zakka life

Christmas Craft's Roundup

2009-12-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I would share a few of my favorite crafts from around the web. Some are from recent months and others have been around for a while. Happy Holiday Crafting.

DECORATE
Elf Clog Ornament
Elf Embroidery Patterns

Fabric Pom Poms
Ice Doilies
Paper Train Paper Craft
Polaroid Onraments
Tomorrow Land Trees
Yarn Gift Tag
Zakka Style Owl Pennant

GIVE
Bottle Stoppers
Easy Fringe Fleece Scarf
Elf Slippers
Felt Cookies
Fold a dollar into a Christmas Tree
Handmade Santa Plate
How To Make Your Own Cookie Cutters
Mouse Pincushion
Reusable fabric coffee sleeves

Craft Project: Snow Baby Ornament

2009-12-10T19:50:00.001-08:00

I've been having a lot of fun creating new Christmas ornaments lately. This is my latest creation, Snow Baby. She's very easy to make and made with the most humble supplies. You could easily create a boy version as well. Just exclude the bow and make a blue scarf instead. This also might be nice for a "Baby's first Christmas ornament". Directions below as always.

Supplies:
Embroidery Thread - Brown
Fabric Glue
Felt - Pink, Brown, and Tan
Sewing Needle
Yarn - White
First you will need to make two pom poms about the size of golf balls. One should be slightly bigger than the other one. For the larger pom pom you will want to create two long tails for it when you make it. For directions on how to make a pom pom, click here.

Once you have your pom poms made, cut out a tan felt circle slightly smaller than the smaller pom pom (refer to picture). Cut out hair and a bow. Glue on hair with fabric glue. Now embroider on the eyes and mouth. Last, glue on the bow. Set aside.

Next thread the yarn tail on a tapestry needle and pull it through the center of the small pom pom. Repeat with the other tail. This will secure your two pom poms together. I also recommend adding a little glue between them for extra durability. Last, tie the two tails together at the top to make a loop for hanging the ornament on the tree.

Flatten the top pom pom, and glue the face on. Cut out a small strip of pink felt with pinking shears for the scarf. Wrap the scarf between the two pom poms and glue. Done.

*If you decide to make this as a "Baby's First Christmas Ornament", you might want to embroider the year on the scarf.

How To Make Collar Stays from Gift Cards

2009-12-08T15:39:00.000-08:00

The collar stay is perhaps one of the most overlooked accessories for men. Collar stays often come with dress shirts and their purpose is to keep the collar straight and crisp. Underneath the collar of a dress shirt is a small pocket perfectly shaped for a collar stay. Collar stays are often made of plastic or metal (brass, silver, gold plated). I've even purchased ones with magnets to prevent disco collar for my husband. Needless to say, they're an important accessory. It's always good to have a few extra on hand so I created this simple tutorial. You should be able to make four collar stays in no more than ten minutes.

Supplies:
One gift card
Heavy duty scissors
Fine point permanent marker
One collar stay

Trace one collar stay onto a gift card. You should be able to get four collar stays from one standard size gift card. Carefully cut out the collar stays. Done.

*Make sure you can not see the collar stay through the shirt. For example, you would not want to wear the collar stays (pictured above) with a white shirt.

*Remember to always remove your collar stays before washing dress shirts.

Package Stocking Stuffers Like The Pros

2009-12-06T14:39:00.001-08:00

It's all in the packaging, as they say. Items you might normally pay a couple dollars for are now five to ten dollars simply because of the Christmas wrapping. Avoid these money wasters by making your own fabulous stocking stuffers. Here's the how to.

Supplies:
Plastic ornament balls - you can find these at most craft stores. cost .50 - $2
Ribbon
Cellophane
Double sided tape or Glue dots
The gift - you can use small candies, sample size cosmetics, hair accessories, etc. Two good resources for free samples are Freebies 4 Mom and Deal Seeking Mom.

*optional - tinsel or confetti

This is what the plastic ball ornaments look like. They come in all kinds of different colors, shapes and sizes.

