Little Aviator Hat

The ending of Summer has been SUPER busy for me! My family traveled from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Knoxville, Iowa for a family member's wedding. We stayed in an awesome little cabin (with AC and a jacuzzi!!!) in the country. I am not one for camping or anything camping related, but this cabin was more like a hotel. The biggest difference was that it was located in the middle of an Eagle sanctuary. Yup, true story. I actually had to put my Etsy shop on vacation mode while I was gone. It was nice to take a little break- my fingers & arms were very happy! Since then I have been jam packed with Etsy orders. :)

I haven't had time to update my blog, and in all honesty, I haven't had time to create anything new. I have been selling so many Abby Cadabby hats, Baby Converse shoes, Mary Janes, and Mickey & Minnie hats that it's almost unreal. 

One of my newer creations was made by special request from a customer. She wanted a photo session of her son wearing an Aviator style hat with Aviator sunglasses. If you browse Etsy, Pinterest, or even Google you will see many of those adorable photos going around.

Here is a photo of my son sporting the hat!

I couldn't find any Aviator sunglasses in my house, so we settled on these ones. The hat is super cute, and I think my son felt like a cool dude wearing it. Obviously!

You can find the Little Aviator Hat & many more creations in my Etsy Shop!
 

R2D2 Baby Beanie

I am always looking online at crochet creations to get a feel of what is popular right now in the crochet world. I use Google, Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy, Pinterest...you name it, I've probably researched on it. If you browse the crochet category on Etsy, you will find basically the same sort of creations made by many different shops. The item is similar, the idea the same, but the end result is always different because everyone crochets differently. 

I knew that The Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter were popular, so I made a Jack Sparrow Amigurumi doll, and a Harry Potter Amigurumi doll. (Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheted & knitted dolls.) I even made a creepy & sort of cute looking Lord Voldemort doll which I gave to my nephew for Christmas. I knew that Twilight was very popular, but I never made any Twilight items. I didn't think it was possible to make a doll version of Edward look at a doll version of Bella as creepy as Robert Pattinson does in the movies. :) Plus, I'm Team Jacob, anyway.

I know that the number one most popular movie is Star Wars. My nephew loves it, my brother loved it, and although I haven't seen every Star Wars movie, I did love those Ewoks when I was younger. (I was more of a Rainbow Brite girl.) I have seen many Star Wars related crocheted hats and dolls online, and I have made my nephew a little Yoda doll...but I never went any further with the Star Wars phenomenon. Until...

My friend recently had twin baby boys, and asked me if I could make them matching R2D2 beanies. I've seen them online, and this was not something I ever wanted to attempt. But, I couldn't say no to someone whom just had twin boys! I mean, seriously. Plus, I love a good crochet challenge. This beanie was more difficult because you have to switch yarn colors in the middle of a row, which I've never done before. I also don't follow patterns- I make things up as I go along. And, shamefully, I have never really memorized what this little robot looks like. (Is he a robot??) 

I made the first hat in a few hours & whipped up the second hat in very little time. I put this photo on my Facebook crochet page and within seconds I had people that I didn't even know "liking" it. Today I checked and saw that it is my most viewed item on my page. Star Wars fans just aren't messing around. :)

Little Pink Fairy Hat, Inpsired by Abby Cadabby!

When my daughter was little, she was obsessed with Abby Cadabby. She had an Abby themed birthday party, stuffed animals, clothes, and watched the DVD of "Abby In Wonderland" more times than I can count! It's too bad that I didn't know how to crochet back then, because she would have LOVED this hat:

I took a poll of my Facebook page of favorite characters, and Abby Cadabby was one of them. I didn't know if I could pull off this hat, but I thought I'd try, and the worst thing that could happen is she'd look like a weirdo and not Abby Cadabby. 

This hat is made with Acrylic yarn, in Light Pink, Dark Pink, Medium Purple, Light Blue, Black, and White. She features her flower hair clips and fuzzy little pigtails! 

My daughter loved this hat & requested one of her own. I guess you're never too old for Abby. :)

You can purchase this hat in my Etsy Shop!

