I love Crochet-alongs! Meet Dappy the Baby Dinosaur!

         

Sometimes it's just fun and relaxing to crochet along with someone else using a prescribed pattern.  Not much to think about except following the instructions.

And this is just what I did with this cute little baby dinosaur pattern.  

This particular CAL (crochet along)  comes from a wonderful Facebook group,  Learn Amigurumi Crochet With Us!    If you have an interest in learning amigurumi, then you should pay them a visit and perhaps even join the group.

This little guy was a simple make, but with several parts.  The hardest part was stitching him together, but the pattern was very precise in where to place and stitch on the various pieces.  This awesome pattern was designed by  Beverley Arnold and you can find the free pattern here.

He's a little guy, just 6 inches tall, but a perfect size for little hands to hold.  He would be just perfect for a dinosaur themed party,  nursery or a baby shower.  He would also make a great birthday or Christmas gift for a little one.  Imagine him peeking out of a Christmas stocking!

So I hope you will check out this pattern and the Facebook group!  Join up and have some fun with us!

Blessings!

Reny

Crochet Bags, Totes and Coin Purses!

I have been so busy lately designing and making some very practical items!  I love making toys, but every now and then I just like to make something different.  And when I deviate from my norm, I like to make something useful as well as attractive.

It all started with this scandinavian style bag.  I saw bags of this style on Pinterest, but did not find a pattern.  So, I set out to make a pattern myself.  It turned out pretty good and I was pleased with the result.

But I couldn't make just one!  These were so much fun to make and worked up so quickly that I had to make some more!   (Any other crochet artists out there like me?)

 Next it occurred to me that some cute charms dangling from the purse would look nice, so voila!

 Well, just as I was about finished with my bag frenzy, my daughter suggested that I should design a nice beach tote.  I don't get to the beach often, but I can always use a nice roomy tote bag!   I wanted something a little more elegant than a plain bag, so I decided on a nice diamond pattern.

 I liked the teal tote, but not the handles, so I decided to continue to try to improve the tote bag.  I think the tan color and the brown leather handles look great!  The leather handles were another technique that I had to learn, but found it was not as difficult as it seemed.    So glad I learned this as I can now use it on other projects such as baskets!  So fun!  And, I used a recycled leather belt for the handles.  Doing my part to save the Earth!

So, looking at the bag, and glancing over at the remaining leather belt buckle, I realized that I could also utilize that on my project!  The buckle gives the tote a more dressy look, making it suitable for use in almost any setting.

 So there you are.  I thought I would be finished with bags for awhile.  But then, I kept seeing these little coin purses popping up all over the place.  I was intrigued on how these were done and how the clasp would be attached.  Well, guess what?  They are not hard to make at all!  And the combos of color and patterns are endless!  More fun!  I love these little coin purses and look forward to making them in a variety of styles!

So, that's what's been going on at Reny's Place during the past couple of months. 
Comment and tell me what you think and if there are any projects you would like to see me try.   I love a good challenge!

You can find some of these bag patterns HERE

Happy Crocheting!
Reny

The Cutest Little Unicorn Babies, Sleeping Unicorns,

In preparing for a craft show this fall, we have decided to make unicorns one of our featured items.  This means we want to have unicorns is different sizes and styles to offer.  My friend sent me a pic of the cutest little sleeping unicorn babies!  I fell in love with them and could just imagine happy little children playing with and sleeping with these adorable stuffed toys!

The pattern is not my own creation, ( I wish I had thought of it) but it was offered free online.  You can find it here.   There is also the option of purchasing the digital download for a modest price.  I decided to purchase the pattern because it is so cute and I felt the designer totally deserved some compensation for her labor.  Being a designer myself, I understand all the time and work that goes into a design from conception of the idea to the finished pattern.

I did find a few flaws in the pattern in regards to stitch counts, but these were easily figured out by paying attention to the final stitch counts in each round. 

