Blog Swap: Craft From Your Stash Hoopla Dreamcatchers

It’s time for another blog swap! Wondra (Wondra's World) and I spend Wednesday nights crafting and chatting over Skype. Sometimes there’s more chatting than crafting, but it’s always epic. A couple of weeks ago we realized that we hadn’t swapped blogs in almost a year! To remedy this, we’re sharing craft from your stash tutorials. 

Hoopla Dreamcatchers:

Hello from South Wales! It's Wondra from Wondra's World again and I've stopped by to share a fun stash busting project.

It's easy to turn this:

 

into this:

What you need:

embroidery hoop
hemp, leather cord, embroidery floss
beads

What to do:

1. Separate the hoops and wrap them in hemp or leather cord.
2. With the first hoop, wrap embroidery floss or hemp cord loosely around the outside of the hoop.
3. Now start weaving.
4. Add beads when you get to the center and tie it off to finish.
5. With the second hoop, tie lengths of hemp or embroidery floss (or feathers or whatever) around the center and bead it up.
6. Tie the hoops together and you're done.

This was my first attempt at making a dream catcher. It's a little bit lopsided but I think it turned out alright.

If you're going to do this yourself, I'd suggest you use different sized hoops and just tie them together loosely. It's a fun project but can be time consuming so give yourself an hour or so.


Thank you for the tutorial Wondra! 

Don't forget to visit Wondra’s World for my Catch-All Bowl tutorial.

Bead Night Out

Yesterday Suzanne invited me to make a necklace at Beads to Live By. I couldn't say no to playing with beads!

I am really happy with how the necklace turned out.  I'm going to give it to my mom for her birthday. Purple is her favorite color, and the purples, grays, and shimmery pinks make it very feminine. 

Cassandra, the owner of Beads to Live By is a great teacher. I learned some new techniques, and I am excited to take more of her classes to learn new beading skills.

Girl's Night at Beads to Live By

My friend Suzanne invited me to make a necklace at a Girl's Night at Beads to Live By a few weeks ago. Although I did not know most of the women well, it was a fun, intimate night filled with laughter.

The necklace we made was a long, single strand that can be doubled. We were given different glass jars of bead soup to search for our treasures. I choose neutral shades of bronze, brown, and topaz.

Transformation by Sandhill Crane Vineyards

We shared pizza, veggies, brownies, and wine while we worked on our projects. I usually drink white wine, but I enjoyed Transformation by local vineyard Sandhill Crane Vineyards. It was sweeter and less dry than other reds I've tried.

Cassandra, the owner of Beads to Live By, was patient with our frustrations. She gave us design tips and encouraged us to have fun with our bead choices.

With a history of crimp bead failure (and beads flying everywhere) I usually avoid them. Cassandra explained cheaper crimp beads don't work as well, and I couldn't resist buying a few with a couple strands of new beads.

All of our necklaces were unique. I love how mine turned out. I am going to make a purple necklace for my mom's birthday at the end of the month.

Creative and Spiritual Discernment

"There's the rub, for me—I see creative and spiritual possibilities in so much of what others would quickly cast of [...] wherever I go, whatever I look at, there is a part of me, a filter, that discerns whether or not it could be useful for crafting—spiritually oriented crafting."

Maggie Oman Shannon, Crafting Calm: Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation

And the Bibliophiles Rejoiced!

Why I am sharing a grainy, nondescript photo of a wall? The wall belongs to my craft studio. My father will secure my new bookshelves to either side of the window tomorrow.

Soon, my books will be on display and organized!

I'm easily excited, but I know the bibliophiles understand.

She's Making Jewelry Now

While I was drinking coffee and reading blogs this morning I found a humorous clip from Portlandia:


Ah, the creative lifestyle.

I love Portlandia.

Delicate

A Sneak Peek

Putting my computer in the studio was a smart move. Once I am in my studio I feel inspired to make. When Matt visited the room this afternoon and said "It is very peaceful in here." And that is exactly what I need to create.

Here is a sneak peek of what I am working on:

Hint: It goes around the neck. And it will be listed in With Eyes Lifted soon.

Under Construction

My craft room is starting to shape up. Misty has been helping me organize my beads. I will be sharing several projects soon.

I am starting to think of my craft room as a studio.

Lace and Musings

I am drying lace in the guest bedroom. Matt has not said anything which means either a. he has not noticed or b. he has grown accustomed to craft supplies randomly piled around the house

I like to think it is c. he has not noticed because he has grown used to my crafting antics.

We are approaching our one year wedding anniversary.

Sometimes it's the little things that records time's passage.

