Giramundo Swivel Chair

This funky chair is made of yarn scraps from Rio de Janeiro. Designed by Marcus Ferreira and produced by Environment Furniture. It's definitely a cool piece that is fulfilling the "green" aspect of design. Environment Furniture is a great company that believes in sustainable design. All of their furniture is made from reclaimed, recycled or sustainably harvested wood. Click here to view more of their collection.

Knitted Skater Hat

I thought I'd show you the little skater hat that I knitted for my son.  I started making it when Texas had a slight cold front because I was excited that it was cooling down.  Did I jinx us or what?  Now it is a lovely 90 degrees and there is no way it is even remotely cold enough to put this hat on my little guy.  Which I guess it doesn't matter because he's at the stage where he doesn't like to wear hats.  Go figure that I slave over a hat and he doesn't want to wear it.  My husband did manage to snap a few pictures before he ripped it off his head.  Then I tried it on my daughter and even though it was snug she was able to get it on her head too.  On to the details of the project.  I found the pattern on Ravelry my favorite website to get great patterns.  It is a free pattern and is available through this blog.  It was a quick to knit up and I used some of the leftover yarn that I had from my previous project.  I just love the little brim on the hat. Here is another picture of him in the process of pulling it off his head.  Ignore the drool, it seems he's been working on getting teeth for months.

Here is my daughter modeling the hat since her brother wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. 

Yarn Theme

This week's theme at SYTYC is Yarn.  Head on over there and check out all the the projects made of yarn and vote for your favorite.  I'm hoping to make it through this round and am busy working on my project for next week.

Window Rehab

My project was the Window Rehab last week on SYTYC.  The theme was recycled and there were some great projects.  I have to say KOJO Designs did a fabulous job making a baby carriage out of an old stroller and basket.

 I picked up this old window frame at a flea market for 3 dollars.  I just thought it was interesting and had no idea what I was going to do with it.  I wanted to find a way to reuse and incorporate it into the decor for my house.  It sat in the garage for a while until I decided that I would get stained glass to use for window panes.  You can find stained glass at some craft stores like Hobby Lobby, but if you have a stained glass supply store that would be even better.  If you go to a stained glass supply store you can get them to cut them to size for you.  I used clear silicon caulk to attach the glass to window frame.  Then I made a shelf to attach to the window frame.  Remember when  you design the shelf to make sure you don't make it too deep.  I have a small ledge on mine because I didn't want it to get bumped and end up falling off the wall. 

Next, I gave it a new coat of paint and added the knobs on the front.  Hooks would also look really nice instead of the knobs.  To finish it off I added some hanging hardware to the back of the window.  I also made sure I installed the window on a stud in the wall.  You don't want that to come crashing down in the middle of the night because it is pretty heavy.  That's all there is too it!  Now go find yourself an old wood window and start your own window rehab.

 

Transit Chairs

I'm staying along the recycled theme for the week that we had at SYTYC for my furniture find this Friday.  How cool are these chairs!  They are made from recycled street signs.  This chair is called the transit chair and is designed by Boris Bally.  You can find more of his work here. 

Pumpkin Candy Dispenser - Tutorial

 
I wasn't sure if I was going to do a tutorial on this because it is a little difficult to explain, but I'm going to give it a shot. 


First step is to use a fake pumpkin and cut a hole into the top, just like you would with a real pumpkin.  Then you will need to measure the inside dimensions of your pumpkin.  This way you will make sure you make the mechanism that dispenses the candy to fit. Now you need to cut a hole on the front of the pumpkin so that you have a place for the candy to shoot out.  I marked where I wanted the face to go ahead beforehand so I wouldn't make a mistake on how high or low I wanted to place the mouth.

Here is the tricky part, the mechanism.  I constructed most of it out of foam core.  You will have to fiddle with the dimensions to get it right since not all the fake pumpkins are the same size.  Also, keep in mind the size of candy you want to dispense.  I did the mini candy bars, but you could definitely go up a size and increase the hole. I was able to put most of the mechanism together outside the pumpkin, but had to put a couple pieces together inside the pumpkin.  That is a little difficult and you might want to go ahead and cut a hole on the bottom to make it easier on yourself.

 

 Here is the mechanism shown outside the pumpkin.

As you can see, it is basically a box with a hole in the top for the candy to fall through. It will hit the block of wood and then you will use the knob to get the candy out.

 The knob is connected to a small block of wood by a metal rod.  Once the candy is pushed by the knob it  will fall and hit the slide and shoot out the pumpkin's mouth. If you would like a video showing this being done, please let me know and I will upload one.  Now you will need to put another layer of foam core over the entire mechanism so you can hold all the candy.

Go ahead and draw a face on your pumpkin.  Make it as spooky or as silly as you want.  I opted for silly.
 

 
Now it's candy time.  Fill your pumpkin up with candy treats.You can either put the lid back on our add a hat like I did.

Blackboard Pumpkins

Today I have my sister in-law, Liz doing a guest post for me. She's visiting us from The Edelspot where she writes a humorous blog about her family and daily life.  If you haven't ever been there, please stop by and visit her blog.  She will give you a good laugh.  Now on to her Blackboard Pumpkins.....

