Stitched 1st Birthday Card

Such a simple design - a felt "1" stitched on to fabric wrapped card, attached to a card base... But it is textural, with strong shapes and colours. I love it!

Crochet Giraffe

I think anyone who has been in the blogging world of crochet over the last 18 months has seen this giraffe pattern... Well, I too fell in love with it, and knew it would be great for my nephew's 1st Birthday :)

I often try to stay away from the pink for girls and blue for boys, and focus on fun, bright colours. I was pulled towards this colour combination, a bit wary of people's opinions... But my husband pointed out that they were actually quite appropriate for a giraffe! I just had my heart set on orange and grey.

I love how the colours worked out in the end. In fact, I just love this little guy! The temptation to keep him for myself has been strong ;) I added some cream stripes randomly into the orange and gry, and I think it breaks it up and adds some character.

I also gave him a plaited tail - I thought he needed it! When referencing this pattern I couldn't find many views of the back of him, or what he looks like stood up, so I've included these shots below:

Crochet Owl

I'm not sure when I came across the Jip the Owl pattern originally, but I found it in my crochet patterns folder on my desktop recently, and couldn't resist making it as a little gift for a friend.

Did I mention I am currently obsessed with pairing grey with bright colours? Had you guessed?!

The stitching on the owl's tummy is done with embroidery floss and a strand of sparkly thread.

The legs have pipecleaners in them to make him a bit more poseable, and the tale acts as his support.

I actually made the wings a little bigger than the pattern. The entire owl is made in double knitting wool, and I just felt the original wings were a bit too small proportionally.

 

I think he's a fine feathered friend!

Crochet Companion Cube from Portal

My husband is a fan of the video game Portal. Well, I suppose we both are really - on our wedding day we cut our cake to Still Alive! I think the idea of creating a large soft companion cube came from my husband, but it's been in progress for such a long time I can't even remember!

You can grasp an idea of the size of this companion cube from the 30cm ruler in the top photo. It is filled with two layers of chunky foam, which I think came from an old sofa cushion someone was getting rid of on Freegle!

My husband loves it, and I'm pleased with how it came out. If I was to make another one the major change would be the size of the corner pieces, as they aren't big enough to create the outer circular effect on each side, around the inner circle. But considering I made the pattern up as I went along I'm  considering it a triumph!

Felt Needle Case

When I saw this tutorial over at Sum of their Stories I couldn't resist giving it a try as a little gift for a friend.

There is a pattern with the tutorial, but it didn't quite fit my need for precision accuracy, so I drew my own. I used a 7cm square, and added half ovals to each edge to make the basic shape, and created a rectangle for the needle holder centre like the one in the tutorial.

I also added the rectangle and the button attachments before blanket stitching it all together, so that all the excess stitching would be hidden.

I really like how clean the finish is, and I love the grey against the bright turquoise. I'm a bit obsessed with grey atm! I think the only thing I might change next time is the button loop - it is 6 strands of embroidery floss, and I am concerned that over time they will split and become tangled. Having pre twisted or plaited them may have been better... But it came together quickly and affordably, and I love the finished product.

Cards with Flowers

Some more feminine card designs of late... I've enjoyed playing with some beautiful colour palettes, and layering different shapes and patterns :) And you can't have too much sparkle!

Beach in a Jar

I recently wanted a gift for a friend, which would bring the beach to her house. Thanks to my husband's hotdog obsession, I have quite a collection of these large simple jars, and they seemed ideal to fill with beachy finds.

I simply filled the jar part way with sand, which can be tipped out and played with or left inside. I collected some stones and shells from my local beaches too - these can also be played with, or arranged in the jar to create a beachy scene. The jar can be arranged upright or on it's side, and extra feathers and driftwood and anything else can be added as it is collected!

As well as bringing the beach to people who may not get out very much, these would make a great memory jar for a beach holiday, and a way to present all the little finds that beaches just seem to present to hands!