Teacup Piggy Project

This year all Kamille wanted for Christmas were 2 teacup pigs, which she was calling purse pigs.  So, I tracked them down and they were actually pretty affordable - $12.99 for the pig and it's plastic teacup.  I wanted them to be a gift from the man in red, so I needed them to have a bit more pop than just presenting naked pigs under the tree. 

Last year we did a post on upcycled dog toys.  One of the items was from a blogger who took an old suitcase and turned it into a small dog bed.  I don't have a small dog, but I still had that project in my mind because it was so cute.  So, I decided to take this old rummage sale find - a hairdryer case - $2.00 and turn it into a little bed for the piggies. 

 This project wasn't hard and had a lot of give because all of the trim covers up an little mistakes you may make.  However, it took several hours.  First, I used hot glue to put a layer of fleece on the outside of the case, top and bottom.  I wanted it to look upholstered.  Once I had the fleece on there, I trimmed away the excess.  Next, I added the fabric with more hot glue.  It is a slow process to smooth out the fabric and get it looking just right.  Use HIGH temp glue for the best results.  I then trimmed away the extra fabric.  Then I used ribbons to form a decorative band around the edges and to cover the fabric.  I also glued some trim onto the handle strap to jazz it up. 
 

 After that, I used the same ribbon trim to make some "hinges" that would hold the case open.  I added the self-sticking hooks to hold extra clothes (which are mia somewhere in Kamille's room right now) and accessories.  Finally, I filled the bottom with stuffing and then glued in the leopard fabric to make the bed.  I left enough room that she can close the case with both pigs inside and carry it around or store it.   

  I also made some outfits for the pigs.  They sell outfits that retail for about $10.00 - which is crazy.  Plus, the outfits have arms and legs.  No 3-year-old is getting the arms and legs of one of these little pigs through the sleeves of some tiny outfit.  I based my pattern on a dog coat.  It velcros under the neck and tummy.

 The final item I made was this little purse that holds both of the pigs. 

Another New Years Favorites Cleanup - 100 Crocheted Flowers

This is a great site that I stumbled upon that has a round up of over 100 free crochet patterns for crocheted flowers. 

So if you love all of those crocheted headbands and scull caps, I'm sure you will be able to find at least one great flower pattern.

They also have over 300 free crocheted toys and doll patterns like this adorable little bird:

Check out some of the other great free crochet patterns:

 
Check out some of the 150 free crocheted bag and purse patterns:

What I always try to keep in mind is that even though a pattern might look sort of ugly or outdated because of the colors, yarns, etc, it doesn't mean that I cannot make it super cute and modern with a few simple changes - like color selection, handle choices, etc. 

Twilight Purse / Backpack Charm / Locker Organizer - Great Teen Gift Ideas

This craft was my mom's idea. She saw a woman at the store with a key chain with photos of her grand kids. We decided the make some themed charms chains for the Twilight fans out there.
You need wooden tags which you can buy a package of at Joann's in the section where all of the little wooden pieces are kept. Then you cover the tags with decorative papers. I used ink the distress the edges and the papers for a more romantic feel. Then I printed up the photos and stuck them on with double stick tape. Next, I started on the jewelry part of the project. I took some chain, jump rings, and different charms and hooked everything together. These are pretty long, but you could make them much shorter. I finally fixed the three lengths of chain together with a claw hook so that it would snap onto your key chain, zipper, etc.


I had a ton of old cigar box purses laying around in the closet just waiting for me to finish them. Once I got hooked on Twilight, I knew that this was going to be the best thing to do with the boxes. I added tons are matted photos, book quotes, hearts, flowers, and lots of dazzling sparkles to the purse. I have actually made several of these up including one totally devoted to Edward.

Twilight Altered Cigar Box Purse

Then, I covered the entire front of the purse in embossing powder and baked it to give it that super shiny "dazzling" finish and infuse it with glitter. Since, I was giving it as a gift, I also made up a matching gift bag.

So, I saw someone making altered magnets and I thought that it was one of the dumbest things ever until I realized that they were making them for school lockers. So, I decided to try my hat at making a locker organizer. Here, I added magnets to the back of an altered cookie sheet. This turned out super cute. I added a mirror, matted photo of Edward & Bella, decorative papers, prima flowers, and chipboard magnets, and ribbons to hold in different papers. I think that this turned out much more useful than the plain altered magnets. You could even put this on your fridge and use it as a kitchen message center.

A Twilight Locker Organizer