Using up Scraps!

 I had this paper pack that I had partially used but it was sitting around and I figured I should just use it up.  So these two videos show how I used up some of the papers.  I still have a few pages left but I felt very successful making 13 cards, 2 bookmarks, and a scrapbook layout.  

This video is in two parts.  

Part 1: 

And Part 2:

Thanks for watching!!

Box Stitch Blanket - Gambling With a Side of Fixes

I stumbled across this pattern the other day and wanted to give it a try.  This pattern has a picture with it and the blanket looked so cozy and cuddly.  I was a bit chilly that day and thought it would be nice to have a cozy, cuddly blanket to snuggle up with.  So I decided to give the pattern a try.

The pattern is written for a preemie baby blanket.  Well, I am not "preemie" sized so I needed to increase this blanket considerably.  I chose to strive for a lap blanket. Something about 45 inches by 60 inches would be good.

The pattern also calls for DK weight yarn doubled.  This means that you knit with two strands together. The yarn they actually used was a baby weight or sport weight.   I had some medium weight but not enough to double so I decided not to double it. I also chose a size smaller needle because I wasn't doubling.  The pattern calls for a size 10 knitting needle.  I went with a size 9.

Currently, I have not measured the blanket yet.  I have about 22 rows on it.  I really should have started on circular needles but I didn't have any the same size.  So I went with straight needles.  I casted on as many stitches as I could.  I have 160 stitches.

I also decided NOT to add the border on the blanket that they called for in this preemie blanket.  I decided I wanted to crochet a border around it later.

I had a bunch of Loops and Threads Impeccable yarn laying around in various colors so I chose to use that for my blanket.

That is it so far.  Once I get a bit further I will change colors and make stripes of color for the blanket.  My thought is that if it is not quite as wide as I would like it then I will add a thicker border on it to make it wider.

The moral of this story?  If you see a pattern that you like the looks of but it doesn't quite fit your needs, make it fit!  You can use the basic pattern or stitch and make it work for you.  Use the gauge and it will help you figure out how many extra stitches you need to make it the length or width you need.  Also use the pattern to help you.  In this case the pattern repeats every 4 stitches.  Knit 2, Purl 2, then you repeat.  So you need 4 stitches to complete the pattern.  Therefore, I multiplied by 4.

If you choose to add a border to it while you are knitting then add the border stitches to the total multiples of your pattern stitch.  For example if you want a border of 5 stitches on each side then add 5+5=10. So your total would be 10 + the number of multiples of 4 you want.  Easy???

So for my blanket with 160 stitches I expect the blanket to be a bit over 42 inches wide.  The gauge for this pattern is 15 stitches = 4 inches.  I divide my 160 by 15 then multiply by 4.  Now I know that my needles will make the gauge a bit smaller and if I were a precise knitter I would have knitted up a swatch to create my own gauge to figure out exactly how many stitches I would need for a 45 inch wide blanket.  But I am more of a gambling with a side of fixes kind of girl, so I gambled with the number of stitches and used their gauge and will opt for a crochet border to make it a bit wider when I am done.

Getting ready for Valentine's Day

We have never really decorated for Valentine's Day but yesterday I found this wreath and we knew we HAD to make it.  This occurred just after my "announcement" that February would be a NO SPEND month on crafty stuff.  It is still January, right???

So off to Michaels we went and we got all the supplies we needed.  My daughter dove right in and began working on the wreath as soon as we got home.  She isn't a rule follower, nor a reader in directions, but thankfully she does a good job making things she sees.

So far here is our wreath.  She is painting the letters as I type and as soon as they dry she will adhere them to our wreath.

Then I found a pattern for this crocheted hearts garland and HAD to make them too.  I crocheted 6 hearts and then attached them to a white chain.  It is super cute.

So I guess we are now decorating for Valentine's Day.  What do you do for Valentine's Day?  Do you decorate for the holiday? Celebrate loved ones? Ignore it all together?

**Three more days til my NO SPEND month begins.  I am getting nervous!!!

Cute Crochet Coasters

These are so cute and fun to make.  They whip up in no time flat.  I can make one in about 35-45 minutes time and I am a slow crocheter.

I got the pattern off someone else's blog.  I can't seem to find it again unfortunately.

