Wrapping up with Felt

Well hello there.  It's been awhile :)    I've been busy but sadly not with fun stuff here.  I did manage to wrap up a small piece for Jennifer Carroll's Celebrating Everyday Life November/December Issue.  I just grabbed my mess of supplies from our dingy rental basement and threw together a little tutorial on taking fabric, yarn and felt scraps and making them into something you could be proud to give.

Here is a little detail from one of the toppers.

You can check out all the great ideas and stories here.  I really love this cover ... I am tagging it for next year's holiday.

One of my favorites is the cocoa party!!!  I dream of setting up something like this on my new stone porch.  There is something so welcoming about a cup of hot chocolate.  For now it is a dream, as we continue to finish up all the little and big details at the new house.

One of my favorite cocoa gift ideas is busy getting pinned over on pinterest.  You can find it here and here.

I hope to be back before the holidays to share a couple of wrapping and gift ideas.

Until then ...

Keep Warm!

From my hot cocoa recipe (see above)

Welcome Fall ... with a necklace DIY

Well it has been awhile and I can't say why - except that I'm busy with the new house and all the decisions big and small that come along the way.  I am thinking that this fall I am going to share some of the trials and tribulations of house building and share some of my design inspirations and dilemmas encountered.  There is so much out there to cull from but that can also be a stumbling block.  We'll see...

In the meantime... thank goodness for Jennifer Carroll and her Celebrating Everyday Life magazine.  She has forced me to come out of my box and rev up those creative juices again.  Without her prodding I am not sure I would keep "making".  I find it hard to deal with all the everyday stuff, including most of my supplies packed up in our rental, and get out the stash to make something.

I recently did get out the stash to make this "craft-stash necklace".  I was please at how it came out and plan to use up some of the rest of my supplies to make a version of this in a few other colours.  You can find out all about how to make it as well as some other gorgeous fall projects and style tips here.  Thank you again Jennifer for including me in your beautiful publication.

At the beginning of the summer, Jennifer got me busy again and I  came up with a re-work of a dollar store beach mat.  You can find out how to make this and other great projects at this link.

I hope to be back much more often this fall as the kids go back to school and life begins to follow along more of a routine.

See you soon friends...

Mother's Day Prize Ribbon - DIY

Here is a quick gift for mom to wear to her Mother's Day Celebration...out of a coffee filter!

By dying the natural filter in red food coloring, I was able to layer up a prize ribbon, by adding a few embellishments.

STEPS TO CREATE THE "FLOWER"

First, flatten then soak the filters in red food coloring (some more than others)

I created the "flower" portion of my ribbon my layering one flat dark pink, one lighter pink with curled edges, one natural flower created with a running stitch and decorative running stitch border.

Next layer is a yo-yo with the folds outward and finally a centre button with the folds facing inward.

Sew all the layers together when you add the button.

Once I created the flower I added a special banner for mom.  To create the hanging ribbon portion I used strips of tissue and some hot pink fringe I had hanging around(lower left)

the tissue ribbon was cut in a dove tail (lower right)

 

I used a brooch backing in cardboard to the back of the assembly but you could just as easily use a safety pin.

I basically used the model of prize ribbons I have made for my etsy shop and the one I created in a detailed tutorial for amy power's inspired ideas birthday issue.

It's a fun last minute project to add a little something special to maybe a brunch or tea and you could customize it for a birthday or bridal shower.

I'll see if the girls let me wear it this Sunday ...  I'll probably embarrass them ... as usual

Mother's Day DIY

I've noticed my Mother's Day Wreath has been pinned alot the last couple of weeks and now I know why -  It's May 1st and Mother's Day is just around the corner!  

I've been working on a couple of new DIY's for Mom but I thought I would start the month out with a round up some crafts I've worked on over the last couple of years that would work well as a quick gift for your mom, aunt, best friend or grandma!

1 - Felted Rings - a quick little craft you can do with felt scraps.  

2- Felted Knitting Needle Toppers - if your "mom" knits and you want to try felting these toppers are an easy way to give felting a try

3- Inspiration stones - a personalized paper weight is a very inexpensive, unique gift

4- Mother's Day Wreath - this takes a little bit of time but can come out each May

5- Glittered Tea Cups - I had fun with my friend Tiffany making these cute cups - easy peasy

6- Pastel Pink Cake - I was so proud of how this BHG cake turned out - it would be great for a Mother's Day Tea

7- Sweater Cuff Cup - Most moms like coffee or tea and this would be a cute way to bring them something special Sunday Morning

I can't wait to show you some of things I've been working on.  I have missed crafting and it is a struggle to put stuff together with everything packed up - but I think I will rework my craft storage so I can easily work on an idea when it comes to me.  I definitely feel better making things ... and the sun helps to :)  

Happy May!

Spring has Sprung!

... at least in digitized form!

Jennifer Carroll has a new issue of her beautiful Celebrating everyday life - and I think she really knocked it out of the park, with over 200 pages of great finds, DIY's, recipes, styling, interviews, parties and well everyday celebrations :)

I virtually met Jennifer through Holly Becker's blog course and so when she asked me if I would like to contribute to her magazine re-launch - I was thrilled to say the least.  The timing meant that I was unable to contribute a new project (the deadline fell during the move) so instead she was kind enough to include my nest of yarn as a spring DIY.  I am so honoured to be included in this lovely publication. It has it's own app for download here to view on the ipad.  How cool is that?!  You can also read it through magcloud here.  And there is a great clippings option to pin images or in this case create a collage for your blog...

