Crafting

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Crafting Tuesday: Glitter Ornaments

This year my mom has started crafting again more, which is something that I inherited from her. My favorite craft to work on is making Christmas ornaments. I make them out of anything I can find.

Saturday I arrived at my parents’ house for Christmas and Sunday night Mom and I were looking for something fun to do. I suggested ornaments, and she had a great idea to replicate an ornament she’d made her sister earlier. I couldn’t wait.

So, we got creative. We pulled out the clear bulbs, the glitter, and the cricut. And a few other things.

Pause on our project: my mother has so many crafting supplies. I love it, and one day I hope to have as much fun stuff as she has! I’m slowly making my way into building my crafting supplies, but it’s nowhere near all of her cool stuff she’s gathered along the way. I also need to organize mine better because she has hers all nice and organized.

Okay, back to the project.

So, we gathered up our supplies, and here’s how to do it:

Items needed: clear glass ornaments, floor polish, glitter, cricut, stick on vinyl.

Pour a little floor polish into the glass bulb and swirl it around gently until the inside is coated. Try not to make any bubbles. You won’t need that much force. Also have paper towel on hand as you’ll probably have to plug the open end with a finger, so you’ll want to clean off your finger so it doesn’t leave sticky residue on the outside of the bulb.

Next, pour glitter into the ornament. We used Dixie cups so we could make it more of a funnel shape to pour inside. You’ll need more glitter than you think you do, but do bits at a time. Empty extra glitter back into the glitter container.

Finally, choose your words, vinyl colors, and fonts for the cricut and cut out the lettering. Stick the letters onto the bulbs, and you’re done! It’s really quite simple, but a fun little craft.

We’ve created glitter ornaments before, but never placed the vinyl letters on them. They turned out wonderful. I think I may have to bring more bulbs and glitter with me the next time I visit so I can make more, but for now, four is enough. Though, you can never have enough ornaments!

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Crafting Tuesday: Oct 13

Today’s craft is a new addiction for me. A few weeks ago, I was messaging a friend about crocheting, and she said she was crocheting pumpkins, and they looked so cute when she sent the picture of what they were to look like. Thankfully, the picture had the website listed, so I headed over there and searched for the pattern. I couldn’t wait to start making myself some cute pumpkins!

Just a few days after that conversation, my grandpa died on a Saturday morning. It wasn’t a surprise. We’d been waiting for it as he grew worse and worse. However, all of the waiting, sadness, and stress that goes along with it wore me out emotionally making writing nearly impossible. There just wasn’t anything left to give. But I still needed something to keep my mind busy and my creative side fresh.

So, I started to crochet. The first project was a few snowflake ornaments, and I was going to move on to another project altogether (no crocheting) when I remembered this pumpkin pattern. That was it. I was going to start making my pumpkins.

I picked out my yarn, a darker, multi-colored yarn that I was sure had enough yardage left in the skein to complete the project. Well, it did, but barely, and it made an awfully short, yet wide, pumpkin, and I find it just darling! That was Saturday’s project.

Sunday found me making yet another pumpkin because it was so much fun to create the first! This time I chose a full skein with bright fall colors rather than the dark ones. Instead of a brown stem, I gave it a dark green one. My family loved them when I texted them all pictures and my youngest sister and Mom both said they wanted one just like the light one. I instantly began the pumpkin for my sister and told Mom that she could have the light one I’d finished since there wasn’t enough yarn for another. The next day after work, I finished my younger sister’s pumpkin. It’s the one with the brown stem.

One of the reasons I love crocheting so much is that it allows me to be creative when my mind can’t handle anything else, like creating worlds. It’s great for when I’m tired, yet let’s me build something with my hands, and it’s a different avenue for my creativity to show itself.

I learned how to crochet about eleven years ago. Me and my sisters were learning together from a friend and I was terrible! Just the worst. I could’ve given up right then, and some days I wonder why I didn’t, but I not only persevered but I far surpassed my sisters in the ability to crochet, and as far as I’m aware, I’m the only one who still crochets.

Moral of the story: if at first you don’t succeed, keep practicing and you will. I practiced for hours and hours. I’ve made more mistakes than I can count. Yet, I’ve learned something new with each project, which makes each project a new adventure.

To make your own pumpkins, check out this website: https://crochetitcreations.com/pumpkin-decor-crochet-pattern/