Origami Dress Card

Card made with dress design from a Klutz Origami kit and general card stock.

Origami Shirt Card

The shirt pictured is made using a Klutz Origami kit, Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, card stock, and sequins.

It seemed to me that if you get bored and lose enthusiasm after knitting one sock, the same probably happens after you knit one mitten. For myself, I could see that that would be true. I tend to like to move on to new projects quickly and don’t enjoy assembly line crafting where I’m making the same thing over and over. So, I thought why not give it a try? And you know what? It worked great!

The first pair of mittens, pictured in progress above, were a very simple pair where the fronts and back were identical so you didn’t have to worry about which was the left mitten and which was the right. I used two balls of yarn, one of each mitten and simply knit them on the same needle one next the other.

The next pair of mittens I tried were a little more complicated because the front of each has a cable and there is a definite difference in shaping between right and left. But the technique still works. I marked one mitten to I’d know it was the left one, and then simply did the specified stitches for the right mitten in the opposite order for the left mitten (except the cable, I left that as is).

You may notice in the photo that I used a circular needle for the cable mittens, but that was simply because I LOVE my new Harmony wood circular needles I got for Christmas and couldn’t wait to use them. I’m using the circular needle as straight needles here.

So, if you’re the type to get bored after that first mitten, give this technique try and you’ll have a pair of mittens done at the same time, in no time at all.

Until next time…

Happy crafting!

Embroidered Tote or Pillow Many of us have boxes and stacks of artwork our children bring home from school that we cherish and want to save. My sons are fully grown and I still of boxes of their primary school drawings. Here’s an idea for preserving those memories, and if your children are still young, this would be a great way to highlight their work.

This is an idea I thought was so adorable, and so special I just had to share it.

Stickers, Ric-Rac, and a little imagination make a heart-felt Valentines Day card.

It only takes a few minutes and a little creativity to arrange a few stickers, add a little ric-rac (or ribbon) trim, and create a hand-crafted card that looks like you put a lot of time and thought to it.

In the pictured example, pink linen card stock, a floral vase sticker, a series of heart shaped stickers with complimentary colors to the vase, a clear “sayings” sticker, and a white ric-rac trim glued on to the top and bottom with an inserted bow to finish the topping… create a very simply, yet elegant Valentines Day card suitable for a friend or significant other (just change the “sayings” sticker to reflect your sentiments!)

Make a matching envelope… or, dress up a plain white card envelopes to match. TIP: Keep a box of white card envelopes on hand always. They work with any card color and are great to turn to in a pinch when time is short and you don’t have the luxury of crafting a matching envelope or have a pre-cut card set on hand.

Put your “creativity” cap on, grab your paper supplies, and challenge yourself to create a Valentines Day card in 10 minutes or less! You’ll be surprised by the beautiful creations that come together quickly and you’ll have plenty of time to get your Valentines in the mail or hand deliver them on Valentines Day.

There’s no entry fee and who knows, you could advance to the final round, where you send in your completed item for judging, and maybe even win a nice gift certificate to Michael’s or a cash prize. The grand prize winner receives a trip to meet Vanna herself!

The four categories (afghan and throws, hats and scarves, baby items, and gifts and crafts) give you a great deal of freedom to be creative. What project couldn’t fit into the gift category, right? The only requirement is that you use Vanna’s line of yarn from Lion Brand. It includes three different types: worsted weight Vanna’s Choice, which comes in a glorious rainbow of colors; Vanna’s Choice Baby, a worsted weight yarn in a selection of  colors popular for baby gifts; and Vanna’s Glamour, a sport weight yarn with metallic thread woven in for just the right amount of sparkle. I’m dying to make a fashion doll dress with this one!

So, what’s stopping you from entering? Even if you don’t win (and there’s always a chance you could), you will still have a handmade item ready for your next gift-giving occasion. Last year, I entered a child’s hat I’d crocheted in red, white and blue (see photo below). Even though I didn’t win the contest, my son loves this hat, and wears it to school every day now the weather’s cold. Maybe I didn’t get the cash prize, but I still feel like a winner.

And yes, I”ve entered Vanna’s contest again this year–twice so far!

Happy stitching!

Patriotic Hat in Vanna's Choice

We journal, we create cards and luggage tags all designed to house our thoughts and sentiments.  During National Letter Writing Week, it’s time to share the joy of expression.

Time to dust off some of the card samples you’ve made or to create a new design to send a note to friends & family “just because.”

If you feel a little hestitant, simply tell them you are writing in the spirit of National Letter Writing Week… though I doubt there are many loved ones in our lives that wouldn’t be thrilled to find a hand-crafted note from a friend in their mail this winter.

If you are not into card-making, try crafting a simple letterhead design utilizing a word-processing program and your printer.  You can easily add a monogram with clipart, or even add an elaborate border.

Visit http://www.csuzberry.com/csberryprintlinks1.html OR http://printstationary.net/stationaryletterhead/index.php for ideas and templates.