One thing that was missing that would have made the pattern easier to complete were assembly instructions.  While this may seem to be a no-brainer, it does help those not experienced in amigurumi to put their pieces together without worrying that they are doing it wrong. 

The center unicorn was the first one I made.  See how awkward
it looks?

I also tweaked the leg attachment a bit.  Since I didn't have the assemble instructions to tell me how to attach the legs, I wasn't sure if they should be attached to be stiff and unmovable or not.  So I made the first unicorn with legs attached by stitching it on in a circle around the  end of the leg.  This looked ok, but felt stiff.  The legs on my second unicorn were much more to my liking.   I stitched them closed in a line and then sewed them to the body.  This gave me legs that would flow down more naturally for a sleeping animal and would be easier for a child to hold and snuggle.

I'm quite satisfied with the two behind.  So much more flexible!

I love the Pipsqueak yarn and happened to get it by accident.  I couldn't find the white I was looking for, but my hubby found a cake with white and several other colors as well.  It was just a matter of winding the different colors into separate balls (including the white I originally wanted) and suddenly I have a great selection of colors without buying a separate skein for each color!  Now that's a win-win situation thanks to my hubby who is now a better yarn shopper than I am!

 You can find these cute little unicorns in my  Etsy shop if you're interested in buying one.  For those of you who love making your own here is the pattern  link.

Blessings!
Reny

There's No Such Thing as a Graffalo!,

Where have I been all these years?  The Graffalo has been around for about two decades, but I just recently learned about him.




You see, my grandson, Paul, loves adorable, cuddly monsters.  And about a week ago he was reading me a book via Facetime about this scarey, terrible but cute and gentle monster.  The book was sweet and the illustrations were adorable.   I knew right away that Paul should have his very own Gruffalo.  After all, the Gruffalo would make a great playmate for Bowser!

So I set myself to the task.

I started from the feet up as I wanted the body, legs and feet to be one piece.  Once I got that part the way I wanted it, I knew the head and face needed to be next.  I started with his 'terrible jaws' as they looked like they may be a bit complicated.  First the lower jaw, then the upper one that also served as his nose and snout.  I had to do his black tongue next because it needed to be attached before I finished the jaws.  A poisonous  wart on his nose was easy.  I just stitched it on.  /the teeth were embroidered on after he was assembled and the tusks are simply felt cut and sewed on.

The head was pretty simple and the snout was stitched to the lower part of the face.  The eyes were easy.  Just circles with safety eyes placed in them.  The ears and horns were fairly simple and the arms were not a problem.

The difficult part of this Gruffalo were the fingers,  fingernails and  toenails.  I'm not totally satisfied with them, but am out of ideas for how to make them more realistic.

Here is the pattern.   I used worsted weight yarn and a G hook unless otherwise stated.

 GRUFFALO INSPIRED PATTERN

Feet and Legs:  Make 2 leaving yarn attached to 2nd one.

1.  Chain 7.  Sc in 2nd ch. from hook.  Sc in 4 chs.  3 sc in end.  Turn work and sc in 5 sts.  3 sc in last st.  (15)

2.  Sc in 5, inc in each of next 3 sts.   Repest.  (21)

3.  Sc in 5,  inc in each of next 6 sts.  sc in 10.   (27)

4.  Sc in 7,  Inc in next 7 sts.  Sc in 12.  (33)

5.  Sc in each st.  (33)

6.  Sc in 10,  Dec x’s 6,  Sc in 10.  (26)

7.  Sc in 10, Dec x’s 3, Sc in 10.  (23)

8.  Sc in each st.  (23)

9.  *Sc in 1, dec.*   Sc in last 2 sts. (16)

10-12.  Sc in each st.

13-14.  Sc in 8,  Change to grey yarn, Inc in next 3 sts.  Change back to brown yarn.  Sc in 3.  

15-17.  Sc in each st.  

18.  *Sc in 1, inc.*  (24)  Fasten off 1st foot. 

