Category Archives: Craftiness

2019 – New Year, New Goals

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As usual, everyone is talking about their big New Year’s Resolutions – lose weight, stitch more, run a marathon, etc., etc., etc.

I try not to make resolutions because I know myself, and myself usually doesn’t stick to them.  And then I feel like a big fat failure!

So, in order to keep from feeling like a big fat failure, I avoid “New Year’s Resolutions” like the plague.

That being said, I have set some “goals” for this year.  I find this usually helps keep me motivated.  And honestly, I really, really like to make lists.  I know, it’s weird.

Here is my To Do List for 2019!

Some items on the list were started years ago and now need to be turned into the final product.  Some items are halfway finished and some others haven’t even been started yet.  Some of them are cross stitch projects, but most of them are quilty pleasures.

And, most importantly, I want to start blogging again to chart my progress and keep me motivated.

I look forward to a very crafty year!

Retreat, Retreat!!

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No, don’t run away!  It’s craft retreat!

I just got back from spending 4 glorious days lounging around, gossiping, watching movies, eating, and, oh yeah, a bit of crafting thrown in there for good measure.

Unfortunately, I believe there was more eating done than actual crafting.  I had great plans to finish quite a few projects, but the reality turned out differently.

I did finish the binding of a lap quilt that has been languishing around for at least two years, and I did manage to put together a Tooth Fairy pillow just in time for my son to lose his 4th tooth.  (Better late than never.)  And I also got a little cross stitching done.

I forgot to take any pictures of the retreat location, but this week I will post the progress made on my projects.

Valentine Monster

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For the little one’s Valentine party at school, he (and by that I mean me) was tasked with taking a cereal box and turning it into a recepticle for the kids to drop their cards into.  This is what we (I) came up with:

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This was made with stuff found entirely in my craft room (except the cereal box – I don’t hoard cereal).  I used some shiny red fabric left over from a Halloween costume, a scrap of orange felt for the teeth, pipe cleaners for the “hair,” and a styrofoam ball cut in half for the eyeballs.

Sometimes it is nice to have a boy because you can get away from all the cutesy stuff and go wild!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine

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I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day.  I think there is too much pressure to be all lovey-dovey and that is certainly not me.  But, this year I decided to make my hubby a gift.  Of course, it was something I saw on Pinterest.

It was a little canvas with black/white stripes and a red heart covered in buttons.

After only one trip to JoAnn’s to pick up my supplies (I can’t believe I remembered to get everything in one trip! YAY!), this is what I have:

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Step one was to draw the lines.  Since my canvas is 10 x 10, I figured I would go easy on myself and mark 2″ lines.  I didn’t want to have to paint over black, so I painted the red heart before I colored in the black.

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And here it is with the lines and heart finished.  I used metallic white and black paint for a little sparkle, although it is hard to see in the photos.

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Now off to glue on some red buttons! I LOVE BUTTONS!

I glued two layers of buttons to ensure decent coverage using plain ol’ white glue.  Ohh, buttons are pretty…  Did I mention that I love buttons?

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I stenciled “You & Me” on the bottom white line and TA-DA!

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It definitely looks “home made” with the uneven stenciling and some of the buttons being a little out of whack, but, overall, I like the way it turned out.  I’m sure he won’t think it is as cute as I do, but I’d rather give something I made than something from the store.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

 

 

 

Needlebook

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I have seen some wonderful needle books out in The Interwebs and have become very jealous of them. I want one!

My needle storage up to this point has been super unorganized and it is difficult to find needles that I know I have.  But, oh, wouldn’t it be so wonderful to have them all in one place!  Organized, labeled, neatly sitting there in rows upon rows of beautiful needles – ready to create amazing things!

So, off I went to figure out what I wanted my needle book to look like. I saw cross stitched ones, patchwork ones, felt ones, fabric ones, large ones, small ones, some that fold, some that roll, ribbon closures, button closures – boy, the list goes on and on! There are endless possibilities. But, what do I want?

This one is from Domestic Doozie.  I really like this one.  She has a great tutorial (which I plan to use with a some slight modifications).
 

Love, Love, Love the pocket!

 

These are some other cool ideas for embellishing the pages.

  

Here is what I decided on:

  • I want a printed fabric cover – maybe with some beading.
  • I want it big enough to hold lots of needles, but not too big to carry around in my project box.
  • I’m thinking embroidered labels – maybe ribbon.
  • I want a button closure.
  • I want some lace accents or maybe some ric rac. Just for smiles.

Now, off to dig through my stash to find a beautiful fabric to add some beading to.  I’m sure I have something that will work.