Cut a large size square of cellophane and stuff it into one of the ornament halves.

Add double sided tape to the back of the gift and place it in the center of the cellophane. Scrunch the rest of the cellophane in the ornament along the sides of the item like a nest. Add a little tinsel or confetti along the sides for sparkle. Attach the other half to make the ball ornament. If you find your gift is moving around in the ball, add more cellophane.

Finish the stocking stuffer with some decorative ribbon. If you're concerned about the ornament opening up, just add a little tape at the bottom.

*These are good gifts for tween girls to make and give to friends.

*Reuse - save plastic ornaments for next year

Book Review: 400 Knitting Stitches

2009-12-05T12:55:00.001-08:00

Recently I received the new knitting book "400 Knitting Stitches" to review. This book is compiled of 400 different knitting stitches, as you can guess from the title. The chapters include, knitting basics, knit-purl stitches, crossed stitches and cables, slipped stitches, lacy stitches, double stitches, twisted stitches, cast-off stitches, fancy stitches, and symbols. All the stitches include easy to read directions to create the stitch pattern. This book is good for all knitters, intermediate or advanced.

I find these kind of books useful for changing and making patterns. For example if you're knitting a sweater but want add a more ornate sleeve edge, just choose a stitch pattern that you like and apply it to the sweater pattern. Or if you're a beginner knitter, choose a lacy stitch and make your own scarf pattern out of it. There's unlimited possibilities with a book like this.

Below are a couple of stitches you'll find in the book.

Zigzag Openwork 2

Lacy Diamonds

In The Press

2009-12-02T10:04:00.000-08:00

These are the cranes referenced in the article. Click here for original post.

Over Thanksgiving break I was interviewed for an article about Glitter. Not knowing if I would make it into the story, I tried not to get my hopes up. Lets just say I've been disappointed in the past. So, you can imagine my surprise when I saw my name mentioned! The article is "Glitter Can Add Magic to Holiday Crafting" by Jennifer Forker for The Associated Press. In the story Jennifer also interviews Hannah Milman editorial director of crafts for Martha Stewart Living magazine and Sandra Lee from HGTV. You can read the full article at ABC News if you're interested.

For this story Jennifer found me but you can find reporters through a site called HARO (Help A Reporter Out). HARO is free to join and I highly recommend it. Basically you're sent three emails a day with a list of reporters looking for specific information. For example here are a couple of the queries for today: Looking for Cinnamon recipes, Table settings for Christmas and New Years, etc. If you are interested in getting press I also recommend reading Role Mommy's PR 101 for Moms by Beth Feldman. She's very knowledgeable and gives solid, useful advice. I should also say her information is helpful whether you're a mom or not. These are just a couple of resources I've discovered through my blogging years. Hope they're helpful.

Craft Project: Personalized Cork Coasters

2009-11-29T19:11:00.000-08:00

This coaster was supposed to be made out of a recycled Christmas card but instead ended up as a stenciled cork coaster. Funny how that happens with crafts. You start out with one idea and end up with something completely different. Fortunately it's a nice "different" that makes for an easy craft project. These coasters are also relatively inexpensive to make. Simple directions below.

Supplies:
Cork board - can be found at craft stores and home improvement stores
Staz On Black Ink Pad
Pencil
Scissors
Stencil
Masking Tape

Trace circles onto cork board. I used a ramekin for my stencil. Cut out circles with scissors. Cork board is easy to cut with basic scissors.

Tape stencil to cork circle. You can buy a stencil or make your own. I chose the letter "O" for this set.

Using an eraser from a pencil, stamp it onto the ink pad and then stamp it on the cork until you fill in the stencil. Let Dry. Done.

You might be wondering if the ink will run. I was concerned about this as well. I wet the bottom of a glass and set it on the coaster for a couple hours. When I removed the glass the ink was still intact and looked just the same.

* You could also use stamps in replace of stencils.

