Crochet a Royal Couple

With all the excitement about the Royal wedding coming up tomorrow, I set about looking for a pattern to make a royal couple. Now, while I couldn't seem to find a crochet pattern to make a replica of Kate Middleton or Prince Charles, I did find a free pattern for a royal couple, a princess and a frog.
I think this is such a cute pattern and believe I will make a handmade set for a little one in my life. Perhaps you would like to make one as well. This is a FREE crochet pattern that I found on Coats and Clark. I believe it was offered on Crochet Today. You can go straight to the link HERE. 

Click the link below to go straight to the free crochet pattern:

 Princess and A Frog

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Kassie

Rotten Stinky Easter Egg !

Happy Easter to you all. Today is the day when Peter Cottontail, aka.... The Easter Bunny, pays a visit to many bringing an Easter basket and hiding eggs. I remember the great baskets that the Easter Bunny delivered to our house when I was young. Ok, I will admit it! I was a little hurt when those baskets stopped coming. There is just something exciting about waiting to see what goodies are in the basket. Now, I am not just talking candy. The Easter Bunny was a great shopper, and SOMEHOW "he" knew just what I liked. (My Mom was AWESOME!)

Preparing eggs to hide was a lot of fun. I remember gathering around the table at my grandparent's house and coloring eggs in preparation for the big egg hunt at church. It was such a lot of fun.

Hiding eggs wasn't only to be done as a church function. My siblings and I also hid them at home. When thinking about hiding eggs at home with my little ones, I recollect a story from my childhood that makes me laugh. One year, because it rained outside, hiding eggs at home had to be done in the house. My siblings and I excitedly hid the eggs we had colored, each one choosing special hiding places in our living room. One of us decided my father's desk might be the ideal place and hid an egg in a pull out filing drawer among the papers. We set about collecting the eggs that were hidden but somehow, the one in the desk was missed. Some time went by before we began to smell a foul odor in our house. My mother searched the house over but couldn't seem to locate the smell. She enlisted my grandmother's help. She also was unable to find the source of the stench that seemed to be getting worse each day. Finally, my mother opened the desk drawer. You guessed it.  One of our eggs was causing the terrible smell.

We laughabout it now, but back then my parents were less than pleased with our choice of egg hiding places. Come to think of it, that was the one and only time my Mother allowed us to hide REAL eggs in the house.  From then on, we hid only plastic ones.  Isn't childhood grand!! Live and learn. Growing up with my siblings left me with many happy memories which I'll forever cherish. Never a dull moment in our household. Yes, that is what real fun was made of, to be sure. How blessed I was to have such an adventurous childhood. Just goes to show that even rotten, stinky eggs can be memorable.

 The meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ's victory over death. His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry. If He had not risen from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or Rabbi. However, His resurrection changed all that and gave final and irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all. For many around the world, Easter is a day when people celebrate Christ's resurrection and His conquest over death with His ascension to Heaven and the promise of His return one day. Christians therefore believe that they too can receive new life after death through faith in Christ's miracle of the resurrection.  Easter is the celebration of this belief.

"Easter Sunday" is a holiday that helps me and I hope many others to enhance and celebrate the true meaning of existence and living life with purpose.

However you choose to celebrate this holiday, I hope this is a wonderful day for you and one that will cause you to reflect on the very purpose of life.
Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Make a Batik Skirt...with Favecrafts!

One of my favorite go-to sites, Favecrafts.com has all sorts of fun things on their site. If you haven't been there before, I strongly encourage your visit. They are currently having a Twirly Batik Skirt Pattern Giveaway. I love the looks of the skirt. So cute.
The pattern is by Gifted by Sew Fast Designs/Rose Mary Jameson. According to the pattern description on the Favecrafts site, the inspiration for this skirt came when Rose Mary was visiting friends in the Santa Fe mountains. She fell in love with the Artist’s colony and thinks most of New Mexico is an artist’s vision of heaven.  She loved the open markets and the unique style of Santa Fe. From the photo and looking at the pattern, she did capture the magic of the free spirit of New Mexico and the flair of Santa Fe.
Reviewers all agreed this pattern was easy to understand and follow for even the beginner. Now, the good news...you can register to win the pattern!
Head on over to Favecrafts by clicking HERE. (You will be taken directly to the Favecraft web site.)
While you are there, make sure to enter for the pattern but don't stop there. I encourage you to peruse all the great items on the Favecraft site. They have lot of great items.
Thanks for visiting my blog today.

