Adult Merit Badge

For RenStar For the Adult Merit Badge Swap on Craftster WOOT!

The swap was fun, as we got to think of 5 different adult merit badges achievements our partners would choose to craft from.

Above you will find the Merit Badge for:

Kept a Poker Face in front of Idocy

Didn't Swear at Idiots

These totally resonated with me!

First Foray into Stamp Making!

I'm finally participating in a Craftster Swap after a 2 year hiatus!
And of course it had to be a Harry Potter Swap...
Specifically, Back to Hogwarts Round 7 (insert link)

I've decided to try making a Stamp for all of my partner's most important Owl Post Letters.

The first thing I had to do was think of a design, I used my Hand Drawn app (link) and came up with this:

Can I just say how much fun that app is? It's so easy to use and I've gotten quite silly with it. Perhaps one day a blog post might happen all about that. But lets just get through this post first, huh?

What a neat way of transferring a pattern on the stamp pad?!!! 

Pencil Transfer, who knew? But this was a mess up as I don't know how mirror images work.

Sheesh.

Above is my first attempt at the pencil transfer, and me (not understanding how mirroring works) thought it was incorrect and tried again.

(But really it WAS correct and I'm an idiot!)

Sheesh.

Here's how far I got when I realized my mistake...

So it turns out I need to do that whole thing over again...Live and learn and laugh it off!

Morgan got to learn how to carve too by practicing on my mess up!

She needed a bandaid...

I ended up doing it correctly the next time, and it turned out pretty darn cool!

I'd totally try stamp making again!

Stampy Cake!

For Morgan's Birthday 2 years ago, we made a Stampy Longnose Cake!

Lee and his brother, Jay, made a rainbow/tie dye cake and I decorated!

Those guys are adorable working in the kitchen together!

Fairly easy when I thought it out.

I made a grid, used Hershey Bar blocks for the "black" parts, green sprinkles for the eyes, and the rest yellow frosting.

Miss Morgan loved her cake and I passed another year of sliding by another birthday party.

Her last year birthday, we had friends over to the house.

Like 16 friends, it was chaos.

Since her birthday is in December, we filled a bunch of squirt bottles with Kool Aid and had them "paint" the snow. Not thinking, I did mostly red since it's Morgan's fave color.

It looked like a massacre in the backyard! HA!

We had all the children decorate their own cupcakes.

It was chaos.

It looked like a massacre in my dining room!

Live and learn....Not completely sure I'd go down that route again.

Perhaps this year she'll finally agree to have 2 friends over for a sleepover and movie marathon?

I can dream, right?

Amyrlin Seat Cowl

"She comes; she comes! The Watcher of the Seals, the Flame of Tar Valon, the Amyrlin Seat. Attend you all, for she comes!"

Made for Melissa in the 2015 Knit Nite Xmas Swap. Inspiration: Wheel of Time Amyrlin Seat Stole.

Simple crochet, from yarn I already had. All 7 Ajahs represented!

The Wheel of Time of course is a book series by Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death before the last couple of books). Melissa is a fan, and she digs sassy, take charge women like Siuan Sanche...therefore needs a stole/cowl that kings bow before!

The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legends fade to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the third age by some, an Age yet to come, an age long pass, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.

Holy Smokes!

Hey! I was in a magazine about 2 years ago!

For this blog here in sunny 2017, I'm catching up a lot of backlog stuff. So be prepared for some old references....

This article was written by my local Stylish Heroine, Ann Rosenquist Fee.

She runs an amazing blog (link).

Perler Flux Capacitor

It's what makes Time Travel Possible!

My kids and I love the Perler Beads! I can't wait until they get old enough to run the iron themselves, so I can be surprised at what crazy things their little brains come up with.

What I ESPECIALLY love about Perler Beads is they lend toward 8-16 bit animation beautifully.

It really calls to the 80s kid in me...PS I was born in the mid 70s......totally my era! 

TOTALLY!

HA!

I didn't even plan that!

Home Alone Hoopla

KEVIN!!!!!!

I stitched this "little" doozy for my good friend Melissa waaaaay back in 2015 for the last Coffee Hag Knit Nite Xmas Swap.

Melissa has a soft spot in her heart for Home Alone, so I couldn't resist.

This was crazy fun for me, and it's still one of my all time fave hooplas!

Still Not Inspired!

Yes, I know it's been a long time

(read: years)

Since I've posted anything here!

I'm not very proud of it.....

But, that isn't to mean I haven't been busy?!!!

I've just been busy not being crafty.

I did, however, get some new ink since I posted last!

And now my new adventure is to delve into the world

of heart healthy recipes.

My blood work came back yesterday showing a rise in

cholesterol and triglycerides 

so I did what I always do when I have to research something new...

I start a Pinterest Board about it!

So far, I've made Energy Ballz and Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad.

You know what?

(what?)

Not that bad!

It's been 9 days since my last Kit Kat.

(sounds like a confessional)

I should find a counter for that....

Food Making is soooooo not my forte. 

(this is probably why my numbers are high)

So, that's about it.

Life is good, my kids are healthy, and I love my job.

I can do this!

Where'd my Crafty Inspiration go?

Not sure why/when/how I lost it...

But I've not had an urge to create lately. 

I can feel the antsyness but my usual outlets aren't doing it for me. 

So here's a picture of my old friend...NIGHTMARE MONKEY!

(sorry, melissa and melinda)

Maybe I can use this downtime to work on posting my backlog of projects?

I dare say Spring needs to show up soon!

Just a reminder!

We all should...

Being calm is good,

Captain America is good,

Go out there today and be the best Cap you can be!

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!