00

I did get out of town yesterday. The Interstate finally re-opened around noon, so I headed out shortly after that. I saw 13 vehicles in the ditch yesterday. Thank goodness I didn't end up there! Things are melting nicely now though. I didn't have any problems getting to my house when I got back today. Hopefully the snow will be gone until winter now!

I got myself a Magna drawing book yesterday. It's a kids book on how to draw Magna creatures. I figured it would be easier to start learning with than drawing people. I'll have to see how it goes. I'm pretty excited. I took a drawing class in college and got an A for effort. But I was never really that good at drawing realistic things. What could be less realistic than creatures I think of in my head?

Update

2008-04-25T22:15:00.001-05:00

I just heard on the news we got 10 inches of snow. So I was a bit high in my estimation. That's still a ton of snow for the end of April!

Snow is a Four Letter Word

2008-04-25T20:11:00.003-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..... Except Christmas is 8 months away, or 4 months ago, however you want to look at it. You guessed it, we got another snow storm today. This one I didn't even hear about until this morning, but it still didn't sound major. Boy was I wrong! We have atleast a foot of snow, maybe even a foot and a half. And of course, I wanted to go somewhere this weekend. Hopefully, I'll get there tomorrow. Apparently, it's supposed to stop snowing tonight and is supposed to be almost 50 degrees tomorrow. We shall see.

I was really afraid I was going to get stuck at work and have to sleep there. Thank god the lady that sits beside me has a 4 wheel drive and was going to her sister's who lives near me. I don't think they let out work early because no one could go anywhere unless they had 4 wheel drive. It's so bad and widespread that the Interstate from the North Dakota border to the Nebraska border is closed. Crazy!

Trudging through snow took a lot of energy out of me, so I have a feeling I won't be too productive tonight. Snow walking is good exercise though!

200 Hearts!

2008-04-22T21:44:00.003-05:00

They like me, they really like me. Well, 201 people have hearted me on Etsy anyway. I think that's a pretty good milestone to have reached. If you're one of the people who have hearted my shop or one of my items, thank you! And if you're one of the people who have made a purchase from me, thank you, thank you! Thank you for feeding my crochet habit and also for preventing my apartment from being over-run by amigurumi. I promise I will have atleast one new picture of a new amigurumi sometime soon to make this a bit more aesthetically pleasing instead of all of these words.

Busy Weekend

2008-04-20T19:18:00.003-05:00

I have had a tiring weekend. My younger sister and I helped my mom and dad watch our two nephews. I will definitely have to recover from this weekend this whole week. Due to that, I don't really have any new in my shop. I am working on a new amigurumi, but the arms will take more ambition that what I feel like I have right now. I'll work on him tomorrow.

I did sign up for Indiepublic this weekend. I really like the look of it. Plus they have very stylish templates and the advertisements are not overly intrusive. They also have a library of information which I fully intend to use.