Month: April 2014

Denim Purse Made From Jeans

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Sewing bags and purses is one of my favorite types of sewing projects.  Recently I made this purse using old jeans – a pair of mine, a pair of my husbands and a pair of one of my sons – to create this fun purse that has a zipper closure and is fully lined.  I really like how this turned out and have been using it daily as my purse for at least a month now.  This was actually a project I had started back in the fall and finally got around to finishing it.  I don’t know why I waited so long as I am very pleased with how it turned out.

denim purse made with old jeans from Kimberlees Korner

This purse is approximately 13 inches wide at the top, 10 inches wide at the bottom and 10 1/2  inches tall.  It has a nice size outer pocket on the one side and I just did an embroidered letter for my name on the other side.  The pocket is perfect for my keys or for my cellphone.

Below is the information on how I made this if you are interested in creating your own.  One of the things I like about using the jeans and upcycling is that each time you make something it looks different because of using various colors and weights of denim.

Supplies for project:

  • 3 pairs of jeans in different shades of denim
  • cotton fabric for lining – approx. 1/2 yard
  • 1 denim zipper at least 20 inches long or longer
  • thread for sewing the bag and decorative thread for embroidery design and topstitching if desired
  • denim sewing machine needles – size 90 or 100
  1. Cut 6 pieces of denim from jeans 13 inches long by 6 inches wide for outer bag (I cut 2 of these size pieces from each of the pairs of jeans)
  2. Cut 1 piece of denim for outer pocket 12 inches long by 6 inches wide – fold this in half to be 6 x 6 and press, topstitch the folded edge as desired
  3. Sew pocket to one of the denim panels using for the center by measuring  2 1/2 inches from one  end and draw chalk line – place the raw edges of the pocket on this line and sew using the edge of presser foot as a seam guide – press pocket up to enclose raw edge and topstitch lower edge of pocket using a decorative thread if desired or just your regular thread
  4. Embroider design or monogram on other center panel if you are doing this step – use a tear away backing to ensure quality embroidery
  5. Sew 3 panels together along 13 inch length to create one side of bag and repeat the process to create the other side of the bag – use 1/2 inch seam.    Make sure you have your pocket upright on the one center panel and catch the sides of the pocket in the stitching.  After sewing the panels together press them and then go back and topstitch them on the outer right and left sides of the panel
  6. Cut 4 strips of denim 26 inches long by 3 inches wide – you will use 2 for the straps and 2 for the zipper casing
  7. Cut 2 pieces from cotton fabric for lining approx. 16 1/2 inches wide by 13 inches long or by laying your denim panels that are sewn together over the cotton fabric and cutting that size – set aside for now
  8. For zipper casings – fold in and press 1/2 inch on each long end of strips and 1/2 on each short end  –  enclose zipper in 2 casing strips using a zipper foot and sewing close to zipper teeth  note – fabric is on either side of zipper tape, make sure you are catching the fabric on the lower side as you sew  Set this aside for now
  9. For straps – fold in 1/2 inch on ends of the other 2 strips and press – fold strips in half lengthwise and stitch with a 3/8 inch seam with right sides together  –  turn strips right side out and press – topstitch each side of strip – set these aside for now
  10. Bag and Lining –  Place each bag outer side right sides together with bag lining and sew around each side and top using a 1/2 inch seam allowance – leave lower portion open for turning right side out.  Do this for both sides, clip corners and turn right side out and press
  11. Place sewn zipper casing (centering zipper casing as it will be longer than your bag sections) on top of each bag top portion with denim side facing up – topstitch down each zipper casing attaching bag to zipper casing piecePlace Zipper Casing on top of bag section  Kimberlees KornerSewing Zipper casing to bag  Kimberlees Korner
  12. Open zipper – do not forget to do this! – Place bag sections right sides together and sew around bag sides and bottom – zig zag or serge bottom raw edges of bag.  To box corners match lower bottom seam to side seam and measure in 2 inches from corner and sew – turn bag right side out – tucking long zipper tails into bag – this makes a nice sturdy area to hold or pinch when zipping the bag open and closedSewing Bag together  Kimberlees Korner
  13. Place straps on bag 1/2 inch from zipper casing edge and 1/2 inch from panel seam – use a narrow zig zag or bar tack type of stitch to sew down on ends of straps that are folded in 1/2 inch

