DIY Purse to Camera Bag

It's been so long since I've had a craft project to show off that I'm writing this even though I really need to be canning tomatoes and packing to move today.

I've carried the same bag since shortly after Jude was born. It's a great purse with lots of pockets and dividers that made it a perfect diaper bag and purse in one. It's still in great shape and I still love it, but I have been itching for a nice camera bag for a while. Unfortunately, we weren't going to have hundreds of dollars to shell out on one of those bags any time soon.

I was excited, then, when I spotted a huge, adorable yellow purse at my mom's house the other day and she told me I could have it. (She's so generous... and actually a generous friend had just given it to her!) It only had one little zipper pouch and no dividers, so I knew I'd have to come up with something to protect my camera from leaky sippy cups and hot wheels.

I did some quick googling and found a fun tutorial at Tales of the Wife. I gathered my materials, pulled my sewing machine out of a suitcase, and got to work.

I'm a very fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of crafter, and this project was no different. I got peel and stick velcro, and I'm going to have to eventually sew it down, because it doesn't stick to the fabric very well, but it'll do for now. Behold, the finished project:

 There's a pocket on one side to keep my keys handy:

And a pocket on the other side (you can't really see it, you'll just have to trust me) for my cell phone:

And a cell phone picture of it packed with a snack, sippy, camera, diapers, wipes, and a medium-sized Bible (It really does zip like this, I promise):

I'm so excited... I love it! I used a different, very thin kind of foam that doesn't have as much shape, but also doesn't take up as much space in my purse. I had to velcro the top corners to the purse because the side "walls" weren't really sturdy enough to stand up to much on their own.

Check out her tutorial for how to make your own!

Easy Bunting for Any Occasion

I really like to make things the cheap and easy way- with construction paper and tape.  This bunting project was no different.  It is very easy and fast, and can be totally customizable to fit your occasion.  I'd love to see it done in red, white, and blue for the 4th of July, red, pink, and white for Valentine's Day, red and green for Christmas... the possibilities are endless!

So you start with construction paper in the colors of your choice.  Each piece will make 3 flags, so you can figure up how many you want to make.  Fold the paper in thirds, unfold, and cut along those folds.

Then, cut triangles out of the bottoms of each flag and set the triangles aside.  Remember, this is supposed to be easy... don't measure anything, just eyeball it.

Fold over a section about 3/4 inch from the top of each flag.  If you're using tape, roll up two small pieces of tape and attach them to the inside of the flap on the very edge (or you could use glue), but don't fold it over yet!

Now find something to hang your bunting on.  It can be twine, yarn, ribbon, string, whatever.  I used white yarn.  Place the yarn in the crease of the fold and then fold the flap over the yarn.

Next, attach a triangle to the top of the flag using tape or glue.  It can be as planned or as random as you'd like.  Mine looks random, but it was actually very carefully planned to look that way.  :)  Here are some of my flags laid out while I figured out where I wanted to put the triangles:

Keep doing that until your bunting is as long as you want!

I'd love to know if you use this tutorial to make a bunting.  Please leave me a comment and link to your blog or pictures!

Hand Embroidered TOMS

I've made my love for TOMS shoes known before.  Not only am I a huge fan of the cause, but the shoes themselves are ridiculously comfortable and stylish.  I've gotten a pair for my birthday the last two years, and the charcoal pair that I originally blogged about almost 3 years ago, have faded to more of a slate gray from extreme amounts of wear.

Well, I'm not the only TOMS fan in my family.  My awesome sister-in-law also loves TOMS, and this fall she actually won a Style Your Sole party from TOMS.  That means that she got 4 free pairs of white TOMS, one for herself and 3 friends.

She just finished her shoes, and luckily for us, she also just started a new blog where she posted about them.   Tell me those aren't awesome?  I am so impressed and proud!

Go check out her post here, it's full of pictures and an explanation of everything on the shoes and why she chose the designs she did.  While you're there, take a look around her blog, He Leadeth Me.  Like I said, it's pretty new, but I think you'll like what you find.

Give Thanks Bunting Project for Kids

I've been seeing a lot of beautiful Thanksgiving buntings lately on the craft blogs I follow, and I decided that I wanted to make one for myself.  This bunting is great for kids of all ages.  Older kids can help cut out the pieces and measure the yarn, younger kids can help punch holes for the yarn or draw the letters for you to cut out, and the youngest ones can contribute their own artistic skills as demonstrated below by Jude.

I began by sketching out in a notebook the order that I wanted to colors to be in-- both the background squares and the letters.  Then, I listed what I needed by color so I wouldn't forget anything.  If I want something to go smoothly, I have to be extra organized like that because I tend to be a bit forgetful.



After cutting out the squares, I thought they looked too plain and boring, so I decided to enlist the help of a trained professional:



He (less than enthusiastically) obliged, and while that was drying, I sketched and cut out the letters, and painted a thin brown line around the edges of each letter.  When everything was dry, I set about putting it all together.

The only problem was that I didn't have any regular craft glue.  I had super glue and I had tape.  I tried super glue first, but wound up gluing the paper to my fingers, and the wetness from the glue never dried:



Fortunately, the G was the only one I super glued before realizing that it was a bad idea.  I went for tape.  If you have normal craft glue, that might be your best option.  But I dunno... it might show through the letters too.  Tape, rolled into tiny tubes, worked great.

Then, I went upstairs and got my husband's hole puncher from his office.  I punched holes in the top corners of all of the squares, threaded some dark brown yarn through, and hung it proudly.

I'm not thrilled with hanging it on the wall with tape, but this isn't my house, so I couldn't put holes in the wall.  I wanted the banner to be near the dining table, and this was the best place for it.

So there you have it, an easy Thanksgiving bunting that kids of all ages can enjoy helping create!

ETA: I added this tutorial to the link parties on Today's Creative Blog's and Pinkapotamus... you can see all of the fun Thanksgiving tutorials here, and here.

Oh, the Anticipation!

So, a couple of nights ago, Josh let me (and by "let me" I mean that we always agree on unnecessary purchases, and he surprised my by agreeing to this one) get on Knit Picks and buy the needles and yarn for a new knitting project that I've been drooling over for quite a while now.

The long-desired project is called Springtime Bandit, available for free from Kelbourne Woolens.



Isn't it awesome??  It's only about a bajillion times more difficult than anything I've ever tried to make before, but I'm not scared.  It'll be a really fun challenge.  Josh said that I could only make it if I wore my glasses with it.  I think that's a given, don't you?  I mean, she just looks so smart and cool in that picture with her glasses, scarf, and cardi.

I can't wait!  I will, of course, post pictures when I finish.  Come on, did you even have to ask? :)

Knit Your Own US Winter Olympic Team Hat

As soon as I saw team USA walk out during the opening ceremony of the 2010 winter Olympics, I exclaimed to my husband, "I want one of those hats!"



I started thinking, surely there is a pattern similar to it which I can find online and knit myself.

Well, apparently I wasn't the only one wanting a hat like that, because I quickly found a pattern on Ravelry for the EXACT hat!  Awesome!!  Click here (membership required, but membership and the pattern are both free) for the pattern.

Now I just have to wait until I can get needles in the right sizes... and the yarn... and the time...

Monster Booty Longies

I am so so SO proud of these!  I did, however, completely misjudge Jude's size and they will not fit him correctly until *next* winter.  Oh well.  He will have cute monster booty pants to keep him warm during Moldova's cold winter.

Recycled Wool Longies and Slippers

I came into a few great old wool sweaters recently that were unwearable because they had already been partially felted in the wash.  So I set about to do something I've been wanting to try for a long time- I made some wool longies for Jude!

I also decided to make some warm wool slippers to match the first pair of woolies.  I used the Stardust Shoes pattern that I linked to a long time ago.  Man, they sure are warm with two layers of wool all over!  I also used white puff paint to make them non-slip on the bottom.

I still have a lot of leftover wool... what else can I make? :D

Superhero Poncho-Cape!

I found this yesterday and almost died of awesomeness on the spot.

Lindsey has a wonderful step-by-step how-to guide on her blog, Filth Wizardry, for making these super awesome fleece superhero poncho-capes.  I'll have to wait until next winter to make one of these for Jude, since he is much too young to appreciate it right now, but I MUST make one of these for him!

Monster Booty Wool Shorties

Who needs to smile this morning??  *raises hand*

Well here is all you need:

I made them, of course, using my beloved flowerpot tots pattern (but as always, I prefer to do an elastic waistband).  You can see other shorties I've made using the flowerpot tots pattern here and here.

The green/brown color was achieved by double stranding two skeins of fingering weight yarn, a green skein and a brown skein... obviously. :P  And anyone as obsessed with wool shorties/longies as I am will recognize the face as an obvious Crankypants knockoff, though I do take full credit for making the chart myself in microsoft excel.  Actually, going back to the Crankypants website just now made me realize how much bigger my monster's eyes are than those, and I like mine better!

And I know I'm a little late on this, since it is already halfway through December, but I currently have on my needles my first pair of wool longies for Jude... with a monster face booty, of course!  These were actually sent to a friend for her son (I know, it killed me to part with them!), so Jude definitely needs a pair.

Monogrammed Wool Shorties

Oh my.  I am so proud of these.  The pattern is the flowerpot tots, which I have made before and love love love.  The design is something I found doing a google image search of the letter h, and then put into knitpro to get a chart.  It just worked out even more perfectly than I could have imagined.

This was my first attempt at intarsia, which I had been intimidated by, but it wasn’t hard at all.  I don’t really know what else to say about them… I am just so so so very pleased with how they turned out!

