Birthday cards for the guys in your life

Does everyone struggle  a little with making cards for the guys, or is it just me? There seem to be so many options for ladies cards, or maybe I just need to work on my imagination and creativity a little more with the guys cards.
It took a little bit of delving through the inspiration bank for these cards but came up with what I think are pretty cool cards that are suitable.

With the first one for my dad I worked with just words, deciding on the message I wanted and searching my alphabets to come up with the right fonts and colours. Simple but says it all!
This second one came about from putting away sheets of paper from my desk, the frame paper I have had for a long time. I knew eventually I would find a use for it, took a bit of time to cut out all the frames and to work out the pattern but again another simple but effective card.

Will have some ladies cards and one for the tween to share soon.


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Storage for the home

I have been wanting to try out crocheting baskets with jute (string) since I first started making crochet baskets. I had my heart set on making two large ones for a friend's birthday. I did initially want them to be bigger than they are, but after working with the jute and realising how much I would need I settled on this size. They are just a little rounder than a large dinner plate and stand about 15 cm high with the top folded over.
Things I learnt from this project, string is not the easiest to work with, it does not slide or come together all that well, and when you are working with two strands its more difficult. It is also very rough on your hands while you work.

Would I make more ? Probably not, but I love these and so did my friend!



Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Grandpa's Workshop Collaboration

In the past I have shared project that Grandpas' Workshop has been creating, some amazing and cute kids toys and furniture. I have joined up with him to work on a project and will be collaborating more in the future.
Whilst my woodwork is limited to say the least I am able to help with design and finishing touches. Currently in the workshop he is working on the cloning of a tiny wooden chair for a friends grandchildren.
Grandpa also has some ideas for some cute little ones toys with prototypes in production. Some may even be ready for that perfect kiddies Christmas gift.

If you haven't already then be sure to check out Grandpa's Workshop on the facebook page or follow him on Instagram.


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Pretty packaging - 21st birthday

We put alot of time and though into buying or making the perfect gift, its nice to make the packaging look pretty too.
Last weekend we were invited to a friends daughters 21st, I got her gift and on the day of the party realised I needed a card. After scouring through all my supplies I found this party girl stamp (don't remember which brand it is) and pulled together a few supplies to make a pretty pink party card.

When it came time to wrap I knew I wanted to make it all pretty and girly but was a bit stumped as to what to do. I didn't want to just do the usual wrap in brown paper and use twine or ribbon to pretty it up. I went through my wrapping drawer and found a heap of tissue paper and remembered the nifty scissors that I found awhile back that multiple cut.
That's when the idea of doing the multi fringe came to me. I took a bit of time to measure the right lengths and then cut all the ends, but it all came together really well and looked so pretty.
I added a piece of lace and wooden heat and pom pom to finish it off.

I did end up with a table (and floor) full of bits of tissue paper but it was all worth it for the finished look.
How creative are you when it comes to wrapping your gifts?


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Flashback Friday - Felt calendar

Recently I was cleaning up all my old photos and came across this felt calendar that I made back in 2010 for my niece. She was just about to start school and I made her this to help with the days and months and the weather was just a fun thing I added.
I hand sewed the whole thing so it was a little time consuming, but pretty simple to make. Using velcro on all the bits and pieces and stitching the days, months and numbers onto felt. She had alot of fun changing all the pieces each day to match what it was like outside.

 

This would be a great idea in a kindy or preschool, maybe on a larger scale. This one is slightly bigger than A3.


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet newborn summer sandals

They say the more you do something the better at it you get, Id have to agree. The second time around you iron out all the little things that didn't go to plan the first time.
My second pair of these newborn summer sandals was much easier than the first pair. Practice makes perfect right?
The working out of where to put the toe strap and where to start the back and ankle straps is probably the most difficult part, once you have that down pat then the rest comes together easily.

Made with my own pattern and 8ply lincraft cotton in white and pink, you don't use much cotton at all to make them, maybe half a 50g ball of white and just a tiny amount for the flower.
They are much more practical for Queensland babies than the traditional bootie.


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Creating for Charity

We are nearing the end of the month and that means that our preemie projects for Sewing for Charity Australia is coming to an end. We will start new projects at the beginning of next month. I wanted to share with you some of the amazing work created by a very talented bunch of ladies over the last couple of months.
They have been hard at work creating lots and lots of preemie items that will be delivered to a variety of organizations that desperately need them.
 

I would love to mention all the ladies individually but there are so many of them, so head over to the facebook group and you can see all their work plus lots more.

Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet Cotton Table Centre

I have been so busy the last few weeks, working on handmade gifts, my charity group projects, customer orders as well as trying to get some scrapbooking done and get organised for Christmas gift making. Have I taken on too much? Maybe but I'm happier when busy so I'm pushing through.
Wanted to share with you a gift I made for a special lady recently. She has just moved into a new home and is busy designing and furnishing with lots of new and pretty things as well as some handmade and vintage.
This table centre was so easy to make, using double stranded 4 ply crochet cotton and my new favourite c2c stitch. It worked up fast and looks great as well as being functional.
I was a little worried about it being a bit too thick, but it sits nice and flat and isn't that bulky.

You may just see alot of crochet items made using the c2c stitch in the future, I love how easy it is to crochet and yet it looks quite fancy. The other thing that I am loving is that the border is easy to do and I'm not counting a hundred stitches and I haven't had any issues with it not being square. Winning!!


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet Doiley

Really happy with how this doiley turned out, I haven't worked with this particular brand of crochet cotton before. It was supposed to be 4ply but it seemed alot thinner than that so I doubled it and think it was for the best.
The pattern was made up by me as I went along, I'm getting good at adjusting stitches and making things work. Colours chosen especially for a lovely lady who this was for, still waiting for her to receive it and see what she thinks.

Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet Infinity scarf

Winter is almost over but some parts of Australia had some extremely cold days, including my home state of Tasmania which even had snow at street level!!
The perfect weather for rugging up with winter woollies and a thick infinity scarf is ideal. I made this one for my niece for her birthday - she lives in Tassie.
Using a 10ply acrylic and a basic hdc I even managed to get my chain st ring right the first time! Long enough to wrap around her neck twice to keep her toasty warm.

Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet Toddler Poncho

This year I wanted to be a little more adventurous with my crochet and try to learn new things. One of those things was making things myself without a pattern, the other creating more than just baby booties and blankets. Ive managed to do both of those things with this project, which is making its way back into wardrobes. Ponchos were all the rage a few decades back but now are becoming popular again.
After a little bit of time and frogging the start I was able to work out the neckline, after that it was just a matter of making sure I increased in the right place each round.
Made with 8ply acrylic yarn using a 5mm hook, a simple granny stitch with a contrasting colour added for the fringe and chain tie at the neckline.

This one suitable for a 1-2 year old, in going to work on a bigger one next time and maybe a different stitch.


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Dreamcatcher

When your goal is to make gifts for all birthdays it can be a little challenging when you have teenage nieces who lets agree can be difficult to even buy for most of the time.
Luckily for me I have nieces that are loving the Bohemian style at the moment, so a dreamcatcher was the ideal solution.
A wooden hoop found at Lincraft, strips of material to cover that hoop and a vintage doiley and it was looking good. I added a crochet flower and a bit of bling to the hoop before starting on the lace.
This time I added some strung beads and some bobbly yarn to my lace.

The perfect gift as I had hoped, the birthday girl loved it!


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet headband and shoe set

The baby crochet is almost at an end with no more babies due this year had to come and share with you this little baby girl set of maryjane style shoe and headband.
A cute little gift for a new baby especially in the warmer climates, who doesn't love a little baby girl in a cute headband.
The shoes are the basic beanie pattern but instead of continuing with the top I adjusted to just have a back with a tie and added a cute bow to the front. The headband I used a tiny elastic and a scalloped pattern with a large bow to finish it of.

Both are my own pattern and made with Sean Sheep Little Grins yarn in a 8ply. Yarn available from Big W in a few different colourways.


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet Baby Chenille blanket set

Another baby gift finished and sent of to the new mumma and bubba. Word back from them is that it is beautiful and soft and great to snuggle under.

Its made from the Sean Sheep Baby Chenille and is very quick to hook up. A little hard to see stitches so went with a simple pattern, just a starting dc chain and then dc in between stitches until desired length. The beanie was the first I've done in the chenille and it did take some patience but got it hooked up in one night.

 

I have a few more baby girl crochet projects to share with you so keep checking back over the next few days.
 

Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet - Hooded Scarf

What to call this little project baffled me at first I have seen them as scarfie's or scoodie's but decided that plain hooded scarf seemed to fit best. Basically its a bonnet style hat with a scarf attached to the bottom. The hat itself is a large fit and comes out to frame the face instead of being snug around the head. The you have the scarf already attached which is great for keeping the back of the head and neck warm.
It was also said to be by a mum that its much harder for a young one to pull it of as they often do. I wasn't able to find a pattern that I could work with so I went with  making my own design. It worked out alot simpler than I had envisioned.

Made with chunky yarn (12ply) this one done in stripes as it was the only yarn I had and was only using it for a trial. I am definitely going to make more of these in the future.

Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet Summer Sandals

My go to gifts for baby showers and new babies for the last few years has been blankets, booties and beanies. So far all new bubba have been born in the cooler months or interstate so these items have been suitable. That is until now, a friends daughter is due to have her little girl in September, in Queensland she definitely wont need winter woollies at that time of year.
I was asked to make her something though, this took a little thought. What to make with yarn that would be suitable for warmer months? After much scrolling through Pinterest for some inspiration I decided on some cute little crochet sandals.

I have mentioned before that I struggle to read patterns, I figured that these shouldn't be too hard to figure out and I was right. I managed to wing my way through making them and love how they turned out. these were made with cotton instead of the normal wool or acrylic I tend to use which will be better for the warmer climate. I also decided to add a granny stitch style bonnet which wont be as hot as the traditional beanie.
The mumma to be loved them. Might have to try a few more of these.


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet Newborn Cardigan

After many many hours of crocheting up little bubba boy outfits and blankets in the last 12 months this year I got to work with some pretty girly colours. This newborn sleeveless cardigan has now been received so I can share with you all.
Isn't it just the prettiest colour and it was super soft and easy to work with. The yarn is Red Heart Gumdrop, a new yarn being sold in Big W this year - Redheart has a few different colourways you should check them out - It doesn't say what ply it is but I used 5mm hook and it feels like maybe a 10ply. Has anyone used it before?
I used a basic yoke pattern to fit a newborn then a v stitch for the bodice finished of with a scalloped edge and added a collar instead of just a border. I did add some buttons but realised I photographed it before adding them.

Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Corner 2 Corner Crochet blanket

I have been admiring these pretty blankets all over Pinterest and Google images for ages, thinking they were a complicated pattern I never really bothered to look at patterns. A few months back I joined a group on Facebook where a lady had done one and after reading the comments decided I needed to go and check it out further.

 
What is wrong with me, why didn't I go check it out when I first swooned over it? I was pleasantly surprised that while it looks like a complex pattern (to me) it is in reality one of the easiest patterns I've tried. The thing I love about it the most is the starting from the corner you don't have to worry about what size its going to be right at the start. Wondering if you have enough chains to make it the right size, just keep hooking until its right then finish the other side.
It would also be good for those times you have limited yarn and not sure what size it will make.
This is now my new favourite pattern to use for blankets.



Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet - Newborn cowgirl set

In the past all my baby projects have been blankets, beanies and booties with the odd cardigan or jumper. When a friends daughter announced she was pregnant I thought I would have a go at something a little different. Morgan is a big fan of cowboys so a little cowgirl outfit for her baby girl due in September was the obvious choice.
The booties were the easiest to do just using a basic pattern and adjusting the top, the skirt took me a few goes but finally with the help of a newborn doll I got the measurements right and love how it turned out. The hat was  the most difficult for my novice skills, there are alot of patterns for a cowboy hat but most of them I struggles to understand. After alot of unpulling and restarting and googling of real cowboy hats I managed to work it out and get it done.

Whilst the booties and skirt could be worn anytime the hat probably most suited to photo shoots or as the new mumma said when I gave them to her perfect for little bubba Brooklyn's first Halloween costume,.
I really enjoyed making this little set and has got me inspired to make more photo shoot outfits.


Thanks for visiting
Lis :)

Crochet bonnet pattern

I stepped out of my comfort zone and wrote my very first crochet pattern! There are I am sure many many patterns out there for crochet newborn bonnets and maybe even some similar to this one. For me though its a big deal, five years ago I couldn't even crochet so to make something without using a pattern and be able to write up instructions for it is a huge thing.

This pattern is for a newborn baby using 8ply Carnival Soft yarn from Big W and a 4mm crochet hook. To make a bigger size you could use a larger hook or do more increase rounds.
Stitches used
ch - chain stitch
dc - double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
skp - 
vstitch - dc, ch1, dc all in same stitch

Start with a magic circle (how to here)
Ch 3 and dc 12 times inside circle join with a slip stitch and pull tight.
Ch 3, dc twice in each st around then sl st to join.
Ch 3, dc 2 in next st, dc in next st repeat all the way around and sl st to join.
Ch 3, dc 2 in next st, dc in next 2 stitches repeat all the way around and sl st to join.

For a larger hat you could keep increasing here.

From now on turn at the end of each row instead of working in a round.
Ch 3 skp, dc ch dc in next stitch (vstitch made) repeat around to last st, dc in last stitch, turn
repeat last row until desired length
I did 11 rows.
You could add a scalloped border here if you wanted.

Tie: chain 50, join to one side of bottom of bonnet, sc around the edge to other side then ch 50 fasten off

I hope that the pattern is straightforward. Would love some feedback as to how I've gone but please be kind.



Thanks for visiting
Lis :)