Come On In! Get to know me...

 Good Morning!

I thought that I would talk a little this morning. Let you get to know me and the parts that make up my heart.

This little cat is Jezzebelle. She loves yarn. The best thing I done for both of us in 2014 is learn to crochet. She loves the beautiful colors and weights just as much as I do, although she is NOT a fan of heavier weights. It makes the ball of yarn too big, she says. 

Jezzy has lived with us about 7 years now. She is very territorial with her owner. She is NOT my cat, she loves my partner Bub. (no, that's not his real name, lol)

 This is me, taken about a week ago. I was out taking a walk down our street looking to see if the Easter flowers were up yet. I found a few but with no blooms. This week I have seen a few purple blooms! I am so glad spring is here, I wish it would start showing up more often. Here in West Virginia is chilly up until May. At least the mountains of snow will be gone. I am happy as long as I don't have to bundle up. I am not a fan of the cold weather but I love it here in the forest and mountains of WV.

This is my oldest son Hunter. He just graduated. That is not his girlfriend. I am amazed I have this shot of him. He hates pictures. I am very proud of him. He has a good steady job, is out on his own, and making the right decisions for himself. A mom cant ask for more.

One more of Hunter in his fire dept uniform. He is in our local volunteer fire department. He comes from a long list of them. I am proud of his training, but when the whistle goes off I am a nervous wreck. I try not to text and call but he has to let me know he is on the truck or not. A mom worries! Until he has children of his own he will not know this. This picture was taken right after all my surgeries. I am very skinny in this picture but having an illness does that to you. I had Bell's Palsy in this picture too. I notice that I have my smile back though so it must have been at the end of that ordeal.

(Have you had bells palsy, or breast surgeries?)

This is my youngest son Shane, he turned 10 the 19th of March. He is my fun, boisterous child. Hunter was quiet, still is. Shane is like the Tasmanian Devil, always moving, always talking. He takes that after me. Isn't he a heart breaker? My children are 2 boys almost 10 years apart.

This is Shane and I last summer. We were taking a walk to our local football field to fly this huge kite. My partner was with us, but someone had to take the pictures! The background is pretty in this picture, our fire dept tower is showing in the background. Surrounded by forest, we have to be able to see in the mountains when there is a fire.

I just noticed the hair color change. When I got sick, I swore no more blonde. I have been blonde all my life. No more fun if your bored with it. I needed a new outlook, look in general, a change from the sick me. So, I went chocolate. Yup, and I LOVE it. It's everyone else that can't get used to it, hey, it's on MY head. I feel a pixie coming on next. Look out summer!

One more I had to share of Jezzy. She loves yarn. When I crochet I HAVE to get her out a ball or she will NOT leave me alone. Seriously, this cat has a yarn obsession. If I don't give her one she will put her paw on me, just rest it there. If that does not work, she will slap me with said paw. If I don't do it then, I am in trouble. I DO IT. I don't want her to tear me to pieces over yarn.I just give it to her. It makes us both very happy. You can hear her purr....It's very sweet. You would not know she was just luring you in to scratch you. Yup, now she has to protect the yarn. It's never ending but loads of fun. I have never had a cat around before. We have had her so long she is part of our family. Sadly, she won't wear crochet....

So, that's a little about me. I spend most of my days alone working on various crochet projects. This month I have really been working hard on all my unfinished projects, or works in progress (WIP's) depending on how you see your glass. I am happy to say that I finished everything!

Well.....

Not everything but that's what I wanted to show you next. 

Here is what is on my hook and has been on and off since November 2014.

The crochet never ending granny square blanket started out Cali King size. I got a new cherry sleigh bed with a queen set up so my blanket got smaller. It's a good thing cause there is about 16 skeins in it. This is the first blanket I have ever made. When I first learned to crochet I concentrated on the stitches, not the yardage or how many skeins so I have made several trips to Walmart to get more of the Red Heart Charcoal. Then I decided that just a blanket wasn't enough, I wanted "a look" so I decided to make pillow shams for my king size pillows. I got a skein each for them and sadly, its not enough, but that's ok because I knew I needed more. No surprise there. 

The pillow shams are made in the granny stripe. Instead of trying to work out a square to fit a rectangle (started 3 times) I just went with the stripe. It looks the same, its the same stitch (3dc in each ch space). I made the front side, you see it in the picture laying flat. I am about out of the rose color, it was given to me by someone special in my family and I had to use it. I am stingy with it, I need to finish this project. Yes, I still have some left. It came with no wrapper. I have no clue what color or brand it is. 

