DIY

Dino Feet

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dino feetI was browsing the aisles at Michael’s for inspiration and I came across size 10 toddler suede soles perfect for my oldest son.  My creativity was sparked.  I left the store without the soles because I didn’t have a plan.  A couple of days later armed with a 40% off coupon (never go to Michael’s without one)  I bought the soles with the plan to make some slippers.  There was a pattern inside the slipper sole box so I thought I was set, except I wanted to knit with Super Bulky yarn and the pattern was written for sock yarn (for those non-knitters the pattern only works as written in the yarn specified).  So I searched Ravelry, and searched, and searched and I could not find a slipper pattern in Super Bulky with suede soles for a kids size.  So like any knitter I decide that I will do some math and make my own pattern.  Like I mentioned in a previous post, I rarely follow the pattern exactly anyway, so I might as well just make one up.  Using the pattern that came with the soles as a guide I started knitting, and I am happy to say that these little slippers were the result.

One of the greatest things about making things is sharing them with other people.  If I can inspire people to make things themselves I am happy.  Lots of crafters don’t want people to “copy” their ideas, and I say go for it.

If you aren’t familiar with Ravelry, it’s a knit and crochet online commuity, with tons of free patterns and inspiration.  It’s a fantastic resource for anyone with an interest in knitting/crochet.

Happy Crafting.

New Year, New Socks

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socksI am kicking off the new year with these socks that I finished on New Years Eve day.  These socks are a wool cashmere blend and are pure luxury on my feet.  These are the first pair of hand knit socks that I have worn and had I known how wonderful handknit socks would feel I would have made myself some long ago.  Sasha is begging for a matching pair because he out grew the ones I made him last year.  As I was knitting them he kept telling me that pink is a boy colour too, so he would like a matching pair in his size.  I think all along that he knew how comfy they were, and doesn’t care what they look like.  The only downside is that they are SUPER slippery on our hardwood floors, so the next post might be that I have broken my leg wearing my wonderful socks, fingers crossed that I maintain upright walking posture.

I started knitting just over a year ago, and it’s fair to say that I am now an intermediate knitter.  I haven’t attempted cables or much multi-colour pattern work nor do I have interest in doing so.  So I am thinking that it might be time for a new hobby…  It’s the new year and I need a new crafting hobby.  I am thinking that I will learn how to crochet this year, it’s not that much of stretch from knitting but I already have the supplies.  I will keep you posted on my progress.

Crafting Through the Holidays…again

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Last year I wrote a blog at Christmas called Crafting Through the Holidays, and this year I am still crafting through the holidays, I just can’t help myself. I like to make the kids presents every year, and this year is no different. For Logan I have made stacking knit/sewn boxes. It was quite an undertaking, and probably not worth the time, but who knows maybe they will be his favourite toy. I rarely follow a pattern, or a recipe for that matter to the letter. I adapt patterns and recipes depending on the ingredients I have available. In this case I looked at a pattern from one of Susan B Anderson’s knitting books, and changed the yarn, and the sizes. I would like to say that I was still 100% successful, but one of the boxes doesn’t quite fit. Stacking these boxes inside of each other will be a test of Logan’s dexterity & patience, and there isn’t anything wrong with that.

Our Cross-dressing Christmas Tree

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tree skirt 1 With three guys in the house the testosterone over flows. Much to my surprise the Christmas tree is male too.   I was told by my four year old that “the tree is a boy, and boys don’t wear skirts”.   Of course I learned that the tree was a boy only after I made it a skirt.  So the compromise, a train tree skirt. For the times that I have put up a tree in the last 18 years, the skirt was missing. Sometimes I put a towel, or piece of random fabric draped around the base of the tree. I just filled the bottom with presents and who knew what was hiding underneath. But this year I committed to “finishing” the tree. I was out shopping, and I saw a beautiful tree skirt (with a train on it) for $100.00, and thought hey I can make something like this. My go to for “floor” fabrics are canvas painting drop cloths available at most hardware stores for what amounts to a couple of dollars a yard for heavy-duty fabric. A trip to Michael’s for ribbon, and felt and I was ready to craft.  I edged the skirt with ribbon, cut out the train shapes and cargo out of felt, and using coloured embroidery floss sewed the train cars, ribbon/button embellishments and button wheels to the fabric base. It is a hit was Sasha who insisted on making a paper train to match.

tree skirt 3tree skirt 2

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Button Obsession

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I have been busy making lots of things.  The extra steps to photograph and write about my creative adventures get put aside so I can start the next project.  This is a project that I made months ago for Logan’s room.  I purchased a shadow box frame, cut out a piece of mat board, blew up some letters on the computer, printed/cut them out, traced them on to the mat board and got crazy with the glue gun and buttons.

I have a bit of an obsession with buttons.  When we were thinking about wedding favours for our Mexican wedding which happened exactly three years ago today I was googling images and came across the picture of a boutineer made of buttons, and because buttons hold things together I though that it was symbolic for a wedding.  Anyway I am always looking for ways to incorporate buttons into craft projects, so when I saw an image on Pinterest of a letter made of buttons, I was inspired to make Logan’s name to hang in his room.  It hangs over his change table and he is beyond frustrated because he can see all of these colourful buttons which he can’t touch.

Baby Blocks

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blocks 1When Sasha was a baby I made him a set of blocks with his name on them.  So I figured that I owed Logan something similar.  I made Logan 1-2-3 blocks instead.  The blocks have sounds, ribbons, textures, colour and patterns.  For the alphabet series each one has a painted object which references the letter on the block.  The number series is similar with one or more side with a number of objects to reference the number of the block.

They are a labour of love because they take a while to cut, draw, paint and sew but it’s nice to see the kids play with something I made.

On the twelfth day of Christmas…Santa made me a fishing game.

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Merry Christmas, on the twelfth day of Christmas…Santa made me a fishing game.  This is a present for my 3.5 year old.  Each fish has colour, texture, and pattern.  A friend of mine mentioned that she was going to make this game for her daughter, and I thought what a great idea.  The fish are made of felt, and stuffed with a little cotton batting.  Each fish has a number of items sewn on, to make a counting game from 1-10.  Santa made a little worm, and inside the worms head are 4 earth magnets, which allows for the catching of multiple fish.  I am hoping that there will be hours of play with this new toy.  If he doesn’t like it, I do, so I will just hang it on a wall somewhere. 

Thanks for reading the last 12 days, I hope that I have inspired someone to make something.

On the eleventh day of Christmas…my aunt made a glowing gift.

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Today I am featuring a crafty project that my aunt created.  Using a glass block (the kind from a glass block window, purchased at home depot) she drilled a hole, inserted a string of white Christmas lights and wrapped the glass block with a ribbon.     It is a nice glowing surprise under the Christmas tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas…my mom made me mittens.

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IMGP7568On the tenth day of Christmas my mom made me mittens.  Well sort of.  For my little guy I made thumb-less mittens, and a hat.  I haven’t figured out how to knit the thumbs yet for a pair of mittens for my older guy but I plan on getting a lesson over the holidays.  I am hoping that this little hat is going to fit all season but at this age he seems to be out growing everything over night. 

On the eighth day of Christmas…my little elf was crafting.

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hankiesI may have created a little crafting monster over the last couple of months.  My 3 year old seems to like making as much as I do.  He has been busy making ornaments, cards, photo frames and most recently hankies.  There is only one person that I know that uses hankies, so Sasha has been hard at work making Christmas hankies for Uncle John.  Using store bought hankies, Sasha is embellishing them with stamps and ink, a perfect project for little hands.