The Circus Has Come To Town with Tiger & Hello Kitty Hats!

It is that time of year again! The time almost all kids (and yes, even kids at heart) look forward too....the time when the circus comes to town. Serendipity Boutique is having a their annual playground launch with the circus theme. Wow! The designers have created some really cute things. I look forward to seeing all the designs they come up with.

You can find their listing on eBay by entering SB Circus in the search bar. You'll be glad you did.

For this launch, I have 2 things listed as custom designs. (That means that I will make a hat to fit your little one.)

For the first item, I collaborated with:

Misty of my-krafty-kreations

and 

Monica of maddiesbowtique.

The pants and top wre created by: Misty of my-krafty-kreations

Photography by: Monica of MaddiesBowtique

Tiger hat was created by me: Kassie of Bella*Sera*Boutique

This unisex Tiger Hat is made from fine cotton fibers and can be worn year round but is ideal for spring and summer wear. It is being worn here by an adorable little baby boy but can be altered for a little baby girl. I can easily add a bow or a row of color to the bottom so the hat can be unisex or made to match for girl or boy.

(This hat can be ordered in larger sizes)

Tiger stripes are unique just as the stripe pattern on this hat are. No two tigers are exactly alike and so, no two hats will be exactly alike either, making each hat a one of a kind.

You can find this Tiger hat searching ebay by entering SB BOUTIQUE in the search bar or can go directly to this auction by clicking HERE.

The second item for this launch is a custom handmade crochet Hello Kitty Hat.

It is a boutique collaboration between myself and MaddiesBowtique.

(Photography by MaddiesBowtique)

You can order this Hello Kitty hat custom made to your liking. Have the flower made in a different color or in lieu of the flower, have a crocheted bow instead. Omit the ribbon or change the color. You help me design. This hat can be ordered in all sizes. It is made in fine fiber and so is great for year round wear and idea for spring and summer.

You can go directly to this auction by clicking HERE.

Both these hats would perfect for vacation or a gift.

Contact me about a custom order made just for you or go directly to the auction and bid today.

Remember to search SB Boutique for all the other great Serendipity Boutique items.

You'll be glad you did!

Thanks for visiting my blog today!



Spring & Summer Color trends 2011

Are you left scratching your head when it comes to Spring & Summer color trends for 2011?

Not even the Mom Olympics could ready the average mother for the seasonal changes in clothing styles and color trends coming our way for Spring & Summer 2011. It is enough to make ones head spin! Even Harry Potter himself couldn't morph himself into someone totally prepared for the color changes and trendy styles you know your kids are going to ask for. You know the drill! When spring comes and you look through your closets only to find that you have nothing to wear. Worse yet, none of your kids clothes from last year even come close to fitting. Could they possibly have grown that much while winter dragged by? Hmmmm. Somehow, they did. Setting out to find something new is anything but easy, not to mention the time constraints that most Mom's operate under.

One must almost be deemed a juggler to find time in ones schedule to shop for a new wardrobe. What do the kids want in their closets anyway? You guessed it! Fun and trendy wear....the kind of thing that, deep inside, you know your wallet is not prepared to handle. You want clothing that will look nice, be durable and not cost and "arm and a leg" too. Hard to find, even for the best bargain hunting Mom. If, like me, you find that buying a new summer wardrobe for your ever growing child or yourself is anything but easy, I offer you some summer color trend advice for 2011 that I found on the web site fashionising.com. It offers examples of seasonal color trend advice. I have to tell you, I love this site. It is a life-saving plethora of advice that arms the average mom with tools to satisfy that spring and summer design targeted shopping fever that most of us get. For those of you who have some shopping to do, as I do, I offer you some of the advice I found on fashionising.com I'll bet that once you discover this site, you will save it to your favorites too. The author, Daniel P. Dykes, offers color advice that can't be rivaled on any site that I have found thus far. ( Mr. Dykes, on behalf of all needy Moms out there, I thank you for your color trend advice.)

