cut glass here’s a couple of glasses that i cut down and are now holding some of my craft supplies like washi tape and twine and little scissors. these are cut lambic bottles - which i have found to be the most successful bottles to cut. other bottles have been too thin or too thick making it iffy to cut. if they’re too thin or too thick they often crack off from the score line and are then trash. i’ve tried with champagne bottles, which would make a really nice thick little dish, but have yet to succeed at cutting one of those. so the method i use to cut bottles is with my ephrems bottle cutter. the ephrems cutter is set up so you can lay your bottle on it’s side on some roller things. you can adjust the length/height to where you want to score your bottle. you apply a little pressure while rotating your bottle and a little blade scores a line - don’t go around more than once it does not help that score line at all, it actually hurts it. you will notice when you’ve come around full circle because you’ll hear a tiny little crunch and you will feel a difference as well. now i’ve tried the candle method and butane torch method, but what has been most successful for me is the hot water technique. For this process, you boil some water or get it really hot and alternate pouring the hot water along your score line with cold water from your faucet. be patient and take your time. the thickness of your bottle will dictate how many times you have to alternate back and forth with the hot and cold water. and when it cracks along that score line you will hear it. if it’s a clean crack you will be able to just simply separate the two parts of your bottle. and to finish off the edges and smooth them down; i use grit with a little water added on top of a piece of old glass. put your glass upside down and rotate around in small little circles on your grit slurry mix until smooth. then take some fine grain wet sand paper to the edges of that cut to bevel just slightly. and you’re done. with these glasses i also etched designs on them with armour etch cream. i create a negative with sticker vinyl, stick that to the glass, apply the cream, wait and rinse. oh, and the best way to get all the gum residue from the label off the bottle in the first place is with goo gone :)
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cut glass

here’s a couple of glasses that i cut down and are now holding some of my craft supplies like washi tape and twine and little scissors. these are cut lambic bottles - which i have found to be the most successful bottles to cut. other bottles have been too thin or too thick making it iffy to cut. if they’re too thin or too thick they often crack off from the score line and are then trash. i’ve tried with champagne bottles, which would make a really nice thick little dish, but have yet to succeed at cutting one of those. so the method i use to cut bottles is with my ephrems bottle cutter. the ephrems cutter is set up so you can lay your bottle on it’s side on some roller things. you can adjust the length/height to where you want to score your bottle. you apply a little pressure while rotating your bottle and a little blade scores a line - don’t go around more than once it does not help that score line at all, it actually hurts it. you will notice when you’ve come around full circle because you’ll hear a tiny little crunch and you will feel a difference as well. now i’ve tried the candle method and butane torch method, but what has been most successful for me is the hot water technique. For this process, you boil some water or get it really hot and alternate pouring the hot water along your score line with cold water from your faucet. be patient and take your time. the thickness of your bottle will dictate how many times you have to alternate back and forth with the hot and cold water. and when it cracks along that score line you will hear it. if it’s a clean crack you will be able to just simply separate the two parts of your bottle. and to finish off the edges and smooth them down; i use grit with a little water added on top of a piece of old glass. put your glass upside down and rotate around in small little circles on your grit slurry mix until smooth. then take some fine grain wet sand paper to the edges of that cut to bevel just slightly. and you’re done. with these glasses i also etched designs on them with armour etch cream. i create a negative with sticker vinyl, stick that to the glass, apply the cream, wait and rinse. oh, and the best way to get all the gum residue from the label off the bottle in the first place is with goo gone :)

fabric flower headbands

alex just loves wearing headbands, we have a ton. and we’ve lost a few along the way so i’m always looking to add more headbands to the collection. plus i needed to test make some fabric flowers for another project. i had already ordered some fun elastic to make those little knot pony tail holders that seem to be everywhere these days (which are super easy to make and super cheap and great to use for kids’ hair.) i let alex pick out which elastic she wanted to use and which scrap fabric she wanted for the flowers. the top fabric is scrap from when i made her vintage suitcase (it has A’s on it and flowers and of course, it’s mainly green) and the second fabric is scrap from my pillow case that i absolutely love love love (pantone fabric from penny candy on spoonflower.) i started by cutting out 2” felt circles - 2 for each headband. i measured alex’s head for the elastic, adding an inch for overlap. and finally cut out 3” fabric circles - about 18 for each flower. i sewed the elastic to one felt circle - overlapping the inch of elastic - and make sure not to twist your elastic when sewing the second end onto the felt circle. then on the other felt circle you start sewing your flower petals. fold a fabric circle in half with wrong sides facing, then in half again. pin 5 petals around the circle of the felt piece with the petals about a half inch in - see photo above. 
then sew the tips of the petals to the felt circle. pin a second layer of 5 petals to the felt circle, in between the first row petals and in a little towards the center, stitch those petals. then one more row of 5 petals filling in most of the felt area. i then folded 3 more petals per flower and stitched the tips together (separate from the felt.) then glue the 3 last petals to the center of your flower and let dry. your flower is done now (optional: i’ve seen places where they say to place random drops of glue in the flower petals and scrunch for some added fluff.) to finish the headbands, just glue the bottom felt part of your flower to the felt elastic headband circle (sandwiching in the elastic ends of the headband section.) once that’s dry, you’re done! yay, alex loves it and has been wearing one or the other every day since (of course, the glitter rainbow one is her favorite - while the neon with pantone flower is mine.)

my birthday cake my birthday was last week, and i usually make my own dessert. here’s the cake and topper i made for myself. the cake is a funfetti cake with buttercream frosting. i used a boxed funfetti cake mix with some tweaks: i used butter instead of vegetable oil, milk instead of water and i added an extra egg. the buttercream frosting is from the grocery store bakery. i thought it turned out pretty yummy. for the cake base, i cut out some cardboard and covered with tin foil. then i cut out some decorative paper and glued it to the bottom (it’s pink and pretty on the bottom now instead of gathered foil.) and for the cute cake topper: i took some bamboo skewers and tied across some red and white twine and added fabric bunting. i added a drop of glue to the bows on the skewers to keep the line in place. the fabric bunting are just small pieces of scrap fabric folded in half over the twine and glued front to back. super simple and quick and uber cute.
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my birthday cake

my birthday was last week, and i usually make my own dessert. here’s the cake and topper i made for myself. the cake is a funfetti cake with buttercream frosting. i used a boxed funfetti cake mix with some tweaks: i used butter instead of vegetable oil, milk instead of water and i added an extra egg. the buttercream frosting is from the grocery store bakery. i thought it turned out pretty yummy. for the cake base, i cut out some cardboard and covered with tin foil. then i cut out some decorative paper and glued it to the bottom (it’s pink and pretty on the bottom now instead of gathered foil.) and for the cute cake topper: i took some bamboo skewers and tied across some red and white twine and added fabric bunting. i added a drop of glue to the bows on the skewers to keep the line in place. the fabric bunting are just small pieces of scrap fabric folded in half over the twine and glued front to back. super simple and quick and uber cute.

chunky knit capelet i am always freezing at work. so i wanted to make some capelets that i could throw over anything i’m wearing and warm up. this one is from a pattern from karen clements that you can find here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/61638159/magnum-capelet-4-knit-pdf-knitting it’s chunky knitting so it goes kind of fast. it’s really cozy. i wish i had made it a little longer, but i like it.
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chunky knit capelet

i am always freezing at work. so i wanted to make some capelets that i could throw over anything i’m wearing and warm up. this one is from a pattern from karen clements that you can find here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/61638159/magnum-capelet-4-knit-pdf-knitting it’s chunky knitting so it goes kind of fast. it’s really cozy. i wish i had made it a little longer, but i like it.

dog cookies this recipe is for peanut butter dog cookies. i’ve had this recipe for a while and i used to make them for our previous dog, but i don’t think i ever got around to making them for Lonnie until now. they are relatively easy and Lonnie absolutely loves them, we’ve been calling them his scooby snacks. and yes, there’s atomic alex “training” Lonnie to sit with a scooby snack. 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour3/4 cup all purpose flour1 1/4 Tbsp baking powder1 1/4 cup peanut butter1 cup milk combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl. combine mild and peanut butter in a separate bowl and mix until smooth. gradually stir peanut butter mixture into flour in the larger bowl. knead dough by hand and roll out on floured surface to desired thickness. cut out treats. place aluminum foil on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. cool before storing.
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dog cookies

this recipe is for peanut butter dog cookies. i’ve had this recipe for a while and i used to make them for our previous dog, but i don’t think i ever got around to making them for Lonnie until now. they are relatively easy and Lonnie absolutely loves them, we’ve been calling them his scooby snacks. and yes, there’s atomic alex “training” Lonnie to sit with a scooby snack.

