My First Amigurumi

Hi, there, welcome back!

If you follow my blog at all, you may vaguely recall that back in September 2014 I learned to crochet.  From those first simple crocheted squares, I made several mug cosies, cowls (mine and Granny's) and some simple dish clothes for stocking stuffers.  I also had a go at crocheting a wine bottle tote but found it a bit too challenging at the time so decided to revisit that pattern at a later date once I'd had a little more experience under my belt.

However, if you want to do any of the really, really cool and cute stuff with crochet, you really have to learn to master crocheting in the round.  I mean, seriously, you have to.  And that's a bit daunting when you first start out, because it takes a lot of counting and a different level of spatial orientation ability.

Anyway, one weekend I was completely bored out of my gourd and I decided it was high time I tackled this crocheting in the round.  Primarily because I wanted to learn how to make those adorable amigurumi toys.  I mean, be honest, how could anyone not want to make these?  So I searched through my Pinterest crochet pins and found what I felt would be the absolute basics to get me started: baby monsters.

OMG, need to make these!

Now, my original pin took me to a very nice photo-assisted tutorial, but I still found it tricky to fully understand what I was doing and more importantly (especially as I'm a visual learner), to see where I should be hooking.  So, back to YouTube I went and to my great joy, I stumbled upon a video tutorial version of these exact baby monsters - yeah!  Want to make these yourself?  Here's the video I used:

The video is half an hour long and goes through making the monsters from start to finish, including adding the faces (safety eyes, stitching features), stuffing and closing.  I felt it was well explained throughout and the one or two times something wasn't directly shown, I was able to figure it out with minimal trial and error.  And after an afternoon of excited stitching, I had this little fellow completed:

My Squishie!

Isn't it adorable?  Squee!  I just can't help but squish it every time I see it.  I didn't have any safety eyes so I used small buttons, which incidentally were originally white and I coloured them black with a Sharpie marker.

Once you get the basic process down, these whip up super quickly and easily.  In fact, I thought they would be the perfect little end of school year treat for my students so now I'm busily crocheting 23 of them!  I'm also thinking I'll make a few extras for my classroom as fidgets for students that need to move while listening.

Surf's Up Kit

Last month I introduced a fun new scrapbooking group led by Margareta Carlsson called Scrap Stash Kit Club.  The premise of this club is simple - every month Margareta posts a new 'kit' made from her existing stash supplies and based on a theme (colour, season, etc.).

July's kit was Squeeze, a collection of citrus-themed papers and embellishments.  I posted photos of my HUGE Squeeze kit but unfortunately (fortunately?) hosting an overseas visitor left little time for crafting (but many, many new photos to scrap!) so I have yet to actually use my kit.  That hasn't discouraged me, though, and I still plan on using it for a few layouts and/or cards.

Margareta posted the new kit theme for August a few weeks ago: Surf's Up, a collection of navy/blue, yellow/gold and turquoise/aqua papers and embellishments.

Surf's Up kit by Rochelle Barnes

Yummy, right?

Margareta has also made a video featuring her own Surf's Up kit with ideas and suggestions for what to include and different options for your scrapbooking style.

Got your creative juices flowing yet?

Pinspiration Sunday

Welcome back to another (hopefully) cosy Sunday filled with eye candy and inspiration!  I'm presently tucked up on the sofa watching some Winter Olympics and feeling extremely tired, having scrapbooked in my brain most of the night when I should have been sleeping.  Is it just me who does this or anyone else fall victim to inspiration in the middle of the night that disrupts your sleep?  Needless to say, it will be an early night.  Anyway, enough of my ramblings - go grab your hot beverage of choice and join me on the sofa...

Currently:

* watching - Winter Olympics (ski jump)
* reading - The Persian Pickle Club (downloaded; honestly starting this soon!)
* making - finished a UFO LO and two cards today - whew!
* eating - Swedish pankakor (pancakes) with strawberry jam - YUM!
* drinking - water
* wearing - jeans, knit shirt & cardie (plus blankie)
* weather - clear, 5C
* feeling - tired but accomplished
* wanting - to go back to bed
* needing - to just get through one more week of work
* planning - my Persian Pickle project
* thinking - of possible new blog names (have any suggestions?)
* loving - having spent the day being crafty
* enjoying - having spent all day yesterday in bed  **bliss**

And now on to the pins...

