Cure the Summertime Blues with Sweet and Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps

Hey crafty pals!  Today I'm taking a break from crafting on Two Girls Being Crafty so that I can get my grub on over at Sew Homegrown.  I hate the word "grub" when related to food, so I'm not quite sure why I used it on this teaser.  Ughh.  As if I can't just delete it and come up with something else.  Anyhow, I'm honored to a part of Sew Homegrown's Cure the Summertime Blues series.

Did you know that I love food and cooking even more than crafting?  Yep.  It's actually my #1 hobby. I know how you love useless factoids about bloggers.


Anyhow, here's a picture to get your mouth watering...

Now head on over to Sew Homegrown for the full post!

Market Bag (Lion Brand Free Pattern)

Oh crafty pals, how I have missed you!  I miss posting regularly (more info on why we're not as frequent here).  But it's all about balance, right?  I find it extremely hard to balance and compartmentalize my life.  Anyone out there feel me? 

Anyhow, my husband and I recently went on a 5-day cruise without the little one (gasp)!  We had a great time and while we were away, I crocheted.  Yep.  I may have looked like a grandma in my skirted bathing suit, big floppy straw hat and crochet in hand.  Or maybe not.  Or definitely.  Whatever.  It's all a matter of perspective.

Make fun of me if you must, but I know you won't make fun of my end product--this bad boy:

I made this bag using the Market Bag (FREE!) Pattern from the Lion Brand Yarn website.  You do have to create an account to get the free patterns, but it's well-worth the two minutes of your time.  Pinky promise. 

Here's the bottom of the bag, where the pattern starts:

Lessons learned?  It's a great pattern.  Even for beginners.  But I would highly recommend following the instructions as they're written.  The pattern is perfect--don't deviate.  I didn't turn the work after each round (as you're instructed to in the directions) and it turns out there's good reason to do so.  Also, the bag looked a bit small so I added a few extra rounds at the top and now it's a few rows too long--especially for a shorty like me.  I didn't account for the fact that a bag like this stretches with use so I now regret those extra rounds. Ughh.

And for your viewing pleasure, I wanted to share my "modeling" pics with you.  I know my husband sure did have a good laugh while photographing me.  I'm SO awkward around the camera... but I'm a crafter, not a model.  I was just glad my dress had pockets so I had somewhere to hide my hands. 

I reminded myself of that 30 Rock episode where Liz Lemon models for her Deal Breakers show.  LOL!

Source

For more crochet inspiration, check out the Lion Brand Site for LOTS of free patterns.  Or check out my Crochet board on Pinterest.  Whatever you do, have fun crafting this summer!

 

P.S.  Next week I'll be guest posting over at Sew Homegrown for the Cure the Summertime Blues series.  Follow the progress thus far by clicking on the icon below! 

New Beginnings

Our dear readers, we apologize immensely for being away on hiatus without offering you an explanation. We have some unfortunate news. Tristin and I will be able to continue with the blog, but not at the consistency and volume that we had previously been working at. We are both entering very new and exciting phases of our lives. And unfortunately, those phases will take up much more time than we had anticipated.

As many of you know from reading the blog, Tristin has a beautiful and adorable little girl who has recently turned two years old! Those of you who are moms all know what this means - she is entering the wonderful world of toddler-hood. This is an exciting time of learning and discovering new ideas and abilities.We don't want to detract from their time together and from what is most important in our homes - our family. I certainly don't mean to say that if you're a mother, you should not have a blog! Tristin and I both agree that motherhood is a great time for blogging. But Tristin and Elliott are starting a new phase together, and this may detract from daily blog and craft time in the near future.

No, I don't have children yet, but I am also entering a new phase in my life. I'm starting pharmacy school in August. This is a very exciting undertaking that I've been working toward for years now. I am so ready to extend my knowledge and understanding of all of the intricate interworkings of our delicate bodies. I want to use the knowledge that I have gained as well as the compassion I have for others to help people and possibly change lives. But first comes studying. Lots and lots of studying.

So what does this mean? It means that we will not be able to keep up with the 4-5 posts per week that we have previously determined for ourselves. Instead, we will post on Two Girls Being Crafty whenever we complete a project. The posts may be more sporadic than they used to be, but we hope to keep coming up with new and exciting ideas for you all. We hope you will keep checking back for new inspiration.

It has been such a pleasure creating things and sharing them with you. We are so grateful for each and every one of our readers - we couldn't have done it without you! Thank you for all of your support and comments. We hope to have inspired you in some way. Keep reading TGBC and as always - keep crafting!