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk

combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl. combine mild and peanut butter in a separate bowl and mix until smooth. gradually stir peanut butter mixture into flour in the larger bowl. knead dough by hand and roll out on floured surface to desired thickness. cut out treats. place aluminum foil on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. cool before storing.

coin purse check out this super cute coin purse i made. i love the oversized yellow bobbles on it and the vintage style floral fabric is great. i actually bought this as a kit from purlbee.com because one, i love the clasp and two, i wanted to learn how to attach a purse/wallet to one of these style of frames. the instructions are in japanese - i seem to always pick out kits and products that only come in japanese - however purlbee has links to translated instructions for you. i hand stitched the fabric pieces - that was part of my plan, i wanted a project that i could work on while vacationing. then there’s a technique with a thin rope and glue and pliers to get the fabric fit into the frame. i did not do such an awesome job with actually putting it together, i should have taken it back apart and tried again. you can see some raw edges inside and the purse is slightly askew. i don’t think you’ll even notice these faults though once i have something inside the purse. and bonus with this kit is that there was plenty of leftover fabric that i used some to patch up a teddy bear, which turned out fun.
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coin purse

check out this super cute coin purse i made. i love the oversized yellow bobbles on it and the vintage style floral fabric is great. i actually bought this as a kit from purlbee.com because one, i love the clasp and two, i wanted to learn how to attach a purse/wallet to one of these style of frames. the instructions are in japanese - i seem to always pick out kits and products that only come in japanese - however purlbee has links to translated instructions for you. i hand stitched the fabric pieces - that was part of my plan, i wanted a project that i could work on while vacationing. then there’s a technique with a thin rope and glue and pliers to get the fabric fit into the frame. i did not do such an awesome job with actually putting it together, i should have taken it back apart and tried again. you can see some raw edges inside and the purse is slightly askew. i don’t think you’ll even notice these faults though once i have something inside the purse. and bonus with this kit is that there was plenty of leftover fabric that i used some to patch up a teddy bear, which turned out fun.

crocheted viking hats  i made more viking hats! woohoo. the first one i made was for a baby shower present: http://boogiebeans.blogspot.com/2012/03/baby-boy-shower-gifts-part-2.html people seemed to like the hat so much that i made more. the top one i made for my friend’s birthday - he’s a minnesota vikings fan. the colors i used came out a little more retro vikings - not the royal purple that they seem to be today, but i like it, and he seems too. he wore it around the building at work the day he got it - funny thing is, i don’t think too many people found it unusual to wear a crocheted viking hat at work. then one of my other friends liked the hat so much and wanted me to make one for her nephew, so i made the brown and gold version for her - i think that’s her nephew’s school colors. and third, alex liked the hat so much she wanted one. and of course she wanted hers in green, since that is her favorite color. they are so cute, i might have to make myself a pink one :)
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crocheted viking hats

 i made more viking hats! woohoo. the first one i made was for a baby shower present: http://boogiebeans.blogspot.com/2012/03/baby-boy-shower-gifts-part-2.html

people seemed to like the hat so much that i made more. the top one i made for my friend’s birthday - he’s a minnesota vikings fan. the colors i used came out a little more retro vikings - not the royal purple that they seem to be today, but i like it, and he seems too. he wore it around the building at work the day he got it - funny thing is, i don’t think too many people found it unusual to wear a crocheted viking hat at work. then one of my other friends liked the hat so much and wanted me to make one for her nephew, so i made the brown and gold version for her - i think that’s her nephew’s school colors. and third, alex liked the hat so much she wanted one. and of course she wanted hers in green, since that is her favorite color. they are so cute, i might have to make myself a pink one :)

vacation crafts we had beautiful weather at the lake this year, so there was not a whole lot of crafting. here’s a sampling of stuff we made though. first is my neon headband. i have some plain, generic headbands for general crafting and i got some neon embroidery floss and just wrapped it and adding a drop of clue every inch or so. next are the googly eyed rock rings. alex had a great time collecting rocks - she’s always enjoyed finding rocks. and then all we did is glue them to some ring blanks and then glue on the googly eyes (which are supposed to be peel and stick but we were not able to peel off the backing on any of them, so glue was used instead.) and then are the sun prints. alex collected aldl the leaves and flowers herself (it was so dry that flowers were hard to come by) and she arranged them on the paper all by herself and put them in the sun. they turned out so well that i’m going to find some fun frames to hang them. 
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vacation crafts

we had beautiful weather at the lake this year, so there was not a whole lot of crafting. here’s a sampling of stuff we made though. first is my neon headband. i have some plain, generic headbands for general crafting and i got some neon embroidery floss and just wrapped it and adding a drop of clue every inch or so. next are the googly eyed rock rings. alex had a great time collecting rocks - she’s always enjoyed finding rocks. and then all we did is glue them to some ring blanks and then glue on the googly eyes (which are supposed to be peel and stick but we were not able to peel off the backing on any of them, so glue was used instead.) and then are the sun prints. alex collected aldl the leaves and flowers herself (it was so dry that flowers were hard to come by) and she arranged them on the paper all by herself and put them in the sun. they turned out so well that i’m going to find some fun frames to hang them. 

