Meeting Goals

Since I haven't blogged in almost 2 months, going over my 31 before thirty-one list seemed like a good way to catch up:

4. Write out my testimony of accepting Jesus Christ.  -DONE!
27. Be tan before the summer family reunion.  -DONE!
28. Fly in a plane.  -DONE!
29. Buy a new bathing suit.  -DONE!
30. Go swimming.  -DONE!

And there are a few more in the works that will hopefully be coming to fruition in the next couple months:

3. Make a family spending plan/budget.
6. Save $1000.
10. Pay off a credit card.
16. Get my passport renewed.
17. Build a sand castle.
26. Host a party.

Check out my other blog, Parsonage Project to see what else has been going on :)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Due to my lack of Mexican heritage, I view Cinco de Mayo as yet another excuse for me to eat tacos... like I really need the motivation

(I love tacos!!)

But this was a nice twist and I wish I had know about it before today, because then everyone, and I do mean everyone, would have gotten one of these delicacies:



Courtesy of RecipeGirl.com



Margarita Cupcakes!!  Olay!

  

Tea Party

This past weekend was the annual Mother's Day Brunch at my church and this year we incorporated a tea party theme to the festivities.  Everyone was invited to bring their favorite tea cup and we had a little table and little chairs set up for the little girls to have a tea party with apple juice and chocolate milk.  It was so incredibly adorable and we all loved it.  I was also asked to speak and that was a very challenging experience (I get so nervous) but also quite rewarding as I overcame my fears.

With regards to crafting and creativity, the day made me think that I really should acquire a functional (yet elegant) tea set and have ladies over for crafting and tea get-togethers.  I also was thinking how amazing it would be to actually paint china!  I can't draw or paint, but what an amazing skill to have.



Courtesy of Roses & Teacups



Royal Wedding Giveaway!

My friend Katie over @ *explanation required is hosting a wedding giveaway... royal style!!

Click here and follow her directions to be entered into her giveaway

Good Luck :)

Yummy in My Tummy

If all goes according to plan, this is what I'll be baking tonight...



Picture courtesy of Zoey Cakes



I stumbled across this fabulous idea from Cupcakes Take the Cake so check out their blog.  This is from a local upstate New York bakery Zoey Cakes and I have every intention of making a minimum of two dozen Cadbury creme egg filled cupcakes!  Maybe more, depending on how far I can stretch the cake batter.  Pictures to come later!! :)

For the Love of Royalty

Ok, this just made me smile:



Patterns available in paperback or electronic download

Knit Your Own Royal Wedding by Fiona Goble

Now I really don't think I'll be taking the time to knit an entire royal wedding scene, but if someone else does then more power to you and I really want to know! :)  With pictures, please send me pictures!

And if someone out there wants to get really creative and make a video with your knitted royal wedding participants, go for it!  Don't forget to post it on YouTube, it might go viral.

Memorial

In memory of Gillian Brown, who would have been 12 years old today, I wanted to share this organization that was so encouraging to my cousins during their time of sorrow.

Their mission is to 'touch the little lives' of need premature and newborn infants in Ohio, to do all that they can to give families, free of any charge, the necessities that every newborn needs.  The volunteers make quilts, blankets, caps, booties, gowns, undershirts, afghans, bibs, sleepers, and other articles.

Unfortunately there is one additional need that is sadly met within the communities.  For reasons known only to God, many children arrive into this world prematurely, weighing less than a pound.  These tiny babies are called to join their Heavenly Father.  Instead of being able to rejoice at this new life, the sad reality is that the families must now provide for a single outfit in which to lay their precious child to rest.  At this difficult time, when parents should be happily shopping at toy stores for rattles or toys for their child, they are instead looking for doll clothing small enough to fit.  Volunteers respond during this time of grieving by providing burial layettes to these families for their child.

Each year literally hundreds upon hundreds of premature and needy babies are admitted to the local Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU).  The extremely small size of many of these infants makes it difficult to find clothing that fits, and when it can be found, is often beyond the affordable range of many families.  Every item provided is completely free of charge and no one in this organization receives any salary or compensation for their work.  Every penny donated is spent on providing for these little lives.

If you think you can help make something, even just this once in memory of Gillian, check out the website: http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/help.html

Great Big Giveaway

Holly over at HollyCraft is hosting a fabulously cute giveaway! 

