Jamie

Advent Wine Calendar Disappointment

November 7, 2018November 16, 2018 Jamie

Disclosure: CraftEaze is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliate sites.

I have a confession to make. Today was a day I had been looking forward to for a couple months. I had it marked on my calendar and everything. Today was suppose to be the day that I would buy my Advent calendar. As you may have heard, this year Aldi was going to sell a wine advent calendar in the United States. This calendar was available last year in Europe, and they finally had brought it across the Atlantic Ocean.

Like I said earlier, I had this day marked on my calendar since I read that they were going to be released a couple of months ago. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for CraftEaze! There was going to be 24 different wines to try! I had it all planned out, every day I would post the wine on Instagram and Facebook and then once a week I would write a post talking about the different wines. It was going to be PERFECT!

Little did I know, everyone else had the exact same idea as me. Everyone wanted a wine advent calendar. Even the special cheese wine advent calendar was super popular. My friend texted me and said there was a line at Aldi when the store opened just to get a calendar. Unforuntualy, each store only had a limited supply. I couldn’t get away from work to go to Aldi because I was filling in for someone else. I thought, maybe if I go straight there after work I will be ok.

So at 3 pm, I went straight to this Aldi store that never looks busy every time I drive by. I got out of my car and walked to the door. As I approached, I noticed a sign on the door. This sign said, “Sorry, due to the limited supply we are sold out of the wine calendar.” So I got back in my car and rushed to the Aldi closest to my house, but I didn’t have high hopes. When I got to that Aldi, I saw a sign stating they were out of both the wine Advent calendar and the cheese Advent calendar. I went on into the store because I didn’t want to be that crazy person that got to the door twice and turned around.

I texted my fiancee when I got into Aldi and told him all about the saga in trying to find the calendar. He immediately looked online and found several calendars being sold on eBay, but they were over $150. I don’t know about you, but that’s way too expensive for me!

So I was feeling a little defeated that I wasn’t able to pick up the Aldi wine Advent calendar. I was thinking that I would just have to buy either a chocolate Advent calendar or even this coloring book Advent calendar this year. But my fiancee came to the rescue! He told me that many other people were probably at work when Aldi opened that would have wanted a calendar. Why don’t you just come up with your own “Wine Advent Calendar”? I thought this was a brilliant idea and decided to run with it.

The CraftEaze wine Advent Calendar will be released in 4 parts. Part 1 will be tonight with 3 wines. Parts 2-4 will be released over the next four weeks and will consist of 7 wines. Most of these wines can be bought at Aldi. Even though, I didn’t get a calendar I feel Aldi is a great place to find deals when it comes to wine.

Wines for the first 3 days (December 1-3)

Just in case you are not familiar with Advent calendars, you get a surprise each day during the month of December. I remember having one when I was growing up where each day was a part of a puzzle. This advent calendar will be a different wine suggestion every day.

December 1 – Winking Owl Moscato

This is one of my favorite wines! Back in June, we had an in-depth wine review on this very wine. This is a Moscato wine that I will buy for craft night. I love the slight peach taste. You can find this wine at Aldi.

December 2 – Moiselle Red Moscato

This wine is a sweeter red wine. It tastes like a Moscato but has more of a berry flavor. This is wine can be found at Aldi. In the future, this may be a wine featured in an in-depth wine review.

December 3 – Dark Horse Rose

So this is a wine that my fiancee thought I was crazy to buy. It comes in a can kind of like a soda or beer. It was also slightly more expensive then other wines I have bought at Aldi, but it was so convenient for a tailgate or even going on a float trip. I am not 100% sure if this is always at Aldi, but I found it there a few weeks ago. This rose is a little drier, but I liked it and I preferred wines that are a little sweeter.

Below are a few of our in-depth wine review, just in case you would like to learn more. I have also included a link to our special cherry limeade wine cocktail.

If you are looking for a craft project, check out our monthly subscription box for crocheting!

Hope you enjoy the wine!

Part 2

Free Crochet Pattern – Boot Cuffs

November 6, 2018November 16, 2018 Jamie

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. There is so much to love about fall from football to bonfires. The best part in my mind is that I can start to wear boots and scarves whenever I want!

