Monday, May 16, 2011

Crafty Monday - Make Your Own Sea Glass Suncatcher!

This is a very particular Crafty Monday post, maybe not applicable to many people, but I think it'll be helpful in showing that you don't need a million tools and a million dollars to make some fun pretty things for your house or for gifts.

Every winter we spend a week out at the end of Long Island, housesitting for my beloved Aunt Jane. We wander on the deserted beach - my husband and son skip stones and play football and I look for sea glass and interesting shells. A typical vacation can produce this:

Until now, I've collected the sea glass in a jar, which I also found on the beach, and it sits in a window of my kitchen.


But I was in a gift store the other day and saw sea glass made into Christmas ornaments. I was going to buy one, but my sensible husband reminded me that we had that jar of sea glass at home, and we should not be spending $15 on something that I could make.

So I went to my local craft store (in the jewelry-making aisle) and bought this:

Red wire for $2.99! This is 8 yards of 20 gauge copper wire. It's fairly substantial but was easily bendable by hand and by pliers. I took a piece of green sea glass, cut a piece of wire about 8" long and simply wrapped it by hand around the glass, leaving about 4" for a hanger and hook. I needed the pliers to crimp up the end and bend the hook. I like a sort of organic, informal look, so I didn't try for any particular pattern, but you could easily manipulate the wire into a more formal pattern:

Done and done! It's hanging in a window in the living room, reminding me of wonderful times on Long Island. At Christmas, I'll hang it on the tree.

If you don't have a beach handy, you can buy sea glass by the bag at most craft stores. And you don't have to use sea glass - you could use a beautiful smooth stone that you picked up on a hike or a family vacation. (We are always picking up stones and rocks on vacation - is that crazy? I hope other people do this too....)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Welcome New Stores!

A hearty Momogus Knits welcome to the following new members of our family: The Yarn Gourmet in South Bend, IN, The Blue Purl in Madison, NJ, Motif Needle Arts in Lynchburg, VA, The Yarn Farm in Findlay, OH, Apple Tree Lane in Clare, MI, Clever Ewe in Ada, MI, A Grand Skein in Grand Rapids, MI, Uncommon Threads in York, PA, Knit N Purl in Marquette, MI, and Knitting Basket in Richmond, VA.

If you're ever in the vicinity of any of these fine shops, please take the opportunity to give them your business. Local yarn stores have been hit hard by the economy and need our business! Big box stores will never be able to replace the selection, atmosphere and incredible customer service that your local yarn store can give you.

(Also, yooooo hoooo, Kathleen Ramseyer! You're a winner! Please email me at info@momogusknits.com!)