Remembering our heroes today and everyday!

Happy Memorial Day to all! I hope everyone remembers and honors those who have lived and died to keep our country free. The many sacrifices they and their families have made do not go unnoticed, it is sad that there is only a day here, a day there set aside to honor them. I believe we should honor them EVERY day of our lives! God bless them all! A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. -Joseph Campbell

My latest hat for the project is a man's checkered hat. I thought the colors went well together, I just hope a man doesn't think it is too "girly" of a color to wear! LOL

I spent a lovely two days with my sister Lulu (I must add she dislikes this name, but I have always called her that) in Mammoth, AZ. We laughed, we cried, we joked, we had some wine and most importantly we created!!! A total of 25 Journey Journals, which brings the total of Journals to 35 so far! I hope you enjoy perusing the following photo's of all that we made this weekend. I must also add that we were lent some creativity by two people who live more than 2000 miles away that wanted to be with us but couldn't, so they were with us in spirit, I thank them immensely for all of their love and support!! <3 And a HUGE thank you to my sister Lulu, who is always there to help me whenever I ask! <3

Some of these were "mutually" created, meaning I would give her an idea and she would run with it and embellish on it, or she would give me an idea and then I would embellish on it. :) This was our "creation station" after it just got too warm outside for us because, after all, we do live in AZ and it sure gets warm fast around these parts!

I hope you have enjoyed meandering along our path to creativity and maybe it will inspire you to create something of your own or for someone as a gift. Gifts from the heart mean the most! <3 I must sign off for this evening and maybe work on a baby blanket for a bit before I wander off to dreamland. Until my next posting, may the light of God's love help you to Glow from Within......<3

Just a small update

Good evening everyone! :) Just wanted to make a small update and make sure everyone knows, I AM still working on my hats even though the updates seem a little sporadic lately. I was feeling a little off for about a month, yes, I know what the problem is and have taken steps to do what I can to feel more myself. I am happy to report that it is working beautifully! I finally was able to make a little boys raccoon hat, after going and getting the correct color of grey that I wanted for him. He turned out so much cuter than I thought he was going to! This here is Rocky Raccoon :)

I am working on a man's checkered hat right now. I thought I would be able to finish it tonight, but just didn't quite get there. I have covered 13 journals in fabric to prepare for my trip to my sister's this weekend coming up, for our Journey Journaling party. I still have two journals to cover in fabric and pack and gahhhhhhh.....I seem to be running out of time LOL!

I have found recently that the older I get, the more I find beauty in everything! It is really too bad that when we are young we don't take the time to find the beauty all around us. As time passes by and the world continues to turn, our children grow up and leave home, and this is where we contemplate how well we have done in raising our children, and taking the time to sit out on the patio and enjoy the hummingbirds or a beautiful sunset, or just the quietness in our lives. <3 Yes, I'm feeling contemplative this evening, thinking back on when my Great Nephew was just born, and now he has graduated and will be leaving for Marine Corp boot camp. He was such a tiny thing when he was born, not even 3 pounds! I couldn't be more prouder of the young man he is today! <3

As I sign off this evening, I encourage each of you to tell those you love and care about that you do, for life goes very quickly and we never know what tomorrow will bring or if we will even have a tomorrow. I love you all so very much, thank you for reading and supporting me in my quest to bring a small piece of sunshine and beauty to those who need that positivity in their lives! Until my next update, may the light of God's love help you to Glow from Within......<3

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all Mom's, Momma's, Mommy's, Ma's and the Dad's that are Mom's also! I am truly blessed to be a Mother to two beautiful children, who have grown up to be wonderful adults. I like to think I played a big part in that role, but not all the credit goes to me LOL My hubby gets a big part of that credit too, but that is why he has a day called Father's Day! Today is all about Mother's and the many sacrifices they make and all of the love they give to each and every one of us. So despite the differences you might or might not have with your own Mother, take a minute and at least thank her for loving you enough to bring you into this world, because without her, YOU wouldn't be here. <3

I'll take my few minutes to thank my Momma now. I love you and thank you for the many sacrifices you have made for me, and despite the past, present or the future and our many differences, you will always be my Mom and loved by me. Thank you for giving me 3 wonderful sister's! I love you Mom! <3

I didn't want to get too lengthy, because I do have a couple of hat's to post pictures of also! I know it seems like I'm not updating my blog often enough (or it does to me anyway), but I am truly still making hats for my project! Next weekend will be spent covering 15 journals in fabric to get ready for my Journey Journal get together at my sister's house on Memorial Day weekend! I am also attempting to finish up a few side projects that I have a list to complete, I am happy to say that I have marked 3 things off of that list LOL! I was super excited to hear that a good friend is making 12 journals when she gets moved and settled into her new place. This means I have inspired someone to dip into their creativity wells, and that makes me happy!

On with the pictures of the two new hats! First up, a little girl's Kitty hat. Now I think this kitty looks kind of like a mouse or resembles a Spud McKenzie dog (as my little sister said), but I promise it is supposed to be a kitty! LOL

I love the little curly cue's for the ties, I may have to use them for a few more ear flap beanies :)

Next up is a ladies brimmed beanie, that I like to call a confetti hat. I love the beautiful multi colored yarn I used for this one, it reminds me of confetti :) This one took almost a full week to make and turned out smaller than what I would have liked. Next time I use this pattern, I will be using a larger hook to hopefully make it bigger. You should have seen me stretching it over my glass model head LOL!

These are the only two hats I have made, but I will be adding two more soon. I have made a total of 30 hats for <3 Hats from the Heart/My Journey Journals <3 so far, and I have a long way to go! I am indeed proud of myself and my progress on the project this year, I am determined to beat my last years personal total, and I am 10 hats away from meeting it :)

I must sign off for now, as I have many things to do today!  Until my next update....may the light of God's love bless you and help you to Glow from Within.....<3

Ahhhhhhhhhhh Monday's....

Good evening all! Thought I would sit and try to blog a few words this evening. I only have two hats to post pictures of :( , as I have been trying to slowly get caught up on some projects getting done that have been promised. I have kind of been in a creative "slump" for the last week, and I think it just may be that I wasn't feeling my usual smurfy self last week, and boy is it HOT already!!

First up, a ladies slouchy newsboy cap. This started out as a "sun" hat, but that pattern was turning out WAY too small, so I ripped it all out in frustration and started a different one :) This is the resulting hat. I think the button adds just a touch of "old world" charm to it.

 

This hat worked up so quick, that I want to use this basic type of stitch for a baby blanket (I have two to make and fairly quickly too).  

 

I then wanted to make a man's hat, and you all should know me by now, I had to have some type of different textured stitch to it. Now just to let you know how this process works with me, LOL! I get done with one hat, then I pore through my Pinterest page to see which one I want to make. Now I have a ton of inspirational pictures on that addicting website and I am constantly surfing for more, in my spare time ;), so this can be as quick as a few minutes or it can take me a couple of hours if I can't find what I want to make. So here is a man's star stitched striped beanie. I am thinking that this hat would be really cool in all kinds of color combinations, or even a solid color with a different color of flower to give it some "pop", ohhhhhhhhhh, and I WILL be making a red, white and blue one for July 4th!!! Okay, so here it is, sorry, I got carried away LOL!

 

 

I will have to try and take a closer picture of my next hat so you can get a better view of the stitch! I finished it up and posted the picture at around 9:00 pm last night, and that is late for me (way past my bedtime on a "work" night LOL).

