Happy Easter!

 

Happy Easter from this sad little bunny! He loved the peeps but hated the bunny hat.

 

 

See? All better! :)

Photos from Lissa May Photography.

Itty Bitty Easter

Here are some little quick projects I've been working on in between orders. They are super quick and easy to make, especially when you follow the great tutorials.

The first item is a little bow. I found this tutorial at craftiness is not optional. I can't say enough about this little tutorial. It's super easy and super quick. I literally made this bow in about 15 minutes. If you are a beginner, than this tutorial is perfect because it has step by step pictures to help you through the process. If you are a little more seasoned, then it just has the pattern at the top. Perfect!

 

This bow was for a Dr. Seuss set I made, but I thought I'd give it a try as a hair accessory. So cute! You could just bobby pin it in place or sew it to a headband. Or you could use them as I intended for this one and make a little bow tie (you just have to add a strap with a little button to go around the neck). I will definitely be making more of these.

 

Next up is the bunny applique. This is another great picture tutorial. I found it at Love the Blue Bird. Again, this is great for a beginner or an old pro. I love how it's a backside view of the bunny. The little tail was really easy to make!!

I thought these might be great for sewing on a hat, headband or blanket. I even thought some people might like to attach it to a pin for Easter! If I had enough time, I would make them in lots of bright spring colors for a garland.

 

 

Finally, I whipped up a little mini Easter basket. I shared a picture before of how I was inspired by the basket pattern I found at Craftsanity. The pattern was pretty easy and it didn't take very long. I've been thinking about upgrading and trying to make a bigger basket for Little Bub to collect Easter eggs. It would be lightweight, but big enough to hold a few eggs. 

 

If you have any time before Easter, these are three easy and quick projects that will make your little ones smile. Have fun!



Inspiration Boards

I have two favorite places to search for inspiration for future crafting projects. I can easily get distracted for a few hours searching through all the tutorials, patterns and ideas out there.

One addicting site is Pinterest, which has been a great source of many free patterns or ideas of patterns to make up myself. I wish I had time to try out all the things I've found! I'm always looking for something new for my crocheting, knitting or sewing boards.

 

 

The second place is Etsy. I love looking through other people's work and combining the things I see into something new. I just started creating treasury lists. I just get inspired by a color or a theme and a treasury list is a way to keep a collection of things together. Here are the lists I've posted so far.

I try to only include things that I would use or love to have. So a lot of the items end up being crafting supplies, or crochet items. :)

If you like what you see, I'd love to have you follow me on Pinterest or on Etsy and get inspired!!

Fantastic Fringe

For me, the best part of crocheting is finding different things to make while testing and expanding my skills. When Lissa May Photography asked me to make a fringe blanket for her, I was pretty nervous because I thought it would be a huge undertaking. She wanted one with spring colors that could be used for both boys and girls.
I was inspired by the fringe blanket here, that I found on etsy. I did end up buying the pattern from Sunset Crochet. It has the option of making it into a hammock for newborns, which is pretty cool.
I bought 7 skeins of yarn to use in this project.

Here is the shopping list:

• Lion Brand Homespun: Hepple White
• Lion Brand Hometown: Daytona Lemon
• Lion Brand Fun Fur: Ivory
• Sensations Beautiful: White
• Sensations Wave: Turquoise Lime
• Tizzy: Sweet Green Pea
• Red Heart Pomp-a-Doodle: Fluff

After making the blanket/hammock part with the white homespun yarn, I was ready to start cutting the pieces for the fringe. It was actually easier and faster than I thought. I just wrapped the whole skein of yarn around the back of one of our dining room chairs. I started with what was left of the homespun and did the same for all the skeins. I cut down along one edge of the chair to make the long strips. This is what it looked like when I was done.

 

Then I took one piece of each different kind of yarn and looped and knotted it through the end of each row all the way around the blanket. I have to say I was so proud with how it turned out. I even had a few skeins of yarn that I didn't even use!

