Basketweave Crochet Baby Blanket

Ever since my best friend told me she was pregnant, I knew I wanted to crochet her a baby blanket. They decided from the start that they were not going to find out the gender, so I went with a gender neutral mint green color. I purchased the yarn months ago and set out to find the perfect blanket pattern. I knew I didn't want to do a typical pattern that looks the same as every other pattern out there, I wanted something unique! After months of searching, I came across this pattern from Little Monkeys Crochet of her Basketweave Throw Pillow. I knew instantly that this would be the perfect pattern  for a baby blanket. 

Since I wanted the blanket to be larger, I had to modify the pattern a little bit. To add to this pattern, start by chaining to desired width in multiples of 4 and then and 1 chain. (example: 27x4= 108, 108+1=109). For the full pattern, head on over to Little Monkeys Crochet.

I love how my blanket turned out! And it was a pretty simple pattern as well.

I think baby blankets will be my new go-to shower gift, a new pattern every time!

What are some of your favorite baby blanket patterns?

DIY Diaper Cake

It's hard to believe that up until last week, I had never made a diaper cake.
A coworker is having her second baby (due today!) and we decided to get her a little something for her new addition. I volunteered to make a diaper cake because I always thought it would be fun, and the process didn't prove me wrong.

I made a small, two-tiered cake. I used a total of 26 diapers, 7 diapers for the first tier and 19 diapers for the second tier. 

Here's what to do:

First, roll each diaper and wrap a rubber band around it.

Next, use rubber bands to form each circled tier.
(Again, use 7 diapers for the first tier and 19 for the second tier)

Then, to connect the two tiers, place an empty toilet paper roll around the center diaper in the bottom tier, 

Lastly, slide the center diaper from the top tier onto it as well.

You can repeat these steps with larger tiers to make even bigger diaper cakes.
Since mine was small, I did not use a base to keep it all together, but I probably would have used cardboard on the bottom if I had made the diaper cake any bigger.

Once you have the diaper cake form you desire, all that's left to do is decorate!

HINT: When buying diapers, try to find some that are plain white on either side for a prettier looking cake. I had two different brands of diapers and ended up having to "hide" the designed ones in the center and back of the cake. Oops :) 

Have you made a diaper cake before? 

Did you use the same strategy or did you do something completely different?

Happy Friday!

DIY Gift Card Bouquet

Today I'm sharing a fun birthday gift idea! My co-workers and I always try to go in on a gift together to get each person a special birthday gift. We usually each contribute 5-10 dollars at the most, depending on the total cost of the gift, so it's pretty easy for us all to contribute without breaking the bank. We try to rotate who is in charge of buying and putting the gift together, and it was recently my turn. I decided to make my friend and coworker this fun gift card bouquet to some of her favorite fast food restaurants.

in order to make this, you'll need:

gift bag, tissue paper, wooden skewers, foam block, gift cards, and scotch tape. 

First, I taped the skewers to the back of each gift card. 

Next, I arranged the skewers in the foam block to look like a bouquet.

Then, I stuck the foam block in the gift bag and poured a bag of Reese's (her favorite candy) on top of the foam block. I added some tissue paper to make it look prettier. 

She LOVED it!
Now she has a reason to go out to lunch or stop for a coffee on the way into work.

And, aside from driving to all the restaurants, it took no time at all to put together. Time is a precious thing around here these days, so it was perfect!

Happy Hump Day, friends!

Chalky Hearts Sugar Scrub

Looking for something small to give your girlfriends for Valentine's Day? This Chalky Heart Sugar Scrub is the perfect gift! 

The past few years, I have filled a vase with chalky hearts for decoration. Every year, I think it is such a waste to just throw them away, but I don't really want to eat them after they've been sitting out for a month either. Last year, I decided to throw them all in a Ziploc bag to save for this year.

Instead of decorating with them, I chopped them up in my blender and added them to my sugar scrub. The end result: Chalky Hearts Sugar Scrub!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of sugar, 1/4 cup of coconut oil, 1/2 cup of chalky hearts, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

WHAT TO DO:

1. Heat cocnut oil in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

2. Combine coconut oil and sugar. Mix well.

3. Chop chalky hearts in blender. Stir into sugar mixture.

4. Add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla (optional to give it a scent) 

It is so easy and inexpensive to make, and your girlfriends are guaranteed to love it!

Do you pass out goodies to your friends/family for Valentine's Day? If so, what kinds of things do you make?

Lemon Sugar Scrub

This stuff is seriously my jam right now! Anything with lemon in the title is an automatic win in my book, but this sugar scrub really is fabulous. I've been seeing it pop up all over Pinterest in the past year or so, but never really understood what all the hype was about. That is, until my best friend made me some candy cane sugar scrub for Christmas. I was instantly hooked! It made my skin feel so soft and smooth, like a baby's bottom. Sometimes, I even get really crazy and just soak in the bath tub with it, ahh so relaxing. I've talked it up so much, even my husband uses it now.

So when Spring rolled around it was no surprise that I needed to make some lemon scented scrub.  With the lemon scent, I've reached a whole new level of obsessed. 

This sugar scrub is very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:

one lemon, 3 cups sugar, 1/4 cup coconut oil

1. Zest the entire lemon, then cut in half and squeeze out the lemon juice. 

2. Heat coconut oil in microwave for about 30 seconds

3. Combine sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and coconut oil into a large bowl.

4. Mix well and enjoy!

The original recipe called for 2 1/2 cups of sugar, but I try to get more bang for my buck, so I use 3 cups. I can usually fill about 2 shorter mason jars with one "batch".

Have you used sugar scrub before?

What other scents do you recommend? 

(I may need to start branching out a little)

Happy Friday Friends!

Easter Basket: Puppy Edition

I hope everyone had a fun-filled Easter yesterday and were able to spend time with close friends and family. It was a beautiful weekend here in Michigan, I just wish I could have enjoyed the weather a bit more than I did. Thank you finals! Yes, I realize I have pretty much been MIA for over a month. Blame school, the second half of this semester is taking every second of my time. But don't worry, after next week, I will have more free time to spend doing what I love: crafting and blogging!

Anyways, I did find some time to make Easter basket's for my puppy and my man. Today, I am sharing the basket I made for my sweet fur baby.

Lucy's Easter basket didn't have much in it, but the milkbones were enough to keep her happy. She needed a new harness since she gained a bit of winter weight, so of course that meant a new leash and collar to match as well. I put the leash in her basket, but the rest was too big to fit. We also bought her some bacon treats, stylish (and scented) poop bags, and filled the rest milkbones. 

Her basket was very small, so I ran out of room quickly. But I also purchased a tug toy and some tennis balls to throw in just in case. 

We waited until Lucy went outside, and then hid her basket in the corner of the living room, thinking she would smell the treats and run to find it. Well, with all the guests, including another dog, she was a bit too distracted. She did dive into the treats immediately once she found it though. 

(Look at how good she got at "leave it"! We never thought the day would come.)

Anybody else make Easter baskets for their pets?
I just can't help it, she is my child.
::crazy dog lady right here::

Happy Easter!

Wedding Morning Playlist

A while back, I showed off the Engagement Gift Basket that I made for my dear friend. Included in the basket was a Wedding Morning Playlist that I created for us to listen to while getting ready the morning of the big day. When her wedding day came, we listened to it quite a few times. It was fun having songs that were so fitting for such a special day.

Here is the playlist I created if you care to use it. Scroll down to listen using Spotify.

While spending hours getting ready the morning of the wedding, this is the perfect playlist to listen to while sipping champagne, and getting into hair and makeup. All the girls will be singing along to these upbeat tunes while slipping into their gowns. 

Enjoy!

Crocheted Coffee Cozy's

 Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! 

I just woke up to big,  beautiful snow flakes floating in the air. Yes, it is February and yes,  this still excites me! I'm not quite sick of this fluffy white stuff yet, and I'm really not looking forward to the day the snow melts and we have to scoop up all the dog poop from the past 3-4 months. Yuck!

 Anyways, today I am sharing these adorable coffee cozy's I made for my friends for Valentine's Day. I already sent a few out in the mail, but everyone else is getting theirs today and I am so excited! I just love giving little gifts to make other people smile. 

**Update: These are also now available in my Etsy shop for purchase! You may click here to be sent directly to the listing.

The crochet pattern for the heart can found here. A crochet hook size E was used for the hearts.

Both the cozy and the heart use worsted weight yarn. I made up my own pattern for the actual cozy, using a size H crochet hook. Here it is:

Chain 30. Slip stitch into first chain to make a ring. before moving on, I would make sure that this will fit your coffee cup. If you crochet more loosely or more tightly, you may need to adjust this step.

Row 1: Single crochet into each chain all the way around the ring. Slip stitch into first single crochet to complete the row. 

Row 2-7: Chain 3. Double crochet all the way around the ring. Slip stitch into chain 3 to complete the row.

Row 8: Single crochet into each double crochet, all the way around the ring. Slip stitch into first single crochet to complete the row. Fasten off and weave in ends. 

And there you have it! An adorable coffee cozy. 

I can't wait to give these to all my coffee loving friends! I even stuck some of my Valentine's Day Popcorn Mix inside the cups for an extra special treat. 

Do you ever send gifts to your friends on Valentine's Day?

If so, what do you send them. I love finding new crafty, inexpensive gift ideas!

Crayon Wreath

How cute is this crayon wreath?! Wouldn't it look great on a classroom door? My best friend is a teacher, and I have been wanting to make her one of these wreaths for a long, long time. Well, I finally did this Christmas and I'm so excited with how it turned out! And best of all, I think she liked it too!

in order to make this, you'll need:

crayons, two embroidery loops (different sizes), hot glue gun, ribbon

I wanted a bright, colorful wreath, so I chose to leave out all the neutral colors. I started by trying to lay out the crayons on the wreath before gluing. BAD IDEA. They rolled everywhere and it was a big mess. Finally, I decided to do it one color at a time. I started with the light pick color and glued all four of the crayons on to the wreath to better see that they were all evenly spaced out. I  continued around the wreath starting in the center of quadrant.  

When I finally got the crayons all glued on, I added ribbon to hang the wreath and a bow for a little extra decoration. I debated adding an apple or other school supplies for embellishment, but decided against it. I love the simplicity of the wreath with just the ribbon.

Now you can easily make this for all your teacher friends!

Ready. Set. Go!

Mustache Candy Jar

I am totally loving the mustache decor lately. I don't know why, because they really are kind of stupid, but I love all the saying to go with them. 

I created this candy jar as a gift, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty jealous it's not for myself. The good news is it was super simple to make, so I will probably be making plenty more in the future. 

All I had to do was create the logo on Cricut craft room, cut out the vinyl using my cricut, and transfer it to the jar. It took me about 10 minutes total and is one of my favorite cricut projects to date. 

To make it into a Christmas gift, I filled it up with candy to start the recipient's new candy stash. 

I tied it up with ribbon and stuck it under the Christmas tree, no wrapping needed. 

This would be a great gift for any occasion, or just a simple project for you to do for your own home.

Enjoy!