Amigurumi Critters

These fun little critters are much easier to make than you might think. Just some basic crochet stitches and some plastic eyes and voile, you are done!! If you need an idea for a craft, consider making an Amigurumi animal. They make great gifts or great playmates for your little ones. Just bring a size 6 crochet hook and we will provide the rest. The animals will be $3 each to make and if you don't have time to make as many as you want, you can take the supplies home with you to finish them up. Leave a comment to let me know which animals you'd like to make, so I can pick up the correct supplies. See you Tuesday!

Knit/Crochet

Ladies, we'll be meeting together for craft group next Tuesday the 23rd at 7:30 at Marissa Young's house: 4806A Nebraska Ave, Nashville, Tennessee 37209? I have provided many pictures to get your mind going for what knit or crochet project you'd like to do.

The pattern for this one is free here.

These little flowers can be sewn onto dresses, for scrapbooking, bet we could figure out somebody smart to show us how.

scrub your family or your dishes, perfect for learners.

it's never to early to start making excellent Christmas decorations

of course there are booties

and more booties

and even more felted booties.

and hats

haha

this one is the pattern to buy

Oh my, eat this baby up.

seriously? who thinks of these things? I think I need to have a baby just so I can take a picture like this.

Are you inspired yet?

Lovely Marissa Young, our resident expert, will be there to assist. Our default plan is to make the adorable and easy (Marissa says they're easy!) little Japanese animals you see above in her post. Please in the comments RSVP and tell me if you're coming, and if you will be making an animal. Marissa, says an animal will cost $3? You can pay her that night if doing her animal.

They really are cute.

Your valuable skills

The Green Hills ward/craft group and the Brentwood Women's Club are combining to form a powerful superservice. We will be making smile dolls, children's hospital gowns, and small tote bags for Operation Smile.

Quotes from their site:

"The role of the Smile Dolls is to help diminish anxiety and to communicate the objective of the procedure they will undergo. They are used by Child Life Therapists to alleviate the fear of anesthesia masks, needles and other medical procedures."

"[A director noticed that] children came to the hospitals in their best clothing hoping to be selected for surgery. Many of these children wore these same clothes into the operating room because the hospital did not have child-sized gowns for the children to wear."

The tote bags will hold the dolls, and markers. The kids will draw on one side of the doll what they look like now, and then on the other side they will draw what they will look like after the operation.

We are meeting at the church next

Wednesday, January 20th

10 am - 2:00 pm

We have a goal to make 100 dolls, 30 gowns, and 50 totes.

We'll need people to cut out, iron, pin, sew, and help in the nursery.

EVERYONE you know is invited. So please come, please bring anyone you know. We've formally invited Bellevue and Old Hickory ward. But you can bring anyone else that is interested too.

I am organizing a nursery that will be open from 9:45 to 12:15. I'll ask for volunteers as people RSVP. I want to make sure to have one adult per 5 kids. I'll have a sign-up sheet when kids arrive. We're hoping that so many people come we won't know everyone there!

All supplies will be provided. But if you have high quality fabric that you realize you won't be sewing up, you're welcome to bring it to see if it can be used. I've got some!

If you have theses items, please bring them, LABELED:

• fabric cutting scissors
• sewing machine
• iron, ironing board

If you plan on helping, please leave in the comments:

1. Your first and last name.

2. If you're bringing children, how many?

3. What items can you bring?

4. Would you be willing to volunteer in the nursery?

Call Alisha with questions, 463-9507 or alishareynolds@gmail.com

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” - Luke 9:24

It's on like donkey kong.

Free At Last

Free at last, free at last, halleluja, free at last.

I was able to finish up this little number in an hour one night. I became the Glue Gun Bandit and we brought law and order to the fabric and wood.


This beast took Alisha, Rebekah, the husband, the husband's home building dad, and 2 trips to the hardware store.
I'm ready for our next project.

Decoupage

The first thing I ever decoupaged, was some oatmeal containers. They are the perfect size to hold a bag of flour. I did this over a year ago, and they're still going strong. I used brown packing paper.

Then I decoupaged some boxes to hold my sewing stuff. The top box I used wrapping paper, which I decided I don't like. So, I wouldn't recommend using wrapping paper. It seemed like a good idea, but I don't like the sheen and the paper is a little thin, so it bubbles easily. The bottom box I used 12"x12" craft paper.

