Life of a Crafter

How To: Heating Pad Out of Fat Quarter Quilting Square

2013-05-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

After I told a few people I was making neck heating pads, people started giving me ideas on other items I could make, one of my favorite was a skirt type pad where you could wear it when you were having cramps. Not out on the town, just while you were at home, warming the lower back and the tummy. Maybe I'll make one of those next time.

I like this basic rectangular pad because you can use it lots of different ways, shoulders, back, stomach, legs, etc. And interesting side benefit, it is weighted because of the rice. Why is this good? Not completely sure but on two different occasions this week I heard of weighted blankets of some sort calming dogs and people. Here is some information on weighted blankets and why they are calming.

So...back to THIS heating pad....it is made out of a fat quarter quilting square. You can get these at any fabric and sometimes craft stores, they come in great patterns and are inexpensive. (I personally like to look in the sale/clearance and pick up random prints and then hoard them at home, I have an entire collection and never intend to make a quilt.)

Tip: You could use two prints, cut them in half and have one print on each side, make two, one for you and one for a friend.

How to make heating pad from fat quarter:

Fat quarters are typically 18 x 22 though mine for some reason was 18 x 21.(Perhaps that is why it was on sale?!) I folded my fat quarter along the long side.
Sew 1/2" seam allowance down both 9 1/2 inch sides (short sides).
Turn right side out, press.
Fold raw edge in 1/2" seam allowance, iron flat. You end up with a big rectangle that appears finished but one side is really just folded in, this is where you are going to add the rice.
Measure and pin where you want to sew your lines for the rice pockets. Because I ended up with 20" I made my pockets 2 1/2" wide. I just pinned and then held a ruler to guide the line. See photo.
Sew a top stitch on the fold side, then it will match the other side at the end. (Because you will need to sew up the holes made by the stitched lines.)
Mix rice and lavender. I used 4 cups of rice, one heaping cup of lavender. Approximately 1/2 cup goes in each of the pockets.
Use a funnel, or make one like I did. I just cut a plastic bottle, works great and is free!
Insert funnel into pocket and scoop up about 1/2 cup on rice/lavender mix and let it fill the pocket. Use pins to seal the end. Go to next pocket.
When all the pockets are full, if you have left over mix, unpin some and add it in, evening out the pockets.
Sew up the seam where the openings were. Done! Warm in microwave and enjoy!

Fat quarter folded in half long side, right side in.

Pin where you want to sew lines.

I used a ruler as a guide me keep the lines straight.

Finished lines.

Top stitching on folded side.

Lavender I got from Amazon

Rice/lavender mix

Free funnel! Easy, just cut the bottom part of the bottle off, instant funnel.

Once a pocket is full, pin it closed.

Pockets all pinned, ready to sew!

Made It! Lavender and Rice Heating Pad

2013-05-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Rice and Lavender Heating Pad

I found this heating pad on Pinterest and loved the idea of a large pad that went around the shoulders and down the back. So often I only see neck warmers. I decided to make some for my mom and sister-in-law for Mother's Day. These are really easy to make and make great gifts. In an effort to reduce/recycle I used some fabric I already owned, bought lavender from Amazon and rice from Sprouts in the bulk area. I didn't know this until I started researching it but enriched rice is actually rice they stripped the nutrient out of and then enriched it with nutrient. That is the short answer to what it is, the important part is the process makes the rice shelf life much longer, making it perfect for these warmers. Click here to find the post from Craft Endeavor to see the instructions.

Rice from Sprouts, cheap! Which is good because you need a lot, about 9-10 cups!

Starwest Botanicals Organic Lavender Flowers (Extra Grade), 1-pound Bag

Second Heating Pad

How to Organize Craft Projects in Evernote

2013-04-03T09:15:00.001-05:00

I recently joined a knitting group and have been re-inspired to get crafty. I didn't mean to do this but in trying to decide what to make and what yarn I had I ended up becoming really organized with the help of Evernote.

As an overall effort to organize my life, I've been slowly scanning in my craft patterns to Evernote and adding tags like knit, crochet, sewing, etc. for easy retrieval. The knitting group had several suggested patterns online so I used the Evernote web clipper to add each pattern to my "Comfy_Crafter" notebook in Evernote. I reviewed the patterns and found a simple dishcloth pattern to work on during the group time, now to find the yarn.

I pulled out all my yarn and organized it by bulk size and found some perfect yarn to use for my project during the group. I'm still working on finding a way to use Evernote to keep track of my yarn.

After I finished the dishcloth I pulled up the note with the original pattern in Evernote, using the photo option, I added a photo of the finished product. Now I can reference back in Evernote and see what patterns I have actually completed and see what the finished piece is suppose to look like. (Sometimes patterns don't come with a picture so it is nice to have your own finished product to use as a guide in case you want to do it again or share it with family or friends.)

Tip: Tag the note as completed to make searching for patterns easier.

Here is a copy of the note with the instructions in a pdf and the image of the finished project. This would also work if the pattern instructions were typed right into the note. Click here to see the note, if you have Evernote you can save the note directly to one of your own notebooks. (The web version of the note shows the pdf of the instructions as a paperclip clickable link. In the desktop version it shows the actual pdf like the image below.)

Tip: If you end up with two notes, one with the instructions and one with the photo, you can merge them in the desktop version of Evernote.

Here is another example using youtube. I watched a video on how to make knitted flowers and saved the video in Evernote for easy reference. Then I added a photo of some of my own finished flowers. To add the video I emailed the video tomy Evernote email address through youtube. (Each Evernote account comes with an email address, sampleemail@m.evernote.com, where you can email yourself content and it goes directly into notes.)

