Jake and Brenna: Crafting Marathon

Jake and I really enjoy crafting. Our dining table is more aptly referred to as the craft table, as its purpose is most often to hold my sewing machine and Jake's soldering iron. So we have been busy with a lot of crafting over the past few months. Wanna see what we've made? I thought you might.

I made this wreath at Christmas time. I covered a wreath form with yarn, and I made the cardinal with felt.

A while ago Jake and I went on a date to the DI to pick up items on a $3 budget. Then we took our haul home to make a gift for each other. These are the items we came home with for $3 each.

Jake is holding the gift that I made for him. It is a little decorative knick-knack.

Jake personalized a clipboard for me. Just what I always wanted.

Jake made this little sign for Matthew, Nic and Becca's little boy. He painted it and used the laser cutter to cut through the blue layer of paint, revealing the white beneath.

I made this scrapbook for Rebecca. I wanted to bring out the family tree idea. I used freezer paper to cut out the applique shapes, and it worked like a dream.

This is not necessarily a craft, but Jake baked this wonderful loaf of bread for a soup party we went to at a friend's house. It is salsa bread. Yes, there is salsa swirled inside of the loaf, and it is delicious.

Another of Jake's laser cutter creations: custom Settlers of Catan. These tiles are inspired by a project he saw online, but he created all of the designs himself. We've had a great time playing it!

For my coworker's birthday, I made some fridge magnets for her. I used a self-covered button kit, craft magnets, and fabric scraps to make them.

Jake's cousin had a little boy named Rex. So for her shower, I made little bow ties for him. I think they turned out really cute! Rex is going to be so stylish.

I made this dress for my coworker's baby girl, Carrie. I drafted this pattern based on a basic baby dress bodice that didn't have pleats or anything. I wanted it to be like a little sailor dress, but I couldn't find any white buttons with anchors on them. I think it came together well anyway. (These are not great pictures. The dress was definitely navy.)

This project was a combined effort between me and Jake. I dreamed up the design and Jake helped me to make it in CorelDRAW so that we could send it to the laser cutter. The gradient on the background paper was a happy accident - it got sun bleached in our car. Looks better that way. This was a Christmas gift for Jake's sister, Allie, and her husband, Steve. Their last name is Tensmeyer.