Something Festive!

A couple months ago my cousin sent me this link:http://www.blogher.com/customizable-fabric-scrap-wreath and I was inspired to make a Christmassy version!

I got a metal frame at Michaels for about $5 and then went to Fabricland where all the holiday cottons were on sale in the month of November. I choose 11 designs and had them cut the minimum amount - 4inches - of each. That only cost about $7 - so for only $12 I had my supplies ready to go. 

All I had to do was cut the strips and tie them on to the frame - which sounds easy - but took about 3 hours! Thankfully I just put on some good tv and got it done :) 

I've noticed since there are lots of blogs where people used a metal coat hanger, which you could also do but I really liked the depth the store bought metal frame added.

Oh and the moose in the centre was also from Michaels - part of a felt garland that I cut apart and made into some ornaments.

Apple & Pumpkin Butter

Inspired by the load of apples I had from apple picking at Thanksgiving, I decided to try out making some apple butter. Using this recipe:

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/crock-pot-slow-cooker-apple-butter-recipe/ I put it in the slow cooker over night, and it couldn't have been easier. I was then inspired to try some other flavors so tried out this one http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/10/pumpkin-butter.html 

(this is also my new favourite food blog btw).

Both are super yummy!

What do you do with apple or pumpkin butter you ask?

Well, you can put it in cute little jars like I did and give them to your friend for their birthday :)
Or, if you want to eat it all yourself - you can spoon it into your oatmeal, mix it with plain yogurt, put it on toast or a cracker, spread the apple butter on brie and bake it with almonds for a delicious appetizer....or any other creative ideas you can come up with. It's so tasty you'll want to find all the ways you can to use it up!

I recently did another batch of the apple butter, and because I wanted to give it as Christmas gifts, I boiled it as you would when canning things - so that it will preserve longer.

Try it out, you will not be disappointed!

Jersey Knit Bracelet

Finally - a project that is NOT a baby blanket. Although I did work on a couple more blankets this weekend,  I though it was time for something different. I have a few new favourite blogs I follow recently, and for crafts I am just in love with V and Co. I just love her ideas, and can promise this won't be the only thing you seem me make from her site!

Following her tutorial, I made a few of these Jersey Knit Bracelets this weekend.

These are not the best photos, but you'll get the idea.

I used some of the t-shirts I had leftover from my t-shirt necklaces.

Not sure I'll wear these any time soon as I think a chunky bracelet like this is more suited for summer....but I had a lot of fun trying it out :) 

Blankets with Baby's Initials!

Well, people warned when I started this blog that it might be hard to keep up with when the excitment wore off...but the reality is that other things have occupied my time lately, and I just haven't beend doing as much crafting as I might like. However, I did find some time this fall to catch up on all the 2011 babies I hadn't had a chance to make anything for yet...and with that came the innovation of baby blankets with initials! Inspired by my friend Ian's twins I tried this out...and loved it. It is the same as other baby blanket variations you've seen on here (the taggy or rag edge blanky) except with the lil' babe's initials!

 Here are some of my more recent ones:

I hope to be back soon with some of my cooking adventures...stay tuned!

Crafts in Action: Camden SwamiNathan

I am long overdue on an update...and have been making lots of cute baby blankets lately - finally catching up to all the 2011 babies! Here's a sneak peak of a recent one - Camden SwamiNathan!

Cascading Colours

I have a bit of a crafting rule I've been trying to hold myself to: when I'm working on one craft of a certain type, I should finish that craft before starting a new project. So....if knitting something, I should finish that knit project before a new one. However, if I want to take a break from my knitting to sew, that's okay. But, last week I was just feeling very tired of a blanket I've been knitting since November. I've avoided knitting because of this rule and my lack of motivation on this project. This blanket I've been knitting for so long will be wonderful when it's complete (stay tuned) but I just needed a break, so broke my rule. I was desperate for a project that wouldn't require me to think too hard or follow a pattern line by line. I wanted a project that would come together quickly and give me some feeling of accomplishment. And then I remembered that I had leftover yarn from a blanket I made for my sister two years ago before my niece was born. I figured it was okay to stretch my rule since at least I was not spending money on new supplies. 

The pattern I used was a free Lion Brand one - Cascading Colours Baby Blankie. I fell in love with the colours of this pattern when trying to decide what to make my sister and purchased the kit from their site. Luckily there was enough yarn to make a whole second blanket:

I'm not sure just yet what I'll do with this blanket, but it was just the project I wanted - I was done it in about 4 days!

 And some photos of my adorable niece as a baby using this blanket:

 

And my mom getting a cuddle:

I even had enough yarn left to make a few granny squares. When I remember, I try to make a granny square or two from my leftovers in hopes of one day having a blanket made of all these bits from various projects. 

Made myself a dress

I had booked the 3 days before my wedding off work because it just seemed like a good idea. Then the days off arrived, and shockingly I was ready for the wedding. I am not sure I'd ever been so organized in my entire life. I decided I needed a craft to keep myself busy!  I had seen this tutorial a few weeks before and loved the idea of combining a tank top and some fabric to make a summer dress. I figured not only would it be an easy project to try out, if it worked out I'd also have a fun new dress to wear on my honeymoon.

I used a Joe Fresh tank top that cost $6 and I think the fabric was about $6 also with my Fabricland membership.  And it all worked out just great:

Unfortunately I'm all squinty faced with the sun in my eyes -but this tree in our yard only blooms for about 4 or 5 days a year, so I thought I better take advantage of the photo opp!

For those of you interested in the sewing details - the tutorial is easy to follow. It took me a few (3!) tries to get the length of the tank top and the fabric to look the way I wanted it. And I was also a bit fussy about properly distributing the gathered stitches - I wanted it to look even. In this photo you may not be able to tell I am wearing a black belt with it - the tutorial suggests using the patterned fabric to make a belt but I thought it would be easier to make the "belt" portion out of the bottom of the tank top. I did not attach it to the dress, just pull it on over top when I wear it. You could also wear with a store-bought wide belt - and that might give the dress a more polished look.   Although the length of the dress looks okay here, I find it a bit short for sitting/bending over so have started wearing tights/leggins with it since this photo was taken. 

Not bad for my first time sewing an actual article of clothing for myself!