Bug-Eyed Owl and Rainbow Blanket (crochet)

 

Hello everybody :) How is your May starting off?  We are getting rain (as usual) but today was just sunny enough to be able to get a few quick photos taken in the back yard. 

This big bug-eyed owl toy was a pattern from a book by VooDoo Maggie. I don't have it on hand to put the exact title, but I'm fairly certain no one else has that name if you go look it up!  The book is full of unique crocheted toy patterns that don't look like everything else out there. (A plus!)  

 Second up-- a rainbow stripes blanket with fringe/tassels on each end.  This is crib-sized, or lap sized if you like.  One end has red tassels and the other has purple. I couldn't decide which color, so went with both. :D  I will be posting this one in my Etsy shop as soon as possible.  

For everyone enjoying sun right now.. LUCKY!! And for those of us in the rain.. at least we have an excuse to stay inside and crochet. :D 

Crochet Candy and Clay Gnome

Good afternoon! Wow two posting days in a week...I'm shocked at myself. :)  And I even have a bit of the flu going on today, so I'm amazed anything is getting done at all.

Well for starters, sharing a cute little candy...uh..thing.  I didn't have a pattern for this, just made it up.  It became part of one of my niece's birthday gifts last month and she can put it on a necklace or barrette or whatever she likes.  Or add it to her play kitchen foods! :)  One of these days I'll write up a pattern for it hopefully!

Another garden gnome pick to add to my growing collection! This time he actually IS a gardener, complete with watering can and a flower behind his ear. :D  I do wish I'd gotten a better picture of the back..he is one of the only ones I've made without a jacket because he is wearing over-alls with suspenders and I wanted to see that.  But anyway, he is living with the rest of the gnomes now and he makes an even dozen so far that I have managed to keep. :) I'll have to get pics of the whole set soon to share.

Angry Birds, Mike Wazowski, and Beanies! (crochet)

Good evening!  I can't believe it was actually 62* outside today when just a couple weeks ago it was snowing and 15*! Crazy weather can't make up its mind.  No matter what kind of weather it is, it's always fun to make hats. :)

The pattern for this awesome Angry Birds hat came from a youtube.com user by the name of "tjw1963".  She has a video showing how to crochet it as well as links to the written pattern.  I made this particular one for one of my SIL's husband. 

These six were for family members.  I'd asked each of them before Christmas what their 3 most favorite colors were and here we are.  Now they all have their own custom colored hat!  Just basic beanies. :)

And finally for tonight.... an amigurumi Mike Wazowski toy (from Monsters, Inc. movie).  I don't know why the photo came out with him looking a mustardy-green color... he is actually more like lime-green.  Like the cartoon!  Silly camera!

I made him for one of my nieces who just turned 3 and is going through a "Monsters, Inc." phase.  Unfortunately I did not write down how I made him as I went along, though I really wish I had because he isn't from a pattern- I just made him up.  I do think if I made another one, I'd make his head/body bigger.  But for a first try, I think he came out pretty good!

His mouth, by the way, is crocheted grey underneathe, but the teeth are cut out of felt and craft-glued on.  I tried crocheting the teeth in several ways and it was just not happening....so felt it was!! What do you think of the final guy? :)


Off to work on more projects!! :)  Hope everyone enjoys the pictures above and maybe get inspired to make some as well. :)

Candy Cane Nails and Amigurumi Squid!

Hiiiiiii!! I keep trying to be more diligent about adding posts to my blog but I swear this time of year is always the biggest challenge.  Lots of things on the ol' to-do list!


Here's an easy holiday nail art design that almost anyone could do.  Peppermint candy cane!  Simply apply a base coat to protect your nails, then paint the entire nail white.  Allow that to dry a couple minutes, then add red stripes in varying thicknesses either using a striping polish, or a thin paint brush from the craft store!  Finish with a clear top coat and you're all set!

I'm sure everyone knows being close to the holidays, it gets harder to share things on here since a lot of what I make are for gifts and I wouldn't want to spoil any surprises!! But that doesn't mean I haven't made anything outside of that... :)

This little crocheted guy (squid) was a special request as a Christmas gift for someone through Etsy.  I will be shipping him off tomorrow morning to his new home.  

