March 31, 2011 by debi.

I just finished the first 3 fabric covered journals in my new Inspirational line of accessories and gift items.  I love these journals and they were fun to make.  They are not an original idea, I found the idea in a magazine called LIFE: BEAUTIFUL. I found it at the airport in Mexico, when I took my mom to the airport in February, and the flowers on the front were so beautiful, that I bought the magazine.  These journals were one of the craft projects in the magazine.  I made one last month to give to my Bible study teacher, and it was just okay.  Definitely a work in progress, but these came out beautifully. 

I made them by using the 5 x 8 1/4 inch moleskin journals, and covering them with fabric.  Then I used cardstock on the inside of the front and back to cover the fabric, and I added an envelope with a card inside with a verse from the bible on the front page of the cardstock.  I am enjoying trying to find verses for in the Bible for the journals.  These first three journals have HOPE, FAITH, AND GRACE stamped on the front of them.  I have also used lace or colored cording to tie them closed.

This is the Grace Journal in the Inspriational line.  I just love the colors.

I have also added the FORGIVEN scarf to the website.  It was really fun to make.   It was knit with white cashmerino and the letters were knit with a red faux fur. Check the new scarf out on my website http://www.dreamsbydebi.com/httpwwwdreamsbydebicomhandknitscarfforgiivenp104html-p-104.html.

Here is the link to the journals, also. http://www.dreamsbydebi.com/inspirational-journals-c-30.html

Posted in Welcome Back, Things that Inspire Me, I Love Patterns | Print | 1 Comment »

March 16, 2011 by debi.

Children inspire me all of the time.  I am so amazed at how uninhibited and happy they can be.  I took the pictures of the two little girls above in the town of El Anclote, Nayarit, Mexico a few years ago.  They were both so cute in their own ways.  In the first picture the little was totally hamming it up.  She was very excited to have her picture taken.  She was actually so excited, that when she was jumping around, she hit her mouth on my friend Wanda’s camera.  She was very proudly showing her new teeth coming in, and her brand new toothbrush.  The second picture is of a toddler walking with her mom.  She was very cute, and very curious.  It was kind of her mom to let me take her picture.  She was so sweet and innocent looking.  I think that they are all fairly guileless at that age.  Everything is new, ready to be touched, and looked at, and played with.  Little girls like this inspire me to use pastels when I am designing.  They remind of the girlishness of being a girl.

The blond girl above was playing tag with her sister outside of a restaurant in Cairo.  I caught her running in the picture, which is why the picture it is a little blurry.  She was absolutely beautiful, because she had that blond hair it made her skin look really tan.  She was dresses the way Egyptian woman dress, except because she was young her head was not covered.  As you can see from from her smile, she was having a really good time.  It was fun to watch.

The lives two little girls pictured above could not be more different.  These pictures were taken in Rhodes, Greece.  The first picture of the baby is innocent, and pampered.  Her pacifier is still in her mouth, her parents are with her, she has a stroller, and is well taken care of.  When I look at her baby sundress with its pastel colors and simplicity, I see innocence.  The little girl in the second is beautiful in her own right, but she has a very different life.  She was not in school, she was a little gypsy girl playing the accordion for money from tourists.  I did not see much hope in her eyes, I mostly saw a world weariness that a 6 or 7 year old child should not have.  I gave her money for letting me take her picture, but I wondered where her mom was, and how she could send this beautiful child out to beg for money by herself.  The colors in the picture of this little gypsy child are bright, and beautiful, but these bright colors hide a sadness.

 All too often in my travels, I see children on the streets by themselves begging for money, or in the gypsy girl’s case playing the accordion for tourists for money.  I worry about these little people who are seeing a side of life that most of our children will hopefully never know.  I try to give them a little money, a smile, and a prayer that they will find some happiness in their lives, also.  I would love to see them find the innocence that I was able to catch in the other children’s faces.  All of these children influence the colors I use in designing, and and the patterns that I make and use for clothing and accessories.

Visit my website Dreams by Debi at www.dreamsbydebi.com to see what I have been designing.  The newest scarf will be online in the next few days.  Check back to see the new FORGIVEN Scarf.