If you are a boutique designer, this advice will be immensely helpful in choosing your design colors for the items you intend to make and sell or for boutique collaborations. If you are a shopping Mom, you will love this site which makes matching up colors "easy peasy" as my daughter says. If you are looking for color trends for doing a bit of sprucing up your abode, this site will make choosing colors "a snap". The site offers something for everyone!

Here is some of the information from Daniel's site that I found. When you finish reading below, click HERE to go to the fashionising site to see what else you can find. (Make sure to sign up for their newsletter while you are there too. )

Now, just sit back and enjoy. Happy Reading!

Cloth / Fabric Spring 2011 Colour Trends



For their take on the colours for Spring 2011 fashion trends, cloth manufacturers Lenzing believe that we won't just be throwing off the darker colours of Fall 2010's trends but possibly even the mentality that has gone with recent financially tough times. Thus they see Spring / Summer 2011 colours as those which are "uplifting" and "soften, energise, and excite."


For the Spring / Summer 2011 season they've put forwards five key colour trends.

Celebration

Spring personified in a palette, the colors that make up this Spring 2011 color trend are mostly named after flowers: iris, viola, daffodil, poppy, and geranium. Unsurprisingly, should this color scheme take your fancy, this one should be worked into your Spring 2011 wardrobe as a part of your florals.

Abstraction

I must confess to not liking this color palette in the leastl the turquoise clashes with the maroon to my eye, and how yellow green made it in there has left me stumped. This is one color trend for those who are loud and proud.

New Classic

According to Lenzing new and unexpected twists on classic elements, and naturally bright pigments, will develop into new classics. "Fabrics are classic, materials the same but all elements are somewhat twisted: fibers in unusual yarn-spinning and -counts, classical weave patterns in atypical materials clashed with a curious checkered design, an embroidery where you didn't expect it - nothing loud, just enough to make you startle."

Aqueous

Sitting as our favourite Spring / Summer 2011 color trend 'aqueous' is also the most dangerous. An obvious color theme for Spring 2011 because of its nautical tones, such obviousness is also what is likely to see it lazily interpreted and applied - a danger for designers and labels looking to apply seasonal colors to their basics. To avoid such misapplication Lenzing believe it should be used with "floating" pieces where the fabric is the focus; an interpretation of the sheer clothing trend seems a strong contender if you intend to work this color theme through your wardrobe.

Perleage

Subtle colours, bar for the jet black, this is a color trend all about sheen; in effect, luxurious and radiant colors menat to match with your radiant Summer tan.

Lingerie / Swimwear Spring 2011 Colour Trends

Along with their take on the motifs that we'll be wearing in Spring 2011, Interfiliere have also released their interpretation of the season's colour trends. Their choice for the colours you should be picking for your swimwear and lingerie are an eclectic range of hues, and ones better suited to swimwear than they are to the boudoir.

Leather Spring 2010 Colour Trends

Le Cuir A Paris is another fashion trend based event, though different to Interfiliere in that it concentrates on leather and fur trends. Their picks for Spring / Summer 2011 colour trends are divided into five separate motifs:

Archaic Garden

"The range is whitened, stony, mineral or delicately fruity. The softness of faded, evanescent, light and serious colors."

Underwater Variation

"The range delves into the blue, and extends to an aqua green. Sea anemone pink is enhanced by inky blues and purples. Navy and brown darken the landscape. White soap bubbles refresh the saturated atmosphere."

Tropical Dramaturgy

"The range is solar, incandescent, spicy and suffocating. Yellow singing at the top of its voice, uninhibited parrot green, the orange of Tibetan monks, the entire spectrum of reds from purple to salmon pink. Bushy brown, deep blue."

Enchanted Picnic

"The range sets your teeth on edge. The neon colors are whitened. Jelly pink is transparent, the pastels are over-bright. The brights are on fire, tempered by a reasonable grey and a measured beige."

Shadowy Shores

"The range is tinged with vegetal colors. Bathed in red, boat hull; dark navy, hut; strong green, canvas. Or lightened colors, bleached by the salt, faded by the sun and the sea."

Thanks for visiting my blog today and thank you Daniel P. Dykes of fashionising.com for your invaluable Spring and Summer color trend advice.