driving through sunlight
under an ocean of air
the day is buoyant

by Anne Domagala

Here’s hoping your weekend leaves you feeling buoyant. I’ll be taking my boys to Rancho San Rafael Park Family Kite Day to enjoy the warm air and sunlight.

Nearly a year ago some friends and I jokingly started emailing each other haikus. Some are serious, most just for fun. But, it was something creative we could share and look forward to amidst a work week that seemed never ending. Here’s one of mine:

Woke to little smiles
Makes even sleepy days bright
Lucky mom am I

Want to make a unique piece of jewelry for Mother’s Day? Want to restring an old necklace you’ve been meaning to repair? Want some time to let your mind and hands relax into creativity? Then join me, next weekend!

I’m teaching a beading class at the Nevada Museum of Art next Saturday, April 17th. You can sign up here. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll email you.

Hope to see you there!

We’ve had some recent competition in the house over a bell rattle that was my husband’s as a child.

In an attempt to seek out a solution by adding another toy based on the bell noise I crocheted this jiggle bell toy. *Please note* that after letting my son Finn test this toy I determined that this is not age appropriate for our 16M old boys because of the potential choking hazard. He wanted to nibble on the bells. This is better suited for an older child ready to rock-out with some more advanced instruments.

This is my first attempt at a tutorial so please let me know if you have any questions or tips of your own.

Here we go…

What you’ll need:

-Embroidery floss or yarn
-Crochet hook to match the size of your yarn
-Jingle craft bells with holes for stringing

1. String some bells (I used five small bells) on some embroidery floss (leave floss attached to original skein). It’s a good idea to string more than you think you will use.

2. Crochet five chain stitches (see video tutorial here, click on “chain stitch”).

3. Pull first bell taut to your crochet hook.

4. Crochet five more chain stitches and add another bell. Repeat until you have your desired length and have used all but one of your bells. I made our toy just big enough to fit over my boys’ wrists.

5. After your last five stitches you can place the last bell. I didn’t do this but wish I would have to make it look even all the way around. If you do this crochet one more chain stitch and stop. If you want your toy to look just like mine then crochet five more chain stitches after your last bell.

6. Next, clip the embroidery floss about three inches past your crochet hook and last loop. Pull that tail of floss through the last loop on your chain and pull it tight.

7. Tie the two ends together with a couple knots. You can put a dab of glue on the knots for security. If using glue, please be sure this glued knot doesn’t have the potential of going into a teething toddler’s mouth. Clip tails from knots and enjoy!