 

I think the best part was buying and using yarn that I have never used before. I hope to make another one soon!

Little Leprechauns

A couple of weeks ago I had a sale in my shop for leprechaun hats. It is one of my favorite hats because it is adorable and so quick and easy to make. Last year I made one for Little Bub.

This year with the sale I made 4! One customer wanted a little bow tie to go with it. I love how it turned out! This picture from Cortney Rowley Photography is wonderful!

Since I made Little Bub a leprechaun hat last year, I wanted to make him something a little different for this year. I was inspired by the color block hat from Micah Makes. I followed the directions for her versatile earflap hat and then added a large, dark green shamrock to the front. It came out exactly like I pictured it.

 

I finished it just in time for Little Bub to wear for a few weeks. It's a little big and keeps slipping forward and covering his eyes, but he is too cute!

 

I'm not sure if I'll be making an Easter hat for him this year. I'm running out of time and I have no ideas. Any suggestions?

Marshmallow Peep Love

When I was younger, I really used to love peeps. What's not to love with the pure sugar and the vibrant colors? I was always excited to get some in my Easter basket. My parents used to like to open the package and let them get a little hard before eating them. Yuck! I liked to eat them still soft, so of course, I had to eat a whole row at a time! Now, I might have ONE peep at Easter time but it's totally sugar overkill, but I still think they're cute.

 

I even love the idea of threading peeps on a stick and making a colorful, edible centerpiece for an Easter table like this (photo credit):

 



 One of the photographers that I've partnered up with, Lissa May Photography, asked me if I could make some of these crocheted marshmallow bunnies. I thought I could give it a try. We decided on vibrant colors and I think they turned out adorable!! Here are two of the pictures she took with them.

 

 

Then I had such an amazing surprise when I downloaded my weekly issue of Gathered to my iPad and my marshmallow bunnies were featured on the Show and Tell page! I couldn't believe it! If you have a chance, check out the magazine. I love all the little goodies and free DIY crafts that are in each issue. Right now, you can get 5 issues for free!

 

Easter is sneaking up fast. I wanted to make a yellow bunny, but I'm not sure I'll have the time. But I definitely want to make time for these little baskets!



 

They look simple and fast. I only need to make one for Little Bub and then if I have time, I'll make 4 more for his cousins. I'm not sure what I'll put in them yet...maybe some peeps!!

I'm Back!

It's been a little over a month since my last post. Whew! I hadn't planned on such a long break, but I've been so busy launching my little business through Facebook. In the last month and a half I have made over 30 hats and 5 banners. That's just an estimate, I'm sure it's more!!

I'm so incredibly grateful to be able to put a smile on people's faces by making cute hats and other items for their families. I started this to be able to give people an affordable option for quality items that are personal and homemade.

The orders are slowing down a little now, which gives me a chance to start some other projects I have been eyeing up. I have some hat patterns I haven't even tried yet! I can't wait to see how the bonnets and the sun hats turn out.

Little Bub has grown so much since my last post. He is walking up a storm and learning all sorts of new words. He has even been swimming at lessons without parental assistance. He has a "bubble" floaty around his waist and a noodle under his arms and he can swim across the pool!! It's totally amazing and sad at the same time.

 

We were able to play outside a little bit the other day and now that Little Bub is walking, he loves it!! I have to say it was the funniest thing to see him trying to stand back up while bundled up in his gear. He looked like an orange marshmallow! His hair is getting so long. I want to cut it, but Daddy says no. Can you believe it? Actually he says to wait until it's warmer, so it keeps his head warm. As long as he's not mistaken for a girl, I don't care.

 



Valentine Hat

Valentine's Day will be here before you know it, so I decided to make a Valentine hat for Little Bub so he can get use out of it. He probably would tell me that he's tired of his reindeer hat if he could talk.

The reindeer hat in action.
 

I love finding free patterns online that work really well. One of my new favorite blogs is Micah Makes. I bought the frog prince hat for Little Bub's halloween costume from this shop.

