live the abundant life

here's one of my latest wall art pieces...

i was inspired by President Monson's message in the January 2012 ensign. i wanted a way to remember his challenge all year long, so i made this piece of art to display in our living room. i started out with a black and white version before playing around with the colours to match our decor.

i think it's so awesome, i want to share it with whoever wants it. if you would like a copy, either black and white or custom colours, please email me (lindsayladwig(at)gmail.com) and i'll be glad to send you a high res file that you can print yourself! unless i suddenly get innundated with 100s of people, i'll do this for free.

the file is meant to be printed on an 8x10, but if you would like different dimensions, i'll be happy to alter it for you. though i may have to charge a fee!

enjoy! and watch out for my other word art pieces throughout the coming year.

second crocheted item

yeah, i'm like that. "go big or go home!" so this is the second ever thing i have attempted to crochet. it's still not entirely finished (i only have one crochet hook, and i need a different size to do the dress...) i don't want to do the face before i settle on the colour for the eyes (buttons! how cute!)

i showed her periodically to my husband and he just said, "you make me sick! you can do anything!" aww, what a lovely compliment! but yeah, i believe i can. i think i've not been crocheting exactly right, but now i know! and she still looks beautiful...

now i'm getting addicted to amigurumi dolls/animals. it's super easy, and really cute. i knew i wanted to crochet for a reason! i'm going to find a couple of different projects so i can practice the different crochet stitches.

FYI: the pattern for the doll above is free and can be found here. the finishing instructions aren't as clear to a novice doll maker, but since i've knitted many dolls and figures, i just worked off the pictures. enjoy!

First Postcard Swap

i recently joined a yahoo group: fabric postcard swaps. the first one i was able to join in with was themed Winter Playground. i already got one beautiful card from one of the ladies, who lives in the Netherlands. she designed a card that looks like rabbits frolicking in a snowy landscape. i eventually came up with this beauty:

i sewed strips of blue fabric together to make the background, and cut out and appliqued the figure of the girl ice skating. it didn't take as long as i thought to make four of these, but it seemed like a long time! i'm not sure that i like applique that much to cut out a bunch of tiny little shapes. anyway, it's done and i'm happy with it.

Christmas Crafts

i thought i'd better update my progress on some knitted figures i've been workin on these past few weeks, but first, here's my christmassy decorated fireplace!

it's our first christmas in our new home. i really like our fireplace and wanted to decorate it for christmas with the limited decorations we have. the lights make it 100% more awesome. :)

i've also finished up these guys:

i only had to add the holly leaves and berries to his hat - he's been mostly done since last christmas... but i do still have to do his brown sack and fill it with little toys. but i've been mainly working on:

Mrs. Claus is done! she's so cute and cuddly!

so now they're happily living together on our fireplace. i'm excited for christmas!

i crocheted!

still no one has taught me how to crochet, so i did the next best thing: went to youtube... i found a few videos to teach me how to crochet a granny square. it was pretty simple. it took a little time to get the jist of it and to get my fingers moving. although, i still can't seem to hold tension in the yarn quite right.

anyway, here's what i made:

not bad for a first attempt. now i want to learn how to join different colours effectively. before long, i'll have another beautiful blanket, or a couple of hats! :)

first craft in ages!

i'm gradually coming out of hiding... school is winding down, and before long, i'll be back to blogging  about everything crafty! :)

i recently joined a couple of yahoo groups; a monthly dishcloth knit-along, and a fabric postcard swap group. i'm very excited about that one! anyway, i made my first dishcloth:

pretty cool eh? i'm looking forward to using some fun knitting textures and patterns while in this group. i used Lily cotton Sugar n Cream variegated yarn to make this cloth. they have so many gorgeous colour combinations, of which i couldn't help buying half a dozen...

i've been working on a couple of knitted dolls too, but they're not quite finished. give me a few more days.