(Mom took some of these pictures. :-) )
Hand Designed Beaded Magnets
The shapes I chose were ladybug, butterfly, flower, and heart. Mom chose the colors. The magnets are about 3 1/2 inches across and are made with two types of beads. The larger beads used were acrylic faceted beads (4mm, I think), and the smaller beads are glass seed beads.
I will post pictures of these magnets (with prices) on the product galleries page. I'm asking $8 each. I can also make smaller ones as brooch pins or pendants. These will be $5 apiece.
Toilet Paper Bowl
This was the fun project for the week. And it was made from, of all things, toilet paper! I tore pieces of toilet paper off the roll and placed them in a metal mixing bowl. Added some boiling water and waited for the toilet paper to partially disintegrate. Then I poured them in my plastic craft mixing bowl and added some glue. Not sure how much, just some. :-) Also added some neon pink food coloring.
Next I turned a metal colander upside down and then covered it with plastic wrap. Carefully, I squeezed some of the water/glue mixture out of the toilet paper pulp and then patted it down around the colander. I tried it on the outside of the colander first but it wouldn't keep its shape so decided to switch and go with the inside of the colander. That worked much better.
The next step was waiting for it to dry. This took days, in spite of using the oven. Because the days were chilly, it was a good time to do an oven project. This bowl was baked on a metal cookie sheet (from Dollar Tree) in the oven at 200 degrees for about 2 or 3 hours on three different days. It took several days for the bowl to dry. When it was finally dry, it was covered with a coat of ModPode, followed by a coat of Tulip sparkle fabric paint, and finally, a coat of indoor/outdoor craft varnish. I think I will use it for storing some small craft supply items.
The green balls you see in the picture of the bowl were small foam balls that I painted shiny, sparkly green. I needed balls like that for a spring project. Since I couldn't find any, I decided to paint some.
Baby Blanket
This baby blanket was so fun to make! It was made from two small skeins of brightly colored variegated yarn. The colors include green, yellow, pink, and orange. This is a small baby blanket -- about 22" by 26". It would work great as a doll baby blanket or a blanket for a small baby. It is available for sale and a picture is on the Products Gallery page. My usual price for baby blankets is $20 and up. However, since this baby blanket is smaller, the price is $18. I cannot make a duplicate at this time because I do not know where to find more yarn like this. Yarn used is Red Heart acrylic. Not sure which kind exactly, but it is softer than the Red Heart Super Saver yarn. Mom helped me think of a name for the baby blanket -- Ribbon Candy Baby Blanket.
I found it a little odd because it looks like there is a strip added to the center of the baby blanket and like the top third has a slightly different design than the bottom of the blanket. However, a simple shell stitch was used throughout with no variation in the stitch pattern. The design just adds to the uniqueness of it.
Small and Mini Crochet Bags
My scrap-buster of the week!
The bigger bag measures approximately 6" by 6". The smaller bag is about 5" tall by 4" wide. These are unlined and made with single crochet stitch. They are good for most items, including small items (although very small or skinny items might slip through). These don't have a handle, but I can add a handle for an extra $1. The fun buttons I purchased at WalMart. They used to be found in the craft department, but our local WalMart moved them to the buttons section of the sewing department. If you enjoy using unique buttons, some WalMarts will have quite a variety of them in either their craft or sewing departments.