Christmas Crafting: THE MASTER POST

Holy Tinsel, Batman. 
My fingers ache from all the crafting I've done. And there are still a few to finish up. But here is the big overview of everything I made for my family and friends! 

**Note: this post is best enjoyed while wearing jammies and/or wrapped in squishy blankets with a warm cuppa somethin' in your non-dominant hand**



My twin loves school supplies. Her room is 90% notebooks and pens and 10% bed. I promise you that is not an exaggeration. So it was only appropriate that she receive a composition notebook lap blanket! 

(sorry there's no bedding. I was mid-clean when I thought it would be a good time to play photographer)

Then there was my sister's blanket, which I'm calling the "Indiana Winter Lap blanket". I used somewhere around 110 squares, but I had originally intended to use about twice that number. Unfortunately I ran out of time (I was sewing this bad boy on Christmas day, and by "I was sewing" I mean my mom got to use her new sewing machine). I absolutely hate sewing all the squares together. 

There are three squares types. Your typical granny square (four rounds), a v-stitch square (I modified it to suit my needs) and a ridge square (double crochet in back loops only). Slip stitch those little dudes together and you have yourself a blanket! I added a picot stitch edge (not pictured) and a yellow/white chevron fabric to the back. 

I will never again add a fabric backing to a crochet project. Nope, never. I read several tutorials and we tried our best (thanks, Ma) but I just don't have the sewing skillz. Which means the real reason I got a plaque for "excellence in apparel development" was because I was the only one who didn't make our teacher cry. 




This last blanket is my favorite. In fact, I'm knitting one for myself. Because my new year's craft resolution is to learn how to knit better and I'm a Whovian SO WHY NOT?! This blanket is for my sister and her boyfriend, both of whom are massive Whovians as well. 
  

 

I used this fabulous website to find the colors and I tried to follow their pattern so the rows would accurately reflect that of the infamous scarf, but It just didn't work out. It's still easily recognizable for the classic Whovians. I made it a bit too wide for my tastes, but they loved it. It's a nice little throw for their couch. I didn't follow a pattern, but it's just double crocheted until I ran out of yarn. 

And my final sibling needs something. My favorite (and only) brother drinks a lot of coffee, tea, and other hot beverages of choice. He also loves Star Wars like I love Harry Potter. It's only fitting that I outfit him with the most badass coffee mugs this side of the Empire. 

Boba Fett never looked better. I washed them after this was taken (just to see if the tutorial was right and that my sharpie would not wash off) so naturally the sharpie washed off. I redid them and they came out a lot cleaner the second time round. He was so happy with them!  I also picked out manly tea (including smoke-jumper ginger) to fill them. Sharpie-Mug tip: use a fine-point, oil-based Sharpie for clean lines. If the Sharpie is old, get a new one so you don't end up going over the same lines again and again. 

Muh big bro has requested a mini Boba Fett and I have agreed because I need a reason to make more tiny things. 

I also completed my first commission this season! I hate doing commissions so this will be the last one for quite a while. But hey, now my friend's friend has a rockin' mini-Ozzy Osbourne. 

He was made using the same pattern as The Maine Dolls I made over the summer. The glasses are made from painted and hole-punched Ziploc bag, a twist-tie I found in our drawer, and clear glue. The necklace and safety-eyes were found on Etsy.

And the final craft of the season, beanies. I made each of my best friends a beanie using this pattern. I used Caron Simply soft, and each hat took about half a skein (I am ALL about that two hats for the price of one deal). It actually fits my head, so it's a bit big (I have a large noggin, don't judge). They each got a book along with it (Hyperbole and a Half's new book for Paige and John Green's Looking for Alaska for Amanda).

                                                                                        

                     

  I still have to find something for my niece seeing as hers was probably the worst thing I have ever created. I attempted to make one of those "outline your state in glitter and put it on a canvas" things that were all over Pinterest, but it just didn't work out. I should stick to yarn and coffee mugs. After that, however, it's all about what I wanna make! 

Imma ice my hands while you refill your mug. We'll meet back here after the new year and we'll march on into the wilderness! 

and by wilderness, I mean life. and by life, I mean the internet. 

 **to see how my crafting is getting on, follow me on Ravelry and to see what inspires me, follow me on tumblr!**

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Now Playing: 

 Sempiternal- Bring Me The Horizon

 Common Courtesy- A Day To Remember

 Your Favorite Weapon- Brand New

Penny: The Robot

Remember that project I told you I was working on at the end of my DIY post? Well, I'm about to reveal to you the most awesome creation I have ever put together in my whole entire life! But first, a little background. I'm sure that you've noticed by now I LOVE PINTEREST. I have thousands of pins and most of them are crafts. My mom taught me to crochet when I was a wee little lass (i.e. nine years old). I forgot about it for a while because making scarves gets boring and yarn was expensive for a kid with no income.

Then I started crocheting again in high school when I saw a few other people were learning how to knit. Picking up a hook again was just like learning to ride a bike, you never forget. I had to do a few refresher YouTube videos and asked my mom tons of dumb questions, but I got back to it. Then, I was looking for patterns (free of course, my income hadn't changed much) and found the world of amigurumi.

The Pinterest Inspiration

I still don't know how to pronounce it, but I learned all about it (from Wikipedia). It's the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting small stuffed animals or anthropomorphic creatures. It went beyond just the scarves and gloves that everyone was tired or receiving (even though no one would say it). Plus, who doesn't love stuffed animals?! I MEAN COME ON! They're so cute!

So I came across this on Pinterest and knew I had to make it! Problem number one: it's a sewing project. I may have taken apparel development (one AND two) in high school, but that doesn't actually mean I can sew anything. Problem number two: there was no pattern for either a crochet one or a sewn one, so I would have to do it all on my own. I had never done that before. So I added the picture to my pile of "things to attempt at one point because you're too much of a scaredy cat to do it now" folder. I forgot about it for a while, like...three months. Then I was cleaning out my computer (pictures pile up) and found it again. After staring at it for a few minutes, I decided to give it ago.

And now...I give you...RP743! or, as her friends call her, Penny!

Not bad? She's made entirely of acrylic yarn (Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice in charcoal grey), stuffed with polyester fiber fill, and a handmade glitter bow. In all, she took about three days to make. There are a handful of changes I want to make on the next, which is in progress. Her eyes were handmade by a wonderful lady on Etsy and guess what?! 

THEY GLOW IN THE DARK. How cool is that?! You can buy them over at Designs by Devlin on Etsy. There are lots of colors and sizes and of course they all glow in the dark! I'm currently working up a full biography for Penny that will come with her when I get her set up in my Etsy shop. It will be a while because I want her bio to be perfect and a direct reflection of who I imagine her to be and because I'll be away on vacation this coming week. 

I hope you love her as much as I do! 

Handle The Heat's Rosemary Cheese Bread

Gah, I love carbs.
  They're just so....good. Pasta, bread, and potatoes are my favorite things (other than cheese and chocolate). My heaven would be made of bread with bottomless fondue. Tell me that doesn't sound amazing.

So OF COURSE I jumped at the chance to make this delicious loaf. It has a fantastic flavor, and I don't even like whole wheat OR rosemary.

The "white bread" part is scrumptious. Why has it taken me so long to realize that black pepper is the perfect addition to cheese bread? I've made garlicky cheese biscuits for years and I'm definitely adding a substantial amount of cracked black pepper to the batter.

 

Just look at the cheese seeping up through the crust. You can even see the little specks of black pepper. There's a bit of cayenne pepper as well and it adds a completely different heat than the black pepper. It isn't spicy though. It sort of...melds? Just eat the bread. It's delicious. 

 

I was afraid it would stick (mostly because I don't have the best track record with cakes and breads releasing from their pans), but it slid out just like it was meant to. I even broke out the cooling rack and everything. That's how good it is: I actually followed directions. Okay, so I mostly followed directions. 

If you're on Pinterest, you may have seen the posts about the "Valentine's Day Pound Cake" where the baker, in a stroke of genius, made a pink pound cake, baked it, then cut into slices and cutting out shapes then put it back in the loaf pan with normal pound cake batter and baked it? I attempted that with this recipe, instead of swirling it like you're supposed to. 

Yeah, that didn't work out too well. That brown blob of rosemary goodness? It should be a flower. It tastes like it was baked in God's personal oven, but it looks like a two year old's ball of Playdough. The rosemary batter didn't rise as much as I expected, but I think that may be because (a) my wheat flour is a little old and (b) I got lazy and didn't measure out the full tablespoon of baking powder. 

