Thursday, May 5, 2016

OWL BE BACK: Knitted Owl Jewelry I Made From A Reader Gift!

Every now and then I get a fun surprise in the Epbot P.O. box from a reader, and I think you guys will will get a kick out of this latest one from Jennifer L.

First, a giant box gently suggesting I wait 'til my birthday to open it:

Like I have that kind of self-control, Jennifer.

A few seconds of flying packing material later...


What's this? A hidden Mickey on a... could it be?

IT COULD. 

A plastic canvas Epbot!

(Pay no attention to all the other projects going on in the background. Having 3-6 crafty things going at once is totally normal, right?)

But wait, there's more:

There's a hidden back panel, filled with goodies!

Emptied out:

Fun rainbow colors inside - and a working latch!

So what was 'Bottie filled with? ALL OF THIS:

 (Knolling is fun.) 

Seahorses and owls and goodies, oh my!

Note the Fluttershy for John, and the Carrot Jockey & 3 cupcakes at the bottom. :D

'Bottie looks PERFECT on the Penny Desk:


My whole office is a mix of art, toys, things I made, and things you readers made. 
And it makes me very happy.

Ahh, but there's STILL MORE. See, looking at all the little treasures Jennifer included gave me an idea - specifically for those plush owls.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?


BRACELET TIME.

I tried two kinds of stretchy cord, and found the thinner white cord in my first photo was more comfy to wear. So just ignore the clear cord in these process pics.

I used a leather needle here, but a regular needle works fine for the thinner cord. Plus I did two strands to keep the owls from spinning around.

Then it was just a matter of picking my bead colors and stringing them all together:


Finally, I found a ring blank in my jewelry drawer, and used a glob of E-6000 to turn one of the teeny-tiny owls into a matching ring:


Done!



Super cute, right? This is great for you knitting & crochet fans out there, and could potentially give new life to a lot of little projects as wearables!

If you'd like to make these particular owls yourself, here's the free pattern Jennifer used from Ravelry.

And while we're at it, here are the rest of the patterns she used:

Hope this gets some creative juices flowing (which I just realized is kind of a gross turn of phrase, right?), and thanks again to Jennifer for giving me the grin this week that just won't quit. :D

43 comments:

  1. Well, my face just melted from cuteness.

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  2. OMG - LOVE!!! And I am now waiting to see what those other crafts are - and YES - it's perfectly normal to have at least 3-6 things mid-process at a time! I currently have a flower girl dress, 5 bridesmaid dresses and my wedding gown in process plus 2 vests, and I need to start 6 pairs of suspenders. (I finished the flowers and ties already!) Don't worry - you'll get a lovely update since you've inspired me that I can DO ANYTHING I set my mind to! Despite any obstacles!

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  3. AHHHH you got it! Yay!!!! *whew* I lost the slip with the tracking # so I couldn't be sure. :D :D Happy birth/blogday, and LOVE the jewelry idea!

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    1. There's also a card on its way to you, Jennifer - I was hoping it would make it before the post, so sorry about that!

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    2. Jennifer, that is BY FAR the best use of plastic canvas I have ever seen. Fantastic job!

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    3. Jen- I got it when I got home from work last night! Was a very pleasant surprise, thank you :D

      blu_canary Thank you! I was inspired after Jen made a sweet comment about my giant cosplay wrench https://jeloca.wordpress.com/cosplay/skylanders-sprocket-cosplay/

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    4. So super cute!! Well done, Jennifer. That is so adorable and awesome!

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  4. (well, birth/blogday, once they happen) :P

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  5. So cute!!!! I love to crochet, and I am now definitely planning things!

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  6. Oh for stinkin' CUTE!!!! The owls are just adorbs for the bracelet and ring. And major kudos to Jennifer for the awesome job on the 'bot! Happy early birthday, Jen!!

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  7. If you make a craft from a craft, does that make you a crafty craftsman?

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  8. Oh get out of the city! Those are owl-dorable! ♥♥♥

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  9. Crochet carrot jockey wins the internet today.

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  10. Jessy StrohmeyerMay 5, 2016 at 4:33 PM

    Those are all really awesome and adorable. And a great idea to turn them into jewelry pieces so you can see them all day and smile.

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  11. How sweet! luv it all!
    -SM3

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  12. I know you said ignore it, but I'm dying to know about the penny things in the 3rd picture. Placemats? something that will be 3-D later? Wait, don't tell me. It will jinx the whole project. I'll just keep guessing in my mind until it's done and you release it to the wild.

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    1. Those are for a big project waaaay in the future, but I'll give you a hint: they're attached to flexible mesh underneath. And I need to make LOTS more. :D

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  13. Very cute!! And what a sweet gift!! I did find the picture of the owl with a needle through its head mildly disturbing, but only mildly. :)

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    1. Right? How do you think I felt impaling the poor things?! ;)

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  14. Jennifer Lori - do you have a pattern for the plastic canvas bot? I'd love to make one!