That’s it – your bag is all done and ready to use.  You could also choose to put pockets on the inside of the bag but I never use them since I use my purse organizer.

inside view of chevron lining denim purse  Kimberlees Korner

The fabric that I used for the lining is a fun chevron fabric that I got at Fabric.com.  I also got the same fabric in a different color way and made a top from that.  I think I have enough of the fabric left from my bag lining to make another top or maybe a short skirt.  I am putting the link to their site if you are interested in ordering anything from them – they offer free shipping on orders over $35.00 and have really great fabrics for reasonable prices.

Orders of $35 & up Ships Free.

I am currently working on sewing some skirts and tops for spring and summer.  What projects are you working on?  Click on Leave a Reply and tell me about them.

KimberleeDenim Recycled Jeans Purse from Kimberlees Korner

 

Working Out Week 17 of 2014

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This week was a really busy week for me – I can not believe it is almost May…  The workout schedule this week was still the Cathe Friedrich April rotation – week 4 of the rotation.  The schedule I completed was as follows:

  • Monday – Athletic Training Leg Cardio Mix -35 min. + Ab Circuits Weights & Plates 19 min
  • Tuesday – All Out Low Impact Hiit (Xtrain series) – 39 min.
  • Wednesday – Legs and Glutes – Great Glutes timesaver 4 – 46 min.
  • Thursday – Cardio Kicks – Cardio Supersets (LIS series) – 41 min.
  • Friday – Power Hour – Circuit Blast – 44 min.
  • Saturday – Yoga Max – premix 1 – 32 min.

The ones listed above that have a strike through are ones I do not have so I subbed in another one that I figured would be similar.  Below are photos from this past weeks schedule:Athletic Training workout  Kimberlees Korner

Ab Circuits & Cat photo  Kimberlees Korner

Monday was the longest session of workouts this past week since there were two on that day.  My cat was once again supervising my efforts.  I guess watching me working out tired him out because after taking my three sons to school I came back home and couldn’t find him – he usually comes out to greet me when I get home from somewhere.  I had not yet put away my fitness gear and went in the living room to do that and here he was sleeping among the weights, discs, weighted gloves and mat.  He just loves those slide and glide discs – every time I have them out he sits near them.

Circuit Blast Workout  Kimberlees Korner

Circuit Blast workout Box Jumps

Circuit Blast is a challenging workout using the long step 4 risers high and doing various cardio, weight and push up circuits for 44 minutes.  I can tell that doing P90X3 and T25 have given me a lot more stamina and strength.  I was able to complete all the box jumps – there are like 12 or 16 in a row – and all the various push up circuits without having to go to the knees like I used to for some of them.  I got a few cool photos of the box jumps too and was able to make the above collage – I thought that was neat.

I had my root canal (first one of those) on Wednesday and that went fine.  I think the anticipation and anxiety over having it done was worse than the actual procedure which took about an hour.  At least my tooth is feeling better now and I can eat on that side of my mouth without it hurting anymore.

I read something I thought was a good quote – motivation from a facebook friends post the other day.  It said:  FIT MOMS:  WE DON’T HAVE TIME, WE MAKE TIME.  Lisa Olson posted this and she has a great facebook page called Live Life Be Active, that I follow.

I feel like the above statement is true for anyone who is committed to working out and making sure they get it done 5 to 7 days a week.  I don’t have an extra hour every day to workout I just choose to get up earlier than the rest of my family and get it done.  I think that everyone nowadays is busy and if you are serious about getting fit and being healthy then you have to make the time to Get IT Done!  Once you make fitness a habit and stick with it that just becomes part of who you are and what you do.  There are a lot of workouts out there that only take about 30 minutes of your time or you can even just start walking for 25 to 30 minutes a day.  My husband has started doing this 10,000 steps a day commitment with a program through his work and I can tell he has lost some weight and he seems to be sleeping better and feel better.  Exercise has so many great benefits.

