YouTube: October Daily 22-28

Hello friends.

In order to get this series done before the end of this month, there will be 3 separate videos this week.

Can you believe the month is already almost over?!?!?!

I was pretty excited about the Breast Cancer 5K and the following Hope Mini Session. Make sure you click that link to check out my photography! Our event raised a lot of money for the Fischer House there in Landstuhl, Germany - which means it is going to help the Service Members and their families there in Germany!

Rory's Sweet Addiction Etsy

HelloPapers Etsy

HelloQuirky Etsy

Relay For Life 2015

Hello dear friends and Happy Friday!

((Super stoked it's Friday, even though I have to work all weekend))

Like I mentioned in yesterday's post at the very end, I am participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event this June. Last year, we were the first event created is Germany, falling under a Relay for Life in McKinney, Texas. We have to have a chapter in the states since we live in a foreign country, and thankfully the event coordinator has participated for years in Relay and her sister is the coordinator for the one in Texas, so we just fall under them. Last year, we didn't have a lot of time to prepare for the event, but we still raised over $18,000! This year we've had several more months to prepare, get the word out, and get people to participate.

Yesterday, I participated in an Arts & Crafts fair on my home station to let people know about our event as well as do some small fundraising for my team. I talked to some ladies who are going to put together raffle items or raffle baskets for the event, which is pretty awesome.

I am a team captain again this year, a team made up of Mo, me, and a couple of my coworkers. Hopefully we get more people to join our team!

If you would like to donate to our team for Relay, please go here!

So, I'll be spending my time making paracord items, fabric hairbows, and crochet little monsters like the one below. You can find more of my crafts here, and I will ship them anywhere, if you would like to purchase something to support our cause!



Hope The Breast Cancer Pillow Monster

Hello dear friends,

I hope this finds you well

It wasn't until my deployment in 2011 that I really started crocheting. I have been crafting since I was a child, crafting of all sorts, but crochet wasn't as important to me until 2011. 

It started with a woman reaching out to me through my first blog. She asked if I would help her make baby blankets for the NICU, for sick babies and for the families of the babies that didn't survive because it was sometimes all the parents had to bring home with them. It was heart breaking but Laura and I jumped on the chance to help.

Amidst working on the blankets I began looking into other crochet crafts that I could do to pass the time when I didn't have motivation to make a blanket. I found a pattern to make little pillow monsters out of crochet, so I started making them for various people and friends. They started with little pillow monsters and I eventually evolved into making bigger ones. 

Meet Hope

I found some yarn at my local craft store that was made for October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It alternated pink and white and was really soft (I need to find the name of it, I think I have more yarn in my storage unit). On the way home from my parents house back to Fort Bragg, my ex-fiance was driving and I needed something to do to tune him out (his driving made me incredibly nervous) so I started crocheting!

I added pink and white button eyes, a pink flower button, and a magenta thread mouth.

She is 5.5" wide and 7.5" tall. She fits in the palm of my hand.

I use her at craft fairs for an example of my Pillow Monsters

I've made several other pillow monsters for people throughout the last two years. I've made a rainbow one as a request. They are super quick to make (an hour at most with distractions) and they are made at no specific size... I just make them until they turn out right. I think I am going to be making them for the upcoming Relay for Life to sell!

I am working on a set of Avenger themed pillow monsters for my own amusement too! Any other suggestions?

Do you have a favorite crochet project, or a project you're really proud of?