Thrifted: Buttons

Vintage supplies have a unique history. They were made before the level of mass production we see today. And using them to craft sets your product apart from those who shop at craft supply retailers.

Yesterday, I found this assortment of brass and plastic buttons for $2.

I love buttons because they are versatile; you can use them for crocheting, knitting, jewelry-making, sewing and more! 

Thrifting for craft supplies is like going on a treasure hunt. You never know what you'll find.

Three {Crafty} Ways to Celebrate Earth Day!

Earth Day originated in 1969 with the growing awareness of environmental issues. Today, it is celebrated worldwide with various events and festivals.

Earth Day should be celebrated everyday. With cheaper product costs, we have become a single-use society. We need to seek the potential of the products we use once.

These three upcycle crafts are perfect for celebrating Earth Day.

Newspaper Basket via Nifty Thrifty Things

 

 Wine Bottle Planters via Recyclart 

Plarn Coaster via Look What I Made

It takes creative thinking to upcycle, but the results are exciting.  

Happy Earth Day!

Baby Booties

You may remember this mystery knitting project from several weeks ago. My friends Rachel and Ben just welcomed their first child, a son, into the world. Rachel and I became friends when I moved to Eaton Rapids, and I am very excited for her. I surprised her with a pair of knit baby booties.

Rachel has done volunteer work in the past, so I thought it appropriate to use a Bundles of Love pattern. I knit a pair for her son and another for the charity.

Pattern: Easy Knitted Booties via Bundles of Love
Yarn: Naturally Caron Spa
Needles: US Size 8
Changes: Crochet bind off rather than ribbed bind off. Crochet seams.

The yarn is an acrylic bamboo blend; it is light and silky. It is machine washable and dryable which makes it versatile and perfect for baby booties.

I knit the booties at the same time so that they would be the same size.

My bind off is usually tight, so I learned how to use the crochet bind off for this project. I love how it turned out!

I did not want to do seams, but my dpns are buried in my craft room. Instead of sewing the seams I used the crochet method. 

I recommend this pattern if you need to knit a quick gift. I knit the booties in an evening. The pattern has clear instructions and is easy to memorize. 

Congratulations to Rachel and Ben!

Granny Square Stool Cover

Four-and-a-half years of storage was not kind to my desk. The constant damp caused the particle board to warp and mold, and I had no choice but to throw it away. This means that I do not have a desk until I can afford to buy a new one. 

Luckily I have a laptop. I was setting the computer on the side table when I was not using it, but then I remembered my stool. 

I have had this wooden stool for probably fifteen years. It is the perfect level for sitting in my papasan chair and typing. I have seen cute crochet and knit stool covers on Pinterest, so I decided to crochet a cover for my stool.

 

The yarn was reclaimed from thrifted sweaters. I used my knowledge of circular crochet and granny squares to crochet the cover.

It's a very crafty and thrifty solution!

Cross-Stitch Wall Art

By now you may have read this early 2011 interview of freelance designer and illustrator Eline Pellinkhof. Eline's book, "Eline's Huis", is written in Dutch, but the beautiful photographs tell the story of her creative home.

via Bloesem

I would love paint cross-stitch flowers on the walls of my craft room. The walls are a mid-blue, so I think I would use navy blue, white, bronze and silver. 

Of course I would add stars to the design.

Silk Love

Penguin Threads

Artist Jillian Tamaki was commissioned by Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley to sketch and hand stitch illustrations for three classic novels. The stitches were sculpt embossed to create detailed, tactile covers for the Penguin Threads series.

via

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Emma by Jane Austen

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Any book lover would cherish the beautiful combination of art and words.

The books can also be found at Anthropologie.

Loop Wrapping Paper

Isn't this wrapping paper from Loop wonderful? The design is perfect for all sorts of occasions--fun to formal.

I love doodles!

Thrifty Finds: Garnet Beads

Last week I spent my lunch at a consignment store. My crafty senses started tingling. At the jewelry counter I saw an 18" garnet necklace. As I examined the necklace I got excited at the $6 price sticker.

A strand of garnet beads can cost $5 and up. Over all the necklace featured 788 4mm, 56 5mm and 28 diamond shaped beads. That's 872 beads costing less than a penny each!

With a snip I deconstructed the necklace into a wealth of beads.

Tips for Bead Thrifting:

1. Look for unique beads, findings and pendants.
2. Not all beads are created equal. Choose quality jewelry.
3. Always be mindful of the price. To determine the cost per bead, divide the product price by the approximate quantity of beads.
4. Look in antique, consignment, flea markets, secondhand and thrift shops. Even retail stores can have nice beads on clearance.

Rustic Star