cherishables: 2013

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Sunshine Birds

As promised, here's a picture of the little birds that will make their debut at the Rancocas Woods show this Saturday (April 27th.)

Pattern by Bunny Mummy.

Colorful granny circles made in to little birds. If you follow the link, you'll see the original pattern calls for wings cut from felt. I decided to crochet my wings, just to be different.

Here's a picture of the display:

I collect enamelware, so I have a lot around the house. I thought this enamelware milk bucket would be perfect!

These little cuties aren't online yet and, for now, will only be available at the Rancocas Woods show.

Hope to see you there!

Happy Crafting,
Cherish

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Hootie

This Saturday (April 27th) is my first outdoor show of the year and it's at Rancocas Woods. It's pretty busy around here, trying to get all the last-minute stuff done. Trying out the new tables. (Yay!) Laundering the tablecloths. Making signs and price tags -- all that kind of stuff.

And also finishing up new items. Tomorrow I should have some new little birds to show you. Today, it's owls.

A whole basket full!

This adorable pattern is by Bunny Mummy.

Each is crochet in cotton and has a hanger. I'm not offering these online just yet, but they will be at the show this weekend.

If you're in the area, do come by. It's a great show & full of really fantastic crafts. If you do come, stop by my tent and mention this post to receive 10% off your purchase.

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Friday, April 19, 2013

Flower Pattern - Sunflower

Who doesn't love the big, sunny face of a sunflower?

This free pattern from the UK Yarn company, Coats Crafts UK, nails it!

Happy Crafting!

Cherish

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Flower Pattern - Poppy

Here's one of my own patterns. I featured this one last year and I think it's good enough to mention during flower week. It's my version of a poppy.

I originally posted this as a tutorial on how to read a pattern. You can get the free pattern here.

Happy Crafting!

Cherish

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Flower Pattern - Zinnia

Aren't these pretty?

Photo by Wind Rose Fiber Studio.

This is a lovely pattern for a zinnia that works up quickly. It's quite simple to memorize, so you could make lots of these on the go or watching TV. Get the free pattern from Wind Rose Fiber Studio.

Happy Crafting!

Cherish

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Flower Pattern - Rose

Since it's Spring, and everything is in bloom, I thought it would be a fun idea to have a flower theme this week. If you follow along for the rest of the week, you could have a pretty bouquet in a few days.

Let's start off the week with a rose. I've made rolled roses, mostly from wool so I could felt them. They're easy to make and the end result is very cute. This pattern takes roses to a whole new level. I've not yet tried this and can't wait to get started.

Picture by http://www.duitang.com.

Isn't that amazing?!? Absolutely stunning!

The best part is, the pattern is free from duitang.com for those that can read a chart. I need to brush up on my chart-reading skills and this looks the perfect pattern for that endeavor.

Another new pattern tomorrow....

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Monday, April 15, 2013

Crochet Rug

Crochet often takes a backseat to knitting, as some people seem to have a bias against crochet. I have my guesses why, though I won't state them here because I want my blog to be a happy place and there's no room for mudslinging here.

It warms my heart when I see beautiful crochet that people really appreciate. Here's one such item:

Picture from Creative Jewish Mom

Created as a rug, this pattern could very easily transition to a doily, table topper or bedspread just by changing the material and hook size.

The pattern is available for free from Creative Jewish Mom. Click on over for your copy. I think I'm going to make mine a table topper. This would be so pretty in the summer.

Happy Crafting!

Cherish

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Gardening - Insect Repelling Plants

I live in NJ. Some would say Mosquito Capital of the World. So, I'm always looking for better ways to control these bugs. Ideally, I would like to have chickens, but hubby says no. We do spray the yard before parties and picnics and offer a variety of chemical & non-chemical repellents. I'm always looking for a better, less expensive, and less chemical alternative.

Last year I had a single citronella plant in a pot. It worked pretty well and smelled nice. This year I'm thinking a lot more plants on the deck and planting some around the deck as well. Here's a link to a great article about plants that repel mosquitoes.