Repeat for 2nd foot, but do not fasten off.  Connect legs together with a sc.

19.  Sc around each foot to form the first round of the torso.  Place a stitch marker at the end of this round, (48)

20-23,  Sc in each stitch.  (48)

24.  *Sc in 7, inc.*  (54)

25.  Sc in each st.  (54)

26.  *Sc in 8,  inc*  (60)

27-31.  Sc in each stitch.  (60)

32.  *Sc in 8,  dec.*  (54)

33.  Sc in each st.

34.  *Sc in 7, dec.*  (48)

35.  Sc in each st.

36.  *Sc in 6, dec.*  (42)

37.  Sc in each st.

38. *Sc in 5, dec.*  (36)

39.  Sc in each st.  

40.  *Sc in 4, dec.*  (30)

41.  Sc in each st.

42.  *Sc in 3,  dec.*  (24)

43.  Sc in each st.  Fasten off.  Stuff body.

Head:

1.   Make 6 sc in a magic ring.

2.  Inc in each st.  (12)

3.  *Sc in 1, inc*  (18)

4.  *Sc in 2, inc.*  (24)

5.  *Sc in 3,  inc.*  (30)

6.  *Sc in 4, inc.*  (36)

7-8.  Sc in each st.

9.  *Sc in 5, inc.*  (42)

10.    *Sc in 6, inc.*  (48)

11.  *Sc in 7, inc.* (54)

12-14.  Sc in each st. 

15.  *Sc in 7, dec.*  (48)

16.  *Sc in 6, dec.*  (42)

17-20.  Sc in each st.

21.  *Sc in 5, dec.*  (36)

22. *Sc in 4, dec.*  (30)

23-25.  Sc in each st.

26.  *Sc in 3, dec.*  (24)

27-28.  Sc in each stitch.  Sew the head and body together by matching the stitches of each.  This should make a nice clean join.

Lower snout:

1.  Make 6 sc in a magic ring.

2.  Inc in each st.  (12)

3.  *Sc in 1, inc.*  (18)

4.  *Sc in 2, inc.*  (24)

5.  *Sc in 3, inc.*  (30)

6.  *Sc in 4, inc.*  (36)

7.  *Sc in 5, inc.*  (42)

8-10.  Sc in each stitch. 

11.  *Sc in 5, dec.*  (36)

12-13. Sc in each stitch.

14,  *Sc in 4, dec.*  (30)

15.  Sc in each stitch.  Fasten off.  Fold in half to form lower jaw.  Stuff lightly.

Upper snout:

1.  Make 6 sc in a magic ring.

2.  Inc in each st.  (12)

3.  *Sc in 1, inc.*  (18)

4.  *Sc in 2, inc.*  (24)

5.  *Sc in 3, inc.*  (30)

6.  *Sc in 4, inc.*  (36)

7-10.  Sc in each stitch.  Fasten off.  Fold 1/4 of one edge in to for upper snout.  Place on top of lower snout with open side facing down to lower jaw.  Stitch together on sides where jaw hinge would be..  See  pics.  Attach the upper and lower snout together.  Stitch a green wart to the upper snout.  Embroider some teeth.  For the tusks I cut them from felt and stitched them in place.

Tongue:  With black yarn and C hook.  (2.75mm)

 1.  Chain 11.  Sc in 2nd ch. from hook and remaining 9 chains.  (10) Ch. 1 and turn.

2-8.  Sc in each stt.  (10)

9.  Dec., sc in 6, dec.  (8)  Ch. 1 and turn.

10.  Sc in each st.  Ch. 1 and turn.

11.  Dec, sc in 4, dec.  (6)  Ch. 1 and turn.

12.  Dec., sc in 2, dec,  (4)  Ch. 1 and turn.

13.  Dec. x’s 2.  (2)

14.  Dec x’s 1.  Fasten off.  Sew the tongue to the inside of the lower jaw with a good amount of it protruding from the mouth.

Attach the finished snout to the lower part of the face, being sure to leave room for the eyes just above it.

Ears: Make 2.

 1.  Make 6 sc in a magic ring.

2.  Inc. in each st.  (12)

3-4.  Sc in each st.  

5.  *Sc in 1, inc.*  (18)

6-12.  Sc in each st.

13.  *Sc in 1,  dec.*  (12)

14.  Sc in each st.  

15.  Sc open edge of ear closed.  (6)  Flatten ear, do not stuff.

Ear Center:  Make 2 with light brown or tan yarn.

 1.  Chain 5,  Sc in 2nd chain from hook and remaining 4 chans.  Ch. 1 and turn.

2-7.  Sc in each st.  Ch. 1 and turn at end of each row.

8.  Dec. x’s 2.  (2)

9.  Dec x’s 1.  Fasten off leaving long tail to stitch to center of ear.

Sew the assembled ears to either side of the head.

Horns:  Make 2 from ivory or white sport or baby weight yarn using C hook.  (2.75mm)

1.  Make 3 sc in a magic ring,

2.  Sc, inc, sc.  (4)

3.  Sc. in each st.

4.  Sc, inc.  X’s 2.  (6)

5.  *Sc., inc*  (8)

6.  Sc in each st.

7.  Sc in 2,,  inc, x’s 2,   sc in 2.  (10)

8-12.  Sc in each st.  Fasten off leaving long tail to sew to top of head.  Sew the horns to the top of the head.

Eyes:  Make 2 of orange yarn.

1.  Make 6 sc in a magic ring.

2.  Inc. X’s 6.  (12)

3.  *Sc., inc.*  (18)

Fasten off and leave long tail to sew to face.  Place safety eyes or use felt dot or embroidery the pupil before sewing on the eyes.

Arms:  Make 2

1.   Chain 6.  Sc in 2nd ch. from hook and next 3 chains..  Make 3 se in last chain.  Turn work and sc in 4 chains, and make 3 sc in last chain.  (14)

2-4.  Sc in each st.

5.  *Sc in 6 sc, inc.. *  Repeat.  (16)

6.  *Sc in 7, inc.*  Repeat.  (18)

7.  Sc in each st.  

8.  *Sc in 1, dec.*  (12)

9-13.  Sc in each st.

14.  *Sc in 5, inc.*  (14)

15.  *Sc in 6, inc.*  (16)

16-21.  Sc in each st.

22.  *Sc in 7, inc.*  (18)

23.  *Sc in 8, inc.*  (20)

24.  Sc in each st.  Fasten off leaving long tail to sew to body.

  Stuff lightly and attach arms to body.

Fingers and thumbs:

To make fingers and thumbs, flatten hands and insert hook through stitches at end of hand where finger or thumb would be positioned.  Pull through a loop and chain 1 to lock. Sc in same stitch and in next adjoining stitch.  Ch. 1 and turn.  Sc in each st.  For the thumb I make 2 rows of sc and then fastened off.  For the fingers I make 3 rows of sc.  Each finger and thumb is attached separately.  Weave the yarn ends down through the finger or thumb and pull into inside of hand to hide.

For the finger and toe nails I attached a sport weight white or ivory colored yarn and used a ‘C’ hook  to attach to end of fingers and toes.  I chained 3 , fastened off and weaved and hid the yarn ends in the same manner as for the fingers.

I defined the toes by using long stitches across the front of the feet going from bottom to top around the end of the foot and pulling the stitches tight enough to make a small dent in the foot.  I then attached the toenails to the defined toes, hiding the ends inside the foot.

For the purple prickles on his back, I simply looped in short strands of purple yarn as you would do in rug hooking.

All in all, i think I like this guy!

I hope you enjoy this pattern as much as I enjoyed making it.

Blessings!

Reny

(Please do not copy and post this pattern and claim it as your own.)

