Bramble and Burdock

Happy new year to my reading few! I hope you all had a good break, wherever you are in the world. So, the question everyone's surely asking is what to do with all those Christmas cards cluttering up the place? Well, they needn't be sent for recycling just yet. They can be used again in the spirit of Christmas cheer - for next year! I took some of the cards I'd received and made them into gift tags for next year's presents. It's so easy to do and the great thing is that you can make any size or shape tags you like. I made a template in the size I wanted so that mine were all the same, but you could just cut random shapes, or use a shape cutter if you like. Pick areas of the card which you think are best and try it out. I'd really recommend it as a fun and thrifty way to re-use your cards. (You just have to remember where you put them for next year...)

My latest crochet rabbit is up for sale in my shop now sold! And here he is: He's made from recycled wool blend yarn (he used to be a sock - but don't worry, he was washed beforehand!) which I have felted to give him that fluffy look. He's a baby so he's a bit smaller than my usual design (I crocheted him with a much smaller hook too), and I used bigger eyes as well to make him look even cuter!

I had a few old, worn-out clothes lying around the place, so I decided to have a go at making a rag rug out of them. After much trial and error I just went with the simplest way of forming it which was to basically do a huge crochet circle! It's really interesting working on a much bigger scale than usual, because you can see the stitches so much more clearly that it really helps with your crochet skills. The blue and beige bits are made from some old sheets and the middle is mainly socks! It's actually very comfy to walk on too!

Today I made two new fabric cards. These have an added twist to them in that they are "upcycled". This is because I made them using fabric samples which I received when I was choosing the colour of my new sofa! So as well as being quite cute, they're thrify and good for the environment as well! I'm not sure what made me go for "woot!" over the more traditional "hoot!" owl call... but it seems cuter somehow!