ice cold Bruce-ki

Bruce Lee is turning ONE and I’ve brewed a special batch of Bruce-kies for his birthday party this Saturday.

BIG BIG BIG THANKS to Cec for helping me make these special labels with her digital die cutter.

Bruce keeps telling me they look sooo cool and it’s going to be THE talk of the party!

Dream Poppies Summer Handbag

I’ve been inspired again! I’m coming out of crafting retirement!

As much as I love designer handbags, I also enjoy a fun and funky summer bag.

Here is a cotton twill tote that I whipped up this weekend. I looked at a few images and then designed my own pattern from there. It is completely lined with pockets for my blackberry and other junk.

It took less than a day to complete. Maybe 4 hours?

The fabric is called “Forest Dream Poppies” from Amy Butler’s August Fields collection. I bought half a meter of the Amy Butler fabric but definitely didn’t need that much. I have left overs and can make another smaller tote.

Puffy toque

I have just learned to do two new things: the puffy crochet stitch; and a toque.

I love this stitch! I think it’s fun, its got dimension and spunk!

I have never made hats before and this is my first attempt at winging a toque with the puffy stitch I just picked up. I practiced with what seems like my lifetime supply of green. Now that I’ve got the hang of it, I think I may make another one in a nicer colour. But this is wearable too:)

Little ‘O’liva

I had so much fun making the monogramed M for Maddie that I wanted to make a little “o” for the little sister with big smiles, Olivia!

This is a much smaller frame but I’m sure little Ollie won’t mind!

‘M’ is for Madeline

This is a framed monogram ‘M’ quilled for a 12×12 opening. This was made especially for my niece’s new room.

dog bed

Bruce Lee’s new stylin’ dog bed.

I personalized his bed by stenciling his name with permanent fabric paint.

Now there’s no mistaking who’s cushy bed this is!

dog jacket

Here is my first attempt at making dog jackets. It’s made of some tough water resistant nylon lined with polar fleece.

Hopefully this will help Bruce Lee stay a little drier on those wet rainy days!

The stores sell them for about $30 and up. I made this for roughly $10. At that price I can still afford to make more jackets when he outgrows this one!

magnolia birdcage veil

A friend of mine is getting married and really wanted a birdcage veil.

It didn’t go with her dress but I made one for her stagette.

I used organza and tulle to make this magnolia like flower. I’ve also added some feather accents for extra drama.

I kept the veil short to keep it cute and casual.

You can give this a whirl by referencing Hip Hostess’ guidelines. Below are photos of it before the feathers. Didn’t have time to take another photo of the final product

quilled wedding cake card

Inspired by Cecelia, I quilled this three tiered wedding cake card for a friend’s upcoming wedding.

It was super fun to make. Just took a lot of time…

custom dog crate slip cover

This is a slip cover I custom made for my dog’s new crate. I picked the wire crate b/c I thought it would be less stuffy in the summer but the breeder warned me that its will allow hair to escape making it a little messier so I made a custom slip cover to address that problem.

The fabric was 6.99 a meter from Ikea. I used about 3.5 meters. It’s complete with two flap doors. Right now we need this door but when he’s bigger, we can turn the crate around and use the other door.

Now it’sa fashionable and functionable crate!

whimsical quilled damask

Cec has inspired me to come out of quilling retirement.

I had recently broken the glass on this frame but didn’t want to throw it away. I wanted to make use of it and decided to quill something. I thought a glass-free frame would showcase the textures and dimensions of quilling well.

This is my whimsical attempt at creating a damask pattern.

merino wool neck warmer…in the works

so Mar introduced me to the world of crochet and now she’s introduced me to the universe of fine quality yarns!

I fell in love with this italian merino wool…in two colours. And under pressure, I caved and bought two bundles of 90m at $12.99 a ball!

I had no idea what I was going to make but just knew I really really liked them.

Here’s a close up of the bundle. And here is a sneak peek of the ribbed neck warmer I’m making. I love the stormy colours!

oh-so-warm mittens

My latest mittens.

I loved how cool but cozy these colours worked together. The pink is Bernat Alpaca and the grey is Bernat Softee Chunky.

aubergine mittens

I was so inspired by Mar’s mittens that I’ve taken a crack at winging a pair of my own!

I was going to make stripped mittens however got lazy about making an exact match. I tried a different technique though. If you take a close look, the middle band of purple is a different type of stitching.  You can create a different type of texture by just yarning into the top loop and not both loops.

Happy “Moo” Year!

2009 is the year of the Ox! A relative’s birthday(who happens to be the year of the Ox) happens to coincide with this year’s Chinese New Years celebrations so I’ve made a custom Ox just for her.  Hope she likes it!

Felix and Kate

Felix and Kate are a pair of kitties made for Marlene’s mother in law, Mary who graciously gifted me one of her handmade quilts. I hope her grand daughter likes these pair of kitties!

Olivia Kitty

Olivia Kitty is a transplant survivor! This doll was made for my niece Maddie in honor of her bravery. It’s been 2 years since my niece’s liver transplant and she’s been doing very well.

My favourite details are the Mary Jane shoes and the green organ & transplant awareness ribbon on her shirt. Ssssh, it’s for Maddie’s birthday in Dec.

Just Married

Justin and I “Just Married” last year in August. I wanted to keep the frills simple and classy and didn’t deco the car in pom poms. I did some research and couldn’t find anything NICE out there so I made a simple but sweet “Just Married” sign for the back of the car. Lots of thanks goes out to Cecelia for helping me hand write the sign!

So if you know anyone that wants a unique and special “Just Married” sign, you know who to ask!

crochet baked fresh!

Crochet baked fresh! Nothing new but definitely improved. I invested in more colours, resulting in a more vibrant selection. While not edible, these are just as indulgent as the real thing!

Enjoy!

Monkey business

I’m making it my monkey business to introduce you to Richie the monkey, Lionel the lion’s long lost jungle buddy. While Lionel and Richie are no longer together, they’ve been adopted into new loving homes.

Richie is to be a baby gift from a coworker who’s going to be an auntie soon. Richie is part of her “Auntie of the Week” strategy.

Richie is a little guy…maybe 5 inches tall and he’s got a curly-cue tail. To create this effect, I chained about 36 stitches and slip stitched every other stitch when it came to the second row.

In the jungle is Lionel

Move over Simba because Lionel is the now the cutest lion in the jungle!

My friend is expecting his first baby this August. I wanted to crochet a doll as a gift and he suggested a jungle animal b/c they’re going w/ a jungle theme. The baby is to be born in August…a Leo, so I looked around for a pattern but didn’t find anything nice. I decided it was time to create my own. That’s how my Lionel concept was conceived!

Lionel’s best feature is his mane. I used my hook and crocheted a the wavy technique right into the head. Now if only I can figure out how to document the pattern….

Hooo…hooo!!!

Hooo!! Hooo!! These cute little owlettes will help keep watch for you. These little guys are are part of my eco-Cute collection of crocheted goodies. Instead of polyfil, I’ve cut up plastic shopping bags for stuffing.

If you’re interested in making a little owlette for yourself, find the super easy and free pattern off Roman Sock’s website. Thank you Roman Sock for sharing your patterns!

Hmmm cupcakes & donuts….

I don’t suggest making these if you’re on a diet. It only makes you want to eat the real thing. But they were sure fun to make. All inspired by a the Crochet Machine, Miss Wousie. My favourite donut is the Boston Cream one! ha ha ha!

Periwinkle Whale

I’m going to give away this Periwinkle to my friend Rose in May for her birthday. I think I’m going to stitch on a felted heart on the corner of his rear to make him extra lovable.

He’s also eco-friendly, being stuffed with plastic bags.

Crystal Bracelet

How many crystals? I’ve lost count.