I wish you and yours the Merriest of New Years. Too many things have happened in this last year to mention them all. Here are a few things that happened.
- Re-taught myself Russian needle punch.
- Four of us got scarlet fever (I think all five of us did, but one denies it; a very mild case).
- Taught my children Russian needle punch; one entered and won an art contest with it.
- Got a year older.
- Won a Whip Up competition (for my jean braided rug).
- Made lots of on-line friends.
- Opened an on-line store.
- Made lots of tutorials on my blog.
- Got published in a magazine, twice.
- Made my first apron life size, then made 17 mini-aprons.
- Got a write up in a stitching and crafting book.
- Moved.
- Daughter Baptized.
- Basement flooded.
- Participated in and hosted lots of swaps.
- Youngest daughter fell down stairs, twice in one day (scary).
- Haven't a clue how many 1000's of yoyos I made this year.
- Taught my children to make yoyos.
- Taught middle daughter how to do quilling.
- Started using bloglines (that is so cool; easier to find my favorite blog updates, less time surfing).
- Youngest daughter started school (no more babies at home; sad but happy).
- At least 3 gingerbread houses made this year; not all posted on blog (Easter, Halloween, New Year's Eve last night [last one not posted on blog], I think there was one more but can't remember).
- Cancer testing (all the pre-cancerous cells where removed).
- 364 posts on my blog in one year.
- Had my best month on my blog with 23,504 individual visitors, and 40,858 page views (this is off a little as my main counter crashed right after Thanksgiving; I think it is actually about 2000, and 5000 higher than that estimate from my other counter that didn't crash).
- Most important -- my 14-year anniversary with my dear husband!
All in all, a pretty amazing year just as all of them are. I am not a person for New Year's resolutions; I always figured they where something people made so they could forget them. I just want to spend more time with my family, the same as I do every year, and every year my life with them gets better. Just like Christmas, my children always ask me what I want; I always say, "Happy kids and their bedrooms clean." One out of two isn't bad; I can still hope for clean bedrooms, but probably not in the near future. After all, they are kids.
Happy New Year !
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the inpiration in 2007.
What a lovely & successful year you've had! Best wishes for a wonderful 2008!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Lea
Hi Wendy, A Happy 2008 to you too. Your blog is amazing, the craft items lovely and the methods really clear. I tried your yo yos the day I visited ur blog, and they came out really well.
ReplyDeleteYou and your daughters are so talented. My girls would like to learn knitting and crochet, but I'm not really sure where to start. Did you start with any one particular craft or needlework method when you first started teching your girls? Do you go in any certain order or progression from one method to another? What's easiest for the younger ones to pick up, so they won't get discouraged? Your daughters seem to be about the same age as mine, though they've already had a good head-start. I'd love any suggestions you could give me. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI started with crochet. I had them just chain and single crochet first and work on a leprosy bandage boring but it get them to focus on the stitch and get their tension even. When they got board which only took about 3 to 5 inches in length we went on to a hem stitched baby burp cloth. Not a big distance around and only two or three rows and it is completed. So doesn't take long to get to that point. The first one had ch, sc,sl and hdc in it the next had all those stitches plus dc and picots next had shells and clusters this way they learn a little at a time. I put these finished items away for them to use when they grow up and have their own babies start of a hope chest. they thought it fun that they would get to use it with their own children. If that doesn't interest you you could also have a small piece of fabric hemstitched and have the girls make small doll blankets that they could use now. Then I went on to quilting simple 12 1/2 in blocks of fabric just sewn together each a differnt color works up quick the kid can learn to tie or hand quilt hand tieing it will get done faster and less discouragment. My daughter wanter to do a twin size quilt I let her be casue she was so adamit about it but Iwanted her to do a baby or doll blanket in retrospect I should have don ewhat I wanted her to do on that one. Especially since she wanted to hand quilt it to big and took to long she got burn out. Russian Needle Punch is super easy a 5 year old can do it if you thread the needle for them. WE also did bobbin lace with the oldest when she was 8 but you already have to know that and have the patience to let a kid get pins all over your house. Because typically they are not paining attention to if the drop the pins. Quilling is easy for kids 6 and up Klutz has a good starter book. Origami is also a great thing for kids it makes them see a flat object has potential as 3d. These are just observations from my own children your s may and probably are differnt. But it is a starting point.
ReplyDelete