SEW & TELL: We are Knitters Review & Giveaway

I’m so excited to share this review and giveaway with you today. If you know how to knit or if you don’t know how to knit but have been wanting to learn, you’re going to love these kits by We Are Knitters. For this review, I got to choose a kit and I have to say, it was hard to pick. All of the kits are gorgeous, contemporary and tempting.

SEW & TELL: Yarn Scrap & Paper Mache Paste Nest

A few years back I made a yarn bowl and it is still one of my most popular posts. You can check it out here. It’s been a while since I’ve made a batch of paper mache paste and I’ve been wanting to make some nests so I revisited that yarn bowl project and adapted it to make some fun crafty nests.

NOTIONS: The Unfinished College Granny Square Blanket

I’ve mentioned here a few times that the teen is leaving for college soon. We only have one kid so we are going to be empty-nesters in about a week and half. When people say it goes by quickly, they ain’t kidding! When my son started high school I had just started this blog and wanted to learn to crochet. I must have mentioned it in a post because a reader sent me a crochet book.

Etceteras: mohair wrapped vase

Here’s a fun twist on a yarn or twine wrapped vase – a mohair wrapped vase.

Little Craft: fuzzy animals

I love picking up those bags of plastic animals at the dollar store. I’ve painted some and even glitterized some. And at a dollar for a bag of animals, these make great kid crafts.

Little Crafts: yarn octopus

Have you ever made a yarn octopus? I remember making these when I was a little girl. I haven’t seen one in years and recently saw one on Martha Stewart’s Craft of the Day.

homework: reading {adventures in pompoms land}

I love pompoms! There is something so irresistible about the soft fluffy perfectly trimmed ball of yarn. The pompoms in this book titled Adventures in Pompom Land by Myko Diann Bocek are beyond a cute ball of yarn. They are little works of pompom art.

Sew and Tell: embellished sweater

It’s always fun to give new life to something you haven’t worn in awhile.

Sew and Tell: crocheting 101

I started crocheting! Last week I shared a Show and Tell on crocheting and mentioned that I was planning on giving it a try.

Michelle over at The Royal Sisters left me a comment with a link to her free tutorials. Not only does she do beautiful work, she has very nice photos and step-by-step instructions.

Here’s one of her blankets.

And more of her beautiful work.

And here are mine…

It was a bumpy start but I watched a few videos and found a pattern that claimed to be easy. Most of the instructions are still like a foreign language to me but I managed to make a few practice squares.

I can see how crocheting can become addicting. What’s nice is you can make a square here and there when you have time. 

Show and Tell: pretty crocheting



Photo courtesy of Ohdeedoh



I may have mentioned this before but one area of crafting that I haven’t tried is crocheting.  I love the look of crocheted items and I’m planning to try it one day.

A reader of this blog sent me this book on crocheting. Isn’t that the sweetest! She discovered through an email exchange that I wanted to learn to crochet and thought of me when she saw this booklet “99 Granny Squares to Crochet.” Thanks Kai!

I’m a big fan of the blog Creative Jewish Mom. Sara has creates beautiful projects and makes beautiful crocheted items.  Isn’t this bunting amazing?

And this is pure genius. Care tags and extra yarn for your homemade crocheted gifts.

I love these African Flower Granny Squares from Craft Passion. I’m adding these to my “learn to crochet to-do list.”

If you have any crocheting tips you can offer me – please let me know. Wish me luck.

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Etceteras: yarn wrapped plant markers

Don’t you love the look and smell of fresh herbs growing in a kitchen window?

I haven’t planted my herb garden yet but in preparation, I made these plant marker flags.

I started with corn cob sticks and wrapped yarn around the top half. The bottom half will go into the dirt so I wanted to keep that plain.

To identify the herbs, I made little flags and tied them onto the sticks. I used a permanent marker to handwrite the herb names onto the fabric.

Next on my to-do list: buy herb plants and enjoy the fragrance and taste of fresh herbs.

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This project is linked at the following:

    

 

And other link parties that I participate can be found here.

Etceteras: yarn bowl

Day 3 of my paper mache paste craft-a-thon. You can see my first two projects here and here.

After I finished both of those projects, I still had plenty of paper mache paste left. So, I threw a bunch of yarn into the paste to make this bowl.

I remembered reading about making yarn bowls by wrapping the yarn dipped into glue around a balloon. I wanted my bowl to have more of a bowl shape and flat bottom so I wrapped saran wrap around the outside of a mixing bowl. Then I wrapped my yarn around the saran wrapped bowl.

 

I let the bowl dry overnight and carefully removed the saran and yarn from the mixing bowl. I then peeled the saran wrap away from the yarn.

In case you missed it, here’s the recipe for the paper mache paste.

Combine ½ cup flour and 2 cups cold water in a bowl.

Boil 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and add the flour and cold water mixture.

Bring to a boil again.

Remove from heat and add 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Let cool. The paste will thicken as it cools.

Make a batch of this paste for a rainy-day craft with kids. It’s fun for big kids too!

Thank you so much for stopping by.

 

Etceteras: springtime baby carrots

With spring just around the corner, it’s time to get busy. Spring wreaths, centerpieces and baskets need to be dusted off or freshly made.  This year, I’m adding a new look to my decorations with these baby carrots.

 I’m making lots of these to add to Easter baskets, wreaths and table décor.

I made these carrots using cardstock shaped into a narrow cone. I brushed on tacky glue and then wrapped orange yarn around the cardstock. With green yarn, I made a small tassel and glued it to the end of the carrot.

I think these will look nice embellishing the rim of an Easter basket or on top of a gift box.  Happy almost spring!

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This project is entered in the CSI Spring Contest

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This project is linked at the following:

 

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