After two years of not being into planners, I've decided to change my online moniker from PlannerBug to LoopyCrafter, which I think is more apt for me these days. I'm not just a one-trick pony obsessed with traveler's notebooks and journaling, but I am also obsessed over many other crafts, such as knitting, crochet, art journaling, scrapbooking and card making. And I sometimes bake too.
I've been meaning to include many different areas of interest in my blog and social media feed but each time I do, I see the numbers drop and people disengaging with me. I can't blame them as they did initially follow me because of planners and journals. But I have to be true to myself and do things I love doing, rather than do things others would like see me doing.
So I guess I'm saying I'm a multi-trick crafty pony and have many different interests in my life that doesn't revolve around traveler's notebooks alone. It was time to discard the name I've hung onto since 2014.
Thank you for continuing with me on this journey and for anyone new, welcome.
You can find me on my updated social media links here (and on the sidebar):
Wednesday 20 December 2017
Monday 18 December 2017
Knit - Same Thing Only Different
That's what the pattern is called... Same Thing Only Different (ravelry link). I came across this pattern at Imagiknit, a yarn store in San Francisco, two years ago. I saw the wrap on a mannequin and fell in love with its simplicity. It's a basic stockinette wrap but seamed in such a way that it turns into an asymmetrical poncho/wrap combo. The store owner recommended I try Elizabeth Lavold's Hempathy, which is a cotton, hemp and viscose blend.
The yarn feels a little stiff on the fingers but it knits up to a lovely soft drape. The fabric feels quite cool and I think it's perfect for tropical weather. The pattern is really basic too, just stockinette all the way, so it's a really fantastic project to work on when sitting in front of the telly or when traveling.
I have two more balls to finish up. Although I started this project in 2015, I had frogged it halfway through and turned it into a crochet wrap. And then frog it again. But my second attempt at frogging wasn't entirely successful because I somehow managed to tangle quite a bit of the yarn into such a mess that I couldn't untangle it. So almost half a ball is unusable. That's okay though. The yarn is very drapey so it does elongate a bit and I think I have more than enough to finish the project.
Anyway, I can't wait to get this off my needles. I should have a finished object by January next year.
The yarn feels a little stiff on the fingers but it knits up to a lovely soft drape. The fabric feels quite cool and I think it's perfect for tropical weather. The pattern is really basic too, just stockinette all the way, so it's a really fantastic project to work on when sitting in front of the telly or when traveling.
I have two more balls to finish up. Although I started this project in 2015, I had frogged it halfway through and turned it into a crochet wrap. And then frog it again. But my second attempt at frogging wasn't entirely successful because I somehow managed to tangle quite a bit of the yarn into such a mess that I couldn't untangle it. So almost half a ball is unusable. That's okay though. The yarn is very drapey so it does elongate a bit and I think I have more than enough to finish the project.
Anyway, I can't wait to get this off my needles. I should have a finished object by January next year.
Thursday 14 December 2017
Crochet - Basket Case
I haven't picked up my needles, either knit or crochet ones, in a rather long time so I'm not sure what possessed me to suddenly dig out a 5mm crochet hook and some jute yarn to make small baskets. But now that I've made one (or two), I can't stop and I want to make more. I still have quite a bit of that brown yarn left.
I pretty much searched the internet for "crochet basket pattern" and came across a Simple Crochet Mini Basket. I followed most of the pattern except I made the sides a little taller than the shorter version and eliminated the handles. It's quite an easy pattern to follow and I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.
Both baskets were made with jute yarn from Daiso. I wish I had bought more of the cream and grey colours because these yarns can sometimes be hard to find at different Daiso stores. Jute yarn is rather unpleasant to handle though. But it has a stiffness that makes it suitable for such household accessories.
I pretty much searched the internet for "crochet basket pattern" and came across a Simple Crochet Mini Basket. I followed most of the pattern except I made the sides a little taller than the shorter version and eliminated the handles. It's quite an easy pattern to follow and I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.
Both baskets were made with jute yarn from Daiso. I wish I had bought more of the cream and grey colours because these yarns can sometimes be hard to find at different Daiso stores. Jute yarn is rather unpleasant to handle though. But it has a stiffness that makes it suitable for such household accessories.
Saturday 9 December 2017
Bitty Bears Christmas Card
Seriously, who can resist these cute lil' bears? I'm a huge fan of We Bare Bears on Cartoon Network and the My Favorite Things Bitty Bears stamp set reminds me so much of the three lovable cartoon bears, especially when they were babies. I didn't really get around to playing with these bears because I've been trying to get all the "no colouring" Christmas cards out of the way first.
This card is for the MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #362, which you can see here.
