Bottle Cap Ring Snowman

Christmas always seems to be the time for me to create. All the decorations and ornaments just make my mind tick for whatever reason.

Since I am having difficulties in the morning with starting my day, pulling out the hook and yarn seems to give me something to do until my body is ready to get started.


Do I really need to add the eyes, arms and nose?

Yarn Bowl

It's on my list the ceramic yarn bowl. Then a friend went and posted a teapot as a yarn bowl. I am so confused on what one I want. Yarn bowl, teapot?

In the meantime, I need something to hold my yarn. The dogs think they are balls and they tear this up as tho they have rabies or something. So out came the glass coffee pots, I have been saving. Terrarium is what my plans are with these, but in the meantime if they can be utilized in another way, well, why not.

I am just wondering if I could decoupage the coffee pots and use as a yarn bowl?.....

Glass Christmas Bulb

I bought a set of glass bulbs this year from Michael's with the intention of decoupaging my Daughter's school work to the bulb. I only saved preschool through 12 grade.....lol....I still have the intentions of completing the task, but just haven't gotten to it.

I did accomplish to save all my scraps of yarn this year. I figure there is a lot I can do with it. Put it out for the birds, so they can build a nest, make beads with it, but I found as I was looking at the yarn it was bringing back some memories of what I had crocheted this year.

This year, I decided to place some of the scraps in a glass bulb for a cherished memory. I just need to decide what to put on top to aid in making it pop...

Merry Berry

I know I have seen this concept somewhere but I just can't seem to find it. There are probably a few concepts out there, but I just like to make sure I give credit, where credit is due. The pattern I did design and I would like to share this with you.

Every year, I give a recycle craft to my co-workers in hopes that they will think before throwing something away.

This year I created a bear ornament made from a plastic bottle ring and plastic grocery bags called plarn.

My projects with plarn are very small. I find that it is really hard on my hands. I have learned how to cut the grocery bag strips a little smaller to avoid to much pressure.


So here is my Merry Berry pattern:

Supplies:

Plastic ring from a plastic bottle
Plastic grocery bags
Wiggle eyes
Red yarn
Yarn scraps of your color choice
F hook

If you don't know how to make plarn, I am sure there are some good tuturiols online to assit you with this.

Plastic bottle rings sometimes have the sharp prongs on the inside, I use fingernail clippers to clip them off.

What you will want to do is attach the plarn to the ring with a slip stitch.

Once attached, here we go:

Chain 3
Double crochet 19 times onto the ring.
Slip stitch to the top of the chain 3, this gives you 20 doubles on the ring.
Skip two of the double crochet and double crochet in the next double crochet 7 times.
Skip two double crochet and slip stitch into the next.
Skip two double crochet and double crochet into the next double crochet 7 times.
Skip two double crochet and slip stitch into next double crochet and fastnen off.

Add two wiggle eye a little below the ears.

I use a small pinch of red yarn and rolled into to a small ball to give a pom pom effect and then glued on.


You could use different colors of plarn or yarn. Different types of embellishments, for Birthday's, Christmas, Bear lover.


In between the ears is where you could add a bow, bells, whatever suit your fancy.

I know, I know......it's been awhile. Most of my creations these days are repeats, so I really haven't created new. My niece has been making mini crochet stockings. It reminded me of a pattern I received back in the 70's. Crocheted paper clip ice skates. It encouraged me to start making them again. I have modified the pattern over the years to suit my taste. It is a good recycle craft. Some paper clips just don't always work so well on paper when they are just too bent, so what better way to reuse them. When our office moved a few years back, I remember boxes and boxes packed up of the unwanted and I remember the huge bowl of paper clips. How can you not need these, I thought to myself? I should have recovered them, but I am sure they are being reused somewhere else. This year, I am wrapping all my presents in brown paper bags or packing paper. I see packing paper thrown in the trash so much that it just makes me cringe. With all that I have recovered, I don't need to buy Christmas wrap. I can certainly doll up the brown paper. The main reason to collect the brown paper is I plan on laying one of my bedroom floors with the brown paper and epoxy over it for a floor covering. That particular room is what we call the dogs room. Accidents happens and they are good dogs, but at times I feel bad as I clean up and they are watching me with their ears down....Saddens me... My days are so busy this year, that I have committed to find a way to slow down and really enjoy the everyday, Holy, Ordinary and Amazing Grace of this life. I have posted a favorite link A Holy Experience which Ann Voscamp post daily which speaks of this, and I am grateful that I have found her blog..... Until next posting, I wish you health and happiness......

