What I'm Loving: Baby Camel Yarn

My new love. And my toes.

I've been in the Ann Arbor area for about a year now, and it's taken me this long to get to the local yarn shop, Busy Hands. I haven't really bought what would be considered a fancier yarn since I moved here - I've basically been working through my stash of Cascade 220 and Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton, knitting far too many gifts for my friend's babies. Anything new I've bought has been on Amazon, so it goes without saying it had been far too long since I had set foot in an actual yarn shop.

I dragged Scott in not planning to buy anything - Ha! - and I even managed to resist most of the modest selection of soft textures and interesting colorways in the beginning. Then I saw a basket hung on the wall filled with the most beautifully textured camel colored yarn, so of course I had to go up and touch it. When I got close enough to read the label, I saw it said "Handspun Baby Camel." Of course the camel color was so perfect - it was actual camel! Duh. I immediately loved the texture of the Baby Camel yarn, thicker sections mixing with thinner sections...agh. Yarn love. And at $16.50 a skein, it wasn't the most horribly expensive yarn I had ever seen. If it were just some regular old wool yarn, I probably would have walked away. I probably could have even kept moving if it was llama yarn. But yarn made from baby camels? I immediately imagined the adorable faces of the baby camels, and thought how they would be so offended if I didn't buy their super cool hair.

Please buy my yarn! I made it for you with my own hair!

I decided I had to have it, and of course Scott (my enabler) was lovely enough to buy it for me, along with two sets of double pointed needles so I could make some beautiful gloves to go with the lovely coat he just ordered for me. (I'm getting particularly spoiled this week.) I'm not sure if he was happy because it made me so happy, or because I promised when the gloves were done it would be like holding hands with a baby camel. But not, because they have hooves. I've already started knitting one glove, and it's stitching out so nicely. And it's so soft too! Stay tuned for the pattern/tutorial.

If you feel like a medium yarn splurge, or need something to put on your holiday list, this Handspun Baby Camel Yarn from Lotus Yarns is an absolute must have - if only so that you can say you knitted with baby camel hair. Keep in mind when buying it that it does come in the natural color of the camel, so skeins may differ slightly in color. Buy it in person if you can, but you can find it online for a bit more than I paid here. So go and buy some, I'm enabling you. This yarn definitely has the cool factor.

Find me on Ravelry!

8 Nights of Chanukah - DIY Candles

Leave it to Martha to be the only one with a worthwhile Chanukah candle tutorial out there - and it's from 1996! When in doubt, turn to vintage Martha. I've always liked the idea of dipping candles, but there is something about these beeswax sheets that's charming to me. Plus, the idea of a minimal mess project is always charming to me. 

Hanukkah Candles 

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart Living, December/January 1996/1997

"Give your celebration a special glow with these hand-rolled candles, made from sheets of beeswax in the subtlest shades of ivory, butter yellow, and deep olive. Make a set for yourself, and make more to give as holiday gifts that are both pretty and useful; during the eight days of Hanukkah, a total of forty-four candles are lit."

Hanukkah Candles How-To

1. Using a utility knife and ruler, slice wax sheets into 2-by-4 1/2-inch rectangles.

2. Cut wicking into 5 1/2-inch lengths; make a knot close to one end.

3. Warm wax with a blow dryer until just pliable, 10 to 15 seconds.

4. Lay wicking along edge of wax with 3/4 inch of wick hanging beyond wax.

5. Roll wax around wicking; press seam with your finger to smooth and seal.

Washi Wednesday - Christmas Tree Decoration

Week 2 of Washi Wednesday brings us another holiday craft of my own creation! I started off with the vision of making a washi tape ornament, but after playing with it for a bit I came up with something a little more unique. With just two pieces of cardstock and about 20 minutes, I made this lovely little Christmas tree for my shelf. Here are the supplies you'll need to make one for yourself:

• 2 Pieces of 5x7 Cardstock - The size isn't so important, as you can make these in all sizes, just make sure it is a strong paper, since it will need to hold it's own weight upright.
• Red and Green Washi Tapes
• Scissors

Instructions after the jump...