All Framed Up

How gorgeous is this quilt?  All of those perfect little squares remind me of little postage stamps, all neatly organised.  Fab colours, too.  Want.  Seriously.

Orange Peel

I so love orange peel quilts!  I'm totally lusting over this one with its combination of rainbow peels and hap-hazard newsprint background fabric (I'm a sucker for text prints in fabric or paper).  The instructions on this blog entry are very detailed with a lot of photo references.  This one is going on my to-make list once I've done a bit more hand applique.

How to Hand Applique by Nancy Ellen

One of my skills I want to learn (or perhaps in this case, improve upon) is my hand applique.  This is a good beginner level video that covers the basics of tools, getting started and the basic stitch and turning.  Additional videos cover curves, points, etc.

Owl Handbag

We can't have a Pinspiration Sunday without some sort of owl cuteness so here's an adorable handbag.  Link to the pattern ($5.00 USD) on the webpage.

Family Tree LO

A couple of weeks ago I shared an awesome family tree quilt so it seemed fitting to do likewise with a scrapbooking LO.  Clearly this particular page isn't my style (although it might be yours) but there is so much inspiration one can draw from it.  Pretty spiffy.

Stacked Hearts Card

Here's a simple but pretty and nicely balanced Valentine's Day card that doesn't really require you have a Valentine's-themed pack of supplies or even the traditional red/pink/white colour palette.

Snowman Card

This will probably be the last of wintery cards we can reasonably share at this point in the season but I couldn't resist this adorable nested circle snowman.  I love the unexpected perspective and it's so simple, you could easily assembly-line these.

Plastic Classics by Jane Perkins

OMG, these recreations of classic paintings and photographs will blow your mind.  Artist Jane Perkins uses found objects such as buttons, beads, plastic toys, etc. to reproduce classics and they are AMAZING!  Girl with the Pearl Earring and the National Geographic Girl are my favourites.

My Month In Numbers - Jan. 2014

I may be a month off with this one but if you're looking for some inspiration of a different flavour, you may wish to try Julie Kirk's My Month in Numbers.

Nature Hues

We've had some lovely spring-like weather here in Malmö today so it seems fitting to have a little spring time colour palette.  There's also a little touch of pink in there if you're working on some Valentine's projects currently.

Kiva

And finally, because I'm completely obsessed (in a good way, of course) and whole heartily believe in the vision of this organisation, I'd like to once again mention Kiva.  Kiva is an organisation that helps people, many of whom live in developing, war-torn or natural disaster-prone countries to finance loans that improve their lives.  They do this by providing people like you and I to fund micro loans.  It's an amazing organisation - please take a few moments to read up on them and consider lending a hand.

Christmas Collections & November Haul

Welcome back, folks!  So yesterday I meant to share with you a new post and then completely spaced out once I got home.  You know how it is, just too many things going on and the memory just isn't what it used to be, sad to say.  Anyway...

So I skipped making my usual 2Peas order in October.  With the bathroom/flat renovations going on and everything filthy and packed up, there just wasn't any opportunity to craft much so it seemed pointless to purchase supplies I couldn't use.  I was also having issues deciding on which Christmas collection to choose this year.  So here's the conundrum:

Last year I used Echo Park's This & That Christmas by Lori Whitlock - very traditional designs but with some non-traditional colours thrown in (some yellow and aqua) and wood grain, which I was just challenging myself to use.  I really enjoyed the collection pack - the papers were lovely and the sticker sheets had a great selection from which to choose.  I mixed in a few other random bits here and there, most notably a gorgeous white and cream wood grain from Webster's Pages.

So this year, like many of us, I eagerly sifted through all of the CHA-S Christmas reveals...and found myself uninspired.  True story.  I'm not exactly sure what turned me off so many of the collections, although I suspect a lot of it was the choice of green most manufacturers used (green in my least favourite colour and I'm pretty picky about which tints and shades I like).  There was plenty bits and pieces that I liked from a selection of different collections but with this time of year being so manic for me (elementary school teacher, remember - report card writing and parent/teacher talks), I don't have much time or energy to cherry pick and make my own collection.  At the end of the day, it's just easier to choose one full collection and go with that.

