From Soap to Nature

Remember when I used to make soap? Me too, and I really miss it, but my husband has a few sensitivities, and strong scents no matter how pleasant, give him headaches and worse, sometimes migraines. I reluctantly sold many of my supplies years ago. I loved soapmaking, which is basically working with butters and oils, etc. 

The world has been a strange place of late, and I sense a draw to the old ways that were strong and secure and had served us many generations until big business, large governments and oligarchs exploded on the scene and gained control. As many perks as that has brought, I still long for some of the old ways and the old days when people seemed friendlier, more courteous, considerate of young and old, and more self sufficient.

I guess that’s what eventually led to this interest. So for my birthday this year I bought a couple of books and began picking dandelions. Just the heads for now.

I have plans. But I didn’t stop there- - -

Meet my Echinacea Purpurea, also known as cone flower.

Here we have St. John’s Wort in the foreground and French Lavender in the back. These are in pots now and doing well.

And here  I’ve started some basil and peppermint. 

Yes, I’m growing and drying my own herbs and plants. I will be drying, making oils and salves, potpourris and teas. I’m quite excited as I just needed something new and useful to do. Oh, I also have a gorgeous Aloe Vera plant I will be putting to good use. 

Also this

This is sage. It grows wild around here and there’s tons of it on our back hill. These can be dried and used as culinary sage, but they can be made into smudge sticks as well. I’m actually drying them in the dehydrator Right now, but will try hanging some to dry too. 

We also have lilac bushes in the back yard. I’ve dried a bunch of the flowers. On the left is a jar of dried dandelion flowers. Both jars are full now.

And these are calendula petals (pot marigold) and dehydrated ginger root. I have a jar with coffee inside infusing in almond oil inside my cupboard as well. Plus there’s some basil and peppermint air drying. My house smells pretty good. 

I bought some supplies and containers using my old soap contacts and am almost ready to go. Also, here are the books I picked up. Apparently Rosemary Gladstar is a herb whisperer of sorts, so I bought these first two of hers. Then a good friend brought me the last book, which I’m enjoying as well.

What I found interesting is that some of the essential oils I will be using are different than the ones I used for soap making. More expensive, some of them, but just lovely!

I will be sharing what I make with all of these in the near future.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings to you and yours,

Carmen

 

Unicorn Pouch with Zipper Pull

Hi there,

I’ve been wanting to create a Unicorn zipper pouch for my granddaughter who loves unicorns. There was nothing I could find that appealed to me. I had made a tiger zipper pouch (several, actually) and decided to use the basic outline as a springboard since I’m giving that one to her brother and I’d like them to be similar in shape and size. From there I made the rest of the pieces for the face, the ears and horn, etc. 

These are so fun to make because I’ve sewn professionally for a company where everything had to be perfect. It’s nice to just sew and enjoy. Although I am kind of picky with the end result anyway. I guess old habits die hard!

The muzzle and other details are made with 80% merino wool felt. The zipper pull is made of leather type felt and wool felt (the rainbow), and the horn is made with glitter felt. All of them sourced in Canada, which is nice! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Carmen

Of Mice and Minion Freezie Holders (Free Patterns)

It's that time of year again in the 'Loops where the weather has suddenly turned warm and summer will soon have us sweating away wishing for some freezies, In 2017 I wrote up a few patterns for freezie holders which are available on Ravelry. However, I never made the Mickey, Minnie and Minion patterns for sale due to copyright laws with Disney. I just didn't think it was worth it. So today I've written those out for you to enjoy for free, here on the blog. I apologize for any formatting issues ---sometimes blogger just doesn't the copy paste feature!

MINION FREEZIE HOLDER

by Carmen Gamble Designs

G hook, Blue, Black, Yellow, White and light grey yarn.

Starting with blue yarn:

Row 1: Foundation HDC 18 and join in the round. Chain 1

(or chain 19, HDC in 2^nd chain from hook and 1 HDC in remaining chains. Join with slip stitch to first chain being careful not to twist the chain. Chain 1. Work a row of 18 HDC and slip stitch to join. Chain 1. This completes the first row. Now continue with the rest of the pattern)

Row 2-5: HDC in same space as chain 1. HDC 1 in each remaining stitch. Slip stitch to join. Chain 1. (18)

*Change to yellow yarn while joining with slip stitch at end of row 5.

Row 6-10: HDC 1 in same space as chain 1. Continue 1 HDC in each stitch. Slip stitch to join. Chain 1. (18). Do not cut yellow yarn.

*Switch to black yarn while joining at end of row 10.

Row 11: HDC 1 in chain 1 space, HDC 1 in each remaining stitch, slip stitch to join. Chain 1. (18)

*Switch back to yellow yarn while joining at end of row.

Row 12-17: 1 HDC in chain 1 space and in remaining stitches for each round. Slip stitch to join. Chain 1. (18)

*Omit chain 1 for end of last row. Fasten off and work in loose ends.

EYE: White Yarn

Row 1: Make a magic circle and HDC 10, pull tight and slip stitch to first stitch. Ch 1. (10)

Row 2: HDC 2 in each stitch. Slip stitch to join. Chain 1. (20)

*Change to grey yarn in slip stitch to join. Ch. 1

Row 3: SC in same stitch as chain 1. SC 1 in each stitch around. (20)

Fasten off leaving a tail to sew it in place.

Sew eye onto body positioning it onto or above black stripe. Sew on black button wherever you want it.

HAIR: Black yarn

Cut 4 pieces of 5” yarn in black

Using 2 pieces of yarn at a time, fold them, pull the loop you've created through a stitch at the top of the head and pull through from front to back. Pull the rest of the yarn through the loop and pull taut. Cut to size (approx 1”)

MOUTH: Black yarn

With a darning needle, pull up a piece of black yarn on the third yellow row from the bottom. Count 2 stitches to the left and one row up, then pull yarn through to the back of the body. Bring a stitch up and around the middle of the yarn you made the mouth with to hold it in place and make it look like a little smirk. Use photo for guidance. Fasten off.

Minnie Mouse Freezie Holder

by Carmen Gamble Designs

G Hook. Pink, White, Black yarn. Starting with pink yarn.

Row 1: Foundation HDC 20 and join into a circle. Chain 1

(or Chain 21, HDC in 2^nd chain from hook and 1 HDC in remaining chains. Join with slip stitch to first chain being careful not to twist the chain. HDC 1 in chain 1 space and HDC 1 in remaining stitches. Slip stitch to join. Now go on to the rest of the pattern)

Row 2-9: HDC 1 in chain 1 space. HDC 1 in remaining 19 stitches. Slip stitch to join. Chain 1. (20)

*End of row 9 slip stitch with black yarn to change color. Chain 1.

Row 10-15: HDC into chain 1 space, then HDC 1 in remaining 19 stitches. Slip stitch to join. Chain 1.

Fasten off at the end of last row. (20). Work in ends.

EARS: Black yarn

Row 1: Make a magic circle, chain 1. HDC 10 into magic circle. Pull the center tight to create your circle, and slip stitch to join. Chain 2 (10)

Row 2: HDC 2 in each stitch. Slip stitch to join. Fasten off (20)

The ears are attached with yarn. Line up the center of each ear with the top corner of the body. The ears should stick out the sides. Do not tack those down, just sew the portion of the ear onto the part that covers the body. Work in ends.

BOW:

Use pink yarn and chain 15

In 3^rd chain from hook, 1 DC and 1DC in each of the next 12 chains.

Join ends of bow together leaving long tail and hold join in middle to create bow.

Wrap yarn tail around center of bow and with a darning needle fasten it in place.

*Leave enough of the yarn tail to sew bow onto body.

POLKA DOTS: White yarn

Make a magic circle, chain 1. 10 HDC in circle. Pull center tight and join circle with a slip stitch. Leave tail for sewing. Make 3 to 6, whatever your preference. Fasten off.

Mickey Mouse Freezie Holder

by Carmen Gamble Designs

G Hook, Red, Yellow, Black yarn. (Opt. Yellow buttons)

Starting with red yarn.

Row 1: Foundation HDC 20 and join into a circle. Chain 1.

(or Chain 21, HDC in 2^nd chain from hook and 1 HDC in remaining chains. Join with slip stitch to first chain being careful not to twist the chain. HDC 1 in chain 1 space and HDC 1 in remaining stitches. Slip stitch to join. Now go on to the rest of the pattern)

Row 2-7: HDC 1 in chain 1 space. HDC 1 in remaining 19 stitches. Slip stitch to join. Chain 1. (20)

*End of last row slip stitch with black yarn to change color. Chain 1.

Row 8-15: HDC 1 in chain 1 space and each of stitches. Slip stitch to join. Chain 1. Fasten off at the end of the last row. (20). Work in ends.

EARS: Black yarn

Row 1: Make a magic circle, chain 1. HDC 10 into magic circle. Pull the center tight to create your circle, and slip stitch to join. Chain 2 (10)

Row 2: HDC 2 in each stitch. Slip stitch to join. Fasten off (20)

The ears are attached with yarn. Line up the center of each ear with the top corner of the body. The ears should stick out the sides. Do not tack those down, just sew the portion of the ear onto the part that covers the body. Work in ends.

SUSPENDER BUTTONS: Yellow yarn.

Make a magic circle. 5 SC in magic circle. Pull center tight. Slip stitch to join. (5)

Fasten off and keep a tail to sew them onto the body. See photo for placement.

     

    

*Pattern Link Below for Additional Freezie Holders.

Copyright Notice:

Feel free to sell items made from this pattern. A link back to this pattern in your listing would be appreciated but not required. Please do mention Carmen Gamble Designs or my blog name. :)

Check out my blog “Beyond the Fringe Crafts” for a free Ninja Freezie Holder pattern and other great project ideas.

Free Cute Little Freezie Holders Pattern

Thank you and Happy Hooking! No part of this pattern may be duplicated, sold or redistributed without written consent of the designer.

Thrills & Chills Freezie Holders

Feathered Friends Freezie Holders

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time!

Attention Email Subscribers

Hi Ladies, and Gents...

So I have a little announcement: 

Feedburner will no longer be managing email subscriptions starting this July. This means that if you normally receive my posts through email, this feature will no longer be available to you. 

The same goes for those of you following on my Facebook page, which I've discontinued.

If you'd still like to receive my posts there are two other options: 

1) follow me through Bloglovin (in the sidebar to the right), or 

2) sign up as a blog follower (in the sidebar). 

I want to thank you all for faithfully following me for so many years now!! I'm in awe of the fact that I have over one thousand three hundred (1300) followers when I consider Bloglovin', Facebook, email subscriptions and the Blog itself.  

It's amazing to me that people want to see my posts! 

I love putting my creative exploits out there for you and hope it serves as an inspiration for your own crafty ventures. I just love to make stuff. 

Thanks so much! 

Carmen

Metal Born to Ride Card

Hello! 

After driving through rain, sleet and snow, we’ve been granted a sunny day today here in the Loops! I love playing around in my studio when the sun is shining so that’s where I spent some time today. I have a friend who is turning 60 soon. I took an old method and applied it to this card. I love making masculine cards.

To make this I grabbed some electricians tape, mixed media tools, regular necessities like double sided tape and some fun things like rub-ons, brads and Stickers. Then I remembered he loves to ride and is an avid musician - - and out popped a card! Like magic! 

Above is a photo of the taped piece so you can see what I did with it. It’s hard to get it to show up because it’s so shiny and reflective. I had some...oh man, I forget what they call it, but it gives you the waffle pattern underneath the tape. It has a sticky side so I just stuck it in place and put the tape over top of it. Then I grabbed my little tools and ran them over the seams, and since this was a motorbike card, I had random “tire prints” all over. I used the poky tool to make dots that look like rivets.

I used a retired stamp set from Stampin Up called Born to Ride that I got at a garage sale. 

A couple more photos. 

If you’d like to see some of my other “metal” works, here are a few links: 

Metal Tape Cards with tips

It’s a Card Making Kind of Day

I Confess I’m Obsessed (scroll down)

Metal Foil Card

Metal Foil Art Mirrors 

More Metal Art

Industrial Metal Frame

Metal Foil Tape Card

If you’d like to see other motorcycle cards:

All Free Digitals (scroll down)

Fathers Day Cards

Metal Foil Tape Card

Thanks for stopping in. Hope you enjoyed it!

Have a great weekend!

Carmen