Great Deal!

Playing with camera is one of my hobbies. Besides documenting all my crafts adventure, I also like to take photos when I was travelling. That is why I always bring my camera along wherever I go.

Do you know that There's awesome Nikon Ultimate Hunter's Package Promo from Nikon Sport Optics, NikonProGear and NikonHunting.com this year with a special presentation from Lee & Tiffany Lakosky! The Ultimate Hunter's Package contains: -ProStaff 3-9x40 Riflescope with BDC Reticle -ProStaff Laser Rangefinder -Silent Technology Rangefinder Case -Mastering a Long-range shot with BDC DVD -$50 NikonProGear Gift Card All these come together in a great package, saving $144.90 on high quality hunting equipment.

Versatility Shawl

I saw this pattern in Knitty Fall 08 edition and quite amazed by the versatility. Versatility is also the name of this pattern. You can wear it many ways, as a shawl, shrug, cardigan, or bolero. Very clever eh? But to tell you the truth I don’t really like the motifs in that shawl. I don’t like bobbles. Not only it’s difficult to make bobbles, but I also don’t like the looks. Probably I will make something like this but with different motifs.

Looking For Meaningful Gifts?

If you have a very close girlfriend and you run out of idea what to give to her in this coming christmas, then probably you can consider Cryo-Celle or C’elle. I know these gifts probably a bit in the expensive side, but you can gather several mutual friends to contribute the funds.

U-Cord®, Cryo-Cell's stem cell cord blood preservation service. This is the ideal gift for family and friends who are expecting a baby in the near future and want to preserve vital stem cells that are collected from their baby's cord blood. Stems cells found in cord blood are known to treat over 75 diseases

C'elle® is a wonderful gift for women who are not pregnant. C'elle's groundbreaking technology enables women to collect and cryopreserve (store at a very low temperature) stem cells for potential cellular therapies that may emerge in the future. Preliminary scientific research About the Science suggests that in addition to potential use by the donor, these stem cells may possibly be used as well in the future to benefit other family members who are genetically related to the donor, such as a parent, sibling or child to treat a number of possibly life-threatening diseases including diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, stroke, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

For more information and read about C'elle Client Testimonial, or how to purchase gift cards for these services, please visit http://www.cryo-cell.com/ or http://www.celle.com/, or call Cryo-Cell at 1-800-STOR-CELL or C'elle at 1-877-892-3553.

Purple Flare Cardigan

This is a type of cardigan that I want to make someday. I like flare cardigan or flare top. I can eat as much as I want without afraid that my bulging tummy will show. Hahahaha!

You can pair it with black skirt or just a pair of jeans for casual look. I like the purple color, but somehow I don't look good wearing purple. It makes me look darker.

Thumb Drive: Everybody Needs One

Do you like to collect knitting patterns or crochet patterns? I do! I have plenty of patterns. Whenever I saw nice free patterns, I immediately save it. This is one of the reasons why I always carry a thumb drive with me. You will never know when you come across nice free patterns.

Recently I come across cool online shop called Pexagon. They have many cool personalized gift ideas. One that attracts my attention is personalized thumb drive. They have personalized thumb drives in 14 colors up to 16GB in capacity with FREE custom laser engraving! We can choose from one of 32 exciting themes such as "#1 Teacher" or "Happy Holidays" and engrave two lines of personalization text on the reverse side. Furthermore, from now until the end of the year, there are 20% off. So, with as low as $7.99 you can get cool personalized holiday gifts.

I was thinking to order several thumb drives from them. I want to engrave words such as “Crochet Patterns” or “Knitting Patterns” on them. I think this will become perfect gifts for my friends who have the same hobby as me.

Besides this thumb drive you can also find other stuff like personalized pens, business card flash drives, and environment friendly wooden USB flash drives. So, click the link and check them out yourself!

Black Kniting Top

This top is very simple and easy to make. I love black color top, because it makes you look slimmer. The problem is that I don't like to work with black yarn. It tires my eyes very easily.

Actually I have a certain design in my mind that looks good in black. If I want to make it, I think I need to find a suitable black yarn.