How to Organize Craft Projects in Evernote

Add craft pattern to Evernote. (Add a PDF, take a photo of the pattern instructions, type it directly into a note, add a video.)
Note what supplies you used; yarn type, needle size, etc.
Add comments, notes, changes, modifications, tips as you work on the pattern.
Take a photo of the finished product. (You can also take photos along the way and create your own how to guide.)
Tag the note with what it is; knitting, crochet, stamp, sewing, etc.

Tip: If you find patterns online, you can easily save them using the Evernote webclipper, it saves webpages and online pdfs directly to notes. Super easy!

Slap Bracelets Keep Wrapping Paper Together

2013-01-07T17:14:00.002-06:00

I posted this on my other blog, should have really gone here. Slap bracelets find a new use as wrapping paper holders. Click here for full post.

My New Custom Kindle Fire Cover is Even Better than the Last One!

2012-07-24T12:56:00.000-05:00

Recently I had a run in with a cup of coffee and the coffee won. I was sitting with my dad and a friend trying to get our day started at specialty products show, the lid of the coffee was not secured well (user error) and coffee spilled out. I didn't notice because my purse was on my lap, coffee poured into my purse and all over the contents, including my Kindle Fire Cover.

Coffee stained Kindle Fire Cover

The problem is not so much the stain, although that is annoying, it is the smell. I was pretty sure the cover was a gonner, and decided to ditched it. My purse on the other hand was not something I could ditch so I had to live with a stinky purse the entire time. Needless to say I was thankful I had a zipper to keep it closed most of the time.

When I got home I made a new cover, one with pretty, vibrant flowers. I love this fabric, it just SEEMS happy doesn't it?!

New Red Floral Cover, available on Storenvy!

I also recently had several custom covers, one for my dad for fathers day, one for my niece for her Galaxy tablet and one for her friend. Check out how cute they came out!

Father's Day Kindle Fire Cover

This one I made for my niece, she loves peace symbols. It fits her Galaxy tablet perfectly!

Custom cover for my niece; this one is also available on Storenvy.

This one I made at the request of my niece for a friend of hers that recently got a Kindle Fire. I took photos of different fabrics and she picked out which one she wanted to use.

Custom Kindle Fire Cover

Most of these covers are available at my store on Storenvy. If you are interested in a custom cover, email me...or you can make your own with these instructions.

Repurposing a T-shirt Sleeve into a Makeup Brush Cover

2012-05-27T11:18:00.001-05:00

Makeup brush from a t-shirt sleeve

I read somewhere you are suppose to wash your makeup brushes every once in awhile, then as if the world was conspiring against me I saw some mesh things that look like something you would see protecting delicate fruit that slip over your brushes so they keep their shape. They were more than a buck so I declined to purchase. I looked at them awhile though, thinking...why are these so expensive? They are just pieces of mesh that fit around brushes.

The idea of the mess was actually double duty. One, it keeps them in the right shape once you clean them; you slip the mesh on and they dry in the right shape. Two, they protect the brush bristles while they have an intimate party with the other brushes in your makeup bag.

I'm willing to pay good money for a lot of things...mostly Kate Spade, Tiffany and lately Trina Turk. Not willing to pay much for things I can do or create myself. Thus, the handmade makeup brush cover.

I recently flew to Los Angeles and needed to take my makeup. (Well, need is a strong word but since I hardly get to wear makeup anymore.. I do like to wear it when I get the chance.) As I was packing, I tried to decided what makeup I was going to take and realized I had thrown out the plastic bag my new blush brush had come in. EEKK!! In a moment of trying to NOT be a hoarder (see previous post), I threw away something I ACTUALLY needed!

Annoyed with myself I remembered the mesh brush cover and how I had thought I wanted to try and make one. I had seen in a Martha Stewart craft email how they had made a produce bag out of a t-shirt and cut slits in it like one of those mesh sort of lace like bags popular in the 70's...or was it the 80's....I can't remember.

Anyway......I thought maybe I could do that but on a MUCH smaller scale for my brush. As a million possibilities of how to accomplish this ran through my head in about a second I went to my trusty craft closest, cut off the sleeve from an old t-shirt and set to make a pattern.

The pattern is basic, I drew a line around the brush. I added a half inch seam allowance (only because it is easy, any size works) and cut the sides. The top has no seam allowance because the top is left open. I think the key is to not make the lines parallel. Why you ask? Here is my theory....if you make the lines the same distance apart as the widest part of the bristles, the bottom doesn't fit snug around the handle, lending itself to the possibility of slipping off and if the distance between the stitched lines matches the handle, the size is too small for the bristles and they get squished together, missing the point of the cover.

So, a small basic pattern is born...I used the hem of the sleeve as the bottom of the cover, this gave a nice finished edge.

I sewed the cover so the seams were on the outside, keeping the inside smooth as to not create a reason for the bristles to get bumps or lumps. After I stitched both seams and tested it, I trimmed the seam allowance with pinking shears.

I ended up not making slits. For my immediate purpose I needed something to keep the bristles in the right shape during travel and this cover worked great. Also, it keeps the random lint and rouge makeup specs lurking around the makeup bag off the bristles.

At what point are you a virtual hoarder?

2012-05-24T18:49:00.002-05:00

This might be a little like double dipping, I am about to add to my virtual hoarding by writing about virtual hoarding.

Drawing of an apartment, with all my things noted as to where they might go.

I recently posted on facebook an image of a drawing I did some years ago. It is a space planning design for an apartment I rented sometime in the late '90's. Why do I still have it? Who the heck knows. My standard answer would be because I come from a family that doesn't get rid of things..for fear we MIGHT need them...someday.

