Thursday, November 21, 2013

Cat toys


http://myfantastictoys.blogspot.com/2009/05/cat-toy-plushies.html

Choose a critter and cut out pattern from the paper. Pin pattern pieces to the felt and cut out accordingly. Sewing- A ladder stitch is recommended for best results. 

1. Start out by sewing bird belly to one side of bird half and continue up and around over head until you reach the tail. 
2. Continue on with the tail in position until the end, knot, then finish the other side of tail. 
3. Now go back and finish sewing the other side of the bird belly. Wow you can see the bird taking shape! 

4. Sew about 3/4 of the bird base on leaving enough room open to stuff bird. 
Fill with fiber fill or a premium catnip, finish sewing base on.5.Now your ready for the eyes and wings. Knot thread to position of eye, slide on glass bead and go through to other side and slide on other the bead, pull tightly to create small indentation in felt. Go through a couple of times to securely fasten eyes. (You may choose to glue felt eyes on instead to prevent any injury to your cat.) Clip wings to give the illusion of feathers then fasten to bird body as indicated on pattern. 6. Stitch on bird feet. Voila your finished!! Now go make the other two critters, the same technique may be applied to those as well.


Mini Picture Necklace



How to make a miniature Polaroid photo necklace by luckymaria

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Russian Hippo Tutorial

Great tutorial and pattern
It is in Russian so be sure to use google translate to read and print 

Cat sushi Tutorial

So cute a whole plate of cat Sushi
Fix your kitty a great Christmas Platter this year.

Mouse cat Toy Tutorial

For your kitty at Christmas time
This cute kitty mouse toy
Tutorial Found hERE

http://www.marthastewart.com/908084/menswear-mouse-toy

Cute Felt Snowman tutorial

Cute Christmas
Snowman tutorial
found HERE

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Christmas Orny Trees tutorial

Tutorial Found HERE

Christmas Orny Tutorial

Tutorial found here


Materials:
1 x 65mm Polystyrene Ball (per ornament)
1 x 8" square of fabric (per ornament)
Pins
Twine

Instructions:
- Tear 8 even strips of fabric
- Place 2 strips of fabric together at right angles
- Continue to add strips of fabric (as shown)
- Place Polystyrene Ball in the center of the fabric strips
- Wrap the fabric strips around the polystyrene ball
- Fasten fabric in place, with a pin (and add a loop of twine under pin if hanging ornament)
- Enjoy :)

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Santa hat Chair Covers

Found hERE


Christmas Wish List Ornament Tutorial

Cute Ornament tutorial found HERE 
You will need the following materials and supplies:
  • Wooden spools
  • Red Paint –or whatever color you choose
  • Paint brush
  • thin ribbon
  • white card stock
  • rubber bands
  • hot glue
  • tipped black ink pen
Instructions:
First of all paint the spools red. cut out strips of card stock the same width as the inside of the spool and about 10 inches long. Use hot glue to glue one end of the card stock to the spool. Wrap it around, leaving a good size tail and secure it with another strip of hot glue and then with a rubber band.  After that write out the list in pencil and over it with marker. After you finish with the wish list just thread the thin ribbon through the middle of the spool and tie it together. Then take off the rubber band and enjoy your cool Christmas ornament.

Trees from books

  I found this top image on Facebook Christmas Book Trees. 
Found on tumblr
You can learn how to make this one on Instructables.
Found at MediaTinker
Found at JCULibraryNews
Found at BoingBoing
Found at Unconsumption
Found at  Eyenstyn
Found via Black Gate

 found it via Wil Wheaton’s tumblr  So Cute! 

Wall Tree


Live in a small apartment and don’t have room for a real Christmas tree? 
 Create your own modern style tree using lights and decorations tacked to any wall space.

So Cute Christmas cookies


Cute Snoopy Cookies and other great ideas
Cookie Cutter



Sugar Cookies 
6 cups all-purpose flour 
3 teaspoons baking powder  
1 teaspoon salt  
2 cups unsalted butter  
2 cups granulated sugar  
2 large eggs  
2 teaspoon vanilla extract  


Cream sugar and butter until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl and add to butter mixture. Mix well. Put a handful of the freshly made dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to desired thickness. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Put the rolled dough, including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes or longer. Your dough will be chilled and ready to cut and bake with now wait and no added flour! Repeat with scraps after cutting cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 -10 minutes. Let cool.


Source: Fancys Flours

Royal Icing
3 tablespoons Meringue Powder
4 cups confectioners' sugar sifted 
6 tablespoons warm water
Beat all ingredients until icing forms a peak (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer). 


. 

Wall of cookies

At my house we have a tradition of decorating the tree with edibles
Now these are some of the most wonderful gingerbread cookies I have seen in a long time. 
Also would make part of a great cookie wall Christmas tree
You frame strings and ribbons along a wall in shape of a Christmas Tree .
Then tie cris cross strings and ribbons back and forth through frame.
Then hang your cookies and watch the fun.
Grandmama used to wrap each cookie in a colored cellophane  bag.
Merry Christmas


Gingerbread Recipe:
1 1/2 Cup Shortening
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Dark Molasses
(cream together)
12 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
4 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
4 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
(sift and combine)
Chill dough one hour.
Prepare Royal  Icing Recipe (below)

Royal Icing Recipe:
6 Egg Whites - Room Temperature
1 1/2 Cream of Tartar
2 Lb Confectioners Sugar, Sifted
(combine in mixing bowl and mix on high 7-10min)
Store icing at room temperature in covered container.

As you pipe your lines, sprinkle sanding sugar over the wet icing.  I use a different paper plate under the cookie for each sprinkle color so I can funnel the excess sugar back into the container.
Have fun with the designs and try something new with each cookie.  Most of the cookies shown are outlined, but try filling in an entire cookie.  It will absolutely sparkle!  Store icing at room temperature in covered container.   
Let the cookies set overnight.  While still fragile, the icing will be hard and the sugar and candy pearls will be firmly set to the cookie.
If you are unsure about piping Royal Icing, these cookies are a great starting point.  The sanding sugar is very forgiving over unsteady lines.  

Sunday, November 3, 2013

International Mosaiculture




Even if you’re not into gardening yourself, the plant sculptures in the international Montreal Mosaiculture Exhibition will blow your mind. As defined in the official website of the event, mosaiculture “is a refined horticultural art that involves creating and mounting living artworks made primarily from plants with colourful foliage (generally annuals, and occasionally perennials).” It is also a highly complex form of art, requiring different sets of skills from all the participating artists: not only do they have to plan and build the framework of the sculpture and match the colors, it is also important to understand the maintenance of each plant they use.
The Mosaïcultures Internationale competition was founded back in 2000 by Lise Cormier after her visit to China: this is where Lisa saw an enchanting 40-feet-high sculpture of 3 doves and was instantly inspired to bring the idea back home.
Considered the world’s most prestigious competition of horticultural art, the 2013 edition of Mosaiculture is currently on display at Montreal Botanical Garden in Quebec, Canada. More than three million flowers were raised in greenhouses throughout Quebec, and then shipped to the gardens in May, where designers wrapped them in steel meshes to create living works of art. The sculptures are created using steel or aluminum forms that are wrapped in metal mesh, filled with earth and planted with flowers, ivies and grasses whose foliage provides texture and color. Interior watering systems and growing medium were added so that the flowers could last all through the summer till the end of the exhibition on September 29.
Some 50 works graces the 2.2 km circuit through the enchanting grounds of the Botanical Garden. The theme this year is “Land of Hope”. About 200 of the world’s most talented horticultural artists are taking part in this international competition, representing 20 countries. Entries have come from cities in countries as far as Turkey and Uganda, with China and Japan heavily represented.
  


Barn  Owl
Bird   Tree.  This huge sculpture is 40 feet high and they built  special high bridge at this
end so people could take photographs more easily.  Every branch becomes a different bird.
The wing span of the condor must be at least 8 feet.
Big  Flowers.  These are growing in the midst of the Exhibition Gardens, some of the
thirty gardens which comprise the Botanic Garden.  Notice the bee.
Butterflies.  They are about eight feet high and stand outside the Insectarium,
a building housing exhibits of insects.
Two Canoes.  The theme of this year's show is the unity of nature and the
importance of ecological planning.




The Old Man Who Planted Trees,  Horses,  Dog,  and  Sheep
The Old Man is about 20 feet high.



Flock  of  Sheep, plus one goat.  They are all part of a huge display around the
Man Who Planted Trees  (below). 
Single  Sheep

Caterpillar, outside Insectarium




Easter  Island  Heads
Blow Fish Swimming through Seaweed
Crouching  Frog and Lily Pond.



Frog  in  Lily  Pond




Goat  at  Well
Horses  and  Sheep Dog.  The dog is very famous in Japan and everyone knows him.
He accompanied his master to the railroad station ever morning when the man went
to work, and then the dog met him again in the evening.  When the man died, the dog 
continued meeting the train twice every day for ten years until he died.  He is made up
of various decorative grasses.  The horses' manes are also made of grasses.
The horses are twice the size of a normal horse; the dog is 8 feet high.

Closeup  of  Horse
Lady  and  Cranes  /  Chinese  Myth.   The lady is about 35 feet high.




Lady  and  Cranes  /  Chinese  Myth
Line  of  Lemurs at entrance to Gardens




Lemurs

Man  Who  Planted  Trees.  He is 20 feet high.
Pandas  and  Bamboo
Pandas
Piano  and  Tortoise /  The Arts  and Nature Support Each Other
Spirit  of  the  Woods.  The body of the serpent actually snakes around the woods
for more than 300 yards.
Phoenix  Bird - colossal and with flowers.
Mother  Earth

Water is a gift of Mother Earth, enjoyed by wild horses and eagles.


The sign said these are Swans.
Gorillas / Endangered Species



Moose  and  Squirrels  -  all made of moss.



Cobras