CHRISTMAS TREE PARTY BASKETS

While searching for plastic canvas patterns on Ebay, I found this adorable Christmas party basket. What sold me were the smley face trees!

You can find them for sale in my Etsy shop - grannyscraaftattic.etsy.com

I have listed them as a set of 5. However if you want to order a larger quantity, please convo me for quantity discounts. Since they take a while to create, I would suggest getting your order in early.

COUCH TISSUE BOX COVER

I love patterns that are out of the box, so when I found this couch tissue box cover I knew I just had to add it to my shop!  You can choose whatever color you would like. Would you like round pillows? Square pillows? Same color as the couch or a contrasting color? The picture above was sent to me by a very satisfied customer.

BTW, the tissues and everything on the table in the picture, except for the actual tissue box cover, are not included.

Check it out at Granny's:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/48749938/couch-tissue-box-cover-made-to-order-you?ref=shop_home_active_3

GRANNY IS BACK!

It's been way too long since I've posted anything but I am resurrecting my blog and will be posting much more from now on........I promise!

Stay tuned!

MINI CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

I have gone crazy with making mini Christmas Ornaments this year. I have Mini Stockings, Mini Ski Hats and Mini Basket ornaments.

The Mini Baskets can also have 'snow', berries, poinsettias, a pinecone and leaves in them:

You can find these items for sale at http://grannyscraftattic.etsy.com/

Now all I need is a Mini Christmas Tree (that's coming eventually).

Merry Christmas one and all!

MY SWEET POTATOES ON CRACK

My goodness, where has this year gone???? It's almost Thanksgiving already and I would like to share my most favorite Thanksgiving recipe with you. It's for a sweet potato kind of casserole. These funny pictures are the only ones I have, but if you use your imagination, you can figure out what they look like normally. I have named my pictures "My Sweet Potatoes" and "My Sweet Potatoes on Crack"


















YOU WILL NEED:

2 large cans of sweet potatoes in syrup

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup orange juice

1 small can of crushed pineapple

1 cup mini marshmallows

More marshmallows for decoration

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the sweet potatoes to boiling, drain and return the potatoes to the pot.

Mash in the margarine, add the orange juice and the pineapple WITH THE JUICE from the can.

Fold in the cup of marshmallows.

Put it all into a round casserole dish. Mound some potatoes in the middle, making a valley around it for the extra marshmallows later.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and fill the 'valley' with marshmallows and return to oven for about 5 minutes or until the marshmallows are lightly brown.

Enjoy!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!

MINI SKI HAT CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

If you don't know by now, I love out of the ordinary items. I've seen crochet patterns for ski hats and said to myself, "Self, why not make a mini ski hat as a Christmas ornament?"



So.......this is my latest posting in my Etsy Shop:

I used Red Heart Shimmer Yarn for them. Since I have TONS of yarn I will be making these in other colors as well.

What do you think of them?

THE GREAT CHANGING THE FLASHLIGHT BATTERY DRAMA

THERE WILL BE NO PICTURES IN THIS POST.

I decided to change the batteries in the flashlight today. Simple enough, right? You unscrew the top from the bottom, take out the old batteries, put in the new batteries and voila! a working flashlight.



For most people, this works....but I'm not most people.



I couldn't unscrew the top from the bottom. I took it over to my neighbor and he couldn't open it either. Then I went to the apartment building office, looking for the maintenance man...he's strong, he can open it. Okay...so he opened the flashlight case.


The batteries were corroded.


Came back and looked on line to find out how to remove corrosion from a flashlight:

"Make a paste of 2 tablespoons baking soda with a little water, take a wire brush and rub the paste on the corrosion. Take a damp cloth, wipe it down and let it dry."

Sounds simple enough, right? You forget, it's me, the maintenance-challenged crafter we're talking about here.

The only brush I could find that I would even want to touch corrosion was an old toothbrush. I dipped it into the baking soda paste and scrubbed away at the corrosion. Now since the case that holds the batteries is smaller than my hand, there was no way I could get inside with a 'damp cloth' and wipe it down. I let a little water into the case and swished it around, and dumped it out really well.

The case is now standing upright air-drying. This might take a few days.

And all I wanted to do was change the batteries in my flashlight.......

The Last Day of August

I can't believe today is the last day of August, 2010. Where is this year going???

I have been tooling around with making crocheted Christmas Ornaments to sell in my Etsy shop....lots of ripping out. I am, however, so proud of myself because I actually created my own pattern for a mini Christmas stocking to hang on the tree:

The red one has a shorter cuff than the green one, and I think I like the larger cuff better.

