Watercolor Stencil Portrait Gift Idea

I know there are some of you out there who love to paint. I found this unique idea for a Watercolor Stencil Portrait and thought how great it would be to have some done of the boys. Check out the link and let me know if its something you're interested in...looks fabulous to me!

Pop Tab Gift Can Tutorial

I love using these pop tab gift cans to "wrap" children's gifts, jewlery, bath salts, baby onsies/booties, candy snacks or anything else that fits inside. I will now attempt my first tutorial...enjoy!

1. Any size pop tab can will do (I just happened to have a bunch of smaller fruit ones). Flip the can upside down and using a safety can-opener (it leaves a little bit of a dull lip which is how you will seal the can towards the end), take off the bottom of the can.


2. I found it helpful to do this step in small batches...guess what my kids had for snack that day!


3. After removing the bottom of the can, carefully peel off the label and set it off to one side.



4. Rinse and dry the can. You want it absolutely clean. You could even run it through the dishwasher.



5. While the can is drying, take the label and trace it on the back of whatever you are using for your new custom label (scrapbook paper, fabric, graphic print, etc). Cut your strip of paper.



6. Using stick/craft glue, attach your new custom label to the dry pop tab can.



7. Put your gift item inside the can. I prefer to wrap my gifts in tissue paper or fabric just to insure it doesn't get any goop on it during the last step. Using a hot glue gun, attach the bottom of the can back on and let dry.

Voila! Your pop tab gift can is complete!!! You can dress it up even more with ribbon tied to the pop tab itself or leave it plain.

Felt Strawberries

I know there are several of you out there who love felt and all things using felt. I am not one of those people but I found a tutorial for felt strawberries and thought they would make great gifts for some of my nieces and nephews. I would love to trade with you if you wanted to make some strawberries and/or other assorted felt food items. They would definitely add to rainy day play.

Seed Stitch Dishcloth

I make these in sets of two using organic cotton or linen. They are great for everything from wiping down counters to using for baths.

Two-tie Sling

I love this idea!!! Its basically two ties, sewn together to make a water bottle or camera sling. I get the ties at thrift stores and dry clean them at home (no one wants gross ties). The purple one is up for grabs if anyone wants to trade for it. The length is adjustable, you just tie the skinny parts of the tie together to make the bag hang the desired length.

Garter Stitch Kids Scarf

This is a great gift idea for siblings or couples if done in matching or complimentary yarns. I love the look of variegated yarns in the simple garter stitch. This pattern works well for kids because there is no right or wrong side to the scarf. Relatively quick to knit.

Washer Ribbon Necklace Gift Idea

A necklace made out of washers and grosgrain ribbon...who would have thought! I stumbled upon this unique gift/craft idea while staying up much too late one night. This would be a great gift idea for that spunky person who is impossible to shop for or someone who really enjoys being an original. I have yet to try this myself so drop me a line if you decide to give it a whirl.

Neat Gift Idea for Kids

I would love to have this awesome roll-up kitchen playmat if anyone out there would like to use their sewing skills and trade for something I can make. I could really use at least one of these to use for a Christmas present so let me know if you want to try to bust one out.

Toy Ball

I can knit this ball out of a variety of colors (and color combinations). It is a little time consuming to knit so a bit of a heads up would be awesome. I stuffed the ball with fabric and yarn scraps which make it super soft and absolutely machine washable. Both of my boys love having a ball they can actually throw inside the house.

Two-tie Sling

I did it! I finally sewed something sharable!!!!! I found a tutorial online for this super sweet water bottle sling, and guess what...it worked! It was the easiest thing in the world after I found ties that were the same size and shape at the Salvation Army (don't worry, I washed them at home using a dry cleaning kit I've been holding on to for years). I was surprised that it was big enough to fit our Klean Kanteen but there it is. It would also make a great camera bag...hmmm...maybe I should go make some more...

Kombucha Craze

Blame Wendy for this one...I want to make my own Kombucha tea. For those of you who have never tried it (but who really should!!!), Kombucha is a super potent, fermented tea which has been made in China and Eastern European countries for centuries. There are huge health benefits but the best part is the taste (almost like hard apple cider).

The process for making the tea almost seems like a bad science experiment gone wrong. It involves a "mother mushroom" (which is no mushroom at all but a pancake like glob of bacteria and yeast), mason jars, tea, sugar, and a whole lot of good timing.

You can find commercial kombucha in most health food stores. It comes in original and a variety of other flavors. Once I convince Andy to invest in my own mother mushroom, you can just come over to my house. Until then, you'll have to support the economy.

Twisted Gnome Hat

This is one of my new favorite patterns! The hats fit kids all the way up to adults...all I do is change the length (from brim to peak). I prefer to make them out of 100% virgin wool which is naturally water resistant. In the bottom picture I added one strand of colored yarn just to mix it up. These hats are super comfy and as Andy says, "I'm gonna wear this hat all the freakin' time!"

Double Loop Scarf

This is a great scarf for chunky, variegated, or multiple yarns. It can be knit in a narrow or wide pattern and to any length. The pattern looks the same from both sides of the scarf. It is a great project for short notice.

Hand Warmers

These are basic handwarmers...they can be made for small adult hands all the way to up to a men's large. I can knit them in variety of colors and fibers. They can be short (wrist length) or a little longer. It takes me a couple of days to knit one set.

Yet Another Blog

My last post included an idea about exchanging handmade gifts and I realized that I would need someplace to display what I can make and eventually, include items that other people can make. Hence, I created "Gift Exchange". Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting pictures of things I have made in the past that I would love to make again for someone else. If you're interested in anything I post, just shoot me an email and we'll talk about color, yarn and size and go from there. I would love to only give handmade gifts throughout the year but people can only use so many things made from yarn. Check out the new site and let me know what you think.

Welcome

How great would it be to only give handmade gifts throughout the year? The problem is that my family and friends will only tolerate so many knit gifts before their thankful eyes begin to glaze over. Hence, the creation of "Gift Exchange".

I will be posting all of the wonderful knit items I can make (and hopefully other things as well once I start developing my other areas of craftiness) which I hope that you will want in exchange for the awesome handmade items you can make.

If you see something you like, just shoot me an email and we'll go from there...deciding the color, size, yarn, etc. If you would like to post some of your crafty items, let me know and I'll set you up as a guest blogger.

We are a community of gifted people and I think it would be great to share with one another. Let me know what you think of this idea...