Check it out - you could win one of 5 prize packs!  Enjoy!! :)



From HollyCraft FB Page



It Could Be Fun

I'm just going to put this out there... I LOVE to color!!  I know, I'm 30 years old, but I don't care :)

Perhaps I just enjoy the simplistic creativity that coloring brings.  And I'm pretty sure it relieves stress too.  So in light of my passion for coloring, my attentive husband gave me this as part of my birthday gift:

Silly and juvenile?  Probably, but maybe this is my first step towards learning how to draw?  Or maybe all I'll ever do is color... but I'll never know if I don't just try!

Have a great weekend ;)

Display Additions

My very first display purchase has arrived!  Thanks to my dear husband for picking this up as a birthday gift add-on!!  ;)



Styrofoam Mannequin Head



NOW, not only can I use this to display my hats at shows, I can also use it to take photos of my hat designs and post them on this blog.  I have to say I was fighting the urge to get weirded out when I was looking for mannequin heads online.  I'm so happy I found something that works, was inexpensive, and wasn't too creepy.  Thanks to Melissa @ Mel's Crocheted Creations for sharing where she found her own styrofoam heads.

Until next time, make it a creative day! :)

More Good News from VK

Here we go... for those of you technologically savvy knitters out there, Vogue Knitting just released their FREE publications app for iPad!



Search "Vogue Knitting" at the Apps Store



So of course I downloaded it and am already loving the possibilities.  Unfortunately, you still have to pay for the publications, but you would have to pay for them anyway if you bought the physical magazine.  I can't/shouldn't buy the Spring-Summer 2011 zine because... well... my birthday is on Sunday and I have every reason to believe that it might be part of the annual celebration offerings.  However, if I'm wholly mistaken, be sure that I will have it on my iPad promptly on Monday morning.  Either way, I'll review this all later while you anxiously await.  Or better yet, download the app, and buy the pub, then investigate for yourself and definitely share your findings with the rest of us here!!

31 Before Thirty-One

I've been feeling kind of uninspired lately (I'm going to blame it on all the rain).  But my 30th birthday is coming up in 4 days, so I decided to make a list.  I missed out on making a 30 before Thirty list like my friend Katie did @Explanation Required, so instead this is a 31 before thirty-one list... 31 things to do before I turn 31 years old.  Enjoy!  I know I will :)

1. Don’t buy breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, or drink for an entire week.

2. Plan out a week of dinner meals and stick to the plan.

3. Make a family spending plan/budget.

4. Write out my testimony of accepting Jesus Christ.

5. Finish or frog all projects in my UFO bin.

6. Save $1000.

7. Drink only water for an entire week.

8. Run a 5K.

9. Lose 30 lbs.

10. Pay off a credit card.

11. Send Christmas cards.

12. Be a craft show vendor with only knitted items.

13. Attempt to paint on a canvas.

14. Take a tap dance class.

15. Take a pottery class.

16. Get my passport renewed.

17. Build a sand castle.

18. Become First Aid and CPR certified.

19. Keep my bamboo plant alive.

20. Purchase life insurance.

21. Have a legal will.

22. Read the whole Bible.

23. Learn to crochet.

24. Reorganize the filing cabinets.

25. Organize parsonage photos by rooms.

26. Host a party.

27. Be tan before the summer family reunion.

28. Fly in a plane.

29. Buy a new bathing suit.

30. Go swimming.

31. Pray when I first wake up, each morning for a whole month… then try two months.

Maybe it's not super exciting or really adventurous, but they are all things that I want and/or feel I need to do.  I tried to be realistic while setting my goals so that I'll actually reach all of them without driving myself crazy in the process.  Do you have any goals that you want to reach before your next birthday?  Feel free to share! :)

Vogue Knitting Preview... Yipee!

Oh I can't wait for spring time knitting!  Check it out!



Summertime Blues - explore the pacific palette ace of a crystal blue persuasion



Postcards from Rio - citrus brights and coral spice infuse Carnaval style into tropical tops



It's All White Now - style gets a cool pick-me-up with cool, crisp white



Set Off Sparks - sexy is back with a shapely camisole that dares, bares, and dazzles



So Hot It Sizzles - the body electric: slinky bikinis in metallic yarns make the most of a minimal amount of fabric



Credit for pictures and captions go completely to Vogue Knitting and their preview site.  I just couldn't do them justice in my own words, the designs are gorgeous and stunning.  Enjoy! 