The November CraftEaze crochet box was boot cuffs which are the perfect fall accessory. This is an easy project that you can complete in a few hours just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. This is a project that you can show off to make your sister and cousins jealous when you stroll in for dinner. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. You don’t have to buy gifts for anyone and all you do is eat yummy food and watch football.

Flat Boot Cuff — Here is finished boot cuff outside of the boot.

Here is the CraftEaze kit that will provide you with everything you would need to make this project. You can also get a printable pdf at Etsy.

Materials

2 Balls of Bulky Yarn (I used Loop & Threads Charisma Tweed in Cream)
4 Wooden 2 hole buttons
N-13 (9.00 mm) Crochet Hook

Abbreviations and Stitches Used

ch – chain (thecrafteaze.com/tutorials/chain)
sc – single crochet (thecrafteaze.com/tutorials/singlecrochet)
dc – double crochet (thecrafteaze.com/tutorials/doublecrochet)
** – Repeat

Instructions

You will make 2 boot cuffs.

Chain 14.

Row 1: 1 sc in 2nd chain, *Skip 2 ch, 5 dc in next chain, skip 2 ch, 1 sc*, Repeat 1 time.

Row 2: Ch 3, 2 dc in first sc, skip 2 dc, 1 sc in next dc, skip 2 dc, 5 dc in sc, skip 2 dc, 1 sc in next dc, skip 2 dc, 3 dc in last sc.

Row 3: Ch 1, 1sc in the first dc, *skip 2 dc, 5 dc in sc, skip 2 dc, 1 sc in next dc*. Repeat 1 time.

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until the cuff will fit around your leg. This will be approximately 10-12”. Weave in the yarn ends.

Finishing

You will attach 2 buttons to each cuff using scrap lightweight/medium weight yarn. Attach these buttons inside the last row that you crocheted. The 2 chain spaces in row 1 will provide the buttonholes.

Have fun making your own boot cuffs!

If you like this pattern and here are a few of our other pattern!

Happy Crafting! <3

Wine Review – Middle Sister Moscato

October 27, 2018August 22, 2020 Jamie

Some links posted below may be affiliate links which means I’ll earn a tiny commission if you purchase through them.

One of my favorite grocery store wine finds recently was the Middle Sister Moscato. I had a rough week at work and my boyfriend was out of town for the weekend, so I went to the grocery store to buy a bottle of wine and food to eat so I wouldn’t have to leave the house all weekend.

As I was wondering the wine aisle, this particular bottle stood out to me. I was initially drawn to the purple metal capsule, but then I noticed the sassy looking stick figure and the name of the wine. After seeing this stick figure and that the wine was called Sweet and Sassy, I thought this is a wine I have to try!

This wine is a sweeter wine, but not too sweet. You can drink it with dessert or while crafting and watching Netflix. It is one of my go-to Moscatos. I think it is the perfect amount of sweet. I can taste peach and slight pears. It smells very floral in addition to the fruit taste. I have enjoyed this wine with a cookie and also cheese and crackers. It is also good with spicy foods. I have had it while eating Chipotle take out and it was pretty tasty.

If you would like to try the Middle Sister Moscato, check out https://www.middlesisterwines.com/find-wines to find stores that carry it near you. You can also purchase a bottle at Wine.com if you wanted to order from the comfort of your own home.

Be sure to check out our other wine reviews:

~Crafts, Wine, and Netflix~

DIY Beach Decor Table Decoration

October 27, 2018November 16, 2018 Jamie

So I have been engaged for almost a month now, and I have started thinking about what type of wedding decor we will have. Because I have been thinking of decor, I have come up with some cool ideas that might not really work for my wedding but might work for someone else.

One idea that I came up with was a table decoration for a beach themed wedding. Now since we live in the middle of Ohio and I grew up in the middle of Missouri a beach theme wedding doesn’t make a lot of sense for my fiance and me. But I think it is fun to come up with decor ideas for a variety of weddings.

So I was wondering around Pat Catan’s and found this super cute votive candle holder. The candle holder (which you can see below) is the perfect combination of vintage and elegant. I thought this votive holder would look cute for a vintage/rustic wedding, but also a beach wedding.

