First, magnets! I made these a while ago, and I have another batch waiting to be made, but here are some easy magnets I made for myself and gave to my sister as a birthday gift:
How to make: Trace an clear acrylic rock (you can find them in all sizes at craft stores) onto pretty patterned paper, cut out the shape, and hot glue it to the back of the rock. Hot glue a magnet to the back of the paper, trim any excess paper from around the edges of the rock, and done! The hot glue does show through the acrylic though, so I've been looking for an equally strong adhesive that will work better.
Next up, baby blocks! I got this idea from our Create: For for the Home book, which is probably my very favorite magazine of any that we've published since I started working at Northridge. It took me two failed attempts to get these right, but I really like how they turned out. They're just fabric blocks that babies can throw, eat, and handle without anyone or anything getting damaged:
How to make: Cut out six equal squares of fabric and sew four of them side by side in a row. (Remember to sew with the right sides together so the seams are on the inside.) Sew one side of the fifth square along the top of the first block in the row; when you reach the end of the side, leave the needle in the fabric and rotate the row so the next side of the fifth square is lined up with the top of the second square. Do that for all four sides of the fifth square, then repeat with the sixth square on the bottom of the row. On the last side, leave a gap. Turn the block right side out, fill with stuffing (I used leftover quilt batting and then I started pulling stuffing from an old pillow we didn't use), and hand stitch the gap closed.
This next project is the one I think I'm most proud of: crayon holders that roll up (can't think of a more succinct name). They have little pockets for 12 crayons and then roll up neatly, perfect for little kids who need something to do at church. Again, these came straight from Create: For for the Home, and the best part was that I followed the instructions I wrote for the magazine exactly and they worked! I think that is a sign of true success, if you can follow your own step-by-steps and get the results you wanted.
How to make: If you want the full instructions, let me know, but essentially you place a folded piece of fabric along the bottom of a long strip and sew lines every 1" to make the pockets. Sew a hair tie to one end, then place your outside piece of fabric over the pockets, stitch around the edges (leaving a little gap), and turn it right side out. Hand stitch the gap closed and add a button to the outside for the hair tie to go over. (I messed up the button on the first one I tried, so I took it off and just used the hair tie to hold the roll-up closed.) And there you go! I can't wait to have nieces (and nephews, eventually) that are old enough to use these and not just eat the crayons.
Then, feeling cocky about my crayon success, I attempted a bag made out of old jeans. I've written instructions for a couple of bags for the magazines and though they are a little trickier that other projects, I saw that it was possible. I guess that's all I need, just a little possibility. I came up with the design for this bag myself and it didn't turn out at all like I originally planned, but for a first attempt, it wasn't too bad. I am most proud that the handles are A) the same length, and B) in the same place on each side of the bag.
How to make: First you cut out two pieces for the outside of the bag and two pieces for the lining inside the bag. You sew the inside pieces together, then the outside, then you sew them together around the top (inserting handles as you do), turn the bag right side out, and hand stitch the opening closed. Done. Okay, there's actually a little more to it than that, but that's the basic idea. And then, if you want, you can cut out three flowers, layer them, add a button to the center, and attach it to the bag.
Finally, for Rachel's graduation party during our weekend at Snowbird, I made some pom pom garlands out of yarn to make things a little more festive. The idea came from our November issue of Simply Handmade and they were SUPER easy:
How to make: Wrap yarn around your fingers about a hundred times. Tie yarn of the same color around the middle of the wrapped yarn and cut open the loops on either end. Trim the ends so they are more even and fluff to make a pom pom. String all the finished pom poms onto a length of yarn (the yarn is thick enough the pom poms will stay in place - I tried thread first but they just slid up and down), hang up your garlands, and enjoy!
So there you go: that's what crafy-ness looks like at my house lately. I think I'm getting better and more adventurous. And I'm also having a lot of fun, which is definitely the best part.
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