Airplane knitting

I don't really like travelling but I figured if I had to be on a plane all day then I might as well knit. So I wanted to find a project that would be pretty simple and not too big. I had bought this yarn awhile ago at Michael's on clearance because I liked the color but it was the only one so I figured I'd make a hat or something out of it. Then I noticed the pattern on the label and I thought why not make these wrist warmers instead of yet another hat (note, I am also crocheting another hat anyway!) These were really simple and quick- I finished one on a 5 hour flight! I started the other one on my next flight but that didn't work out so well- I'll just say the turbulence was bad and leave it at that! After a night of rest (and recovery from awful travel!) I managed to finish the second one today, and I have to say I really love them! They'll be great for keeping warm and being able to use my phone. Just think, I can wear them while blogging! You can find the pattern on Bernat's website, just search for wrist warmers- its the one that uses Bernat jacquards. I have to say that this experience gave new meaning to "adventures in crafting"! Well until next time...Happy Crafting!!!

Best book ever!

This week I finally got a copy of Martha's new Holiday Crafts book, and I am LOVING it! There are so many projects in there that I want to make- the biggest question is where to begin! I really like that the projects in the book aren't too intensive- most are only a paragraph long!- and you can find most of the supplies at Michael's or Joann's since they sell a lot of the Martha craft lines there.

There's a few Halloween crafts that I'd like to make but don't think I'll have time. Lately I've been wanting to make something in paper mache (it might have to do with the paper mache bat pinata that Martha made a few weeks ago!) I really like these jack-o-lanterns but I was thinking about just making it into a plain pumpkin instead. Maybe I'll paint it white or glitter it, or cut the top off and fill it with some fall flowers. Again, the possibilities are endless! But first, I must finish up a few of my other projects. Until next time... Happy Crafting!!!

my Missoni

I've always been a fan of bright (and slightly wacky!) prints and designs, so of course, when Target released their Missoni line, I immediately fell in love! While I think some of the clothes were a bit much (too much zig-zagging for most sizes!), I loved their accessories. Note: I have a slight addiction to accessories (scarves, hats, bags, etc. etc). So of course, as a knitter I immediately thought, I could so make my own- and in the colors that I wanted! So here's what I came up with: The first pic is a hat I made and loved the colors so much (and had leftover yarn still!) so I decided to make some matching gloves. I cheated a little by knitting only the cuffs and attaching them to store-bought gloves (from where else, but the dollar store!) The really great thing about these projects is that since there's a lot of striping going on, they're a great way to use up your yarn stash. I love any project where I can use what I already have and resist the temptation of another trip to the craft store! The next pic is of the first hat that I made. I used similar colors to the real Missoni hat that I saw at Target (pic on the right). I think I like mine better (less pink!)

I saw the pattern for this vase cozy on the Caron newsletter. They too, decided to get in on the Missoni craze. I decided to make mine a little more autumn-ish, and to add a few felt flowers that I made. I already had the vase, the branches, the wire stems for the flowers, and lots of leftover felt, so this was another thrifty project!  The last pic is of some pillows that I made.I found this great fabric and I only needed 1/2 yard of fabric to make two pillow covers (for, of course, pillows that I already had!). I had seen similar Missoni pillows at Target for $30 each (mine cost under $1 each!) Being crafty rocks!! I've had a blast making my own Missoni accessories and now find myself looking around the house for other things that I can Missoni-ize! Until next time... Happy Crafting!!!



Halloween blocks tutorial

I've been seeing these decorative blocks all over the place so I thought, how can I make these an upcycled craft instead of having to cut wood blocks. Here's what I came up with using what I had around the house. The only thing I bought was the Halloween paper- which was on sale at Michael's last week- and only cost me $1! I love super bargain crafting!! I'm pretty new to doing tutorials so I hope this makes sense. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Step 1: Gather your supplies. You'll need some Halloween paper, 2 sheets of solid paper (for back), boxes (i used frozen dinner boxes because they seemed to be a good size), mod podge (or glue), a paintbrush, scissors, a jack-o-lantern picture, and some letters

Step 2: I placed the box in the center of one of the sheets of paper (which will be the background) and cut out the corners. I covered the front of the box with mod podge (watered-down a little), smoothed out any air bubbles, and then did the same for the sides of the box. The picture on the right is what the front of the block should look like.

Step 3: Now it's time to cut out any shapes or borders that you want to decorate your blocks with. I cut apart the striped Halloween paper and used the different stripes for borders and as a background for my letters. I found the template for the jack-o-lantern online (try googling pumpkin templates or clip art for one). I traced the template onto some printed paper and cut it out. I originally printed out letters to use but they were too small to cut out, so I improvised by cutting letters out of an old magazine to spell out happy halloween. I actually like the way these letters look a lot better than my original idea!