Corn Casserole Recipe

2009-11-25T13:48:00.001-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving I'll be making this corn casserole dish. My grandmother would often make this for the holidays and Sunday dinners. I couldn't imagine Thanksgiving without it. This casserole is not some culinary masterpiece but what I call good home cooking. Enjoy.

Corn Casserole Recipe

2 14oz cans of corn cream style
1 12oz can of evaporated milk
2 TBS butter
2TBS sugar
2TBS flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs beaten
1 cup crushed corn flakes

1. mix all ingredients except butter and corn flakes

2. Pour into a glass baking dish or small ramekins.

3. Sprinkle crushed corn flakes over the top and add butter.

4. Bake for 45 - 1hr at 350 degrees. You can either bake the dish as normal or place it in a water bath. I don't think the original recipe calls for the water bath but my grandmother says it cooks better this way. I've cooked the dish both ways and the results seem to be about the same.

* Sometimes the dish can come out a little watery at the bottom. If this happens don't worry, it will still taste just as good.

The inside texture is like a soft custard. It will not be completely solid.

Hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Craft Project: Eco Christmas Gift Wrap

2009-11-22T15:20:00.000-08:00

A while back, a family member was complaining about the waste of Christmas wrapping paper. It got me thinking of alternatives to the paper wrapped gift boxes we often use for the holidays. So I decided I would make something sustainable that could be used again and again. After a little brainstorming, I thought up these fabric gift pouches. They can be used over and over again. You can make them in any size and they don't take up much space. Hope you'll make a few to use year after year. Enjoy.

Supplies:
Fabric - two 8 1/2" squares for outside print, two 8 1/2" squares for lining
Two 8 1/2" squares of batting
Ribbon
Sewing Needle
Thread
Velcro strip - about 4 -5 inches in length

Pin ribbon to the fabric square like the picture above. Machine sew down the sides of the ribbon to adhere it to the fabric. This will be the top of your gift pouch.

Place the print fabric up. Place the lining fabric on top so right sides are together. Last, place a batting square on top. Pin together and sew all three pieces together on one side of the square with a 1/4" seam. Make two of these.

After sewing the fabric, open it up so the print is on one side and the lining and batting is on the other side (refer to picture). Press open seams. Do this to the other one as well.

Place both sewn pieces right sides together. Sew a 1/2" seam around the edge (refer to red line). Make sure to leave an opening to turn right side out.

Turn right side out. It should now look like the picture above. Sew the small gap closed (refer to red line).

Tuck the lining into the printed fabric to form a lined bag. Your pouch should now look like this.

Pin velcro strips to the inside of the pouch. Refer to picture. Sew velcro onto the pouch.

Tie a bow with ribbon and sew it to the top of your gift pouch. Done.

* You can place gifts directly into the pouch or use a box first for fragile items such as jewelry.

Deadline: Post-It Stop Motion

2009-11-20T10:34:00.000-08:00

Clever stop motion video using post-its.

Happy Friday.

Japanese Paper Doll Card

2009-11-18T15:04:00.001-08:00

Awhile back I found a lovely tutorial on how to make Japanese Paper Dolls on Kimono Reincarnate. As soon as I saw the dolls, I knew exactly what to make with them, cards. Above is one of the cards I made. They're really easy to make, just head over to this tutorial and make the dolls. Then layer alternate sized paper onto a blank card and you're done.

Wouldn't these Japanese dolls look pretty covering a Christmas tree?

Craft Project: Miniature Stuffed Animals

2009-11-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

I recently got some fabric designed by Kokka. It was so pretty that I didn't want to cut into it. Do you ever find yourself with this problem? Well, I was trying to think up the perfect project because the last thing I wanted to do was waste the fabric. As I analyzed the print, it reminded me of all those fabulous handmade stuffies. That thought translated into miniature stuffed animals for my daughter's doll house. So I made a mini stuffed animal, then another, then another and I couldn't stop! They're just so addicting. I'm already thinking of making mini ornaments, child brooches, and ponytail holders out of them as well.

