Sweatshirt Upcycle Project

So I was given this sweatshirt about a week ago. I don't really wear sweatshirts, and the color was too...solid for me. So I put my refashioning skills to work and came up with this!

Bleached the sweatshirt by swirling it around in the washer with two parts water to one part bleach. Ran it through the rinse cycle and dried it in the dryer. 

Next, I took an old doily I had lying around (the kind with the linen center and lace edges) and pinned it to the neckline. I sewed around the lace edge and cut out the new neckline, trimming the edges.

And I have a new sweatshirt, one I'll actually wear! I hope this inspired you to make over some of your own clothes. There's a world of possibility out there in making use of old or unwanted clothing. Happy sewing!

5 DIYs To Try This Weekend

Looking for a few new projects to do this weekend? Check out this little collection I've gathered up from around the webs!

1. DIY Anthropologie Mugs from Home Heart Craft. There's so much possibility for creativity in this DIY! When I have a little extra cash lying around, I'm so going to the dollar store and buying some plain white dishes to do this! 

2. Lighted Burlap Garland from Create Craft Love. This idea could be updated for spring and summer by using colorful fabric scraps - and regular burlap would look cute all year round!

3. Paper Flowers Wall Art by Grey Luster Girl. I made one of these flowers for a greeting card a few weeks ago, and it was so fun and easy! If you want to create some fun, cheap, temporary wall art, this is a great way to do it.

4. DIY Geometric Pocket Notebook from Curious Doodles. This is more for inspiration than anything - imagine punching holes in plain white greeting cards (much like I did here) or go ahead and buy this fun kit! Only $20 for 2 of these covers, and they come pre-punched and ready for your own take on geometric embroidery.

5. Tiny Crochet Hearts Tutorial from Melmaria Designs. Okay, that's me. Because Valentine's Day is next month, I wanted to share a Valentine tutorial to get you in the mood! Make some adorable tiny hearts for a loved one - glue them to a card, string them on a necklace or scatter them around for some tactile confetti.

I hope you enjoy creating something fun this weekend! Happy crafting.

Embroidered Knits

This is my current favorite technique - embroidery on hand knits! The most time-consuming part is creating the blank canvas, but once you have that beanie or pair of gloves made, the possibilities are endless. I like to use Design Seeds for palette inspiration, but I actually discovered this one all on my own! I just happened to have three shades of mint that went beautifully with the cobalt blue yarn. 

It would be truly addicting if I could knit faster. ;) As it is, I'm already having so much fun with it. 

I hope this inspired you to combine crafts and make something bright and colorful to warm the winter months ahead! Happy Tuesday.

A Fresh Take - Inspiring Workspace

After a very long drive and a long weekend of wedding stuff, I am all settled and unpacked in my beautiful childhood home. Well, mostly. I'm really loving my workspace so far, though. Would you like to see some photos? I'm hoping to stay inspired and creating! 

I'm using a portable table for my desk/worktable (craft show, anyone!?) It's still a little cluttered, but I've found a home for most of my tools.

Succulents and watercolors make me happy.

I turned my bed into a sort of couch/daybed where I can create or sleep at will. ;) Note the bowl of white lights on my shelf - I went to Goodwill to  try and find a mini lamp and ended up buying a sweater instead. Such is life.

White lights bowl, watercolor in vintage frame, teapot, bridesmaid bouquet, and a jar full of encouraging notes and memories from my friends in AR :)

The most important part of my trade! 

I recreated my wall of encouragement and inspiration and it looks even better now! I love my space so far. It's functional and bright and open, and sure to keep me inspired. 

On another note, I've been trying to figure out whether I actually have a name for what I do. I crochet, but I also knit, and sew, and cook, and draw, and paint, and craft. I think I'm going to just call myself a maker. A maker of things. I'll let you know if I think of something better.

Daisy Chain Three Ways

crochet ruffled cuff, $18 // daisy chain headband, $18 // white lace cuff, $18

Tuesday Inspiration

1. daisy chain headband // 2. mustard slippers // 3. watercolor mountains // 4. snow queen // 5. elk

Comfort of Crochet + One Sheepish Girl

I've been working on this cushion. It's taking time, mostly because I can't seem to settle down to any one project lately, and I've also been spending more time painting and drawing than I have crocheting.

It's kind of my comfort project, though. The thick, 6mm crochet hook and the soft yarn in muted colors, and the homey idea behind the project - a comfy cushion for my chair. I have a cushion I crocheted years ago from a pattern in Crochet Today! magazine, but it's old and the colors aren't the same anymore. So I took myself to Hobby Lobby around three weeks ago (yes, I've been 'working' on this for way too long) and bought a brand-new square of foam and ordered some yarn from Knitting Warehouse and got crocheting. 

Have you visited One Sheepish Girl? Her real name is Meredith Crawford, and I love her blog. She's such an inspiration to me. She knits and crochets, and has been published in some of my favorite magazines. I would love to hang out with her sometime, too - she seems like a really cool person. 

The best part? She gives all of the glory to God. In her latest post,  she humbly writes:

 "I am constantly in awe of the Lord continually providing opportunities for me to pursue my passions. He is the reason that I have the ability to express my creativity and all I can do is hope to glorify Him through my work."

Honestly, how cool is that? Those few simple sentences challenge me to admit the same, and much more often than I do. The Lord does provide opportunities, and He really is the reason that I can express my creativity. I love it!

Anyway, this has been from the heart. It's been real. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Failed Project + Thrifting Adventures

Sometimes projects just don't work out.

I decided to try making a statement necklace, with a crocheted base, tiny beads sewn to it, and vintage buttons glued to it. It looked great! Then I tried finding a way to hang it from my neck, but everything I tried caused the pendant to slump forward in an unsightly gape. 

So...my step-by-step photos were preemptive and are now irrelevant. Sadly. 

Then today I went thrifting! We have many, many furniture malls, antique shops and vintage malls in the area, so I picked three and headed out.

And I bought a Polaroid! It was only $7. Good thing, too - the film needed for this camera is expensive! Can't wait to try it out.

Knitting Stitch Pattern Resource

Just found a great website for knitting stitch patterns! Go to Craft Cookie - you will not be disappointed.

Image snagged from Craft Cookie - I do not own any rights to this photo.

Instructions are clear and concise, and I love the layout of the website itself - very straightforward and easy to navigate. I hope some stitch patterns inspire you to create something new!

Glimpse

- stay tuned -

Home Studio Ideas

Last week I came across these posts from A Beautiful Mess on blog and business organization, and realized I needed to start some organizing of my own! It's a lot less stressful when I have posts and projects planned ahead. 

First, I got me out to Hobby Lobby looking for a dry-erase calendar, and instead I found the best thing ever: dry-erase poster board. It made a huge and amazing blog calendar, and I hung it up above my worktable using tacks and binder clips (love this idea!) So now I'm able to plan out ideas ahead of time and it's right in front of me! I love it, and it was so much cheaper than a real dry-erase calendar!

I cleared off my bulletin board and started pinning up inspiration - I want it to be a sort of mood board in the future.

I also bought myself a notebook to organize ideas. I stuck some mini sticky notes to create labels and divided the notebook into sections for different projects and blog ideas. It's already coming in handy!

And those notes and cards I had on my bulletin board? I clothespinned them to twine strung across my wall, along with a few drawings and photos. Whenever I need some encouragement, I can look at this wall and see all the words of love and care written to me by my friends and family.

I hope these photos were inspiring! My 'studio' is always a work in progress, especially since this feels so temporary. I don't feel completely settled here. Fayetteville is great, and I'm hoping to post photos from around town when things warm up a bit, but it's not historical New England with its old houses and stone wall boundaries. Miss that! If I could afford to buy my own house in NE, I would. Maybe someday I will.

Think Dream Plan

Sparkling Gloves

The newest addition to my little Etsy shop - these sparkling fingerless gloves! Wouldn't they make a gorgeous gift for Christmas? They are warm and soft, and the little sequins scattered throughout the yarn just add to the charm. 

Hey fellow crocheters: there may or may not be a pattern for these in the very near future. Keep an eye out!

Pictionary Tutorial: Hanging Doily Ball with String Lights

It's been a while since I wrote a tutorial for you all, so I decided to post one! Here's the problem though: I didn't take step by step pictures. Mostly because I didn't think it would work out. But no worries! I took the time and care to draw the directions for you, in delightful little sketches. (I will also type out some instructions where needed - don't worry.)

Here goes!

Note: I covered half my balloon and let the doilies dry before adding the rest, BUT it was really cold in my room and the balloon deflated overnight, so that's why my light is a bit deformed and not perfectly round. It's a sculpture. Hey, I work at an art museum - I can get away with it, right?

I took a string of 70 white lights with white cord (thank you, Walgreens!) and wove it in and out of the holes between the doilies around the light, tacked it to the ceiling and wall and plugged it in. 

Isn't it beautiful? I love it. It was the perfect addition to the corner of my room.

Now to do something with those two canvases I got from Jo-Ann's...

Fuzzy Crochet Baby Booties

This is unusual for me - normally I don't make baby things unless someone I know is having a baby. But this yarn was begging to be made into a pair of fluffy baby slippers, so I came up with a simple pattern and these adorable booties were born! 

These booties are available for $12 in my Etsy shop - the perfect baby shower gift for the winter mom! They're available in a variety of sizes, too, and will work for both boys and girls. 

And psst....if you like to crochet, the pattern is below!

Fuzzy Booties Pattern (Newborn Size Only)

Materials:

US J/10 6mm crochet hook

DK weight baby yarn

Yarn needle

Abbreviations:

Chain - Ch

Slip stitch - Sl st

Single crochet - Sc

Single crochet 2 together - Sc2tog

Single crochet 3 together - Sc3tog

Through back loop only - Tblo

Bootie (Make 2):

Ch 5, turn.

Rnd 1: Sc in second ch from hook and each ch across, working 3 scs in last ch, turn to work along opposite side of foundation chain, sc in each ch, working 2 scs in last ch, join with sl st in first sc. (10 scs)

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in next 3 sc, 3 sc in next sc, sc in next 4 sc, 3 sc in last sc, join with sl st to first sc. (14 scs)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in next 4 sc, 3 sc in next sc, sc in next 6 sc, 3 sc in next sc, sc in last sc, join with sl st to first sc through back loop only. (18 scs)

Rnd 4: Ch 1, sc tblo in same st as join, sc tblo around, join with sl st to first sc (through both loops). (18 scs)

Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in next 3 scs, (sc3tog) twice over next 6 scs, sc to end of round, join with sl st to first sc. (14 sts)

Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in next 3 scs, sc2tog over next 2 scs, sc to end of round, join with sl st to first sc. (13 sts)

Rnd 6: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in next 2 scs, sc3tog over next 3 scs, sc to end of round, join with sl st to first sc. (11 sts)

Rnd 7: Ch 1, reverse sc in each st around, join to first reverse sc, fasten off.

Weave in all ends.

Hope you enjoyed this little pattern!

Three Pieces for Fall

Fall lasts forever here in NW Arkansas! It hasn't even gotten really cold yet. But I've been busy knitting and crocheting up cozy pieces for the autumn transition into early winter. Here are the three pieces I just added to my Etsy shop - two hats and a warm scarf.

First the beige cabled hat. Super cozy and I love the textured stitch pattern.

Next the red cabled beanie. This one has more of a lattice/basketwork stitch pattern - it was really fun to knit and I love the visual interest it has.

And last, the mustard yellow infinity scarf. This one is crocheted, and worked up into a thick, cozy cowl. I love the color of the yarn - and I had to find a way to wear my new hat in a product photo! 

Thanks for visiting! I have a chicken roasting in the oven - must go!