Book Review: Crochet Animal Rugs Over 20 Patterns!!!

CROCHET ANIMAL RUGS Over 20 Crochet Patterns for Fun Floor Mats and Matching Accessories

by Ira Rott

My newest hobby (obsession) is crocheting so when presented with the opporunity to review this fun crochet book I jumped at the chance. This book is packed with pictures and detailed instructions that even I can follow. I am started on my first project & am zooming right along. I will post pictures when I finish my rug. Patterns includes coordinating rugs, pillows, bags, place mats, and more. Filled with adorable animals such as kitty, panda, monkey, crab, dinosaur, giraffe, elephant - you will find a few you want to make. Keep reading to learn more. 

After Ira Rott’s elephant rug pattern went viral in June 2016, there was a huge spike of interest in the pattern and its designer. Now with thousands of followers on YouTube and Pinterest, fiber artist Ira Rott is sharing over 20 designs for Animal Rugs and Accessories in CROCHET ANIMAL RUGS pattern book. 

Each rug design is accompanied by a matching pillow design and a smaller accessory to continue the theme. Get creative and transform your child’s room—with decor your kids will adore—into a magical modern bedroom inspired by animals with accessories ranging from security blankets to stool covers, bed book tidies, placemats and toy bags.   Crochet rugs are the perfect place for your children to read and play. The book features 21 animal-themed patterns. Choose from an amazing elephant, a sweet giraffe, a cute cat, a fun-loving monkey, a cool crab, a friendly dinosaur and a rock-star panda! You can decorate a child's room or nursery with items from this book and spend only a few evenings making each piece.

About the Author
Ira Rott is a knitting and crochet designer based in Canada. She began learning her skill from her mother and grandmothers when she was in middle school. This wonderful tradition has been passed on from generation to generation in Ira’s family, and has become her passion through design. She loves working with yarn and other fibers to express her ideas. She sells her designs through Etsy and Ravelry, and her own website. This is her first book.

Available for purchase on Amazon: CROCHET ANIMAL RUGS

I received samples of these products to review. I was in no other way compensated for my honest reviews. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Please see my disclosures page for details. Do not copy, in whole, or in part any portion of any postings on my blog. Do not repost my content on any other site without my explicit consent. All of my postings belong solely to lindsey8.blogspot.com.

Scotch Duct Tape is Hosting a Back-to-School Craft Contest

Scotch Duct Tape is hosting a Back-to-School contest that asks teens to create an original back-to-school craft with duct tape and submit a photo that shows how they’re going back to school in style for a chance to win $1,000. The Tape On Back-to-School contest just launched and lasts until August 18^th on the Scotch Facebook page. Teen Vlogger, Sarai Jones, will be judging the contest and has a created a fun video with locker decorations for inspiration. The contest will include prizes for the top four winners with first place receiving $1000, second place receiving $500 and third and fourth place receiving $250.  Keep reading to learn more about Scotch Duct Tape and see my nieces cute creations! I got a cute teal, a fun geometric design, SUPER CUTE rainbow monkeys, and Monster High!

If you havent made your own fun Scotch Duct Tape creations, surely you have seen and heard about this newest craze. From prom dresses, wallets, pens, hair flowers, you think it- Duct Tape can help you create it! Scotch Duct Tape comes in a huge variety of designs & colors - you will surely find a few you must have! We used their rainbow duct tape to make flowers for corsages last year for my birthday party & they were a huge hit! We also used the rainbow design to decorate up for the party!

My nieces were visiting when the Scotch Duct Tape package arrived at the house. We went straight to work with a craft project. Afterall, crafting with the family is a great way to spend quality time, bond, and have fun. We got creative and made quite a few fun items together. You can check out the Scotch website for a TON of fun duct tape project ideas. 

We got started right away with some fun projects. They made this cute bow pen. My niece covered the boring pen with Monster High duct tape, and then made a bow with some coordinating patterned tape. Next they moved on to the wallet. This one they had a lot of fun with. As you can see they made a window for my ID and slots for credit cards on the side. You see where my money would go -if I had any ;)....And finally a cute mustache key holder. Perfect for back to school. Hang your key on the mustache on the way in and grab it on the way out. No more, losing your key. And hey its super swag (or at least thats what the tweens tell me).

Scotch Duct Tape is a fun way to spend an afternoon with the family or your friends, crafting it up. Have fun, get creative and visit their website to check out the patterns and project ideas. Duct Tape makes crafting fun & easy! As you can see, there are a ton of options - have fun and get creative.

