Elmer's and Xacto

I am part of a site called (www.bzzagent.com) and I am fortunate to get to test different types of products. I have tested food and make up, but imagine how excited I was to receive this kit filled with wonderful crafting goodies from Elmer's- Xacto!

I'm working on a couple of projects using these new tools!


If you are looking for ideas, go to Elmer's site for crafters...

Fridge Magnet Tutorial

I have been leading a book study for the women’s group at church for the last nine weeks (based on the book “So Long Insecurity: You’ve been a bad friend to us” by Beth Moore). We have had a lot of fun and came up with a theme verse to remind us of our value as women (Proverbs 31:10b, 25 She is worth far more than rubies. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come). I wanted there to be a lasting reminder of our value for the women in the study, so a sweet and creative friend and I decided to make fridge magnets with the verse on them. She makes jewelry, among many other beautiful things, so you can definitely see her influence! I had a request for the tutorial and since it was already written, I thought I would post it here. You could use any inspirational quote!

It was fairly inexpensive to make these magnets. You may already have the tools in your scrapbooking stash. 

Tools used: 

Inspirational Quote

mat and craft knife

scrapbook paper

printer

paper adhesive (I used a spray)

heavy duty magnets

thumb tack or hole punch

beads that come with a wire ring (or buy beads and rings)

charms

a sheet of foam core

jewelry pliers or needle nose pliers 

The most costly part was the charms, magnets, and beads, which we bought at Michael's. I spent maybe $25-30 to get enough to make 24, which is really not much. I bought two packages of each of the beads, magnets, and charms, so you could spend less to make fewer.

1. Design your verse and flourish (think clip art) in a word processor or graphic editing program. You could use a business card template to make this easy! I inserted a clip art image and then flipped it upside down to make a top and bottom flourish.  Print your verse and flourish on scrapbook paper (I cut mine to 8 1/2 x 11 to fit the printer). Cut out each verse with mat and craft knife (or paper cutter)
2. Cut foam core (sometimes found at the Dollar Tree for a dollar, or pretty inexpensively at Wal-Mart) with your mat and craft knife, to the same size as your paper and glue paper to foam core. I used spray adhesive to get a good seal around the outside edge. Definitely spray this outside!
3. Punch a hole with the thumbtack or hole punch and open the wire ring that came with the bead. String the wire and bead/charm through the hole. Close the wire ring with the pliers.
4. Glue two large magnets to the back to make it sturdy. Voila, you have a fridge magnet!

I would love to see links in the comments if you make a magnet and post it on your blog!

Batten Disease

Yep, I'm still here! I am crafting like a mad woman in between homeschooling and going doctors appointments- I still don't know what is wrong. I am doing all this hard work in order to send gifts to be auctioned off to benefit research for Batten Disease. I have a friend who has two children with Batten Disease and it is a horrifying and always fatal disease. We need to eradicate this one as soon as we can! If you are interested in helping out, leave me comment and I'll get you more information. You can also go to my etsy store and purchase ANYTHING or request that I make something that you may have seen on my blog (knitted discloths, stuffed animal sweaters, knitted bags, Christmas stocking ornament, baby booties etc.). If you send me the word BATTEN somewhere in your purchase, I will make sure the entire purchase price goes to Batten Disease Research.

Free Crochet Christmas Stocking Ornament Pattern

I wrote this pattern down after I wrote my Busy with Yarn post. I have a complete inability to make the same thing over and over, but I am working on more ornaments with slight variations, I thought there might be someone else out there who would like the pattern :)


MATERIALS: Size H hook, single strand 4 ply or 2 or 3 strands baby yarn.
Made in rounds.
Row 1: Ch 12, sc in 2nd st from hook, sc in next 9 sts, 3 sc in end (toe) st, continue along the other side of the chain, sc in next 10 sts, 3 sc in end (heel) st. Do not join.
Row 2: Sc in each sc, 3 sc at end of each row.
Rows 3, 4, 5: Sc in each sc, do not inc.
Rows 6, 7, 8: Sc in each sc, dec 3 sts at toe, sc in sc to heel.
Row 9: Repeat Row 8, at heel, join with sl st, ch 1.
Rows 10-16: Sc in each sc around.
Row 17: Sc in each sc around. Join with sl st.
Row 18: Change colors for “stocking cuff”. Chain 1 and make 2 Sc in first sc and then 1 sc in each sc around. Join with sl st.
Row 19-23: Chain 2 and make 2 Hdc in first sc/hdc and then 1 hdc in each sc/hdc around. Join each round with sl st.
Row 24: Sc in each hdc around.
Join with sl st and break off. Weave ends into work. Turn cuff down over stocking and add a small piece of yarn in a bow to the top back for hanging.

If you find any errors, please let me know so that I can fix them!
Thanks for reading and have a Happy Thanksgiving (in the United States)!