After I found the holder, I went looking for sand and sea glass/seashells. I decided to use two different colors of fine sand. By using the two different colors, I felt it kinda created a look similar to a sand ceremony. It is always cool watching a sand ceremony. I like watching as the bride and groom pour their uniquely colored sand into a vessel. As they pour the sand, the two colors create a pattern that is unique and the sand cannot be easily separated.

The CraftEaze store has a kit to make 4 of these table decorations. You can find the kit here.

Materials

For this project you will need the following materials:

Glass Fishbowl
White Decorative Sand
Accent Color Decorative Sand
Votive Candle Holder
Sea Glass or Seashells
Votive Candles (this can be a battery operated candle or normal candle)

Instructions:

Step 1) After opening the jars of sand, start off by pouring the white sand first.

Step 2) After adding a layer of white sand, you will then add the accent color and.

Step 3) Alternate between the white and accent color sand until you have filled the fishbowl approximately 20%.

Step 4) Gently shake the bowl to mix the sand.

Mix the sands together. — Gently shake the bowl.

Step 5) Press the votive candle holder into the sand.

Press votive candle holder into sand. — Add the votive candle holder.

Step 6) Add the sand glass or seashells around the candle holder.

Sea glass and seashells. — Add sea glass or seashells.

Step 7) Place the candle in the candle holder. The centerpiece is complete!

The centerpiece is completed. You should be able to get 4 table decorations from the jars of sand. Hope you enjoyed this project!

Happy Crafting!

Crochet Market Bag – Free Pattern

October 16, 2018November 16, 2018 Jamie

So life has been really crazy for the last few weeks, but I am finally getting around to announcing the October CraftEaze crochet project. The October crochet project is a market bag.

So part of the reason life has been crazy is because I recently got engaged! So the number of wedding decor kits that CraftEaze sells will more than likely increase. Be on the lookout for new types of kits in the future.

October’s crochet CraftEaze project is for a market bag. This bag would be a good bag to keep in your car for quick after work Aldi trips. It could also be a good bag to take to the park or beach with a book, sunglasses, and sunscreen.

This bag uses an acrylic yarn that provides the bag with some stretch for purchases, but it is also strong. The yarn that is included in the CraftEaze kit creates nice blocks of different colors. If you would like to buy a kit for this project, you can visit here.

Materials To Make Bag

Below is a list of materials that you will need to make your very own market bag.

I/9 – 5.50 mm Crochet Hook
Light Worst Yarn Weight 3 (I used Lion Brand Mandala yarn for my bag).

Crochet Pattern

This pattern will use chain (ch), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), and double crochet (dc).

Chain 51.

Round 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook. 1 sc in the next 48 ch. 2 sc in last ch. You will now work on the other side of the chain. 1 sc in the next 48 ch (102 sc). DO NOT JOIN.

Round 2-5: Sc in each sc in the row below (102 sc). Do not join.

Round 6: Sc in each sc in the row below. Join the last sc to first sc (102 sc).

Round 7: Ch 3 (counts as first dc). *Skip first sc, 1 dc in each of the next 3 sc, yo and insert hook through (extending the loop that so it reached back to position of work and does not squish the 3 dc group). Yo and draw through first two loops on hook twice (this is called a long dc).* Repeat between the ** 24 times. Join to the top of ch 3 from the start of the row.

Round 8: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), 1 sc in the top of each dc. Join yarn to the first sc in the round.

Round 9-38: Repeat rounds 7 and 8 15 times.

Round 39: Sc in each sc. Do not join.

Round 40-44: Hdc in each sc around. Do not join.

Round 45: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). Hdc in 13 hdc. Turn.

Row 46: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch). Hdc in the 13 hdc. Turn.

Repeat row 46 until the strap is approximately 24-30″ long.

Once the strap is approximately 24-30″ long, you will attach the strap to the opposite end of the bag. Fasten off.

You have now completed your very own market bag! Join our email list to be the first to learn about new products. Subscribe to our monthly crochet subscription box to get a project like this mailed to your door every month.

Happy Crafting!

7 Movies That Are Out Of This World

September 26, 2018November 16, 2018 Jamie

So I don’t normally like to write back to back blog posts on a similar topic, but the recent announcement from Elon Musk and SpaceX made me excited. Earlier this week he announced the first civilian that will be traveling into space.