 

I love, love, love the free pattern she has offered on her site: Versatile Earflap Hat. Not only is this basic pattern free, but you can adapt it to so many different hats. Micah even occassionally posts ideas about different ways to use the hats and how to make these changes. Some of my favorites are the apple hat, the watermelon hat, the Irish colorblock hat, and the Dr. Seuss versions.

I've used her basic earflap pattern to make a couple new hats to sell. Tonight, I used it to start the base for Little Bub's Valentine hat. Instead of the earflaps though, I decided to make it a beanie.

 

I found this cute little tutorial on how to crochet a heart at Cornflower Blue Studio. It's so easy! I may make a garland out of little hearts if I can find the extra time. Try it out! What a great project for beginners! The pictures will help guide you more easily than written directions.

 

Keep checking back to see my new creations!

My First Sale

I'm super excited to share that I have decided to start selling my crochet hats! I'm only going to make them to order and I only do them when Little Bub is sleeping, but I'm happy that other people will get to enjoy some of the hats.

Just a few days after I posted on Facebook about selling some hats, one of my mother's friends contacted me about making some hats for a baby shower gift. She wanted TWO owl hats for this newborn baby girl. One in a newborn size and one in the twelve month size so she could enjoy it a bit longer.

For the newborn size, I used a pattern from Daisy Cottage Designs that was free on the website. I changed it a little because I love that sleepy owl look, especially for newborns and I didn't like how much the ears were supposed to stick up. I have to say I just love the soft pink, beige and gray together. I think black would have been too harsh a color for the eyes.

 

I wanted to try a totally new pattern for the bigger size. I had previously downloaded the wooly owl hat pattern from Slugs on the Refrigerator. It's a little bit of a different shape, but it is fairly easy to make. I went with the same color scheme, but this owl has pretty eyelashes and a cute hot pink bow.

 

I do have to say that I did put the bigger hat on Little Bub to make sure it would fit a one-year-old. It did fit, but I wasn't fast enough to snap a picture!

 

If you are interested in either of these hats, or other ones you have seen on my blog, feel free to send me an email about having one made. 

Christmas Crafting Countdown

It's been awhile. It's continued to be pretty crazy around our house lately. Even though my husband came home last Monday, we're still trying to get back into a normal routine, but I really don't think that will happen until January.

Just this last week we've had 4 family birthdays and a Christmas party to celebrate. This means Little Bub is all out of whack and I haven't been able to get as much done as I'd like.

Have I also mentioned that Little Bub is now only taking one nap a day? Yikes. All of sudden I have to try to entertain him for a few more hours in a day, just around the time of year I need a few extra hours a day to finish all my crafty Christmas presents. I know I won't finish all I have planned, but here are a few things I've been able to complete.

Lissa May Photography did Little Bub's birthday photos and I absolutely just love them. She is just starting out in her own photography business and she lives just one street up from me, so we've decided to trade crochet hats as props for little mini-sessions of Little Bub at the holidays. Sweet deal for me I think! These monster hats were her first order. She found the pattern and bought it, so I got a free pattern out of it too!

 

I have also finished Little Bub's Christmas stocking. I have a few pictures to share, but I'm hoping to do that at a later date when I finish mine and my husband's.

 

 

But it's hard to get much of anything done when you have this face trying to get your attention.

 



Crochet Craziness

I've been super busy lately. My husband is out of town for the week so it's just been Little Bub and myself. It's given me a chance to catch up on some of my projects, though not as many as I would like.

I've mentioned before how I have a little obsession with crocheting hats. I knew I had a lot; I didn't realize how many I have actually made. I took pictures of each one earlier this week because I'm hoping to start selling some. I've only been crocheting for a little over a year, but this is the result.

 

That doesn't even count the couple of hats I've made and given away as gifts!

I just had to add that as I'm sitting here typing this post, Little Bub is playing on the floor and of course, you always get suspicious when the little ones aren't making any noise. Well, I guess I don't have to be.

 

 

He's over in the corner reading some books. A little man after my heart.

