Happy New Year! I’ve been wanting to do something champagne-bottle themed for a long time. I’m gonna say right up front, that I don’t think a scarf made out of these champagne bottle motifs would be the greatest scarf, because the thin portion along the neck of the bottle would be a weak and stretchy point, also with a tendency to twist. HOWEVER, I could not help myself but try! I am running out of time this year to complete a full scarf, but these little bottles were so cute, that I wanted to share them with you anyway.

#HhookForScale

My buddy Candace pointed out that you could also make a cute garland out of this motif. And champagne isn’t just for NYE. You could make a scarf or garland for any kind of celebratory occasion, and you can put whatever words you like on the labels with surface crochet, felt letters, or puffy paint.

I fully intend to complete my scarf and shoot non-phone-cam pics. Until then, this pattern will be free on my blog. When I get the chance to convert it into an actual scarf pattern, I might pull it from here and add it to my Etsy shop. Not sure yet!

What ever your plans are tonight, stay safe and stay warm. I think 2017 is going to be a really weird year for me (maybe more on that later), but I hope for all of us to be happy and healthy. Cheers!

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I don’t know what it is I like so much about anthropomorphic plants from movies (baby Groot, anyone?), but after I saw Fantastic Beasts, I definitely wanted my own Bowtruckle, which is described on Pottermore as a “small, twig-like creature that guards wand-wood trees.”

In my first attempt to crochet him, I tried to stay very true to Pickett in the movie images, and I wanted his long, thin limbs to be posable with wiring. However, he kept looking kind of weird and creepy to me while I was crocheting him, so I decided to shorten his body and limbs and make him cute, stumpy, and little! (Here’s an animated gif of my rough sketches.)

I hope you enjoy making your lil plant babies! He’s also a good size for a brooch, so you can easily keep him on your coat for all your adventures!

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Ankit sent me some fun items to show you guys, and I kept waiting for the perfect lighting to take photos, but you know what? Sometimes you just gotta roll with what ya got! I live by the ocean, and the light is terrible in my house. It tends to be kinda gloomy around here, and this bums me out when it comes to taking photos of outfits or products. But to be honest, the items that Ankit sent me are perfect for staying in when it’s rainy and for creating a cozy, magical spot in your house.

If you pop over to the Ankit store, you’ll notice they have a ton of fun goodies to accessorize your home, like mugs, string lights, throw pillows, the cutest contact lens cases, wall tapestries, and a heck of a lot more. They sent me some pretty floral headphones, a pink kitty coffee mug (currently sold out!), a gorgeous iridescent white sequin throw pillow, and some adorable kitty cat LED string lights!

Did they totally know what my color scheme already was, because the random items they sent are so perfect for my bedroom!

They are in the middle of a “12 Days of Christmas” promo, and every day there is a deep discount on a particular kind of item. So click over to Ankit and see what’s going on!

(Thanks to Ankit for providing items for this post! I loved them, especially the kitty mug! Please note that these are indeed affiliate links, which means I earn a small percentage if you make a purchase from my blog.)

I finally put my crocheted bento box buddies in my Etsy shop, and they even have their own shop category! If you recall, I created these for Renegade Craft Fair in July (photos of the bento bar here). Now you guys can create your own bento boxes online! Or, if you don’t want to put together an entire box, you can buy a buddy or two and turn him into a pin or a magnet. Lots of options! Some people already put in their orders and have assembled full boxes, and I can’t wait to put them together and take photos! I’m excited!

And yes, for those asking, I am planning on releasing patterns for these. I think I will have 2 different options for electronic/pdf patterns: 1) the meats/proteins and 2) the fruits/veggies. I’m playing with the idea of printing mini books that carry all of the patterns, but I’m still pricing that out and seeing if that’s a smart move for me or not. Regardless, you will have them electronically! I just need time to take a lot of step-out photos and make samples! Until then, shop away! I also added some ready-to-ship tissue box cozies, scarves, a tv dinner tablet cozy, and I’m working on editing photos for garlands :).

Oh Boy Love It! has been a sponsor of my blog for a few months, and I’m so happy to host a spotlight post and giveaway for them and maybe give you some fun ideas for a few holiday gifts!

Find something to fall in LOVE with on OhBoyLoveIt.com! Visit them online (website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr) and find videos, games, handmade & digital items all made with LOVE and made for you to LOVE!

Oh Boy Love It has two shops on Etsy: one with handmade Love (www.OhBoyLoveIt.etsy.com) full of stickers, cards, pins, and more, and the other with Instant Digital Downloads (www.OhBoyLoveItDigital.etsy.com) for all occasions. Please note that for shipping in the USA, the last day for regular post for orders to arrive in time for Christmas will be will be December 12, 2016, so get those orders in early!

If you’ve already found Love and are going to tie the knot, check out their digital store for great Wedding Printables! Oh Boy Love It also Loves to give back. A portion of their profits go back to charity. Their favorites are water.org and KIVA!

If Kawaii is your thing, come discover the Sprinkles ’n Ganache, Mini Petito, Shellbelles, Uniconrness & the Kokeshi Lovers!  From Mermaids, sushi, unicorns and so much more Oh Boy Love It’s got you covered! Find them on Youtube and subscribe to keep up with their latest videos.

Also find great FREE games you can play online or download from the APP store (http://ohboyloveit.com/games/) to make you smile! The Kokeshi Love game is set for release early 2017!

Oh Boy Love It has prepared a great Yarn Love Giveaway just for you including:
Yarn Love reusable canvas bag
Yarn Queen matching Sash & 2.25 inch Pin
One 2.25 inch Yarnaholic Pin
One 2.25 inch Yarn Love Mirror
One Yarn Love Handmade card
One set of six 1 inch Yarn Love pins

To enter to win, just use the Rafflecopter widget below.

Giveaway is open worldwide, for ages 18 & over, and will run for a week until next Wednesday night, December 14th, at midnight PST. Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter/Random.org, and winner must reply to my email within 24 hours, or I will randomly choose a new winner. No purchase necessary. If you live outside of the United States, please note that while my blog sponsors will cover the cost of the item and the shipping, any customs or duty will still be your responsibility. Good luck! Please make sure my email address can get through your spam filters! I will only be contacting winners via email: twinkie@twinkiechan.com

P.S. NO giveaway accounts! Thank you! A giveaway account is a social media account that you use solely for giveaways.