Why anyone would need a space plan from an old apartment is beyond me...but this was not the most bizarre thing I found, or scanned in and uploaded to google docs to save in my virtual hoarding place. I also scanned in all my apartment leases dating back to 1991. (Take a moment to laugh out loud.)

I started this project several years ago, scanning all my paper so I could have less clutter. I bought a Neat Desk Scanner and scanned in most everything. I scanned in all my condo docs and all my house documents, these are a pain to store because they are legal sized documents which fit just about no where! I scan in all my bills, not sure why but I have a feeling I might need to know how much I paid for electricity in 2000. I scan in most receipts, I might need to return something. I scan in instruction manuals, old papers from workshops and seminars, things I get from meetings, old Christmas lists, etc.

A friend of mine posted that it wasn't odd that I had saved this (the drawing), probably because she has known me since I was 15 and knows I save everything...but she did mention that instead of deciding to just throw it away, I had managed to save it again in the virtual world...thus becoming a virtual hoarder.

I don't think saving one document online makes you a virtual hoarder...but I started thinking about it. What DO I have saved in the virtual world and where? Here is a list.

Email. Did you know that Google gives you the option to basically never get rid of email? They have a trash folder for things you really want to get rid of; this folder typically holds things for about 30 days. They also have a great concept called archive. You can archive something and get it out of the inbox but it doesn't really go away. It sits somewhere in lala land next to the virtual pictures, blog posts and music out in the cloud. I've decided to just about NEVER delete email. Again, for fear I will need something. I only delete things that aren't going to be valid after 30 days like sale emails from stores. Other than that, they get archived forever.

I actually have a yahoo account too but I never use it, those email are just stacking up like a virtual leaning tower of Pisa.

Evernote. What a great concept, save your junk in a method where you can look at it quickly on your phone, computer or tablet...anytime you want. What do I save here? Articles online I want to read but don't have time. Receipts that are so important I might need them faster than I can look them up in gmail. They are saved in gmail too..so that is double the hoarding. Notes from meetings; I no longer carry around a notebook and pen, I have converted to a kindle fire and stylus. Web pages I might want to go back and look at. Recipes. Just about anything I might want quickly.

www.bikerunyoga.com. I have not one, not two but I actually have three different blogs. I only manage to keep up 2 and that is rare but these are also great places to store things. They are like newsletters I use to hand write in college and then copy and mail to my family. Now I type them and send them out faster....and they are all archived in the virtual world.

Facebook. I have pictures and probably a bazzillion posts of misc ridiculous thoughts. Hoarding because I never delete anything.

Twitter. Another great place to blurt out random thoughts and ideas. Hoarding because it never goes away, it just keeps stacking up.

Picasa web albums. Great place to store my photos....of which I have thousands. One time my sister-in-law and I went to Disneyland with the family and we each took more than 700 pictures of a week long vacation. All of those are online...even the bad ones...I might need them some day. I keep random,sometimes not in focus photos because I used one once as an accent piece on a scrapbooking page so now I take odd photos ON PURPOSE.

Diggs. I have an account here...so I can continue to add to my virtual hoarding of information.

Twitpic. I have pictures stored here that have been added to twitter...I am pretty sure that is double hoarding too.

Pinterest. If this isn't hoarding I don't know what it. Years ago I fell in love with the enormous fabric board above the desk of Rachel on Friends, so much that I made one myself. It now hangs in my craft room where I hoard my crafts. It is full of pictures and images of things I want. Pinterest is this online and on steroids.

Kindle Fire. I think this counts because I save documents on my kindle that I want to look at later. I also have books which seems like virtual "stuff" and I have books on the kindle that I have read but don't delete...they are just taking up space...a mild case of hoarding.

Amazon Cloud. I have music, books and documents here. Hey, they gave it to me free with the kindle fire, what was I suppose to do, not USE IT?!

I looked up virtual hoarding. Urban Dictionary defines it as:

A person who collects an abnormally large amount of useless, outdates, and or trivial files (music, movies, papers, apps, etc) that clogs up their computer's memory to the point that their virtual life is impacted negatively, with the unrealistic hopes that someday the useless data will magically be useful.

I'm not sure that defines me. I don't save much on my computer, it doesn't have a lot of memory, it is actually a netbook. My hoarding also isn't negatively impacting my life, unless you consider the time it takes to find something. (Probably no more time than it would take to search through a bunch of papers.) And unrealistic hopes the data will be useful?! Is there such a thing as unrealistic hope?

Virtual hoarding. Check. Task completed for today.

Crafting a Raised Garden Bed on the Cheap

2012-04-08T16:07:00.000-05:00

Have you ever shopped at Aldi? It is a grocery store that has what I would call off brand items and their selection is limited to maybe one or two brands per item. The deals are good and they have "Special Buys" each week. This week they have gardening items and I picked up a few of them to start my gardening efforts. I've been wanting to grow my own vegetables for awhile now, this seemed like a good push in the right direction.

I bought two of the raised bed kits. They are less than $30 and perfect for a beginner gardener. They were easy to put together, I only needed a drill, everything else comes in the kit. The kit even shows you different configurations you can make depending on the number of kits you buy.

I chose to just do two simple 4' x 4' beds. I filled them with my own compost...and used a plastic wheel barrel I got from Aldi last year. They have the same one right now on sale for about $30.

I also bought four of the berry plants, two raspberry and two blackberry. I planted them along the back fence, something I have wanted to do for years.

After working in the yard for two days, it is finally looking a little more like a yard and less forgotten.

Here is the start to the beds, maybe I'll actually plant something soon.

