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creative gift idea: make your own suncatcher

I can’t believe it’s the middle of October and I haven’t told you about all of the cool arts and crafts gifts my daughter received for her birthday. I haven’t even blogged about her art party. I’m a slacker.

First up is this awesome blast-from-the past suncatcher. Do you remember making these when you were a kid? It’s a metal frame that you fill with plastic bits and melt in the oven.

suncatcher

I was a little worried about this project because it says 6+ years, but my daughter did pretty good. We made it together: she dumped the bits into the frame and I used tweezers to corral any stragglers into their proper space. She did get a little frustrated toward the end and we had to take a little break, but all in all, it was a fun project.

She’s really proud of it and it’s hanging in her window.

inspiration: I did a search on pinterest and came up with some really fun ideas for suncatchers. I’m thinking we need to make a wax paper one with some autumn leaves and crayon shavings.

p.s. I’m writing about this because I think it’s cool and my daughter loved it. I have no affiliation with any catchers of sun. I’m just spreading some creative love.

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my creative space

my creative space

This week I crocheted a little flower bookmark for a friend. I mailed it to her “just because.”

I wish I did things like this more often, but I tend to get wrapped up in my own little world. I’m going to try and change that.

What about you?

More creative spaces here.

updated to add: This is my standard bookmark pattern. I replaced the ornament with “Daisies” from Crochet Embellishments. There’s a similar pattern online here.

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finished: wagon wheel baby blanket

this moment

I am so excited this is finished because I’m really ready for a new project. It turned out just as beautiful as I had imagined the day I found the sweater.

this moment

I couldn’t wait for it to dry, so I took pictures while it was blocking. I don’t normally block blankets, but because this is a gift, I wanted all of the squares to look perfect.

this moment

Some friends have asked me about my seaming technique on this blanket. I took pics along the way so I can post a tutorial. My next blanket will be joined as I go. Maybe it won’t take so long to finish.

original post: You can see parts of the original sweater in my first post about this project.

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my creative space

this moment

In my creative space today I’m working on the border for the wagon wheel baby blanket. It’s been almost a year since I started this project. Yikes! I really lost momentum when it came to seaming the squares.

Now they’re all together and the first round of the border is finished. I’m just hdc-ing around until I run out of black yarn, which was reclaimed from a different sweater. I hope to have a finished pic very soon!

What’s in your creative space? Join in the fun here!

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how to: personalize end-of-year teacher gifts
in 3 easy steps

tutorial fabric marker artwork on sewing gifts

Ok, so this really could be a how to: personalize any gift. It’s just that I really wanted to get my daughter involved with her teacher thank you gifts this year and this was all her idea.

She had been playing with a fabric gift card sleeve of mine and asked if we could make something similar for her teachers for “receipts and stuff.” She also wanted to decorate it herself.

You could do this with any fabric gift: zipper pouch, bookmark, you could even buy some blank canvas tote bags from the craft store. The important thing is to get your child involved!

Materials
In addition to your project supplies, you’ll need:
-disappearing ink pen
-fabric markers

Step 1
With your disappearing ink pen, mark off the area where your child can draw. It’s ok if she wants to draw outside of the lines, just make sure that the most important artwork is in the marked area.

Step 2
Let her go to town! When she’s finished, follow the directions on your fabric markers. Mine did not require heat to set the ink, but it did recommend two coats of ink. I traced over her lines after she went to bed.

Step 3
Sew up the gift!

tutorial fabric marker artwork on sewing gifts

What surprised me most about this project was how specific my daughter was for each drawing. Sueann received a picture of a treasure map (something she saw at school) with X marks the spot at a heart-shaped rock. Lorie received flowers (it was nature school—makes sense). Diane received a picture of “things falling” (not sure about that one—neither was Diane). They were all so different! She made sure I put a tag on each gift so it went to the correct teacher.

stash: I wish I thought to put a note about all of the recycled textiles that went into this gift. Nature school teachers are all about reusing. The fabric was thrifted and the zippers were recycled from other textiles. I wish I took a pic of the insides. She picked out different linings for each teacher, too!

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ikick freezer paper stencil

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my first freezer paper stencil was a prototype. Now that the recipient has received his gift, I can show you: iKick!

kids karate freezer stencil tshirt

I used two coats of paint this time and got much better coverage, but it seeped under the freezer paper in some places. Not a big deal for this shirt because I like the edginess it brings to the design. I wonder if I could get better coverage with a smoother edge by using fabric markers instead of paint. Hmm…

stencil art: Karate guy from clip art I had on my computer. Font is Myriad.

Did you happen to catch Apple in the headlines today? It bumped Google out of first for most valuable brand.

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my creative space

handmade train applique

In my creative space today, I’m getting in the rhythm of seaming square after square (after square…). I know I could have crocheted these together as I went along, but I want that nice patchwork-y square look. Plus, it’s always nice to play around with color combinations before putting them together.

What’s in your creative space today? Kirsty is up to something with coffee. I hope it turns out better than my coffee project. Don’t forget to check out all of the lovely spaces while you are there.

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almost finished: baby blanket

baby blanket squares

I’m thinking this blanket would be finished already if I didn’t rip out and redo so many of the squares. My nephew was born last week. Thank goodness this is a nice, lightweight cotton yarn. I think it will make a perfect blanket for Spring.

I need to think about yarn for the border. I won’t have enough of any one color to make it all the way around. Would a multicolor border be weird or fun?

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nature hike tote bags

capri pants turned into totes

You knew I was going to turn those capri pants into tote bags, didn’t you? Not just any bags, however, but bags with a purpose: keeping nature out of my pockets and my purse.

I’m sure many of you can relate to this: Mama, can you hold this rock? Here’s a present for you, Mama. It’s a leaf! I’m just going to put this stick in your purse for later. Did you put my feather in your pocket? Later, as you are digging around for latte money, the barista gives you a funny look as random bits of nature fall on to the counter.

I made two of these: one for my daughter and one for her friend. They’re the same except for the lining. Now when we go on walks together, the girls can carry their own bits of nature. There are all kinds of pockets perfect for acorns, rocks, twigs and leaves. The buttoned back pocket is perfect for storing a shovel. You never know when you’ll need to dig for treasure!

I love how these turned out and will be making more. How perfect would they be for a day of garage sailing or thrifting with different compartments for cash, phone, water and a snack! They would also make a cool craft project bag with pockets for all of your notions.

project details: Pants from my closet, lining fabric from my thrifted stash.

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fleece football scarf

green bay packers super bowl scarf

This weekend was filled with birthday celebrations. Saturday we attended a surprise party for my friend Wanda, who is a serious Green Bay Packers fan. She loves scarves so the decision to make her a football scarf was an easy one. I knew exactly how I wanted this to look and it turned out just right. I love when that happens.

I bought the fleece new from the fabric store. Wow! It’s been so long since I’ve done that! The Packers-inspired gift bag fabric came from my stash.

This was one of two mystery gifts I was working on last week. I’ll post the other one tomorrow.