Using a Crochet Basket to Organize

A few days before Christmas I purchased this beautifully painted, second hand dresser for a very reasonable price.

I had been searching online ads, garage sales, and the thrift stores for such a dresser for quite some time. You see, we have a large empty wall in our kitchen and I wanted some sort of storage there. I had bins of candle holders, table linens, cloth napkins, napkin rings, and other miscellaneous stuff standing in the corner of our bedroom and looking at these bins was driving me nuts. Not to mention, since all this stuff was packed away upstairs, I never used it. I wanted to get it out of storage, into the living area of our home, and get using it (or get rid of it, because honestly there was a lot of stuff in those bins that I should have gotten rid of a long time ago).

Unpacking my long hidden possessions into my new dresser was so much fun; I really enjoy organizing and purging things. While I was sorting things into the dresser I quickly realized that I would need something to store all my napkin rings in, to keep them corralled together rather than sliding all over the inside of the drawer.

So I decided to make this crochet basket. This is exactly the same basket I made here to collect all the mail and papers on my kitchen counter.

I worked on it quite furiously and when it was finished I filled it up with all my napkin rings and placed in the drawer.

Pretty, functional, and handmade. The best combination.

Have you ever crocheted something to help you organize your home? I have made several of these baskets, for a variety of items, but would love to hear what you have done.

Three Things

I am here today with my first Three Things post of the year. I really love doing these posts; I love pausing and photographing the little things that make me smile as I go about my busy days and documenting them here. I hope to do a few more of these type posts throughout the year to show a little more of 'me' on my blog. I sometimes feel like there has been a lot of show-and-tell around these parts and I want this space to speak a bit more to who I am and what happens in my life. I am more than just someone who pumps out one craft project after another, other stuff happens too. Crafting will of course remain a huge focus, just with a little more of 'me' mixed in. Sound okay to you?

Okay then, here are the three things that are making me smile today:

My amaryllis was very slow to start growing, despite the 'large bulb for optimal growth' described on the box. In fact, I was about to chuck it into the compost when it suddenly started sprouting. I took this photo on the weekend and it has shot up even more since then.  

The paper snowflakes that the girls made and we hung from the basement ceiling with yarn. They just kept going and going, making more and more snowflakes. It looks so pretty.

My new, colorful bowls from Anthropologie. I had been visiting these bowls online quite frequently and was so happy to get them as a Christmas gift. I have not used them yet; they have just been sitting on the kitchen counter looking pretty.

What is making you smile today?

A Red Winter Doll

After I finished crocheting three dolphins and four Star Wars characters before Christmas, I thought I would take a little break from making crochet toys.  I did, for about a week, and then I started making this little guy.

Isn't he adorable? The pattern can be found here.

One of my favorite things about making this cutie is that the head and the body are attached to each other using a large safety eye. This was recommended in the pattern and I think it is a brilliant idea, something that I may try with some of my other crochet toys. I have found sometimes that sewing the head of a toy to its body both neatly and securely can be incredibly time consuming and a little difficult. Using a safety eye eliminates the need to fiddle around with a needle and makes for a nice neat finish. I love it.

I am also very happy with how my embroidered snowflakes turned out. Embroidery is something that I am new to and want to get better at. I love the detail it adds. 

I just love making crochet toys. I have so many, and so many more that I would like to make. They look so cute standing around the house and tell everyone who comes to visit that this is the home of someone who 'makes things'. Having crochet, or anything handmade in my home for that matter, makes me feel very cozy and happy. 

Happy Winter

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a wonderful  Christmas. Ours was great – a few parties, lovely gifts, yummy food, family days spent relaxing in our pajamas – it was the perfect mix of going places to celebrate and spending some quiet time at home. I did a bit of crocheting over the last week and finished a few projects that I am excited about. I’ll be showing those to you in the next few days.

Now to the business of the day – another crafty challenge courtesy of The Memory Nest: a color challenge with a twist, the twist being to use chevrons or sunbursts.

When I sat down to create for this challenge I could not believe how long it had been since I did any scrapbooking - a challenge was exactly what I needed to work on to get back into my creative groove.

I made two winter cards. Very appropriate considering the weather here - snowing and so cold! 

The paper and stickers I used are from the Winter Frost line by We R Memory Keepers and are leftover from a winter layout I did last year.

Lots of patterned paper and layers on this first card, plus a cute little snowman.

The second card is much simpler.

Notice I didn't go overboard with the chevrons. They are there to add a little detail to the cards, but are in no way overpowering.

As usual, the work of the other ladies on the Design Team can be found over at The Memory Nest.

Thanks for reading and if it is cold where you are, try and keep warm.

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas.

May The Force Be With You

For our tenth wedding anniversary back in October, I crocheted a Yoda for Steve. He loved it and took it to work to put on his desk. Over the last few months the little guy has stood there beside his computer attracting quite the attention....so much so that I was asked to crochet a Yoda, and several other Star Wars characters, for one of Steve's coworkers.

Like it was with the dolphins, I was thrilled to have my work recognized and have someone request a crochet item from me, so I eagerly accepted the job. And then I learned that this coworker wanted these little figures for Christmas. Yikes! Needless to say I have been working on these guys every chance I have had for the last few weeks. And yes, I have callouses on my fingers and thumbs.

But they are done now, and they look incredible!! I am so happy with them. I am definitely going to make them for our household as well.

The pattern I used is from here - an amazing source for fun, funky, pop-culture inspired amigurumi patterns.

Here are the characters that I made:

Darth Vader

Yoda

Princess Leia

An Ewok

And here is the whole gang all together

I used both Bernat Handicrafter Cotton and Lily Cotton - all from my stash - for this project.

What do you think? I absolutely love them!

May the force be with you!

Card of the Week: Christmas Cards (4)

I have a few more Christmas cards to show you today. These ones were made with Bella Blvd.'s Christmas Countdown line (the same line I used for yesterday's layout).

This last card (below) was both a lot of fun and a challenge to make. I punched all the circles out using my Fiskars circle punches and then tried to lay them out in a random pattern on the card. Designing a random pattern that looks balanced while not too cluttered is a lot harder than you might think. I did a lot of fussing about and adjusting while making this card, but in the end I have to say that I am happy with the result.

I can not believe how quickly Christmas is approaching! How are all your preparations coming along? Have you made any Christmas cards?