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Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 02:03:00 +0000

Because of the insane heat we are having, I am on the lookout for fast and easy recipes that don't require a lot of cooking time in the kitchen so I don't warm the house too much. I saw a photo of cooked tomatoes and tuna on Pinterest a few days ago that was a user upload but had no recipe and looked like it could be a good dinner/lunch option. I decided to take the photo as inspiration and then go from there, the results were super yummy and this dish is def. a new favorite in our house.

Tuna Salad

3 big or 4 small/med servings

Ingredients:

15 ounces of all white tuna ( 3 cans )

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

The juice of 1 whole lemon

2 small cucumbers quartered and chopped

3 - 4 Roma tomatoes with the insides taken out and chopped

Green beans or another veggie to serve it with (this would also be fab over rice or on a mixed green salad)

Spices to taste:

Salt, Pepper, Garlic or Garlic Powder, Onion Powder or some fresh diced onions, Chili Powder

Cooking:

Cook the tuna in a pan with EVOO and the seasonings to taste over medium heat. I just slowly added the seasonings and tasted it every once in awhile to make sure I got the flavor the way I wanted. You want to just add enough EVOO to keep the tuna moist so it does not dry out so start with 2TBS and add more as needed. Once the tuna is warm and you are happy with the flavor of the seasoning add in the lemon juice, cucumbers and tomatoes. Now we are a lemon loving family so you might want to start out with 1/2 or 3/4 of the lemon juice in case you are not lemon obsessed like us. ;) Cook for another min or so until the produce you added is warmed and you are happy with the flavor. Serve over rice or with a green veggie for added healthiness. This would also be great cold the next day over a salad or eaten as is with some fruit on the side.

If you make this and try any adjustments or variations I would love to hear them! I think this is one of those dishes that can be modified many ways to make new delicious and healthy meals. :)

Rainbow Loom Bracelets

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:45:00 +0000

Have you seen kids out in town or at school with bracelets like this? Most likely they are into the newest craze that is becoming popular over here....Rainbow Looms. Normally I don't buy into the new latest and greatest thing or fads but little miss had her own money and since it was a crafting project that could keep her busy on the hot summer days I said okay. She has been having a blast the past week making tons of bracelets for herself, her friends, and family. It was a great purchase that I am sure she will get a lot of joy out of learning all the different ways to make bracelets and making up her own versions. :)

You can visit the Rainbow Loom website here if you want to learn more about it. Amazon sells the kits as does Learning Express....I have found that they are half the price at Learning Express so before you buy them off of Amazon check your local stores to see if they carry them.

{ Rainbow Loom is not paying me anything for this post ....I am merely sharing a great crafting tool that my daughter and her friends have all fallen in love with. }

You use these small rubber bands, a hook, and a loom to create your awesome accessories.

Beating the heat this weekend with bracelet making at the kitchen table. Instead of running all of our inside lights we will put a bright lamp on the table for crafting to keep the heat of the house down as well as the energy bill low when its 110 degrees outside and the ac is running like crazy.

The booklet that comes with the kit teaches you how to make single ones first.

We have quite a few of those around the house right now....at least 15 or so at my last count lol

When you get the hang of how to work the loom and the hook you can move onto more advanced patterns.

Triple Single Pattern Pictured Above

Video for the Triple Single Pattern here.

Love the texture in this one!

This is the Liberty Twist Pattern, video tutorial can be found here.

This pattern is the Single Rhombus and can be found here.

Now that my daughter has gotten the hang of this and understands how the patterns work she has begun to try and make her own designs. :)

These bracelets are great for summer, colorful and fun and can get wet with no problem :)

If you have kids who love to make handmade gifts for friends and family these are perfect because they are something they can do on their own from start to finish and can show their creativity in each piece.

Tons of video tutorials for the loom and mini loom found here.

Tissue Paper Glass Jar Luminaries

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:30:00 +0000

Crafts that allow us to reuse items that would otherwise be recycled or thrown away are a win win in our house. I like to save glass jars from everyday things we might buy, condiments, sauces, pickles, ect.....you never know when they might come in handy for a craft project on a really hot { or rainy or cold } day.

Tissue Paper Luminaries

What you will need:

clean and empty glass jars { no labels }

tissue paper { the thin solid color ones work best but they are delicate to work with }

scissors

mod podge

containers for tracing if you want to have certain shapes cut out

Paint brushes { to apply the mod podge }

small candles or tea lights

lighter { to light your candles }

Step 1:

Pick out your colors and figure out what design you want to have on your jar.

Cut out the pieces you will need.

Step 2:

Spread a little bit of mod podge on the jar at a time and place your tissue paper onto it patting it down. Try not to rub the tissue paper down because this can cause it to tear. Also, you don't need a ton of mod podge to get the tissue paper to stick down, too much and the tissue paper can tear, wrinkle, or become a squished mess because it will get over saturated.

Finish applying all of your tissue paper to your jar.

Step 3:

Allow your jar to dry for about 10 mins or so and then apply mod podge over all of the tissue paper to seal it down. You want to wait to do this because if the tissue paper gets too saturated with mod podge it can cause it to tear or crinkle on the jar.

Allow your jars to dry all of the way before handling and placing a tea light into the jar.

Bonus points to the people who can tell me what character the middle jar is made to look like. ;)

My daughter loves having her jar in her room at night all aglow. Like me, she is a lover of candles and candle light. :)

Have left over jars in your home? You can turn them into fun luminaries for every day display or you can make seasonal ones like we did a few Halloweens back:

Tin Can Luminaries

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:59:00 +0000

Looking to beat some of the summer heat already?

Where we live the heat is in full effect and I am not loving it lol

With the heat taking over, it means lots of inside afternoon activities so we can stay as cool as possible.

Tin Can Luminaries are a fun and easy project to do on a rainy day, a hot day, or any day you feel like getting your crafting on with your kids.

I followed the tutorial here to make these with the family.

{ We didn't paint ours because I like the silver metal look of the cans }

After punching the holes in the tin cans you can just place them outside on a hot { or warm day } and let mother nature melt the ice for you. :)

Mine did not come out right and ended up a hot mess, so I will have to give it another try once we have a few more cans. I need to remember simple is better when punching the holes. These are my daughter's and my husband's luminaries.