I have also been adding new items to my Etsy shop for those looking for any holiday gift ideas... everything is unique and there's a lot of variety!! Check it out :)

www.maebellecreations.etsy.com      Also feel free to contact me about custom orders!

Amigurumi Peanut Butter & Jelly (+ g.i.t.d. and plaid nails!!)

If you're looking for a great polish for Halloween this year, I'd like to recommend O.P.I.'s "zom-body to love"... it is a glow-in-the-dark green color (see above left) and it REALLY glows quite bright! Design on the right is done with a random assortment of polish brands and colors into a simple plaid design. Use purple, orange, black and white for Halloween!! :)


4 pieces ... bread slice, peanut butter, grape jelly, bread slice....

...put all together into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!! Fun toy for kids :D This pattern is from the "Tasty Crochet" book if you're interested in checking it out. :)

I have lots more to share over the next several days (still catching up from the non-internet stretch). Stay tuned! :)

Birdie, Tree Stump, Cupcakes, Strawberries! (crochet and nail art)

A couple other nail art designs seen around here recently...cupcakes on the left and strawberries on the right. :)

This cute little set is actually two toys. The red bird is just sitting on top of the tree stump, but not attached. The pattern is from the "Amigurumi Toy Box" pattern book. I love that book and have made *almost* everything in it...still a few more to do. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves to crochet little toys!!

Amigurumi snowmen, long elf-ish hats, and tiny stockings! (crochet)

Is anyone else glad that it is finally Fall and Summer is over? I don't know why, but this has always been my favorite time of the year. Maybe someday if I get into a house big enough to have a garden, I'll be more outdoorsy and like the Summer. But for now, I am enjoying being able to turn on the oven to bake cookies and pies without heating up the house too much!

Another thing I love about this time of year is making hats!! Somehow the lighting is off a bit in the photo, but it is supposed to be green and yellow stripes with white in there. It hangs really low, about down to the top of your pants pockets with a huge pom-pom. I can do these in any color combo, but chose these for this one. I've got similar ones listed in my Etsy shop if you're interested, of if you do want specific colors- drop me a line!



Mr. and Mrs. Snowman all bundled up! These were something I just made up while I was watching a (rather boring) movie last week. I've decided they have to go as a pair because I wouldn't want them to be lonely. :) They're not listed yet, but hopefully soon...



And finally a miniature stocking. These are perfect for throwing small stuff in, or even holding a gift card. The pattern for this is from "The Big Book of Holiday Crochet" by Annie's Attic. I found it pretty easy to follow and there were other color varieties in there as well, so you're not stuck with just the traditional red/white look if you wanted something else. :)

Amigurumi Pink Elephant, Dolly and Pumpkin (crochet)

Well I had originally planned to get these posted over the weekend, so I'm a day late. Oopsie!! :) We ended up doing a Sunday drive down the coast instead so I figure that's a good excuse for being late.

This little doll is only about 5 inches long and her apron is tied on/removable. I gave her to a special little girl who kept eyeing it while it was being made! (She didn't know it was going to be for her anyway, so it was a nice surprise). :D

The pattern for this micro-mini elephant (in pink!!! hahaha) Is actually a pattern from a Lion Brand yarn book that normally makes it about 6-7 inches big with medium worsted weight yarn. BUT, for the fun of it, I used a total of 4 skeins of this pastel pink embroidery floss (100% cotton) and a #6 steel crochet hook instead and it turned out roughly 2 inches long. Super, super, super tiny and the stitches...well, let's just say my eyes had to strain a little but it was worth it!


Lastly, a little pumpkin!! This guy actually IS made using regular cotton yarn and an F hook, so he's just small by design. :) But Halloween is coming up and I couldn't wait to make it! I love holidays and can't believe they're already just around the corner again. I would love to find more Halloween patterns to try out!

P.S. Contemplating signing up for another craft fair that will be held in December. I think it sounds like a good idea and now I just have to balance out between posting new stuff on Etsy or saving it for the c.f. ??? aaagghh... if you see anything you like and it's NOT on Etsy, drop me an email and we can set something up! :)

Carson the Snake and a Red-Headed Sweeper (crochet and embroidery)

A friend of mine had a skein of variegated yarn (Red Heart Super Saver "primary" color) and wanted to see how long of a snake it would make if I used up the whole thing. So here he is...Carson the Snake! I didn't measure, but by an estimated guess, I would say roughly 10 feet long. The green tongue is by request!