Well, I hope everyone has had a good week and got in some type of exercise.  I would love to hear about your current workout program – click on Leave a Reply and tell me about it.

Kimberlee

 

Crochet Yoga-Pilates Strap

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If you do yoga or pilates then you know that sometimes there is a need for a strap or belt for some of the poses or exercises.  Basically this is a long piece of sturdy fabric.  I have a really old purple canvas type of belt that I believe came with a yoga dvd I bought years ago.  I decided it would be fun to crochet my own – this is what I came up with:

Crochet Yoga Pilates strap pattern   Kimberlees Korner

To make this strap you will need cotton yarn – 2 skeins, and a size US K crochet hook.  I just used some leftover yarn from other projects so you will not need the whole 2 skeins – this is a great project to use up some yarn you have laying around.  I have written up a pdf pattern that you can download with directions on how to.  Click on the highlighted text to take you to the pattern.  Crochet Yoga or Pilates Strap Pattern from Kimberlees Korner

I really like how this strap turned out and have used it a couple of times in the past week or two.  It is super easy and fast to crochet.  The cotton yarn makes this yoga strap nice and soft and washable, too.  It would be a great gift for any person you know that does yoga or pilates.   I have a few people in mind that I will be making some for as gifts.

Here are some of the exercises you can do with this strap:

Crochet Yoga Strap Exercises  Kimberlees Korner

There are lots of other exercises you can do, these are just a few to give you an idea.  This strap is also a great stretching and flexibility tool which is what I was using it for in the photos as I did this after doing a cardio and ab workout.  I normally do yoga or pilates without my shoes on.

I hope you enjoy the pattern.  I am currently working on a couple of new knitting patterns that I will be sharing soon.  What projects are you working on?

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

 

Finished Knit Shawl from KAL

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I mentioned in my post last week that I was participating in a KAL – Knit Along – with a facebook knitting group.  Well , I got my shawl finished and blocked over the weekend and was able to wear it on Easter to church – I was so excited!

April KAL Nympalidea Shawl  Kimberlees Korner

 

This shawl was a lot of fun to knit and I believe it only took me about 2 1/2 weeks to finish it.  I worked on it a little bit each day but I think there were a couple of days that I didn’t get any knitting done on it.

The pattern is a free pattern on Ravelry – click on the highlighted text to take you to the pattern.  When I first looked at the pattern I was thinking it was going to be really hard and involved but once I started knitting and made myself a chart to follow along it was really pretty simple.  If you can knit, purl, yo – yarn over, k2tog – knit 2 stitches together – then you should be able to knit this shawl.  If you click on the highlighted text chart to follow it will give you the pdf chart I made that will help you keep track of your rows once the pattern is established and you are just repeating the welt and wedge D.

Below is a back view of the shawl – it has rows of welts and wedges of short row shaping that make this pretty design on the back.

Back of Shawl for April KAL  Kimberlees Korner

I was also so happy to discover that it coordinated well with this new skirt I had just made a week ago.  Even my husband noticed how well they went together and commented on that when we were walking in to church Easter morning.

The yarn I used to make this shawl was just some yarn I had in my stash.  I used one skein of Yarn Bee Snowflake Wool Blend – 247 yards and one skein of Loops & Threads Payette – 216 yards.  I will say that I could have used a few more yards of both yarns as I had to finish with one less round of welts and wedges but it was long enough for me.  Below is a photo of how much yarn I had left:

yarn left from knitting shawl  Kimberlees Korner

I am looking forward to making another one of these shawls soon.  Right now I am working on a couple of other new shawl-wrap designs and I also just finished a crochet project that I will be sharing a tutorial for on my blog very soon.  What projects are you currently working on?  Click on Leave a Reply and tell me about them.

Have a great day!Nymphadelia Shawl knit by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner

Kimberlee

Working Out Week 16 of 2014

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This week I continued with my workout schedule of the Cathe Friedrich April rotation of workouts.  I have continued to challenge myself to do the entire workout dvd instead of a shorter premix this past week.  I did pretty good at the beginning of the week but toward the end of the week I did have to do a couple of the shorter premixes due to time constraints in my schedule.  I got up early every day so I could do the whole dvd but there were a couple of days that my kids had to be to school earlier than normal so I had to shorten the workout time a little.

