More Sewing! and Studio Sprout

My friend Elizabeth will be sharing the table with me at the Gift Fair on Sunday, November 4. Here's a sample of what she's been making:

Aren't these stockings so cute!

My friend Rebecca will also be donating a $25 Gift Certificate to her amazing children's art studio and discovery garden, Studio Sprout! I'll have information at my table.

Having fun at Studio Sprout!

Making: Art & Gift Fair

A local preschool here is having an Art & Gift Fair fundraiser. So I decided to jump at the opportunity to dig into the ol' felt and fabric stash and make up some things to sell. Aside from an open studio event that I participated in a few years ago, this will be my first time tabling at an event. Yippee!

Here's a peek at what I've been up to:

Of course I had to make a basket of my signature "Scrappy Rabbits". These guys are all one-of-a-kind patchwork bunny rattles with a big bell in the middle. They are weighted in the bottom so they stand up on their own too!

A sampling of 100% wool felt girly hair clippies (I have a couple of these made up as brooches too).

The van ornaments are also back! With an amazing illustration by my husband, Scot.

And I have a variety of supercute hand-knit bear ornaments (in different color combos) handemade by my awesome ultra-crafty mom and sent with love from North Carolina. :-)

I have a cute purse (that I'm tempted to keep), some zip pouches, felt and fabric trinket bowls and more!

My friend Elizabeth will be sharing the table with me with her one-of-a-kind handmade Holiday stockings and and necklaces.

We've worked so hard on putting this together.

Bike Lock Cozie

Finally a use for some of my leftover sock yarn! A little crocheted tube to fit over my old bike lock.

It actually does help protect my bicycle's paint job. And something about that cozy, stripey wool yarn just makes me happy. :-)

A New Look For Old Boots

My daughter was upset last week when it really rained for the first time of the season and she discovered her hot pink rain boots no longer fit. Brother's didn't fit either, so she instantly received a "new" pair of boots (and, as you might know, instant gratification is thrilling for a 4-year-old! ). Although she was content with her new navy blue boots, her eyes lit up when I suggested I might be able to make them prettier for her.

So I did...

Even though I was too anxious to give them a really good scrub down, I think they turned out soo cute! Rain boots inspired by a sunny Autumn day. I am excited to see what she thinks when she gets home from preschool.

If you are wondering how I did this, here is my secret tool:

Medium-tipped, Sharpie OIL PAINT markers. The "oil paint" part is pretty key. Cool, huh? As for durability, we'll see. I did a few designs on my gardening shoes (also Crocs) using a silver oil-paint Sharpie a few years back. They have held up, no problem. I am hoping the same for these boots! The texture of the Crocs really helps too.

If you do something similar and blog about it be sure to let me know. I'd love to see what your up too. Happy crafting!

Mollie Makes

Herbst Handmade is featured in the August issue of Mollie Makes magazine!

Mollie Makes is a UK publication and, although I haven't seen it yet, the cover looks lovely. They are featuring my wool felt nesting bowls pattern (below).

You can sign up for the Mollie Makes newsletter here. Happy Sewing!