Cre8withAngela

Cody the Wonder Dog's Favorite Tug Toy Cre8WithAngela It's been a few years since our family has had a dog, and we have never had a puppy.  This last week we took the plunge and adopted Cody (The Wonder Dog) from a local shelter.  Cody is a pit/lab mix and what is (apparently) referred to as a "power chewer".  He's a good boy and never chews anything but his toys - and boy does he chew his toys!  On the day we brought him home he disassembled a brand new toy the shelter had given him within hours.  So I put myself on a mission to design a cheap/easy/safe tug-of-war toy that would also provide hours of chewing satisfaction without breaking the bank. As a crafter, I have a habit of often saving items that others may not find value in.  When my kids were younger they would wear the knees out of their jeans.  I would crop the jeans and save the legs "for later".  I have used them to make various things such as upcycled Christmas tree ornaments

A little over two years ago, I decided to try to crochet. I had spent that whole first year struggling through a blanket in a made up stitch I concocted. Then a little over one year ago, I was still struggling to crochet. I couldn't read a pattern and had to remind myself of how to do each stitch with pretty much every stitch. Is there a level below beginner? That was me. Despite my newness to crocheting, there was something about being able to crochet that meant so much to me. It wasn't a familial thing - my mother knit. I think perhaps it was the challenge of learning something new. We spend our youthful years learning and gleaning both inside and out of the classroom; as we age it is easy to lose sight of how important it is to keep learning. Yes, I think perhaps that is it. I like a good challenge and I like the self expression that crafting allows me. In this last year I have gone from fumbling with the pages of my how-to crochet books to designing my own creations. Just b