Picture by Awesome Home Pins

Non-toxic and pretty. What more could I ask for?!?

Happy Crafting!

Cherish

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Getting Ready for Summer

Now that Spring is finally here (we'll pretend it's not back down to 46 degrees today!) I've got my sights set on warmer weather & Saturday night cocktail parties.

These fruit coasters are the perfect accompaniment to a fruity summer libations.

Get the free pattern from Repeat Crafter Me.

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Friday, April 12, 2013

Neon Yarn

I see that Lion Brand has recently released neon colors of their very popular Hometown USA yarn. Have any of you tried neon colored yarns recently? I would love to hear your experiences.

The closest I've come is making a ruffled scarf in the Starbella Yarn color "Go Fly a Kite." Here's a picture:

Personally, I love the colors of this yarn. I find them very fun to look at and I loved watching the colors come together while I was making the yarn.

I found this example on Pinterest:

This beautiful work is by anri knits.

I love the idea of tempering neon with neutral. I believe the neon is hand-dyed yarn, so I don't know if you can find this lighter weight yarn "out in the world." If you do see it, please let me know. I would love to try & I'm definitely keeping my eye out.

As always, if you've tried some of these new colors I would love to hear your experiences. If you're so inclined, I would be happy to share your work on this site. You're welcome to email me at cherishablesnj <at symbol> gmail <dot> com.

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Finishing Techniques - Blocking a Granny Square

Hi Everyone!

As part of my vow to be a better blogger, I wanted to share some things I've found on the interwebs that I thought might be helpful to others. Usually I "pin" these kinds of things on Pinterest (you're welcome to follow me there -- there should be a button on the right) and I also wanted to add them to my blog for easy access and tagging.

If you make granny squares, and they have become very popular lately, then you'll love this tip on spray blocking a granny square, originally published by Crochet Me. If you've blocked before, you're probably used to wetting an item & pinning it. The big difference here is pinning before wetting the item. I like this technique because the squares don't get as wet as they normally would so, theoretically, they shouldn't take very long to dry.

I would love to hear your experiences with this technique or any other blocking technique. Looking forward to reading your comments.

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

To Pay or Not To Pay -- That is the question

I love to try new patterns and I'm always on the look-out for the next thing to make. While I do use a fair number of free patterns, I've been known to scroll through pages & pages of patterns on pay sites like Ravelry & Etsy. Some of my favorite patterns are ones I've paid for.

I'm interested to know if people pay for patterns or get most patterns for free and I hope this sparks a discussion. A little later on, I'll list some of my favorite sites for patterns.

Happy crafting!
Cherish

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Going Granny

I confess. I like granny squares. I know, I know. In my defense, I always strive to keep crochet moving forward. I'm all about "not your grandmother's crochet" crochet.

So, how do you make a granny square fresh & interesting? This was my attempt last year:

This bag was made for my Mom and each square was carefully planned out. Too bad I messed up the square alignment on the sides. Oh well. Only I would really know and it's still pretty.

Here are some ideas I pinned from the interwebs to keep those grannies fashion forward.

How about one big square turned into a purse?

From La ventana azul

Lots of pretty hex grannies make a fun purse or afghan.

From Facile Cecile

This is a pretty idea. Fancy grannies, each one different, but in a single color yarn. Lovely!

By Mit Hand und Herz

I'm really loving the first & last options. Which one to try first????

Happy Crafting!

Cherish

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Going International

I'm a bad blogger. I know and I'm sorry. I will make a better effort to blog at least once a week and my goal is to get to every other day.

Part of it is because there are only so many hours in a day and it's just me trying to make a go of this business. But that's a really bad excuse. There's no reason I can't find a few minutes to talk to you each day.

Here's part of the reason I've been so busy.

Pattern by kristinaskrochet.50webs.com.

I just love making this bag! Let's take a look at it up close, shall we?

