Pom-Pom Tutorial

This is a tutorial for making pom-poms using your
fingers. This one is a small, two-finger pom-pom
(about 1" in diameter) but you can make bigger ones
by using more fingers. As far as yarn choice, thinner
and softer yarn will make a more pleasing pom-pom.

easy frost

so here comes my second blog post of the day (yes yes, I posted twice today, don't ask why). Today's activity in our calendar was making frosted looking tea light holders. Sounds difficult but it could be easier. What you need is : glass containers (we used glass jars that were previously yoghurt pots), one egg white, and white caster sugar. (I had to borrow some from my mom as we only use organic blonde sugar in this house).

Hooked

 
Of course one quick doily fix wasn't enough.  Once I’d broken into the doily stash, the temptation to use more was overwhelming and my resolve weak. I needed more, much more.  I needed a whole curtain of snowflake doilies to keep me satisfied.  A perfect, Martha inspired Christmas/winter project for these big patio doors in my kitchen where the sun streams through this time of year.

Diy: nature wreaths

This is my favorite kind of crafting: mixing natural materials with recycled ones. We have tons of pine trees of all different varieties. Cones are bountiful, but you have to get them early on in the season or the squirrels will gnaw them to bits. Weeks ago I gathered bunches along with some dried pods. I had free and easy wreaths on my mind. We finally got to them last week and I'd love to share how they're made because who doesn't like a simple (and did I mention free?) project that looks lovely, too.

Sweet Shoppe Ornament Set

I'm excited to announce one of my newest designs from my Make New . Each pattern comes with complete instructions to make 3 different sweet treats that can be made from repurposed felted wool sweaters, craft felt, or a combination of both.

Pebble Magnets Project

My husband needed some magnets for his classroom, so on our way to a park outing we had stopped at Staples and Target in search for magnets worthy of my husband's aesthetic (oh, yes, these things DO matter!). All we could find was mini plastic clothes pins, cartoonish planets and frou-frou modern ones. Very frustrating to say the least... we hardly wanted to make this an all day affair. So we abandoned the idea and headed on to our nature walk destination. Once on the trail, I looked down and all became clear: I have a ton of neodymium magnets from products I made in the past and beneath our feet there was an endless supply of sturdy little stones which completely agree with Andrew. So we paused on our route to look away from the glorious reds and golds above and hunted for our little treasures below. Everyone was involved and it was a great team effort.

Make This: Child's Sewing Kit Tutorial (with pincushion & needle book)

Hey everyone. I'm back. I didn't forget and look the wrong way when crossing the street in London and find myself smooshed beneath the wheels of some impossibly tiny European car. Nor did I find myself among the ranks of bloggers who start a blog and have a good thing going only to suddenly disappear forever, as if abducted in the night by some paramilitary group or something. Really, all that happened was that this damn tutorial was a bit more complicated than expected and I meant to work on it on the plane but then I forgot the sheet that had my measurements for the pattern on it so I couldn't work on it then and instead I have been putting it together this past weekend in fits and starts between birthday parties and cookouts and work on the garden and just watching Beeper splash maniacally around in his new kiddie pool while I eat fruit popsicles. But, it is done. Hallelujah.

Christmas tree

 

This shimmering stacked tree will add a festive -- and eco-friendly -- touch to your home this holiday season. These magnificent trees can also be stacked using any leftover aluminum foil, felt, or crepe paper.

Castle peeps summer camp: diy travel felt board

 Lizzy House has invited  me to be counselor for her virtual summer camp revolving around weekly activities featuring her latest amazing fabric: Castle Peeps. I could spend this entire post gushing about how much I adore Lizzy... what a brilliant, funny and loving friend she is... how her beautiful fine art is even more so in person... that she is the youngest textile designer around... yeah, see I couldn't  help myself.

One paper zine

Creating your very own zine  from one sheet of paper...

Spirals and whimsy

Newspaper is one of my favorite materials to create with. It's readily available for free (check out any cafe at closing time), it's versatile, and its typography give everything an instant graphic sensibility. Knowing of this fondness, my husband brought home the above trivet a couple of months ago. Artisans from the Women's Multipurpose Coop in the Philippines made this amazing hot plate out of coils of newspaper. It has not moved from the center of our dining room table. I love it and find myself staring at the spirals as we eat, talk, and create. You can buy your own here: Ten Thousand Villages. Last night, as we were clearing the table, I found that I could not look at the spirals for another minute without trying it myself. I grabbed a sheet of newspaper and started rolling it to create a coil.

Finger Knitting

Finger Knitting