No-Slip Slippers

Since I made the moccasins for my Mimi the other day, I decided to create a few more pairs for Christmas gifts.  This time I decided to add some flower embellishments instead of fringe and beads.

It was my first time creating crochet flowers and leaves, but I think they turned out quite well. :)

With these slippers I learned a few new things and went back to fix some things on the moccasins.  For one, I wanted to add an inner sole, so I bought some simple insoles and sewed them in.  It added a little extra cushioning, and made them look a little more professional.

I also decided to give the slippers a no-slip bottom for safety.  The last thing in the world I'd want is for my sweet little Mimi to be wearing these and slip and hurt herself, so I did some research online to find a good solution.  I read lots of suggestions and watched a few YouTube videos, and I ended up combining several things to create my own method.

I think what I did turned out well, so I decided to share it with you guys in case anyone wants to create no-slip or non-skid crochet or knit slippers.  

Lots of people online suggested a product called Plastidip.  It's original purpose was to make the handles of tools non-slip, but many people have begun to use it in the crafting world.  

However, no one gave a really successful step-by-step tutorial.  I watched one YouTube video in which the woman slopped the stuff on with a spatula and it looked like a big mess, but seemed functional in the end.  I thought it was worth a try, but I wanted to tweak her method a bit.

First I traced my foot on some foam board and cut it out.  When inserted into the slipper, it helped keep the surface stretched and flat so the surface was easy to coat.

Next, I made a template or stencil for the no-slip area on the bottom of the slippers out of cardstock paper.  I did a simple slender foot shape, but you could easily to hearts or dots or paw prints or anything else you could dream up as long as you have the patience to cut the shapes out.  

On a covered work space, I attached the stencils to the slipper bottoms with a few small circles of tape.  Then, I used an old paint brush (old or cheap paint brushes are essential because it will RUIN the brush)  to paint within the stencil.

I painted one coat, waited thirty minutes, and then painted another semi-thick coat.

Four hours later, the slippers were ready to use with their new no-slip bottoms.

Hope this helps someone to make some fabulous non-skid slippers. :)

Moccasins for Mimi

I just finished another Christmas gift, and this one I can share with you.  I made some crochet moccasins for my sweet Mimi (my mom's mom).  Since she doesn't have a computer or the internet, I thought it would be okay to show you guys her gift before Christmas... so don't tell her! :)

Mimi isn't able to get outside very much, so my normal crochet hats and scarves wouldn't be a very good gift for her.  She does enjoy watching TV in her comfy chair, though, and she's usually wearing cozy socks or slippers while doing so.  With that in mind, I decided to branch out a little and try something different.  I decided to make some booties/slippers.

I hopped on over to my favorite crochet resource Ravelry.com, and I found a great pattern.  I wasn't sure when I decided to try it, but now I'm thinking it turned out quite well. After completing the crochet pattern, I thought it needed a little something extra, so I added the beads as a final touch.  Pretty soon, I might experiment some more and make myself a pair to lounge around in. 

What do you guys think?  A good present for a grandmother?

In the Holiday Spirit

I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting more excited about Christmas by the minute.  I've almost finished my Christmas shopping, I'm gearing up to go home for a couple of weeks, and I've put up a few Christmas decorations here in Hawaii.  

I must admit that I get a little jealous of all my friends back home with houses they own and big beautiful Christmas trees.  In our little temporary home here in Hawaii, I can't have a big tree like I really want.  Mine is just a little three foot tree that sits on a table.  I try to make the most of it though... lots of glitter and lots of sparkle!

I also added a little color outside my house by putting some lights around my door.  It makes me smile every evening when I come home.  :)

What about you guys?  Do you have a big tree, a little tree, a live tree, a pink tree?  Lights on your house?  What decorations put you in the Christmas spirit?

New Artwork!

Hello all!  I've been busy continuing to work on my Christmas gifts, and I've also finally completed a pet portrait that a friend asked me to do.  I thought I'd share it with you guys today. 

I felt so honored when I was asked to do this.  This special dog recently lost her battle with cancer, and my friend wanted to give her owners a portrait as a gift.  As soon as I received the photo to work from, I knew that Roxie had been a special dog.  Her eyes seemed to smile, and she looked so happy to have been splashing in the water at the beach.  

I hope her owners like it and will always be reminded of her sweet spirit.

What do you guys think?

Hectic Holidays

I'm back. :)  I had to take a little break for a while.  

For the past week I've found myself super involved in making Christmas gifts for people, which left very few fun/interesting things for me to share.  I also found myself needing to take a break to enjoy my time with Kent while he had a week off for Thanksgiving.  

I'm still not quite finished with my gift making, but I'm much closer than I was, and I enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving here.  It was just about as good as it could get without my family close by.  I cooked my family's traditional Thanksgiving spread all by myself.  It was my first time making my Mimi's famed dressing, and it turned out pretty darn good, even if I do say so myself. We also had baked macaroni and cheese, sweet potato souffle, a congealed strawberry salad, green bean casserole, turkey, and deviled eggs. Needless to say, I was very busy in the kitchen for a few days.  

