Invisapeeps 2.0

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

Crafters! What are you working on?

Desdenova · Motherhood: Sleep is for the weak!!

I haven't started yet, but I want to make a TON of things for LO's 1st birthday and I want to do them all by hand.

Clothes pins with a butterfly
Table center pieces with pots and paper flowers and butterflies
A tutu for her outfit
The invitations to the party

I know I'm waaaay ahead (she's only 7 months now lol) but if I'm making them by myself I need to get it going.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

Oh, I love butterflies! If we ever have a little girl, the nursery theme will be lavender and butterflies. Are you on Pinterest? I found a TON of stuff for AB's party last year, which was a dino theme. I think we're doing monsters this year.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

For you, Des:

http://www.crayola.com/search.aspx#/category%3aColoring%20Pages%2fsearchtext%3abutterflies

http://www.crayola.com/search.aspx#/category%3aCrafts%2fsearchtext%3abutterflies

kinalikamom · Senior Member

We were at DD's last month and I made a slipcover for her sofa and a bedskirt for her new-to-her bed. I am currently working on making a simple shoulder carrier/divided bag for transporting my recorders (soprano, alto, tenor, & bass) in their assembled state and, if I can work it out, another slot to fit in a music stand as well. I have a few pieces cut out but I am still in the mental "will this work?" and "how can I work that?" stage.

Desdenova · Motherhood: Sleep is for the weak!!

Thank you very much Aard!

Her nursery has a butterfly theme, since I knew she was a girl all I could think about were butterflies. I have a couple of pics of it on FB.
And I'm on pinterest Desdenova12 :D

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

I think I'm kristenflute on Pinterest.

EmmDee · Guru

I have started doing something a little different. I am getting scrap pieces of granite and arranging them onto pieces of salvaged wood. I'm going to put hooks on the bottom for things like keys. I am getting busy with the stone engraving but I am trying to make sure I have at least one day to do fun things randomly. Oh, I have also fallen for polymer clay.

OpheliaDev1 · Guru

I've been making a lot of soap recently. My mom and I have a basement closet FULL of soap and toiletry making stuff. I have all of these little sample-sized bottles of fragrance oils and I'm determined to start using them up. This week I made a batch and I scented part of it with Green Tea fragrance and some of it with Green Cactus fragrance. The Green Cactus is colored green and pink, and the Green tea is just green.

HamsterFan · Owner of Halvdan

At my god daughter's request I am making clothing for one of her dolls. It's not going real well.... : )

winds55 · Guru

Ophelia, do you make the melt and pour soap or the lye soap (cold process, I think?) ?

I've been working on a vest that I've substituted a hand-dyed yarn for the yarn used in the pattern, so I've had to recalculate the stitches and rows. Now I just have my fingers crossed that I have enough yarn to finish it, or it will have been a heck of a lot of work for nothing.

OpheliaDev1 · Guru

Yes, I use lye. Melt and pour soap just lacks the opportunity for me to seriously hurt myself. :)

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

ODev, have you ever made bath bombs?

OpheliaDev1 · Guru

I've never made bath bombs. I keep meaning to, but I never get around to it. I've made lip balm, lotion and lotion bars.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

I'd like to try making lip balm. My church's women's group is considering making a body scrub to sell at our town's annual craft festival. I saved umpteen million baby food jars because I hated to throw them away and recycling is hard to do around here, so we're trying to use them up.

OpheliaDev1 · Guru

Aardvark, if you decide to do that, checkout Brambleberry. They have reasonably-priced supplies, plus recipes. Don't buy stuff at the craft store.

Lady Paint · Horse Junky. Dog Flunky.

I just finished this project. I don't think I will ever make another one of these. 255 squares that then had to be hand sewn together. Arggghhh!!

Spoiler

-- Edited by Lady Paint on Saturday 13th of July 2013 12:41:33 PM

winds55 · Guru

That's beautiful, Lady Paint. I love all the colors.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

Thanks, OD! I will check them out!

LP - That's beautiful!

winds55 · Guru

Got home last night from the knit/crochet show - if you ever get a chance to go to the Knitting /Crochet Guild Association shows or Stitches - go! It's amazing to take classes from the same designers you see in magazines and books. They are so encouraging, and it's quite an ego boost to have them tell you they like something they did using their patterns and ideas. I had classes by Nancie Wiseman, Beth Brown-Reinsel and Lily Chin - so much fun and I learned so much. I can't wait to try some of the tips, and finish the mittens I started in Beth's class.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

Anyone start something new and exciting? Any awesome finished projects to show off?

I'm not currently working on anything, but I do have several bracelets sorted out in my project box that need to be strung. I also have 4 small skeins of Sugar 'n Cream brand yarn to make dish cloths. Those should be easy to bang out, since they're small.

