Moisturizing Coriander Bergamot Body Scrub

The NVO's been at it again,

making boby scrub for the loved ones in his life:

Shea butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, sugar, bergamot extract and dried coriander.

Mmmmmmmm.......Awwwwwwww

The Post That Wasn't

Sometimes it's not possible to stop and wait for photos:

My poor family and the meals and treats they've had to wait to eat

 and/or are eaten cold due to blog photography.

This one did not make it to the "before" photography stage.

"After" is all that I can give you.

Coffee and Cummings Studio Chocolates.

It's all good!

Thank you All Free Crochet!

So happy to announce that

Apple Blossom Dreams 

received an award for being one of 

All Free Crochet's 

2014's top 100 blogs,

for a free scarf pattern found here:

I call it the 

"Chevron Infinity Scarf in HDC",

All Free Crochet calls it the

"Candy Crush Infinity Scarf"

It can really be changed up with different colors:

To go directly to the post with step-by-step photo instructions click here.

In the event that you make the scarf, please send me photos and I would love to

 feature your scarf on the Apple Blossom Dreams blog.

(email astri.bowlin@gmail.com)

Unfamiliar Color Combination

I would like your opinion, please,

 Do you like this color combination?

I've never mixed these colors before.

I'm thinking of an afghan that would coordinate with
 red oak floors and a big cushiony denim chair and a half.

The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK in:

Gold, Camel, Stone, Denim

(Spice, Parchment and Cream are on their way,

I'm excited to see how they will look, as well.)

Suggestions?

Recommendations?

(Gosh, this is fun!)

1000 Followers and a Giveaway!!!

Hello my lovely bloggy friends!

I am happy to announce that  

Apple Blossom Dreams 
now has 1000 Followers!

With a happy heart and joyful soul I want to take this opportunity to 

thank all of you for your interest in this little slice of my world.

In celebration of this gratuitous event I would like to give away 10 patterns from my Etsy shop,

as this shop would have never existed without all of you!

The first 10 followers to leave a comment,

stating which pattern you like best and why, 

will receive the .pdf pattern for free.

We have ten winners now, 
please see comment section for the lucky peeps!
Congratulations winners!!! 
I hope you have many happy crochet moments!

 Remember if you are a non-reply commenter, please do leave a comment but additionally please email me your email address to astri.bowlin@gmail.com so the pattern can be delivered.

You can choose from any pattern in my shop; however, here are some of the most popular:

Five steps to the Granny Rose Pattern    La Vie En Rose Afghan with Border

Mitered Dishcloth                          Meadow Larksfoot Infinity Scarf

Puffy NOLA Sunset Afghan                            Towel Topper

P.S. I tried to contact follower #1000, without success.

(Kathleen, if you read this, please email me and I have something special for you!)

Oh and a funny thing, there are 1001 followers this morning, but #1001, is me, 

and I followed a long time ago, haha.

It's like I am my own ghost. 

Very strange.

Thank you all once again for following!

Good luck and happy crocheting!

Apple Blossom Artistic Effects

Sometimes it's fun to play around on the computer.

This is Apple Blossom Dream's background photo of crocheted apple blossoms,

with different effects:

Which one do you like best?

(These were done up like this in Microsoft Word then pasted into Microsoft Publisher.)

This free apple blossom crochet pattern can be found here.

Just a random Friday evening bit o' fun!

TGIF!

Stained Glass Version of The Puffy NOLA Sunset Afghan

Here's what's on my hook:

It's a stained glass version of The Puffy NOLA Sunset Afghan:

Pattern found here.

This afghan is being worked with one strand of Stylecraft Special DK, in
Black, Petrol, Green, Bottle, Matador Red, Lipstick, Bluebell, Meadow, and Royal.

Every other row is black and then the rest of the rows in-between are
 bright vibrant colors as listed above, all from my stash. Yeah!

You see how much more Bluebell I have and how little Royal I have left?
This just means I will need to have a strategy.
That's easy; I will crochet more rows of Bluebell and less of Royal.
Simple as that!
Rows are random - no set pattern or this would not work.
I like winding the skeins into balls, because then I can see how much I
have left of each color and plan accordingly.
The only rule is...no two colors next to each other.

