homespun crafting Bloghttp://www.annidaulter.comSun, 20 May 2012 05:48:14 GMTMon, 20 May 1912 05:48:14 GMTMay: May Day Flower Poucheshttp://www.annidaulter.com/may-day-flower-pouchesMon, 28 Jun 2010 10:16:19 GMTAnni Daulter

May: May day flower pouchesMay Day Pouches


THE INSPIRATION
The inspiration for this craft has European roots that stem from the great celebrations that occurred all over Europe on May 1, “May Day”.  Maypoles were decorated with streamers or ribbons, fires were lit and baskets of flowers were left on the doorknobs of neighbors. This was considered the exact half of the year and a time for celebration and honoring of the goddess. The idea for the pouches is for you have some of these pouches already prepared and then have fun secretly delivering them to the door handles of neighbors, friends and loved ones. This small act of kindness will create smiles all around town and you can feel good about handing out a little spring-time cheer!

STUFF YOU MEED

  1. Your pattern
  2. Two pieces of fabric or felt
  3. Any decorative items you want to place on your pouch
  4. Needle & matching thread
  5. Silk ribbon or wool yearn string
  6. Wild flowers for your pouch

May Day PouchHOW TO MAKE IT

  1. Trace your pattern onto two pieces of desired fabric, and cut them out.
  2. Decide if you want the front of the pouch to have any decorative sewing, extra pieces of fabric, beads or feathers on it. Be creative girls!
  3. Sew any decorations you want onto one of the pieces of fabric you have cut out.
  4. Then do a top stitch to hand sew the two pieces together.
  5. Sew on your silk ribbon or wool yarn or punch two holes with a strong hole punch and tie the ribbon on each end.
  6. Just add your flowers, a secret happy spring time note and deliver it to whomever you like!

]]>http://www.annidaulter.com/may-day-flower-pouchesApril: Homespun Felted Ballshttp://www.annidaulter.com/april-homespun-felted-ballsMon, 28 Jun 2010 10:13:27 GMTAnni DaulterApril Homespun Felted Balls

Felted BallsTHE INSPIRATION
The inspiration for these balls came from my two year old Bodhi, who likes to throw stuff! He would throw anything and everything, so I decided to make him a bunch of soft felted balls that he could feel free to throw wherever he liked. They are beautiful and have turned into a very fun experience for him and all the children in the household. We actually used these as a party favor gift at his 2 year old birthday, and the other children seemed to enjoy them as well. These are easy for most ages to make, just make sure to watch closely with the felting needle if you allow your little girl to use it, as they are sharp.

STUFF YOU NEED

  1. Natural plain wool
  2. Colored wool
  3. Dish soap
  4. Warm water
  5. Felting needle
  6. Old sock

HOW TO MAKE

  1. Get a bowl of warm soapy water and soak a piece of natural (plain color) wool, as big as your hand in the water.
  2. Start to shape the wool into a ball in your hand.
  3. Squeeze water out and continue shaping the natural colored wool in your hand in the shape of a ball. Repeat 3 or 4 times.
  4. Choose the color you want your ball, and start to add that to the natural ball by soaking it in the warm soapy water.  Put enough colored wool around the ball to cover it all.
  5. Squeeze out the ball and put in the end of an old sock. Tie the sock shut with a tight rubber band, so that the sock looks like there is a ball in the end of it.
  6. Throw the ball sock in the dryer for about 15 minutes.
  7. Take your ball out and use your felting needle to poke down loose wool and determine if you need to repeat the process again to make sure the ball is all covered with you’re your colored wool.

NOTE: The ball will get tighter the more you dry it and poke it, just depending how many times you want to repeat the process.

]]>http://www.annidaulter.com/april-homespun-felted-ballsMarch: Seasonal Gnomeshttp://www.annidaulter.com/march-seasonal-gnomesMon, 28 Jun 2010 10:11:58 GMTAnni Daulter March Seasonal GnomesSeasonal Gnomes



THE INSPIRATION
These gnomes came to life when I started making faerie houses. Lotus wanted some little creatures to play with in the house, and these were a quick and easy project that gave her an entire family of gnomes to invent games with. The felt is naturally dyed and stuffed with wool and its fun to sew on beads and other goodies to make each one special. Lotus likes to name her gnomes and gives them little personalities. Have fun with these and let your little girl practice her sewing skills. Lotus is 5 years old, and even though she may poke herself now and then, she has become a great hand-sewer.

STUFF YOU NEEDGnomes Stencil

  1. Your pattern
  2. A piece of colored felt
  3. Any decorative items you want to sew onto your gnome
  4. Needle & matching thread
  5. Colored wool

HOW TO MAKE

  1. Trace your pattern onto desired felt, and cut out.
  2. Fold in half and sew up top stitch the seams, leaving a hole for the face.
  3. Stuff the gnome with matching colored wool.
  4. Cut a small circle to fit the bottom of the gnome and sew on.
  5. Sew any decorations you want onto your gnome, maybe giving her a scarf or some fancy beads to make her special.
  6. You may consider making your gnomes seasonal by changing out the colors of felt pieces and wool.

]]>http://www.annidaulter.com/march-seasonal-gnomesJune: Handmade Scented Play-Doughhttp://www.annidaulter.com/june-handmade-scented-play-doughMon, 28 Jun 2010 04:31:31 GMTAnni DaulterTHE INSPIRATION
My daughter Lotus wanted to make play dough for her cousins this past winter solstice and because all of my kids have so much fun with dough, we thought an eco-friendly version of this would be a great gift and lots of fun for our kids. There are many places online to get natural dyes to color your play-dough and we had a lot of fun scenting ours with essential oils such as peppermint for pink, lavender for purple, grapefruit for orange, lemon for yellow, and geranium for purple. We then made tags for each one in which Lotus named them silly names and packed them in glass mason jars for storage. Have fun with this project and enjoy hours of playtime with your kids.

Scented PlaydoughSTUFF YOU NEED

  1. Natural dyes in various colors naturesflavors.com
  2. Essential oils in favorite scents
  3. Small mason jars (one for each color)
  4. 1 cup flour
  5. ½ cup salt
  6. 2 Tablespoons cooking oil
  7. 2 Tablespoons cream of tarter
  8. 1 cup of water

HOW TO MAKE IT

  1. In a pot, over medium heat, mix together flour, salt, oil, cream of tarter, and then slowly pour in water.
  2. Mix well.
  3. Roll out onto a wax paper surface and form the dough into a ball.
  4. Divide the dough into desired sized balls and use a new dye and essential oil to match for each ball of dough.
  5. Knead the color and oil into the dough.
  6. Wrap in plastic wrap to keep fresh and then store in glass mason jars.
Green Tip

If you do not want to buy dyes online try using what you have in your cabinet.
turmeric = yellow (1 teaspoon)
beets = red (4 drops or less for pink)
blueberries juice = blue (4 drops)
carrot juice = orange (4 drops)
kale = green (boiled & 6 drops)

]]>http://www.annidaulter.com/june-handmade-scented-play-dough