Man oh man how long has it been????? A while... I know.
Well you see 2018, was the last time I made dolls for Things Jamaica 🇯🇲, they haven't reached out to me and neither have I.
2019 came and gone, then there was that year we all wish never came. 2021 came with a glimmer of hope and I thought... Wait!!! I should make contact as I'm sure a few items were outstanding for me still.
The question was asked are you still in operation? My answer was yes. They placed an order, their biggest one yet. I was really happy about this as I haven't been in the creative mood for a while and this got the juices flowing.
I gave an estimate of a month for the completion. The first week sees me moving at lightning ⚡ speed (you would have thought I was related to Usain Bolt, 🤣🤣🤣). Then comes motherhood, school work, housework, and my 9-5 among other things and my month deadline was fast approaching and I was nowhere near completion 😭😭😭😭...
I would be lying if I say I wasn't worried... Thankfully it wasn't a hard and fast deadline so a week or so over the month they were all finished.
Packaged and ready to be delivered. I was pressed for time, as I was working late into the night with work the next morning, I forgot to take the finished product picture of the keychains.
So loves without further ado here are my beauties in all their glory😁😁😁😁.
The gents are out
Missy heading to the mall.
Little black dress
Me and my girls💃
Moesha and Chip date night.
Sam and Nikki
Ahm. Can you just take the pic already
Grammy's ready.
These 2 love birds
Oops. It's just a little leg lift.
"Looking into my eyes, tell me what you see"
Almost done
90% finished
We're coming on quite nicely, aren't we?
Squeak! squeak!
The last doll to be made and I'm honestly in love with the outcome... The way the beret sits on the side of the head... The braids to the side... This girl slayed.
Looking at the picture, justice isn't being served. Oh, how I wish you all could see them in person.
Bye until next time.
Thanks love for taking a read. Live, Love, Laugh... Please follow me on FB, Instagram, and Twitter
Here I was browsing the web, looking at different yarns when I saw this beautiful yarn called Air Shine. I ordered the green and waited..... and waited...
4 weeks later.....
My yarn came, I ogled over the way it looked and felt, but didn't know what to make with it. A few months pass and still no idea what to use my Air Shine for, then Petra Breakstone decided she was having another "anything Petra KAL".
I thought to myself 🤔🤔🤔, Rayne, wouldn't that look elegant in the Air Shine.
@petrabreakstone's Rayne
I cast on and within 3 days completed my shawl and my oh my, it looked absolutely beautiful. It was that beautiful that it was claimed before it was completed. I didn't get a chance to really photograph the finished product.
The night I finish my shawl
pics not doing it justice.
a closeup
The happy Customer. She contributed the photos.
Thanks loves for taking a read. Live, Love, Laugh... Please follow me on FB, Instagram, Twitter. You can also purchase yarn to make your masterpieces here.
Have you ever wondered why something keeps affixed to your imagination or dreams? I have.
I've dreamt many years ago of owning my own Beauty Salon which was operated as a classy beauty salon, with an actual start and end time. This last bit (opening hours) was very important, as at that time I was working in a hair salon that did not have an end time. I would go to work by 9am and in comes someone after 3 pm requesting to get their hair braided small (if you have ever gotten your hair braided with extensions you know it takes time). Once my boss accepts this client it means I could be at work until after midnight and still have to be back at work by 9 am the next morning. That was exhausting and to say the least, I wasn't getting a lot of pay.
Fast forward a couple of years I got certified in general Cosmetology but right after completing tragedy struck and I was forced to seek employment fast as the sole breadwinner at the time died and my baby was just about to turn 2 years old. While working at my new job I continued to do natural hairstyles (my specialty). This was my second job, my weekend job, but a little over a year I had to change department and this caused me to lose clients as I started working on weekends. I stayed in that job changing departments and moving up the ranks until 2017 when I got laid off. This is when my dream of becoming my own boss came to life, though not as a salon owner.
I've always been creative at heart, whether it's creating beautiful hairstyles, crocheting/knitting, or embroidering... So it came as no surprise when I registered the business name Khenzuri's Treasures. I was really pumped up about sewing my seeds and getting my name out there. But it's not that easy.
My daughter's first day of school hairstyle
A simple twist with beads
I did my own hair as well
crochet braids
crochet then twist out
I've had good days and some not-so-good days but that doesn't stop me from believing that I will succeed. I know I will not just own a successful business where I crochet and knit other people's designs... But I will become a designer as well...
