#Pattern Revists 1

I've been crocheting since 2009/2010 when I found an extremely helpful book in the high school library. Crochet became my go to for present making. Birthdays, weddings, Christmas, you name it.

Around May 2010, I crocheted my friend Anaiza the four ninja turtles for her birthday. Yeah, we're a little old for dolls, so what? They were ooo'd and awwwww'd over and (in my opinion) won the best gift. I was really proud of those dolls.

Now, looking back at the pictures in my craft album, I wonder how much I've improved. Certainly my shapes have gotten better and I no longer use googly eyes as often.

Yesterday, I decided to return to the pattern that I used to make these dolls. This was originally posted by underthemountain on craftster. Find it here. It really is a wonderful pattern. I noticed right off that I was able to read it better and go a little bit faster.

I only made one doll. It took about 5 or less hours for me to complete it. And it turned out waaaay better than these four.

It's really cool to be able to use the same pattern and have it turn out differently years later. I'm glad to see improvements in my skill.

I will probably be doing more of these as I have a lot of patterns that I would like to retry now that I have more experience.


If you love this doll as much as I do, you can pick him up here for $15.

Burgers are good, burgers are great

It's summer time, folks! Time to wheel out the grill and show your buddies who makes the best burgers in your area. Kids can have the pool and the sunshine, you have what's most important- burgers.

Burgers come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. You can have a quarter pounder with cheese, a beltbuster with guac, or a turkey burger with chipotle mayo.

I love burgers. I love turkey burgers. Bean burgers. Veggie burgers. Chicken burgers. Nothing beats a solid patty loaded up with lettuce, bacon, tomato, and sandwhiched between Brioche buns. (They recently started serving one of my favorite chicken sandwiches on those at Jack in the Box. Soooo much goodness.)

 I recently made a burger similar to this one. Just gonna make a few changes to the ingredients list.

Fiesta Turkey Burger

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 small white onion (though I would have liked to use 1/2 of a red onion)
• 2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced green onion
• 1/4 of a cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 slices pepperjack cheese, cut into quarters 

Literally the best burger ever. I had brought it for lunch at work and I could not wait to eat it!

Speaking of burgers, I just put up a crochet version of yummyness in the shop. Feel free to show off your love for burgers in a healthy way or use this as an opportunity to teach your kids about what makes a good burger so tasty.

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/xBlueUnicornCrafts/stats/listing/191489049#

Happy grilling!

Bertie

Maria del Rosas (Maria of Roses)

As you will see with my projects, I like to work with a variety of colors. This is no different when it comes to the skin of my dolls. We are not all white so why are our toys? I think that it's important that children have options when it comes to choosing  their friends, and there's not many options when the shelves are lined with white figures.

I try to add this variety a lot in my store so it's not overloaded by white dolls. Children deserve to have dolls that reflect themselves, their culture, and their interests.

A recent addition to my store is Maria. She is modeled after a little girl I know and her Hispanic heritage.

The white dress is based off the designs of Costa Rican dresses. The shoes are your typical 'Mary Janes.' She is wearing a green and red belt around her middle and a headband of red flowers. Her hair has been parted and braided, with her bangs cut to run horizontally.

She is approx. 16 in and is currently available for $15 here.  Maria is very friendly and a real sweet girl.

Lola Sweet Lola

 This doll is called Lola, after a doll I made for a friend's daughter. She fell in love with her and I thought this was something all young girls should have.

Lola is a rambunctious young girl who likes to go on adventures and act on her own ideas. Shortly before this photo shoot she chose to cut her hair. Her beautiful curls!! As any mother would, I gave her a good scolding, but really what could I do? The photographer was ready to go and as we all know hair takes a very long time to grow. I refuse to tell her, but it's pretty cute and gives her more of a childish charm. 

So on that day she was joined by her friend, Mia. They spent the day playing as the photographer took picture after picture. It was difficult to get many action shots, but you know how kids are. All over the place at the speed of light. I think the two had fun. There was a lovely tea party and outdoor time. They even read a book. :) Well Mia read most of the book to Lola, she's still learning, before Lola went scrambling off.

Photos:

Mia and Lola posing for the camera. 

Lola LOVES tea parties, especially when there's cake involved.

A smile between friends.

Sugar is the best ingredient of life!

 "Oh would you like a spot of tea, dear?"

"Let me help you with that, Miss Lola!"

"Oh that rascally cat with a hat!"

Lola is as cute as can be!She's very cuddly and can be anybody you want. I do take custom orders if you would like her to have a different look for your child.

Standing, she is 15". She comes with the outfit shown. The dress is removable.

The model shown is wearing a pink dress with  high grey boots. My Lola loves her grey boots! They are part of her legs and so cannot be removed. You can request shorter boots or even bare or stocking feet. My Lola was also made with a white undershirt on since she doesn't like the sun to get too much of her skin. She burns easily.

She is made in a smoke-free, but pet friendly environment. The yarn is worsted weight Red Heart Supersaver brand. The eyes are 5/8", smooth black buttons and securely sewn on. Her mouth was embroidered on.

She should be fine in a washer on the Easy/Delicate cycle, but I recommend spot cleaning when possible. Also lets be careful when drying, air drying is probably your safest bet.

When ordering please remember it may take up to a week for me to make your doll and ship it out. Also you must pay me through my Paypal during that time or else it will take longer for me to send it to you. I do not ship unless I have confirmation on payment. My shipping days are Wednesday and Saturday when possible.

I reserve the right to use pictures of your finished dolls in the future for advertising purposes.

If you want a 'hand-written' note from Lola to the recipient, I will gladly include one free of charge. Simply supply the name, age, and message. Age will only be used to determine the style of the message. For example I may use crayon and lots of backwards letters for a five year old, but for a nine year old I may op for curly lettering and a colorful pen.

To purchase please click here.

Her hair is so unruly, especially after her round with  scissors!

She loves to smile.

If you have questions, email me at chloe.gardner78@gmail.com or post a question in the comments below.

Photographer credit goes to Christine Pritchett
Model credit goes to Mia