Concussion Shmushion

Supplies

As the title implies I am concussed. So what better way to spend my day then staring at my computer screen writing my blog! How did I receive this concussion you ask? Not doing arts and crafts, that's for sure. I should just stick to the safety of my craft room and never venture out into the world again (yeah right!), well at least for today anyways. I fell on my snowboard (going really fast), nothing serious, I was wearing my helmet (thank god) but some big time bruises are definitely in order. So along with this blessed brain smush I also now have to deal with the after affects of soreness of joints, muscles, tendons, and pretty much every other part of the human body. True to my crafty nature though, I have found a craft to do! Homemade heating packs! YIPPY!(I am also a little delirious from no sleep)

Almost done!

So to the sewing machine I went. I had some left over fleece (it is perfectly microwavable safe, I tested it first) which is super soft and snugggely and that is definitely how I want to be feeling right about now. I simply cut the fabric to the shape I wanted. I choose to make it about 10 inches wide (you will fold it in half later, so it will be about 5 inches final) by about 10 inches. You can make it any size, length, or shape you would like. I then sewed up the right sides alone the long edge and one end. Invert the tube you have just made and add some rice! You will be making compartments within the tube so don't pour the whole bag in at once. I used about 1/2 of a cup in 4 inches of fabric (you can customize this for your needs). You don't want the rice to be too tight or else it wont lay perfectly on your sore neck though. To make sure the rice stayed in while I stitched I used pins to seal off that section about an inch from where I was actually going to stitch. Repeat this until you have successfully completed your heating pad.

awww...Relief :-)

Now heat it in the microwave in 30 second intervals  (make sure to test it before you lay it on your skin first!!!) and get relaxing those sore muscles!

Eat,Craft, and Enjoy a heating pad! :-)

(NOTE: During this entire crafting session I was wearing two heating packs. One is slung around my hips while the other is resting over my shoulder...Oh yeah, I am sore)

If it is cold, wear a hat! DUH!

As I awoke this morning dreaming of a beautiful 85 degree day at the beach I found my illusion fading as I prepared to walk my dog Beau. It is a toasty 18 degrees here in New Hampshire today and I was in need of a hat! So away I went to dig through the piles and piles of winter gear looking for a certain cap of warmth. I found it.

UVM Hat

Once again my Alma mater(I seriously dislike that term, I don't know why) has made its way onto the blog spot. I love when I am in need of a certain piece of knitted material to keep my noggin warm and I know exactly which hat I want to wear. It's just fun when you actually find that one silly hat that you haven't worn in forever (I will explain why I rarely wear it later, OK I'll explain it now). I tend not to wear this fabulous piece of UVM pride too often for the simple fact that it is too little. Once again I made a knitted project for a tiny person (when will I learn?) Regardless of size, the design is the coolest thing ever. I had never used two different colored yarns to make a pattern before so this was my first go around (in the round, hardy har har). I made this hat during my senior year (probably during finals week knowing me) so my materials for sketching out the pattern ended up being my graph paper chemistry notebook.

The hat in action!

 I used each square to represent a stitch and set about making a pattern that was big enough to make the letters look sweet. Then I had the issue of carrying the other colored yarn around the entire hat (I was unaware that I did not need to add this step at the time) So I added snowflakes around the back to finish out the pattern. I have since then used graph paper to mark out patterns for other knitting projects and have found it the simplest way to visualise your pattern as well as an easy way to follow along! 

Snowflakes on back of hat

If it happens to be a chilly day where you are and you are in need of a crafty project for the day, go ahead and make yourself an ear flapping, pompom waving, patterned hat! I don't remember what the actual pattern was for the hat, but it was just a simple stockinette stitch in the round. I made the ear flaps first in just straight stitching and placed them on holders. Once I was ready to start the hat in the round, I then joined the flaps on. Ta-Da! The tricky part was the duel yarn!

Eat, Craft, and Stay Warm! :-)

You know the feeling...

The idea phase, blank canvas

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I am a walking movie quote encyclopedia. I just love quotes, I have spoken about quotes before in my blog so clearly I find them interesting bits of knowledge. The key to a good quote, I think, is being able to relate to it personally. One of my favorite all time quotes comes from a Sex and the City episode in Season 5 (you know the one, the season finally in the Hamptons for Bobby and Bitsy von Muffling's wedding?). The episode ends with one very special quote by Carrie,

"I still get butterflies"

 "Some people are settling down. Some people are settling. And some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies." I just love it!

Done!

Long story small, I wanted to make a craft that had to do with that special feeling of butterflies (there really is nothing better!). Begin craft project now. You will need a white canvas (whatever size you want), a butterfly stamp, different colored inks, Mod Podge, and a black fine point marker (I used a piece of scrapbook quote paper instead of writing for mine). Write in the corner something to do with butterflies (you can even use Carrie's quote!), mine says "I still get butterflies." Stamp some butterflies( remember less is more) on the canvas leaving some awesome intriguing white space! Now Mod Podge swirls over everything to give it a cool texture and that's it! The simplicity is the best part of this project. 

Eat, Craft, and Get butterflies ;-)

Mason Jar Craft? Yep!

Being the ever crafty person that I am, I recently decided to create my very own pin cushion. I understand that you can buy a tomato-esque looking round ball for like a dollar but that is not good enough for me. I wanted to make my own. Period.

So I set about Pinterest looking for an idea and VOILA mason jar activity. Now I know that there are people that just absolutely adore mason jars and would like to use them for everything under the sun (I am also one of these people) so I thought this would be exciting to post about. I just love mason jars. They are so useful and unique even though they are overflowing peoples cabinets around the world (maybe just the USA, I don't know the geographic spread of the jars). They have the look of just being homey and full of jams made with love and rustic old time fabulousness. I digress.

First of all this is one of the simplest craft activities in the world (again not the entire world, don't be so literal people). It involved a piece of fabric, some fluff, a hot glue gun, scissors, and a mason jar (TA-DA!). Simple cut a square of fabric. Glue one spot to the edge of the mason jar lid (there is a different less permanent way to do with craft that I will discuss later). Now start attaching the fabric in a pleated fashion about half way around the lid. Insert the fluff to the desired level of fluffiness. Continue to attach the fabric until you have glued it all the way on. Done! Now throw some thread spools in the jar and attach your lid for a cute little all in one sewing kit via mason jar.

For a less permanent styled mason jar pin cushion you can simple wrap the fluff and fabric around the inner part of the lid and when pressed into the ring it will secure it. You can also glue it on and therefore getting your fix of using the liquid lava the glue gun creates. Have fun craftettes!

Eat, Craft, and Be happy :-)

Go ahead capture the idea!

Awesome Graffiti

Welcome back world! I have successfully ventured into the depths of Texas and came back alive and better for it! There was so much to see and do that I actually didn't do everything planned (job interview...oops, don't be mad mom) but I did take tons of pictures which totally makes up for the fact that I am still unemployed!

Creative Bathroom Signage @ HomeSlice Pizza

So today's lesson in crafts is to enjoy the beauty around you. Take in the sites, find the little antique shops down an alley, listen to a street musician, buy local, and take pictures! You would be amazed at what you can capture with just a digital camera or your phone since ideas for crafts are everywhere, you just have to open your eyes (and turn on your camera!). Now I in no way pretend to be a photographer, but to me it doesn't really matter, because however the picture looks it still captured a moment, a memory, an idea!

Coolest Antique Shop (Uncommon Objects)

Some things I saw were just so uniquely beautiful that I had to capture them. The random graffiti on the side of a cafe was one of those just beautiful things. I loved how the 'so much' was added later by a different person (or at least that is how I want to think of it) with different handwriting. It was just asking to be photographed. Another art related thing I saw was the bathroom signs at Home Slice Pizza. For a pizza place I thought this was just so imaginative and yet so simple that it was hilarious (camera click, idea captured).

DIY Beer Chiller

By far the coolest thing that I saw was at Doc's on South Congress St. My friend and I were all about buying local so as we enjoyed our pitcher of Lone Star (a very classy Texas brewed beverage)in the 70 degree heat our server thought it convenient to offer us a 'pitcher chiller'. So simple, but again I would not have thought of it(probably because the beer doesn't really stand a chance of sitting long enough to heat up!). Regardless it was a fabulous idea. Simply add a bag of ice to pitcher for continued chilling. Amazing!

Local Deliciousness 

You can find a craft idea anywhere. Just open your eyes and after you have sufficiently enjoyed it, capture it so you can then share it with others. Something as simple as adding a bag of ice to a pitcher of beer wouldn't usually warrant a photo op, but now that I have taken that picture, I can share it with all of you ! So that is my rant of the day along with some pictures of my adventures. (Note: food is also an amazing thing to photograph! Check out that burrito!) So go on an adventure, and see what you can find!

 Eat, Craft, and Capture the Moment :-)

Disruption in Service

As I will be traveling to Texas over the weekend till mid-week there will be a pause in the ever exciting rantings by me. I will however be thinking of all of my readers while I am enjoying some nice warm weather sans snow (Sounds a little like new england currently, strange?). As well as leaving all of my millions of fans I will sadly be leaving my beloved animals(some people like to say I run a farm, this is false). My blind baby cat Coonie (check out his new glasses!), my over-breed special needs Golden Retriever Beau, and my three insanely annoying parrots (two of which are in there 30's, working on 100!) will be left in the care of local volunteer family members, aka Mom :-).

So now until we meet again, Adios, Au Revoir, Aufweidersehn!

Keep Eating, Crafting, and Being Happy :-)

Food is Art(s and crafts)

Question of the day: Why can't I put food on my craft blog? Answer: I can, it is my blog! So delicious discussions of delightful dumplings will ensue( I adore alterations). I have been cooking up this idea(pun totally intended) to add a baking day to the blog. Although I had set out for this to be a complete craft blog in the purest sense of a hands on activity that is fun and creates something at the end (hmm sounds like cooking to me) I have decided to branch out. Begin Wednesday baking day on Salamanders Blog.

Supplies

Baking and I have always been a friend. We have been through some pretty tough times though (burning double batches of chocolate fudge..arg) but we always seem to rekindle our friendship(monkey bread, yum). My mother and I have for years created a holiday baking extravaganza in which we create over 40 plates of yummies for family and friends(peanut butter fudge, choc fudge, cheesecake brownies, multiple types of cookies, home made kitkat bars, seven layer bars and much much much more!) So when this Sunday came around and I was to bring a snack to an event (we won't discuss this event any further) I began to get creative. I took my love for Monkey bread (an amazing cinnamon and delicious sugary pull apart bread object) and my love for buffalo chicken to attempt to create a one of a kind Buffalo Chicken Monkey Bread snack! (It was not very successful, but I know how to fix it!)

Ready for the oven

I used whole wheat pizza dough as the base (this was my biggest mistake). The dough was too dense though and when cooked created a giant brick of a snack and although it was delicious it was hard to pull apart. I should have used a type of crescent roll dough like with monkey bread (oh well). Step 1: Cut rotisserie chicken (I will not have raw chicken in my kitchen..yuck) into little baby pieces and drench them in buffalo sauce. Step 2: Cut mozzarella cheese into cubes.  Step 3: Take a chunk of dough and add a cube of mozzarella and a scoop of buff chicken. Step 4: Fold up the dough into a nice little pouch. Step 5: Roll little nugget of deliciousness in Parmesan cheese and toss into a bunt pan. TA-DA! Now cook that sucker according to the dough instructions and that is it. Flip over the bunt pan to reveal your ready to eat buffalo chicken snack bites!

Eat, Craft, and Be Happy :-)

Pets want in on Superbowl fun too!

1/4' seam 

As the big game approaches I felt the need to get my animals into the spirit (every fan counts!). Being a New Englander, I just happen to have left over Patriots logo material from a previous project which worked out perfecto. My golden retriever Beau is never without his bandannas so I felt it only fitting to make a Pats one for him.

My Pats Fan

Usually I just cut a festive themed bandanna in half diagonally and tie it on but it always (ALWAYS) frays on the ends or loosens up and falls off. Now since I usually just use a dollar bandanna I am not really concerned about them falling apart, but with the sweet New England fabric I became more concerned. Break out the sewing machine!

Added tie strips

When I took out the fabric I had a square that was 27" diagonally which didn't seem that far off from a standard bandanna. So I cut my triangle and got to work. To prevent the edges from fraying I made a simple 1/4" seam along all edges (ta-da!) Now at this stage I could have just tied it on my white-faced boy and been done with it, but I was in the sewing mood so I kept going. I made two 4" long strips and attached them onto either end of the triangle to use as my tying apparatus.

The smaller pieces will make a stronger knot and Beau will be able to be a fan for a longer period of time (I will wash it and keep it for next season!). Now attach your homemade bandanna to your animal and you now have a certified *Patriots fan!

Eat, Craft, and Make your pet a Pats fan!

Beau modeling

*Beau says" I will not condone the use of this pattern for other teams (Just kidding), no but really...woof"

Is it a button? Or a pin?

Shadow Pin Box

Whether you call it a pin, a brooch, badge or a button we all have them. They are those objects that attach to your clothing using a sharp object on the back. They can be functional by fastening a piece of clothing shut, or decorative in the case of a brooch, or the every popular advertisement pin commonly seen with campaign buttons. Who cares about these trivial pieces of metal? I do. I found that I had gathered a small assortment of buttons over the years from all over the place (Disney, Ski Resorts, Campaign Buttons, Name Tags etc..) Now being the small hoarder that I am I could not find it in me to just throw these things into a landfill with all the other junk of our nation. So a craft they became.

BUTTONS!

I had this vision of using the pins for a sort of scrapbook/memory box that I could add to as more pins entered my world. So off I went to the Christmas Tree Shop (Don't you just love a bargain?) to find my display method for these old school creations. Enter shadow box. PERFECT! It has a cloth lined backing that was meant for sticking pins into(amazing). Now it was just a matter of gathering up my pins and organizing them into a sweet presentation. Some other 'non pin' items have been added over the years just because I wanted to keep them and they added some flair to the craft.

Box with door open

Pins can be very unique and when you keep them all together they start to tell your story. The middle pin is a photo of a friend who has passed away. I will never forget him and now his pin is the center of my pin art.(We miss you NateBuddy). Pins can also show the places you have been, activities you took part in, achievements that you have earned all in one craft that can grow everyday. Go gather up some of your pins and see what you've got! I bet they will tell a story too! PINNING (Charlie Sheen style)

Rest in Peace NateBuddy

Eat, Craft, and Start a Pin Collection!

Crafts, Plagiarism, and Thread...Oh my!

I find that some of the best crafts are the ones that mix several different techniques into one project. Sure it is fun to just write something for a scrap page, but why not embroider it! I got really into embroidered things after the first few creations (Let it snow, and Map Art) and just could not stop incorporating it into my crafts. So when the time came for me to yet again make a present for a good friend I decided to mix embroidery with scrap booking to make a one of a kind gift from the heart.

Project= Complete

Before I get into rambling about the craft I made I would like to travel away on a tangent about quotes(also in a rambling format). So here is the thing with quotes: Using a famous or cited quotes is all good and dandy and I do it frequently, BUT why not make up your own poem or saying and use that instead! Voila, quote yourself! Now don't go out plagiarize the worlds poets and call it your artistic license or whatever you may, but you can use them as inspiration (I think?I'm not to up to date on my plagiarism laws). For instance feel free to look up quotes about love or friendship but instead of using an outdated saying like "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" (author unknown, I checked) change it to something like, "We are never apart for our hearts beat as one"(written by Salamander just now). Yep that was cheesy but at least I wrote it for the craft and I can personalize it that way. I also love to use music lyrics. People forget that underneath all the noise and beats is a handwritten song just waiting to be quoted. OK moving on to the craft now. 

Embroidery thread gone wild

I decided to make a framed scrapbook page for my friends birthday. She loves my crafts and is always excited to be on the receiving end of one. I found this cool quilted looking paper as the base. I then added a Salamander made quote that incorporated quilting and friendship, but instead of just writing it on the paper, I embroidered it! Embroidered paper just looks so cool because you never see it done. It adds a whole new quality to a scrap page that I have grown to love. I also used some punch out letters to emphasize some words and added some different cut outs to complete the quilted look and that was it.  

Take away message of the day: PERSONALIZE YOUR CRAFTS! Write your own quotes, make your own gifts, and always have fun :-)

Eat, Craft, and Be happy!