I would love to have you leave comments on my creation!

LIGHTBULB HOTPADS/POT HOLDERS

The making of these Christmas Lightbulb Hotpads/Pot Holders started with my good friend Cindy....I showed her the picture of them and she wanted 3 sets. She calls me her 'personal crocheter', she's my best customer, a wonderful friend and WE HAVE NEVER MET IN PERSON!! That's all going to change in October.

I digress.....here is a picture of the finished set:

I have decided to add these Christmas Lightbulb Hotpads/Pot Holders to my Etsy shop.

They can be made in other colors but the only colors with the metalic running through the yarn are red, green and white.

They work up really fast, so if you would like a set, please visit my Etsy shop: http://grannyscraftattic.etsy.com

And thank you !!!

ANOTHER FAVECRAFT CONTEST

I love give-away contests, and one of my favorite sites for free patterns, Fave Crafts, is giving away a VHS to DVD converter. If I blog about it, I get an extra entry, so blog blog blog I go.

Here is a picture of the prize I could win:

I must have at least a gazillion movies on VHS tapes and wouldn't I just love to convert them to DVD's! Since I sit in front of my computer while I craft items to sell in Granny's Craft Attic on Etsy.com, I would be in hog heaven.

I would keep my fingers crossed but then it would be rather difficult to crochet.....so you cross your fingers for me...thank you :)

A CHEAP BLUE TOOTH

I love thinking out of the box and playing around with words and their meanings.

It all began when I found this adorable Tooth Fairy Pattern at Jaybird Designs on Etsy. I have already sold three of these little cuties.

This is when my warped mind began to go into action and I came up with the CHEAP BLUE TOOTH idea. I figured, why should people spend lots of money on something when I can make it for them and they can hang it on their wall? It will never break down or have to be sent back to the factory.......and it's a great companion as well.....you can talk to it and it will never turn a deaf ear, nor will it leave you. And he is always smiling!

I would love your comments about this.

See ya soon!

COASTERS

I have a really good friend who calls me her 'personal crafter' because as she says, "you make awesome stuff!!"

My latest venture for her are these coaster sets made from plastic canvas. I am making 11 sets of these for her to give out as Christmas presents this year.

The colors are way more vibrant than how they came out in the picture but she said she loved how they turned out anyway....she's such a good friend!

If you would like a set of these coasters with the holder, please let me know. The price for this set is $12.50 plus shipping.

NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT

I love things that are out of the ordinary, and when I found this pattern for a tissue box cover in the shape of a couch I went nuts!!! Not only is it a crocheted miniature couch, it is also a tissue box cover. I made up my own pattern for the two little pillows that are sewn on, because I thought this navy was too dark to have the pillows stand out using the same yarn throughout. I made the actual pillow using the navy but then crocheted a little flower applique using a 3-ply yarn in an ombre shade. I think it turned out not too bad, although I might try a different brand of 4-ply yarn next time.

I can make this couch tissue box cover in any color that would match your decor. If you would like one, please leave a comment or visit my Etsy shop http://grannyscraftattic.etsy.com/ and convo me.

MY JOURNEY INTO THE WAFFLE STITCH

A couple of weeks ago I was looking at a site's sale books on crochet, and came across a book teaching how to do the Waffle Stitch. Being retired and poor, I didn't have the money to buy the book. My brain kicked into gear and I hopped on over to Youtube and searched out 'Waffle Stitch", watched a video and began work on another crocheted baby afghan COMPLETELY WITHOUT reading a pattern. This was a first for me because, although I consider myself creative, I have never really been able to create something without reading instructions....so I am really proud of how this "Mint Waffle Baby Afghan" turned out.

I would love to have your comments about this pattern! Please give honest feedback.

CROCHETED GIFT BAGS

I just sold a set of 5 of these adorable mini gift bags to a customer on Etsy.

It's always nice to give a gift packaged 'out of the box', so why not give it in one of these cute mini crocheted gift bags? They are crocheted using a soft 3-ply baby yarn in an ombre color...Giggle! Additionally they have a white ribbon tie and measure approximately 2: wide x 1.75" high...perfect for holding a pair of earrings, or even some BIG cash.

I purchased this pattern from Melbangel on Etsy...she has some really cute PDF patterns...and so great that you can download them right from the email she sends you upon receiving payment. Her instructions are awesome!

I have other shades of baby ombre yarn and will be making up more sets real soon...so if you like these and have a color preference, please convo me at http://grannyscraftattic.etsy.com

POWELL'S SWEET SHOPPE

My Grandson turned 10 on Monday and we went up to Chico, CA for the weekend to help celebrate his birthday. The party was held in the most charming candy shop I have ever seen: Powell's Sweet Shoppe.

Powell's is an old time candy store with candy from when I was a little girl and probably way before. Their motto is "Remember Yesterday, Today". I found a package of Chicklets Chewing Gum in the yellow package like the one my Grandma ALWAYS had in her purse. And I found SEN-SEN....for those of you who do not know what Sen-Sen is, they are itsy bitsy pieces of very strong licorice candy designed to freshen your breath (and send smoke out of your ears at the same time). They have more than 5,000 varieties of candy!!!

Besides all the wonderful candy they sell, Powell's also provides a Birthday Party Room. Each child gets to go on a scavenger hunt and are given a huge bucket and a list of candy to look for (they get to keep the candy),and a helping of any flavor gelato they would like. The birthday child gets a Happy Birthday Hat.

Powell's is also extremely civic minded and has two marvelous programs: Sweet Rewards and Sweet Donations. SWEET REWARDS is designed to get kids to do good. They also offer achievement awards for doing chores, homework and reading, citizenship, sportsmanship and being a good patient. The child gets to choose one of the candy items which appear at the bottom of each certificate. It's Powell's way of saying "GOOD JOB!".

SWEET DONATIONS is a fundraising program for organizations, individuals and causes to raise funds while enjoying purchases at Powell's Sweet Shoppe. Through this program they have helped raise thousands of dollars for many organizations. For information on each of these programs please visit them at http://www.powellssweetshoppe.com/

If you are ever in Chico, CA please make sure you get to visit Powell's Sweet Shoppe at 121 W. Third Street, Chico, CA My Grandson and his friends and our family all had a wonderful time! Thank you Powell's for allowing me to take pictures of your shop for this blog!

STELLARRELICS, STELLAR LADY!

In my traipsings through Etsy, I have found StellarRelics...a wonderful shop with the most adorable earrings, altered art and vintage goodies!

StellarRelics is a single Mom who not only designs the most beautiful jewelry I have ever seen, but she is also finishing up her Bachelors in Business Administration next month, and will start on her MBA in the Fall...talk about multi-tasking!

Being the Mom of an adorable little girl has taken her imagination into jewelry making almost a fantasy craft...she has bunnies, birdies and bows dangling from ear wires...she takes broken jewelry and gives it new life.

Here are a few samples of what you will find at StellarRelics:

This is "Calla Lilly in White Gold"....I think these are awesome!

This one is called "Loteria Pill Box in El Sol"..I would use it to hold treasures, not pills!

This last one is entitled "Upcycled Turquoise Post and Ring Set"...so beautiful!

Not only does she design these lovlies but she doesn't charge an arm and a leg for them....they are priced just right!

So come on....head on over to http://stellarrelics.etsy.com/ to see more of this Stellar Lady's STELLARRELICS!

MY FIRST INTERNATIONAL ORDER

I am so excited about this....a very nice lady from Germany convo'd me about these craft books that I had listed. We had some chat about the shipping cost which are really ridiculous for shipping overseas; however she really wanted these three books and agreed to pay the shipping charge that I searched out for her on usps.com.

Having never shipped anything internationally I was at a loss, and kept filling in the customs form incorrectly...how do I know I was doing it wrong? Well, every time I hit 'next' the same page would come up telling me i had too many words in the description ('craft books' is too many words?). Well, when I finally redid the page for the umpteenth time, it kept telling me that the weight did not match the original weight. I FINALLY figured out what I was doing wrong, over and over and over....the purchase was for 3 craft books and in the 'amount' column I kept putting the number 3. My brain finally kicked into gear and I changed it to '1'. VOILA!!!!! It worked!!!

Well tomorrow I will hand the package to the mailman and hope it gets to Germany before the year is up. Wish me luck :)

YOYO MAMA

A while back, before I got consumed by crocheting, I made a bunch of fabric yoyos....172 of them in small, medium and large sizes. Then I put them into a plastic bag and they got forgotten...

Today I listed them for sale in my Etsy shop. Do you yoyo? Do you use yoyos for making embellishments, or toys? Well why not stroll over to http://grannyscraftattic.etsy.com/ and take a look?

EVERYTHING E-DIRECTORY

I've joined a new group...Everything E-Directory. Here you can find a plethora of handmade items, how-to's, e-books, free patterns...you name it, it's there! I hope you check it out...look for her 'button' on the right hand side of this page. You will find a wealth of information that will take you ten lifetimes to check out!