Newest Name Signs

These two were sent to Proud Grandma (aka my mom). She has Connected Signs in her house for all the grandkids. These two are my newest nephews and will connect to her already long list of angel grandbabies.

And then some Teacher Signs. It is getting to be that time--end of the year gifts for teachers.

And this sign is for a Facial Room at a salon. That was a fun change for me to not start a sign with Miss, Ms., Mrs. or Mr. :)

A Couple of Fun Patterns

Details:
Pattern - Scooped (Free!) Soft Serve
Needles - US 6
Yarn - Lily Sugar 'n Cream

Modifications - Knit in one piece instead of ice cream and cone separate. Made the top a bit longer so it could have that soft serve curl at the top.

This is a great pattern! I can't wait to make more--maybe a sugar cone next time...

Details:
Pattern - Little Tuffys
Needles - US 10-1/2
Yarn - Lily Sugar n' Cream (Brown and Camo Pink)

Modifications - Didn't do the little hanging loop.

I LOVE this pattern. It knits up so fast and is a really nice nubby washcloth!

IF - Ahead

Violet, 10" x 10", acrylic on canvas, SOLD

Are Violet's glasses sadly outdated or is she just way ahead of the trends? Time will tell.

Newest Name Signs

It really is that time of year--time to start thinking about the end of the year gift for the kids' teachers. 

Teacher Name Signs are always available in my bumblebina ETSY shop. Order now to avoid the end of the year rush.

Child Name Signs are also always available in my bumblebina ETSY shop.

Words To Live By

IF - Detective

Eve, Acrylics and Mixed Media on Wood, SOLD

I don't think it takes a detective to figure out that I like birds since I include them in many of my paintings!

Free Knitting Pattern - Peyton's Mini Purses

These are so simple and fun to make. They are the perfect size to hold a gift card. It's a fun way to give a gift card instead of a boring old envelope. Throw the card in and some chocolate and you've got every girl's best friend. They are also the right size for a cell phone, lipstick and credit card--perfect for a night out! Little girls love these too. They are the perfect size for them!

This pattern is named for my daughter as she knit the first one.

Peyton's Mini Purse Knitting Pattern

Materials:

A small amount of Cascade Magnum

US 17 Knitting Needles

Purse handles - in this case I'm using 3" metal craft hoops (bracelets work well too)

Yarn needle

Fabric for lining the bag (optional)

Embellishments (optional)

CO 10, knit in garter stitch until you have 7”. (Finished piece should be around 5" wide and 7" long").

To Assemble: Attach the handles by whip stitching them to the BO and CO edges. You can do this either before of after you seam the sides. It’s just a matter of preference. I like to do it before so they are less fiddly.

Fold the piece in half so the BO and CO edges meet and become the top of the purse. Seam sides beginning at the bottom and leaving about an inch at the top un-seamed (this makes the bag easier to open).

Line the bag and attach embellishments (buttons, flowers, ribbon, etc). To sew the liner, I just take a piece of fabric around 1" wider and the same length as your knitted piece (in this case 6" x 7"). Sew a 1/2" seam all the way around. Fold in half (right sides together) and seam sides leaving 1" at the top un-seamed.

Variations: This pattern works with any yarn, any gauge just so you end up with a piece that measures around 5” x 7”. If it’s wider than 5”, the bag will have a wider base. If it's shorter than 7" it will look more like a clutch, longer it will look more like a bag than a purse.

For the Tabitha Purse  - CO 18 on size 10 US needles using Lion Brand Homespun knit in garter to 7".

For the Marilyn Purse - CO 11 on size 17 US needles, seed stitch until I had 7".

For the Coco Purse - CO 14 on size 15 US needles and added a cable down the center

For the Reggie Purse - CO 17 size 10 US needles with novelty yarn (in this case Bernat Boa) and knit for 1” then switch to main yarn (Lion Brand Homespun), knit in seed stitch for 5-1/2” switch back to novelty yarn and knit 1” then BO

T-Shirt Purse - CO 8 on size 15 US needles with t-shirt yarn knit until I had 5" and used 2" rings for the handles

These are just a couple of ideas. The possibilities are endless. 

