Crafty Christmas Gifts

2018 = This year's selection for a crafty Christmas gift for all the ladies in our family (his and her sides) was a pincushion and I found the idea at YouTube on a video titled "Easy Pincushions with Jenny, Misty, and Cindy" by Missouri Star Quilt Company. I really enjoyed shopping at thrift stores for the containers and bought the Lizard Litter and some pillow filler fluff. Just a warning - the smallest bag Petco carries of Lizard Litter is a ten-pound sack of crushed walnut shells! 😁

Many of the pots were still dirty from their last use, so almost as soon as I got home with them, they got scrubbed in a warm, sudsy bath. I looked them over carefully at the store for cracks and chips and a couple of them didn't transfer home so well, so I had to touch up a couple with matching paint. All in all though, they were so cute when I finished making them. 

If you decide you have to make some too, here's what I suggest: several of the containers were deep and I stuffed the bottoms of them with plastic grocery sacks and foam packing before adding the glue around the top edges and then stuffing the pincushion bubble in and adding more glue where needed. To make the pincushion bubble,  I put the center of the fabric upside down into the top of a little cardboard tea package lid that was about 1 1/2 inch deep (you could use a custard cup or other small container), spooned in about 3 scoops of lizard litter, then drew it up into a "bubble" and stuffed pillow fluff into the opening (which will be the bottom of the pincushion), while twisting some strong crochet thread around the "neck" to tie it closed (secret: tie a slip knot first with a 3 inch tail and pull tight, then wrap the thread around the neck two or three times and tie off) and cut off the excess fabric. I used a thumbnail and a Chinese bamboo chopstick to push the pincushion pillow into the opening of several of the containers and tried to smooth them out until tight. Then I stretched a couple of large rubber-bands around the top of pincushion and the bottom of the containers to hold the pincushions in until the glue dried and set overnight. Added a couple of straight pins and a safety pin on top to finish them off. Made 25 in all and the gals had fun picking out their favorite one to take home!

If you want to see details, click on the photo to enlarge! 

Scrap Pincushion

I found this poem and it reminded me of a crocheted pincushion that my husband’s grandmother showed me how to make using scraps of yarn.

Pincushion Fancy

By Ellen Martin

It is not new, nor is it fancy;

It’s a gift from Grandma’s day,

A cushion that preserves the pins

That otherwise might stray.

It’s a resting place for needles

That kept us in repair,

And quietly reminds me of

My mother’s loving care.

To Crochet =

You will need four strips of graduating sizes to make this pincushion. A size G hook. I crochet loosely, so if you crochet tightly, use the next size up in a crochet hook.

Step 1) Measure around a thimble with a flexible measuring tape to get the approximate length of the center pincushion strip. I have three thimbles at home and I’m using the largest one – it’s approximately 2 ½” around the widest part in diameter. The strip should be three inches wide to fold in half lengthwise, so I need to crochet 13 chains to make my beginning chain (ch).

Step 2) We’re going to single-crochet (sc) all the way across the beginning chain to make the first row. Stick your hook into the second chain from hook, then grab the yarn and pull through the chain – you should have two loops on your hook, the #13 chain and the one you just pulled through. Yarn over (yo) the hook, then pull a loop through the two loops on the hook and you’ve made your first single crochet (sc). Repeat the steps until you come to the end of the first row. You should have made 12 sc. Yo and make another ch. Turn.

Step 3) Second row. We’re going to crochet all across this row in the back loops of each sc. This will make ridges or ribs in your work. If you look at the top of the row, each stitch (st) are interlocking V’s. The back part of the V is the loop we want to sc in, so sc 12 sts across row. Ch 1, turn.

Step 4) Third row & continuing rows. Sc in back loops – 12 sts in each row until piece length measures approximately 12 rows or about 2 ½ inches. To tie off, pull a 12 inch or so length of yarn through the last loop on the hook, cut through the middle of the loop, remove loose end and pull tail tight. Thread tail though a large-eyed yarn needle, grab first row alongside and whip stitch together to make a long tube. Tie off by wrapping yarn around end of needle once, pull through and weave ends back through yarn material. Fold tube over, edge to edge and you have your center of the pincushion. Insert thimble to see how it fits.

