Garlands and Ornaments

I had plenty of time to crochet over the holiday weekend.

With a five hour drive, you can't do much else!

Here are some of the projects I completed during that time.

Garlands to decorate walls, windows, fireplaces and your tree!

This garland is 53 inches long with (7) 4" snowflakes.

This beautiful red garland is over 8 ft long. 

Perfect for wrapping around your tree!

Christmas Ornaments to hang on the wall,

windows, cabinets, tree and much more!

Snowflake Garland

It's that time of year again!  It's exciting to think about all the time we get to spend with family and friends.

This week I get to spend time with my family for several days and I can't wait to see everyone!  Well.... almost everyone!

So what I have I been working on lately?  Of course!  Snowflakes!
I'm wanting to do do something different again and this year I am starting on getting more snowflake garlands out there to sell or maybe as a gift item.

Use the garland to decorate your tree, fireplace, windows, doors, cabinets and more!

This garland is approximately 4 ft long.

Each snowflake is 2 inches across.

Additional snowflakes can be added for additional cost.

The next set of snowflakes I am working on will be a little larger ones and dainter looking!  Can't wait until I am done!  See my Etsy shop for more listings available!  www.etsy.com/shop/amykempf

Fourth Of July

I have two reasons to celebrate the Fourth of July. 

Two very special reasons.

One, I never want to forget the reason our ancestors came to this country. 

Religious freedom.

Two, my son was born two days after the Fourth! 

He will be one in another week.

While time flies and it's easy to forget what is important to us, take a minute to stop and appreciate all the blessings God has put into your life.  If it's hard to be thankful, find something to be thankful for each day.  Never forget that we have what we have because of God and because of the men long ago who fought for our country.

My Fourth of July Cozy Cuddle Bunny Blanket

Free shipping on the Cozy Cuddle Bunny Blankets

now through July 4th!



Fun Times!

I feel like giving a lucky winner a half off discount for one of my Cozy Cuddly Bunny Blankets!

All you have to do is help promote my Etsy Store.

What do you have to do to enter?

For each below action, I'll give you one entry.

Please comment on each entry you participate in.

1.  Blog about my give away to your readers

2.  Leave a comment about my etsy store: www.etsy.com/shop/amykempf

3.  Facebook

4.  Twitter it

4.  Buy something from my store

5.  Follow Me on this blog

I'll create a discount through my Etsy Store especially for you!

Deadline ends July 3rd!

Good luck!

Little Girls Hand Bag

I made this little hand bag sometime in the last 6 months.  What I love about it is the beautiful colors in it.  Especially the tangerine.  The tangerine is a recycled cotton yarn.  I actually like using it for the purse that I made, as it seems more durable.

I thought the rabbit cuddle blanket I made was super cute in it!

I used a button to attach the strap to the bag. 

The button adds a little fun to the eye catching bag!

Up close and personal! 

I want people to be able to see how tight the stitches are on here.

Cozy Cuddle Bunny Blanket

I decided to list this on Etsy!

It's been a long time since I have made something I feel like blogging about.  I really enjoy making something new to show others, but I am afraid since it's been so long since I posted last, I may not have anyone read this. 

Growing up I had a blanky that was my favorite.  I used to take it everywhere I go and I wouldn't sleep without it.  I always think that it is so sweet to see little one attach to something special.  I hope that this Cozy Cuddle Bunny Blanket will find a home soon.  I might become attached!

The original pattern I had gave directions for making eyes and a mouth, but I thought it was sweet without it.  I did think it needed something special to it so I stitched a flower to it.  The pattern I used was from Lion Brand.  It was alot of fun to work on! In fact it turned out a lot cuter then the pattern picture!

So what projects do you work on during the summer to pass time? 

Usually summers are much busier for me, but my son is in Summer School for a month so I am enjoying picking up my hobby again while my other one sleep.

Don't Forget! and Other Notes

Don't forget, I am having a give away until January 31, 2011.  See my post on http://craftersniche.blogspot.com/2011/01/all-moderncom-giveaway.html

I also wanted to mention that I am closing my Etsy Store on-line.  I decided it wasn't worth my time to have it, since I do orders for people I know and word of mouth.  I am currently changing the way my blog will look to show the design styles of the things I do the best.  At the top of the page you will see Home, My Store: Baby Hats, My Store: Canvas Hand Bags.  All you will need to do is click on those headers and you will be able to pull up all the styles of hats and bags that I can do.  There are limitless Color options and styles so I am not set on just one style.  I'll add photos as I do more of them so keep checking back!  I also have other things on hand that I need to sell, so I will add an additional page of things I have In-stock.  Will have to do that another time.  I am also going to offer a 10% referral fee to my customers.  If you refer someone to me, I will give you a 10% discount on a future purchase for your word of mouth referral.

When I first started I wanted to do review for people.  As I come across things I have personal knowledge of I will still post about those.  I find that a lot of fun and love giving people recommendations for others.

As always, thank you for taking time to read my blog!  I do love your comments, even though I am still trying to figure out how to respond to each comment made.  Any suggestions? :)

Baby Hats

As you can probably tell, I love making baby things, especially hats!  I recently made a couple more hats for a friend who is expecting in February and love seeing them come together!  The pattern I used is from Lion Brand.  I really like their web-site as you can find free patterns on there.  I ended up making small changes to the pattern to make it more girly or boyish.

I chose this pattern, to make the two hats below and updated them by adding a scalloped edge to make it more feminine.  I also added a flower and embellishment to add an extra special touch to it.

A white see-through ribbon is woven in and out of the filet stitch.

All flowers are stitched to hat to prevent them from curling up.

If you or anyone else is interested in a custom made hat, feel free to contact me. 

I would love to make one for you!

Hats show are for a 0-3 month old babies,

but I can also make a larger size hat as well.

Brown and Red Handbag

Recently I had the opportunity to make a second handbag for a friend of mine.  It's always a little scary making something for someone you know, but I enjoy making the handbags so I gave it a shot.  To find out a little more about what my friend expected, she emailed me a picture of her budget wallet.  You can really find out a lot about people by what they have in their purse, and I absolutely loved seeing her wallet!

Isn't it cute??

It's scary going shopping for fabric not knowing for sure what your customer wants.  To get a better feel of what she was expecting, I asked my friend what main colors she wanted.  She wanted a dark brown and maybe a red rose on the front, and she also mentioned corduroy.  With that in mind and once I saw what she was wanting to match her bag with, it was off to Joann's to find material! 

The fabric I chose was a cotton canvas.  It is more durable then just cotton.  A couple tips in working with cotton canvas:

1.  Sew the cut edges before you pre-wash it and dry it.  It will keep the edges from fraying badly and wasting your material.

2.  Fray check is your friend.  Use it on all cut edges after cutting your pattern pieces out.  It will keep your fabric from fraying in the future.

I know my friend loves red. So I picked up this fabric piece and emailed her a picture to see if she liked the print.  At this point I gave her a couple options in how I could do the bag.

1.  An all brown bag with a red rose.

2.  A brown bag accented with red fabric.

A cream trim piece breaks up the bag colors and adds a feminine touch to the bag.

A pocket on the inside adds a nice touch.

Snap encolsure.

One thing I did differently with this bag was add interfacing to the inside pieces to give the bag more of a shape.

Potato Chip Scarf in Sea Mist

Potato Chip Scarf in Sea Mist

If you have been out shopping for Christmas all ready, it seems that I have noticed ruffles making a come back. I have seen some really cute shirts with ruffles that are just adorable, but I wasn't for sure if it would look "oh so cute" on me. Then I found a cute pattern from Lion Brand. I have used Lion Brand for some of my patterns and I love looking for new and unique gift ideas. Plus they are FREE patterns and who doesn't love that?!

The pattern I found is a Potato Chip scarf. I have seen some and was not for sure if I would like them, but I decided to go ahead and make one with some yarn I have. Can I tell you, I adore it? They are so fun to make but so cute too! If you love to crochet, these are so easy to do and doesn't take a lot of time. Plus there are some gorgeous yarn colors out there right now and you can make one for each outfit you have.... if you have that much time...

If you are cold natured like me, I would wear a scarf at work around my neck all day.  It kept me so much warmer! What I also like about a Potato Chip Scarf is that it can dress up your shirts and sweaters.  It's not just a scarf to wear with your coat anymore!
I'm thinking about making some for my Etsy store, but I have some other things I need to do first.
Let me know if you would like one. Just tell me what color you are looking for.
Price per scarf would be around $12 each plus shipping.

Black Friday Coupon Codes

Here it is! Your coupon codes to save!

Shop Friday through Saturday and you will save 15%: November 26 and 27, 2010

BLACKFRIDAY15

Shop Sunday through Monday and you will save 10%:  November 28 and 29,2010

KEMPFBLACKFRIDAY10

Enter your code as you check out at my store: www.etsy.com/shop/amykempf

*Browse my store later this evening for new items that will be added later today.

*If you are a local customer, I will not charge you shipping

so email me at amysamazingbooks {at} gmail.com to arrange payment and delivery.

*All items will be mailed out to you the following week on Tuesday or Thursday.

Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

God is so good to us!

Incredible Totes

Butterfly Kisses Tote

Beautiful Blue Floral Tote {Sold 11/22/10}

I can't think of a young girl who doesn't like to have a purse or bag to keep their precious items in. 
I was inspired this week to make a gift for a special little girl.   This bag is great for bringing fun things along for traveling or just use it as a reusable gift bag.  I love the idea of reusable gift bags!  It's such a neat way to give a gift to someone and they can in turn reuse it for many things.

The tote was so easy to do.  I created my own pattern by cutting a swatch 10 1/2" wide by 8 1/2" high.  I also cut the interfacing and a complimentary liner the same size.  Next, sew up the sides of the outside liner along with the interfacing.  Then, sew up your inside liner and slide it inside your outside liner.  Covering up the top unsewn edge is probably the easiest thing to do either with bias tape or a ribbon.  You can also use part of your inside liner and fold over the top edge to cover up any unsewn edges.  Decorate your bag with ribbons, flowers, bow or buttons.  I also attached 2 ribbon straps to the bag.  Then again, you can use what ever material you want to make the straps out of.  The possiblities are limitless!

If you are looking for a great gift for someone, I am offering a book, for a limited time, with the tote bags in my Etsy Store.  If you opt. out of the book purchase, I will lower the bag price to $15 each.  Shipping and handling will also be less for a tote purchase.

Will be posting upcoming fabric choices soon for my girls tote bags.

Color Options For Baby Booties

I wanted to post my color options for my bows that go on my Baby Booties/Slippers.

Top, left to right:  Light Blue, Red, Chocolate Velvet

Bottom, left to right:  Pink Velvet, White, Hot Pink

Please refer to those color names when ordering.  I can also get other color options upon request.

Rag Potholder Options

Price of Rag Pot Holder= $8.50
Approximate size will vary 9" X 7"

Discount will apply to quantity of 4 purchased.

What are the Best Color combinations?
Lighter back ground with color added through the use of larger prints.
Smaller and darker prints make it muddied looking.
See below prints for example.

Option 1.  Blue Floral Pattern

Remaining fabric is set aside for a ministry project.

 Option 2.  Red Flower Pattern 

Listed on www.etsy.com/shop/amykempf

Option 3.  Red

Cotton Fabric

Option 4.  Yellow with Red Flowers 

Cotton Fabric 

Option 5.  Blue

Cotton Fabric 

Option 6.  Pale Yellow with Delicate Blue Flowers

Cotton Fabric

Americana Rag Potholder

Gift wrap your gift. 

Tie from rag potholder is included in your purchase.

I remember not too long ago how I thought that home made pot holders were just not as good.  I was dead wrong!  My husband's grandmother has given me some of the BEST crocheted pot holders I ever had.  Plus my mother gave me some pretty ones too when I got married 7 years ago.  She made a rag quilt pot holder out of sunflower material.  It still works great even 7 years later! 

This last week or so I got to thinking that I really wanted to make some pot holders.  Who couldn't use those?  It seems like the ones I have are looking old so I looked around to see if I had any material I could use.  I only had one piece that I thought would work.  It was a deep red Americana fabric with tan stars.  Since I didn't have an accent color to go with it, I researched making pot holders on-line.  What I found was a beautiful Rag Pot Holder that was just beautiful.

Here's all you need to do:

• Step 1.  You'll need about 3/4 yard to 1 yard of cotton material.
• Step 2  Cut 3/4" strips of fabric.  I recommend cutting them to make the longest strip you can.  You will be sewing a lot if you don't.
• Step 3.  Take each strip and sew them together using a bias edge so that the fabric will lay flat.
• Step 4  Crochet!  I can definitely do that!

I did not have a pattern, but based my measurements off a potholder I have.  Once I got the length I wanted, I just crocheted away.  The fun part....  Keeping my 4 month old from grabbing it as I crocheted.  I think he just wanted to play!

But who doesn't love Americana Decorations?  Such a wonderful way to brighten your kitchen.  Good potholders that last are hard to come by.  I think most of the ones I have are homemade and they last a long time!

Psst..... 

Great Gift idea for any Holiday, Birthday, Special Occasions, a Young Ladies Hope Chest, a teacher or for yourself!  Discounts given to customer who purchase in quantities of 4.  Email me for details!

See my store for more rag pot holders to come!  Let me know what colors your kitchen are and I will make them match!

See, http://craftersniche.blogspot.com/2010/11/rag-potholder-options.html for color options available.