Inspired

I was very inspired by the shirt painting that I did for a gift, mentioned in a previous post.

I decided to keep it up, and painted one for myself too.

The black paint you see is the previously mentioned glitter paint. This is by Martha Stewart's craft line. The paint container says it's good for wood, metal, glass and fabric. Wow...... impressive stuff.
So this is a test you might say as I have plans for future projects that will need a nice fabric paint.
I bet you're wondering if it worked.... well I painted it and tossed it into the dryer a few times. Then I wore it and then I washed it.

Sugar Scrubs!

As I have previously mentioned.... I made a bunch of sugar scrubs this past Christmas.

They were fun and easy, and honestly they make a great gifts. I really encourage you to try them out and enjoy them. All the recipes were pulled from Pins on Pinterest. I will link to the original posts from the fantastic bloggers that were kind enough to share them.

Ginger Coconut Body Scrub
Coffee Mud Scrub
Sugar and Spice Sugar Scrub
Vanilla Sugar Scrub

If you look through these scrubs, you will see similarities in the proportions and ingredients. Sugar scrubs are a great thing to make and really you can make them out of any combination of scents. Sugars have different coarseness and affordability, so that can change what you make. I had a ton of white sugar left and we are eating less of it so it was a no-brainer to use it up in the scrubs. Adding scents and other things like coffee make things more interesting and personal.

My game plan for all the mixes was to assemble the dry mix first and then add the oils. Much like baking. Some blends have a looser texture when you mix, so you add more sugar, and if you find that the scrub is drying out before you give the gift, add more oil and mix it up well. The point is to have a oily mixture, but you still want to have the texture of the sugar. I chose to use Grapeseed oil and Rice bran oil. Both are easy on the skin and absorb well. The recipe that called for coconut oil was infused as instructed, I love coconut oil, but not all of my recipient's were keen on the idea.

Well, this was one of the things I tried out, and there are more to share. I hope you consider trying this out for yourself or a gift.
I should make one for me.........

Tatting... who knew?

I know a few tatters, they make beautiful work.... and it just flies off their fingers.
Sound familiar? It's true. Apparently it's fashionable now......

Check out this article from Macleans. It even features a LYS. Awesome! Go Tatters!

Keeping busy

This week had flown by. I think that somtimes it's not a good thing even if work goes quick. I have stuff to get done and if my week is over so fast, how will I get to it all. I have a goal list for 2011 that I have yet to share here, and I keep forgetting honestly. Sounds silly, but the reason I wanted to make another list this year is because I felt that last year it kept my head in the goal game.

That being said I would like to share it.

But first, what I have been dabbling with this weekend.

The green/ orange/red tube is a new hat for my niece. I tried to make her one already, but it was only big enough to fit my nephew who is one month old. Ooops... take two. Good news is my sister liked the yarn, and it's a washable wool so it will keep the little head warm. I do so  love knitting for my family!
Secondly, I was trying my had at CROCHET! I love the look of granny square blankets, and it's on the list this year, so I figured I better familiarize myself. I am not understanding the instructions in the book so far, but I am going to try the Attic 24 blog tutorial and  see how that goes. She makes lovely blankets.

Okay so on with my knitterly goal list for 2011. Even though it's late Feburary, I assure you I have had this list since at least mid-Janurary. LOL

1. A Yoke Sweater (to be determined)
2. A Bog Sweater in Purple Cascade 220
3. Fair Isle Inspired vest or sweater
4. Urban Aran sweater modified to a Cardigan
5. New sweaters for the kids in my life (6)
6. Crochet Granny Square Blanket
7. Rogue Kit knit up
8. Green Superwash top-down sweater
9. Brown sweater or vest for husband
10. Nephew's Christmas Stocking
11. Wedding shawl for a special bride
12. All 2010 WIP's complete or resolved.

Ta da! There it is. I am feeling pretty good about it so far. I have my own set of rules to go with it. One of which is a re-evaluation in July, to allow myself revisions. I am keeping track of yarn used for the 100 ball challenge and I am not restricting myself to JUST THIS LIST (as you may have noticed with my other project post this month) Too much restriction = no fun. That isn't the point. I really just have a few things I want to get done, so I think that this is helpful. Three of the WIP's from last year are sweaters that were on the list. Just need some finishing.... or a front, or some sleeves...... and I'm done! Progress to come of course. Can't wait to show you wha't up next. Oh! On that note......

