Tag: Crafts

Flower Mug Cozy | Crochet

Published on by Amanda Tero6 Comments
Turns out I do have another craft project to share this week. 😉 I decided to try my hand at a mug cozy. I half-invented the pattern for two reasons…
1) The pattern I found was a slip-over cozy and I wanted it to tie onto a coffee mug.
2) I accidentally did the basket stitch wrong (first time… give me a slight break, okay? 😉 ). For those of you who know crochet, you’re supposed to do two rows one direction, then flip it. I flipped it after one row. 😉
So… the cozy!!!

Oh yeah, and the flower… this was the first attempt at it…
Yeah. It didn’t turn out like the pattern (I though I had the pattern saved to my crochet Pinterest board, but apparently I don’t; sorry I can’t share it!). Thankfully, this whimsical octopus-looking-flower pleased my youngest sister as a hair band. So it wasn’t a wasted practice. 😉

My second attempt went way better… It’s still not as perfect as the pattern-picture (of course), but blocking it helped some. 😉

Have you worked on any projects this week?
What color combinations do you like?

Hook, yarn…afghan!

Published on by Amanda Tero6 Comments
Okay, so now I’m just getting corny with craft post titles. 😉 If you didn’t see last week’s title, you probably won’t get it. 😉 And no, I probably won’t have a craft done for next week, but I figured that since I HAD them this week and last, I’d just as soon post them. Cause honestly, I like crafts, and in many ways,  I feel like technology is stealing us from being as creative with our hands (okay, okay, so I just need to speak for myself here…). So, if you haven’t done a hand craft in a while, why don’t you pick something up? All you need to do is a few minutes a day and before long, you’ll be holding a completed project!

When my computer crashed in November, I picked up crocheting (for the first time in probably ten years), with a simple Granny Square pattern. It gave me something to keep my hands busy when watching movies or visiting with people (yes, I usually did computer work when watching movies; no, I can’t keep still for long). Just finished it last weekend! And I think gray is my new favorite color!

What do you usually do when watching movies?
Do you do any hand crafts? If so, what kind?


Paper, Scissors… Cards!

Published on by Amanda Tero4 Comments
It’s that time of the year… The Christmas gifts are moved from around my desk to their respective places and it’s time to write thank-you cards.
I know that writing thank-you cards are probably a little old-fashioned for some people, but I really like doing it (to the point of being a little perplexed that I can’t send one to my friend overseas due to her location). If you want to read a post about my perspective of writing thank-you notes, I wrote one last year: “Why I Don’t Write Thank-You Notes.” 😉
Sometimes, I get to feeling a little crafty. Last year, I created a few printable thank-you notes. But this year, with more space (having moved into our new home) and a little more time (since we’re not building), I took a few evenings to make some hand-made cards. It was like rediscovering a lost love. I enjoyed it so much! You’ll see a decided musical theme for my cards. 😉 I’m sorry… I couldn’t help it. Music just makes a really good substance for cards — and, music is so me. 🙂 
Have you ever made cards? What are your favorite things to use?
Now for the cards (excuse the pictures… I didn’t feel like being fancy here and just took snap-shots)…