Supplies:
Scissors
Thread
Tweezers
Sewing Needle
Polyfill
Fabric - I used Wonder Forest designed by Kokka

Cut out two animals with about a 1/4 inch seam around the animal. You'll want to leave a little more fabric at the bottom of the animal (refer to picture).

Place right sides together. Hand sew a running stitch around the animal (refer to picture). Make sure to leave plenty of room to turn right side out.

Turn right side out using tweezers. Stuff with polyfill. Tuck the bottom of doll inside so you can't see the raw edge. Sew closed. Done.

Kid Craft: Twinkle Pom Pom Ornament

2009-11-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple, inexpensive and quick Christmas ornament for kids (and adults) to make. My four year old daughter made the one pictured above in about ten minutes. I did have to help her for one part which I share in the directions. An older child could do this completely on their own. They could even make the ornament more complex by creating a pattern with the pom poms. There's lots of possibilities with this project so get creative and have fun!

Supplies:
One styrofoam ball with a 2 inch diameter
50 small twinkle pom poms (approximately) - you could use regular pom poms as well
50 straight pins (approximately)
Ribbon

Place a pin through each twinkle pom pom. You might want to do this part yourself depending on the child's age. I did this step for my daughter.

Fold ribbon in half and tie in a knot at the bottom to make a loop. Pin the knot of the ribbon to the styrofoam ball. Cover up ribbon ends by placing the pom poms over them. Continue to push the pom pom pins into the entire ball until none of the styrofoam is showing. Done. Supervise young children when they use the pins.

Banana Magic Trick

2009-11-10T13:50:00.001-08:00

I bet you can't tell this banana has already been cut. And if you turned it over on the other side, it would look exactly the same. So here's the story behind this. Long ago my brother received a magic trick set for his birthday. Now like a typical brother, he wouldn't let me play with anything. However, there was a book that came with the kit. Oh yes, one glorious book that I was able to get my hands on. In this book were directions on how to cut a banana while keeping the peel intact. The trick did not require any of the toys that came with the kit so I was able to try it out. It worked! To this day I've never forgotten this simple magic trick.

So, curious how this works? Ready to dazzle and amaze your children? Here's the how to.

Supplies:
One pin that has been sterilized. Make sure that it does not have a silver coating that will rub off. One banana.

Insert the pin in where you see the first dot on the right. Make sure it does not stick out the other end. Swivel the pin left to right to slice the banana. Make a slice for each dot. Remove pin. Do all of this ahead of time.

Casually grab a banana from the fruit bowl. Say some magical words "A la peanut butter sandwiches" and peel open the banana to reveal the slices.

*The banana will not be cut perfectly but it looks pretty good.

*Update - Rane suggests rubbing the pinholes with lemon so they don't brown. Thanks for the tip Rane!

Craft Project: Origami Glitter Cranes

2009-11-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I've been working on more Christmas ornaments. Above is a picture of the results, Origami Glitter Cranes. I've had this idea for awhile now but just finally got a chance to test it out. The craft came out just as I envisioned (love when that happens). The cranes are surprisingly quite elegant considering they're made with paper, glitter and glue.

Supplies:
Gold and Silver Paper - I used wrapping paper.
Gold and Silver Glitter
Glue
Acrylic Gloss Spray - can find at most craft stores
Paint brush or foam brush

* when working with glitter I recommend covering your mouth/nose with some kind of mask so you don't breath in the glitter.

How To Fold an Origami Crane on Howcast

1. First you will want to fold a crane. Here's a video that best demonstrates that. I used a 6" by 6" square for mine. Use the same color paper as the glitter you plan on using.

Once your crane is folded, paint one wing with glue. Cover in glitter. Shake off extra glitter. Continue doing this until all sections of crane are covered in glitter. You only need to cover the top of the crane with glitter. Let dry. Spray a coat or two of the acrylic gloss spray on the crane. This will help seal the glitter and prevent it from flaking off. Done.