Motorcycle Accessories

CruiserCustomizing.com is a one-stop place to see all of the accessories that are currently available for your ride (including yamaha motorcycle parts), and to give you the ability to compare accessories from different manufacturers. The unique thing about this site is that they have reviews section about motorcycle parts and accessories by riders, so you can find out what works, what doesn't work, what's hot, and what's not.

Doily

The first project I made when I just learned how to crochet is a doily. I loved to make doilies then. Mostly white colors. Only later, I starting to make crocheted wearables.

Even until now, whenever I saw lovely white doily like the one in this picture, I had the urge to start a doily project.

Massage Chair

After I published my post about planning to make a patchwork pillow case while sitting in a cozy chair and listening to the music, somehow I come across this site that selling Takemi Select massage chair. I think this is a perfect Christmas present for me (hint! hint!)

The benefits of massage therapy have been known throughout the world for hundreds of years. In today’s fast-paced culture, nothing is better than the feel of a relaxing and therapeutic massage. That is why Takemi Select Wholesale Outlet has devoted itself to bringing only the finest massage and wellness products to the market.

Crochet Dress for Baby

I love crochet dress, especially for a baby or a child, because they are cute and not taking too much time to make. The problem is that babies and children grow too fast and after 1 year, they won’t be able to wear it anymore. That is why most of my children clothes are store bought, only a few of them is handmade. I made one crocheted dress for my daughter and she loves it so much that she wants to wear it almost everyday.

For this photo, I love the pattern, but I don't think I fancy the color. Black is not suitable for children in my opinion.

Table Runner

After looking at this photo, I got the urge to start a patchwork project. The thought of joining pieces of cloth together with nice evently stitches in my cosy chair while listening to old favorite musics keep running in my mind. Should I start this project? The problem is I don't have the material and I really don't have the time to go out to buy.

I think I will make something small. Like pillow case or something with my existing materials. Yup! That is what I am going to do now. Off to start the project now!

Marriage Counseling

Recently I had a chat with my class mate from high school. She told me that some of our friends in high school have already divorced with their partners. I feel that nowadays more and more couple getting divorce. I am not sure whether it is because people getting more used to convenience way and lazy to work hard on something (their marriage) or probably now people realize that they don't have to stay in a relationship that doesn’t work where in the past you just were stuck in it because of what was right to do. Probably both!

I read somewhere that if your parents have a happy marriage, most probably their children will also have a happy marriage, even if they have problem in their marriage, they will try to work on it.

If you have problem with your marriage, don’t easily give up on it. You can go to marriage counseling like National Institute of Marriage. National Institute of Marriage was originally founded by Dr. Greg Smalley as the Smalley Marriage Institute a 501(c)3 nonprofit ministry. The original team previously worked at the Smalley Relationship Center where, led by Dr. Robert S. Paul, they developed the Christian Marriage Counseling programs they called Intensives. Today the Intensive program is the cornerstone of all products and services offered at NIM.



Below is their press release:

With the national divorce rate around 50%, there is no doubt that many marriages run into communication problems at some point. There is a communication epidemic. The National Institute of Marriage has created marriage counseling programs and resources utilizing a structure that is the most powerful format they have found for helping couples who feel stuck and hopeless. They have designed several programs to help couples move past the barriers and experience the marriage of their dreams. NIM's Intensive Marriage Counseling Programs are unique from weekly marriage counseling in three distinctive ways:

· Intensive Marriage Counseling Format: Committing to an extended amount of concentrated time like the 2 or 4 day Marriage Intensive allows people to get to the root of the problem and stick with it in order to work through it. If you’ve been in traditional marriage counseling before, you may have experienced how you spend the first half catching up from the week before, the second half getting into the real issues, and then the time is gone. The Intensive format is designed so that people have the chance to go deeper without many of the other distractions of daily life and have enough discuss to consider solutions.

· Efficiency: One of the first steps in the process is an extensive assessment with some questionnaires. This allows the therapists to gather background information and can get an idea of the best strategy to proceed before you arrive for your session.