For More Information, Visit: 

Scotch Duct Tape on the web

Scotch Duct Tape on Facebook

Scotch Duct Tape on Twitter

Scotch Duct Tape on Pinterest

I received samples of these products to review. I was in no other way compensated for my honest reviews. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Please see my disclosures page for details. Do not copy, in whole, or in part any portion of any postings on my blog. Do not repost my content on any other site without my explicit consent. All of my postings belong solely to lindsey8.blogspot.com.

Angie Gorr's NEW Custom3 Fit Cardio & Strength Interval Circuit Review

Today's Review: Custom3Fit Cardio & Strength Interval Circuit
Angie Gorr, 2011 ***** (4.5 of 5 stars)

This is a 60 minute workout broken down into three 20 minute circuits. You can play the whole thing straight through or break it down into a shorter w/o from the chapter menu. The dvd is superbly chaptered and you can select a circuit, a cardio portion, or a strength segment to fit your needs. You will need dumbbells & an optional step for this workout. The 3 background exercisers perform various levels of each exercise so you can really work out at your own level along with one of them. They work out in a real gym.

Each circuit contains cardio, strength, & core work.You perform 3-4 cardio exercises, followed by 3-4 strength exercises, and finish with 2-3 core exercises. Each exercise lasts for 30 -60 seconds. Each exerciser starts with the lower intensity, but quickly move into their designated level- you repeat the circuits so you can easily jump right in the next time around.

Circuit One: Exercises variations include: hi knee run, squat or plyo squats, Mt climber or burppes, squats or squat off the bench adding a delt raise, balance front raise, ab twists, oblique side punches, & static lunges with bicep curls.

Circuit Two: Exercises variations include: skater add hi knee, overhead press 7 squat, lunge & shoulder raise, plank variations, weighted sit-ups, oh tri press, tri kickback variations, and static knee pulls or done on the step.

Circuit Three: Exercises variations include: side step or flying heel clicks, ham curl to butt kick runs, floor touch adding a hop, wide & hi rows with a static squat, back row & static squat, back flys, sit up & knee pulls, and pliet & bi curls.

This dvd truly offers a beginner, intermediate, and advanced workout all in one- just pick your modifier and dive in! Following the advanced exerciser and using moderate weights I got a great sweaty workout! Angie and friends use light weights but I found I could up the poundage (8-15 #'s) and still safely execute the exercises, and amp up my w/o. The strength work is very well rounded & I felt Angie hits all the muscle groups. She does a good job of changing up the tempo for variety & effectiveness. I received this dvd to review.

Weekend Crafts: Went to Stamp Camp with a friend. We made these cool projects. Stocking & gingerbread house are candy boxes, stocking card, turkey card w/ skittles, and a cool Christmas book- Im going to put Christmas pics of DH & I on the pages from years past & present. Fun fun! I think there was something else we did too- but Im not recalling now. If I remember I will post at a later date :)

Today's Tip: Tempeh For Your Health

Tempeh, a fermented soy food that looks like a bunch of beans with white stuff on them, is a great protein. “This type of soy is more digestible because it has been fermented,” says Jill Nussinow, a registered dietician and cooking teacher. Read more on Shape.

Today's LOLz:

Element Hatha & Flow Yoga For Beginners Review

Today's Review: Element Hatha & Flow Yoga For Beginners With Yoga Strap Kit

Tamal Dodge, 2011

This dvd has two 30 minute workouts on it and comes with a nice yoga strap. Tamal works out alone and the workouts are voiceover. Filmed overlooking the beautiful Pacific Oean providing lots of lush greenery and gorgeous views. You will use the strap for the Hatha routine but not the Flow routine.

Hatha: This routine focuses on increasing flexibility and dissolving stress. The poses are used to relax not invigorate. Exercises include: breath work, forward folds, inversion, 1/2 sun salutation, butterfly stretch, boat, down dog, seated lower body stretching, static core work, low back stretch, and concludes with a long corpse pose.

Flow: This routine focuses on building strength & stamina and is more active than the Hatha routine. Exercises include: Victorious Breath, cat cow, plank, chataranga, up & down dog, sun salutation A, chair, warrior 1 & 2, inverted bike, seated lower body stretches, lower back massage, and finishes w/ a long corpse pose.

I would rate the work intermediate but because he provides lots of great pointers & the names of the poses it is a great workout for beginners. The use of the strap in the Hatha routine helps you ease into and get the most out of the stretches provided. Tamal is a great instructor, providing plenty of great form pointers and cues very well. Solid yoga routine, not boring. Good for fans of yoga. Received this dvd to review.

