Makeover Monday: 1/23

Happy Monday!  Once again, I'm caught without a crochet make to share today.  I'm waiting on confirmation regarding those shabby chic chair pads, and I have been busily working on Mom's big rug.  I do have a "before and after" to show you, though!

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Here's a photo I took this morning.  It's a gray and dreary day, and this is shown without any photo editing.

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Here's the same object, same day, same time, still no editing.  This time I used my fancy new photographer's flood light and white light diffusing umbrella.  It's my first time playing with it, so I need to fiddle with distance and height.  I'm pleased overall, though, that I don't have to wait for the natural light to be just perfect to take my photos.

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And by the way, do you know what this thing in the photos is called?  I get that it's some kind of filter- maybe for coffee or tea?  You were so helpful with the pattern tracer, I thought I'd call on you again :)

Makeover Monday: 12/20

Here she is, the bare 2010 Thoma tree. We have been getting our tree at the Lake Ridge Nursery for many years. They are always very helpful, have a great selection, and even provide hot cocoa and cookies for you while your tree is being tied onto the car. They throw in a free 6" poinsettia, too! We're not sure whether we ended up with a Douglas or a Frasier fir, but she is over 7 feet tall and smells like heaven.

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I put the lights up on Saturday. Well, my first attempt was on Friday but I ended up with a bum string in the middle of the tree. Sophie and I did the ornaments on Sunday, and we're pretty darned happy with the results! Now we're ready for Santa to come put some presents underneath...

Before and After

OK, I admit it. I'm a sucker for a makeover. I mean a BIG sucker. Oh yeah- The Biggest Loser, The Swan (remember that one?), What Not To Wear, Extreme Home Makeover...I've seen them all. I realized yesterday that this may be the draw of fabric crochet for me.
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Every single time I crochet with a new fabric, it is like a before and after. Sometimes I am surprised, sometimes disappointed, sometimes elated....but no matter what, I am always amazed. Wondering what a particular fabric will look like once cut and crocheted drives me up and down secondhand aisles like a bloodhound on the trail of America's most wanted criminal.
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The item above is one of my favorite new "afters"! I so love the way these colors work together that I can't seem to stop making this bowl taller and taller. I think I will make it a clutter keeper. Lid or no lid? That is the question!