Coin Jar by Brooke

Hey guys! Today I was counting my coins in my big glass jar. And I thought it was so ugly and boring. So I decided to dress it up a little bit!! All I used was paper, hot glue, and glitter!! The first thing I did was pick out my paper and cut it to my Desired size to be a little bit lower than half on the jar. Then I put hot glue on the end and glued it to the jar. Then I went around the jar with the glue following it with the paper so I could get it as even as possible. Then I let that dry. After it dried I took the hot glue gun and used it around the top of the paper. After I did that I poured glitter on that glue on the top. Then I let it dry again! Then once it was fully dry I poured all my coins back in it and now it’s so pretty! This was so easy and it looks 10x cuter than it did!

Phone Cases by Brooke

I love this easy and economical idea from Brooke to decorate phone cases, here's what she did in her words:

Hi everyone! So today I wanted to show you how I make my phone cases! So some phone cases are very expensive and I don’t know about you but I don’t want to drop $35 on a phone case!! So my mom and I do ours like this and it makes them super cute and they’re super inexpensive! I just have a clear phone case and a pack of any stickers. And instead of peeling the stickers off and sticking them on the outside of the case, I keep the sticker backs on and just place them where I want them on the back of my phone, then put the phone case on! So cute and so easy and you can make it whatever you want it to look like!! :)

Pop Tab Earrings by Grace

Another cute and creative project from Grace, in her words: 

Materials

Pliers, soda tabs, earring loops and chain the length you want your earring to hang

First you're going to need to open up a chain link on both ends

Then put the tabs in one of the open links, then put the earring loop in the other (or if you don't want them to dangle on the chain just put the tabs and the earring loop in the same open link)

Close that bad boy up and boom - you got a cute earring 

Jill here - last time I saw G she had on one pop top earring and one zipper pull earring and I loved how original and hip she looked! Whodathunk to make cool earrings from pop tabs?!

Crochet Cat Basket

 2 things happened for me to make this basket:

(1) I still have leftover yarn on my desk from making the cutie owl basket, and I'm too lazy to put it away.

(2) I made a few masks to send to my friend Janis (who is also a cat lady - not so much a 'crazy cat lady' but more a lady who likes cats hahahaha) and the idea to crochet her a cat basket to send the masks in popped into my head. 

At first I was just going to wing it and make up a pattern based on the owl but then I googled 'crochet cat basket' wondering if anything would come up and sure enough - I'm not the only person who had the idea! I based mine on a pattern found here  at Woolstreet.ca, but I didn't add the face and I did half double crochet stitches. 

This was very easy to make and came together quickly, and it's pretty cute too. The ears remind me of Sarge so I'm going to make a black one next and see if I can make it look like a scottie :)

Oh, and Brooke is the one that came up with the idea to keep masks in a basket by the front door after seeing my owl (and my craft room full of masks and mask-making supplies hahah). Good idea BL! 

Here's the instructions in case the link doesn't work:

The yarn is held double to make the basket sturdy.

The finished size is about 8 inches wide and 6 inches deep.

Materials used:

-10 mm crochet hook
-125 grams of Cozy Wool™ Yarn By Loops & Threads- held double in the colour of your choice (any chunky wool can be used in place here )
-Worsted Weight yarn for nose and whiskers in the colours of your choice
-Tapestry needle
-Scissors

*This pattern is crocheted in spirals except for the ears.

Pattern:

1. Holding yarn double, sc 6 in magic ring (6)
2. *inc * repeat around (12)
3. *sc, inc* repeat (18)
4. *sc 2, inc* repeat (24)
5. *sc 3, inc* repeat (30)
6. *sc 4, inc* repeat (36)
7. sc tbl all around

8-16 sc all around.

DO NOT FASTEN OFF

Ear 1:

1. sc 5, ch 1, turn (5)
2. sc 5, ch 1, turn (5)
3. dec, sc, dec, ch 1 turn (3)
4. dec last 3 stitches together (1)
5. FO

Ear 2:

Skip 5 stitches starting from bottom left of Ear 1.
Connect yarn using slip stitch and repeat instructions for Ear 1.

Finishing:

Holding a single strand of yarn, starting in the bottom left corner of Ear 2 (left ear), slip stitch all around. As you reach the ears, single crochet 2 in the points of each ear.
FO and weave in all ends.
Embroider nose, whiskers and eyes if you wish.

