Game of Thrones Wall Art

I'm not really one for the medium of Acrylic Paint...

But when IsikkahJai requested some Wall Art

for the GOT Swap, I though I'd give gradation a whirl. 

There's a spot in the yellow I could live without...

But the phrase is one from the Dothraki Book of Endearments.

Ok...

There's no such book,

it wouldn't be more than a pamphlet. 

Maybe, an index card.

The Dothraki are a hard people.

As and Extra I gave my partner a little jar for her Dragonglass!

(I'd bought little Obsidian Stones)

The label says

"Use in case of...Others"

Unfortunately, the glass jar broke en route.

At least the Dragonglass is made of stronger stuff!

GOT Dragonscale Gloves!

Does the  Mother of Dragons get cold?

Probably not cold enough for full on mittens,

but sometimes her wrist may get a bit chilly...

(And if what I hope happens in the future, she'll be

flying those Dragons to the Wall and it's crazy cold up there!)

Here are some Fingerless Gloves based on her Dragon Rhaegal.

Behold, the Glory that is Rhaegal!

The Details:

I hooked these up for my partner in the Game of Thrones Swap, IsikkahJai.

The pattern was kind of whipped up by me after a LOT of

trial and error.

I didn't write it down...

I think I was just happy to have them done.

(I kept on getting the thumb on the wrong side)

All yarn is from my stash. 

I think the Green is DK weight?

The use of the Crocodile Stitch was what cinched this 

as a definite make after learning it for the Pixie Hat I'd just made. 

For the Bronze Scale effect:

I had some ribbon-ish novelty "yarn" and I just

weaved it through the Crocodile Stitch rows at their base.

I like the effect of them just peeking through.

Just for cuteness sake, 

here are the Dragons as little babies.

Awwwwww!

(Until she utters...Dracarys.)

Pixie Hat!

This Enchanting Hat was made for the Enchanted Forest/Woodland Swap!

Ha!

I'm the Enchantress for making such wordplay!

This was my first foray into the Crocheted Crocodile Stitch.

I love it, it was challenging but with a nice payoff.

The Details:

This was knit off of Pia Thadani's Crocodile Pixie Hat Pattern.

I found it free over on Ravelry.

Here's the link: Crocodile Pixie Hat

One note about the pattern.

I found it to run small...So be warned, true believer!

Otherwise, it was well written, easy to follow.

The yarn was a Rowan Baby Wool+Mohair I found in my stash.

I remember when I first started knitting I'd made a shrug out of

the green stuff. Well...this particular shrug was never really worn

so I frogged it and kept the yarn for a special purpose.

I'm sorry to not have an "action" shot.

The Pixies were quite evasive that day. 

Arya Scoffs at the Hound Mug!

Oh my poor, misunderstood Hound. 

He can be such a downer sometimes,

But you would be too if so many plans didn't go your way!

I crafted this Mug up for IsilkkahJai in the Game of Thrones Swap

IsikkahJai stated this scene as one of her favorites. 

Warning: possible SPOILERS in the next paragraph 

if you haven't watched the show or read the books. 

When Sandor and Arya reach The Vale so he can ransom

Her to her Aunt Lysa, they find Lysa "not at home". 

Sandor's shoulders slump and Arya practically cackles!

She just laughs, and laughs and laughs some more. 

What's so delightfully disconcerting 

is the release she and the audience get from the laughing. 

Arya's been leading a pretty serious, hard life for a bit and

It almost seems strange to see a smile on her,

but....

every Direwolf has its Day! 

I have my own love for The Hound...

we haven't seen the last of him yet!

Foxy Sharpie Mug!

Insert catcall here!

So foxy!

This saucy mug was made for Jillybeans 

in the Enchanted Forest/Woodland Swap.

Details:

Good old Oil Based Sharpies again...

But lately I've been Stamping my letters.

I've used the ink that came with the stamps,

but I think I need to let the stamp in dry completely

before going over with

the Sharpie.

I believe the ink and Sharpie may have melded making for 

a 2-toned effect.

I was fine with it here...I think it gives some depth.

But, I don't think it would be appropriate in every case.

Speaking of appropriate...

The Majestik Moose Hoopla!

I stitched this up for Jillybeans in

The Enchanted Woodland Swap on Craftster.

