The Crafty Princess Diaries

Tammy Powley’s Crafty Weblog

May 12, 2013
by Tammy
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Best Bunny Business



Some of the last few softies I made for the shelter included a few bunny rabbits. Of course, my menagerie would not have been complete without a funny bunnies, right? Since I had already done this pattern before (and honestly have not found a different bunny pattern that has interested me), I went ahead and made the Lion Brand Best Bunny pattern again.

For the blue bunny, I used Lion Brand yarn as well that was donated to the club, Baby Wool. Actually, it’s not real wool, but that’s what the name of the yarn is for some reason. I held it double in order to get a larger bunny from it, and used a size I hook. This was the first time I doubled my yarn to make an amigurumi, and it was not as difficult as I had anticipated. He ended up being 10 inches tall.




For the second bunny, I used some Lion Brand purple Fun Yarn. It claims to be an Aran 10ply yarn, but I am a little skeptical. I just thought it would be noticeably thicker than regular worsted. He ended up to be 9 1/2 inches high, and I used orange and yellow felt for his features because this yarn was so dark.

Even after making this multiple times, I still struggled with those ears and had to frog a few times before getting them right, but the ears are what make this guy so dang cute, so I had to get them right.

May 11, 2013
by Tammy
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Ice Cream Craft, Quilts, Ruffles, Glass & Doodles

ACreativeDream
June wants to know… do you like your doodles in black and white, or with color? She’s got a very unscientific poll running… and a couple of bribes for some of those who vote.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there are 6 prompts to spark your creativity and a tutorial on how to paint sparkles on water along with a pattern for knitting and crocheting cute little candies, and a recipe for brat burgers.

Green Turkey Glass Sculpture
Cherie makes a turkey using found glass materials.

How to Make Pretty Ruffled Ribbon to Dress Up Packages and Cards
Make shimmery ruffled bows using plain old rayon bias tape sprayed with glimmer mist. The bias tape crinkles up into pretty ruffles as it dries.

Ice Cream Crafts: 10 Tasty Ideas
Celebrate the summer season with ice cream crafts (both edible and just nice to look at). Here are some favorites!

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi decided to see how many different quick and easy (and cheap!) ideas she could come up with to use up left over quilt batting.

May 11, 2013
by Tammy
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KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons



Knitfreedom.com is one of the few places I have found on-line (or off line for that matter) where I have been able to actually learn how to knit from using the video based instructions. I started out first with the free ebook and then moved on to purchase one of the intermediate level ebooks later. Luckily, Liat is still at it as far as developing new ebooks for those looking for some knitting help, and her latest covers the multitude of ways you can cast on.  Here is the press lease for more information:

KNITFreedom.com Announces the Release of

The KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons

New Online Video Guide Teaches Knitters the Top 38 Cast-Ons Needed For Mastery

PALO ALTO, CA, May 9 – KNITFreedom today announced the release of The KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons, the first online video resource to truly give knitters an easy and convenient way to master the art of the cast-on.

“In talking with knitters who look for tutorials online, one thing that became very clear was that they were in serious need of a resource that would make it easy for them to know which cast-ons they could use for which projects, and how to do them correctly,” said Liat Gat, founder of KNITFreedom.com. “That’s what The KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons was designed to address.”

Most knitters aren’t aware that there are over 50 ways to cast on for a project, and that the cast-on you choose can mean the difference between a garment that fits perfectly and one that’s unwearable. Many knitters want to learn new cast-ons but get frustrated looking them up on YouTube.

“The initial response to The KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons has been even better than I expected,” continued Gat. “I think what is happening here is that knitters are drawn to some of the other benefits as well.”

For example, Gat said that many knitters were finding the extra tips about choosing and perfecting each cast-on an important added plus — a feature not available in any other online video resource. “I thought it was important, when creating The KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons, to give even more than what people were asking for,” said Gat. “That’s why I didn’t stop with just making video demos of every cast-on out there. I really tried to cover all the bases.”

With The KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons, knitters will now be able to:

understand which cast-on to choose and why
stop casting on too tight
fix dropped cast-on stitches
never run out of tail, and
do any number of popular cast-ons quickly and easily.

The KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons will be on sale starting this Friday, May 10th. Signing up for the free KNITFreedom newsletter gives customers 30% off the product price.

About KNITFreedom

The KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons is just the latest video guide from KNITFreedom. The company has also produced Become a Knitting Superstar and Learn to Knit Toe-Up Two-at-a-Time Socks, two step-by-step video courses that teach knitters the easiest and fastest ways to master Magic Loop, Continental knitting, and other popular techniques. Liat Gat creates HD video tutorials and classes on a wide range of knitting techniques, with over 200 free videos at knitfreedom.com. Customers can order The KNITFreedom Video Guide to Cast-Ons by going to http://knitfreedom.com/classes/cast-ons.

May 6, 2013
by Tammy
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Packing Up the Amigurumi Gang

I surpassed my goal of 12 and have a total of 18 amigurumi toys to donate to the shelter. Along with loads of wash cloths, soaps, coloring books, blank journals, and crayons, my car is just about full, and I will be delivering the goods tomorrow.

It feels weird saying good-bye to my little gang of amigurumi, but hopefully, they will comfort a little one or at least put a smile on a few faces when they arrive at their new home.


May 6, 2013
by Tammy
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DIY Glimmer, Bananas, and Free Patterns

11 Free Sundress Patterns for Summer
Summer is a great time to wear a comfy sundress, whether you are at home, in the garden or on the beach! Check out this round-up of easy sundress patterns you can sew for yourself.

Background papers galore!
Cyndi is amazed by how many tutorials she has written and collected on making background papers for your mixed media artwork!

Burlap Heart Hanger
Follow along with this tutorial and discover how easy it is to make a sweet-smelling heart using burlap.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there is a video where Helen Hiebert shows of the projects feature in her book Playing With Paper, tutorials on how to make a clothespin book and a file folder book along with how to stamp on fondant and a recipe for peanut and banana whole wheat vegan muffins.

Hey You!
Cherie puts lettering on three paintings this week.

Make Your Own Glimmer Mist to Add Panache to Projects
With a few inexpensive art and craft supplies you can DIY glimmer mist. Here’s Eileen’s recipe.

May 5, 2013
by Tammy
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Thermal Bags Summer Sale



The current 31 Gifts sale going on for May 2013 is a great example of what I was talking about in a previous blog post about whether or not 31 Gift products were overpriced or not. I think most of the thermal products (there are 11 of them) are generally priced okay, except for the largest, the Fresh Market Tote, which is a new product that just came out in the summer catalog. It normally retails for $50. Now this bag is super big, 10.5H” x15.5W” x10D” and it is really well made. Here is a look inside and out.



The lining is thermal so it will keep hot food out and cold food cold. It is also soft, so it expands a lot, and it’s got snaps on each side along with a strap.



At the full price of $50, it can take you aback. However, if you use one of my tricks and wait for monthly sales, then the price is very reasonable because during May 2013, this and all thermal items are half off with a $31 purchase. That brings the price down to $25.

Below is kind of a, shall I say….corny….? video, but it gives you a good idea of the size of the Fresh Market Tote. My own market tote (pictured above) is in the new Pink Pop Medallion pattern, but it is also available in Navy Cross Pop and Party Punch patterns.


I’m an independent 31 Gifts consultant, so if you are interested in finding out more about the new monthly special contact me at tammypowley [a] yahoo.com or go over to my 31 Gifts site for more information.

May 5, 2013
by Tammy
5 Comments

Sew Pretty T-Shirt Dresses



Sew Pretty T-Shirt Dresses is a new title from Sixth and Spring Books. It retails for $14.95 and has 25 patterns.

Here is a description from the press release I was sent: “Learn how to make a basic beautiful girl’s dress—without straining your schedule or your budget. Employing a little know-how and a lot of imagination, the designers at Sweet Seams Studio offer easy instructions for transforming a simple T-shirt into a stylish dress for a special little girl. Perfect for tomboys, fashionistas or anyone in-between—the 25 projects use playful quilting fabrics and clever embellishments to create outfits that are anything but ordinary.”

May 3, 2013
by Tammy
2 Comments

Wholesale Earring Kits Bundle

ONE!

TWO!


Sparkling Star Wire Earrings Jewelry Kit

THREE!

You can now purchase three of my Crafty Princess Earring kits at the wholesale price. I have bundled them together to create this wholesale earring kit package. The three kits include all the materials required to make three different pair of earrings, three full-color PDF file tutorials, and three gift boxes. All of this including shipping for only $30!

These same earring kits have sold retail at a major web-based jewelry supplier for $15 each, and that does not include shipping.

Head over to my Etsy shop now, and take advantage of this limited time wholesale earring kit collection offer!

April 28, 2013
by Tammy
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Crafting Food Ideas, Paper Arts, and Mom Day Ideas

6 Mother’s Day Gifts Ideas for Kids to Make
Here are 6 fun and easy crafts your kids can make to give as Mother’s Day crafts.

ACreativeDream
June’s made an awful lot of mail art of late… come see!

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world
This week at Craftside there is tutorial on how to draw a motorcycle, tips on working with stencils, info on leather finishes and tanning processes, and how to turn a baked potato from a fast carb into a slow carb.

Dinosaur Cake Pops
Enjoy this fun birthday party idea–dinosaur cake pops!

Finding Inspiration in the Psalms
Cherie uses the Psalms for inspiration in three new prints.

Mixed Media Artist
When you find yourself too distracted to make art, try making chocolate whiskey fudge instead!

Saturday May 4 is National Scrapbooking Day
Here are some easy scrapbook ideas. Digital layout templates allow anyone to do beautiful scrapbook layouts; or scraplift the design to do a paper one.

April 26, 2013
by Tammy
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Crochet Wash Cloth Overload, Yeah!



Above is a photo of some of the bags my craft club is putting together. They include travel soaps we have been collecting as well as hand made cotton wash cloths made by both club members and the Yahoo Crochlist, who have sent a whooping 33 wash cloths already! We are even able to double up and add two cloths per bag, which is great. It looks like I will have about three boxes full of these bags by the end of the semester.

Along with the toiletry bags, we have made blank journals and coloring books. I picked up some boxes of crayons at the dollar store. Plus, of course, there are the amigurumi toys I’ve been make. I’m up to 15 so far. I may be able to squeeze out one or two more before I deliver everything. We may also be teaming up with another club who wants to donate children’s books to the shelter. So I will have one full car when I make the final delivery!