So I may have mentioned that October is my favorite month (ha). And one of my favorite things about October is pumpkin. Pumpkin patches, pumpkin pancakes (a seasonal treat at our favorite diner) and pumpkin carving. In fact, I used to host an annual pumpkin carving party each year -- a booze-filled shindig that went on hiatus the year I was pregnant, and which I just haven't had the energy to reinstate since (do you know how much work it is to prep for 30 drunk folks to wield KNIVES in your house? Add to that the interior guts of a pumpkin and you get quite a messy party).

So naturally, I've been really excited to share my pumpkin love with Kate. However, I've watched that chick with a fork and there is NO WAY she is touching a carving knife. And all the little stick-on kits I've seen at craft stores are for kiddos three and up. And while pumpkin PAINTING could have been an option, last time we used paint I ended up washing her mouth out with soap.

So, you guys, I swear on everything holy I came up with a craft idea ALL ON MY OWN. Yeah. THIS gal. Who can't bake bread, sew a button or build a spooky cookie house. And I'm pretty proud of it. Below is a tutorial on how to make Blackboard Pumpkins -- a decorating treat for the pre-preschool set.

Head on over to your local craft store and pick up a couple fumpkins (fake pumpkins) and some chalkboard spray paint (maybe the coolest thing ever invented).  You could probably use real pumpkins, but these are so light that Kate has taken to toting her pumpkin everywhere she goes, which is cuter than her dragging a rotting gourd around with her throughout the month. And PS, I have a picture of the spray paint can, but it is ugly, and if you can't figure out what chalkboard spray paint is when it says it RIGHT THERE ON THE CAN... you shouldn't be working with flammable materials anyways.

Prop your pumpkins on something so that you can spray underneath. These mini clay pots I found in my garage worked gangbusters. 

And spray! Make sure to coat them fully and then put on a second coat after 24 hours to ensure chalkboardy goodness.

Let dry for 24 hours and then let the kiddo loose!

I don't have a picture of Kate looking at the camera, because as soon as she saw the pumpkins and chalk she said "OOOOO" and we lost her for a good 20 minutes.

The artist at work.

Deep concentration is needed here. When your toddler has the attention span of a gnat and she focuses on something for more than 2 minutes, I would call it a success. Blackboard Pumpkins? SUCCESS.

Recycle Theme

The theme on SYTYC this week is Recycle.  Go check out all the creative crafts that are all about reusing and recyling pieces and parts to come up with fantastic projects.

Strawberry Shortcake

Here is the costume I submitted for the SYTYC challenge this past week.  My daughter wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake this year for Halloween.  Actually she wanted to be Hello Kitty and Strawberry Shortcake, but there was no way I was going to be able to combine those two into a costume. I went for the "old school" Strawberry Shortcake versus the newly designed one.  I guess I just prefer her better since she's the one I recognize from my childhood.  The outfit includes hat, dress, pinafore, bloomers, painted green striped tights and trick or treat bag.

For the hat, I painted the strawberries on the fabric, added a stuffed strawberry to the top and finished it off with a bow. My neighbor did a terrific job modeling the hat for me.

Of course the costume wouldn't be complete without a strawberry trick or treat bag. This was my favorite part of the outfit and she could use it for a purse after Halloween is over.

 

Art Deco Lamp

This Friday I found a very nice Art Deco Lamp made by Terry Tynan. He has many wonderful lamps that are all handcrafted and done by metal spinning. There are less than 200 metal spinners still practicing this age old technique in the United States.  Click here if you like to see more of his beautiful work. 

Costume Theme

I made it to the 2nd week of SYTYC.  This week the theme is costumes.  Head on over there and vote for your favorite project.

Pumpkin Candy Dispenser

Here is the project I submitted for the pumpkin theme week on SYTYC.  

Wouldn't it be great if you had a candy dispenser you could leave out on the porch for trick or treaters?  We always seem to take turns on who passes out the candy and who takes the kids around trick or treating.  This year we can both take the kids trick or treating and leave the pumpkin to hand out the candy.

 You too can make this great candy dispenser using a craft pumpkin, foam core and a knob.  Then you can make the pumpkin as silly or as spooky as you like.  It is such a simple design and all the kids have to do is pull the knob and out pops a piece of candy. 

Here is the tutorial I promised.  

Pumpkin Armchair

Since this is the month all the pumpkins patches open up.  I thought I'd find a piece of furniture that goes along with that theme. It is called the Pumpkin Armchair, which seems to be quite fitting with its pumpkin shaped seat.  It is designed by a french design firm, Marias International.  You can find more of their furniture here.

New Look

What do you think about the new look?  I thought it was time to update my blog with a new banner.  My sister-in-law made the fabulous banner and button for my blog.  I love it! Thanks Ashley.

Pumpkin Theme

It's week one of Season 5 at SYTYC and the theme is pumpkins.  Go on over there and check out all the wonderful pumpkin projects and vote for your favorite.

Knitted Purse - felting

Remember the purse I was working on for my sister.  Well, I finally got around to felting it.  I love how it turned out and I think my sister will too.  I decided to go for wooden handles and made some felted tabs that I will need to attach.  Then all that is left is to line it and add a zipper.