A moose once bit my sister...No realli!

She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge - her brother-in-law - an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink"... We apologise for the fault in the subtitles. Those responsible have been sacked. Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretti nasti... 

We apologise again for the fault in the subtitles. Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked. 

The details:

I got the pattern for this at Andrea Zuill's Blog

Here's the link: BadBirds: Free Patterns Archive

On her amazing Blog she also has embroidery patterns for purchase!

Such cool stuff, I strongly suggest you check it out!

1UP Upcycled Bag

As you may well know (or not)

I have 2 kids...

a daughter (oldest) and a son.

 This son of mine LOVES his older sister,

it's a regular case of "Monkey See, Monkey Do around here.

A while ago, Miss Morgan got into bags.

She sees me carry around at least 2 most times...

so who could blame her, really?

Will requested a bag and who was I to say no?

Originally, I had tried all sorts of Glow in the Dark

fabric markers and paint so our 1up Bag could have a little oomph.

As you can see...

The result wasn't pretty.

So, I went over it with regular white acrylic.

Much better!

Next it needed a Messenger Bag sized strap,

so I found a super long Green Zipper I'd liberated from 

something...green.

I don't really remember what clothes I took it from and what 

got made from whatever it was.

Shame on me!

I love the trick of sewing around the Zipper Teeth so the Pull

stops where you want it to!

I attached the zipper to the bag's existing strap ends

where I cut.

(Making sure to fold in the raw edges)

I then outlined in Black Gel Fabric Pen and

gave the little guy some eyes.

Done!

And now my little guy can carry around whatever

his little heart desires.

Everyone needs a Bag of Holding!

Upcycled Fingerless Gloves!

So this idea just popped in my head today...

I should be doing other things, 

but I just got too giddy with the notion of a quick little project.

Behold! 

I upcycled my son's "too small" socks into Fingerless Gloves!

Just find some socks around the house.

You know they're there. Just taking up space: in a dust rag or waiting to be donated bin.

These particular socks fit Will when he was 4 years old, if that gives you any indication of sizing.

So I've found my socks, the next step is to cut the toes off.

You don't have to be too exact on this as the raw edge tends to roll.

Then comes the Thumb Hole.

In most of these "Character Socks" the trademark/copyright for said characters is somewhere

on the bottom of the foot. 

If its there, flatten the sock out and grab your sissors again...

I made my hole smaller than I thought would be necessary due to stretchage.

This placement also allows for the Heel to act as the Thumb Gusset. 

Magical!

Then try on for size!

Yay! You're done!

Unless...

you want to do a little Blanket Stitch on the raw edges of the Fingers and Thumb.

I opted not to finish off with stitching and just let them be.

I'm not looking at these to become heirlooms 

and it would take away from...

 my lightning fast start to finish time!

Crochet Hoop of Sunshiny Goodness!

With the abundance of Snow piled on us today

I thought a Sunshine Crochet Hoop 

would be in order!

This was a little "extra" for SonjaBoo in the

Box Full of Sunshine swap.

I just took a Thrift Store Hoop and some

yellow Stash Yarn and crocheted around it.

Sure, it was a bit awkward at times 

(the hoop was one of those old metal ones)

but I enjoyed using something

for a totally different purpose than what it was intended for.

So while I'm flabbergasted by the amount of snow 

outside my window and long for the sun...

I wouldn't want all this white stuff to melt.

First of all, the inevitable flooding would reek havok!

Second of all it's Thanksgiving!

I should be able to put up with the snow until at least Jan 1st.

Then Snow better beat it.

Snow and I are not friends after Christmas.

You know nothing...Snow!

Potter Switch-plate!

Almost a 1 1/2 years ago (during summer), 

I developed a strained thumb.

It seriously messed with my Crafty Mojo!

I couldn't crochet (which is what I think caused the strain),

knit, or embroider. 

What's a Crafty Girl to do?

I could hold a marker!

Even though Melissa's Birthday wasn't until February, 

I made this Potter Switch-plate for her and held onto it

for months and months...

I'm terrible with Secrets like that!!!!

But I persevered.

Somehow...

For the details:

I found the Switch-plate at the Thrift Store.

Sketched the design "free hand" with pencil.

Colored in with Oil Based Sharpies.

"Happiness can be found in the darkest of times,

when one only remembers to turn on the light."