I think these would look lovely in non traditional Christmas colors such as pink, blue and lime green. What do you think?

Craft Project: Russian Nesting Doll Card

2009-11-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

Matryoshka Doll Card Opened

Card Closed

Today I felt like making a matryoshka doll card, for no particular reason. Sometimes it's nice to make something just for the fun of it. The hard part is finding the time. That's why I like making cards, they're quick and easy. Not to mention, all you really need is paper, scissors, and glue. This card is no different, it's quite simple to make. The most time consuming part is just the cutting.

Supplies:
Card stock with print
Tan Card stock
Scissors
Glue stick
Fine point markers in black and red

Right click, copy, and save on a 11 by 8 1/2 landscape size page. Print on the back side of printed card stock. I used my 12 by 12 scrapbook paper and just cut it down to fit in the printer.

Once you print out the template, cut it out with scissors. It should look something like this.

The back side of the card should look like this. As you can see, I cut on the outside edge of the black lines.

Accordion fold the card (refer to picture). Make sure when folding the card that the second largest doll can not be seen behind the largest doll. It just fits behind the large doll so you have to fold it just right.

Print circles out on a tan colored card stock. Draw faces as desired. Glue to all the nesting dolls. Add details with black marker. This is where you can really add your artistic spin on the dolls. You could also add glitter, lace, gold paint, anything really. Have fun.

*This card stands nicely on it's own (sorry no picture).

Craft Project: Felt Christmas Ornament

2009-11-03T15:14:00.001-08:00

It's official, Christmas crafting is in full swing. Lots of great Christmas crafts are appearing around the web such as here, here, and here. And to officially kick off Christmas crafting on Zakka Life, I'm sharing how to make this felt sphere ornament. It was inspired by one of those paper party decorations that fold into a ball. I just took that idea, scaled it down and used felt instead of paper. Enjoy.

Supplies:
6 Felt circles - The circles I used are 4 1/2 inches in diameter. I do not recommend using anything smaller than 4 inches.
Embroidery Thread
Sewing Needle
Scissors
Ribbon 3 inches in length

Line up all six circles on top of each other. Fold ribbon in half and place in the center of the circles (three in front & three in back). Stitch down the center sewing the ribbon to the felt and at the same time sewing all six felt circles together. Refer to picture.

From a top view the ribbon should look like this. In this picture I only have two circles on each side. Your ornament should have three on each side.

Pull the edges of the first circle together. Stitch in place where you see the white circle in the picture. Make sure to conceal your knots in the inside. Click on picture for a larger view.

Pull the next circle flap on the left hand side up to the center. Stitch together where you see the white circles in the picture. This will be the pattern for the entire sphere.

Pull the next circle flap from the left hand side and stitch to the center of the last flap. Stitch where you see the white circle. Continue with this pattern(one center stitch, two top and bottom stitches) until you've created a sphere and every circle flap is attached to each other. Done.

Top view of sphere.

To make this ornament more decorative you could sew on a pearl at each place you sew the circles together. If you wanted to make the ornament more full, you could use eight circles.

10 Things To Make with Halloween Candy

2009-11-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

Every year I face the dilemma of what to do with all the Halloween candy. I always feel too guilty to throw it away. I try to incorporate it into recipes but instead end up eating a lot of it. So to combat the problem, I've rounded up 10 DIY projects for leftover Halloween candy plus one candy wrapper project.

Candy Bar Bouquet

Candy Bar Birthday Card

Candy Car Ornament

Candy Leis

Candy Tacks

Candy Wrapper Purse, technically not candy but close enough

Gift Mug with Candy

Indian Corn Place Cards

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Turkey

Skittles Vodka

Snickers Candy Bar Pie

How To Make Italian Sodas

2009-10-29T19:39:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite drinks to serve at parties are Italian Sodas. They're easy to make and a nice alternative to traditional soda. My Grandmother would often serve these drinks when she had friends and family over. She taught me how to make the Italian Sodas and I've been making them ever since.