Yo Gabba Gabba Character Hats

New in my Etsy Shop! 

It's Yoooooooooooo Gabba Gabba! 

Characters available for purchase include:

Brobee!

Foofa!

Muno!

 Toodee!

And, Plex!

 

 

Crochet Baby "Converse" Shoes

The most popular item in my Etsy Shop is definitely the Baby Converse Shoes. A close second would be the Girly Mouse Ears Hat. :) I have shipped the baby shoes to Australia, Greece, Canada, Denmark, etc. I love to imagine cute little babies wearing my creations! Especially when the shoes travel further than I've ever been!

I just wanted to share a photo of the same baby shoes, but in Black! I am surprised that this was the first time I had a special order for Black Converse shoes. They are adorable!

Coming Soon- Character Hats!

Sneak peek!
 
I have been trying to add more items to my Etsy shop in between orders. I want my customers to have more choices and I needed to sell more hats than just animal hats. I decided that adding some character inspired hats would be a good idea. I haven't had as much down time to create very many hats yet, but I was able to make two in the past few days.

Introducing....Foofa and Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba! All the Gabba characters will be added to my Etsy Shop as soon as I create them! :)

Mermaid Photography Prop Set

I fought the urge to make the mermaid photo prop set for sooooooooo long! I couldn't fight it anymore. Every single time I see these adorable sets online, I just sigh to myself. They're so cute I want to scream! :) AHHHH! So...I bought a pattern I liked and made one the next day.

Ta-da!

This little set is so cute in photos, and one million times cuter (is that possible?!?) in person. My daughter's favorite Disney Princess is Ariel, so I am bummed that my almost 5 year old is too old to wear this. I know....sucks. I guess she could flip the tail upside down and wear it as a hat. Ok, probably not. 

The set (currently available in a 0-3 month size) includes:
 - Mermaid tail, pictured in Peacock with Turquoise scales
- Adjustable Seashell top, pictured in Light Pink
- Adjustable Starfish Headband, pictured in Burnt Orange & Turquoise

You can purchase this beautiful set at my Etsy Shop!

Little Birdy Hat

My latest creation, the Little Birdy Hat! Your little tweetheart (haha!) will look adorable in this little hat! I'm not a fan of puns, but I just couldn't resist that one. :) 

This hat is made with soft Acrylic yarn in a beautiful shade called "Antique Teal." The little birdy is made entirely out of yarn! His/her eyes are black, Light Blue, and White. Add a flower for a girl, or leave it plain for a boy! I can make this hat in other colors as well!

As always, this hat is available for sale in my Etsy Shop.

Feel free to e-mail me at mstrattontice@gmail.com for any questions or special order requests! I love the challenge of creating items that are not featured in my store. You may also send me a conversation via Etsy. :)
 

Girly Owl Hat

My new creation, the Girly Owl Hat! Owls are very popular & I love making bright, colorful and fun animal hats. I wanted this version of an owl hat to be a little different, so I added little pink bows to make it look like she had pigtails. :)

This Girly Owl Hat is made with soft Acrylic yarn in bright shades of Hot Pink, Lime, Light Pink, and White. Her eyes are made with buttons, but the rest of the hat is entirely made of yarn. This would look adorable in pretty much any color combination! 

Available for sale in my Etsy Shop, Here.

I accept custom order requests! If there is an item you would like to purchase but don't see in my shop, send me a conversation via Etsy or my email, mstrattontice@gmail.com.

Thanks for looking!

Red, White & Blue Strappy Summer Sandals

Once again, my love of baby shoes inspired me! I wanted to make more summer sandals, and decided that something festive would be fun. So.....here are my Red, White & Blue Strappy Summer Sandals!

These adorable shoes would be perfect for a July 4 barbecue, a boat ride, a firework show, or a trip to the beach! The flower detail is a puff stitch flower. These are even cuter in person, if that's possible! :) 

These are available for sale in my Etsy Shop. You can choose which color combination you prefer:

* Blue Soles, Red Sparkle Tops, With White Flower
* Red Sparkle soles, Blue Tops, With White Flower
* Blue soles, White Tops, With Red Sparkle Flower

So cute & patriotic! :)

New Season, New Items!

