Amigurumi Taiko No Tatsujin

I play taiko drums.

In our group at school, we are doing Secret Santa. Everyone likes playing a video game called "Taiko No Tatsujin", especially the girl whose name I drew for Secret Santa.

Rather than getting a stuffed animal for her online, I thought it'd be nice to crochet one (amigurumi is the art of making crocheted stuffed animals).

Here's how I made it:

crochet circle

add white border for each taiko face

winking face sewn on

with red body

I cut foam (from making chair cushions) into small pieces for filling

legs

 

<3 Mandy

Personalized Knitted Holiday Stockings

I thought it would be cute to make each of my housemates a Christmas stocking, complete with each of our initials on the ankle of the sock. I chose 2 color schemes of color-changing yarn, and used about one ball of yarn for each sock. The socks are knitted from ankle to toe (using crochet hooks because I still can't find my knitting needles).

 

 

  
 

Morgan, Amanda, Sequoia, Claire

<3 Mandy

Cable Knit Ear Warmers

I'm not a huge fan of hats, but it's nice to wear something to keep your ears warm during the winter months. I've wanted to learn how to cable knit for a long time, and I finally figured it out! I actually used 2 crochet hooks instead of knitting needles for all of the projects because I didn't know where my knitting needles were.

using an extra needle to hold the cable

front of cable

back of cable

Using some leftover fall-colored and black yarns, I knitted an ear warmer with a twist at the front (one cable). I wasn't sure how much I liked the color blocking style, and also didn't have enough yarn to make a wider headband.

I also found some leftover soft lavender yarn from another project, so I made another ear warmer with cables along the entire length of headband. My mom really likes the color purple, so I gave it to her.

Using some thick orange spice colored yarn I bought, I made another cable knit ear warmer.

 

Stay snuggly and warm this winter!
<3 Mandy

Halloween Costume: Gumball Machine

For my Halloween costume every year, I love being able to craft something myself instead of buying a pre-made costume. One of my friends gave me the idea of being a gumball machine, and I thought it would be cute and fun to make!

She told me she had seen the costume online, and that someone had glued pom poms all over a shirt and wore a red skirt with it. Another friend suggested I glue actual gumballs to a dress. I found that pom poms are more difficult the get ahold of than anticipated - I tried several stores with no luck. Online, I found that they were expensive, would not come in the mail in time, and did not come in packs large enough or in the right colors. I decided to use some leftover felt I had from other craft projects - I had several colors to use, and figured it'd be a lot easier to glue or sew onto my costume anyway.

This is how I made it:

I bought a red dress,

traced circles onto different felt colors (pink, yellow, gold, pale lavender, purple, dark green, and dark blue) to cut out,

 and sewed the circles onto my dress.

Using black and silver duct tape, I made a quarter slot and place for the gumball to come out of.

 

I also made a pair of fun dangly earrings using red pipe cleaners - I rolled one into a ball for each gumball, and attached a ball to a head pin, and attached the dangle to an earring.

The whole costume was only $5! I found the dress on sale, and already had the other materials (tape, needle and thread, and leftover felt).

 

Have a safe and spooky Halloween!
<3 Mandy

Laminated Pressed Flowers

I love flowers. And to think there's a way to preserve them for *almost* forever, of course I'd jump at the chance.

When I was 6, my parents got me a pressed-flower kit for my birthday, complete with wooden boards, tissue paper, mounting cardboard, and metal fitments. I used to go around picking flowers in the backyard, press them, and then glue the flat flowers onto cards a couple of weeks later.

Today, I still do the same thing.

Using clear contact paper, I laminated flowers from special occasions.

 

 Here are some unlaminated cards I made last year.

Picking Flowers in Galway, Ireland

Ironing flowers: the fast way to press and dry them

 

<3 Mandy

DIY Holiday Gifts

For the holiday season, or for birthdays, I always enjoy making handmade gifts for friends. I decided to make a Mason Jar Hot Chocolate Snowman for a Secret Santa gift, and a stuffed elephant ornament for my housemate who loves elephants.

Mason Jar Hot Chocolate Snowman

To make these snowmen, I got 2 small Mason Jars and filled one with hot cocoa mix and the other with marshmallows and chocolate chips. I glued the jars together. Using velvet cloth and a piece of cardboard paper that I rolled into a tube (you could also use half of a toilet paper roll), I formed a hat. I sewed fabric to the round metal piece of the Mason Jar lid so that it would look more like a hat. I used small circles of velvet to make buttons, made an orange triangle nose, and wrapped him in a striped scarf. I also glued on two googly eyes.
 

Twin Mason Jar Hot Chocolate Snowmen

♥♥♥

Stuffed Elephant Ornament

 I sketched a rough elephant shape onto cardboard to make a template, and then cut out the following pieces:
-2 light pink body
-2 light pink ears
-1 dark pink H for underside of legs
-1 light pink tail

I sewed the pieces together and filled the elephant with stuffing. I also embroidered 2 little ball eyes. 

 

Kissing Elephant  Twins

<3 Mandy