New Cotton Yarn Colors

I came across some new colors in the Lily Sugar n Cream cotton yarn family, and of course they were too gorgeous to pass up. I tried though (haha, not really).

(^clockwise from top left: ahoy ombre, anchors away ombre, nautical ombre, and sail away)

And I found these about three months ago:

(^calico and kitchen breeze)

So of course I dropped everything to make more african flower hexagons to add to my growing collection of unique motifs! I think with these new additions, that the hexagon count is 120.

Someday I will join these together and make the best. blanket. ever. :)

Color Inspirations

I think I've always been drawn to color. I still have my box of crayons from kindergarten. (Notice the colored "tracks" behind what's left of the crayons. Each color had its own space.)

I recently bought some Lily Sugar n Cream cotton yarn in (hard-to-find) spectacular colors!

(^clockwise from top left: Quilt Colors, Oriental Ochre, Weathered Rose, Bronze Blue)

(^Ume Blossom, Leaf, Lotus Blossom)

(^Chrysanthemums, Robin's Egg, Temari Balls)

(^Plum, Snow Blossom, Velvet Orchid)

(^Crown Jewels, Damask Ombre, Emerald Isle -- in huge 12oz. balls!)

Can't wait to share what I'll be making with these new colors. Right now I'm thinking scrubbies, anything cups, market bags, and lip balm holders. Stay tuned...

Americana Gift Swap!

Etsy Texas Crafters, the best street team on Etsy, recently held a gift swap with an americana theme. I love gift swaps, so I signed up and was paired with Alyssa of simplysparkles. I looked at her profile and noticed she liked the color red and purses and bags. So I made a tote with a solid red bottom, a red-white-blue body, and red straps. It's perfect for the beach or library or even for the grocery store (no need for plastic bags here!)

I used one of the free patterns from Lily Sugar n Cream yarn, but changed the dimensions slightly, made the solid part of the bottom larger, and used a variegated yarn for the body with a solid bottom and straps. (The pattern called for either variegated or solid yarn, but not both together.) I hope she enjoys using it as much as I enjoyed making it! (I'm thinking of making more bags for The Lavender Lizard; please share your thoughts by leaving a comment! Thx!)

Alyssa, in turn, sent me these adorable earrings! One reason I really like them is that they are long and dangly, and super comfortable! Thanks, Alyssa!

Plus, they look great with my latest Tuesday Morning find, a nautical-inspired, americana-striped Sak bag:

Can you guess what I'll be wearing for the 4th of July??

The Accidental Gardener and the Return of Boomer

I wish I spent more time gardening, as I really do enjoy it. But I've let the yard go and do it's own thing. Luckily, some things still bloom whether I pay attention to them or not.

Here's a lily that originally came from my parents' home in Dallas:

They have been uprooted and moved a couple of times, and I'm always happy to see them bloom each spring.

This is a blue plumbago that I thought I lost a couple of winters ago:


Now it's bigger than ever!

We used to have a wild rabbit that visited us nearly every day at dinner time 2 summers ago. We named him Boomer (short for Boomerang because he always came back). DS2 and DS3 were outside a couple of days ago looking for bugs (for an icky school project), and DS3 ran in to tell me that Boomer was back.

Well, there was a bunny in the backyard, and he does look like Boomer, but given his size (he could fit in the palm of my hand!) there's no way this is the original Boomer! Maybe he's Boomer's great grandson. Either way, he's adorable and he posed for me in the blue plumbago:

Welcome back, Boomer!