They came out pretty cute when we placed candles in them.

Yes we are Zelda lovers in our house. ;)

My daughter's look so sweet in her room all aglow as she falls asleep. :)

I want to make some more of these for the house .....they are a fun eco friendly craft that you could make for different holidays or themes to pull out as some sweet handmade decor made by you and your family.

PS Instagram photos and blogging go beautifully together and make the whole blogging experience run so much smoother, so thankful for that! :)

Cold Bean + Tomato + Corn Salad {or salsa for your chips!} Gluten Free

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 02:43:00 +0000

As the weeks go by and I get back into blogging occasionally you will prob. notice a slight shift in my content. I will still be posting about crocheting and crafting but will also be including gluten free {GF} recipes I have made or tried, and homeschooling posts as well.

I love pinterest and finding new crafting DIY's, recipes, patterns, ect.... BUT I also love to see how other peoples attempts at projects and recipes come out. Reviews are a big selling point for me....to see if its easy, any issues people had, modifications I might like, ect. So most recipes on here will be ones that I have tried or modified versions of other peoples GF recipes. I might try and get brave once I have settled into the GF lifestyle a bit and make my own. For now, I am quite content trying other people's fabulous recipes. ;)

Cold Bean + Tomato + Corn Salad {or salsa!}

Recipe From: Scaling Back

Full Recipe found here.

To make this GF just make sure any ingred. used are GF, for this one its the vinaigrette ingredients that you will need to double check.

I have to say...this is a really satisfying dish and can be served as a side with more veggies or maybe some fish or chicken or bring it to a party with a bag of your fav. tortilla chips and watch it get devoured.

The two times I have made this dish I have doubled it so that we can have leftovers.

I have made it with all black beans and then another time with one can of black beans and one can of dark red kidney beans.....both were equally delish! :)

I like to add in three types of tomatoes, the small red and yellow ones and also a few romas as well.

My daughter and I are just getting into the avocado love so I put it on the side to add in at your own preference amount. This is a great dish to prep ahead of time leaving the vinaigrette to add on till right before you eat it, making those nights where you get home kinda late a little easier in the dinner department.

This will def. become a staple in our house in the easy go to dinner department. With so many ways this can be adapted I am looking forward to lots of satisfying and healthy cold salads to help beat the heat this summer.

End of the year Teacher Gift {Face Scrubbies}

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:11:00 +0000

Are you a crochet lover { and possible addict ;) } looking for a quick and easy teacher gift for end of the year? I have the perfect gift that works up fast and easy and also uses minimal yarn.

A set of handmade all cotton face scrubbies that are fabulous to use and eco friendly too! :)

{Scroll down for pattern link}

I have made two sets for myself and multiple sets as gifts and everyone always loves them. They are great for washing your face in the morning or cleaning make up off your face at night. Throw them in the washing machine with your towels {I throw my in the sanitary setting on my front loader with my towels} and then you can lay them flat to dry or throw them in with another load to dry {I always throw them in on the delicate cycle to avoid shrinking}. They do curl up a bit after washing but as soon as you get them wet they are flat and back to their normal size and shape.

The texture is fabulous on these, one side is more bumpy than the other, so depending on what kind of texture you are looking for you have two options with these.

Sorry for all the photos....

I am in love with this sea foam green color, it looks even more fab in person too!

I want to paint a room in my house this color...or maybe just buy a dress in it. ;)

The pattern is available for free on Ravelry here and if you want my notes with the yarn info you can see that here.

I like to keep my packaging simple and sweet, use some vintage lace to tie them up in a cute little bundle and add a card to your shop or a sweet little note. These beauties are bound to be loved for many months to come and mother earth will thank you for helping to keep the planet a little more green. :)

Stained Glass Art Project {a project for any art lover!}

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Tue, 28 May 2013 17:16:00 +0000

After a three day long craft fest with my little one, the creative spirit in me feels happy and satisfied .... BUT also itching to do more. ;) I am hoping to have time this week and the next to share a few of my favorite projects we did. :)

First up, the faux stained glass art project!

What You Need:

Clear contact paper

Pencil and Eraser

Black Sharpie Marker

Colored Pencils

Scissors

A bowl if you want a round finished product

These projects are simple and easy, great for sitting at the table and bonding with the kids or for keeping a group of kids busy and having fun. :)

1. Plan out what you want to draw. If you want a round shape, now is the time to trace the size bowl you want on your contact paper.

2. Draw out your drawing using a pencil, keeping in mind that you don't want to press too hard so that the pencil lines {when traced over or erased} don't show through on your finished piece.

3. Once your drawing is finished, trace it carefully with a black{or any color of your choosing} permanent sharpie marker. Erase any stray pencil marks.

4. Color in your drawing with colored pencils. Keep in mind the colors do look lighter when the finished product is placed in the window. So if you want your colors as vibrant as possible, its best to press kinda hard. ;)

5. Once you are finished with your drawing, cut it out and carefully place it onto your window. I found the best way to do this was to peel from the top and once I had a small section peeled away I placed that onto the window, smoothed it down and then slowly peeled more off....smoothing it down as I went.

Depending on the time of day and/or how the sun hits it, the colors in your project will be more vibrant or faded. I love the way the look in the windows and the extra personal touch they bring to a room. My daughter's owl one makes me smile .....I know its hard to see in the photos but she used multiple colors in each section to blend them to get her colors "just right and more fancy". I love watching her inner artist bloom and her creativity blossom.

I have a feeling that by the end of the summer, most of the windows in my house will have one of these on them. :)

Easy Fabric Headbands

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:28:00 +0000

When summer weather begins so does the daily headband wearing in our house. My daughter loves headbands, but finds a lot of the hard headbands difficult to wear because they bump her glasses and bother her. Our solution was tons of crochet headbands with flowers and hearts.

This year I wanted to mix it up and do something different for her so I went in search of a quick and easy fabric headband tutorial on pinterest so that I could whip up a bunch of new hair accessories for my little headband lover.

Easiest Fabric Headband I've Ever Made!

Full tutorial can be found here.

