Now That School Has Started...

...let's talk about coffee! That makes sense, right? Oh wait, I should first mention that when school is in session I'm constantly in need of caffeine. My choices are energy drinks (which I understand aren't too good for you) and coffee...and with the adorable coffee cozy tutorial I'm linking to at the end of this, you'll choose it too!

Over the summer I went on the hunt for easy, quick, and FREE gift ideas I could make. Keeping in mind that I don't sell these for money, I found quite a treasure trove of ideas. One of my favorites is a coffee cozy that I made multiples of when I still had time. Mine receives compliments EVERY TIME that I use it and I'm not exaggerating. Last week, someone asked me where they could get one and I wished I had remembered the exact name instead of fumbling through telling them how I found it.

So, without further ado...

I mustache you if one of these is your cozy.

The only one I've made for myself...so far!

Whoooo...whose adorable cozy is this??

One of my favorite things about this coffee cozy is that you can match the hair tie color with funky buttons and fabric and the choices are endless!! So, I have two tutorials to help make this a gift you could do in a night (though allow yourself the afternoon for the first one just to get used to it).

Coffee cozy tutorial and Sew4Home Warp Speed Button Sewing. The second tutorial has taught me how to attach buttons like a pro! It took me a few tries of reading the directions and sewing on buttons at the same time, but now I only need to refer to it if it's been a while.

Seriously, make these cozies to not only impress people with your neat sewing skills (even if you don't have any...like me!) and save some trees by avoiding those paper wraps on your coffee and hot choco!

Earrings are a woman's best friend...

...especially when you can make them yourself!!

So this entry is a tad different in that I don't have an exact pattern or instructions for my post (unless you have questions that I can answer). What I do have are some cool earrings that I've made over the past year for myself and some other folks.

Let's start with the ones that I could consider the nerdiest! These were all made using printable Shrinky Dinks. I swear by these things once you've gotten a handle on cutting them in their thinner, pre-cooked stage and then figure out the perfect temp for your oven. I have it down to a science, if I do say so myself!

TARDIS earrings, second attempt! By this time I've gotten much better at this.

Katamari Prince and Princess! This one required a lot of intricate cutting.

I'd be remiss to not make a set of Mrs. Pac Man earrings. More creative wire bending for these ones.

Navi & Link's shield as a gift for a friend.

The graphic designer in me color coordinated these pantone swatch earrings!

Let's take a quick break from Shrinky Dink earrings to see a D20 set I made (with the drill skills of my hubby). I plan on making another set with some amazing D20s as soon as I learn to bend the wire around the dice.

I roll crits every time I wear these dice!

I'll just leave you with some others that I've made with printable Shrinky Dinks. I'm not an expert at wire bending (yet!) but I do have the baking technique down and it's pretty cool when you can make earrings for any outfit and for any interest you have! It should be noted that I don't sell any of these and so I don't usually worry about copyrighted images. If you make earrings using Shrinky Dinks for profit just be careful of laws.

This is the first set I made...these are my puppies. ;-)

Let's talk about puppies!

First, you all should know that I refer to all dogs as puppies. I can't help it. Second, my goal in these blog entries is not to bore you with my ramblings, but to give you ideas for cool things to make, bake or create. So, I ask in advance for you to bear with the few times that I ramble a little because most of the time I'll get to the point. Like now.

This entry is about a great frozen treat for your puppies! I found it on another crafting blog (listed at the end of this) and it was really easy to make. It's as easy as blending peanut butter (or fruit), yogurt, and flax meal and then freezing it in an ice cube tray. The only issue I had was that when I bought the flax meal it came in a quantity that was much bigger than the other ingredients so I still have a ton of it. It should be noted that the pictures on her site do the recipe more justice than mine (but hey, this is my first blog and she looks like she might be a pro!).

Fresh from the freezer...yum!

My adorable Isabella was nice enough to try them out for me. She and Pippin both approved!

It should be noted that you never want to give your dogs treats that are too cold when they're too hot because their bodies have to work extra hard to make up for the temperature difference. DIY pupsicles from grrfeisty.

First sewing...that I remember

I've had my sewing machine since at least November 2011. When I'm not so sleepy, I'll post information about what kind I have. Since then, it sat for a while, but there was a time when Crafty Pants (aka Stephanie M.-B.) and I found the coolest pillowcase tutorial and made ourselves some amazing pillowcases. Technically though, this tutorial was so neat that it came with its own charity plug and you could actually make pillowcases and donate them to charity. A local shop near us was collecting them, so it was simple.

The tutorial, as you will see, is as easy as measuring, pinning, and then sewing some straight lines. There is some minor turning inside out, but eventually (and quickly, too) you become a pro. These are the pillowcases that we donated to charity and I believe they were the first things I ever sewed on my machine. In fact, I don't think Crafty Pants (aka Oh Sew Green Machine) even had a sewing machine at the time...seems like so long ago.

You can find the youtube video tutorial here Easy Tube Pillow Case Tutorial. Since then, this tutorial has been a great go to for quick and easy gifts for our friends and family. Enjoy!

Hello!

Well, hello there, folks! I finally did it. I'm creating a blog about all things crafty! I have blogged once before, but that was for the arrival of our new puppy and it really didn't last that long. While I still have my adorable dog (and I do love her) I'm hoping this blog takes off much better than hers did.

I plan to share things in this blog related to various areas of crafting...not limited to sewing as the name might suggest. I love to bake (especially treats for my puppies!), craft, sew, scrapbook, and just make stuff in general. Most of the time my favorite part is that I can find patterns and recipes for free! And when I do that I will pass them on to you! If I get the information from a book, I'll let you know which one. If I come up with it myself, I'll post it here. Of course, I ask that you don't sell the items that you make...especially considering that I don't profit from what I make. If a free pattern says you can sell what you make then by all means, go forth and make moola my fellow crafters! Overall, my hope is that this blog will inspire you.

Something of note: I don't have a very good camera right now. In fact, it's comparable to my cell camera so I use either of those to take pics of my work so it's hit or miss on quality. Though I will take 20 pictures in an attempt to get a good one. Also, I'm studying to be a graphic designer so you might find a lot of computer doodles or design work on this site because that's also something I love to do. I call it a bad habit that I don't really want to break.

Well, what's a crafty blog without some crafty things? How about the first thing I ever sewed if I can find it... I'm going to dig around and I'll be back later with something. Here's hoping I can navigate this Blogger thing properly. Maybe my HTML training will come in handy. ;-)