Scrubby

Handmade soap and a pretty scrubby for the bath......what luxury. I had made one of these before but I had to cut my netting myself. I didn't do a neat job cutting so the finished project was a little rough looking. Yesterday, while shopping at JoAnns I found rolls of netting that were just the right widths! And at $2.50 these scrubbies are inexpensive to make too! I crocheted this in just a few minutes. Using a large hook, chain 4 and form a loop. Chain 2 and then double crochet in the loop until you have a nice disk that lies flat with no distortions. For the next round chain 2 and then double crochet 3 times in each stitch. Single crochet in each stitch for one round. Now start decreasing by double crocheting every other stitch until you have about a one inch hole left. Now single crochet until hole is closed and tie off . Stuff any extra net into into the center and it's done. I know those instructions are a little casual but that is how I crochet! Diana

Peonies

I have a dear friend in South Korea whose American name is Peona. Before meeting her, I never knew anything about peonies. But since then I discovered I have a few in my yard and really love them. So when I saw a fimo mold in the shape of a peony, I snapped it up. To give them a little patina, I washed a bit of mustard colored paint over them.

I made a ring and pendant. These are the exact color of the flowers in my yard too! Diana

Acorn Pendant

Fimo acorn in epoxy pendant. Lots of bubbles too, but I am telling myself it makes it look more hand crafted. This guy is large too. About 1 1/2 by 1 inch. And it's irregular shape (due to a heat gun incident) does appeal to me! Looks a little like artisan glass! I have paid extra for bubbles in glass you know! Diana

Shamrock Inchies

This is how I will be keeping some of my grandchildren pinch proof on St Patrick's Day. The designs are from GG Embroidery Designs.

I made these hairbows out of white and green felt.

I also made a couple pins for the boys to wear. Hope this keeps them all safe! Diana

Bunnies Under Glass

How funny is this!!! After putting a monkey brad on a necklace in an earlier post here, I started looking for other fun brads in the scrapbook section of the craft store. I found cute little bunnies and knew I could do something with them. Using a two part epoxy and mold, I embedded the brads (after snipping off the prongs) in the plastic and allowed to dry. The instructions on the epoxy explains how to do this very clearly but I still had trouble getting all the bubbles out. It said to use a blow dryer to bring them to the surface. I thought I could use the heat gun instead......on a plastic mold.......think about it for a minute. So now I have a slightly deformed mold in a few places........and still have bubbles.

But, even with the bubbles, I love these little guys. I glued bails onto the backs and now I have the sweetest little pendants for spring. Diana

Silver Paper Weight

A silver leaf paper weight.....very elegant! Plus it is inexpensive and easy to make!Now that we have a LARGE new craft store in our little town I have so many temptations every time I go in to get some little thing! The last time I went, I picked up a magnifying glass paper weight. I knew there was something I could do with it! I thought about mod podging it but the curve of the glass would make that difficult.

Then I remembered I had some silver leaf! Perfect! I applied it to the underside of the weight and sealed it with matte spray. I covered it with some felt to protect the silver and any surface I lay it on. And just to add a little more detail, I cut out some black vinyl in the shape of a leaf and put it on the top of the dome. If I get tired of the leaf I can change it out to something else!

This would make a great gift but I plan on keeping and using this myself! Diana

Easter Egg Coaster

Snow day equals craft day!!!! While another project is drying, I made up these colorful coasters for Easter time. I am hoping the power of positive thinking brings spring soon. Easy as can be, these coasters go together in minutes. First lay (and I don't mean like a chicken)egg shaped fabric onto felt and then satin stitch around the edges. Then finish off by pinking the felt 1/4 inch from the fabric. Done! And think how cute these with look on the table once winter is out of the way! Diana