Ole-Talk

Some of my Favorite Craft Books that would Make Great Gifts

With the holidays just around the corner (where did the year go) this month we decided to share some of our favorite craft books that wold make excellent gifts for the crafters in your life.

As my sister calls it, I am a multi-passionate crafter which in layman terms means that I have a variety of crafts in which I dabble. Below are just a few of the craft books that I love. These are some of the ones that made it through my big craft book purge last year. For as much as I do use Pinterest and the internet to find information I just could not let go of these books. Please note that book names link to Amazon for informational purposes only!

For the knitter in your life

Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume One: Knit & Purl from the Editors of Vogue Knitting Magazine - there are actually six of these Stitchionary books and I own four of them. I have used this one to find different stitch patterns for making dishcloths and socks but also it is a great for just practicing different stitches.

Huge & Huggable Mochimochi: 20 Supersized Patterns for Big Knitted Friends by Anna Hrachovec - I love her Mochimochi patterns and this book is perfect for making toys for those little ones in your life although I will admit that I want to make them all for myself.

Finishing School: A Master Class for Knitters by Deborah Newton - I was lucky enough to attend a workshop with Deborah Newton a few years ago and I am the proud owner of a signed copy of her book.

Socks from the Toe Up: Essential Techniques and Patterns from Wendy Knits by Wendy Johnson - my favorite sock making book. I only make toe up socks and I love the variations in this book.

For the sewing guru

 

The Complete Photo Guide to Sewing - 1100 Full-Color How-To Photos by Singer - I have had this book for very long time and I still refer to it. It has everything that you need. This edition seems to only be available used as I believe there is a newer revised edition.

Sew Liberated by Meg McElwee - Fun quirky patterns that use the art of applique. This is a fun book for that seamstress in your life who wants to break away from the ordinary. She also has a website by the same name.

Simple Bags Japanese Style: 20 Designs to Sew by Akiyo Kajiwara - Simple but beautiful bags. I made the Furoshiki bag as Christmas gifts one year and they were a big hit! I would say that I would not recommend this to a beginner as the instructions are not as detailed and you have to have some knowledge of cutting and sewing to figure some of it out. I really need to revisit this book and try some more of the patterns.

For the paper crafter

Creating Handmade Books and Unique Handmade Books by Alisa Golden - Wonderful books on how to make your own unique journals etc. The books have lots of great ideas for decorating and making them into works of art.

The Sketchbook Challenge by Sue Bleiweiss - This is based on the author's blog by the same name. Great ideas for when you just don't know what to do with that brand new, blank sketchbook. Here's a novel idea, why not make your own handmade book and then use the challenges to fill it.

And of course my list would not be complete without the oh so popular adult coloring books. This is just three of my favorites from my stash.

 

The Official Outlander Coloring Book by Diana Gabaldon - hey don't judge. It's the closest I will probably get to that kilt!

Splendid Cities: Color Your Way to Calm by Rosie Goodwin and Alice Chadwick - Real and imagined cities await you in this wonderful coloring book.

Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book by Johanna Basford - I absolutely love this coloring book. Each image has hidden creatures and objects that you have to find.

Sharing and writing about these has really reinvigorated my creative spirit. I really need to pull these out more often and play.

Now let's see what wonderful favorites Francine came up with to share!

Sisters Paper Scissors | Fun Summer Crochet Tote Bag

And we are back! Summer is just around the corner and with that comes days at the beach and trips to the farmers market and this month's project is just perfect for that. We decided to show case our love for fiber by making this colorful crocheted tote bag from Amy at The Stitchin Mommy.

The pattern was very easy to follow and apart from changing the colors I pretty much stuck to how it was written. I did most of this in front of the television or chatting with friends, that's how easy it is.

I will say that it was a bit smaller than I thought it would be and if I were to make it again I would make the bottom wider by doing a few more rounds of increasing before starting the sides. There is also the chance that it will stretch as I use it. I also think that I would make the strap shorter or do two straps next to each other as I feel that will be more sturdy for putting heavy fruits and veggies.

I think it would also make a perfect project bag for other crochet or knit projects.

I wonder what colors Francine used for hers. Let's pop on over to her blog to see.

A Crafty Weekend

Saturday night I went to my very first Paint & Vino night with some wonderful friends. It was a birthday celebration for one of them. I had so much fun indulging in two things that I am very fond of - wine and making art. This is the masterpiece that I produced.

Sunday I woke up with that creative bug still coursing through my mind and decided to whip up this card and napkins for a birthday gift for another friend whom I was celebrating with that evening.



And while I was at it I figured I may as well print this awesome card from one of Francine's Printably Kits. I used it as a thank you card for my bestie Marny who looks after my cat Asha when I have to travel for work. 

So coupled with my usual knitting and my drawing, coloring, and handwriting challenges that I am doing over on Instagram, quite a productive crafty weekend I had.

Did you get any crafting time this weekend?

Draw, Color, Write | Jan Daily Drawing Challenge

One of my goals this year is to try and do something creative every day and a daily challenge is just the thing I need to hold me accountable. For January I took part in a daily drawing challenge with Lisa Congdon over on Creativebug. It was such fun and made me realize just how much I miss doing stuff like this. I also realized that I am not as bad at drawing as I thought I was. Here's what I produced for the month.

You can see each drawing over on my Instagram and also what I am working on for this month. How are you keeping your creative spirit alive? 

Sisters, Paper, Scissors | Fun Projects Using Jan's Printably Kit

Hello, and welcome to Sisters, Paper, Scissors!

As you know my sister and I have been doing monthly blog projects in tandem for a few years now. We started out focusing on only scrapbooking with the Sister Sketch project. Last year we switched it up a bit with Sisters Take on Pinterest, where we each tackled a project we'd pinned.

This year we're combining it all into one whole shebang called Sisters, Paper, Scissors. We'll be mixing up paper crafts, scrapbooking and other crafts all year long, on the last Friday of every month. Make sure to bookmark our blogs, or add us to your blog reader so you don't miss out any of the fun!

Fun Projects Using January's Printably Kit

To start the year of we decided to go the printable route. Francine has been using printables for some time now and I always admired what she would do with them. Then she started her Printably monthly kits and took things to a whole other level. This year I was determined to put all the beautiful elements that I receive each month to use starting with January's kit.

I received this beautiful frame from my wonderful bestie Marny for my birthday this month and I when I saw this poster in the kit I knew the frame would just be perfect to display it.

Here it is displayed on my bookshelf

For the past few years I have been choosing a word to guide me through the year. I used Susannah Conway's workshop to help me find it and these printables from the kit are just the perfect way to keep my word constantly in my mind. 

I made a little mini book with some of the 3x5 cards so that I can keep my word with me and refer to it whenever I need to refocus.

This framed version made with one of the 4x6 cards will be displayed in my office. I decorated a frame from my stash with washi tape and colorful letters to match.

Each kit comes with a calendar for that month.  Some colorful paper, ribbon, and washi tape from my stash and I have this clipboard that I can use each month.

I have also finally joined the planner party and was inspired by this post by Francine to make pretty dividers for my planner. I used dividers from various past kits but this one from the January kit was perfect for the Daily Docket and Blog Planning sections of my planner.
I also used the tabs in the bonus kit content. Did I not mention that you also get bonus stuff later in the month! 

The kit also comes with greeting cards and I have decided that each month I will print them so that I have a readily available stash of "just because" cards to give to family and friends.

It was such fun coming up with different ways to use the elements from this kit. I can't wait to see what the next kit will inspire me to do.

Now off you go to see Francine's wonderful creations.

Last Minute Baby Shower Card & Gift Bag

I woke up this morning with the nagging suspicion that I had forgotten to do something important. Then it hit me that we were having a baby shower for one of my colleagues at work and I had completely spaced on wrapping her gift and making her card. I totally blamed it on the cold weather and I guess the migraine I was nursing yesterday did not help either.  

I quickly pulled out some supplies ( see this is why I have a large stash) and threw this card together. Then I went digging in my stash of paper bags and tissue paper that I hoard collect and found the perfect bag for the baby hat that I had knitted her (of course I forgot to photograph the hat). Quickly decorated the bag and voila.

As you may have guessed from the colors she is having a baby boy! It's amazing what you can pull together at the last minute when you have all the tools and supplies handy.

What have you whipped up lately?

Sisters Take on Pinterest | Felt Boxes

 We took the month of August off as we were both enjoying the last of the summer weather. But since it is September, just like back to school we are back to our regular routines. This month cute felt boxes.

You can see the original boxes here from the blog How About Orange.

Supplies that I used:

 

Regular felt, rotary cutter, template, glue gun, mod podge, foam brush, ruler

The first thing I decided to do was to make a template to scale using the one posted in the how-to on How About Orange. 

I didn't have stiff felt so decided to try it just using regular felt. My first attempt looked like this. Yeah not going to work.

So then I decided to mod podge the felt and then glue two pieces together to make it stiffer. Sounded really good in theory.

So with my double felt I used the template to cut the box shape. Then followed the original post to glue it into the shape of a box. And this was the result.

What I learnt was that this is definitely one of those projects where having the right materials is key! Although the double felt worked I think it was just a bit too thick. Also I should have cut the felt on the inside a bit smaller than the outer piece so that everything lined up when folded. I had to trim excess pieces off after folding.

I really want to get the Easy Felt that Jessica used to make her boxes and try this again especially now that I have the templates it should be a quick project to make. It really is a great idea for storing odds and ends.

Now off you go to see how Francine got on!

 

Sisters Take On Pinterest | Key Chain Holder

 

The original idea are these leather key chain holders from //Between the Lines// blog. However, I did not have any leather scraps in my stash (probably the one thing I don't have) but I did have burlap and twine so I decided to try it with that.

Supplies that I used

Sheet of colored burlap, foam brush, Mod Podge, rotary cutter, twine, template, Crop-a-Dile, eyelets, and key ring.

Use template to cut burlap. I had to print my template at 80% to get the correct dimensions.

Apply Mod Podge liberally to both pieces. This stops the ends from fraying and also stiffens it to give it more body and durability. Let dry completely. Trim stray threads if needed.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Punch holes and attach eyelets. I dusted off my handy dandy Crop-a-Dile that hasn't seen the light of day in many months.

Sew pieces together and thread twine through eyelets from the inside to the outside (much easier said than done) so that the twine forms a loop at the bottom of the burlap sack . Attach key ring and key. Knot twine at top.

And now you have a neat key holder that you can hide the key when it is not needed.

Now off you go to see what Francine did. A little birdie told me that she used some pretty yellow leather.

Sisters Take on Pinterest | Mini Clay Bowls

When Francine picked this for our next project I was a bit skeptical but I have to say these were really easy to make. Here is the inspiration for the bowls. 

I basically used the same materials as the original - quick drying clay, cookie cutter, rolling pin - but since I could only find one round cookie cutter I also used a plastic cup and x-acto knife.

I rolled the clay out on my non-stick mat and cut circles with the cookie cutter and the x-acto knife.

I used my fingers to shape the rounds into bowl shapes.

The big one was a bit floppy and not holding the shape so I placed it in a bowl to dry. I also decided that I preferred the smaller ones and made more of those.

Leave bowls to dry for time indicated on clay you buy, in my case 24 hours. I do have to admit that I assisted mine in drying faster with the help of my ceiling fans. I forgot to factor in the 24 hour drying time and made these last night and had to finish them in time for this post today. 

I was still a bit skeptical at this point and thought to myself these are going into a closet never to see the light of day again.

However, once completely dried (or in my case dry enough) and I decorated the edges with a silver sharpie and Ranger Ink silver Liquid Pearls I was amazed at how much I really liked them. It's all in the finishing. Note that I didn't sand my bowls as I love the little imperfections in the clay but I did paint the insides with white paint as my clay did not dry as white as I would have liked it to.

I used half of the package of clay and made one large and eight mini bowls. These are the perfect little bowls for little odds and ends around the house.

Now go check out how Francine made her bowls. Rumor has it that she made her own clay!

Sisters Take on Pinterest | Fabric Wall Hanging

Well it seems like we skipped right over spring and headed to summer her in the North East. Not that I am complaining after the winter that we had.  Bring on the warm days!

This month Francine picked this pull down style wall hanging from the blog Francios et Moi for our Pinterest project. I was super excited to do this as I have been meaning to replace a framed photo of me that I have hanging over my bed. (nothing more says narcissist Huh?).  Now the wall behind my bed looks like this!

Original Source

Pin it here

I have to say that when I first looked at the inspiration piece I thought oh easy peasy!  Then I read the blog post in detail and had that "oh crap" moment.  Wait a minute I don't own any power tools!! Or come to think about it really nice wrapping paper either! After a couple days of racking my brain this is what I did.

Supplies I used - two dowels 36inch long that I bought at Michael's,  1 yard of deco fabric from Joann Fabric, glue that works on both fabric and wood, leather cord/twine, Fray Blocker.

I squared of the top and bottom of my fabric and then cut it to 34 inches wide. Try to cut as straight as possible especially if using fabric that does not have an abstract pattern like what I used. I marked 1 inch on each end of both dowels.

I then applied glue to the 34 inches between the marks and attached the top of my fabric to one dowel and let it dry then I attached the bottom to the other dowel following the same procedure.

Tie the twine to the ends of the top dowel, apply Fray Blocker to any raw fabric edges (I only had one as I did not cut the salvage end of one side of my fabric).

Hang finished piece.  

The nice thing about this method is that if your wall hanging is to long you can shorten it by just rolling the fabric around the top dowel. The added bonus is that I have eliminated the heavy object that could potentially fall on me in my sleep! 

Before (heavy with glass)

After (light and fabric)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not exactly what Erin did but I think you get the same effect. Now off you go to see how Francine tackled this one.