I never know what to do with myself when the weather gets warmer. I am not swamped with orders since winter hats are not very popular in the Spring. :) I was thinking of items I could make that were Spring friendly. Crocheted items are very popular in the world of photography right now. I love all the newborn portraits where they're wearing a crocheted hat, headband, diaper cover, etc. I wish I would have been a crocheter when my kids were babies! They are 4 and 2 now, so they still rock my winter hats, but that's about it.

I have a few new items in my Etsy shop:

These Summer Strappy Sandals were something I made up on the spot while watching TLC one afternoon. :) I have mentioned on my blog many times before that I am a huge fan of baby shoes. These are super cute, and fairly priced. Baby shoes are expensive and they can't wear them for long. This is why I think my crocheted baby shoes are a great option!

Diaper Covers with matching hats or headbands are also extremely popular right now. I think these can work well in any season if they are used as photo props. This set is a Mickey Mouse inspired diaper cover with matching hat.

These Pretty Petals Mary Janes are another creation of mine that I made up while watching tv. I found the little pink felt flowers ages ago at Michaels and never found a cute way to use them....until now! I added a little piece of white tulle and voila! A beautiful pair of Mary Janes! These would look super cute with a matching headband for a photo session.

Here is a different version in Black with a light Pink bow that sparkles. These are also available in my Etsy Shop!

I always accept special orders, so be sure to check out my shop and message me if there is something you want but don't see! I can make character hats, diaper covers, headbands, pretty much anything!

Special Order: Kitty Hat

I had a customer ask me to make a Gray kitty hat, and this is what I came up with:

This hat is made with Acrylic yarn in a Charcoal Gray, with lime green & black eyes, a Pink nose, and White whiskers. It was even cuter in person! I love special orders because I get the challenge of creating something unique and fun. :) 

This hat is for sale in my Etsy Shop.

Little Tiger Hat

Spring is finally here! Here in Michigan, we had a week or so of 85 degree weather in March. My kids were running through sprinklers and we almost had to turn the AC on! Now that it's almost the middle of April, the weather is cold! When the sun is out, it isn't so bad. But, yesterday it was snowing! Gotta love Michigan. :)

So...a huge thing right now is Detroit Tigers baseball. They are going to be so good this year! Everyone is excited about it. I was asked by a customer to make a Tiger hat for a little girl. This probably wasn't related to Tigers baseball, but that is OK. :) Here is my creation:

This hat is made with Acrylic yarn in Pumpkin with Black stripes. The face is made with White yarn, a Pink nose, button eyes, and a Pink accent flower. Her whiskers are made with Black yarn. This hat turned out super cute! I'm proud of it!

I have added this hat to my Etsy Shop. 

If you would like a special hat made, whether it's an animal hat, character hat, or a flower hat, you can email me at mstrattontice@gmail.com or send me a convo via Etsy. I love to chat with my customers and make sure your order is exactly how you wanted it! 

 

SALE!

CALLING ALL ETSY CUSTOMERS! For a limited time only, my Etsy shop is having a sale! ALL winter hats are only $10! That is HALF OFF the normal price! Come visit my shop here and stock up for Winter!

Also, I have added a diaper cover & matching hat set! The color options are endless! I will be adding more as I am able to create them. :)


Thank you and have a great day!

DIY Play Kitchen

OK, so I know this isn't crochet related, but I couldn't resist writing a post about this! :) My 4YO daughter, Genevieve, is obsessed with baking and cooking. She LOVES to watch Betty Crocker videos on YouTube, and every night before bed she likes to relax on the couch and watch Chopped on the Food Network. Normal behavior for a little girl, right? ;) 

She has a plastic play kitchen that we got her for Christmas when she was a toddler, but we had it outside at our old apartment and it was full of rain water that we couldn't get out. I was afraid it would be moldy so we didn't want it in our new house. After looking at Pinterest one day, I found so many DIY play kitchens. I started drawing out ideas & asked my husband if we could make one.