pattern weights another project that i found on pinterest, and what a genius idea. i never thought of pattern weights before and i absolutely hate pinning my patterns down - so i never do and then my cuts are off which of course makes assembly difficult and wrong. i should have realized while watching project runway that they were using pattern weights and i did wonder what something mondo was using once, but i didn’t think about it too hard and the moment passed. i saw a pin on pinterest where someone did this exact thing and i had to do it. the pin i saw used larger washers, but this size (i think they’re an inch and a quarter) were what my hardware store had and i’m sure they’ll work fine. i haven’t used them yet, but i have a project to start in the next couple of weeks that will be much easier with these. i did look up the price of store bought pattern weights and they were insane at $16/4 pack! these are probably less than $10/10. i just wrapped embroidery floss around each washer and tied off - that simple. i cannot wait to try them, and they’re so bright and colorful - i love that.
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pattern weights

another project that i found on pinterest, and what a genius idea. i never thought of pattern weights before and i absolutely hate pinning my patterns down - so i never do and then my cuts are off which of course makes assembly difficult and wrong. i should have realized while watching project runway that they were using pattern weights and i did wonder what something mondo was using once, but i didn’t think about it too hard and the moment passed. i saw a pin on pinterest where someone did this exact thing and i had to do it. the pin i saw used larger washers, but this size (i think they’re an inch and a quarter) were what my hardware store had and i’m sure they’ll work fine. i haven’t used them yet, but i have a project to start in the next couple of weeks that will be much easier with these. i did look up the price of store bought pattern weights and they were insane at $16/4 pack! these are probably less than $10/10. i just wrapped embroidery floss around each washer and tied off - that simple. i cannot wait to try them, and they’re so bright and colorful - i love that.

soft hair rollers

when i was little, my mother used to put my hair in soft hair curlers before bed on special occassions. if i remember correctly they were those foam pink rollers with the plastic pink frames. she would do this before weddings and holidays; and she would put just my pig tails in rollers when i had a gymnastics meet the next day. i had really thick, straight hair when i was little. you’d sleep on the rollers and the next morning you’d have beautiful curls in your hair. i’ve heard of different versions of this including a sock roller and i’ve seen soft rollers in the drugstore lately, but they’re little and plain and don’t look like they’d do a very good job. i also wanted a way to have fun, fancy hair when i’m vacationing in the back woods with no electricity. so i designed a cut and sew fabric to make my very own soft rollers. you can go to http://www.spoonflower.com/designs/1092481 to buy the fabric to make your very own bright, patterned curlers. one yard of fabric makes 29 rollers, which is enough to do all my hair - and i have a lot - and my daughters hair as well. the cut and sew lines are right on the fabric along with markers for the buttons and buttonholes.

first, wash dry and iron your fabric; i made my curlers with the kona cotton fabric. cut out all your pieces, since the cut lines are right on the fabric you’re able to take this with you anywhere you want; i like to do my cutting when mindlessly watching tv. next, fold your pieces in half with right sides together and stitch along all the dashed lines leaving open the space between the dots at the end of the longer skinny side. turn them rightside out (that stick that comes in your fiberfill is really handy here.)

stitch a line across the curler creating a small tab at the end. stitch your button on that tab for all your rollers - i used fun colored buttons to make each roller even brighter. add your fiberfill. fill the larger section with stuffing to your desired stiffness - i made mine rather firm. stitch across the curler closing off the stuffed section of the piece. fold in the open ends and stitch closed. stitch your buttonholes where indicated on the longer tab. trim your threads, cut open your button holes and you’re done! i love my sewing machine for a lot of reasons, but it is the best when making buttonholes. maybe most sewing machines are this easy for buttonholes, i don’t know, but all i have to do is put a button in the back of my buttonhole foot and press go and the sewing machine knows exactly what size to make the buttonhole and stitches it and stops when it’s done. then you carefully take your seam ripper (and a pin if you want to be safe - put pin at the end of the buttonhole as a stopper) to open up your button holes. now, just roll your hair, sleep on it (which is surprisingly comfortable, like sleeping with your pillow attached to your head), wake up and unroll to beautiful curls. and these are the prettiest soft hair rollers i’ve ever seen :)