Now sure you can buy the plastic treat bags that would be much easier to do that to crochet something for each child. But I think of it as an extra treat for the kids. They will have a small pouch to keep small toys, money, or other trinkets in.

This is an easy crochet project. Basically start with a chain the width you would like the bag to be. Next work a single crochet into each chain, skipping the first one closest to the hook. Then single crochet an extra at the end of the row. Next do a single crochet row down the other side of the chain. Now you just work single crochets into a round. The bag will naturally start to form. After a few rounds, it might be necessarily to start slip stitching the sides together to bring the bag together or you might wind up with either a big bag or a bowl.

I did about 15 rounds to get the size that I wanted. I then did two or three rows of green for the pumpkin stem. For this one, I did stitch eyes and a mouth, which was the most tedious part of the whole project.

A treat bag can be whipped up in about an hour and takes a small amount of yarn. One skein should make several of these treat bags.

First find a pattern that you like. There are many resources for finding free Iris folding patterns. You will need to cut the design out of the card stock. This will require a little practice at cutting clean shapes out of paper. The patterns will be numbered and a legend. You’ll begin by cutting strips of paper about one inch wide. Then fold the sheet about one-third of the width. Then it’s just a matter of cutting the strips and taping the sheets of paper onto the numbers. Follow the legend so you know which color you need to place on which number. A lot of crafters will make their own key so that they remember which color they use for which numbers.

Here are some resources to learn more -

Iris Folding at Circle of Crafters has some cute free projects that are great for beginners.

Here’s a Squidoo lens full of other resources and information.

You can use iris folding to make http://www.creativemomcafe.com/?p=323

If you crochet or knit, then you are probably familiar with stitch markers. They are used to mark the beginning of a round. I’ve tried a couple of different brands and really like the ones pictured above. They are made by Lion Brand and work really well.

I’m taking part in my first swap on Ravelry and one of the items that some people will be making for their partners is stitch markers. Homemade stitch markers remind me of cell phone charms. They are relatively small and have to be light. They also have to be easy to remove from a stitch.

I found on clearance some cute button-like charms sold as pencil toppers. I’m going to try to use those to make a few stitch markers. Also my first polymer clay project will be to make some letters to use as a stitch marker. The actual marker will be the tricky part. If I could sculpt that from polymer clay that would help to keep it light and easy to use if designed as an open coil.

So far that’s the only two ideas I have for making stitch markers. I have seen some made from beads that would be cute. The only real snag I have is finding the perfect marker as something like a keychain ring would be difficult to remove and might unravel some yarn. It also needs to be light as a heavy stitch marker will pull on the yarn and could cause some problems.

Stitch markers do make it really easy to mark your spot while crocheting or knitting. Personalized ones can make a great swap gift. Hopefully I can figure out how to make one functional and cute.

Alice’s lip came out a little to the side and really huge. Of course her eyes are also just a glob of icing.

I had bought just regular colored plates and napkins to use as I couldn’t find any Alice-themed. I bought plates in two colors, utensils in another color, and napkins in yet another color. I had thought about just sticking with blue and white - the colors in Alice’s dress - but wanted a punch more color.

Next year I will probably have to do more planning to go with whatever theme she wants. Also there will probably be more kids next year which will mean having to plan games and party goody bags. This year we only had one kid there who was more than happy to take home one of the helium balloons.

I meant to whip up a few cupcakes purses to fill with candy for party gifts but wasn’t for sure how many kids to expect as I had invited more. Plus having a mix of boys and girls, I didn’t know what to make for the boys.

Overall it was a fun party and everything came together. I see that it would be much easier to go with ready-made decorations but it’s so much fun to do it myself.

Most of my crafts have been birthday party centered but I have found some cute projects around the Internet that I might have to give a try if I make it through this weekend.

The geek in me loves this painted keyboard at Geek Crafts. It would be cheaper than buying a cute one and we could really personalize it.

Here is a great idea for those plastic palettes. They are less than a $1 and will hold beads for your next beading project.

If we do go to the Pumpkin Patch, then we may have to try one of these pumpkin stencils.

Maybe it’s best not to fall in love with too many ideas just yet as I still have several projects to at least attempt. It’s still fun to look at all the creativity out there.

My mom gave me a Raggedy Ann cake pan that she used to make many of my birthday cakes. With a little decoration it could pass as Alice. I gave it a test run this weekend to see just how hard it would be and what I actually need to do to make it better.