Step 5) Repeat directions (steps 1-4) for next three tubes of pincushion, making each strip 1 ½” longer. Here’s my formula for my pincushion. =

1st strip = 2 ½” x 3” (approximately 12 rows)
2nd strip = 4” x 3” (14-17 rows, depending on thickness of yarn)
3rd strip = 5 ½” x 3” (22-24 rows)
4th strip = 7” x 3” (24-30 rows).
Fold tubes in half and nest all tubes together, from smallest to biggest.

Step 6) Optional finish = Pull out a yarn strand approximately the length of your arm, cut and thread onto the needle. Starting at center of your pincushion, catch all the layers together by weaving the needle through the end stitches of each row on the back loosely, leaving a 5 or 6” tail to knot off at end. Weave the needle to the outside, then back to center in all four cardinal directions. DO NOT pull thread tightly. Return to the center and tie off. Weave short ends in and trim. Insert thimble and pins and it’s ready to go as your handy-dandy sewing helper!

favorite product list

My favorite product and tool list will be a work in progress. I may add in or delete from time to time. I do not get paid for endorsing a particular product -- these are just the ones I like and use. 

A. 
Acrylic mounts for stamps - Fiskars 
Aleene's Tack It Over and Over Glue 
Awl or craft pick (pokey tool) 

B. 

Backdrops (twin-size flat sheet, sheers, decorative shower curtain, green screen

           tarp, tablecloths)  

Backdrop Stand (a t-shaped, 3-legged stand designed to hold a backdrop curtain behind

         you while you are taping a video to dress up or hide the background) - online Walmart 

Black and White Striped Backpack. (Cross-body purses do not work with forearm crutches

        and since I need the crutches to keep me stable, I've had to go to a backpack. Would

        LOVE to have one made by Mary Engelbreit and I've suggested it at her website.

        Anyway, the backpack carries my essentials as well as my sermon notebook and the

        GRACE & Prayer card coloring sheets I hand out at church. I also like backpacks with

         zippers - they are harder for pick pockets to roam through.)

Baseball Trading Card sleeves for 3-ring binders (artist trading card storage)
Bigz Dies - Sizzix
Bookcases (storage)
Brads/Eyelets
Brayers (hard plastic for sharp creases, soft foam for paint)

C. 

Cardstock
Craft Barn (storage)

Clasp rings 
Crochet Hooks (in all sizes)
Composition Notebooks
Cutting Mat (marked in 1-inch lines)

D. 
Die-cutting Machine -- Cuddlebug! 
Document Sleeves for 3 ring binders

E. 
Elmer's Craft Bond Glue

Embossing Folders
Eye Candy and Ideas - Pinterest, Splitcoast Stampers, YouTube 
Eyelet Punch/Setter - 

F. 
Fabulous Freebies

Fibers (butcher's twine, crochet thread, embroidery thread, sewing thread, string, yarn) - Coats and Clark
Filing folder boxes (clear plastic with snap-on lids for cling mounted stamps and thin-let die

     storage)
Food packaging (recycled images and 11 pages of potential Art Dolly Dresses)
Freezer paper

G.

Glue (with a fine nozzle tip; I dislike glue sticks personally, but like them for toddler Sunday     School class crafts) - Aleene's Tacky Glue, E600, Elmer's Craft Bond

Gorilla Pod Stand (a 3-legged stand for cell phone videotaping; the legs also bend, so one can

     wrap them around a pole to video tape from an angle or moving object such as a rollator)

H. 
Homemade Glue Dots

Harbor Freight Sheet Metal Hand Punch #44060 (I haven't been able to find the tool on

     Harbor Freight's website, so perhaps it has been discontinued, so I'm going to add a photo

     of the tool. It's come in very handy, and I only paid $20.00 for it. I found a similar hand

     punch on Amazon for twice that.) 

Hefty Slider Jumbo Storage Bags, 2.5-gallon size or 14 3/8" x 16". (To hold scrapbook paper

     and all the scraps or to organize ephemera by theme)

I. 

Idea Journals (black or white 3-ring binder/spiral notebook of doodles and lists)
Ikea   RÅSHULT Utility Cart with Wheels

Ink (basic black and colors in chalk, dye, permanent and pigment) - Clearsnap/Colorbox,

      Marvy/Uchida, Ranger, Stazon/Tsukineko

Inventory Journal (3-ring binder of color charts, die shapes, punch shapes, and stamp-offs)

J.

K.

L. 
Laminator and clear plastic sheets (our old laminator jammed, so hubby took it to a repair

     shop and the cost of repair was $5.00 more than the cost of a brand new one, so we tossed

     the old one and purchased a new one. The new one has a release button.) - 

Walmart Lamp (clip-on adjustable lamp for videotaping)

M.

Magnetic bowl (holds bolts, brads, eyelets, nuts, and tiny thin-let dies) - Harbor Freight

Magnet sheets added to 8.5" x 11" tagboard (to hold thin let dies in clear file folder box

    storage)

Magnet wand (telescoping magnet for dropped brads, eyelets or tiny die pieces) - Harbor

    Freight

Markers (water-based dye and alcohol-based permanent inks) - Marvy/Uchida, Sharpies

    (See my Fabulous Freebies tab for a link to a Marvy/Uchida printable marker chart &

     coloring sheets)

Mary Engelbreit's Craft Books

Mary Engelbreit Rubber Stamps - I have purchased them from eBay, flea markets, garage

     sales, Michaels, and thrift stores.  But I just got the word (11/15/2019) that Rubber Moon

    has licensed with Mary Engelbreit to produce her stamps. YAY! You can purchase them

     from Mary Engelbreit's website. 

Masks and stencils.

Microsoft Paint & 3D Paint (came with my laptop computer.)

Microsoft Photo and Video Editor 2021. (Came with my laptop). 

Milk Crates (portable storage for pencil boxes and my Mary Engelbreit clamshell tins I use to

     store her stamps in) 

N. 

O. 

P. 
Paint (acrylic based and water-based) -- Hobby Lobby, Joann's, Michaels, Walmart
Paint brushes 
Paper (upcycled paper like homemade, Kraft sacks, prescription chemistry papers, and

     store-bought cardstock - white, colored and decorative scrapbook paper)
Paper Trimmer (cuts and scores) - Fiskars
Pencil boxes (plastic clamshell with colored flat tops for storage) 
Pencils (colored, mechanical, watercolor), my current favorites are 30 Count Crayola

     Twistables (wish they had refills)

Pill bottles (transparent bead, blade, sequin, & sponge storage, sponge daubers, etc.)
Pincushion
Plastic packaging (transparent-for homemade stencil and shaker cards)

Polaroid Zink (smart phone photo printer)
Punch Buddy
Punches (Basic shapes and a corner rounder)

Q.

R.
Ribbon (dots, chintz florals, gingham checks, and stripes in 1/4-inch-wide chiffon or woven)

Ring Light (4 settings to give your face its best glow while videotaping. Mine is a clip-

    on version connected to an adjustable cell-phone clamp for videotaping.)
Rubber embossing mat for die-machine
Rubber Stamps (cling or pre-mounted; I do not care for clear stamps)

S.

Safety or bulb pins - Tim Holtz (bulb pins)
Scissors - Tim Holtz
Sewing Machine (basic machine with zig-zag stitch) 
Sewing Needles and Pins
Sharpie Marker (fine-line, black)
Spiral notebook (purse sized product shopping trip list)
Stapler, staples and staple remover (tiny sized for attachments)
Stazon Ink Cleaner Liquid
Stencils (homemade with dies and store-bought) and Masks

T.

my best tips (post) 
tissue boxes (checks, dots, stripes, and chintz florals)

Tracing disks  (can be used not only for appliqués in quilting, but also for scrapbooking)

Twistables by Crayola (side note: Check out this crayon website by clicking here!)

U.

V.

W.
Washi tape (checks, dots, stripes, and chintz florals)
Water brush (I like the Pentel brand the best, but also have a Kitchen uretake)

Wendy Vecchi's Make Art Stay-tion magnet board by Ranger  (now I have 2 to scrapbook a

        spread on. The hinge in the middle on the back is a piece of decorative duck tape.)
White eraser

X.

Y.

YouTube's Free Audio Library (downloadable music clips and sound effects; see the

     description box below my videos for titles/artists)

Z.