-Albus Dumbledore

Watson Wedding Tea Wallet!

A Tea Wallet can save your life.

But it takes John Watson to save your life.

Hence...

I'm calling this the John Watson/Mary Morstan Wedding Tea Wallet!

As those who know me, 

and those who read this blog have probably 

caught on to, I have an obsession with BBC Sherlock.

(Stick with me here... I'm going to make the naming of my tea wallet reference work)

In the 3rd series/2nd episode our lovely John Watson weds Mary Morstan.

The venue for the wedding is GORGEOUS! 

All in pale yellows.

In Sherlock's Best Man speech,

 (watch this please, it's nothing short of amazing and takes most of the episode :) )

he centers around the theme of 

"Sherlock solves the crime, but John saves the life".

Tea on the go has saved me many times.

As a recent-ish devotee to tea, I'm still super particular 

about which ones I like.

It's great to just reach into my purse and have my favorites

at hand rather than force down a blend I'm not familiar with.

Also, I've cut caffeine out completely (whew!)

so to have a tea I like and be decaf just "available" at a

moments notice is the best!

So, this yellow hued Tea Wallet I dedicate to that most epic of Best Man Speeches.

(I still tear up when I watch it, and I watch it a LOT!)

The details:

I stitched this up originally for SonjaBoo in the Box of Sunshine Swap.

I had enough fabric to make a twin for myself (YAY!).

The tutorial was found at Handmade Therapy: (Here's the link it's GREAT!)

Just for giggles, I'll include another favorite part of mine in his speech:

What happened to my Blog Pics?

Quick note here...
I've recently (yesterday) gotten a new toy.
A tablet.

i was playing around with said tablet today, you know we were getting to know each other,
when...

I removed the gallery app.

Little did I know that this might be the most headachy thing!

Now, on every device BUT the new tablet (including my computer), mcmaven haven pictures are gone!

I'll be taking lots of aspirin and trying to figure this out.

My apologies if you came here via Pinterest and found a big-fat-annoying-no-picture-post.

GRRRRR!

UPDATE:
Kind of "Good news, Bad news"...

Good News:
We were able to find the pictures!
The do, in fact, still exist. HOORAY!

Bad News:
It looks as if I need to reupload every picture in every single post.
Bah Humbug.

Finn and Jake Clock of Mathmatical Awesomeness!

I have always wanted to "alter" a clock...

Just to see if I could.

I made this for GrindHouseHussy19 in the Frozen Swap as an "extra".

We had so many of the same fandomish loves

we'd agreed to do some Frozen goodies 

and also branch out for a few more items.

The details:

This was a $5 Target Clock.

Removing the clock mechanism was relatively easy

needing only a screwdriver (not sonic) and some sass.

The front glass...

not so much.

I cracked it with the removal effort!

I went ahead anyway and painted the original clockface with 

Land of Ooo Sky Blue.

Or, it resembles Finn's shirt color closely too,

think what you will.

Then, lining up the original clockface center hole

with the Finn/Jake image 

I reattatched the clockwork.

I made sure to insert some batteries to make

absolutely sure

the clock hands worked as they should.

I watched it for about 1/2 a day.

Not the whole time,

that would be crazy.

I love crafting, but I don't think I 

could watch just one clock for that long.

Elsa Ami!

Let it Go!

This was hooked up for Grindhousehussy19 in the last Frozen Swap on Craftster.

Elsa is such a favorite,

Halloween became a big game of "How many Elsa Costumes did you see?"!

I think I counted a good 20.

I adapted Sahrit Freud-Weinstein's 

Merida Amigurumi princess doll crochet pattern on Ravelry

(Find the amazing pattern here)

to Elsa's look.

Her Cape is just a simple Granny Square in sparkly silver stash yarn

turned on its point and sewn on.

But wow, did I get super carried away with her hair!

I just kept adding and adding and then, 

when done,

I realized I needed to use some serious magic 

to braid the mane of icy wonder.

Enter my fantastic friend of Winter, Melissa!

It was a tough braid to achieve with all

my different length strands going on.

So a big Thank You to Melissa!

You're worth melting for!

Basket full of Brighten Your Day!

Last January, 

(I told you I had a huge backlog of posts)

I got partnered up with the Amazing SonjaBoo 

in the Box of Sunshine Swap. 

