DIY • Embroidered Canvas

I saw these bitty canvases at the craft store the other day and picked them up because they were just so cute.  I haven't painted in years, but knew I could use them for something.  I mean, they're tiny canvases!  So, as I was stitching up my Easter embroidery patterns, it dawned on me that I could stitch on canvas, too!  Easy peasy.

Do it, to it!

SUPPLIES

• 3" canvases - I found a pack of 4
• Embroidery Floss - I used Sublime Floss in Petal and Amazonite
• Embroidery Needle
• Scissors
• Paper cut to 2"

DIRECTIONS

• Trim regular printer paper, or whatever you have on hand, to two inches square.  Because these canvases are stretched, there's a half inch of frame all the way around the back, so the workable area is only 2 inches.
• Draw your pattern onto the paper.
• Center your paper on top of the canvas and poke holes along the pattern with your needle.  Be sure they're spaced relatively evenly.
• These holes are what you'll be stitching into.
• Backstitch into your holes.
• Repeat this technique with any other shape and display them proudly.

The cool thing about this project is that you can use any design.  I just drew cats and hearts, because I'm me.  But you can use this technique to embroider letters to spell out names, or just make abstract patterns.  You could also make silhouettes of your favorite people or pets.  There's really no limit to what you can do!

DIY • Cat Coasters • Plastic Canvas Blog Hop

When I saw Diane of CraftyPod tweet that she was planning a blog hop around plastic canvas projects, I got way excited.  I'm stoked to be the first blog on the list to show my plastic canvas creations!  I had to make something cat-related, because my home still has a few things that don't have cats on them and that must be remedied immediately.

My family always had these funny plastic canvas coasters that looked like little rugs with fringe on the end that said "mug rug" on them, so I thought it would be fun to make my own set of coasters.  These aren't quite as kitschy as the mug rugs, but I think they're fun!

After getting some inspiration from CraftyPod for circular designs, I set to work on these lil guys.  Have a look!

SUPPLIES

• Round plastic canvases
• Worsted weight yarn -  I used Vanna's Choice for each color.
• Large eye plastic needle
• Scissors
• Sharpie -  I have a pencil pictured, but it didn't work very well.  Definitely use an ultra fine tip Sharpie instead.

DIRECTIONS

• Draw the cut-out shape with your Sharpie.  This is the line that will make the ear shape.
• Cut along the line to define the ears.
• Sew whatever design you want into the canvas and you're done!  It's ridiculously easy.

Seriously, they were super easy to make.  I made all three in one evening while watching TV.  If you're looking for some inspiration on what kinds of designs to use, definitely check out CraftyPod.  She's got lots of great tutorials.  I used this one to make the black coaster and this one to start thinking outside the box for the grey and white coasters.

I hope you like them!  Plastic canvas DIYs are really easy to get into and while larger projects can be time-consuming, I think they're really fun.  And I can always get behind a crafty medium I can use to make cats.

Be sure to check out the other projects in the blog hop!

InLinkz.com

DIY • Free Easter Embroidery Patterns

Spring is finally starting to show up and thought it was the perfect time for another batch of free embroidery patterns.  Especially when the subject matter is so cute!

DOWNLOAD PDF HERE

These patterns are for personal use only and cannot be sold or altered in anyway.  Enjoy!!

DIY • Impossible Scarf Three • Free Crochet Pattern

Oops!  I made another comically large scarf!

I just can't stop making ridiculous giant scarves / small lap blankets.  You can see the other two here and here.  They're all impossibly big and all three are the second installment of my 1-2-3 Crochet series!  The first installment was really fun and I'm excited to be closing out this second group of scarves.  A consolidated post including all of the Impossible scarves will be up this week, so you can find them all in one place.  So...convenient.

So here's number three!  (After some awkward photos of me in front of all my favorite stuff)

SUPPLIES

• 3 balls of Super Bulky yarn for the main color - I used Loop & Threads Cozy Wool in Fleece
• 3 balls of Super Bulky yarn for the contrasting color - I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Citron
• P Hook

DIRECTIONS

• Chain 27
• Row 1 - Using your contrasting color, half-double crochet (hdc) in second chain from the hook, hdc in each ch to the end. Ch 2, turn.
• Row 1 - 52 - Hdc in each stitch till the end, Ch 2, turn
• Row 53 - Switch to main color and Hdc in each stitch till the end, Ch 2, turn
• Row 54 - 104 -  Hdc in each stitch till the end, finish and weave in your ends

Full disclosure: I accidentally used a slightly smaller hook for the scarf in this example because the cats lost my favorite hook and I had to get another one, but the store had weirdo hooks that I've never used before and I found what I thought was the right one, but about halfway through I realized it was too small, so I had to add a few more rows of the white to make it long enough.  But the pattern is correct for a giant scarf that's exactly half and half ^_^ The moral of the story is: don't let your cats near your hooks.

