Just Jen

Christmas ornament making with Jack

This year as a little gift for family and neighbors, Jack and I made these swirly paint ornaments. He loved making them - about 18 in all. They're super easy. Just squirt in some acrylic craft paint into clear glass or plastic ornaments and swirl like crazy. We did 2 colors in each, and let the first color dry for a bit before adding the 2nd one. A word of warning: these take FOREVER to dry, so don't wait until the last minute to start. It's a good idea to turn them upside down to let the excess paint drain out to help them dry faster. Once they were mostly dry, I put the tops back on, tied a little ribbon to the top and wrote on the outside with a white fine tipped paint pen. Everybody loved them, and Jack and I had fun making them together - and well, that was the best part of all.

A ruffly scarf to go with the hat

A while back I posted about this hat that I had crocheted for Andie to wear this winter. Well, recently I decided she needed a scarf to go with it. I used the same yarn from the hat, and used this free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. I had to size it down, of course. I chained only 100 in the beginning row and skipped the 3rd row altogether. I alternated colors for each row.

Since it was so small, I was able to work it up pretty quickly, just in time for a tree lighting last Friday night. She also had her first picture with a Santa that wasn't daddy:

I think it's safe to say she's not a fan. And the look on Jack's face was like, "What's wrong with her?!" I love the pic; I only regret not having a better camera handy. I didn't know we were going to be sitting on Santa's lap for pics, so I was unprepared. Still golden.

Crochet Rosette Earflap Hat

We're still enduring temps over 100 degrees, but I'm already gearing up for fall. I purchased this earflap hat pattern on Etsy last year to make a hat for Andie. I loved the way it turned out - the texture of the shell stitches is so pretty. So I dug out the pattern to make another for this year. It's an easy pattern, and it's on the tiny side, so I was able to finish it in one sitting. I thought about adding a pom pom on top, but decided the rose was cuter for this particular hat. The rose pattern is by Lucy of Attic24 and is available for free here. Check out the rest of her blog while you're there - she's got some great stuff!

I used this yarn for the hat and this yarn for the roses and leaves.

May Day - Favorite things

One of the girls at work was recently talking about how her family always celebrated May Day back home. This was a foreign concept to the rest of us native southerners, but if it involves gifts, treats, or gives us an excuse to go out to lunch together, we're up for it. So we decided to draw names (secret Santa style) and fill a basket with our favorite things ($15 limit) to drop off at each recipient's desk while they are not there (tricky!). Who had who would be revealed over lunch on May 1.

I decided (because making things is one of my favorite things) to make my basket. I used this tutorial on Design Sponge, since I had some newsprint on hand that would be perfect for it. It was a great tutorial - very easy to follow - and I love the way the basket turned out. Definitely give it a try!

Now, for the fun part - the contents:

1. Peanut M&M's - favorite candy of all time. ever.

2. OPI "You Don't Know Jacques!" - favorite nail polish color

3. Sharpies in fun colors - LOVE Sharpies!

4. Morning Glory seeds in Heavenly Blue - my favorite vine and SO easy to grow!

5. Yarn + crochet hook + washcloth pattern - favorite hobby (and my recipient happens to already know how to crochet!)

 

Here's what I received:

Adorable watering can and felt flower, fruit slice candies (mmm!!!), and these lovely gift enclosure cards from betweenthesheetsco.

And this is the collective loot. Do we know how to celebrate or what? :)

Lunch Hour Crafting: Wrapped Earphones Tutorial

I'd HAD IT with tangled earphones, and finally the other day, it occurred to me what to do about it. I thought if I wrapped them in embroidery floss, not only would they look more lovely, but the floss would help keep them from tangling every single time I throw them in my handbag or gym bag. And they'd be easily identifiable as MINE. (Not that things like that commonly disappear at my house or anything…). Now, I am sure others have had this same idea before, and may even have a better way of doing it, but I decided to strike out on my own here instead of seeking out a tutorial. I was happy with how they came out - it didn't add much bulk, and the cord is still flexible enough. I'll give instructions for changing colors along the way, but you can always keep it simple and wrap with one color or get a single variegated floss that will give you the color blocked look with less effort. I tried to take as many pics of the steps along the way as I could, but I was on my lunch hour at my desk and well, I only have two hands. And this project definitely requires both hands. And a lot of patience. And if you don't have arthritis before you start, you might when you finish. Not trying to discourage – it's loads of fun! But it's tedious work. You've been fairly warned...