Italian Soda Recipe

Ingredients:
Flavored syrup - any kind will do
Club Soda - If you can't find club soda or seltzer water you can replace it with sparkling water. But honestly, it's not the same.
Ice
Cream or Half & Half

Traditionally, Italian sodas are served in tall narrow glasses. Fill glass with ice.

Add one inch of syrup to the glass.

Fill glass with club soda. Make sure to leave room for cream.

Add about half an inch of cream to the glass. Adding cream is optional but I found it's what really separates the drink from just flavored soda. The cream make the drink more unique.

To mix the drink take the straw and push the ice from the top to the bottom, moving the straw up and down. If you just stir the drink the syrup will sit at the bottom and not get mixed in (providing you're using a narrow glass). That's it, enjoy!

Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

As I had promised, here's the recipe for the Spinach Salad that I served at the Tinkerbell birthday party. As you can see from the picture, I actually used a spring lettuce mix but the original recipe calls for spinach. Both spinach and spring mix taste equally good.

Ingredients:
1 Salad bag of spinach or spring mix

1 Avocado Sliced

Caramelized Almonds - Place 3T of almonds and 3T of sugar in small frying pan. Heat on low until sugar melts and sticks to almonds.

1 Large can of Mandarin oranges

Poppy Seed Dressing

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried onion
1 cup of oil
1 Tbs poppy seeds

1. Place all of dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Set aside.

2. Mix all salad ingredients together except almonds.

3. Add dressing to taste.

4. Add almonds and mix together. Enjoy!

Tinkerbell Birthday Party

2009-10-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

Well lets start with the best part, shall we, the Tinkerbell cake!. Aunt Susan created another fabulous cake for my daughter's birthday. It was a hazelnut cake with chocolate filling. The cute little mushrooms on the cake are made with meringue. You can find a good tutorial on how to make the mushrooms on Joy of Baking if you feel like giving it a try.

I served the cake with vanilla ice cream and these cute little mushroom cookies (made by Meiji). It's all about the details.

For decorations, I always like to use two colors that relate to the theme. Since the theme was "Tinkerbell" I went with purple and lime green. I recommend staying away from the copyrighted party products. This will help cut down on cost and give a more sophisticated look to your party. For example, instead of buying paper plates with Tinkerbell's face printed on them, I used lime green plates. The only Tinkerbell product I did purchase was confetti. I used the confetti to decorate the birthday banner and some other items.

Flowers - I like to use carnations because they come in just about all colors, they're inexpensive, and they last a long time.

Giant Flower Pom Poms - I made these using the tutorial on the Martha Stewart Site. I purchased the tissue paper at the dollar store. Pom poms are a great way to make a big statement for a small amount of money. It cost me about one dollar per pom-pom.

To continue with the theme, I added some radishes carved into mushrooms to the veggie platter. I found a good tutorial on how to make these at Anna the Red's Bento Factory.

Since this party consisted of mainly adults, it was important for me to have a good menu. To cut back on prep time I purchased Vietnamese sandwiches (top right & bottom left pictures). Sometimes it's actually cheaper to purchase food rather than make it, seriously. These 12 inch sandwiches cost $2.50 each. I served this with two salads and fresh fruit, easy right? In the top left corner is a spring mix salad with poppy seed dressing. I'll be posting the recipe for that Friday. In the bottom right corner is a delicious sweet potato and poblano salad with honey and rosemary dressing. You can find the recipe at Epicurious.

* most of the pictures were taken by Uncle Danny

Have any good party tips? Feel free to share in the comments.

How To Make Mini Birthday Banners

2009-10-25T19:44:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated my daughter's birthday so I've had birthday decorations on the brain. This is one of the ideas that has been on my mind, mini birthday banners. The letters in the birthday banner are only 1 1/2 inches high. Because the letters are tiny, the banner fits perfectly in a bedroom doorway. You could also hang it on a bulletin board or the fridge. Wouldn't you want to be surprised by one of these in your office or at home?