DIY • Embroidered Cat Tote Bag

I was walking through Hobby Lobby the other day looking for a necklace chain, a new P hook, some twine, you know, the usual.  But, I ended up just meandering around, as I do, and I came across this incredible tote bag.  It was huge and sturdy and had two giant flat pockets on the outside.  It's like it was telling me to stitch a kitten to it.  There was nothing I could do.

So here's how to make one of your own...you know it's calling to you haha!  

SUPPLIES

• Blank tote bag
• Pencil - these are our new favorites.
• Black embroidery floss - you probably don't need that much, but it's all I could find haha!
• Embroidery needle
• Scissors

DIRECTIONS

• Free-hand draw your pattern onto the tote with your pencil.  Don't worry if it looks wonky, you can always erase.  Or just go with and let it have an organic look.  There are no mistakes here!
• Start your backstitchin'.  I started with the cat face and tail, making the beginning and ending stitches go under the pocket to give the illusion that the cat popping out.  
• The paws are a little trickier.  To make the floss go over the edge of the pocket, carefully place the needle on the backside of the pocket's seam.  Be careful not to stitch all the way through.  Pull the thread through that stitch on the backside of the seam and then wrap it around the edge of the same and stitch like normal.
• When you get to the end, just wrap your last backstitch around the edge of the seam and that's it!  That one is a little easier.
• Optional: If you want to protect the threads on the inside of bag, grab some fusible interfacing, cut to the size you need and iron it one.  That will keep the threads from getting caught on anything. 

I hope you like this one!  It works up really quickly.  I think it only took me around 15 - 20 mins.  Mine is going to be my new grocery bag ^_^

DIY • Painted Wood Boxes

In an effort to be more organized and more purposeful with our home organization, I got these boxes a few months ago to hold our Copic markers and various crafty tools.  I knew these boxes were going to go out on our open shelving, so I wanted them to be cute AND functional.

This is a super easy way to update your storage and add a little more personality to your space.

SUPPLIES

• Plain wood boxes
• White acrylic paint
• Paint brush
• Masking tape
• Contact paper
• Scissors

DIRECTIONS

For Geometric Shapes

• Using masking tape, tape off whatever shape you want.  I used a triangle for one, and stripes for the other.
• Paint inside your shape.
• Take masking tape off while the paint is still wet.  If you peel off the tape when it's dry or still tacky, it could pull up the paint.
• Let it dry and you're done!

For cat shape

• Cut a cat head shape out of contact paper.
• Stick the shape in the middle of the top of your box.
• Tape the edges off so no paint drips down the sides.
• Paint over the whole top of the box. 
• Carefully pull the contact paper off while the paint is still wet.  I used my fingernail, you could also use anything with a thin edge to help.  Be careful to not smudge the paint around the contact paper during this step!
• Let it dry and admire your new box.

I really love how these came out!  The flat boxes make great risers for shelf displays, too.  I might have had to move approximately 500 My Little Ponies to take photos of these haha.

Fun thing!  I've just discovered WhimsyBox.  And though I tend to stay away from anything involving the word "whimsy", this website is really fun and I've been browsing their projects and supplies for the last couple of weeks.  They've got almost all the supplies I used for this project, so check them out below if you'd like to try this out yourself.  Full disclosure: I do get a credit if anyone makes a purchase.

Check out WhimsyBox and if you sign up here, you'll get $5 off the subscription box.  Take a peek at their monthly box, projects from users and supplies to purchase.  I'd love to know what you think!  And if you sign up, let me know and we can follow each other!

DIY Valentine's Day Embroidery Pattern

It's almost Valentine's Day!  I wanted to share some new embroidery patterns for one of my most favorite holidays.  Hearts and pink and chocolate?  Oh yes.  This holiday was made just for me!

Use these to decorate your home, as valentines for your friends or just because you love hearts and cats.  Feel free to grab the screen shot below or download the pdf here.  And as always, these patterns are for personal use and cannot be sold or altered in any way.

Have fun!

DIY • Valentines Day Advent Chain

I love Valentines Day.  It's a day full of love, pink, hearts and glitter!  So it's pretty much myself in holiday form.

This is a super easy, super quick DIY for you to celebrate the Valentines Day season.  Using the supplies and directions from the Memory Chain we made over Christmas, you can customize your own chain for any celebration.

For this Valentines Day Advent Chain, I cut 7 white strips and 8 red strips.  On the first red strip, I wrote, "I love...".  For all the other strips, I wrote one thing I love about my husband.  Each day from February 1 - 14, we'll take one chain off and celebrate that little thing we love about each other.

Some of mine include: Pizza dates, our collections, our travels, our quiet nights at home and making our home.  I'm really excited to celebrate another loving year with my man!

DIY • Impossible Scarf Free Crochet Pattern

This scarf is impossibly large.  I joked on twitter and instagram that it was more like a large blanket I could wear like a bag lady, or and Olsen twin.  It really is huge!  So if you're into comically large scarves, or small lap blankets, then this pattern is for you.