Granny Squares

It must have taken close to a day to clear my dining room table. It was piled high with crafts and unfinished crafts. I have decided that I will not let that happen again. I am going to stick to one project at a time and completed it before I start the next. I am not really working on a recycle craft right now but I am going to share with you what I am working on. Several weeks ago, I hit a couple of garage sales and found a fairly large box of material. Lot of material and some bed sheets and what not. For $3.00, I could not pass it up. I thought to myself, I can practice my granny squares and make a top with granny square border on the top and bottom of the top. I did finish crocheting the wine bottle covers tho.

For some reason the wine bottle cover made me think of designing a top with granny squares in it. The material is off to the side and a sample of the granny square, (not in those colors). This will be my first attempt to make clothing but, I have to give it a try.

So, I woke up this morning and stared my granny squares. In the process of all this, I am thinking a summer dress might be nice too. I don't know what I am going to end up making but I am on my way. That red velvet cake is my energy source. Not the best breakfast in the morning but it kept calling my name. I can say tho, that the sheets that are in the box of material will come in handy for making yarn for my crochet rug.

Gift Card Holder

I didn't realize I had been gone for so long. I got so involved with crafting, I forgot to blog about them. I need to work on getting caught up with my postings. I have always dabbled in decoupage, but nothing serious. I always used a white glue and water for my mixture. Then I came upon a site that is in my favorite links that shows work with Mod Podge. I thought to myself, what can possibly be the difference. Well, I bought a bottle and I will never go back. This stuff is fantastic. I am working with toliet paper rolls and designing ways to recycle them. So here is what I came up with. I took a toliet paper roll and a used dryer sheet. I used the Mod Podge and decoupaged the dryer sheet to the roll. I let it dry and then used dried flowers to decoupaged these to the dryer sheet. Hole punch on the side and some plastic bag plarn for ties, and I believe I have the perfect gift card holder. I think what encouraged me to do this was the price of gift card holders. I really love it..... I will get back to posting on a regular basis and bring everyone up to date. On occassion, I become a recluse and just need my space.

Crochet Plastic Beads

Yes, I am one of those people that wear a Lanyard. If I don't, I will forget my badge, and that my friends is a very uncomfortable feeling for me. I was thinking that I would crochet some beaded necklaces or straps in different colors to go with my attire. As I am fumbling for my thread size needles, I ran across a bag of those plastic mardi gras bead necklaces that my Mother won while playing bingo.

I opened the bag and, wow, I couldn't believe it, I could still smell her. Granted, I did go ahead and cover one of the necklaces, but I think I will probably place it back in the bag, and keep the presence of my Mother.

I am very much impressed with how it turned out. You could use this with the plastic beaded garland as well. This is the basic pattern I used to make this.

I used a cotton tread size 10 and a US hook size 6.

My philosophy on the hook size is what you feel comfortable with and what works for you.

The plastic bead necklace is of your choice and they just need to have a gap in between them to be able to single crochet.

Keep in mind, this is very basic, so you could always continue around and add a more dramatic border.

Slip stitch in between two of the beads.
Chain 3
Single crochet between the next two beads
Continue to do this until you finish completely around the necklace.
What I found is once I finished around the necklace it naturally just rolls and you can continue the process and complete the other side of the necklace without ending off.
Once you have completed both sides, slip stitch in between two beads and fasten off.

Depending on size of the bead and your tension you will chain stitch so that it covers half of a bead so that you are able to single crochet between the next two beads.

I am real simple, but you could use your imagination and continue on with this process once this base border is establish and create a more dramatic border.

Any of you out there that attempts this, let me know it these instructions are clear and concise. This is the first that I have written and I want to start writing some tutorials to share.

