But, in my defense, I did get my masters degree in Toxicology, so it's not like I've been sitting around doing nothing.
I've actually been out crafting myself!
I'm seriously trying to hand make as many Christmas presents this year, because I am broke. So here's just sort of a montage of things that I've made.
This was a sheet that I picked up at Arc, and I cut it into one long strip so that it would act as yarn. I had this grand idea to make a cat cave a la this adorable one here. However, as I can't read foreign languages because I'm an uncultured swine, I flew by the seat of my pants and apparently used the wrong fabric. Here's how it turned out:
Flat pancake sad sack is how it turned out. But the kitten has worked out just fine.
Next I wanted to make a wreath because they're all over Pinterest, and this one is adorable.
So here's my version:
Next project was to make some coasters out of the forty thousand corks I had.
Gather materials: corks, felt, cutting utensils, coffee, phone. In the end the sharp kitchen scissors to the left of the screen turned out to be the best cutting implement.
I cut the corks in half long ways so that they would lie flat on the felt. I also laid them out in a brick pattern. I used Tacky Glue, but I'm not happy with the result because it will become a mess when condensation hits it. So I'm looking for a different glue and I might get a clear spray paint seal...haven't decided yet.
Trim the overhanging ends and ta-da! Cork coasters.
Some cute headbands I crocheted for a fundraiser. They were based off of the pattern I found here, but I made a couple modifications based on type of yarn and hook size.
Finally, I had a crafty afternoon with the fiance, and we made some cinnamon dough Christmas ornaments based on the recipe from this blog. I have to admit, I was kind of skeptical that just applesauce and cinnamon would make a dough, but it totally did, and it smells lovely! I added some Tacky glue to the mix so they're not edible, but I think they'll last a little longer. Maybe.
But you mix a cup of cinnamon with a cup of applesauce to get a doughy consistency, and then keep adding cinnamon until you're happy with it.
Roll it out, using more cinnamon to keep things from sticking. Sorry that's a terrible picture.
We had a Fleur de Lis cookie cutter, so we made a couple of those, and then used glasses to cut some circles out. We got a little obnoxious as pet parents and made the kitties contribute paw prints for cuteness. We also stamped the cut outs with buttons, plant leaves, basically whatever we could find that would be cute.
Put in the oven at 200 degrees F for at least an hour and a half. We kept ours in closer to 2 hours. Your house will smell like Christmas!
The finished product are some very cute ornaments. It's not a great picture, but you get the idea. It was super easy and I'm very satisfied with how well it worked.
I will try to update more often, because I make stuff all the time. But I might have to wait until after Christmas since some things are gifts...
If you want any of these instructions, let me know!
