Graduation Party Crafts

 I decided I needed a red, white and blue wreath for my front door for Pete's graduation party. I checked every craft store for a pre-made wreath, but no luck. So I bought a wreath form and a pile of flowers on clearance. It's not perfect (bow is too small, needs more white flowers, reds not spaced evenly). We like it anyway, especially on our red door.

 I saw this idea on Pinterest to make candy firecrackers. The original post used rolls of Lifesavers candies, but Pete is a Mentos man. How long will it take for him to realize there are a dozen rolls of Mentos in the house? You can see my graduation party Pinterest board here for more patriotic inspiration.

We gave Pete his custom made book last night. (We made one for Julia when she graduated from high school last year.) My husband, Bill, writes a poem and I lay out the book with lots and lots of photos. Their yearbook photos are on the covers. It's impossible to read these books without shedding a tear or two!

I used CVS Photo for these books. When I made Julia's, I liked their backgrounds the best. I wanted Pete's to be the same size (8" X 8"), so I used CVS again. I've used Blurb for other books and I like their service, too. I get a little obsessive when I create these books, staying up much too late moving photos around and trying different layouts.

Twine Tree

A Pinterest success story! The Twinery posted several fun projects using baker's twine. I pinned these trees and kept the idea in the back of my mind. I scooped up a package of tiny styrofoam trees the last time I was in a craft store. I already had the twine and a stash of tiny spools (my spin on the original idea).

It was super easy to cover the tree with the twine. I started at the top and secured the end with a 2" long floral pin. Any cute pin will do. The twine actually sticks to the foam, but I added 2 vertical lines of glue for durability. After a few rounds, I found the right dowel for the trunk which gave me a handle to spin the tree as I coiled on the twine.

I thought I could cover the bottom with twine, but it just wasn't happening, so I used a circle of felt. 

I can't wait to make more with my assortment of twine colors!

Random Craftiness

 I'm gearing up for local craft shows at the beginning of December. My goal is to make something I can sell each day. Yesterday was a very productive day! I stitched up a bunch of infinity scarves that are waiting for the openings to be closed by hand. That's a nighttime TV watching project!

Earlier in the week, I had stitched up a bunch of key fobs. They were just waiting for the hardware to arrive from GotLux Crafts. The 1" webbing is from Ryco, and the orange Kaffe ribbon is from Jackie's shop. I'm trying to decide if I should buy more hardware. They are quick and fun to make and will be an inexpensive gift item.

 

When I should have been finishing the scarves last night, I started playing with felt instead! I've loved this Betz White tutorial for years.  She used 2" foam balls, but I had 3" handy. They take many more rosettes! I put the 2" balls on my shopping list.

 

My friend and machine quilter, Pat Harrison, posted a sneak peak of my wedding ring star in progress. Isn't that fan motif stunning?

 

Have a crafty, quilty day!

Quick Crafts

 Julia needed a "secret buddy" gift for work.  Today is her last day working at Girl Scout day camp and their secret buddies will be revealed.  There were a few small gifts and silly notes along the way, but something more substantial was needed for the final gift (and a second "Thank you" gift for the buddy who gave stuff to her).

Julia's camp name is Buglez since she actually plays the bugle.  We had seen these peanut butter filled, chocolate dipped Bugles snacks on Pinterest.  Perfect!  (the leftovers got a little sweaty in the humidity when I took them out of the fridge)

**Tangent alert**  When I first saw this on Pinterest, there was no associated link to the original blog.  So I just put some peanut butter in a ziploc baggie, cut a tiny hole in one corner and squeezed some into a bugle.  I just went on the hunt for the original post and found it here at Cookies and Cups.  Shelly mixed her peanut butter with powdered sugar and a splash of milk and piped it into the bugles with a real piping bag.  I'm glad I hadn't seen the original post before I made mine!  As delicious as that extra sugar must be, ours came out just great!  And I didn't have to clean peanut butter filling out of a piping bag.

OK, on to the packaging.  We used this nifty box again from Cosmo Cricket.  The Amy Butler paper is so pretty!  I hope Julia's buddies enjoy their treats!

I did a little crafting of my own yesterday - a zippered pencil case for Julia in her favorite color!  I combined two tutorials: Spoonful of Sugar and  Sweet Verbena.  I pieced one big piece, quilted it with wavy vertical lines, and stitched up the pouch.  I wish it was a little bigger, and that I had used felt instead of batting.  And I forgot to look for a charm for the zipper.  I'll let Julia pick one out from the stash later.

Next on the sewing for school list: a laptop bag like this one from Crap I've Made.

Vroom!

 A couple of weeks ago, I broke a metal tape measure.  I didn't feel too bad about it, though, because I knew just what I'd do with it!

I needed a pouch to hold coupons in my purse.  Using this tutorial, I measured my stack of coupons and adjusted the sizes as needed.  It went together fairly quickly and easily.  I didn't need to box the corners. 

Before I cut the scooter print, I could have straightened out the pattern a little, I suppose.  Oh, well.  Now I have a cute pouch for coupons that reminds me of the Italy!  Win!

Cozy iPhone

 After spending a few hours tidying up my sewing room, I needed to make something!

This iPhone sleeve tutorial popped up in Pinterest yesterday, and  I knew just where to find some fun fabric scraps!