The schedule for the past week was as follows:

  • Monday – Cardio Leg Blast – Xtrain series – 56 minutes
  • Tuesday – Pyramid Upper Body  Total Body Trisets – Upper Body – 55 minutes
  • Wednesday – Bootcamp (original dvd) – 60 minutes
  • Thursday – Tabatacise (minimum 35 min) – premix 3 tabatas + core – 42 minutes
  • Friday – MMA Boxing  Rockout Knockout premix 1 – 38 minutes
  • Saturday – Lower Body Blast  Yoga Relax premix 1- 28 minutes

The above workouts that are crossed out are the ones on the actual rotation but I don’t own those so I subbed in ones I have that were similar.

cardio leg blast  Kimberlees Korner

As you can see from above my cat loves the step – he didn’t seem to want to move off of it very much until I started doing some serious jumping on it – which there is a lot of is this cardio blast workout.  This workout – Cardio Leg Blast  – is a lot of fun and the time flies by.  I did manage to complete the entire 56 minutes without collapsing!

Cathe Total Body Trisets Upper Body workout  Kimberlees Korner

I don’t have Pyramid Upper Body on dvd – only VHS and I don’t have that hooked up anymore so I subbed in another workout from the Low Impact Series – Total Body Trisets – Upper Body.  The workout consists of a rotation of 3 different exercises for 3 different muscle groups like back, bis and core that you do 2 sets of.  I like this workout because it is effective and it uses the exercise ball with weights which I really like a lot.  One of my favorite core exercises is the ball exchange as seen in the lower right photo.

Rockout Knockout Workout  Kimberlees Korner

Rockout Knockout is a new Cathe workout that I just got back in October of 2013.  I don’t own the MMA boxing so I subbed in this one.  I really like this one but by the end of the week I was tired and just couldn’t bring myself to complete the entire dvd which is 55 minutes long so I did premix 1 which is 38 minutes and is the cardio kickbox and the cardio kickboxing with weighted gloves for the second half.  As you can see I had a little workout buddy again that didn’t want to move so I had to workout around him.  You would think with all the kicking and punching I was doing he would get nervous and move but not him…He did decide to get up toward the end when I had to do pendulum kicks (side to side).  I guess he thought I might get him then with my foot.  I really like this workout and how it gets your heart pumping and you sweat a lot.  It is a lot of fun with the various kick and punch combos.

New Nike trainers  Kimberlees KornerI broke in a new pair of shoes this week.  I actually got them a couple of weeks ago but hadn’t wore them yet.   They are Nike trainers.  They are the same style as my other Nike trainers but a different color.  It is amazing how after wearing these I realize how much my others have wore down (the inside cushioning, support) after only about 8 months.  I don’t want to give up my old ones yet though as I like the color combo and they are so comfortable.  I will probably alternate wearing them along with the Sketchers Go Fit shoes I got a couple of months ago and these new trainers.  I am getting to have quite the fitness shoe collection it seems.  I try and get them on sale though and for these new Nikes I had a $10.00 off coupon.

Well, next week will be week 4 of the April rotation of Cathe Friedrich workouts for me.  I may have to take a day or two off or sub in a couple lower impact workouts after Wednesday because I am having a root canal that day – not looking forward to that…  What are your workout plans for next week?  Click on Leave a Reply and let me know – I’d love to hear about them.

Kimberlee

Lace and Garter Infinity Knit Scarves

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Lately in addition to my craft and sewing projects I have been knitting a lot.  These lace and garter infinity scarves are one of my most recent designs that I have finished.

Pink Lace and Garter knit infinity scarf from Kimberlees Korner

Infinity Scarf knit by Kimberlees Korner

I really had a lot of fun knitting these by changing the stitch pattern and the yarn from a solid color yarn to a multi color yarn.  The pink one above can also be worn over the shoulders as a little mobius wrap.  The green version is a lot longer and can be wore long or doubled for warmth.  I just love accessories that can be worn different ways.

The pattern for these is a design of my own that I will be adding to my etsy shop soon and on craftsy.  The scarves themselves will be added to my gift collection.

