Ugly Christmas Sweaters!

It seems that the Ugly Christmas Sweater has become a phenomenon in the cyber world and at holiday parties! And, thanks to this strange infatuation for ugly, my Ugly Christmas Necktie Sweater has been pick up by several top sites!  I'm over the moon, happy, and just shocked at how popular they are.  

The Ugly Christmas Sweater that keeps getting featured was made for the blog at iLoveToCreate, and also here on my Pattiewack blog.  I really think that the cute factor comes from our fabulous model/copywriter, Chloe Tatro.  She is a cutie patootie, and really sells it!  I mean, who else do you see holding an ornament with so much sassy-tude, right? 

To top it all off, our iLoveToCreate social media expert, Alexa Westerfield is a contributor for Buzzfeed.com and she put my sweater in a countdown for 27 Ugly Christmas Sweaters yesterday!  Love ya, Alexa!

  

Today.com did a cute segment on the Today Show, then followed it up with their top Ugly Christmas Sweaters, too.  They found my sweater on Pinterest, and it was #2 on the list!!  

But wait, there's MORE!  *giggle*

Yahoo.com featured it, too!  They found the sweater on iLoveToCreate.com and put it in a slideshow on their front page.  Wowza!  I've actually been in shock to tell you the truth, but super excited that the world is embracing pompoms, glue, and DIY just for the fun of it.  Yes!  What the world needs more of right now is some stinkin' holiday cheer!

So, just in case you need to know how to make your own ugly but cute Ugly Christmas Sweater, here's the instructions.  Look in the closet and grab those ugly neckties or run down to the thrift store and then glue yourself a fabulous and fun sweater to wow your friends and family!

How To Make Pillows with a Scarf!

I absolutely LOVE anything Missoni, and I was searching the internet to find the perfect pillows to put on the new hanging bed in our gazebo.  (....more to come on that later...)  So, of course I fell in love with several Missoni pillows that I found.  But oh my goodness, they were all over $200 a pillow!  Yikes!

So, I'm NOT going to be paying $285 for a pillow, unless it comes with a cute young man with a silk fan in one hand and a dirty martini in the other!  (giggle)

But I'm definitely the person who's going to be on the look-out for fabric that reminds me of the Missoni chevron, and I got lucky at World Market and found this fabulous knit scarf that totally made me squeal when I found it.  Plus, it was on sale for 1/2 off so I got it for $12.50.  Score!  The scarf has all the colors in it that I was looking for.  The turquoise and coral pillows I put it with are perfect.  

As you can see by the step-out photos, I simply cut the scarf in half.  Then I folded the halves over and sewed up the sides on the sewing machine.  Next, I stuffed them with old pillows. (I never throw anything away :-)  Then I grabbed a needle and thread and sewed the opening closed.  That's it!  

Now I have to decide whether or not to add pompoms or tassels to them.  What do you think?

Pattiewack 

#CHAshow Behind The Scenes @iLoveToCreate !!

All of our iLoveToCreate team had a great time at the 2014 Craft and Hobby Tradeshow!  Our booth this year was loaded with artful inspiration and we had a blast sharing the work of our talented team with attendees.  A lot was going on in our booth...from me decoupaging a mannequin with recycled magazines, to enthusiastic tie dye action from our favorite reality TV star Rupert Boneham.  Let me take you on a mini tour of all the activity!

How To Make Fluffy Pompom Slippers

Don't you love waking up on Christmas morning and putting your feet into some fluffy slippers before they hit the cold floor?  Me too!  And if you're looking for a way to add a personal touch to a gift this Christmas, I think these would be so much fun to give or to get.  

All you need to do purchase a pair of slippers and make matching pompoms.  Of course if you are a knitter or love to crochet, you'll be making your own slippers. (insert happy face) I attached my pompoms with big safety pins so that I can take the pompoms off when I toss the slippers in the washing machine.  

If you're shopping on a budget, it's a good idea to buy several pairs for your friends and family in the same color so that you can create a little assembly line of the same color of pompoms.  

That way you can get by with just 2 skeins of yarn for several presents.  Right?  

I hope you like them, and spread the fluffy love with fluffy pompom slippers for everyone!

You’ll need:  

Purchased or handmade slippers 

Large size Pattiewack™ Pompom Tool

2 Large safety pins

Yarn that I used to match my raspberry red slippers :

MODA DEA™Cheerio: 1 Ball No. 8778 Ruby

MODA DEA™Cartwheel: 1 Ball No. 9745 Raspberries

Steps:

Wind both colors of yarn at one time onto the pompom tool at the 4” step, and wind 25 times.

Tie the center of the pompom tightly with 12” length of yarn.

Cut the pompom away from the tool.

Pin the pompom to the toe of the slipper with a large safety pin.

Repeat for the other slipper.

Happy Holidays!

PattieWack