Winner of the scallop wreath!

Congratulations to #18! Margaret, you can contact me to receive your lovely wreath or kit. Thanks to all who participated!

Introducing Scallop Wreath Kit & Giveaway!

I'm giddy -and I think you will be to. I have something for you that will make all you crafting machines happy and shout with joy! A diy wreath kit is here -and everything you need is in the kit. The instructions, the foam wreath and even the pins are included (well you'll need your fabric scissors). Can you say 'easy'?! Let's stop pinning girls -and get to the real meat -and you don't even need to go to the store for this one.

Have you seen some similar wreaths around? This wreath was originally found by Smile & Wave and then altered to make it work for a Crafternoon -and a few tweaks and packaging touches later -Benzie kits for all!

And you have five awesome color combos to choose from -I can't even pick my favorite! But go ahead -you can share yours and be entered in a giveaway for one of the kits (or I can even make you a finished one if you're not a crafty type!). Just enter your favorite combo and a winner will be announced on Monday.

Felt like a tutorial: Owls

Owls sure look smart, and this is why we associate them with school studies. Now that August is here it's time again to prepare our children to return to the classroom. We pulled out the class supply lists last week and my older daughter was super excited to start gathering everything. We were able to locate 25 pencils amongst the debris from last year’s school remnants. I want to save money this year by using up the older supplies to their complete end before buying newer ones.

We did need to buy some additional items though – so we headed out to a store today to complete the task. A future kindergartener and a future 2^nd grader each with list in hand, and a mom with a centrally parked cart ready to walk circles around and around the school products until each last item was located. Some items require specific knowledge… like the Vis-a-Vie markers. I felt like a pro finding them right away. We weren’t so lucky with the larger school box requested for 2^nd grade though… we might have to wait and scope out what the other kids bring with them on the first day.

There probably won’t be any owls in the classrooms – those big, beautifully placed eyes are only handy for selecting prey in the wild. Owls do make awesome inspiration for art projects – simple and complex, flat and fluffy. I hope you enjoy these owls below with their variety, color and texture.

1. Owl Ornament – from Juicy Bits
This basic pattern is hand stitched together for a super cute owl.

2. Goodnight Owl Sleep Mask – from Ginger & George
Take a fashionable nap with this felt sleep mask; fusible webbing and some sewing make this doable.

3. Owl Stuffie – from Hammer & Thread
Replace the fabric with felt and stick with the more advanced sewing for a darling owl friend!

4. Plush Owl Pillow – from Joshua Trent
A simple pattern and fabric glue make a sweet home decor addition.

5. Felt Owl Measuring Tape – from Tiny Apartment Crafts
The embroidery work makes this owl a stand out, add the measuring tape in the middle for a useful tool.

6. Felt Owl Key Chain – from The Orchard in Bloom
Take this owl with you everywhere you go on your key chain; basic hand stitching is all that's needed.

7. Snuggly Owl – from Make It & Love It
The perfect pillow for anyone needing a soft squeeze; felt would work well with this pattern.

8. Felt Owls from Styrofoam Balls – from Factory Direct Craft
Cut out your felt pieces and glue them onto a styrofoam ball for this decoration.

9. Zakka Style Owl Pennant – from Moonstitches
For Christmas or just for fun, this pennant is easy to create.

Jen Van Oosbree is a stay-at-home mom with two daughters who loves volunteering on the Cultural Arts Committee at her kid's school. She brings monthly DIY selections to the world of Benzie Felt Fanfare.

Instagram Flashback: July

1. Look at that plate -roasted walleye done Italian style. It was amazing! My husband and celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary at a little resturant called La Sorella di Francesca. The food was delicious and the company even better. I love being married to my man. 
2. A little summer face painting party. So sweet!
3. A completed tote bag! I loosely followed patterns and instructions from the book 1-2-3 Sew. Super helpful and super detailed for a beginner sewer -but it stilled turned out a bit smaller than anticipated:  making it a perfect bag for my 5 year old daughter! Oh, and I finally used up my souvenir fabric from a trip to San Fransisco 3 years ago!
4. Functioning vintage signage is always a treat!
5. I spent a week with 4500 high-schoolers -learning about privilege and lack there-of, surrendering to Jesus and some hard work at an urban farm. 
6. And closing with my little professional strawberry slicer!

