Etsy Finds Friday

etsy-11-20-09

Tender Angel, $78 from Middleburg.

Hand Turned Wooden Tops, $3.50 each from Urban Turn.

Prairie Sunflower Vintage Quilt Doily, $9 from Bird in Hand.

Vintage Book: American Folk Art Designs and Motifs, $4.95 from readingwell.

Homespun Christmas Wreath in Natural Jute, $75 from The Catnip Cottage.

Olive Acorn Earrings, $7 from astash toys.

Modern Winter Village Blocks, $20 each from something’s hiding in here.

Clothespeg Doll, $20 each from Jill Bent.

Cross Stitch Letterpress Coasters, set of 8 for $12 from 12fifteen.

Holiday Countdown Calendars

christmas-calendar

Take a look at the easy printable holiday calendars I made over at Alpha Mom.  One for Christmas and one for Hanukkah.  This will help keep your kids busy when they’re out of school next week.  Customize your calendar to celebrate whatever you’d like–how about Festivus?

kidcraft!

kidcraft

I’m turning this blog over to the kids.  This post was created by the kids for the kids.  My children are always making things, usually shunning my ideas in favor of their own (as well they should).  So I’ll be featuring some of their original ideas from time to time.  This week:

A belt made from a broken plastic necklace brought to you by my four-year-old!

And a shirt made from a paper bag from my six-year-old!

That concludes this installment of KIDCRAFT!  Go make stuff, kids!

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Sweater Stocking

holidays-recycled

sweater-stocking

Well, maybe I can make all of our holiday decorations from two thrifted sweaters.  Here’s a quick tutorial for a felted sweater stocking.  I never can seem to find any good striped sweaters at the thrift store, so I thought I’d make my own.  I have a sneaking suspicion that Betz White has visited every thrift store in the land and is hoarding all the cool sweaters in her closet.

This makes a 12″ long stocking, but you could increase or decrease the pattern to suit your needs.  Print the template here.

  1. First, you’ll need 100% wool sweaters, washed and dried.
  2. I cut my sweaters into 1 1/2″ strips (the width of my yard stick).  I used about 15 strips in all.  I sewed them with a straight stitch right sides together until I had a somewhat rectangular striped piece.
  3. I then cut the pattern front from this piece, adding 1/2″ around the outside for the seam allowance.  I cut the back from a solid color (with a band at the top).  Be sure to cut the front and back in mirror image.  I then inserted a quick loop and sewed it all together.

sweater-stocking-tutorial

kiki-the-cat

This wouldn’t be a sewing blog without a picture of a cat, would it?  Here’s the the best cat in the world with her new stocking.  Seriously, this cat comes when you call her and she would meow at my door when the girls were babies and cried at night.  She was the only family member who didn’t have a stocking yet.  I will not be making one for the fish.