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    1. Jen- Sort of? I took incredibly detailed step-by-step pics and charted everything out in a spreadsheet to scale (yes, I'm THAT kind of dork) so I can put together a post or two with enough info for you to be able to make one. It probably won't be written out like a formal pattern, but all the necessary grid counts and pieces needed and stuff will be there, plus the details on how to weight it and stuff. (Spoiler alert: baby socks stuffed with plastic pellets in the feet)

      ps it's hard to see in the pics, but it says EPBOT on the back hatch :)

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    2. That would be incredible!! Where will you be posting? On the page linked at the top? I'll follow you! :)

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    3. Yes! My blog is http://www.jeloca.com It started as a knitting blog cus I sell patterns I've designed but over the years has morphed into more of whatever I'm doing. I've been inspired by Jen to post tutorials instead of just reveals, so there's going to be stuff on the various cakes I've done and cosplays and the props I've made for my shows every year and stuff like that. Mostly craft and cake and coloring, with random shots of my kids being cute or sarcastic. (Epbot Jen- if this reply is too much self-promotion I'm sorry & you can delete it!)

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    4. YAY! I'll be following and keeping an eye out. :)

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  15. I want to be as cool as you when you are wearing these owls! Personally, I would turn the owls around so they would be smiling at me! I'm thinking the coins are for a 3-D box. I so love the back of Bottie. I would love to see the seahorses hanging on a mobile. So Cute!

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  16. I keep seeing these cutie crochet things and avoiding starting them because, "What would I do with them?" Dangit, Jen. Now I know what I will do with them.

    If you will excuse me, I have some snails to crochet.

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  17. OMG - these are just too cute! Now I need add learn to crochet to my list of things to do...and no, working on 6 projects at a time is normal. Plus we got a bonus pic of Lily! Your new Eppie is adorable and is the perfect addition to your collection.

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  18. Holy flurking schnit, what amazing gifts! That Epbot! Those owls! Those seahorses! What a fantastic idea to give the Epbot a rainbow hatch and to fill it with awesome! Jennifer is a genius! I checked out her blog, and she has all kinds of coolness there.

    Love that photo of Lily going, "Who's the new guy?"

    Jen, that was a great idea to make super-cute jewelry out of the owls, but you're wearing the bracelet and ring upside-down! (Wait...is this one of those personality tests? Do you hang your toilet paper and paper towels under or over?) I would totally wear the owls with their feet toward my face instead of away from face, so that they're right-side-up from my perspective. Makes sense that you would wear them so that other people get the best view. You're all about generosity, and I'm all about selfishness, obviously. We need a survey. I'm intrigued. What percentage of people would wear them your way vs. my way?

    Oh, and the Epbot's name is definitely not 'Bottie, sorry. Say "Bottie." Body?!?! Ewww. His name is Eppey! At one time I thought it was Eppie, but then I decided on Eppey in a nod to Mickey since we're your Epboteers. Sure, you made him, and you'd think that would give you naming rights, but when you're essentially calling him "Corpse," then I'm afraid we're going to have to take your naming privileges away.

    Hey, girl. *eyebrow waggle* Whatcha doin' with those penny squares? SQUEEE! I can't wait to see!

    KW

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    1. Eppey sounds like he has a lot of allergies and needs to carry around an epi-pen.

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  19. "I think so, Brain, but where are we going to get fissionable material at this time of day?"
    I learned a new word! Knolling. Never knew it had a name but I've done it..... well, let us just say I've done it and leave it at that.
    Spoiled! Spoiled, that's what you are! Wow you have the best readers ever (and I include myself in that). These are so fun!! Love, LOVE the hollow 'bot and how it is held together. And your bracelet and ring are squee-worthy!
    Maureen S
    (Hi, Lilly!)

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  20. And this wins for the cutest and most awesomest (that's totally a word) project I've seen in a while. And since my daughter and I are both artists, I see a LOT of projects. SO LOVE!!!!

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  21. I look at those seahorses and can't help but think I should learn to put my hair up and then get busy crafting because they would be super cute clipped into a bun or french twist or something. Oh, and the owls on rubber bands for pony holders?? Off to find yarn now...

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  22. Jen, if you can recall, would you please share where you got the Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman, and Batman Returns Catwoman prints? I realize they're all different artists, but I'm hoping you keep track of what you buy (and where). Thank you, and happy weekend!

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  23. I'm squeeing at my cats about the cuteness of all this. They are, as all cat owners would know, underwhelmed by it all, but I can't stop with the squeeing. There are so many talented people out there!

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  24. That is amazing!! I am in absolute awe!!!

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  25. loved all the crafty goodness, BTW loved the look of the "sheets" of pennies in the background. I adore the owls, I got a few owl bead patterns that I need to make up but just not enough hours in the day. Love seeing all the gifts that you have been given. Makes me think I need to make something as well ;)

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  26. Those tiny owls are so cute! And I love the way your new 'Bottie is leaning his head towards the one in the picture, like they're planning to ask your ghostbusters for autographs but feel embarrassed.... Or maybe that's just me.
    More penny projects? Can't wait!

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  27. Awwww I super wish your friend would share with us the pattern to make the ebot robot I wanna make one tooo

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  28. Super cute gift (very talented, Jen of the plastic canvas!) and a great idea to turn it into jewelry!

    I think your new 'Bot needs one of the teeny owls sitting on his shoulder. :D

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