Blog Swap: Craft From Your Stash Hoopla Dreamcatchers

It’s time for another blog swap! Wondra (Wondra's World) and I spend Wednesday nights crafting and chatting over Skype. Sometimes there’s more chatting than crafting, but it’s always epic. A couple of weeks ago we realized that we hadn’t swapped blogs in almost a year! To remedy this, we’re sharing craft from your stash tutorials. 

Hoopla Dreamcatchers:

Hello from South Wales! It's Wondra from Wondra's World again and I've stopped by to share a fun stash busting project.

It's easy to turn this:

 

into this:

What you need:

embroidery hoop
hemp, leather cord, embroidery floss
beads

What to do:

1. Separate the hoops and wrap them in hemp or leather cord.
2. With the first hoop, wrap embroidery floss or hemp cord loosely around the outside of the hoop.
3. Now start weaving.
4. Add beads when you get to the center and tie it off to finish.
5. With the second hoop, tie lengths of hemp or embroidery floss (or feathers or whatever) around the center and bead it up.
6. Tie the hoops together and you're done.

This was my first attempt at making a dream catcher. It's a little bit lopsided but I think it turned out alright.

If you're going to do this yourself, I'd suggest you use different sized hoops and just tie them together loosely. It's a fun project but can be time consuming so give yourself an hour or so.


Thank you for the tutorial Wondra! 

Don't forget to visit Wondra’s World for my Catch-All Bowl tutorial.

In With the New

From my Instagram

The year 2013 was full of of adventures. I traveled to Battle Creek, Ludington, Saugatuck, and Kalamazoo. I organized my craft studio. I read 151 books. I spent many Wednesday nights crafting and philosophizing with Wondra of Wondra's World. And the 10 days Wondra came home were EPIC!

But 2013 had its share of difficulties. My last blog post is dated September 18th. When a family member became ill, Matt and I had to take on unforeseen responsibilities. Life stopped. We spent several weeks driving back and forth to the hospital. We didn't know how bad her illness was (or if she'd be able to live on her own afterwards). But as she healed the visits because less filled with uncertainty and fear.

The wonderful news is that after a few weeks away she is home and doing great. After the responsibility and stress, I took time for myself.

The time was well-spent; I feel relaxed and focused. And what better time to return to a Shimmering Star than the beginning of a new year?

I look forward to 2014.

Book Challenge 2013

I read 88 books in 2012. You may remember I originally created a goal of reading 50 books in 2012. I completed my goal on October 1, 2012, so I challenged myself to 35 more books by the end of the year.

Here is a list of the books that counted toward my achievement.

1: The Treasure Is the Rose
2: Fresh Brewed Life
3: The Historian
4: Dance in the Desert
5: The Woman in White
6: Phantastes
7: Inner Simplicity - 100 Ways To Regain Peace And Nourish Your Soul
8: The Christian Atheist
9: Heaven Is for Real
10: Northanger Abbey
11: Classic Novels
12: Crazy Love
13: The Scarlet Pimpernel
14: Fish!
15: The Swan Thieves
16: Gateway
17: Keep It Real
18: City of Fallen Angels
19: Clockwork Angel
20: The Frenzy
21: Pretty Dead
22: I Am Number Four
23: The Arm of the Starfish
24: Water for Elephants
25: The Power of Six
26: Messenger
27: Lost Voices
28: Misguided Angel
29: Crafting The Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Non-Fiction
30: Lost in Time
31: The Age of Miracles
32: Eleventh Grade Burns
33: Christian Mythmakers: C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, J.R.R. Tolkien, George Madonald, G.K. Chesterton, and Others 2nd edition by Hein, Rolland published by Cornerstone Press Chicago Paperback
34: No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog [Paperback]
35: The Night Watch
36: Pegasus
37: Quiet
38: Divergent
39: Delirium
40: The Thin Man
41: The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Prose Poetry: Contemporary Poets in Discussion and Practice
42: Clockwork Prince
43: Beastly
44: American Gods
45: The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field
46: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
47: The Immortal Rules
48: Writing Magic
49: Robin McKinley: Girl Reader, Woman Writer (Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature #41) [ ROBIN MCKINLEY: GIRL READER, WOMAN WRITER (SCARECROW STUDIES IN YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE #41) BY Perry, Evelyn M ( Author ) Nov-16-2010
50: Seafaring Lore and Legend
51: Pandemonium
52: The Day Watch
53: Beyond the Writers' Workshop: New Ways to Write Creative Nonfiction
54: Insurgent
55: ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income
56: Myth and creative writing : the self-renewing song
57: The Cambridge companion to creative writing
58: Defusing the Angry Patron
59: MFA in a Box: A Why to Write Book
60: Empowering Your Library: A Guide to Improving Service, Productivity, & Participation
61: Son
62: The Iron King
63: Organizing Your Craft Space (05) by Packham, Jo [Paperback (2006)]
64: The Casual Vacancy
65: Everything You Need to Know About Creative Writing: But Knowing Isn't Everything?
66: Sea-Thrift: A Fairy Tale (Illustrated Edition) (Dodo Press) Ill edition (authors) Radford, Dollie (2008) published by Dodo Press [Paperback]
67: Cupcakes and Cashmere: A Design Guide For Defining Your Style, Reinventing Your Space, And Entertaining With Ease
68: The Rise of Nine
69: Monstrous Beauty
70: The Iron Daughter
71: Fairy Tale
72: The Brides of Rollrock Island
73: Men Who Wish to Drown: A Tor.Com Original
74: The Sharp Time
75: The Iron Queen
76: City of Lost Souls
77: The Iron Knight
78: The Art of the Moment: Simple Ways to Get the Most from Life
79: Library Management Tips That Work (ALA Guides for the Busy Librarian)
80: Tithe
81: Art of Doing Nothing, The: Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself
82: Valiant
83: Training Library Staff And Volunteers to Provide Extraordinary Customer Service
84: Warm Bodies
85: The Lost Prince
86: Ironside
87: Beautiful Creatures
88: Creating The Customer-Driven Library: 1st (First) Edition

My goal for 2013 is to read 100 new books.

2013 Goals

I still don't like the connotation of New Year's Resolutions; too often people fail to fulfill or be realistic about what they set out to do. Therefore, my goals for 2013 are about being deliberate about how I live and see the world.

During 2013 I plan to:

Be creative. Blog. Craft. Write.
Pay off debt. I also plan to start saving money again.
Remove negative thoughts.
Downsize, organize, and make do with what I have. This includes crafting from my stash and restructuring my wardrobe.
Reopen Etsy shops.
Seek a healthy lifestyle.

The next year is full of possibilities; I look forward to participating in 2013.

New Year's Day 2012

Although Michigan is experiencing a wind and ice storm, the weather is much like the unusual start to 2011--we do not have any snow! 

Matt and I greeted the our first new year as a married couple in our new home. We were invited to celebrate with friends, but I have a cold so we stayed in.

We had a quiet dinner at Giglios, and then we watched videos on Youtube and Netflix. At midnight we toasted to the new year. We are close enough to the city that we could see fireworks over the treetops.

It was a lovely start to the year.

Celebrate What is to Come!

We are counting down the final hours of 2011 in Michigan. While some of the world has already rung in the new year, we still have time to reflect on 2011 before we join them in 2012.

Still, I cannot stop thinking about 2012. New opportunities are unfolding, and I am optimistic that the blessings of 2011 will follow me and my loved ones into 2012.

It is going to be a wonderful year.

Happy New Year!