Now I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that I received a donation of some fabric and odds and ends (embellishments) for our Journey Journals yesterday by a sweet lady who heard about what I do. I will forever be grateful to ALL who donate to this project, and the gratitude that I feel could never be expressed in words! And remember, it does not matter how "small" you think your donation is, it is HUGE to our group of ladies and this ongoing project! Just think of all the smiles and sunshine our gift to each patient brings! <3

This started out as a small update, but it has grown to be a little lengthy. :)  My heart is with a very good friend this evening and I wish her all the comfort in the world, loss is hard and the amount of years that passes matters not. The pain of loss is always there, but so our loved ones are too, just on the other side standing beside us. Some years are better than others, I know from experience of my own loss, so prayers and thoughts of love and comfort Turtle, I am always here for you to lean on! <3 Until my next update, I send my love to each and every one of you and hope that the light of God's love helps you to Glow from Within.....<3

More new hats...

Good afternoon all! I meant to update the blog this morning, but was busy trying to finish up a project for my older sister in MD, some flower rings for Vicky's Relay for Life Walk in June. YES, I got them completed and my wonderful hubby will be putting it in the mail tomorrow. :) He is so wonderful to me, yep, I love him and think I will be keeping him for another 23+ years <3

Onto pictures, because I know you are anxious to see what we have been working on :) First up, my niece made a man's hat, a simple striped beanie. I find sometimes that simplicity is the best when it comes to men's hats, and sometimes even the women's hats are best left simple.

 

Next up is a little girl's ponytail hat. I blinged up the bows with some pretty pink jewels, because all little girl's like shiny jewels! I had fun with this hat and the curlicue's were a new attempt for me, as I have never made any before.

 

 

And lastly we have a little boy's hat. Now let me introduce to you Mortimer the Monster hat. I absolutely had fun with this one, I wanted to make him as wonky as possible, he even has a mow~hawk!!!

Now tell me he isn't the cutest monster you've ever seen?! <3 I get a lot of my inspirations from Pinterest and then kind of embellish from there and make my own creations, because as anyone knows whose been on the website, some of these patterns are not available in English or you have to buy the pattern for it. I'm confident enough in my God~given talent and abilities that I can come up with it on my own and I think I manage pretty well most of the time :)

I am attempting to finish up my projects by the end of May so that I can focus solely on this project, but that remains to be seen. I can say that I am crossing the first project on that list off today, as I finished it!! YAYYYY for me!! LOVE feeling accomplished! I have lots of things to plan and do, so please be patient with me if I fail to update my blog in a timely manner, I will continue to do my best! Until my next update may the light of God's love help you to Glow from Within.....<3

Simple and cute too!

Good Morning all! :) Try to get an update on here right away, as I do still have a couple of errands to run and a birthday gift to make! I think on the Journey Journals, between my sisters and I, I have decided that I will cover them with fabric and plan a trip to Mammoth (where 2 of them live) to embellish them. :)  I find that I get in a creativity "slump" when it comes to decorating the front of them and I can whip out the covers in nothing flat as I have that down to a science LOL. So you may not see any "new" photo's of Journey Journals for a little bit, until I can get down there for a visit. But never fear, there will be photo's upon photo's when that happens!

Now on to photo's of three new hats that were created for our project! First up, a little girl's beanie or tam. Interesting story behind this one, I was perusing my Pinterest pin's for my next hat to make and was getting frustrated because I didn't know which one I wanted to make (I have SOOOOOOO many cute hat inspirations!), so hubby said "number them all and put them in a hat and pull out a number"....HA HA HA, I said "do you KNOW how many hat pictures I have????" I would have been sitting here for hours numbering them LOL So, then he says "okay, I want you to make the 13th hat down from the top", okay, now I can work with that. So I counted to the 13th hat.....OMGness!!!! The pattern is on a Russian website and I don't know about y'all, but this lil' Southern gal is fluent in that language.....NOT!!!!! Okaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy, so here is the creation from sight only, not EXACTLY like that one, but just as cute I think :)

Notice those little beads in the center of the flowers? I think it just gives it that extra something, don't you?

On to the next creation of my beautiful niece Eve, she has created a zebra hat for a little boy and it is just as cute as can be! That black yarn is really hard for me to see, and I think she did a fantabulous job on this hat!!! Squeeeeeeeeeeeaaaal!!!! It's ADORABLE!!!

