Every year the decorations seem to come out earlier and stay out longer. I guess that’s life with a six year old. I’m putting my foot down tomorrow. The tree is collecting dust. It’s time to come down.
Is it too early to start thinking about Spring?
my creative space
In my creative space today I’m making peppermint bark gifts, inspired by Amanda’s “elving” post on Monday. What you see in the pic above are all the little edge bits.
Oh my, do they taste amazing. Just as yummy as the big chunks of bark. I have a little container of them hidden in the back of the fridge — my little secret treat. They taste especially yummy with a hot cup of coffee or tea.
What kinds of yummy treats are you making this holiday?
tiny crochet ornament bookmark pattern
I’m sorry my pictures aren’t the greatest for this post. The sun went down too early today. I can’t wait for the winter solstice. I just can’t get my photo-taking act together before dinnertime. I might try and retake the photos over the weekend.
This is the same pattern I used for the tiny baseball bookmarks, without the little top of course. If you want to do baseballs, I recommend marking the curves with a disappearing ink pen before embroidering the red stitches. It really helps!
Tiny Crochet Ornament Bookmark Pattern
worsted weight yarn (I used Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece)
size F/5 (3.75mm) and D/3 (3.25mm) crochet hooks
tapestry needle for weaving ends
small bead
sl st: slip stitch
sc: single crochet
inc: 2 sc in one stitch
gauge: not important, but mine is about 1 1/2 inches wide
ornament
With larger hook, make a magic ring.
R1: 6 sc into ring
Ornament worked as a spiral. Place marker to keep track of rounds.
R2: inc in each stitch around
R3: *inc, sc* around
R4: *2 sc, inc* around until last two stitches. Sl st in last two stitches.
R5: sc in first stitch, change to smaller hook, chain 55, add bead, chain 5
Finishing: cut yarn, tie knot, thread end back through bead, tie double knot, trim close to knot.
ornament top
R1: pick up stitches at top of ornament as follows: pick up and chain 1, *pick up and sc* three times, turn work
R2: chain 1, sc 3
Finishing: cut yarn, add a little loop between middle two stitches while weaving in ends
These work up really fast and add a nice handmade touch to book gifts this holiday season. I’ve got a lot of books on my list for Santa — better make a few more just for myself. Enjoy!
stash: These only take a tiny bit of yarn. You can definitely go stash diving for this project!
how to: recycled holiday card gift tags
Last year I saved a few of my favorite holiday cards for crafting. I planned to reuse the artwork to make new cards, but when I realized I didn’t have any cute gift tags in my stash, I started cutting! I began with 5 cards and ended with almost 30 gift tags in all shapes and sizes.
You’ll need:
-paper cutter
-embossing stylus, crochet hook or knitting needle for scoring
-ruler
-small hole punch
I just started slicing away without thinking too hard about the end result. Then I went back and sorted all of the bits.
- Large rectangles were scored for fold-over tags. (boy pulling sled)
- Borders made great matching flat tags. (red and cream stripes)
- Images were cut in half to make coordinating card sets. (snow scene)
- Die cuts made really fancy cards. (poinsettia)
Most cards are made out of heavy paper stock and need to be scored before you fold them or they will crack on the fold. If the surface is glittery, cover with a thin piece of paper before scoring.
The final step was to punch holes in the corners so they can easily be tied on to gift packages.
reuse and recycle: This little project didn’t take long and was so much fun. If you sent me a really cute card last year, thanks! You just might be getting it back on a gift this year.
my creative space
Today my creative space is filled with finishing gifts. I can show you this one because I don’t think my daughter’s teachers read the blog. I just took the “apple for teacher” gift a little further and added a cozy. This idea is brilliant for those who throw a piece of fruit in their bag for a snack. The cozy keeps it from getting bruised. I really want to make one for myself, but not until after holiday gifts are finished.
Creative spaces are going on holiday until 2010. Head over to Kirsty’s blog for your end-of-year fix.
pattern notes: I had to add a few rows for it to cover my apple. Adorable Apple Cozy is available as a free ravelry download.
remote control pillow featured in craftier magazine!
Last month, Meredith, the Editor in Chief of Craftier magazine, asked me if they could feature my remote control pillow pattern in their DIY Holiday issue. Here I am on page 22!