More Teacher Gifts

Still along the lines of altered candy gifts, I had some extra mints after the Christmas season craft shows; and my sister gave me a box of baby food jars.  This is what I came up with:

Teacher Thank You Gifts

In addition to my crocheted flower addiction, I also have a candy addiction.  Not so much eating it (although that's fun, too); but when I see candy, I find myself thinking of how I can alter it.  This obsession extends to other foods, too, like popcorn...

So when I found a good deal on some mini bags of popcorn the other day, of course I had to buy them!

They're the perfect size for a small thank you gift, and using different patterned papers can completely change the look.  My first go-round is for teachers.

I started with a 5x10 inch scrap I had, but the paper didn't cover the blue wrapper so I added a 6x10 inch base.  I only had 3 scraps of patterned paper so when I had to use a new piece, I cut them 4x10 so I could get 3 strips out of each paper.

Once that was done, I wanted some sort of a card on the top; but I also wanted it to be big enough to hold a gift card.

The ribbon is secured in the back, but it's loose in the front so it can be moved down a little bit to open the flap.

Flowers Galore

Several months ago, I asked my mom (who has been crocheting for as long as I can remember) to make me some flowers.  I thought for sure she would love to make some lovely flowers for her favorite eldest daughter.  As I eagerly anticipated receiving this wonderful gift, I checked my email.  Instead I found 3 emails with links to patterns and even a YouTube video.



Since I realized I was going to have to make them myself if I wanted some flowers, I grudgingly purchased some yarn and a crochet hook.  Aside from knowing how to make a chain and simple single crochets, I don't know how to crochet - so my first few flowers were more like lopsided, wavy circles.  But after watching the video above about 15 times and pausing every few seconds, I eventually got the hang of it!

The problem is that now I find I'm addicted to making flowers.  I'm supposed to be doing other things (like laundry, dishes...), but all I want to do is crochet flowers!  I'm quickly amassing a collection of different yarns and crochet hooks and dreaming of everything I can embellish with a cute little crocheted flower...

These are larger flowers (just made with thicker yarn).  I actually forgot that Mandy had sewn a button in the center of her flowers when I sewed these on, but I originally envisioned a brad in the center. 











At some point, I will probably attach some of these to cards or some other paper craft with a brad - or with a button like these.

For now, though, I will just have fun making hundreds of little flowers in different colors!






(My flowers look a little different than the ones in the video because I (not being a crocheter) did not know the difference between a double crochet and a triple crochet.  So anywhere that calls for a dc is actually a tc in these pictures.  The good news is that now the flowers won't take as long to make, and I'll use less yarn which means...more flowers!!)

Card Swap and Birthdays

These are cards I'm making for a card swap I'm in. I think they turned out really cute, although I wish I'd have used some 3d foam dots to attach the birds - they would have been cuter with some dimension.



I have another set of cards to make for the same swap, and I'll post those when I'm finished. The best part of swaps is getting to see the great artwork that I get back!

These are a couple gift card holders that I made for birthdays. I think I'll make some of these for craft shows this fall. They're simple yet a little bit elegant.




Finally, these are some water bottle hangers I made for a friend's birthday at work - I made a total of 14. I ended up taking 1 packet out because the adhesive wasn't holding as securely as I would have liked. Next time I make them, I'll use super sticky tape...or just keep the drink packets to 2. I'm thinking I may make some of these for craft shows, too, although I'm not sure how well they would sell. (Ignore my finger in the 2nd picture - I was too lazy to get a full water bottle!)






Thanks for looking!!

More Cards

These cards were also made using the OSW technique, and the DCWV Latte Stack papers. The stamps are Close To My Heart.








Finally, this is a set of graduation cards. These were a little tricker because of the words - they had to go in the right direction. So they're not exactly the same, but similar!

Cards

I figured it was about time I posted an update :)

I've been working on some cards made using the One Sheet Wonder technique. You can learn more about this by clicking here .

I have a feeling that I'll be making many, many of these cards in an effort to use up some of the vast amounts of paper I've been talked into buying (by myself!).





I'll be working on some crafts for fall craft shows, too; and I may post some pictures of my items from last year.

(The pictures are kind of all over the place...I haven't gotten the hang of positioning them where I want them!)

Project 365 Giveaway

Check out this link for a contest to win a scrapbooking kit - what a great way to help you get your memories organized!