This will make a handsome afghan for a little fella' that I know,
but could actually be turned into an infinity scarf at this point.
That could be stunning, especially with a black coat.
I picture it being worn to a church, a church with stained glass. ;-)

I sooooooo very much love this hobby.
It's calming and fun, at the same time.
I have recently rearranged our living room around the fireplace to
create a cozy space to work on this hobby and this afghan.

 The NVO sits beside me there on the white love seat.
Generally he studies Norwegian or Jiu Jitsu while I crochet.
It's a very good life and I am grateful for it!!!

Cheers to hobbies!
I hope you have one that you enjoy too!

Hey, Apple Blossom Dreams has 996 followers (not including Bloglovin' followers),
 I think it's time for a giveaway once that number hits 1000!
Stay Tuned!

A Gift of Love: Chile Roaster

You know that, albeit unusual for a Norwegian,

 my favorite food in the entire world is roasted green chiles!

(Especially Hatch Chiles.)

Now, due to the NVO's thoughtfulness and kindness,

fresh roasted chiles can be a daily ritual. :-)

due to:

His gift of my very own personal Chili Roaster!!!

It's amazing!

(Hmmmmm...does anyone know how to get those two photos closer together? I'm baffled.)

UPDATE: Thank you blogging friends!!!

I fixed this with picmonkey!

In any case, just rinse and trim the ends off the chiles and throw the chiles in the roaster,

turn on the propane and heat, turn the crank and roast away for about ten minutes.

The skins slip off easily and they are very easy to de-seed.

They can be used in many dishes...or may favorite... chilled, all by themselves.

And don't ever forget

what real women do:

Have a mildly hot day!

Towel Topper Pattern Published!

Yeah!

Finally...in between holidays, full-time work and de-junking

 in preparation for a fresh start on the New Year,

the "Towel Topper" pattern has been published!!!

Click here for pattern.

These instructions for the "Crocheted Towel Topper" are easy to follow. 

They are complete with a lot of step-by-step photos. 

Once you make a few for yourself,

 you will likely find your friends and family requesting them.

These crocheted topped towels have been a real hit

 among those that have received them as gifts, 

especially with the added thoughtfulness

 of coordinating the colors with the recipients kitchen.

The crocheted rose as pictured is not included in the pattern,

 but can be purchased separately here,

 or you can use your own flower pattern or even a button, if preferred.

The red and white checked towel is made with a sharp crochet hook;

 however, the pattern demonstrates a blanket stitch

 for those of you who do not have the sharp crochet hook.

Also, the blanket stitch can be worked on the front or the back of the towel,

 the pattern shows the top with the blanket stitch on the front

 and the shell trim with the blanket stitch on the back.

Happy Crocheting!!!!

A Gift of Love: Yarn

A Christmas gift from #6 (Little Bug) resulted in this:

 

It's soft and warm. :-)

 and here's the gift that "Little Santa Bug" brought me:

 all the way from The Quarter Stitch in New Orleans!

I paired it with this:

 and used this pattern: 

by Michelle B. of My Daily Fiber and can be purchased here.

This same pattern was used for this scarf too:

Click on any of the three above images to take you to the blog post about that scarf.

It really takes on a different look with the variegated yarn that "Little Bug" found.

It is also easier with a variegated yarn as there are no color changes except for the white;

hence, no ends to weave!

(The solid color and variegated color were not snipped each row,

 but held in place and picked up on the row after.)

I highly recommend this pattern and yarn.

Thank you Little Bug!

I LOVE THE YARN!!!

I Resolve to Eat Rømmegrøt

Breakfast of the New Year:

 Rømmegrøt with:

French Toast Casserole

(Made from leftover holiday dinner rolls-see Pioneer Woman recipe found here.)

AND bacon of course!

Rømmegrøt: a Norwegian porridge delicacy, if you asked me. ;-)

My New Year's resolutions for 2015 are in the "building better relationships" category,

and as you can see, not necessarily in the healthy eating category,

hey, but at least we are eating at home and cooking. ;-)

Thank you all for your kinds words and ideas for Bunny Rose from the previous post.

You made both of us smile and giggle.

She sends her love and gratitude. :-)

Happy 2015!!!