Cabled Throw Blanket (Knit)

This is my favourite go-to blanket pattern. The cables are gorgeous, and there's just enough of a pattern to keep it from getting boring. The pattern is modified from a baby blanket pattern available from redheart.com, but I added a border, and changed the size of the ribbing between cables. If you haven't tried cabling before it isn't as hard as it looks! A cabling tutorial with pictures is available on my cabled headband pattern post. If you want to make this blanket smaller for a baby, or a bigger throw blanket, then add or subtract stitches in multiples of 12. Enjoy!

Materials

Lion Brand Homespun yarn, or another bulky weight yarn (4 balls, or 20 oz total)

Size 11 (8 mm) circular needle (a slightly different size will do)

Cabling or spare needle. 

Cast on 108 stitches

Knit 10 rows

A) Row 1, 3, 5, 7

K5, *K2, P2, K6, P2*, repeat from * to * to last 7 stitches, K7

B) Row 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

K5, *P2, K2, P6, K2*, repeat from * to * to last 7 stitches, P2, K5

C) Row 9

K5, *K2, P2, C3F, P2*, repeat from * to * to last 7 stitches, K7

When desired length, knit 10 rows and then cast off, and sew in loose ends. 

Note: C3F means put 3 stitches on a spare needle and hold to the front of your work, knit 3 stitches, but the stitches from the spare needle back on the circular needle, them knit those 3 stitches.

Finished size approx. 40" x 50"

This blanket is very similar to this pattern, but with more rows in between cables

Jolie's Quiet Book

My niece just turned 1 this past August, so this summer I took on the project of making her a quiet book. I have seen so many cute patterns online, and my sister-in-law mentioned that she wanted one for her kids, so that's what I did! I had lots of fun picking out templates and making it, and I'm really happy with how it turned out. It took me so long to make though! I used my sewing machine for most of the pieces, but I had to change the thread every time I needed a new colour, which took a while. I also had to cut out the pattern pieces, two pieces of felt, and one piece of interfacing for each removable piece, which was also time-consuming. Jolie loves it though, so it's all worth it!

If you don't know what a quiet book is, it is an activity book made out of felt for young children. They are often used to keep kids occupied during church or in the car. There are pages just to look at, play with, and many of them have educational components such as colours, matching, numbers, and practice fine motor skills (buttons, snaps, zippers).

I decided to make 10 page spreads, so I printed the templates and did all the cutting at once, then all the sewing at once. When I finished and began to put everything together, the pile of pages was quite big, so I decided to split it into two books. The books have binder rings that hold the pages together which open, so the pages can be removed or placed all into one book. All of my pages were made of felt, which also contributed to the bulk of the book.

Below I have a picture of each page, links to the templates, and a few comments. I hope you enjoy my work! For more inspiration, see my quiet book Pinterest board. Most of my templates are from Imagine Our Life, which I highly recommend!

Cover

For the cover, I used a light corduroy material from Hobby Lobby, with white broadcloth on the inside. There are handles, and a velcro strap to keep it closed. As mentioned above, there are binder rings that hold the pieces together and also allow you to remove the pages (see the next picture too). I loosely followed this tutorial, but basically I sewed a big rectangle for the cover, two handles, a velcro strap, and two small straps inside to hold the binder rings (see next picture). 

Name Page

This is the only page in the book that I did not use a template for. I cut out the letters for Jolie's name, and attached snaps to the pieces and to the page. I hand embroidered "my name is" with embroidery floss, and sewed three sides for a pocket to hold the letters. I think using velcro rather than snaps would have made it easier to attach.

Ice Cream Sundae Page

I got this template from this link. For this page, you just play with the different ice cream scoops and toppings. One of my favourites because it is so cute!

Bathroom Page

I chose to make this page because Jolie has a book with a mirror at the end that she loves. I got lucky and found some shiny bristol board at Michael's that I used for the mirror. The brush, toothbrush, and toothpaste can go in the mug. The template I used (here) is for one page, but I spread it onto two.

Cookie Page

This page (tutorial here) involves matching the shapes and colours of the cookies. You also practice buttoning the pieces to the page. Super cute!

Mail Page

This page (from this link) is super cute! The envelopes all velcro open and have a letter inside. I sewed ribbon with writing on it on the outside of the envelopes and the inside letter pages. The letters go in the mailbox, and the red handle can go up.

