5 Little Monsters: 2021

Crocheted Christmas Gnome

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Christmas is only a few days away and I am trying to get in a couple last minute projects. One that I have really wanted to get up before Christmas is this little Christmas Gnome. I feel like gnomes have been all over this year. I made a gnome pillow a couple of weeks ago, and this little guy has been on my to-do list for quite a while.

Hot Chocolate Gift Basket

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Earlier this year when I got the Cricut Mug Press one of my first thoughts was how great it would be for Christmas time. It makes it so quick and easy to make fun personalized mugs that could be paired with something warm to drink, which for my family usually means hot chocolate.

Folded Paper Christmas Ornaments

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It is time for another edition of Creative Crafts. This month the theme is Last Minute Holiday Crafts. I have to admit when I saw that was the theme for this month my first thought was that it isn't last minute yet, it will just be the beginning of December. Then I realized Christmas is just barely over 2 weeks away. With all of the school events, holiday parties, presents to get, and everything else there is to do between now and then it is definitely feeling like we are reaching the last minute part of the holidays.

Gnome Pillow

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Today I am joining several other bloggers and Fairfield World for a Pillow Party! We are all sharing Winter or Holiday themed pillows using Fairfield World's lumbar pillow insert, and do an awesome giveaway. Keep scrolling for the giveaway details.

Crocheted Santa Bear

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Back in the fall I made a pumpkin teddy bear and I thought it would be fun to continue to make seasonal or holiday bears. I had a a couple of different Halloween bears planned, but didn't end up getting them done before Halloween. Well I got one done, but it was an complete fail, the picture I had in my mind didn't quite transfer to the finished bear and it was one of my designs that will never make it to the blog. Then I think after that I got a little discouraged with the bears and didn't make the other designs that I had in mind.

Christmas Ornaments with Cricut Materials

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I use my Cricut all the time when I need to make a quick craft, and during the holiday season that is especially the case. I was thinking about all of the different materials that my Cricut Maker 3 can cut, and all of the different types of projects that I can make with it, and I thought it would be fun to do a Christmas project using a variety of different materials and project types to kind of showcase what you can do with a Cricut Maker.

Wooden Bead Christmas Ornaments

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I have never been the Pinterest perfect, Instagram worthy Christmas tree kind of person. I love pretty trees, and sometimes I do want to have a perfectly coordinated, themed, pretty tree. But the fact of the matter is our big tree that we put up in the living room is a crazy assortment of ornaments, some from when I was a kid, some from my husband, ornaments that our kids have made or been given. There are ornaments from vacations we went on and ornaments that that represent favorite things. And to make it even better we let the kids decorate it so they are never evenly dispersed, some places may not have any ornaments while others have 2 to a branch. The top is usually a little more sparse than the bottom. They each have their own box of ornaments that they put on the tree every year, and they love it. It is fun to watch them pull out the ornaments and remember their ornaments and when the made them, or who gave them to them. And any time that I wish for a minute that this year we could have that beautiful Instagram worthy tree it all goes away when I see the kids excitedly pulling out their ornaments and we decorate our crazy mishmash of a Christmas tree. I love our tree.

Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Stickers

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November is Diabetes Awareness Month and knowing that, and because I have a 9 year old daughter with Type 1 Diabetes, I had plans all year to share a Diabetes Awareness project this month. With working on Thanksgiving and Christmas projects, and just being busy with normal life stuff I almost decided not to, but because of my daughter it is something that is important to me so I decided to make it a priority to get up before the end of the month.

Christmas and Winter Tumblers with Vinyl Decals

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A couple of weeks ago I was at Walmart and I saw some sets of color changing cups, both hot and cold cups, that I thought were cute colors. They were part of a fall/harvest line but I thought the colors would work well for Christmas or winter designs as well. There was one that is a dark orange color that was definitely more of a fall color and maybe a stretch for winter, but the others were pinks and green and would work well. I grabbed a pack of each, hot and cold, to use as blanks to add vinyl to as a Christmas project.

Days Until Christmas Chalkboard

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A few weeks ago I was at a store looking at the Christmas decorations that they had out and I saw a little easel style Christmas countdown chalkboard. It was really simple but I thought it was cute. Then later I was at Walmart and saw some similar size/style chalkboards in their craft section and decided to get one so I could make a countdown chalkboard similar to the one that I had seen earlier.