Plarn and Yarn Coasters

I am into so much color right now, it is just unbelievable. If I could learn how to combine all colors like the Fiestaware, I think I would be in heaven. I have started collecting the Fiestaware and I can not believe how all colors go together. Being colorblind has always been a challenge to me, but as time goes on, mixing different colors becomes more and more acceptable and easier for me. Today, I am working on pattens for coasters. What could be do difficult about that? Using a regular 4 ply yarn and plarn is my challenge. Getting that perfect stitch so that the plarn and yarn look balanced. Plarn, I find is very hard on the hands but I think the results are just fantastic. So here is a sampling of my recycle crafts using plastic bag yarn. You could also use these as scrubbies for dishes or in the bath as well.

Wine Bottle Covers/George Cross

Last weekend was spent trying to clean up the yard and figure out what to do with those branches and weeds and cutting that we all love. A compost would be the ideal solution but no, I always have to figure out how to bring everything in the house. On top of it, I have collected a few wine bottles and the glass is such a nice thick glass that I can't help but rescue them from anyone who will give them to me. I did finally come up with a pattern for the wine bottles and resolved the issue on what to do with the branches from the trees. A perfect decoration for me, because I like to have those one of a kind items.

The picture in the background is a self portrait that my Daughter drew. She is a true artist and I really admire her work. I have always considered myself a crafter. The other day, she mentioned that I should degree in fiber arts, it was such a compliment, because I have such respect for her art, that I was overwhelmed that she considered my hobby as an art. With that in mind, it is something that I will consider pursuing, she definitely motivated me.

The past few years for me with crafting, is creating. I have always used patterns, bought kits and made things based from others creations, but with my motivation to not fill up the land fills, I have actually had to create and think of new patterns on my own.

Today, was about making the George Cross motif, one of my favorite and from the pattern, came a new idea for a flower. That is what I am finding out about myself, everything I touch or see, leads me to see something else and the the process of creating begins. I can't think of anything more rewarding.

Plastic Bottle Ring Hand Towel Holder

I love, love, love this one. The most difficult part of the plastic bottle is the middle section of the bottle. I struggle with what to create with the part of the bottle in order to keep it out of the land fills. When, I do think of something, I am right on it.

One could also hang it over a hanger and use it to hang their scarves and belts or even jewelry.

I am trying to write my first tutorial and I believe this one will be the one to try and write.

Blue Jean Rag Rug

I don't know about you but I wear my blue jeans until they just can't be worn anymore. They are so worn that I can't even sale them at a garage sale. There has to be something you can do with the material, right.....

Since my living room is so dark, this is a great way to brighten up, through color, lighter coolers. Cut off the legs to the jeans and make yarn with the material and crochet away.

With year end at work, I just don't have a lot of time to craft but this is a project I can pick up and work on for a couple of minutes to satisfy that need. Sometimes we have stopping points with our crafts and for me that is ok, because it never fails, that if I am not crafting I am thinking about it and that is when all these new ideas come to mind. I would have to say, there is a reason things happen the way they do.

Hopefully by this weekend, things will slow down and I will have time to create some new ideas that are stewing around in my head.

Bringing in the Year

December went so fast and before you know it, Christmas was over. I decided that I would keep the tree up until the end of January to inspire me to make new ornaments. I am so much into recycling plastic bottles that it has actually became an obsession. The center of the bottle is what I tend to struggle with.

I finally think I found something to do with this section of the bottle. I think the most time consuming part of recycling crafts is the preparation of the product you are using.

This project is fun that this is what I have been making for several weeks now. These are made from the center of the plastic bottle and cut down into ring strips to the size I think will be appealing. I just love the fact that I can crochet over these strips and keep the plastic out of the landfills and also practice different crochet stitches.

I am going to use these as a frame for my Christmas cards that I receive. I really don't like to throw the cards out because they hold memories but sitting in a drawer is just not getting it anymore. You can do so many patterns and colors, it is just limitless.

I love them and they have brought in the New Year with passion and fresh new ideas.

I hope that everyone has a joyous and prosperous New Year.....