Custom First Year Babysuits, One for Each Month

2012-04-08T15:52:00.000-05:00

I recently made these custom one piece bodysuits for a friend that loves to take photos of her kids each month. I saw the idea on the Martha Stewart Show and loved it! I was so happy when I had the opportunity to try it out myself.

Martha Stewart provides templates for the 12 months, you can get them here. I wanted mine to be more custom so I created my own, you can get my templates here.

This is a relatively easy process although I have to admit, it was quite time consuming to create the templates. I used a free program, Paint.net, to create the templates. It isn't the easiest program to use but it is free. I am sure if I had real design software, or Paint.net skills, I could have done it much faster.

Once the templates were made, the rest of the process was easy. I printed off the templates using iron on transfer paper. Then I cut out each circle. I customized each with the babies name (that is the blurred out part.) The name I cut out separately.

I used three 0-3 months, three 3-6 months, three 6-9 months, three 12 months. The bodysuits seem to come in quantity packages that don't correspond with this project well, on the positive side, it gives you a few to try and mess up on, or extra blank ones to give the mom.

If you make these or some of your own design, let me know, would love to see! Craft on.

Instructions to Make a Kindle Fire Cover

2012-01-12T17:26:00.001-06:00

Kindle Fire Cover - Multi Blue Circles

Wow, I never knew a Kindle Fire Cover could be so popular! I pinned my creation on Pinterest and 34 people and counting repinned it! Someone even commented requesting instructions on how to make one. I wasn't prepared to write it up, my crafting isn't always good enough to share but I worked on it and made a few more and think I have created a pretty good pattern.

Here are the guidelines for making your own Kindle Fire Cover. If you aren't crafty and want to just purchase one, I have some on sale now at my store. Click on one of the images below to buy.

Fabrics Needed:

Decorative fabric for outside
Fabric for the interior
Stiff interfacing, I used the heaviest iron-on I could find
Flannel fabric (padding)
Thicker craft fleece (I found this in the interfacing area.) (This is the thick padding)

Notions Needed:

3/8" Elastic
Thread

Creating the pattern:

** Everything has a 3/8" seam

Cover Piece:

Cut a rectangle 11 15/16" x 8 13/16", mark the seam allowance, fold it in half and mark the half way point - draw a line on the right side of the center 3/8" in, this is the seam allowance for the right side. So the right side ends up being 5 1/16" wide.
Cut a 2 square and fold in half.
Place the folded square in each of the corners on the right side of the pattern. Draw a line, this is where you will place the elastic. When you cut out the fabric, cut a small slit in the seam to note where the elastic should go.
On the right side, mark 1 3/16" in from the right edge, this is where the elastic band will be stitched.
Cut one fabric, one interfacing, one padding, one thick padding

Right Side Interior:

Cut a rectangle 5 7/8" x 8 3/4"
Cut one fabric, one interfacing

Left Side Interior:

Cut a rectangle 5 7/16" x 8 3/4" (note it is 5 7/16", not 5 7/8" like the right side!)
Cut one fabric, one interfacing

Middle Interior:

Cut a rectangle 2 1/16"" x 8 3/4"
Cut one fabric, one interfacing

Pocket:

Cut a rectangle 5 1/2" x 8 3/4"
Fold in half. From the center, measure 3 3/4" from the left side to the center. From that point to the edge, draw a curved line. While still folded, cut along the line so both sides are the same. I used a drafting tool, you can also use a large can as a guide.
Cut two fabric, one interfacing

How to put it together:

Iron on interfacing to all pieces. ** I trimmed the cover piece interfacing 3/8" all the way around. You could create a different pattern for the interfacing that was the correct size but I cut these out all at the same time and trim, I find that is easier.
On the Right Side Interior piece, mark the lines from the pattern where the elastic should go (on the right side of the fabric). The bottom of the elastic goes on the line. Stitch elastic down.
One the Cover Piece, pin the elastic. The place you clipped into the seam allowance notes where the right side of the elastic should go. Stitch it to the Cover Piece.
Take the Pocket pieces and sew just the curved edge, clip, trim and iron. Turn the Pocket right side out and stitch the two pieces together so they are secure. The piece with the interfacing should be on the top.
Sew the Left Side and Middle together, top stitch on Left Side.
Pin the Pocket to the Left Side. Stitch all three sides.

Now you have a Cover Piece with the strap attached, a thick padding, padding, Right Side with elastic straps attached and a Left side with the Pocket and Middle attached.

Put the pieces together in this order, flat on the table; padding, Cover Piece (right side up), Right Side (right side down), Left Side (right side down make sure Middle is on top of Right Side). Pin. Sew all the way around. Trim selvage.
Turn right side out and use a corner poker thing to carefully poke out the corners. Trim the thick padding so it fits nicely inside the pocket you just made. I found out this is not an exact science. I trimmed off a tad bit more than the 3/8" seam allowance. Insert into the cover and smooth out.
Once you have this smooth and flat, top stitch around the entire thing.
Now, measure the distance between your top stitching. Cut two pieces of card board. The right side piece should be approximately 7 1/2" x 4 5/8" and the left side should be approximately 7 1/2" x 4 1/4". I say approximately because it depends on how far in your top stitching is.
Insert the left side cardboard first, all the way to the right. You will have to wrap it around the Middle edge so it slides to the left. Stick you hand in between the pieces and push the cardboard to the left. It should end approximately where the top stitching is of the Left Side and Middle piece. Put right side cardboard in, it should end just shy of the Right Side piece of fabric, you need enough room to top stitch over the edge. Smooth it all out and test it with your Kindle. It should fold over nicely and the elastic band should easily come from the back to the front, securing the front. Once you are satisfied, top stitch the Right Side closed, stitching all the way through all the pieces, top stitching will be on the back.

