Christmas Stockings

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had to make some Christmas Stockings this year...I thought I'd share pics of them. 

I have made all of my family's stockings for the last 17 years.  I love the felt kits that various manufacturers create, and that began when I was a teenager.  I have yet to make one for myself, but my daughter, husband, and my sister and all her kids (and spouses, both current and former).  This year, because I didn't have time last year, I made a stocking for her new husband, Chris, and one for the latest addition to the family, Milo. 

Because Milo's had a LOT of teeny pieces, I did his first. 

Chris' was a piece of cake by comparison! 

They loved them, and I enjoyed stitching them.  I bought both kits online at http://www.merrystockings.com/ for reasonable prices.

Fairy Princess Pumpkin House--work in progress

Well, I decided last night that I will post pics of the pumpkin house in progress and not wait until summer.  Since I have a while to wait until my stuff in the dryer is done (and I have no jeans until then), I thought I'd make use of the quiet morning hour by updating the blog.  Sooo...here we go:

First, I cut off the back of the "funkin" in a flat plane, then cut the windows and door. 

After that, I needed to establish floors.  I used 1/4" foam core board, partly for its durability, and partly because I knew I could get a good fit by angling my cuts so that they fit the curves of the pumpkin. 

Floors need covering!  This is some heavy scrapbook paper.

My floors are not perfect, so to both cover the minor gaps and to give a nice, finished look, I glued some fine, flexible braid that I had on hand over the seams.  It also gives a little extra stability to the floors.  I have used hot glue in some areas, but Fabri-Tac in most others. 

It was my husband's idea to include supports for the 2nd floor, and a cool aesthetic appeal.

I also added crossbars to the window holes.  The wood I've used is actually a bundle of grapevine stems, so I've been able to incorporate their curly bits to add to the character of the house.  After all, pumpkins have curly vines!!

Windows need curtains--and this is where I got to be more creative.  I used 20 gauge beading wire and size 8 beads for the curtain rods, winding them around a fine knitting needle for the curly ends.  For beadwork, I used G-S Hypo cement (made for beadwork), which has a fine tip (and is kind of hard to thread the cap back on, as it is a fine piece of wire that has to go back in the needle tip of the glue tube!).  You need to have ventilation for it--it is a stinky, toxic substance!  The curtains are made from some cotton Leaver's lace.  I tied the curtains using 1/4" orange ombre ribbon, and to decorate, some teeny, thin polymer cane slices in leaf patterns. 

The curtains installed.  Definitely gives things a finished look. 

And here is where I ran out of time, and left things unhappily unfinished.  I started a chandelier for the bedroom, and also did some candle sconces for the downstairs, but never finished.  First, the roof of the pumpkin had a small flat spot, but it was kind of ugly looking, so I covered it with a bit of scrapbooking paper (I do a LOT of crafts). 

Then I worked on devising a chandelier using jewelry findings and beads.  I couldn't just stick a pin into the ceiling (well, I probably could, but it would have been messy, and look unnatural), so I made a lamp finial (don't all hanging lamps have a circular flange/finial that covers the wire box?) with a resin flower, a head pin, and some necklace chain.

The chandelier itself was a bit of a challenge, getting all the wires to line up properly, then gluing them in place, and then making them all curve the correct direction, etc.  I have all the beads and findings set aside to complete the candle look, but haven't done the gluing.  My cement ran out!  And life caught up with me.  Sigh.  But here is the unfinished chandelier.

And, for scale, a Polly Pocket doll (same scale as many other tiny princess dolls, including Tinkerbell and friends).

Oh, and here's the front door--I made a handle from a bead and wire, then made hinges from twisted wire.  Good thing we aren't working on sealing it from the weather!  I had to cut it from the section I removed for the back, and got the size a bit off.  However, it swings open easily!  :)  And does rest on the base, so it isn't always hanging out.