St. Patricks Day Crochet Wreath

St. Patricks day is quickly approaching, and although it isn't normally considered a major holiday, it has always been a fun one for children and adults alike.  Who doesn't remember attending school on March 17 and examining one another for signs of green.  When I was in grade school, if you forgot to wear green on that day, you would get your toes stepped on.


This St. Patricks wreath has been quite a challenge for me.  I couldn't find a leprechaun pattern that I liked, so I came up with one myself.  I had in mind a pudgy fellow with a traditional hat.   Red hair was a must, but I didn't want to spend time giving him a full head of hair, so I made him bald on top with a halo of hair around and lamb chop sideburns.  I wanted him to sit inside the circle of the wreath, so I attached his legs accordingly, but he could be made as a standing doll.



He does look kind of dapper, I think!


Next, I struggled with several different rainbow patterns and ended up designing that as well.  I wanted a rainbow that would arc over my leprechaun and I wanted streamers on one end to sort of represent beams of colored light flowing down.

I love the vibrant colors and the streamers give it a bit of a unique
look when it's on the wreath.  Honestly, this rainbow is my forth attempt before getting it the way I envisioned it!



Next, I wanted my wreath to have a pot of gold!  After all, what is St. Patricks Day without one?!  Trifles and Treasures have a wonderful free pattern on their site.  I did change it a bit as far as colors go, and I left off the 'feet' since I wanted my leprechaun to hold the pot of gold in his lap.  I also had to add crochet gold coins of my own design.  

And, of course, we must have a shamrock or two.   Skip to my Lou has an awesome video tutorial on her site that just can't be beat!  I made several smaller ones and then decided I needed one large one.  For the large shamrock I used 4 strands of yarn and an I hook.    For any of you who want to make a bunch of shamrocks for a school class or party, this is the perfect tutorial for you.  Simple and quick!


Remember to attach the loopy side of velcro to your finished components to stick them to your wreath.  Velcro loves to adhere to yarn!  This is what makes your wreath a versatile, interchangeable decoration!




My completed wreath!  

And a variation if you prefer to leave off the leprechaun. 

If you missed the post about how to make the basic wreath, you can find that HERE!

You can find the leprechaun pattern  HERE.
And the rainbow pattern can be found HERE.

Enjoy!
Blessings!
Reny

Fringed Rainbow Applique Pattern

Rainbow Pattern

Material:

worsted weight yarn in 6 colors 
Size G crochet hook.

Crochet terms:
Single crochet-sc 
Chain-ch
Finish off- F/O

For this pattern you will be using several different colors of yarn and making frequent color changes. This pattern is worked in rows and each color change will have a 6 inch beginning and ending tail of yarn to serve as ‘fringe’.

1. Begin by leaving a 6” tail of purple and chain 25. Sc in the 2nd. chain from hook and each remaining chain for 24 sc. Change color by pulling teal through last loop in row 1 and pulling the purple tight around the new color. Chain 1 and turn. (24)
   
2. *Sc in 3, inc* Chain 1, turn.
   
3. Sc in each stitch. Change color just as you did before leaving
   a 6” tail of the teal and a 6” starting tail of the new color.
   Chain 1 and turn. (30)
   
4. *Sc in 4, inc* Chain 1 and turn. (36)
   
5. Sc in each stitch. Attach next color as before. Chain 1 and
   turn. (36)
   
6. *Sc in 5, inc* Chain 1 and turn. (42)
   
7. Sc in each stitch. Attach next color. Chain 1 and turn. (42)
   
8. *Sc in 6, inc* Chain 1 and turn. (48)
   
9. Sc in each stitch. Attach final color. Chain 1 and turn.
   
10. *Sc in 7, inc.* Chain 1 and turn. (54)
    
11. Sc in each stitch. F/O leaving 6” tail. (54)
    

Your rainbow should have 2 strands of each color as fringe along 1 side. You can trim them to whatever length you like.