And the final hat on display for your enjoyment is a simple red man's hat. I just love doing textured stitches they are so fun! One thing I just didn't understand was how a bulkier yarn and a larger needle could take me so long to complete, and made my hand hurt, like WTHeck?! Ah well, it is completed now and I will be perusing my pin's again to find inspiration for my next hat. Another interesting little story, I tried something new a couple of evenings ago, a ruffle scarf! Now this yarn is from Red Heart (I think) and called Sashay. Well a lady at work had made one and I thought it was just the coolest thing, she said it was knit and only used 6 stitches, so I just had to try it! So I took myself down to the store and bought me a skein of that cool yarn (I tell you, all wrapped up it looks like "ribbon" yarn) so I could try my hand at it. Huh, the written instructions made NO sense to me at all, so guess where I went? That's right....YouTube!!!! I succeeded in finding a tutorial on this and I got started, easypeasy!!! Two evenings later, I had a ruffle scarf, made for a friend (it will be a surprise, so can't tell you who heehee). Now where is the "interesting" part you may ask....here it is....I'm trying to figure out a way to make a beanie out of this stuff!!! WHAT?! ;)  Yeah, I'm a little on the crazy side, but hey...it's all good, I promise!

Now that I have regaled you with my tales, I must sign off and get busy! It is another beautiful day in AZ and I have lots to do! Before I forget, please, please donate to my sister Vicky's walk for Relay for Life, you can click here Vicky's Relay for Life Walk !! Thank you so much for supporting a great cause and helping us in the fight against Cancer! Oh and one more little picture to post in here. My sister Vicky and her bff Ginny bought this for me and I just think it is BEAUTIFUL and I could never thank them enough for thinking of me!!!

And with that, I will bid you a fond adieu and may the light of God's love help each and every one of you to Glow from Within...... Much love always, Rita <3

Some new hats!!!

Good Morning my friends and family! I have been busy creating and have 3 new hats to post pictures of this morning! This brings my personal total to 22 hats finished!! I am well ahead of my 5 hats a month goal, and plan to keep the momentum going! Let's get right to posting of the pictures :)  First up a man's slouchy style hat, I was unhappy with how large this turned out, but hopefully it will fit someone in need!

Next up, a ladies hat that I simply love the colors on. My beautiful Mother in law took me shopping for some yarn at Michael's and I fell in love with the mixture of colors on this one! I bought some denim blue in this type also, and I think it will be just great in a beautiful hat with a sunflower maybe!!!

 

 

And lastly, my latest creation for a little boy, an owl ear flap hat! This turned out WAY cuter than what I thought it would, but I think my inspiration to add a bow tie, just made it!! Out of all the owl hat's online, I haven't seen an owl hat with a bow tie, have you?

 

 

 

Isn't he just the cutest hat ever?! <3

 

I do have some journals I want to make this weekend, as well as maybe one more hat, so be looking for another blog update soon! Now on to other subjects! My sister Vicky walks for Relay for Life every year and she is trying to raise as much money as she can to further the research and find a cure for cancer. We ALL know someone who has been affected by this horrible disease, so please visit this link Relay for Life Vicky's page and help me support her by donating today! Much love and appreciation for all you do to help her and I!!! I may be walking locally if I can get some more information from a friend at work on April 20th. I will let everyone know if I am able to do this!

 

I was able to put a little more research into the Warmth for Warriors project, and I will be participating in this also. Now I would like to be able to say that I will be able to donate a ton of hats to this project, but <3 Hats from the Heart/My Journey Journals <3 IS my priority, so I don't know how many I will be able to donate to them. I am, however, very excited to do this also! For more information, you can click on the link on the right side of my page!

 

Look for another blog update soon, I must close this one for now, as I MUST go run errands and buy some yarn supplies to make more fancy hats and journals! Until my next update, may the light of God's love help you to Glow from Within.....<3