Monday, February 27, 2012

Card-making Projects: Pennant Greeting Cards

Here's just a little inspiration for those who like to make homemade greeting cards.  This is a newer hobby of mine, which I started after a particularly stressful time picking out a last-minute card at the store.  It was heartbreaking to me to buy a $4 piece of cardstock that only partially fit the person I was buying it for.  Card-buying has always been a stressor for me, so I've started leisurely making cards during my free time.  That way, I always have some on hand for simple thank you notes, etc.  I also try to make birthday cards ahead of time, tailored more specifically to the recipient.  This has drastically improved the card-giving experience for me, as these are usually well-received, AND I can feel great about investing more time and creativity than money in something that's ultimately more appropriate anyway.

And so, in some free time the other day I made these pennant cards, blank on the inside and ready to have a "Happy Birthday" or "Congratulations" written on the front.  Each was made using white cardstock folded in half.  Then I took some scrapbook paper and cut tiny triangles (to make this easier, cut a strip 1/2" wide, then cut at angles all the way across).  Then I used a thick black pen to draw a sloping line, then used a gluestick to stick on the triangles.  Have fun with different paper patterns!
More photos below...


Saturday, February 18, 2012

Sewing Projects: Fabric Book Holder

Last month, my husband and I were blessed with another beautiful niece!  Along with all the excitement of a new baby in the family, I also had a chance to make some cute things for the new little one.  Just before her baby shower, my sister-in-law mentioned these fabric book holders that she had seen online.  I had seen them too, and offered to make them for her as a gift.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Crochet Projects: More Glittens, and Lining tutorial

This has perhaps been my most popular crochet project!  I first blogged about it here, and have made 8 pairs of these mittens now!  I made a pair for my mother-in-law for her birthday in December, this time adding a flannel lining.  This helped to keep out the wind and it made the inside much softer (the wool can tend to be a bit scratchy).  When I showed off this pair at work, I received three orders from coworkers!  Here are some photos of those, plus a brief explanation of how I did the lining (sorry no photos of that).

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Sewing Projects: Owls

Here's a fairly easy sewing project, inspired by this photo I found on Pinterest.  My niece happens to love owls, and her mother happened to throw a woodland-themed 2nd birthday for her, so these owls were a perfect present!  Here's a tutorial on how they were made: