Crooked River Hook In ~

I was busy at the hook in making sure volunteers were at their stations at a prescribed time, so sadly no pictures to share.  At Friday night's set up I did remember to take pictures of the cigar boxes display.  It was absolutely wonderful, with 67 boxes having been decorated.

A few pictures showing boxes a little more close up.

The hooked red, white and blue hearts, American flag, "boobies", the punch needle horse and the blue heart with a key were boxes I decorated.

In the back row the grungy heart on a red box was mine.  The next row down the punch needle chicken and the USA to far right were also boxes I decorated.

Overall, I'd say the hook in was a great success even though attendance was less than we had hoped for.  We had 99 registered but were hoping for closer to 120.  Beginning next year we will be alternating years with another Cleveland area guild (to the far east, we are to the west).  Hopefully guild members will be more willing to volunteer knowing we are only doing it every other year.

Hopefully one of these days weeks I will actually have something hooking related to show!

Late this afternoon, DSO and I went to a prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk.  I am still in shock and disbelief that he was assassinated.  Please keep his wife Erika and children in your prayers and hold your loved ones tight.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

Hook-y Stuff ~

I've hooked but as usual not as much progress as I had hoped for!

This is cigar box #9 for me . . . and I've committed to one more that has not yet been started or even planned.  Our guild puts on a wonderful hook in and I want this one to be just as much fun with lots of goodies to give away as door prizes.

The inside is rather uninspiring!

I am pleased with the progress made on my Classic Santa pattern from the Donna Hrkman class.  (As usual, no matter how many pictures I take, the color is so wrong 😡)  A bit challenging is an understatement.  I am going against Donna's wishes and hooking with some 7 cuts, which is still much smaller than I normally use 😁

 

And finally, progress on Proud Lion.  I have been stumped on the color to hook his body.  The overdyed wool chosen by the teacher has lots of pink tones in it.  I am NOT a pink person.  I thought maybe I "borrowed" some body wool from this project???  Had a different lion body color been chosen?  It's been so many years ago, I really haven't a clue.  

Tomorrow Sue and I are off to a couple day hook in over in Shipshewana, Indiana.  Sue is great with color so hopefully she will find the perfect lion body color for me!

See you when I return.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

More Cross Stitch ~

You'd think I had not start doing counted cross stitch five decades ago.  I think I did more frogging on this piece than I have ever done.  Not sure why I kept making so many counting errors 😡.  It was supposed to say God Bless America, but I didn't plan my spacing so it didn't fit.

The colors do show up a bit better in person.  I haven't a clue what I will do with it.  Perhaps just tack it to a cupboard.

I thought this would be my last cigar box (#8), but the boxes are coming in a little more slowly than hoped for, so to help our cigar box "coordinator", I brought two more boxes home with me from guild today.

This may be my least favorite box so far 😒

The inside is just kind of blah.

That's it!  Only two more days of eye restrictions and I can wash my hair without help and not have to wear my eye shield at night.  YEAH!  But as anyone who has had cataract surgery knows, 2+ more weeks of eyedrops.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Attaching a Hooked Piece to a Cigar Box ~

A day late ~

I'm sure using glue on a hooked piece is a no-no, but rules are meant to be broken!

First I run a bead of glue around the edge of the hooking.  This time I used Aileen's tacky glue.  I have also used Elmer's.

Then smoosh it around to get a few threads of the linen and on to the last row of loops.

It may take a few hours to dry, depending on the temperature and how thick the glue was applied.  It will dry clear.

Then carefully trim away the linen as close as possible to hooked row., being careful to not cut the wool.

After trimming, I use a Sharpie to disguise the cut edge on the front.

Now run a bead of glue on the edge.

Carefully place on the cigar box top and weight it down to dry.  A heavy crock does the trick.

All finished!

And the inside.

