Love Fishes, A Valentine Paper Craft

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These started out as Valentines for our friends at church, but I got a late start and they weren’t ready in time. Instead, we ended up giving them to our neighbors, plus I sent one to the recipient of the Soft Kitty and gave one to the little boy I watch currently.

These fish are made completely of paper hearts. I used those raised sticker hearts for the eyes and lips. The templates for the paper hearts came from the original Valentine craft on Family.com. I chose to use card stock instead of the other scrapbook papers to make these cards a little sturdier.

I marked them all with recipients’ names on the opposite side before they were attached to their corresponding presents.

I really like all the ideas on Family.com, even though they are mainly directed at people with young children. My mom and I especially enjoy the plethora of Phineas and Ferb coloring sheets and craft ideas.

What is your favorite place to find inspiration for your craft projects and presents?

Slouchy Hat

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I had never knit anything other than a beanie (okay, a LOT of beanies) before I found this pattern. I had been wanting one, but couldn’t bring myself to buy one before I tried making one myself.

This one is made from the Olympic Tam pattern by Lisa Gaskell. It has bobbles and a yarn-over pattern. I omitted the pompom on top.

One of the interesting things about this project was that you block it over a dinner plate to get the slouchy look.

Do you prefer to make something first, or buy it? What kind of accessories do you like to make instead of buying?

(Also, what kind of information about these projects would you like to see?)

Soft Kitty

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I made this little guy as a parting gift for one of the boys I had been babysitting. The time had come for me to move on to the next job, and so I wanted to give him a little gift. He loves stuffed animals (What three-year-old doesn’t?) and has a couple of cats, so I decided to make him a stuffed kitty.

This cat is made from the “Mao” pattern by Angela Tong, found here. It’s knit from the ears down in one piece, with the i-cord tail picked up in the back at the end, so there is no real sewing involved aside from the face.

The bottom is flat, so he stands up very nicely. It was the first stuffy I had made, at least in a long time and the only one for a child instead of an animal.

What kind of gifts do you like to make for kids? Anyone have an interesting stuffy pattern you have used recently?