craft update

In the past month, I haven't been too productive with crafts and only made two baby afghans.
This one is a past due afghan for Tom's cousin's baby girl who was born in November. I hope that they will like it. I call this one Neapolitan ice cream.

This one is for my co-worker, who is expecting a baby in April. She is not finding out the gender of the baby ahead of time, so I went with gender neutral colors. I like to think of this as lemon-lime meringue.

 
Last night, while watching the news of Blizzard 2015, I learned to do a new border, the picot. I think it turned out fine.

If I lose power and cannot continue to work, I have two other projects that I can work on.

Crafting recap

Now that Xmas is over and gifts have been given, here are two projects that I had to keep under wraps:
Link, from Zelda for my father in law (he's a big fan of the video game). He has a sword in the back, and he can stand up on his own most of the time.

 

And gloves for my sister-in-law. When Tom saw my fingerless gloves, he asked that I make a pair for his sister. Hopefully she liked them and gets some use out of them.

crafting lately

I've been in the Xmas spirit lately. These limited edition wreaths have gone out to 3 people who have always encouraged my crafting adventures.

I finished a grey shrug that was intended for one of my close friends but I don't think it looks good. I think it needed to have been done with varigated or colorful yarn. Plus I can't get the size right - it needs to be bigger and it's already >2 lbs. So I'm putting it on the back burner for now.

Crafting update

A lot of crocheting has been happening. I have one project almost done (can't show it until Xmas).
So remember these potholders from previous posts?

So, I had left the red one in Bham during the move but knew how many stitches I had, so made the blue one in Boston. So these are part one and part two. Then, I had to make an emergency 24 hour visit to Birmingham and amidst the travel delay, started working on part 3, the yellow potholder. I finish the yellow one on the flight back to Boston and brought the red one back too. When I measured them, the yellow and red ones were almost the same size. The blue one was bigger.

Bummer. So I made another blue one this week and will keep the previous, larger one for another project.
On Friday, I had a Bones marathon and four episodes later, this happened:

I ran out of green yarn for part 4 of 4, with less than a fifth to go. Noes! I don't have the label anymore but I'm pretty sure this was from Hancock Fabrics, which doesn't have a store-front here. Since I will be going back next week, I will have to stop in and get another skein. Fingers crossed that they have the same green.
So a sneak peak at this project: 4 potholders in the colors (close to) of the Mauritian flag. In the picture, it looks like they are not the same size but they are (or at least very very close). These will go to my cousin who is getting married in December.

I've also been working on another project and after measuring on Friday, I now know that I will run out of that color yarn as well. Also I figured that my gauge isn't right. I increased the number of stitches because I was afraid of the fit and it turned out to be the same length as the pattern. Go figure. 

what time is it?

This time (football season):

Crafting lately

Projects: Cowl/Infinity Scarf

Part 1 of 4 potholders (gift for my cousin's wedding, Kelly instructions)

Crafting lately

Huh, so I'm back to doing monthly updates? I need to fix that.
I've been crafting away and have one Christmas gift almost complete. Yes, it's still July but want to make sure I have plenty of time. I also have another project that I'm doing a trial run before I invest into the supplies.
From one of these projects, I will have a lot of yarn left over, so I decided to make a pouch for my crochet hooks and tapestry needles. I (mostly) followed a pattern (http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/case-crochet-hooks) and finished this in a day after getting a head start at a new craft group on Tuesday. On Thursday, we had another craft night at a yarn store. Yay to meeting some lovely folks.











On Friday, since I still had a yearning for yarn crafts (he he he, that sounds funny to me), I stopped by Hancock Fabrics, which has now become one of my favorite stores, and bought supplies for a baby afghan. One of our close collaborators at Emory just had a baby and this was a perfect win-win. I get to relax and be a hermit over the weekend, her baby gets a blanket. I blame Kelly (and Molly) for my new addiction, and finished this in just about 3 days. I need someone to have a baby girl, there are some cute patterns that I am dying to try. Oooh, I am also getting better at reading patterns (I still have to unravel quite a lot but it's a work in progress).

