Do you like Christmas and Christmas creating? I personally do a lot. But to be honest, always I imagine, how I will have prepared all in time and the house will be clean, the garden was done, and also all my orders and I will be calm and I will share the happiness. I don't know, I still can't do it as my mom in my childhood memories. It is a lot of work in front of me, I guess :-)

But back to creating! This year we have a new wreath :-) Easy and quick and I love it. The yarn has a little sparkle in the sun and it looks gorgeous. The bird I rescued from the last wreath, so little cheating with crocheting :-)

So my dears, I am going back to the orders and to my fairies, who celebrated the beginning of the Advent with some infection. My older fairy had yesterday her first speak with the God. She doesn't believe in God, even I do. I took her with me to the church, but unfortunately, we haven't the luck for the preaching (deputy old priest's speech) and both fairies left the church with the cry. So I let it go... And yesterday evening, she told: "So, God, it is the Christmas time and you let me get ill. So, please, make me feel better at least and fall asleep soon, so I don't feel the pain".  She missed the school's trip to the folk museum with the Christmas tradition. She was sooo much looking forward to being there with her schoolmates. She said: "Mom, and what if it will be the memory for all life?". She was so sad. You know, as a mom, how is that feeling, seeing it. But then she said, there are the worse things in the world. My clever and brave fairy ♥

Oh, little insight into our lives ... and now hurry to work :-) 

. . . . . . . . . . . . ♥ . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hi my dears,

I would like to thank you very much for your support, for your incredibly beautiful e-mails and messages, which make a smile on my face and warm my heart. I am so glad and honoured, that you are in my life and so thankful, that my work and passion for colors is in yours :-). I hope, I inspired you this year a little bit, to make something colorful :-) To the new year - I would like to wish you just -  Be happy ♥ I don't know, but I think, that the year 2016 was a sad and weird for many people I know, personally or virtually. So at the midnight at December 31, when the New year comes alive, I will whisper that wish for you and I will look forward to reading many happy news from you in next year. 

Yours,

Vendulka 

P.S:... for those, who know, I got that dress - tralalalala :-)

Hi my dears, 

I think everyone needs one at least ♥

    

..........................♥.............................

OK, my little girl asked me to make for her а Christmas dress, appliqued by reindeer -  3 weeks before Christmas. She took a long speach and she was dreamily talking about, that she would like to wear that dress so much, and how it all will be beautiful day. She was dancing during that speach, my little fairy. She is on first degree at school, everything is new for her and every fest-day she is feeling it so deeply. Deadline is on December 16, that day is a little Christmas party at school.

You know, it is 3 weeks until Christmas, every mommy knows, that this is realy a busy time... so I wanted to say, that I don't have a time, but then I looked to her eyes, in my head still sound her speach, and you know - time is flying so fast - it is a blessing, that she would like to wear something from mommy's creation. So I said yes, of course :-)

I noticed there are some Christmas challenges flying through the internet - so this will be my own personal challenge... :-)

••• November 29

I finished a new pattern - tralalalala :-) and at midnight I begun with designing. I took me few hours, but finally I designed easy A-shape dress/tunic in green, red, brown. I choosed Lily sugar cotton for dress and Catania by SMC for an embellihsment. And I put my hook away and took the needle to my hands for now at least, I will need it later again for making the embellishment :-)

••• November 30 

After spent all day working, I am going to fill one special Christmas gift.

My sample square - the rectangle actualy :-) is finished, so I could begin. The light is not good, it is  a night already, but I hope, I will post some better pictures soon :-) 

P.S: I am still thinking, to add light ecru :-), well, let's see.

Please keep your fingers crossed, I will catch it :-) I will let you know about progress :-)

P.S.: today there is first snow outside our new home ♥

Hi my dears,

you know, every crocheter or knitter has own "number one" yarn. Well, I found "my star" long time ago. It is Kacenka by Nitarna Ceska Trebova, Czech production. I love this yarn for it's wonderful colors, 5 stars quality and it is certificated for children stuff under 3 years old. I really like this yarn in my hands - it is so pleasant and soft and did I tell you about these amazing colors? :-) I am pretty sure, that you know some of my creations made by Kacenka e.g. Rainbow purse, cat Lisa, Rainbow dogie, Emma - the owl, Little bear, Funny hens, Sweet Angel, Frankie - reindeer, Mermaid Francesca, White rabbit, the Fox and my original designs of crazy rainbow bag and rainbow tree and many other creations.