I am an intuitive crocheter when it comes to making things I look at a bunch of patterns and then put a couple together to make what I am looking to create.

My pattern may not be exact nor might it be exactly what you are looking for.  I will try to explain it as best I can though.

Coaster Pattern:

1 skein of 100% cotton base color (you will be able to make several coasters with just one skein)

1 skein of edging color (100% cotton)

Chain 14.

Single crochet in 2nd loop and each loop after.  (13 SC) ch 2 and turn.

Next row: SC in first SC. *Skip next sc, dc and sc in next sc* to end.  Ch 2 and turn.

Next row: sc in first sc. skip dc, dc and sc in next sc. Ch 2 and turn. You will be doing a dc and sc in every sc in previous row. 

Continue until it looks like a square, about 10 or 11 rows. 

Change colors and sc all the way around the square, with three sc's in each corner. Then slip stitch around the entire thing again to finish it off.

And there you have it.

Crochet Scrubbie

I have been making these little scrubbies for a while now.  They are wonderful for the shower or bath.  They are similar to a netted scrubbie but work similar to a wash cloth.

I have several posted on etsy and am wondering if I should offer the pattern.  They are simple enough to make and take about 2 hours from start to finish for me while I watch tv.

You can make the inside a different color or make them all one color.  I like when I use a variegated yarn as they end up really pretty.  I use a 100% cotton yarn and they wash and dry in the washer and dryer perfectly.

I sell them for $5.50 on Etsy, here and here and here.  

So tell me what you think.  Would you want the pattern?  What would you be willing to pay for it? $2? $3? $5?

Knitting Addiction

I have a favorite yarn store. It is in Kill Devil Hills, NC and called Knitting Addiction. I love this store because the owner is incredibly nice. She didn't bat an eye when I told her that I also crocheted. Then again, I was telling her of an experience with a lys in my town where the owner of that store DID bat an eye. I told that lady that I knitted and crocheted and she got all uppity with me and was really rude. Apparently you can't switch hit with yarn. LOL

Anyway, back to my favorite LYS and the owner Jeanne. She giggled a bit when I told her the story of my hometown LYS and the crochet story. I don't know if she didn't approve of crochet or not because she didn't let on. Good thing because if she had I would have to hate her too. People can "switch hit" with yarn, and I think it is a good thing. There are things that are better crocheted than knitted and things that are better when knitted instead of crocheted. If you can do both then you can have the best of both worlds. Right? Say 'right'.

Moving on. I don't get down to the Outer Banks but a couple times a year and I always try to get to the yarn store. She carries so many yarns that you just can't get in the big box stores. I love to touch and feel the yarns, wools, silks and cottons. They are just so yummy. Jeanne also displays incredible projects with the yarns that you need to make it as well as the patterns right there. Her patterns are $4.95 but if you buy enough yarn to complete the project the pattern is free. It is so good to actually see the project in true form so you know what it will look like before you begin. Jeanne is also so nice that she will sit down with you and teach you what you want to learn. Then help you with any problems that you have (knitting wise). She used to be a teacher so she is great at teaching knitting too. One can't help but fall in love with this store when they walk in. And if they don't then there is something wrong with them. LOL

I walked out with $113 worth of yarns and new knowledge of how to make cables. (Did I say I love this woman???)

Here is my first cable pattern that I made. It is a coffee cup cozy. It still needs a button and then it will go around a coffee mug. This will be so much fun to use in the winter time.

I made the cozy out of Peaches and Cream cotton yarn that I got at Walmart, in purple. I thought it would be a good practice yarn to use and I had just enough to make it. This pattern doesn't take much yarn. You could probably get at least three out of a skein of Peaches and Cream yarn.

I also bought these yarns: (sorry these photos are so dark and blurry. They were taken with my phone. It is all I have today)

Knitcol is a favorite yarn of mine. It is a little thicker than regular sock yarn but it feels so good. Knit them with #3 dpns. These skeins will be socks.

I really wish that these photos were a bit clearer. This yarn is so fun. It will also become a pair of socks. This is fun pretty colors AND sparkles. I love that I can make sparkly socks and with pretty colors. So fun! I had to buy it.

This is Princess by Elite, and it feels so snuggy. It is really soft yarn. Unfortunately Jeanne told me that this is discontinued by the manufacturer. I immediately went into mourning. I might need to get some more of this stuff.