Weekend Crafts:
Made these at stamping last weekend. The first one has a cool pop up type fold- it was supposed to be a Thanksgiving card but I dont really give out Thanksgiving cards so I subbed flowers for the leaves and then left the message box empty until I decide what Im going to do with it. Then 2 Christmas cards and the last one is an envelope- its actually really cute but hard to see here (you can click on the image to view larger). It will be good to put a giftcard in.

Today's Tip: Kefir for health
The idea of eating anything fermented doesn’t sound too appealing, but fermented foods like kefir have many benefits. “They offer probiotics and are commonly eaten in many indigenous diets,” says registered dietician. Read more on Self. 

Today's LOLz:

Dance Off the Inches Country Line Dance Party Review

Sunday: Had a friend over for another craft session. I made a few more folders and some more Christmas cards. And of course, had fun chatting & catching up. Heres the cards, I will post the folders another day (gotta space out my pics, you know...) The snowflakes are a die cut & the ornaments are stamped & punched.

Today: I feel a little better about the postal mishap I posted about yesterday but still havent heard back from my poor VF secret santa. I guess I will go out today & shop for new gifts for my poor Japanese family. Sigh, but I should be thankful that this is my most pressing issue in life.


Today's Workout:
-10 Minute Solutions Rapid Results Fat Burner
-Dance Off the Inches Country Line Party (20 min)


Today' s Tip: Rev Your Metabolism -Never Skip Meals

Eat six small meals a day to avoid blood-sugar spikes and minimize urges to binge. Try to schedule meals at the same time each day. If you feed yourself well throughout the day, you'll learn to understand when your body truly needs food. You can't starve yourself and expect to make good choices at the next meal. Need a few healthy lunch ideas?  More on Shape here.



Today's Review: Dance Off the Inches Country Line Dance Party
Amy Blackburn, 2010 **** (4 of 5 stars)

This is a 40 min country line dance cardio workout led by Amy with 2 b/g'ers (one is Jen Galardi) in a cute studio looking set. The girls are wearing county themed attire. The w/o is broken up into 3 dances that flow together well. The dvd is chaptered so you can play all or select which dance you want to do. There is also a learn the moves tutorial. You won't need any props for this w/o.

While I wouldnt say this is really TIFTing- it is built add on style. Amy teaches a move and then combines it with new moves to create an entire line dance routine. The moves are actually fairly easy to catch onto- but not so basic that theyre boring. I didnt do the moves tutorial and did pretty good! And Im not into country, dancing, nor line dancing.

After the warmup the first dance is "Scoot Those Boots" and includes moves such as the sweep step into a grapevine, a hip twist (tapping your heels w/ your hand), shuffle forward into a jack type move, tush push, knee knocks, and a kick move.

"Ride 'Em Cowboy" starts w/ a saddle up (scoot forward), hip bumps, a yee-haw (heel kick while hopping), switch stomps, rock step, kick step, and a hip roll w/ an overhead lasso.

"Brand New Boyfriend Boogie" starts w/ a a rock step-recover-coaster step, pivot step, Southern swing (swing step), crazy horse (pony & hop), a high impact heel dig, grapvine w/a heel-toe-heel-toe, and finishes with a cooldown.

This routine was actually a ton of fun- and like I said, Im no dancer and not into country. If you are- I think you are in for a huge treat! There were a few "yee-haw's" & Amy has a "country" accent, but I didnt feel overly-"countried." Amy's a good instructor, cues well, and keeps the moves fun but not complicated. I also like how she incorporates a few higher intensity moves into the line dances without disrupting the "county line dance" feel. I would rate this a low intermediate w/o that could easily be modified up or down to suit your needs. Great for days when you really want to have fun while you workout. I received this dvd to review from Anchory Bay Fitness.

Today's LOLz:

10.11.10: Back On The Workout Wagon! YAY!

Friday: I went to stamp club and made these 4 cards. Two Christmas, one Thanksgiving, and one birthday card. The one is a fireplace mantle-cute idea.

This weekend: We went camping a bit north of here. The weather was perfect! We went w/ 1 other couple on the motorcycles. We were able to stuff enough stuff in our saddle bags, and trunks to get our tents, sleeping bags, little blow up air matresses, pillows, food, a camp stove, etc. etc. Not bad at all!

Yesterday: I finally felt 100% not sick yesterday. So I am looking forward to a good w/o today! I got The Firm Tight Buns & Killer Legs w/ Kelsie- cant wait to try that. Will have to find something else to add to it but thats a start of a plan. I only got in only 3 w/o's last week before I got sick. Back on the wagon today though.