How are you so confident you will become a designer?
I am sure because no matter what pattern I am making my mind is racing 100 miles a sec with new ideas of what to make or how to change the current pattern I am working on. I have designed things in the past it's just not written for others to remake and that is what I am working on.
For instance, I made a dress from a scarf I test knitted. While I was knitting the scarf, the idea came to turn it into a crop halter top. However, after starting the new project that idea shifted and became a dress. Can I tell you how this dress stayed on my mannequin for almost a year before the final touches were added? Take a look and tell me what you think. Did I do well?
My design, it was birthed from a scarf I test knitted for Petra Breakstone.
The issue I have now as to why I am not actively pursuing this part of my dream is designing takes time and I am a bit stretched at the moment but the stars are being aligned as we speak so it's just a matter of time.
And you know as long as there is life a dream can still become a reality. Come along with me on my journey. Until next time.
Thanks loves for taking a read. Live, Love, Laugh... Please follow me on FB, Instagram, Twitter. You can also purchase yarn to make your masterpieces here.
Hi Loves, Here's a bit of reading for you. I was casually browsing the web (you guessed it a bit bored at work with no project in hand), and I came across a post from Craftsy. It was explaining the difference between British vs American Crochet terms (you knew there was a difference, right?) and decided to share it.
For starters...
The chain and slip stitch mean the same for both, thank goodness!!!
Now, this is where things get weird if you are not aware there was a difference.... Imagine being gifted some vintage crochet patterns, you got very excited to try a very cute pattern. You got the required yarn, needle and with the pattern in hand started your project, only at the end or even in the middle come to realize it is not looking like the pattern somehow.
What could be the issue? Here's your answer;
You are accustomed to British terminology and the pattern was written in American terminology
Or the reverse...
Not to worry I got your back, here are the differences;
American Crochet
British Crochet
Single crochet
Double crochet
Half double crochet
Half treble crochet
Double crochet
Treble crochet
Treble crochet
Double treble crochet
Double treble crochet
Triple treble crochet
Gauge
Tension
Skip
Miss
Now that we know the differences, how do we tell the origin of a pattern?
Check for the term single crochet (sc). This is an indication this was written using American terms.
Does the pattern ask you to check your tension? If it does, it's written using British terms.
Another indicator is does the pattern ask you to miss or skip stitch?
Now my loves that you are armed with the information go forth and create those masterpieces.
Thanks love for taking a read. Live, Love, Laugh.. Please follow me on FB, Instagram, Twitter. You can also purchase yarn to make your masterpieces here.
I'm like over the moon right now. Do you remember or have you checked my post about great men? Well, in this case, a great woman - ME (smiles).
So after making and modelling my top the very next day, ( THE VERY NEXT DAY) I receive a call for an order. Yes, an order.
My day started like most, with me lying in bed trying to plan my day and then heading for the showers to revitalize and start working. Here I am in the bathroom and I decided to listen to some gospel then I heard Taylor Swift's "End Game" starting, I checked the caller ID but the number was unknown.
"Hello"
"Melissa, come over and take your first order". I was like "Hello, who is this?"
"Ms Janet."
Guys, I was beaming from ear to ear.
I finish my bath, and while getting dressed she called back. "Wear the blouse as it was in the night I looked at it".
I gathered my tape measure, my book, pencil, the pattern and headed over. She laughed and said I met business. "Like yeah".
That's not all, in addition to ordering the top,
she gave me the threads to do it (how cool is that?).
I measured and made my notes, I ran over my house grinning like a kid on Christmas Day.
Here I go...... Let the work begin.
Back (3 of the yellow did the back)
Front (3 did the front)
I worked as fast as I could because I so wanted to complete this top and see the look on my customer's face.
The heights of great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept were upward toiling through the night.
2:04 am and I'm up completing a crochet top (Oceanside Dolman-Sleeve Top by FlexibleFashions.net), as part of my plan to advertise my talent and gain recognition for my business.
Three quarter way through and the thread I'm using finish, " omg, really". Oh well I have two other rolls, but "oh no!", though it's the same colour the brand is different which caused a slight variation.
Do you see it?
"What am I going to do now?"
Press on, forward March..... Luckily I still have to join the back and front together, make collar, cuffs and hem so it should be fine. Right?
I sure hope so............
Here's the finish product.
The top is finally finish and the difference is hardly visible. What do you all think?