Another knitting project that I am currently still working on is a shawl for a KAL through a knitting group that I belong to on facebook.  KAL stands for knit along, I believe.  I have never participated in one of these before and decided that I needed something new and different to challenge me with my knitting.  When I first saw the pattern called Nymphalidea – which is available free on ravelry (if you click on the highlighted link it will take you to the pattern) I was not sure I would be able to tackle it as it looked “involved”.  But one of the other ladies in the group assured me that once you got going it was pretty simple and it is.  If you can knit, purl, knit two together and yarn over you can make this shawl.

I am still working on my Nymphalidea shawl – below is a photo of progress I made on the first day of starting it.  I am much farther along now and I will share my finished shawl in the next week or two on my blog.  Some of the ladies in the group have finished theirs and they are just beautiful.  I can’t wait to see how mine will turn out.

KAL project Nymphalidea shawl April 2014  Kimberlees Korner

I have also started a new crochet project that I will be sharing a short tutorial for (if it turns out) on my blog soon.  What projects are you currently working on?  Click on Leave a Reply and let me know.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Working Out Week 15 of 2014

This week my workouts were all Cathe Friedrich workouts using her various dvd’s that I own.  I have decide to follow her April rotation of workouts for the rest of this month since I am all done with P90X3.  I really enjoyed and toned up so much using P90X3 but I have missed my Cathe workouts.

I began this week with the second week in the April rotation since I missed the first week.  I did have to substitute a workout or two for the month with a different one since I didn’t have a few of them.  I did end up ordering a couple more of her dvd’s at the beginning of the week and got them by Thursday so I was able to use one of those for Friday – Cross Fire.  Below was my schedule this past week:

  • Monday – Flex Train – 57 minutes
  • Tuesday – Hard Strikes (Xtrain series) – 47 minutes
  • Wednesday – Party Rockin Step – 46 min premix
  • Thursday – Afterburn (Low Impact Series) – 54 minutes
  • Friday – Cross Fire – 55 minutes
  • Saturday – Yoga & Foam Roller stretching – 15 minutes

I did not do the workout on the schedule for Saturday which was Supercuts.  I decided after this hard schedule this past week I needed a little break and my oldest son had to be at a band tryout for school at 7 am.

My goal for this week was to try and do all of the workouts in their entirety which is something I don’t always do with the Cathe workouts since there are so many premixes that offer shorter versions of the workouts.  The premixes are still tough but just shorter – like 25 to 40 minutes versus 45 to 60 minutes.  I am so pleased that I was able to do all of the workouts in their entirety except for the Party Rockin Step – I did  a version that was 10 minutes shorter that day.

Party Rockin Step Workout  Kimberlees Korner

Cross Fire was a new workout for me that I had not done yet.  It was HARD!  Lots of cardio circuits and tabatas with and without weights.  You even had to do speed skaters with 3 pound dumbbells – that was a lot hard than doing them without the weights.  I enjoyed this workout a lot and look forward to doing it again – maybe not the entire 55 minutes, though.

cathe cross fire workout  Kimberlees Korner

 

My cat loves Cathe workouts, too.  He especially loves those slide and glide discs – whenever I have them out he sits by them.

Below is a photo of the front and back of my shirt after the Cross Fire workout.  I have not sweat that much in a while – maybe since T-25 or a Cathe workout I did back in the fall.

cathe cross fire  Kimberlees Korner

 

I also decided to get a foam roller this week.  A few people in my facebook fitness group have them and really like them.   I came across a workout in an older Shape magazine I had and that reminded me that I still hadn’t gotten one yet.   I was recycling some magazines and before I get rid of them I like to go through and rip out the articles, or workouts, I want to save and then I store them in 3 ring binder.

Foam Roller   Kimberlees Korner

I used the foam roller and the workout a couple of evenings this past week and on Saturday morning.  I have been walking in the evenings a few times a week with my husband in our neighborhood and this foam roller routine is great after walking.  It really stretches your muscles.