What you'll need:

earphones or headphones
fabric/craft glue
embroidery floss

Start at the plug end of your earphones. Position the loose end of the thread so it is heading the opposite direction of the plug. You'll need about an inch long tail. Start wrapping around the cord as close as you can to the plug. As you are wrapping, try not to do it haphazardly, overlapping the floss, which will make it look messy and bulky. Instead wrap it around neatly like a coil, covering the cord as you go. Be sure to wrap the floss close together on the cord so there are no gaps. Also make sure you are also overlapping the beginning tail of the floss, trapping it under the coil as you wrap. Keep wrapping until the section of color is the desired length.

Changing color:
Hold color #2 flat against the wire as you wrap, gradually overlapping the loose end with color #1. Make sure you overlap at least 1/2" – 1" of the tail of color #2.

Once the loose end is secure, pick up color #2. Cut color #1 leaving at least a 1" tail. Start wrapping in the same way with color #2, overlapping color #1 until the loose end is covered. Keep wrapping until this section of color is the desired length. This effectively traps the loose ends of each color so they don't come loose.

To make the stripe effect:
When adding a new color, cover the loose end of color #2 as instructed before, then wrap with both colors at the same time, side by side.

Finishing:
When you reach the fork in your earphones, wrap as closely as you can to the end of the cord. Knot the floss a couple of times, securing it to the cord close to the fork, then add a SMALL drop of fabric craft glue. Cut the floss leaving a small tail. Coil the tail around the cord through the glue, smearing the glue over the loose end. If possible, try to shove the end of the tail down in the crevice between the floss and the base of the fork. You'll need to do this again when you get to the microphone, and at each ear bud. If you have iPhone earbuds, you can shove the knots and loose ends up in the earbuds to hide them. When you start wrapping again after the fork, use the same process that you did at the beginning of the cord.

Wrapping tips:
This can quickly become a tangled mess of floss and cord. After obvious trial and error, I found it was easiest to keep the cord ends in my lap, and the bulk of the floss on the desk in front of me as I wrapped, so they don't get tangled together. I held the floss between my right thumb and forefinger, close to the cord, while twisting the cord towards me with my left thumb and forefinger to coil the floss around the cord. This was the most comfortable for me, but it may not necessarily be the best way for someone else. Do what feels the most comfortable to you! Still, you can expect to do some untwisting and untangling along the way.

You're not likely to finish this in one sitting, so use a paper clip or binder clip to keep your floss from unwrapping or getting loose while you are taking a break.

Like I said before, it's a bit tedious, but worth it when they are all finished! And you're days of untangling earphones will be a thing of the past...

Watch out power cord - you're next!! :)

Clay bead necklace project

I came across this tutorial from Delighted Momma on Pinterest the other day and thought it looked fun and EASY. And it was! I love the way it came out. A few helpful tips she doesn't happen to mention:

1) Make your lighter colored beads first - especially white. The clay tends to stick to your hands, so if you start with red beads, for instance, then decide to make some white ones, you'll probably end up with pink. Wearing gloves would be less messy overall and eliminate the color transference if you change them out for each color. A huge hassle, yes, but worth it if you care that much. I didn't. :)

2) My necklace ended up a little on the heavy side, so keep in mind -  the bigger/more the beads, the heavier the necklace will be.

3) When making the holes, twist the toothpick as you slowly, gently push it through the bead. When you get it through, send the toothpick back through again the other way. This will keep the hole a little neater and help keep the nice shape of your bead!

Can't wait to try this technique next!

 

Crochet Dress Project

I've been having so much fun making little dresses for Andie. This time I wanted to crochet a dress since my sewing skills are still only so-so. I couldn't find any patterns for full crocheted dresses that I liked well enough, though - everything seemed too stuffy and old-fashioned looking. I decided to just crochet the top and make the skirt out of fabric. It's much more practical anyway, since before we know it, it will be hotter than the bad place here in Texas. I was inspired by this and this, but ultimately made up my own pattern for the top. I am happy with the way it came out and think it will be a fun spring outfit for her! She seems to like it, anyway.

Pinny Adventure

This past weekend I decided to try to make a little dress for Andie. I can work my sewing machine fairly well, and have even taught myself to quilt, but sewing clothing has always seemed a bit intimidating to me. I thought it would be wise to start with a very simple pattern and see how it went before taking on something more complicated. The classic pinafore seemed to be a reasonable choice since it didn't involve buttons or zippers and would be easy for everyday wear. I headed off to my favorite fabric shop, the Quilt Asylum, and by the end of the night it was done! I love how it turned out, so I plan to make another one for her soon. I found the pattern (by Betty Kingston) on Etsy. The instructions were detailed, the pattern was easy to follow, and it fit her really well, so I do recommend it. There is also a pattern included for matching bloomers, but I wanted to put it with leggings or pants/shorts instead, so I skipped them.

