Flowers!!

Told you I'd be back!

So I came across these "boutique" flower tutorials during my daily trolling through the projects at One Pretty Thing. It caught my imagination. I made one. I liked it. So, in typical Karie fashion, I went back and cut out the material for eight more. Overboard much? Yep.

Now for the changes I made. In the Lipstick and Laundry (LaL) tutorial, she says to cut the flower shapes any way you want--just make sure you have a variety of sizes. In the Overdramatic Party Girl (OPG) tutorial, she cut circles--in various sizes. The key is the various sizes. I didn't want the regularity of shape the circles produced, but I wanted more layers than what LaL came up with. So this is what I did.

1. Cut a square of synthetic material.


2. Fold it in quarters.

Promise yourself that someday you'll learn how to use the camera you've had for six years.

3. Trim off all the corners.


4. Unfold and admire funky flower shape.

Don't worry about unevenness--it'll take care of itself over the flame.

5. Singe the outer edges.

Remember that directly over the flame is the hottest part. Think of the heat as a pillar. Manipulate material accordingly. DO NOT PUT YOUR MATERIAL DIRECTLY INTO THE FLAME UNLESS YOU LIKE BLACK, SHRIVELED FLOWERS.

6. Singe the inner edges. Do it sideways to make the petal curl.



Ta da!

Layer (8-10), sew together with a bead:







And back with felt for easier attachment of safety pins or brooch pins or what have you.


Enjoy!

The Hasty Life

This poor little blog. I started it with so many good intentions and I have so many Hasty Crafts and Hasty Tips to share! But my time is limited, and as Sister Beck said in this last Conference, sometimes we moms can want to do many good things, but we must prioritize and do those things which are the MOST good and will bring us and our children closer to Christ. I may be paraphrasing here.

Am I shutting down the blog? Absolutely not. But my posting will happen in the dribs and drabs of my free time, instead of every three days. Or even every week. So keep your eyes open and your smiles ready--there will be more posts soon!

Until then, be well.

Hasty Updates and Admissions

This Hasty Crafter's life has been turned upside-down for the last week and a half, but I'm doing my best to stay on top of things! Think of this post like a clip show from your favorite sitcom, but without the laugh track.

First, from the bleach pen experiment:

Here's the result from Enthusiasm's shirt. She loves that the bleach turned the design pink instead of white. My fingers are itching to try it one more time and see if I can't get some white inside the design. I definitely need to do that to my blue pants--I'm not fond of the subtle look there.

Now on to the admissions:

That's my desk after it's been cleaned. *hangs head* I fought the paper monster, and the paper monster won. BUT! The coordinating drawer fronts and fleece over the chair help it a little bit. There is *some* cohesiveness to my life! And I decided to try something similar for my figurines shelf:

Some 12x12 scrapbook paper, some double-sided sticky tape, and voila! Emphasis on my eclectic collection.

Last, but not least, the Hasty Idea Basket:

This is the place where I keep materials for the small projects that are perpetually in the back of my mind--dishcloths, crocheted hair ties, ribbon hair bands (tutorial next week!) and so on. I believe my method is called Organized Chaos. I'll take it. At least I know where everything is.

The Not-so-Hasty Crafter: Emily

Once upon a time I lived in Arizona. *gasp* I KNOW! I can't believe I survived it either! I made many good friends there, however, so the experience wasn't completely wasted. One such friend was Emily, who came up with a rather clever idea: a onesie that was also a collared shirt! Genius! Now that I have a little boy in my life, I find that her idea is also applicable to me.



Adorable, are they not? Go here to order one for the little guy in your life!

Other People's Hasty Crafts

It's amazing, the Hasty Crafts you can find out in crafty blog world if you look hard enough. Or often enough. For example, we have this fabulous BHC-approved project from Ashley at Little Miss Momma:



Stapling the ribbons on! I would have never thought of that.

The Hasty Desk Organizer

Remember how I said that my computer desk is so messy I'm embarrassed to post pictures of it? It still is, but this Hasty Organizer does help (as do the three pencil cups, the odds-and-ends organizer, and the five small drawers and plastic shoe box. I think I need to rethink my organization).



Made from a #10 can (think food storage) and using the cheat known as hot glue, I dug through my stash of home dec fabrics, found some samples that I bought years ago (25 cents for a square of pretty material! How could I resist?), and glued them on. Added the flowers to disguise the uninspiring rim. Ignore the badly glued ribbon around the bottom. It was glued in haste (imagine that) and since it's on the curve, it didn't turn out pretty. But who cares? It's on the bottom.

Anyway. Inside:



I made the divider from some latch-hook grid leftovers from this project (recognize it, Sara?), attaching them with brads. Easy peasy. The round section is for receipts that need to be accounted for in the budget. The straight organizers divide the bills from the "I need these for reference" pile. As for the Loving Your Disposal and Toilet flier, well, let's just say that my apartment complex has been blaming their bad plumbing on the residents. In some cases, true. In our case, not so much. Ah well.

The Not-so-Hasty Crafter: Lisa

I believe I've mentioned the talented friends I have. I have no jealousy of their expert craftiness--indeed, I'm happy to promote it! People who have the patience to create such perfect things with so many details have my admiration. For instance, I do crochet. In one color. With very little in the way of pattern. It's the Hasty Way.

Now take my friend Lisa, on the other hand. She crochets exquisitely. I mean, look at her afghans!



Such texture! Such pattern! Such ability not to drop stitches and not notice until three rows later! I applaud you, Lisa, I applaud you.

So go visit Lisa at the Ladybug Crochet shop on Etsy. You won't be sorry.