homeprojects

My dear friend, Fonda Yoshimoto, crocheted this adorable cat. It is her very first crocheted animal! I'm calling him Bandit Cat, because as you can see, he has a little mask around his button eyes. She got the pattern from The Green Dragonfly. (The ceramic vase he's sitting on is one of Fonda's creations, as well.)

Fonda is an artist who does quite a bit of sculpture, and she sometimes incorporates fiber art into her work. Here is a porcelain and fabric doll called Tonbo, which is Japanese for "dragonfly."

And this is Link, a large-scale knitted piece for an open studio she had last summer.

My kids and I love to go letterboxing, and one of the best parts is coming up with our own stamps to use. If you're wanting to make a simple stamp, but don't want to mess with carving, Michele of Michele Made Me shows how you can use craft foam and old wine corks to create custom stamps.

Sweet bookcase.

Materials: kitchen cabinet Description: Get the expensive floating vanity look without paying high dollars! I used the kitchen cabinet here, and installed sideways. Best of all, I found the cabinet and doors on the clearance section, so I paid something like $20 for the whole vanity! The handle was a leftover from a kitchen project. Click to read the rest of the post >>

These simple hand warmers are easy to make, and they really do keep your hands toasty warm! They are a perfect way to show your love to someone this Valentine's Day! You will need: Wool felt Embroidery floss Rice Prepare Felt and Embroider For each hand warmer, cut a piece of felt measuring 4 x ... By: molliejohanson Continue Reading »

I can't think of a more perfect cocktail than a delicious Old Fashioned. It's a delicious combination of Bourbon and fruit. The Bourbon warms you up, while the fruit reminds you of warmer days. It's sweet, and it's bitter, just like life.

The Old Fashioned is a great basic cocktail for any level of home mixologist. The ingredients are simple staples of any bar, and you can never get bored practicing refining this drink. I would say that most bartenders rely on a sugar cube for sweetness, but I don't love grains of sugar in the bottom of my glass. During a recent discussion with a true cocktail geek, Josh Perez, I learned that simple syrup is a perfectly cromulent substitution. I hope enjoy making this drink as much as I enjoy consuming it.

Ingredients

Low ball glass Muddler Orange Cherries Simple syrup, or a sugar cube Angostura bitters Bourbon* Ice

*My favorites include Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, and Maker's Mark. In this case, I'm using a bottle that was infused with a vanilla bean and orange peel.

Directions

Step 1: Slice an orange, and put half the slice into the glass along with a cherry.

Step 2: Pour 1/4 oz of simple syrup into the glass, or if you prefer, add a sugar cube.

Step 3: Pour a dash of Angostura bitters in.

Step 4: Muddle the fruit and sugar together in the bottom of the glass. Use a wooden muddler to avoid damaging the glassware.

Step 5: Add ice to the glass. The giant cubes are perfect because they are so slow to melt.

Step 6: Top with 2 oz of your preferred Bourbon. Cheers!

Materials: 100% IKEA Description: This is the first try out of a new combination of Leds and a candle light all based on Ikea materials. Click to read the rest of the post >>

See the original tutorial on my blog, www.honeybearlane.com Materials You will need a tank top with wide straps like shown.  You will also need about a fat quarter of fabric.  Cotton, preferably.  Last you will need fusible interfacing and thread in the color of your choice. First start by ir... By: honeybearlane Continue Reading »

The Handmade Gift Guide's Winter/Valentine Companion is now available for purchase. Check out the web site for this issue's features.

I've been building chimes with my Grade 6 students for a few years now and they really are an excellent metal-working project. What i've found with metalwork is that its tough to come up with cool projects that young kids can actually make and have real success with. Most of the typical metal projec... By: stumitch Continue Reading »

I've been teaching for 14 years but at only 2 schools. Both of the schools have whats called in our district "inner city" status. This doesn't mean we're in a big city, it means that a significant number of the students are living near the poverty level. Many of the kids come from some pretty impove... By: stumitch Continue Reading »

It's here.  The best valentine's fix for a cheesehead-  the cheese heart.  I created this last year, and it was a major hit.  I think it's good to get away from the cookie-cutter gifting every now and then.  I'm no Troy Landwehr, cheese carver, so this isn't entirely anatomically correct; but you ge... By: dewrell Continue Reading »

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through building a Lego computer, I gain hours and hours basement of sitting in a basement (lol) Welcome to the Lego computer build instructable!  Through this tut... By: greenyouse Continue Reading »

Helena from Craft and Creativity shared her idea for making fun flagged party straws using washi tape. In addition to being festive, decorated straws are also a great way to tell drinks apart at large gatherings!

Jewelry making how-tos, tips, techniques and tutorials.

This penny desk tutorial from Jen at EPBOT certainly takes mosaic-making to a whole new level! And, while I'm definitely not suggesting that you take legal currency out of circulation to make your own, it might not be too hard to get your hands on some novelty coins or currencies that no longer exist.

[Via Decor Hacks]

Materials: Capita, Lack (X2) Description: This is a slight variation to this hack. I bought a couple of Lack shelf, and used a couple of Capita legs, but the 16cm version (in that hack they are smaller). Total: 12€ per stand. ~ Andrea Maschio, Italy

Hostess with the Mostess®

If you’re a football fan (or maybe planning to host a Super Bowl party next weekend!), then get ready to feast your eyes on this incredible party… Brittany of GreyGrey Designs appropriately titled it “Tate’s Tailg8 Party,” since the birthday boy was turning eight. How clever is that? As a Mom of three little boys myself (Jessica Wilcox, Modern Moments Designs), I can totally appreciate a well styled boys birthday party!

There’s such a classic game-day feel to every detail in this bright football party – from the mini football penalty flag pie pops and the Coach’s cake pops to the creative chenille letterman’s jacket letters that spelled out the birthday boy’s name. I’m especially loving the amazing spread of cleverly titled football foods, complete with it’s own goal post, not to mention the classic color palette, astroturf, cones, and penalty flags used throughout. And the favor table – WOW! There’s so much great football inspiration here that can be tailored to your own favorite team…

Keep reading for more GR8 PHOTOS + party details… 

*****

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Brittany…

:: “Last month, my one of my favorite clients threw her son an 8th birthday party.  This year she decided on a football theme because Tate loves football. When I realized that he was turning 8 this year, I thought a “Tailg8″ party was the PERFECT THEME!

My inspiration for the party was classic, vintage football, with a varsity feel. I didn’t want to focus on a particular team or league. I thought it was way more kid-friendly to go retro and classic. We started off with the invitations. Doodlez Designs on Etsy customized these lanyard invitations for us. What a cute, fun detail to send kids a lanyard to wear, so that they feel like they are getting invited to something really special!

The dessert table was inspired by chenille letter jacket letters. I was obsessed with spelling out his name in chenille letters. Who didn’t love their letter jacket? Confession: (I wanted one of the fancy script names to go on mine.) I found a fabulous vendor who custom made them for me! These are also something he can keep forever in his room. Wendy always uses her pristine garage for Tate’s parties. So, we made several stations. One for dessert, one for favors, one for food, and one for beverages.

The backdrop for the dessert table was simply a large piece of astroturf taped onto some foamboard. Of course everyone has seen this look on the actual table, but I wanted to take it up to the backdrop. The fun chenille letters are definitely the focal point. My friend Melissa cut out the numbers for me on her Cricut. The adorable cake was made by Mad Lily Cakery, who is a new vendor for me. It turned out absolutely precious and was just perfect! So, if you are local in Memphis, check her out! I got that “football” sign at Hobby Lobby. It was black, but that was nothing a little spray paint can’t fix. I liked the idea of using those crates for a cake stand because they reminded me of old school bleachers. The vintage trophy cup is from an antique mall. The dessert station included the cake, Penalty Flag Pie Pops, Coin Toss Chocolates, Coach’s Cake Pops, and Sideline Sugar Cookies. We also used one of my favorite vendors, Mom’s Killer Cakes. Sarah knocked it out of the park (or scored a touchdown, I should say) with these helmet and football cake pops. They were absolutely perfect!

Everything was displayed on the cake table in grass mats. I covered styrofoam in grass printed scrapbook paper and then used my grass mats from Easter to provide some texture on top. The papers for these cones and the printables are from the wonderful Gwynn Wasson Designs , who did all the fabulous printables for me! Gywnn is a DREAM to work with and she bent over backwards to make my vision of a vintage tailgate party come true. The pom pom garland is from PomFlair. I actually WON this as a prize on a Children’s Party Network chat! So, ladies, next time we have a chat, you might get some good prizes! Carmen, I love this garland, it was the perfect addition!

For the savory food, I once again had help from the wonderful Karen at Simple Done Catering and Cupcakes . We focused on “football” food with a build-your-own Noseguard Nacho Bar, “Pigskins”-in-blanket, “Tate-r” Chips, Timeout Twice Baked Potatoes, Wide Receiver Wings, Shotgun Sausage and Cheese, Off Sides Sliders, Hail Mary Hot Bacon Dip, Quarterback Sack Sausage Dip, Chicken Con-Tenders, and a Field Goal Fruit Tray. The adorable goal post was made by the The Hip Hostess , my Memphis girls! I wrapped it with yellow duct tape to complete the look. That banner is from Shindigz. I reused the same letters from Tate’s Mario party last year and painted them the colors to match this scheme. For the favors, I wanted to do a “favor bar.” I have seen this done at several parties and I think that is perfect for this theme. The kids could take home their own mix of football themed goodies like koozies, football Mardi Gras beads, pencils, suckers, hacky sacks, and noisemakers.

I handmade the backdrop using butcher paper. The letters are from the teacher department at Hobby Lobby. They are reusable and super convenient. For the numbers, I had to hand cut and measure out everything. It was time consuming, but totally worth it. Most all the little favors are from Oriental Trading or Shindigz. I had these little muslin bags hand-stamped by Jennifer’s Cookies and Gwynn designed these adorable favor tags for me to use. I love the feel of the vintage football player that she used! In the driveway, I set up the guest tables with runners of astroturf, cones, and penalty flags. I punched a hole in the top of these cones from Target and stuck a dowel rod down into them to display these large printable party circles from Gwynn. And since this was a real party for really cute little guys, here is a precious picture of Tate getting serenaded by his buddies!”

*****

VENDOR CREDITS:

– All styling and custom work: GreyGrey Designs – Catering: Simple Done Catering and Cupcakes – Photography: J. Herndon Photography – Cake Pops: Mom’s Killer Cakes – Pie Pops: Old Time Favorites – Sugar Cookies: All Things Exquisite – Cake: Mad Lily Cakery – Chenille Letters: Susie’s Letter Jackets – Favors: Oriental Trading – Printables:  Gwynn Wasson Designs – Small Favor Bags: Jennifer’s Cookies – Larger Favor Bags and Helmets: Mini Me Crafts – Banner and Large Football Helmet: Shindigz – Pom Garland: Pom Flair – Vinyl Numbers for Field Backdrop: Rich Creations – Football Goalpost: The Hip Hostess – Rentals: Affordable Party Rentals – Invitation: Doodlez Designs

Hostess with the Mostess®

I love the latest series of crochet patterns from June Gilbank of Planet June.

I spent weeks (during my break from designing in December) researching all the different types of succulents to try to find a selection that would look interesting and varied, are fairly common, and would work when translated into crochet. I narrowed it down to 10, to give me a little wiggle room if a couple of them didn't work out the way I was hoping. And here are the final 8:

Who knew succulents would be so well suited to crochet!

Related: How-To: Mini Shell Succulent Planters Succulent Kissing Basket Succulent Wedding Bouquets

or seat, stepstool, endtable, coffee table, poster bed, nightstand, etc.  Just as versatile as it's electronic component integrated circuit counterpart, use cardboard or "card" in the UK, to make this dandy piece of furniture. Besides being appropriate for electronic musicians, this is the geeky thi... By: caitlinsdad Continue Reading »