Pincushion, Class Prep, and Soda Tab Chain

Yesterday while my friend and her 2 daughters were over at my house, I showed them how to make a bottle cap pincushion.  One of them was having a few friends for a sleepover tonight and she wanted a simple craft project to do with them.  I wonder if they made some.  

I finished sanding 31 cardboard tubes for my class tomorrow, and I counted all of my soda tabs to make sure that I had enough.  I'm teaching 26 teens and tweens how to make cardboard mailing tube bangles and soda tab bracelets tomorrow.  The tabs in the chick paint can are all the large tabs that I have.  I didn't expect to have that many large ones.

This is a soda tab project that I have been working on.  I think that it looks like a bike chain.

4th of July Weekend

Sunday I finished knitting a 2nd iPhone hoodie, this time with worsted weight yarn.  I like this one better, even though it isn't as pretty.

I also finished sanding the 24 cardboard tubes that I had cut for my bangle class.  This is the parts that I had to peel off before sanding.  A friend came over today while I was sawing a 2nd tube.  She asked to try it, and the next thing I knew the whole tube was sawed.  Wow!  She was enjoying herself.

My in-laws were visiting this weekend, and my mother-in-law asked for help learning how to crochet.  After showing her some basics, she said that her mother, an avid crocheter, wanted to learn how to make a fanciful flower potholder.  She enjoys figuring out patterns on her own.  So I started making the potholder for her last night, and this is how far I got when my in-laws left this morning.  My mother-in-law took it with her unfinished, because it would be easier for her mother to figure out how it was made. I did show my mother-in-law what I did and what needed to come next so that she could relay it on to her mother, plus she can send a picture of the one that I made for her along with this one (to Puerto Rico).  It is strange not finishing a present for someone.

Well it was 4th of July yesterday, and hanging on my door is my plastic bag patriotic wreath.

It uses about 150 plastic bags, including blue newspaper bags.

We went to the beach on Sunday and here are some of the pictures that I took there.

Then Sunday night and Monday morning was my town's County Fair.  

Here are just some of the pictures that I took there (while volunteering to help with the recycling).

My church makes fresh "Holy Donuts" that they sold on Monday.  They are yummy.

My local quilt shop had patriotic quilts on display.

The image on the right is of someone reporting on the 2 mile race and on the parade.

I hope that all of you who celebrate the 4th of July / Independence Day had a great 3 day weekend.

Cutting More Tubes

I cut the rest of the mailing tube today.  So now I have 24 one inch tubes for my bangle making class next week.  However I just found out that 26 teens and tweens are signed up for it, so I need to cut even more this weekend.  The next step after that is sanding all of them.

My left hand is a wreck from sawing them (lots of blisters).

I just wanted to share this picture that I took of my local farmer's store today.  They sell food, flowers, herb plants, and food plants.  I love going there.  They know me, I get to support my local economy while buying organic locally grown food, and my little one can play in their sand box.  They have an indoor cafe with a sandbox for the little ones to play in.

New iPhone Hoodie & Bangles

Last night I cast on another iPhone hoodie, this time with Vanna's Choice yarn.  The stitch markers were a gift from someone on ravelry.  They are made with blue paper beads.

Today I got started on prepping for a bangle class that I'm teaching next week.  First I take a mailing tube and I mark it in one inch increments all the way around.

Then I saw it.

I have 12 of the 25 bangles cut so far.  After that I need to sand them.  Here are the bangles that the girls made in my class last year.

My husband has been having fun doing motion capture and animating his clay creatures.  This is what I found in my refrigerator today.  I should probably hide all of the chocolate, lol.

Here is my fortune from today.  It seemed fitting for how my day has gone.

Bangles part 3

Today I taught a bangle class at the library.  I had made the base of these bangles out of cardboard mailing tubes.  I brought in all kinds of things for the girls to use to decorate their bangles with.  I showed them how to coil / wrap yarn to create a certain look,  but it was completely up to them how they wanted to decorate their bangle.  The girls were able to make up to 3 bangles.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I made the above bangle during class using fabric, buttons, and glue.

Two types of wrapped ribbon.

Wrapped ribbon and buttons.

Wrapped ribbon.

Ribbon and buttons.

Ribbon and yarn.

Fabric and ribbon.

Wrapped ribbon and yarn.

Sponge Bob fabric and buttons.

Three kinds of ribbon.  One ribbon has a straight stitch running through the center, and then it was gathered to create ruffles.

Ribbon, yarn, and fake flower petals.

I was not able to take a picture of all of the bangles.

Some of them also had fabric flowers with button centers on them.

It was a great class!

Aside from the link parties on the right hand side of my blog, this is also linked in Lamb Around.

Bangles

photo by Drew Medina

For two days now I have been sawing 1" rings from this mailing tube, and I am not done yet.

photo by Drew Medina

Why?  I am teaching a class on Friday at the library on how to make bangles out of recycled materials.  I am preparing the "bangles" so that the kids can decorate them.

photo by Drew Medina

As you can see they are rough around the edges.  I wonder if they would be smoother if I had used a power saw.

After they are cut, then I sand the edges so that they are smooth and wearable.  I am using fine sandpaper.

There is some waste involved, but at least it is recyclable.  These curls came from some of the rings that just didn't want to keep that layer of cardboard on them during the sanding process.  Warning: there is a lot of dust involved with sanding them.  It was much more pleasant sanding them outside than inside.