signs and lettering

As you can probably tell, these were for a wedding. They are made from dollar store foam boards with chalkboard spray paint for a nicer surface texture. I used a chalk pen from Michael's for the lettering. There was one for the bar about cameras and shenanigans, but I guess I didn't get a picture.

wedding ferns

There were several DIY projects I helped with for my sister Cory's wedding, but by far my favorite was a fern stencil. We bought it to make signs for the road leading up to the wedding venue. It was outside an already-small town and there were several turns on back roads that could get guests lost. So we made it a family project with these lovely directions as the result.

Cory got the wood from work (she's a log accountant) and her groom cut the rounds. My dad constructed the signs, and stenciling the arrows and ferns was a group effort.

When we finished the signs there was still lots of paint, so we decided the cake stand needed some fern love.

There was still lots of paint, so my aunt said "I want one!" and took off her sweatshirt so we could stencil it. Cory was next to offer up the sweatshirt off her back, and it started a trend. Pretty soon everyone had a fern shirt.

Now they are lovely reminders of a beautiful wedding! Here's to Matt and Cory!

painting with a twist

So I went to one of those painting classes where everyone recreates their own version of a stock image. It was part of my new sister-in-law's bachelorette party, and we had lots of fun trying out our artistic talents and drinking wine during breaks (we had to let some paint dry after all). I'm glad I went. Probably wouldn't do it again. And I would never make it a date. Ha.

My finished product

The bride-to-be working on finishing touches

wedding stationary

When I got married, my sister gifted me makeup and hair related wedding stuff. It was her way of sharing "her thing" with me, and not feeling especially qualified to make such decisions on my own, I loved it! This summer it's her turn to be the bride. I decided "my thing" would be her wedding stationary.

I can't take credit for how amazing this looks. A friend of mine is a designer and put together these invites from my basic description of Matt and Cory's style. Another talented friend printed them on his home letterpress.

I decided to address the invites by hand and got really into the calligraphy. It might be a new hobby! (Sorry for the sloppy blurring of addresses, gotta respect some privacy though.)

 

 Also, if you are invited to the wedding and haven't sent in your RSPV, today is the day!! Consider this your friendly reminder from me. :)

my little prince

How cute is this little crochet crown!? The pattern can be found here. It's in Dutch, but with a little Google Translate a little guesswork it's not too difficult to figure out.

costume: aviator

So a nasty cold completely derailed my costume making plans. I was miserable for over a week and spent any and all extra time resting and trying to heal. My plan was to use the sweatsuit pattern I drafted to make a fox costume. I had it all designed in my head, I had all the materials purchased, and I was so excited.

When we left for Michigan on Saturday, I had to make the hard choice to leave my project behind. I didn't want to assume I could borrow sewing equipment, and I didn't want to take time away from our visit with family. I cried.

We were invited to trick-or-treat with Atlas's cousins, which necessitated a costume, but I couldn't bring myself to go buy one. We decided to work with the sweatsuit I had already made, add the wings we got on the flight, and crochet a hat and goggles to complete the look.

The hat and goggles pattern is designed by Yarnovations.com and I purchased it on Etsy. A quick trip to Michaels for yarn and a few other supplies was easy. The hat was super quick and easy, the goggles slightly more time consuming, but also pretty basic. I used the exact yarn suggested by the pattern and a plastic cup for the lenses. I'm really pleased with the outcome.

I'm planning to use the materials I bought for the fox costume on a winter jacket inspired by this design and loosely using the Baby in the Hood pattern in Handmade Beginnings.

 

"things that go" birthday party

My little man turned one today, and we threw him a great party. He loves anything with wheels, so we focused on "things that go".

train and car frosted sugar cookies

semi sized sign

car made from a box

wheel-themed cakes that spin

oreo pop favors with rims

car-themed board book favors for kids

birthday boy loving a new toy

wintery grey baby cap

Continued crochet efforts: this warm winter wear is for a cute little one being dedicated today.

 

cat toy

Our cat loves chasing balled baby socks around the apartment, as if we don't lose enough little socks from Atlas removing them himself at odd times in random places. This toy is meant to distract her from the socks... though as I type, I'm noticing a pair in the kitchen by her food dish.

I made a crochet sphere based loosely on this pattern. I started with a magic loop instead of chains so that I could add a bit of cotton batting and catnip as stuffing before tightening it up.

So far it seems to be a hit. Just enough of the catnip comes out to keep her interested, and the yarn catches on her claws without snagging too much. Perhaps when she tires of it, I'll look up a crochet mouse pattern (or make one up) and include an extra long tail for her to chase.

baby booties on dedication day

Other people who are fluent in the gift giving love language find cute Bible story board books or personalized photo albums or other thoughtful tools for spiritual growth as gifts for baby dedication. But I can't pass up an opportunity to craft. I try to take time while my hands are busy working to reflect on the baby's personality, think of ways to support the baby's parents, and pray for the family in general, but I'm not the most disciplined in that regard, especially if my own little one is around to distract me. I'm equally likely to end up thinking about how accomplished I will feel once the completed project ends up on my blog or what we'll have for dinner.

Our friends' sweet boy was dedicated Sunday morning. This little guy rocks those baby socks that look like converse sneakers, but at the rate he's growing, his little feet won't fit in them for very long. So I pulled my crochet hook back out and found a pattern on Ravelry for the cutest booties ever!

