I finally finished these wonderful kitty cat mugs for my Etsy shop! I was inspired by the many Pinterest projects that kept popping up on my feed. I knew I could do something more creative than a "his & hers" mug set! 

It took lots of layers of Oil based Sharpies and lots of dry time but I think they turned out pretty darn cute!

I found these cute mugs at Target but I'm sure you could just grab some cheap-o's at the Dollar Store.

There are so many suggestions in internet land on how long to cook them and at what temperature but I followed Destination Decoration's instructions and baked them at 250° for 2 hours. It turned out great! This is my first time doing a project like this and I was very worried that the paints were going to change colors in the oven but they didn't! 

I am going to have to test wash them a few times just to make sure that the paint is going to hold up before I'm comfortable selling them on my Etsy site. ​

I'm super impressed with the paint pens; they worked really well and held up great in the oven, especially with the many, many layers of paint I used. 

I still need to test them but I'll keep you updated! You'll be the first to know when they hit my shop! 

​

​Bonus work in progress photo...

I loved this project and these fabulous pens, I think I'm going to get some ceramic pots for my Spring plants and decorate them up too! ​I hope you're now inspired to paint some mugs! 

Thanks for reading!

-Ashley

Thought I'd stop by and give you a quick update on some of the crafty adventures I've been on lately. After finishing the Never Ending Slanket and Susan's Winter Shawl, I decided I needed to make some smaller "instant gratification" projects. I started by knitting Alex a new Winter Beanie for school. 

This turquoise beauty is a replacement for the wonderful hat I made him last year. It was a gorgeous, deep gray, Celtic Cable knit, 100% alpaca Ski Hat, which he wore for the entire Winter season then managed to leave on a bus somewhere. (I'm still getting over the loss.)

This new hat is made using the pattern Graham by Jennifer Adams. It's a quick, easy knit that's totally reversible. I think it took me about 4 days to make it. I used Bernat Sheepish which is 70% Acrylic and 30% Wool. It's splits a bit, is a pain in the ass to frog and pills like crazy. It's super soft and durable though and knits up with great stretch and is machine washable. I'd recommend owning a Lint Shaver if you're going to use it though, otherwise your project is gonna look like a big ol' cotton ball in a month. 

Next, I decided my goal in life was to learn to knit TWO SOCKS AT THE SAME TIME!!! How is this possible, it's some sort of wizardry! I grabbed the book Knitting Circles Around Socks and got to work. 

Not that Alex is spoiled or anything, but these are also for him. He's gonna be the best dressed guy on campus. 

Turns out knitting two socks at the same time doesn't take Witchcraft! It just takes some patience, two sets of double pointed circular needles, and some really good instructions. I'm not quite done with them but I'm definitely going to be using this technique again. I'll probably be trying Fish Lips Kiss Heel by SoxTherapist next time since the gals on my knitting Podcasts (TwoKnitLitChicks and Yarniacs) just can't stop raving about it! 

I'm using KnitPicks Stroll sock yarn in Dove gray. It's super soft Fingering weight yarn, 75% Merino Wool and 25% Nylon. It's wonderful to work with and it's machine washable, which is awesome. This is my first time using this yarn so it has yet to be tested for durability. The reviews on KnitPicks.com are awesome though so if all goes well it might become my go-to sock yarn. 


The last project I wanted to share with you is almost a Work in Progress, except for the fact that I haven't started it yet...

That's right. Mug Painting! 

A few years back I made a few of my family members these beautiful, hand painted mugs at a Ceramics Shop downtown. I painted them with all these lovely stains and had them professionally fired! They were glorious, I wish I had pictures. But, somewhere along the way, most of these treasures ended up getting accidentally broken (you know who you are!!!) So I decided to embrace the current Pinterest CRAZE and pick up some oil based permanent markers and some plain white mugs and make some replacements! 

Kitty is obviously excited to help. I might also paint a little Valentines Day Mug for Alex while I'm at it but he's getting pretty spoiled as it is so, we'll see! 

Thanks for stopping by!

-Ashley 

This Summer my wonderful Step Mom sent me a lovely box of Wool yarns. This pink Cascade 220 Paints yarn was not my color but I knew who it would be perfect for; Alex's Ma! I couldn't decide whether to make a shawl or felted slippers for her, to ensure the perfect gift I had her pick out the pattern. 

The first shawl pattern we tried was Autumn Blush by Joji Locatelli but the Cascade 220 yarn was just too springy and squishy to conform to that delicate stitch pattern. (I'll definitely be coming back to that pattern though, it's super fun and complicated.) We ended up switching to Pure by cabinfour, which is a much simpler stitch pattern and perfect for showing off the beautiful color changes of the hand painted yarn. 

I altered the pattern to add an extra stripe of stockinette after the twisted stitch section so I could use every last bit of the delicious Wool. 

It's so warm and squishy! It's the perfect color for Spring but wooly and warm enough to wear throughout the rest of the Winter. 

The pattern was super simple and easy to follow. I think it would be a perfect knit for a beginner who is looking to learn increasing and yarn overs for the first time. 

And don't worry, I'll be making something adorable for my Step-Ma too soon! She will not be left out! 

I was definitely feeling the Winter blues in January and I think working with such a bright, cheerful yarn helped to get me out of my Post Christmas funk.  

I hope you like my latest creation, thanks letting me tell you all about it! 

-Ashley