Oh Boye!

I have made it thru 49 years without trying to knit or crochet. In fact, I have been somewhat anti-knitting.

That has changed.

My friend Jamie came over 2 weeks ago to watch a movie with me and my husband (We’re the Millers is hilarious!). She brought her handy dandy Boye loom and yarn.

In the 90 minutes it took to watch the movie, she whipped out a beautiful scarf and I was intrigued.

The next day, my husband went out and bought a set for me. Thru the next week, I worked on my own (ty Youtube tutorials!). My husband requested the first scarf for his boss.

Took me a little longer to make, but I finished it last night in time to wrap it and send to work with him.

I used single-strand stockinette stitch and a larger loom than my friend, but it is luxurious feeling and a great gift for the $6 yarn purchase.

I also received the round looms so my next project will be a beanie 🙂

So excited!

Ease of project:  Very easy

I’m still here :)

I am almost thru my busy time.

The crafters in my neighborhood decided to have a Holiday Bazaar (2 separate dates!) and of course, I signed up. My responsibilities include: the advertising, making cards with contact info for each crafter (like a business card), making flyers and producing my crafts.

With Thanksgiving behind me, I can now focus on my last items to craft- Peppermint/Lavender soaps.

About a month ago I went to a local church bazaar. I came home with 1/2 lb. of lavender buds. Decided to try using some for my soaps.

The house smells yummy and I am 1/2 way thru my soaps. I have 2 more production days, then 2 days of sales, then I can breathe. Aaaaahhh!

Exhausted and exhilarated and there is light at the end of this tunnel!

What are you all working on?

The Ugliest Sweater… now in ornament form!

We all have one… or know of someone else who does.

Aunt Edna’s knitting skills are famous. Or infamous.

Definitely dreaded when she targets you to be the recipient of her knitting talents. In sweater form. And insists you wear it proudly.

Yup… the Ugliest Sweater ever!

I whipped up a few, more modern Ugly Sweaters, ornament style so you can share with friends and family on the cheap.

What you will need:

• Foam pieces ($1 for 35 at Dollar Tree)
• Pipe Cleaners
• Glue gun
• Various embellishments (buttons, ribbons, sequins, bells, etc.)

Find a sweater template. You want it to be approx. 3″x5″. Trim all around it and glue onto index card or other card stock. Again, trim all around it.

This will be your pattern. Lay a foam sheet down and put your template on top. Using an exacto knife or blade- hold pattern down and carefully cut all around it.

Using a pipe cleaner, bend to the shape of a hanger. Make the hook of hanger large enough to be your ornament hook.

When your foam “sweater” is cut to your liking, glue it to your hanger and start decorating, as ugly as possible!

These make great co-worker gifts at Christmas. Inexpensive and quick.

Happy crafting!

Rumbl3

Big Boy Snowman

I have another craft bazaar coming up so I am in crafting mode!

My latest- Big Boy Snowman (or woman). This craft takes about 15 minutes for each one.

Material list:

• Package of tube socks ($7 for 10 pairs)
• Rice ($10 for 20 lb. bag)
• Ribbon (spools $1 for 9 feet or so)
• Googly eyes ($4 for 300+)
• Hot glue gun
• Funnel
• Pipe Cleaners
• Various embellishments- sequins, buttons, etc.

Pour  3 cups of rice in foot of tube sock. Secure with a rubber band.

Now add 2 cups of rice into next section. Secure with rubber band.

Fold top of sock over on itself to make stocking cap.

Use glue gun to stabilize top “ball” to bottom one.

Glue a ribbon around neck for scarf. Cut another section of same ribbon and glue down from it for a hanging scarf. Embellish as desired!

I made a bow for the hat, glued jingle bells to top and buttons down the front.

I didn’t put arm branches on but I don’t think it needs them. They are cute without!

One down- 19 to go 🙂

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Yesterday I spent at least 2 hours scouring Pinterest and my FB feeds for an easy ornament to make.

I found it!

Material list (I got everything at Wally’s):

• package of baby ankle socks ($4 for a pack of 10 pairs, will make 20 ornaments)
• googly eyes ($4.50 for hundreds, various sizes)
• brown pipe cleaners ( less than $1 for pack of 25)
• holiday fabric ribbon (I used 5/8″ wide, was less than $1 for 3 yards)
• small square of orange felt for nose, perhaps an orange button might work, too
• colored poms (less than $1 for a pack of many)
• cotton filling (less than $4 for big pack)
• hot glue gun and sticks of glue
• rubberbands

Here we go!

