Last year, I used an old sheet to make a doily rug for my daughter's room. In an effort to use up the left over fabric as well as some yarn that isn't too soft, I started making these little containers. The inspiration for this project came from a "recipe" for a crochet rug using t-shirts. Today's post shares the technique, but doesn't necessarily provide a pattern.

Nothing is more essential for a child's room than storage and it is always helpful to find an adorable solution. I was on Pinterest a few weeks ago and stumbled upon the perfect tutorial by Make It and Love It. I used a basic gray duck cloth because that is what I had around, but how cute would this be in a bright pattern?! Anyway, today is a shout out to the tutorial for this lovely little bin.

I meant to post this last week, but I got distracted... Anyway, here is a tutorial of the screen I made to go behind my table at the Beehive Bazaar. I mostly followed the tutorial over at Handmade Beautiful. However, I did make some significant changes, namely, I made the middle panel bigger so that the side panels fold flat and I added a cross bar to hang a frame from.

Materials:
6 pieces of 2"x2"x8' furring strips*
2 packs of 2" hinges (4 hinges total)
3 packs of 2" flat corner braces (1 more if you want to make the cross bar to hang a frame from)
about a yard of 48" fabric (I used duck cloth)
Sand Paper (if you don't want to get a SERIOUS workout, use an orbit sander)
Paint or stain (optional)
Drill
Staple guns/staples

*When picking out your wood, make sure that there aren't any large chips or natural dis-figurations. Also, check to make sure non of them are bowing (the two on my front panel do at the bottom...not so great...), by putting each side of each piece on the floor.

Directions:
Cut your wood. You will need the following pieces:
four 8" pieces
six 72" pieces
two 24" pieces (one more 24" piece to hang the frame from). 

The diagram shows how you can most effectively cut your pieces of wood. Also, if you don't have access to a saw, no fear, Home Depot will usually cut them for a small fee per cut. Sand and paint these pieces.

Assemble the pieces using the diagram above for reference. Square up the corners, then using the flat corner braces and a drill, attach each of the pieces to create the panels. Line the small panels on either side of the large panel and, using the hinges and a drill, attach a small panel to either side of the large panel. If you are going to make the cross bar to hang the frame, position the cross bar about 9" from the top then attach, using the extra braces and a drill, to the large panel. Hammer a hook into the middle of the cross bar.

Cut the fabric into two 10" pieces and one 26" piece. Using a staple gun, staple the pieces of fabric to their respective panels. Then stand it up, step back and admire your work!

It goes without saying that anyone with any kind of hobby is likely to have a large amount of supplies on hand, such is true about yarn for those of us that knit and crochet. Problem is, that, if you are like me, the primary place for storing these goods is in large plastic tubs in a closet. The interior designer in me screams to display those unique things that make me who I am, as in that huge stash hiding in the closet, so of course, one needs to get creative.

Today's post is all about inspiring the interior designer in all of you with some ideas I found around the web of how others display their passion for yarn. 

Now that you have some ideas of how to make that large pile of yarn beautiful, head over to Lion Brand for a really great blog post, 12 Tips on How to Organize Your Yarn Stash. Please share links about organizing yarn that you have found (or even your own) in the comments!

In my last post, on Tuesday, I shared some tutorials of crafts that kids can help make. Today's post is in the same thread as I am sharing some decor items that kids can help make. Any of these would be great as holiday or permanent accents in the home.

As part of my Interior Design degree, I did an internship in New York City at Aero Studios. I have been wanting to display some of the mementos I kept and came up with this idea of layering a few of the ticket stubs and business cards I collected. I bought the frame years ago at Michael's, so I am not sure if they carry it any more, however, I did find it online for all of you.

To give you a better idea of how this frame works, below is a close up of the bottom.

Well hello readers of Kit's Crafts, I'm Kaelie Nielsen, Kit's sister from kaenie.com. While Kit is getting ready for the Beehive Bazaar, one of the best craft fairs around, I thought I would talk to you about my love of paper. 

Sounds boring, but hear me out. I love paper almost as much as Kit loves yarn, so you can imagine I've made some fun things with it. 