Despite the break, it seems to be that time of year where everything speeds up for me... hence my sporadic posting over the past couple of weeks.  Does that happen to you guys?  You try so hard to enjoy yourself, not get into the hustle and bustle, and get things done ahead of time, yet somehow you feel yourself getting stressed for no reason.  I'm not sure why it happens, but it does every year.  This year I'm trying to just go with the flow.  I want to finish my projects that are gifts, and not get myself too worried that I'm forgetting something.  The important thing to me is being with family.  That means more than anything.  

On that note, my mom called me the other day and wanted a picture from me and Kent for the family's yearly Christmas card.  Now I like taking photos, but I don't care as much for being in them... especially when I have to coordinate with Kent and his ever-changing repertoire of unknowingly ridiculous faces and stances.  Thankfully, his brother is still staying with us, so he was gracious enough to play photographer and take about a million 500 pictures for us.  

It took us a while...

But we finally got one that would work. :)

Hope you guys have a great week!  (And I hope you're not stressing about the holidays just yet.)

New Project! Jewelry Holder from an Old Drawer

I'm so excited to show you guys me newest project!

It's a jewelry holder made out of an old drawer.

I had some drawers left from a coffee table I found on the side of the road and tried to save.  The table had been the target of little kid crayon attacks, and it was to the extent that I couldn't sand it all off, I couldn't prime it to cover it-- even with Kilz, and no matter what I did the paint seeped through.  I gave it to Kent so he could take some of the wood or do whatever with it, but I took the drawers.

The inside was already painted from when I attempted to save the coffee table.

I went to Home Depot and spent $7 on enough trim to go around the drawer, and then I asked Kent to pretty please cut it so that it made a sort of frame around drawer. (I didn't get a photo as soon as he finished. I was too excited to start painting it.)

Once the trim was in place, I painted the frame and the sides of the drawer.

I wanted the back drop of the jewelry holder to match my room, so I went to the craft store and picked up a few pieces of matching scrapbook paper for about $2.

I already had Mod Podge and paint brushes, so I got to work creating the back drop. 

I'm not ashamed to say that my first attempt turned out pretty terrible.  The paper bubbled and just didn't look right, so I turned to YouTube for hints on how to do it better.

I found this tutorial, and when I followed her directions, it turned out perfectly.

This is what it looked like when I was in the process.

When the Mod Podge was completely dry, it was time to add hooks and wires where I would be hanging my jewelry.  I already had these things laying around, so it was no extra cost. 

I used small hook screws on the inside of the drawer, and I attached twisted wire across from one screw to another as a place to hang earrings.

When I finished with the inside, I decided to add a few larger hooks on the outside of the drawer so I could hang necklaces and bracelets.  

With everything painted, the backdrop finished, and the hooks in place, it was time to hang my jewelry.

I think it turned out quite well.  :)  I'm super happy that I can now see my jewelry and remember what I have.  What do you guys think?  Have any old drawers that you might repurpose now?

Thankful for the Small Things

I've not been writing much this week because I really didn't have a lot to say.  It seems that with the holidays drawing closer I've found myself in more of a homesick funk than usual.  I don't seem to want to do much of anything, and when that happens, I usually don't have much to share.  In an effort to remind myself of the good things around me and the things I'm thankful for, I've decided to name a few of the highlights of my week... however small they might be.

1.  I finally got a wonderful beach morning the other day.  It was raining at our house, but Kent didn't have to go into work until later, and his brother who is staying with us for a while didn't have to work either, so we ventured out to try to find a beach with sunshine.  When we found one, I sat by the water reading a total "fluff" book for several hours while the guys spear fished.  It was glorious.

2.  I've been experimenting with lots of fun, easy recipes in the past week, and I've had some success.  We've had lots of yummy foods... everything from Lone Star Enchiladas to Buffalo Sloppy Joe's to breakfast quiches.

3.  Kent was finally able to help me with a jewelry holder project that I've been planning for several weeks now.  It's suuuper close to being finished, so maybe I'll be able to share it tomorrow.

4.  I had a fabulous morning run yesterday.  It started raining on me halfway through, but it only made it all the more wonderful.  The sunshine was still peeking through the rain clouds, the warm Hawaii air was all around me, a nice breeze was blowing, and the cool raindrops were hitting my skin as I hit the pavement with my new favorite barefoot running shoes.  It was a very free feeling, and to top it off, I was blessed with an exquisite rainbow.  I only had my cell phone camera, so the photo doesn't do it justice.  It's just proof that it was there.

5.  This one might sound corny, but I don't think it ever hurts to be reminded of it.  My furry guys Murphy and Duke love me.  It never fails.  Even if I only run down to the mini-mart for 15 minutes to pick up an ingredient I forgot, they are as happy to see me as if I'd been gone a year.  It never gets old to me.

One more thing I'm thankful for today and every day is this country's veterans, those who currently serve, and their families.  Their sacrifices enable all the things I'm so thankful for in this wonderful life.

Hope everyone had a great week, and hopefully I'll have a cool project to share with you in the next couple of days. :)