House Changes

We have been working so hard on our house since we arrived in October and are pretty much done for the season.

We ripped out the carpet in the Arizona room, had the floor leveled, discovered and fixed a leak around the back door, and installed hardwood flooring.

Before (as the room looked when we purchased it)

After

Bob and I spent most of our time painting the bedroom, which was a huge project for such a small room. I pained the walls and Bob painted the built in dresser units. He then installed new shelving and I painted a thrift shop headboard and hung new curtains. We love it!
Before

After

Bob also installed an apartment-sized dishwasher that fits perfectly in our kitchen and makes my life so much better.

In between projects we managed to find fun time for visiting with friends. It hasn’t been all work, to be sure!

Next year we’ll tackle the bathroom.

Crafting Catchup

December was a busy month for me, craftwise, and I wanted to share some of my finished projects.

It being Christmas time, I had to make a little gnome and a tiny Santa, about 3 1/2” tall. And a reindeer that ended up being used on a wreath.

I made a few mice, using Alan Dart’s marvelous patterns found here. First off was a little monk.

I decided I needed more mice, so Will Makepeace flew off my needles.

And a friend received this little guy from me as a thank you for all the help she has given me in the Fiber Arts group.

I just couldn’t stop! Next came a couple of Valentines Day mice, to decorate a shadow box I had Bob hang for me.

And I’ve just finished my version of Seamus O’Mouse, my little leprechaun.

I can’t promise there won’t be more, for each holiday we celebrate here in Mesa. I must keep my shadow box current, of course!

A couple of other projects included a baby Yoda...

...a tops turvy doll...

...and a cactus tea cosy.

Whew! That’s a lot of knitting and crocheting for one month!