The Big 20/20 Event: Day 20: 4 Ways To Make A Hand Stitched Cat's Collar

Today is our last day in the “Big 20/20 Event. Thank you so much for joining us!

Over the last 20 days, we have shared 20 fantastic tutorials from a host of awesome contributors.  If you missed the previous tutorials in the 20/20 series, just click on 20/20 icon over on the side bar and it will take you to all tutorials, without having to scroll through all my blog posts!
Or, you could just sign up for my newsletter, as all my newsletter subscribers will receive a beautiful PDF eBook at the end of the event, showcasing all 20 tutorial projects to keep and peruse at your leisure!

Here we go with our last tutorial in the series.

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4 Ways To Make A Hand Stitched Cat's Collar

 

 

This post is brought to you by the lovely Sarah.

 

Hey there! Today I wanted to share with you some cute little cat collars I stitched recently for my beloved kitties :) I love making things for them and pestering them for photos - they don't like it quite so much though ;)

 

 

Here's what you will need for this project (pictured above): 2 bows, ribbon, lace, pins, needles, scissors, embroidery floss, a tie, a teddy.

 

 

1. Measure the length of ribbon you need for your cat's neck. I used their old collars as a guide at this point. Make sure the ribbon isn't too tight around their necks.

 

 

2. Cut your new ribbon to size and sew both ends together.

 

 

3. Add on your bow to your ribbon. Stitch it well as all stitches will be hidden behind the bow anyway.

 

 

4. Ta-Da! Our first two bow collars are now completed! (I repeated the same steps above for each).

 

 

5. A Tie collar - you need your tie, ribbon, needle, thread and teddy for this bit!

 

 

6. Tie your tie around your teddy's neck. Don't worry about the neck width as this won't be going around your kitty. Make the tie itself quite short.

 

 

7. Stitch the tie's knot in place really well. Hide all of your stitches in the back so you can't see them on the finished item.

 

 

9. Cut off the collar and the long thin end of the tie.

 

 

10. Stitch up the cut off ends to avoid fraying.

 

 

11. Tuck in the collar section and stitch well to avoid any stray threads.

 

 

 

 

Look - no stitches!

 

 

12. Sew on your ribbon circle (as above).

 

 

Ta-Da!

 

 

13. Take your lace and ribbon for this collar - this is a peter pan style lace collar.

 

 

14. Cut out two half moon shapes from the lace.

 

 

15. Stitch your pieces of lace onto your ribbon circle.

 

 

Ta-Da!

 

 

I had a little photo shoot with the kitties once I had the collars ready. Murphy really was not keen on being photographed, as you will see!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darla was much more obliging!

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 brand new dress up collars for your kitties! (PS. these collars should not be left on kitties unsupervised. They shouldn't be allowed to stray from the house in them as they could become tangled in branches and be fatal! Strictly for indoor photo shoots only!)

 

 

Sarah Leonard is a curious soul, who lives a magical creative life with her kitties and her husband. She runs an Etsy store full to the brim with artistic curiousities, and writes regularly on her blog A Cat-Like Curiosity. She is also the founder of The Curiously Gorgeous Sisterhood, a gorgeous community full of light, life and inspiration.

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The Big 20/20 Event: Day 19: Jamie’s Bison Meatloaf

Welcome back to “The Big 20/20 Event” - I am so glad you’re joining us! We are almost at our last day of sharing 20 fantastic tutorials from a host of awesome contributors, for 20 days.  If you missed the previous tutorials in the 20/20 series, just click on 20/20 icon over on the side bar and it will take you to all tutorials, without having to scroll through all my blog posts!

Or, you could just sign up for my newsletter, as all my newsletter subscribers will receive a beautiful PDF eBook at the end of the event, showcasing all 20 tutorial projects to keep and peruse at your leisure!

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Jamie’s Bison Meatloaf

 

This post is brought to you by the lovely Jamie.

 

Recently, I’ve gotten into organic eating and have begun fixing different meals at home. I’m not an expert chef by any means, but I am trying. :) This may not be the most original of meals, but I tried to put my own twist on an old favorite.

 

Here is what you’ll need:

 

• 1 lb. Bison meat (preferably grass-fed meat)

• 1 egg (we use cage-free eggs bought at a local market)

• 1/3 cup of breading

• 1/2 a spoonful of sea salt

• 1/2 a spoonful garlic herb seasoning

• 1/2 a spoonful turmeric

 

1) Mix all ingredients well in a glass baking bowl

 

2) Have your oven pre-heated to 350 degrees

 

3) Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes-one hour and let sit a couple of minutes before serving (check online for proper temps and make sure your meat is at the proper temp before taking it out).

 

 

 

Jamie's Bio:

Jamie White is a music addict, book lover, pet servant & NaNoWriMo survivor. When she's not busy writing posts for CultureShock, she's taking pictures for her photo blog and spending time with her husband and pets. She released Stains on the Soul and Clutter via Pagan Writers Press in 2013.

Social Links:

www.jamielwhite.com

www.jbcultureshock.wordpress.com

www.jamiebmusingspics.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/JamieWAuthor

www.facebook.com/AuthorJamieWhite

www.pinterest.com/AuthorJamieW/

www.plus.google.com/+JamieWhiteAuthor

www.youtube.com/user/Jamieavon77

www.plus.google.com/106849014174968997370/posts

www.jamiebmusings.tumblr.com

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The Big 20/20 Event: Day 18: Make Your Own Crystal Grid

Welcome back to “The Big 20/20 Event” - I am so glad you’re joining us! We will be sharing 20 fantastic tutorials from a host of awesome contributors, for 20 days.  If you missed the previous tutorials in the 20/20 series, just click on 20/20 icon over on the side bar and it will take you to all tutorials, without having to scroll through all my blog posts!
Or, you could just sign up for my newsletter, as all my newsletter subscribers will receive a beautiful PDF eBook at the end of the event, showcasing all 20 tutorial projects to keep and peruse at your leisure!