More instagram love @benziedesign...

Felt like a tutorial: Party!

One of the best things about planning a party is taking a theme and applying it to every last detail. The atmosphere, food, games and decorations all relate to shape a unique experience. An ordinary room or space is transformed into something magical. Adding drama with a huge mobile in the dining room, or hundreds of paper lanterns at a picnic shelter; parties give us the opportunity to think outside the box with our décor.

The anticipation of a party is also a wonderful thing, especially for children that may have helped plan along the way. They know there will be few limitations on the goodies, drinks and fun to be had, and there will be lots of friends around to partake in the festivities.

When you begin to plan your next party, consider using felt. It is an inexpensive way to add bold color and handmade detail to your gathering. Garlands, banners, party hats, gift wrapping, bows, mobiles, cake toppers – there is no end to the joy you can create with felt.

1. Rainbow Table Runner - Say Yes to Hoboken

Triangles of felt are ironed onto a heat and bond backing for a quick result.

2. Felt Birthday Hats - Princess Lasertron

Saturate the felt with stiffening spray then add homemade ruffles and a pom pom. 

3. Felt Flower Garland - Mom it Forward

Felt flower shapes are hot glued together around green ribbon. 

4. Felt Crown - hellobee

Two colors of felt are shaped together to create a fun crown for party guests.

5. Wine Bag - Under the Table and Dreaming

Pinking shears and stitch witchery make this project very simple to complete.

6. Ruffle Garland - My Blessed Life

A needle and twine are all you need to work your felt strips into ruffles.

7. Felt Gift Bows - Prudent Baby

Nine strips of felt are twisted into loops and glued on top of each other to shape this lasting bow.

8. Cake Topper - Wedding Chicks

Felt makes a great cake topper, this embellished heart uses fabric glue and a few stitches.

9. Modern Colorful Mobiles - Project Wedding

Replace the paper in this tutorial with felt, add some stiffening spray, and stitch them into a row.

Jen Van Oosbree is a stay-at-home mom with two daughters and enjoys spending the summer at the local library. She brings monthly DIY selections to the colorful world of Benzie Felt Fanfare.

Instagram Flashback: June

1. First thing on Junes bucket list was a visit to the Art Institute to see Roy Lichtenstein's exhibit. Images of hotdogs, comic strips and out of proportion brush strokes filled each room as we walked through his early images of Mickey Mouse to his final landscape images. All made with his signature pattern of dots -inspired by newsprint -but painted, not printed by hand and with a help of a stencil. Big, bright and bold -this is how I would paint, if I were a painter.

2. We are crazy about Legos over here! My son wakes up playing with them, talks about Legos when he can't play and falls asleep building. Every day! We spent some time organizing by color -here's the gray pile. Good thing I like organizing!

3. Easy meal: Get a tortilla, add favorite pizza toppings and grill. Feta and dill and lovely additions.

4. Our church has a day camp of sorts (vbs anyone?) every summer and this year I took on as the craft lady. You wouldn't think it to be difficult to come up with five 15 minute crafts -would you? I totally underestimated the time constraints thus it ended being a bit crazy. This watercolor day was my favorite.

5. Our first family vacation ever! Well, we have taken trips before -but always with family and friends and not just the four of us. We stayed at a little resort in Wisconsin -swimming, putt-putting, canoeing and enjoyed just being us.

6. We also did a bit of geocaching and gave up on our first one ever -but not without a fight! We went two different days -three different times (one time through thick buggy woods) with 2 different gps's. It was located in an active logging forest so it must have gotten logged away. But at least I got a cute picture in of my little troopers!

Also -remember Crafternoon? Read more about it on Katie's Blog -did someone say 'tattoo parlor'?!

Enjoy your summer and more Benzie instagram photos, my name is benziedesign. See you there!

Magnetism

Crazy strong, ultra attractive and super magnetic. The only magnets made by Benzie.

These wool felt covered domes are 1 1/2 inches wide -making it functional and beautiful wherever they stick. And get this: they can hold well over 15 sheets of paper. Really, truly! Eight different color combos, three magnets to a pack and attached to a shiny card.

Now that's magnetism.
Currently available in the shop.