Summer Handmade Gift Exchange

Long time readers will know that I did this in November, but Craftaholics Anonymoushosts a summer one as well.  Ever since November, I have been anxiously awaiting this gift exchange.  I had so much fun in November, and couldn’t wait to do it again.   This time around it is a little different, it is being organized through Elfster.  The biggest change is that the person you make a gift for is NOT the person that is making you a gift. 

So my draw was a newly married girl from the Midwest.  In fact, she had only been married for 20 days where I first got her name for the exchange. 

My idea for her gift was not original.   It actually was a variation of the gift I received in November.  I love the B that Caty made for me.  So that was really my inspiration.

Now I have made a deal with myself, that for these gift exchanges, I must try something new. 

Crafters, you are not going to believe this, but I had never used Mod Podge before.  Now that I have bought it, I am finding out all the crazy ways to use Mod Podge and I realize I should have gotten the bigger bottle.

Here is the gift I made. I can remember how excited I was about my new last name and knew this gift would be appreciated by a newlywed.

I am still awaiting my gift.  Great things come to those who wait!

Totally Mine

Like recipes, I will definitely look at a crochet or knitting pattern, and work some of my own ideas into it.  But this idea is totally mine.  Justin's cousin is having a baby girl.  Both of the parents are Troy Alums like myself, so I thought of this idea.   I looked on ravelry, and couldnt find anything close to what was in my head.  So I sat down with my hook and yarn, and I created the picture in my head.  I am so proud of this.  It is just what I imagined. 

I present to you, Baby Girl Trojan hat. 

Craftiness is Contagious

I have been feeling very crafty lately.  This is not unusual for me, but usually my crafts have a common theme or purpose.  But lately, I have been all over the board.  And instead of only working on one or two projects at the time, I am working or thinking about 6 or 7 projects.  I am all over the place, and I have my hands in all kinds of things.  I have set aside some time this week to get some crafting done, so expect some scattered posts detailing my adventures. 

I saw this idea last week.  I have really been interested in up cycling lately.  I decided this was the perfect first project.   We all have old magazines laying around.  We pay for the subscriptions, but after reading them one.  We are done with them.  What do you do with them? Yes, of course you can recycle or throw away.  But I am a little frugal, and I wasn’t quite ready to let go of them.  So I tore them up.

And then I picked out the most colorful pages, and I folded them up again and again.

Then I taped those together, and begun to wind them in a circle.  I kept doing this and I kept doing this.   You have to roll it tight, but not to tight.  This is the most frustrating part...

Once you get the size of circle you want or you get tired of folding and taping.  Start to coax the bowl upwards.  (Or leave it as a trivet, or do smaller ones as a coaster).  You should be very careful with this step or you will pull it too far and end up with a mess.

Then I use some Mod Podge to seal it.  I will probably do another coat this evening.

Let Dry.  And you have a one a kind piece of artwork.  I think this turned our really well.