 

 

I can just hear him thinking: "Why are you disturbing me when I'm trying to read, Mama?"

Gingerbread Man Hat

Finally it was a nice enough day to get some pictures of the gingerbread man hat. And Little Bub was content to have his picture taken in it. Most times, he just rips the hats off as soon as I put them on!

I was inspired by this hat on Etsy. It looked easy enough and it was a very fast hat to make.

 

Gingerbread Man Hat

 

 Supplies Needed:

-Worsted Weight Yarn

-Size J Crochet Hook

 

Hat Instructions (1-3 Years Size):

 

With brown, ch 3, slst in first ch to form loop.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as hdc), 9 more hdc in loop. Join with slst to first hdc. (10 hdc)

Round 2: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch. 2 hdc in next stitch and each stitch around. Join with slst to first hdc. (20 hdc)

Round 3: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next stitch. *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next stitch. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (30 hdc)

Round 4: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next 2 stitches, *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 2 stitches. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (40 hdc)

Round 5: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next 3 stitches, *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 3 stitches. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (50 hdc)

Round 6: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next 4 stitches, *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 4 stitches. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (60 hdc)

Rounds 7-14: With brown, ch 2, hdc in next stitch and each stitch around. Join with slst to first hdc. (60 hdc) Do not finish off.

 

First Ear Flap

Row 1: Ch 2, hdc in next 15 sts. (16 hdc)

Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 10 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (14 hdc)

Row 3: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 8 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (12 hdc)

Row 4: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 6 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (10 hdc)

Row 5: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 4 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (8 hdc)

Row 6: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 2 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (6 hdc)

Row 7: Ch 2, skip next stitch, hdc in next next 2 hdc, skip next stitch, hdc in last hdc. (4 hdc)

Row 8: Ch 2, skip next 2 hdc, hdc in lath dc. (2 hdc) Finish off.

 

Second Ear Flap

Row 1: Skip 14 hdc on round 14 from edge of first ear flap, join with slst in next hdc, ch 2, hdc in next 15 sts. (16 hdc)

Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 10 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (14 hdc)

Row 3: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 8 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (12 hdc)

Row 4: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 6 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (10 hdc)

Row 5: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 4 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (8 hdc)

Row 6: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 2 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (6 hdc)

Row 7: Ch 2, skip next stitch, hdc in next next 2 hdc, skip next stitch, hdc in last hdc. (4 hdc)

Row 8: Ch 2, skip next 2 hdc, hdc in lath dc. (2 hdc) Finish off.

Edging: With red and white together, slst in back of hat near the seam. Ch 1, sc in next stitch and each stitch around. Finish off.

To make braids: Cut 3 white and 6 red pieces of yarn, 36 inches long. Pull halfway through the bottom center of each ear flap. Separate into 3 equal groups and braid to desired length. Tie a knot in the bottom and trim the ends.

Make 2 cheeks: With red, ch 3, slst in first chain to form a loop. Ch 2, hdc 5 times in loop, slst to join (6) Finish off.

Mouth: With white, sew a couple of stitches across to make the mouth.

Eyes: Sew two large black buttons onto hat.

Optional: For girls, you could crochet a little bow or even just make one out of ribbon and sew that to the top of the hat. I've even seen ones that have little black eyelashes! Check out the girl version on Etsy!



Crochet Turkey Hat

In a previous post, I may have mentioned my current obsession with making holiday or season themed crochet hats for my son. (I am well aware he may want to kill me when he's older after seeing all the pictures!).

As my hat count continues to grow, I have become more adventurous with my hook. For a long time, I bought the patterns from Sunset Crochet on Etsy. Her patterns are very easy for beginngers and they consistently turn out well.

Now I get to share one of my own creations with you. Bear with me, as this is the very first pattern I have ever written myself! Feel free to let me know if you have any problems with it.

This is sized for my one-year-old. If you would like help figuring out how to make it smaller or larger, let me know.