The blanket is rolled up. It has a big pink starting block, rows of charcoal granny block, and another pink stripe. It will have an edging in pink. I am just not sure of the best one yet. I haven't really thought that far or even researched it that much. Once I finish the shams front and back. Oh yeah, the back is just a simple chain, the sc a row, and then I went with a triple crochet. Its long, and will cover nicely. I will just put the front and back together and seam with yarn or crochet. I am not sure how to do that yet, although I am confident I can. I have put things together before with success a few different ways. I like to have my seams hidden.

You can see the triple or treble crochet on my hook right now. I have been working on it on and off this morning. I will have the back to one sham finished today. 

A quick ? DO YOU THINK 2 WINDOW VALANCES MADE THE SAME WAY IS TOO MUCH?

It's quiet here, I am listening to Night Vale (a scary podcast with episodes released every 2 weeks) There are 60+ and I am on 57. I just found it and am trying to get caught up. That's a passion of mine too! Not usually on podcast or listening to books, I love to read and have loved it since I was a child. When my mom couldn't find me she called the library. No, there were no cell phones then. You just called the business :-)

I have a varied interests. I love music, I love it outside, I spend most of my time by myself doing the things I love best. I am a typical girl, I love handbags, makeup, smell good, and shoes! I am also a tea lover. Lose, bags, bricks, bulk, whatever. I enjoy a cup almost every hr of the day. I have many favorites but the Tea Spots Pu'erh is my favorite. Its a black, fermented, chocolate tea. Its delicious!

I just wanted those of you who do not want to wade through all my back posts get to know a little about my family and I. My partner is crafty too, he is into wood and has several projects going on now. He wont touch the pc though, and I'll be darned if I am taking on another blog. I want to keep this one up, meet people, always be here to laugh and crochet with!

Crochet is new to me, but the reviews I have been doing here and there are more new to me. I thought what a great idea, and got to work on it. Very quickly, I got overloaded with reviews and had to get them done, I learned my lesson. Only take what you can use, are interested in because you will get lots of random things that take up a lot of your time to review correctly. I try to do all mine because I use the product.

 I also have a real issue with company's who want you to review their product but not pay shipping, if I have to pay shipping then I lie when I say #gotitfree and to a freebie person that's not free. That just means I gave $6.49 for that product paid for by shipping. Nope, that's not free. I know some people may take issue with it but its for my opinion, they asked. Sorry, no credit card for you. Most of the companies will reimburse you for your shipping costs through paypal. That's acceptable to me and I tell them so when I thank them. Be honest! 

I am caught up now and have some really great giveaways coming up for you. 

I have a giveaway going on now. Its Amara Organics Vitamin C Serum and I am STILL using the same bottle and my skin is softer. I am looking for a "glow" without a tan! Go to my giveaway post and sign up. It would really help me. I am so new, not out there too much and how can I throw a contest with no winner! 

HOW EMBARRASSING!!!

 Please, can you enter? (on knees, looking directly in your eyes, lol) I try to enter and support giveaway blogs. If you haven't entered before or have no idea what I am talking about search for low entry giveaways on the net. Bloglovin (my fave to use) has a lot of nice giveaway blogs. Sign your blog up with them so I can follow you all in one place too!

I have something great to share with you. I got into a great review company that has a crochet shop and they are sending me something lovely concerning crochet to review. In the madness of Amazon the shipping got all mixed up, and the items have to be shipped again. BUT THE BEST PART? Part of the item came, the guts were empty but the shop says I get to keep the part the sent me by mistake and they are going to send me another in a different pattern for me to keep. I get to decide what to do with the extra item. YAY!!! FREEBIE!!!! (I was super disappointed since I waited and waited for it, I had to write an appeal letter to even be let in the campaign because I lacked a few 100 twitter followers but I plead my crochet case and it worked!).

I think I will give it away to a lucky reader.

So you will have to keep reading my posts in the next few weeks. Sooner that that, I think, but one can never be sure when you are working with someone else on the other end. 

It's for my crochet friends! 

So, that's me in a nutshell. Crystal W from a one red light town, happily everything, crocheting my way through my midlife crisis.

Won't you join me?

Happy Hookin!

~Crystal

Please, if you would like to get to know me just leave me a comment and I will respond. I just got the comments set up and I would love to hear from you. 

@krystlewv on Twitter

krystlewvscrochet on Instagram

Crystal Wall on Facebook and Pinterest

and Crystal-Walker Wall on Google!