Weasley Sweater Christmas Ornaments

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Another month means time for another Creative Crafts Blog Hop. I was super excited about the theme this month, if you have been following me for awhile you probably know that I am a big Harry Potter fan. I have made lots of Harry Potter themed crafts over the years so when I saw the theme was Harry Potter Holiday Crafts it was right up my alley.

Paper Mache Advent Calendar

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I have been wanting to make one of these paper mâché advent calendars for a long time, but never get around to buying one before they are either sold out or it is too late to make a new advent calendar for that year. I had seen them in the past at Hobby Lobby, but I don't go there very often since there are other craft stores closer to me. Last month I was there picking up some stuff for another project and I saw them in their Christmas craft supplies, and I decided this year I was finally going to buy one so that I could make it, and I was going to get it done before December.

Thanksgiving Activity Placemats with Cricut

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New images and designs are always being added to Cricut Design Space, and a month or so ago I saw that they had added some Thanksgiving Activity Placemat designs. I thought they looked like they would be a lot of fun for kids at Thanksgiving so I thought I would make some and share them here so that others can make them too.

Easy Two-Color Pillowcases

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This holiday season JOANN is partnering with St. Jude to raise money to help children battling illnesses. The goal is to raise $1M to raise to help these children, and they have several ways that you can help. One way is through donations in stores or online at joann.com/st-jude. Another way that they are raising money is through a collection of fabrics inspired by artwork created by St. Jude patients.

Crocheted Elf Ornament

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Today I am excited to be joining the 2021 Holiday Stashdown Crochet Along. Every Monday and Thursday from October 4-December 16, different designers will be sharing free crochet patterns to help you get started on you holiday crafting. Each patter will either be a one-skein project, or a scrappy project that you can probably make using your stash.

Boxed Beads Hat in 5 Sizes

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Not too long ago I shared a new crocheted hat pattern. It used the bead stitch in a different way than the other bead stitch hats I had shared previously, boxed in between double crochet stitches and rounds of single crochet. It was also made with a bulky weight yarn, Caron Colorama O'Go.

Halloween Bingo

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We have had a few Halloween parties and activities recently and have a few more coming up and it is always fun to have games to play at Halloween activities so I thought I would make a Halloween Bingo game that we could use.

Halloween Perler Bead Designs

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I shared some fall Perler Bead Designs a month or so ago, but at the same time that I designed those I also came up with some that were more specifically Halloween themed. I finally got the graphs that I designed turned into actual finished designs and am ready to share them.

BOO! Tags

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I recently needed to come up with an activity to do with a group of 8-11 year old girls and I wanted to do something that was Halloween related and fun. But I also thought it would be nice for them to make something they could give to someone else. I planned a couple of activities for them to do to fill the time that we had, but one of the activities was to make Boo Bags. Little bags of candy that they could secretly give to someone to "boo" them.

Striped and Polka Dot Crocheted Pumpkins

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As I was crocheting pumpkins this year I thought it would be fun to mix it up a little and make some that were 2 colors rather than 1. Most of the time I choose more muted shades or fall colors to make my pumpkins, but this time I decided to go with more of a Halloween theme, bright orange, black, and white.

Snowflake Mandala with Cricut Maker 3

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When I got my Cricut Maker 3 I knew I wanted my first project to be using some of the new Smart Materials, and the one I was the most excited to try was the Smart Paper Sticker Cardstock. I thought it would make paper crafting so much easier because there wouldn't be a need for glue or other adhesives.

Halloween Reverse Canvases

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It is time for another round of Team Creative Crafts, this time the theme is Last Minute Halloween Crafts. I have been in Halloween crafting mode lately so the theme was perfect for me. I had every intention of starting Halloween and Fall crafts last month, but September ended up being a crazy busy month for me and my family and I didn't get nearly as much done as I had hoped, so now that October is here I am trying to catch up on all of the Halloween and Fall crafts.

21 Projects to Make with a Cricut

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When I first started looking into getting my first Cricut I spent a lot of time trying to decide if it was going to be worth it. Would I really use it? There were some projects that I thought I would make, but I wasn't sure if I would use it enough to justify the cost. I didn't quite grasp at that point all of the things you could do with a Cricut. At the time I was mostly interested in using it to cut vinyl and iron on, I thought the only reason to use it for paper crafts was if you were a scrapbooker, which is one craft I have never really gotten into, and besides those things I didn't know what else you would use it for. What I discovered was that there was so much you can do, so many different types of projects you can make. And it has become one of the most used things in my craft room.

Mini Halloween Treat Buckets

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The other day I was drawing some designs on my iPad for a project I will be sharing later this week and I ended up with 3 different designs, and only 2 of them that I planned on using for that project. Then later I was pulling out the supplies that I needed for the other project, and I came across these little metal buckets and the idea of these little treat buckets was born.

Mandala Elephant Tote Bag

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I have seen mandala style projects all over the place and Cricut has a lot of fun ones, different animals and other designs, available in Design Space. I don't love the weeding process, I mean, it isn't that I absolutely hate it but it definitely isn't my favorite part of making a vinyl or iron on projects. And those project take a lot of weeding.

Puff Stitch Stripes Blanket

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Today I am excited to be joining the Puff The Magic Stitch Free Crochet Pattern Blog Hop, featuring 16 designs from different crochet designers, each starring the puff stitch. Each of the patterns is available for free on the designers websites.

Pumpkin Bear

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Today I am excited to be sharing a new crochet pattern as part of the 3rd annual Halloween Crochet Along with CAL Central. The crochet along started in August and goes through the end of September with a new Halloween themed pattern coming out each Monday and Thursday.

Boxed Beads Hat with Bulky Weight Yarn

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Yarnspirations recently sent me some of their new O'Go yarn to try out and with fall just around the corner, and hopefully some cooler weather, I thought it would be perfect to make a new hat pattern.

Bobble Stitch Pumpkins

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I love fall, and one of my favorite fall decorations to make is pumpkins. I have made a lot of pumpkin crafts over the years that include everything from crocheted pumpkins in several varieties, to painted or sewn pumpkins, and more.

Fall Perler Bead Designs

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Fall may not officially be here until later in September, but once the kids are in school and September hits I am ready for fall. And for me that means making fall projects and putting up fall decorations. I love fall, it is, and always has been my favorite season. The colors, the cool weather, everything about it, I just love it. Then the fall leads into the holiday season, which I also love, so everything about this time of the year is my favorite.

How to Make a Cricut Project- Step by Step for Beginners

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I have talked with a few people recently, both in person and online, who have mentioned how intimidating a Cricut is. They don't know how or where to start and it just seems overwhelming. So, I thought I would share a step by step tutorial on making a project on your Cricut. This is mostly going to be geared towards beginners, and hopefully will make getting started with a Cricut easier.

Perler Bead Alphabet

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This week has been a crazy one in our house, as we adjust to new schools, new schedules, and getting back into the routine of the school year. All 6 of my kids are in school this year, the older kids started at the beginning of the week, and my youngest had his first day of kindergarten today.

Amigurumi School Supplies

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We have spent the last couple of weeks getting all of the last minute back to school stuff done because our kids start next week. In some ways it is crazy to think that summer is over, but I am also excited to get back into the routine of the school year. It has been a crazy couple of weeks taking each of the kids shopping for clothes and supplies, going to orientations and registrations days, checkups and kindergarten shots, all of the stuff it takes to get 6 kids ready. But I think we are finally there and it is crazy to think that next week all 6 kids will be in school and for the first time in almost 15 years I won't have any kids home with me during the day.

Kindness Cookies with Therm O Web and Laura Kelly Designs

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A couple of weeks ago I received a really fun package in the mail, full of fun new products for me to use in today's post. Laura Kelly is known for her cute doodles and she is always sharing ideas to promote kindness. She recently partnered with Therm O Web to create a line of stamps created from her doodles, as well as some foils and cute patterned toner sheets to use with the foils. And today I have the opportunity of participating in the Back to School with Kindness Hop with Therm O Web, Laura Kelly, and several other designers to share these new products.

Crocheted Bear Pencil Bag

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A week or two ago I shared a new pencil bag pattern, using my basic crocheted pencil bag to make a cat pencil bag. I mentioned in that post that I was working on another that I would be sharing soon. This is that bag.

Camping Perler Bead Designs

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Another week of Summer Camp Crafts. This week I decided to do one of my kids favorite crafts, that I think they first tried at a summer camp, and once they did we started buying the supplies for them to do it at home and it became a favorite activity all year round. It is fun because it is something I remember doing as a kid too.

Personalized Labels for School Supplies

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I know some kids are already back in school, some like my kids head back in the next couple of weeks, and others still have another month before they go back. But if you are in one of the last two categories you are probably getting school supplies ready. Both for kids to take to school, and to have at home for homework.

Bloque Stitch Blanket

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I have been wanting to make a blanket with Red Heart Super Saver Retro Stripes for a long time, but it has been impossible to find anywhere. When I saw that JOANN had some in stock a month or so ago I ordered some right away. I was so excited to turn it into a cute rainbow baby blanket. Plus I was hoping to have enough left over to make a hat for my rainbow and unicorn loving 9 year old, because the colors totally remind me of her.

Boondoggle Keychains

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Another week of Summer Camp Craft Saturdays. We are on to week 5 out of 9, so we are over halfway through. This week we are making boondoggle keychains, which if you are like Napoleon Dynamite you may have made an infinity of them at scout camp.

12 Harry Potter Crafts

Typically in July I do a Harry Potter week around the 31st, sharing some Harry Potter themed crafts to celebrate his birthday. This year I had other projects planned and wasn't able to fit a Harry Potter week in the schedule, but I still thought it would be fun to put together a post with all of my Harry Potter themed projects from over the years in one place.

Kind is Cool Tote Bag

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A couple of weeks ago I went to Micheals, not really intending to buy anything, just to look around and waste some time while my husband got a haircut next door. But it turned out they were having a big clearance sale and I ended up leaving with a big bag full of stuff. Mostly kid craft kits that I got for my kids to use, but I also grabbed a few other things. One of those things was this rope handled tote bag.

Crocheted Cat Pencil Bag

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School supplies have started showing up in stores over the last couple of weeks and at first I thought that seemed so early, but then I realized my kids go back to school in less than a month. Crazy! And I know some people go back even sooner than they do. I am not sure where the summer went exactly, but I guess it is time to think about going back to school.

Clay Disc Bead Bracelets

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This week's Summer Camp Craft Saturday project is a little late. I had a super busy week ending with my 5 year old's birthday, but I figured better late than never so here we are. This week we are making bracelets again, but this time with beads. Clay disc beads to be exact.

Rainbow Doodle Stickers

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The other day I was doodling on my iPad, making little rainbow designs, not really with the intention of turning them into anything. But, as I was drawing I decided that they might make fun little stickers.

Ice Dyed Scrunchies

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We are at week 3 of the 9 weeks of Summer Camp Craft Saturdays. So far we have done friendship bracelets, and painted rocks. One of the camp crafts I wanted to be sure to include in this series was tie dye. But since I have a few tie dye projects on my blog already, I kind of wanted to try something I hadn't done before.

Mossy Path Crocheted Hat in 9 Sizes

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It is time for Christmas in July! Today I am participating in a Christmas in July Make Along with Underground Crafter. This month a bunch of bloggers are teaming up to bring you a full month of free patterns to help you kickstart your holiday making. Each week has a theme and this week is "Gifts for Anyone". And, if you join in the make along by making some of the projects we share you can enter to win some fun prizes at the end of the month.

Foiled Sticker Tags with Cricut Joy

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I have been wanting to try out the Cricut Foil Transfer Tool ever since they first came out quite a while ago, and I finally got one. There are two different versions, the first one that came out worked in the Maker and Explore machines, but it was not compatible with the Joy. Then they came out with a Cricut Joy version that works only with the Joy and that is the one that I got.

V-Stitch Market Bag

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A week or two ago I ran to Micheals to pick up something that I needed for a project and while I was there I saw that they had a display of the new Premier Chameleon color changing yarn. I had seen advertisements for it on social media and I thought it would be kind of fun to try out.

Rock Painting

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It is time for another Summer Camp Craft Saturday! This is the second of 9 weeks of summer camp crafts, and we are painting rocks.