Keeping the hands busy . . .

The longer you put off updating the blog, the harder it seems to be to get back to. I blame Facebook - where it's easier to pop a few photos into an album and see what the girls are doing.

Both daughters were home for Christmas and it was wonderful getting outside together. Winter this year has been so mild that trails were open enough to go hiking in search of several new local Letterboxes. Most of them were frozen solid in the holes they were buried in though, thanks to the melt/freeze weather conditions.
We introduced Jax to hiking while looking for letterboxes, but getting her to sit nicely while we stamped in will need some work. She does climb onto stumps and halt all forward momentum at a moments notice. She seems to think they make the perfect resting spot!

By Christmas I had about burned myself out with all the knitting mitten projects. By the time the girls left Maine once again I was ready for a different craft to take over my interest - and help keep the empty nest blues from taking over for too long!
First up was rediscovering Coptic bookbinding - logbooks for Letterboxing! I picked up one of the Crop-A-Dile eyelet setters. I love it - although it does take more hand strength than some of the promos advertised. Also the name brand eyelets are no longer readily available and the backs of the ones local craft departments carry really don't spread flat and smooth. Some of the edges are quite jagged and require an extra squish to hide the fact as best I can. The main thing is to get them squished enough so there are no sharp edges to snag a finger on! 

Of course as with all craft projects of mine, any can be tackled to the point of obsession! At last count I was up to about 30 finished logbooks. I had several packages of index cards and a pair of jeans to recycle into denim pocket logbooks. 

I'm thinking of holding a crafty yard sale this spring.

Next up on the crafting front was to dig out the crochet supplies and make a couple new bunnies. My box of finished things is always available for the girls to dig into and choose items for their friends or their little ones. It was getting depleted of bunnies!

As the 2nd bunny was nearly completed I "discovered" a free Dice Bag of Doom! pouch. It totally tickles me no end. I've finished 3 now using up odd balls of yarn.  (Nothing obsessive to see here folks. I bought 2 packages of eyes and there's one left :)

(Did I say Blogger had gotten easier? WHY is so hard to move pictures to where you want them?)