My (Very Own) Scentsy Website!

Did I mention that I now have my own Scentsy website for ordering directly online?  (You can also click on the Scentsy box on the right ---->

Here are some pictures of some adorable limited time products:

You don't have to host a party or wait for someone else to host a party.  You can just order online.  It's great for long distance relatives you might want to introduce to Scentsy.  You can also host a party using the website! Let me know you want to open a party and have your guests order through the website.  The delivery goes directly to them, but you get the hostess credits.  January is DOUBLE hostess credits so you get 20% store credit and 2 half price items for parties of $150 or more.

If you still would like the benefit of free shipping for the entire party as well as catalogs to give out to friends, let me know and we can open a party!  As always, the party can be an "in person" party in your home, or a "basket" party where I give you catalogs, order forms and samples to distribute.  They are great for introducing people who don't know Scentsy to the great scents and products!

Finally, all my commissions through September of this year go to funding Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux mission trip to Rome in December.  This choir of young people has been invited to sing at the Mass of Peace with Pope Francis on January 1, 2016!  For more information about Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux, visit its website (www.pcsbc.org)

Give me a call at (602) 430-4740 or send me an email at straddlingthegap@gmail.com to get started or just start ordering online.

Cindy

So What's Up With You?

I haven't been around these parts in a little while, but Straddling the Gap still lives.  The last 9 months have been occupied with fundraising, planning, stressing and looking for donors.  Why?  My husband's children's choir, Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux, is going to Rome at this time next year to participate in the International Congress of Pueri Cantores.  Huh?  We get to sing for Pope Francis on New Year's Day 2016!!

It's an amazing opportunity to join nearly 5,000 other children from all over the world singing together in the Catholic Church's official language - Latin.  We are the only group from Arizona that is going and we're very proud of our kids - ages 9 through 18.  So was it enough to have this enormous endeavor on his plate?  Oh no.  I volunteered to be the chairperson of a $150,000 development campaign to fund the trip.  Yikes!

It has been a whirlwind to say the least.  We've had some adventures in fundraising and learned about development campaigns.  We're still learning.  Daily.  Sometimes I think we are learning by osmosis - constantly absorbing.  It's been thrilling but frustrating.  Scary and exhilarating all at the same time.  And we're only halfway through.

This has left me with little time to write Straddling the Gap and I do miss it.  So, for 2015 I'm going to write about what I'm doing.  Unfortunately it's not much crafting or sewing, but our fundraisers are interesting.  Next time I'll tell you about our newest fundraising endeavor - we have a tiger by the tail and a trip for two on the line.

In the meantime, if you want to hear more about our choir, please visit our website at www.pcsbc.org or like Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux on Facebook.

Cindy

Fuzzy Pink Stashbuster Blanket!

I was clearing out some yarn and made this.  I really like it.  It makes me happy when I look at it.

It was so easy to make.  Just gather up a bunch of leftover yarn in similar colors.  I used regular worsted weight, bulky novelty yarn, fun fur yarn and bouncle yarn.  I combined them three strands at a time and just used single crochet.

Whenever I was tired of a particular yarn, I cut it and tied on a new one.  I didn't always wait until the end of the row and I didn't change out each of the three strands at the same time.  That kept the pattern fun and random.  The hardest part was the most basic problem of making an afghan - counting, counting, counting.  There were several times when I had to rip out rows of stitches because I miscounted and saw that telltale wavy side - yuck.

The specifics on this - chain 61 and 60 stitches per row.  It's 33" x 45" - kind of the size of a lap blanket.  This was really freeform, so I didn't make it to a certain size specification.  I'm going to be raffling this blanket as part of a raffle basket to benefit Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux youth choirs later this fall and I'll let everyone know when that is happening just in case you want to buy a raffle ticket.  Maybe it will be part of a "girly-girl" basket.

cindy