Finally, these came in the mail. A very nice surprise from my awesome mom-in-law: quilted cases, one for tissue and the other for whatever I fancy. In this case, it will house my yarn scissors or maybe jewelry when I travel. These colors scream me - thank you so much Laurie! 

Crafting lately

First off, Happy Anniversary to an awesome couple: Grandpa and Grandma Gass are celebrating 60 years of marriage. We are sorry that we can't be there to celebrate with you but we are thinking about you!

Second, happy happy birthday to Angie, my BFF in high school. It sucks that we live on different continents (she lives in Australia) and don't get to see each other as often as we would like. Thinking of you and sending you lots of wishes for a fabulous year ahead! 

Here are a few craft updates, or what happens when Tom isn't around and the Brewers are on:
After taking 6 weeks to make the first baby blanket for Carolyn, I decided to tackle one for cousin Valerie, who is expecting a boy. I had dragged Tom to Hancock Fabrics and asked him to choose a yarn color. He picked this variegated blue. Kelly suggested a granny square pattern. I started and finished, or so I thought. I can be a little bit of a perfectionist and there was no doubt that something was wrong. The corners were running away from me and it would not fold into a perfect square. So I panicked and did the best that I could: emailed Kelly and asked her to look at it to figure out what I did wrong. So apparently, I didn't know how to double crochet. Fair enough. So I had to restart the blanket, which is interesting because I had to restart Carolyn's blanket a couple of times too. Maybe one day, I will just make a blanket without having to start over again. Anyways, armed with crochet hook, I started over. It took me right under 4 days.
Here is the final product:

Just to get an idea of the actual colors

Other craft projects:
Kelly's birthday was an awesome event. We had so much fun (see previous post). Since we craft together amongst other things, I decided to craft a gift. Her favorite team are the Iowa Hawkeyes, colors: black and yellow. I brought this flower arrangement in a Hawkeye painted vase (as well as dinner at her favorite restaurant and a gift card to her favorite yarn store):

It can be used for flowers, corks, bottle caps, or whatever the heart fancies.

Melanie's birthday shower was this past Saturday (again, see previous post), and she got a diaper cake (made with diapers and wipes) and a gift card. I also learned to crochet a flower which went on top of the cake.Yes, that is the Brewer's game in the background.

Post-tulle

Pre-tulle

I started another baby blanket with left over yarn. I have to figure out who it will go to. After this, I want to learn a new stitch, and maybe venture into making garments. We'll see.

Wordless Wednesday - a year in wreaths

September Crafts

 Updated our football board to include Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC (this picture was taken before Week 2 of college football)

The wreath of the month.  Can you tell that we love football?
Kelly said it perfectly, we are not a house divided, but rather a house united.
I may not want to change it for October but it may get a few orange and black streaks and something Halloween-ish.

New earrings. I get in trouble when I go to Hobby Lobby to get one thing and wander around all the aisles. Maybe wedding bling?

I love our moss initials and wanted an L to complete our monogram. I found a map of Wisconsin (we had picked it up from a visitor's center back in 2010.. wait 2010? Time flies). The bottom corner of the L shows La Crosse. Waiting for it to dry, then maybe some more mod podge, fix the wrinkles, and it will be ready for display or maybe I'll add some more details. 

Wordless Wednesday

Recap

I seem to be more recaps lately. Here's another one. My 4 year old laptop was getting eternally slower. It got to be very frustrating to want to quickly check something before going to bed or heading out of the door to run errands. I knew I needed somewhat of a replacement and after some further need assessment, I decided a tablet was the way to go. More specifically an iPad. This little puppy came on Monday. First two days: get used to it and downloaded apps. I was surprised at how many wedding apps were out there. Anywoo, the third and fourth days were dedicated to iPad inspired craft. I bought a cover and a camera transferring device. I also made this padded case; it also has a zippered pocket on the front to hold cables and accessories if needed. It cost less than $10 to make. It is not meant to be waterproof or too much shock resistant but rather it offers protection against scratches from keys etc... when being carried in my purse. Plus, I think it's very pretty (I love the fabric design) and makes me smile when I see it. 
 

