five things

—–(( No.1 Rebel Princess ))—–

Perfect for any scruffy little nerf herder. ♥

The pattern is a “make your own princess” security blanket, but how could I make anything other than the only princess that comes to mind!

I posted my space bun/Leia hair and other adaptations on my Ravelry project page and everyone lost their minds with my rebel version, it became a super popular variation, so much so the designer asked if they could add my hair adaptation to the pattern! It’s been fun to see so many rebel princesses pop up in the projects, I’m glad you love her. ❤

Pattern: Pretty Princess Lovey by Briana Olsen.

—–(( No.2 Washing Dots ))—–

Washers for the 2013 Annual Dishcloth Swap! The base for these came from a lacy baby hat pattern I was testing for Thomasina Cummings. I loved the look so much, I enlarged & rounded out the jasmine stitch pattern into a pretty 8” washcloth!

1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5

—–(( No.3 Nocturne Collar ))—–

Beautiful Tunisian crochet paired up with Misti Alpaca Lace, here are the pattern adjustments I used to create this romantic collar: Lace wt yarn (0) and 4mm cable Tunisian hook. Subtracted 96 sts off the starting ch amount. Worked rows 1-7, then jumped to row 17 (continue on and complete all rows as written) topped off with a vintage flocked velvet ladybug. (Finished size 20” x 4”)

Pattern: Summer Suite Scarf by Yuliya Tkacheva.

—–(( No.4 Headbands ))—–

Nothing says lazy warm days like a head full of wonderfully romantic flowers, helping tame my summer frizz!

Even Lex who wears a sweet bob cut, let me messy short bun and headband her hair! I am insanely jealous of her terrifically unfrizzy perfectly straight hair!

Pattern: Ultimate Headband Pack of Flowers and Lace by Two Girls Patterns.

—–(( No.4 Potholders ))—–

A few new photos of older potholder projects.

party on

We survived the graduation party mentally and physically! Everyone loved the chili in a bag, the root beer keg was AWESOME (& emptied) and the giant sour pickles were a huge hit too, but we are tired and so very glad we only have to do this once.

(Everyone was shocked to find out the chili was vegetarian, let me tell you, we make the absolute best homemade chili ..just sayin.)

The week before Alexa and I had great fun making huge tissue paper pom-poms and putting together large luminary stars, we lightly tinted them with fluorescent spray paint, I was the “holder” and Lex was the sprayer and somehow I ended up with an electric green and hot pink speckled arms! Dark pink, light pink and white gerbera daisies filled the window boxes, the old house has never looked so quaint and enchanting. It was such a treat visiting with all our guests, reminiscing about sweet little Alexa, it couldn’t have been more perfect! …well maybe if I would have remembered to take photos!

The only photo taken was after the party tear down, I am leaving my crocheted granny bunting up as a permanent “party” porch fixture ..at least until the squirrels eat it off!

The excellent granny bunting pattern is from here.

As an post party treat and for a bit of nostalgia, we took Lex to a arcade called Rusty Quarters and got our 80’s game freak on, Alexa took 2nd high score on BUST-A-MOVE and got slightly confused playing burgertime!

The flashing lights mesemerized us, the cheesy audio riffs made us laugh and the sweaty palm, wild flipper slaps made our hearts race! Instant flashbacks to a time when top scores drew a crowd and you would have to line your quarter up on the glass to claim your turn on the machine. Jason and I decided we really NEED to get a pinball machine! Neither one of us were wizards, but dang it was a fantastic afternoon of good cheap fun.

Do you remember when every town no matter how big or small had an arcade or at the very least a few machines in a dark corner!

not so secret garden

The air is heavy, we’ve had a very stormy grey (dotted with lovely patches of sunny) beginning to spring. All the extra moisture has made my hair super fuzzy, but also brings out the lush gardens.

© AMANDA OCHOCKI + chalklegs secret garden 1
© AMANDA OCHOCKI + chalklegs secret garden

Off the side porch, the walking path to the backyard is almost completely swallowed up by lilacs. I don’t know if they are extra fragrant this year, but it seems every room in the house is filled with their sweet scent.

To add to the romantic cottage in the woods feel, I made a giant outdoor doily blanket using the utterly gorgeous Anya pattern. I mostly did this to hide the fact that (because my porch furniture is nut-brown) the a-hole squirrels felt compelled to chew off all the back cushion piping! (total jerks)

 Welcome to our shabby granny porch, in our not so secret garden.

 ♥