Crochet Soap Savers

This idea came from Joanna Martinez's video on YouTube How to Crochet a Soap Saver. I decided to whip up a few of these fellows for some of the residents at the nursing facility where I work, as a few of the people there are allergic to the body wash that the facility provides, or have skin conditions that require them to use a specific brand of soap. In our showers at the facility there is really nowhere to store a bar of soap, so this idea was perfect, as it could hang on the shower knob. It also works well as a body sponge, just leave the bar of soap inside and scrub with the soap saver. This helps you to use up those little slivers of soap left at the end of the bar's life, too. When the soap gets small enough, just slip another bar in there along with it!

Since I already had all of the materials, this project was free for me to make! All you need is some worsted weight cotton yarn, a crochet hook (The pattern calls for a size G, I used a size I, since I know that I crochet much tighter than most folks do,) a tapestry needle, and a pair of scissors. Don't be afraid to use a larger hook or add some extra lines if you crochet tighter than most folks, or if you are trying to accommodate a larger bar of soap. I often find skeins of cotton yarn at the thrift shop, but they are very easy to find in stores as well. Any craft store will carry cotton yarn, and you can find it in the craft departments of stores like Wal-Mart or Ace Hardware for a few dollars a skein.

Craft Stick Puzzle

Ran across this super cute idea for a hand made children's gift the other day. I had saved a few illustrations from one of my favorite childhood books, and was trying to figure out what to do with them. Melissa at Fireflies and Mud Pies shared this idea last year on her blog using illustrations from a Christmas book. I didn't quite have all the same supplies, so I made do with what I had and changed it up a little

Since I didn't have modge podge, I had to get a little creative with tacky glue and clear coat.

First, I measured out how many sticks I would need for the illustration I wanted to use.

Next, I trimmed the illustration to make placing my sticks a bit easier.

I turned the illustration over and traced my craft sticks onto the back.

After that, I cut my illustration into stick-shaped strips.

Using the tacky glue, and a little water to thin and smooth the glue, I adhered the strips to the sticks.











I found some weighty books to pile on top while they dried, to make sure that everything stayed straight and flat.

Once dry, I took my sticks outside and gave them a few layers of clear coat. I should have been a bit more careful about moving them around on the newspaper so they didn't stick to it. My bird got a little paper stuck on its cheek. I got most of it off, though.

To finish up my project, I trimmed the excess paper from around the edges using my rotary cutter (you could also use an exacto knife, but I wasn't sure where mine was) and used an old emery board to sand and round the ends. I think it turned out pretty darn cute!

Bleach Bottle Toy Tote

When I was a kid I had a few of these totes, which my mom made for me, to carry around my bunny blocks, dress up jewels and toy hippos, ants, sharks, and dinosaurs. The base can be made from a bleach bottle, milk jug, industrial sized sauce containers, basically and large, lightweight plastic container. Just make sure that the plastic is soft enough that it won't have sharp edges when you cut it apart.

What you will need:

Plastic jug

Exacto knife or sharp scissors

Crochet hooks, sizes G and N

Skein of yarn, any color you choose

WD-40

Paper towel

First, wash and rinse the container thoroughly. Next, cut off the neck and handle, leaving just the bucket-shaped base. Spray a bit of WD-40 onto the adhesive, let it sit for a few minutes and wipe it away. Use a bit of soap and water to remove the WD-40.

Using a hole punch, punch holes evenly around the top of the entire container, close to the top, and close to one another, without compromising the integrity of the edge.

Round 1: Attach the yarn with a slip stitch in any hole, using a size G hook. Chain 2 (this will count as your first double crochet), double crochet in each hole around the entire top of container. Slip stitch to join last double crochet to top of beginning chain 2.

Round 2: Chain 3 (this will count as your first double crochet and chain one space), double crochet in next double crochet. Chain one and double crochet in next double crochet, repeat all around, ending with a chain one, slip stitch to second chain in beginning chain 3.
Repeat round 2 until desired length is achieved.  

Once it is as long as you'd like, you can add a ruffle if you'd like. For the ruffle, chain 2, double crochet in the same stitch. Make two double crochet in the next chain one space, two double crochet in the next double crochet. Continue around and slip stitch to join at top of beginning chain 2. Weave in your end.

I made two drawstrings by crocheting two matching strings by using a chain stitch, then, using the size N crochet hook, wove them through the last row before the ruffle from opposite sides, and then tying each drawstring together at the end. 

Once completed, I filled it with dress up jewelry for my niece who is just turning 3.

Need help with the crochet? Check out my Basic Crochet Stitches post!