Popsicle Stick Rainbow

Here's another kid craft that Brooke whipped out for me (click here for the Frankenstein one), this one is a rainbow with clouds - easy and cute! Thanks B! Here's what she did, in her words:

hi guys! it’s brooke! today i made this super cute rainbow with clouds out of popsicle sticks to sit on my desk! i thought it was so cute and it was so easy to make! all i did was take 6 popsicles sticks and markers and colored each of them a different color then i use a plain stick and cut it in half and glued each half on the back of the rainbow at the top and bottom to hold it together. then i let it dry and while i did that i cut out clouds out of white paper. after the sticks were dry i flipped the rainbow back over and glued the cloud on the top! i hope you loved this as much as i did!

Pineapple Jack O'Lantern

I love this idea from BHG.com  - carve a jack o'lantern face into a pineapple instead of a pumpkin. How cute would this be on a Halloween dinner table or dessert bar at a party? Now it didn't turn out exactly like their pictures but that's only because I've never done it before and learned a couple things - if I wanted to carve a second pineapple it would be much better the next time around! 

1. Draw the face on with a marker, cut on the lines

2. Put the pineapple on a plate or something to catch the juices.  Cut off the top and hollow out most of the pineapple meat - just like if you were doing a pumpkins push the carved pieces out (eyes, nose, and mouth). 

3. Insert a candle

4. Replace the top. 

1) they make it look very easy to remove the pineapple meat from inside the pineapple but it wasn't. I ended up hacking away at it with a knife and then scraping with a big spoon. Be forewarned that it isn't coming out in one pretty piece hahah. Doesn't matter in the long run, but don't want you to be surprised or frustrated.

2) second thing is I made the eyes and nose too close together - it would have been fine on a smooth pumpkin but the bumps in the pineapple skin caused the cuts between the eyes and nose to open up even tho I didn't cut thru the space between them. Does that make sense? Whether it does or doesn't trust me and space the eyes and nose farther apart hahahah. 

bhg 10/19 click here

Stitch Dolls by Grace

Quick Intro - this is from my niece Grace. She is super crafty, artistic, and creative and when she said she'd like to make and blog some things I jumped at her offer! Here is a fun creepy little project just in time for Halloween - or any time you want to make a quirky hand-sewn felt doll - in her words:

 I saw a doll like this, so I decided to make my own version of it and it's perfect for a spooky gift.

Materials:

Fabric, needle, thread and embroidery thread, scissors, bottoms, paper cut out, and safety pins

Fluff is optional

First I take the paper cut out and trace the shape on to the fabric then cut it out

And I safety pin it so it doesn't move around when I'm working with it

Then I take two different buttons for cuteness and sew them on

I decided to change the fabric because the other one was not working out, but your doll should look something like this: 

Then I do a running stitch and leave less then an inch open so I can stuff it with fluff

Then when I stuff it I take a pencil so I can get the stuffing even and into the limbs

Do not panic when you see this. We are going to fix that in just a minute:

When you finish filling it with your desired amount go ahead and close em up

Now we are going to do a stitch and I don't know the name so I'll just tell you how to do it. So now with the embroidery thread, we are going to insert the need in the front and the needle facing away

Then take the needle that came out from the back side and pull it between the thread in the front and pull all the way

Should start to look like this

Repeat until you make it all the way around the doll. We are back to this part where I told you not to panic. Insert the needle at a small angle and do the stitch:

Boom all fixed:

At the very end I decided I wanted to embroider a heart which was super hard😅 but that's it!

Crochet Owl Basket

True story:

I was crocheting in the car and Dave asked what I was making, I said an owl basket. 

Dave: why?

Me: why? Uh, 'cause - hello, owl basket! Why wouldn't I? Duh. 

I'm not going to reprint the instructions, you can find them on bhg.com or click here. For the record, the headline reads "this easy crochet owl basket is the perfect project for beginners" and I beg to differ. I've been crocheting for years and had to google a couple of things - I've never heard of a picot stitch and even after googling not sure I did it correctly but the owl looks cute so am not going to overthink it. I also didn't know how to hdc dec (half double crochet decrease) or what a 'double treble' stitch is, thank goodness for google and youtube hahaha. I could not figure out the instructions for the left eye so I just made 2 right eyes and turned it so it was placed like the sample picture/instructions. 