Also finished the embroidery design I was trying out. I haven't done actual embroidery in years so I'm pretty happy with how it came out with me being out-of-practice. The design was from a store-bought set that you iron on to whatever you want it on. I just used a linen kitchen towel. Isn't she cute?? :) I have several others of the same type of design and will eventually get to them, too...need more towels first.

Cherry Purse, Ami Frappe, and Ami Gnome (crochet)

Hello everyone!! You can see what I've been busy with the last couple of days... I've also been picking up my embroidery materials for a few minutes here and there and I'll show that when it's finished (might be another few days).

The cherry purse is something I came up with on my own and figured I would give it a shot. It didn't turn out too bad, though I will admit I hate hand-sewing in zippers!!! lol Next to the purse is a cup of frappe with a big pile of whipped cream on top. :D And lastly, a GNOME!!! I LOVE gnomes!!! I'd like to have them all over the place, but I have to do it strategically so the hubster doesn't notice right away. ;) hehe There were patterns for both of those, but I was a bit disappointed with how they were coming out so I ended up changing it as I went anyway. I love the gnome! Did I mention that? :)

If anyone has any other gnome patterns or can point a finger toward some online patterns, I'd love to see more to try out. :D Hope everyone is having a happy weekend and staying COOOOOL!!!

5" Baby Doll with Cherry Swimsuit (crochet)

Here is an adorable little project that took me a few days to complete and is finally ready for showing off! This is a 5" baby doll, which I'd bought at a Craft Warehouse store. There are booklets with patterns to make them little outfits written for either crochet or knit. I bought the two crochet books I saw (and naturally there were like 4 or 5 for knitting...booooo) and this was the first one I thought I would try. It doesn't require snaps or buttons like most of the rest and it is a smaller outfit being just a swimsuit and sandals. Turned out pretty darn cute!!

Now she just needs a name and possibly a ruffled sunhat to match. :D ---oh yeah, she is wearing a visor in the pic but ultimately, even though I followed the pattern for that, it turned out WAY too small so it now sits atop one of the Barbie dolls instead (perfect fit).

If anyone knows of any other crochet booklet titles to make more outfits for these 5" dolls, I'd love to find some others! Please leave a comment with the titles if you do. :) Thanks!

Amigurumi Airplane, Ducky, and Scrappy Snake (crochet)

A few of the things I've made over the last couple days include this purple airplane ^^

This white and yellow variegated ducky ^^^
And this most awesome scrappy snake!! ^^^ I made him using up a bunch of my "ends" of cotton skeins I make most of my other toys with. What a perfect use and he is so unique!! (And very long...came out to be approximately 3 1/2 feet or so). :)

Amigurumi Vampire, Flower Girl and Owl (crochet)

I had been eyeing a site online for quite a while (www.gourmetcrochet.com) and wanting absolutely every one of the books I see on there...and finally broke down and bought a couple last week. They've arrived and here is what I've been making so far!!

To start ^^^ Dracula the Vampire! I love his little red cape. :) The "hair" part I think I would do differently next time so it looks less helmet-like. As it was, I had to make it twice because the first one, following the pattern, turned out enormous and went almost over his whole head. So I ripped it out and made it smaller with my own directions.


The owl caught my eye right away when I saw it on the cover. I wanted one in bright colors, so that is why I've chosen the ones I did. The "feathers" actually go all the way around and are worked in one piece that is slipped on like a skirt and sewn into place after the body is made. I think in the future I will try doing it by making long lines of feathers and wrap it around like a shawl and leave a gap in the front, so it looks like the owl is holding his wings in front of himself around his belly. Just an idea I have in mind for the next one. :) Also the feet were kinda confusing in the directions, so I just winged it (har har) and they came out fine by me.


