yarn juice

This is not spaghetti.

Even though that's what everyone who walked into the kitchen thought. I have some free time before I have to start my next project for class so I thought I'd tick some things off my crafty to-do list. One being kool-aid yarn dying! You may remember this post.

I can't wait to try other colors. I just have to unravel a few more skeins first. For my first project, I'm creating a color palette of the general kitchen decor to make a woven yarn rug. This flavor color is mango. As you can see the water is pretty much clear and all the color is absorbed into the yarn. Fun!

In the shot above you get a good idea of the original color vs. the kool-aid color. I need to pick up a few more packs now that I have a project in mind. I just grabbed these at random at the market one day so I'd have something to start with.

What projects are you tackling these days?

Have a great weekend!!

box o tubes

I've come to accept the fact that I'm kind of a hoarder when it comes to cool looking things that I think I'll be able to use for something someday. I think my dad is too, which is why there has been a staggered release of cool things from our garage lately. He finally realizes he can't do anything with whatever it is, puts it somewhere to eventually go in the trash, and then I spot it. And then I say, "Oooo whatcha doin with that?" And he says "Throwing it out. Unless you think you can use it for something." Such an enabler. ;)

The most recent find was a box of old school radio tubes. Not sure what I could ever possibly do with the tubes themselves, but the boxes were too fun to pass up on. Honestly, I don't even know what I could do with the boxes either, besides just displaying them somewhere. I thought of maybe unfolding them all and making a sort of framed collage with them.

So I have no idea what I'm going to do with them. Maybe I'll scour the internets for some crafty things to do with radio tubes or old boxes. I have a problem. I think it's a crafter problem. We see things and go "I can make something with that!" And then hold on to it for years because it's either too good to use in the projects we think of, or just some crazy thing that looks cool but isn't really going to serve another purpose. Meh, who knows. ;)

Thanks for all of the suggestions to my fifty dollar yarn problem! I loved reading them all and think I might look into the hat idea, or maybe just make scarfy accessory type thing. I'll keep you posted! Thanks also for the congrats on my passing the tests! It's a huge weight off my shoulders!

Today I have the house to myself so I think I'm going to do some yoga, start some laundry, and bake something sweet and bread-like. Exciting, minus the laundry. :)

Hope you're having a great week!

that time i accidentally got fifty dollar yarn

Yep. You read it right. And the reason I'm admitting this ridiculous fact is because I need a little help making it worth the while.

About a year ago, on Easter in fact, my family and I went to the beach for the day as it has been our tradition since I was little. We stopped in Cape May and walked around the main streets for a while before finding this completely charming little yarn store that was packed with the biggest selection of yarn I have ever seen. I browsed for a little while with my mom as my dad and brother waited patiently outside.

My mom then told me to pick out a few I liked and she would buy them for me as a little Easter gift. Because she thought it would be about a $20 gift. Well I found a couple skeins I liked for a project I had in mind, and this one really gorgeous skein that was handmade by someone somewheres. Now, that should have been my clue right there that it'd be a little pricey, but there were no price tags anywhere so I wasn't really thinking about it because of my knowledge of craft store yarn prices.

 

Well we get to the counter and when the total comes to seventy-something dollars, my mom and I were understandably like, ".....what?" The woman shows us the prices and that the handmade yarn was $50. I was horrified but my mom started cracking up! I told her I'd put it back immediately and she was like no, no we're already at the register, it's fine.. as she continued to laugh! I'm glad at least she was amused.. the woman ringing us up was a little "Pshh, it's handmade of course it's fifty dollars. We only carry the highest quality blahblahblah." Alright lady. Relax. We headed for the exit toting the billion dollar unicorn hair yarn and my mom says, "We just won't tell your father."

Anyway, a year later and I still have not used this yarn because let's face it, it'd be a crime to not do something amazing with it. That's a lot of pressure from a not-so-big skein of yarn! I finally thought I had an idea yesterday and decided to go for it. (You may have seen the instagram.) But after I made the base chain I realized just how small an amount there really is. It looks like there's a lot but that's because it's made up of different strands all worked together. (Pick any three strands you see in the photo and count them as one because they are twisted together.)

So my question is, what can you make with a small amount of yarn that is totally worth using awesome yarn on. Because it actually is really cool yarn so I guess I can understand the price. Sort of. I want to make it worthwhile but it's gotta be something smallish. Or a few smaller things.

Any suggestions are welcome!

light crochet

Before I get into today's ideas and inspirations, I just want to share a little exciting news! Well, exciting to me. :) Yesterday, after four very long weeks of waiting, I finally got the scores of the two Praxis tests I took back to back - and I passed! Both of them! This is crazy good news because now all I have to do to finish my certification is take my two summer classes and student teach. Then I will be officially able to teach in PA. I was so stressed out that I wouldn't pass and then I'd be even more stressed retaking them, plus the fact that it costs a pretty penny. This is such a weight off my shoulders I can't even truly express it in words! If you could see me I'd show you my happy running windmill dance I did through the house to get to my coffee after I found my scores yesterday. :)

Anyway.

The idea of warm weather is starting to sink into my bones and even my craft mentality is taking a cue. I haven't crocheted anything in a while and I've got the urge to pick up some yarn so I went through my inspiration folder to find some spring and summer appropriate crochet projects. The lightness of the stitches, the uses, and color palettes are what make me think of warm weather when I see these projects.

1 The yarn takes on an airy net-like structure in this beautiful crocheted market bag. I'd love to whip up a few of these and take them on a trip to a farmers market or take one to the beach! [source + more found here]

2 These gorgeous place mats from the Purl Bee look like they belong on a wooden picnic table, surrounded by melting drinks and a summer fruit salad. I absolutely love the color palette they used. [source]

3 I really want to try to make one of these woven hula hoop rugs. In this tutorial, it is made with yard after yard of finger knitting. This project isn't exclusive to warm weather but I'm embracing anything that isn't a scarf or sweater or mittens right now. :) [source]

4 I love this little crocheted cuff. The stitch looks so complex but once it's broken down it seems totally doable. I love it in the earthy tone.. the perfect natural looking accessory for time spent outside. [source + a great tutorial]

5 I saw this cute beach cover-up on the Free People site last summer (which unfortunately means the source no longer exists) but I had one of those "hey, maybe I could make that" moments. It looks like a bunch of doilies linked together with a net-like stitch. I might try to make my own variation for this summer. Speaking of Free People and crochet, have you seen their new catalogue? It's packed with crocheted items.. more than I would have thought possible for this time of year! It's great to look at. Check it.


Well I hope your month is starting off well! What projects are on you list for the warm seasons?

paper mache bowls: how-to

Just wanted to put together a little how-to for anyone wondering how I made these. It's super simple and I'm sure there's a million ways to do it but this is how I did!

First, grab some balloons and blow them up to the size that you want your bowls. Then tear up some newspaper (in hindsight I would make the pieces smaller - they'll lay flatter and minimize bumps and wrinkles!) and start mod podging it to your balloon. I just dipped my brush straight into the bottle, painted some on the balloon, and stuck down the first piece of paper. Then I brushed over that and kept sticking pieces of paper on until the balloon was almost half covered. Make sure all of the paper is covered in mod podge.

 
If you make the bowl bigger than you want it, you can cut the edge off later to the size you want, which will ensure that the edge is even and thick.

After going for a while, hold your balloon up to a light and check for thin spots where the light shines through. Cover these spots with more paper until you can no longer see light through it. I think my whole balloon was about four layers thick, at least.

When you're satisfied by the paper coverage, hang your balloon to dry by the little nub on top. I just clipped mine to a clothesline. I let it dry overnight so it would be nice and firm when I went to paint it.

So when your balloons are nice and set, grab some painting supplies!

I thought it would be easiest to just hold the balloon while I painted the paper so I left it inflated. It took about three coats before all the newspaper was hidden so I just hung the balloons on the clothesline in between layers. They dried pretty quickly.

When the paint is dry, pop the balloon! I cut the top off so it wouldn't just burst but deflate quickly. I wasn't sure if the bursting would tear it. Just help the balloon along as it deflates and unsticks to the paper.

Next, I leveled off the tops and just trimmed until the bowl had the depth that I wanted.

