Hoot! Hoot! I'm changing things up a little. I've re-vamped my website and so now I'll be blogging on my main domain - Don't worry - I'm still alive and kickin- and now I'm kickin even higher!
Friday, October 31, 2014
A little change is in the air.
Hoot! Hoot! I'm changing things up a little. I've re-vamped my website and so now I'll be blogging on my main domain - Don't worry - I'm still alive and kickin- and now I'm kickin even higher!
Friday, October 17, 2014
Crochet is not just Grandma Crafts - Easy Beginner Crochet Flower + Paracord Jewelry Announcement
Sullivan USA Blog Hop - it's not just Grandma Crafts!
As a kid, sitting next to my Grandma, I didn't realize at the time, just how cool being a Grandma was! I also didn't realize just how fast the time would go by until March 1, 2013 when I held my Grand daughter Carlee for the first time.
I am the first to admit, I had a misconception about crocheting. I thought it was for old people - for little ole Granny's who sit in their rocking chair and crochet the day away. Actually in today's world of stress, that sounds like bliss!
I wasn't that long ago that when people asked me "what do I do"...I would say "everything but knit and crochet." Well, now I have to amend that phrase, I know do "everything but knit" at least for now.
My mind changed about crochet after attending last years CHA runway fashion show put on by multiple yard companies. What I saw was cool, trendy and on YOUNG people. I want to be young people - so, in the past month or so I have learned to crochet. Among my favorite is flowers. They're easy, they're quick and who doesn't like a beautiful flower to brighten up your day.
Of course being the mixed media, funky junk, juxtaposition girl that I am, I had to throw a little curve in the mix. So I combined a metal flower I had made with the crocheted one. I like the soft against the hard. The instructions for the flower are at the bottom of this post. I simply glued all of the elements to the top of a mini mason jar and filled it with my bath salt recipe.
When the opportunity to join this blog hop came about, I immediately said yes! YES! YES! for two reasons - one, I wanted an excuse to crochet and two, because I just wrote a book on making jewelry with paracord which will come out in the Spring of 2015. Its filled with all sorts of ways to use paracord and teaches you the art of tying chinese knots. It's so much fun.
How to Crochet a Mini Flower for beginners:
The number in parenthesis refers to the number of stitches at the end of each round.
The {} refer to a sequence that is to be completed
I used a 3.5mm hook
Sullivans Hebe cord; Yellow (this is a thin paracord type cord that is slightly larger than micro paracord)
sl st = slip stitch
ch = chain stitch
sc = single crochet (US) (insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through two loops)
hdc = half double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull through three loops)
dc = double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull through (three loops on hook) yarn over pull through two loops, yarn over pull through remaining two loops)
Round 1 - ch 3
Round 2 - beginning in 2nd chain from hook sc 6 in that same chain (6)
Round 3 - 2 sc in each stitch (12)
Round 4- {sl st, ch 3, sl st} repeat the sequence 5 more times for a total of 6 (30)
Round 5 - Into each hole created by the chain complete this sequence {1sc, 1 hdc, 2 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc)
for a total of 6 sets to create the petals.
Sl St, bind off.
Pretty easy!
Please be sure to check out the other amazing designers in this hop and hop on!
Monday, October 13, 2014
Upcycled Jewelry-Belts, Bags and More - Released Oct 2014
So excited to for the release of this new book!!! It's such a challenge for me to throw anything away! I keep a recycle bin for plastics, metals, poptabs, you name it, in my studio. So when the opportunity came to design a book with upcycled materials, I jumped right on it.
In this book, I show you how to upcycle innertubes into purses and jewelry, plastic bottles into bracelets and necklaces, even bike chain to create a more masculine gift. There's 35 ideas to help you upcycle and recycle and create stylish jewelry.
Watch a 1 minute promo - click here
Grab yourself a copy - they're available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon (these are not affiliate links)
Happy Upcycling!!
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Make Vintage Style Earrings with Friendly Plastic - Simulate lucite
At a popular bead show a while back I spotted a gorgeous bracelet made with lucite flowers. Those tiny little flowers came with a BIG price tag! Friendly Plastic does well in simulating these flowers without breaking the bank. In this video, you'll learn how to create these vintage style earrings and create a bell like flower too from Friendly Plastic Pellets. I find that the water method is best when working with this technique. (keep it just below a simmer) I hope this inspires you to create your very own. Enjoy
Watch the video on our youtube channel - click here
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Click on a post