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March 10, 2011 by debi.

Color and texture are such an important part of designing.  When I walk into a yarn store or fabric store the first thing that I notice are all of the colors. These stores virtually assualt your sense of vision.  There are colors everywhere, and there is every color under the sun.  I, unfortunately, am attracted to all colors.  Yes, like everyone I have my favorite colors, but to me color is like eye candy.  The picture below is of a tile at the top of a the stairway that someone built into the side of the cliff next to my home in Mexico.  It is a perfect example of color and texture.  The tiles are beautiful and I love the colors, but you also have the texture of the broken tile, the concrete,  the sand and dirt on the tile, even the cracking of the glaze on the tile add texture to the picture.

 When I designing hand knits or hand crocheted items or looking for a fabric for a dress, I also touch for texture.  Even though the picture of the tile has texture, it is not a kind of texture you would want to touch.  One of the things I do when I walk into a yarn store or fabric store is to start touching the yarns and fabrics. I love the soft feel of cashmere yarn or the feel of a beautiful silk or rayon fabric.  We live in a world where our senses are constantly being assualted.  So when I feel something really soft like a wonderfully soft cotton, I know that it will make a wonderful lace hat for summer, a soft pair of socks, or that cardigan that you never want to take off.  When I touch a beautiful rayon at the fabric store with a pastel floral pattern, I know that it will make a fantastic sundress for those really hot days, or a skirt that is so soft and floaty you will feel like you have nothing on.  This shawl below is one of those accessories that you never want to give up.  The color is perfect, and the soft chenille is comfy and cozy.  It is light enough to use in the summer on a cooler evening, but warm enough to use in the winter also.  It’s texture and color are what make it the ideal accessory.  This shawl is available only at  http://www.dreamsbydebi.com/mauve-lace-hand-crocheted-shawl-p-92.html

The scarf below is a perfect example of color and texture.  This scarf is hand crocheted with 100% mercerized cotton, and the color is so, so pretty.  The cotton is really soft, so it has a very smooth feel to it.  What give this scarf texture are the actual crocheted stitches.  This scarf is crocheted in sections, and each sections has different stitches, which gives its unique look.  So it is not only soft to the touch, but the stitches give it lots of interest.  This scarf is available at http://www.dreamsbydebi.com/deep-lavender-hand-crocheted-scarf-p-89.html

So the next time you walk into a yarn or fabric store, let your senses take over and enjoy what you see and feel.

Posted in Home Sweet Home, Things that Inspire Me | Print | 1 Comment »

March 4, 2011 by debi.

 It is fun working on my website.  I have just added a bunch of new scarves to the website, including the scarf above.  It is so pretty and lacey.  I love lace.  It is really fun to knit and crochet also.  It is so exciting when you start knitting lace, and it all starts to come together.  After 5 or 6 inches you start to see how the pattern is going to look with the yarn that you are using.  You know that it is going to look good when you start, but you can’t tell about the feel and look until you have knit several inches. Visit Dreams by Debi at www.dreamsbydebi.com to see what is new.

 I have also started a new line of faith based inspirational accessories and journals.  I just put the first scarf on the website yesterday.  It is a green with pink letters and a pink border.  I have knit the word “FAITH” in the scarf.  I am working on another scarf it is white with red letters and has “FORGIVEN” on it. 

I have also been working on journals, which will have an inspirational word on them, with a quote from the Bible inside.  I made my first one last week, and stamped Faith on the front, and wrote Hebrews 11:1 about faith on a card inside the journal.  I gave it as a gift to my Bible teacher.  They are still rough, but they are coming along. 

I look for inspiration for ideas in everyday things around me.  Like the picture above of the umbrella on the beach in front of my house in Mexico, or the picture that I took below of these peppers taken at a vegetable market on the island of Capri in Italy.  The colors are spectacular, and great to choose from when I am putting fabrics and yarn together.  It is fun being able to be creative, whether it is designing clothing, knitting or crocheting accessories and clothing, painting, or taking pictures.  I love color and texture.  It is fun having a job that you love,

Posted in Home Sweet Home, Things that Inspire Me | Print | 1 Comment »