Isn't it cute?! 

Here's the directions in case the link doesn't work:

Step 1: Crochet the Basket 

The basket is worked in a spiral, so joining rounds is not necessary. Mark the beginning of each round.

Rnd 1: With 2 strands of yarn held together, chain or ch 3 (2 chs counts as half double crochet or hdc), hdc 7 times in beg ch (8 hdc).

Rnd 2: Hdc-inc in each stitch or st (16 hdc).

Rnd 3: *Hdc-inc, hdc in next st; rep from * 7 more times (24 hdc).

Rnd 4: *Hdc-inc, hdc in next 2 sts; rep from * 7 more times (32 hdc).

Rnd 5: *Hdc-inc, hdc in next 3 sts; rep from * 7 more times (40 hdc).

Rnd 6: *Hdc-inc, hdc in next 4 sts; rep from * 7 more times (48 hdc).

Rnd 7: *Hdc-inc, hdc in next 5 sts; rep from * 7 more times (56 hdc).

Rnd 8: * Hdc-inc, hdc in next 6 sts; rep from * 7 more times (64 hdc).

Rnds 9-17: Hdc in each st around (64 hdc).

Rnd 18: *Hdc-dec, hdc in next 6 sts; rep from * 7 more times (56 hdc).

Rnd 19: *Hdc-dec, hdc in next 5 sts; rep from * 7 more times (48 hdc).

Rnd 20: *Hdc-inc, hdc in next 5 sts; rep from * 7 more times (56 hdc).

Rnds 21-26: Hdc in each st around (56 hdc).

Single crochet or Sc in next st, slip stitch or sl st in next st to finish off. Fasten off, and weave in ends.

Buy It: Plastic Crochet Hook Set ($12, Michaels)

Step 2: Make the Eyes 

Each eye is worked in a spiral, so joining rounds is not necessary. Mark the beginning of each round.

First Eye

Rnd 1: With 2 strands of yarn held together, ch 2 sc 6 times in beg ch (6 sc).

Rnd 2: *Sc 2 times in each st; rep from * 5 more times (12 sc).

Rnd 3: *Double crochet or dc 2 times in each st; rep from * 11 more times (24 sc).

Rnd 4: *Dc 2 times in next st, dc; rep from * 5 more times, treble crochet or tr, dtr, picot; fasten off.

Second Eye

Rnds 1-3: Rep First Eye instructions.

End 4: Picot, dtr, tr, *dc, dc 2 times in next st; rep from * 5 more times, hdc, sc, sl st to finish off eye; fasten off and weave in ends.

Step 3: Add Eyes to Basket 

Position the right eye on the basket at the point of the last st. Using two strands of yarn and a tapestry needle, tack down the center of the eye; using the center hole as a guide, bring the needle up through the center and then back down in the first round of stitches. Continue until the center is secure.

Using two strands of yarn and the outside stitches of the eye, tack down the eye securely, leaving the picot stitches unsewn. Weave in all ends. Repeat with the left eye.

Buy It: Large-Eye Blunt End Needles-6/Pkg ($7, Walmart)

Step 4: Add the Beak 

Using two strands of yarn and long straight stitches, embroider a beak between the bottoms of the eyes. Once you've mastered the technique, you can modify the basket to make it as big or tall as you desire by adding or subtracting stitches. The finished design makes a heartfelt DIY gift or keep it for yourself and use it to stash office accessories or crafts supplies.

Kid Craft: painted mason jar holders

I've said this before, but I have so so so many photos of either old completed projects and recipes or ideas for projects and recipes - so many that I forget about them and then when scrolling thru my computer file I'll see something that makes me wonder why it didn't get posted before now! Case in point - this cute project that Brooke did soooooo long ago, back in 2016! Still a good craft tho so I'm sharing anyway, it's not like craft ideas expire  (even if the kid doing the craft is now 17 haha)! 

                                                   

                                                

She poured craft paint right into the bottom of the jar along with a little water, then using a paint brush pull the paint up the insides of the jar completely coating. Let it dry then use to hold whatever - she put on her desk with pens, markers, etc. 

Note if you use it like a vase and fill with water the paint is going to wash away...forewarned hahaha.