I think she is my favorite of the three!! She reminds me of the singing/talking flowers from Alice in Wonderland. I couldn't tell from the cover of the booklet she was on, but her head is actually bald and the flowery petal part is the front of a bonnet that slips over her head and ties on. In the photo it looked like it was all done in one, but it's not. I like that it's not because the next ones can have hair, maybe, or little things like that. :)

Great books and designs... fairly simple to follow if you already have some basic crochet knowledge, and only need to make a change or two every once in a while. She has a lot of other designs I'd like to someday get and try, too, so we'll see how that comes along!

Huge Amigurumi Stegosaurus Dinosaur (crochet)

Check out this guy!! He is about 4 day's worth of crocheting and all completed today. I was trying out a new (to our store at least) skein of 100% cotton yarn by Bernat. It is pretty much the same, in my opinion, as Sugar & Cream, but it was a great big 12 oz. skein of it....over 800 yards. So a LOT bigger than the little S&C ones. I didn't even use the full amount to make this and it is approximately 20 inches long.

The pattern was from an old Annie's Attic leaflet that features 4 dinosaurs and I lucked out and found the leaflet in a second-hand shop for $.50 the other day. Love those kinds of finds! A lot of times if you dig deep enough, you can get a lucky find that is typically either hard to find on Ebay or really pricey.

Lastly for tonight is a question...does anyone know how you can go about getting a Chinese crochet pattern book translated into English? I am fairly sure it is Chinese. It does have charts that supposedly anyone who can read it can follow even if they don't speak/read the written language the book is in... BUT I am not yet there with being able to read those charts. So I'm looking for a way to get a written pattern in English from someone who knows Chinese OR can read the chart and make a written pattern from it. :S :S Throw me an email (address in the upper right corner of this blog) and let me know any suggestions!! :D Thanks!

Amigurumi Snowy Owl and Jellyfish (crochet)

Good evening! What have I been up to today?? I made up a new jellyfish in a Sugar & Cream color called "royal crown jewels" (new to our store and I LOVE it)...and a snowy white owl!! The jellyfish is perched on top of my paper towel holder, in case you were wondering. :) I had to find somewhere to get him to hang out for a photo!

Lastly is a photo we took candidly at the Folk Life Festival over the weekend of Schnitzel & Boo's craft booth (which included some of my crafts as well). It was a lot of fun...saw every walk of life you could imagine and a lot of happy people who loved browsing our little booth. :) Good times had by all! S&B's tote bags are *amazing*, not to mention the wallets and messenger bags...she really does a great job, so if you're after any of that kind of stuff (and who doesn't love bags??) head over to her shop and check it out. I even managed to snag one for myself that I couldn't stop oogling over the whole time I was there!

Crochet and Clay Galore!!!

It's was one heck of a Memorial weekend! The Seattle Center had their Folk Life Festival which included some Urband Craft Fair vendors (of which Schnitzel & Boo were a part of) and a friend and I drove down for the day on Sunday. A nice auntie made a special request for her nephew...this penguin! So Saturday night was crunch time and I made him up to take and give her. (Her niece got a little chicken that she loves). :)



The hippo didn't make an appearance because I only just finished him up this morning. Cute as a button with stripes that are subtle and awesome!



Mr.Unicorn *did* make an appearance at the show and I don't think a single child came through who didn't spot him and play with his hair. :D hahaha



I meant to post this guy last week and never had the time. It is a seahorse in a variegated yarn that I picked because I thought the colors reminded me of the sea. A nice teal blue, coral, cream, and lighter brown...plus some peachy fins. :)



Lastly for this post...some owl beads I made using air-dry clay and then painted into little owls. They were then sprayed with a clear sealant to make them shiny and more water-proof. I am hoping to list these on Etsy before the end of the week after I get my goodies sorted a bit better. :)

BIG Amigurumi Triceratops Dinosaur (crochet)

This guy is HUGE...well, at least he is compared to all of the "normal" amigurumi toys I've made/seen. Certainly the biggest thing I've made so far! He took approximately 15 hours to finish and over 2 skeins of yarn. Seems very content hanging out in my backyard, too...now that we are actually getting a break from the rain for once!

The pattern is from a Red Heart Super Saver (yarn brand) booklet called "Crochet Animals Big & Small". There are 11 different designs for random animals. I know that you can get this book from Jo-Ann's craft store, but I'm sure it's also available at other places or online. :)