I also bought 2 new jewelry design/instruction/technique books over the weekend. One is all beaded wire which is a little out of my league, but I want to give it a whirl. (Plus, it was only $4 and I have friends who bead, so I can give it to one of them without feeling like I wasted money).

Desdenova · Motherhood: Sleep is for the weak!!

I have to start working on my sister's bachelorette (sp?) party, we have to do favors and some things for the games. I haven't bought anything and I already lost my notes for the party :/

We are also making the invitations, so I have to design those as well. I think I need to get to work ASAP!

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

Hop to it, Des!

I've managed to finish 2 dishcloths and am almost done with a third. The 100% cotton yarn doesn't want to slide as easily across my crochet hook as the other stuff does, but I love the feel of it. I have 9 more to go after this, then I need to seriously concentrate on my jewelry. I bought more head and eye pins for earrings and a bunch of toggle clasps so I should be set supply-wise. I also have a "commission" piece that I have to order supplies for and another "commission" piece that's sitting on my bead board, waiting to be laid out and strung.

Why am I such a procrastinator?

Ilumine · Member

A letter out of buttons on canvas

OpheliaDev1 · Guru

I got a strand of beads at an estate sale. Mom and I think they are coral, but somebody else said they were glass. They're white with some pink marbleing. The strand is too short to wear - I think it's part of a broken necklace. So I got some onyx beads and hopefully I will be able to string them this weekend.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

I'm putting together a bracelet for a friend and it's my first time using crimp beads and lampwork beads. I need another hand for this darn crimp bead!

Elephino · Member

I just wood burned a monogram on a beer flight panel for my brother yesterday. And I set up a fram with black fabric and batting to display my pin collection. I think it would look better on a bigger (16x20) frame so the pins are more spaced out, but frames that big are pricey! I'll probably just wind up buying another 11x14 and spreading them out more.

RareEyre · Veteran Member

I am trying to finish a chalkboard top table for my girls' room, but something always goes wrong! The poly I used over the acrylic paint dripped from the legs onto the top and peeled off the three paint layers. Grrr. Once it is done I have to start knitting the kids' winter hats, gloves, and scarves, plus making Hallowe'en costumes.

Sadly, my craft room is a mess! Can't do much until I clean it all out.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

I finished all my crochet projects for the craft festival! Wheeeeeeeeee! I also made a bunch of kid's bracelets. Now, it's on to making Christmas trees out of ribbons and pearls and finishing my jewelry.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

I made over 80 pony-bead bracelets last week. We're pricing them at $1 each or buy five, get one free, so hopefully, they all sell. If not, I'll put them in the storage room and drag them back out for next year's festival.

I made these Christmas tree ornaments, both pictured here and with the colors reversed:

I also played around with button bracelets. I need to try a different stringing medium. The stretchy cord was not ideal:

Evil Stepmother · Guru

I'm not that crafty, other than the embroidery I used to do. I do have an old armless slipper chair I'm thinking of trying to reupholster, though. Last weekend I watched a series of 23 videos on Youtube that showed how to do it all from retying springs to blind stitching the pieces after they are tacked on to the final steaming of the chair. So last night with just 18 minutes to go on an auction on Ebay, I signed up and bought some fabric. When DH saw what I was bidding on he said, "You've got to be f'ing kidding me." This is the material:

l

This is not my chair, but very similar. Mine has a flat skirt with an inverted pleat in each corner.

This is the chair I saw on line that inspired me. It's nothing like mine, but shows how much better the fabric looks on something.

Have any of you done reupholstery? How difficult did you find it? I've done dining chairs, but that is pretty easy.

OpheliaDev1 · Guru

I'm still resting from my big pre-Christmas soap, lotion and lip-balm making extravaganza. My fingernails have finally grown back! I didn't wear gloves like I should have, and the raw soap dried out my nails so they were just snapping off left and right. (Just the ends, not the whole nail.)

I have figured out (I think) how to do soap that looks like a 9-block quilt. So I'll be tackling that next week!

HamsterFan · Owner of Halvdan

A friend just had a baby so I'm going to try my hand at some baby stuff.

Evil, I've reupholstered a couple of easy chairs and they came out really well.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

My grandfather gave my grandmother's sewing machine to me the other day. I don't know what to make first.

ladyloonatic · Senior Member

I'm so jealous of everyone's crafty-ness. It's so fun hearing about what you are working on.

I'll have to find some projects I can do...

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

I have located my book on machine sewing. I do better with watching how something's done, but between the book and youtube videos, I should be able to manage. My first project is going to be a valance for AB's new big boy room.

winds55 · Guru

Aardvark, have you checked out Crafty.com? I just got an email - they have some free sewing 'classes' going on right now. Sewing machine basics, and some quilting block video.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

I have not, winds. Thanks! I will definitely take a look.

winds55 · Guru

Michaels is stalking me, I think. I manage to avoid going there for a few weeks, despite nice % off coupons in my email, and I get coupons in the mail. Of course, that didn't stop my from buying 7 knitting books from Interweave online, though. (They were marked way, way down - $15 - $25 books for $3.99!) I need another bookcase.

