I heart Etsy

I've been browsing my fellow Ravelry member's Etsy shops recently and have decided to re-open my own.  Actually...I opened it over a year ago and then never put any items in it.  I still only have a handful of items in there now, but at least it's a start.  You can see some of the items in the navigation bar on the left side of the page.  Stop in and check it out.  The goal is for it to be mostly dachshund themed accessories, but it will probably be a little mix of everything.

Summer is here!

I'm sitting here tonight reading through my favorite blogs and started thinking to myself, "Man, why hasn't anyone posted an update to their site in like...forever."  Aaand then it occurred to me that, oops...I haven't done it either.   The last post was Memorial day, and here we are 3 days before Independence day.  I think you can guess, but I've been a very busy lady.

Mainly I've been occupied with wedding planning.  Thankfully, we FINALLY found a venue that is in a reasonable price range and doesn't require the use of some ridiculous caterer.  I also finished the crochet shrug I had intended* on wearing with my dress.  Speaking of my dress, I picked it up a couple weeks ago.  It's tucked safely away in my very own closet, and I've instilled the fear of Kacie's righteous fury into Nicholas lest he try to take a peek at it. (Not that he could get to it anyway with all the stuff I set up as a road block to keep the cat out of that section of the closet, but I'm not taking any chances.)

*I say intended because after trying it on with my dress, the 2 colors of white don't look anything similar to one another.  Still a great little project, but unfortunately it will not be making an appearance on my wedding day.

I've also learned to combine my crochet love with a little bit of beading to come up with this:

It's a technique that, simply enough, is called tubular bead crochet.  I've since made 3 more bracelets in different colors and patterns, including a red-white-& blue one for the Fouth of July, and I probably won't be stopping any time soon.  They take a few hours each to make, but they're so much fun and a really great project to sit down and watch a movie.  I just love 'em. I had to have the windshield replaced on my car this week after it got a crack, and I made one while I was waiting for the repairs to get finished.  It really is perfect for lazy summer days when you just want to sit and soak up the air-conditioning.