She needed a fabric basket and I couldn't NOT make her one!

The Box of Sunshine Swap was so much fun.

It was way deep in winter and the rules were simple...

You could fill up a box with anything the color Yellow or Orange.

A box of cheerfulness.

What a great idea, I hope there's another one this year!

The tutorial is from Leslie's Art and Sew.

(Fabric Basket Tutorial)

I have sewn this particular basket several times.

I give a lot of credit for that to Leslie's great tute.

I came to know her as Leslieshappyheart, through her organizing Craftster Swaps.

She and her friend (Susanab) would coorganize the most 

positive, and creative idea cultivating swaps.

For the most part, they would offer an idea (and 

even a pattern or link for a tutorial) and the participants 

would go off their partner's tastes and everyone would

essentially craft the same item but every one was totally unique. 

They were the ones who introduced me to Ninnys.

Please check out the Ninny Tutorial over at Revoluzzza: Revoluzzza Blog 

I certainly attribute my sewing skills beyond pillows to them.

They haven't organized a swap for a long time and I miss them.

On Partner Day Susanab would post a scrolling text about dancing, 

calling it her "partner dance".

So, I want to thank them for their providing a 

super positive place on Craftster and how they attracted

many possible people.

I think it takes someone special to do something like that.

Weeping Angel Amigurumi for Heather!

Hooked this little lady up for a special little lady's 

birthday whose husband is super creeped out by all things Weeping Angel...

So a "win-win" in my book!

My friend, and fellow Coffee Hag Knit Nite attendee, Heather

had a birthday.

And a love of Amigurumi with an affection for Doctor Who.

As well as the unfortunate judgement to share with

me an anecdote of how her husband freaked over the Weeping Angels.

I'd found my gifty mission!

Super great and easy to follow pattern by Shirley MacDonald 

over on Ravelry. 

Here's the link: Weeping Angel Statue ravelry link

This particular Angel was very cooperative in posing for me.

She didn't squirm around and always stood still when asked.

What a delightful photo shoot subject she was.

Whovian Hidden Book of Mystery!

This is a "Secret Compartment" Book

I crafted up such a long time ago for

Grindhousehussy19 as an extra in the Frozen Swap.

I had been saving this Thrift Store Find of a book

for the perfect Whovian.

It even had a wonderful Tardis color to it!

So I went for the zen approach to cutting out the rectangle below 

as it can get real tedious...real fast.

Little Tip: 

If you take the thinnest bit and drill the 4 corners,

it makes for cleaner cutting.

Geez, looking at this pic, my straight edges are not so straight.

Oh well, Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey right?

I also slippped her some Whovian Bottlecap Magnets.

Dimensional Magic rules!

And a big Thank You to Shannon 

who gave me some bottlecaps to craft up!

Allons-y!

Lego Movie Hoopla Triple Threat!

This seemed to be, above all The Summer of Lego around here.

I have to admit, I love Benny.

His joyfulness to make a spaceship is how I feel about a great deal of things.

Maybe too many things.

Maybe I'm overexcitable?

Morgan, of course was all about WyldStyle and Will had a big thing for Emmet. 

After I first stitched up the Benny Hoopla the kids promptly put their orders in.

Below is a montage of close ups and basically me playing around with an intagram app for the first time.

I've been pretty busy lately, and a lot of crazy creatively awesome

things have been going on.

My sincerest apologies for leaving this blog for so long.

But no fear, the creativeness has (for the most part) been

captured for future blog posts!

I also have a serious backlog of Craftster Swap items 

to post for posterity.

(Even if it's for my own enjoyment.)

But, on a fun side note, I looked at my Stats on 

here and my Lalaloopsie crocheted hats have 

been viewed 124 times from France today!

One word to leave you with:

SPACESHIP!

Drawing Challenge Day 24: A Couple

Day 24: A Couple

PB+J=BBF's 4EVER!!!

They're always hanging out. 

I swear,

people might think they're...

up to something. 

Drawing Challenge Day 23: Something I Need

Day 23: Something I Need

Peace. 

I like this word. 

It could really lend to many wants. 

Peace for the world

Peace and quiet

Peace of mind...

(piece of pie?)

I ran around this with Zen Doodles because what could be more perfect?