There you have it, your own handmade Kindle Fire Cover! If you make one, post your pics here!

Inside of of Cover

Cream and White Scroll Cover

Inside of Multi Blue Circle Cover

Handmade Kindle Fire Cover

2011-12-30T21:22:00.000-06:00

I made this Kindle Fire cover after looking for some online and seeing a few I liked but not liking the price. The best one I saw was a Kate Spade teal blue one that is $99 on Amazon. I love it; it seems so Tiffany-esque and Martha Stewart-ish yet has the Kate Spade cute little logo on it. LOVE IT! But, don't love the price.

So I started looking online at other ones and found that several styles have the elastic bands around the four corners. This seems to be acceptable, though several reviews questioned the longevity of the elastic. There also seemed to be several that had plastic clips the kindle would "clip into", that seemed harder to replicate.

I also found a few reviews of a cover that had an elastic band around the front to keep it closed, similar to a Moleskin journal, which a friend pointed out to me earlier today.

So I thought to myself, can I make one of these? How hard is it? It's a square that folds over.

As I do often, I thought very carefully about the construction during the many savasanas in yoga class. No, we are not suppose to think during class and certainly not how to make cool crafts but sometimes the mind wanders and gets stuck on technical aspects of design.

By the time I was done with class I had decided I knew what I wanted and how to constructed it. I went to Jo-ann's Fabrics and bought two fabrics, a basic black faux suede, a decorative outer fabric and some elastic.

It took me a couple of try's but here it is! The custom made Kindle Fire cover.

Cover open with Kindle inside

Closed cover with elastic closure

Detail of the elastic bands around the corners.

Left inside flap with pocket to hold notes.


More up close detail of the straps.

I can only assume this is scalable to an ipad but since I don't have one I don't know. Anyone have a broken ipad they want to mail to me for free? :)

A Happy Father's Day card for my daddy

2011-06-19T08:37:00.001-05:00

As a busy crafter, sometimes I find I want to just but premade things instead of making them. I know, shame on me! Lol

Unfortunately or fortunately, crafting is a hobby and not my job so I sometimes run out of time to make cute and thoughtful things. On the flipside, I tend to feel guilty as store bought cards somehow make me feel like I didn't care ENOUGH to make time to make a card. What a dilemma!

Just fyi to anyone that receives a store bought card from me, with all the great card selections, it can be hard work finding the perfect premade card!

I did manage to have a few hours where I made my dad a card but it was only after I had gone through the above delimma in my head.

This card is not my own design. I'm pretty sure it was in a Cricut newsletter I got though I couldn't find it when I was trying to come up with what to create. I also am pretty sure it is a fairly standard design.

I measured out a shape for the tie and folded it over the blue piece of paper. I cut "DAD" out of red paper using the Opposites Attract Cricut cartridge. I popped it off the card with some pop dots.

Easy to Make Wool Dryer Balls

2011-05-28T09:15:00.000-05:00

Old dryer balls

I got these plastic dryer balls years ago in an effort to be more green and stop buying dryer sheets. I've really liked them, they fluff up the laundry and reduce static without chemicals. One down side to them is they are really loud in the dryer.

I recently discovered wool felted dryer balls. I think these are such a great idea! Eco friendly and relatively inexpensive. (And quieter!) I found a great blog post at goodmama on how to make these. These are great detailed instructions with pictures.

With what I felt was good enough knowledge in hand, I went to Michael's and purchased some wool yarn. I already have two huge bins full of yarn but not wool yarn, so of course I had to go BUY more materials. :) Thank goodness Michael's was having a sale and some of their off colors were discounted to $2.99. I bought 6 skeins of Paton Classic Wool medium gauge, 3.5 oz.

I wound the yard into a ball, measured and put in a panty hoses leg per the instructions. Instead of putting them in the wash I put them in a bowl with scalding hot water and swished them around. I'm not sure this was the best idea, obviously the agitation in the wash would have been better for felting the fibers together but I have an HE washer and I felt there wasn't a lot of swishing going on anyway. After the water was cool enough for me to stick my hands in it, still hot though, I squeezed the yarn balls and massaged them a little to help the fibers mesh.

After that I put them in the dryer. I let them set out for a day before I added more yarn, they weren't quite dry and I hate to use the dryer to just dry dryer balls.

I wrapped more yarn around and repeated the process.

Here are my finished dryer balls. I like them. They look like the ones in the pictures on the blog post and like others I found on the internet.

New pretty wool dryer balls

I will say though, I don't like the fact that they still look like yarn. Why go to all the trouble of "felting" if its still just going to look like a ball of yarn?

Also, even though each skein was the same weight, the multi colored one didn't go as far. I had to use a different color for the inside of the ball so the outside was the multi color. This of course was only discovered after I had wound one ball almost all the way and realized I wasn't going to have enough.

The solid red color was better, I used 1 full skein and maybe 1/4 of the second skein. I still have probably 3 full skeins left and could make another 4 balls.

A friend told me about another technique for felting and I'm going to try some other things with the other yarn, I'll post again when I get those done.

All in all, if you consider the yarn was only $2.99 a skein, I basically got two dryer balls for less than $6, not a bad deal. My old plastic ones cost me $9.99 at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

If you are curious why someone would even use dryer balls. Here are two things I found on the internet.

How are Dryer Sheets Manufactured?

Are the Dangers Of Dryer Sheets Causing You and Your Family Serious Health Problems?

