Crafty Loops

 SNOWMEN PEANUT BUTTER BALLS Whatabout ye folks, back again with another Christmas treat.  I have to admit though as pretty confident as I am in my cooking and baking abilities, the one thing I can admit defeat on is decorating my bakes.  These poor little snowmen, oh how I feel for them, teehee.  They may look a bit odd, but they taste amazing particularly with the beautiful white chocolate from Callebaut.  It's really a superior chocolate brand (not sponsored.....I wish, teehee) and it may be expensive (like everything these days) but when you make an item with so little ingredients, you want them to taste amazing. I made these a few years ago, but made them as a single ball covered in dark Callebaut chocolate.  But this year I thought I'd try the snowmen as I know white chocolate goes great with peanut butter.  These do need to be stored in the fridge as there is butter in the recipe and you don't want it melting in the body of the snowman and going...

Altered laundry basket  This past Christmas, my wee Mamma wanted a new laundry basket.  She recently did a few bits and pieces in her bedroom and wanted something to go with her duck egg blue colour scheme and if I could find some way to fit butterflies into the theme too, that would be great.  Well, I searched and I searched and could not find anything that would go with that theme, at all.  So, I decided to jimmy rig and alter one myself, lol....not sure if that made it any better mind you, teehee. I bought this one on Amazon ( click link, if you want one, lol) as it had a removable fabric liner that I could add to. I then purchased this stunning Laura Ashley curtain fabric on Ebay.  It was just a 1/2 metre remnant but it was a perfect amount for what I needed.  Not only was it duck egg blue, but it had butterflies on it! On a piece of the scrap fabric left over, I decided to sew around one of the butterflies to make this little padded dangle butterfly t...

3 Rag dolls - A free PayItForward Pattern So, I know I said I was giving these wee kitties to my nieces and nephew, but I wasn't completely satisfied with the "Safety" eyes and noses on them.  Now, they probably would have been fine for the 2 girls as they are almost 6, but my wee nephew is only 1 and if I have an ounce of doubt about the safety of anything I make, I will not give it as a gift.  Just a note though.....the issues I had with the kitties was not down to the design of the dolls....it was my own issue with the safety eyes and noses....Lisa's designs and tutorials are perfect in every way...I just wanted to make that very clear, lol I decided to go with a different design of Lisa Pay's ( PayItForward on YT) , her wee Ragdoll design.  It is so incredible and so easy to make....much less hand sewing, teehee. I know this is probably a bit gruesome with me holding just the head in my hand, but I want you to see their cute wee faces.  The wee girls have br...

Handmade Paw Patrol Baby Bag/DIY Baby Changing Bag One of my brother's recently asked me if I wouldn't mind making him a changing bag, come "chuck everything a toddler might need" bag.  And of course, I said yes.  His requests consisted of Paw Patrol or something Disney, big enough to carry nappies, cloths, toys, bottles, juice etc., and something he could easily throw over his shoulder to carry as he'd have his hands full most of the time.  So this is what I came up with. As I'm sure you have gathered by now, from my many bags and backpacks I've shared of late (click here , 2 , 3 ,  4 & 5 ), I am a big fan of Debbie Shore's designs and her incredible YouTube channel sharing how to make her designs.  Well, I have adapted her Large Tote Bag to suit the needs of my Brother and his ever growing bambino.   So this bag is just under twice as big as Debbie's original stated size.  The handles are a bit longer and there is also an adjustable shoul...

More Handmade Large Tote Bags - Disney's Dumbo & Sloths I think I'm turning into a walking advertisement for Debbie Shore, teehee......I'm not Sponsored or anything, honestly.  But her YouTube tutorials and designs are just incredible.  And for a newbie sewist, like myself, I am so confident in making her designs.  Now, confidence does not mean that I am any good at making these things....but I certainly have the confidence to give them a go.  And my poor family are my guinea pigs where they receive these items....whether they wanted them or not, lol.  I will add a shopping list at the bottom of this post in case you'd like to buy the items I've used.  I might not be able to find all the links, but I will do my best.  Leave a comment or contact me in the contact box at the top right hand side of this blog, if you have any questions. So I made a couple more of Debbie's Large Tote Bags .  I originally made my first one using Disney's Dumbo fat ...

Handmade Bunnies & A Teddy Bear - payItForward free pattern What about ye folks, it's Lee here and welcome back to my blog. Firstly, let me wish you all a very Happy New Year.  Let's hope 2021 is a kinder year for us all, and we stay safe and healthy.  I want to share with you some wee cutie patooties that I made as Christmas gifts for 2 of my nieces and wee nephew. The girls are both 4 years old and the wee boy is only 6 months old. These are not my own designs but I do want to tell you about where I got the patterns because I think the creator is incredibly talented and generous. I happened to be watching Micheline from Michoumakes and she was sharing some cute little makes that she had sewn up, when she kindly gave a shout out to the actual designer. Before I go on, on a personal note, it is incredibly important to me and all us creative types that we give credit where credit is due. Now I know nowadays it's hard to come up with an original idea. However, if you are...