Hobbies – Long Island Chick

Snow Day Project

Kathleen — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 21:28:13 +0000

Snowstorm Jonas has hit Long Island with all his wrath so we are snug at home with the fireplace roaring. What are you doing this snow day to take advantage of this forced day inside?

I had bought a new pattern for a fringed bulky and wavy scarf. I had to order the yarn online as my local craft stores do not carry Benat Roving yarn. It is incredibly soft and bulky! I started my project today to take a break from the hat and blanket I am making. They are primarily one color so this scarf is a new technique for me. I’ll post a picture when I’m done!

In the meantime, enjoy the snow!

Crochet Snowboard Skullies

Kathleen — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 15:30:20 +0000

With the cold weather finally showing up on Long Island, I noticed Ryan needed a hat badly. Awesome! Something new to crochet! I wanted something a teen boy would like and, after searching the patterns on Ravelry, I found this wonderful, free pattern by Catherine Lindsay called Snowboarder Skullies. She had directions for both a male and female pattern. This was perfect because I had some nice, gray bulky yarn I wanted to use and this pattern was made for it.

Although I didn’t have to change colors, it was a little complicated because I had to figure out what a front post double crochet was but, thanks to YouTube, I got it down pat and started crocheting. It takes me a little longer than all those pros out there although my speed is starting to increase. After reading some of the notes by other Ravelry crocheters, I did alter the pattern a little bit. I changed the last 3 rows to single crochet to give it a bit of a band.

I just adore the finished product and so does Ryan (He might not look 100% thrilled as it is Monday morning):

Don’t Let Sandy Play the Grinch – Craft New Christmas Ornaments!

Kathleen — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 13:39:48 +0000

The devastation wreaked by ~~Hurricane~~ Superstorm (or whatever they are calling it) Sandy is sobering. But, not only did people lose their furniture, boilers, sheet rock, cars etc., they lost their memories – family photos, keepsakes and Christmas decorations. While some things just can’t be salvaged or replaced, you can create new heirlooms. Now we all have our favorite standbys like the tricolor bead candy canes (don’t have any? come on, you know you do!), I wanted something different so I searched my favorite site, Pinterest, for some inspiration and came up with a bunch of beautiful ornaments you can easily make (and they don’t look like something that came out of a Kindergarten classroom either). Here are a few of my favorites:

These felt stars are easy and adorable to craft (from Purlbee) and are the epitome of the primitive look. You could easily make them into a string garland or incorporate them into a primitive theme (along with salt-dough ornaments below) with some burlap garland!

I absolutely adore these wood ornaments with scrapbook paper modged podged on (from Brown Paper Packages) – another easy project:

These swirl nail polish ornaments (from Beautylish) are gorgeous:

My kids have made salt dough ornaments before and with the stamping here, they make a nice personalized ornament (from Design Editor):

It would be a great idea to host an ornament crafting party to make these for friends and neighbors who lost their Christmas Ornaments. These are all fairly easy to make and you could definitely crank a bunch out over some hot cocoa (maybe with some schnapps). I hope you are as inspired as I am!

Happy crafting!

Yeah We Are Going to Disney..Again: How to Get Fresh Photos

Kathleen — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:20:32 +0000

Our family is getting ready for our annual Disney World trip and this year I am very excited. We skipped last year because we were in somewhat dire financial straits. If you go every year like we have been doing since 2002, you tend to get a little jaded about the Mouse. So our excitement is mounting and it is going to be a little different this time because…my friend Jen is coming with her two boys! My boys are thrilled to have two friends to pal around with. Nick is a year younger than Ginger and Jonathan is a year younger than Ryan. So we will have 8, 9, 10 and 12 this year. What is also cool is that Jen’s boys have barely seen Disney so we will get a fresh perspective with them.

One of my greatest fears is to keep taking the same, old pictures at Disney. Everyone gets shot in front of Cinderella’s castle, fireworks etc but I look back at photos from past trips and there is a trend. So this time, I’d like to step out of the box a bit and mix it up. I found a great website, the Disney Photography Blog for tips, tricks and inspiration. I particularly enjoyed their post about Family Photography and making it fun. He set up some really cool shots, from different perspectives, that we will have to try in Disney. I have some fun photos, especially this one of Ginger from 2010:

This was another fun shot of my mother-in-law on Toy Store Mania:

Travel Hyper has a printable list of must-take Disney Photos:

I also found another great list here and I love some of the suggestions such as getting a shot while you and your family compare hand prints with the stars found in the Great Movie Ride in Hollywood Studios. I also love this idea for the World Showcase in Epcot:

World Showcase: When visiting Epcot a big part of the experience is visiting the different Pavilions in the World Showcase. A great way to remember each stop is by taking a picture in each of the countries wearing or holding something that represents those specific cultures. If you can get some sort of landmark in your pictures that represent the countries you visit that is a great idea too. For example, in the France Pavilion, you can get the Eiffel Tower in your shot by setting up between the United Kingdom and France Pavilions.

So, I’ll be getting my camera cleaned and ready for our upcoming trip and looking forward to getting some varied shots this year. Do you have any suggestions for me? What are your favorite Disney photos?

Easter Is On Its Way: Wreaths to Make

Kathleen — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:28:15 +0000

What a beautiful first day of Spring here in New York! I don’t remember it ever being this warm in March – the trees are blooming, I see crocuses and daffodils everywhere and the birds are chirping away! It is time to get the house ready for Spring and Easter. Many talented crafters are posting tutorials for Easter and Spring wreaths and I thought I would share some to inspire you to make your own:

Peep Wreath from Spittin Toad

I just love peeps!!!!! They are such a symbol of Easter and so very colorful! Make sure to read her tutorial carefully to avoid disastrous results!

Easter Washi Tape Wreath at Tatertots & Jello

How beautiful is this wreath? A foam wreath base, white plastic eggs, ribbon and some washi tape and you have a spectacular wreath!

Butterfly Wreath at Alisa Burke

This upcycled newspaper wreath is breathtaking – love, love, love the butterflies!

Spring Wreath at Dollar Store Mom

At first, I thought this was made with paper mache yarn eggs but no, she managed to find rattan eggs and dyed them!

All Things Spring Wreath at Crafty Sisters

Stock up on that craft moss whenever you can – it certainly comes in handy!

These are some of the wreaths that caught my eye. Please link up your wreaths and share your Easter creations!