8 Nights of Chanukah - DIY Decor

As far as wintertime holiday decor goes, Chanukah definitely gets the short end of the stick. In fact, the entire selection of Chanukah products at Target - "selection" being a very generous word - was limited to one end cap of one aisle, completely separate from the enormous, exploding Christmas section. So you have three options: 1. Swipe Chanukah decor from your Bubbe's house. 2. Scour the internet. 3. DIY! Here are 8 DIY Chanukah decor projects that will kick Christmas in the butt. Or, the tree.

 

1. Gold Coin Garland - Design Megillah

2. Chanukah Gift Pockets - Design Megillah

3. Chanukah Banner - Better Homes and Gardens

4. Paper Dreidel -  Design Megillah

5. Star-Punched Hurricanes - Martha Stewart

6. Felt Dreidel Bunting - Creative Jewish Mom

7. Star Garland - Alaska, Long Beach

8. Chanukah Coasters - The Purl Bee

9. Starry Stamped Chanukah Table Runner - Martha Stewart  

 

8 Nights of Chanukah - 4 Simple DIY Party Favors

For some reason, people who are unfamiliar with Chanukah seem to think that it's one big holiday with eight nights of socks. Socks for you, socks for me, socks for mom and dad...I've never once gotten socks for Chanukah, and if I did, they were at least festive or particularly fun socks. (Or those fuzzy kind...OK, I have gotten some socks for Chanukah, but it's not like we're tossing out packs of Hanes here.) 

So, if you're having guests over to celebrate Chanukah, Jewish or no, why not send them home with one of these cute favors?

Embroidered Dreidel Game Pouches

The Purl Bee

Your guests will certainly be impressed with these monogrammed, embroidered dreidel pouches. This tutorial from the Purl Bee certainly makes it easy to make something custom and special for each guest. Monogram the initials of your guests, stitch some cute little patterns and fill with a dreidel, gelt, and a rule sheet, and you're good to go!

 

Bundle of Candles

Judaism.com

 What could be more simple than wrapping up a bundle of candles? It is a lovely sentiment, and with some unique candles and an interesting piece of string, you've made a cost effective favor with lovely presentation.

 Chanukah Cootie Catchers

Designs By Tenisha

 Even more simple, just customize and order these cootie catcher designs, print and fold, and you have a fun game for the kids! If you wanted to, you could also incorporate the folding as a party craft, then each person makes his or her own favor. The designer will customize a .pdf file for you to include the Chanukah wishes of your choosing, so get to fortune telling!

 Washi Tape Matchbooks

Creative Jewish Mom

With only matchboxes, silver contact paper, and a few rolls of washi tape, you can make an otherwise boring matchbox look festive and holiday ready. I wouldn't go so far as to tape each individual match though - my guess is that was done for the picture. You could use traditional Chanukah blues, or  you could be creative and use colors that are completely unexpected. You could also combine this with the bundles of candles above if you wanted to make an even larger favor for your guests.

8 Nights of Chanukah - Get Creative With Gelt

One of the best parts about Chanukah is the delicious chocolate coins we know as gelt. Gelt pretty much stays the same for most people.  It's either milk or dark chocolate with silver or gold foil. No one really thinks to get creative with their gelt. Some people don't even use it to play dreidel - it's original purpose - and they just get it to eat. There's no shame in that - I myself am one of those people. So, let's take a look at four ways to spin your gelt into some tasty Chanukah treats!

Apricot Gelt

Martha Stewart

For a fruity, but still not "healthy," option, simply dip dried apricots into melted chocolate and wrap in foil. Now, you can pretend like you're eating a healthy treat, and no one - OK, everyone - would be the wiser. These would also make a lovely Chanukah gift or party favor.

Homemade Gelt

Clinton Kelly

 For a more rustic, homemade feel to your dreidel playing, try making your own gelt from scratch. It's not complicated at all, with only two ingredients, chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Such a simple project can add a great personal touch.

Gelt Cookies

education.com

Who says gelt has to be made out of chocolate? This is a great kitchen craft to do with your kids. All you have to do is bake some break and bake cookies and wrap them in gold foil. You could certainly use your own homemade recipe as well. These could be used as classroom treats to share, or just as fun Chanukah snacks at home.