Leprechaun Pattern

Leprechaun Pattern 

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn

Safety eyes

Stuffing

G crochet hook and C hook

Yarn needle

Crochet terms:

Magic circle-mc

Single crochet- sc

Increase- inc (2 stitches in one stitch.)

Decrease-dec  (stitch 2 stitches together to make one)

Fasten off- F/O

Back loop only- BLO

Notes:  This pattern is worked in the round.  I use a running stitch marker to keep track of rounds.  Instructions between asterisks ** are to be repeated to end of round or number of times specified.  The numbers in ( )  are the number of stitches in the round.

HEAD With flesh or light tan color

1.  Make 6 sc in a mc.

2.  Inc x’s 6  (12)

3. *Sc in 1, inc*  (18)

4. *Sc in 2, inc* (24)

 5.*Sc in 3, inc*  (30)

 6.*Sc in 4, inc*  (36)

7-9.  Sc in each stitch.  (36)  Place safety eyes between rows 9 and 10.  

10.  *Sc in 4, dec*  (30)

11-13  Sc in each stitch.  (30)

14.  *Sc in 3, dec.  (24)

15.  *Sc in 2, dec*  (18)

16.  *Sc in 1, dec*  (12)  Stuff head firmly.

17.  Dec X’s 6.  (6)

18.  Dec till closed.  F/O leaving a long tail for sewing.

With doubled strand of  flesh or tan yarn, stitch on a nose, placing several stitches to give dimension.  With black, embroider eyebrows and mouth.

To make hair, cut strands of orange yarn 2-3 inches long and using latch hook technique, hook hair and lamb chop whiskers to face.  

Stitch hat and hat brim together and stitch hat to head in desired position.

BODY

1.With dark green. Make 6 sc in a mc.

2.Inc X’s 6  (12)

3.*Sc in 1, inc*  (18)

4.*Sc in 2, inc* (24)

5.*Sc in 3, inc*  (30)

6.*Sc in 4, inc*  (36)

7-8  Sc in each stitch.  (36)

9-10  With black yarn for belt, sc in each stitch.

11.  Change yarn to light green.  Sc in each stitch.

12.  *Sc in 4, dec*  (30)

13-15.  Sc in each stitch.  (30)

16.  *Sc in 3, dec*  (24)

17.  *Sc in 2, dec*  (18)

18.  *Sc in 1, dec*  (12)  Stuff body firmly.

19.  Dec X’s 6   (6)

20.  Dec till closed.  

With yellow or gold yarn stitch a buckle on the center of the black belt.

ARMS  Make 2.

1.With flesh or light tan color.  Make 6 sc in a mc.

2.*Inc, sc*  (9)

3-5  Sc in each stitch.

6.  Join light green.  Sc in each stitch.  (9)

7. *Sc in 2, inc*  (12)

8-10.  Sc in each st.

11.  Stuff arm and sc open edge together.  Leave a long tail to sew arm to body.

LEG  Make 2

!.  With black and C hook.  Chain 6, sc in 2nd. ch from hook and next 3 chains,       3sc in last chain, turn and work along other side of chain, sc in 3, inc.

2.  Inc, sc in 3, inc X’s 3, sc in 3, inc X’s 2.

3.  Inc, sc in 4, *inc, sc*  X’s3, sc in 3, *inc, sc* X’s 2.

4-6.  Sc in each stitch.  (24)

7.  Sc in 9, dec X’s 3, sc in 9.  (21)

8.  Dec, sc in 5, dec, sc3tog., dec, sc in 5, dec.  (15)

9.  Change color to dark green.   Sc in each stitch.  (15)

10-12.  Sc in each stitch.  F/O leaving long tail to sew to body.

HAT With dark green.