Cupcake Page

This page has wrapper pockets that I hand-embroidered the numbers onto. Each of the cupcakes has the same number of sprinkles (beads) sewn on, so it can be a matching activity. I used the cupcake template here to cut out the shapes, but modeled it after this page.

Farm Page
This page has animal finger puppets that go in the barn, which has doors that open. The template for this page (link) had apples that snap onto the tree, but I thought those pieces were too small, so I made an owl that is under the tree leaves instead. I also sewed taggie-style ribbons under the sun.

Sock Page

In this page (template here) the socks each have a snap on the back and they match onto the right hand page. You can put them in the dryer as well (hilarious!). For the dryer door, I got a clear folder from the dollar store that I cut for the dryer door.

Dress Up Page 

For this page, there is a plain figure on the right hand page, with velcro as her underwear and bra. I sewed yarn on for her hair, and hand-embroidered her face. The suitcase has a zipper on it to store the clothes, which all have velcro on them to stick to the doll. I didn't follow a specific template, but you can find another example here.

Flower Page

This page (template here) just has flowers that you can practice buttoning on and off of the stems.

Baby Bow Headband (Crochet)

I recently hosted a girl's night where we knitted and crocheted together, wore track pants, and ate junk food (i.e. the perfect Friday night in my books). My friend decided to make a headband for her cousin's baby and it turned out so cute that I decided to make my own! This is one of those projects that I feel kind of silly writing a pattern for because it really is so simple and easy to modify, but I know that many beginners benefit from having something to follow, and everyone benefits from some inspiration.

This pattern can be crocheted, and is a great beginner project. It is really simple, and doesn't take that long to complete. If you don't follow the pattern exactly, that is OK too. If you have slightly bigger/smaller crochet hooks, make it a bit bigger or smaller, then that is fine. Be creative with colours! Just be aware that if you use thicker yarn then you will need to make it a bit shorter. Enjoy!

Crocheted Baby Bow Headband

Materials:
Baby yarn in two colours (size 3/light yarn)
Size G/6 (4.25 mm) crochet hook
Scissors, needle

Headband:
With the colour you want for the headband, LOOSELY chain 50 stitches (*note: if you do it too tight then it won't be stretchy).

Turn, and single crochet in second chain from hook, and to the end.

**Chain one, turn, single crochet in second chain from hook, and to the end.**

Repeat from ** to ** until it is the desired width (approx. 1.5", or 6 rows)

Sew the ends together to form a headband, and weave in the yarn ends.

Bow:
With the colour you want for the bow, chain 15 stitches.

Turn, and single crochet in second chain from hook, and to the end.

**Chain one, turn, single crochet in second chain from hook, and to the end.**

Repeat from ** to ** until it is the desired width (approx. 2.5", or 10 rows)

Sew the yarn ends in.

To Assemble:
With the bow colour, sew in and out of the middle of the bow and tie the two ends together to scrunch it up. With the long end (that is attached to the ball), wrap it around the middle a bunch of times. Cut the yarn with a 6" tail, and tie the two ends together. Sew in the shorter end. With the longer end, sew the bow to the headband on top of the seam. Weave in the end to hide it. And done!

Easy Crocheted Mug Cozy

This is the perfect pattern for a beginning crocheter! I made up this pattern, but it's one of the easiest things I've ever crocheted so I don't want to take much credit. It's perfect for using up scraps of yarn too! I had just a bit left of this colour and I wanted to make a headband, but I ran out of yarn so it became a mug cozy. That being said, you could easily make this long enough to fit your head and just sew the ends together.

Use worsted weight yarn and size I/5.5mm crochet hook.

Chain 16. Double crochet into 3rd chain. Double crochet across. Chain 3. Continue to double crochet until it reaches desired length (about 9-10"). Sew the top and bottom together and weave in ends.

So easy right? You could also embellish it with felt flowers, buttons, or whatever you'd like! Try different colours, stripes, or single crochet or half double crochet. I think that one of these on a mug filled with chocolate and wrapped in cellophane would make a great gift too! These things aren't just cute too, they keep you from burning your hands on the mug and keep your drink (slightly) warmer.

2012 Christmas Ornaments

We are less than a week away from Christmas, so I thought I would share some of the ornaments that I have made for 2012. The first is the time capsule Christmas ornament. I decided that this will be a yearly tradition for our new family. You write down significant things that happened that year on strips of paper, curl them and put them in a glass ornament for that year. I made one last year, so you can see pictures and a tutorial by clicking here.