I used the Waffle Flower Lacy Rectangles die to cut out the main frame and a scallop circle die by Kaisercraft to cut out the two holes. The Bitty Bears were coloured with Prismacolor pencils on bristol paper and I added a few cute dots on their accessories with a white gel pen. The sentiment was from the same stamp set and stamped with Versamark ink and then heat embossed with Ranger Fine White Embossing Powder on black cardstock. I also splattered a tiny bit of Dylusions Mica spray in Turquoise but it's quite a light colour.
Even my husband agrees that the bears are really cute :-)
Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have a lovely day!
This card is for the MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #362, which you can see here.
I used the Waffle Flower Lacy Rectangles die to cut out the main frame and a scallop circle die by Kaisercraft to cut out the two holes. The Bitty Bears were coloured with Prismacolor pencils on bristol paper and I added a few cute dots on their accessories with a white gel pen. The sentiment was from the same stamp set and stamped with Versamark ink and then heat embossed with Ranger Fine White Embossing Powder on black cardstock. I also splattered a tiny bit of Dylusions Mica spray in Turquoise but it's quite a light colour.
Even my husband agrees that the bears are really cute :-)
Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have a lovely day!
Tuesday 5 December 2017
Little Drummer Boy Christmas Card
This has to be my most involved card. And by most involved, I mean, most layers.
The main focal image, sentiment and background are from a discontinued Graphics45 patterned paper that I got as a gift with purchase from a local scrapbook store. I layered a snowflake and a few doily diecuts from My Favorite Things. The gold foam stars were cut out from the Simon Says Stamp Stacked Stars die. I also added a few fabric pieces and tucked a couple of stitched fall leaves from a Lawn Fawn die behind the focal image. I love how the different layers and textures came together.
Challenge:
The main focal image, sentiment and background are from a discontinued Graphics45 patterned paper that I got as a gift with purchase from a local scrapbook store. I layered a snowflake and a few doily diecuts from My Favorite Things. The gold foam stars were cut out from the Simon Says Stamp Stacked Stars die. I also added a few fabric pieces and tucked a couple of stitched fall leaves from a Lawn Fawn die behind the focal image. I love how the different layers and textures came together.
Challenge:
Friday 1 December 2017
Take 5 Art Journal Collaboration - Joy
I'm back with another fun #take5art collaboration with the lovely and talented bunch of ladies on YouTube. You can find links to their channels in the video description.
Our prompts for November were:
- tissue paper
- post it notes
- stencil
- stamping
- stickers
And yes, you read that correctly... we had to use post its or sticky notes in our journal. I don't use post its regularly and had to dig through a couple of drawers and found these flower shaped ones. I don't even remember getting it but I thought the shape would be a bit more interesting than the regular squares.
Our prompts for November were:
- tissue paper
- post it notes
- stencil
- stamping
- stickers
And yes, you read that correctly... we had to use post its or sticky notes in our journal. I don't use post its regularly and had to dig through a couple of drawers and found these flower shaped ones. I don't even remember getting it but I thought the shape would be a bit more interesting than the regular squares.
I also did something a little different with this page. I usually use a Moleskine sketchbook for my art journaling but that thing was getting quite chunky and hard to close although I've only used 10 pages. I've been meaning to use more layers and I knew my notebook wouldn't cut it. So I finally unearthed a Project Life 6x8 folder that I got in the US during a sale. I don't do Project Life and used the folder to house my art journal instead.
I like the 6x8 size too. And I love that I can do more layering without worrying about the notebook not closing. I will definitely experiment with more dimensional elements in the future. And oh, the post its were quite well disguised I think. In the end, the page turned out all right :-)
YouTube Channel: PlannerBug
Direct link to video: Take 5 Art Collaboration - Joy
Thursday 30 November 2017
Starry Gold Christmas Card
I'm really putting this deer die from a Maggie Holmes set through its paces this holiday season. I just love how interesting it looks on a card especially against an interesting background. I'm entering both the Simon Says Stamp challenges again (links below).
I achieved the background by sponging gold acrylic paint through a Tim Holtz stencil on a black cardstock. I think I have to do more of this because I love the effect of gold against a dark background. I also splattered a tiny bit of gold Heidi Swapp Color Shine.
The gold foam stars were cut out from the Simon Says Stamp Stacked Stars die. I layered a torn up bit from a doily and some twine on the back of the deer.
Challenges:
I achieved the background by sponging gold acrylic paint through a Tim Holtz stencil on a black cardstock. I think I have to do more of this because I love the effect of gold against a dark background. I also splattered a tiny bit of gold Heidi Swapp Color Shine.
The gold foam stars were cut out from the Simon Says Stamp Stacked Stars die. I layered a torn up bit from a doily and some twine on the back of the deer.
Challenges:
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