Gelt Filled Peanut Butter Cookies

Joy Of Kosher

 This is a great project for the baker with leftover Chanukah gelt. After making a peanut butter cookie dough, you scoop it into a mini-muffin tin and bake. When the cookies are hot out of the oven, you place a gelt and peanut butter sandwich right in the middle to make a chocolatey filling. These would make lovely Chanukah party treats.

8 Nights of Chanukah - Dreidel I Shall Eat

I'd like to teach you my new favorite Chanukah song. It goes like this:

"Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,

I made it out of food,

And when it's good and finished, 

Oh dreidel I shall eat!"

Ok, I'm no Dr. Seuss, but you get to eat the dreidel at the end of the song, so it's automatically better. Here are 5 DIY dreidels (and one to buy) that let you really play with your food.

Links from left to right:

1. Marshmallow Dreidel DIY - Apartment Therapy

2. M n M's Filled Dreidel DIY - Martha Stewart

3. Dreidel Cupcakes DIY - Catch My Party

4. Chocolate Covered Dreidels DIY - Martha Stewart

5. Chocolate Dreidel (to buy) - Chocolate.com

6. Dreidel Cake - Betty Crocker

8 Nights of Chanukah - 6 DIY Menorahs and A Bonus!

 Happy First Night of Chanukah, Everyone! 

Do you have your Menorah ready? No? Quick! Make one of these! All 6 of these Menorahs are made with objects that are easy to find - the hardest thing to locate would be 9 different plastic dinosaurs, but the exciting Menorah you'll end up with will make you forget all about it. In fact, make one for me while you're doing it. Oh, and p.s., the cookie one doesn't have an actual tutorial, but I trust you can figure it out. Chag Sameach, everyone! (Or, happy holiday, to my goyim friends.) Stay tuned for another special Chanukah post for the next seven nights!

1. Vintage Bottles Menorah - via Mr. Kate

2. Plastic Dinosaur Menorah - via Momfluential

3. Cookie Menorah - via Catch My Party

4. Pipe Fittings Menorah - ManMade DIY

5. Wood Blocks Menorah - Creative Jewish Mom

6. Flat Stones Menorah - Easton Place

And, if you don't feel like DIYing it this year, or you feel like a splurge, might I suggest purchasing this puppy:

Jonathan Adler Dachshund Menorah

Washi Wednesday: Chanukah Card

 

Welcome to the inaugural Washi Wednesday post! Washi Wednesday is our new weekly feature focusing on our favorite, versatile little craft supply, washi tape. 

Each week will include a washi craft tutorial, either of my design or linked from another blog, and a featured washi shop where you can stock up on these addictive treats. So, here is the first tutorial:

Washi Tape Chanukah Card

In my blogosphere travels, I've noticed there is a big shortage on fun Chanukah crafts that are not DIY menorahs for children. So, for you this week, a DIY menorah for adults! (Or children. Let's be honest, this craft is not so complicated.) With a few rolls of washi tape and about ten minutes, you can make a lovely Chanukah card for a friend or family member. Let's take a look at the supplies you'll need:

• 1 Blank sheet of white cardstock, folded in half horizontally - My paper was 6x8 folded in half, but any size you like will work fine, as long as there is room for 9 strips of washi going across the bottom.
• Washi tapes of your choosing, all in the same width - Make sure you have the color or colors you'll want to use for flames, but beyond that you could have 1-9 different candle colors. I used five.
• Scissors
• Writing Utensil

Instructions: 

Using the top photo as a guide, use strips of tape to create a menorah. Whatever order of patterns you choose is fine, but you might like to choose coordinating colors as I have. I ripped each piece to give it a more rugged edge look, but you can certainly cut it straight across if you like.

When you reach the bottom of the card, cut each piece of tape even with the card so that there is no excess on the other side. Be certain that your shamash (center candle) is taller than all of the other candles, and that the candles on either side decrease slightly in size so that there is enough room for the flames. 

To make the flames, take the color of your choosing and cut little trapezoids - or triangles, or whatever random shape you like. I didn't mean for all of mine to end up looking similar, it just happened that way and I liked it. This project is pretty free form, so however your flames end up looking, it's important that you like it.

Write your festive Chanukah message inside, and there you have it! A simple washi tape Chanukah Card, full of handmade goodness.

Featured Washi Shop

All of the washi tapes seen in this project (except for the green one, which is from World Market) came from KitChenKitChenFun on Etsy. This shop sells individual rolls of washi tape for around $3, and sets of 3-5 rolls for $8-$10, with reasonable shipping, especially if you are buying a bunch. They also have wonderful sales from time to time, where you could get fun tapes at a discount. These washi tapes ship from China, so they take about 7-10 business days to arrive, but when you get them, it's worth it!

 

 Don't forget to follow my Wishi Washi board on Pinterest for fun washi finds and crafts every day!

 

12 DIY Holiday Wreaths

Holiday Wreaths 

 Another pretty new concept to me is The Wreath. I would sometimes put up a basic autumnal wreath or greenery and red bow Christmas wreath back when we had an apartment, but now that we have a house, I may get a little bit more adventurous with my wreathing. (Really, spellcheck? No problem with "wreathing?" Alright...) So, I scoured the blogosphere for some stylish and fun holiday wreath DIYs, but I ran into a bit of a problem...Apparently, I find a sizable percentage of wreaths to be ugly or tacky. Hello, my name is Cami, and I am a wreath snob. But, I foraged on and came up with these twelve, non cheesy, non tacky, creative wreath examples for you to try. Enjoy!

 For the links and to see which wreath is my personal favorite, join me after the jump... 

18 Knitted Holiday Gifts

I love knitting gifts for the holidays. I could look through patterns for days, but I've gathered 18 free or inexpensive patterns for you to make for your friends and family. Hurry hurry, only 23 more knitting days until Christmas! (Even fewer until Chanukah!)

Links after the jump...

DIY Advent Calendar Roundup

Growing up Jewish, I never really had any experience with the Advent Calendar. To this day, I don't know the story behind it, and I assume it is just a device that gives me a small present each day while counting down to my birthday, which so happens to fall on December 25th. Occasionally, when I was a kid, a friend would show me a little cardboard box with a Christmas illustration on it, and each day they would punch a hole in it and get chocolate of questionable age along with a vaguely religious holiday sentiment.

As for my house, we had an 8-pocket present holder that had a mini-present for each night of Chanukah, and no, we never got socks, but thanks for asking. Now, people seem to be taking Advent Calendars to the next level. Not only are the presents getting a bit more interesting, but people are getting pretty crafty with the packaging as well - a treat, I presume, more for the crafter than the minor child recipient. So, in honor of my birthday month, here are some Advent Calendars you can make yourself to count down to my special day.

Magnetic Holiday Advent Calendar DIY

 I like this one because it appeals to my OCD side - all the same, neatly in a row, and nicely coordinated colors. Plus, it will go right on the fridge and each one is the perfect size for a handful of jelly beans. Or skittles. Or chocolate chips...

Tutorial available at Twig and Thistle

DIY Mini Tree Advent Calendar

I'd probably forget about the presents with this one, and just pretend I was a giant amongst a teeny, tiny forest. But, if you're one of those folks who likes to have a train going around their Christmas Tree, this might be a good option for some added foliage.

Tutorial available at Apartment Therapy

Modern DIY Advent Calendar

This one has an interesting modern look to it. Is it a piece of art? Is it an advent calendar? Is someone really confused as to in what order numbers go? This is definitely the hipster art school kid option. No colors, straight lines, and you have to tilt your head for it to make sense.

Tutorial available at Creature Comforts

DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Advent Calendar 

I'm confused...are you supposed to be able to see the gifts? Again, my first thought is filling the buckets with different kinds of candy. Can you tell we finally topped off the Halloween candy bowl today? I'm really jonesing for a Hershey's bar. Anyways, this is another cute option, and you can re-use it year after year. 

Tutorial available at The Feminist Housewife

Free Printable DIY Christmas Calendar

I'm a sucker for a good printable. And these are some good sized boxes too. You could put one, two, maybe even three Reese's cups in one of these puppies. Another problem I have with anything black and white is that I really want to color it in, which you can do because it is yours and you make the rules. Don't color outside the lines though, or you're on the Naughty List.

Printables and Tutorial available at Hey Look

DIY Gingerbread Advent Calendar 

A calendar I can eat? Sold. But I'm renaming it the fat-vent calendar. I never was a gingerbread fan, so maybe we make it out of sugar cookies.

Recipe available at Butcher, Baker

DIY Hanging Chalkboard Advent Calendar

I like the idea that you can hang this from the mantle, or from a tree. I'm not so sure about gravity + tasty treats in a box with a lid, but I'm pretty sure you could throw some washi tape on it and be fine. Washi tape is gonna replace duct tape as the world's fix-it-all. Or, maybe just in the craft world.

Tutorial available at Hank and Hunt

DIY Advent Tree

This year will be my fourth with a Christmas tree, and every year I freak out because there is a tree in my house. Sure, for a lot of folks it's no big deal, but for this Jewish girl, trees live outside no matter the season. I'm always giving my tree the side-eye, expecting a squirrel to jump out of it a la Christmas Vacation. To the point - this tree might be less frightening to your Jewish friends who like the indoors, and it can double as a Christmas tree to put gifts under for those who don't have room for a tree in their apartment.

Tutorial available at A Beautiful Mess

DIY Silhouette Advent Calendar

I like the silver color scheme here - it's got a very vintage holiday look. Also, when the holiday is over, you can use the frame to hang mini Instagram photos, or regular non-hipster photos.

Example and link to kit available at Better After

Free Printable Modern DIY Triangle Advent Calendar

This one is super bright and colorful, and doesn't scream Christmas at me. And, as I said before, I love a good printable. Again, a fabulous option to make your Jewish friends feel comfortable. You could even stop at 8 with this one, and make it for Chanukah...I guess you could do the same with all of these, now that I mention it. Oh well. Chanukah really needs better decorations.

Tutorial and Printables available at Minnieco

DIY Thanksgiving Menu

This year, I decided to add a festive menu to my Thanksgiving tablescape. It looks really snazzy, but it's really simple to make. I made mine in Photoshop in about 10 minutes. The supplies you will need are:

• 5x7 White Cardstock
• Washi Tape - Mine is from World Market
• Photoshop
• Printer

First, you'll want to open a new project in Photoshop. Make a custom preset, with 5" width and 7" height. Anything you want to print should be at least 300 pixels/inch.

When your document is open, you're going to want to mark off the space for your washi tape so you know where to align your typing. Go to view, click New Guide, and set your first of three guides.

Select vertical orientation, and set your guide at 1 inch.  Depending on the size of your washi tape, you'll want to set another guide to the left of the first, so you can visualize where it will go on the final printout. My washi tape was 5/8 inches, so I set mine at 3/8 of an inch.

Here, you can see what your document will look like with the washi tape guides on it. These will not print out, so you'll have to approximate where it goes once you've printed it out. Lastly, you need to add a center line guide for the area to the right of your washi tape so you can center your text appropriately, which for me turned out to be at the 4" mark.

Next, choose your fonts and colors and type up your menu. For the diamond accent shapes, I used the period from a free font called Rezland, and for the headline text I used a free font called Modeno. The body text is Sathu, which is included in Photoshop. Choose whatever color scheme best matches your table, and type in your menu.

Next, you'll want to save your document (but saving all along is important as well), and then save it as a Photoshop pdf as well. Print as many copies as you need directly from photoshop onto your 5"7 paper. The program will know to print on 5"7 paper because of the preset we made at the beginning.

Once you've printed out as many menus as you need, take your washi tape and wrap it all the way around the card, with your seam on the back. My cardstock had a grain to it, so I used that to make sure the washi tape was on straight. I used the first complete menu as a guide for aligning the rest of them.

And there you go, a quick and easy menu to add to your table. Happy Thanksgiving!