Free Pattern – Grumpasaurus Matt & I have a saying around our house that if one of us is grumpy then we are a Grumpasaurus. I’d been batting around the idea for awhile of knitting him up a toy version of the Grumpasaur & came up with this little guy. I thought he was cute enough to share with all of you. This was supposed to be a stocking stuffer for Christmas & then a Valentine’s Day gift but I actually just finished it yesterday. I had to keep starting over to get the shapes I wanted for the body & the tail. Of, course you don’t have to make your dinosaur grumpy, have fun embroidering any expression you want. Grumpasaurus Four size 3 double pointed needles Jo Sharp Classic DK Wool in Pistachio & Moss (less than one ball of each) Black Yarn for embroidery Tapestry Needle polyfil or other stuffing Gauge 6 stitches per inch (gauge is not super important as this doesn’t need to fit anyone. Body:(You are knitting the Grump’s body from the bottom up.) Using lighter green cast on 6 stitches. Tail: Arms: (make 2) Comb:
Unique Handmade Stocking Stuffer Ideas Christmas will be here before you know it. And while it’s usually the big gifts we tend to give the most thought to, don’t forget the little things for stuffing those stockings! There’s no reason stocking stuffers need to be everyday and droll. Take a little time to browse and purchase something fun for the most unique stocking stuffers ever. Here are a few ideas for terrific, handmade stocking stuffers I’ve discovered. 3. 4. recycled road map cork board A recent house clean-out yielded many items we had a hard time parting with, even though their very existence has become obsolete in the last few years. One of the most noticeable of the bunch: road maps. As our ever-advancing phones and computers take over our lives, we find what was once useful is now trash, yet we couldn’t part with these beautiful maps! They reminded us of our childhood road trips and later travels throughout Europe. This month, we turned our junk into art and created these recycled cork board maps. The full project instructions continue after the jump . . . Materials old maps or a Rand McNally road atlasspray mountscissorsX-Acto knifecork squares or cork roll (depending on the size of the project)painter’s tape, optional (for low-impact hanging)double-stick foam tape, optional (for low-impact hanging)pins and/or string to highlight important locations on the map Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Make a Devil Costume What You'll Need: Black and red clothing A set of horns (try this cute devil horn tutorialRed heels or black shoes Devil costumes are easy, because all you really need is a set of horns and some black clothing. Choose a little red dress, a red pantsuit, or even black clothing with a red jacket. There aren't many rules for a devil costume except for dressing in red and donning a mischievous attitude. Try adding a red feather boa like in this photo, and pick up a cheap plastic pitchfork at the dollar store. Have you made a devil costume?
Harry Potter Countdown: Forget Harvard this Baby's Hogwarts Bound My good friend who also is a Potter fiend had a sweet baby girl a few weeks ago. And I just couldn’t help but make her a Gryffindor onesie outfit. I wish I could say I’d put these onesie sets in the shop but freezer paper stenciling is such a finicky sport that I just can’t do it. (It took me 4 tries to cut out a Hogwarts stencil on my cricut and I smudged it a bit peeling the stencil off). If you want to make your own I explain how to do freezer paper stenciling in this post. Basically you cut the stencil out of freezer paper, iron it down and then paint and peel the stencil off As you can see I kind of smudged the paint taking the stencil off. Here’s the image if you want to give it a go yourself. UPDATED: I’ve had a few people ask if they can buy sets.
DIY Miniature Fabric Flower Garland Back in July, Once Wed featured the Free Wedding and a lot of people left comments asking how to recreate the fabric flower garland. So, I thought I would put together a miniature version of it for everyone. It’s easy to make and can be used in so many ways… hung from the ceiling, attached to the back of chairs, aisle “rope” or laid on the table for an added element. -Ashley of Dolci Odille Supplies: Scissors, needle and thread, fabric, and a pencil. Step 1: Fold your fabric and use the spool of thread to trace a circle. Step 2: Take one circle and fold it in half. Step 3: Take the half circle and fold it in half again. Step 4: Then take your circle and stitch through the bottom. Step 5: Once you have sewn all 6 circles, connect the petals together by stitching through each one at the corners and then tying off the tread with a double knot. Step 6: Next, cut 3 yards of thread and add on the flowers one by one. Project created by Dolci Odille
Tie Dye Instructions Color Choice The two most obvious differences between a wonderful tie-dye and a so-so one are color choice and color saturation. You'll find that you really have to work to squirt enough dye into the folds to avoid a large amount of white on the finished garment. A good basic rule is to apply two colors next to each other only if they appear next to each other in the following short list: fuchsia...yellow...turquoise...purple...fuschia ...or, for a more detailed color scheme, choose adjacent colors from the following expanded list: fuchsia...red...orange...yellow...green...turquoise...blue...purple...fuschia It really does help to place fuchsia between red and purple. V and Co how to: jersey knit bracelet i don't know what it is about this time of year that makes me just want to have my bare feet in the sand, be watching the sun setting into the ocean, and breathing in the warm salty air of the beach...as i get older, more and more i find myself missing that place i used to go to almost every.single.day. as a teen. (my skin doesn't miss it. as a matter of fact, i now wish i listened more and DID put SPF on my face...hindsight is 20/20). my mom calls me from her walk on the beach almost every morning...*sigh*yeah, i get a little homesick around this time of the year. heck on my pinterest my "dreaming of summer" has the most pictures in it. ah yes. i miss my ocean. case in point. this bracelet, brought a flood of memories, not because i used to have one like it but because i can totally see me wearing it by the beach, not caring that it's gotten salty and wet, because i can totally make another one in like less than 5 minutes flat when i get home. *sigh* okay... *cut off excess tails!
DIY – Painted leather bag I found a bag in this great color on Net-a-Porter. I loved it, but it was way out of my budget. So I decided to make my version, with off course a little twist of my own. On the right you see the bag I found for just one Euro at the thrift store. The full instruction continues after the jump . . . I used many layers of paint to get the whole bag covered. On the left you see the bag I inspired my bag on.
sarah’s snowflake panels + light [a big thanks to sarah at cursive for sharing this fun diy project with us while amy takes a much needed day-off] over the holidays i made lots of paper snowflakes to decorate our place for a holiday party. after the new year i couldn’t bear to throw away my delicate little friends so i decided to make a snowflake panel (+ pendant light!) out of them. my idea was definitely inspired by tord boontje‘s until dawn curtain. for the snowflakes i raided our recycling bin that was overflowing with junk mail and bills (ick). a little scissor angst perhaps? sure. i turned my credit card bills into something beautiful. paper snowflakes are often deemed “holiday decor”, but i feel the overall pattern of them together on the panel divorces them from that look. and hey, i live in a freezing climate where it’s not going to be warm anytime soon. my philosophy is to embrace it and enjoy its beauty while i can. – sarah *click here for a sneak peek into sarah’s home materials needed for snowflake panels: