Tiffany Turtle

This fun project is brought to you by my newest discovery of Bernat’s Velvet yarn line. Oh my goodness, I can’t resist a soft yarn (as you probably noted from prior posts!) and this yarn line is irresistible! I had bought some originally for velvet pumpkins (check out my real stem pumpkin post to try your hand at some: Real Stem Pumpkins ) and had a bit leftover. I immediately thought of a turtle shell due to the natural green color. I’m always a fan of something huggable, and while turtles themselves aren’t very huggable, this one sure is! Meet Tiffany the turtle. She’ll make the perfect best friend for anyone you know who loves turtles!

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Face Scrubbies/Pads

Need a quick gift idea and want to keep it handmade? Face scrubbies are perfect! These work up so fast and are a great addition to any gift bag or basket. All it takes is a few minutes and 100% cotton yarn!

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Mermaid Doll

As a fellow crocheter I’m sure any one of you reading this can certainly relate to the dreaded yarn overflow problem. If you’re anything like me, you collect yarn compulsively. Currently I have at least five bins of yarn in my basement. I use yarn out of each bin, but always there’s that one dedicated bin for novelty yarns that I admittedly do not use as much as I should. I fall in love with a color/color combo of yarn, find endless amounts of clearance yarn, or am gifted yarn by someone else with good intentions. I swear to myself I’ll eventually get to using those beautiful yarns, but always they end up in the novelty yarn bin. As I was going through my yarn the other day I came across many types of yarns I oooohed and ahhhhhed over, swearing yet again that I would pick them up and find purpose for them. This project was meant to be exactly that. A purpose for at least one skein of the forgotten novelty yarn.

This beautiful rainbow yarn was meant to be mermaid hair. Am I wrong?

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Theodore the Super Soft Teddy Bear

My first best friend was my beloved light brown teddy bear named Teddy, gifted to me by my late Nana. As a child I remember Teddy tagging along with me everywhere. He went on every wild adventure my little mind could come up with and protected me from all of the evil monsters under my bed every single night. There was such a deep comfort in holding Teddy in my arms, one I can still recall to this day each and every time I pick up a teddy bear. I always wonder if each bear I see will provide a child with as much happiness as my own Teddy brought me…  I feel like all teddy bears are made to have a story of their own. Being a creator of toys, I figured it was definitely time to try my hand at a good old fashioned teddy bear pattern. After all, handmade toys get to have the best stories of all!  Continue reading Theodore the Super Soft Teddy Bear

Adventure Time BMO Doll

One of my favorite things about working the farmers market each summer are the many people I get to interact with and meet. People of all ages pop into my booth, most with something to add to my day. Many times there are compliments over my work. Other times there is kind critique, much that I take in thoughtfully to improve designs, set up, etc. My favorites though are always the ones who come in and decide to ask for a custom request. I absolutely love custom requests. They always tell so much about a person! What their interests are, why they are gifting a certain item to another close friend… That one little inside joke you’re let in on. The gift that says more about their love language or that little plushie that acts as a special comfort tool. All custom requests are fun for me. I have yet to find one that hasn’t inspired me in one way or another.

One day last summer a teenage boy nervously approached my booth asking me to make this Adventure Time BMO doll. He was so shy. His body language seemingly shouted, “Will she think I’m weird asking for this doll???” I didn’t. Everybody has their own interests and I knew some of mine were a lot crazier than that of an Adventure Time fan! Ha! The biggest thing understood though was how it felt to be a fan of something, and wanting something to deeply reflect on said interest.

Naturally I was enthusiastic to take on the challenge. I knew BMO wasn’t going to be the easiest to make and would require a lot of pieces, but I was determined to make it work. I really wanted to make a fan of the show happy, so I got to work. In less than a week a pattern was written out and BMO was finished. The teenage boy met me at my booth bright and early that weekend for his BMO doll and he was no longer nervous but elated with joy over my creation. His grin could be seen from miles away! He kept in touch with me after that and enthusiastically rattled off multiple other fan favorites I could create in the future. Anytime I can bring a nervous kid out of his shell is such an awesome feeling! The best part of crocheting is giving away the creation and seeing the happiness it brings.

And so here today I offer the totally free Adventure Time BMO pattern so that it can be passed on and shared with other fans of the show!

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Potted Crochet Flowers

Spring weather is finally upon us and I just can’t wait to get my hands in the dirt and plant some flowers! It’s always a favorite time of year for my family and me. We spend countless hours shopping around for the perfect plants to make our backyard colorful and full of life.  Roses, succulents, lilies, daffodils, tulips… We love them all! My personal favorite are always the lilacs filling my yard with their brilliant perfume. Oh how I can’t wait for those to bloom!

Unfortunately for me, however, I have no true green thumb. Actually, if we’re being honest, I’m pretty much the worst gardener ever. I try as hard as I can each year, but always fail. Vegetable gardens produce pathetic produce, if any. Once flourishing flower arrangements droop down into brown, dried, root-rotted sadness. My hopeful succulent gardens? Even they shrivel up and die, though I do proudly admit that I’ve had the same window sill cactus for two years now! So perhaps there is hope!

For now though, I’ve found a better alternative than that of continuing to kill perfectly healthy live plants. If I have no luck growing them, why not create something on my own that can outlast any real plant? And so came forth the idea of these potted crochet flowers! Something that can keep my home cheerful and push forth celebratory feelings of the new spring season,  and also something I can’t kill! My very own potted crochet flowers.

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Dish Scrubbies

Dish scrubbies. Such a simple cleaning item, but oh so underrated. It was my first year working at our local farmer’s market that I discovered not only the convenience of being able to create my own household cleaning item, but also how absolutely AWESOME the crochet dish scrubber is. Seriously, crochet dish scrubbies are AMAZING. Not only is it something that works up insanely quickly, but it is LONG-LASTING in your kitchen, EFFECTIVE at cleaning, and totally capable of being RE-USED. If it starts to smell funky, just toss it in the dishwasher/washing machine and it’s ready to go, BRAND NEW, once again! I could go on and on about these, but how about I just pass on the knowledge someone else gave to me instead?  Continue reading Dish Scrubbies

Creepy Eyeball Hat

As each day draws Halloween closer I find myself absolutely obsessed with the aisles and aisles of spooky props in all of the department stores near my home. My house is decorated top to bottom with spooky skeletons, haunted houses, pumpkins, and more! Not only must the house be dressed up, however, but people too! That’s why I created this simple beanie. It’s fully functional to keep you warm during those chilly fall days, but also has a bit of a creepy vibe to it! So without further ado… The Creepy Eyeball Hat.  Continue reading Creepy Eyeball Hat

My Crawly The Spider

It’s finally October!!! Yay for the first day! And because it’s October it’s officially HALLOWEEN MONTH!!!! Can you tell Halloween is big in this household? Seriously, for me, Halloween officially begins September 1st. Heck, I’m creating little Halloween projects in July! The main thing here though is to note that my family and I absolutely love and adore all things Halloween. My kiddos have especially taken on this extreme excitement over the best time of the year. And because of this Mr. Crawly the crochet spider was born.  Continue reading My Crawly The Spider

Football Hat

With fall officially here and weather starting to chill, many of you will need something to keep cozy with as you watch your favorite teams this football season! Whether it be NFL or your local school event, these hats are perfect for any chilly autumn evening! Personalize them to fit your team’s colors for extra cheer!  Continue reading Football Hat