· Marriage Counselors: The counselors at the National Institute of Marriage are specialists in this area. One analogy we like to use is that of the Mayo Clinic: people go to their regular physician but may be sent to a specialist to work with specific areas. The NIM marriage therapists have been trained in this format to maximize its effectiveness. Also, the NIM marriage counseling programs provide the perspectives and insight of two professionals rather than one. If you are considering divorce, you must try the National Institute of Marriage before giving up. They have developed a continuum of care that meets couples wherever they may be in their relationship. Regardless of the health of their marriage they have a service that can help couples improve their marital satisfaction. Visit their website at http://www.nationalmarriage.com. Read the incredible testimonies from the couples that saved their marriages by attending a Marriage Intensive at the National Institute of Marriage.

Butterfly Doily

I found this butterfly doily today when surfing in the internet. It’s not free though. I think it cost about $5. It’s pretty and very delicate looking. You can put this on top of your dressing table or probably on top coffee table. It will surely become a conversational piece. I made one butterfly doily long time ago. I think my mom is still displaying it on top of her coffee table.

About Turbocharger and Supercharger

After posting my writing about turbochargers, I went to their site and looked around their website. They really have wide selection of replacement Supercharger, Turbocharger and nose cover. Not only you can find buick supercharger, you can find mercedes supercharger, pontiac supercharger and Nissan Supercharger as well. I also heard that they have great pricing and fantastic customer service.

What are turbocharger and supercharger? Both turbochargers and superchargers are called forced induction systems. The advantage of compressing the air is that it lets the engine stuff more air into a cylinder. More air means that more fuel can be stuffed in, too, so you get more power from each explosion in each cylinder. A turbo/supercharged engine produces more power overall than the same engine without the charging.

Knitted Shawl With Turtle

I saw this scarf on Crafster quite a long time ago. I am not a type that likes to knit a scarf or a shawl. However, after seeing this one I would like to make one. I think the turtle pattern can be found for free somewhere, but I could not find it at this moment. I will add the link later when I got it.

The thing is, I got 3 balls of green yarn made of alpaca and tencel. I think I am going to use that yarn into this. Someday…..

Faster Car?

My car can not run as fast as it used to be. I think my car needs one of those turbochargers. I read somewhere that almost all racing events have been won by a turbocharged car in the last 40 years. Even I am not a racer but I want to have a car that can run as fast as a race winner.

If your car needs turbocharger as well, you can visit http://www.turbochargerpros.com/ to find the perfect turbocharger for your car. This site guaranteed that they sell parts that high in quality and they even have independent reviews to prove it. They have extensive inventory of thousands of Super Chargers and Turbo Chargers, including vw turbocharger.

Round Tablecloth

I always get motivated to start making doily whenever I see this kind of photo. This thing takes many hours to make. It will take me months to finish one. I know this fact because I made one before. Not this pattern, but as big as this one. To bad that I don’t have round table so I can not display my work like in this photo.

Anyway, I got so many things that I want to make so I think I won't make this one.

Loose Your Fat by Eating MUFA

Have you heard about Flat Belly Diet? If you haven’t then read this: The Flat Belly Diet was developed by the editor of Prevention Magazine that basically said you can reduce your fat in your stomach by eating dark chocolate, olive oil, avocado, almonds and peanut butter (Monounsaturated Fatty Acids or MUFAs or healthy fats).

Yes, you read correctly. You can reduce your fat by eating all those yummy foods. All those foods are my favorite foods and if I can reduce my belly fat just by eating my favorite foods I am willing to try even I have to pay for it.

Wait! There is another news:

Between now and January 15, Prevention Magazine is looking for recruits to try the Fat Belly Diet free of charge! If you are selected you will receive a free Fat Belly Diet book, a free 1 year membership to the website, membership of their exclusive Success Story Club, the chance to blog about Flat Belly Diet and first look at exclusive Flat Belly Diet videos.
If you are interested and willing to try this new program, you just have to register yourself on their website and that’s it! Hurry up and register yourself, there is nothing to loose except your belly fat.

Cardigan in Victoria Secret

My friend told me about this cardigan. She saw it on Victoria Secret Catalog only for $88. It's made of acrylic and wool. According to my estimation, this cardigan needs about 8 x 50 gram of yarn. If each yarn cost $4, then the material alone is already $32,-

I don't think I want to knit this for only $56,- Then again probably this is machine knit and not handknit.

