W.I.P. Wednesday

Time for another edition of Work In Progress Wednesday!

Click on the pic to find the pattern for the hearts!

I know you are all anxiously awaiting the Valentine's Day heart count! I'm up to 11!! Only 39 more to go! I've now made it a personal goal to finish 3 a day. 
This weekend I tried a technique I've been wanting to try. I made some yarn out of t-shirts! I then used the yarn I made to crochet this cute tote bag. 

Pattern for t-shirt tote bag can be found here: Squirrel Productions

I've learned that making t-shirt yarn is more of an all body workout than one would think and that you should wear gloves while stretching it to avoid blisters. But while it takes more work than I thought, there's something very satisfying about re-purposing an item, so I think I'll continue to make these! 

And last but not least is this earflap hat I made. I took my Mohawk Hat Pattern from the Needle Nerd and instead of adding a mohawk, I used some novelty yarn to add stripes. I really like the look and will be making more of these to sell!

Check back next week for the latest creations from Raven's Rascals!

Friday Fun with Raven's Rascals

Last night was the much anticipated 2012 Relay for Life Kickoff!!! Our theme this year is Lights, Action, Cure! We kicked it off in style with the Relay R'Oscars Awards Ceremony.

We had the pre-show where folks could take pictures of the "famous".

Dizzy Lizzy - up and coming pop star             Relay Rachel with bodyguard Steve

Child star, See See looking glamorous!

Some of the paparazzi got a bit out of hand so my bodyguard had to step in!

Upon arrival, we walked the red carpet to a crowd's cheering and applause. 

Bodyguard Steve, Relay Rachel and See See

Ethan, famous for playing the role of Bekah blocker (who managed to escape having a single picture of herself taken by anyone...impressive!). This is the closest you'll get to seeing that elusive oldest member of this entertainment family.

I was an award presenter! AKA I was able to tell the audience what the money I had raised was used for.

We enjoyed a fabulous meal and were treated as you would expect stars to be treated! 

For more pictures of our wonderful R'Oscars, head on over to this slideshow.

W.I.P. Wednesday

It's another edition of Work In Progress Wednesday!

Alas, I didn't get much farther on the hearts. The current count is 6 done, 44 to go. 
I've done a few projects this week. One is a wig that I'll be wearing to our Relay for Life 2012 Kickoff Celebration tomorrow night. I can't show a pic of that right now lest it give away our as of yet unknown theme for this year. You'll get to see it on Friday's post. :o)
The other thing I've been working on, that has taken me a nearly a week to complete is a crocodile stitch slouchy hat. Here are a couple of pics of this W.I.P.:

I should have this bad boy done today!

Join us next Wednesday to see the current heart count, the crocodile stitch hat completed and find out what new project is being worked on. :o)

Friday Fun with Raven's Rascals

I thought it would be fun to have a time to share what we're up to and give you a chance to get to know us better by sharing something fun we did during the week. However, there are some weeks like this week where we just go through our routine and don't do anything super exciting. But, on those weeks, I'll share something I found funny. Then hopefully I can bring a smile to your face. :o)

I'm a huge fan of puns. They're corny as all get out, but I never cease laughing at them. So here's one I heard today:

"The friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. 

Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought this was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. 

He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. 

So the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. 

Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that: 

Hugh, and only Hugh, can prevent florist friars."

See, corny, but I laughed! I'd love to hear some of your favorite puns! Feel free to share!

Thank You Thursday

Thursday is a day I like to set aside to thank those generous folks who have contributed to our team whether it be financial, by donating items or spreading the word!

This week, I'd like to highlight one of our 2012 sponsors, Beth's Flowers and Gifts. Beth is my sister-in-law and is truly one of the most generous, kindest people you could meet. Being a La Bella Baskets consultant is just one of the many hats she wears, but I know her dedication to customer service is second to none! Not only does La Bella Baskets offer great items, but they also help single moms. Here's a bit of their mission statement: 

"La Bella Baskets Believes in the Power of Giving. When you buy gifts from La Bella Baskets you are directly contributing to our Single Moms La Bella Baskets of Smiles Program.  "

Here are a few of my favorite items from Beth's Flowers and Gifts.

Hope for a Cure Tower

A Gift of Hope

So if you're looking for a special gift for someone, check out Beth's Flowers and Gifts!

THANK YOU, BETH!

For more information on how you can be a sponsor of our team, please contact us at

ravensrascals (at) gmail (dot) com

W.I.P. Wednesday

I was scoping out some blogs and came across Ambassador Crochet. Awesome! Anyway, she had what I think is a super idea, especially for us crafters...Work In Progress Wednesday. So because one of my goals for 2012 is to blog more often and I always have something on a crochet hook in progress, I thought I'd make this a weekly blog post.

(Click on picture for pattern)

Today and for quite a few days in the near future, I'm putting together these crocheted hearts for 2 of my children's classrooms for their Valentine's Day parties. 50 hearts total. 3 done, only 47 more to go. :o) They are quick and easy, but of course I'm doing them in my spare time after I crochet something for the shop.

Owls are the current theme for the etsy shop. I am trying to finish a hat a day. I've stocked up on a variety of colors and am having fun with this awesome It's A Hoot Owl pattern from The Hook Hound on Etsy.

That's what's in progress here. Check back next week to see how far I've gotten in my heart crochet-a-thon and to see what's being made for our Etsy shop!