Free Crochet Webkinz/Stuffie Sweater Pattern

Here is a pattern for the crochet version of my easy stuffie sweater that makes a quick and easy gift :) Thank you for reading :) If you find any problems with the pattern, please let me know so that I can correct it, thanks! I'm working on the stocking ornament pattern too :)

Super Easy Crochet Webkinz/ Stuffie Sweater

Supplies:

Worsted weight yarn (two strands- can be the same or contrasting colors)

Size N and G  hook

Instructions:

With size N hook, chain 18 for a lil’ kinz and 22 for a regular size webkinz.

You may want to leave a 6-8 inch tail for stitching at the end.

Row 1: Sc in second chain from hook. Sc in each sc to end.

Rows 2-7 Sc in each sc.

Row 8: (for regular size webkinz, add 4 rows here): Sc in each sc.

Optional: you may add a few rows here to make it longer

Row 9- 13: At beginning of row, skip one sc (or any decrease) and then sc in each sc to last two, skip another sc (or any decrease) before last sc.

Row 14: Sc in each sc.

Row 15: Chain 14 with the size G hook and break off yarn, leaving a tail for finishing.

Finishing:

Sew sides together (first 8 rows).

For a different look, you may easily change the stitch pattern to all sc, ch, sc and have a lacier look, or use any pattern stitch.

Now THIS is cool!

I just realized that I hit my 100th post with no fanfare! I can't believe I have done that many posts, I still feel like a blog newbie!

Anyway, THIS is the coolest thing I have seen in a while, a library catalog card generator! You can even add little "scribbles" to the cards! I can see so many uses for this in scrapbooking...

Musings and a Trampoline

Lately I feel like I spend more time reading other people's blogs than I do writing in my own. I have a goal to spend more time writing here. And to catch up on my email! I end up looking at craft blogs and do less crafting LOL It's such a strange thing...

Yesterday we had a get together with a lot of people over for grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. When my DH went to get the meat, he came home with a trampoline! Several of he men put it together and all the kids jumped until it got dark. My kids are thrilled to have one! Today we spent time on it again :)

I also made a bandana top for my DD from this tutorial (like a pillowcase dress, but easier!) I'll have to take photos to post here!

OPAM completed project for May

Here is a photo of my completed project for the month. It was my first attempt at a doll and was a little more difficult than I had imagined! In the end, I like his expression and his hair, although I modified the pattern when it came to his hair and his "dress" became a tshirt as well. All in all, I like him. He will be going to an orphanage through a project from Craft Hope.

Here is a photo of PART of my mother's day gift for my mother... I don't think she's a reader... I got the wonderful knit lace trim pattern on the Lion Brand yarn site. They have a lot of great free patterns, you have to sign up though... The dishcloth is super easy and knit on the diagonal and I don't remember where I got the pattern, maybe it was called Grandma's Dishcloth?

Too Many Hobbies?

I am wondering how in the world I am going to get everything done today, plus I want to play with my new photoshop elements program and try some digital scrapping and of course do a little work with it too (on the church website). I have already used up quite a bit of precious time working in elements... LOL I have other things to do... Do you ever get like that? I get that way with sewing too (can you imagine?) I think I have too many hobbies! Anyway, since this blog is about crafting, and not about working or whining, here is a photo of something I have made :) It's a cap for a teen with cancer for Spirit Jump!

Only a little creating going on around here!

We have a really busy weekend ahead of us. We have meetings and dinners scheduled pretty much all weekend. I haven't created much of anything lately... my sewing machine is picked up for our dinner party on Sunday. I'm excited for the get together, but I missed my machine these last 2 weeks that we have had people over. I needed the table for people to eat, instead of sewing! Here is a little welcome banner I made from scrapbook papers and a little hanger I bought at dollar tree. I just wanted something cheerful to welcome friends!

Organizing Creative "Stuff"

I am NOT good at organizing, especially my creative area! It always looks like a train wreck. So... I have been searching craigslist and found an armoir for my craft supplies. I am hoping to get my creative "stuff" organized. I have my scrapbooking stuff pretty organized, papers, brads, etc. all in drawers and ribbon in jars, etc.

The stuff I can't organize, my quilting notions and my current projects, they just kind of become piles. It's like mountains of memorabilia and fabrics! Any ideas anyone? How do you organize your creative "stuff" and current projects?

His Holy Name Card

This is my title card for the His Holy Name Challenge at Faith Sisters.

Charles and the Pumpkin Patch

When I went to pick up the kids one day, there was Charles' teacher with a wagon and two rather large looking pumpkins. Little did I know, he had brought some of his own money on the fieldtrip to the pumpkin patch. The one was enormous and way too large to eat. The other was more medium sized and he wanted to give a real pumpkin pie a try. So we cleaned and baked and pureed and mixed and baked again. And we saw that it was good! Now there are several more bags of pumpkin in our freezer awaiting their turn. I mentioned pumpkin soup, but the kids said no to that one! LOL We did taste some plain cooked pumpkin with a little butter and brown sugar and that was deemed to be ok, so hopefully I won't have to make a bazillion pies!