Say "NO" to Alcohol

Binge drinking is a particular problem among human adolescents. The latest statistics from NIAAA indicate that more than 12 percent of 8th-graders and nearly 30 percent of 12th-graders report drinking five or more drinks in a row in the past two weeks. Starting to drink in adolescence might increase risk the probability to have alcohol addiction in adulthood not to mention the effects on physiology, maturation and behavior.

Promises rehab center treats addiction to a variety of drugs and substances, including: Alcohol, Cocaine, Codeine, Heroin, Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Oxycodone, and many others.

Denim Redo

Although I like denim and I love to make patchwork, I don’t think I like to make this top. It looks boxy and is not flattering at all. In my opinion it looks like a clown.

Actually the main purpose of this top is to recycle of your old denim, but making it into a top is totally a mistake. I think this idea is good to apply on bag or tote.

Lace Needle

Finally, I got the opportunity to use this needle to make lace. Now, I really like it. The pointy needle is very good to make all the manuver of k2tog or k3tog, and the brass finishing makes it not really slippery, which is very good. Because when you make lace project you don't want to drop any stitches.

White Crochet Cardigan

I made this using white acrylic thread. I think I used about 3 x 100 balls only. Actually I don’t really like to crochet using acrylic thread, especially for a top. Wearing something made of acrylic always makes me itchy.

I used Japanese pattern in old edition of Lets Knit Series. The pattern is very easy to follow, but they only have 1 size, so you have to adjust your needle size in order to get to the size that you want.

Handmade is Expensive

Did you see the price on this picture? $1,390 for the crocheted white bag, $775 for the brown bag, $260 for scarf and $140 for hat. I think this is about the right price for handmade item. If I have to sell my handmade things, I will also put that kind of price considering how much time, efforts and energy I have put into them. That is why I have never tried to sell my handmade items because I know that nobody will buy it. Not everybody knows how to appreciate handmade. Normally the one that can appreciate handmade items is a person that knows how to make it, thus no need for them to buy.

Stylish Frames

If you think you can not look stylish when you have to wear prescribed eyeglasses, then you are wrong. As a matter of fact, I know a person that actually looks better with glasses. She knows is and that is why she has large selection of glasses. She even matches her glasses with her outfit. At one time, I was quite curious on how she can afford so many glasses. I even suspected that she has a side job somewhere.

Recently, I found out that you can buy prescribed eyeglasses as low as USD 8 at ZenniOptical.com. They has a wide selection of frames which come with various lenses such as single vision lenses, sunsensor (potochromic) lenses, tinted sunglass lenses, bifocal lenses and progressive lenses. The Shipping and Handling Charge is only a flat USD 4.95 per order, no matter how many glasses you place in the order. The Secret to Zenni’s Low Prices is that they only sell their own manufactured frames direct to the customer, with no middlemen and virtually no advertising budget.

I have seen some positive reports about Zenni on Fox Newx TV, and heard about them on the radio. The popular U.S. talk radio host of the nationally syndicated consumer advocate program The Clark Howard Show, also recommended them.

Blue and Green Combination

I also found this pattern in Vogue. This is simple pattern but I like the color combination and the fit. Actually I have never make a sweater using more than 1 color, but looking at this one make me want to try it. Not now though as I still have a lot of yarn and on yarn diet. I will try to look for that color combination sometimes next year, when my stash is low and there is a clearance on my favorite online yarn shop.

Colorful Sweater

What do you think of this sweater? Don't you think it looks like an afghan or blanket? To tell you the truth, I do have blanket that looks like this. I used Knit Picks Swish.

Although it looks like blanket, I still think this is pretty. Its very easy to make also, since there is no shaping. Just make 2 rectangular, attach 2 sleeves, add the edging and you are done. Perfect for winter.

My Experience Selling in Ebay

Have you tried Selling on eBay? I have, and it was not a successful try. This beaded Teddy bear is actually made by my colleague. She asked me to sell on eBay since she was not familiar with internet thing. I started the bid at USD 9.99,- I knew that the price was too expensive, but it was not for me to decide the price. Furthermore, if it did not sell at that price, I didn’t think it was worth it to sell. I don’t think eBay is the right place to sell anyway. People want to buy cheap thing there and selling hand made items are definitely not a good idea.

I also tried to sell knitting pattern once. It was not successful also, although when I tried to sell it somewhere else, it sold within a day.