This week: And I swear I will have at least 1 dvd giveaway up this week. I had intended to last week but you know life got in my way...

Today's Tip: Foods That May Only Sound Healthy #5 Bran Muffins

Some bran muffins, even those sold at delis and coffee shops, are made with many healthy ingredients, but many UNhealthy ones as well. Another problem is portion size. A random sampling of some coffee and restaurant chain bran muffins showed that many topped 350 calories apiece, and that's before any butter or jam. The bran muffins at one popular chain bakery contain 600mg of sodium―roughly one-third of a day's maximum. If you want to save money and calories, bake your own. More on Cooking Light here.

Today's LOLz:



7.6.10: Long Weekends-Never Long Enough!

The Other Today: DH was sick all day on Saturday so we stayed in and I made these cards: The sunflower one has a little plastic bubble and you can fill it w/ anything, so sunflower seeds it was!

Today's Workout:

-Firm Rock Solid Abs
-Firm Rock it Off!
*total w/o time 60 min + stretch

Monday's Workout:
-Firm Speed Slimming Sculpt
*total w/o time 30 min + stretch

Sunday- Rest Day

Saturday's Workout:
-Firm Total Body Time Crunch*total w/o time 45 min + stretch

Today's Review: The Firm Total Body Time Crunch
Rebeckah Sturkie, 2007 ***** (4.5 of 5 stars)

This is a 45 min 50% sculpt and 50% cardio w/o led by Rebekah with 4 background exercisers. Emily provides the beginner modifications. The set is the hard wood floor, white brick walls with windows set. You will only need dumbbells for this workout.

After a warmup you move right into a strenght set. The workout alternates strength and cardio sets and ends with some lying chest work and an ab section. The strength work includes a lot of multi muscle moves that are put together nicely so the poundage works for all moves involved.

Examples of the strength work are: squat with bicep curls, overhead tricep extension with a squat, tricep extension with a toe tap, dip with chest work and a knee raise, side lunge, quad-star, and a nice kickboxing inspired segment that I really enjoyed.

Examples of the cardio include: hamstring curl, double step touch, plyos, and other basic athletic style cardio. The cardio sets were good-unique and fun w/out being complicated and she adds in ploys and other higher energy moves to get the heart pumping.

While I really like this workout, I wish it were a full 60 minutes. In only 45 minutes theres not quite enough strength work for me to consider my muscles fully worked. It works out fine because I just add on 15 minutes of strength work to fill my hour slot, but done alone, wouldnt quite be enough IMO. My only other complaint is I have a hard time choosing dumbbell poundage because she sometimes says light and I could easily use med or even heavy. But again, I do really enjoy the workout and Rebeckah is a great lead. Its fun and moves right along, gets my heartrate up nicely and is easy to follow. I would rate this a solid intermediate w/o.

Today's Bargains:
-I will be announcing TWO Fitness dvd giveaways this week (wootwoot). One will be on this blog (Fitness For The Rest Of Us) and one on my partner blog-Win, Lose, or Blog (stay tuned)
-Enter to win 1 of 4 $25 Cold Stone Creamery giftcards on Little Yaya's here.
-Enter to win Xtrema Ceramic Cookware on Review Retreat here.

Today's LOLs: from cakewrecks.com:

 ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom Phoenix cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes Phoenix birthday cakes, specialty birthday cakes phoenix)

10.23.09: Today's Workout & Almost Finished Blanket

Ok only 1 lb over normal. I would really like to start the holiday season at a deficit though....Next week I will be doing the original Barrys Bootcamp Academy series along w/ a VF check-in buddy. I say along w/ but I just mean we will both be doing it next week. She lives in NJ, so unfortunately we wont actually be working out together. These are some TOUGH w/o's!!!! Hoping to have some success w/ them next week :)

Today's Workout:
-Results 10 Days LB
-Jiggle Free Buns
*total w/o time-60 min + stretch


I am about 99% done w/ Buddy's blanket! It ended up HUGE (too big probably). I put a trim on almost all of it after I took this picture. I normally put a cute ruffle around the edges of these blankets but 1) its for a boy and 2) due to the size of this blanket (I hope) Buddy will continue to use it for a few year so I dont think he would appreciate a ruffle as a 3 year old toddler LOL. The trim is a darker green. I will post a finished pic of it in the near future...


 ( Custom cakes by Lindsey Lu. Phoenix custom cakes. Specialty Cakes Phoenix. Arizona custom specialty cakes. Specialty cupcakes phoenix. Custom Phoenix cupcakes  Phoenix wedding cakes Phoenix birthday cakes, specialty birthday cakes phoenix)