So in honor of this announcement, I decided to make a list of my favorite movies that are out of this world. Some of the movies on this list are older and some are relatively new. These movies can also help you get ready to see First Man which is coming out soon. I saw the trailer last night on HGTV and it looks really good. These movies are perfect to watch while curled up on the couch with a glass of wine or working on an outer space themed project. One of my favorite outer space projects I have ever worked on was this outer space blanket by Whistle and Ivy. The pattern is very easy to follow and fun to make.

Outer Space Blanket. — This is the outer space blanket I made earlier this summer.

Apollo 13

Apollo 13 is one of my all-time favorite movies. It was one of the movies that got me interested in engineering. This movie is about the true story of NASA mission Apollo 13. The crew of Apollo 13 were supposed to land on the moon, but an explosion happened in space and the mission changes to one of survival and trying to get back home.

Against all odds, the astronauts make it back to earth safely. The movie goes back and forth between the astronauts and mission control. It also focuses some on the wives and family of the astronauts. The movie shows who everyone worked together to get astronauts home.

One of my favorite scenes is when engineers at mission control are given a box of items and they are told to make the spare air filter fit into the system. I think this is one of the most accurate descriptions of an engineers job. Engineers have to find a solution to problems within all sorts of parameter ranging from cost to materials.

The Martian

Martian Movie Poster — Image from imdb.com

This is one movie that my boyfriend and I actually went to the theater to see when it came out. It is also a movie that I watch every time that I see it on tv. Mark Watney is an astronaut for NASA goes on a mission to Mars. While on Mars a storm causes him to be left by his crew who believes he is dead.

After the crew leaves and the storm is over, it is revealed that Mark is really still alive. Mark is a scientist that studies plants and starts to grow potatoes on Mars for food. He eventually gets into contact with NASA and they try to figure out a way to get Mark home.

The movie is based on a book by Andy Weir with the same name. I borrowed the book from a coworker and enjoyed reading it.

Space Camp

Space Camp was one movie that I watched a lot growing up. My sister and I would watch it almost every month. We both thought it would be cool to go to Space Camp based on this movie.

Space Camp tells the story of a group of campers. The leader of their group is an astronaut who wants to go into space, but she is passed over several times. Her group campers include the typical 80s teen movie characters including the bad boy, an ambitious girl, a nerd, the athlete, and popular girl.

The nerd in this movie is actually younger than the rest of the group. He talks he counselors into letting him stay in the teenage camp because he has been to the junior camp so many times. Since he is younger, he doesn’t really have any friends his age. He ends up befriending a robot, just like in his mind Luke Skywalker.

The movie shows their time at camp up until the final days of camp. During the final days, they are allowed to sit inside the shuttle. While the group is on the shuttle, a computer malfunctions and sends the shuttle to space. At that point, the group has to figure out how to get back to earth.

October Sky

I know that I included October Sky in my favorite book to movie list, but it also makes the list of my favorite space-related movies. I also like that it is based on a true story and it is a story many in rural areas can relate. When I watched this movie in middle school/high school, I really related to Homer. I knew that I want to go to college and become an engineer. Some of my classmates didn’t understand why I enjoyed math and science so much. They didn’t understand why I liked to learn more about these subjects in my free time.

This movie tells the story of Homer Hickam. Homer grew up in a rural West Virginian coal mining town. He knows he doesn’t want to mine coal the rest of his life. After Sputnik is launched, he becomes interested in learning how rockets work and how to make the best rocket.

After a few mishaps, his teacher encourages him to enter the local science fair and gave him books to read about rocketry. He ends up competing in the national science fair where he receives many scholarship offers for college. Homer ends up graduating from college and eventually gets a job at NASA where he works with the space shuttle program.

Armageddon

So I am going to start off by saying this movie is not scientifically accurate, but it is still entertaining. It is another movie that is on FX all the time. I watch it frequently when I see that it is on and there isn’t a football game or new show on.

Armageddon is a movie about a giant asteroid on track to hit earth. NASA is forced to call upon an oil driller whose patent for a drill they are trying to dissect. NASA is unable to figure out how to make the drill work, so they ask him to create a crew that he trusts to go to space along with the astronauts. The goal is to blow up the asteroid to prevent it from hitting earth. He creates a crew of various misfits that do not really fit into the traditional astronaut mold.

Will the crew succeed in blowing up the asteroid and will everyone get back alive? Will the young couple get the chance to live happily ever after?