The fat quarter bundles that you can get at Joann's are perfect for these because the length on one side is just what you need to whip these up. I cut the width of mine at 4 inches instead of the called for 3.5 inches because I wanted a wider headband. I also just did a double fold over for the ends that go around the pony tail holder instead of the pointed end because I liked that look better. To make it fit my 10 year old's head I just made the fold overs a bit wider than the adult version. You could also take off an inch or half an inch to adjust the size accordingly. With the pony tails at the join, these headbands have a great stretch to them.

Love the finished headbands! They are super easy to sew up and would make awesome gifts or party favors. :)

How to Make Tea Cup Candles

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 06:36:00 +0000

I think I have pretty much established the fact that my life lately has been very busy.

With that being said, I don't consistently blog like I would like to.

So my new plan for this blog:

Blog when I can, when I have something I want to share and have time to share.

My life is filled with homeschooling, crafting, homemaking, dancing for my ballerina....the list goes on and on. I would love to have the time to share all of our crafts, projects, crochet patterns and homeschool goodies and maybe one day I will have more time, but for now I have to settle on posting when I have the time. I kinda like that, the no pressure blogging, blog when I can, with no promises to have new content daily like so many of the other fabulous blog I read when I have some free time and need inspiration.

On to the crafting!

So, I love tea cups; one day I hope to have an amazing vintage collection of them in my home on display on open shelves for me to admire when I am cooking. :)

While surfing pinterest I found some great tutorials on how to make tea cup candles and I knew as soon as I saw them, I had to make some of my own. :)

This was my first batch of them and I love them. They look so pretty glowing in the dark.

I was lucky to get a beautiful batch of vintage cups from a family member and now I can't wait to go out to the thrift store and pick up some more of these to make them as gifts for this holiday season. :)

Tip that I found useful in my first batch:

You need a lot of essential oils if you plan on using that for the scent, so do one candle at first {I know this sounds like a pain but trust me it will pay off} and then once its hardened test it by burning it and see if the scent is as strong as you like. If you can barely smell it like what happened to my first one that was my tester, double or triple the amount of essential oil drops in the wax per candle.

I bought soy wax from a local craft store but you could melt down old candles or use other candle wax if you prefer.

Here are the two tutorials I used to make my candles :

http://www.gomakeme.com/2012/02/go-make-me-soy-candles-diy-project.html

http://georgicapond.blogspot.com/p/candle-craft-project.html

They just make me smile because its something fun, different and whimsical.

And I love tea cups so tea cup anything is def. my cup of tea! ;)

Tutorial: Leg Warmers out of a Sweater

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 02:41:00 +0000

It's no secret that I love taking things I get while thrifting and turning them into something new.

It's so much fun to look at something and then have that light bulb moment where you can totally see it as something fresh and new.

My daughter, aka Little Miss Ballerina, refuses to wear pants or jeans of any kind. She is a skirt and leggings/tights kinda girl which I think is awesome BUT when it gets cooler she def has a thing or two to say about being cold. I have crocheted her some leg warmers but I thought making some out of sweaters would be something fun and new for her.....so off to the local thrift store we went in search of some awesome sweaters to breath new life into. :)

We spotted this super cute striped number in the girls section and knew this was the one for us. And who could argue with a $2.00 price tag? :)

{Second Tutorial in the works for using the rest of the sweater to make matching mittens for the leg warmers.}

What you will Need

An old sweater {Make sure the sleeves will fit your child's legs}

Scissors

Sewing Machine

Matching Thread

Thin elastic {see photo below}

To make sure the leg warmers will fit, take the sleeves and have your child slide their leg in them. If you can pull it up to right below the knee with ease you have a winner. You also want to make sure that the bottom ribbing will hit right at the ankle for full coverage. If you have a child with longer legs you may have to go up to a bigger size and end up with more roomy leg warmers which won't be an issue because you will be using elastic to hold them up. My daughter usually wears a size small and we found that going up two sizes to a kids large worked best for nice roomy leg warmers. But since every kid is built different, def. try them on first.

Step 1

Turn your sweater inside out.

Cut across the sleeves right at the arm pit. {See photo above} Make sure that you cut straight across so you are getting the most out of your sleeves you can.

You will then have two cut sleeves that look like this. Cut your edges up top to make them nice and smooth. I was snapping photos quick before I went to sew these up so I didn't do that till I went back to the sewing table. :)

Step 2

Fold over the top about an inch to create the casing for your elastic to go through.

{You will want to use the thinner elastic like you see in the photo above.}

Step 3

{This step is just like making a skirt casing.}

Go to your sewing machine and sew around your leg warmers leaving a two inch space not sewn closed like you would when you make a casing for a skirt.

Step 4

Measure the elastic around your child right under the knee. You want it snug to keep the leg warmers up but not so tight its not comfortable. You will want to add a little extra so that you can overlap the piece when sewing them together. Cut your two pieces. Attach a safety pin to the end of one piece of elastic and thread it through the casing of one of your leg warmers, holding on to the other end of the elastic so that you don't loose it in the casing.

Once you get your elastic threaded through the casing, use your sewing machine and a zig zag stitch to sew the two ends of the elastic together. Sew the gap in the casing closed with your sewing machine.

Repeat for the other leg warmer.

Now have your cute model slip on their awesome new leg warmers and show them off to the world!

Note:

This prob. does not need to be mentioned BUT I thought I would throw it in since I made this silly mistake.

When using stripes use the color thread that is the outside stripe, not the inside stripe. I used white not thinking about the fact that the stripe on the outside was pink {and not white like the one I was sewing on on the inside} ...silly moment and a lesson learned for next time. Little Miss does not mind and she was so excited over these and loves them so I'm not too fussed about it myself. I just know for next time when using stripes I have to pay closer attention. :) lol

Two dollar sweater = new adorable leg warmers and a pair of matching mittens. Awesome!

Mitten tutorial coming up soon, :)

No Sugar Berry Lemonade

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:45:00 +0000

I'm back from my blogging break.

Long story short, my body hates typing and being on the computer and I was in need of a break. I had to come to terms with that and realize that I just needed to { in the words of my PT} "make modifications" to what I was doing. So I still plan on blogging, just not daily like I was.

On to the post!

I feel like summer and lemonade go hand in hand. I never really crave it any other time of the year and I don't care for how much sugar it takes to make a pitcher of it so I don't tend to make it here at home. Hence why its Aug and there has been no lemonade love in our house. We have been juicing and making other yummy sugar free drinks but for some reason lemonade got left out....until last week! :)

I love how when you stick it in the freezer to get it ice cold it gets all frothy like a root beer float. :)

No Sugar Lemonade for 2

What you need:

2 med to large size lemons

Berries {I used about two bowls full}

Juicer

*any other fruit you want to add in :)

Step 1:

Wash your lemons and berries{& other fruit if you are using more}.

Remove as much of the peels as you can from your lemons.

Step 2:

Cut up your lemons and berries.

Step 3:

Juice your lemons in your juicer. Take your lemon juice and divide it in half into two mason jars or other glass cups.

Juice your berries and then divide that in half into the same jars you have your lemon juice already in.

Mix it up and give it a taste. If your berries are not super sweet it might be slightly bitter, my daughter and I don't mind that and actually kind of like that hint of bitter lemon taste. If that happens and you are not to keen on it you could always juice a handful of red grapes{or any other sweet fruit on hand} and add that to it as well since those are usually pretty sweet this time of year.

After we get the taste just right we pop it in the freezer for 10 mins or so to get it nice and cold. Drink as is or serve it over ice.

We love this version of no sugar lemonade and there are so many possible variations with all the amazing fruits {and even some veggies!} out there that you could have so much fun creating your own special family lemonade.

And yes, I know there is sugar in fruit, by saying "no sugar" I am talking about the added sugar that is in so many drinks these days. ;)

Doll Pin Ballerina Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Now that summer is in full swing Little Miss and I can fully get our craft on most days and I love it. Its so fun watching her work and you can almost see the wheels in her head spinning and the creative juices flowing as things come to life. Usually I start a project with her and then end up sitting back and watching her taking lots of photos because its just so darn cute to watch. :)

This week we used some doll pins and things we hand on hand in the house and created some doll pin ballerinas.

This was the only photo I snapped with my cannon...I wanted to be really present when we were working on these...chatting and having a good time so I just used my camera on my phone so that the photos were quick and easy. I tend to want to fiddle with my settings all the time on my cannon which is great for getting nice shots but it takes time and effort. With the camera on my phone you just shoot and save, which is perfect when you want to get back to crafting asap. :)

What you need for this little project:

Paint, doll pins, paint brushes, pencil for drawing out your designs, embellishments.

Paint on your doll's leo. Drawing it out first is a huge help for getting the curved lines just right.

Add some hair.

I actually wanted to keep the two I painted like this...I prefer more simple stuff. I was going to paint on their little tutu skirts but Little Miss wanted to go all out with these and I am glad I went with her idea because they came out really cute.

Our dolls we painted before they got their finishing touches.

Love how they turned out! She even made a little tiara for one of her dolls. :)

To make the tutus we used petals from fake flowers layered on and glued down with hot glue and cut up crocheted doilies.

Little Miss used a gift box for the stage that these ballerinas would give their grand performances on.

I love how fun and easy this project was and how she used her creativity to make her little ballerinas come to life.

The older she gets I know she will grow out of this playing pretend stage but I am hoping she keeps her creativity and imagination forever. The fact that she is still into doing things like this and using her imagination makes me smile and hopeful that she will always keep those childlike qualities. :)

I am linking up today to The Magic Onions Friday Nature Table, head on over there to check out more awesome projects!

Instagram Love {Tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 14:26:00 +0000

Recently I may have become ~~slightly~~ okay majorly addicted to instagram photos. But in my defense how could you not?! They create such cute photos and are so much fun! :) With many adorable photos on my phone I was pretty keen to get them into prints so I could display them around my house.

I used the app from postal pix to order my instagram photo prints right from my phone. The app is free and very easy to use/navigate. It guides you through the order process and you order the photos straight from your camera roll on your phone. My photos came in two business days after I ordered them, fast and great service all is one is a win, win for me. :) You can check them out on facebook here.

This is the only place I found that got amazing reviews and would print my instagram photos in true instagram fashion ie in the square form. :) Now I will add in one little note about the photo quality: The photos look awesome and I love them, but there were two that came out slightly not clear in print form. This didn't bother me at all because if I look at the photos on my phone the way the filter is applied it is not crisp. Be mindful of the photos you print if you want all crisp looking photos because the different instagram filters will give you different photo results. I love it and love the different variety in my photos when they are displayed.

I found lots of inspiration for cute ways to hang the photos but I was looking for something simple for my daughter's room. I plan on making something cool for our family room but for my daughter's room I wanted something that was easy for her to use and fun.

This is a simple to do project that you can change up very easily....use ribbon, lace, braided yarn, hemp, cording......lots of possibilities here. My daughter loves tulle and wanted the photos on her door so this display method was the perfect solution. :)

~~Just to add in, yes you can still close the door with the tulle wrapped around it like this. I don't know how other materials would effect that. The tulle for us does not effect the door closing one bit.

All you need is tulle rolls in your favorite colors, clothespins, and scissors. I did use some clothespins in her display that I had used mod podge to apply scrap booking paper too. That is an easy way to decorate your clothespins to give it an extra fun touch.

Cut a really long piece of tulle.....you want to have enough so that you can keep wrapping it around your door.

Use the tulle and wrap it around your door, feeding it through the gap in between the door and the jam. It does take some time to do this, its faster if you have someone helping you out. You will leave a two foot section at the beginning so that you can tie it off when you are finished. If you have someone helping you they can hold on to this section to keep it there, otherwise use a small piece of tape to tape it to the door to hold it in place. When you get to the end of your tulle use the two ends to tie the tulle into a bow to secure it to the door. While wrapping it you want to do it tight but not too tight that you rip the tulle. You just want it to be tight enough that it stays in place on the door.

Use the clothespins to hang your photos and you are finished! Quick and easy, not to mention fun and a low cost way to hang all your awesome photos. You could even use this method to display your child's art on the door as well. :)

Now I just need to finish up a few more crochet flowers to be pinned to her door and it will be perfect according to little miss. :)

I am linking up to Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On today, head on over there to see some more awesome creative people. :)

Keep Calm Craft On Tuesdays

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:26:00 +0000

Super excited that this last weekend we were able to finish off a big project for our daughter, her very own ballet barre to practice at home with. And my beautiful yarn is finally getting worked up into the fall hat I had been patiently waiting to start since Mother's Day. With the break from dance now upon us, I find that I have more free time to craft and get things done with my little one that I have been wanting to do for awhile. We have a whole list of projects we hope to get done before summer intensives start up. :)

Notes and pattern for the hat can be found on my Ravelry page here.