Yummy Treats on Mother's Day

2011-05-09T10:19:00.001-05:00

These great chocolate covered strawberries are from my sister in law, she runs Baby Cakes in Georgetown. They were so yummy!

My wonderful nieces explained how some had swirls and some wew decorated with smiley faces. The moms got smiley face ones. Either way, they were delicious!

Just the right touch for a special day.

Mothers: Happy Mother's Day! (Cards using the Cricut Design Studio Software)

2011-05-08T08:00:00.003-05:00

I decided to try the Cricut Design Studio software again and make a few Mother's Day cards. I researched the software a few months ago, bought a cord, watched a few videos, tried to use it and gave up. I encountered a few problems. I have a netbook, not a full computer so buying the cd was not an option as I don't have a cd player. I also wasn't too keen on purchasing the software without trying it out first. I saw lots of videos showing how you could download the trial version and just use the fonts on your computer but I couldn't make that work. The trial version does work with the cartridge that came with the Cricut but I must have been having a bad mental day because I tried it and couldn't make it work.

Earlier this week though I decided to give it another go. I had a choice, buy Mother's Day cards or make them. I opted to make cards since I have an entire room dedicated to crafts...I have a lot of craft stuff including an entire section dedicated to stamps, paper and other card making things - I'm like a mini Michael's Store.

My goal was to learn how to "weld" the letters together to make a continuous title. After a few messed up cuts I finally got it right! Wow, they looked great! Perfectly connected words ready to be added to cards or scrapbooking pages.

After cutting out "Mother's Day", I cut tiny flowers out of printed paper and backgrounds for the flowers out of complimentary solid colored paper.

Cricut cutting the flower backgrounds, beginnings of a card!

Here is the completed card. The letters and flowers are from the George and Basic Shapes that came with my Cricut machine. I added a matching printed backing and a pink ribbon in the corner. Each flower also has a colored brad as the center.

For myy second card I created a repeat pattern of "Happy" for the outside of the card and added glitter to each word. This could be used for any occasion, I might actually make up a few of these just as extra cards. For this one I added an all in one "Happy Mother's Day" to the inside of the card. I also added a flower background to the cut so it was all in one.

Front


Inside

Here is what the design studio software and Cricut set up for the front of the card.

My last card I used the same design of the inside of the last card and added more flowers. I used several different paper patterens for the flowers. The background for the flowers is part of the title and everything was done in grey. I used brads again in vintage metal tones for the insides of the flowers. A textured pink ribbon adds the final touch.

Happy Mother's Day!

Fabric bulletin boards made easy

2011-04-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

New custom fabric bulletin board I created for a client. These are fairly easy to do, below are the basic steps to create your own. This particular one is 2' x 2'.

Materials needed:

2' x 2' plywood. Thickness is up to you. I picked one that was thick enough for nail heads.
2 spools of grosgrain ribbon.
Ruler
Staple gun (I used 5/8 staples)
Decorative fabric
Coordinating backing fabric
Tape
Mallet
Needle Nose Pliers

For this one since the overall size was small, I used the ruler as a guide to space the ribbon. The larger the board the wider you can make the space between ribbons. I taped down the ribbons into place and wrapped the ribbon around the side so it was easy to staple down.

Once the fabric and ribbons were stapled on, I took off most of the tape and used the mallet to pound the decorative nail heads in. This takes some work. I recommend buying extra packages. I used the needle nose pliers to hold the nail in place while I hammered it in. You don't have to put nails in at the edge where the ribbons cross unless you are not framing. I frame mine so I don't use nails on the edges.

I added a backer piece of fabric just to finish off the piece. Not that anyone sees the back but it completes the work. Now it is ready for a frame.

I made one of these a few years ago and bought an old picture that had an awesome frame, took the picture out and put my bulletin board in the frame. I was trying to recreate the awesome bulletin board that was behind Rachel's desk on Friends. I'm not sure that was the best idea I ever had, the frame cost me $200. But, it was and still is an awesome looking bulletin board! If you are looking to frame yours, I suggest thinking about making your board the size of a standard frame that you can get for less money at Michael's or Hobby Lobby.

Here is my original fabric bulletin board.

Custom screen printed yoga mat towels

2011-04-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

Another success with the YUDU screen printing machine! I made these custom towels for the yoga studio where I teach. We had a grand re-opening party and honored several people that had been coming to the studio since the beginning. Each towel is custom printed with their name and date they started. (I removed the names for the sake of the posting.)

I used the Manduka equa mat towel. These towels are great to screen print, they are thick with a suede like texture. After screen printing I folded the towels and wrapped them with a ribbon to finish off the gift.

Mustache or whales? A tank with two tales...or tails as it were.

2011-04-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

I created a one-of-a-kind tank top for a friend, out of her own drawing, with my new YUDU screen printing machine. She drew a picture of a mustache, then, added a few extra details and made it into two cute whales. I thought it was so cute I made it into a cute tank for her as a going away gift.


Drawing

I used Paint.net to edit the image so just the whales and waves were left.

Image after editing in Paint.net

I used an American Apparel tank in heather grey with black ink.

Final tank!

I love my new YUDU machine! It is so awesome to be able to make custom printed shirts whenever I want!

Does anyone really need a BIG green Cricut Plushie?