After the May shenanigans, I can't change the flash setting (it's always off) on my camera. I apologize for the dark pics.
I have some scrap fabric left, so I wouldn't be surprised if some other sewing craft magically happened, maybe later today, since I was guilty of going to Hobby Lobby this morning. 
I was hoping that I could blog from this nifty device but have found out that there are no free apps with full functionality (at least that I know of).
That was my week.
I'll have a garden recap on Sunny Sunday and a full recap of kitchen happenings on Tasty Tuesday.

DIY project

When we were in Wisconsin at Christmas, I saw a frame in the basement that wasn't used and had an idea. Sure enough, the frame made it back to Birmingham (Thanks R & L).
I removed the back (unfortunately the glass broke while I was doing so), and under the painting that was originally in the frame, I found these two portraits. Tom's mom thinks that the frame came with the house, so we don't think they are family.

 
I liked the wood grain on the frame, but knew that it wouldn't work with our current decor.

Armed with a Michael's coupon, I purchased spray paint (I think it was less than $2). I had gold paint in the craft bucket, and thanks to Jennifer, I had plenty of scrapbook paper. I also had a pretty flowery curtain that wasn't being used. I had an old frame with a plexiglass (not sure that it was plexi, but that's what I'll call it) front. It had a batik that is now in the donation box.
Time to put it together:
I spray painted the frame (about 4 thin coats on both front and back).
When it was dry, I went over the thinner wood strip detailing with the gold paint.
I created a collage from scrapbook paper.
I cut the plexiglass from the old frame to fit in the new (-er) frame (16x20). I found that it was much easier to cut once I had scored the glass with a utility knife and then used scissors.
I had a storage bin that was being used as a night stand. So I wrapped the curtain around the box and secured it with strategically placed pins.
The result - a $2 facelift to my bedroom's nightstand. I'm not sure I like the scale of the objects on the table so the setup might change. But it's a nice start. 

(Not-so) Wordless Wednesday

The first version of the wedding centerpieces, with submerged orchids, hydrangeas, and a floating candle. The ribbon on the mason jar is a green burlap-like material. And if I use my coupons right, it will all be really affordable. This also means that glass cutting and making paper flower plans are on hold for now.

Wednesday Wreath

Life lately

Major event: There was a fire a few blocks away from the house. I was video chatting with Grace (from whom I got a postcard!woot woot!) and kept hearing the fire trucks in our neighborhood. I somehow missed the first hour. Still managed to get a picture from the balcony. Tom and I also went for a stroll in the neighborhood. We went as close as we could before being stopped by the smoke (we maintained a safe distance and complied with authorities on scene). No injuries have been reported. However, this was an apartment complex that students and visiting scholars use (both Americans and foreigners). Sadness.

Shopping: Lately, I have been hitting an average of 6-8 stores every time I go shopping. The thrill of finding the best deal usually keeps me going, and at times I come home without having bought anything. Last weekend though, I bought craft supplies, including a sewing machine. This past Saturday, my 3 hour shopping spree included finding two new pairs of jeans and two dresses. I was a bit surprised by the jeans because both were a size smaller than what I usually get. At first, I thought that the store labels their clothes wrong. There have been news reports about how stores would label a true size to a smaller one, just to make their customers feel good and buy the items. I then remembered that all but one of my current jeans are from this same store. Anyways, at the next store, since dresses run on the smaller size, I picked up the same dress in three different sizes  and tried them in order of bigger than actual, actual, and smaller than actual. To my surprise, I fit in the smallest one. I was very happy.

Sewing machine update: I re-did the downstairs curtain. I will have pics later. I love the machine. Thanks Em for the recommendation. I will have to play with it some more. I have three more curtains to make.

Crafts: Here are a few paper flowers that I made with streamers (for the green and yellow roses, and the pink rose/peony) and coffee filters for the large peony. They were part of the Pinterest Challenge and are crafts that I wanted to try and see how pretty/easy/time consuming/costly they would turn out.These are somewhat arranged in the cut bottles that I made a few weeks back. I am debating putting a decorative wrap on the glasses - ribbon, lace, doily, burlap, or leather twine.
Coffee filter peony are the cheapest and easiest. Takes about 15 minutes to make one. Next level: dye the filters.
Green and yellow piece: comes out at ~$4 a pop including the Styrofoam hemisphere. It took me about 5 hours to make one and there were some ouch! from the hot glue gun. That time also includes me changing the set up at least twice.
Pink flowers: saw this from Scrapbook Etc. magazine from Jen. I did not like the unclear instructions in the magazine and there wasn't much more online to help with those. It took me about 15 minutes to make one, but they are very delicate. I have to find a better way to hold them together.