Full Tutorial on building your own ballet barre can be found here.

With a huge to do list for this week I am keeping this post short and sweet. If you are looking for more awesome crafting inspiration, check out the other link ups on Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On. :)

DIY Tutorial Free Standing Ballet Barre {How to Make}

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:55:00 +0000

Over the years my daughter has gotten more and more serious about her ballet and tends to practice daily. I went online in search of a free standing ballet barre for her and found the prices and the reviews all over the board. Since I have a love for DIY projects I thought it would be a lot easier and cheaper to just make our own. We went back and forth between doing a pvc version or a steel version. In the end we choose to go the pvc route because it can be adjusted easy and since she is still growing would be a cheaper option for now. Once she hits her teen years and stops growing, we plan to make her a steel version should she still be serious about her ballet. :)

She was so happy about her new barre and began practicing right away. :) She plans on decorating it more up the sides with different colors of tulle.

We went the route of doing two bars across, that way its more stable and one is for use now and the other is for when she gets taller. You can remove the two small vertical pieces in between the two bars across and put in shorter or slightly longer pieces if need be. This is also a good option if you have two or more kids that like to practice their ballet at home. You can have one child working on one side at the shorter bar and another child who is taller working on the other side on the taller bar.

Measurements of our barre:

Aprox. 4ft 3in tall x 4ft 1/2 in long x 3ft wide

Our daughter is roughly 49 inches tall so we based the measurements off of her after doing research online and talking to dance teachers.

What You Will Need:

We shopped at Lowes, keep in mind, prices do vary depending on where you live.

21 Feet of 1 1/2 in pvc pipe

.43 cents a foot = $9.03

We went with this bigger pvc pipe because it was more the shape and size of the ballet barre my daughter uses at her studio and because it felt sturdier than the smaller pipes they had in stock.

4 1 1/2 Tees

$ 1.13 x 4 = $4.52

2 1 1/2 in elbows

$1.12 x 2 = $2.24

4 elbows with one side 1 1/2 and the other 1 1/4

$2.11 x 4 = $8.44

4 1 1/2 Caps

.76 x 4 = $3.04

Our PVC Cuts:

2 x 48in

2 x 8 in

2 x 32 in

4 x 18 in

You will change up the measurements to fit your child. These are for a child that is roughly 49 inches tall.

Assemble

Put your pieces together, making sure you push them together hard to ensure a tight fit. You can glue them if you want but we opted not to because of the smell and the fact that we wanted to be able to adjust the barre as needed. Its really sturdy without the glue and works perfect for our daughter.

Finish up by attaching the legs and caps and you are done!

Now your little one has a custom barre that they can practice on at home. :)

Price Recap

$9.03 PVC

$4.52 Tees

$2.24 Elbows

$8.44 Elbows

$3.04 Caps

Grand Total: $27.27 for a custom ballet barre.

That's a pretty sweet deal for endless days of ballet practicing. :)

Free Shell Crochet Headband Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:27:00 +0000

I'm excited to be sharing another crochet pattern....it feels like its been forever since I have done that. Lately all I have had is dance on the brain with all these extra practices and shows for my daughter.

I found this shell headband a few weeks back and I loved how adorable and simple it was. The only issue I had with it was that it didn't tie in the back. Its been our experience that if crocheted headbands don't tie in the back they get stretched out and don't fit right after awhile. Since my daughter wears headbands daily that just wouldn't work for us. So, I modified her shell pattern and turned it into a version that will tie in the back, perfect for a headband addict like my daughter. :)

Shell Headband That Ties in the Back

What you will Need

Small amount of yarn {I used Naturally Caron Spa}

4.00 hook

Yarn needle for weaving in ends

US Crochet Terms

chain {ch}

skip {sk}

single crochet {sc}

double Crochet {dc}

ch 136

sc in the second ch from your hook

sc for 38 more

Start Shell Pattern: * slip stitch, sk 1, 5 dc in next, sk 1 *

Repeat that pattern 13 more times for a total of 14 shells

Work 1 slip stitch after the last sk 1 of your 14th shell

sc to the end.

Cut your yarn, secure your end so you can weave it in later.

Its going to look like the photo above right now.

Take your 4.00 hook and your same yarn and join with a slip stitch into the last slip stitch that you worked after your sk 1 on the 14th shell. See photo above.

sk 1 and work 5 dc into the same place you worked 5 dc for the other side.

sk 1

Work the same pattern you did on the other side on this side, placing the slip stitches where there are slip stitches from the other side and the 5 dc cluster where the 5 dc clusters are on the other side. This way they will all match up.

You will end with a slip stitch in the slip stitch that was the first one of the other side that started the 14 shell pattern.

Secure all of your yarn ends and weave them in.

Attach a bow, flower, heart, whatever you fancy and you are set!

I have been busy making quite a few of these for birthday party favors as well as for gifts. They work up so fast and easy and go great with a big flower. :)

Flower pattern can be found here.

I am also working on hats for Christmas/birthday gifts right now and still working on my scarf/wrap. Can't wait to finish that one up! :)

I am linking this up to Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On, head on over there to see some more awesome crafting goodness.

Crocheted Owl & A Mini Crocheted Headband Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:29:00 +0000

For my daughter's ninth birthday I thought I would try my hand at another amigurumi pattern because the little bear was such a hit with her.

The owl pattern can be found here.

I did make an adjustment to the pattern with the way I did the beak.

I just worked up two small crocheted triangles with a 3.00 hook and then I sewed them on with the long flat ends right next to each other so that it looked like an open beak. I thought that would be a fun whimsical touch. :)

To create the girly headband:

You will need a 3.00 or 3.25 hook

Small amount of yarn

Yarn needle

US Crochet Terms

Chain {ch}

Single Crochet {sc}

Slip Stitch {sl st}

Ch 20 - 30 depending on how big {from side to side} you want your bow.