Here are materials I gathered for the project...I plan on using the styrofoam as a base (this was pre-finished for use as bases for Halloween houses at the craft store) and the faux foliage as decoration/vegetation around the house (as well as on top).  Gotta make it pretty, you know?  I do have a lintel/mini roof to go over the door, complete with woody supports, but am saving that for after the interior is complete. 

I'll post more when I get in that Autumnal spirit again!

New Year, New Stuff in the Works...

It's been a while since I posted anything...life got very busy once school started.  I've been almost completely overwhelmed with papers to grade and curriculum to develop, as well as a bunch of changes at my school that have taken some adaptation.  Add a rambunctious, immature bunch of sophomores to the mix, and well...you get my work day.  I've also had a lot of medical stuff going on with my daughter, who has been in and out of the hospital since September 7.  She's back in again, but this time, we were successful in solving the problem that we tried to fix in September!  I won't tell you how many tries we've had. 

I've had a lot of projects to work on--Christmas, and all the gifts to make, etc.  I never did finish the Fairy Princess Pumpkin House, although I did get most of the interior work done.  I lost momentum mid-October, and never recovered.  However, I think I'll easily finish it this summer.  I will have to post work-in-progress photos this summer. 

In the meantime, I got to work on a small project this evening that has given me some of that "instant gratification" feeling, and I'm in the mood to share, in spite of the fact that I need to go to bed, and I'm tired.  So...I'll keep it short!

I was browsing crazy quilting online the other day, and came across a list of quilters on Vintage Vogue's website (http://www.vintagevogue.com/).  So I explored different peoples' pages for inspiration--I love to see what other people are doing!  In my explorations, I came across another Blog:  Blossoms & Lace.  http://blossomsandlace.blogspot.com/  What intrigued me was her crazy quilted tin box--it looked to me like an Altoid tin, and the idea stuck in my head.  I use Altoid tins for needle cases and holding all kinds of little things, and this was a great idea.  So...tonight, in the solitude of the house (my husband is at the hospital with our daughter tonight), I plugged in an audiobook ("The Seduction of the Crimson Rose" by Lauren Willig) and began stitching. 

I didn't make a specific block for this project--I actually took one that I'd started before and was very unsatisfied with the corner of it I had previously worked on, so I cut off the end of one side, and thus had my patches. 

I embellished them in the early evening (I'm not happy with the way the first one turned out--too messy and cluttered), and was pleased with my second patch.  So...feeling that I wanted to put it together, I got out some fabric bits and trims, and decided to cover one of several empty tins I had floating around. 

I used Warm and Natural quilt batting as my padding--a single layer on the bottom, and several layers on top.  I used my favorite glue--Fabri-Tac--to glue the batting to the box first, then the actual fabrics.  I had to cut some ease into the curves at the corners to accommodate the bulk of the fabric (I made the block many years ago, before learning to trim while piecing), but the bottom piece was easy to squish into the glue around the corners and keep it flat.  I applied the fabric directly to the tin, gluing evenly as I went (short sides first, then long sides, then corners).  After I had all the corners down, I added trim. 

Inside, I decided I wanted a functional box, so I made a little pillow of shot silk dupioni as a pincushion on the bottom, and a single layer (fray-checked around the edges) of the same fabric on the lid.  I cut a small piece of Warm and Natural batting as my needle fabric, and glued the bottom edge of it into the tin lid.

I can't wait to show my Crazy Quilting group next Saturday! 

Until later,  keep on crafting!

The Fairy Princess Pumpkin House--part 1: Inspiration

I love all things miniature.  Always have!  Several years ago, I went to a miniatures show, and purchased an undressed old woman with green skin...a witch!  ("A Witch!  A Witch!  Burn the Witch!  She's a Witch!" ...for all you Monty Python fans)  That single purchase inspired me to create a witch house in miniature, and even spawned the idea for a novel.  The novel is in progress (very slow...don't often get time for writing!), and I've been collecting things for the Witch house for years. 

