Back to Boondoggle (Gimp)

Boondoggle is gimp.  I didn't know that...but when I was getting back into the gimp groove I needed some guidance as the instructional packet included with the gimp just wasn't quite cutting it and I found boondoggleman.com.  Yes, it is a man, who will very kindly go through each kind of pattern that you can make on a youtube video and also has detailed step-by-step pictures on how to make the different patterns. Here's my new collection of gimp 

I like it because it's very colorful and happy and nostalgic.  Honestly though I'm not really sure how I figured this out when I was little.  Maybe it was easier because my hands were smaller back then, but some of the patterns are kind of complicated and I had to look at multiple websites to figure it out (the internet wasn't even available back when this was popular - I seriously don't know how people figured this out back then).  This all started because I lost my car key - which I don't keep on a key chain and this drives my boyfriend crazy.  When I was looking for my car key, I looked under the refrigerator (just in case) and saw an old gimp key chain that I had made when I was in grade school (I have no idea how it got down there but I'm sure it had something to do with the cats).  Then later when Steve was telling me how crazy it is to not have a key chain, I decided that I would make a small, understated gimp key chain.  I was only half motivated to do this until I found a pack of it at Walmart for less than $6 and then I was inspired.  I started off with the design I can remember making - which is the square stitch.  

The square stitch

Actually, I can't remember doing any stitches besides this one, and I also have a strong memory of begging the child care worker at my day care to do the starting stitch for me (which is a little more complicated).  Besides being a little difficult (once again, maybe due to my ogre hands) I'm surprised that children like making these because it takes some patience, which might be why all the gimp I can find from when I was little had gaps and kinks in it.  Anyway, I decided to tackle the cobra next...

The cobra stitch

I like this stitch because it is very easy and very fast (and it looks nice).  But then I wanted to make something very special for Steve's backpack (we are becoming a completely gimped out couple - he already has a key chain) so I wanted to tackle a stitch that was the next level up - THE TWIST STITCH!  It's two circle stitches next to each other (which is just a diagonal square stitch) so I thought, can't be too hard...WRONG!  Lots of boondoggle going in every direction (not really sure if boondoggle describes the string or the product??).  This was quite tricky and my hands hurt a little when I was done, but I was pleased with the finished product.

The Twist Stitch

Now I'm practically a professional gimp stitcher!  Actually there are people out there that make crazy stuff like this...made in 2008...not in the 1990's as I would have suspected.  People are still doing this - I'm not the only one! 

Made by Yonatan

People are also making some classy jewelry out of gimp which I would love to figure out how to make.  It's the ending part that would be tricky to make look nice.  

Boondoggle is back baby!

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Coming to you from Portland

I got this idea from Pinterest.  There are no directions so I just kind of guessed what was going on in the pictures.  I don't know what that mesh stuff is, but I went to the craft store and they sell rolls of tulle for $4 - I'm pretty sure that's what it is. 

I picked some small clovers and flower petals from the garden and placed them on the eggs and then wrapped them in the tulle.  I tied the tulle in a knot, becuase I was lazy and didn't feel like sewing the end together, which made it kind of loose around the egg.  This resulted in my plant stamps not leaving a super clear print on the eggs, because some of the dye was able to get underneath them. 

Then I dyed them using brown onion peels.  I have used these before for dying and I love the natural, warm brown color it makes.

And here is the final product!  Again, my designs don't have hard lines and aren't completely white, but for something you are going to crack and throw away, I think it is reasonable to take a couple of shortcuts. 



Hearts 'n Things

Coming to you from Portland

I was inspired to get crafty for Valentine's Day after reading the February issue of Better Homes & Gardens - That is where all of these ideas came from. Click here if you want to see more ideas from BHG and get templates for these crafts.

These are just single servings of different candies/snacks that have cute little messages on them like "I Love You to Pieces" on the Reese's Pieces or "We're Mint to Be" on the York Peppermint Patty.  It was actually kind of difficult tracking down all of this candy in the perfect size to fit the templates I printed off of the website.  In the end I made some adjustments on a couple of things anyway. 

This is my favorite one: "I'm Bursting With Happiness That You're My Friend."  I just bought some little 3x3 ziplock bags to put the Starbursts in, folded the message over the top and secured it with double stick tape.

These are just large Hershey's dark chocolate bars that I wrapped in Valentine paper, ribbon and cut-outs.  Craft Warehouse had a miscellaneous package of paper cut-outs that said things like "Made With Love" and "All Love is Sweet, Given or Received."  They just added a little something extra to the design.  (Side note: Ribbon is very expensive! In order to get a variety I had to buy most of it by the yard and even that added up.)  I also bought the paper in a variety pack along with a few 12x12 sheets.  Paper is also really expensive and variety packs are usually the most cost-effective. 

I also did a few miniature Hershey bars.  After I purchased them I realized that the small ones come in plastic packages instead of paper and foil, so I had to wrap them in foil myself, but it turned out to be really easy - just like wrapping a present. 

I like this website, because it gave a lot of good ideas for things to get men for Valentine's Day which is always difficult - it's not really a holiday designed for men.  This is a homemade scratch-it and it was a lot easier to make than I thought it would be (go here for directions).  You just print off the template and write something into each of the hearts like 30 min. back massage or home-cooked dinner.  Then you trace the heart shape four times onto some contact paper ($7 a roll and I only used about 1/1000th of it! But now I will have it for a lifetime) and paint over them with two coats of a mixture of dishwashing liquid and metallic paint.  Then you just cut out the heart shapes and pull the clear part from the paper like a sticker and stick it over each of the messages you wrote in the hearts.  Add a shiny penny and you have the perfect homemade gift.

