Make tree rings not water rings.

About a week ago I decided to make a coaster that looked like a cross section of a tree, so I did.  I then decided I wanted to make a simple tutorial and post it on the blog, so I am.  You can't imagine my disappointment when I saw THIS a couple days ago. UGH!  The same idea! On Craftzine! And if you go to Pinterest and search coasters it's all over that too with raving reviews of how cute it is!  All I can think is, "That could have been me!"  though probably not since I don't have many readers yet but that's beside the point.  In the end hers are cute but I still prefer mine so I suppose that helps.  It would've disheartened me even more if I liked hers better.  So cheers to two people with a good idea and a slightly different interpretation.

If you would like to make my version you should first start by downloading and printing off the pattern.  This was my first time linking a document so I hope it works, if you try and it doesn't let me know.

Materials:
brown felt
tan felt
brown thread or embroidery thread (I used regular sewing thread)

Step 1.)  If you haven't already printed out the pattern then do that.  Then use the pattern to cut the pieces out of felt.  

         
            Tip 1:  The border of the top piece and the bottom piece ARE THE SAME.  I would recommend cutting them out at the same time and then cutting the center out of one as the pattern shows.  It saves time and guarantees they'll match up.

            Tip 2:  The pattern I posted is a guideline to help you size your coaster.  You could make it bigger, smaller, groovier (as in you cut the grooves deeper and the ridges higher).  It's your coaster and your call.

Step 2.)  Stack the pieces as indicated on the pattern sheet.  Make sure you line up the top piece and bottom piece edges.

            Tip 3.)  If the heartwood (round tan piece) sticks out from between the other 2 trim it down a little but make sure it is still within the inner rim of the top piece.

Step 3.)  Sew the outer edge, you will be sewing the top and bottom piece together here.  The heartwood is not being sewn in yet.  Don't worry, it will be secure soon enough.

Step 4.)  Sew the inner edge of the top piece.

Step 5.)  Sew the rings in!  They don't have to be perfectly circular or evenly spaced.  The width of the tree ring tells you whether it was a good year for the tree or a bad one so give it some of both, it builds character.

    
            Tip 4.)  Sew rings NOT a spiral.  If you sew a spiral your arborist and plant scientist friends may get grumpy.

  VOILA! A coaster for a tasty beverage!

I hope my instructions are clear.  Now I'm going to deliberate whether or not I should pin my coaster on Pinterest to make myself feel better.  Is that wrong?  I haven't decided yet . . .

Funny Money

Felt is an easy medium to work with when children are running around therefore I made several felt projects when in CA with Jenny. You just need to keep track of your needles and scissors so that little hands can't find them. I've already introduced you to Nohko the ninja, my next felt project was a wallet from the book "Big Little Felt Universe" that I reviewed in a previous post. Cypher said she wanted a wallet and the book had a pattern so I lovingly obliged.

The wallet itself was very straight forward and whipped up rather fast. The day I made the wallet Cypher woke up and told me she dreamed of pink butterflies and that she could pet their wings without hurting them. This meant I had to pass on the cherry embellishments the book suggests and replace them with pink butterflies (that she can pet :) Below is the larger butterfly on the front of the wallet.

My favorite part to make wasn't the wallet itself but my whim of a 4 dollar bill. The grumpster on the front was just my doodling with a back stitch. A funny guy on funny money. I didn't bother making coins, I just gave her some real ones.

Felt is so much fun to experiment with, it's inexpensive, colorful and can test your creativity or let you lay back and enjoy the ride of an easy project.

Nohko the Ninja

Part of my problem as a crafter is that I want to do EVERYTHING. I have lists of projects I want to try and things I want to make. Most of the list comes from things on the web I see and say, "I can make that." My list became a little shorter today as I brought a new friend into the world, her name is Nohko and she's a ninja.

Nohko was inspired by Nat's Secret Message Ninja over at The Smallest Forest. I forget how I originally found the post, I think I was browsing for felt ideas, but when I saw it I immediately thought her little ninja was adorable and doable so after weeks of being bookmarked I finally made myself one. I left out some things and added others to make her my own which is what Nat did with a pattern she found in a Japanese craft magazine. Watching crafts move through creative people is a lot of fun as everyone tends to add their own touch. Nohko will find a place of honor near my crafting table when we make it up to Seattle but for now she'll be hanging out in sunny California.

Craft Book Review: Big Little Felt Universe

Big Little Felt Universe by Jeanette Kim is a lot of fun to look at. Jeanette Kim lives in Singapore and has a felt pattern Etsy shop called UmeCrafts. All of the designs are adorable and she has some great ideas such as using velcro to make the fruit "cut-able".

The book is broken up into 12 sets: cake, camping, sundae, office, grill, plants, holiday, veggies, doctor, fruits, tools, and purse. I counted 80 different projects between the 12 sets so that's a lot of felt stitching! I may one day challenge myself to make everything in the book but for now I've made 3 Pieces, 6 if you count the small fruit toppings. I made a piece of cake with raspberry, blueberry and kiwi fruit toppings, lucky bamboo, and the wrench.

All of the pieces turned out well, the patterns themselves were perfect though the instructions left room for interpretation. Some of the instructions were unclear or didn't tell you how to do it at all, skipping steps and assuming you'd figure it out. Sewing these items wasn't brain surgery and the poor instructions didn't hinder me too much but I expect them not to be so vague.

I don't regret buying this book. Although the instructions were sometimes disappointing everything else was not. The patterns and ideas are fun, clever, and life size so they're sure to please any child who plays make believe. They will also please some adults. Aaron insisted that the lucky bamboo be on his desk!

A Colorful Excuse for a Cold Drink

I didn't even consider the blog world until last winter, now I am an addict! I LOVE looking at craft blogs, there are so many good ideas to try out and it's so easy to wander from one blog to another since every blogger has a list of their favorites readily available. I'll be developing my list soon! In my searching I ran across a beautiful blog called The Purl Bee. This blog belongs to a yarn, fabric, etc. store called Purl SoHo located in New York, NY. They have lots of fun projects available, some for a price but plenty for free. They also offer kits for projects that would make things super simple.

There were many tutorials I wanted to try out but I landed on these simple, bright coasters. They just seemed so perfect for summer and not very work intensive so I gave them a try!

The only thing I did differently was baste the wedges before sewing instead of pinning them. I found this easier to work around and it kept the circle from scrunching up. They have better pictures on their site so if you think you like mine you should check their's out.

Even if coasters aren't your thing (embrace those water rings!) I hope everyone is enjoying a nice cool beverage every now and again this summer thinking about the good things in life. Whether it's a fresh limeade or morning mimosa don't forget to take advantage of this simple pleasure on a hot day.