I will be continuing on with my Cathe workouts using week 3 of the April rotation next week.   If you are not familiar with her workouts they are lots of fun and always very challenging.  I also really like that you can see 5 to 10 minute clips of the dvd on her website so you know what you are getting.  I have been using her workouts since 2006 after my sister-in-law told me about them.

I hope everyone had a great week.

Kimberlee

Simple Burlap Easter Wreath

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This wreath idea was something I came up with after seeing all the fun and pretty spring and Easter wreaths on pinterest.  I have actually had this 4 inch roll of burlap ribbon that I got at Hobby Lobby a couple of months ago and it was time to use it for something.

Burlap Easter Wreath  Kimberlees Korner

This wreath is super simple and easy to make.  I think you can easily make one in 45 minutes or less.  Here is what you need to make one:

Supplies:

  • 1 wired frame wreath whatever size you choose – mine was smaller as I wanted it for the back door that we go in and out of a lot
  • 1 roll 4 inch wide burlap ribbon
  • 1 package small plastic easter eggs
  • 1 chenille stem to fasten bow
  • glue gun

Step 1:  Wrap burlap around wire wreath, overlapping edges as you go – glue at back when get to where you began to secure

Step 2:  Glue plastic eggs onto burlap in desired areas – leaving an open area where the burlap overlaps for your bow

Step 3:  Make a bow with the burlap ribbon and secure to wreath with chenille stem – do this where burlap is glued to cover

Step 4:  Glue a plastic egg in middle of bow to hide chenille stem- you could glue more than one if you wanted to

That’s it – you are done – find a place to hang your new wreath and admire it!

Note:  For hanging purposes you may not want an egg in the top center – mine is hanging a little off center because I glued one there – but it doesn’t bother me.

Burlap Easter Wreath  Kimberlees Korner

Below you can see a better view on the door of the size and how small it is.  I didn’t want a really big wreath because we go in and out this door to our patio a lot.  Also, for the purpose of storing the wreath I think this will fit in my Easter storage box that goes in the attic.

back door Easter egg wreath made with burlap  Kimberlees Korner

I hope everyone is having a great start to the second week in April.

Kimberlee

Working Out Week 14 of 2014

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Week 14 of 2014 – and the final week, week 13, of P90X3 is complete for me!  I am so pleased with myself for accomplishing this 90 day program that I began in January of 2014.

The workouts for this past week were only for 5 days and not 6 as in the past.  The final weeks workouts were:

  • Monday – Isometrix
  • Tuesday – Accelerator
  • Wednesday – Pilates X
  • Thursday – X3 Yoga
  • Friday – Dynamix

Below are my final photos from the program:

P90X3 Week13 Isometrix  Kimberlees Korner

I really love the Isometrix workout and I was so glad we got to do that one in the final week.

Accelerator wk13 P90X3  Kimberlees Korner

Accelerator was the final cardio workout for the week.  I have missed doing this one as it had not been in the rotation for the past 4 weeks.

P90X3 Last day photos Dynamix  Kimberlees Korner

Dynamix was the final workout on Friday.  A great total body workout to end the P90X3 program in my opinion.

My overall assessment of this workout program is that it is an excellent program that gives you a wide variety of workouts and you will see results if you stick with it.  I committed and stayed with the program for the full 13 weeks – even taking it with me on my spring break trip – and can tell you I have achieved positive results.  My body is much more toned than it was before.

I have been working out regularly for the past 10 years so I was not going for a total body makeover and weight loss.  My reason for doing this program was because it looked interesting, fun and challenging and it was all of those and more for me.  The program really increased my fitness level and I lost a total overall of 4 1/4 inches.  I don’t own a scale so I don’t know about the amount of weight I lost.  I do know my clothes fit a little loose and I even have a couple of pairs of shorts that were snug around the waist and aren’t anymore.  I have also noticed that my core and back are so much stronger and toned than before and my arms and shoulders are much more defined, too.  My hips have had the greatest weight loss of 1 inch as well as my thighs that have gone down 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.

