Monday, March 16, 2009

Chocolate Brown Crocheted and Felted Wool Baby Booties Mary Janes


In my ongoing crochet quest, I searched and searched for a cute pattern for baby Mary Janes.  More than 3 of my girl friends are pregnant and having girls, so I thought these would be fun shower gifts.  I finally found a pattern that I liked at Michaels, of all places, in a baby book of crochet projects.  


I had to tinker with the pattern a bit for sizing because I planned on washing the booties to "felt" them (make the fibers dense and fabric like, losing the crocheted look).  First I tried enlarging the pattern, but the resultant shoe was floppy and oddly shaped.  I finally just increased my hook size by 2 sizes and lengthened the strap a bit.  I washed the booties in ultra hot soapy water (the sanitary setting in my washer) and checked on them frequently for amount of shrinkage.  After they came out, they were so tiny!  I had to stretch and shape them up a bit, and they ended up at about a newborn to 3 month size, perfect for a baby shower.  I have yet to stitch on the velcro closure for each strap, but I anticipate that step to be pretty quick.  

If you'd like any tips, I'd be happy to share what worked best for me.  Leave me a comment on this post for further information on felting!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Easter Bunny Giveaway WINNER!

Drum roll please...... and the winner is...... Sandra from Amy Rose Designs! Thank you to everyone who visited and entered my giveaway. I especially appreciate all the excellent feedback and ideas that were given. I can't wait to come up with some designs for some of the suggestions!

Amy Rose Designs has a fabulous shop on Etsy; here are a couple of my favorite items from her shop.




Thursday, March 5, 2009

Easter Bunny Hair Clip Giveaway!



How to celebrate the coming of spring.... hmmmm.  I've been so excited that the weather has started to warm, and our yard is starting to blossom, that I've decided to do a SPRING GIVEAWAY!!  

I've participated in giveaways on other blogs before, and the process was quite fun and exciting.  Last fall I hosted a giveaway of my fall hair clip set on Steals and Deals, and also hosted a giveaway on Handmade Showcase for my Harvest Pumpkin hair clip.  

The creation I've decided to GIVE (yes! absolutely free!) is my Sweet Bunny.
The winner may choose the type of backing:  pin brooch, snap clip, or French barrette.  

Entry period is from now until 11:59 PM Sunday, March 8th.  The winner will be posted and contacted on Monday, March 9th.  

How to Enter:
1.  Visit PammyDawn and check out the creations.
2.  Leave a comment on THIS blog post telling me either your favorite item in my shop, or something you would like to see in my shop (I love making new things!).
3.  In your comment, you must leave a way for me to contact you, or your entry will not be valid.
4.  Anyone is eligible, NO purchase necessary.
5.  Any rude or inappropriate comments will not be accepted.
6.  The winner will be chosen by random number generator from mathgoodies.com.  If I am not able to contact my 1st winner, a second winner will be chosen from the remaining random numbers.
7.  After the winner is chosen and contacted, the Sweet Bunny will be mailed via USPS within 7 days.
8.  All comments are moderated by me, so expect some delay in the posting of your entry comment - it will not appear until I deem it appropriate and valid.
9.  Only one entry per person.