The thing that I don’t like about eBay is that they have very expensive listing fee. If I manage to sell it that is fine, but if not then I have to make a lost.

Recently I heard about iSold It on eBay, where you can just drop the thing that you want to sell, and they will do the work from taking the photo, listing and shipping it for you.

Crocheted Crunchy

This is another idea where simple crocheted crunchy can look elegant and expensive by adding beads. This is excellent to use up your left over yarn. If you made a sweater and have a bit of left over, you can use it up to make crunchy so you have a matching accessories to go with your hand knit or crochet sweater.

Spend Your Money Wisely on Glasses

Some people have to wear prescribed glasses. We know that sometimes prescribed glasses can be expensive. In this current tight economy, we must spend our money wisely. There are so many online eyeglasses company that offers prescribed glasses very cheap and low price is not necessarily equal low quality. One of the examples is www.AffordableVision.com. This online company guarantees quality that equals any doctor"s office or optical clinic in a traditional "brick and mortar" retail location. As a matter of fact they still do lab work and supply eyeglass frames for many doctors across the nation. Furthermore, since they are an American company, when you make a purchase with them you support American jobs.

Crocheted Glass Cover

If you like to work with tread to make doilies, but no place to display your work since all your table already covered with doilies, I give you new idea.

This is a small project. Basically you can use any doily patterns that you have and just make fewer rounds. You can use white thread or colorful thread like the photo.

If you make a dozen of this, you can give it as a christmas gift as well.

Prevent “Buddy” Punching

If you have your own company and currently you have problem with fake attendance or “buddy” punch in, worry no more. Go to www.SoftwareTech.com and free download their trial version of TimeKron software. This software have several security features designed to prevent buddy punching. This software also works with several biometric systems that allow employees to punch in using finger print. How cool is that?

Beside TimeKron, they also have another 2 softwares called SoftTime and HR that will solve all your other human resources problems.

You can go to the website and download the trial version to review before you decide whether you want to buy the programs or you can register for live demo.

Hearts Blanket

If you are looking for project to use up your scrap yarns, look no more. This project is guaranteed not only will use up all your scrap yarn, but also will use up all your free time. I suggest that you weave in as you go rather than wait until the end, because you will end up with gazzillion ends to weave in.

Interested?

See below for the pattern:

I Need 20/20 Vision

Besides knitting and crocheting, other handicrafts that I like are sewing, quilting and embroidery. When I am knitting or crocheting, I don’t really look at my work. I can knit or crochet while I watch TV. On the other hand, sewing, quilting and specially embroidery, really takes a toll on my eyes.

Lately, I find it almost impossible to thread a needle. I believe these are symptoms of Presbyopia, the clinical name for the condition where the eyes lose their ability to focus which begins for those whose age are forty and older.

I hate to wear glasses or contact lenses. My friend suggested that I have Lasik Surgery, since she did it last year and she is happy with the result. At first I am a bit skeptical, but after I did some research and I found at LASIK information that over 12 million Americans have benefited from LASIK. Even NASA and the U.S. military increase the performance of mission-critical personnel using laser vision correction technologies.

Modern LASIK technology, known as the iLASIK™ Procedure, uses two lasers instead of one. In the first stage of iLASIK, wave-front technology maps the unique characteristics of the individual’s eyes. Then, an ultrafast, computer-guided laser creates a corneal flap. This laser replaces the handheld microkeratome blade used in older forms of LASIK and makes the procedure exceptionally safe. After the flap is created, the wave-front mapping data guides a second laser for vision correction. The combination of these advanced laser technologies creates a custom-fit procedure clinically proven to provide excellent safety and visual results.

Although the surgery cost is higher than glasses or contact lenses but I think Lasik is worth it.

Stylish Sweater

I found this pattern in VogueKnitting Magazine. Isn't this lovely? Actually I don’t really like sweaters with cables. All the sweaters with cable that I saw so far are very thick, boxy and not stylish at all. But this one is definitely a winner. Someday I will make something like this.

After looking at the photo again, I think the sweater itself is quite basic. It is the belt that makes it look stylish. Probably I need to buy a similar belt. Anybody get any ideas where to buy this type of belt?