This program works – so if you are interested in learning more you can click on the link in the sidebar.  Also, my tips for success in staying with it are:

  • Write down or post the calendar they give you and commit to doing it every day 6 days a week
  • Do your workout out in the morning before the rest of your family gets up – its only 30 minutes so you just set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier and DO IT!  Sleep in your workout clothes if you have to…
  • Get a friend or family member to do it with you and hold each other accountable
  • Join a facebook fitness group and participate in posting your fitness journey – this is a great motivator, in my opinion
  • Make sure you include a healthy eating plan when doing the program for increased success and results

As far as dieting goes I DO NOT diet.  I just choose to workout and eat healthy.  While doing this program I did increase my intake of protein by including protein shakes and foods that are higher in protein.  I also tried to eat a high fiber diet – which is something I try and do anyhow.  I do enjoy eating dessert a few times a week – in small portions.  There are some great websites and recipes you can get from pinterest for healthy foods and meal planning.  If you are going to make the commitment to workout you also need to make the commitment to eat a healthy diet and you will see amazing things happen to your body in 13 weeks.

I read this book recently called “7 Days to a Positive Attitude.”  I got it on sale at Barnes and Noble, it is a Blue Mountain Arts book.  Anyhow – there is a great paragraph in there about half way through the book about measuring your progress:

“It’s easy to get discouraged when you compare yourself to those who seem to have gone so much farther down the road you’re traveling.  Remember that we’re each on our own individual journey to a unique destiny – not competing in a race to see who arrives first.  So measure progress by your own milestones.  Keep your spirits upbeat and your heart full of hope – because you’re on your way to a beautiful destination.”

I really like this quote and I think it just reminds us that each of us is different and that life has its ups and downs.  You need to measure your own progress and results and not compare yourself to others and you will be much more successful in all you do.

Well now that I am done with P90X3 I plan to go back to using my Cathe Friedrich dvd’s and Exhale Core Fusion dvd’s.  I have created a schedule for myself alternating the weeks with them.  I will plan to do P90X3 again in the future but I will probably just make up my own routine using the dvd’s I enjoy the most.  I also realized that in the Lean schedule that I chose to do that two of the dvd’s were not used so I need to go back and try those out sometime in the near future.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Kimberlee

Knit Triangle Shawl

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This is one of my recent knitting projects that I completed.  I knit this triangle shawl in Lion Homespun yarn so it is nice and cozy.  Homespun yarn is one of my favorites to use to create soft and warm accessories or sweaters.  It is one of my go to yarns in the winter months so I always buy it when it is on sale so I have a stash on hand for when a new idea strikes me.

Knit Shawl made by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner

I really like how my new design came out.  I got the idea for making this after watching some of the craftsy class Sweetheart Knit Shawls.  So far I have still only watched a few of the videos but seeing how to knit a triangle shawl gave me this idea to design my own.  I just wanted a basic knit shawl and not a lot of fancy stitches for this one.  I did do an openwork stitch at the lower edge though.Lower edging on triangle knit shawl from Kimberlees Korner

I knit this shawl on larger needles size 13 needles so it knit up pretty fast.  I am going to be making another one in a different color of Homespun with possibly a different lower edging – I haven’t decided yet.

Back of Triangle Knit Shawl from Kimberlees Korner

This shawl has gotten some good use from me so far.  I took it to Florida with me a few weeks ago and wore it there in the evening.  I also wore it to church the other day.  It is nice to take with me in the car in case I find myself in a cool environment and then I have something warm to wrap around me.  I have also just wore it around my house when I am a little chilly.

The craftsy class Sweetheart Knit Shawls so far is a great class.  I need to go back and finish watching the rest of it as I always learn some new and helpful info from all the craftsy classes I have taken.  There are three shawl designs you can make from the class but I have not attempted any of them yet.  They are all very pretty designs.  You can click on the craftsy class link to learn more about craftsy knitting classes if you are interested.  I have also purchased another lace knitting class Lace Knitting:  Basics and Beyond with Eunny Jang but have not started watching that one yet.  A friend of mine also purchased it and we thought it would be fun to take it and discuss what we have learned.

Online Knitting Class

I am currently knitting a new lace and knit mobius wrap and just finished a couple of mobius cowls.  I will be sharing those on my blog soon so be sure to subscribe via bloglovin, email or RSS to receive future blog posts.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee