pretty yarn

the moment the air turns crisp and the leaves start to change colour

i make a beeline for my nearest craft store 

why you ask?

because i imagine myself sitting on my couch, sipping tea,

happily crocheting away

(it's just such a fall thing... you know?)

it doesn't matter what

a scarf, a hat, another scarf, another hat

( i am a newbie crocheter, so scarfs and hats are mainly where it's at for me)

and to crochet i need pretty yarn

much to my husband's dismay, since i have a yarn collection

that is already a teeny tiny bit on the large side

luckily though, i am no means a yarn snob 

so i tend to gravitate towards the acrylics or wool blends more

(much, much nicer on my bank account!)

plus the colours are much prettier!

these pretty candy colored ones joined my collection today

when i get a spare moment, i think they will be crocheted into...

yup, you guessed it a scarf!

a few days ago, i spotted this pretty yarn creation

and happily brought it home with me

it may have just ignited another form of yarn obsession

DIY: crocheted scarflette

 

materials needed:

yarn of choice 

( i chose a bulky one because it's faster to crochet)

crochet hook 

(size needed depends on your yarn of choice)

button

step 1: measure your neck, or the person you are making the scarflette for

adding the desired length.
decide on the desired width of the scarflette and measure.

(for pia, mine was approximately 28 inches long and 8 inches wide)

step 2: crochet a chain the length of desired length of scarflette

step 3: single crochet stitch the length and width

of your measurements

 once you are done you will end up

with a rectangular-ish shape

step 4: sew a button in the middle of the left end

of your scarflette

step 5: bring the right end over and work the button 

through any of the loops

tada! 

you have just made yourself a scarflette!

and if you have a little one like me

who is constantly losing her scarves,

this scarflette will definitely stay put!

DIY: cake/cupcake stand tutorial

a few days ago i was on the hunt for a smallish cake stand

i searched high and low and couldn't find anything that was "just right"

so, i thought, i will make one myself !

i am sure that i am not the first one to make my own cake stand

(ok, just googled cake stand tutorial and there are lots!)

it's pretty easy peasy and i thought i would share with you all 

just how easy peasy it is!

you will need:

E6000 glue i got mine from a local craft store

a candle stick holder/stand

an appropriate sized plate for your candle holder/stand

apply the glue to the top (or bottom) of the candle stick/holder

turn plate face down and position candle stick/holder 

in the center of the plate making sure the candle stick/holder

is adhering to the plate

let glue dry for at least 24 hours

and voila! you have your very own custom made cake stand!

and what's great is you can pretty much make it in 

any colour combination or size you like

you can even add tiers by adding another candle stick and plate
go as high as you like!

and mine cost a grand total of $1.98 (not including the glue which i had already)

the candle holder was purchased from a thrift store for $0.99 and the plate was $0.99 too!

i made mine for a special back to school celebration 

we are having this weekend

zoe starts grade 1 on tuesday and pia starts pre-school!

it's another busy weekend for us filled with birthday celebrations and 

a special back to school (or in pia's case--first time in school) celebration

and my mom and dad are taking zoe and pia for part of the weekend because

they want to spend time with them before the busyness of school hits

aren't grandparents the best?!

oh, and zoe's 6th birthday picnic party was featured on sheek shindigs
check it out here!

and if you have ever wondered how hard (or easy!!) it is
to travel with kids, check out my "how i travel" post over at unstitched!

DIY: succulent terrarium

 the coffee table in my living has been sitting empty for the past few months

i have been waiting for the perfect "something" to place on it as a centerpiece

terrariums have been popping up all over blog land and etsy

and i thought, hey! that's perfect

but oh me oh my, were they pricey to buy!

and then i thought, hey, they look easy enough to make

so that's what i set out to do one afternoon

it was easy peasy!

if you want to make one too, you will need

a glass container

a few succulents ( i got mine from home depot)

rocks

potting soil (not shown)

shovel and a watering can

step 1: layer the rocks on the bottom of your container 

(this is for drainage said my hubs--he was helping me)

step 2: scoop the potting soil on top of the soil

(make sure it's deep enough to plant your succulents in)

step 3: arrange your succulents how you would like them

and then plant them, make sure they are right in the soil!

step 4: sprinkle with water!

  

tada! you have yourself your very own terrarium

i also placed a few pretty rocks on top to "break up" the soil

the best part is, you only need to water them once a month (or so)

so it's very low maintenance

and they sure are pretty looking!

friendship bracelets

 remember friendship bracelets?

i use to spend hours and hours making friendship bracelets
since the weather still hasn't decided to improve

 i thought that making friendship bracelets would be a fun afternoon activity with my girls

i have no idea why, but i use to make mine out of plastic string 

(that was probably the "in" thing back in the '80's)

i am sure they were beautiful

but i wanted to make something out of the scraps of fabric that i had hanging around

i scoured the web for inspiration and found this lovely tutorial

i grabbed some fabric

had the girls choose which ones they wanted

and spent the afternoon whipping up some fun friendship bracelets

they were so fun and easy to make that we whipped up a few more to

add to the goody bags for zoe's upcoming birthday

hubs has assured me that boys wear friendship bracelets too

boy, i sure hope so!

a crafty week

the weather hasn't been very summer-y in my little corner of the world as of late 

so the girls and i have been doing a lot of indoor crafting

the week started off with some homemade playdough

the girls had a lot of fun playing with the playdough

pia made pizza

and here's zoe's creation

a whole "meal" which included

her tata's famous chocolate chip cookies (her words not mine)

french fries, a loaf of bread

she even made a plate for all the items to sit on and a spoon and fork!

the next day the girls wanted to make more necklaces

so that's what we did!

a girl can't have too many necklaces can she?

mid-week, we made some homemade watermelon popsicles

it was super easy and super yummy!

and just this morning, i had some leftover chalkboard paint

from my diy:party in a box project

so i made the girls their very own

mini chalkboard canvas

this is zoe's finished chalkboard canvas

and this is pia's finished chalkboard canvas

i plan to attach some pretty ribbon to them and hang them

in their room

the girls and i have been having lots of fun doing indoor crafting

but 

mr.summer

won't you please come back out and play?

zoe and pia want to ride their bikes

go to the waterpark

play at our neighborhood park

and play hopscotch outside

sincerely,

zoe and pia's momma

DIY:party in a box

i first spotted a "party in a box" on one of my favorite 

blogs

 i loved the idea so much i was inspired to make my own

and it's so simple you can too!

supplies needed:

box

primer

chalk board paint 

roller brush

step 1: prime your box

step 2: paint with chalk board paint

step 3: gather up party essentials

mine included:

a) cupcake liners and cupcake flags

b) sprinkles

c)bubbles

d)bunting

e) balloons

f) star shaped confetti (not shown)

g)paper straws

step 4: package up your party essentials all nice and pretty and arrange all items

in your box

step 5: write a lovely note on the outside

tada! your party in a box is ready to be mailed or hand delivered!

simple right?

you can even add paper napkins, stickers, cards and candy

whatever your heart desires!

but if you aren't in the mood to create your own or just don't have the time

don't worry, this party in a box will be up for grabs in a special giveaway !

details coming soon!