Book Review: A Gift of Time

The latest in Sarah Wynde's Tassamara series did not disappoint in the least. In fact, I though this was the best book yet. The story of Natalya and Colin was incredibly sweet and detailed. The main characters are very well developed and multi-dimensional. Pop culture references are flawlessly sprinkled throughout the book, making it feel like reading about real people. Some authors struggle when writing a contemporary setting because it seems like they try to hard to force pop culture into random spots, but that is not so in Tassamara. I did wish that a few of the other characters played a larger role in this novel, but for a relatively short read it was about perfect! Here's to hoping Wynde continues treating us to her wonderful Tassamara world so we can be reunited with the GD folks, ghosts, and other residents of this delightful town.

A Gift of Time by Sarah Wynde

*I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own*

Free Crochet Patterns for Baby

Here are my latest free crochet graphs. This week I'm posting a selection of adorable baby blanket and nursery decor patterns.  All of these patterns are designed to be made using the single crochet method, with one block equal to one stitch using a worsted weight yarn and size H hook.  Enjoy!

*If you would like to make the piano blanket with a different initial, just let me know and I can make one for you. I'm spend a few hours on each set of patterns to make sure they are easy to follow and look good and I am providing them all free of charge so please do not sell my patterns or the finished product.*

Floral Bright Baby Blanket

Child's Giraffe Pillow

Piano Baby Blanket

Teddy Bear Afghan

Valentine Bear Afghan

Sponsored Links: Save 15% off entire order at LeisureArts.com. Use promo code ART15. Save 20% off any Knook product at LeisureArts.com. Use promo code KNOOK20.

A Pinterest Plea

I love Pinterest.  I use is almost daily and it has been a tremendous help in finding new recipes to try and various handy tips for cleaning and organizing my home.  Plus, who doesn't love looking at pretty pictures and finding inspiration for a beautiful life?  However, I'm seeing a disturbing trend of people who use things they see on Pinterest verbatim, with absolutely no regard for uniqueness or personalization whatsoever.  This is especially bad with weddings.  

Weddings are supposed to be all about the bride and groom as a singular, unique couple with a love story that is theirs alone.  When you just use whatever popular ideas you find on Pinterest without changing them to be unique to you, you end up with a wedding that doesn't stand out at all. Using the exact same signs, picture poses, decorations, etc... is not cute and I really believe that in 10 years you will look back and wish you had taken the time and effort to make your wedding more unique and personalized.

I'm not knocking Pinterest, or brides who use Pinterest for inspiration at all, but that's just it; Pinterest should be used for inspiration, not just to copy and paste some trendy ideas into your wedding plans. Find an idea you like and then change it to make it yours. Use quotes that actually mean something to you and aren't just the popular, cutesy, love-dovey saying du jour.  Pick colors and decorations and details that are important to YOU and that really reflect your interests and passions.  Your wedding should be about YOUR love story and your history as a couple and it just isn't possible to show all that when you only use the most popular ideas that everyone else is using too.

Here are some of the most popular pins that I absolutely cannot stand and am sick of seeing:

UGH. "Choose a Seat, Not a Side" This trend needs to stop.

Dumbest trend ever

"Bridesmaids" is not even cool. Stop.

Dumb, dumb, dumb. And way overdone.

Who even does this? It looks awkward and unnatural. Ewww.

More Free Crochet Patterns- Modern Pillow Patterns

I like crocheting my own decorative pillows because it saves a TON of money! Pillows are expensive, especially if you like to change your decor seasonally.  It doesn't take much time to crochet these pillows and you can make them in the exact size, pattern, and colors that you want.  A basic skein of RedHeart brand yarn costs less than $5 and can be used to make several small-medium sized pillows. For a lot of the modern, intricate patterns that are in fashion right now I recommend making a single-crochet background square and then cross-stitching your design onto that. Here are several free designs to get you started: 

Scale Pattern Pillow

Modern Pillow #3

Leafy Pillow

Modern Pillow #1

Modern Pillow #2

Now on Bloglovin!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Hey everyone, I'm now on Bloglovin' so feel free to follow me there to stay up to date with all the latest FauxMenno posts!

More Free Sports Crochet Charts!

I recently finished up a few more sports teams logos to crochet into throws or stadium blankets. I have been concentrating on college teams that are important to my family and friends, but I can make any other team by request, or you can give it a try yourself. I also now have the option to make larger sized afghan charts instead of only smaller throws.
 
Once again, please only use these patterns for personal use.  If you attempt to sell the pattern or the finished products you are breaking the law.  These make excellent gifts, but it is not okay to profit monetarily from someone else's intellectual property.

As with my other sports logos, if you want the full size .jpg pattern, just email me and I will send it to you until I am able to have them hosted externally.

#1 Bowling Green State University 

This chart shouldn't be too complicated to follow. Use 4 colors of yarn to create this charming falcon logo.  I recommend making this throw longer by adding rows of the background color to the top and bottom and also adding a border of orange, brown, or both.





#2 The University of Georgia

Support your favorite SEC team with this simple G logo stadium blanket. Extend to whatever size you like by adding rows to the top and bottom, or to both sides, and then finish off by adding a bold red border. Go Dawgs!




#3 Michigan State Spartans

Clean lines and contrasting colors make this Spartans logo really stand out. Simply add three or four rows of white border and you have the perfect stadium blanket to fend off those chilly Michigan breezes.





#4 Miami University (OH) 

Love and Honor to Miami! The original and best Miami, that is.  Show your school spirit with this striking throw. All it needs is a few more rows of white around each side and then a red and black border and this blanket is ready for the football stadium or dorm room.





Keep an eye out for more patterns as I will be updating regularly. Remember, email me if you would like these charts and you can always make your own at:
http://stitchboard.com/pages/pattern/freePatternWizard.php

Save 20% off any Knook product at LeisureArts.com. Use promo code KNOOK20.

Book Review! "A Gift of Thought"

*I received a copy of this book free of charge in return for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own*

After I finished the first book in the Tassamara series by Sarah Wynde, I was astounded by the quality of her writing and couldn't wait to read the rest of the series.  I emailed her expressing my appreciation of the first novel and she graciously provided me with the rest of the series for free. (Sidenote: If you read a book that is really good and the author has a website or email address, email them! Authors love to hear your feedback, especially new and upcoming authors)

"A Gift of Thought" by Sarah Wynde

The second Tassamara novel is "A Gift of Thought".  This book leaves the setting of Tassamara and takes place mostly in Washington, D.C.  I was mildly disappointed that Akira and co. were left behind, but I actually really liked that this book focused on ghostly teenager Dillon and his new relationship with his parents.  Dillon was one of my favorite characters in "A Gift of Ghosts", and in my opinion, is really the star of the series.  As usual with Wynde's writing, the dialogue and plot are superb.  Every character really comes to life and you feel like you get to know them on a personal level.  I do wish a few of the background characters had been fleshed out a bit more, but within the constraints of a shorter novel the writing is still exceptional. On the plus side, there was more action and drama packed into the last few chapters of this novel and I really enjoyed that. I read the entire book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.

Bottom line: Even though this is probably my least favorite book of the series, it is still extremely well written and worth a read if you enjoyed the first book.