Tag: Use your stash challenge

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#2 out of 100 Crochet Headband with flower

I am using an odd yarn ball of chunky wool blend yarn. It is washable so if it ends up in a pocket it won’t get felted in the washer.

I am using a light lavender to crochet the rose for the headband.

This is the pattern that I am using for the rose..

http://jasminblancboutique.blogspot.com/2012/09/tea-rose-brooch-tutorial-free-crochet.html

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The headband and the beginning of the rose.

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There it is! Two completed now only ninety eight to go! My daughter loves this and it fits quite well.

Talk to you later,

Karen

 

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1 thing for 100 Days Challenge

I did some serious thinking about the 1 thing for 100 days. I like to challenge myself in different ways. I am already doing the New Year’s resolution thing with exercise, house cleaning and devotional/reading time. I really didn’t want to repeat those things again. So this is my challenge and you are welcome to join me.

Here it is!

I will try to make 1 thing in 100 days using only the supplies I have on hand. I will not buy any more supplies except for thread, buttons and elastic. I am going to try to use a variety of supplies and techniques to make my 100 things. I have a 100 + item board on Pinterest if you want to see some of the inspirations for my projects. http://www.pinterest.com/chocodog/100-%2Bideas-for-using-up-my-supplies/

I have fabric, yarn, paint, batting, canvas, etc… I hope to make some things for our house that I have been putting off as well as come up with some new ideas for the ChocolateDogStudio shop.  I am not going to simply make 100 cup cozies or Granny Squares. I could do that in three days.

Some of the projects that are half done will count as well as ideas that have been percolating for some time. I DO have yarn that I ordered last week and fabric that I bought before Christmas. So some of the supplies are new and some are very old. I have a bunch of vintage cottons that are screaming out to be place mats, quilts, houses or bunnies!

These adorable mice are from mmmCrafts.  http://mmmcrafts.blogspot.com/2012/02/wee-mouse-tin-house-pattern-available.html

I do have tins! Do, I ever have tins!

Ticker tape quilts! Yes, I have batting and backing! I have a ridiculous amount of crafting supplies, sewing supplies, art supplies, recycled materials, kids craft materials, etc. If you need something just ask. It is overwhelming to think about, dig through, sort, manage, keep organized and find what I need I have so much stuff. I do have two sets of purse handles, modge podge, bracelet blanks, animal fleece, wool suiting and several very nice larger pieces of fabric. It will be a challenge but I am more than ready. I have felt for some time that “Hoarders” could come and make a movie about the amount of craft things I have.

Here are the rules:

  1. I must make 100 items out of the items I already own before I can buy any more fabric, or yarn.
  2. I will take photos of the supplies while I am making the items and post to this blog. My last purchase of sewing/craft related items was last week and is yarn for a specific blanket idea.
  3. Crocheting granny squares, circles or anything like that doesn’t count.
  4. A completed blanket will count, a crochet flower with a pin back will count. It must be a finished item, no partial projects will count.
  5. Plain cup sleeves don’t count, patchwork ones do! So, creativity has to be involved.
  6. A unfinished project that I completely finish does count as I will still be getting rid of supplies
  7. Sewing for the house, hemming curtains and recovering chairs count as long as I do not buy any supplies.
  8. Doing clothing repairs and hems also count as they sit in my studio and take up room.
  9. If it doesn’t work out, I will still post my fails. It is going to be a lot of stretching creatively and my sewing will cover a bunch of new ground. So I will probably fail at some things. That is ok, everyone fails from time to time.

Join in with me and post your item links in the comments. I will post your items on my blog as well. Worst case scenario we will 100 prototype items and the Best case scenario is that we will have found new uses and homes for hundreds of craft supplies that were laying around.

I haven’t been so excited in ages. This is going to be so hard and so much fun at the same time. I am also getting ready to start another challenge. It is a granny square challenge. I will share more about it later.

See you,

Karen

****Note****************************************************************************************After I posted this I started a Pinterest board for all of our wonderful projects that we are going to finish!  Reach me via my Etsy shop if you want to be added to the Pinterest page. I will need the e-mail you used to sign up for Pinterest with. I reserve the right to remove you from the board if anything above a PG level is posted. I will never, never use your e-mail for anything else, EVER. I will personally start posting on Saturday Jan. 13, 2014!

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#1 out of 100 projects from my Supply Stash!

Here is my first project for the 100 things from my stash challenge.

Honestly, I had started this before I started the challenge and I have been working on it off and on for several days. Here  are some photos of the beginning of the project. I was inspired by different photos on Pinterest and blogs that I read. I try to decorate a little for each of the different holidays but I was wanting something new.

This vase with flowers and sticks is from http://mijnindiansummer.blogspot.nl/2013/02/vintage-altijd-bloeiende-bloemen.html.

Michaels version of sticks in a jar.  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/364158319839146292/

So I started with the sticks in a jar.

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Ok, a little reality here. The sticks are from  my yard. The curly ones are honeysuckle vines that came down in the storm. The jar is an old spaghetti sauce jar that someone felt we needed to keep. The plaster of paris holding the sticks upright in the jar is leftover from some school or scout project. The crochet is made up from the tiny balls of yarn and some granny square extras left over from a blanket. I painted the sticks in about ten minute sessions over a couple of days. So, it wasn’t a big time waster.

 

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The felt hearts I had made up about six years ago to put in a bowl on the same table. They simply looked awful and I put them in a zipper bag and forgot about them. Originally they were simply one color of felt on the front and looked blah. Quite frankly, the felt was collected over the years. Some of the felt, I used in grade school. My Mom gave it back to me when the girls were in scouts.

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I pulled out my embroidery floss and felt bits. I  used the floss bits that I were too short to keep. No, really I had a bunch of bits and pieces of floss that were already separated and cut from the skein.

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I used my infinite supply of buttons too small to use on anything on the front and sometimes the back to add a bit of interest and sparkle. It has turned out better than I expected.

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Here it is finished and ready for Valentine’s Day!

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Talk to you later,

Karen