Cat's Eye Pom Poms

Okay, so I may have actually become pom pom crazy.  :S  They're just so freaking easy to make and once I figured out how to make designs in them I can't seem to stop.  Oh well.  I'm gonna go with it.

My kitties are always wanting to "help" during my crafting.
Alley is such a good model.  :) 

To start off all you'll need is three different colors of yarn, pom pom makers (I made mine from cardboard), and a SHARP pair of scissors.  I usually end up using manicure scissors for their tiny, sharp tips.

CLICK HERE for video tutorial on making your own pom pom maker.

Remember this tutorial from earlier in the month?  Cat's Eye is just a variation
of the same general technique.

I'm the kind of person who really needs to see a technique in action.  I made a video tutorial for creating a Cat's Eye Pom Pom from start-to-finish on my channel Giddy Up Workshop.

CLICK HERE to check it out!

"Most Wanted" Kermit Eyeball Pom Poms

I am a HUGE Muppet fanatic, especially classic Muppet Show.  What better craft than making Kermit eyeball pom poms to celebrate all things Muppetational?

You can use these in so many decorative ways - make a pin back brooch, hair fascinator, but my favorite is to use them as shoe clips!

There are very few materials needed - black and white yarn, sharp scissors, green felt and a set of pom pom makers that you can either put together yourself out of cardboard, or plastic ones you can purchase.

CLICK HERE to see the whole process in my tutorial video!

Happy Valentine's Heart Pattern Friendship Bracelet

Friendship bracelets are timeless.  I made them as a kid and it was the first product that I made and made money off of.  My mother set up regularly at craft shows with her handmade leather products and I would go with her and have a basket of my bracelets on the corner of her table.  I can still remember how thrilling it was to have someone want to give me money for something I made - even if it was only $2.50.  :)

While embroidery floss is the traditional material for these knotted bracelets, I used colorful twine from the Dollar Store to make a bolder, chunkier piece!

This heart pattern uses just one variation from the standard chevron pattern, and your starting thread layout should look like this:

While supervision (and interference) from a cat isn't mandatory for success in this project, I often find it helpful.  :)

CLICK HERE for a link to my step-by-step video tutorial.

Easiest Mini Yarn Poms Poms EVER!

All you'll need to make your own quick and easy mini yarn pom poms is yarn, scissors and a fork.

Wrap the yarn around the tines of the fork about 30 times for a good, fluffy pom.  Tie in the center and cut through the loops.  After some trimming, the pom pom is done!  CLICK HERE to check out the quick video I made for my Youtube channel Giddy Up Workshop to see the process in action:

DIY Custom Clothes Hangers

My video tutorial was featured on Right This Minute as well as Craftgawker - yay!

This is least expensive craft that I've attempted yet - these hangers cost me less than 20 CENTS EACH!  All you need are photocopies of faces, cardboard, spray glue and a craft knife...

Printed out the cropped faces at home and then enlarged them at Staples - $0.14 each for 11x17 (tabloid)

I've provided some additional tips for sizing and placement in the video tutorial below.  You can also get a free download of the hanger template that I made (just for you) on my Giddy Up Workshop Pinterest board.

CLICK HERE for the full tutorial video or watch below:

African-inspired Necklaces

I'm in love with African fashion, fabric motifs, and especially the jewelry!  This book - New African Fashion - hasn't had a chance to even make it to my bookshelf yet as it's been following me around the studio for months.

About a year and a half ago I started experimenting with creating these fabric neck ropes and they've been a huge success.  Virtually weightless, they're easy to stack and layer different patterns and colours.  See more of them in my Etsy shop at www.ritavantassel.com

People are always curious about what's inside them (literally just rope - cats aren't included), as well as interested in the process itself.  I have few secrets, and how I make my pieces isn't usually among them.  :)

So as an insider's scoop I've put together a video for my Giddy Up Workshop channel on how the pieces are put together.  Experiment and see what kinds of variations you can create!  

CLICK HERE for the direct link.

Snowflakes that don't Melt

While snow is no fun to lift or drive in, watching the flakes fall from the sky is one of the most peaceful aspects of the season.  I found this book, The Art of the Snowflake by Kenneth Libbrecht at Chapters last year and knew I'd be using it for future projects!

It's easy to create your own custom-sized "snowflake" window clings that never melt.  :)

If you have a hot glue gun and wax paper then you can make these -  I made a how-to video on my Giddy Up Workshop channel here.

DIY Scratch Tickets!

One of the most surprisingly easiest diy projects I've tried over the past several months has got to be homemade scratch tickets.

It's really as simple as printing a sheet of tickets (which you can design/layout in your choice of software), using clear tape to cover the prize announcement, and then painting over it.  The key is in the dish detergent that you mix with the silver paint - check out the full Giddy Up Workshop tutorial here.

Welcome to the Giddy Up Workshop blog - a companion to my Giddy Up Workshop YouTube channel.  Focusing on crafting and fun DIY projects, this blog will provide me an opportunity to share details about projects and happenings here in the studio with you in a more casual way.

I haven't blogged in a few years now so I'll be working at getting back in the flow again!  In the meantime, check out my channel and enjoy the tutorials.  :)

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMCt4SQwmic-p0oY0NTW32w