Space Cowboys

I have watched this movie with my parents several times. It stars Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner. Like many of the other movies in this list, it was filmed and released prior to the Columbia disaster. It seems after the Columbia shuttle disaster the number of outer space movies decreased greatly up until the last few years.

So the movie begins with a Russian satellite has veered off its course. During an investigation, NASA discovered that the navigation system was from an American design. As a result, NASA tries to convince the developer to go into space to help stop the satellite. Unfortunately, the developer of the system is a retired Air Force pilot who is still mad that he was told he would be going to space when NASA was formed, but never got the chance too.

NASA finally convinced the retired pilot to go to space, but he had one condition. His teammates (who are also really old) have to be allowed to go too. There is a lot of old verse young dynamics in this movie as the current NASA astronauts see the pilot and his team as only old men.

Magic School Bus – Gets Lost In Space

This isn’t really a movie, but it is a great introduction to outer space for kids. If you are like me, you probably remember watching this episode of the Magic School Bus in grade school. This is actually the first episode of the Magic School Bus tv series. This episode is based on the book The Magic School Bus Gets in the Solar System.

Arnold’s (the classmate who always has something go wrong) cousin Janet is visiting the school. She is going on and on about how her grade school is better than Arnold’s until Miss Frizzle takes the class to outer space to learn about the planets.

This episode does referencePluto as a planet, but other than that it is a good introduction to the solar system for kids. However, the Pluto controversy is back again. I recently read this article that says some scientist believe it should have never been downgraded. You can watch this episode on Netflix (Season 1, Episode 1).

If you enjoyed this list, be sure to check out some of our other movie lists including:

Book To Movie

Girls Night In Movies

What is your favorite outer space movie? Share it below in the comments.

My Top 8 Book to Movie Adaptations

September 16, 2018November 16, 2018 Jamie

Top 8 Movies that were originally books.

Two of my favorite hobbies besides crafting are reading and watching movies. Both hobbies provide me a way to escape the stresses in my life and be transported to another time or place. One thing I have noticed, that many time movies are based on books. Sometimes these adaptations are terrible, but other times the movie helps bring the book to life.

So let’s grab a snack or a glass of wine as I tell you about my top 8 book to movie adaptations! Be sure to also check out my other movie list: 7 Movies That Are Perfect For Girls Night In.

PS I Love You

So the start of this book and movie is very sad. Holly’s husband Gerry has recently died at a very young age because of a brain tumor. She is extremely heartbroken because the love of her life has died and she is not even 30 yet. On the eve of Holly’s 30th birthday, she receives a letter from Gerry. It turns out that Gerry wrote several letters to be delivered to her at various times to help her get over his death. These letters help bring Holly out of her comfort zone and to start to live again.

The book and the movie varied a little, but I enjoyed both. Be sure to check out the book and the movie. This book would be a great book to read with your friends as a book club. The movie would be a good movie to watch with your friends as you drink wine in these stemless glasses.

The Princess Diaries

Princess Diaries Movie Poster — Image from imdb.com

If you are looking for a movie that you can watch with your kids and possibly get them to read a book, then you should check out The Princess Diaries. The Princess Diaries is about a teenage girl, Mia, who meets her long-lost grandma and finds out that she is actually royalty. The movie shows what happens when she is expected to make the decision to become a princess. This was Anne Hathaway’s breakout role and also starred Julie Andrews.

So The Princess Diaries is actually a book series written by Meg Cabot that consists of 10 young adult books. I remember reading these books when I was younger. There is also an additional book for adults called Royal Wedding: A Princess Diaries Novel that talks about Mia’s life after college that you can read while your kids read the young adult series.

October Sky

This is one of my favorite science movies and books. This movie is based on the memoirs of Homer Hickam. Homer Hickam was born and raised in a rural coal town in West Virginia. Homer knew that he didn’t want to spend his life working in the coal mine. He was impacted by the launch of Sputnik to learn more about rocketry and engineering. He was encouraged by his math/science teacher to enter the local science fair. The movie follows his struggles as he works to win the science fair.

Homer Hickam worked at NASA and was responsible for training astronauts for science payloads and extra-vehicular activities (EVA). He helped train the astronauts who repair the Hubble Telescope. His memoir Rocket Boys was a New York Times Bestseller in 1998 and was the inspiration for the movie.

