Festive finishes and oh, yeah, I need a necklace

When life hands you scraps...

This past week I finished the three ornaments that double as gift card pockets for the festive issue of A Needle Pulling Thread, a Canadian needle craft magazine. The pockets themselves aren't complicated. The instructions to do them took way longer to write -- and then I had to tidy the templates for publication.
I can't take a photo of them because the magazine isn't due out until October, but I can say they are kinda cute. Bonus: I did all of them using scraps and left overs from ribbon embroidery projects and oddments of floss, beads and linen. Sounds weird, I know, but they were fun to do and the little pocket feature makes the gift card present a little bit special. Me, I like getting gift cards, especially for books. I really like getting gift cards in cute packaging.
This weekend, we went to my sister-in-law's house for a surprise 25th anniversary party. I wanted to make some little accessory to match a new jacket/sweater. I picked a kanzashi flower necklace made from some black polka dot fabric and the very last scraps of the gift card pocket backing. The centre self-covered button was from a bargin bin of notions at a funky little store near the family cottage. Last summer, I scored five packages of four for $1!
I love the way this flower turned out -- even though one little petal REFUSED to tighten shut. Nonetheless, I got a lot of compliments on it at the party -- despite the errant petal (there being no kanzashi flower mavens at the party). I even had an inquiry about taking orders -- which is not out of the realm of possibility.
Everything came from the scraps and stash -- I even had the necklace cord in a bag of trims and stuff, so it cost next to nothing to make. Well, okay, as some point money exchanged hands to buy the fabric which became scraps and other stuff in the stash -- but that is entirely beside the point. Let us focus on my imagined frugality...
There is a tutorial and all kinds of other stuff about kanzashi about how to do them on  Diane Gilleland's blog
Of course, when I finished the necklace, Miss B wandered by making envy noises like a Sims character. I had just enough left over to make her one too. I put her flower on a necklace wire, which makes it youthful and funky. And naturally, all the petals on her version stayed closed.
Yeah, I am the best mom ever....