Follow me, and I will follow you back! That's what blogging is about, getting us out there and the ONLY way we can do that is to follow and share. 

Crochet Lipstick Case

Good Morning, my friends.

I know its early but late last night I was up crocheting the insomnia away and I made a lipstick case.

Here is the pattern from Lipstick Case from NyanPon.com

It was super simple. I made it in an hr or so. It takes a little sewing at the ends and it needs something to secure it.

Isn't it adorable. It's just the right size to carry lipstick. Of course you can put lip balm in it, but I wanted something other than a cozy for a key chain. This can be thrown in my pocketbook. No more run away lipstick in the bottom of my bag!

Here is a couple pictures.

This is how it looks from the back.

The inside.

This pattern is done only in SC. You are supposed to use a small hook but I used an E. The little round circles on the ends were supposed to be done in another round but since my hook was bigger I just left it in the first round and cut. 

I made sure I had a matching button. I didn't make a button hole. I just put the button through the shell at the top. It went right through really easy. 

I am very pleased with the way it turned out. I hope the person I made it for loves it too.

What do ya think?

Here is it! Its pretty, ladylike and perfect. Easy project, great gift for your friend or yourself!

It works for me!

Make your own today. It can be done in scraps. It takes hardly any yarn at all. I had fun making it and its a beginner project.

If you make this let me know!

I want to see them.

I just wanted to share with you today.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Hookin!

~Crystal

I TRIED to do my own hooks in clay...

Good Afternoon, my friends!

I have a project to share with you today. If you read my last post about my trip to Walmart to get yarny stuff, then you will be familiar with what I am about to tell you. 

If not, go HERE and that should explain it.

I love to try Pinterest idea I see. I have been watching YouTube a lot for crochet tips and patterns. I ran across this YouTube video on how to make my own clay hook handles/grips at home. 

Here is the YouTube video if you want to get familiar with what I done to make my hooks. The VIDEO TUTORIAL is by Donna Wolfe at naztazia.com

I TRY to be crafty but sometimes things just don't work out for me. I KNOW this, but I insist on trying it anyway.

Well, as I said, I got this Sculpey Clay out of the arts and crafts section at Walmart (DON'T get me started on the selection). I got the few colors available to me. I ended up with turquoise, pink, white, and blue.

Not the best color choice. They had a gray. Knowing what I know now, I wish I would have gotten it. I could have benefited from another dark color.

Anyway, 

Here is the Sculpey Clay

It's only a few dollars per pack at Walmart and I had plenty left over. 

After we (my partner and I) watched Donna's video, we got out out our plates to roll on and got dirty.

They clay gets soft fast so dont work it too much.

Here is a few of ours...

3 colors all together...

twisted together...

Now once you cut them in bits and put them on your hook it will look like this...

Can you tell what my first mistake was?

Yup, too close to the hook. No slide room.

Sorry about the blur, this one has the size written in the clay with a toothpick. Its a K. You cover the all this up in Donna's Video. 

ONE WORD OF ADVICE: ONLY PUT YOUR CLAY UP-TO OR UNDER THE MARKINGS ON YOUR HOOK THAT TELL YOU THE SIZE. MINE WAS WAY TO MUCH. JUST PUT IT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE HOOK WHERE YOU GRIP.

Here are a few of the hooks we made with our limited color choices. I wanted swirly, pretty, hooks and well....

Here is the way one came out...

too brown and dingy for me, I was disappointed

This is one of my smaller hooks already baked. I like this one. I had to trim under the size of the hook though. See, this one had no room for the yarn to go on either.

I baked them like the directions on the package says. 15-20 min for 1/4 inch thick, I think.

Anyway, either I baked them too long or the white is going to turn dingy and brown anyway. Maybe having the gray would have helped. It wouldnt have changed color. I baked as directions said. I was SUPER disappointed when I saw this. See, how close I made them to the top of the hook? Please dont do this, unless you like not having any room at all on your hook.

I let the hooks cool off and then I got one out to work with. 

Here are a few tips!

The bigger the hook the LESS clay you want on it. It will become a fat bottom hook (haha, I crack myself up, :-)) if you do this. Plus, you have to bake longer for thicker clay and I wouldn't suggest it unless you know something I don't.

YES, You CAN cut through the clay to take it off, it bakes on like rubber.

Yup, you are seeing that correctly. I had to remove a couple of them from the bigger hooks. They were just to thick. Plus they had some big bottoms ;-)

Remember when you used to use those big fat pencils in kindergarten? Well, this was the same feeling.

Here is my favorite H aluminium hook in clay...