Supplies:
Small Letters - There's a couple of ways to go about this. I cut mine out using a Cricut. If you don't have a personal cutting machine another option is to buy small letters in the scrapbooking section. Another way to make the letters is to type them out in Word to a size you want. Print the letters on the back side of nice card stock and cut out the letters.

Small rectangles - the ones I used were 1/4" by 1 1/2" Will depend on the size of your letters.

Extra small brads

Small hole punch

String

Glue

Glue each of your letters to the center of the rectangles. Punch a hole on each side.

Overlap the holes of the two rectangles and secure with a brad. Continue to do this until you spell out the entire phrase. Tie string to the each end. Hang for everyone to enjoy.

*Later in the week I'll be sharing how we celebrated my daughters birthday including decorations, food, and cake.

U900 - Walk Don't Run (Isogabamaware)

2009-10-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

I'm busy party planning for this weekend so I'll just leave you with this cute video I found via Cutesypoo. Hope you all have a great weekend!

How To Make a Barrette Holder

2009-10-21T14:28:00.001-07:00

Looking back to my own child hood, I can recall my fascination with Chinese lanterns. As a child I was attracted to the vibrant colors, intricate detail, sparkle and mystery of them. So to capture a little piece of that nostalgia, I've created a lantern barrette holder. Directions below.

Supplies:
Printed pattern
Scissors
Embroidery thread in black and pink
Pink and Black Felt
Sewing needle
Black Lace
Pollyfill
Right click, copy, save to file and print. This image was designed to be printed in landscape.

Cut out all pattern pieces. Cut out two lanterns. Cut out one bird on branch (cut leaves separately). Cut two rectangles if substituting felt for lace.

Sew bird/branch on the front of the lantern using a running stitch. Sew on leaves next.

Sew lace (or felt) on the bottom and top of lantern with a running stitch. I personally like the lace which mimics the intricate detail you would see on an ornate lantern. Next using three strands of black embroidery thread, backstitch on the lantern detail.

On the other lantern peice sew on three 24 inch strands of ribbon folded in half onto the bottom of the lantern. On the top of the lantern sew on lace in a loop for hanging.

Place lantern pieces wrong sides together and sew together with a blanket stitch. Leave a two inch opening to stuff. Then finish stitching all the way around. Done.

Place barrettes on ribbon.

* A miniature version of this would make a cute Christmas ornament. If making an ornament, I would substitute the ribbon for a small tassel.

Embroidery Thread Storage

2009-10-18T15:51:00.001-07:00

Lately my embroidery thread box has been out of control. So to combat the mess, I decided to place the thread in baseball card holders that are stored in a binder. So far it's working great and I like that I can see everything.

Book Review: Haiku Knits

2009-10-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

Haiku Knits by Tanya Alpert

I recently received a copy of Haiku Knits to review. It's a new knitting book scheduled to hit shelves October 20th. The book features 25 knitting patterns inspired by Japanese design. There's also a section of essential techniques which includes knitting stitches, the yarn weight system, knitting abbreviations, etc. The book is for knitters of all skill levels, beginner through advanced. Even though some of the patterns look very sophisticated, the patterns themselves are quite simple.

I personally liked the patterns in the book and would wear just about all the pieces. I like solids with a lot of texture and that's what you'll find in Haiku Knits (pictures below). What I did find lacking was information on techniques. Even though there is an "essential techniques" section in the book, I wish it included more. For example, there were no directions on how to block a garment even though some of the patterns call for this. Since this book is intended for knitters at all levels, I would have liked that technique included. That being said, overall the book is well written and has some exceptional patterns.

Below are some of my favorites from the book.

Lantern floating: softly felted top and skirt

Snowflake: lacy long-sleeve cozy

Hazy Moon: ethereal scarf

Here's what I'm working on, the half-moon rising two-color vest. Promise to show you when it's done.