I stumbled across this amazingly great pattern for a little crochet owl. It's really easy and quick, you just need to use the right method for switching colors in the row. If you are not so quite sure about that, I suggest you watch this straight forward video..

Pattern recommendation:

1. Use the right method for switching colors in the row (video)
2. I used a bulky pure acrylic yarn and 6 mm crochet hook (US: J) - the finished size of the owl is 13 cm (5"). Elise loves to play with it :)
3. It's much easier to sew on the eyes, beak and wings before the body is stuffed and finished.

• Crochet the eyes and the wings
• Crochet the body only until Round 19. 
• Now sew on the eyes and wings and embroider the beak (or sew it on if you are making it from felt)
• Finish Round 19 and 20 and stuff the owl along

Happy crocheting :)

No-Weaving-in-Ends Crochet Flower Headband

I love custom made crochet accessories. When I bought this little dress for my nieces second birthday, I knew I was going to crochet her a cute headband to go with it. I even had the matching yarn colors because I bought a huge stash of King Cotton yarn from Gründl last year. It is a blend of 55% acrylic and 45% Egyptian cotton, which makes it perfect for accessories, bags and toys. The recommended needle size is 6 mm-7 mm (US: J-K) but I always use a 5.5 mm hook (US: I or 9) so the finished product holds its shape nicely. By the way, I am in no way affiliated to Gründl, I just really like they yarn :)

The best part about this headband is the fact, there there are no ends that you will need to weave in. The secret is in leaving long tails, which you will use to create the braided headband itself after the flower is finished.

Side note: If you are working on a project where weaving in the ends is necessary, I recommend the Magic Knot 

MATERIALS:

• DK or Worsted weight yarn in 3 colors, I used King Cotton from Gründl in black, orange and pink  (I use this Ravelry Standard Yarn Weight Table and the Wraps Per Incht (WPI) method to determine the weight of my yarn)
• 5.5 mm (US size: I or 9) crochet hook
• Yarn needle
• Colored bead, minimum of 0.9 mm (0.35") in diameter 
• Depending on the bead hole size, you will either only need your yarn needle, but if it's too small you will need a standard thread needle (+thread) or you can just use a hot glue gun.

Five Minutes Valentine's Gift - Fuzzy Hama Heart

So Valentine's Day is coming.. To be completely honest, I am not a huge fan, but some subtle decorations are really OK ;) And this year, it took me only a couple of minutes, a really fun and easy DIY project.

Materials:

• Hama beads 
• Fuzzy wire 
• Scissors

Materials Note: I got my Hama beads at IKEA. I saw them while walking through the kids section, with no project in mind I grabbed one box since it was so cheap and I just though they might come in handy sometimes :) As for the fuzzy wire, you can get it at your local craft store or online, just Google it. I used a 50cm / 20" wire for the big heart and a 25cm / 10" one for the small heart. Just a small hint: the larger the heart, the weaker is its structure. 

4 simple steps

1. Take your fuzzy wire and fold it in the middle, pressing it hard to create the pointy bottom of the heart.
2. Pull the hama beads on each half of the wire, leaving a small gap between them. (The fuzzy wire will stop them from shifting around too much)
3. Leave the last 1.5 cm / 0.5" of the wire without beads
4. Now open the wire to create a blunt V-shape. Take the ends and curve them inward to create a heart shape. Twist the ends together tightly to hold the heart shape in place.

You can place them almost anywhere you want, I decided to put mine on our pin board :)

Simple Happy Birthday Garland {free printable}

Actually, I did this project exactly one year ago. I was at my parents house because it was my fathers birthday. Everybody was out, and Elise (then only 9 months old) was sleeping so I decided to decorate the dinning room as a surprise. I figured that a printable garland would be quick and easy, so I started browsing the internet. Unfortunately, I didn't find a garland that was conservative enough (to fit the style of my parents house), so I had to design my own. Since I didn't have my laptop with me, I used the house PC and did a quick job using only Photofiltre (free image retouching program). It wasn't completely perfect, but it still turned out quite nicely :)

So a year later, I stumbled upon this picture in my phone, and decided to upgrade the design for a free printable for everyone :)

Note: The approximate length of the garland, from H to Y (including a gap between the words but without decorative pieces) is 1.8 meters (70 inches)

Happy Birthday Garland Free Printable

idea ivana free printable - Happy Birthday Garland, black

idea ivana free printable - Happy Birthday Garland, blue

idea ivana free printable - Happy Birthday Garland, pink