This Mission Falls yarn is also being discontinued. I love this yarn too. I made a gator scarf with it and I love the way it feels. These skeins will become a pair of socks for my hunny.

This Merino 5 yarn is also soft but not fuzzy. Love it. It will be some more coffee cozies. I hope people like purple!

And finally, this is what I have been working on recently. This is a pair of socks using Red Heart Heart and Sole yarn. I love self striping/patterning yarns. I love to knit with them and see the pattern emerge. It is very motivating. I am knitting on #2 dpns and it seems to take forever to knit with #2's. I am about two inches from the end and then I have another sock to make. Then I can start playing with my new yarns I just bought.

I am hoping that I can make a bunch of presents for Christmas this year. I really want to make this a "handmade Christmas".

Ugly Paper Challenge

participated in the Ugly Paper Challenge at Scrap Sisters Studio, a message board I love. Anyway, the challenge was to find, cut into 4x6 inch rectangles and send four of your ugliest papers to another participant.

Here is the "ugly" paper I received with a very cute card.

That card is so cute.

When I saw that grass paper I immediately thought that I could do an Easter card with the other papers as Easter Eggs "hiding" in the grass. This is what I came up with.

The idea was a good one but the execution wasn't so great. The papers that I was working with weren't really "Easter" colors which hurt the total effect of the card.

So I moved on and made a few other cards with the scraps of paper I had left. Separately the paper wasn't so bad, together they don't match.

This was a fun challenge.

Mixed up media!

Hee hee. I played with paper and paint and mod podge last weekend and made this:

And this:

They were fun to make, but I need a lot of practice. One thing that I have figured out over the years is when it comes to "real" art, I am not so good. I can copy ideas well but those ideas are really the ideas of someone else. I don't come up with my own ideas very well.

Still it was fun. Oh, I did not copy these from anyone in particular. I took the ideas of others and sort of combined them and made my own. Does that make sense?

What do you do when you need a photo album but can't find one for a big boy?

Just change the ones you find!

My son likes to put his photos in little albums. We used to be able to get them that had a pretty generic cover on them, but in the past year or so we haven't been able to find ANY that were big boy appropriate. I don't like to spend too much money on them either. I can usually find them in the dollar range. That is a good price to me.

The other day I was at Walmart and found the albums I wanted but they all looked like this:

They were not big boy appropriate. I couldn't find any with a cover that was even decent for a boy at all. Or an adult for that matter. I was frustrated but looking at them anyway, when I opened the cover and I realized that these you could take the cover out! BINGO! I can use my scraps and make a cover to his liking and not embarrassing to pull out with his friends and show them the big fish he caught or the latest Boy Scout camping trip. Three albums hopped into my cart. They were also on sale for 67 cents a piece. BONUS!

I got home and showed him my find. He of course turned his nose up at them until I told him that we could change the cover. He went with me to my scrapbook paper and we looked through and found some paper that he liked. I went immediately to work as he gathered his photos.

This is what they look like now!

I used a piece of cardstock inside under the patterned paper to give it some stiffness. Inside the cover and the back I placed a journaling card so he could write what the event was and the date.

I also put patterned paper on the back too so it matched the front but not exactly the same as the front.

I was thinking that these would be great little gifts for grandparents, family, friends, etc.

Puzzles and Cards

Over the past few weeks we have been dumped on with snow. Not near as much as those in PA and WVA but we have had our fair share. In the process of waiting to be melted out of the house the kids and I did some puzzles. We took pictures of two. We got them from the Goodwill and the top puzzle had four pieces missing. Do you know how hard it is to do a puzzle when there are mystery pieces missing?

This puzzle below had all the pieces. It was a thousand piece puzzle as the other one was "only" five hundred pieces. They both took us a couple days to complete. I tell you, my smallest child is the one with the most patience to complete the puzzles. She does a good amount of the work on them too.

Below, I have a few of the Valentine's Day cards I made. The top is just a general one.

These are the cards I made for the kids! They turned out great and the kids love the handmade cards.

This Valentine's Day card below was to my wonderful husband.


This is a close up. I just love this stamp.

This was a 'warm up' card to get the juices flowing. I hate this one. I don't think I did very well and because of that I just kind of stopped and didn't finish it. I am not really sure why I took the picture of it either. Oh well.