Here we go with our Day 18 tutorial.

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Make Your Own Crystal Grid

 

 

This post is brought to you by the lovely Sierra.

 

When creating a crystal grid the very first things you need to do are:

• Have an intention for the grid. Make it CLEAR and don't be wishy washy. Don't try to kill too many birds with one stone kinda deal, keep it one intention per grid so not to flip out the universe. If you need to create multiple grids, go right ahead. Write down the intention so you remember and to help you get clear on your desire. You can set this around or under the grid if you want.
• Gather your supplies. Whatever crystals you want in the grid and you feel will be beneficial to the grid and yourself. Crystal necklaces and bracelets work wonders too.
• Make sure the crystals you use are cleaned and cleared before setting them in the grid. (Water, salt or salt water [only if you are sure the crystals won't disintegrate], incense, smudge sticks, Reiki, etc...find the way that works for you).

 

 

So, you have your intention and your cleaned crystals. Now you need to clear your space physically. Make it clean, dust it, if you want to put a cloth down do that too.

 

 

After physical cleaning you do an energetic cleaning. You can do this by way of smudge stick, incense, blessing, salt water, selenite wand (or preferred crystal), Reiki, or countless other ways.

 

Whatever feels right for you is how you should do it :). I prefer to use Reiki. I draw the power symbol and sweep away all energies that are not useful for the grid. I normally follow up with a sweep from my handy dandy selenite wand. (Sometimes I switch the order and do the wand first, then the Reiki...it all depends on my mood).

 

 

Sweep your hand across with the intention of clearing the space of any energies not useful or beneficial to the intention of the crystal grid.

 

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Swipe the selenite wand across the area to pickup any stray energies you might have missed.

 

Your area is now clean and clear! Woots!

 

Time to take each crystal individually and empower it with your intentions, truthfully this can be time consuming. Hold each crystal in your hands, place it to your heart, meditate with it, again what feels right for you is how you should do it. I personally place each crystal to my heart chakra and tell it my intention for the grid, then I intuitively place it where it needs to go.

 

I love using crystal necklaces and bracelets because they give you a nice round shape and many crystals all together. For these when giving the intention don't worry about each individual crystal, just hold it in your hand and intend that each crystal in the necklace or bracelet is empowered with your intention.

 

 

Once empowered start placing each crystal intuitively. If you have a design in mind use that as your blueprint. Don't worry about putting the crystals in the wrong place, there isn't a wrong way to do this.

 

 

 

 

When everything is in place you're good to go!

 

Some sources say you have to activate the grid, I personally don't believe you need to. As long as you've given your clear intentions to the grid and universe and set it up, then you're done, the crystals know what to do. However, if you feel you need to activate the grid, use a crystal point or your finger, start connecting each crystal, intend that everything is energetically connected and the grid is activated. Wa-la tis done!

 

Extra notes: You can use single crystals as grids. You can do this by setting the intention, and empowering the single crystal. You can write down your intention and set it under the crystals after you've empowered it. Or simply set a crystal where you want it and use it as a reminder for a personal goal of sorts.

 

You can also use a single crystal and a bracelet for a mini crystal grid. So fun!

 

 

Sierra writes at Reiki Playground and The Spirituality Seeker. She, Reiki, and crystals are best buds. She absolutely loves showing people different ways to use Reiki and adores running a Crystal Workshop that teaches participants how to intuitively tap into their crystals to communicate with them. The workshop also teaches how to set up a crystal grid (in a bit more depth) and make crystal elixirs, with more fun things to be added very soon. Her motto is “It’s all good” and she loves injecting humor into her life in anyway she can.

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The Big 20/20 Event: Day 17: Make Your Own Candle Votive Holder

Welcome back to “The Big 20/20 Event” - I am so glad you’re joining us! We will be sharing 20 fantastic tutorials from a host of awesome contributors, for 20 days.  If you missed the previous tutorials in the 20/20 series, just click on 20/20 icon over on the side bar and it will take you to all tutorials, without having to scroll through all my blog posts!
Or, you could just sign up for my newsletter, as all my newsletter subscribers will receive a beautiful PDF eBook at the end of the event, showcasing all 20 tutorial projects to keep and peruse at your leisure!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Make Your Own Candle Votive Holder

 

 

This post is brought to you by the lovely Sarah.

 

This is a really simple diy I did for my own home recently but in fact would make a wonderful simple handmade gift for family and friends too!

 

Here are all of the details.

 

You will need: votive holders, vintage/pretty papers, mod podge, foam brush, scissors.

 

 

1. Measure your papers against your votive holder. You might find you need to cut it into smaller sections in order to cover your votive holder more prettily.

 

 

2. Once you're happy you know which pieces of paper you'd like to use, add a layer of mod podge to your votive holder.

 

 

3. Press your paper(s) into place and give them a coat of mod podge on top.

 

 

4. Leave to dry for at least an hour.

 

 

For my second design I decided to use butterflies and flowers.

 

 

I cut my papers down into individual elements first.

 

 

And then mod podged them onto the glass. Leave to dry.

 

 

And voila - cute candle holders already ready to go!

 

 

Yay!

 

 

Sarah Leonard is a curious soul, who lives a magical creative life with her kitties and her husband. She runs an Etsy store full to the brim with artistic curiousities, and writes regularly on her blog A Cat-Like Curiosity. She is also the founder of The Curiously Gorgeous Sisterhood, a gorgeous community full of light, life and inspiration.

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