Well, I liked the modern design of Echo Park's 'Tis the Season collection.  I also liked the chalkboard elements but... (you knew there was a 'but', right?) there was just so much black and grey, I was concerned that with my black & white photos that the LOs would be very dark and drab.  Why not use colour photos, you wonder?  Well, my parents' house is beautifully decorated but in no colour that pairs well with any variation of red so it's just easier to go B&W.

In the end, I chickened out and bought Echo Park's Reflections Christmas, again by Lori Whitlock.  It's beautiful (and traditional) and I like the pops of aqua again so I'm sure it will all work out.  I'm also planning to add in gold accents with some Heidi Swapp gold lamé, sequins and washi tape.

So what about you?  Which Christmas collection did you decide to go with this year?  Or did you mix n' match?  And why - what was it that inspired or drew you to those choices?

And finally - here's what I picked up in my most recent 2Peas order:

Mini Album: Barcelona

If you've stopped by sometime over the last week, you will have likely read some references to a recent mini album or perhaps even seen some sneak peaks of said album.  Well, today is the big reveal!

I often feel that it's difficult to do mini books or albums justice with just photos alone so I have a video to share with you below - I hope you enjoy seeing it from beginning to end.

And if you'd like a closer look at the specific pages, here are photos of each page, plus the covers.  For the record, in retrospect I quite like how the front cover turned out and I sort of wished I'd left the back blank (but I did the back first as a test).  Anyway, I know my friend will like it either way.

Mini Album: Barcelona

Title page (above) and itinerary (below).

This first chapter includes all of the tours we went on: hop on/hop off bus tours, cable car up the mountain and the walking tour of the Gothic quarter.

The second chapter details the important sights we saw, including a number of Gaudi's impressive works - Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo, La Pedrera.  Also the concert house and some (unknown) arch.

The third chapter is one of my favourites - food!  We enjoyed paella, churros, tapas, a lot of seafood, creme Catalana and sangria, just to name a few.

The fourth chapter is all about the other fun things we did; not necessarily the big sights but also worth a visit - flamenco dancing, Catalan historical museum, ICEBARcelona and L'Aquarium Barcelona.

The fifth and final chapter is called 'Real Life' and talks about the unfortunate (but some funny) incidents that befell my friend during the trip, our three country hop back home and a little good-bye tribute to Barcelona.  I also left several large blank pages and put in a page for writing in various snippets for my friend to fill in (she loves to write); as a way to further personalise her album.  The last page also includes an extra large pocket for her to put in memorabilia and any extra photos she decides to print off herself.

Back cover (above).

And that's it!  All in all, I spent about three days putting it all together and I'm looking forward to finally giving it to her this weekend.

 

Hope you enjoyed seeing my first ever mini album.

WIP Wednesday

Recently I've been focusing on smaller projects - mostly scrapbooking, as I typically do an entire LO from start to finish in the same day.  However, like many crafters, I have many UFOs patiently waiting to be finished so today I thought I would share one with you.

London Love Jelly Roll Race Quilt

If you're a quilter, you'll know about jelly rolls, but have you heard about jelly roll races?  A fellow quilter friend introduced me to the idea and all we could say was 'SUCH FUN!'  Check out this YouTube video showing a quilt guild in action on a jelly roll race day:

In a nutshell, the idea is that you take the 40 pre-cut strips from a jelly roll and sew all 40 of them together, end to end, using a bias join.  Now, before you go any further, cut off 18" from one of the ends of your strip - only do this ONCE!  Next, take the two ends of your giant stripe (minus 18") and with right sides matching, sew the lengths together - when you get to the end, cut the fold.  Repeat this process for a total of 5 times (or get to the size you want).  The great fun - or at least I think so - is that the pattern is completely random and you don't know what exactly you'll get until the very end!

Here's how my completed quilt top turned out:

And here's a closer shot with better lighting:

Next step is to add borders, buy some backing fabric and decide on a quilting pattern.  Suggestions are welcome - I really haven't decided how to quilt it at all yet.

Like the jelly roll race idea and want to try your own?  Check out this YouTube video by Missouri Quilt Co. - it provides accurate and easy instructions and this gal is just a hoot!

And if you make your own, I'd love to hear about it!

August Haul & Amsterdam Title Page

Well, I'm happy to say that the first week of classes is over and it's the weekend!  Time for a much-needed rest and a return to crafty goodness.  I have two things to share with you today - the first is a video of my August 2Peas box of goodies (AKA the 'haul' video) and the second is a layout using several of these new supplies - yeah!  So, let's get started, shall we?

My latest purchase has focused on two collections: The Pier by Crate Paper and Hello Again by Carta Bella with a mix of embellishments that will compliment both of these collections and easily be rolled into my existing stash.

Note: My apologies for some of the funky shadows - everything looked fine when I was setting up and of course during filming huge clouds rolled in and blocked out the natural light.  And a freight train chose to pass by half way through, too - the unpredictability of living on an active railway.

And now a new layout using some of these fun, new supplies.  This is a title page to go into my travel album for my Netherlands chapter.

Amsterdam

It features a photo enlargement from Keukenhof Gardens and I chose the large, rainbow chevron paper from The Pier to compliment and draw out the beautiful colours of the flowers in the photo.  I also used the Kensei chipboard Thickers for the title and layered them on top of my photo in some white space.

I wanted to keep the embellishments somewhat simple so as not to detract from the photo but I just couldn't resist clustering in some slide frames.  I backed each of them with coloured paper and layered up stickers, flair and a cork arrow.  I also used a few more of my Amy Tan Yes, Please vellum stickers - the tree was just too perfect for this LO and I loved how perfectly the 'delightful' sticker fit into the frame and paired it with a 'memories' phrase sticker, which leads nicely into the title further along the page.

And that's it - just keeping it simple today.  I feel like I've been out of my scrapping routine for some time now am feeling a little rusty so this was a nice warm up to get back into the groove.  Expect more soon.

Pinspiration Sunday

I've been a bit pre-occupied with life lately, combined with my wifi router dying on me on Wednesday so I've not been online much recently so I'm afraid the pins will be a bit sparse this week but it's all about balance.  So go grab your hot beverage of choice and settle in for a quick share of photo love.

Currently:
* watching - The Nanny Diaries
* listening - to Oskar nagging me
* making - absolutely nothing lately
* eating - Jacquot truffles (bitter classic - YUM!)
* wearing - shorts & t-shirt
* weather - partly cloudy, 20C
* feeling - bit burnt-out
* wanting - to not return to work next week
* needing - to go clothes shopping (stop being lazy & putting if off!)
* planning - to go back and buy the awesome shoes I saw last week
* enjoying - having found a new home for all of my grab bags :)

And now on to the pins...

Art Deco Signs by Kiwijesta

Another lovely LO by Kiwijesta.  The design is simple but what I really loved about this LO is how her photos work together with the black backgrounds and the pop of neon.  I really haven't gotten into the neon trend at the moment but this is great.

Paper Bag Card

I've made a few paper bag art journals in the past but hadn't considered adapting the idea to cards.  It's a fun idea, though, especially in those circumstances when you may want to include more in with your card (memorabilia, gift certificates, photos, etc.).

Daily Flash Washi Tape by OA

Have you seen this awesome washi tape that's set to release with the Daily Flash collection by OA?  *swoon*  Orange and pink and ombre all wrapped up together?  Seriously?  I might just wallpaper my flat in this...

Tissue Paper Carnation Tutorial

I'm not a big flower-user on my LOs but this is really cute and would be a lovely decoration on gift bags or presents or for table decor at parties, etc.

How to *Properly* Fold a Fitted Sheet (as a single person, even!)

Now, I learnt how to fold a fitted sheet from my mum, as I imagine the rest of you did also.  It's a two-person job.  The problem is, I'm a single-person household and own a queen-sized bed so the sheets are freakishly large.  All of that translates to a laundry nightmare on a fortnightly basis.  So I decided to rectify the situation and learn how to fold a fitted sheet all by me onsie and lo and behold, here it is!  And may I say, while it may be going too far to say this information has been life-changing, it is most certainly absolutely *magical*!  Check it out, give it a try and see if you ever go back to however you used to 'fold' fitted sheets - I dare you!