New stuff!

After making the adorable apple cozy last posted, I decided to try and work one up that wouldn't have the large hole in the side (my bag is a dangerous place!)

Here's what I came up with!

The cupcake ribbon was a gift from Julie, and it happened to fit perfectly into my treble crochets!

To make it, I followed the same instructions as for the first apple cozy (it's on Ravelry as a free download, if you're interested!), just basically a small hat shape, except that I didn't leave the space, I just continued working around (not in a spiral, I would join and chain up every round). Once I got to a size I liked, I worked a row of trebles (to fit a ribbon in) and then a row of single crochet followed by a bit of a border. The whole thing is worked in single crochet, with the exception of the very start and the end. It didn't take very long to make at all!

When I went to visit Julie, she also gave me some new books! The book above is one of them. Apparently there's a metric version as well (not "yards"), but it looks identical other than the system of measurement used. The book is adorable! It has the cutest ideas, all to be made with a yard of fabric or less, and even includes the pattern pieces and instructions so clear even a beginner could dive in! I positively love the little lunchbag featured on the cover.

And the "Wash Me!" bag featured on the back. There's also oodles of adorable patterns for children, from aprons that turn into art totes to little smocks. Tons of purses, too, naturally!

I also splurged a little while back (perhaps during a fit of self-pity spawned book shopping?) and got myself two absolutely beautiful books. While the flower book requires fairly specific colours of yarns to recreate the flowers featured inside, the Crochet Motifs book is amazing. Beautiful full colour photos, super detailed instructions and even beginner tips and different joining techniques explained clearly in the front. And the colours they use! The book is so inspiring to look through, just a whole book of eye candy! Yum yum yum!!

I also decided to make something pretty for my hair, and the headband above is the result. I couldn't tell you how I made the leaf at the end, I basically tinkered until I had something resembling a small leaf. The end of the "vine" (behind the flower) is actually a small loop where the leaf fits through to attach the ends for the headband. The little loop is hidden, so you only see the flower and the little leaf. I made it just a touch too big for my head, so I have to secure it with a bobby pin, but it still looks adorable. It could also probably work as a necklace, if you made the vine part shorter!

Finally, when cleaning my room, I found a ton of small change. I decided I needed somewhere to put it, and so I opted to turn an old alfredo jar that I had cleaned and saved (my sister is always complaining that our kitchen is full of empty jars, because I reuse them as holding containers for my bulk barn purchases that can fit) into a spot for my random change! I decided to call it the Rainy Day Fund, because it will be nice to save the money for something special. :)

Hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying the beautiful summery weather we're finally getting again!

Bags, bath bombs, hats...oh fun!

Over the holidays, I got down and dirty with the crafting stuff. I even made myself a whole new batch of deodorant and shared it with my family (although my mom insisted she didn't need deodorant because she doesn't normally wear it...I think she's just suspicious of my natural stuff).
The first thing I did, actually before the holidays, was crochet my first hat! It's not the best hat in the whole world, but I am pretty pleased with it. I'm currently in the process of making one for my mom now, although I am playing with a different texture.

Once I was all done my placement (which went well!) I set to work finally sewing together the tote bag I have been prepping to make slowly. I don't have an actual school bag and thought that making one would mean I get everything I want, for a fraction of the cost. All of my fabrics were on special, so the bag probably cost less than $10 total to make (including EVERYTHING). I was pretty pleased with the final product.

That said, I will NEVER make a bag like this again. Perhaps similar in appearance, but I would never go through the same process to make it that I did this time. It caused a lot of complications and made things more difficult than they needed to be.

 Gathering supplies for the bag and cutting out parts...

Measuring for the pocket that I didn't make big enough anyway.

This is the inside of the bag.The pink patch is actually a large pocket for smaller books.

There's also a pen-holder pocket (the blue patch under the pink)

This is the front of the bag. There's the large purple pocket and the small blue.

A view of the pocket flap. It now has a snap to keep it shut.

Ready for the finished product?!

You can see my crocheted hat in the last picture...the yellow blob with the purple flower. It looks huge, but it actually fits over my monstrous hair. The bag is also larger than it seems to look in the pictures. It'll be a good schoolbag, and when I am all done school, it will make the most wonderful yarn bag!

I also made some delicious smelling bath bombs! I think they smell like orange creamsicle, but others thought they smelled a little different. The general concensus was it was a good stench, not a displeasing one.

To mold them, I just used a silicon ice cube tray that I got from the Goodwill for $0.50. I also used a silicone mini-cupcake pan and mini-cupcake wrappers, but they didn't turn out as pretty as the hearts did.

The recipe was really easy:

1 C baking soda

1/2 C Citric Acid

1/2 C Cornstarch

2 1/2 tbsp sweet almond oil

3/4 tbsp water

1/4- 1 tsp of essential oil

molds

squirt bottle with water (or witch hazel if desired)

Mix the dry ingredients together first, making sure they are well mixed. In a seperate bowl or container (a clean jar with lid is best), blend the wet ingredients (if in a jar, you can shake it!). Combine the two carefully, mixing with your hands. The citric acid will fizz a little bit. If it is too dry to shape, spritz lightly with water until it is damp enough. Don't pour water directly in or it with trigger the fizzing reaction with the citric acid and your bombs won't go "boom" in the tub. Pack into the molds of choice. Once packed, leave for a couple hours. Once they have dried out a bit, remove from the molds and wrap in an old clean towel or tissue and store for about a week to make sure they are completely dried out. After that, spread the love!

The recipe actually makes a LOT of small bath bombs. If you need help finding citric acid, let me know.

I haven't tried these out yet, but I am hoping to soon!

I would love to source my recipe, but I can't seem to find the link anymore! I adapted it a little bit, but there are similar recipes on Cut Out & Keep if you want to check them out (see the link at the right hand side of the page). I will post the site as soon as I can track it down again.

Happy making stuff!