Magical Coffee | Tinkerbell Coffee Cup Cozy

Sometimes a project just falls into your lap: you realize that you have all the supplies you need and suddenly you go from idea to finished project in less than 48 hours. This Tinkerbell Coffee Cozy is just such a project. and I really love the way it turned out!

Last Thursday I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a while. As we were chatting with one another we suddenly realized that we went to the same very small college but had just missed one another by a year! It's not something that happens too often and so we had to do all the requisite reminiscing about our alma mater. Later, she mentioned that she loved my Mickey Coffee Cozy (which I almost always have with me!) and further mentioned how she needed one (like NEEDED one) that was Tinkerbell. So how could I resist? I knew I needed a new project for the blog too, so voila! Here you go! Magical Tinkerbell coffee at your service!

This one is not knit, it's crocheted; so you'll need to get your hooks out! But if memory serves, March is national crochet month, so it's the perfect time to dust them off and get this party started! If you want all the details on how to make one for yourself, you can see my notes on Ravelry. I didn't make an actual pattern for it, but if you are willing to do a little guess work, and you don't mind fudging a little bit on the pattern, it's fairly simple. 

I'm really pleased with how this project turned out! I would love to hear if you have done anything like this yourself. Let me know in the comments. And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Amagarumi Squirt from Finding Nemo

With the release of Finding Dory on the horizon, I thought it would be fun to revisit this post. Enjoy!

If you like amagarumi and you are not familiar with Roxycraft and Tammie O., let me introduce you. These patterns are very well written and easy to follow and she has quite a selection to choose from. I loved doing this Big Poke as a version of Squirt, from Finding Nemo.

I haven't really worked much with amagarumi. I've dabbled a little for my nieces and Doc, but nothing that I really had a vision for how it should turn out. This project was different. I really wanted it to look like Squirt when I was all done. I'm happy with the end result, but as with most first-time projects, I learned a lot about amagarumi along the way. Here are a few tips I wish I had known before I started:

1. don't go up a hook size; next time if I don't have the hook I am looking for I will go down a size or buy the hook(s) I need. I don't love how open the stitching is.
2. Safety Eyes and Suncatcher Eyes are totally the way to go! If you need some, look no further than The Tiny Garden on Etsy. Leslie had a great selection and wonderful customer service. Plus they were really easy to use.
3. follow the directions; I over stuffed the head and little Squirt won't stand up without a little help - also, the up-a-hook-size thing may have made this more of a problem.
4. cotton yarn is soft and lovely, but it doesn't fill in the way the acrylic blend does. (I would assume wool would fill in better too.) I'll try a different yarn the next time.

But having said all that, I like this little character. He definitely reminds me of Squirt! Here's what I did to alter the pattern:

I used 30mm Suncatcher Eyes instead of the 18mm recommended in the pattern. I used Scrapbook & Cards today's tutorial to create the crocheted flowers. And obviously I used a different color assortment for the yarn. 

I hope you'll take some time to check out Roxycraft for yourself. And if you make up one of her patterns, we'd love to see it! Tag us on Instagram (@merryweatherscottage) or post a picture here in the comments. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney T-shirt Yarn Baskets

Remember how, long, long ago, I was creating a Disney T-shirt quilt? Well that project is still underway. It's just that it takes A LOT of T-shirts to create a quilt and I seem to be short by about nine. So until such time as we have more shirts than we can cycle through (that may be a while!) the project is on hold.

BUT, I did wind up with a bunch of t-shirt scraps from the bottoms of the t-shirts, and I wasn't keen on throwing them all away. So I scoped out Pinterest and found a couple tutorials on how to make t-shirt yarn (so simple), and how to join t-shirt yarn (a little tricky, but I finally got the hang of it), and then whipped up some cute and functional baskets from the scraps! I LOVE it when my projects are functional as well as pretty.

Now if you were really on top of things, you might try and theme the colors to your favorite Disney characters: red, yellow and black for Mickey, blue, red, white for Donald, etc. I was feeling lucky to just have enough scrap to make baskets big enough to hold my yarn projects! In fact, it didn't take nearly as much yarn as I thought it would. If you'd like the pattern I used for these baskets, you can find it here. I made the first one with the handles, and the second one without. I also went up a size on my crochet hook for the white basket, as my yarn was thick and it was difficult to pull it through. Sizing up a hook was exactly what I needed to make it easier.

Now to get on with that T-shirt quilt! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Code 2319! DIY Monsters Inc. George Sanderson Hat

I love Pixar. No one tells a story the way Pixar does. And the running gag in Monsters Inc. when George Sanderson is constantly getting detoxed (at the panicked cry of his partner no less!) cracks us up every time. We are constantly hopeful that one day we will be in a Walt Disney World Resort room 2319. I'll keep you posted.

And the fact that my dad and granddad both worked in environments where radiation was a real risk means we've heard stories from them about the detox process. Seems to me that Pixar got it right. If you haven't seen the movie, here's a clip of the first time George is the subject of a 2319:




Poor George. In his honor, and to celebrate National Crochet Month, I whipped up this Code 2319 hat using a free pattern for a Unicorn Hat from Cre8tion Crochet. I followed the directions for the beanie using this Yarn Bee yarn I purchased ages ago from Hobby Lobby. I lost the label (I'm sure the littles had a hand in that!) so I can't tell you the exact name. But any faux fur would do the trick!

I think I've mentioned this before, but when using faux fur to crochet, I like to hold a sock yarn along with it so I can see the stitches more clearly. For this, I used some yellow scrap I had left over from making those Tangled Socks. It practically disappears as long as you use a color similar to what's in your faux fur.

I also modified the horn pattern to make it a little thicker that the unicorn one in the pattern. I simply repeated the increase row each time until it was long enough, and followed the directions for attaching to horn to the hat. If I were a runner, I would consider this for a RunDisney event costume!

Celebrating National Crochet Month Disney Style

If you don't crochet, you may not know that March is National Crochet Month. As such, I thought it would be fun to do a round up of all the Disney crochet projects I've done on the blog over the last two years! To get the story on how I made them and a link to the patterns, click on the caption. It will take you to the original post.

I hope you enjoy them, and may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Tangled Passie Clip

Disney Dress Up Crowns

Amigurumi Squirt

Adult Sized Mickey Beanie

Princess Wrap

DIY Crocheted Adult Sized Mickey Beanie

Show your Disney Side by sporting this cool Mickey Mouse crocheted beanie! It's starting to get cold out there and this could be the perfect accessory for those missing the magic of Disney.

This pattern from Repeat Crafter Me was easy to follow and FREE. It makes a hat for a baby. I, of course, needed something a little larger for me, so I used the measurements from a basic crocheted beanie pattern that used the same needles and yarn sizes, the ears from this pattern and voila! A new adult sized hat was born! I can't remember if I increased the size of the ears from the original, but you could always add a few more rounds if they seem too small for your taste. And by the way, Mr. Photos from the Parks is a gem for posing for these pictures for me!

If you are interested in making your own Mickey beanie, just search "Mickey Hat" on Ravelry.com and you will find a wealth of patterns! Some are free and some you need to pay for, but I find that the patterns I pay for are generally easier to follow with extremely clear directions. Just something to consider.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Crocheted Disney Princess Wrap

This curtsy wrap pattern instantly reminded me of princess Belle when I saw it. I was actually researching another inspiration when I stumbled upon this pattern. And I had a wild sort of novelty yarn in my stash that I thought might be just what I was looking for. I have to say, it worked! I snatched up a bunch of this crazy fuzzy yarn from Yarn Bee at Hobby Lobby when it was on super sale. I had a plan, and then I had two babies, and I tossed that plan right out the window! So I'm not sure you can even find this yarn anymore. But I am sure you could crochet this wrap in one or two sittings. I worked it up during what I'm certain was our 479th viewing of Frozen. It required very little concentration.

I read in the pattern notes of several other crocheters on Ravelry that this patten runs big. Although I did work it in a yarn larger than that suggested by the pattern, and I went down a hook size to compensate it was still big on me; and I have very broad shoulders (so much so that I often have trouble finding a tailored shirt that works for me). So choose your gauge accordingly. I might even suggest crocheting in the round so you can try it on before the whole thing is completed and it falls off your shoulders.

I think this wrap it just the sort of thing you might need on a chilly night at the Magic Kingdom. Not too much, but just enough to warm you up. And it could be themed for several of the Disney princesses, depending on the one you like best. In fact, you should check out this beautiful wrap that TicTacTo whipped up. It reminds me of Tangled!