Blog Hop

Hello Friends!  Well, I finally wrapped up my One World One Heart blog networking event, complete with some very cute giveaway prizes. 

And guess what?!  Here comes another blog event! :)

Marni over at Sassy Sites is hosting a blog hop for newbie bloggers (ie. blogs that are no older than 6 months of age).  So yeah, Rhea Sunshine Designs qualifies!  If you're interested in participating, just scroll to the bottom of the blog hop list and click on "What is a blog hop?" and it'll tell you what to do.

For those of you who are also participating the this Sassy Blog Hop and this is your first time here, let me introduce myself:

My name is Rhea and I'm crazy! My husband can attest to that! I’m originally from Maryland but now I live in New York. I’ve been married since May 2007 to an absolutely fantastic man. I’m also a Christian who accepted Christ at age 18 and my relationship with God has changed my life.  I started this blog to share my passion for the creative arts.  I love to knit!  I also enjoy learning new crafting skills and creating beautiful treasures.  Whether it's something with yarn or some other medium, my most favorite experience is standing back, looking at a completed project, and thinking "wow that is gorgeous and I made that!"  So please go enjoy yourself in my blog :)

Announcing the OWOH 2011 Giveaway Winner!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my "mystery" giveaway for One World One Heart!  I made a point of visiting all the blogs for everyone who entered and I must say, they were all so super creative and for that, I loved them all!!  I'm really glad that this drawing was random because if I had to pick a favorite, well, I just wouldn't be able to do that.  So without further ado *drum roll please*...

The winner of my giveaway is:

Sigrid @ Kreative Bastelwelt

and you won...


An adorably soft teddy bear, Valentine's Day hard candy, and beautiful spring time stationary pages.

 Thanks to all for the encouraging posts, for introducing yourselves, and even for leaving some very cryptic messages because you don't write in English very well! ;) Thanks and best of luck to you all in your future blogging endeavors!

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." ~2Chronicles 7:14

Support Local Yarn Shops

So sorry for taking a whole 10 days off from blogging.  Life really got in the way, I had to travel 9 hours to Virginia for a family emergency, and well... I really just didn't want to blog about anything going on in my life at that time.  But now that I'm back, I can reflect on this positive experience!  During one of my breaks from hospital hiatus, I found this really great local yarn shop:  Coordinated Colors Yarn Shoppe

I picked out a couple hanks of yarn (there was so much to choose from) and the owner graciously wound them for me.  The store started out as an online-only business, so if I need to add to my supply at any point in the future, I can simply call/email in an order, and it will ship to me at no additional handling cost.  How fabulous is that?!  Here is the project I started during my long intervals of waiting:



Lion Brand Curtain Call Shrug, Pattern #60368A

The yarn I'm using is a lighter weight than what the pattern calls for; therefore, I made a gauge swatch, upped the needle size, made another gauge swatch, and hopefully this will work out.  Otherwise I'll either be frogging the whole thing or giving it as a gift to someone much smaller than me.  Either way, I needed something to keep me busy and help me feel productive.

Gotta Be There

I have to head out of town tomorrow morning for an undetermined amount of time.  At this point, definitely not longer than a week, and maybe only through Wednesday, but I'm really not sure.  So as much as I like to be organized and have everything planned out ahead of time, I'm not being afforded that luxury.  I have to pack in the worst way... just pick a bunch of articles of clothing that I like to wear often, have pieces that I can layer in case it's warm, cool, cold, rainy, sunny, etc. and make sure I have the essentials (shoes, undergarments, toiletries, and the like).

Not quite my suitcase, but really close

I'm taking the same approach with my knitting.  I might have quite the significant amount of down time, either passing the time at someone's house or growing affixed to a waiting room chair.  Either way, I will go crazy if I have to make small talk the entire time.  Enter in the sampling of my yarn stash, my circular knitting needle set, stitch markers, sewing needles, a crochet hook, and maybe a set of dpn just for good measure.  I'm not sure if I'll take any patterns with me or just wing it by falling back on some faithful favorites.



