Craft Blogs to Explore and Follow

Grab your favorite beverage, settle down for awhile and get your creative juices flowing!
 
Here's a list of blogs to explore and follow. On some, you'll find free craft patterns. 

Favecrafts

Crochet Spot

Stitch & Unwind

moogly

The Crochet Crowd

Lion Brand Notebook - there's a contest here. (ends March 22)

Bejeweled

Red Heart Blog

Cloth Paper Scissors

Quilting Daily

Artist Daily

Created From Paper

Mish Mash 

Behind the Seams  

SewChic

<~~Check out my blog sidebars for more craft sites to explore.~~>

And of course follow me, grab this image and link me on your blog. Leave a comment below with your craft blog link and I'll be glad to follow and link back! (my Grab Button code is on the left)

 http://theruralhookercrafts.blogspot.com/

~Brenda aka The Rural Hooker~

March is National Craft and Crochet Month; Today is National Quilt Day!

Hello! A bit behind on my blog posts; busy at work (pssst I work at an arts & craft store *smiles*) and as you can see I have been creating my own craft/crochet projects. I'm almost finished with a Never Ending Granny Square afghan.

I'm taking floral design classes and designed the arrangements below. The roses sit on our mantle. The basket is a gift and I'm going to crochet place mats and coasters in dark purple, light purple, sage, beige and burnt orange to complete a table setting.

And I'm crocheting Granny Square place mats in spring colors. I'll create several sets in different colors schemes for Christmas gifts.

I also crocheted a few stoles. I absolutely love the off-white and brown one below; looking for large off-white square wooden buttons to complete it.

Here is one of my favorite wreaths I created a few years ago. The fabric is left over from a quilt I made. I cut 2x2 squares and punched them in a styrofoam wreath. The leaves are cut from fabric; added the berries and raffia, and voila' a Rag Wreath.

Okay, time to finish this post, complete the afghan above and then work on a ruffle scarf for my oldest son's girlfriend. I'm crocheting the scarf with a G hook and Red Heart Boutique Sashay yarn - Rumba. Premier Starbella yarn also makes a beautiful ruffle scarf.

Watch the Youtube video on How to crochet with Sashay.

For you Quilters, be sure to visit the Barn Quilt Design Contest, March 14 - April 7, 2013. Anyone can enter! Click on the image.

There are several craft contests this month - here's a few to enter:

Red Heart - Wreath of the Month 
favecrafts blog - daily prizes
Little Yellow Bicycle - ends March 17
favecrafts - $1000 GC from Michael's!

Until next time - Happy Crafting!
~Brenda aka The Rual Hooker~

The I Heart Crafts & Crochet Images courtesy of Lion Brand Yarn. Thank you LBY!

My Only New Year Resolution - Learn to Crochet Socks!

I want to learn how to crochet socks. That's my only resolution this year. I have the perfect patterns to learn from, but when I read through the instructions, I see the pattern calls for a C Hook. Then I quickly looked through my bag of hooks and oops! I don't have a C size hook.

Well, I get to go shopping for one! I'll print out a coupon -50% of one regular price item, visit my favorite craft store and I might as well pick up a few more skeins of yarn. Never can have too much yarn. Right? LOL

Yarn.com - Crocheted Socks

I also want to share a few web sites with free crochet/knit patterns. Just register and reap in the free patterns. You'll receive newsletters, too, when new projects are available. And you can also enter contests to win yarn and other craft items. I love entering the contests; just waiting for an email announcing me the winner. *tapping foot* I keep entering cause you never know.

Lion Brand Yarn - LIKE their Facebook Fan page

AllFreeCrochetAfghanPatterns -  LIKE their Facebook Fan page

Ravelry - a knit and crochet community - LIKE their Facebook Fan page

AllFreeCrochet - LIKE their Facebook Fan page


Here's a few more sites to explore:

LIKE the Crocheting Club on Facebook

24 Easy Crochet Granny Square Patterns 

Crochet Me
LIKE Crochet Me on Facebook

knitted Bliss 
Follow Julie Crawford on Pinterest

WEBS Yarn


Follow my blog, follow me on Pinterest; button right top and explore my web site by clicking on the tab above.
It's evening now, TV time and time to work on my current project - a baby afghan. Have a great week ya'll.

Happy Hooking!
~Brenda aka The Rural Hooker~ 
 

I brought the Coast to my Mom for Christmas

My mom is 73 years now; doesn't look or act like she is a senior citizen. I have something to look forward to in my senior years - good genes do that!  LOL 

Mom loves the coast. A long time ago she painted with oils and created beautiful seascape pictures. She sold her paintings at the craft festivals in Savannah, Hinesville, Soberton, and Brunswick. I have fond memories of those festivals where us kids would eat raw sugar cane and visit with the other vendors; watching them create and sell their crafts.

For Christmas, I made her a wreath to hang on the front door of her cabin nestled in the woods outside of Aiken, SC. Here is a photo of the wreath. I bought everything at A.C. Moore in Savannah, GA.

What crafty gift did you make for Christmas to give to a loved one or friend/coworker? Comment and share with everyone. Do let us know where you bought the supplies and whether it was your own idea or share the project link.

Okay, now I'm off to work on a baby afghan. Our niece is due in July with her first child. I'm going to crochet some booties and sew some receiving blankets, too. I'll share a photo and the crochet pattern soon as I type it up (yup my own pattern *smiles*).

Until next time....
Happy Crafting!
~Brenda aka The Rural Hooker~

Pop Flower Coaster Tutorial with Jess

Theses coasters are so pretty and would make a great Christmas gift. I came across this project in a newsletter from FaveQuilts.com.

Click the link below to see an image of the coasters and the complete tutorial. While you're on the site, be sure to explore Chasing Cottons other blog posts.

http://chasingcottons.blogspot.com/2011/05/pop-flower-coaster-tutorial-with-jess.html

Great way to use some of your vintage fabric stash.

Happy Holidays!
~Brenda aka The Rural Hooker~