And I thought I didn't have much to use for a display for this holiday. The Valentines Cards that are supposed to be a cool banner fill the spaces nicely.
New this season are two little birds someone on a "Vintage Kitsch" type site shared were at Target. Also from Target the two little houses with matching poodles. So Romantic.
I plan to start seeds indoors this February. A few flowers, and some perennials that have longer growing periods. If I am really good this year, I will start tomatoes and peppers in March!
Long ago, (the nineties!), I had a light stand my husband made for me from a plan in a magazine, Fine Gardening, I thought, and he would be willing to make another for me if I could find the plans. I found it and printed it out within the last year or so. However, have I ever had a piece of paper I didn't want to keep? Try to find something like this that likely never got filed properly. Ha!
Good thing my librarian search skills are intact, because I found the plans via an A Way to Garden post. Follow the link for the full directions.
https://awaytogarden.com/big-rig-my-circa-1989-seed-starter-stand/
While looking for these I found a newer set of plans on Fine Gardening's site (because I think that's the source of the original plans) that simple to make but maybe not a sturdy? I'm not sure I like the slats, though maybe they are better for air flow?
I’ve never done any amigurumi, but look at this guy.
I really want him. Somehow my former love of dragons is creeping back. The pattern popped up on one of those “free crochet” sites that snare free patterns and don’t properly say who did the design. Also, their sites are riddled with ads and pop ups. Luckily I found the real pattern with a bit of searching.
Hooked By Kati has the pattern, available free on her page or you can purchase a pdf. She emphasizes this is an intermediate pattern, and it’s not the one to use to learn amigurumi on. All I can see is this dazzling guy draped over a chair in my library where all cool things reside.
Doomed to failure, and yet! I do have a sister who does this craft. I am wondering if I bought the materials if she would make him for me. What a weasel I am.
https://www.hookedbykati.com/vincent-the-dragon-free-crochet-pattern/
We are starting the New Year (celebrating all week!) with a sidebar cleanup. I've pulled inactive blogs and links which go nowhere. I also moved the Books and Reading Blogs to the top of the sidebar, because that's my main interest this winter so far. Enjoy and click click click!
I was thinking yesterday that the last year I wasn’t heartily glad to see the back of was 2017. 2023 was yet another mess. We made it through, though, and really that’s all we can ask of a given year.
2024 is not looking to be a glorious year, but, I think you can always work to make your own little corner of things cozy, be kind to anyone you can be, tell those you love every day you love them. Not that they will forget, but they need nice things coming into their own little spots, and you are one of them.
I’m hoping to post more here in 2024. Humor, charm, craftiness, my trademark stuff!