Using a J hook

With brown, Ch 3, slst in first ch to form a loop.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as hdc), 9 hdc in loop. Join with slst to first hdc. (10 hdc)
Round 2: Ch 2, hdc in same hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc and each hdc around. Join with slst to first hdc. (20 hdc)
Round 3: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next stitch. *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next stitch. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (30 hdc)
Round 4: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next 2 stitches. *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 2 stitches. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (40 hdc)
Round 5: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next 3 stitches. *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 3 stitches. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (50 hdc)
Round 6: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next 4 stitches. *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 4 stitches. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (60 hdc)
Rounds 7-14: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch and each stitch around. Join with slst to first hdc. (60 hdc)
Round 15: With orange, ch 1, sc in next 14 hdc, ch 19, sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 5 chs, ch 7, sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 5 chs, ch 7, sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 5 chs, sc in remaining 12 chs back to edge of hat. Sc in next 28 hdc, ch 19, sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 5 chs, ch 7, sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 5 chs, ch 7, sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 5 chs, sc in remaining 12 chs back to edge of hat. Sc in remaining 14 hdc. Join with slst to first sc. Finish off.

Make 2 eyes.
With white, ch 3, slst in first ch to form loop.
Round 1: Ch 3, 7 dc in loop. Join with slst to first dc. (8 dc)
Round 2: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch. 2 hdc in next dc and each dc around. Join with slst to first hdc. (16 hdc) Finish off.
With black, ch 3, slst in first ch to form loop.
Round 1: Ch 2, 7 hdc in loop. Join with slst to first hdc. (8 hdc) Finish off.
Whip stitch black pupils to eyes. Whip stitch eyes on hat.
 

Make one beak.

With orange, ch 6.
Round 1: Sc into second loop from hook to end of row. Turn.
Round 2 to end: Repeat row one until you have 1 stitch left on hook.
To finish off beak, sc around the entire perimeter of the beak, with 3 sc into each of the 3 corners. Finish off. Whip stitch beak to hat.

Make one snood.
With red, ch 15. 2 hdc in 3rd chain from hook, 2 hdc in each chain across. Finish off. Whip stitch to hat.

Make 3-6 feathers in any chosen colors.
Ch 9, sc 2^nd ch from hook, sc next, hdc next 2, dc in 3, 2 dc in same stitch, dc in next 3, hdc in next 2, sc in next 2, slst in first sc. Finish off. Whip stitch in place on hat.As you can see, I made 6 feathers and placed three on the top of the hat and three on the back at the bottom for a little bit of the tail. I personally think it's adorable and perfect for celebrating Thanksgiving. I'm not sure Little Bub will feel the same when he's looking back at the pictures when he's 18!

Odds and Ends

 A few more things I made for Little Bub's birthday this year: a quilt square and a crocheted caterpillar hat.
A while back I bought the book Art to Heart: Count On It at the local quilt shop to brush up on practicing my quilting skills on little small projects. It has a square hanging for each month and I've finished almost all of them! There was also an option to make a cupcake one for birthdays. I figured this would be a nice thing for Little Bub to have every year at his party. I added a little caterpillar with some velcro that can be taken off for next year's party.

 

 

Time for a true confession: I may have an obsession with crocheting hats for Little Bub to wear for every holiday and/or season. Seriously, I will have to post a picture of my ever-growing pile. I actually taught myself to crochet specifically to make hats for my baby before he was born. I certainly wasn't going to buy any crocheted hat for $15 plus when yarn is so cheap! (If you haven't noticed by now, this is an ongoing theme of all my projects!).

 

When I first started crocheting, I bought my first pattern from Sunset Crochet on Etsy. Her pattern was easy enough for a beginner like me, so that's who most of my patterns come from. She has a pattern for a Very Hungry Caterpillar hat and cocoon set for a newborn size. I just made a larger version of that hat for my soon-to-be one year old. (I also made the newborn size and cocoon for future use!). Little Bub won't be wearing this hat on the day of party probably because he'll be indoors, but it was perfect for his one year photos!