I like it. Its just the right size. If you look close you can see the straight cut that my partner made to trim mine down. It worked out great with just a sharp knife, we just scored a line on the clay and it cut right in two.

My view on the whole project? I wish I would have watched a few videos. Everyone does theirs different. You can search You Tube for the ones you will like best. I just was not thinking when I covered most of the hook, actually I had no idea.

You can polish them up. Donna said to use blue jeans (I couldn't tell the difference), and I think you can sandpaper them for shine. 

I had always wanted to try it but I am not so sure if the whole project was successful as a whole. 

I did get 3 pretty hooks though. The rest I will have to put grips on. My hands just cant go around looking like a claw.

My suggestion, Don't use white clay, lol

Here are the 3 hooks I kept the clay on. Notice they are all small hooks, E, F and H.

I still have a cushion grip on the E because its still a little skinny and my hands cramp when I use those little hooks. I love the look they make and I use them often.

Well, there is my go at making my own grips for my crochet hooks.

Do your research and keep it fun!

I have a tendency to suck the fun out of a project because I want perfection. It never, ever happens, I fail more often than not but it keeps me trying. I don't care who likes them. The ones I kept work great.

So make up your own minds and if you make some send me a link to yours in the comments and give me your suggestions!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Hookin!

~Crystal

#FixTheGap Secure A Tank Review

Good morning, my friends!

Thanks for stopping by today. 

I have a review for you for Secure A Tank.

All ideas, and comments are my own. I got the product free to try. I got no money, just the product for an honest review.

Here is the link to the product...

Secure Tank

and the product link for Amazon.com

Secure Tank Toilet Brace

I signed up for this product because I thought I could use it on the back of my tank. Once I got the product and really got to reading it I really wondered if these little plastic braces would really work.

My toilet is about 4 inches from the back of the wall. Although, it didn't wobble, I knew that this would be something I could try. 

I got out the package, and got to reading the info on the packaging.

Here are a few things it says...

Secure A Tank is a toilet tank brace which helps prevent tank wobble and damage from unwanted toilet movement. It's an affordable, 1-time insurance policy against costly leaks and repairs that every toilet should have. 

It has an easy 3 step installation, and the pack came with 4 braces. Enough to do 2 toilets. 

Made in the USA!

Here is a picture of the product I received.

See the long plastic brace? They can be cut to fit as well. 

Here are the directions from the packaging...

1. Measure-Remove lid. Place flat end of extension on the wall over the top right or left edge of the toilet tank. Mark the extension where it meets the back edge of the tank.

2. Cut-Use a saw to cut the extension T. Do not cut the T too short.

3. Assemble-Insert the cut end of the extension into the T-Groove in the clip.

4. Install-Clip the 2 assembled parts onto the back edge of the toilet tank at the locations you measured from. Replace Tank cover.

Isn't that easy?

The pieces are very light, and can be moved back and forth very easy.

Here is a picture of the brace itself...

Here is what Amazon has to say about Secure A Tank...

Secure-A-Tank Toilet Tank Brace - 4 Toilet Pack

by Secure-A-Tank

   22 customer reviews

---

List Price:	$19.98
Price:	$18.99 + $6.75 shipping
You Save:	$0.99 (5%)

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Vadco Products.

• Prevents Toilet Tank Movement and Leaks
• Prevents Wall Damage
• DIY Easy Install
• Cheap Insurance Policy
• Protects Your Investment

That's some great information. I think its worth the price. If you have ever sat on a toilet that wobbles, you know how important tank stability is. 

This product can prevent the #1 cause of catastrophic bathroom leaks!

Secure A Tank also has a Limited Lifetime Warranty. This Vadco Innovations should be free from defects in the material and manufacture. Defective units may be returned to Vadco Innovation for replacement, free of charge. Replacements are subject to the opinion of Vadco Innovations.

I got 4 of these braces in one package, enough to go around my house and stop my toilets from moving. 

My partner got out the supplies I would need to put these on my tank.

It was super easy. We used a hand saw and they cut right at the point that they fit well, they were easy to connect to the edge of the toilet.

I dont have any pictures because you cant see mine. I cant get in there to take a picture of it. Too dark, too small of a space. 

Here are all 4 that came in my package.

The bottom brace is turned around backwards so you can see both ends good.

If you are looking for an affordable way to #FixTheGap or to secure your tank give this product from Vadco Innovations a try.

The price is really reasonable for what you receive. I think that $25 dollars is a great deal, and a quick fix.