I decoupaged some paper to the bottom of a tray, to add some color to the music room.Other ideas I found on etsy:

You could decoupage a cool print onto a block of wood and it would look like amazing art. I've thought of doing this one with some excellent calendar pictures I found a few years ago. I'm a crazy collector of just about meaningless junk.

Decorative wooden blocks You could also put your kid's name on it and use as decoration.

This is the one I want to do. Make a puzzle for a present. I haven't decided if I'll find cool pics online, or use pictures of each family member's face. Maggie will really like it.

Decoupage a frame. You can buy blank frames at Michael's. Makes a good, inexpensive gift for Christmas or babyshower.

You can decoupage using fabric. This is especially useful if you want to decoupage something bigger than 12"x12". Ace Hardware carries some galvanized tubs for about $16.

Heck you can even decoupage your furniture! This designer used wallpaper.

Option 1: You think up your own project to suit your needs, use me as an idea resource, bring all your own supplies, we'll put it together Tuesday. But I will bring the modge pode because I have a lot of it. Bring sponge brushes if you have them.

Option 2: Alisha's choice which will be to decoupage cans. Useful things to do with pretty cans: put utensils in for hosting parties/showers; put pens or pencils in to put on counter or desk; put spoons, spatulas, etc. in on counter (I have a boatload of big #10 cans if you want to use them), put a pretty plant in a big can, use them as a piggy bank/tithing container for your kids (I think I'm going to do this one with little pringles cans. Plus, I'd love an excuse to buy pringles. Mmmmm.) I'm going to try decoupaging a can, and post a pic later. Meanwhile, you all buy some food that comes in a can that you'd like to decoupage.

Please comment on what project you want to do. Also, if people want to do blocks, leave that comment, because we could pool in for price. I bought a long square 'pole' from Home Depot and will be cutting it into cubes, but will have more 'blocks' than I need when I'm done.

Also, if you didn't get enough magnets made, we'll be decoupaging them, so come with paper or use mine if you want more magnets, I've ordered 100 more magnets from etsy, so we'll have enough for all of us, no matter how many you want!

See you all Tuesday, December 8th.

Megan's Magnet Board

Hey all, these are the magnet boards we have around our house. The first ones I use as frames for family pictures. As you can see, it's just a framed magnet board. I can't remember what size the magnet board is, but I think my pictures are 15x15. It's a fun way to display pictures and we always get a lot of comments on them. I actually stole the idea from a friend of mine. She has hers hanging by some ribbon at the top, so you can add that if you would like.

I thought I would also post this as an option for magnets. It is just a mini clothes pin spray painted white and attached to a magnet.

I also thought I would show you a different kind of magnet board we have in our home that is a little different and fun from the usual framed board. It is actually 6 rain gutter covers hung at different heights. You can buy them at Home Depot already cut in 5 foot lengths. I have this one hung in the boys room.

Magnet boards

This was my first magnet board. It is HUGE, 2 feet by 3 feet. I glued the metal to 1/4" plywood (to back the metal so it wouldn't bend all over), glued the fabric so it covered the metal face, built the frame, painted it, assembled, viola! This one will have pictures of my family, important phone numbers, lists, things not to forget, etc. With really cool magnets

Second magnet board, much smaller: 10"x 19". The metal was also thicker, so I didn't need to back it with plywood. This one is our "Love caps" board, a point system to keep track of our loving acts as a family.
And this is one that is not yet finished. This picture is you give you an idea of what it will look like. This is just fabric glued around the metal sheet. I thought I'd just put it on the wall like that, but when I was done, didn't like it, decided it needed some dimension. So I decided to get some skinny pieces of wood and hot glue to the back, so it would stick out of the wall some. I wish now that I would have thought of this before, because I would have put the wood on the metal, THEN glued the fabric on around the wood. It would look like a painting hung without a frame. This one will be in my room with goals magneted up.

this one is from etsy, looks like something that would be helpful by the door. endless ideas found on etsy, exposed metal.

Megan will you post a picture of your magnet board? Hers is a frame for pictures. The metal is left exposed, big wide frame. Very cute.

So ladies, there are two routes for you to go:

1. Alisha's choice (second to last picture) of 8x18 metal

I'll buy the metal, you'll owe me $6

I'll supply the wood to go around the behind edge (I've got a bunch lying around)

I'll supply the hot glue

You supply the fabric if you're using it

2. Customized board

What size?

Frame or no? Painted, stained?

Fabric or exposed metal?

You talk with me and I'll help you plan it, you buy all the supplies, you bring it all next Thursday.

Tell me in your comment what you want.

Now, there's the little issue of making magnets.