Holes

So my boyfriend would be really upset if I didn’t include Holes in this list. Holes was one of his favorite books and movies growing up. I also read Holes as a child and enjoyed to book. I sometimes felt that I related Stanley greatly because I can be really unlucky. This movie is also another movie that you can watch with your kids (if you have kids) to get them interested in reading.

Holes is about a boy named Stanley who is wrongly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. He is sent to a juvenile correction center where he has to dig a hole every day. So plan your next movie night with Holes with popcorn that you can make and eat out of this bowl.

A Walk To Remember

A Walk To Remember is one of my favorite Nicholas Spark’s novels that was made into a movie. My next statement is bound to be a little controversial, but I am not afraid to admit that I like this more than The Notebook.

It tells the story of a troubled high school student (Landon) whose life is turned upside down when he falls for the preacher’s daughter (Jamie). What he doesn’t realize is that she has a secret that is probably going to limit the time they have together.

There are several differences between the book and the movie, but the movie stays true to the book for the most part. The book is told from the point of view of Landon several years later while the movie takes place in modern times. Be sure to have plenty of tissues when you are reading the book or watching the movie.

The Hunger Games Series

The Hunger Games Movie Poster — Image from imdb.com

The Hunger Games was one book series that a read in one weekend a few years back. I love dystopian novels and this is a very dark dystopian world. The movies followed the storyline pretty well. This series is also a good introduction to dystopian novels.

In this dystopian world, there are 12 districts and capital. Every year, each district is required to send one male and one female teenager (called tribute) to a fight to the competition that is televised. Katniss’s young sister is chosen as one of District 12’s tributes. She does the most selfless thing possible and volunteers in her place.

There are 3 books in the series and 4 movies. The last book is broken up to 2 movies. My one complaint about the movie version of the books is what Peeta looks like and it isn’t really a big deal. I always pictured him as a short kid that was slightly overweight. Maybe I thought he looked like this because his family was the local bakers.

Where the Heart Is

I remember reading this book in high school and watching the movie with my mom on several occasions. This is such a heartwarming story. It is one that I am sure that you will enjoy.

Novalee is a pregnant 17-year-old who is moving across the country with her boyfriend. While they are in Oklahoma, he leaves her at a Wal-Mart. She lives in the Wal-Mart for a short time and even has her baby there. This book and movie tell the story of how she starts her life over in this small Oklahoma town and the people she meets. Some of her new friends include a local nurse, a librarian, a photographer at the Wal-Mart, and an elderly woman named Sister Husband.

This book is easy to read and would be great to read at the beach on vacation or on an airplane. The movie is another one that would be great to watch with your girlfriends. Or better yet, you can watch this movie while working on a CraftEaze box.

Christmas With The Kranks

Christmas will be here before you know it, and one Christmas movie that I have watched the last several years is Christmas with the Kranks. This movie is heartwarming and perfect for the holidays. I feel a lot of people can relate to the Kranks in the movie at one point or another.

Luther and Nora’s daughter has left for the Peace Corps and will not be home for Christmas. They do not want to celebrate without her, so they decide to skip Christmas and go on a cruise instead. As you can guess, hilarity occurs as their neighbors, friends, and coworkers find out that they are skipping Christmas.

Christmas with the Kranks is based on the book Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. This is one of the movies you can watch year after year around Christmas. Maybe, just maybe it might also convince you that you need to buy your own giant Frosty.

What is your favorite book to movie adaptation? Feel free to leave it below in the comment section.

Crafting For A Cause

September 4, 2018April 30, 2020 Jamie

Crocheting and knitting is a lot of fun. You can take the most boring color of yarn and create a beautiful handmade item. These items make great gifts and products to sell, but did you know that you could also make items to donate to charity? By making an item for charity, you are not only improving your skills but you are also helping someone in need.

This post will go over 12 places that you can donate handmade items. In many cases, you can also donate money to these charities in addition to the handmade items. It is important to donate throughout the year if possible. Around the holidays, many charities receive a lot of donations, but during the summer or after the holidays the number of donations decreases significantly.