Yarn Stash Pic from Healing Hillary's Blog

I just know that in times past, my knitting has been my 2nd therapy, immediately following prayer and the study of God's Word.  I know my Lord is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  He has created everything and is completely sovereign to control all that is His.  Who am I?

Wonderful Women

Sorry all for not blogging yesterday; the snow and ice storm completely blew up my plans!  But now I'm back and I wanted to share a couple of websites that I found...

http://jdiamonddesigns.weebly.com/

This particular site is run by my long time friend, Jen!  She is a fabulous stay-at-home-mom with so much energy, creativity, and ambition.  I love her ribbon hair accessories that started as a craft project for her daughter.  I really hope that she will be so proud of herself as her endeavors grow into something that she will cherish long into the future!

http://www.melscrochetedcreations.com/

And through Jen I also found this site that is truly an example of a goal that I aspire to achieve.  Mel has embraced her love of crochet and has really developed it into a web-based business!  That is what I hope to do with my knitting someday because I am that passionate about it.

Enjoy these beautiful examples of amazing women who are working to make their dreams come true!! Be inspired! :)

Cupcake Creativity

Created by Jen @ A Thousand Words

I wanted to share this blog post with you all because it was just so super cute. I've been in a cupcake mood the past few days because I just read a facebook post about the 2nd Annual Gardiner Cupcake Festival to be held on Sunday, May 1st.

From the same blog, A Thousand Words, the author also created her own video tutorial about tips for frosting cupcakes. Enjoy!

Thank you Katie @ Explanation Required for sharing this site!

One World One Heart 2011

Today begins my participation in a world wide blogging event - One World One Heart!

My hope is that by joining this blogging event, I will be able to connect with other bloggers who have mutual experiences and we can share both advice and intellectual resources.

So a little about me and my blog: I’m crazy! My husband can attest to that! I’m originally from Maryland but now I live in New York. I’ve been married since May 2007 to an absolutely fantastic man. I’m also a Christian who accepted Christ at age 18 and my relationship with God has changed my life.  I started this blog to share my passion for the creative arts.  I love to knit!  I also enjoy learning new crafting skills and creating beautiful treasures.  Whether it's something with yarn or some other medium, my most favorite experience is standing back, looking at a completed project, and thinking "wow that is gorgeous and I made that!"  So please go enjoy yourself in my blog :)

Also... if you're a blogger who is participating in the OWOH 2011 event, I am giving away a "door prize" for your visit!  From now until February 17th, leave a comment on any blog post with your blog website address and I'll put you in the drawing.  It's that easy!  I will draw the winner on February 18th, announce the winner in that day's blog post, and notify the winner through his/her own blog site.

Current Endeavors

My current project… hats!  I love them!  They are cute, pretty, fashionable, quick, and personalized!

Lion Brand Beaded Flowers Cap, Pattern #50183-2

The pattern called for bulky weight yarn (#5) but I had a lot of extra skeins of worsted weight yarn (#4) so I’ve been experimenting with single v. double strands and needle sizes.  I am suddenly so thankful for having spot on knitting tension for pattern gauge purposes.

Right now I have a single strand soft pink cap and a double strand sunshine cap almost completely finished.  I say “almost” because now I have to do the dreaded FINISHING STEPS!!  I know, it’s really not so bad, but I hate whip stitching and weaving in ends.

My UFO bin (unfinished objects) is almost filled to the brim with projects that only need to have their ends woven in.  I’m such a slacker like that!  So once I’ve decided on my cap knitting variables, I think my next step will be to adjust/incorporate measures to minimize the dreaded finishing hurdle.

Completed pictures coming soon! :)

Scarves for Special Olympics

Yarn crafting for a worthy cause!

Thank you Vogue Knitting for highlighting this effort on your Facebook wall post today!

Red Heart Super Saver 886-Blue and Red Heart Super Saver 512-Turqua

Beautiful crochet scarf submitted by Dana Cruce Polk

Another scarf submitted by Kathy Kraftizales

My favorite scarf, knitted in a norwegian style with a gorgeous reversible outdoor theme, submitted by Karen Taylor

Donated scarves go to real people!  Athletes in Idaho show off their hand crafted scarves!

For more information (and specifics about getting involved), check out their website: http://www.scarvesforspecialolympics.org/ and click on "Project Guidelines"