 

I also made an ornament with our wedding invitation inside, which was inspired by Pinterest of course! I also made a few more of these for wedding gifts, but I can't find a picture of them! I think that it's a really cool way to keep and display your wedding invitation. One thing that fascinates me about Christmas is that ornaments will stick around in your family FOREVER! I love the nostalgia of opening the giant rubbermaid tote full of Christmas decorations and bringing back all the memories you have of years past. These ornaments are made in the same way as the time capsule ornaments, and again you can see the tutorial here.

Pinterest vs. Reality: Wedding Invitation Ornament

Baby Shower Bonanza!

This past weekend was a baby shower for my future-sister-in-law Laura, who will be having a baby just before our wedding! I am so excited for them, and I was almost as excited to do my fair share of DIY projects for the shower and my future neice-y or nephew-y!

I will not be making tutorials for any of these projects, so I will post links to the ones that I used if you want to make any of these things yourself!

1. Baby Bunting Banner

This one was easy peasy. I just cut triangles out of different papers, cut out the letters "b a b y" with my cricut and glued them on, then used double-sided tape to attach the triangles to a ribbon.

2. Cake Pops

You can see my previous post on how to make cake pops if you want to make them. This time I did them a little differently because I used the cake pop maker that Jordan got me for Christmas. It is like a waffle iron and allows you to bake the cake into the ball shapes instead of mixing them with icing, which is much faster. These are a big hit with the kids!

3. Diaper Cake

My future-sister-in-law Lindsay asked me to make a diaper cake for the shower, and I couldn't have been more delighted. I have seen a bunch of these on Pinterest, and was dying to make one! It wasn't that hard either. I followed this tutorial, but instead of using cardboard to make the form, I used white foam board that I got from dollarama.

Pinterest vs Reality: Diaper Cake

4. Knitted Carseat Blanket

This one I got the pattern out of a knitting magazine so unfortunately I can't share the pattern. This is a carseat blanket, the hole is for the buckle on the carseat. The pattern is fairly simple, and it didn't even take a full ball of yarn!

5. Sewn receiving blanket, change pad, burp cloth, and bib

I am learning how to sew, and going a little overboard with it! It took just over 3 metres of fabric to make all of this, so I was very happy with how it turned out! Here are the links for the tutorials:

For the bib, I followed this tutorial, but just used solid fabric for both sides. I was careful when sewing on the velcro, so the bib is reversible as well!

Pinterest vs Reality: Baby Bib

I did a similar thing with the burp cloth, I followed this tutorial, but made my own pattern using newspaper. I also sewed the edges in instead of leaving them frayed.

Pinterest vs Reality: Burp Cloth

I also made this receiving blanket, following this tutorial. I have made a few of these by now, and I think that they turn out really cute with the different fabric combinations!

Pinterest vs Reality: Receiving Blanket

And finally, the changing pad, complete with a pocket to store some extra wipes and diapers, and it even rolls up to fit snugly in your diaper bag. I followed this tutorial, and was happy with the way it turned out.

Pinterest vs Reality: Changing Pad and Wipes Holder

And there you have it folks! It seems like I've been very busy, but I haven't been working for a few weeks so it really is my pleasure to do all these crafts! Enjoy!

Best Shower Gift Ever

I am reaching that stage of life where all of my friends (including me!) are getting married. That means lots of wedding showers to go to! This is (in my opinion) a great shower gift for a bride-to-be, and was a big hit at the two showers that I have gone to so far. With your name etched onto the casserole dish, nobody will ever steal it at potlucks! I saw this idea on Pinterest, and had to try it out! I apologize for the quality of my pictures, it is really difficult to take a good picture of glass!

Supplies:
-glass casserole dish
-glass etching cream (I got it from Michael's for about $10)
-foam brush
-adhesive vinyl
-cricut or stencils and exacto knife

Instructions:
1. Cut out the letters/design that you would like onto the adhesive vinyl using your cricut, or trace and cut with an exacto knife.