Side note: baby girl is getting actual HAIR! Ok, so it's still mostly in the "fuzz" state, but it's been growing like crazy lately. Finally. Looks like I'll have a sweet little brunette on my hands. :)

I think I'll tackle this pattern next - we'll see how I do with the elastic...

Felt Flower Headband Tutorial

Lately, I've been wanting to make some headbands for my Andie, so I ordered some fold over elastic by-the-yard from Fabric Hound and some nice wool-blend felt in fun colors from BenzieBazaar on Etsy. It all came the other day, so I couldn't wait to get started! I thought it would be cute to do a variation of a yo-yo, but in felt. I am so happy with how it came out! Here's how I did it:

 

Felt Flower Headband Tutorial

Start out by cutting 2 circles from contrasting colors of felt, 1 large and 1 small. My large circle was about 4" across, and the smaller about 3 1/4", but you can make them as large or as small as you like. Small bowls, mugs and other circular objects are great to trace around. Fold in half and cut out a hole in the center of each circle, making a donut. Don't worry about making the inside circles perfect - it won't matter since they will be hidden completely. Be sure to save the donut hole from the large circle - you'll need it at the end!

Now, put a running stitch around the center of the large circle, keeping close to the edge. The size of your stitches will affect the ruffles (larger & fewer stitches = deeper ruffles, smaller and more stitches = more shallow ruffles)- mine were about 1/4" or so. Be sure to overlap the first stitch with your last.

Once you've stitched all the way around the center, GENTLY pull on the thread to collapse the felt and create the lovely ruffles! (Feel free to pause and admire your work. :) While holding the thread tight, put a knot as close as you can to the felt. This is a little tricky, but it is important to hold the thread as tight as you can to keep the hole in the center as small as possible. Don't worry if you end up with a small hole, though. You just want to avoid a big one. Repeat with the smaller felt donut.

Stack the smaller donut on top of the larger one, lining up the centers. Now, you can use hot glue at this point to attach the flower layers together, or you can stitch them together at the centers. If you do use glue, just use a small amount around the center holes so it doesn't show between the layers. It's important, though to keep the center holes clear, because you will need to stitch through them in the next step. Cut out a small circle (about nickel sized - large enough to cover the hole in the center of your ruffled donuts). Glue (or stitch, as shown below) the small circle you just cut on top of the two donuts.



Cut several tiny circles (if you're not tired of cutting circles by now, you should be :) to make the center detail of the flower. Using embroidery thread, knot the thread and come up through the center of the stacked donuts from the back of the flower. Spear one of your tiny circles, and send the needle back through the center of the flower close to same spot. Pull the thread through until the tiny circle is snug against the center, then repeat for the remaining tiny circles, clustering them close together.

Cut two leaf shapes (I used two different colors). Fold one of the leaves in half, and using a matching thread, stitch tight, small stitches down the spine of the leaf starting at the base and stopping about 3/4 of the way down. The idea is to create a slight crease.

Knot the thread and send the needle back under several of the stitches before cutting the thread to hide the tail. This will be the backside of the leaf.

You can stitch the second leaf in the same way, but I just left mine flat. Here is a view of the finished leaf:

Stack the leaves, staggering them slightly and hot glue them to the back of the flower near the center. Then cut your elastic to the desired size. I made mine 14" to fit an infant. Hot glue the ends of the elastic to the center of the back of the flower on top of the leaves. Finally, hot glue the donut hole (see - I told you that you'd need it!) to the center covering the edges of the elastic and leaves.



Ta-da! Now, go find a cute baby so you can admire your work!

Crayon Heart Valentines

Jack's Valentine party at school is on Monday, so this weekend I figured I better buckle down and knock out the Valentines for his class. I wanted to make them myself (becuase it's just more fun that way!), and after scouring Pinterest for ideas, these crayon hearts from WhipperBerry caught my eye. I remembered my mom helping us make big, mixed up crayons in muffin cups from all our broken crayons when we were little, so I thought these would be fun for a group of 2-3 yr olds. We haven't been using crayons long enough to have the vast collection of nubs that we would need to make enough of them, so I went ahead and bought some new ones. I followed WhipperBerry's instructions using the same silicone heart mold and baking temp/time, and they came out perfect. I haven't yet decided how I'm going to package them up, though. I've got to leave a little fun for the last minute, right?

I couldn't resist taking this pic after I peeled off all the wrappers. Something about new crayons arranged like this makes the artist in me very happy. :)