I promise you won't be behind your toilet all day installing the Secure A Tank. 

Its that easy!

Here is what Johnny V 4th Generation Plumber said about Secure a Tank...

“As a 4th Generation Plumber,the most common & costly problem I see is damage caused by toilet tanks. Tanks with a gap between the tank and wall eventually leak or crack releasing small amounts to hundreds of gallons of water into homes. That’s why I invented Secure-A-Tank The easiest way to fix the gap in a snap.”

It's true!

Here is the link to the YouTube Video...

Secure A Tank YouTube Video

Do your research, take your time in finding the right product for you and your budget. 

These braces are a cheaper way of fixing the toilet without buying a new one. This product enhances your home in a way that no one see's but they will appreciate no wobble when they sit down. :-)

I really liked this product, its my honest opinion of the Secure A Tank toilet tank braces for Vadco Innovations.

If you need to #FixTheGap or just make your tank more stable this is the product for you, and its affordable.

All the info is above, make your own decisions but I would purchase this is I had more than the 2 toilets they sent me braces for.

No more wobble, No more leaks!

Thanks for stopping by today to read my review. I love to share with all of you. 

How can we make honest, informed decisions without all the information?

Well, here it is!

Have a great day and use Secure A Tank if you need it!

Your guests will THANK YOU!

~Crystal

Ta-Dah! Crochet Wallet

Good Afternoon, my crochet friends and otherwise....

I have the crochet wallet that I teased you with last post. I just got the finishing done. I wanted to get every last little WIP that I had so I could concentrate on granny. Last night I worked through a skein of RHSS Charcoal, its taking about an hr to go all the way around now. I am getting about 3 rows per skein, and adding about 3 inches. It is a never ending granny done with a lt pink square, then charcoal, lt. pink, ect....It is going to cover my queen sized bed. I am making the pillow covers to match.

Anyway, back to why we are here.

Yesterday, I showed you this pattern from 

Moms Crochet Clutch Wallet

and today I want to show you the one I made.

I just realized mine was opposite of the one shown. 

Isn't it adorable. The colors are not baby colors, but they sure look like it on here. 

This wallet had a little finishing to do because of the pockets that are inside of it to store your cards and bills in. 

Here is my inside...

There are a few pieces to this pattern, here are a few of mine before I sewed them on.

This is the string to close the wallet, it also holds tight whatever you decide to use the mesh front pocket for. It wraps around the wallet and is secured around the button not hooked on it. The string is also thread through the inside of the wallet and tied, so you can secure it with a lot of items or just a few. It's the perfect size. The pattern maker suggests a cell phone holder is what she made the mesh for. Since I haven't used mine yet, it's not full and I haven't put my phone in it yet.

                            

Here is the little button I made by putting both yarns together to make it strong.

Here it is all laid out before I put all the extra pieces in it.

The pieces inside is just rows of sc to make the divider, and a little square made of sc for your cards.

This whole wallet but the button is made from sc except the mesh and its just dc and tc. It's very easy. Even putting it together was not a problem at all. The pattern explains it very well.

It also has a matching change purse that I have not made yet.

I will put that in another post so you can see what it looks like. If you make this, I would like to see it. You can always email them to me at my krystlewv@yahoo.com email address.

Thanks for stopping by today! 

I was happy to share a little piece of my day and work with you.

Have a good evening!

Happy Hookin!

~Crystal

My Finished Spring Wreath and a Sneak Peek!

Happy Sunday!

I have been working really hard to get all my Wip's caught up (works in progress) and done so this week I can concentrate on my granny blanket and getting it done. I can not wait to share it with you. Its the bedroom set, shams and all. 

Today I want to share my version of a spring wreath. I took all the bits from the ones I have seen on Pinterest, I have a crochet wreath board, and made my own.

I tried to remember to take pics as I went along but I noticed I forgot the leaves. They were from a Pinterest pin too.

Here are a few pics of my progress....

Thats my blue ring for the sky, and the green is for the grass my flowers go on. The little colored thing at the top is my "rainbow", its also my loop to hang it on the door.

Here are my bits, some clouds, a sun, and all kinds of different flowers.

Here is the finished product!

Ta-Dah!

I didn't add bees, or birds but I love it all the same. 

I think it turned out lovely and it reminds me of spring.

I love all the things you can do with yarn!

Here is another project I am working on, sneak peek for my next post. 

It just needs put together on my end!

Here is the link to make your own...

(that is not mine, that's the pattern photo)

Clutch Wallet at Moms-Crochet

Happy Hookin!

~Crystal