Now, the funny story. I had been searching on Craigslist for a used old entertainment center that we could turn into a play kitchen. I looked for about 2 weeks but didn't find anything that was appropriate, not too much work, or too far in location. Finally we decided to go to Menards and buy all the wood to make our own. The wood and a few other items for the kitchen only cost about $35. Later as we were leaving the house, we pull out of the driveway and see that my NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR had an old entertainment center by the road that said, "FREE." I couldn't believe that after all that searching, our neighbor has one a few hours after we bought all the wood. My husband had already started building it, so we were stuck. Oh well. :)

Unfortunately, I don't have photos of the before pictures. (They are on my husband's cell phone.) But here is the play kitchen after we painted it and assembled it:

We still have to find some stove knobs, but after that it should be pretty much finished. We painted it with leftover paint from the walls of our new house. I made the curtains for about $6, and the picture is what we see when we look out our kitchen window. I just printed it off and stuck it in a frame. For the sink, we made a big hole and put a metal mixing bowl in there. The sink knobs are dresser knobs from Hobby Lobby, and the sink spout is a piece of plastic toilet plumbing thingy (I think it's called a P trap?) that I painted silver. For the stove burners, I found rubber coasters at the dollar store and hot glued them on. The oven opens and closes with a magnet system, and we used cooling racks from the dollar store for the oven rack. We still have to find a way to hold them down. This was actually really easy to make. It ended up being much larger than I pictured, but that's okay. More room to play! My daughter loves it! 

Lazy Day Loafers

I usually don't follow patterns, but I love all of the patterns from TwoGirlsPatterns on Etsy! (available here.) 

Whenever I'm bored and project-less, I browse some patterns on Etsy or Ravelry and find cute things to make. It's always interesting to see the techniques that others use. I found these Lazy Day Loafers and thought they were adorable! It's hard to find cute boy items to crochet. These are definitely cute! 

I could also picture these in a girly Pink or Purple with a cute little flower attached to the front. They were actually easy to make and didn't take long at all! 

With permission from TwoGirlsPatterns of course, these Little Lazy Day Loafers are available for purchase in my Etsy Shop. (It would be the finished item, not the pattern.)

Beautiful Bow Mary Janes

Spring is almost here! Yayyyy!! This winter in Michigan has been unusually mild. We had barely any snow at all, and some days we were above average temperatures. It was AMAZING! I wish every winter was like this one. :) 

I am bursting at the seams with ideas for Spring items, but having time to make said items is the tricky part. I have had so many Etsy orders and I love it! The second I saw the pattern for the Beautiful Bow Mary Janes on Etsy, I knew that I had to make them as soon as possible. I purchased the pattern and here they are!

I love baby shoes, and decided to make these beautiful shoes Purple because that is my favorite color. I love the way they turned out! 

You can purchase the pattern here.  

You can purchase the shoes pictured from my Etsy shop, here.

Minnie Mouse Hat in RED!

I made some adorable Minnie hats for two little girls who are going on a trip to Disneyworld for a customer on Etsy. She wanted one hat to be Hot Pink, and one to be Red so they wouldn't be wearing the same exact hat. I love the way the hat looks in Red! 

The Minnie Mouse hat has been my most popular item recently, so I wanted to include a photo of the Red version on my blog.

This hat is available for sale in my Etsty Shop!

Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Dragon

A customer asked me to create a dragon hat for a baby girl based on the Chinese Zodiac. She is going to be born soon which makes her the year of the Dragon. This hat was fun to make but also very challenging. The smaller the hat, the harder it is to fit all the details on there. This was my second attempt at the dragon hat, but I am happy with the way it came out.

I love when I get a chance to create something out of the ordinary! This hat didn't photograph as well as I hoped. It is even cuter in person! 

The yarn I used is a tweed yarn called "Sagey Tweed." It has speckles of colors in it. This hat was made for a baby girl, so I wanted it to be cute and girly instead of scary. Let's hope my customer likes it! :)