Think good thoughts for me tomorrow.  I have had a slowly developing cataract for many years.  About six months ago it developed into a cataract on steroids.  I am so tired of blurry vision!!!  I just want to see well again.  Prayers appreciated, too.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

What's Blooming ~

Trying to get ready for a crazy busy week so nothing much in the hooking department.  I did finish yet another door prize cigar box for the guild's fall hook in.  I didn't do anything special on the inside other than put some scrapbook paper on the bottom.

The yard is looking so pretty!  I love this time of year.

I did not have the luck Cathy from Acorn Hollow did with overwintering my geraniums.  This was one of my two successes but it has not yet bloomed.  Love the nut tin.

DSO reinforced my falling apart chair to get another year's use out of it.  

An old chicken waterer missing its top.

Clematis.

Happy flowers.  Evening primrose.

And one happy bee.

Cool old tool box from a friend last year.  Only one or two of the plants survived the winter, but she was gracious and gave me plants from her yard to fill in.

One of my son's old workboots on an old tricycle.  I just love yard junk!

At Aldi's the other day, they had these gorgeous hydrangeas for only $14.99.  How could I resist that color?   Now to figure out where to plant it!

Michigan for the day tomorrow (early Father's Day celebration at DSO's son's house), Monday the annual "nun visit".  She will be 97 soon.  Then Tuesday and Wednesday a hooking class.  ARGH!!!  I am thankful for my crazy, busy life.

Must share.  DSO just stopped by for a minute.  This is the hotrod he built from a kit a few years ago 😁

And the sweetest passenger ever sitting on her custom made "perch" so she can see out the window.  (Yes, that perch makes her a** look fat 😉)

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Dragging My Feet ~

I still haven't started my darn teapot challenge hooked piece.  I still have a couple months to git 'er done, but I would like to be able to cross that off my "must do" list.  I had planned to start it after binding Primitive Chickens, but opted to hook a couple "littles" to top cigar boxes that are hook in door prizes.  

Once again I opted to add a little something to the inside.  The red box is a slide top box.

The other two are hinged boxes.  

I have a problem with the hereafter.  I enter a room and wonder what I am here after!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Three Finishes ~

 

The last day of March!!!  As I say every month, time is flying by at warp speed 😏

Miss March Hare is bound and labeled and given to my sister-in-law.  The background is much more subtle in person.

Same with Ezra's Farm.  I actually changed out a rug that was hanging in the dining room and here it is.

I had another punch needle piece finished years ago, and he's the perfect topper for a cigar box.  I left the box labels intact.  Wasn't how sure how well they would come off.  I tried removing a label from another box and a little sticky residue was left.  When I tried to remove the sticky, the paint started coming off.  

And the inside!

Just call me bad.  I still need to purge and purge and purge, but none has happened in the last couple of weeks.  It is on "THE LIST" to get back to it.  Well . . . the other day I went to an antique and primitive sale held one weekend a month (March to October?) about an hour from home.  I had seen this crock in the pre-sale video and was hoping it would be sold by the time I got to there mid-afternoon.  Darn.  It was still there.  It is a small Donaghho crock, I'm guessing a half gallon.  It has a huge chip on the rim but it displays well.  I'm sure you've figured out it came home with me.  "Antique pox.  A disease for which there is no cure . . . except to buy more." 😁

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Door Prize ~

 

Crooked River Rug Hookers has traditionally used small mats hooked (or appliqued, punched, etc) by members as door prizes for our fall hook in.  This year member Rita came up with the great idea of decorating cigar boxes in the medium of your choice . . . hooked, appliqued, punched, etc.  A cigar shop near her sells the boxes for $5 each with all proceeds going to the local humane society.  The more boxes sold, the less that end up in a dumpster and a win for the homeless furkids.

Here is my first one.  I punched the piece years ago and never fully finished it.  For me, it's the journey and not the destination.  The "destination" was the perfect box topper.

I decided to add something to the inside, and thought a scrap book page of men's sweaters was a perfect complement to the guy theme.

The backside of the lid had an area where the graphic had been torn, so voila!  A Tim Holtz cutout was the perfect camouflage!

Not bad if I do say so myself 😁

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren