Crochet Amigurumi Elephant

I crocheted a little amigurumi elephant this week. Not too much to say about it. I used a ball of leftover teal, but realized I was going to run out. So I shortened the legs and used a different color for the soles of the feet. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not when finished, but he's grown on me.  When I do little animals, or anything with eyes, I typically don't buy the little plastic ones they tell you to in the pattern and will just sew them from black yarn.  Needless to say, the result is usually quite different than the pictures.  It's a pretty quick project and can be done in a matter of hours.  I don't have a link to the pattern because I did it from a book called "Easy Crochet Critters" from Vanna's Choice brand yarn.  I included a pic of the cover at the bottom.

Simple Bag Clips: Part 2

After putting up the post about using store hangers for bag clips, I decided to figure out something to do to them so that they didn't look expressly like the ends of hangers, or at least jazz them up a bit.  So, I added something completely unnecessary: Glitter! 

The one thing that I didn't do, that I'd tell you to, is to sand the plastic with medium to fine grit sandpaper.  The plastic is smooth and I'm not sure how long the glue will stick without roughing it up for grip. 

The directions are simple.  Sand the plastic enough to lightly rough up the surface.  Paint it with glue (outer, plastic area).  Martha Stewart has a glue specifically for glitter, but craft glue, regular white glue, or Modpodge would all work. 

Holding it over a piece of paper or paper towel, sprinkle fine glitter over the surface to cover it.  Let it dry.  Lightly shake off excess over paper and paint another layer of glue over any bald spots.  Let dry and gently shake off excess.  Tape the metal parts to protect the shine from the sealer.  Take them outside and spray with acrylic sealant.  Let dry.  Take back outside for another coat of sealer and let dry.  

To dry, I would open the clips and hang them from the paint brush or other dowel between two things of equal height, like cans from your pantry.  

It might be silly, but a little frill can be pretty fun and make a load of difference.  Enjoy!

Simple Bag Clips

Source: blogs.babble.com via Grace on Pinterest

This is the simplest thing in the world to do.  Make bag clips out of store hangers.  I basically saw this on Pinterest and decided to do it, although, I added a step.

When snapping off the end, try not to do it right next to the clip, so that it doesn't crack and so that you get the whole clip off.  

Then, I trimmed the edge with shears, or tin snips if you have them, so that it's a fairly straight edge.  

Tardis Travel Tissue Case

This project is just a variation on this post about making a travel tissue case.  For all you Doctor Who fans, this is for you.  It's a Tardis themed travel tissue case that's bigger on the inside!*  The instructions I used came from this interesting blog, but as stated in my previous post on the subject, you can easily find others online by doing a simple search.  

I obviously made a few changes.  For starters, I used blue felt instead of cotton fabric and interweaving.  I small sheet of felt costs between twenty-five cents and a dollar at craft stores.  I used simple linen for the interior and "lantern" tag (instead of buying white ribbon).  Next time, I think I'll adjust the size so that the case isn't as wide.  It's a bit roomier than you really need, plus you won't have to see the extra space on either side of the Police Box. 

For the Tardis, I found an image online, re-sized it to meet my needs, and printed it on fabric transfer paper.  If you chose to do this project, print the image on regular paper first to make sure the sizing is correct.  Many Photoshop-type programs only re-size images based on pixels, not by inches or centimeters.  It took me four or fives times to get it right. 

Because I'm not an expert seamstress, my case opening wasn't as straight as I'd like, despite my best efforts.  So, my Tardis door and the case opening didn't line up perfectly. 

I lined up the Tardis on my case and cut it in half accordingly.  Then, just followed the directions on the transfer paper package. 

Now, you're set!  Just fill with travel tissues and smile when you tell people it's bigger on the inside.*

*Not actually bigger on the inside.  It's a reference joke.

Links:
http://verypurpleperson.com/2010/02/tissue-case-tutorial.html
http://thisthatandawesome.blogspot.com/2012/03/travel-tissue-case.html
 

Elastic Nook (or book) Strap

For those of you who have purchased a Nook in the last few years, you have probably seen those elastic straps you can buy to keep your cover closed.  They come in several colors, are pretty handy, but are pretty expensive for a simple piece of elastic.  
 


A couple of yards of colored elastic only costs a couple of dollars. I got 1inch wide because they didn't have a colored variety in a smaller size.  I recommend going to a fabric store, like Joanne's, rather than a craft store, as they'll have a better selection. 

Fun Food: Crazy Cupcakes

It turns out that an odd trait my sisters and I have inherited from our father, apparently, is an insatiable desire to try and make food, specifically deserts, just a bit more "fun".  Growing up, we used to roll our eyes and laugh about some of the things he did, like the multicolored, polka-dotted birthday cake, among other things.  As it turns out, we seem to have grown into the idea.  After all, life is too short for boring food.  A cake in October?  Decorate it like a pumpkin.  Waffles?  A batch in pink and a batch in purple, please.  Plain white frosting?  So blasé.  A bit of food coloring to your favorite recipe can change everything.  It puts me in a better mood almost every time.

Here are a couple batches of cupcakes made at my house.  The first batch was done a few months ago.  I feel that they're quite whimsical as light teal with purple polka dots.  These, by the way, are carrot with cream cheese frosting.

My sister made these spice cake cupcakes yesterday.  She actually mixed cream cheese frosting with regular frosting for these and colored it, at my suggestion, blue and orange with swirls!  So fun.  Afterward, I was looking at them and realized that there were a few sports teams with those colors, though the shades would need to be darker, that wasn't my intention.


There's actually quite a variety these days as far as food coloring goes.  Along with the standard four pack droplet bottles in classic colors, you can get other colors you don't have to mix yourself.  There's even neon and gel versions (not as messy).  Try it yourself and go wild!