Not Your Average Pot Holder



Every newlywed needs pot holders...why not make them special?

Not a lot to say about my latest craft, just thought I'd share a picture of the personalized wedding gift I made for my brother and sister-in-law.  The rest of my present was kitchen-themed and I wanted to make them something small to tie it together.  I originally thought of crocheting "Mr. & Mrs." coffee cup cozies, because they're both addicted to coffee.  I knew they'd like the idea but the reality didn't seem practical.  Most people either use a mug at home or get a cardboard cozy when they buy coffee on-the-go.

I love the Ravelry pattern search, because I sometimes have no idea what I want to make and the patterns help me out.  I came across this pot holder pattern from Lion Brand and designed the letters in Excel.  The entire project only took about 6 hours over two days and Krista & Drew loved them.  What do you think?

Dollar Store Art

Total Cost for Supplies: $18 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I don't believe that a work of art has to be worth thousands of dollars.  Sometimes I even make my own.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm not exactly artistic.  But what I lack in talent, I make up for with craftiness.     

My Inspiration

In this case my inspirations was a gift bag...from the Dollar Tree.  Yes, you read that correctly.  You see, I've always been kind of like the little kid that spends her birthday playing with the box the present came in.  Don't get me wrong - I love presents, but I often have trouble discarding the beautiful packaging.  It's just too pretty to throw away!  I've saved stacks of wrapping paper and bags of bows in the name of scrapbooking (it's a borderline hoarding situation).  But this time I bought a gift bag solely for crafting.

I absolutely love sunflowers and this 13x19 inch bag caught my eye.  So I decided to buy it and frame it.  After all, it was only a dollar!  I got a 12x16 inch frame at Michaels along with a bottle of yellow paint and clear varnish.  The total cost for my supplies was roughly $18 dollars.  But you'd never know it from looking at the finished product.

The Process

The process was actually pretty easy and it only took a few hours to complete.  I started with a layer of paint and then cut the yellow border off the bag.  The width was perfect, but I used a paper cutter to take off another inch in the length. 

The hardest part is waiting for the paint to dry.  I used three coats of yellow and then I waited a day to add the varnish. 

The only thing left to do is find the perfect hanging place.

Repurposed Art By Ashley