Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Denim Rug - Take 2

I finally finished the rectangular rug!  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out...but it will probably be a while before I decide to make another one...if ever I make another one.  It's pretty labour-intensive, but worth it in the end.  I just love that it was made of old jeans!

And now...my first "how-to" post...

...ahem...

How to Crochet a Denim Rug

Material: Q hook, nine pairs of old jeans, scissors, needle and thread

1. Gather your jeans.  I originally started with eight pairs, but my dad ended up finding an old pair of my brother's from the early 90's.  (Yes, you read that right.  This is what happens when your parents don't get rid of anything.)  So, I used nine pairs in this rug.


2. Cut out the pant legs.  You will need to remove the pockets and the seams.





3. To make the "yarn," begin by cutting a one-inch strip.  Stop cutting approximately 0.5-inches away from the end, then switch directions.  You want your pant leg to be one long, one-inch strip.




4. Begin rolling the yarn into a ball after the first pant leg has been cut.  To add more yarn, simply sew the ends together.


5. When one pair of jeans has been rolled up, you are now ready to begin crocheting.

6. With a Q hook, ch 40 (or as many ch you need for the size rug you want).  The entire rug is worked up in sc.  Be sure to count your sc periodically to make sure you are on track!  To add more yarn, sew the ends together.



7. Continue working in sc until your rug is the size you want.


halfway!


The finished product:



And there you have it, folks!  An upcycled, crocheted, denim rug!

This one is going to sit at the back door...and I think I'm going to bring the oval one into my classroom in the fall.

PS - These are my new shoes.  Cute, no?




Friday, June 3, 2011

U2 and Konadicures

 U2 was in town last Sunday.  It was a fabulous show.  I will spare you the crazy-fan stories, but I will not spare you from pictures!
Watching them walk into the stadium was probably
one of the best moments of the night!

"Hello, Winnipeg!...with two n's!"

The Claw
Love this picture!

End of the show :(

...and even though I said that I'd spare you from the crazy-fan stories...I just have to say two things: 
     1. Bono and The Boys are just too cool.  Seriously.
     2. U2 makes me happy.  Crazy happy.

In other (fluffy) news:

In addition to yarn, I've decided that I really love nail polish, too.  Thankfully, my girls love it just as much, so I don't feel quite as bad when another bottle of nail polish makes its way into our home.  After all, 3 out of the 4 people who live here will use it.  At least that's what I like to tell myself.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I finally picked up some crackle nail polish:

Let me just say that crackle nail polish is just so much fun!

But you know what's more fun than crackle nail polish???? Konad Nail Stamping - that's what!  I ordered a few Konad supplies from http://www.wowsocool.com/ almost two weeks ago and the package came in yesterday.  I heard about Konad from someone at work - her nails are always beautiful.  I was so happy when my package came in!  I did my nails that evening.  I don't think it looks too badly for a first attempt, if I do say so myself! 



What is Konad, you ask?  It's too hard to explain - it's best if you just watch this video (which is actually one of many Konad videos on youtube).


My name is Emily, and I am a Konaddict.


Friday, May 20, 2011

New Dresses?

My new denim rug is coming along nicely.  I am about halfway through it and I definitely like the rectangular rug better than the oval.  Again, what am I going to do with the oval rug???

Anyway, summer's coming (yay!), and my girls and I are needing some new summer dresses. I found this blog with instructions for a little girl's dress made out of a men's dress shirt.  I started making this at the end of summer last year and never finished.  But, it's on my to-do list!  (If you visit that link, check out the "tutorials" tab.  Tons of ideas for re-purposing old clothing!  Love it!)

I also started a dress using instructions from this video:
This is another project I started last summer and (again) never finished.  I don't sew very well, so mine probably won't be as nice...I just like to pretend that I know how to sew!  Hopefully, I'll get around to finishing this one...and if it doesn't turn out nice enough to wear in public, I'll at least have a new dress for sitting around the house.  :P


Friday, May 13, 2011

The Denim Rug

I love the idea of upcycling and repurposing.  There is just something so fun about taking something old and making it new.  Last summer, I made this:

It took seven pairs of old jeans - all generously donated by some friends - and a Q hook.  It is the rug we use in the back foyer, but I have been wanting to change it for quite some time.  After I made it, I really wished that I had made it rectangular, instead of oval.  So, in January, I posted a plea for old jeans on Facebook, with plans of making a rectangular rug.  This is what I got:

Yup, eight pairs of old jeans from friends and family.  I was so excited to get started right away, but somehow wasn't able to until, finally, last night.  So far, I have cut up and crocheted two pairs from this stack of jeans and it's looking great!  It should be finished in the next week or two.

Now...what am I going to do with the oval rug???  

Edit: Go to this post for the denim rug tutorial!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

First Post!

So, I decided to start a blog.  Several years ago, I had a blog on Xanga.  Oh, good ol' Xanga.  It wasn't about anything important, really - I just blabbed about life.  It's still up and every once in a while, I'll log in to laugh at my twentysomething-year-old self.  Oh, I was funny, and oh, how things have changed!

This new blog?  I have plans for it to be a crocheting/craft blog, but we'll see what happens.  There are, of course, TONS of craft blogs out there, but I'm sure cyberspace can handle just one more.  And while crocheting and crafts may be the focus, some silly stories on life will likely end up posted, too. 

With all that said, and all my grandiose plans to start a craft blog, I'm sorry to say that I don't have anything new to share.  I haven't actually crafted in weeks!  I've got a few ideas spinning in my head and will probably start something soon, but in the meantime, I will have to leave you with:


Yes, I am leaving you with a zebra.  Why?  Because a craft blog should have pictures and because it's cute.  I made it a few years ago after my oldest daughter saw it in a book and begged me to make it.  She named it Zebu.  My kids still play with it and so far it's held up quite nicely.

So, I hope you'll come back again.  Posts about yarn, crochet, crafts, and life are still to come!  Any questions?  Just ask.