Making the best of what's on hand.
With the new addition to our home (kitten Gregory) I got a bug in my bonnet to commemorate our little citizens with their very own ornaments, but how?
Then a memory from long since past hit me: handprints! But in this case: paw prints!
Each little critter gets their own disk. And then I decided that Jason and I get one too. To load up on the cheese, it’s Jason and I’s first Christmas in our house and it seems like something to make note of too.
Sewing a cycling cap together, five times finally got it just right! Here’s how I did it.
First published in the March Volume 2 issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly, this little Tiger Kitty has spread its sweetness to Craftzine.com! Be careful though, he may be a little sweety when sleepy, but this Tiger kitty is as fierce as any full grown tiger cat out there! You can […]
Drying bundles of herbs is a great way to both use up leftover herbs and use up little scraps of wire and ribbon. And they are really pretty around the house, smell wonderful, and can be wonderfully delicious in any meal. Did you try out a few new recipes this […]
With every sale of Craft Leftovers Monthly, I get 10 paper strips – each measuring 3/4×11″ long. Being the way I am, I have a pretty hard time just dumping them into the recycling bin. They are just so full of potential: potential for weaving, breaking it down into paper […]
I was so excited to finish these socks. Once finished, the timing worked out perfectly to be a contributor to Craftzine this month, one of my favorite websites! The pattern is great for using up leftovers, of course, using 25-30g of sock yarn for each color. While the color work […]
Last weekend I spent Saturday sewing with my friend Judy, we made all sorts of fleecy things and my favorite were these super quick to make fleece mittens. She gave me permission to share this classic mitten pattern with all of you.
The great thing about using these blocks, is you really can use any stamp pad, making it much easier to use than a lino block – and a lot quicker to dry. Here’s how to carve and mount your own stamp to use and love because it’s uniquely your own.
This past July, I participated in a pencil rubbing swap on Swapbot. It reminded me how much I enjoy and how beautiful this simple technique is. With all the leaves blowing around, there are plenty of things to make textures from. When Kelly C told me she wanted to learn to draw textures, my mind instantly thought about pencil rubbings. I know, not exactly what she had been talking about, but a fun project for leftover paper all the same. Love the way the mind works.
This sweet bear is the Pu-Tai of my studio, he’s generous with a sweet smile and brings joy and bounty to my studio. Or at the very least, makes me smile whenever I glimpse him. You can pick up a kit for this great jolly Panda in the Shop here.
Every issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly is full of patterns, tutorials, and fun little snippets. What are these snippets I am referring to? Well, that varies from month to month. Because October’s issue was all about Falling into Fall, I filled the pages with patterns, tutorials, and thoughts on crafting outside as well as cozying up with fall crafting. Here is one of my favorite pages from this month’s issue about what I’ve learned about drying gourds:
Recycled Bead Earrings Quick as a Flash Glitz! When I moved, I carefully packed up my jewelry box. I wrapped it in tissue paper and tucked it into a safe place. Since then I have been 100% without any jewelry save my engagement ring and one necklace I tend to […]
Don’t you love it when you have a favorite card game? It’s you can’t get enough of it. Every time you and your friends get together, one of you pulls out a worn box and starts dealing out the deck. I do. And I don’t. After awhile that super-worn box for your cards starts really falling apart and those precious cards start slipping out.
Well, for my favorite “flavor of the day” game, I opted to knit my own little holder for them.
We ventured into the world of chicken coops this week and are attempting to make the Garden Ark Chicken Coop. Read about how chickens are coming into our lives, the coop we are attempting to make, and our progress so far.
I make a lot of swatches when I’m working on patterns. You know, working out patterns, figuring out the count. The color combo. When I was making the library tote for this month’s Craft Leftovers Monthly, it was same as usual. This time, instead of shooting for “coaster” sized swatches, […]
Two weeks ago, I trimmed down my bamboo shades and realized that I had in my hands the most wonderful leftover–bamboo sticks! Twining. Oh twining, I love you. This, my friends, is a wonderful way to “weave” multiple things together.
To demonstrate it’s power I give you:
Jason knew as soon as we moved into our new house that we needed some blinds fast for the master bedroom and main bath. We just needed a little more privacy so we would stop having to get dressed in the closet, haha.
Here’s how I shortened, trimmed the width and length, and made these neatly natural blinds more private.
Inspired by my newly restrung clothesline holder, I made my own clothes pin bag. Start to finish this project took about 20 minutes – and that’s with the figuring out part too!
I wanted to share with you a few of the great projects in the July issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly. I know you will just love them and it’s quite the deal: just $9 for 8 patterns + 1 recipe for a frozen delight + an interview with Lee Meredith + an article on dealing with scraps in my studio + a few of my favorite online tutorials and patterns + a crafty wordfind.
I forgot to sew the bodice right sides together and turn it out before top stitching, so I was left with all these crazy raw edges, woops. I could have redone it, but once it happened it was like “well, this would look better with a little trim anyway.”
Here is a quick easy way to add a bias tape trim to a raw edge to finish it off and make it look great.