Halloween Cat Dishcloth

Image source

I totally have to make One Crafty Mama's Halloween Cat Dishcloth. I'll likely make it in vanilla or blue yarn because that's what I have on hand in cotton but if I love it as much as I think I will I'll buy some orange and black yarn and make two more of the little dishcloths / washcloths. What a fun little knitting project for Halloween (or any time of the year if you love cats)!

You can find the original post with pattern here.

Happy crafting!

Source: http://onecraftymama-2011.blogspot.com/2011/09/halloween-cat-dishcloth.html

How to Make an Easy Clothespin Wreath for Fall, Thanksgiving or Harvest

Over a year ago I saw a cute clothespin wreath somewhere (maybe in a Martha Stewart magazine?) and decided to make my own version as a thankfulness wreath. Now that I see it against my white door I wish I'd painted the clothespins yellow instead of white but other than that I'm pretty happy with the wreath. You don't even have to paint the clothespins if you don't want to but I did because the marker bleeds some on the unpainted wood and looks nicer on painted clothespins. Here's how to make your own.

• Cut out a donut shape for your wreath base (I used a recycled priority mail envelope for mine; it was handy and it was already white so I didn't need to paint it, saving me a step). I recommend making the width about the same or slightly less than your clothespin grip depth (so your clothespin has the maximum amount of cardboard to grip but isn't sticking out into the middle of your wreath).
• Clip your clothespins all around your wreath until you're happy with the arrangement. I recommend using a multiple of three if you are going with my design.
• Spray paint your clothespins your desired color, following the directions on the can. You could also use acrylic paints if desired.
• Wait until after the wreath is completely dry. 
• Using three different colored markers (I used brown, orange and red for a fall/harvest/thanksgiving theme), write something that you are thankful for on each clothespin (this could be a fun family activity).
• Embellish your wreath as desired. I used leftover sunflower and scarecrow stickers from last year's wreath. I also cut out a rectangle from another part of the recycled priority mail envelope, used a red marker to create a border around the edges and wrote "Thankful" in the middle and then affixed it to the wreath with double sided tape.
• Tie a ribbon around the top of the cardboard wreath form and securely knot it in a bow for hanging.

Happy autumn and happy crafting, dear readers!

Flower Power Pincushion

Image source

The Sewing Loft Blog has a tutorial for this cute flower power pincushion. When I get around to making mine I'll likely use a red background and pink and white flowers but I absolutely love her idea. Of course. first I'll need to learn how to embroider, make a french knot, and embroider with beads but in the meantime I can admire her pretty pincushion. Happy crafting and happy National Sewing Month!

Source: http://thesewingloftblog.com/2012/09/20/nsm-flower-pin-cushio/

Cute Cat Magnet Plastic Canvas Craft

This is my very first plastic canvas craft using yarn. I adapted it from a kit pattern and I love how it looks on our refrigerator. Most especially because you can't see the mangled back side of it.

Plastic canvas lessons learned:

• You count the bars not the holes/boxes when trying to follow a plastic canvas craft pattern
• It's better to work an area at a time than to go back and forth and wind up with a tangled yarn mess
• If I ever have another tangled yarn mess on the back (likely as I'm still a newbie at this) I could cut a piece of blank canvas before finishing and sew it to the back part of the front piece to hide the mistakes before applying the magnet strip (thanks Kelly!)
• It really is better to keep your yarn strings to manageable lengths because it gets really tangled if your piece is too long

Do you do plastic canvas? Do you have an tips or lessons learned to share? I'd love to hear them! I thought this was a really fun project and I look forward to doing more plastic canvas crafts in the future. Happy crafting!

Plush Knit Scarf Completed!

I think I started this scarf last November but I posted about it back in December 2011. Well, it's finally finished! I had planned to keep it for myself but there's a special someone who looks fabulous in this baby blue color so she might get it for Christmas if I can part with it. It's just a basic knit stitch scarf but the yarn is crazy soft and feels wonderful. I didn't put fringe on it because the unbound ends unravel a lot and the fringe would soon look like a few scraggly strings instead of fat yarn pieces.

What's the longest it ever took you to complete a simple craft project? I'd love to hear about it!

Happy crafting, dear readers!

Happy Harvest Plastic Canvas Craft

Isn't this scarecrow, pumpkin and bird plastic canvas craft cute? I think of it as my happy harvest decoration. I figure it can be displayed from September through Thanksgiving so it has a nice long time on display before being put away for next year. I was the lucky recipient of it on my local freecycle group (I'll have to do a post about freecycle on my Frugal Phyllis blog soon - it's a fantastic way to build community, help others, save money and is good for our planet).

My plastic canvas crafts aren't that advanced (until a few weeks ago I'd only done basic ribbon cross bookmarks; I'll post my first project using yarn with plastic canvas on Monday) so I can certainly appreciate all the hard work that went into this craft.

It's a happy craft that makes me smile. What makes it even more special is that my Freecycle friend's mother made it before she passed away. That kind of makes it an heirloom craft. So when I see it I'm reminded to pray for their family. Do you have any crafts in your house that are especially dear to you? I'd love to hear about them!

Happy crafting, dear readers!