Step 4: Here's where it all comes together! I brushed the mod podge on the back of the borders, the letters, and the jack-o-lantern pieces and placed them on the blocks. I let them dry for a little bit and then brushed two more coats over the entire front and side surfaces of the block.

Step 5: To finish the back (and cover the part of the box that the patterned paper didn't cover) I cut out a piece of solid paper that was about a little smaller than the box (about a 1/2" less on all sides than the size of the box). I attached it with mod podge, let it dry, and then brushed another coat over the back of the box.

Step 6: Ta-da! They're finished! All that's left is to find a place for them, and maybe add a pumpkin or two! Here's a link to make this little pumpkin- it's super cute and only took about 5 minutes to make!
http://eastcoastmommyblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/5-minute-felt-pumpkin.html
I really love the way these blocks turned out, and the best part is that they're lightweight and small- perfect or storing! Well, actually the best part about them is that they were an upcycled craft. Really, who would ever guess that these were made from frozen dinner boxes! Hope you enjoyed my tutorial and it inspires you to make your own. These would be great for any holiday, kids' names, favorite sports teams, etc., etc. The possibilities are endless! Until next time...Happy Crafting!!!

catching up

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, but I've been working on a million different projects (as usual) which I'm finally finishing up on. Here's a couple for today.  The first pic is of these adorable little skeleton guys- I'm loving them!! Note, I made two different sizes-the joys of enlarging patterns! The most difficult/ time consuming part of this project was cutting out all the little bones. There was only minimal hand sewing, and the rest was glued. I did sew the edges on the sewing machine though (much quicker!) I found the pattern in a free download from http://www.babylock.com/. You have to sign up for their newsletter in order to get the download, but he was too cute to pass up! There were some other fun patterns in there too, but since I'm not great with the sewing... lol.

I also finished the Halloween garland that I had started a while ago. I saw this idea on several different sites, but you can customize it however you want. I found shapes to use as templates by doing a google search (ex. bat, ghost, pumpkin, candy corn, etc). Just print, cut, sew (and stuff them a little), glue to the ribbon, add some bows, and you have your very own Halloween garland! This craft could also be adapted for kids by using paper instead of felt.

The last pic is of these cutie little owls! I actually bought the kit at Michael's. I fully admit it was in with the kids crafts, but I find it hard to resist anything with super cute owls!- especially when they have googly eyes! lol. Just an FYI to any other owl-lovers out there, Target has some pretty cute and funky owl stuff in their dollar section right now, and yes, I did buy some! So much crafting, so little time! I'm working on some upcycled Halloween crafts that I will do tutorials for (or at least try my best to- and I promise pics this time!) I will also be posting some other fun projects this week inspired by a recent craze over a certain designer. Hmmm, any guesses? That's it for now, so until next time... Happy Crafting!!

snowmen!!- and they're ready for some football!!

I found this pattern for these little crocheted snowmen in a craft magazine and thought they were too cute so of course, I had to make one- which turned into a few, and then a few more!lol. I love snowmen, and they are one of the few things that I collect (along with owls), but I am by no means an obsessed collector! I like to 'collect' snowmen that I make myself- but sometimes I can't resist those cute little faces on the store-bought ones. So here's some of the snowmen that I made- I did one Xmas-y and the other more snowy. After I made the first few I thought, how can I make this little guy even more adorable? So I looked over and saw Gio's Jets blanket and decided that was it, these snowmen would be football fans! Perfect! Here's my first one that I made, Jets of course!- but I did make a few other teams too since not everyone shares my love of the best team in football! Until next time, Happy Crafting!!!

Christmas crochet

Today I decided to switch it up a little and work on some Xmas crochet. I found the pattern for these ornaments in a magazine (Holiday Crafting by Better Homes & Gardens) that has a million fun holiday crafts for fall and Xmas. The pattern was pretty simple (a ball) with the hanger on top. I think that these would be great in a bunch of colors and sizes. They're also great for using up scraps from your yarn stash since they don't rake much to make. These were made with a size E crochet hook but if you follow the pattern and just use different size hooks then you can make a variety of ornaments. These would also be great for a kids Xmas tree since they're pretty kid/pet-proof (unbreakable and no small parts to eat)! I also found a pattern in the magazine for a snowman that is super cute- that just might be tomorrow's project! Until then... Happy Crafting!!