Take a sock and fill 2/3 full with cotton filling. Use rubberband at neck section and again at top of head section.

Fold down top of sock in a stocking cap style.

Glue 2 googly eyes on face.

Take a small segment of ribbon (4-5″), fold it over on itself and glue at bottom. This will be the hanging loop for tree.

Hot glue this loop to top of hat. I then used a pom in front of that.

I cut a brown pipe cleaner into arms, and added branches for fingers. I glued them to side of snowman. And then added a red holiday scarf around his neck and sequin buttons down his belly. I added a small sliver of the orange felt for his carrot nose 🙂

It took me around 15 minutes to do this from beginning to end and he is so stinking cute! He would make a great package topper too.

Would love to see other examples if anyone else is getting into the holiday spirit!

Happy crafting!

Edit: The finished products! I made 20 ornaments in 6 hours.

O M G

Found a recipe for a perfume stick. And since I have lots of ingredients, this may be something to try.

Fingers crossed it works out.

I will post results 🙂

***Simple Christmas Potpourri

I love the smell of Cinnamon/Orange/Apple wafting thru the air of my house… It reminds me of holidays.

And face it… we have all spent lots of money on the oils, plug-ins, and potpourris to capture this smell.

Here is a simple (really!) recipe to get those holiday scents without breaking the bank!

In the bottom of a soup mug:

2 tsp. cinnamon

Squeeze one section of an orange and drop peel in cup

2 tbs. applesauce

Boil water in the teapot.

Pour 3/4c. over cinnamon/orange/applesauce. Stir well.

Now wasn’t that easy?

When the water starts cooling the cinnamon will become gloppy goo. To refresh potpourri- remove goop, add a little more cinnamon and applesauce, and pour more boiling water over it.

Try moving the steaming cup from location to location. Or make multiple cups for different rooms.

Happy crafting!

Label the Jars… Check!

The Holiday Bazaar approaches. But I have my handy, dandy check list to keep me on the straight and narrow 🙂

Week of Oct. 8: Pour soap till your body aches.

As you can clearly see, that job is done.

Week of Oct. 15: Make labels and label the jars.

Again- this is clearly done.

Whew!

75 jars- bagged and tagged.

When they are filled, I hope they resemble this:

It’s been a productive week.

I would LOVE to hear about any other craft fairs going on.

Cinnamon- Applesauce Ornaments

Cinnamon Ornaments-
1 c. ground cinnamon (bulk bin cinnamon works awesome)
1 c. Applesauce (generic is great)
1/4 c. Elmer’s glue (I’ve tried others, but Elmer’s works best)

Mix well in glass bowl. If dough is too stiff, add another tablespoon of applesauce.

Sprinkle counter with cinnamon dust so dough won’t stick to surface.

Roll out dough to about 1/4″ thick. Use reg. cookie cutters to cut out ornaments. If dough sticks to cookie cutters, sprinkle cinnamon on top of rolled out dough.

Take a regular plastic drinking straw to poke thru top of ornament for hanging string or ribbon.

Use a spatula to gently lift ornament and move to a large piece of cardboard. I break down a cardboard box and use for my drying trays.

Set ornaments aside for 24-48 hours to dry.

Decorate with yarns, pipecleaners, raffia, glitter and glue, sequins, buttons, etc.

If you store your ornaments after Christmas in ziplocs bags and a plain shoebox, they will retain their smell for years.

++reposted for the holidays 🙂

What Stinks?!

Do you have pets? A smelly husband? Grimy kids?

At one time, I had all 3 🙂

You know how well baking soda works on odors in the fridge- but did you know it works just as well in a smelly home?

Here is a very simple deodorizer to help out with the smelliest of smells.

• 1 unused coffee filter
• 1 jar with the canning ring on it
• 1 cup of baking soda
• 20-25 drops of your favorite essential oil (or fragrance oil)

Take your coffee filter and use a hole punch to perforate the center, 10-15 holes (a paperclip or a pen will work too)

After mixing your baking soda and fragrance oil very well (no clumps remaining), put in jar, cover with coffee filter, and top it off with the ring.

Sprinkle on carpet, furniture, in shoes, on bath mats… anywhere you need to deodorize. Vacuum it up after a few minutes.

I also sprinkle just a bit in the bottom of dog’s bed about once a month.

Simple and effective and most of all cheap!

Happy smells to you!