Brim:

1. Make 6 sc in a mc.

2.Inc in each stitch  (12)

3.Inc in each stitich.  (24)

4.*Sc in 3, inc*  (30)

5.*Sc in 4, inc*  (36)

Body of hat:

1.  Make 6 sc in mc.

2.  Inc X’s 6  (12)

3.  *Sc in 1, inc*  (18)

4.  Sc in each stitch back loop only.

5.  Sc in each stitch.

6.  Dec 1, sc in remaining stitches.

7.  Dec 1, sc in remaining stitches.

8.  Dec 1, sc in remaining stitches.

9.  Dec 2 stitches evenly around.  F/O leaving long tail for sewing.  Stuff hat lightly.  If you wish, a piece of plastic mesh cut in a circle can be placed in the top of the hat to help it hold shape.

Hat band.  With black make a chain long enough to go around base of hat.  Stitch band together around base.  With yellow or gold yarn stitch a buckle on the hat band. 

Attach arms, legs and head to body.

Crochet a Valentine Wreath! Step by Step Instructions

As promised, this post contains the  secret to making an interchangeable holiday wreath!   Just take a look at this sweet Valentine Wreath!  

As mentioned in my previous post,  (you can find it HERE) the base of this wreath is made from a pool noodle cut the desired length and duct taped together.  The next step is to crochet or knit a rectangle that will cover the noodle.  I stitched the cover over the noodle ring, but I suppose the cover could be made with velcro closures if you want an interchangeable cover.

Wreath with stitched on cover.

I had in  mind something with lovebirds and these cute little  LOVEBIRDS are perfect!  Hop on over and visit Free Crochet Patterns to make these adorable little birds.  I confess to having tweaked the pattern a bit by making the wings a bit longer and adding 'feathers' to the tail.  (3 instead of 1)

Lovebirds added.

Velcro patches.

The birds are secured on the wreath by velcro hot-glued to the bottom of each. 

 I used only the loopy part of the velcro as it sticks very well to the crocheted acrylic cover.

 Next I envisioned a banner of hearts across the upper left of the wreath.  The pattern I used for these hearts can be found HERE.  Attic 24 is also where I got the original idea for this wreath several years ago.    I encourage you to explore her site for many great ideas and free patterns. 





I made 6 hearts from the Attic 24 pattern in 3 different colors.  I then stitched the hearts together and glued velcro to the backs of the end hearts.  Cute! Right?  But something more is needed.



I thought a green vine with some blossoms would add a bit more of color, so I made a thick chain from worsted weight yarn and a #5 crochet hook.   It was a little fussy gluing the velcro to the chain.  I had to be sure the chain wasn't twisted, and to glue enough velcro strips so that the vine could be shaped well.  But I think I got it!

Now, for some flowers and leaves!  I decided some tiny hearts would make
cute little blooms.  I found that pattern HERE.  In retrospect, I could have used this pattern for all the hearts, but had already made the banner hearts by this time.

The leaf pattern can be found HERE.  'Repeat Crafter Me' is another of my favorite blogs.  Check out her blog for a lot of great stuff!

Again, glue velcro to the back of each.


It took me awhile to decide on what more was needed.   Something beneath the birds seemed to be in order.  I thought about a larger puffed heart, but that just seemed like taking the heart theme a bit too far, although it is a Valentine Wreath.  My crafty sister suggested flowers, and I liked that idea. 

If you have ever searched Pinterest for crochet flowers,  you know there are a gazillion pins.  But it didn't take me long to find the perfect pin.  I love the way these roses fit perfectly!  You can find the pattern for these HERE.  I  think I will be visiting  'Skip to my Lou' more often!

Happy Valentine's Day

So, the secret is the velcro!  I know it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out, but just in case it never occurred to you, there it is. 

Next month I will attempt to transform this same basic wreath into a St. Patricks Day wreath.  We will see how that goes.  To make sure you don't miss a single post, sign up for e-mail notifications on the right side-bar!

I hope this blog post will inspire you to get creative, do some stash-busting and make your home reflect the joy of holidays!

Blessings!
Reny