Being careful not to twist your yarn join into a circle with a slip stitch.

~~ If you wanted a bigger bow or if you were making this for a different sized doll or stuffed animal you could always adjust your hook size accordingly or add more chains. The number of chains does not matter with this pattern. ~~

Round 1

ch 1 and sc in the ch 1 stitch space

sc around and join with a slip stitch in the 1st sc of the round.

Rounds 2 - 4

Repeat round 1

You could keep going if you wanted it taller, its all on personal preference. :)

When you are happy with the size you will cut your yarn leaving a long tail.

Secure the yarn from the beginning when you started and weave that yarn piece in.

Take the yarn you want to use for the headband part and make a long chain that will wrap around your doll/animal's head with enough left over to tie into a bow in the back. Knot the yarn at both ends and snip your yarn ends short. I like to put a little fabric glue on the ends of this so that they don't fray or get all fuzzy looking.

Then pinch your bow in the middle and take your long yarn tail and wrap it around and around the middle of the bow making sure it is snug so it gives it that pinched in the middle bow look.

When you are happy with the way the middle looks, take your yarn and wrap it around two more times making sure you wrap it around your headband where you would like it placed as well.

Using your yarn needle, knot your yarn around the wrapped around yarn in the back and weave it in to secure it in place. You will be able to slide the bow around to get it into a perfect placement doing it this way.

Hopefully that made sense, I forgot to take photos of the bow making process when I was working on this for my daughter's birthday. All those late night crafting sessions when she was in bed to keep things secret don't lend well to remembering things lol

This week is crazy busy with dance but its also a lot of fun. Looking forward to watching her studio's end of the year shows!

She loves her little owl and we named her Anna Bella :)

Spreading Sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 03:13:00 +0000

I checked my email on Friday night and got such a sweet surprise.

Lisa from Wicked Artsy nominated me for a Sunshine Award! :)

Thanks Lisa! I too am so glad I found your awesome blog during The Knitting and Crochet Blog Week! I love reading about all your projects and seeing your art pieces from school. Your kitty photos rock and always make me laugh : D

The Rules

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Answer the 10 questions on your favourite things.
3. Nominate 10 blogs to receive the Sunshine Award and let them know they've been nominated.

Favorite animal: Panda Bears
Favorite number: 16
Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Smart Water
Facebook or Twitter: Facebook
My passion: Anything art related and teaching.
Getting or giving: Giving
Favorite Pattern: I have too many favorites to pick just one, odds are if I posted it on my ravelry project page I love it. :)
Favorite day of the week: Tuesdays in the fall because of new episodes of NCIS and Saturdays when its not during the new season. ;)
Favorite flower: Iris or wildflowers
Favorite country: I have not been outside the US much so I can't really pick one but I would love to visit Italy, France, Australia, and a few other countries in Europe.

Now to nominate 10 of my favorites!

The Magic Onions: I love the whimsical feeling of this blog, the amazing projects this mom comes up with and her fairy photos are awesome.

Slugs on the Refrigerator: I love the photography on this blog and the honesty behind all the posts. Her crochet patterns are beautiful and seeing the photos of where she lives makes me want to visit Europe that much more.

Frontier Dreams: This blog is awesome! Nicole is so honest and shares her love for nature, crafting, homemade, and Waldorf. I just love seeing her posts! She is a talented knitter and makes me want to learn to knit and has great ideas for projects with kids. She also hosts a fun Keep Calm Craft on Series on Tuesdays.

Linda Wagner: I found this blog a little while back and I love her clean eating recipes and juicing/healthy smoothie recipes. Her cauliflower spaghetti is awesome as is her green smoothie and her green eggs and roasted tomatoes.

Posie Gets Cozy: I love the photography on this blog! Her home is awesome and I have found myself wanting to add in quite a few of her things in my own home.

Smile and Wave: I love the vintage style this girl has! Her vintage collection and decor is fab and I hope to one day have as many awesome vintage pieces as she does.

Loisirspassion: This is my fab. French friend's blog and I love reading it and seeing her beautiful crochet creations as well as her art that she creates. She is a total sweetheart and if you don't speak French you can easily translate her blog to English on her sidebar.

AshleyAnnPhotography: When I first found this blog I was drawn to it because I loved her style, the way she added in so many vintage touches with some modern things and her craftiness. Now after being an avid reader for so long I love seeing not only her crafty posts but her posts sharing memories with her kids, her honesty, and her openness.

Wicked Artsy: I don't know if its allowed to send an award back to the person who gave you one but I am going to do it! :) I love seeing this girl's art and her reviews on books and patterns. Her kitty photos at the end of the posts are awesome and remind me of myself....if you looked through the photos on my phone I am pretty sure I have just as many of my cats as I do my daughter lol :)

I am leaving the last spot open. I am always open to finding new inspiring blogs, do you guys have any awesome blogs that should be in my top ten? :)

Thanks again for the nomination Lisa!! hugs :)

The little things in life :)

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 16:28:00 +0000

Its the little things in life that make my daughter happy. :)

Like these awesome vintage fold up binoculars we picked up at an antique fair for her for her birthday. She loves watching the birds on the fence out back and when we go for walks, so these little pocket binoculars were perfect for her.

She spotted a bird!

I totally thought I had gotten her and the camera in this shot....no such luck. She loves looking at the birds on the fence. In the morning we open up the windows so we can listen to them while we are doing our school work. :)

Our backyard garden has been a major work in progress lately. We wanted to make the area bigger and also needed to fence it off to keep our big beast of a dog out. Can't wait to build the rest of the garden boxes for fall planting!

I have so many pictures and projects to share since I was sick and not blogging last week. Hopefully I can get my blogging mojo back so I can get to sharing with everyone again. Today we are off to Little Miss's birthday party with her friends, I finished up all the party favors yesterday.....after a run to the store because the bags I got were too small. I am kinda glad that happened, I like the packaging a lot better now. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday!!

