I saw one on a Nesquick (powdered chocolate milk mix for those of you who are unfamiliar with the stuff) commercial and loved it.  I had a few records left over from when I was making bowls out of them (I figured out how to make stretched ones so they really look like bowls!).  Turns out, I only had five left, I wish I had more but..... Here's what I made from the five I had left.  It looks a lot better in person than it does on the wall.  I just couldn't get any -really good- pictures of it... It's supprisingly bright, it gives off enough light to see clearly in my livingroom.

Lights on:


Lights off:

[Mr. Fly]

Sooo... like many other people on here, this is my first challenge.  I love photography and have been doing it for years.  Macro seems to be my favorite so, this is the perfect one for me to enter.

How I got the picture: Sadly, I hadn't done dishes since the day before (ew, right? lol) and I had our front door open.  A fly came in the house and I saw him on a dish when I had gone into the kitchen to get some water.  I ran to grab my camera, a Canon PowerShot SD600 which I am absolutely in love with, and followed it around the kitchen taking tons of pictures of it.  He was supprisingly cooperative and let me get a few good pictures before I decided to shoo him out of the house.

Now, with out boring you any further, I present my first Crafster challenge entry...... Mr. Fly.

After my first one (http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=231876.msg2529110#msg2529110), I got tired of it and sold it on eBay lol.  Then, I started a new one.  This one only took me like two weeks -if you put all the time together-.  I like this one a lot more.  I made the plastic yarn twice as thick so it feels quite a bit sturdier.  It's not quite as bulky but, since I made the top bigger, it should still hold a good amount of stuff.  I made the pocket on the inside, mesh so thinkgs could be seen easier and it would stretch a little bit.  The top is about 23 inches across and the bottom is about 11 inches across.  Again, this one is 100% recycled too.  I hope you like it!  (I already started cutting up more bags to make a new one!!!! lol)



(I have woven in that last little piece hanging out on the bottom right side of the pocket)

What you need:

-Two containers
-Scissors
-Ziploc bag
-Plastic grocery bags

1. Lay the bag flat, put one finger in the fold that's in the bottom and pull the handle on the same side to flatten out that side.


2. Repeat on the other side so the whole thing's flat.


3. Fold it in half.


4. In half again.


5. One more time.


6. Hold it in the hand that you don't write with and hold it over one container.  cut the end off (doesn't matter which one).


7. Now, hold it over your second container and start cutting your strips.  Make sure you stop just a little bit before you get to the handles (or start a little after if you're starting on that end) because your strip will have a tear or cut in it if you don't.


8. You'll end up with your stuff like this.  Then, put them all in a ziploc bag so they don't go all over the place.


Now, to make the 'yarn' it's self.

9. Take two pieces.


10. Pull them both out straight.


11. Hold one end in your hand and open the loop.


12. Next, take one end of the second piece and push it through the loop in your hand.


13.  (this might be a little confusing) Hold the first loop tight now.  Put the long end of the second loop, through the small end that you put through the first loop.


14.Pull the long end of the second piece to tighten it.  But, be careful, you might have to pull one side at a time and don't pull too hard because you'll stretch the plastic and that's not good.


15. This is what your knot should look like.


I hope all that made sense and the pictures help.  This was made to go with the plastic bag beach bag that I just finished. That is here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=231876.0

[love]

I absolutely love how this came out.  It's not perfect but, I still love it.  I started this bag last summer and put it away because it got boring and tedius because of all the repetition.  I finally picked it back up last week and finished it last night.  It is entirely 100% recycled, made of plastic grocery bags, VHS tape and a button that my sister in law gave me off of some of her old clothing.  It's a bit on the XL side (it's about 19in. across) but, that's good because I plan on cramming it full of crap when we finally go to the beach.  I started this because I didn't want to buy a bag and have it ruined by salt water and sand at the beach so, I thought of plastic but, didn't want the sand to stay in the bag.  So, I crocheted it using an H (5mm) hook so it'd have small holes for the sand to fall out of.  Finally, here is my Plastic Bag Beach Bag!
Front:

Back:

Inside:

Outside Pocket:

Button:

VHS Tape:


I'm even starting another one.  Not the same as this one but, still made out of the plastic bags.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my new one.  I've done a little more work since I took these pictures.  I finished off the edges of the straps and added a flower made from a pink plastic bag and a yellow button and a magnetic closure.  The pink's a little brighter than the picture shows, my closet light isn't the greatest.




I love this bag.  It's very comfortable and soft.  And I get a lot of compliments and comments on it!

I made this for my sister in laws adorable little Deer Chiuauah, Bella.  It's two layers of terry sweater (only took one sleeve lol) and one layer of beige gingham which I cut about half an inch bigger so I could fold it over easily.  I used a red gingham for the little heart that is hand sewn on.  I used elastic at the ends of the neck and chest straps so it'd be comfortable for her.

It's modeled by my daughters stuffed dog.





This is little Bella:


I got the pattern here:
http://www.sewing.circleofcrafters.com/freepetvestpattern.html, click 'Click Here to Download the Free Pattern'.

Ok.  Here's a kind of tutorial lol.  I made a chart for the gnomes face because that's easier to understand than me trying to type it all out.  I used grey for his beard because the background is white.

1. Start with a Magic Loop, sc 4.
2. 2sc in each around
3. Sc in each around
4. Repeat 2
5. Repeat 3 about 5 times (this should make it as wide around as it's going to get)
7. Start to work with the chart. (Keep in mind that the colors wrap all the way around).
8. After you get to the bottom of the beard, do a few rows of the blue.  When it's long enough for your liking, do a row of black.  Stuff it here.  Then, in work in the back of each stitch and decrease untill it closes.

I hope that helps.  The reason I start at the top is because, decreases leave little openings and you can see the stuffing.  It just looks better like that.

I got the idea for this from the other one that someone posted.  My mom's had her greyish-green gnome for like 5 years and refuses to get rid of it.  So, I made her one she can take anywhere.

What you need to make this bag:
-Five neighbors walking by the door asking, 'What are you making now?'
-One horribly bent sewing machine needle
-One peanutbutter bar (Nutter-Butter bar)
-One sleeping two year old
-One phone call from the husband while he's on break at work
-Four phone calls from the father in law on how to spell things
-One phone call from the father in law about a football players name
-One phone call from a sister in law wanting a purse too
-One phone call from the sister in law panacking about the vaccines her daughter just got and why her leg's a little swollen.
-Three instant messeges
-One neighbor asking when you're going to finally bake again
-Twenty minutes to try to remember how to line a purse
-One run away bobbin
-And one conversation between the apartmanager and the people upstairs to evesdrop on because they're right ouside your door (which is open by the way).

Oh, and a dress, some purple material that's been lying around for three years and a broken scrunchie.  And thread.

This dress was in a huge bag of clothes my sister in law gave me:

Really cute, right?  Fit funny.

2 hours later:

That little pinch in the side will be fixed when I get a new needle.


The 'button' which used to be one of those hair bauble things.


The top of the loop that had to be hand-stitched because of the bent machine needle.


The lining and what used to be the back of the dress.

I made this out of an apple.  It's also my first attempt at one and it was amazingly simple.  I'm making four more and I'm thinking of making them into a wreath for Halloween.