Well, I sent my gift to my Secret Santa in the Honeypot Swap from Bee Sew Whimsical. I was excited to send the few little things that I had made. I am even more excited for her to get my package and for us to be able to contact each other and not be secret anymore. I have been lurking her blog LOL I feel soooo sneaky! I really hope she likes what I made. I sent a chocolate bar in the package, just in case :)

Christmas is Coming!

I am starting to get excited about Christmas. I love the sights and smells and the Savior, but for me, the giving of gifts to celebrate God's gift is what I really truly love. I have always loved making and giving gifts. Gift giving is my "love language" (find your love language here). I have so much fun deciding on the perfect gift for someone and have so many ideas traipsing around in my head. I wish I could spend unlimited amounts of cash on gifts for those I care about, but... unfortunately can't. I am able to buy some craft supplies, and ummm, well, I seem to have a few on hand *blush* Now is the time of year that I am delighted to have a fabric stash, a paper and embellishment stash, a yarn stash and a knitting needle/crochet hook stash! And I have limited myself to 3 types of craft stashes since our house is not that large. I can only imagine what I would own if I had kept supplies from all of my different crafty phases. Let's see, there's basket weaving, jewelry making, painting, and on and on. I am so glad that Christmas is coming and I can use up some of my supplies!

I have been working on a few things for a couple of swaps that I am doing, so I can't show them here, lest a dear reader or two get a spoiled surprise :) I know that some of the family may be out there lurking too, although I haven't seen any comments :( So I dare not post what I am making for them! One thing I am making is a cute star ornament that I learned to make from a fellow classmate at Big Picture Scrapbooking's Giving Well Class. It is interesting to fold and unfold, but once you do it a time or two, it's easy. Several people will be getting these, but I will keep them a surprise for now.

Free Knit Webkinz Sweater Pattern

Super Easy Knit Webkinz Sweater

I have this for sale on etsy, but I thought I would share it here too. Leave me a comment if you make one. Thanks!

Worsted weight yarn (two strands- can be the same or contrasting colors)

Size 13 needles

Cast on 16 for a lil’ kinz and 20 for a regular size webkinz

Rows 1-3: knit

Row 4: purl

Row 5: knit

Row 6: purl (you may add a few rows here to make it longer, alternate knit and purl rows)

Row 7: knit 2 together, knit most of row and knit last 2 stitches together

Row 8: knit 2 together, purl most of row and knit last 2 stitches together

Row 9: knit 2 together, knit most of row and knit last 2 stitches together

Row 10: knit 2 together, purl most of row and knit last 2 stitches together

Row 11: knit 2 together, knit most of row and knit last 2 stitches together

Row 12: cast off all stitches

Crochet neck band with a size G or H hook (14 stitches) and sew sides together (first 6 rows).

Find the crochet version here.

Holidays at Home at Sew Mama Sew

Just wanted to share about Holidays at Home at Sew Mama Sew. All this month there are great project ideas for gifts and all next month will be projects, traditions, and all kinds of holiday themes from Sew Mama Sew readers.

One Christmas tradition we have that we started when the kids were preschoolers and have just kept is that we make paper advent chains the first week of December and hang them on the Christmas tree. We remove one of the paper chains every night until we get to the last part (usually a chain hooked to a star). It's a great visual to show how many days until Christmas!

ETSY

I started an etsy shop! I am so excited. I will be listing vintage finds (some from my Grandma) and a few handmade things and I put a webkinz sweater pattern on there too. I even had my first sale :) check out the shop on the left!

Knitting

I have been doing a lot of knitting lately... webkinz clothes and dishcloths (similar to this one), mostly for relaxation and maybe for a gift or two. I have tried several patterns for webkinz sweaters, after looking all over the web! They were extremely difficult to find. I found several at knitting pattern central that were meant for dolls and/or beanie babies. They came out ok, but I keep going back to the extremely quick and easy one that I created. Mollie doesn't seem to mind all of the webkinz sweaters and experimentation, it just means that her webkinz are accruing quite a wardrobe! Now to make some for Christmas gifts... I only wish I could find a great craft for boys to knit/crochet/craft/create for gifts. I have so many nephews!

Beyond knitting/crafting, we have really just had the first week of school after closings from TS Fay, and now we have our eyes on Hurricane Hanna and TS Ike to see where they might be headed.

Skirt is finished

Well, I finished the skirt. It turned out ok. It was easy enough, and it looks good. It is a very forgiving pattern. M loves it because it twirls :) I also made one for her American Girl doll. I don't know if I will make another or not. Maybe if I find some really cute fabrics, I'll be motivated to do another one.