Sugar Baby

My best friends little sister, Rachel, is soon to be a new mommy. This is a bit amazing to me given the fact that I can still remember when she wasn't old enough to completely pronounce my name. Tomorrow, her family and friends will shower her with gifts for the little mer-girl swimming around in her belly and I wanted to make  something special for her little sugar baby and since there isn't much cuter than seeing a little one with eyes closed and rosebud mouth moving in dreamy suckles wearing a knitted hat with a big fat flower on the side...I just couldn't resist!

I found a simple pattern on ravelry which is a must if you knit or crochet and purchased it (note: they have a ton of free patterns too) then took a trip to my favorite yarn shop to pick out something yummy and came away with an organic cotton and wool blend from Classic Elite.

While this little hat can be knit on straight needles, the pattern is mainly written to knit it in the round on double pointed needles (dpn's) which is what I chose to do; no seam to deal with.

If you've put off knitting with dpn's because it seems a bit scary, I totally understand. I felt the same way at first but it really is super easy. The trickiest part for me has always been joining the yarn together after casting on but this time I found a great tutorial on the purl bee (love love love this site!) that made it really clear.

My friend, Angela, is great at crocheting and she kindly made up the flower for me and I love how the color  just pops off the dark pink.

And, of course, it's all in the packaging so I needed to wrap it up sweetly.

I'm really looking forward to giving Rachel this gift tomorrow and helping her welcome her new little girl. Plus, I love baby showers....and bridal showers and weddings and birthdays.

Joyous!

Match Box Notes

I popped into one of my favorite little shops over the weekend and got inspired while browsing. They were selling a sweet little note paper holder made of an aged metal, nice and heavy, and it kind of looked like a box which was open at each end and filled with thick paper to pull out a piece at a time for jotting down little notes by the phone or on a desk. Super cute and I really liked how the pages were individual pieces and not stuck together like a post-it pad.

I was sure I could come up with some kind of knock-off so when I got home I started thinking about what I could use for the open ended box part of it since I was definitely lacking in the metal department. Rummage, rummage, rummage....hello old match box!

If you have one of these laying around go ahead and get it for this little project (there weren't too many matches left in this box anyway and you know how us craftees are...) or grab the box from the moisturizer you just bought or raid your pantry for a box.

I cut my box in half though depending on what you have on hand, you may not have to cut at all or cut just a small portion. It would just depend on how big you want your holder to be.

Now...choose some awesome paper to cover your box. I got out my much loved much used dictionary and took a few pages to use. Measure your box and cut your paper to size.

I used Mod Podge and covered both the inside and outside of my box and overlapped the paper a bit to cover all the edges. Be sure to let it dry before you put the paper in. (i know this last bit seems like a no-brainer but if you're anything like me...)

I made sure the little picture was on the top buuuuut....then I covered it up with hemp twine and canvas and linen roses. Go figure. I like it either way; just depends on your preference. It's filled with individual pieces of cream colored cover stock. Nice and thick and not completely even which I like.

It's a great way to upcycle items that you probably already have on hand. Plus...it's refillable so you can have it around for a bit and if you make one for someone, they won't have to throw it out once the paper is used up. Not that they would...

Felted Hand Knit Wrap Bracelet

i love love love yarn shops and i'm fortunate to have a lovely one less than 10 minutes from my home. i'm like a kid in a candy store when i go....the colors, the textures, the accessories; you know what i'm talking about. it's like a welcomed sensory overload. i get that way in stationary stores, hardware shops, spice markets ~ all places that speak to my creative soul.

lately, my creative soul has been loving wrap bracelets and i finally learned how to make the cute beaded kind that are popping up all over the place. let me tell you ~ easy peasey lemon squeezey. make one (or two or ten). they're totally addicting.





seriously, once you make one you want to keep making others. and don't limit yourself to leather and beads. yarn is wonderful for these too. i have tons of leftover skeins from other projects and picked out some pretty teal wool, picked up some size 5 double pointed needles and started knitting an i-cord. if you're not sure about how to do this, just do a search on youtube and you'll find lots of great tutorials. i knew i wanted to felt it so it made it pretty long. to make the closure loop, i just brought the end of the i-cord around secured it with matching thread. and i attached a gorgeous clear vintage glass button to the opposite end. you'll want to do this before you felt it because the when the wool fibers felt up, they tighten around the thread.






i love the look of it, especially with jeans and a cute t-shirt or tank. and it's one of those pieces that looks great whether you're going casual or dressing up. i even wrapped it around my neck a couple of times and it makes a fun necklace! love when a piece of jewelry can be worn different ways.

Welcome...

So I'm kinda lovin' the versatility of quilting and embroidery hoops. They can be used to hold your favorite fabric for some effortless and inexpensive wall art, as frames for family pictures.....even as little bulletin boards.

Lately, I've used the bigger quilting hoops as frames to showcase old tarnished silverware like this and I absolutely love how they turn out but today I wanted to make something to hang on the front door that wasn't necessarily seasonal and so could be used throughout the year. Plus, I had a hoop that I'd already distressed just waiting for me to put something in it.

I got out my stamps and paint and made a few rolled fabric flowers from scraps of linen, dupioni silk and canvas drop cloth and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!





Really simple materials that completely work together and I love the richness of the silk mixed with the rustic look and feel of the burlap. Could be flush against a wall or door or hung from a ribbon and I think it would make a terrific housewarming gift!