This pattern is on Ravelry HERE.

If you do make your own, please link back to this blog so I can see your beautiful handiwork!!

Paper Rose Wall Hangings Tutorial

Supplies:
Some sort of base*
Paper
Glue gun
Spray paint
Ribbon, tulle, ric rac, etc. (for hanging)

*About the bases: Both of the wreaths were done on 1/4" MDF wreath forms. One painted black for the Halloween wreath and the other painted white for the cottage wreath. The Circle Wall hanging was actually the piece left over from the center of the black wreath's form after we cut it out. The frame was an old cheap black frame that I base coated with white and then glued on the roses.

Step 1: Draw a spiral on your paper. Here I am using magazine pages. Newspaper and books work well too. I like the size, thickness and glossiness of magazine pages. I drew the spiral with Sharpie because I knew for this one I'd be spray painting it black. For the white roses, I use light pencil lines. (And really after cutting a bunch, you won't even need to draw the spiral--you'll be able to cut it in your sleep!) :)

Step 2: Cut out the spiral and roll it starting with the outside, going toward the inside of the circle.

Step 3: At this point your spiral will be rolled quite tightly. I like to let it unfurl a bit. This gives you more of an open rose shape.

Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 A LOT!

Step 5: When you have the rose unfurled to the size you'd like it, place a small amount of glue or tape at the outside edge to secure it. Then start gluing them to your form. I put a large glob of hot glue and plop the rose right in the center of it. This will hold the rose to the wreath and also hold the spiral in shape.

For this wreath I first went around with very large roses and then went back in to fill in the gap with smaller ones.

When I have all the roses glued on, I like to turn the wreath upside down just to make sure everything is very secure--you don't want any centers of the roses to come loose. If there are some that are loose, just squeeze some more glue down into the center and push the paper into it.

Step 6: Spray paint. (Sorry no pictures of that). For the black wreath I did LOTS of layers so that none of the text really showed through. For the white cottage ones, I do a light coating so some of the text comes through. I also choose my pages carefully for the white ones. I choose pages that are light with very few dark colors.

You can see below what they looked like before the spray painting. The black wreath actually looked really pretty. Without even thinking about it, I had used very dark pages. It would have looked fine without the spray paint, but I was specifically making a Halloween wreath so I did spray it.

Some other options I'd like to try:
1. Painting the pages before with acrylic paint so I don't need to spray paint with finished.
2. Leaving one "natural" (no paint) and burning the edges of the roses.

Black Wreath Before the Spray Paint

White Wreath Before the Spray Paint

Step 7: Attach your hanger. I generally use ribbon and bits of fabric, tulle, ric rac, etc.

Don't want to make your own? The wreaths have both sold as has the Circle Wall Hanging, but the  frame is available here. And keep checking back in my shop. I'll be making more.

If you do make your own, please link back to this tutorial so I can see your gorgeous handiwork!!

Newest Name Signs

Child Name Signs and Teacher Name Signs are always available in my bumblebina ETSY shop!

A Productive Afternoon

I saw this post from Tattered and Timeless a few weeks ago and was totally inspired. And then I completely forgot about it. :) Then this afternoon I was looking through my saved pictures inspiration file and came across the post again.

I had everything on hand to make something similar. I got the unfinished wood frame on ETSY a while back for $.97. I knew I could do something with it. For this project, I painted, sanded and distressed it. Isn't that blue delicious? I am in love with light blues right now. I want to paint everything in my house this color. :)

The framed text is from an old French workbook from college. The page was a bit too bright so I distressed it a bit by painting a watered down brown on it. The "JOY" is a sticker on the outside of the glass which adds a bit of dimension.

