Plastic Little People

Last winter season I saw all the cute scarflettes out and I wanted one soooo bad. Rather than going out and buying one like a normal person would, I spent hours researching how to make em. ( I know, I have issues)

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….enter the Knifty Knitter! It is a loom knitter that is super easy to use and the looms come in many shapes and sizes for variation. So I saved up my Joann’s discount coupon and bought myself a set.

Here is what you need

- Knifty Knitter.

- yarn ( thick chunky yarn works best for this project)

- Sew on snaps

- Flower glued to a pin back or any other little bauble you wish to embellish your scarf with

Using a medium sized loom follow the Knifty Knitter instructions in the color of your choice. Continue adding rows until it is the desired length. ( I kept measuring it around my neck while in progress to get it just right).  You will end up with something like this

Because I used the round looms, my scarf is tube-like. So I decided to lace in some pretty black ribbon on the ends. ( I used gold here in the picture so you can see the progress)

Next I sewed in some snaps. Placement is important so make sure you check it out in a mirror before you sew them on. I placed mine toward the top corners because I wanted it to open a little at the shoulder.

My scarf was pretty but a little plain. So I glued a silk flower to a pin back and threw it on. I didn’t attach the flower to the scarf itself because I wanted to be able to remove the flower. This way you can change up the embellishment to suit the occasion.

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Fleece is sooooo great, and let me tell you why. After Christmas I had some left over fleece from the animal blankies. I decided to make a fun scarf in the spirit of the blankets – All WITHOUT sewing a darn thing!

(the little guy in the pic above is Jesse, what a great model he is!)

Here is what you need and what you’ll need to do

- Fleece  ( a cut  long enough to make a scarf)

-Felt

- Fabric glue

-Fabric paints

Cut the fleece in an appropriate ‘scarf’ shape. I use a rotary tool because I find it easier to make straight lines which is important here as we wont be finishing the edges.

Draw out the shape of your face first, Once you have something you like trace onto a piece of felt and cut out. (I used grey felt because it’s what I had in my stash and it wont clash with the green of my frog)

Place your felt shapes onto another piece of fleece and cut to match

Glue the felt to the back of the fleece. ( The fleece I used has a super fuzzy side and a semi fuzzy side. I flipped it for the front of the face to add a little contrast to the super fuzzy scarf) I also used white felt for the eyes.

Then glue it all on to one end of the scarf. Add some fabric paint to the eyes and draw on a mouth and you are DONE!

One more picture of our model Jesse sporting the finished product……

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Quick and cheap. Thats how I like it. These glass pendants fit the bill and are pretty darn cool, if I do say so myself.

Here’s what you need and what you’ll need to do

- A small image (of family and friends, from a magazine, from post cards or greeting cards, or even patterned scrap book paper)

- Large glass marbles with flat backs. ( I found mine at Target in the home decor section, they are used to fill vases and what not) ++TIP++ Try to get crystal clear glass pieces, stay away from the iridescent ones because your image wont show as well.

-Glue – craft glue that dries clear (elmers works just fine) and a stronger multi-surface glue (I like the E6000 glue)

- Craft paint

- brushes for glue and paint

- Clear nail polish

- Bail ring – found in most bead shops

Once you’ve chosen an image grab a marble, put it on top, and trace around with a pen or pencil. Each marble is unique so it’s a good idea to trace each individually. Cut just INSIDE the line.

I found this 1920′s picture of this super cute chick, I love her expression but because she is in black and white she is a little plain. So I added a funky hat using recycled holiday tissue paper.

Brush on craft glue to the flat part of the marble. Make sure you give it an even coat. Squish your image, face up, to the back. Use light pressure to get out all the air bubbles.  Don’t worry if it looks a  little cloudy, the glue will dry clear.

Add another coat of craft glue to the back. This coat will keep any paint or glue from seeping into your image. Let it dry!

Once the glue is all dry, choose a color of craft paint that compliments your image. Apply a coat of paint to the back, careful around your edges! ++TIP++ if your image is light, like mine is primarily white, choose a light color of paint. If you use a dark color you will be able to see it through your image and may look muddy

After the paint is dry, apply a coat or two of clear nail polish to seal it.

Using the heavy duty glue, attach  a bail ring to the top. String a ribbon or a chain through it. Unfortunately I ran out of bail rings, so I used these little brass tabs I found. They worked quite well for a substitute. I just glued one to the back , added a jump ring ,and viola!

Be creative with your images.  Look for patterns in magazines and in the newspaper. Make it more personal and use pictures of the family pet or other loved ones. Spice it up and make it interesting by adding or painting accessories to your image (just like I did with the hat)

I first came across the mega burger while watching the Foodnetwork one afternoon with the boyfriend. His reaction was priceless and he then went into a monologue of how great cheeseburgers are (something about food of the gods…. I dunno)

When his birthday rolled around, I knew what I had to do.  At first I jumped on the Fudruckers website as it was the place that was featured on that particular food show. The price was waaaay out of my league. $250 plus is a little much to spend on a pseudo birthday cake.  So I did what I always do when what I want is unattainable… I made it my dang self!!!

The good people over at The Giant Hamburger provided me with an awesome little kit. It includes a mega bun, burger mold, serving tray, and instructions all for around 30 bucks!

and…. 10 pounds of lean ground beef, a head of lettuce, a million little roma tomatoes, a package of bacon, 5 avocados, a jar of pickles, 4 red onions, a package of cheese singles … the burger stole the show. It was surprisingly easy to make!

For added effect we put that bad boy directly on a newspaper covered table and dumped onion rings and french fries all around it.

The blanket in the photo below has been folded in half – this is not a two legged unicorn. ha!

Here is what you’ll need

- Fleece ( the size of the cut is up to you!), be sure to add on a half yard to make the legs, ears, and nose.

-1/2 yard of matching silky fabric. ( I used the costume satin – it was on sale!)

- Yarn

- Ribbon, or anything else you can think of for a tail

-Felt

-Embroidery Needle

- Fabric paints.

Cut the main blanket out of the fleece. Using a rotary tool is easiest for straight lines. The size is up to you! Rectangular shapes work best but if you make a smaller square shape it can easily be turned into a pillow. If you are making a blanket no need for a seam allowance. I used a blanket stitch around the edge to finish.

Of the remanding fleece, cut 2 half circles of equal size for the nose. Sew together leaving the flat side unfinished.  You can fudge with the shape to fit the particular animal you are making.  I use a regular sheet of paper to draw it out first and use it as a ‘pattern’ – Don’t forget seam allowances!

Cut 8 equal longish rectangles for the legs, again using the rotary tool. Grab your satin and cut 8 smaller rectangles about a fourth the length of the legs and of the same exact width as the fleece legs. The satin part will be your hooves.  You will end up with pieces that look like this…. (please excuse the lack of ‘paint’ skills) The pink represents the satin.

Sew the hooves onto the legs, then sew two completed legs together (right sides facing) all the way around leaving the bottom unfinished Flip right side out.  You should now have your 4 legs.

Now pin the nose and legs into place. Since fleece does not fray, I just sewed them as is, under the blanket (so that would be the leg’s right side to the blankets underside) – make sense?. Make sure your legs are placed in the same spot on both sides or you will end up with a lop sided animal.

Cut eyes out of  felt. I used an egg shape for the main part of the eye and a larger egg shape cut in half long wise from a complementing color felt. You can play with the shape of your eyes as you like. Place on your blankie and sew on. I hand stitched mine.

For the ears, cut out 2 fleece and 2 satin pieces of the shape below.

You get the general idea. Sew a piece of fleece and a piece of satin together, with the right sides facing, all the way around leaving a small opening to turn right side out. Pinch the two bottom corners together -with the satin being on the inside- and make a small stitch by hand to hold it together. Place your ears in the appropriate place on the blanket and sew on accordingly.

Add other things to your blanket as needed. This unicorn needed a horn. So I drew up a cone shape on a piece of paper and then cut it out of the satin and stuffed it so it stood upright.

We’re almost there……

To finish up, I used a yarn in a color that compliments my blankie and did a blanket stitch all around the top edges. Don’t know how to do a blanket stitch? – I sure didn’t – check out this helpful youtube how to.

And finally I used the fabric paints to add the pupils to the eyes, eye lashes, and the nostrils on the nose. Let dry overnight.

THE END…..

Holidays are so much fun. Mainly because I have an excuse to get all manic about making stuff. This year I decided to make a little somethin for my girls.

Rules: Has to be kinda easy because I have to make 8 of them, not to mention all the other stuff I have to make before Christmas. Has to be  easy on the wallet. (important when you have to make 8, not to mention all the other stuff I have to make before Christmas)

I risked being buried in an avalanche of craft supplies and dug through all my junk (yep, I’m a craft supply hoarder) and this is what I came up with.

Cute or what? Here is what you’ll need.

-Ribbon of assorted widths and colors. I used a rather thick one for the base of the cuff bracelet and assorted sizes for the flowers

-Lace

-Buttons, baubles and whatever else you have in your stash. I frequent the second hand stores for old jewelry I can take apart.

-Plain black hair ties (new- cause that’d be kinda gross to re-gift a used hair tie even if it is re-purposed)

- Hot glue gun

Here is a good tutorial to make your ribbon flowers (super easy)

Start with the base of your bracelet.  Measure around your writst and add another 2 inches or so to the length of the ribbon cut.  Sew or glue on the trim.  Fold over the edges twice like so..

Sew or glue along the edges.

Next you’ll want to add your ribbon flowers and any other goodies you found laying around. I hot glued most of them on, even the chains just hide the glue spot under a flower.

To make a button closure you’ll need the hair ties.  Cut the hair ties to form a small loop. Put a dab of glue on the two cut edges and place at one end of the ribbon, glue a button directly on top of the cut edges.

Then sew on a button on the other end directly corresponding to the loop. What you’ll end up with is something like this.

Easy right? Here are some others that I made… the variations are endless…. Have fun!