Here is the yarn and needles ready to begin the Christmas Stocking for my nephew. No time like the present. I anticipate begining the bridal shawl in the next month. Happy crafting!

It's coming back......Project Spectrum 4

Hey there... I am so enthused about the new incarnation of Project Spectrum, and I wanted to share it with you guys.

Grab the link in the title to get to Lolly's blog, she is the mind behind the great inspiration.

This year is the Cardinal Directions here is a quote from Lolly's post on the Ravelry board.

This year, we will base the exploration around FOUR colors - one for each direction - and participants can combine and mix these colors with any other color. Each direction is also traditionally linked to a natural material, and you can choose to work with these materials for your projects, i.e. glass beads, wooden buttons, metal pins, etc. For deeper interpretation, you can also choose to incorporate the related seasons and elements in your creative projects.

NORTH (March/April)

Color: Green

Material: Stones/Gems/Rocks

Season: Winter

Element: Earth

EAST (May/June)

Color: Yellow

Material: Wood

Season: Spring

Element: Air

SOUTH (July/August)

Color: Red

Material: Metal

Season: Summer

Element: Fire

WEST (September/October)

Color: Blue

Material: Glass

Season: Autumn

Element: Water

PS: Cardinal Directions starts on March 1st, 2009!

So I think that this will be great!!

I am already percolating ideas and plans, as I know many folks on the Ravelry Project Spectrum board are as well. If you aren't on ravelry, or a knitter... it doesn't matter. Join in!

Draw pictures, make paintings, do ATC's!!

The great thing about this idea is that is exactly what it is..... an IDEA.

INSPIRATIONAL

I promise that I will let you know how I am going ahead with my inspirations. I hope we can all share! Have a great week.... more photos, and another update later.

Vistiting for Inspiration.

Hello Holiday Knitters and crafty-types!! It is a winter wonderland here and we may have a white Christmas after all! That is not something that happens alot here in the Fraser Valley!

I am well into knitting my gifts..... in fact tonight I stop by the post office to pick up a box of supplies for myself and a pal. Yay!! More wool..... yikes. Luckily now that I have a few patterns that I like, I think the gifts that I bought the wool for will be knit up reasonably quickly and I will have no stash addition after all is said and done. I am hoping to have some pics of "Safe" gift FO's here for you...... as I have given my wish list for family and friends on this blog, I have a few more people that I have to hide stuff from. Sorry gang, I know that at this time of year, we all want to see the knitting!!

LOL

Today I wanted to quickly turn you on to two podcasts that I find help with my creativity and get me inspired, hopefully to get you in the same frame of mind!

First is CraftyPod. A podcast and blog about ALL things crafty, from knitting and scrapbooking to making ornaments and macaroni art! Seriously!!

So I have not caught up to all the episodes of the Podcast, but the topics vary so greatly, and the shows can be as short as 20 minutes. My favorite lately was the #79 Episode, Crafting with Neckties!! My brain felt like it was on FIRE!!!

Right now if you pop over to Sister Diane's Blog then you will get a mass of all thing Christmassy from years gone by, and not all of it is fantastic, but it is kitchy and fun!

My second creative inspiration podcast..... is Craftlit. "A podcast for crafters who like books"

Heather Ordover is a former English teacher who runs a literature class through a podcast and also loves to knit and craft.

I am unsure what exactly about this I find so inspirational specifically, but I enjoy having someone discuss the literature that she provides, I did so love English Lit class..... and here it is for me again! The book currently begining is "The Curious Tale of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde" which I have read recently in a literature class, but I am very keen to hear what Heather has to say. I am currently listening to episode 58, which is "A Tale of Two Cities" which I have never read, and honestly am plodding my way through....... and finding out intresting things through. (You may ask yourself WHY I would be listening to a piece of literature that I am not enjoying...... when I don't HAVE to...... because sometimes what you gain from literature has very little to do with how much you like it.)

Any way I hope that you will all catch a few of these podcasts, you can listen from the blog sites in both cases. At least I hope you can. ( I checked both sites, they have the widget...)

Or just pop into the blog and poke around. I have also left another link in the title of this page.... a good site for inspiration. Happy crafting and see you soon!