One of my favorite cards from our wedding has a elegant design cut into the front to show a decorative cross pattern. I've been using it as a stencil for many occasions, and today seemed fitting to use it again.

granny stripe boutique bag

Update: now for sale on Etsy

My name is Jesse, and I have a crochet problem. It wouldn't be a problem, but my focus on crochet projects has started to threaten my ability to finish a baby shower project in time for the baby shower. So this is the last piece I will post until the other project is complete.

This little Granny Stripe Boutique Bag is quick and easy. The bag pattern can be found on Tangled Happy and the flower tutorial is here, though just about any crochet flower would look nice on this classic crochet look. I left off the center piece of this flower because I liked how it turned out with just the orange.

As cute as this little bag is, it's not practical for anything more than keys, wallet, and cell phone - which is all I need sometimes. However, I think I will adjust the pattern to make a slightly larger bag and try lining it and adding a zipper to the top. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.


Crochet appeals to me because unlike many of my other projects, it really only requires one material and one tool. Even if I use multiple colors of yarn or multiple gauges of hook, I only need one of each at a time. So my work space can be anywhere - no need to spread out across the floor where curious babies and attention deprived cats wreak havoc on organization. No need for an ironing board or pins, another set of hazards to little ones. No noisy sewing machine to wake Atlas from a nap or Patrick in the middle of the night (when many of these projects get their finishing touches). I can set it down and pick it back up again without missing a stitch. It's the perfectly simple medium for a currently complicated life.

Pinterest Tuesday: crochet edition

I started following someone's crochet board on Pinterest, and while I haven't repinned many images (in part because I can't decide to put them on my "sew" or my "craft" board) I was inspired to try my hand at some crochet flowers. I used the bulk cheap yarn I had sitting around, but maybe if I get a little better with some practice I'll buy some nicer stuff in more colors to decorate some fall hats and scarves.

Pinterest Tuesday: catching up edition

I am hoping to attempt one project inspired by a Pinterest idea each weekend and post the results on Tuesdays. I'll post Pin-wins (projects I think are successful) as well as Pinstrocities (of the less successful variety).

The first few are projects I completed over the last several months, but starting next week I'll try to keep everything current. Here goes...

Based on a pin of this dry erase calendar, I used a frame we already had with scrapbook paper to make this weekly calendar. Patrick and I share google calendars and keep most of our schedule organized there, but sometimes it helps to actually write it out and have it visually available in our home.

This pin of a kitchen tea wreath seemed like the perfect way to add color to our otherwise boring kitchen and display our tea collection for guests. We later determined most of our selection is loose leaf and difficult to put on the wreath, but it's still pretty. I used cardboard from a box and wrapping paper from World Market.

 

This pin showing fabric wall paper covering a door was my inspiration for putting up some fabric on our walls. I tested a small piece in the back corner of a small closet to make sure there would be no lasting damage to our (rented) walls, and went for it. I chose a fairly dark print to contrast our otherwise white walls and light carpet. I love the way it adds a coziness to our decor.

 

 

cake pop tutorial

Cake pops I made for book club tonight.

Milk chocolate on dark chocolate with yellow cake in the middle!

 BASIC TUTORIAL

• Make yellow cake from a box (you can make it from scratch, but in my experience they don't turn out much better because the texture is less of a factor)
• Cut off the crust if you want the centers to be smooth and without color variation
• Add 1 cup vanilla frosting and mix thoroughly
• Chill 
• Use your clean hands to make balls (I usually get 48-50)
• Melt 1 package dark cocoa Wilton candy melts
• Dip lollipop stick 1/2 inch into the candy melt and then insert into the ball
• Chill
• Dip ball into the candy melt and tap over pot to remove excess coating, but gently to avoid losing the cake ball into the candy.
• Place upright to dry - I use a Styrofoam block with holes 2 inches apart
• Decorate - for these I used 1/4 bag milk chocolate candy melt in a sandwich bag with a corner clipped off.

If you are interested in a full detailed tutorial with more pictures, let me know in the comments.

owl cake pops

My most recent cake pop project was treats for a dear friend's daughter's first birthday party. The theme was owls, and since I was recently introduced to Bakerella, I was inspired to make the pops actually resemble the furry birds. Anyone familiar with Bakerella can mentally picture the owls on the cover of the book - the image is practically a cake pop icon.

The first lesson I learned from this project: don't try to replicate an iconic image. My first attempts look more like Frankenstein than owls.

My first two attempts. I'm a little embarrassed to post these.

My second lesson: what looks like sloppy asymmetry on one cake pop becomes quirky character by the time I make a dozen. I almost gave up on these little guys because they weren't coming out as well as I hoped, but once I had a critical mass I was actually pretty pleased.

new inspiration

I think crochet flower flourishes are an inevitable component of one of my next projects. My sister, gift giver extraordinaire, gave me several fun things this Christmas, but by far the most fun was inspiration. She gave me 100 flowers to knit & crochet by Lesley Stanfield. I'm so excited to try every variety listed (ok, maybe not the asparagus).

Not only that, but during her visit to DC we visited the National Museum of Natural History which is currently exhibiting a crochet coral reef exhibit. It is one of the most creative things I've ever seen. Color me inspired.

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef