The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

May 17, 2014
by Tammy
0 comments

Cupcake Fingerless Gloves Done!



The Cupcake Fingerless Gloves I started recently are done! And I love how they turned out. The yarn (Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso in the Happy Birthday, Cupcake colorway) was wonderful to work with. Heck, even the striping almost matches, and while I did start the second glove around the same color as the first one on purpose, I honestly did not do much else to get this to happen. This yarn is sock weight made of 75% Superwash Merino wool and 25% nylon. It is not necessarily super soft like the previous pair of gloves I made for my hubby, but that yarn had some cashmere in it.

The pattern is a free one from Lion Brand called “All Season Wristers,” and I did modify this a tad. I made the larger size (that starts with 34 chains) and used a size G hook instead of an F. I also just attached yarn to the hole area for the thumb and did around 6 rows of single crochet. For me, that made the thumb part much easier than the instructions provided. Also, because I like to be able to turn down these gloves so that you can have the option of wearing them on the long side, I added about an inch of single crochet at the top of each one.

These are ready to be soaked and blocked, and then I have plans to mail them off to a friend of mine who is yarn worthy. I have a lot of left over yarn from this skein, so I’m toying with the idea of seeing if I can squeeze out another pair. I may even rewind the ball of yarn to see if I can get two even balls and try making them two at a time and see how that goes.

May 15, 2014
by Tammy
0 comments

Made by Hand 10% Discount



Black Dog Publishing is offering my readers a 10% discount on a new title called Made by Hand. This offer is good through June 15, 2014. Here are some details about the book from a press release the publisher sent me:

Made By Hand takes the reader through tailors, shoemakers, stationers, watchmakers, instrument makers, cosmeticists and more, profiling these makers with images of themselves, their workshops, products and techniques. By focusing on the choice these artisans have made to craft goods in an age where mass-produced, imported wares are cheaper and easier to produce, the book is a celebration of the return to the organic, the hand-made and the home-grown, at a time when owning carefully crafted products is considered environmentally friendly and economy boosting, and ultimately fashionable.

Each maker features with interviews probing their techniques, the surrounding tradition and their motivation for working by hand. This is accompanied by trivia, such as the celebrities they have produced for and some of the most rarified pieces they have ever made.

Prefaced by an introductory text about the ethos of hand making, and with the juxtaposition of traditional craft alongside contemporary hand making throughout, Made By Hand is framed as an address to hand craft as an environmentally friendly and economically healthy resurgence that is not only nostalgic, but also progressive and productive.

Email offers@blackdogonline.com before 15 June to claim your extra 10% discount

May 14, 2014
by Tammy
2 Comments

Felting Book Review

Felting by Elvira Lopez Del Prado Rivas is published by Schiffer Publishing and has a copyright date of 2013. It retails for $29.99 in the US and is a 144 page hardcopy book. The five chapters in this book cover a huge amount of information related to felting starting with its properties, exactly what is felt; where wool come from and different types of wool; felting techniques, both wet and dry; ways to work with felt; and then projects. A good chunk of this book (the first 45 pages) deals with methods and techniques, while the rest of the book is dedicated to projects. One nice touch is that there is an entire projects chapter for children’s projects, which I thought was nice to see.

This book is generous with color photos, especially in the projects section, and I counted 31 projects in total. I love the idea of felting, but I have to admit that many of the project were, for me, a little rustic for my personal taste. Of course, some might argue that this is part of what makes hand-made felt to wonderful. Two projects that I thought looked more finished were the purse and slippers. I really liked both of these, and I could see the slippers project as becoming amazing gifts that are very functional and beautiful as well.

Another part that I really liked in this book is the “Process” chapter. While you may not want to necessarily process your own wool from the sheep to prepare it to creating felt, I like knowing about it and felt it was a good addition to the book. In fact, this really has all the information you need from tools to techniques to how-to projects to make your own felt and turn it into something functional or decorative or both.

May 12, 2014
by Tammy
1 Comment

Beads and Bag for Mom



My mother dabbles in jewelry making, so for Mother’s Day, I gave her some beads, findings, and a ceramic pendant and put them all in a zipper pouch. The beads are Celestial Crystals from Fire Mountain, and I purchased the pendant from Blu Mudd.



I put them all, along with a card, in this Large Zipper Pouch in the Bold Bloom pattern from Thirty-One. So the pouch worked as a way to “wrap” the gift up without having to use a bunch of wrapping paper. I have a number of these zipper pouches and use them for all kinds of stuff, but mainly, I use them as project bags for my crafts. I’m going to have to remember that I did this when the holidays come around. I may go this route for wrapping gifts.

May 12, 2014
by Tammy
0 comments

Books and Cards and Jewelry

Resin Crafts Blog
What else can you do with resin filled bezels? Why make art cards!

What will a group of jewelry designers make working from the same materials?
Check out what the participants of the Deep Waters Challenge made! Each of the pieces is inventively unique!

A Bead A Day
Are you taking time to yourself to allow creativity to flow? Lisa gifted herself with a Saturday and was inspired to create!

Mixed Media Artist
Do you want to be able to add digital effects to your mixed media artwork? Here are some places to start…

Beading Arts
Cyndi has some metal goodies from Fire Mountain Gems to give away!

Snap out of it, Jean! There’s beading to be done!
Jean writes about a reunion which she had with her sister and her cousins last week which included great memories, delicious food, and jewelry!

Creating a Poetry Book Cover
Cherie talks about the process in designing the cover for her latest poetry book.

May 7, 2014
by Tammy
0 comments

Cupcake Fingerless Gloves!



I have rolled up a new skein of yarn that’s been in my stash for awhile waiting to be transformed into fingerless gloves. It is from Desert Vista Dyeworks, and the colorway is called “Happy Birthday, Cupcake.” Now this was totally not planned at all, but as I was searching for an empty project bag, I realized I had a cupcake project bag with nothing in it. Seriously! How timely is that?

The finished gloves are probably going to be a future gift for someone, and yes, it’s not cold now, but it will be someday, right? I can’t wait to see how this colorway stripes as I crochet these.

May 7, 2014
by Tammy
0 comments

May = Thermal Party Time

Along with being a craft-o-holic, I am an independent Thirty-One consultant. I like the products from this company because they help me keep my crafting supplies organized, and I find them useful for everyday tasks as well. For May, Thirty-One has a wonderful special. With every $31 purchase, you can get one of three thermal products for 50% off.




Plus, if you host a party in May, you can purchase an exclusive product called the Making Memories Thermal for just $31. Below is a video that shows the great summer thermals! Contact me if you’d like to host your own online part, or if you want to purchase through a party, I have one going on now and will cover the extra $4 direct shipping cost for anyone who purchases through this party. Here’s the link: https://www.mythirtyone.com/distributor/frm_events_main.aspx

May 6, 2014
by Tammy
1 Comment

Baby Bird Crochet Prototype



After I posted about the need for baby bird’s nests, I pulled out some scrap yarn and a hook and started experimenting. As anyone who has read this blog before knows, I’m addicted to amigurumi, so that is the first technique that came to mind for me. I increased until I got the correct size for a small next (4 inches wide) and then continued to make rows until it was 3 inches high. I have contacted the moderator of the Baby Bird Nest Ravelry group and someone over there is also going to give my simple pattern a test run. If they give it the thumbs up, then I will publish it here, and I will probably try to create a few more patterns for the medium and then large size nests needed as well. I will keep you posted.

May 4, 2014
by Tammy
0 comments

Jewelry, Paper Crafting, and Lights!

Art Bead Scene
Check out our new monthly challenge artwork – 18th century oil painting ‘Capriccio Padovano’ by Bernardo Bellatto.

A Bead A Day
Do you have the urge to alter your beads and components? Lisa’s pondering the reason why she sees smiley faces on yellow charms.

Finding Inspiration in Reading
Check out what the participants of the Inspired by Reading Book Club made for the April selection, “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Egg Earrings Complement Eggs in Nest Charm Bracelet
Make these quick, easy, eminently wearable earrings to go with the Eggs in Nest Charm bracelet Eileen shared last month or to wear on their own.

Snap out of it, Jean! There’s beading to be done!
Jean has a review and a giveaway of a fantastic new book by Denise Peck and Jane Dickerson, WIRE + METAL, 30 Easy Metalsmiting Designs, at her blog! Hooray!

Mixed Media Artist
Is it possible to know too many techniques for creating background papers for your mixed media projects? Cyndi thinks not!

Beading Arts
Cyndi has written a second chapter to her book “Bored By Back Stitch”, in which she shows you how to combine bead embroidery stitches for more complex motifs and designs.

Resin Crafts Blog
Jewelry Clay and Jewelry Resin can be combined to create new dimensional objects and jewels.

Golden Glass Sculpture With Solar Lights
Cherie makes a couple solar lights for the yard using plates and ashtrays.