National Organizations

There are several national organizations that collect donations of crocheted and knitted items. These organizations help a variety of different people ranging from little kids with cancer to the homeless to active military and veterans. So it is fairly easy to pick an organization that is related to your particular passion. Here is a couple of national organizations that collect donations.

Project Linus

Project Linus is an organization that provides blankets to kids who are having a rough time. There are chapters in all 50 states. The blankets that the chapter collects are given to kids around the areas at hospitals, shelters, and social service agencies. Since 1995, over 7 million blankets have been given to children all around the US. This organization also has a list of blanket patterns that are free to use. The list contains not only crochet and knitting patterns but also quilting and sewing patterns. To find a local chapter or to learn more visit: http://www.projectlinus.org/.

Knots of Love and Crochet for Cancer

chemo hats — Photo from http://www.crochetforcancer.org.

So these two organizations are very similar. Both organizations provide free hats for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Both organizations have patterns on their website that can be used to make hats. However, you are not limited to just these patterns, but they can be a good starting point.

Knots of Love not only provides hats for cancer patients but also blankets for newborn babies. This organization serves 544 hospitals in all 50 states. Since forming in 2007, over 400,000 hats and blankets have been donated. For more information, please visit http://www.knotsoflove.org/.

Crochet for Cancer is a Christian organization that has chapters in 33 states, Canada, and Australia. This organization also accepts donations of handmade teddy bears, blankets, scarves, and other items that can provide comfort to a person undergoing chemotherapy. For more information, please visit http://www.crochetforcancer.org/.

Knit Your Bit

National WW2 Museum — Photo from https://www.nationalww2museum.org/

Knit Your Bit is a community outreach program at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. This program provides veterans with handmade scarves. These scarves are handed out at veteran hospitals, veteran centers, and service organization around the country. These scarves can be knitted or crocheted in gender neutral or patriotic colors. Since 2006, over 50,000 scarves have been delivered to veterans around the country. For more information, please visit https://www.nationalww2museum.org/programs/knit-your-bit.

Warm Up America

Warm Up America is an organization that provides knitted or crocheted blankets to those in need. Some places where these blankets can be distributed include homeless shelters, women’s shelters, veteran centers, hospice, children’s hospitals, AIDS centers, and daycare centers.

What is cool about this organization is in addition to donating finished blankets and scarves, you can also donate 7″x9″ block. If you make an entire blanket, then you can use any type of stitch and make it as big as you want. There is a list of patterns that you can use to make the 7″x9″ blocks for crochet and knitting. With the blocks being smaller, you can use these blocks to learn how to do different stitches. For more information, please visit http://www.warmupamerica.org/.

Operation Gratitude

Operation Gratitude is an organization that sends care packages to military members during the cold months. Handmade scarves and hats can be donated. The scarves and hats can be made in any color, but it is suggested that the colors are more on the subtle side like blue, green, brown, grey, or maroon. This way they can be given to a male or female. For more information, please visit https://www.operationgratitude.com/.

Local Donations

There are also ways that you can donate around your local community if so choose. Like with the national organization, you can find local groups that are related to your passion. In many cases, it is best to contact these charities and centers to determine their current needs.

Nursing Homes and Hospices

Nursing homes and hospices in your local community are great places to donate crochet and knitted blankets. It is best to contact the nursing home or hospice before donating to see what exactly they need. Many times they are looking for lapghans that can use used with a wheelchair. Our September CraftEaze crochet box is an example of a lapghan that can be donated to a nursing home or hospice.

Homeless Shelters and Women’s Shelters

You can also donate blankets that you crocheted or knitted to your local homeless or women’s shelters. Like with the nursing home, you should contact the shelter before donating to see what they are needing. This way you can help provide the shelter with exactly what they need.

Local Children’s Hospital

You can also make baby items for your local children’s hospital if you don’t really have the patience or time to make an adult size blanket. Many times the local neonatal intensive care is needing hats or booties for the newborns. One of the hospitals near me (Akron Children’s Hospital) even has crochet and knit patterns for hats and booties you can make to donate. Be sure to check with your local hospital to see if there are restrictions on colors or types of yarn and how to donate items.

Pregnancy Centers

Pregnancy centers are also a good place to donate handmade baby blankets and receiving blankets. These centers provide expecting mothers with items they will need once a baby is born. If you are interested in donating to a local pregnancy center, you should contact the center to see what exactly they are needing at this moment.