About a month ago, I purchased a Silhouette Cameo, nope, I'm not cool enough to be sent one to blog about, I am writing about it because I genuinely think it's awesome. It's like a cricut except instead of having to buy a bunch of cartridges, it will cut whatever you create. Being a graphic designer with a love of paper who just got a pretty good tax return, I almost heard the machine calling my name. 

So, what have I created?

The things I'm most excited about are shadow boxes. Here's my basement wall:

I also created some that stand on their own:

I'm thinking to try to make a circular one with the following design, but I still need to work out some kinks:

More than one person has told me I should sell these. I haven't asked how much they would pay because that's an awkward question to ask of a close friend or family member and I honestly wouldn't believe their answer anyway. 

So, since you are all mostly anonymous to me, I have no reserves. Would you buy these? If so, for how much? I would probably charge $3 shipping and have the buyer assemble them so I ship them flat.

Also, no pressure if you decide to comment. If I do sell them, it won't be until a while after I've had my second daughter in May and I won't be contacting you unless by request. Your honest opinion is much appreciated.

Thanks! 

Kaelie Nielsen
kaenie.com
Facebook
Pinterest

In prepping for the Beehive Bazaar, I began looking for inexpensive ways to display my products. I had remembered seeing a lot of tutorials on Pinterest for cake stands and thought that would be a good idea to try out. I went a little nuts and made about 7 or 8 stands because they are so easy and each plate/vase only cost about $1 at my local thrift store. Can't go wrong there! Anyway, here is a quick tutorial of how I made mine.

Materials:
Plates
Candle Holders or Vases
E6000 Glue
Ruler (optional)
Scrap Cardboard (to protect your work surface)

Directions:
Wash your plates and vases and dry completely. Place two plates upside down. Squirt some glue around the rim of each of vase, then place the vase as close to the center as you can. Use your ruler to double check, however you don't need to be exact. Let these dry upside down for 24 hours.

Next, place your remaining plate right side up, then squirt some glue on the bottom of one of your vases that is already attached to a plate. Place the vase in the center of the plate that is right side up using the same method as above to center the vase. Wait 24 hours, then attach the remaining plate on top of the other two. Wait at least 24 hours before using.

A couple days ago, I found out that one of my friends knits. In talking to her about it, she said she had just learned, but didn't think you could knit much beyond hats, scarves and blankets. I honestly didn't answer right away because my mind was buzzing with so many ideas of things you could make with your needles. Finally, I said, "When you knit you are making a fabric, so basically anything you could make with fabric you could knit". Of course, this is true for crochet, too. A wonderful thing these days is that you can find many knit and crochet doilies and tablecloths at thrift stores, so even if you don't have the skill, you can still partake in the fun by upcycling a secondhand find.

Anyway, as I was deciding what to post about today, I thought I would share some ideas, many of which contain patterns/tutorials for you to re create the inspiration. Click on the picture to go to the link. Enjoy!

For some time now, I have been trying to organize my craft materials and tools. Only problem, is that I want the tools I use most often to be readily available, so that means they need to look nice too. I searched the internet to come up with some way of organizing my double pointed needles and crochet hooks. Primarily, what I saw was antique pipe holders upcycled as knitting needle holders. So, I went looking at some local antique shops. Unfortunately, I didn't quite find what I was looking for until I stopped by Lost and Found Thrift in Bountiful, Utah. First off, I must do a shout out to this glorious place. Not only do they have great items, but they have pictures all over the store to give you ideas of what some of their products could be turned into with a little DIY. The greatest part are the friendly, helpful owners. After browsing for a bit, I wasn't coming across any pipe holders, so I described what I was needing to Cheryl, one of the owners. She thought for a moment then I saw the light bulb go off and she asked if I had thought of using a floral frog. She went in the back and brought out exactly what I was needing. All that was left was to put it in a container. I remembered a milk glass trifle bowl I bought a while back and, lucky for me, they were a perfect fit! I didn't have to do any adjusting or jimmy rigging at all!

Now you tell me, isn't that perfect?! It is like my own little bouquet of knitting needles and crochet hooks. I love it! I know that this is a pretty serendipitous find, so if you are looking to organize your needles/hooks, you could also try an old test tube holder or a test tube vase.