Curbside Pickup: Patio Plant Stand



Before. 
Waiting for a makeover.

The final product

Like my Mother and her mother before her, I come from a long line of re-users.  Long before the term "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" became a thing, we would take something discarded and find a new use for it.

On a recent family walk, I spotted some items put out on the street for the next day's garbage pickup.  While I was urged to move along by my fellow walkers, I couldn't help notice an adorable three tiered stand.  Discarded by someone, now available for the next owner to take home and give it a new purpose.  After the walk, I hopped into my car and drove back to the spot, thrilled that the stand was still there.  It was fate.

Shiny and like new

The stand is metal and probably made for indoor use.  So I asked an expert (my brother, another crafty family member) what paint to use to prevent rust so that I could use it outside.  He directed me to a paint called "Rust Stop".   A quick trip to Ace Hardware (curbside pickup #2) and for an investment of $5.99 I was ready to work.  This paint went on like a dream--it was thick and shiny and a true black color.  After two coats my stand was ready for use.

I'm pretty happy with the outcome and my new plant stand now sits proudly on my patio.  As they say, "one man's trash is another one's treasure".   I'm pretty happy with my latest curbside pickup.  Wonder what I will find next to take home and reuse?

The Bee is back and we're making masks

Hello all you Crafting Bee fans--it's been awhile!   My last blog was in December of 2013.  After a 6+ year hiatus the Bee is back!  The stay-at-home situation due to COVID19 has given me time to get back into sewing, as well as a chance to work on a project to give back to others during this time.

Ribbon candy? 
No just elastic :-)

So far I've made over 80 masks, giving them to friends and family from Louisiana to Alabama, South Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey and right here in Massachusetts.  I get a lot of inspiration from fellow mask makers at the "Sew You Care" group on Facebook.  Members of that group make hundreds and thousands of masks. 

Gardening, picnicking,
cupcakes are just a few prints
 I found in my fabric stash

If you have a sewing machine, fabric and elastic, you too can be a mask maker.  If you want to try, here are a few tips.

First--order elastic as it's hard to come by--I use Amazon and ebay but delivery usually takes a couple of weeks.  I use narrow elastic, about 1/4 inch in width.  I love the colors!

This paper doll pattern
is just adorable!  I kept one
 these for myself.

Start gathering fabrics.  If you are a crafter you probably have a stash like me, but if not look for 100% cotton blouses or shirts you no longer use, bandanas or pillowcases.  Anything that is cotton and has a tight weave will work.  I've been doing curb-side pick-up from Joann fabrics and they have a great a variety.

Find a pattern that works for your sewing ability.  I use a simple pattern that has two pleats on each side.  There are tons of videos online if you need to see someone else demonstrate.  I'm happy to email my pattern to anyone who might want it--use comments field to request it.

Your first mask may be challenging but by the time you've made five you'll be a pro.  Soon I expect that most every manufacturer will have a line of masks, and when you walk into a store, there will be a display of masks like we see racks of sunglasses.  So my hand made masks may not be in demand for very long  and how great it will be when we just don't need them any longer.  But until then I'll just keep sewing.

Bee well!  And please follow my blog.  I promise not to take another 6 year break.

my latest Disney line!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

....make a lemon centerpiece!

All sorts of packages arrive at our house during the holiday season.  Earlier this week, I was surprised by a package from my brother who lives in Natchitoches, La. Inside was a package of delicious pecans (I'll be making pralines...yum!) and instead of packing with peanuts, the rest of the box was filled with lemons.  As they rolled out and I kept counting them, I stacked them on the table and immediately went to work thinking of how I could use these beauties.  Growing/harvesting lemons in New England would be unthinkable but with the mild climate in Louisiana, my brother had a bumper crop this year.  

After googling and searching "lemons" on Pinterest, I decided to create a table decoration, and I love the results.   If you find yourself with an abundance of lemons (or oranges) I hope you make one for your holiday table.   Here are the instructions:

Step 1:  Gather materials

• Greenery.  I stopped by a local nursery where my friend Joanne was working.  She loaded me up with a beautiful bag of fresh boxwood, and pointed me towards the Oasis wet floral foam. 
• A jar of whole cloves
• Lemons (of course)
• Wooden skewers (not shown) with at least one sharp end

Raw Materials:  Boxwood, Cloves and Lemons

Step 2:

• Soak Oasis foam in water.  I had never used it and found these Best Kept Secrets of Floral Foam tips.
• Find a bowl or wide vase to put your foam in.  Make sure it sits far enough down so that it's sturdy.
• Next, decorate the lemons with cloves.  I used the skewers to poke holes in a design then added the cloves.  You can also just insert the cloves but it really hurts your fingers so I suggest putting the holes in first.
• Using the wooden skewers, attach the lemons all around, using whatever design you want.
• Lastly, cut the boxwood into small lengths trying to make the ends sharp so they are easier to put in the foam (this was a tip in the Oasis link above).  Keep adding boxwood until you are happy with the whole piece.

And that's it.  So easy and such a beautiful holiday centerpiece for your table!  The cloves are not only pretty but they give off a wonderful aroma.

Merry Christmas and Happy Crafting to all of you!

Three Snowmen Knitting...

Since I learned to knit this year, I thought it fitting to make an knitting-themed ornament.  While browsing on Pinterest I spotted an owl knitting.  Which made me wonder "do owls knit?"  And if they do could snowmen also knit?  I rummaged through my bag of scraps, grabbing this and that, and ideas started to take shape.  While this is not a step-by-step tutorial, it's probably all you need to create one for yourself using your favorite hobby as a theme.   Snowmen baking?  Playing tennis?  The possibilities are endless.   It's amazing what you can make with odds and ends.

First, here are a few things that I found to work with:

• Scraps of old sweaters, cut up and felted
• Stuffing
• Tiny buttons
• Wool roving and felting needle
• Yarn
• Wooden skewers (the kind you use in cooking)

I started with a basic form. With right sides together, I sewed three sides on the sewing machine and turned. It looks like nothing at this point.

 

I sewed the top closed, added a ribbon for the scarf and poof--suddenly we have a snowman

 

 

This wool roving is used in the next step.



I sewed on two tiny buttons for eyes.  For the arms, I cut three long pieces of yarn, and, using a tapestry needle, threaded them through separately.  Later I braided the three pieces so they could never be accidentally pulled though.

 



Wool needle felting may look hard but it's really easy.  For this hat I just placed some wool roving on the hat and started felting with a needle. It doesn't take long for the wool to become thick, take shape, and adhere to the wool body.  This little snowman was very happy with her Santa hat.  I used a tad of orange for her carrot nose.

 

Lastly I knitted these small items (I like to think one snowman is knitting a sweater and another is making a scarf).  When I found a good stopping point, I gently removed the actual knitting needles and inserted the wooden skewers (I had cut them to a proper knitting needle length).  I tied the snowman hands to the ends of the needles.   Using the same green yarn, I tacked the knitting project to the front of the snowman (on the back of the knitting so that it doesn't show) to keep it all in place.  It would be embarrassing for them to drop the projects that they have worked so hard on.

Let me know if you make any ornaments this year. I would love to see them!  As for these guys, they are going home with my knitting group members.   I hope they like them!  I will miss their little faces--guess I will have to make more.  Happy crafting!

 



Perfect Potholders

Loom with loops (Harrisville Designs)

I don't know how old I was when I made my first potholder using an old metal loom.  I used bright cotton loops and would make many of them, happily giving them as Christmas gifts for family and friends.  Fast forward many years, and hundreds crafts later, and yes, I am still in the potholder business.

Three new wool potholders

Recently all of my old cotton potholders went missing.  I asked my husband several times and he denied seeing them, but I couldn't find them anywhere.  I got out my trusty loom, which was stored away with a bag of 100% wool loops and went to work. 

Wool loops are hard to find, but they are much better than cotton if you can find them. 


Wool is naturally fire resistant and the loops stretch much better than cotton, making them easier to work with.

The loom itself is also important.  Many newer (and cheaper ones) are made of plastic and I don't recommend them.  Harrisville Designs has a good selection of metal looms and kits.  High end toy stores also carry them. 

Oldies but goodies

As luck would have it, I found the old potholders today.  They had been placed out of my sight (on top of the fridge) with some other oven mitts (placed there by the tall man that I am married to).  Now I have an even better collection of pot holders--back in the drawer where they belong.  These old fashioned potholders can't be beat!

 

Holiday Stitch-Along Ornament Club

Recently I joined Betz White's Holiday Stitch-Along Ornament Club.  First, to support a fellow crafter (I LOVE her blog, and get this--she has been a guest on "Martha"!!!), and also to get myself on track for Christmas crafting.   

The cost was only $12 and members receive one pattern a month for four months (Oct-Dec).  Crafters are encouraged to upload photos of their creations on Flicker so you can see your own ornaments alongside others.

So far, I've completed the first two ornaments.  They both were fun to work on and relatively quick to make.

Now, like Ralphie waiting for his Little Orphan Annie Secret Society decoder ring, I will anxiously await the patterns for November and December.  Running to my email box every day asking--"is it here yet?"  So stay tuned for part two of my ornament club story.

What crafts have you started for Christmas?  It's not too early to get busy!

Ornament #1 was a small dove. 



Ornament #2:  My mug o' cocoa

For more information, check out Betz White's blog:
Ornament #1
Ornament #2

Fall Needle Felting

If you are looking for a fun and easy craft, try needle felting.  It's quick, easy and requires little skill except poking a needle into wool about a bazillion times (no counting involved :-). 

 

Today I wanted to do a fall craft and found a needle felting kit that I had bought a while back, designed to make a (creepy looking) jack-o-lantern.  Discarding the directions, I got the materials and set off to make a regular ole pumpkin.



Here are the contents of the kit.  Not shown is a knee-high stocking that I thought got in there by mistake.  Turns out it was a vital part of the kit--it's just not in the photo.

 

Step 1:  Take the knee high stocking and fill it with fiberfill.  I wanted a big pumpkin so I used it all.  You can see where I tied it at the top then cut off the extra stocking.  The knot won't show at the end since the stem will cover it.

Step 2:  Shape the fiber-filled stocking into a roundish ball

Step 3:  Pull off some orange wool and loosely wrap around the ball.  With your felting needle, start stabbing the wool over and over.  This will make it adhere the orb.  Continue wrapping felt and needling until the ball is covered with orange.





Left: You can see what the orange felt ball looks like.   It doesn't take long at all to get to this point.

Step 4:   Continue using the needle to create the creases of the pumpkin.  To do this, just use the needle and create the line from the top o' the pumpkin to the bottom.  It doesn't have be perfect--no two pumpkins are alike.

 

Step 5:  Use other colors of the felt to create the stem and the leaves.  I used a piece of foam for backing, got a bit of green wool and started shaping the stem, turning it over every few minutes so it doesn't permanently adhere to the foam. 

After you have it looking like it should, put in on the top of the pumpkin and use the needle to attach it.  Google "basic needle felting" for tons of tutorials on the art of making needle felted shapes.

 

 

 Voila:  My new fall pumpkin!  Hopefully the squirrels won't get this one.

 

 A couple of warnings about this craft:

• The needle is sharp (!) and as you are gingerly needling the wool over and over, be careful not to get your fingers in the way.  This happened to me today.....and it hurt! 

• I would not suggest this craft for young children.

 



This is a photo of the kit that I used today  (http://www.backtobackalpaca.com).  They have lots of inexpensive kits to get started.   (See what I mean about the creepy jack-o-lantern?  I couldn't have slept with him in the house)

Let me know if you try needle felting!  Happy Crafting and Happy Fall!