We made these yarn hearts last week. Yarn dipped in white glue and placed on wax paper in a heart shape… trace a heart shape on the wax paper to make it easy. Let dry over night. Peel off. They’re flat enough you could attach them to cards or pop in an envelope to mail.
I so very much want to make a spring wreath like this one to hang on our front door! The door feels naked since I took our Christmas wreath off. The cute thing about this one is the use of fabric yo-yos and buttons to create the flowers. I do love the the bits of jute twine incorporated as well. I probably wouldn’t do fabric covered buttons for my own. Also, it seems like you could easily do this on a foam wreath form instead of a narrow embroidery hoop if you’d like a bit more substantial wreath.
Happy first day of Spring!
Source: craftionary.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest
Ta-da! Introducing the newest scarflette gals! Or rather the newest cowl scarves. Yes, indeed, I have changed the name a bit on these in the hopes of improving searchability and such. Scarflettes just isn’t as common as “cowl” or “scarves” and so I have relinquished my oh-so-loved cute product name for something slightly more descriptive.
These newest additions are made from a yarn combo that I started using in August and now currently have a rainbow of them completed. I’m a big fan of double stranded cowls and these ones are made from two different yarn types (in the past I just doubled up on a single type of yarn). One strand is made from a wool mohair blend called Alfa by SandnesGarn, while the second strand of yarn is made from Colinette Isis. Both of which comes from the oh-so-handy stock of yarns from my mother-in-law’s shop (which now lives in our basement). I really love the weight of the Alfa wool. It’s perfect for my cowls, but by itself, it can be a bit itchy. So I experimented with ways to soften it up and discovered that pairing it with the Isis yarn made it buttery soft. And the colours! Oh, the colour combos come out so beautiful! Seriously, who can resist variegated yarns? Each cowl can be worn with so many different colours!
These gals will be for sale at all my upcoming craft shows. There is literally a rainbow of them, although, some are one-of-a-kind colour combos, so if you see one you like, don’t wait to long to buy it. I’ve started listing them in the shop too, a new one each day. If you live locally (in Calgary), you can avoid the shipping cost listed on Etsy, just contact me and I will drop your purchase off directly to you. Pretty sweet deal!
My husband might think it is slightly more hell-like than heaven-like though. I do have to admit that the craziness in the dining room is getting to me a bit too. My mother-in-law dropped by 12 more garbage bags of yarn last weekend. This pile is much more chaotic, with similar types of yarn in three or four bags mixed with random bits. It is taking more organization than the last load and as such, I’ve had to spread out a bit more too (though still keeping it contained to the dining room). Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving digging through the bags and discovering all sorts of beautiful yarn treasures!
Once I am all done the Make It show, then I will have to sit down and figure how I’m going to go about selling the yarn. I need to decide if I will sell the yarn through my current Bubblegum Sass shop or open another one dedicated to yarn supplies. Something tells me that a light box might be in order for taking good photos. Feels like another new adventure awaits me.
For those of you wondering why our dining room has been invaded by bags and bags of yarn, I am blessed to have Judy from Jen By The Fjord as my mother-in-law. She recently closed down her yarn shop in the Charles Reid Mall in Banff (was previously in Harmony Lane). Several years ago it was located in Canmore. Same shop and same lovely lady running it even back then. For now, big changes seem to await her. I have been tasked with not only trying to help her sell some of the yarn inventory online, but also with making endless beautiful things from it. I don’t want to disappoint.
Here’s a tiny peek at some of the stash:
It must be Saturday because the city is getting slammed with more snow. Feels like most of our snow storms this year have arrived on weekends. We’re expecting 10-15cm or more of snow (that’s 4-6 inches for our American friends).
So I’m doing the most sensible thing and trying to stay indoors. There’s plenty of entertainment at home these days. Especially since my mother-in-law, Judy, dropped off the first load of her yarn inventory. Yep, that’s right, her yarn inventory. I’m currently looking at 8 garbage bags of yarn. It’s kinda like yarn heaven in the dining room right now. With more bags on the way (once the snow stops), I really need to get a good handle on what type of yarns there are, which means whipping out the spreadsheets and doing inventory. FUN! No really, I like spreadsheets, so this could be a very fun weekend. Plus, touching all that beautiful yarn is like an at-home therapy session. Oh the possibilities of things to be made!
So needless to say, Bubblegum Sass may very well turn into a bit of a yarn business. I’m sure hubby is hoping I can sell some of it. Though we have plenty of room in the basement, I think the idea of being surrounded by bags of yarn is a throwback to his childhood. I’m sure when we got married, he had no idea that I would eventually become a yarn junkie. He was familiar with my sewing habit, but I didn’t take up crochet until a few years ago. He’s a patient sweetie though and knows just how much I love and NEED to craft.
Here’s hoping that wherever you find yourself this weekend, it doesn’t involve snow storms or car accidents or slipping on sidewalks.
P.S. – I’m headed to a concert with my friend, Shauna, tomorrow night. She recently introduced me to the music of Steven Curtis Chapman, which I am loving right now. Yes, he’s a Christian musician, so maybe he won’t appeal to everyone, but I’ve definitely reached a place where I need, want, and very much enjoy that in my life. So look him up in iTunes if you’re interested.
The time changed here on Sunday. We set the clocks back one hour and like most people I technically spent my extra hour sleeping. I needed the extra bit of sleep after quite a full crafty Saturday. Although the morning was spent with the usual bit of house cleaning and laundry, I had a lovely afternoon at a friend’s Stampin’ Up! Christmas card making party. It was just what the doctor order too! We all work together and last week was full of extra stress, so being able to come together and make some pretty cards was a good release.
Following that relaxing afternoon, my hubby and I drove out to Banff in the evening. His mother and grandmother live there and his mother actually owns a yarn store in the town of Banff called Jen By The Fjord. She recently moved into a new location, so for any locals interested in checking out her shop, she is in Harmony Lane on the second floor. It’s a bit hidden, but worth a visit! Our mission, besides spending some time catching up, was to put a yarn order in. I’m definitely ready to move on from working solely with yarns purchased from Michaels and while I’m still learning about different yarn types I thought it best to turn to a professional. When your mother-in-law happens to be that professional, it’s even better! So after some back and forth and much touching of yarns, I decided on a few types to order: Punta Yarns Meritwist, Sandnesgarn Alfa, and Garnstudio Eskimo. I was even able to bring some balls home to play with (I *heart* my mother-in-law) and picked up some Garnstudio Fabel yarn to make socks (have to start the Christmas present making soon).
With the yarn order placed and some carrot cake in my tummy, hubby and I drove home along an eerily quiet highway in the dark, arriving home at midnight. So yes, we were thankful for the extra hour on Sunday to get plenty of sleep and still do all the rest of the errands that have been piling up the last couple of weeks.