When I am designig and writing the patterns, I am always thinking about the yarn, you could work with too. I was still looking for the yarn, I will love and I could reccomend to you and you could buy it worldwide. Because I wanted to be sure, that you will be satisfied. And although I bought and tested many and many yarn and some were really good, Kacenka is still my star. I am tired of looking for something else... so I make a big decission! :-) Today I opened my small yarn shop on Etsy called Colorful Yarn Shop. I have to tell you, that I was thinking about it for years, that one day I could open a yarn shop. And today, it was that day :-) You know, I don't want to be a yarn seller, I am crochet designer, first of all. I love my work. I would not change anything, even if sometimes I am very sad and frustrated, when I see my work stolen and ..., but this is another story. The colorful world I am creating is an inseparable part of my life, my passion, it is me :-)

If you would like to make some cutes Robin birds as a decoration, the pattern is ready :-)

Recommended material:

Other material: needle with blunt tip, common needle, common sewing thread, blue wire average: 0.5 cm/0.2 inches, green ribbon – width 1,5 cm/ 5/8″ about 40 cm/15,7 inches, 3 pieces of Christmas balls or embellishment on wire average 2,5 cm /1 inch, 3 pieces of glitter polystyrene star on wire, average 2.5 cm /1 inch, one gold glittering paper bow, 6 yellow beads size 6/0 average 4 mm, 3 pieces of brown glittering cone on wire size 4 cm/1,6 inches, some winter spice: 2 pieces of cinnamon and 2 pieces of star anise, polystyrene wreath average 26 cm

Size of finished wreath: 26 cm/10.2 inches

You should know how to crochet these stitches:
Chain (CH), Slip stitch (SlSt), Single crochet (SC), Half double crochet (HDC), Double crochet (DC), Treble crochet (TR)

Begin with the wreath. It is easy quick crocheting :-)

First of all, you should measure your wreath and adjust the number of the stitches.

Beginning: use white yarn and crochet 34 CH (It is enough for my wreath).

Row 1: insert a hook in fourth stitch from the hook (first 3 CH will counted as 1 DC) and crochet 1 DC in every stitch from previous row (32 DC), 1 CH for turning the work, turn

Row 2: continue with white yarn and make: 1 SC in every stitch from previous row ( 32 SC), 3 CH as for turning the work (these stitches will be counted as a first DC of next row), turn

Row 3: continue with white yarn and make:1 DC in every stitch from previous row ( 32 DC), 1 CH for turning the work, turn

Row 4 - 5: same as row 2 and 3, end the work

Row 6: use bright green yarn and crochet 2 CH as a first HDC, 1 HDC in every stitch from previous row (32 HDC), end the work. Turn the work.

Row 7: use white yarn and crochet 3 CH as a first DC, 1 DC in every stitch from previous row (32 DC), end the work. Turn the work.

Row 8: use red yarn and crochet 1 SC in every stitch from previous row (32 SC), 3 CH for turning the work (these stitches will be counted as a first DC of next row), turn

Row 9: continue with red yarn and make: 1 DC in every stitch from previous row ( 32 DC), 1 CH for turning the work, turn

Row 10: continue with red yarn and make: 1 SC in every stitch from previous row ( 32 SC), end the work, turn

Row 11: use white yarn and crochet 3 CH as a first DC, 1 DC in every stitch from previous row (32 DC), end the work. Turn the work.

Row 12: use bright green yarn and crochet 2 CH as a first HDC, 1 HDC in every stitch from previous row (32 HDC), end the work. Turn the work.

You will crochet by same way to the desired length. Only change you will make - it will be in the alternating green colors in rows of HDC - bright green and khaki green.

When you have finished your work, then place both ends to each other and crochet or sew them together. I crocheted it. I used white yarn and crochet 1 SC in next 32 stitches, end the work. The picture in the middle is wrong side of my work, the picture on right is right side of my work. 

Now continue with embellishment :-)

You will make red poinsettia.
Use red yarn, hook 3mm and crochet some leaves :-)

Big leaf - make 6 same pieces 

Beginning: 8 CH

Middle leaf - make 5 same pieces 

Beginning: 9 CH

Small leaf - make 3 same pieces 

Beginning: 7 CH

Use 5/8 (1,5 cm) width ribbon, cut two pieces about 20 cm long each. And fold them nice, twice. Pin the ends.

Place the ribbon pieces under the flower and sew them nicely. Then sew some yellow beads and place glitter polystyrene ball in the middle of the flower. Glue it by glue gun. At the end sew green leaves irregularly. And your red poinsettia is finished :-)

Now take a wire. I used the wire wrapped by blue straw, which I bought in my favorite shop for flowers arrangement. Fold it in half gently and curl the ends a little bit by your fingers. The middle of the wire should be shaped according to the wreath. Then use some embellishment on wire - I used glitter cones and wrap them on the biggest wire. Finally sew all together, to be sure, that nothing fall down. So you have prepared your red poinsettia embellishment.

Place it on your wreath and you could sew the wire, or you could use glue gun to fix it. This time, I used glue gun. I added some winter spices - I love that smell :-) and I added some glitter polystyrene stars and balls. I sticked it to the wreath and fixed it by glue a little bit too. 

Last step - add the bow. This time, I used paper bow. Add the string for hanging and your Christmas wreath is finished :-)