Stephanie loves to craft and spend time with her two




younger sisters. Her love of travel has taken her to France, Spain, Italy, Peru, & Uganda.

In Uganda, she learned to make paper beads and while there she fell in love with the people and their culture.



Her goal is to return to Africa within two years and build a home for the elderly and /or orphans, as funds will allow. All proceeds from her online shop ,

Violent Green, will go toward fulfilling her goal. These beautiful photographs are from her shop. See more at http://www.violentgreen.etsy.com/ where you'll find more fine art photography and eco friendly jewelry.

A Hike through the Woods



I went on a hike this morning... through the woods to the creek. The morning light, filtering through the branches, played here and there on the newly budded leaves. I know that soon the trees will be so heavy with leaves that the walk will be almost completely shaded.



Many of the older trees have lost their battle with the elements and have fallen by the way, like this one. In a way, it makes me sad to see such a magnificent tree lying on its side while others stand at attention around it. But, I hurry on because I know that the creek is not too far beyond.



Someone once asked what was my inspiration (to crochet) and I was hard pressed to answer because so many things inspire me -
Nature - beautiful trees and wildflowers
Music - Chopin, DeBusy, Mozart, Beethovan, Rachmaninov, Paul Taylor, Dave Koz, Anita Baker, Sade, India Arie, Jean-Luc Ponty, etc
Wildlife - bunnies, hummingbirds, cardinals, cats of all sorts, horses...
Rain - and the wonderful clean scent that follows
People - especially those who are not afraid to look and to see with their hearts as well as their eyes




So, I arrived at the creek and found it as peaceful as usual, its waters flowing gently down-stream toward the lake. No fishermen are here this morning so the creek is all mine. I feel rejuvenated after a few minutes here.






Along the way, several beds of wildflowers caught my eye, one tiny and white, growing up through the leaves of last winter. So dainty that I wondered how it found its way to the top. It smiled up at me and I took its picture. :-)






The other, growing amid a tangle of gnarled tree roots, reminded me of something someone once told me during the midst of a turbulent time in my life. "Bloom wherever you are planted!"




This morning was the start of a beautiful day. May yours be as lovely!

Aloha!

This little outfit was sooo much fun to make. I've gotten orders to make two of the skirts for twins so I'm working on those right now. The big LUA for the girls is in June and their grandmom can't wait to present them with their very own hula skirts! I'm excited as well because I've been honored to create something ewenique for their special day.

Happy birthday, girls! Grandmom has promised to send pictures of the big day so be looking for them in June. :-)

Can you believe it! I finished the dress last night. :-) I was even lucky enough to find the exact color of yarn ( yeah, I ran out and had to run to purchase more) to finish the last ruffle. Now, I've got to make a decision. The bodice is just a slight shade lighter than the rest of the dress due to a variation in the yarn, so I may hand dye the entire dress to get a uniform color. Afterwards, I need to crochet white trim around each ruffle, sew on the buttons and starch lightly so the ruffles will stand out a little. I just love this dress and now I want to make one in white. Well, not right away! Size: toddler 1/2

Lilac Rose soap with real rose petals













DeShawn Marie

has been making hand-made soaps,candles, creams, etc for over 12 years. Having always had an attraction to nature, she enjoys "traveling to exotic places to collect ingredients and inspiration for" her wonderful line of products. One of my favorites is her "Lilac Rose" soap which will transport you to a walk in a rose-filled garden. You may purchase her soaps at













Gardenia Chamomille


http://www.deshawnmarie.etsy.com/















Coconut milk, honey,oatmeal & almonds





Or
follow her blog @
http://www.handcraftedsoap.blogspot.com/. Enjoy!


















Lavender Rosemary

Indian Inspired Poncho & Skirt Set

When I first learned to knit, I saw this beautiful pattern for a poncho and skirt. I really wanted to make it, but had no idea what I was doing. Thus began my adventure with two needles and a skein of yarn. After purchasing the yarn, I'd prop myself between several pillows on the couch and read directions about how to cast on, make a stockinette stitch and do something called duplicate stitich. Miraculously, I finished both pieces and they fit perfectly. It was the beginning of a love affair with yarn that has spanned many years and has given me countless hours of enjoyment!

Crocheted Booties

One of my favorite items to crochet is
booties in the form of various
animals, like these elephants that
I designed for a student.

Bunny Booties are perfect for Easter. They have a little fluffy pompom tail at the back of each bootie.





















These monkey & banana booties are another
favorite of mine.


All the booties can be made to fit infants to adults! What fun!