The flower was done using this technique. I used fabric from the clearance bin from my local craft store and (get this) an old Anakin Skywalker costume my son grew out of years ago. The Force is totally with this project!! :)

Here is it outside. (I find I get the best pictures outside.)

And here it is in it's new home on a shelf in my living room. 

IF - Linked

Yvette,  9" x 12",  Prisma Colored Pencils on Canvas (SOLD)

Yvette, the queen of art, comes from a long line of artists. Her history can be linked back all the way to Michaelangelo...or so she says. Some say this isn't true and that she went all Napoleon on the situation and crowned herself queen. :)

IF - Dip

Purple Cow 3" x 4", acrylics and mixed media on 1" MDF (SOLD)

I had to dip into my elementary school memories for this poem, but here goes:

I never saw a purple cow

I never hope to see one,

But I can tell you anyhow

I'd rather see than be one!

Yarn Wrapped Easter Animals Tutorial

Yarn Wrapped Easter Egg Chicks and Bunnies

Supplies:

Plastic Easter Eggs - it's best if they somewhat match they yarn you'll be using as they may show through in some parts

Yarn - The yellow we used is Lion Brand Homespun, the pink is something similar (not sure what exactly--it's long since lost it's label)

Glue Gun

Felt

Beads (or some other material for eyes)

Wire (for bunny whiskers)

Pompom (for bunny tail)

Feather

Step 1: Glue and Wrap - Start with a glob of hot glue on the bottom of the egg and attach the yarn. Then just glue and wrap until the egg is covered. We didn't bother to glue the eggs shut, but you could if you felt it was necessary. (She's very proud that I now trust her to use the glue gun WITH supervision!) :)

Step 2: Gather Your Supplies and Cut the Felt - For the bunny we cut ears from pink felt, put a bit of white in them and then pinched the bottom to give them some dimension. The feet are cut like a heart with the bottom chopped off. The nose is a rounded triangle. We twisted the wire together at the middle and then curled the ends. The tail is a large pompom. 

For the chick, it's a bit more simple. Just feet and beak and eyes (not pictured). We cut a triangle with a little notch out of the bottom and then cut the "feet" with pinking shears to give them "toes". The beak is an elongated triangle. Oh, and we added a kicky feather to the top of the head.

At first we did puffy paint for the eyes. It worked okay on the yarn but was a bit temperamental. We ended up gluing beads over the paint marks and liked the beads better.

Step 3: Assemble - Glue the feet to the bottom of the egg. Glue on the eyes and beak for the chick. For the bunny, we put a large dot of hot glue on the face, put the whiskers in the glue and then topped it off with the nose. My daughter also added little paws and a carrot and red cheeks to her bunny. Glue the ears to the back of the head and the tail to the back.

And there you go!!

Which Came First?

I made these for my sisters this year. We love our Cream Eggs and these chicks look just deranged enough to guard them for us. Each chick actually has a Cream Egg in it. Or at least did when I put them in the mail. Who's to say now that they have arrived at their destinations.

This is the first knitting project that I had the thought, "These are getting to be too cute. How can I make them look more crazy?" The eyes are what did it.

I feel like they could be saying, "You looking at me? Just keep walking or the egg gets it." :)

Deranged Chicks
Pattern: Knitted Easter Chick
Yarn: Lion Brand Fun Fur
Needle Size: US 5

Breakfast Anyone?

My daughter took this fun little treat to her 2nd Grade class today. (This was the fastest treat we've ever made for school).

April Fool's Egg and Bacon on Toast

What you'll need:

Graham Crackers
White Chocolate
Yellow M&M's
Pretzel Sticks

Melt the white chocolate. I found that 1/2 a bag of white chips will do about 25 of these. Put a dab of white chocolate on the graham cracker and press an M&M in. We like to make sure the printed side is down (hidden in the chocolate). This helps the mystery/trick remain. :) Then put the pretzel sticks on. And there you have it--Egg and Bacon on Toast!

Newest Name Signs

Teacher Name Signs are always available in my Bumblebina ETSY shop!