After that, paint the inside of the bowl whatever color you want. You can see the first gold layer of my little bowly in the back!

Once the inside is dry, you're done! Easy as that.

Click to see the finished bowls. :)

Hope you're having a great week!

paper mache bowls

At some point in my scrolling through the internets I saw these really fun wooden bowls that were painted white on the outside and gold on the inside. I wish I remembered where they were from because I can't for the life of me now, but anyway, I thought I had this ingenious idea of recreating them with paper mache. I really liked them and thought "hey I can do that myself on the cheap!"

Apparently I wasn't that original because it only took some random browsing on Pinterest to see that a few people had already done just that. :| Oh well, I was still proud of myself for coming up with the idea in the first place, even if it wasn't that hard to think of. ;)

I'll do a post on my process next week, otherwise this post would be a little photo heavy because I took advantage of the beautiful day and shot some bowly glamour shots outside. One of those times as a blogger that you picture every neighbor peeking out their window, wondering why you are laying in the grass taking pictures of some odd colored bowls. :)

As you can see, I ditched the white in favor of a springy melon color just to jazz things up a bit. Though I will probably still make the white ones one day as I improve my mache-ing skills. These bowls are a lil lumpy but I love them all the same. Believe it or not, this was my first time doing paper mache. Never got to make one of those weird masks or vases in elementary school art class or anything so I just rolled with what I knew! It's not really rocket science, but alas, there are ways to do it and there are better ways to do it.

Have a great weekend! Hope you're getting the same lovely weather we have!

i spy: kool-aid dyed yarn

Finding yarn for a project never seemed like that big of a deal before. I would think of a project and general colors I wanted, go into a craft store, and peruse the selection until some beautiful skeins jumped out at me. Or better yet, I would just go in on a whim and stock up on whatever colors caught my eye so that'd I'd have some new pretties to add to my stash.

That was until I wanted to start a project for somebody else. I'm not going into too much detail just yet because I'm not sure who reads my blog these days that I know outside of blogland. And I don't want to ruin any surprises. :) That being said, the pattern I fell in love with came along with a very specific color palette that I really don't want to stray from, because it's a big reason why I liked it so much. I went on a hunt for yarn to match and realized just how hard (read: incredibly mind-numbingly frustrating) it is to find yarn in just one brand and material that has all of the colors you need. That is, without going to a specialty yarn shop and trading your first born for the necessary supplies. (I have a story about accidentally buying a $50 skein of yarn, but that's another embarrassment for another day.)

This project kind of fell to the wayside because of the craft store discouragement, but I am determined to find a way to make this happen in the beautiful way it was intended. Enter, Pinterest. I saw a photo pinned over and over on my front page, of yarn sitting in bowls with Kool-Aid packets next to them. I was intrigued but didn't think too much of it because I figured it could never yield the vibrant colors I wanted and in the variety that I needed them. Then I did a little research and found out I was so happily wrong..

{sources - left to right, top to bottom} one. two. three. four. five. six.

I see lots of natural colored yarn and Kool-Aid packets in my future. There are many different methods, such a steaming the yarn or soaking it in vinegar, and just as many results, like the vibrant solids and unique gradations. 

I'm definitely going to try this for my project and I'll let you know how it goes! That way, I can pick a yarn I like for the feel and texture, and not have to worry about it coming in every color I need. Check out the sources for some how-to's and color samples. Stunning! Can't wait to try it. :)

valentine's crafts for kiddos

| 1. melted crayon shaving hearts | 2. lollipop butterflies | 3. garland cards | 4. popsicle stick jewelry box | 5. valentine fortune cookies | 6. celery stamp flowers | 7. tissue paper puffy heart |

Normally I don't feature stuff for the young ones on this blog, probably just because I don't have kids so it's not really on my mind. But last week I was asked to sub art for the first two weeks in February so naturally, I've been stockpiling some fun art projects I can do with the kids for Valentine's Day! I'll have kindergarten, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th so I need a broad range of projects that will include something easy enough for five year olds to handle and something fun enough to keep 13 year olds at least semi well behaved. ;) 

I actually received the fortune cookies last year in a Valentine swap so I know just how cute they are to open up! What do you think about these crafts? Are there any other fun projects you'd do with kids that aren't to costly or time consuming? I'm kind of excited for this little craft time I'll be leading! :)

Have a great week!

winter terrarium

A new terrarium for a new season. I actually meant to get this post up in the middle of the week but I subbed 5th grade Wednesday through Friday and damn did that wear me out. It took all I could do to not pass out as soon as I got home from school. They were actually really good kids and I'm kind of sad to give them back to their real teacher but it took a lot of energy to make sure they stayed good kids. -_-

Anyway, here is my terrarium for winter and what I used to put it together.

