Feature Friday: Pinterest. 'Nuff Said.

Ok.
I know you've heard of it.

It's A-MA-ZING.
I'm totally in love.
Gone are the days of endless, unorganized, overfull bookmark and favorites files.   Gone are the days of not knowing where that idea came from, searching through huge lists, and no more unmarked links.
It's a new day.  
The day of Pinterest.  
And I'm a convert.
So...
I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorites...one from each of my boards.
Color Palette Generator

Giant Crocheted Rag Rug

Cool Backyard Lighting Idea

Simple Felt Flowers

Gooey Cheese Dip

Tin Can Planters

Crochet Bunting

Yarn Storage Idea

Funny Quote

Awesome Earrings

I know, right?

If you're already on Pinterest and you'd like to follow my boards...you can find me, by clicking HERE or by clicking the link under my follow me tab!
If you'd like to join Pinterest, comment here with your email address and I can send you and invitation. 
 Because I'm cool that way.

What's New: Testers Needed for a New Hat ~ Slouchy Boho Beanie

I've been busy making lots of new items for my shop, over the past few weeks.  (It's been great to have something to do while I've been recovering from the C-Section...Thank goodness for crochet!!  Without it I probably would have been MUCH more stir crazy!!!  I LOVE CROCHET!!!!)
Anywho...
I thought I'd share with you one of the new hat styles I've been working on!  
I call it THE SLOUCHY BOHO BEANIE!
To see the listings for these hat in my SHOP click the link in the captions!

The Slouchy Boho Beanie in Honey

Aren't they cute?

The Slouchy Boho Beanie in Off White

Such a fun and easy style!

The Slouchy Boho Beanie in Cypress

AND....
I'm getting the pattern ready to sell in my shop, and I'm looking for some accomplished crocheters to TEST THE PATTERN FOR ME!!!  Any takers?
***If you are interested please leave me a comment on this post.  I need any pattern testers to be able to finish a hat in 2 or 3 days tops, and to be able to send me a picture (via e-mail) of your finished product, with any issues you had with the pattern.  Those chosen will get the final draft of the pattern for FREE to keep!!***
***EDITED:  I've got all the testers I need for this hat, but stayed tuned next week...I'm going to be getting some more patterns ready!!!***

Great Idea: Tutorial Round Up!

I'm not fully back in the swing of things yet, but I didn't want to leave you hanging this week without a tutorial, so I'm linking up some of my favorite how-to project posts from the last year months!
Enjoy!
Tissue Paper Cherry Blossoms

DIY Cake Stand

Repurposed T-Shirt Refashion

Hope you have a great Tuesday!!!!

Thanks!

I've been busy taking care of my little ones, getting back into the swing of normal life, and making some new items for my shop...and for my loves!  (I've been writing up some fun patterns, too!)  

Mostly today I just want to say THANKS!
Thanks for following!  Thanks for your comments and advice!  Thanks for all the sweet thoughts and prayers in my (and my little family's) behalf!  
It really, truly means so much to me!!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!!


Card Recipe: (All supplies Stampin' Up!) Paper:  Regal Rose, Whisper White, Melon Mambo Ink:  Melon Mambo, Regal Rose,  Stamps:  Baby Bundle Accessories:  Dimensionals, Pretty in Pink marker

Things to Make: Craft Fair Banner by Growing Up Wild!

Today's how-to is by Kelly from Growing Up Wild!  Kelly doesn't have a blog of her own, but she has a darling Etsy shop, where she sells the cutest onesies and baby shoes...seriously adorable!!

Whale One Piece!!!
Take it away, Kelly!
I was getting ready for my very first local event and felt so over-whlemed.  Creating a display for my organic baby clothes and shoes was a tough task.  I wanted to keep my table as eco friendly as possible while still catching people's attention.  I started with making a banner.  My goal was not to the printed store route as it didn't really fit with the handmade nature of my wares.  I decided to craft my own instead!

I started with two yards of eco felt (made from recycled plastic bottles) in green, purple, and gray.  They didn't have the shade of green that I wanted for the foreground, so I used fleece for that instead.  I was actually really happy with the texture that it added.  I drew my mountain forms in chalk first, and then cut.  Each layer was glued to the background starting with the purple.

I wanted my letters to stand out so I decided to use a font with a shadow.  

I printed my letters on the computer.  

I first cut the letter with the shadow form out of white felt.  

After trimming off the shadow, I cut the remaining letter with brown felt.  Glued together, this gave my letters an extra dimension.

Next I cut the sun out of fabric and glued it into place.  I arranged and rearranged the letters and footprints until I was satisfied, before gluing it all down. 

In order to hang my banner I created loops at the corners.  I took a 5 x 3 inch rectangle of blur felt and folded it in thirds.  This made a 5 x 1 inch rectangle that I then looped around the front and back side of each corner before stitching it into place.  (Be sure to reinforce these to hold up to the wind!)
I was so happy with my banner that I decided to use it for my Etsy avatar as well!  I am not very "techy", so I had been having the hardest time creating an avatar using programs.  Crafting with raw materials was much more my speed!  To create my avatar and shop banner, I simply took a picture in natural lighting.  I then cropped the image and used the dropper tool in each color section to read the color and then paint bucket to fill it.  It took about five minutes!  (This has also become the new label for my burp clothes!)  

While my banner may not have the professional look of some, it definitely stands out at markets and fairs!  I have had a number of fellow sellers come ask me where to find one!!

Thanks so much Kelly!!!  I know I'm inspired to make a banner for myself, now!!

The Stylish Blogger Award!

This morning I found out I had been given a very sweet Blog Award, by Mary of Crocheting the Day Away - one of my favorite crochet blog buddies!

Here's what Mary had to say about me:
Sarah has been a big inspiration for me! She is definitely someone I look up to for crocheting. And can I just say, I think it’s amazing she can get in some time to be creative and crafty when she’s taking care of 5 kiddos, one being a new baby.
Thanks so much Mary!  It's so nice to know that, as a blogger you're not just throwing stuff out into cyber-space - that someone is actually listening!!  I so appreciate all of my readers and followers...It's great to have some really cool adults to connect with!!
So...
Here's my job now:  I need to tell you seven random things about myself, and then pass this lovely award along to seven other wonderful bloggers!
Here goes:
1.  I met my husband in a community theatre production of Fiddler on the Roof.  (During the one scene where guys and girls dance together, we were partners!) 2.  I recently did the cover art for a book that my brother and his good friend wrote and published, The Tale of Telsharu.  (You can see more about it HERE.) 3.  I am addicted to So You Think You Can Dance? 4.  My favorite type of food is soup.  I love all kinds of soup. 5.  I've moved 17 times in my 32 years of life, attended four different Elementary Schools, two Junior Highs, and two High Schools. 6.  I'm 5' 1" tall and my maiden name was Stubbs.  Nice. 7.  I also make paper maché masks that I sell on my sisters Etsy site, HERE.
So now I get to pass this award onto a few of you!
Rachel of Maybe Matilda
Rachel is not only SUPER TALENTED, but she's also hi-lar-i-ous.  On her blog she shares the most beautiful sewing projects and super fun crochet stuff!!  And she always makes me smile!  I love her to pieces!  If you're not already a fan of her awesomeness, you need to be!!
Alexis of Persia Lou
Alexis has the cutest blog ever.  I love it!  I love that she shares all sorts of wonderful projects there, from recipes, to home decor ideas, to sewing projects, to crochet stuff, to paper creations...you get the idea!  She's a creative ball of energy!  If you haven't checked out her blog, you need to go do it right now!!!
Shannon from Shannon Makes Stuff
Shannon always has the funnest crafts, activities and clothing refashion ideas!! I love how she can something and make it into something completely different and beautiful!!  Plus she's one rockin' Mom!! Love that!!
Nike from Choose to THRIVE
Nike is  one of my heros.  Her motto is "Rock-what-ya-got." and she sets a pretty high standard!  Her blog is FILLED with thrifty ideas for all sorts of crafts and decor ideas made using supplies that don't cost you anything!!  AWESOME!
Lauren of Daisy Cottage Designs
Lauren has the cutest crochet blog!  She makes the most darling hats you've ever seen - and she even shares patterns on her blog sometimes!!! WOOT! She also makes the cutest printables and tutorials! 
Kristy of Paisley Jade 
Kristy is another of those super creative and funny bloggers that I love!  I love her sense of humor!  She has the most lovely crochet stuff on her blog.  She also shares yummy recipes and other fun stuff she loves!!
Katie of Notes From a Very Red Kitchen
Katie is a super cute, super fun sewing blogger!  I love the projects she shares on her blog, and all of the other fun family time thoughts!  She's such an inspiring mom and creator!
Thanks again so much, Mary!!  Hope you all have fun checking out these other fun blogs!!

Things to Make: Blessing Dress and Blanket

As promised I'm sharing some pics of the dress and blanket I crocheted for Amelia's blessing today!

I used the same yarn for the whole set, and I love how it all looks together!  The yarn is Bernat Baby Coordinates in White, Caron Simply Soft in Orchid and Blackberry, and Bernat Satin in Soft Fern and Sultana.  
You can find the pattern for the squares I used to make her blanket on Ravelry HERE!  
I used THIS method of joining the squares together, and then added a scalloped border myself!
(You might recognize this square from the Square a Day in May Crochet-A- Long that I participated in...and which I'm still trying to finish up!  Maybe more on that later this summer!)

I love the way it turned out...It reminds me of flowers growing up a garden lattice!  It's so soft and sweet!

Her dress was made following THIS Ravelry pattern.  I LOVE IT!!!  SHe had so many compliments on it, and it was so simple!

I added a lavender ribbon around the waist to compliment the purple flowers on her blanket.

I also made these ADORABLE little MaryJane Shoes, following this awesome pattern from Elizabeth Alan of The Lovely Crow.  Aren't they sooooooooo cute!?!

Amelia looked like a little angel in her dress and wrapped in her blanket!

Thanks for letting me show off!!  I think the most amazing creation in these pictures is our sweet little one, for sure!!

Have a great Wednesday!!

Things to Make: Colorful Spider Web Playgroup Activity with Peace, Baby! Batiks

I'm excited to introduce you to my Guest Blogger this week!  Her name is Cori from Peace, Baby! Batiks!

She has a fantastic blog where she features really lovely handmade items and YUMMY recipes!! She's sharing with us this fantastic supplement to any mom's arsenal of summer boredom busters!!  Here's a little more about her:

I’m a stay-at-home mom with a three-year-old son, and when he’s awake, I play in the sandbox, drive Cars characters, and pretend I am a Mars rover. While he sleeps, I play with wax and brightly colored dyes to make batik clothing for babies and toddlers and sell them through my Etsy shop, Peace, Baby! Batiks. I love finding fun new designs for my shirts and dresses. I enjoy batik because of the vibrant colors and the web-like strands of color that run through each design as the wax cracks. I also like to scrapbook, cook, read, and watch movies with my husband.

Now that the weather’s nicer, we’re taking our weekly playgroup outside. It’s hard to get the boys’ attention away from the sandbox and bikes and stomp rockets for very long, so by necessity, our planned activities have gotten shorter.

The inspiration for this activity came from Eric Carle’s The Very Busy Spider and a board game based on the book. I was also inspired by Sarah’s thumbprint critter post from a while back. The kids need to do some color matching to create their web before stamping on a little spider with their thumb. (The boys in our group range from just turned three to just turned four.) Too cute!

Here’s what you need:

I created the worksheets and then copied them on my printer. Use four or five colors, and repeat each one three or four times around a circle. Any more than that seemed like it would be overwhelming and take too long. I didn’t want them to lose interest.

Read the book The Very Busy Spider. The spider and her web are raised on the pages, and the boys loved feeling the web as it grew throughout the book. There are animal noises in the book, so you could also quiz them on what each says.

Next, explain that they’re going to help the spider build her web by matching colors. They need to draw lines matching colored dots. They can draw across the circle, along the sides … as long as they’re matching colors, anything goes!

Stamp a spider on each child’s finished web using his thumb.

Draw legs and a face on the spider or let each kid do it himself.

Have fun!

Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks!

Things to Make: Make a Crocheted Doily Bowl with CraftyDill

Hi everyone! I'm Michelle from craftydill and I am so excited to be guest posting here while Sarah is focusing on her family! 

I am the wife to a very kind, generous and patient man and the mother to two wonderful teenage boys. I love anything vintage and I love to thrift, craft and meet like-minded souls. On top of my day job, I also have a vintage Etsy shop called craftydill that I would love to turn into my full-time job someday.

And do I have a fun and easy project to share with you all... 

How to make a doily bowl

First, I gathered my materials:

a crocheted or knitted doily ~ I crocheted my own- granny style!

fabric stiffener

saran wrap

bowl to use as a mold ~ I used a Pyrex bowl... The size is dependent on the size of your doily and I always lay the doily on the bottom to make sure the bowl will give the doily the shape and depth I want

clean margarine bowl

water

plastic grocery sack

Next, I wrapped the bottom of the Pyrex bowl with saran wrap, placed it on a plastic grocery sack to capture drips and runs and then put stiffener into the butter bowl. I usually add a little water to the stiffener- I don't like my doilies to be crunchy! :) 

Then, I dunked my doily in the stiffener, making sure to fully saturate it and squeezed the excess out as I pulled the doily out of the butter bowl [don't wring- just squeeze]. Now I'm ready to mold my doily over the Pyrex bowl and let it dry.

I usually let the doily dry overnight, sometimes giving it a re-shape part way through. I have also been known to apply a second light coat of stiffener with a foam brush, but I always take care so as not to disturb the yarn fibers too much, which can make the bowl look hairy.

Once dried, I peel the saran wrap off the Pyrex bowl and then peel the wrap from the inside of the doily bowl. And voila! I now have a cute and preppy doily bowl!

Fill the bowl with just about anything... fruit, fabric scraps, balls of yarn or use as a general catch-all. I put vintage thread spools in mine...

Oh, and note to self...unless you want the colors to bleed causing a tie-dyed effect, don't stitch hot pink Sugar 'n Cream next to white and then get it wet. Not sure if it was just that the yarn isn't color fast or if it's the stiffener that caused the bleeding, but, it is what it is :)

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial as much as I've enjoyed being here! And feel free to visit me anytime!