Beach Bookmark

I like the fact that my e-reader automatically saves my place when I finish reading, but I still appreciate the experience of holding a real book in my hands. That means I still need to keep a supply of low-tech bookmarks on hand. 

I made this beachy bookmark from a paint sample card that features shades of marine blue. The seashell rubber stamps are from the Uptown Design Company, but you can use any sea-themed stamp you have. I applied each design onto the colored blocks of the card with an embossing pad, added gold embossing powder, and then used a heat gun to create the embossed effect. To finish the bookmark, I fastened a small grommet to the bottom of the card and attached a starfish charm with a jump ring. The charm makes it easy to find my place and puts me in vacation mode whether or not I'm at the shore.

Summer Souvenir Jar

My kids had to make a lot of dioramas in elementary school, and I have to admit I liked helping them create the miniature scenes from plastic plants and animals. I used those dioramas as inspiration for this project--a souvenir jar that lets me revisit the beach whenever I like.

For the background of this seashore-themed souvenir jar, I printed a photo of the beach from my computer onto plain paper, trimmed it to size, and tucked it inside the jar. Next, I added an inch or so of white sand and topped it with shells and a small piece of driftwood. I completed the scene with a miniature sandcastle, crab, and starfish.

If your vacation destination was further inland, use pebbles, pinecones, a miniature canoe, and woodland animals in your souvenir jar. For a city scene, use a photo of skyscrapers for the background, black beads for filler, and add a toy taxi, ticket stubs, and miniature street signs.

Cross-Stitch Op Art Pin

This cross-stitch pin is super easy to stitch, but I think the end result is quite high-end. I worked the design with black six-strand embroidery floss on 18-count white Aida, and then framed it in a silver-tone pin setting from the Etsy shop Kailea. The finished piece is about 1¾" square. You can use any pin setting you like, or just sew it onto a fabric backing and add a pin finding.

The directions are pretty straightforward. Just follow the chart and use two strands of black embroidery floss. Click here to download and print a copy of the chart.

Crocheted Summer Cowl

When my stash of embroidery floss gets out of control, I tie skeins together to make custom balls of crochet thread. For this cowl, I made a ball of about two dozen skeins of floss in shades of pink and magenta. I alternated light and dark shades so the finished project would have a variegated look. The pattern is a lacy double crochet-chain stitch combination.

 Directions:

With a size F hook, chain 150. Slip stitch in first stitch to form ring.

Round 1: Single crochet (sc) in each stitch around. Slip stitch to join the last stitch to the first stitch in the round.

Round 2: Chain 5, skip 1 stitch, double crochet (dc) in next stitch, (chain 2, skip 2 stitches, dc in next stitch) around; end chain 2, slip stitch in 3rd chain of starting chain. Repeat Round 2 until the cowl is the desired length. (Mine is 10 inches.)

Last round: Chain 1, (2 sc in chain-2 space, sc in dc) around. Slip stitch to join the last stitch to the first stitch in the round. Break off thread and weave in ends.