First I will not try to mix up the frosting colors. I will just buy it in the tube as this will be less messy and easier. The decorating wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Of course, it I had done it better then it probably would have taken longer. I was impressed with myself for making flesh color icing.

Next weekend is her birthday, so we will have the Alice cake and a tea party theme. Now all I have to find is a non-breakable teapot as well as cups and saucers. There’s nothing like waiting to the last minute to try and plan a party with a theme. I am crocheting a few cupcakes for decoration. I found this super easy cupcake pattern that takes less than an hour to complete one.

Since she is three, there won’t be that many guests but thought it’d be fun to play croquet. The local Wal-Mart did have sets on sale for $10 a few weeks ago. I will have to check this week to see if they are still available as that would be fun to play at an Alice-themed party if the weather is nice.

I’m glad to know that I can make the cake and it looks okay as that was a big concern of mine. This birthday theme might come together after all.

On the official web page for the scarf project, it asked that a personal note be included for the athlete. I really want to make the card special so I’ve been thinking of ways to create a beautiful keepsake card to go with each scarf.

This is where my Cuttlekids machine might come in handy as I can make shapes to glue on the card to give it more personality. Since it’s the winter games, snowflakes or winter sports-related decorations would go well with the theme. The personal note card could take about as long to make as the scarf. But it’ll be worth the effort because I know it will mean a lot of the athletes and their families.

Looking through some old craft supplies, I found some thick card stock that was meant to be used as postcards. I’m not sure if there is a size that the cards need to be, so this will be something I will have to check into. But if I can use them, then I think I have everything I need to make a cute card. I had also read that the cards were optional but I think it would be a nice touch to include a note of well wishes and good luck.

It comes with the machine and two die cuts - a circle and the cute mascot Cuttle character. You can buy more die cuts packaged in various themes. The machine is really simple to use. Place it on a flat surface like a table. Attached to each leg is a suction cup that grabs hold of the surface and keeps the unit in place. There are two plexi-glass pieces marked ‘b’ and ‘a.’ Take ‘b’ and place your sheet of paper on it followed by the die cut. Then place ‘a’ on top of it. Place into the Cuttle machine and turn the crank to move it through the cutter. Now you have a die cut of an object. It’s really easy.

The crank isn’t hard to turn. It does have some resistance about half way through that requires a little more effort. Still it’s a craft machine that with supervision even pre-schoolers could operate. My three-year-old loves the ‘toys’ that are created and actually plays with the die cuts especially the dinosaur ones.

So not only is the die cut machine good for creating embellishments for scrapbooking pages and other paper crafts but can make creative toys for young kids.

Overall this die cut machine is well worth the clearance price of $7 I paid for it. Normally it retails from $14-$20. For someone who scraps this could be a fun investment but if you seldom use die cuts then it might not be worth it. The Cuttlekids machine is an easy machine to operate and does work well.

These cute yarn magnets seem like an easy and fun project to get you in the mood for autumn.

Speaking of yarn, ever heard of crazy yarn? You make it by tying together your scrap yarn. Just imagine all of the interesting color combination you could create.

Here is an adorable bird mobile made from cut outs, yarn, and wood.

Looking for a crochet project for the home? Then try this crocheted curtain tieback that can really add some flair to your window treatment.

And finally, in honor of Talk like a Pirate Day, a pirate dictionary to help you brush up on your pirate vocabulary.

There are several ways to celebrate Talk like a Pirate Day. First, find our your pirate name and asked to be called that for the entire day. Aside from the obvious of talking like a pirate, it could be a great day to do some pirate-themed crafts with the kids.

DLTK has a whole page of pirate crafts that list the age for appropriateness. Best of all, most of these crafts - if not all - feature items you probably already have in your house.

Oriental Trading has plenty of cheap pirate crafts for sale.. Too bad you have to wait for shipping.

A to Z Kids Stuff also have an impressive pirate themed craft page that includes some really cool ideas. How neat would it be to make your own compass or make your own Jolly Roger flag?

Today we made the treasure map from DLKT’s instructions. Basically take a sheet of paper, tear it up, wad it up, and stain it with tea. Then dry and draw your map. I also whipped up a crochet eye patch. Tomorrow we might make a treasure chest and use our treasure map to find it. Getting that ready might be Mommy’s homework for tonight as I need to find some booty to put in the chest, possibly some old, forgotten toys will do.

It should be a fun day to celebrate a pirate’s life. Since it falls on a Friday, we might have to continue the fun throughout the weekend.