Repurposed Earrings to Bold Rings

These rings are so fun to make! To me it's an instant gratification project because you just glue and go. I find my vintage earrings and buttons from estate sales and garage sales. Look for those button earrings from the 60's and 70's. Fancy brooches work well also.

To make these rings, you'll need:

• a vintage earring 
• ring blank 
• jewelry glue
• pliers

First, use your pliers to remove the earring back or pin. It's ok if you have a little residue left over. If you are little worried, just use a lightweight sandpaper to scrub that off.

Then, apply glue to the middle of the wrong side of the earring. Add ring blank and press. Let it dry overnight so that the glue has time to adhere. 

Admire your new creation! 

Here are some more that I have made:

Turning Clothes into Quilts?

Lately, I've been working on memory quilts. Memory quilts are handmade quilts made a special someone's clothes. My most favorite, of course, use baby clothes. I've made simply designed quilts with a border around all the 5" clothes squares.

Bethany from Vermillion Rules posted another idea for these kinds of quilts.  You follow the baby clothes squares with a border of solid flannel squares, like this:

I've also heard of moms taking bibs or burp clothes and adding that to the fabric mix. Either way, you are cutting some of the clutter in your house, but still keeping some of those favorite outfits from your sweet one. 

The same idea can be applied to special t-shirts. Maybe you know someone who is in sports who has accumulated TONS of shirts that he can't get rid of.  Turn them into a awesome quilt:

I can help you turn those upcycle those shirts into something useful! Email me for more details!

Sew Crafty Summer

So summer has come and gone in Oklahoma. We start school WAY before Labor Day, so gone are the carefree days of pools and endless sewing. I look forward to Fall - cooler temperatures bring many opportunities to layer and accessorize.

Here are some things I'm making to get ready for Autumn....

Chunky Rings - tutorial coming soon....These are SO easy to make. All you need are buttons, vintage clip earrings, anything that's flat, glue, and a ring blank...

Big, fat, squishy scarves: large knit or crochet scarves are going to be awesome this year....

Knitted cuffs: I found this pattern on Knitty. What a great way to use up extra sock yarn!

T-shirt infinity scarves: This is SO, SO easy. No sewing involved. If you can cut, and tie knots, you can make this!

Baby Blankets: These are also very simple to create. Just cut strips, sew together and add a back. Tutorial coming very soon because everyone needs a quick baby shower gift!

What have you been creating this summer? Please share below -

Are You Hooking?

I have a love/hate relationship with crochet. My sister Jill taught me a couple of years ago. After a million tries to just single crochet, I figured it out. Her words?

"Don't quit your day job, Sarah. I think knitting is your thing."

Flash forward and I think I have the basics - single crochet, double crochet, yarn over. But give me a pattern? Puhleeze. I'm ripping back at least 5 times. I think that crocheters, or hookers as they like to be called, have an crazy ability to "see" their pattern. As a knitter, I really rely on the pattern directions to the letter. When you crochet you have to "see" where you are going as you are going there.

So here is my latest crochet obsession: Queen Anne's Lace. It's a free pattern on K2togonline. The yarn is a silk/cotton blend Debbie Bliss Stella in this really awesome orange, only 2 skeins.

Hmm, i thought, what else do I have in my stash that would make an excellent scarf? What about a webby black Rowan cotton?

Very dramatic, don't you think?

Crafty Mondays

I'm not the only crafty one in my circle of friends. Many of my teacher friends have a hobby they enjoy: digital scrap-booking, beading, knitting, or crochet. This summer my friends and I started gathering for Crafty Mondays.

What do we do? Well, we all work on our latest project together and discuss new ones over light snacks.

What's cool is that each one of us is working on something different, but we are all artists: making something from raw materials with our hands. We "ooh" and "ahh" over each other's projects. And laugh over silly stories.

I'm so thankful I have a group of people I work with that I enjoy hanging with outside of my profession.

Slubby Scarf - a Recipe

Three words: It is HOT!

But that's not preventing me from doing a little knitting with my handspun. Teal gave me the batting 2 years ago after she went to the amazing Southeastern Animal and Fiber Fair. Drop-spindle spinning takes a long time. A very long time, but it's so worth it.

This pattern is a recipe, which means that it's a simple idea, but can be easily adapted based on yarn yardage, personal tastes, etc.

You will need:

1 skein of Spud & Chloe Outer

approximately 6 oz handspun.

Size 15 needles

My scarf measured about 5.5" X 72"

Recipe:

1. Cast on 14 stitches with handspun. Knit 6 rows.

2. . *K1, YO to end.

3. Knit, dropping all YO as you go.

4. Knit one row.

**Repeat from * twice more. You should have 3 dropped stitch sections.

Then knit 4 rows garter stitch with your Spud & Chloe Outer. Cut your ends, pick up the handspun and repeat.

I ended mine with 6 rows of Spud and Chloe Outer, largely because I was running out of yarn. Also, I chose not to weave in my ends too much. I think it adds to the charm.

Now, if it would just get a little cooler.....

Summer Craftiness

It's well into summer here in Oklahoma; it's so hot Ava said this to me when we went to get Vincent from camp:

"Momma, it's so hot my brain hurts! Pick me up!"

Summer gives a me a chance to MAKE all the fun accessories I think of during the school year AND find on twitter and facebook. Here are some things I've made:

kindle cover out of up-cycled jeans

FAVORITE ballband dishcloths

princess-size purse

handspinning with Dawning Dreams batting

market Bag in dishcloth cotton

zig-zaggy wristlet
Bustle Backpack
Ruffly Tote from up-cycled jeans

Vincent's Americana Quilt

All of this, plus some more coming! Come back Monday for a Crafty Monday post!