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last-minute abby cadabby fairy wings

abby cadabby fairy wings

My daughter insisted she was going to wear her Abby Cadabby costume again for Halloween. I was a little worried she might change her mind at the last minute. Yesterday I asked her what she was going to wear underneath the skirt. She told me the pink leggings and silver fairy shoes she wore last year. I reminded her that she no longer fits in those and suggested jeans and her school shoes.

Well, that was not going to work. Abby Cadabby does not wear jeans or regular shoes, she told me. Oh, and she needed fairy wings this year. Last year she didn’t need them because she had a wand, but this year she had to have both.

I tried to go the easy route. Thankfully, Target had silver fairy shoes and pink leggings in her size. The costume area was totally picked over and there were no wings to be found. I came home and dug through my stash for some felt, stuffing and ribbon. Luckily, I wound up with something that could pass as fairy wings. She loves them. I like that they aren’t attached to anything so she can wear them over a sweater or coat if it gets cold.

What on earth would I do without a sewing machine and fabric stash?

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my creative space

trick or treat bags

The kids exchanged treats at my daughter’s preschool party today. Thankfully, the Skittles came in an orange package. Paired with a black ribbon, these little bags turned out cute and easy. Good thing about the easy because I had to make emergency fairy wings last night, too.

reuse and repurpose: I bought glassine bags instead of Halloween bags so I can use the leftovers for other projects. The ribbon is vintage seam binding, which you can usually find in bags of assorted widths and colors at thrift stores and garage sales.

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halloween overload

crochet ghost black cat candy corn spider amigurumi

I spent the last few days crocheting up a spooky storm. I think I am finished with Halloween-themed crafts and ready to just sit and eat some candy. Phew!

I stayed up late last night putting the finish touches on these cuties, packaged them up for the mail, and then headed out to the pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day to be outside with good friends, creepy amusements and funnel cake for lunch.

pumpkin patch

On the schedule for tomorrow: my daughter’s Halloween party at school in the morning and trick-or-treating at the zoo in the evening. When did Halloween become so darn busy?

pattern info: The ghost and cat are loosely based on the Skeleton Bride and Devil patterns from Creepy Cute Crochet. The candy corn began as a free pattern from Lion Brand with added rows and a rounded bottom to match the others. The spider is over here.

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tiny crochet spider pattern

crochet spider amigurumi

Thank you for the wonder feedback on my little pumpkin pattern. I’ve received the nicest comments and have been flattered by how many people have linked back to it.

When I sat down a few weeks ago to make some little crochet balls, I didn’t intend to whip up a bunch of Halloween-inspired projects, but you go where the inspiration takes you.

This spooky little spider is fast and easy to make. You still have plenty of time to crochet one (or a few) before October 31st. Have fun!

Spider Legs (make eight)
These are just like the pumpkin stem, only longer.
R1: chain 12
R2: sc in second bump from hook, sc in next ten bumps*

Spider Body
Crochet Rows 1-11 of Tiny Crochet Ball with black yarn.

Before stuffing, attach or embroider eyes. Then attach legs, four on each side. Bury ends inside body.

Stuff and finish off with Row 12.

*Go into the bumps on the back of the chain, not the stitches on the front of the chain.

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more glue stick collages

cutting and sorting photos for collages

Wow. This time last year I was doing the same exact thing: cutting out pictures for my daughter to paste on paper. It must be the official start of the holiday direct mail season.

Last year we put all of the shapes together in a single envelope, which created a lot of mess. She’d dump all of them out just to find one or two that she wanted. This year we are sorting them by category to make it a little easier.

Now that she’s using scissors, this is even more fun for her. Of course, we’ve created a whole different mess of scraps on the floor, but who cares. It keeps her busy and she enjoys it. I just need to remind her that we only cut paper and not hair!

envelopes: My daughter loves writing little notes and was cruising through my stash of envelopes. I started saving the ones that come with all of our junk mail. She’s got a nice supply now and that’s what we used to sort her cutouts.

catalogs: Did you know you can cut down the amount of paper that gets delivered to your mailbox? I’ve had good luck with Catalog Choice. Only problem is when you order something new, you get put on the mailing list again. At least we’re putting the catalogs to good use!