Clothespin Apron

Electric clothes dryers here (in Moldova) are almost unheard of.  They are very hard to find, and very expensive.  So we figured that we would live like Moldovans and hang our clothes to dry on a line just like everyone else.  It only took me a day or two of doing that to realize that a clothespin apron is a very handy thing to have.  So I made one:

The orange part and pink fringe are from an old tablecloth, and the patterned part is an old pillowcase (we have a big supply of scrap material here at camp).  I didn’t use a pattern, I just looked at pictures of clothespin aprons online and sketched mine out similarly.  I really love it and it makes doing laundry so much easier and more fun!

Crazy Chicken Apron with Hand Embroidery

I found an old, hand-sewn apron a while back at a flea market and have been dying for a long time to use it as a pattern for a new one.  I finally got around to sewing it up at the end of the summer, and not long ago finished the hand embroidery.

I have to say that I am extremely proud of and surprised by this apron.  It was a lot more difficult to sew than I had planned for, and with the way I sew (no pattern, cutting jagged lines with huge, uneven seam allowances, winging it every step of the way), it’s a miracle that it turned out so well.  I really love the ruching at the bust.

The crazy chicken design that I used can be found... well poot, I forgot where I found that and can't find it again!  I just free-handed the swirls.  This was my first attempt at hand embroidery and I really, really enjoyed doing it. :)

Here Come the Crafts...

I have been moderately crafty the last 3 months in Moldova, but never got the time to post about them on my blog.  So this is just a short note warning anyone who stumbles upon my blog today to watch out for an onslaught of craft blogs...

Let the parade begin!

My First Knitted Wool Soaker

I have posted pictures of the other 2 wool soakers that I've knitted, but this is actually the very first one I ever knitted.  I made this approximately 4 months ago, and I'm sure it would have fit him quite well then.  Unfortunately, I didn't get around to actually putting it on J until last week when I finally got some fitted diapers (for J to wear under it) in a swap.  Oh well, we will keep it around for (Lord willing) future babes.

I used the free 1932 soaker pattern, and it was very simple except for having to pick up stitches to make the leg cuffs, which was frustrating enough to almost make this good little baptist girl cuss.

Ottobre Wool Soaker

I (somewhat) recently finished a striped wool soaker made using the Ottobre pattern.  I am not a big fan of the fit, it is too big and baggy around the hips.  But maybe it is supposed to be bigger than should fit J right now...  I dunno.  The legs holes fit him well, but that could just be because I DESPISE having to pick up stitches to add that part, and I'm not very good at it.  Maybe if I had made the legs and waist bigger (I did an elastic waist instead of drawstring)... Either way, I'll probably never make this pattern again and stick with the flowerpot tots one, which I love.

Anyway... it is striped and cute and works great, so I am not complaining too much.  Here is a picture of my little man hanging out in it:

My First Time Sewing a Fitted Diaper

I realized last week that I may or may not get a sewing machine when we first get to Moldova, and even if I do, I will not have nearly as much time to sew over there.  So all of the projects I've been wanting to do all summer are getting done in the next couple of weeks.

First up was a fitted diaper for J made out of old t-shirts and some strips of terry cloth.  I wore that tie-dyed shirt in the opening number of a state beauty contest when I was 16, but we don't have to tell him that.  ;)

It's still a little big, but that is better than being too small because he can grow into it.  :)  I'm so proud!

Sheepy Shorties!

I'm sooooooooooooooo proud:

This is only the second wool soaker that I have ever made!

The sheep were from a chart I made myself that was inspired by the Baby Sheep Hat made by Melissa at Indigo Mouse (look in her free patterns links on the ride sidebar), which was inspired by the Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan made by Jen at Looking Glass Knits.

The pattern is the free Flowerpot Tots shorties pattern, which can be found here.  I really love the shape and fit of these shorties and I definitely plan on making many more from this pattern.

I would write more but I have a fidgety baby who is dying to get outside and play in his kiddie pool.  :)

Owen the Zebra

I made my first toy for baby J!  I was DYING to sew, and Tia had some leftover fuzzy zebra print fabric, so I sketched out a pattern and went to work.  I am SOOO proud!  We named him Owen because his stature is adorably similar to a good friend of mine's sweet baby.  :)

A close-up of his hooves, of which I am especially proud:

And a good look at his ears.  Somehow one is twice the size of the other, but I think it adds to his charm:

Cathedral Window Quilt Tutorial

Oh. My. Goodness.

So I've added making a quilt to my long list of summer projects that I want to complete. I've been toying with the idea for a while and casually browsing for good patterns and ideas online. Then yesterday I somehow stumbled upon the blog Hyena in Petticoats and her tutorial for a Cathedral Window Quilt. I'm in love!

The really cool part about this quilt is that you don't do the top and then add the backing like with most quilts... as you do it, the pieces you do are finished, and you can make it as big or as small as you feel like doing by just adding to it as you go.

Click here to go to the tutorial.

It looks fun and easy. Now I just have to find some fabric...

Update: Well, I didn't get a quilt made last summer, but using the above tutorial, my amazing sister-in-law did!  She used a natural colored muslin for the backing.  Isn't it gorgeous?