Dusting Off the Old Tapes...

Does anyone remember cassette tapes? You know, those square boxy-like things that had music on both sides? You could record your favorite song on the radio with em? I found myself dusting off a small stack I had last week when I was bored and wanted to see what I could successfully scan with my new scanner. I ended up doing that, and realized that those tapes had all sorts of funky designs on em. Even better was blowing up the image to the size of a sheet of paper, and playing with the image settings and such. The result? Check it out!!




So now I get to carry my wallet stuff in a giant tape!! I'm so excited. It's even got 4 pockets! I'll be making more of these in different sizes and with different shapes. A much smaller sized card wallet is in the works. Check it out at my shop;
http://www.etsy.com/listing/45186547/80s-grafitti-cassette-tape-clutch

Fringed Fleece Blanket Tutorial

Some call them fringe blankets, some call them knot blankets and some others call them plain old fleece blankets. Ever wondered how to make one? I developed this tutorial from my own special "recipe" of creating the blankets. I was a bit frustrated by having to ask for measurements at the fabric counter each time I would go to make these.

Measurements from these instructions will make a baby or cat-sized blanket. The blanket that is shown in the tutorial was made for my son-to-be. Larger blankets for adults or dogs are made in exactly the same way--just replace the baby measurements with the measurements listed at the end of the tutorial. Happy crafting!


1. Get two pieces of fleece that are about 1.25 yards in length.





2. Place the first piece of fleece FACE DOWN on your work surface. Place the second piece of fleece on top of the first piece with the design facing UP towards you. Line up the edges as best as you can.



3. Cut off any borders or rough edges from fleece. Cut edges so that top and bottom are somewhat even.

4. Measure a 3" square on each of the four corners of the fleece.



5. Measure 3" in from the edge of the fleece, and draw a line with crayon or marker at the 3" mark. Draw the line all the way down the side of the fleece.





6. To make the fleece fringe strips, measure 1" in from the side of the corner square. Mark with crayon. Repeat this all the way down the side of the fleece until you've reached the next corner's square.





7. Cut fleece up to the 3" line you drew in Step 5. Repeat this cut for all the lines you made in Step 6, all the way down the side until you reach the next corner's square.



8. Tie top fringe piece to bottom fringe piece using a DOUBLE KNOT. Double knotting is very important as it makes sure the fringe will not untie eventually with use. Repeat this step all the way down the side of the fleece for all the fleece strips.





9. Repeat steps 5-8 for all 3 remaining sides.

10. You're done, and you now have a warm & cuddly blanket! Unfortunately, these kind of blankets aren't really that photo-op friendly :(





MEASUREMENTS FOR ADULT\LARGE DOG BLANKETS:

-Use a 2.5-yard length of fleece for each side. (Step 1)
-Cut 4" corner squares on all four corners. (Step 4)
-Cut 4" into sides for the cut "baseline". (Step 5)
-Cut 1" wide fleece strips for fringe. (Step 6)

Blanket Drive for the SPCA!

My cat Otto (you'll remember him as the little darling who stole my donut pillow I made back over the summer) spent a little while in the stray kennel of the Niagara County SPCA a couple years ago before I got him. When I picked him up, I was really impressed with this particular shelter and occassionally checked in with it every so often online from then on. Now I can't adopt another animal because I belong to Otto and he doesn't like other animals much, but thought I could still support the shelter somehow. Then it popped into my head that a great way to support the Niagara County SPCA would be to make small blankets for the animals there.

This facility is a very loving place for homeless cats and dogs, but I thought that the animals probably miss being the comfort of living in a home and being a part of a family. I am hoping these blankets bring the animals a bit of that comfort in their cages. This drive is also being sponsored by my fellow teammates on the Etsy EGG Team (http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6466001).

If you'd like to donate a crafted or gently used (no torn or ragged blankets, please), drop me an email at sugarshoxcrafts@live.com

Thanks!

Handmade Baby Shower...still looking for features!

Thought I'd bring this up a bit..

I'll be doing a feature article for the Indie Smiles blog on handmade baby products. I'm looking for some sellers of these products to feature in the article. Basically it will be like a buying guide of sorts to all handmade baby items. I think it would be really helpful to parents and soon to be parents--with handmade, you actually know exactly what materials your baby stuff is made from. This is really important, especially now with all the stuff you've been hearing about seemingly harmless toys and products having lead, cadmium, and all sorts of dangerous chemicals in them.

Comment or email me at sugarshoxcrafts@live.com if you would like to be featured!

Etsy Spotlight: Celticcatphotos' Birthday Cat Greeting\Note Card

Move over Morris; this week’s Etsy Spotlight pick shows that cats aren’t just meant to be seen in cat food commercials—not when they can imitate humans so closely.

Instead of burying his face in a bowl of mush or hard brown shapes, a short-haired orange and white tabby cat named Hamlet takes his first whiffs and samples of birthday cake. This tender moment was captured by Etsy seller Cathy Gangwer (“Celticcatphotos”), and is sold in her shop (http://www.celticcatphotos.etsy.com) as the Birthday Cat Greeting Note Card. (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32143605)

Taken on Hamlet’s first birthday, the image perfectly personifies an animal’s life. It shows an animal acting completely human in the context of the mostly- human situation of a birthday party...

Check out the full article at Indie Smiles!
http://www.indiesmiles.com/meow-ing-out-the-candles/

Etsy Spotlight: Creative Kiwi's Crochet Baby Flower Booties

Check out my new feature on these adorable Mary Jane-styled baby booties at Indie Smiles!

http://www.indiesmiles.com/etsy-spotlight-creative-kiwis/

Here's a preview:


Going all-natural has never been so adorable!

Containing no synthetic materials with hard-to-pronounce names, Etsy seller Donna Barnard’s (“CreativeKiwi”) Crochet Baby Flower Booties Mary Janes are a great way to keep Baby’s feet warm and safe.

The booties are simply styled to look and fit similar to an adult’s Mary Jane-type shoe. They are light pink and have a one-button closure on the side. They are also very feminine, with an oversized, eye-catching white flower on top of the shoe, which was crocheted “in the round.” The booties will fit a 3 to 6-month-old baby girl.

Stitched using 100 percent cotton yarn, Donna said she is very selective with the materials that are used in making her booties, and only uses cotton or bamboo yarn on them.

“Cotton breathes and is not harsh on babies’ skin,” she said. “The yarn I use is a fine, smooth fiber made from beech trees and then spun with cotton. Babies are so precious, so why not wrap them in comfort? It’s just my way of keeping baby natural.”

Donna also likes to make each pair of these booties unique in some small way.

Attn: All Etsy, Artfire, Folksy, 1000 Markets Baby Product Sellers!!

I'll be doing a feature article for the Indie Smiles blog on handmade baby products. I'm looking for some sellers of these products to feature in the article. Basically it will be like a buying guide of sorts to all handmade baby items. I think it would be really helpful to parents and soon to be parents--with handmade, you actually know exactly what materials your baby stuff is made from. This is really important, especially now with all the stuff you've been hearing about seemingly harmless toys and products having lead, cadmium, and all sorts of dangerous chemicals in them.

Comment or email me at sugarshoxcrafts@live.com if you would like to be featured!