Golf Stroke Counters

Anyone who has played golf with me knows that words like "birdie" and "par" rarely apply to my score card. For those of us who need more than a handful of hits, stroke counters are handy little tools. I've tried the clicker style counters, but they are for counting a whole game, and are very difficult to reset for every hole, which is the way I like to score. I've even tried a digital counter, but one surprise rainstorm put an end to that!

Last summer at my local ladies golf league, I won a pin-prize that included a beaded stroke counter. It was genius! I can hook it with a half-hitch to my belt loop, and slide the little beads one at a time to help me keep track of my strokes. As with most little craft items, I took one look at it and thought, "I can make that."

This summer I did. I made a second one for myself, and also made one for my mom and all my ladies league team members!




I bought a big package of red, white, and blue beads and some elastic cord. The beads are strung "X" style, so they can slide easily but stay securely where you put them.



Each counter has ten counting beads and one handle bead to help with the hooking and unhooking. (When you run out of beads, you know to pick up your ball and move on!) It's a simple little solution, and I wish I could claim it as my own, but I did "borrow" the design. Just another little craft thing that keeps my hands busy. Anything to distract me from doing the dishes! Enjoy your summer!

Mommy bracelets

As a new mommy, I totally understand the "mommy brain" phenomenon. The one where you can barely remember your own name, much less what time it was when the baby ate last! I saw some nursing bracelets for sale, and the design was so simple that I wanted to try to make my own. Mine are of course a little different, but I think they turned out pretty cute!

These are made with beads on memory wire so they are simple for nursing mommies to move from one arm to the other to help track where baby fed last. There are numbered beads and little charms to keep track of baby's feeding times and number of diaper changes. Plus, the modern beads are pretty cute! I used mine so much the numbers are wearing off the beads, but these two are destined for some mommy-to-be friends of mine.

Coming soon: (Also known as: the stuff I've started but haven't finished yet!)

• My kids' Halloween costumes (a mermaid and a skunk)
• A pair of socks I'm knitting with some fabulous soy yarn
• Baby booties (for those new babies mentioned above!)
• Cloth diapers