Happy Crafting!

Jamie

Prophecy Rosé Wine Review

August 29, 2018November 16, 2018 Jamie

Rosé wine is currently very popular. This is unbelievable especially since rosé has really only been gaining popularity over the last several years (aka since the early 2000s). If you Google rosé wine, you will find over 80 million results. Of these 80 million results, you will find several hundred relating to millennials and their love of rosé wine. Because of this, I was nervous about writing a rosé wine review out of fear that I would be just another millennial writing about a rosé. But I decided to go ahead and write one because I like a good rosé!

Rose and kniting — Last week I enjoyed a glass of this wine while knitting a baby blanket.

Rosé wines are wines that have a pink or blush color. These wines get their color from the interaction between the grape skins and the grape juice during winemaking. The skins are typically left in the juice for a couple of days which is just enough time to produce the nice pink color. Rosé wines are typically from the south of France but can be made elsewhere.

Based on my Wikipedia research, rosé wines were some of the first wines to have been produced. These wines had a resurgence after World War II when two Portuguese winemakers released a sweet rosé to the US and Europe. These wines were extremely popular for several years, but that popularity faded away like the slow death of the floppy disk. However, unlike the floppy disk, these wines made a successful comeback. The comeback was originally only a summertime drink, but it is slowly starting to be a go-to drink all year long. If you don’t believe me, just check out Buzzfeed and the number of posts related to rosé wine.

The September crochet CraftEaze box wine suggestion was the Prophecy Rosé. I found this rosé at my local grocery store, but it can also be bought at Target. This wine can be purchased for $20 or less. You can use this website to find a location near you: http://www.prophecywines.com/#purchase.

The Prophecy Rosé is a crisp dry wine. I can taste flavors of raspberries and peach. I enjoy drinking this wine while watching Netflix and working on a craft project. This wine would be a good wine to serve with dinner or at a brunch. These wine glasses would be perfect to enjoy a glass this wine in. The gold polka dots will contrast greatly with the light pink color of the wine. These glasses are also stemless, so you don’t have to worry about breaking the stems off when you are doing dishes. Speaking from experience, one of the worst things to break in the kitchen is the stem of a wine glass. Like the part that holds the drink is still perfectly good, but you can’t use it anymore because there is no way to set the glass down or hold the wine glass without getting a cut.

How to Make A Wooden Photo Sign

August 19, 2018August 1, 2019 Jamie

Are you looking for a cool way to display photos at your wedding? Or even for an easy DIY project to hang up photos of your kids? If so, look no further then this project. In this post, I will teach you how to make a wooden photo sign. If you like this project, then be sure to check out our other how-to posts (Wooden Wedding Sign and Unique Notebook).

Materials Needed

To make this project you will need:

20″x14″ Unfinished Wooden Panel
White Chalk Paint
Black Paint Pen
1″ Alphabet Stencil
3 clothespins
Hot Glue Gun
Wire Twine
Paintbrush

CraftEaze also sells a kit to make this project. You can find our kit here.

Instructions

Step 1: Paint the wooden panel with the white chalk paint. You will need to apply 2 coats.

Step 2: While the chalk paint dries, determine the saying you would like on the sign. Here are a few examples for a wedding:

Once upon a time… And they lived happily ever after.
Love is patient, love is kind
God bless the broken road, that led me to you
If heaven wasn’t so far away.

Step 3: After the paint dries, you will trace the saying onto the board using an ink pen and stencil.

Saying complete — This is what the sign should look like after tracing the saying.

Step 4: Paint inside the traced lines. You will want to connect the different parts of the letters (like the base of the L to the verticle part of the L).

Step 5: After you finish painting the letters, allow the paint to dry. Below is what my photo signed looked like after painting the letters.

Step 6: After the paint dries, you will determine the amount of twine needed for the sign. The amount will depend on how much slack you would like. You will need several extra inches to glue the twine to the back of the sign.

Step 7: Glue the ends of the twine to the back of the sign using the hot glue gun.

Step 8: Allow the hot glue to cool. The hot glue dot should look like the image below. You will need to hold the twine into the glue until it well joined.

Step 9: After the glue dries, you can flip it over and add the photo to the sign using the clothespins.

Hope you enjoy making this craft!