2. Stick the adhesive vinyl onto the clean glass surface where you would like your design to appear.

3. Apply a GENEROUS amount of glass etching cream to the glass surface on top of the stencil you made. Put it on nice and thick so that you can't see the glass underneath. Leave it for 10-15 minutes on a flat surface so that the cream doesn't drip. *The instructions on the cream said to leave it for 1-2 minutes, but on my practice one it didn't show up well enough, so I left it for a lot longer.*

4. Rinse off the cream using water and paper towels. Peel off the stenciled vinyl, and wipe off any excess cream. Dry it and you are finished!

A few notes:
The way that the glass etching works is that it is an acid that chips away at the surface of the glass. This means that the etching is permanent, and you can bake, microwave, and wash it and it won't come off. This also means that you have to be careful not to make any mistakes! I recommend doing a practice one on an old candle or jar before doing it on a $20 casserole dish. :)

Variations:
You can use this technique on any glass surface that you would like. I saw some on Pinterest that were decorated trifle dishes, or candle holders that are nice.

Pinterest vs. Reality: Glass Etched Casserole Dish

(mine on bottom)

Dress it up:

I knit some dishcloths and put them inside one of the gifts that I gave. I also sewed a plastic bag holder, you can find that tutorial here.

Pinterest vs. Reality: Plastic Bag Holder (mine on bottom)

  
For another, I sewed a casserole carrier to go with it. I am a beginner sewer, so I am not even going to attempt to make a tutorial, but you can find the one that I used here. Ta da!

Pinterest vs. Reality: Casserole Carrier (mine on bottom)

Mod-Podge Coasters and Magnets

Here's a fun, cheap, and easy craft, inspired by Pinterest! This is a popular craft on Pinterest, and I just had to try it out! Thankfully, it turned out just as well as the Pinterest version, which is good news! (See my board "Pinterest vs. Reality")

Magnets

What you need:
- clear glass pebbles
- mod podge
- scrapbook paper
- foam brush
- scissors
- pencil
- magnets
- hot glue gun

Directions:
Trace the glass pebbles (I found them at a dollar store) onto the back of scrapbook paper of your choice, and cut it out (it doesn't hurt to cut it a little smaller than the pebbles).

Brush some mod podge onto the flat side of the pebble, and place the paper circle on top (pretty side down). Brush some more mod podge on top, and allow to dry.

When it has dried, hot glue your magnets onto the back of the paper (test it on the fridge to make sure you're gluing the right side down). You did it!

Variations:
I tried doing one with just white paper and I wrote a message on it with ball-point pen, which looked neat because it magnified a little. You could also use newsprint, pictures, or whatever patterned paper you would like, the options are endless! :)

Pinterest vs Reality (mine on bottom)

Coasters

What you need:
- small square white bathroom tiles
- mod podge
- scrapbook paper
- foam brush
- scissors
- pencil
- felt
- hot glue or tacky glue
- clear acrylic spray (optional)
- ribbon (optional)

Directions:
I bought the tiles from Home Depot in the bathroom tile section. I can't remember how much they cost, but it was inexpensive, probably around 30c each. Trace or measure the scrapbook paper so that it is the same size as the tiles, and cut it out.

Brush mod podge onto the top (smooth edge) of the tiles.

 Place the scrapbook paper on top and press it down. Brush more mod podge on top of the paper, and make sure the edges stick. Even though it dries clear, You can still see the streaks, so I brushed across it in straight lines so it looked better. Let it dry (takes a while!) 

 When it is dry, spray clear acrylic spray on top to seal. (This is optional, I have seen it done by spraying the top instead of the top coat of mod podge. I did both, but one or the other would be fine). Cut out the felt the same size as the tiles.

Use hot glue or tacky glue to stick the felt onto the bottom of the tiles. Let it dry.

To package them, I made sets of 4 that matched/co-ordinated, stacked them on top of each other, and tied them up with a pretty ribbon. I gave a set to my mother-in-law-to-be, and she still hasn't unwrapped it because she thinks it looks so nice with the bow!

This craft makes a great gift (watch out wedding showers), and is fairly inexpensive to make. The only catch is that it takes a while because you have to let everything dry. I made 30 coasters/magnets, and it took me a good evening. I would recommend making a bunch at a time while you have all the stuff out.

Variations:
I have seen this craft done on Pinterest using photos- it would definitely work if you printed them onto normal printer paper/cardstock, but I don't know how well it would work with photo paper. You could also cut out shapes and layer them onto the tile with mod podge in between as well, or like the magnets, write a special message/drawing onto normal paper as a special keepsake.

Pinterest vs Reality (Mine on bottom)