And I may need a new microwave, which I would normally buy from Target, which is next to Michaels. Could be an expensive weekend.

On the good side, though, I have only one seam and 2500 more stitches to finish a vest. And it's still cold enough for me to wear it; won't have to wait until next winter.

EmmDee · Guru

We are working on our move to a 3 bedroom apartment which will give us a hobby room for DH and a hobby/work room for myself. I am flipping excited about this and will hopefully have the space to do projects outside of my "work" things.

Balloon Animal · Guru

Not much, some stuff for future birthday parties.

Working on some fun holiday themed baths for the kids. I went to the Dollar Store and got tons of stuff to do a St. Patrick's and Easter bath. For Easter bath going to do a bubble bath with the plastic eggs and carrots hidden in the tub. Then bought a plastic bucket for them to collect the eggs in and some rubber duckies with bunny ears.

For St. Patrick's day got some foam shamrocks to stick up on the tub wall and some light up shamrock necklaces and green glow sticks to do a green themed bath. Maybe do green shaving cream to play with.

I put the boys in together to play and DD gets to do her baths alone. I usually make hers a little more spa like and put some lavender bath oil along with the bubbles for her. She still enjoys playing in the tub because who the heck don't!?

Before long will be putting up about 200 eggs in trees all over the yard for Easter decorating. Its been about 7 years since I restrung the eggs and most need to be restrung again. I am not looking forward to doing that. Maybe I can pass by another year before having to do it.

Doing a St.Patricks playdate with rainbow cupcakes and rainbow snack mix. Did it last year so I already kinda know how to do it.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

winds55 wrote:
Michaels is stalking me, I think. I manage to avoid going there for a few weeks, despite nice % off coupons in my email, and I get coupons in the mail. Of course, that didn't stop my from buying 7 knitting books from Interweave online, though. (They were marked way, way down - $15 - $25 books for $3.99!) I need another bookcase.

And I may need a new microwave, which I would normally buy from Target, which is next to Michaels. Could be an expensive weekend.

On the good side, though, I have only one seam and 2500 more stitches to finish a vest. And it's still cold enough for me to wear it; won't have to wait until next winter.

$3.99 craft books? Good job! I get mine at Half-Price Books for usually $5 or less.

Was it an expensive weekend for you?

I was at Michael's on Friday. I went for one item and came home with several. I wanted a ring holder shaped like a hand, which I got on sale, but three of the fingers broke off by the time I got it home, so I am currently repairing it.

I also got two photo storage boxes, which I am going to use to store my boxed costume jewelry. I wanted a box that looked like a book, but I like the vintage-y photo look of the boxes I picked, plus they were cheaper.

Lastly, I got wooden letters to spell out AB's name (I'm really glad his name isn't actually AardvarkBoy - at $4 a letter, it would have been a $50 project easily!). I'm going to paint them green, hopefully this afternoon. When they're dry, I am going to stick little wooden jungle animals to them, then hang them in his room.

I still have to find fabric I like for his window valance and little quilt.

Desdenova · Motherhood: Sleep is for the weak!!

aaaawww the letters sound lovely!!

I made LO's name in felt for her room, I think they look very cute! I'm inspired to make her initials on wood for her door :D

winds55 · Guru

I didn't go anywhere over the weekend, although I did manage to spend $20 buying downloadable pattern and instruction books for jewelry.

Finished the vest, wore it today, don't really like it. I may see if it will shrink a bit in the washer.

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

Ooh - where did you get the patterns?

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

The letters have their first coat of paint The little animals next to them have to wait for another coat to go on, then dry. Amazingly, I didn't get paint anywhere except on the letters and a little on my finger.

Spoiler

winds55 · Guru

Those are going to be very cute.

I got the books from Beading Daily, I think. Or Jewelry Daily. All Interweave companies, different newsletters. They all have occasional free ebooks and patterns, which make the annoying newsletters worth it for the most part.

Desdenova · Motherhood: Sleep is for the weak!!

I love the color! I hope we get to see pics of the finished craft!

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

Yes, I will post pics when I am done!

I will also post a picture of the project that's in the corner (it's going to be a buffet stand).

Aardvark · But my mom says I'm cool!

AB's wall hanging is done! It looks pretty good, although the paint is uneven in places. I'm not thrilled, but you can only see it close up. Since the letters will be hanging about 6 feet off the floor, most people won't notice!

My stupid camera died, so I'll post pics after I go upstairs and get fresh batteries.