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my creative space

my creative space taking photos in the park

When I enrolled my daughter in “nature school” I never thought that I would enjoy her mornings there so much. The preschool is on a wildlife sanctuary, and after I drop her off, I’ve been wandering around with my camera.

my creative space taking photos in the park

In the early hours the air is cool and crisp. Only a few hardy flowers have survived the morning frost. (Thankfully, the ragweed hasn’t survived!) On sunny mornings the sun glistens off of prairie grass and the fall leaves sparkle.

my creative space taking photos in the park

I’ve talked a bit before about shifting my creative hours from late night to early morning. I think I finally have found something that will inspire me to get out of bed earlier. That and fresh brewed coffee, of course.

photos: I took all of these with my cell phone, but I tinkered with them a bit in photoshop.

As always, don’t forget to visit kootoyoo for more creative spaces.

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holiday gift idea: sweater sleeve socks

sweater sleeve socks

Ever since I started knitting socks, I’ve wanted to knit a pair for everyone in my family. There’s something about giving a gift of warmth, especially when it’s handmade, that I really like. I just don’t have time to make it happen, so I started to think of alternatives.

One day I was looking through Linen, Wool, Cotton and saw a pattern for socks using angora wool and I got an idea. I’ve got plenty of wool sweaters in my stash. Why not make a pair of socks out of that?

These are basically a tube with one rounded end. I didn’t felt the wool, but used my serger to enclose the raw edges. The cuff has a casing for elastic to help them stay up. The button is just for decoration.

I see more of these in my future. I’ll be looking for superwash or wool blend sweaters so they can be machine washed. I’m also thinking about stripes, fair isle and cables. The possibilities are endless!

alternatives: If you don’t have a serger, you could felt the sweaters first so the edges don’t unravel or try the zig zag stitch on your machine. Felted socks may be too thick to wear with shoes, but would make great slipper socks for lounging around.

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personalized denim tote bags

small denim gift bag

Thanks to Sister Diane, I spent more time cleaning than crafting this weekend. She wrote a post about how we crafters just don’t seem to put things away and I looked around my room and thought, “Yep, that’s me!” I figured if I wasn’t brave enough to take a picture of my to-do piles then they needed to go.

I did get a little bit of sewing done, though. I was inspired by a denim tote my daughter received as a gift and decided to make a few for upcoming birthdays. I found this denim in my stash and it was already hemmed at the top (yes!) so all I had to do was serge the sides and make some handles. I used Heat n Bond Ultra Hold for the initials. I made a total of three small and one big, which I think is destined to become a project tote for myself.

font: I used the House Industries Haulnhouse font for the initial caps. You can find a similar, free download of the “Austin Powers” font from about.com. By the way, House Industries occasionally gives away free fonts. You should check them out because they are all pretty awesome.

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pattern: tiny crochet pumpkin

crochet pumpkin amigurumi

On Monday I mentioned that I had been playing around with variations on the Tiny Crochet Ball pattern. Hmmm… it’s October. Is it any surprise that I’m making pumpkins? Here’s how you can, too.

Using Tiny Crochet Ball pattern:

Pumpkin
Magic ring, R1-2: brown yarn
R3-R11: orange yarn
R12: brown yarn

Stem
R1: using brown yarn, chain 5
R2: sc in second bump from hook, sc in next three bumps*

Finishing
Break yarn and tie a knot. Using a darning needle, attach the stem at the top and bring the ends down through the bottom. Squinch the ball until it’s pumpkin shaped and tie a knot to hold the shape. Bury the ends inside the pumpkin.

*Go into the bumps on the back of the chain, not the stitches on the front of the chain.

Enjoy!

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review: the creative life by julia cameron

creative life julia cameron

I thought this book would a collection of essays like Po Bronson’s What Should I Do with My Life?. I was surprised to find it reads more like a diary. You won’t find chapters dedicated to specific people, but you’ll learn about them over dinner dates, vacations, piano lessons, musical readings, teaching classes and baking gingerbread cookies. People weave through the book just as they do through Cameron’s life.

Even though these artists don’t use the same tools as I do (most of them are in musical theater), our creative process is essentially the same. We all get blocks. We all feel vulnerable when sharing our craft. We all experience a euphoric high when we succeed.

You may remember me writing about The Artist’s Way awhile back. As much as I love that book, I’m surprised that I haven’t read more of her work. I just happened to stumble upon this at the library. It came at a good time in my life. I did a lot of thinking on vacation about my next steps. I’ve checked out The Vein of Gold: A Journey to Your Creative Heart and I’m about to embark on a creative quest. I’m excited!