 The scarf is really just made up of all half double crochets.   It will be part of my 1-2-3 Crochet series, so expect a couple more designs using these colors and this one easy stitch, soon.

Have fun!

SUPPLIES

• 5 balls of Super Bulky yarn for the main color - I used Loop & Threads Cozy Wool in Fleece
• 2 balls of Super Bulky yarn for the contrasting color - I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Citron
• P Hook

DIRECTIONS

• Chain 27
• Row 1 - Using your contrasting color, half-double crochet (hdc) in second chain from the hook, hdc in each ch to the end. Ch 2, turn.
• Row 1 - 12 - Hdc in each stitch till the end, Ch 2, turn
• Row 13 - Switch to main color and Hdc in each stitch till the end, Ch 2, turn
• Row 14 - 90 - Hdc in each stitch till the end, Ch 2, turn
• Row 91 - Switch to contrast color and Hdc in each stitch till the end, Ch 2, turn
• Row 92 - 103 - Hdc in each stitch till the end, Ch 2, turn
• Row 104 - Hdc in each stitch till the end, finish and weave in your ends

As always, this pattern is for personal use only and cannot be sold or changed in any way.  Thank you!

Austin Crafternoon!

I'm so excited to announce a super fun crafty event I've been planning!  The first Austin Crafternoon will be held on January 26th! 

SWAP!

Bring your extra supplies, you know that box of yarn that you haven't opened in the last 2 years, or that shelf full of fabric that you're totally going to make something out of like never, and trade them for stuff you'll actually use.  I'm bring said box(es) of yarn, plenty of fabric, embroidery floss, and lord knows what else I can find in the bottomless pit of my craft stash.  If you're wracking your brain for what to bring, I'm secretly hoping for more printmaking ink and lino cut scraps...just sayin'.  And don't forget about tchotchskes and paper scraps for mixed-media art.

 If you're swapping, please try and come by a little earlier to drop of your stuff so we can organize it a little.  The bnb I've rented is close to South 1st street and there's some fun shopping around there, too.  Amelia's, New BROhemia and Ragalicious are all near by and have Sunday hours ^_^ 

CRAFT!

I'm making up three new embroidery patterns just for this event if you'd like to hang out and do some stitching.  I'll also have a free scarf pattern you can hang out and make there with your newly swapped yarn, or take it home to make there.  If you've never embroidered or crocheted before, I'll be there to help with some basic instruction.

Oh!  And of course there will be a photo booth to show off your new creations or just get a little silly!

SEE YOU THERE!

I can't wait to see you there!  If you don't mind, if you're know you're coming, please sign up here, just so I can get an idea of how many folks are showing up.  If there's anything crazy with signing up, please let me know.  This is my first time hosting an even like this, so it's a learning experience for me ^_^ You don't need to bring a ticket, just bring yourself.  And if you don't sign up, that's totally fine.  The more the merrier!

DIY • Comically Large Plastic Beads

You guys!  Comically large Perler beads!  They're not actual "Perler" but I'm not really sure what else to call them.  Plastic beads?  Melty beads?  Plastic Melty beads?  Whatever you call them, I love them and I especially love comically large ones.

We saw the package in the crafty section of Terra Toys and couldn't not get them.

I'm not sure what I'll do with these hearts.  Maybe some hair clips or string them together for a garland.  So many options!

Here's a little comparison of a normal sized Perler bead on the left and the comically large wonderful plastic melty bead on the right.  I'm so excited to figure out what else to make with them!

12 Last Minute Gifts to DIY

1. Illustrated Tote Bag - A fabric marker is all you need to make up a custom bag.

2. Cat Lady Tote Bag - Using the same method as #1, make something fun for your favorite cat lady.

3. Cat Stamped T-Shirt - Using fabric paint and any stamp design, you can make a quick pattern on an fabric surface.

4. Crochet Infinity Scarves - These three patterns use just two colors and just one stitch.  There's still plenty of time to whip up a couple of these!

5. Dip-Dyed Circle Scarves - Two patterns for easy jersey knit circle scarves.  Sewing only one seam can make a fun scarf from any jersey fabric.

6. Cat Lady Embroidery Patterns - These free patterns work up really quickly.

7. Embroidered Handwriting - Use your own handwriting to share a special message.

8. Inspiration Dice - These would be great for any crafter in your life.

9. Perler Bead Ornaments - Make some special ornaments that they can use for years to come.

10. Perler Bead Hair Clips - If you'd rather make something they can use all year, these clips would be perfect. 

11. Poinsettia Headband - Another fun, seasonal gift, this would make for some great Christmas Day photos!

12. Custom Carved Stamp - Make a special stamp with a name or inside joke for a fun personal gift.

I hope these are fun and can help with any last minute crafting and gifting you've got to do before tomorrow!