by VioletLeBeaux | Jun 3, 2011 | Craft, Notices
I’ve been promising to do a basic how to knit and crochet tutorial for quite a while now and here I am with the first step.
What I want to do is rather than just have the standard “how to” that you could find anywhere online is that I want to show how to actually make something useful so it’s more interactive like a big knit-a-long and by the end of the tutorial you’ve got something nice to show for it. I wanted to make something that you guys would actually like so rather than picking myself I figured we would have a poll and whatever gets the most votes is what we will make for the project ^_^
I’m not sure whether more people are interested in crochet or knitting so that’s the first section of the poll. All of these projects can easily be done with either knitting or crochet so it doesn’t matter.
These are the projects and their positives and negatives, you can cast your vote below after you read through.
#1. Striped scarf with pockets on the end.
Most beginners start with a scarf, I started making scarves for my dolls when I was 3 in England. This one is super easy but still has cute elements to make it interesting. It can be as long as you have patients for and there are pockets at the ends for your hands. Depending on the yarn and needle size you use you can make it suitable for most seasons. The downside to this one is that it does take a very long time to make, this isn’t a quick project if you are a beginner! While it’s an impressive end project it’s very tempting to not bother to finish a project like this when you get half way and realize how long you’ve been doing it!
#2. Heart face washer.
I did a brief tutorial on this one before but it wasn’t very detailed. This is very quick to make and doesn’t take much yarn so it’s cheaper too. The end product is cute too because you can use it as a wall decoration to remind you of your first project ever!
#3. Small basket
Again on the smaller and quicker side of projects so you won’t want to quit half way. This is a very little basket which can be used to hold hair accessories or trinkets. Not much yarn needed here either.
#4. Bunny Toy
Lastly we have the bunny toy which would make a really cute present for a friend or just a present for you! While it doesn’t have much actual use it’s still adorable and a good keepsake for remembering learning how to knit. Again this one doesn’t take up much yarn so is quick and cheap to knit.
All of the projects have the same skill level (they are all basically just knitting squares or rectangles) so just pick the one you like best!
Ok so please cast your vote in the poll below if you are thinking of taking part and I will do my best to come up with something easy to follow. I’m planning both video and also photos to make it easy for everyone.
and…
by VioletLeBeaux | Jun 1, 2011 | Advert, Competition
This post was sponsored by Nuffnang and Pictionary
For more information on sponsored posts please click here.
I’m an only child so growing up board games were never my favorite pastime. It’s kind of hard to play them with one or two people-me and my mum. James however has 2 siblings so he grew up loving them and his love has forced me into many a game of Scrabble!
So when Nuffnang contacted me to test out the new incarnation of Pictionary I was well… apprehensive. I’ve never played Pictionary before so I don’t really have anything to compare it to but I took it along to our romantic getaway at the Langham to see if we could have some fun. That’s what happens on romantic hotel getaways right? People play board games? Uhuh. Well this is what happened…
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     Yeah I didn’t say the extra imagination I had was actually any good…
Of course we totally read the instructions. James and I were Team Awesome and Shakespeare and the apple were Team Not As Awesome. The game was fast paced and full of smack talk. Some of the clues were very hard, we considered switching to the children’s deck of clues.
So the idea is that you roll the dice, move your piece and then pick a card. You have to draw the item on the card with the corresponding colour for your partner to guess. If you do it within the time limit you get to roll again. There are several versions of the game but this seemed the simplest to me XD
 
Unfortunately we are both very competitive with short tempers.
 
It’s all done in 60second time limits but considering we were the best, most awesome Pictionary players ever that didn’t bother us!
 
Who knows what James was trying to draw there! Try and guess in the comments if you want, I bet no one gets it mwahaha!
We would definitely never let a game effect our relationship…
    
Luckily, when you’re playing with fictional opponents you are pretty much in control of the outcome…
And we were very gracious winners.
For some reason everyone left after that… noooooooooo idea why.
 
So competition time!
Here’s what regular-people-non-scary-competitive-Pictionary is all about…
– Quick sketches and crazy guesses
– You don’t need to be Picasso to have fun! The worse you draw the more fun it is.
– You can play anywhere, anytime
– Fast-paced game of imagination, comical drawings and players’ ability to interpret them.
– It will transform your next family get together into an uproarious occasion where anyone has a winning chance.
– Kid-directed clues/cards make the game more accessible to a wider audience and levels playing field for kids ages 8+ playing with their parents
– Fun, vibrant and engaging family game play experience.
– Game play is collaborative, social and engaging for everyone involved
If you want to win your own copy of Pictionary so you can have heartwarming family moment just like ours all you need to do is guess what James was trying to draw in his picture. The winner will be selected on creativity. Click here for the Terms and Conditions.
Here’s his picture again incase you forgot:
Good luck everyone and I hope your board game experiences aren’t as traumatic as mine 😛 |
by VioletLeBeaux | May 31, 2011 | Craft, Storage/Utility-Tutorials, Tutorial
Another mini tutorial today while I try to get back into the swing of things. I started a small project last night (crochet bunny scent holder) to get me motivated to start some of the larger ones in the mean time here are photos I dug off my phone of how I lined my dresser drawer with leopard print.
The finished project:
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What you need:
- The drawer you’re planning to cover
- Pretty paper
- Clear sticky tape or thin double sided tape
- Scissors
I was able to pull my drawer out of the dresser to make things easier. |
First thing to do is measure out enough paper to cover the bottom and up all of the sides. It’s much better to overestimate and have to cut off the excess later than it is to have to try and add more so be generous with your measurements. I am using wrapping paper I found at a junk store, you can use pretty much anything including pretty fabric.
Now lay the paper over the drawer and poke the middle down until it touches the bottom. It’s easiest to start with one side and poke gently it until you can feel where the base of the drawer meets the side. Then run your fingernail or something that shape (but not sharp like a pencil) along the corner so the paper is creased into the correct shape.
Continue around the edges doing that for each one. You’ll notice there are big extra triangles of paper in each corner. Push them to one side and press flat so the crease holds.
If the pattern on your paper doesn’t match up because of the corner triangles you can unfold them and bend the creases the other way so the triangle is on the outside. Mine looked ok so I didn’t bother. Repeat until you have done all of the sides/corners and the piece of paper is the correct shape.
Now pull the paper out and place a few strips of double sided take on the bottom to prevent it all moving around. Repeat on the sides and stick everything down securely. Use the scissors (or a sharp knife if you’re careful) to slice off all of the extra so it it’s the same height as the tops of the drawer. I decided to tape around the edges to make sure it was all secure, it’s only really necessary if you think your drawer will get a lot of use.
Slot it back in and you’re done!
A quick and easy way to decorate a plain drawer! Now I’m scheming what else I can cover with the leopard print paper because I’ve got like 3m left XD
