The Magic Bean

Freebie Friday - Crafts for Kids or the Young at Heart

I don't have kids myself.  Mostly, I like to pretend I'm a kid myself.  For those people with kids, you might need a few fun activities to fill this last stretch of holiday time before school starts.  Most of these crafts I've picked because I would like to do them myself which means that if you have kids you might just enjoy doing these with the little 'uns and if you don't have kids, you can just pretend you are one. 

I went through a period when I was about 10 or 11 where I made scads of toothpick dolls just like the one in this tutorial.  I made them into brooches and glued rows of them on hair clips.  Ah the nostalgia...

You could also make these clothes pin dolls from Going Sew Crazy. 

This back to school notebook is a great craft - it's simple, cool looking and fuzzy - all the requirements for a truly good craft for kids.

This Hammered Flower and Leaf Print tutorial from the Build/Make/Craft/Bake blog almost looks too sophisticated for kids, but I remember doing something similar as a child.  Obviously, I had refined tastes.

Equally sophisticated is making sun prints.  Check out this tutorial on sun printing from The Light Garden.  Kids will think it's magic.

I love these recycled scrap fabric necklacesfrom Cakies.

This canvas checker-board from Martha Stewart is great because first you amuse the kids by making it and then you amuse them by playing. 

This t-shirt weaving tutorial is absolutely fantastic, there is even a link to making your own loom.  I had a weaving phase once as a kid.  As I recall, my mum got over-run by potholders.

When I think of pet rocks I think of slightly goofy crafts like this tutorial for making a pet rock from Kids Crafts.  I never really imagined the super cool versions of pet rocks dreamed up by the Martha Stewart people in this slide show, it makes me want to forage for rocks right this minute.  Nor did I imagine, these absolutely divine rock dolls from Maya Made.

As a very young kid I was strongly into toilet paper roll crafts.  There wasn't a thing that I couldn't fashion with their cardboard tube-i-ness (just invented a word there).  To get your kids inspired, try this Disney project and make the Seven Dwarves from TP rolls.

That Freebie Friday was kind of like a trip down memory lane for me.  And it reminded me how far I haven't come.  Oh well, I'm having fun.

Wordless Wednesday - Fun to the Rescue

Metal Craft Books I'm Reading at the Moment

I am forever reading.  Craft books stick to me like glue.  I can't shake them.  I can't help myself.  Here are some of the titles I am reading right now.

I've gotten into heavy metal lately, not wear tight leather trousers and fling yourself around a mosh pit type heavy metal, but the actual hard, cold type.  I have a new cloth doll design in mind with a bit of a metal bent.  Don't ask, I'm not giving you any more of a hint than that.  So, given the latest doll design rattling around in my head, I've been reading about metal craft.  First there is Decorative Tin and Wirework.

This book really focuses on both practical and decorative projects using both wire and tin.  There are some great techniques in it and plenty of projects to get you inspired to snip, bend and manipulate wire and tin.  You don't need to be a welder to tackle these projects either, so a beginner could definitely manage it.

Lisa Brown wrote the other book I've been enjoying.

This one has fewer projects but they are really tantalising.  I can imagine doing several of these projects for my home, like the metal covered table or the chicken wire shelf unit (trust me, it looks cool).

I also saw this great metal jewellery design book while browsing in a bookshop.

The aesthetic in this book is positively drool-inducing.  The metals are slightly distressed and so unpredictable in shape and texture.  Loved it.

The fact of the matter is that there are so many great looking metal craft books to tempt and tantalise me, but you have to start somewhere.

The Last But Certainly Not the Least

Romona King, my third and final tester has finished her version of the Snowflake Sprite.  Romona has been testing my patterns from the beginning.  I love Romona, can you feel the love?

And, oh boy, is this doll luxe!  Check out that rich colour and fabulously dyed laces.  Yum.

 
Romona's dolls is definitely ready for Christmas.  I just love her little spritely face.  In fact,  all my testers did a stunning job on their doll's faces (if you missed the other testers' dolls, click here to see them).

So with all my testers finished and their feedback taken into account, I will be sending this pattern off to the printers.  What that means is that this pattern will be available shortly.  Phew.  Can't wait to see what creativity this pattern kick starts.  As a designer, I can safely say that is the best part.

Freebie Friday - Free Loom Knitting Patterns

Cloth dolls are definitely my first love, but I love all handcrafts.  Lately, I've been trying to use up as much stuff from my stash as humanly possible (it makes you feel so saintly to use up stash, doesn't it?).  I had a bunch of yarn from back when I was knitting, but I had to quit knitting as it hurt my hands and wrists too much.  Then I discovered loom knitting.  With my new Knifty Knitter Looms , I am working away on using up my stash as planned, but what I hadn't counted on is how obsessed I would become with it. 

 
I finished this cowl so quickly that it was ridiculous.  I originally bought this Lion Brand Homespun yarn for doll hair after taking a course with Alison Marano (to see what this yarn looks like as doll hair, see this old post) but there was so much of it that I knew I wouldn't use it up.  So a cowl it became.

 
If you've never done any loom knitting before, I can safely say that it is easy as pie.  For this project I used the yellow Knifty Knitter Loom. 

I then used this free cowl pattern from the Lion Brand website.  You will have to register to access the pattern, but registration is free too.  You'll also notice that I didn't make the pom-poms (I'm not really a pom-pom sort of a girl).  I also substituted the Jiffy yarn for the Homespun in aid of maximum stash usage. 

 

I really love this cowl pattern, but it did require an emergency phone call to my mum to find out how to finish it off.  As you don't cast off at the end, I was a bit nervous about how to stitch the loops at the end.  Mum said that an invisible graft would work.  Here's how to do an invisible graft.

 

If you are a beginner like me, you might also want some help with weaving in your yarn tails, here is a great tutorial from Knitty.com.

 

Mum also said to block it at the end.  There isn't much info on how to block acrylic knitting, but I did find this tutorial at Rain's Knit Bits which was very helpful as well as being a bit of a giggle.

 

I've got some more Homespun yarn so I am definitely going to make another cowl.  The yarn is so soft and the cowl is that exact right blend of arty funkiness and practical warmness.  Yum.

 

The other projects I've got my eye on are:

 

These super simple leg warmers from the Lion website.

 

These free patterns from Loom Knit, especially the Scarflet (pattern in the top left corner).  Some of these patterns require the Knifty Knit Long looms, but I got those too, so I'm all set.

 

 

Povocraft's website also has a large collection of free Knifty Knitter Loom patterns.  Check them out here.

These ballerina style slippers are not for beginners, but they are just lovely.  Hint, click the image to get the free pattern.

These fingerless gloves are pretty cool from Gettin' it Pegged.

This felted water bottle or can cover keeps your drinks cool, also from Gettin' It Pegged.

This Chunky Funky scarf from Povocraft is pretty cool.

This child's striped and chunky scarf looks easy.

This super funky scarf is made using a spool loom.  Remember having one of those as a kid?  I never thought of making something this funky with the acres of tubing that I made when I was little.  If you need a spool loom, Knifty Knitter does one of those too.  After seeing that scarf I made need to get one.

A lot of these pattern came from this list of free loom knitting patterns.  There is so much there, from dog sweaters to Christmas stockings, so knock yourself out.

Despite all the great free patterns out there for loom knitting, I still feel like I need a book just to explain the basics.  I've order the Loom Knitting Primer, but it hasn't arrived yet.

In the meantime, I might crack on with another cowl.

Wordless Wednesday - Statuesque

 

I Wish I Could Say that I Never Made Mistakes

I admit it, I make mistakes.  Sometimes I even make dumb ones.  And because I know this about myself I always put my patterns through a regime of editing and testing so that I catch my mistakes before I publish the pattern.  First, my mum edits the text.  Since my mum is a former teacher, the daughter of a librarian and the kind of person likely to inform you that the correct past tense of "sneak" is "sneaked" (snuck is colloquial slang), she is the perfect scout for grammatical errors or problems with syntax. 

Then I send the pattern to three different testers.  They make the pattern and tell me where I goofed up, what confused them and what materials they had trouble finding.  I love my testers.  They make me look like I'm the kind of person who doesn't make mistakes. 

And I have to say that this time my testers have pulled out all the stops and impressed the socks right off me with their testing of the Snowflake and Spider Sprite.

Mary Wilkes, my friend and all round special person, made this version of the Spider Sprite.

 
I love the colours and fabric that Mary chose for this doll.  Isn't she fantastic with her perky face and in all her eight-legged glory?

Then the wonderful Karen Mallory created this version of the Snowflake Sprite.

 The face on Karen's doll is just so special and soft and the laces she chose are wonderful.

My last tester Romona King has sent me some sneak peak photos of her doll in progress.  Like Karen, Romona has chosen to do the Snowflake Sprite version of this doll, but she has chosen a wild and wonderful colour scheme that screams Christmas.  You can have a sneak peak at Romona's doll too by visiting her blog, here.  She's even cute bald!

My testers have made me really eager to get this pattern out into the world.  It won't be long.  I promise.

$60 CSN Giveaway Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered the $60 CSN Stores Giveaway.  I used Random.Org to pick a random number.  The winning number was 7 and the writer of the 7th comment was Jennie A!

 
Congratulations Jennie A.  I hope you enjoy your shopping.

Hang on to Your Sewing Machine - This Could be a Wildly Creative Ride

Brace yourself - I have slew of online classes starting.  It could be an overwhelming creative ride.

Class Number One - the Bamboo Oracle - Starting August 20, 2010 (that's this Friday)

I know that I am biased because, well heck, I designed the doll, but this is still one of my favourite dolls.  I think the construction is pretty darn unique and the doll is just so downright cute, if I do say so myself.

For more information and to sign up for the Bamboo Oracle visit Doll Street by clicking the link.
  
Class Number Two - In Control: An Armchair Caddy - Starting October 12, 2010

 
I love making cloth dolls, but I managed to stave off my obsession to make this armchair caddy and to turn it into a class.  The photos incorporated into this caddy make it both a practical and sentimental gift - perfect for the guys and gals on your Christmas list.  This class is extremely reasonably priced at $25 and is a great way to use up your stash.

For more information or to sign up for this class visit Joggles by clicking the link. 

Class Number Three - The Soul Whisperer - Starting October 26, 2010

 
This doll class remains popular so she is making another appearance on Joggles.  Who can blame her, you'd get out as much as you could if you had shoes that sassy!

For more information or to sign up for the Soul Whisperer class at Joggles click the link. 

Class Number Four - About Face Pin Doll Class - Starting November 18, 2010

 

Another very affordable class that is great for both beginners and advanced doll makers alike.  You can use the faces for any number of things from brooches to magnets. 

For more information or to sign up for this online class at Joggles, click the link.
 

Freebie Friday - Noteboards, Bulletin Boards and Cork Boards Galore

When you've got no more room in your craft or studio space and you're up against a wall, why not pin something to it.  Here are some great tutorials to make use of that wall space:

Better Homes and Gardens gives you this bulletin board made with window inserts.

Make a great craft station out of pegboard with Better Homes and Gardens.

Jen over at Tatertots and Jello made over her desk area complete with a magnetic pin board.  Check out how she did it here.

Or try this magnetic notice board made from an old cookie sheet.

Greenbean Crafterole give us a gorgeous corkboard complete with flower corsage topped push pins.

All Things Beautiful shares this tutorial on making a framed and stamped cork board with gem stone push pins.

Turn an ugly mirror into a gorgeous bulletin boardwith Craftynest.com.

Make a shuttered bulletin boardto hide all your notes, also with Craftynest.

Between the Lines shares the tutorial for making a fabric message board with pockets and hooks in two parts.  Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

For more bulletin board ideas revisit thisold post, including how I made over my own corkboard.