This isn't the only delicious recipe over on Handle The Heat either! Her site is full of wonderful flavors, both savory and sweet. She's also just published a cookbook! It's all bout ice cream sandwiches, and let's face it: who DOESN'T love a good ice cream sandwich? 

DIY Bedroom Redo

EXAMS ARE OVER! 

I did it! Two years of college are DONE. I did a dance. I danced out of my last final like I had just left the set of Dancing with the Stars. 

Okay. I didn't dance out. I packed up my dorm and then checked my email every ten minutes for my final grades. (which, if you MUST know, I finished this semester with a 3.6 which means I made Dean's List!) 

Then, promptly after I  got home and stowed all my college stuff in the middle of the living room floor, I got sick. I went to Urgent Care and they thought it was a. Mono b. Strep Throat or C. a sinus infection. They also I was 25, not 20. Turns out it was none of thee above and they just gave me a z-pak and GUESS WHO IS 98% BETTER TWO WEEKS LATER?! This girl. 

You guys are such good guessers. 

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! 

       My niece graduated from high school! I couldn't be more proud! She did excellent all four years, and she'll be going to school in a neighboring city this fall. AND she held down a part time job her junior and senior year. She's the bomb, and our whole family was over the moon at graduation (except for the valedictorian speeches. there's a special place in hell for people who quote Dr. Seuss at graduations).

the entire class of 2013 during the Principle's Address

Then, I decided to re-do my bedroom. I originally designed my room when I was 15 or 16, maybe younger. Two walls were frosted (cantaloupe) melon and the other two were this awful hot pink color that nearly glowed in the dark. Then I went through this stage where I drew shooting stars on EVERYTHING and decided to paint one on my wall. Dumbest idea I've ever had, especially when you throw in the fact that even my stick figures look like they have a strange, incurable disease from a foreign galaxy. 

The important thing is, that it looks like this now! 

You bet I painted it white! I used a color called "snow storm". I don't know if you guys know this, but I like glitter. So when Pinterest told me that you can buy glitter designed specifically for paint, I was all over it. I poured a pack of the Valspar glitter in my one gallon of paint and it looks amazing! I couldn't get a nice picture of it, but it looks like I have never-melting snow on my walls and fairies live under my bed. 

 The other great thing? All I had to pay for was the paint, primer, and glitter. All the art was given to me for birthdays and holidays. The owl "pop art" below was made by my best friend (who also gave up her Thursday afternoon to actually help me paint. What took me 7 hour on Wednesday, took us three on Thursday).

 And this trashcan? Yeah, it's made from recycled Japanese magazines. I bought it at Bed, Bath & Beyond two years ago for my first dorm room. It's incredibly sturdy and withstood a bit of water (our shower overflowed a few times, what can ya do?).
This chair used to belong to my grandfather. It was the ugliest, 70s orange you had ever seen. My mom started to paint it white a few years ago, but it got pushed to the back of the DIY pile. I grabbed a can of fluorescent pink spray paint and went to town.
 Some of the orange was still showing through, and it had been roughed up some through various moves (and two floods). But I wanted to show it's history, so I didn't prime it or sand it. I don't actually sit in it either, it just stands here to hold all the stuff I don't have room for.  Then there's this mirror. It was a yard sale find that my sister had hanging in her house for as long as I can remember. She gave it to me a few years ago when she moved house. It used to be red, like London double-decker bus red that had been sitting in the sun too long. My dad had some black, semi-gloss spray paint so I used it. Be sure to cover the mirror with newspaper/paper towel and painters tape to not actually paint the mirror (I may or may not be speaking from experience here).

So what do you think?! Not a bad job for my first entire-room project and not knowing what I'm doing. I'm most proud of the paint job, however. It was the first time I had ever painted anything other than a small canvas. Usually when we paint a room, I'm either not allowed or given the task of painting trim, because no one looks down at the trim or we're covering it up with baseboards.

Have you ever done a whole-room re-do that you're exceptionally proud of? Let me know!
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I've also been working on another little project, which you'll see later this week! But until then, you can see a sneak peak over on my Instagram!