Snuggle Up with this Wrap

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!  Mine was fantastic.  We traveled to see family in Cincinnati and we surprisingly had a beautiful snowfall!  

I love making homemade presents and luckily my family loves making/receiving homemade items.  One present I was proud of giving was this wrap.  I knitted it for my mom in a washable cotton and I thought it turned out great.  It can be worn as a wrap or a really chunky scarf.  Either way, it'll keep the chill out. 

I loved it so much that I'm planning on knitting another for myself this summer.  I was thinking mustard yellow would be a beautiful fall color.  So many projects on my list...where will I find the time!? :)

Cheers to you and your family and wishing you a wonderful and Happy New Year!

Whooooo needs coffee?

Look Whoooo's adorable! I found a cute owl pattern on Ravelry for free!  It's super simple to knit up (took me 2.5 hours) and it's quite fun.  Now I can't wait to use it!!

DIY Pottery Barn Poinsettia Pillow

I love Pottery Barn!  I walked in searching for stemware and saw this lovely Poinsettia Pillow.  I didn't want to pay $30 for a 12 in pillow ($60 for two) so I decided to make two.  Sometimes my knock-offs don't go that well, but I was happy with the way this one turned out!

Pottery Barn Poinsettia Pillow

I purchased 1 yard of 100% wool felt (I had a 50% coupon for Jo-Ann fabrics!! Woohoo!).  I used the remaining felt for another project and a yard of linen fabric for the pillow case.  My pillow inserts are 18x18 so I cut 2 20in squares for the "top" and 12X20 and 13X20 for the backs.  The back is a simple envelope style- nothing too fancy.

I cut three different size petals. 5 large, 5 medium and 5 small.  With embroidery thread I stitched by hand a stem seam up the middle.

I positioned the large 5 petals on the 20x20 square (the top side) and stitched with the machine all the way around.  Then I layered the medium petals on top and stitched those on top of the large.  I didn't stitch the top of each medium petal to the linen because I wanted it to stick out a little. 

The final embellishment were the gold jingle bells.  I hand stitched those to the center of the flower. 

Then I sewed the front of the pillow to the two back pieces and voila!  I sewed up two solid red pillows for good measure.  My color scheme for Christmas is cream, gold and red.  Once I get my tree this will really look great!!!

Gobble Gobble

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday by far.  There's always great food and long conversations around a dining room table.  This year was a little different because we had kids over and we ended up turning on a movie to keep them occupied.   I see what's in store for me now. :)

I kept my decorations simple for Thanksgiving.  I created a banner that says "Give Thanks" out of burlap.  I came across this blog on Pinterest and she has the template all ready for you.  Only mistake I made was buying the wrong transfer paper.  I purchased the dark transfer paper first and you'll want the transfer paper for white material.   I'll find a use for the other paper down the road. 

I created the table runner out of burlap.  I bought two yards of burlap and then cut the width I liked.  One edge was already pre-sewn so the burlap wouldn't unravel.  With white thread, I sewed the three other sides so they wouldn't unravel as well.  

I had the fake leaves already so I put those on the burlap along with candles. I thought it turned out well. :)

And here is the beautiful bird my husband grilled.  We stuffed it with thyme, an orange, an apple and a red onion.  It was delicious!!!

Ollie the Owl

Ollie the owl is one of my favorite knitted projects.  He was quick to knit and has provided a lot of cuddles.  
I found the pattern on Purl Bee's blog.  They have so many great patterns, so while you're there take a look around. 

Gingerbread Hat

This was a quick and easy hat to do.  I used Lamb's Pride worsted, 85% wool and 15% mohair in Lotus Pink (M-38).  Find the pattern for free on ravelry.  I knitted the small pattern and though it's a bit big for my 17 month old, she'll be able to wear it for a few years.

Heart Hot Pad

I hosted a craft night with my girlfriends and the project was a heart pot holder.  I saw this design on Pinterest (of course) and thought it was a cute Christmas idea for my grandma.  

Supplies:
2 different  fabric designs
Thick interfacing
Sewing machine/thread/needle/pins

First, create your pattern.  I used Martha Stewart's heart pattern (increase size to 200%), for the main heart. From there, I created a pattern for interfacing (you want it to be slightly smaller than the main heart), the pockets and the pocket strip (2inx7in).  
Fabric A is your main color (Back of heart + pockets)
Fabric B is the inside fabric and the liner to the pockets (red polka dots below).  

Cut 1 Main heart from both Fabric A and B.  Then using Fabric A, cut 4 pockets.  Using Fabric B, cut 2 2inx7in strips.

For interfacing, you'll cut two main hearts and then trim so there's approx 1/2 in smaller than the main heart.  You will then iron the interfacing on each main heart.  You will then cut interfacing for only one side of the pockets and iron this as well. 

For the 2x7in strip, fold both ends together so they meet in the middle.  Iron to make creases.  Then fold in half again, and re-iron. 

Fold ends so they meet in the middle

Fold in half and iron

Put two sides of the potholder together and then slip the strip into place and pin.  There will be an overhang of the strip on the top and bottom and you can just trim this so it's flush with the pocket.  This will be sewed into the Main heart so doesn't need to be perfect. 

Trim the overhang

With pins in place, sew the strip to the pocket.  You do not need to sew the edges of the pocket yet. 

 Next, you'll position the pockets on top of Fabric B (polka dots) and then with the Main Heart in Fabric A, you will place on top with the fabric facing inwards (interfacing will be towards you).  Pin in place.  Sew along the outside pieces and leave about a 2-3 in gap at the bottom of the heart so you can turn it inside out. Once you turn it inside out, sew the bottom section together with a needle and thread. 

Isn't this great?!?  My grandma will love this. :D