I used my blue ball jar that I got at Kutztown back in the summer because I thought the blue glass would add to the wintery feel. I also used pebbles for the sort of terrain beneath the snow and then the white sand of course acted as the snow itself. I also had a little tube of animals sitting in the craft stash from the first time I bought terrarium making supplies. I knew they'd come in handy! ;) Finally, I tore a few white twigs out of a Christmas centerpiece to act as my woodsy backdrop. 

Once you've got your snowy terrain, start adding some wilderness!

Charlie really liked the wolf so I gave the wintery space to him. :)

I have an idea for another sort of winter terrarium but I have no clue if it will work yet. If it does, you'll see it up here this week! If not, I'll probably have a big gluey mess to deal with. ;)

Are you doing any post-Christmas winter crafts? It's good fun for hibernation season! :)

handmade ornaments

In the crafty holiday post I mentioned some ornaments I made in my high school art class. I thought I 'd share them with you as one idea for how you can go about making your own decorative Christmas balls for your tree or to hang anywhere really. I may do a full-on tutorial later but I don't have the supplies at the moment. I'm also in the midst of finals so if I'm absent any the next few days, that's why. My last class is next week so I won't be silent for too long. :)

We took foam balls, covered them in bits of tissue paper with a glue wash, and painted images from Christmas cards onto them. They were displayed on our school's Christmas tree and then we took them home afterward.

We painted them with acrylic paints and used glitter and fabric remnants to decorate them. On the blue one, I used a paper doily as a stencil and painted metallic silver paint over it to give it a fun pattern.

On the red and gold one I wrapped a piece of lacy trim around it to separate the colors. I topped them both off with a big lacy bow and a hook for hanging!


Anyway, they're no masterpieces but I love unwrapping them every year when we decorate the tree because it reminds me of fun times. I really loved my art class in high school. It was stress free and fun. And then there's art school. Just kidding. ;)

Now I have to finish putting together my activity for class tonight. I have to do a 2nd grade math activity with my grad school class. I kind of love being an elementary ed major. :)

Hope your week is going well!

crafty holiday

I've been collecting holiday craft ideas for a while and today I wanted to share some of my favorites! Some of these are things I'm holding to until I have my own home (such as the gorgeous tree skirt) and others are things I might whip up this year! It was totally unintentional, but after selecting ten items to show you, I realized they all have a sort of a natural or earthy feel, either in color scheme or materials. Crazy how your brain just does that sometimes without you really noticing until after the fact. :)

First, this stunning handmade tree skirt. Such non-typical colors for Christmas but I think that gives it a lot of class and style. Plus I love the ruffles.

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And it would go great with these gorgeous ornaments!

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Keeping with the ornament thing, these ornaments would be perfect for a bookworm's Christmas tree. Love. They remind me of ornaments my art class made in high school but we painted Christmas scenes over the paper. I'll have to post them when we dig em out. It was a fun craft!

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And these, believe it or not, were made with spray paint and a stencil!

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I've always wanted a fun advent calendar and this one is like a little seasonal work of art. It's actually from Pottery Barn but the blog I spotted it on made an excellent point that it could be easily duplicated with a little craftiness!

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By now you probably know how much I like seasonal terrariums. ;) And these are no exception!

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And here's a mini terrarium for your Christmas tree!

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These snowflake inspired ornaments from Martha are amazing. I kind of would want to display them in these boxes just like the photo! The whole set up is stunning.

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I think I have enough etching cream leftover from this project to attempt some pretty Christmas candle holders!

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That's my little crafty roundup. Are you making any decorations this year?