Here's a close-up of the wooden button and button loop. You can also get an idea of the stitches. I think the button coordinates perfectly with the off-white yarn.

Here's a closer look at the handles. Don't they go well with the button & the overall look of the purse?

I just love the lining I selected for this bag. It's bold and fun, but on a light background so the purse contents are easy to find. I saw this fabric during a weekend trip to the fabric store and had to buy it!

This picture shows how I attach the lining.

If you turn the purse inside-out & the lining right-side out, then you can sew it easier. Once the lining is in place, turn the whole thing inside-out & voila! Perfectly placed lining. Isn't this fabric the cat's pajamas? Dreamy. /sigh

Here's one last look at the finished purse.

It's now on it's way to Greece (that's how the title ties in) and I really hope it's new owner loves her as much as I loved making her.

If you would like to commission your own basketweave purse, take a look at my Etsy listing where you can check out the colors & handle options.

Thanks for looking and....

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Sunday, February 24, 2013

First Spring Craft Fair of 2013

My first Spring craft show is quickly approaching. Cherishables will be at the St. Gregory the Great Academy Spring Craft show on Saturday, March 2nd. St. Greg's is in Hamilton Square, NJ. This is a well-established show with terrific crafters and artists.

I will have some of my regular favorites like flower pins

and felted purses.

I will also have some new items such as Easter corsages

and yarn wreathes.

If you're local, I hope you'll come on out and stop by my table to say "hi!"

Click here for the address/directions.

Happy Crafting!
Cherish

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Spring Wreaths

You've probably seen yarn-wrapped wreaths around on the interwebs. I thought I would try my hand at them. It's fun to put them together, though I wish the yarn wrapping went faster. :-)

The flower and circle embellishments are all handmade by me. These are making their debut at the St. Gregory the Great Academy Spring Craft Fair on Saturday, March 2nd.

Blue with little chick

Moss green with flowers

Light blue with Easter egg

Tan with green bird

Pink with Easter egg (I've since added more embellishments)

Lavender with bunny

Leaf green with bunny

I love making these and can see me making even more. Probably at least 2 more for the March show. If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by my table.

Happy Crafting!

Cherish

Friday, February 1, 2013

Winter Sale

Enter code WINTERSALE into your Etsy shopping cart to receive and additional 20% off my entire Etsy shop -- including already reduced items!

Friday, January 18, 2013

It's really is a good thing

Happy New Year! I've been a very bad blogger and I'm resolving to post more in 2013. So you will see more of things I'm working on or thinking about. I'm also hoping to post some things that I find helpful in every day life. This is one of those tips.

I've often drooled longingly over the photos and tutorials in Martha Stewart Living or on the online site. Some I can do (like the pipe cleaner ornaments -- they're fab!) and some are just a pipe dream. Actually, most are just a pipe dream. But this is one tip that is so very, very simple and it really does work -- create a template, which you can insert into envelopes so that your written addresses are perfectly straight. So easy and you probably have everything you need right around the house.

What you need:
3x5 index card
Sharpie or some other bold, but sharp, felt-tip marker (black is best, but any dark color will work)
ruler

That's it!

Take a standard 3x5 index card and use a Sharpie and a ruler to follow 4 lines on the card:

Now stick it into your envelope, press down on the paper and you'll be able to follow the bolded lines when addressing envelopes:

This won't work for really thick envelopes, but it works for most of the cards you buy in a store and for most boxed Christmas cards. One tip: when you insert this card into an envelope, make sure it goes all the way to the bottom and into the right-hand corner. That way the straight lines you're following really are straight.

I didn't take any pictures of a finished envelope because I didn't want to kill any tree with a fake address. But try it yourself. If you're one of the millions of people who write on a slant, this will help. If you care about this sort of thing. I like it when my envelopes are nice and neat, so I find this to be a very helpful tip & one I use fairly often. I keep the address guide with my stamps, so it's always on hand.

I hope you find this useful. :-)

Happy crafting!
Cherish