Thirty minutes later, my iPhone3 has a cozy new home.  It is a little snug for Julia's iPhone4, so I'll need to make hers a tiny bit wider.

 

I had purchased a clear case so I could customize it with scrapbook paper.  This Amy Butler paper is really thick (cardstock), so now I'm thinking I will try a scrap of coordinating fabric.  My phone has rounded corners, so the paper gets smooshed in the corners.  Fabric might fit better.

 

I need to find a carabiner for the tab so I can clip the sleeve to my purse straps.  Pete tends to hoard the carabiners, so I'll get one from him when he gets home from camp.

Friday Craft Finish

I have along list of crafty projects to finish in the next month or so, most of them related to the end of the school year and graduation.  I volunteered to make the centerpieces for the high school Jazz Nite on June 2.  It is a fun night out with great music provided by the jazz band and jazz chorus in an intimate club setting.  The food and cash bar are a bonus!

Here's what I came up with...

 

The bowls are melted vinyl record albums.  Pete has been making them for a couple of years, but this was my first attempt.  I bought a stack of old albums at the Salvation Army store for $1 each.  The album goes into a 200 degree oven for 5 minutes to soften.  Set a metal bowl upside down on a cookie sheet, then place an album on top.  Using oven mitts, form the soft vinyl around an empty pot.  Repeat 14 times!

For the musical picks, I punched  G-clefs and notes out of black card stock with my Sizzix die cutter.  I glued two pieces together, sandwiching a thin wire in between.  Put three shapes together, wrap the wire around a wooden barbeque skewer, then wrap with floral tape.  Repeat 14 times!

Next week, I'll solicit some local nurseries for free or discounted plants.  I can't pick up the plants too early because I don't trust myself to keep them alive!  So far, I've spent only $15 for the albums.  I had everything else on hand. 

The original plan was to make 12 centerpieces.  When I started thinking about who would take them home, I realized we have 15 seniors in these two groups.  Make a few more and each senior can have one.  I might make another set of picks with the names of the seniors.  I'll also include business cards from the donating nurseries.

Up next, Pete's Eagle Scout project.  He is hosting a benefit concert tonight for Operation: Support Our Troops.  It will be a fun night!

Spring Wreath Re-Do

I'm completely addicted to Pinterest.  (See my boards here.)  I really needed to take a break from pinning and start doing!  So, last night, I grabbed my bag of wool and a crochet hook and started making flowers.

 Does this wreath look familiar?  I made it last December.  I never did find a decent bow for it.  My mother didn't think this shade of green was appropriate for Christmas, and that sickly bow did nothing to help its case.

 Then along came a Pin of these great crocheted flowers.  The flowers and leaves work up so quickly!  They are just pinned into the styrofoam, so I can move them around easily or switch them out for other colors.

I love it!  It really brightens up the inside of our front door.

Handmade Christmas 2011

 I had planned to take a little blogging break for the holidays, but how have 3 weeks passed so quickly?  Lemme sum up...

My mother made this Christmas Lily wall hanging for my sister in the early 90s.

A sneaky mouse got into her plastic storage tote and stole some comfy bits.

I did a little applique repair, front and back with a bit of fresh batting and a few stitches of quilting to hold it all together.  Mom and Sis were pleased.

For Julia, a knitting needle roll from this tutorial.

She loves it!  How could she not love anything made with this Kate Spain print?

 Pete has been asking for a carrier for his cajon for a whole year.  He even picked out the fabric.  It's just a big tote bag with a flap to cover the top.  It's nothing fancy, but it works!

Another happy kid with his custom cajon carrier!

Julia made pasta for Christmas dinner.  YUM!

We spent Christmas Eve at my niece's lovely home.  Lily and Anna wanted Julia to play dress up with them and kept bringing dresses to her to try on.  So cute!

I made little tote bags for the girls and stuffed them with snacks, crayons and little activity books.  Anna didn't care much about the books, but was pretty happy with the juice boxes!

There was one more handmade gift, a cute little zipper pouch for my mother's hearing aid supplies, but I never took a photo of it.  It is super cute and a major improvement over the plastic baggie she was using.

In other news...

Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles sponsored a float in the Rose Parade, celebrating Girl Scouts' Centennial in 2012.  We had an opportunity to purchase flowers for the float, so I bought a dozen, one for each girl in my troop.  Their names were tied to flower stems and placed on the float.  I cried when it came into view on TV.  Such a sap!

It's so easy to not  post to the blog when you get out of the habit.  I'm back now and ready for 2012!

Quickie

I needed a quick sewing project to jump start my productivity. And I need to stop losing my keys in my purse. Stephanie's Key Leash Tutorial on Loft Creations was just the ticket!

I know I've seen other tutorials for these before, but this one came along at just the right time. It took me all of 5 minutes to make one, while my tea brewed! I already had a strip cut to the right size, as any good Quiltvillian would.

The hardest part was figuring out how to arrange it for the photo.

Oops. I forgot the interfacing so it might not last long. Then I'll just make another one!



ETA: I made another one! This one is for my "For the Love of Solids" swap partner. I know it's a print, but that's OK for the extra little gift. I'll show you the main swap piece as soon as the sun comes out and I can take a decent picture.