Recently, I took out the box with all my witch stuff, and the kit for the house, and got inspired to start working on it.  But then...I got a little sidetracked.  I was looking online for ideas and inspiration, and came across a tutorial for making a Halloween house out of a "funkin"--those styrofoam/molded pumpkins the craft stores sell.  I was worried that doing a whole house would be too big a project to start now (it probably is), and loved the idea of making a house out of a found object (I love the miniature book "Miniature Worlds in 1/12 Scale"--they make houses out of teapots, etc!).  So the wheels in my brain began spinning, and pretty soon, I was sketching out plans to make my daughter a dollhouse out of a Fun-Kin. 

Part of the idea is to make Halloween fun--my daughter has developed a fear of the "scary" things at the craft store, and has claimed that Halloween scares her.  So, I'm planning a bunch of things to make Halloween fun and not scary.  I thought that a Halloween-themed dollhouse would be a great idea!  I've designed it to be the perfect size for her little Princess and Polly Pocket dolls...the "Fairy Princess Pumpkin House", complete with furniture.

I thought it would be an inexpensive project, but going to the craft store means inevitably purchasing about a gazillion other things, so...so far, it would be far more inexpensive to buy her a play dollhouse.  But...then...it wouldn't be as unique, special, or nearly as fun to create!

I will post progress on the house as I go along.  Last night, I began carving (after cleaning up work space in my room!) and fitted the floors.  I have an order for a beaded bracelet, and I need to work on that, too, so... priorities!

Look for the next installment soon!

Ice Cream Sandwiches for Ben

Several months ago, I began crocheting and knitting play food for my daughter.  A few of my friends had come over to visit, and saw the food, thinking it was cool (and that I needed to get a life).  Later, I e-mailed one of them, and asked if there was something specific her son would like, as he was particularly taken with the toys.  So she asked him what he'd like, and I decided to make them for him for his birthday.  One of the items he wanted was his favorite frozen treat, ice cream sandwiches.  So I browsed Ravelry to see what was there, but unfortunately, I didn't find what I was looking for.  A challenge!  Aha!!  So... I made my own pattern.  Not that it was particularly difficult--it is all flat crochet--but I'm rather tickled that it turned out so nicely.  I made him three so that he could share sandwiches with his parents, and then I thought that it needed special presentation, so I also made up a box for them.  Yeah, I'm geeky that way.

Anyway, here are Ben's Ice Cream Sandwiches, a free pattern I share with anyone who likes them!

Supplies:

• Worsted weight yarn in white/cream and dark brown.  I don't know the quantities, but it was not a lot--remnants, leftover bits, etc.  I know I used Vanna's Choice yarns, however.  I like their loft and lack of "squeak" when you use them.
• Size E hook (3.5mm)
• 1" foam (I used a pre-cut chair pad foam from Jo-Ann's) cut into 3 1/2" x 1 3/4" rectangles

Sandwich cookie top and bottom: (make two for each sandwich)

With brown yarn, chain 14

1.  Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each sc across.  Ch 1, turn (13 sts).

2-5.  Sc in each sc across, ch 1, turn (13).

6. sc in next 12 sc, 3 sc in 13th sc, do not chain or turn.  Continue sc across ends of the other rows, spacing 4 sc across, 3 sc in corner stitch, then sc in each ch across.  3 sc in first ch, space 4 sc across row ends, 3 sc in last stitch, 1 sc in each of the next 13 sc.  Tie off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Ice Cream Filling: (make one for each sandwich)

With white yarn, chain 5

1. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each sc across.  Ch 1, turn (4)

2-48.  Sc in each sc across, ch 1, turn (4).

49.  Sc in each sc across, tie off, leaving an 8" tail for sewing.

Assembly:

Bury starting tail of ice cream filling.  Using the tail at the end of the stitching, sew the short ends of the filling together, creating a loop (be careful not to twist the stitching!).  Bury the tail and set aside.