This is another easy gift for a guy.  I just went to the store and bought a nice case of beer with a red label.  Then I wrapped it in Valentine paper and velvet ribbon and added a little tag with a message. I also covered the handle with some white paper so it matched.

These are sugar cookies I made using a recipe from the website that I wrapped in cellophane and sealed with paper and ribbon.  They are not frosted, but I added some pink food coloring to the dough to make them more interesting.  All I did was cut a piece of paper to slide in behind the cookie and another one to fold over the top.  Then, using a small craft hole punch, I made two holes through the paper and cellophane and then strung a ribbon through and knotted it in the front.

Unlike Michelle I was not bombarded with Valentine's (I think I just got one from my mom and someone from work), but it really doesn't matter, because I had so much fun making everything, and I got to spend my Valentine's Day with the Trail Blazers :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

coming to you from pullman

another Valentine's Day has come and gone.  i was very pleased with my valentine's day cards this year and happened to have a great Valentine's day myself. i haven't mailed out my valentine's day cards yet, so some of you reading this can expect a card in the mail soon.  this year  i had a valentine's day card making party with Liliana.  here was our set up

things were a little more organized this year with all the tupperware - but not much.  even though i have all my craft supplies in tupperware, it's not organized within the tupperware so it still got to be quite messy.

These are all of Liliana's cards

and all of my cards!  let's break them down...

this ended up being my favorite card.  quote of the night: "does this look magical like a butterfly made it?" Liliana thought that was funny, but I was being serious :)  Anyway, some crafty people may experience this or perhaps it's just me, but sometimes i will buy things to use in crafts without having a particular project in mind, but i think that they are so pretty that i never find a project worthy of them.  well, the butterfly stickers fall into that category.  I have had them for 5 years.  it was my goal to try to use some of these "forbidden" items and I was successful!  these little hearts are from my heart punch that cuts out a big heart with a little heart punched out of the middle - that way, with each punch your get two different hearts to be crafty with; it's a good deal.

these were my "3-D" cards.  I thought that this wouldn't work at all, but my Elmer's glue turned out to be way more reliable than i had given it credit for.

these are all the cards i used stickers for.  the black letters with the white background stickers, are the kind you get at hardware stores - like to put your house number on your mailbox.  I got this, and a larger set from ACE hardware and so far I love them. they are perfectly simple.  The plain black stickers are the ones that I bought from Staples for my "I can't do this but I'm doing it anyway" project.  And the red label sticker is from my awesome DYMO label maker.  it came with 2 black roles, 1 red role, and 1 green roll of labels.  I have already gone through a whole black role.  once you get a DYMO label maker, you will find a lot of uses for it.  I got mine at Staples.

this was my card for Liliana.  I used my dinosaur paper!  (one of the "forbidden" craft supplies) 

these were the cards that i started making near the end of the night when i realized that it was getting really late, and although i love my friends, i needed to put less thought into the cards i was making them so that i could go to bed.  i really liked how they turned out.  i free-styled the hearts, which i think gave a nice quality to the overall look.  i also used some "forbidden" paper (the teal with glossy embossing).  they were perfectly imperfect and i loved them!  I have already thought of a couple of classmates that i forgot to make cards for, but hopefully all my friends know that i love them without me putting a card in their mailbox on valentine's day :)  These are the valentine's that I got this year:

plus all the valentines I got from Julie in the mail.  plus a candy valentine from Becca and Stacie that i already ate...plus a valentines cookie from Teresa.  it was a good haul this year and the most eventful Valentine's Day I have had in a while. 

Fall Minibook update - finally.

Coming to you from Pullman

I worked like a mad women into the wee hours of the morning for almost a week straight over Christmas break getting my minibook together.  it ended up being too full so i might have to break it up and it's still not quite finished.  some of the pages are incomplete and i did not complete Christmas break, but I threw in what I had.  i'm not sure how i feel about the minibook.  I think that if i had time to stay on top of it, it would be a nice little photo journal for me - it's not like i display my photos in any other fashion.  I enjoy making them, but it is a lot of work and i think the only way that I could have a second installment is if i promise myself to do it as i go.  that way it is also more meaningful as i can include thoughts in the moment.  also, i should take more vertical pictures, or make a horizontal book...word.  see the beginning of this minibook here.

i love my fold out page!

didn't quite get the half circle insert down on the first try. 

 i had more success on my next coupletries as you'll see below.

 it's hard to see, but i made a transparency!  I couldn'tfind very

 many transparencies at the craft store thati liked so i decided

 to just make my own.  this onewas "orange grid".  i made some

circle ones that arepictured at the bottom.  I really like the affect.

notice anything funky about the picture of Julie?  If you've spent a lot

of time in the Starbucks on Stadium way you might notice it.  Answer

at bottom!*

 had to put the monopoly board in there because

i worked so darn hard on it.

 unfinished "Thanksgiving Break" page

Paint by numbers Ellie!

Our Christmas card!

the minibook really encourages my hoarding tendencies.do i really

need the packaging from my christmas presents?  probably not.

i realized later that Amanda had this exact same cut-outfrom a

Burger King bag in this post.   

the "end"

---

These are the other transparencies that I made.

  I just made the design in Microsoft word, and

 then went to Staples to get them printed out on

 transparencies for pretty cheap.

Projects I'm going to start this weekend, maybe...

both from elise of course AND a new journal cover

AND maybe some other "mantra" art work...I want to

start off the semester strong!

*Answer: I inversed the picture of Julie so that it would look like we were looking at each other.