crochet hats

I made some hats while traveling this past weekend. Great project for the car! {Thank you to my husband to drove the whole way!}

Two hats with slight differences… one more slouchy than the other. Adding a flower sometime too!

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purse and clutch

I made this purse and clutch for a gift this year. The patterns are found on Noodlehead. The directions are really easy to follow and they both came together quite fast! I also made some more clutches for some gifts too!



back with 1 large pocket with snap closure



front with divided pocket

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2011 Christmas ornament

Every year I make ornaments for family and friends. {See post here for previous year's ornaments.} This year’s ornament is a pine cone! It is made out of a Styrofoam egg and some old book pages. Inspiration found here… Pinecone Ornament

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handprint snowmen ornament

Here is a project you can do with the kids that will be a keepsake for years to come. This will also make a nice gift to parents or grandparents.

Make a handprint on a ball ornament using paint {I used Martha Stewart's new paint line, satin finish; these paints are my new favorite products! They can be used on any surface!} Let paint dry and then add your snowmen decorations. Don’t forget to add name and date!

I love how they turned out!

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kids christmas crafts

Here are some more Christmas crafts that the kids can do…

Glitter marble paint ornaments and garland:



Cut out ornament shape and circle shapes



I used a shoebox lined with newspaper. Put your shapes in the box, add a few drops of paint {I also put a few drops of glue in it to help the glitter stick}. Have the kids roll the marbles around to create a design. Shake some glitter on it. Take the ornaments and the newspaper lining out to dry. Add another piece of newspaper to start another bunch. The newspaper helps keep the box clean and helps with not mixing colors.  

Once dry punch holes and add string to hang on the tree or string together to make a garland {sorry no picture of the final stage}.





Paper plate angels:

I found the pattern at Martha Stewart. You can print out the template but I just free handed the design right on the plate and cut it out. We added color and glitter {of course!}. Once they were put together they look pretty great! {Again, sorry I don't have a final picture of the angel standing up.}

TP tube angel:

We used a toilet paper tube for the body, a paper mache head {newspaper, water, flour and a little glue to form a head. Of course you could buy a premade paper mache head but we are going cheap here and use what we have.} Some paper wings and pipe cleaners for the hair and halo. Have the kids draw a face. Done!

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handmade gift for girls

I found this really fun to make handmade gift for girls on one of my favorite blogs, Lil Blue Boo. {Follow link for a tutorial.} They are made out of some wooden pegs and paint. I did use some spray gloss to finish them.

 

I love them and they were so cheap to make! I am a little sad to see them go…. But I can always make more!

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tonight's project

Just doing some crocheting. A tiny infant hat.

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yarn wrapped bangles: a tutorial

 I discovered a great way to use all of those empty cardboard ribbon spools! Don’t throw them away! Get out your yarn, even those small scrap pieces and make ….

These literally cost pennies!!

I have had a lot of ribbon and each seem to have a different spool size. You will have to test them out to see what size best fits your hand and wrist. These spools of ribbon fit me great! They don’t slide off my wrist and don’t squeeze my hand when I take it off and on. I also found a roll of tape and when it is gone I plan to make that into a giant bangle!

Here's what you need:

• 
  

  empty ribbon spools or empty tape rolls
• 
  

  hot glue gun
• 
  

  yarn {or any string that you would like: twine, hemp, rope, embroidery floss}
• 
  

  sissors

Here’s what you do:

Get your {empty} spools of ribbon.

Rip off the outer paper.

{nearly empty tape roll just waiting to be wrapped!}

Glue the end of the yarn by using small amount of hot glue on the inside of the spool roll {to hide the ends}.

Start to wrap the spool roll. I cut off a length of yarn so I didn’t have to deal with the whole ball of yarn. I guessed the length. {Below you can see I was about an inch shy of what I needed! Oops!}

Wrap a few times then add more hot glue. Work in small sections so your glue stays hot. I found out that it is easier to add the glue on the outside of the spool.

Keep wrapping! I wound up the yarn I was working with so it was easier to work with when I was wrapping.

My yarn came up just a bit short!



Snip off your extra yarn and glue it to the inside of your bangle {to hide the ends}.



You’re done! Enjoy!

I love how well the multi colored yarn turned out! Have fun choosing your colors, yarn or string! Try ribbon or braiding your yarn before you wrap it. I also made some bracelets using more than one yarn and overlapping them to mix textures and colors.

These bangles would be a nice little gift for someone for the holidays if you are looking for an inexpensive, handmade gift.

Please note: These are made of cardboard. Don’t take them swimming! If they get wet they will get ruined!

Happy wrapping!

J

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Yoda

Apparently these little Yodas are high in demand! I made a couple for a Christmas present and some friends and now more people want them! Currently working on making some more. … check out Yoda’s light saber!  

pattern found on etsy ... light saber design by handmade by stacy vaughn  

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