2011-03-24T11:46:00.000-05:00

I love my Cricut cutting machine but this is a little weird. I got my weekly email from Cricut today goodness, there is a BIG stuffed cricket as the first thing you can buy! LOL Who needs a stuffed green cricket?! Uh, not me! LOL

I am sure there will be Cricut lovers all over the place buying these up and finding a prominent place in their craft room to proudly show off their love for Cricut cutting machines..but please...isn't money better spent on cartridges or accessories? :D

Create Decorative Scrapbook Spines with Cricut

2011-01-22T08:00:00.012-06:00

I got a Cricut cutting system for Christmas! I was so excited. I played around with one at a scrapbooking retreat about a year ago. Wasn't sure it was right for me but every time I have to buy new sticker letters or die cuts, I think about the Cricut. And wow, I didn't realize just HOW much I would like it!

I took it with me recently on a scrapbooking retreat and used it the entire time I was there. Here are a few examples of some simple things I created. Still learning; these were pretty easy but really brought out the details of the page.

This page from Dash Down Greenville 5k Run has accents from the Sweethearts Cartridge. I used the Heart flowers in two different colors of green to make them look like shamrocks.

For this Snow in Dallas page I used the Ashlyn's Alphabet Cartridge.

This 4th of July journal box was made with the frame setting and cutting out the phrase "4th of July" from the Stand and Salutes Cartridge.

Once I got home I was reminded I need to get my albums embossed so I know what dates each covers. It can be expensive per spine and I have 8 to do! Then the Cricut came to mind. What if I made a sort of name plate and used some decorative ribbon to attach it? Hmmm....After a few trial cuts I think I figured out a good look.

This look depends on how your albums are created and how thick they are. My albums are all Creative Memories albums and all are quite thick.

Here you can see my already embossed album spines and my new date plate spine create with the Cricut.

I used the George and Basic Shapes Cartridge for the oval and Opposites Attract for the letters. The ribbon is cut from some sheer ribbon I got from Michael's. Mine happens to be grey/silver but you could use anything that coordinated.

I used the So Saffron yellow from Stampin Up. It was the closest I had to the color of yellow of the album. I cut the oval at size 4" and a shadow in black. Numbers are 1" tall from Opposites Attract.

There are lots of "tags" in the George and Basic Shapes Cartridge; I plan on trying some other versions later. If you try this technique, let me know, would love to see other ideas!

Glue numbers on, then thread ribbon through the top through the back, up through the bottom. Glue number plate (oval) to the oval back. Tip: Let it fully dry to make sure it is dry and secure. I noticed mine is pulling away a little on the sides.

Then tie to the spine securely with not very much wiggle room(but not to tight as to crease the spine) and wrap it so the knot is on the back side like below. You can move number plate up and down depending on where you want the label. If you want to make a bow or tie, leave the excess ribbon on the front instead of wrapping it to the back. Replace your spine.

This can be done with permanent spines too as long as you have room to thread the ribbon through top to bottom.

Inside of spine; knot is on this side unless you want a decorative tie.

Here are additional ones I created in silver instead of a color that matches the album.

I am fascinated with what the Cricut can do, I hope to post more of my creations soon!

First Crochet Project: Amigurumi Dolls

2011-01-21T12:17:00.000-06:00

I recently took some books to Half Price Books to see what I could get. (Purging) They have you wait in the store while they review what you brought, I am sure this is a purposeful tactic to get you to buy books. It worked.

I looked through the craft books hoping to find a book on knitting with sock yarn and stumbled upon a great book "Crobots". (See image to the left.) It is a great little book with the cutest amigurumi creatures. I particularly like the Geisha at the end; it has 4 wheels though, meaning it is hard, so I will tackle it after I have made a few more of the other ones.

One problem, I don't know how to crochet.

The book has instructions on how to get started and how hard can it be right? I knit. I sew. I can crochet. LOL

I bought the appropriate hook at Jo-Ann's and some cheap yarn and went home to get started. It says in the book a good crocheter can make one of these things in a few hours. New people, a little longer. I'm on the new side.

The instructions as they turn out are not that easy to follow. Maybe if you already know what you are doing, they are a good refresher. Me? I found them confusing and I read them S-L-O-W-L-Y and over and over again.

I finally gave up and went on youtube and found a bunch of videos on how to get started. Youtube is a GREAT resource to learn just about anything. There are good and bad videos so you have to search a little but I saw great tips in most of the videos I watched.

After a few tries at the "magic circle" I managed to make a few cute amigurumi dolls/monsters.


White Amigurumi Dog

This cute dog is my first amigurumi. A friend suggested the pink collar and I like it, it makes her sassy.


Techno Monster

This guy is so cute. He originally had old style head phones on that went over his head. I modified to to make them white and gave him a little "mp3" player.

Audrey

Audrey is my favorite. She is quirky, made from random things in my house. I didn't quite have everything the book said so I improvised and I think she came out better. I particularly love her hat.

I'm having a lot of fun making these...I can't wait to get started on my next one! If you want to see the rest of my amigurumi, check out my etsy store.

Fingerless Gloves Galore!

2011-01-02T17:50:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post these before the holidays but I got an order for a bunch of these and that pretty much kept my hands busy till Christmas!

Handmade fingerless gloves

I decided to pick up my knitting needles again and see if I could make something function, that I could sell on my etsy site. This all started because I ran in the 2010 White Rock Marathon Relay and I was really wishing I had some of those cheap throw-away gloves. (People wear them when they start but once they are warm they just toss them to the side, volunteers come by and pick them up and usually donate them to a shelter.)

But in my crafty mind I was trying to think of how I could make some myself. I taught myself to knit so I only know some basic stitches. I've seen plenty of tv shows and videos on how to knit and all of them seem pretty complex when it comes to knitting in the round, like for fingers. During yoga sometimes my mind wanders and it starts to think on its own about things. Most recently it was about gloves and how I could knit some. I decided fingerless gloves would be perfect. I could tuck my fingers into them to keep them warm but they would also allow me to still use my fingers (important in today's tech world). And the best part....no fingers to knit!