Bury starting tail of sandwich cookie top and bottom.  Before stitching the filling and the sandwich cookies together, I made a stitch in the next sc top loops to make a smooth finish on the cookie edge.  To do this, I thread the yarn through a tapestry needle and then pass the needle under the top loops of the next crochet stitch.  I then take the needle back down into the same place that I started, making it look like the rest of the top loops.  I also like to take a little tack stitch unobtrusively in the crocheted fabric as a kind of "knot", securing the tension of that little stitch, and ensuring I won't pull it too much when I start the regular stitching.  Anyway, bring your needle up to the nearest corner and set it aside.

At this point, I put the foam rectangles in the loop of filling stitches, aligning the stitched corner with a corner of the foam, and keep it there.  It gives me a better idea of how the stitches need to be aligned as I sew it.  Place the cookie part on top, and whipstitch the edge of the cookie to the top edge of the filling.  After you finish stitching, tie off and hide the tail.

The tricky part is getting the top and bottom pieces to line up properly, which just means paying close attention to how things are lined up.  My first sandwich was just a bit off, and the sides looked a little wonky as a result.  The second two turned out better.  I found that I was expecting the second corners to end further than they really did, so I needed to start the corner stitching a stitch or two sooner.  If that makes ANY sense...  These were fun, quick, and easy!  Now my daughter wants some...  Sigh....

I also have the file for the box, if anyone wants that.  I completely made it up in Publisher.  :)  Just print it on cardstock, cut it out, fold and tape/glue the sides. 

The Creative Brain at Work

Yes, it is almost 2 am.  Why am I still up?

I've had a flurry of creative energy the last few days, and made a bunch of jewelry.  Today I photographed a large number of the items, and then spent my evening cropping and fixing photos in Photoshop, then listing a few of them on Etsy.

Here are a few of the goodies I've made:

 

Strange that I can't seem to put those side-by-side...grrr...

Anyway...I also took a picture of a work in progress that I really like:

This is a pendant!  I found the inspiration on Fusion Beads' website:  http://www.fusionbeads.com/inspiration/inspiration_detail.php?ipid=2458 

Of course, I have a vast quantity of flower beads, so...without reading the instructions, I went to work.  Later, I read the instructions to see how they did it.  I used crimp beads under the flower heads, while they used G-S Hypo Cement to glue the beads in place.  Oh.  Oh, well.  I did just about everything else the same way, except that I had trouble getting enough of the flowers in the "vase"...so I improvised.  I inserted several flower stems into the vase without securing them to a jump ring or the loop inside the vase--it was too bulky.  So I just tucked them in, arranged them the way I liked them, and dribbled some Diamond Glaze into the bottom. 

Oops--it dribbled out a bit, so I had to do some emergency cleanup there, and to keep the whole thing sitting upright, I used a spool of thread as a stabilizer.  After the initial application of glue, I figured the bottom was now sealed, so I added some more Diamond Glaze to the interior of the vase, which glued the flower stems in position (they were a bit floppy).  Now that they've had time to set, the pendant is really cool!  I'll have to take a finished photo of it later.

While I had my camera out, I took a picture of another work in progress...or rather, several.  I make crocheted necklaces, and after I've done the thread work, I then stitch clasps into the ends, and then seal them with Fray Check.  While they dry, I hang them over the crook arm of my Ott-Lite.  I just liked the play of light on the curtain of beads, so I took a picture:

Next on the list is photographing these necklaces and getting those up on Etsy--they are my best sellers!  :)

Ok...I'm tired now.  Well, I was before, but now I'm REALLY tired.  I hope I don't have another school dream/nightmare again!!

I got this in a recent e-mail:  "I don't think of them as chin hairs, they are misplaced Eyebrows"....



Baby fun

Several weeks ago, I made my sister some hats and booties for the new baby, my nephew Milo.  Today she posted the cutest pictures of him in one of the outfits...I had to share:



 

Too bad the pattern was only for an infant size!!  Isn't he a cutie?  Well, in a grumpy-old-man kind of way...