PS Lisa, I got your message, you are such a sweetheart! I will blog about it tonight or early tomorrow, thank you and hugs to you!! : D

Keep Calm Craft On Tuesdays

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:08:00 +0000

This last week my spare time has been taken up by making birthday party favors, tending to our garden {fickle weather has proved to be problematic this year}, and spending lots of time with my partner in crafting crime. :)

For my daughter's ninth birthday I worked up a new flower headband. She loved it so much that she wanted to give them out as party favors for her upcoming birthday party. :)

Flower Pattern can be found here:

To make the extra big purple flower above these are the changes I made:

First petal round I used a 3.25 hook

Second petal round: 3.50 hook

Third petal round: 3.75 hook

Fourth petal round: 4.00 hook

The headband is my pattern that I will be listing for free on my blog very soon. :)

When I was thinking about the headbands for my daughter's party favors, the same thought kept going through my head.....what if some of the girls are not into huge awesome flowers? Since I could not shake that thought and I decided to make the flowers just a wee bit smaller just in case. ;)

I do find that since I didn't use the same hook throughout working up the flower that they don't always sit just right when they are laying down but they look adorable on and that is what counts right? :) I used yarn that I had in my stash, picking a certain color for each girl. I tried to get colors that were in line with their favorite colors. They are all going to be sewn on the same spot on the headbands, I just put them on the headbands in different spots for photo purposes.

Changes for these flowers:

First petal round: 3.50 hook

All other petal rounds: 3.75 hook

Two more headbands, one more flower, then sew the 7 flowers to their headbands, place them in gift bags and I am done. :)

Linking up today to Frontier Dreams. :)

What are you guys working on?

Easy Homemade Organic Peanut Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 15:35:00 +0000

Peanut Butter is a huge hit in our house, my daughter absolutely loves it and puts it on fruit, toast, in sammys, with crackers....the list goes on. What I don't love about organic peanut butter is the cost....the really yummy organic ones here cost about $7.00 a jar. With how fast it goes in our home, I was looking for a way to cut that cost down just a bit. :)

So, I surfed on pinterest {that site is awesome!} and found several tutorials on how to make your own peanut butter. They were all exactly the same so I figured they must all work pretty good. :)

I went to one of my favorite natural food stores and picked up around a pound of organic peanuts that had been blanched in oil already. I figured that they would grind up in the food processor a lot easier that way, and I was right! :)

What you need for making your own:

1 lb of Organic Peanuts {you could do a bigger or smaller batch, it won't matter since the other ingredients are to taste}

Organic Honey {I used a raw local honey}

Salt {I used Himalayan salt}

I saw some people had to add more oil to theirs as it was mixing when I was reading their posts. I found that I didn't have to with my batch of nuts but it might be good to have some oil on hand {peanut or canola} just in case. I think a lot of things can alter this, how fresh are the nuts, temp. they are stored, if you get dry as opposed to blanched...ect

Dump all of your peanuts into your food processor and then turn it on medium and watch it do its magic.

When it was about 3/4 of the way to being smooth and creamy I added the honey and salt to taste. I did this so that it would be fully incorporated by the time it was done.

Turn it back on med to get it to a creamy texture.

When its done it will have a smooth runny consistency, that's totally normal. Pour it into clean glass container that has a lid that will create a seal when screwed on.

Store in the fridge for up to a month.

Being stored in the fridge, the peanut butter does firm up. If you added more oil you may have to stir before use because the oil can separate. I found that for mine, since I didn't add any extra oil I don't have any separation issues. Just nice creamy peanut butter. :)

If you have trouble spreading it right out of the fridge, you can always put some on a plate 10 mins or so before you would like to use it so that the temp comes down to room temperature.

My family loves this version way better than what we were getting at the store. I think its because its got that fresh taste to it and because we can tailor it to our exact taste we want.

Total cost for this homemade organic peanut butter? Less than 4 bucks. I'd day that's a pretty sweet deal, even more so because I got a lot more peanut butter making it myself than I was getting in our favorite store bought version. :)

Crochet Pattern: American Girl Shawl/Wrap

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:41:00 +0000

Today is going to be a quick post since I am under the weather....again! Sinus infections are no joke! lol

I wanted to get this pattern posted since a few people messaged me about it and wanted to know when I would be posting the pattern. :)

American Girl Crochet Shawl/Wrap Pattern

Inspired by the Claudia Scarf Pattern

You can make and sell things from this pattern but please make sure to link back to me if you blog about it.

What you will need:

A small amount of yarn

A button of your choosing

Needle and thread for sewing on the button

Yarn needle for weaving in ends

A 5.00mm hook or hook needed to obtain the gauge.

US Crochet Terms

sk {skip}

dc {double crochet}

ch {chain}

The blue one is done in Naturally Caron Spa and the pink one is done in two strands of baby yarn held together at the same time. Blue shawl/wrap measures about 15.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches from top to tip of shell. The pink and white one measures about 16.5 inches by 4.5 inches from top to tip of shell. After working your first row, you will want to measure your piece to make sure its between 15.5in - 16.5 inches to check your gauge. If you are off a tad just adjust your hook accordingly. :)

With your 5.00 mm hook and your yarn {one strand or two} you will ch 58.

Row 1

5 dc in the 7th ch from the hook, sk 2

* dc in the next, sk 2, 5 dc in the next, sk 2 *

Repeat from * to * until you get to the last ch and then work 1 dc in that last ch space.

Row 2

Turn

ch 4, work 5 dc into the 3rd dc of the 5 dc cluster from the previous row, ch 1

* dc in the previous dc, ch 1, 5 dc in the 3rd dc of the 5 dc cluster, ch 1*

repeat from * to * ending with 1 dc in the ch 4 space of your beginning 6 skipped chains from row 1

Rows 3 - 6

Turn

ch 4, work 5 dc into the 3rd dc of the 5 dc cluster from the previous row, ch 1

* dc in the previous dc, ch 1, 5 dc in the 3rd dc of the 5 dc cluster, ch 1*

repeat from * to * ending with 1 dc in the last stitch space. You will always end your rows with 1 dc.

Secure your ends and weave them in with your yarn needle.

You will want to sew your button onto a 5dc cluster so that it lines up with the hole from a 5 dc cluster on the opposite side. See photo above to see what hole I am talking about. The arrow is pointing to the hole under the one I used for my button hole but hopefully you can see what I am talking about. :) This way you can use that hole from your 5 dc cluster as your button hole instead of trying to work a button hole into the pattern. If you use a smaller button like I did, it fits great and keeps it secure on your doll, which is perfect for doll playing fun.