And today I made those Covered Pens.

I bought a package of pens with the clear center and filled it with scrapbook paper. I used size 1 inch by 3 inch paper. I rolled the paper up and inserted it into the tube. I think they turned out GREAT. But you tell me what you think.

Would you buy one for 50 cents??

Don't forget to enter for the give away in the entry two posts down. Deadline is August 16th.

My Paper Clamp Angels

I couldn't wait to try these paper clamp angels. They turned out so cute and it is so super quick to do. I would totally recommend making these for Christmas gifts either for a tag decoration on a gift or make a few for your coworkers or neighbors.





Not only will they work as Christmas gifts but also for first communion, baptism, or for a newborn or shower gift for a baby. Of course it is not a toy but the mom could hang it over the baby's crib or in their room.

If you want some and are not ambitious enough to make them yourself, I would be happy to sell you some. I am thinking a $1 a piece. Leave me a comment with your contact info and I will get in touch with you.

Can we start talking about Christmas yet?

I know that the stores don't have the Christmas decorations up just yet but I think I need to begin thinking about Christmas presents and decorations and such. This year will be a lean year in our household. The economy has decreased our household income by almost 50%. So I have begun to think about who I will be buying for and who will appreciate handmade gifts. I have begun making my lists and checking it twice (laugh) and assigning projects and gifts.

I was blog hopping today and found this blog: http://craftsonawhim.com/. It is so cute and has a great many easy projects. One of the things I like about this site is that it has a difficulty factor with each project.

Here are a few I love!

Beaded Angel: Check this out. I will be making a ton of these (going out today to get the supplies for it and will be working on them tonight). How easy are they??? I am thinking that these will be nice gifts for my co-workers, as gift tag decorations, for kids to make for their teachers and perhaps to sell at the next craft show I am doing.

I found these through a link from AMR that Nicole posted and love these little clothespin magnets. I am thinking that these will also be fun to make and sell as well as for little gifts. I want to make my girls bulletin boards for their room and if I use some metal frames for them they can use these magnets too.

And what about this idea? I love the idea of putting scrapbook paper in a tube of a pen. You could do Christmas paper and give as a gift. You could do fun paper and they can be a great first day of school gift to the kid going off to middle or high school. OR for the teacher, just make it a RED pen (laugh). Oh, I think I need to make some of these too!!!

So, what are you making for Christmas gifts? Leave me a link to your blog with the ideas you have or leave your ideas in my comments, but I will tell you I can learn best from a picture!!!

You leave me a comment with some ideas or other sites that I can go to for more great homemade stuff no later than August 16th at 6pm eastern time, and I will put everyone's name in a hat and get one of my kids to pull it out and I will send you a goodie.

When you can't find your scrapping mojo...

.....it is a good sign that you at least are playing with paper. And that is just what I have been doing. I still haven't found my scrapping mojo and it has been a month. However, I am getting closer, I can feel it.

I have been beading for the last few weeks and have really enjoyed that but I have cut myself off with purchasing some new beads to play with. I have quite a little stash so I really don't need any new ones for a while but I thought it would be fun to work on a hybrid project. So paper beads it is. I found a great site, and now can't find it again but there was some good tips and I used many of them. First I learned that Modge Podge is a great glue and sealant for these beads. I just happened to have that. Then there was a great template that I used as a guide. I think if I hadn't had this template my beads would have been huge and I would have had to make many practice beads before perfecting it. Luckily, with the template things came into place easily. My beads are 1/2 inch long. Another great suggestion was using pins and a piece of cardboard or something to stick them in to dry the beads.

This is my husband's mouse pad for his laptop flipped upside down and is a great pin cushion for my drying beads. Shhhh, don't tell him.

Yesterday I made about 30 or so beads and created this bracelet with small glass cat's eye beads in between the paper beads.

Tonight I made the ones in the first picture. The beads are blue and pink and yellow. Perfect for summery jewelry!

Picture Frames

Raw frames purchased at Michaels for $1 each and I painted them with acrylic paints and then decorated them with balsa wood pieces. These pieces were pre-painted. They were purchased either in packs for $1 a pack or $.59 each. The most expensive frame cost me $2.20 to make, not including the price of the paints. I will sell them for $5. each. What do you think?