If you crochet this wrap I'd love to see it! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Disney DIY Tangled Pacifier Clip

We use a lot of passies around the cottage. I know there are lots of opinions about them, but we are liberal in our usage and the two littles still need them for bed. While we were in Walt Disney World this fall we needed pacifier clips to wrangle them. Nothing like your kid losing his passie on the walkway in Disney, picking it back up and popping it in his mouth! Gack! I'm usually not too worried about that sort of thing, but in a place that gets as much foot traffic as Disney, and with a kid who seems to be allergic to everything, it's just not worth it!

As it's national crochet month, I thought I'd share this quick little crochet clip that worked very well on our trip and reminded me of Rapunzel's hair. It seemed the perfect accessory to our Minnie's Tangled outfit. Of course, there was a blueberry incident, so we didn't get a picture of the whole get up. Such is life with babies! But I assure you it was adorable, and if you have a small Disney fan toddling about your cottage, you just might want to create this sweet floral accessory too. If so, here is the pattern from A Bit Of Sunshine I followed to make this. I doubled the flower, but that is the only alteration I made.

This clip came together in well under an hour, which gave me time to create an additional flower which I attached to an alligator clip and used as an accessory for Minnie's sun hat! You could just as easily use a safety pin for that, but I wanted to try and use it as a hair clip later on - you know, when she has some hair to clip back! This is also a great way to use up those yarn scraps in your stash. I know I have a hard time pitching anything that might come in handy in the future. And if you have a button box with loads of random buttons, well all the better! These Tangled flowers are the perfect way to use and admire those odd ones.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Crocheted DIY Disney Prince and Princess Crowns

Did you know that March is National Crochet Month? In honor of this, I thought I'd share this quick and easy crocheted crown pattern. It's the perfect accessory for your Disney Prince or Princess! I was able to whip this up in under an hour and it's another great project for using up your yarn stash.

I used this wonderful pattern from Corina at Stitch 11. There is no notation about gauge in the pattern itself, and I don't crochet enough to know if I'm usually a tight or loose crocheter. This pattern is perfect except for the fact that I had to remove 8 more stitches in the infant size to get it to fit Minnie's head. Little Chef is easily wearing the child size in this picture, but his head is large -- the same crown fits MY head as well!

Both of these little Disney kids love to dress up, and these crowns were so easy to make that I think I'll make more in several other colors to add to the dress up trunk. You never know when you might need just the right crown to complete your look! I hope you have fun making this adorable accessory for your little Disney fan. And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Amagarumi Squirt from Finding Nemo

If you like amagarumi and you are not familiar with Roxycraft and Tammie O., let me introduce you. These patterns are very well written and easy to follow and she has quite a selection to choose from. I loved doing this Big Poke as a version of Squirt, from Finding Nemo.

I haven't really worked much with amagarumi. I've dabbled a little for my nieces and Doc, but nothing that I really had a vision for how it should turn out. This project was different. I really wanted it to look like Squirt when I was all done. I'm happy with the end result, but as with most first-time projects, I learned a lot about amagarumi along the way. Here are a few tips I wish I had known before I started:

1. don't go up a hook size; next time if I don't have the hook I am looking for I will go down a size or buy the hook(s) I need. I don't love how open the stitching is.
2. Safety Eyes and Suncatcher Eyes are totally the way to go! If you need some, look no further than The Tiny Garden on Etsy. Leslie had a great selection and wonderful customer service. Plus they were really easy to use.
3. follow the directions; I over stuffed the head and little Squirt won't stand up without a little help - also, the up-a-hook-size thing may have made this more of a problem.
4. cotton yarn is soft and lovely, but it doesn't fill in the way the acrylic blend does. (I would assume wool would fill in better too.) I'll try a different yarn the next time.

But having said all that, I like this little character. He definitely reminds me of Squirt! Here's what I did to alter the pattern:

I used 30mm Suncatcher Eyes instead of the 18mm recommended in the pattern. I used Scrapbook & Cards today's tutorial to create the crocheted flowers. And obviously I used a different color assortment for the yarn. 

I hope you'll take some time to check out Roxycraft for yourself. And if you make up one of her patterns, we'd love to see it! Tag us on Instagram (@merryweatherscottage) or post a picture here in the comments. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!