I just love the colours in the Cinco de Mayo celebration from Jennifer, Pat Roberts and Sherry Spencer.  The homemade graduation ideas have me thinking about Ali's approaching graduation from middle school this spring!  I also just love the pom pom DIY from Kelly Elko.  Finally, the garden luncheon with the crown tablesetting (same team as the Cinco de Mayo celebration) looks just spectacular on my ipad.

You can find out all about the magazine and Jennifer at her blog here.  

And for a sneak peek, I have a mini-version on my side-bar.

I am really loving this first look at spring, while the weather people here warn us of another snow storm. I think I will stick with Jennifer's version of what spring should really be about.  It has me coming out of my crafty deadspace and thinking about my project idea for her next issue ...

come on spring - spring already!

Last Minute Easter Projects

Find the links to these DIY's here

Clockwise from top left - yarn nest, yarn pencils, felt rings, nest pins, egg-wrapping, knitting needles

Well... after a very, very long absence I hope to be back and contributing to the blog on a more regular basis.  I have come to realize that I kind of lose my crafty mojo, when I am focussing on something else that takes up a great deal of my time.

So ... although today I don't yet have a completed diy for Easter, I thought I would compile some of my quick tutorials that have an Easter feel.

I think the yarn nest for a gift topper would be wonderful with bright, spring-like yarn.  The little pencil toppers are very quick to pull off - easter colours as well would be really cute.  The neon rings - another quick project would be sweet in a little easter basket.  The nests I did for Gatherings Magazine, last mother's day, would be great on your spring jacket for easter brunch.  Wrapping up a little lip gloss in a scrap covered plastic egg are cute little gifts for your guests.  And finally... fun, bright knitting needle toppers could get you in the mood for spring knitting projects.

Have a wonderful weekend with friends and family and I hope to see you here more often in the near future.

Happy Easter !!!!

Felted Soap Stones

What is a person to do when it is cold outside? Play around on the computer.  Clearly a one handed gif is a little wobbly but you get the picture.

As promised weeks ago I am going to share a quick little project I squeezed in, in between cleanings and house viewings.  These soap stones are not new to the crafting world but they are alot of fun to make and I love trying to replicate the felt roving strands to look as much like a beach stone as possible.

I have many little soaps I have received as gifts that I could never use up.  My dad also brought me some lovely lavender soap from the south of France on one of his cycling trips.  I have tons of the stone coloured roving around that I bought when our local knitting shop closed down.  Helana used to make them for her pet pebbles.  Combine them all and you have a little stone of soap ready to use or gift to a friend.

The oval soaps make a really authentic beach stone.  The little eggs look so cute as little pebbles.

The centre image in each photo shows how you can just wrap up the stones loosely in the roving before their hot water treatment.

1 - supplies at hand including a small felting needle (optional) soaps and roving - grey, brown and    natural
2 - loosely wrap the soap with grey first, then a few strands of the light brown and finally strips of the natural to create the veining.
3 - I ran some very hot water over my creation just to get an idea of how the placement is working
4 - all that fluffy roving attaches itself to the soap with a few dunkings.
5 - to really pack it down I put them in nylon sockettes and rubbed them
6 - I let them drain at the bottom of the kitchen sink

They make a nice little hostess gift.  I'm thinking they might look good piled on in a bowl in our new powder room.  I have about a year to plan that so I'll have to tuck these away in the pile of boxes that are amassing themselves all over the house.  

Keep warm and toasty!

Holiday Collage

Happy New Year to All    !!!!!!

Please forgive my absence.  I have come to realize that I am not so great as a multi-tasker.  Imagine a mother that can't multi-task.  Perhaps, it is just this way when I am stressed,  but I find it absolutely erodes all my creative energy.  It took a while to sell our house and because we had so many people through, just the act of cleaning and tidying was about all I could do by the end of three months!  

We managed a visit with my dad over the holidays and while my lovely girls managed to surprise me with great pjs and slippers, I pretty much just ordered up a few things that I would like to read and craft and put it under the tree for myself.  Is that bad?

First I wanted to share the 2013 sparkler art.  You may remember my favourite lov3 from last year.  Well they forgot to do it this New Year's, but that is okay.  This will have to do.  It was a very windy night and we didn't have the usual beach bonfire but I still love this record in time.

Just before we left, I had a little crafty moment I squeezed in.  Tutorial to follow in the upcoming week.

 This was gifting to myself, but also sharing so that's not too bad.  Right?  I ordered up some of Purl Soho's own super soft merino and came up with a little cable slipper that I could get a pair out of from one skein. (Each skein was about twenty dollars so I had to make them count!)  I also made a yummy long sock with an entire skein but because I only had one in the off white colour, I must wait to order up another in the spring.  I may see if I can come up with a pattern to share.  Mine are the green ones.  Helana and Ali have the hot pink :)

And to round out a holiday of colour - check out these book spines.  It almost doesn't matter if they have anything relevant on the inside - the spines are just too lovely.  However, I managed to one - not look at them (too much) when I put them under the tree - and two - have an actual look through after I surprised myself.  For some, I even read all the way through and will review in the upcoming weeks.

I hope to post more but I have to tell you we are moving in two months, to a rental for about 8 months, while we build a new house!  Instead of crafting, I may end up chronicling this journey through 2013.  

Keep you posted (hopefully) ...