Enjoy Valentine's Day with your tastebuds and your crafty hands! Here are some treats & meal ideas from the kitchen, plus craft ideas to share.

Snacks: Sweet Snack Mix from scrumdilly-do

Drink: Healthy Strawberry-Banana Smoothie from SimpleMakes (er, me!)

Dinner: Candlelight on a Budget from MyRecipes

Dessert: Valentine's Day Treat Hit List from TipNut

Handmade Valentine: Little Acorn Valentine from Little Acorn

Crafty Gift: Valentine's Treasures from Schlosser Designs

Decor: Origami Cherry Blossoms from The Flirty Guide

Comment for a chance to win February's giveaway: an adorable panda pillow from My Dear Darling!

A few links for crafters to keep their supplies & products in great shape!

Sewing Machine

If you use a sewing machine to make your life simpler - making your own clothing instead of worrying about how you look in this season's styles, making your own anything that doesn't happen to be sold in stores but that you would like to own - you know just how nice it is to you, working hard without complaint.

Well, most of the time. Until fabric gets snagged, or won't feed, or any number of other sewing machine problems.

Here's a top reason your sewing machine stops being nice to you, though: you aren't being nice to it! Like other household appliances, this one needs a little TLC to keep it running smoothly. I have been a bit guilty (well, more than a bit) of not doing much (or any) upkeep on my sewing machine, but then growling when it stops doing what I want.

I think I previously figured that maintenance on my machine would be a job requiring a trained professional, or supplies I didn't have, or I would do something wrong, or at the very least, it would take a lot of time.

No longer!

This simple post by Mary Ray on CraftyStylish not only reminds all us crafters that we should take care of our machines, it gives some simple how-to steps for cleaning it.

Embroidery

And what about those beautiful fabrics you've just embroidered? I fall guilty in this department when I don't wash my hands between snacking & crafting, which always results in little smudges on those lovely fabrics.

I won't reinvent the wheel here either: Tipnut has a wonderful post on everything you could want to know about cleaning needlework. Check it out!

Everything Else?

Well, I don't know. I'm never sure what to do with completed knit hats (it looks so great now; I don't want to ruin it by trying to wash it!), sewed projects (I once had a total washing machine disaster on a basket cover I'd just washed, though the rest of the basket covers turned out fine!), and I have no idea whether maintainence is necessary for hand-crafted tools: needles, scissors, etc.

Help me out: comment with your crafty cleaning tips here, or send me links to other blog posts on the topic either in the comments or by tagging it as "for:simplyla" on delicious.

Updates

* Mary's Jewelry shop on Etsy is offering the 10% discount through the end of January...

* You can still comment on this or other January posts for a chance to win a pair of Layla Legs...

* I've just begun my new blog, Simply Lori Ann, and would love some initial comments. I'll be blogging there Saturdays and sticking to twice a week here at SimpleMakes.

Remember the Knit & Help post back in September? I finally finished my hat, and as I did so, I found some useful tips to share with fellow newbies to pattern-knitting.

My September post linked to Save the Children's Knit Kit, an illustrated guide to basic knitting that also includes a hat pattern. However, after my enthusiastic post I wrote while excited about going out to buy the materials, I realized the kit didn't include everything I needed. It shows how to cast on, knit, and bind off, which I know how to do from previous projects (taught by friends & good books), but not how to purl or do ribbing or a stockinette stitch.

No fear, though, because the world wide web of information provides everything I could look for. Armed with the knit kit, book Knitting with Balls, Ravelry, Expert Village, and a few other sites, I was able to successfully complete my first using-a-pattern knitting project.

If you'd like to knit a hat for a baby you know, or for any other pattern that uses purl, ribbing, and/or stockinette stitch, here's what you need.

Step 1: The pattern - Find patterns at Ravelry.com, by searching online, or in great knitting books like these which I recommend. Also see these great patterns by fellow bloggers. (They're not all hats).

Step 2: Cast on - I learned this from a book, too, but really like this Expert Village video which uses the same method I do.

Step 3: Knitting - The Knit Kit explains and illustrates this very well. I knit Continental, which I learned from a DK Craft book (no longer in print). Knitting with Balls explains the technique for Continental and English knitting.

Step 4: Purling - I learned to purl from this Expert Village video. I find it a difficult stitch to learn from illustrations, though they are included in Knitting with Balls for both Continental and English knitting.

Step 5: Ribbing - Ribbing was explained, but not illustrated, in the Knit Kit, and I was confused as to whether or not I needed to alternate which rows began with knit and which rows began with purl (answer: no; for an even number of stitches, beginning every row with knit, following the K1, P1 pattern, results in ribbing). See this video.

Step 6: Stockinette Stitch - Same as ribbing (explained/not illustrated in Knit Kit) but much easier to understand, I recommend this short description or this video if you need some help.

Step 7: Binding Off - This is the last step, well illustrated in both the Knit Kit and my favorite knitting book, Knitting with Balls (yes, it's for guys, but the knitting principles are the same). Also see this helpful video.

Step 8: Weaving in the Ends/Sewing the Seam - The clearest explanation I've read for weaving in the ends is in Knitting with Balls. Try also this article. As for sewing the seam (as in the Knit Kit pattern), I just kind of went for it and hoped for the best, but probably should have tried the instructions in this video.

Step 9: Give it away! - I was glad to learn that Save the Children collected so many hats, but disappointed that I finished mine too late. Please comment to let me know if you hear of any other organizations accepting hats! It's a teensy size, for preemie babies, but it is mighty cute!

Don't forget to comment to enter January's giveaway: Layla Legs!

Aren't siblings amazing? I'm so proud of my little sister. Read below for the story, plus a great deal for Simple Makes readers!


My younger sister, Mary (who's not so little anymore!), has been making jewelry since she could crawl, and has been refining her skills ever since. Around 10 years old, Mary opened a tiny 'shop' in our house: "Mary's Beads and Accessories." She sold bracelets, necklaces, and other cute items she'd made from wire and beads. I remember the Christmas gifts we got for her each year: beads, bead organizers, bead supplies. Mary just couldn't get enough of beads :-)

Since the time I went off to college, Mary's gotten even better at beading! Now, she uses more advanced tools: pliers, wire cutters, and little parts I don't know what they are :-) Beginning the freshman year of college herself, Mary's caught the entrepreneurial bug and opened her very own etsy shop!! I love that she named it Mary's Beads and Accessories; the same name she had for her shop as a kid.

Though Mary's been selling her jewelry to our family and friends for years, she's new to Etsy, so I wanted to share about her new shop here on my blog to help get her name out. When I suggested the idea to her (via skype, since we live across the world from each other), she offered a discount to all Simple Makes readers for the whole month of January! You can get 10% off anything in her shop. Here's how it works:

1. First add an item(s) from her shop to your cart and start the check-out process.
2. Enter the code "simplemakes" in the 'notes to seller' and the email address where the revised invoice should be sent.
3. Complete the order but do NOT go to Paypal to pay.
4. You will receive a revised invoice, and a link to complete payment, via email reflecting the discount.

That's it! I hope you can treat yourself to a post-holiday gift, or just bookmark the shop for a future purchase. Enjoy!

...and you?

Post in the comments what you think of her stuff, like those gorgeous earrings in the photo above (almost enough to make me get my ears pierced... but just almost).

If you have an etsy store you'd like featured on SimpleMakes, contact me. I'm looking for a shop to give away an item to a reader each month in 2009, which would get your shop's name and link out as I mentioned the contest in each post that month.

A home organization tip that'll make it easier to find that certain scrap of fabric, how-to instructions, or matching button next time you're ready to craft!

I started an embroidered fabric case for my husband approximately forever ago, but today finally got ready to finish it. The embroidery done, I needed to sew the lining into the case, presenting just one problem: where was everything?

Thankfully, one look in my Hobby Basket answered it all. The pre-cut lining, matching the other piece? In the Hobby Basket. The thread I picked out with the right color? In the Hobby Basket. The book with the instructions on how to sew it up? In the Hobby Basket. The scanned & printed image I used as inspiration for the embroidered picture? Okay, so I don't actually need that one anymore, but it's in the Hobby Basket, too.

I originally got the Hobby Basket idea from The Creative Family, reading that Amanda Soule keeps baskets around her house with various knitting projects at various stages. A Thanksgiving trip to a city big enough to host Ikea (my first visit to one, ever!) saw us return home with two beautifully simple (and quite affordable!) wicker baskets. Stacked on top of one another, my Hobby Basket was formed.

The top, shallow basket holds frequently-accessed supplies plus current projects. That's why it was so easy to find everything I needed, though it's been over a month since I've touched this project. The bottom, deeper basket not only brings the other up to seat-level, so I see it and am inspired to craft when I sit down, but also holds general craft supplies and projects for the future or books for crafts currently on the back-burner.

This storage solution has made my crafting less stressful, more enjoyable, and has added a homespun functional decor item to my home at the same time. Thanks for the idea, Amanda!

...and you?

Where do you keep your current projects? Do you have any storage units in your home that double as decor? Let me know I'm not talking to myself - share in the comments!

Motivated by Old fashioned mama's challenge on HomesteadGarden, I'm trying my hardest to finish up my WIPs (works in progress). For me, that means working on:

Are you crafting this weekend? Share your pictures in our flickr group and link to them in the comments here!

Is your weekend otherwise occupied? Tell the tale (via a picture or word story) in the comments. I love that Whitney's been uploading her beautiful weekend snapshot photos to the flickr group so I get to see what her weekends look like! Follow her lead and then comment here with the link so we get to see.

Reading, doodling, embroidering, and sewing. It's been a crafty, inspired, month!


Just before I left, I finished reading The Creative Family (SUPER book, even for no-kids-yet families like mine!), and completed my first project by hanging the Inspiration Line above. I hope it becomes more "inspiring" as time goes on!


This blue fabric from the left side of the inspiration line is now an almost-complete cell phone holder: I used the pattern from Doodle Stitching (which is FULL of cute patterns and ideas, most of which I actually want to make!) and plan to modify it (different design) for an iPod case to make my husband next week.


This brights-on-muslin embroidery from the right side of the inspiration line is my new sampler: I tried out sorts of stitches taught in Doodle Stitching, some of them which I already knew but also lots that were new to me. The book is FULL of beautifully illustrated photographs to teach a great assortment of stitches, both decorative and practical.

...and you?

What's your crafty side been up to this last month? Any Christmas-gift projects you're beginning? Share about 'em here, and post photos in our flickr group!

This weekend, my father-in-law came to visit for my husband's birthday. He brought in several books, plus 100 Organ needles, which I've ordered over the past months!

Each of the books was recommended to me, so I'm super excited about them. I've broken all but one needle on my sewing machine since we've moved here, and I can only find industrial needles to buy, so I ordered a bulk package online. (Of course, 100 needles still doesn't take up very much room!)

The items include:

Devotional Classics

Treasuring God in Our Traditions

Doodle Stitching

Organ Needles

The Creative Family

*I'm an Amazon affiliate, so I get a small commission if you buy anything on Amazon after clicking one of those links. If you're in the market for an Amazon order, please help me out by going through my links! Check out the new Amazon Green program for sustainable products.

...and you?

What was your weekend snapshot? Share photos at our flickr group and comment here with the story!

Also, if you have any book recommendations for a future Amazon purchase, let me know... the best books always seem to come from referrals, and we don't have much in the way of English-language books here!

For the first of the Simple Makes "weekly top 10," I'm focusing on crafting tutorials: not techniques, not a specific craft, but all-out, any-craft, fully-explained, well-written-and-illustrated tutorials!

Here are the best craft tutorials (in no particular order) I found this week from others who love to craft and are so generous with their craft love, they've decided to share FREE tutorials with all of us! Go show them some comment love after checking out these links:

1. Paper Weaving from Folding Trees
2. The Perfect Tea Towel from Sew Take a Hike
3. Making a Box from Revolution Board Game
4. Embroidery on Knitting from Pimp Stitch
5. Ribbon Labels from Silly Gilly
6. Photo Journal from five and a half
7. Undercover Crate from Paint in My Hair
8. Crochet Hook Roll-Up from CraftStylish
9. 5-minute Skirt from Angry Chicken
10. Cards and Tags with Stripes and Dots from CraftStylish

Enjoy!

...and you?

Have a link I might consider for a future top 10? Comment here or tag it to my delicious network with "top10". I'm also looking for a tutorial or pattern to make a simple case for my (new, as of yesterday!) cell phone... please share if you know of one!

I've spent the past month learning how to set up www.SimpleMakes.com, and am finally done. As I worked, I wrote but saved instead of published posts until I was ready with a uniform theme for the site. It's all ready now!

All the posts to this point are available as backdated entries. So they don't get lost in the archives, here's a quick index to what we have so far:

On Simplicity
Sept 8, 2008

Green posts:
Start Living Sustainably
Sept 12, 2008
Apartment Composting Series
Sept 4, 2008

Craft Posts:
Mugful of Craft Tools
Sept 5, 2008
Crafting How-to Books
August 29, 2008

Home Posts:

Desk Drawer De-clutter
Sept 9, 2008
Home Design: Flickr & Color
Sept 2, 2008
Simple Candle Wax Fix
August 26, 2008

...and you?

Stay tuned for more posts: simplicity, green, craft, home, and family. Please comment to let me know what you'd like to see!

Most crafters agree they have too much craft stuff lying around, but share an organizational problem: what to do with it all? A challenge & poll led to netizen crafters' brainstorming & creativity, plus some interesting stats!


The Mugful Story

I recently began using mugs to store smaller, more frequently-accessed craft tools. This puts everything in one place while allowing me to add a fun, but functional, decor item to the room.

As I enjoyed my new crafting organization, I wondered: if all I kept to craft with had to fit in this mug, what would stay? What would go? The mug no longer just said "storage solution" to me, but also "simplify."

I asked online crafters how they would simplify their craftroom (or corner of the living room, or wherever) if they could only keep one mugful of craft tools. By “tools,” I excluded supplies (such as bolts of fabric) as well as equipment (like sewing machines).

Some crafters posted a photo of their mugful:

Poll Results

Crafters at etsy.com, several flickr.com groups, and right here at www.SimpleMakes.com voted on the top 3 tools they’d have to keep.

The Top 3's Top 3:

Scissors (over half the crafters would include scissors), knife or other cutter, and, to my complete surprise (since I never use them in crafting), pliers!

Complete results (by % of crafters who'd include each in their top 3):

58% scissors
39% knife or cutter
32% pliers
25% writing utensil (pen, pencil, chalk)
25% ruler
21% knitting needles
18% tape measure
18% sewing or embroidery needles
14% seam ripper
14% paint brush
11% crochet hook
11% pincushion
7% small torch
4% hammer
4% chopstick
4% glue
4% stitch markers
Of course, responses were biased based on particular trades... I wouldn't suggest building a craft supply emporium based on these numbers! Do enjoy the stats, though; it's fun!

...and you?

Whether you do this as a mental exercise or actually pull out a mug, go through your stash, and try to stock it with just the essentials, it is a helpful activity that aids in simplification priority-making. Do you really need to keep all three size H crochet hooks?

Using the options in the poll results above, comment on this post with your top 3. If you take a photo, post it on our flickr group.

Enjoy!

Make simple living a reality in your own family and home!

Simple Makes at www.SimpleMakes.com launched September 2008 as a source to read and share ideas for family activities, household tips, guides to green (sustainable) living, make-your-own craft and other project how-to's, and much more!

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