I also made some wire picture holder from 18 gauge steel bought from Home Depot. Next level up: put picture (I just happened to have this picture on hand, Tom and I in front of Vince Lombardi at Lambeau Field) on cardstock and find a more creative way to stand it up. Maybe using wine corks.

It's been a dream of mine to have a wreath up throughout the year. I finally got to this task, in time for St. Patrick's day. I made a yellow yarn wreath to which I will pin different things as we go through the year. This month, we have felt shamrocks and roses. I've rearranged the roses so they are more open. Yes, those are Mardi Gras beads re-purposed as a handing handle (here is the link to one of the tutorials for the wreath: http://www.danielleburkleo.com/2010/10/diy-yarn-wreath-with-felt-flowers.html)

Bottle Project - Part 2

So the goal of this project was to create centerpieces from empty glass bottles. The idea is to use the bottles as vases, which means cutting the bottle. This involved some trial and a lot of errors.
If you do this, please use safety glasses, work gloves, common sense. Have a sink full of water and make sure that the fire extinguisher is on hand. After cutting, the edge is really sharp. Since these are purely ornamental and we don't plan to touch them, we are forgoing the sanding step. No one was hurt during this project.

Sunday Feb 12 - trial 1: using fire to score the bottle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHWYjMlYH50
Basically soak a piece of twine (I used crochet yarn) in acetone (I used 70% rubbing alcohol), and tie the twine around the bottle. Set the twine on fire to "score" the bottle. Then drop the bottle in a sink full of cold water. Tried this with a beer bottle (yes, I tried it with the label on). It worked!

Saturday Feb 18 - trial 2: proceed with a wine bottle. Tried three different kinds of wine bottles and relighting the twine several times. Nothing. This wouldn't even score/crack/scratch the bottles. Bummer :(

Sunday Feb 19 - trial 3: bring in the big guns. Well, I went to Micheal's and bought their bottle cutter kit (I had a 50% off coupon from the Sunday paper, and a gift card). The kit has a glass cutting blade on a stand to score the outside of the bottle, and a metal bar that you insert inside the bottle and hit the bottle at the score line from the inside. Tried it on one wine bottle. It worked! Yay!

This is the bottle cutter. Yes, that is a 15 ml Falcon tube. It contains mineral oil. The instruction said to use any household oil (but not cooking oil) between two cuts. Mineral oil is a household oil right?









Monday Feb 20 - trial 4: uh oh. The  metal bar did not want to go in the other types of bottles. We tried putting the bottles in hot water and then in cold water after scoring it, but to no avail. Bummer :(


This is the metal bar. The loop at the bottom is the part that you use to hit the bottle. It is also the part that will not fit through the neck of some bottles. 













Sunday Feb 25 - trial 5: The idea is if the tool didn't work, I would return it and scrap this project. I scored the bottle with the tool, then used a candle to heat the bottle at the score line. Then I ran some tap water on the score line and it worked! Yay!

I cut all the bottles that I had in the house (only greenish and clear ones) in less than 2 hours. In Part 1, there were the champagne bottles that had residue that would not come off the bottle. I cut those as well. I figured I could use some pretty ribbon or scrapbook paper to go around the bottles and hide the residue.









Next trial: This technique produced some sharp and rough edges. Most of the time it happened when I heated one spot too long and it stressed the bottle beyond the score line. I just saw a YouTube tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFXngPx3w3M)where after scoring the bottle, you pour hot water on the score line and then run cold water. This produced a smooth edge.
Also, the glass cutter does not produce one continuous score line. I guess that will come with practice. There two models of bottle glass cutter, one at Hobby Lobby and the other at Micheal's. From the YouTube tutorial, it looks like the Hobby Lobby one might be the better tool. Oh well.
Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this.
Tom has to give his approval - he may request that I sand down the edges. I may say no.