Category Archives: handmade

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What I’ve been up to…

I have shared a couple of times already, but I’m just so excited about my comic: “The Cracked Cup Coffee Co.” which was created and written by me, with art by my husband, Tommy Krippes.
Please check it out, if you have time. We have a lot of fun with it.

Also, in my spare time, I have been doing a lot of sewing, and creating, but haven’t had a lot of time to get any great photos. I will get a few of those up ASAP.

In the mean time, here are a couple of photos I took, while I was out with my husband, last week.

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Fun New Project! – DIY Printed Fabric

So today I tried playing with fabric paint and fabric. Both pieces are super basic, and neither are perfect, but it was so much fun! I actually learned a lot!

Here’s what I did:

It was so easy to do! This was was just a rubber stamp and paint on some fabric (which was a scrap piece of lightweight canvas). I used a sponge to apply the paint to the stamp, as to not get my stamp all yucky. It was incredibly simple and I will be buying more stamps.

€fleur de lis printed fabric fleur de lis fabric 2 fleur de lis fabric

This one was just a circular sponge and a piece of old sheet (remember those pants I made out of sheets? This was a scrap from that sheet). It didn’t turn out quite how I was expecting, but I’ll definitely use it for something. It’s pretty interesting.

dot clusters Dot Clusters 2

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Steamposium!

My husband and I just got back from our honeymoon, in Seattle!
You know you  married the right person, when he takes you to a Steampunk Convention for your Honeymoon/Birthday!
We had an amazing time!
I had the honor of meeting a lot of really cool people, including the amazing Steampunk fashion designer and model, Kato!
It was more fun than I could possibly describe!
I was so busy mingling and meeting people, that I forgot to take a lot of photos! I did manage to remember to get a photo of each outfit I wore, though, so here are those photos! Please let me know what you think!

Day 1 in the morning:
I made the hoodie, all of the jewelry, and the belt.
Boots – Famous Footwear
Corset – gift from a friend
Leggings – Cato’s
Socks – American Apparel
Pouch – Army Navy Surplus store in Chicago

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Day 1 for the ball (my outfit):
I made the lace cuffs, and chocker.
Corset – gift from a friend
Shrug – I think Marshals.
Purple shirt – No tag, from goodwill
Skirt – Charlotte Russe (in like 2005)
Petticoat – from my mother, I wore it under my wedding gown last week! (I think she got it from a thrift store)

Honestly, the only thing I can say for sure about Tommy’s outfit, is that I made the crevat out of a strip of fabric from Joann Fabrics.
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Day 2:
Goggles – made from a pair of old swim goggles
Jewelry – I made (minus the wedding band, engagement ring and pearl earrings).
Tank top – Target
Corset – Honestly don’t remember, a boutique in a mall in Chicago.
Skirt – I made
Bag – Army Navy Surplus store in Missouri
Shawl – Army Navy Surplus store in Chicago
Spats – Army Navy Surplus store near Pike Place Market in Seattle
Boots – Charlotte Russe
Socks – Sock Dreams
Leggings – Target

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Day 3:
This is the fun one!
Okay, so first, I’ll just list off:
Jewelry and lace cuffs – I made.
Fingerless gloves – Hot Topic
Scarf/shawl – Dillon’s Grocery Store
Leggings – Boutique in mall
Socks – Sock Dreams
Corset – gift
Tank Top – Walmart
Boots – Macy’s

Now the skirt! I decided on Saturday night that I didn’t have anything super cute to wear with my outfit on Sunday, so at 10:00pm on Saturday night, I drug my husband around Seattle, looking for something (anything) lace! We went to a couple of stores before we found Walmart. Amazingly enough, it had a fabric department, so I found this white lace and got two yards ($3.50/yard – you can’t beat that!). We went to Starbucks, then went back to our hotel room, where I had some ribbon, and a small hand sewing kit, and threw this skirt together last minute. I think it turned out really well!

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Again, we had a really great time! It was a honeymoon I won’t soon forget.

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Crocheted Bin “Explanation”

Thank you for all of the wonderful compliments on my crocheted bin!
Crocheted Bin Photo - 2
I called this an explanation, because, unfortunately, this is not a pattern.
I wish I had the exact pattern, but I just made it as I went along.
What I can tell you, is the basic idea of what I did:

I started with a magic ring.
After the ring, the whole thing was double crocheted.
For the next several rows I increased every other stitch until it looked flat enough (there was some shaping involved with my hands when it started to get curvy).
When it seemed flat, I increased every 3 stitches for a couple of rows, then every 5,  then 7 etc. until I got it to the right size, while keeping it flat.
To make the sides I just kept  crocheting around without increasing. It naturally formed the right shape when I stopped increasing, but it took a couple of rows to look like it was working.
I kept doing that all the way up, then finished and hid the tails.
Again, there was some manipulation and shaping with throughout the process. The sides also got a little wavy, and I needed to stretch and shape occasionally.

It was actually pretty simple. I didn’t use the best yarn, so this particular bin was more difficult than it should have been, but with the right yarn and hook it should be pretty easy.

I would suggest a bulkier yarn, and a medium to smaller hook to keep it tight (depending on what you want to put in your bin).

If you are a “stick to the pattern” type of person, I apologize. I’m not very good at sticking to patterns or, consequently, making patterns.

Please feel free to leave any questions you have in the comments.

I hope this is at least somewhat helpful!

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Crocheted Storage Bin

You know how necessity is the mother of invention?  Well, my  fiance and I moved in to our rental house and realized that it has very little storage. I didn’t realize how expensive storage bins can be! One new basket or bin usually costs at least $15, and we need at least 15 to store everything. Buying all of those at full price would be ridiculous, so we’ve been getting creative.

Since I learned how to start circle crocheting projects this week, I decided I’d try for a storage bin.

This one is very small, it’s 5″ in diameter, is  and is approximately  8″ tall, but it will be handy for something!

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I’m still thinking of adding little leather handles, and I will be starching it, so I guess it’s not completely done, but I was too excited about how it turned out to not share the photos!

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My First Crocheted Hat!

Just a quick update.
I crocheted my very first hat… or really anything circular in crocheting. It is a slouchy beanie.
I would give you the pattern, but I genuinely don’t remember what I did. I will be trying to re-create it this week… so we’ll see!
It turned out pretty well for a first attempt/making it up as I went along.
The only thing I had to look up was how to start a circle. I looked it up on YouTube, and found some great tutorials.

Here is what I came up with (sorry for the webcam photo!):

Hat front Hat - side

I’ve worn it almost every day since I made it (because I’m a dork like that), and it has only stretched a tiny bit. I’m pretty pleased with it.

Let me know what you think!