After a few attempts, I made what turned out to be a pretty nice looking pair of fingerless gloves.

Green fingerless gloves

During the holidays I let my nieces try them on. They were too big but it did give me the idea to make smaller ones for girls. Here is a picture of some I made recently for my niece...I knitted tiny flowers for the front of them too.

Enjoy...and don't be shy, feel free to buy some on etsy!

Handmade Wristlet Makes Running Around Town So Easy!

2010-08-15T10:47:00.000-05:00

My new handmade wristlet!

I have a wonderful Coach wristlet that I love, my BFF gave it to me several years ago as a birthday gift. It's beautiful but I wanted one that was a little bigger and one I didn't mind sweating all over since I am now doing yoga all the time. In case you don't know what a wristlet is, it is a wallet that has a strap so you can carry it - on your wrist. It is like a mini - mini purse, usually only big enough for credit cards, money and a tiny lip gloss.

I prefer mine to be big enough for my phone, a wad of credit cards, cash and lip gloss. Yesterday I set my mind to making my own to fit all my stuff. I went to the store, picked out 4 complimentary fabrics and started piecing them together. My first few tries were not very successful. After making one that was too narrow and too tall, I cut parts off and adding parts and whola! found a good size.


Front and back are the same

Inside view

Here are the measurements and instructions if you want to make your own. If you do, please let me know how it turns out. I had a problem with the zipper so if you have a better process, please share.

Materials:
4 complimentary fabrics - I got 1/4 yard of 3 and 1/2 yard of the lining since you use that for the outer piece and lining. (If you do one fabric, you will need to add the measurements together.)
7" zipper
thread
ruler
rotary cutter
cutting mat
scissors
seam ripper (or at least I needed one!)

Pattern: (add your desired seam allowance to measurements, I used 1/2". Measurements listed are finished size.)

Outer Fabric (wristlet)
2- Band across top - 8" X 1 1/4"
2- End stripe - 1" x 3 1/2"
2- Middle stripe - 1 1/2 " x 3 1/2"
4- Center double print - 3" x 1 3/4" (cut 2 of one fabric and 2 of a different fabric)

Strap
1- Strap - 12" x 1"

Lining
1- Lining - 8" x 4 3/4"
1- Inside Pocket - 4 5/8" x 7 1/2"

Sewing Instructions:
1. Sew the 2 center double prints together, finished piece should be 3 1/2" (plus your seam allowance).
2. Sew middle stripe to each side of the sewn center double prints.
3. Sew the end stripe to each side of the middle stripe. Make both the front and the back.
4. Finished piece should be 8" x 4 3/4" (plus your seam allowance all the way around.)
5. Sew band to the top of the piece.
6. Fold strap in half, iron flat. Open and turn in 1/4" seam on each side, iron flat. Folded piece should be 1/2". Top stitch closed.
7. Sew strap to front left side of the bag, just below the band, or on the band, whichever you prefer. I also sewed a basting stitch across the band about an inch in to make sure it would stay straight when I sewed the two pieces together.
8. Sew the front and back together, sides and bottom.
Lining
9. Fold the inside pocket fabric right sides together, sew sides. Flip inside out, iron flat.
10.Sew onto lining.
11.Sew lining together, sides and bottom, right sides together. Clip corners.
Finishing
12. Fold under seam allowance of band, iron flat.
13. Fold under seam allowance of top of lining, iron flat.
14. Insert lining into wristlet, pin in place.
15. Open zipper, fold end down and put between lining and outer fabric. Using zipper foot, top stitch outer fabric, zipper and lining together.

**To sew the zipper in I started at the end, folded the tail of the zipper down, top stitched down the zipper, folded the other tail under, top stitched a tiny bit of the wristlet without the zipper, folded the other tail of the top of the zipper down and top stitched down the other side of the zipper. When I got to the end though, I couldn't finish top stitching, the zipper end was preventing the fabric to lay flat. I just hand stitched the rest of the zipper and wristlet together. I am sure there is a better way but that was what I did since I was at the end.

And there you go! Now you have a wristlet with a cute pocket on the inside, for what I don't know. I like to have options though a a pocket on the inside lets me put my id or something else I need quickly in a more accessible place rather than rummaging through my cards finding what I need.

Enjoy!

The Crafter in Me Made a Yoga Mat Bag for the Yogi in Me

2010-03-11T17:53:00.001-06:00

From Comfy Crafter

I just finished this cute yoga mat bag! It's completely my own design although, there isn't much room for creativity, a yoga bag is a pretty standard size. It fits a mat that rolls up to be about 5 inches in diameter. I put an extra strip of fabric inside to give it pockets and added padding to the handles for comfort. I think the contrasting fabric inside is nice but you don't see enough of it, I should have made the whole bag out of the paisley fabric and made the pocket out of the contrast. It's also made from cotton fabric so it is easy to wash.

Here is the inside:

From Comfy Crafter

What do you think? Would YOU carry this yoga mat bag? :D

Playing with Fondant with My SIL

2010-03-04T10:37:00.000-06:00

Fondant Fairies

From Drop Box

I spent yesterday with my sister-in-law hanging out; we had a wonderful time making these adorable fairies out of fondant. It is really very hard,so much detail work! I had never worked with fondant before so I helped with the simple things like the legs. :) I tried to make the arms but they looked more like linebackers than fairies. We made several versions before we settled on these. Aren't they adorable?

My sister-in-law makes cakes and has a wonderful blog with recipes and cake decorating ideas. She is making a fairy cake for a client that these little fairies will sit on.