After you sew on your button and weave in any stray thread ends you are finished! These work up very fast and easy, perfect gifts for little girls who love their dolls. You could even customize this by making it bigger to fit waldrof dolls or any other doll your little one has. :)

If you make one I would love to see the finished product!

Off to get some rest before we are off to ballet :)

Linking up to Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On. Head on over there to check out some more crafty goodness!

Faking Floating Balloons

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:29:00 +0000

Earlier this week I did a post about the bear I crocheted for my daughter...which has been going just about everywhere with her these days. :)

Since she loved this bear so much I decided to use it to tell her that she had made the ballet team {and which one} when I got her results. See original bear post here. I had to bear~nap her little Veronica while my daughter was fast asleep to make this possible, which was kinda hard because she picked that night to have her in bed with her. Thankfully I have some sneaky ninja skills and was able to get her out undetected ;)

I cut out little circles to make the banner that said Mini on it. Then I tapped the circles to a piece of pink yarn and then wrapped each side around the bear's paws to keep the banner in place.

This next part is the part I had a feeling Little Miss might have a problem with.

First: I cut out the balloons and then tapped them together using tape on the backs.

Next: I wrote congrats on the top balloon and then tapped the yarn that would be the balloon strings to the back of the balloons so that it would look like they were hanging down lined up with the balloons.

You can also add on a little bow to hold the three strings together to make it look more fancy. :)

Finally: {The step that might not go over so well! lol} I taped a yarn needle to the back of the balloons at an angle so that when I stuck the pointy end into the bear's head {gasp, I know!!} they would have a good angle on them to look like they were floating next to the bear's head. This step def. takes some playing around to get it just right.

While Victoria was not overly thrilled with how I did the fake floating balloons thing she did say that it was super cool just don't stick anything into her bear's head next time. ;) lol

After taking her bear out of harm's way she took the cute little decorations and put them onto her picture frame of one of her ballet pictures from the fall. I told her her room was busy! lol She loves having a lot of colorful stuff all over and just the right amount of vintage or handmade pieces with lots and lots of books and art. :)

Hopefully everyone is having a great week. The AG Shawl/Wrap pattern will be posted this week in case anyone was wondering. :)

Keep Calm Crafting On Tuesdays

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:15:00 +0000

I feel like the last two weeks have been kind of a blur for me with so much going on and so much to do. Hoping after my daughter's big ninth birthday things will calm down a bit. I am keeping busy working up some special homemade gifts for her for her big day, she picked out some really cute things this year. :)

I just finished a new pattern for an American Girl shawl/wrap for her:

I will be posting this pattern sometime this week. It was inspired by the wrap I am making myself that my daughter keeps saying that she loves so much.

Pattern notes for the adult version can be found on my Ravelry page here.

I just finished working up a newborn version of my Little Girl Tiara for a sweet lady who messaged me on Ravelry. Sadly, I don't have a cute little newborn to try it on, so one of my daughter's little baby dolls is the best I could do. :)

My pattern for the newborn tiara can be found here.

Still lots more to work up for my little miss.... skirts, a mini unicorn, headbands for her AG dolls, and I am going to try {key word being try ;) } to start a matching wrap for her to match her AG doll. I know I won't be able to finish that in time for her big day but she loves when I start new projects for her so the thrill of knowing something new is coming soon will def. make her happy. :)

Linking up today at Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On. :)

Crochet Pattern: Newborn Baby Tiara

noreply@blogger.com (Bella) — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:47:00 +0000

I was asked last week to rework my Little Girl Crochet Tiara Pattern into a newborn size. Now when I am working up sizes I usually like to try them on the person or thing it is going to be for to insure a perfect fit. For this pattern I was out of luck in that department since I don't have a newborn baby in the house.

This is the Little Girl/American Girl Doll Version.

American Girl Doll Version here.

{Pattern after the photos)

When I went to make the newborn version I knew it would end up being a play prop for my daughter when she was playing with her dolls and dressing them up. I went ahead and let her pick out the colors and tell me how she wanted it since it would be for her.

She picked out two yarns, a purple and a yellow that look really cute together. I upped the hook size as well because she said that she wanted a "super big sized" crown for her baby doll. :)

My daughter loves the goofy look on her baby's face. She got this doll back when she was about two and its held up pretty well, she takes really good care of her dolls and toys. :)

It even fits her cabbage patch kid...I used to love those dolls myself growing up. We got her this one back when she was really little. I went looking and looking for a doll that looked like her since there are so many versions of the cabbage patch dolls. This was the closest I could get at the time. My daughter says it looks more like me than her since my hair is black so she calls this one baby bella :)

Victoria wants to go ahead and sew the beads to this crown herself. She is hoping to get that done this weekend. :)

American Girl Crochet Tiara Pattern

US Crochet Terms

What you need:

6.50 hook

Worsted yarn {I like a soft but not too soft yarn}

You will need to balls because you will be crocheting with two strands at the same time.

Yarn needle for weaving ends

Beads or other embellishments

Needle and thread for sewing on beads and embellishments.

Ch 29

Row 1

sc in the second chain from the hook and sc across till the end

Row 2

Turn

ch 2

skip 2 stitches

work 1 dc in the next, cross in front of the dc you just made and work a dc in the 2nd skipped stitch of this row

* skip 1, work 1 dc in the next, cross over that dc and make a dc in the skipped stitch *

Repeat that pattern until you have 2 stitches left.

skip 1 and then dc in the last

Row 3

Turn

ch 1

1 sc in the 1st space created from the previous row's crossed dc stitches {this will be in between your last dc of the row and the last crossed dc pair of the row

work 1 dc, 4 tr, 1 dc in the next space

* work 1 sc in the next space & 1 dc, 4 tr, 1 dc in the next space *

Repeat this pattern across ending with a sc in the last space.

Finishing

Secure your yarn, weave in your ends and embellish to your hearts content!

My daughter worked up the ties by chaining, you can see how she did that from our previous post on these crowns here.

If you make one of these and find that its too big or two small please let me know so I can make adjustments. Like I said earlier, I don't have a newborn baby to try this on to so I am working on my sizes based on my daughter's baby dolls.