A Gift of Peppermint Soap and Quasi-Vintage Holly!

Sooo, you know how I adore Bath and Body Works foaming hand soaps?  Well, I do.  A lot. Did you know that they currently have TWO different peppermint foaming hand soaps?  I know, awesome, right?!  It's like infusing holiday spirit directly into my skin every time I wash my hands!!!  I love it!  

You know I love this soap when I buy them by the bag full!  In fact, one of my very first free patterns was a foaming hand soap dispenser cover, and I've been fine tuning it ever since.  Well, you will be happy to hear that finally I think I've broken the code and come up with a perfectly sized cover that's only 15 rows long!  Awesome!  I can whip one of these babies up so fast that I can change them out for every holiday, including Squirrel Appreciation Day (January 21st, but don't worry, I'll remind you when it gets closer!).

Or, I suppose, the quick pattern would make these into some pretty awesome handmade-but-not-TOO-handmade Christmas gifts that pretty much everyone on your gift list would adore... *wink!* So, if you'd like to make a bunch for your home, or for awesome holiday gifts, keep reading!

The Best Bath and Body Works Foaming Hand Soap Dispenser Cover (so far!)
Supplies:
Worsted weight yarn in 2 colors (I used Lily's Original Sugar N Cream 100% cotton in White and Sage Green)
Size G hook
Yarn needle
Scissors

**I alternated colors every row, starting with white.  I did NOT add the color changes in the pattern for pattern reading ease**

ch 26.  Being careful not to twist chain, sl st to first ch to close loop.
R1: ch 2, hdc in the back loop of each ch around, sl st to first st to close round (26 st)
R2-5: ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to first st to close round (26 st)
R6: ch 2, (hdc next 2 st tog, 11 hdc) 2 times, sl st to first st to close round (24 st)
R7: ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to first st to close round (24 st)
R8: ch 2, (hdc next 2 st tog, 10 hdc) 2 times, sl st to first st to close round (22 st)
R9: ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to first st to close round (22 st)
R10: ch 2, (hdc next 2 st tog, 9 hdc) 2 times, sl st to first st to close round (20 st)
R11: ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to first st to close round (20 st)
R12: ch 2, (hdc next 2 st tog, 8 hdc) 2 times (18 st)
R13: ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to first st to close round (18 st)
R14: ch 2, (hdc next 2 st tog, 7 hdc) 2 times (16 st)
R15: ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to first st to close round (16 st)
Fasten off.  Weave in ends.  Slip cover over soap dispenser and enjoy the pepperminty goodness!

But wait, there's more!  I live in an old farmhouse.  I think I've mentioned that before.  I love it, but we have push button light switches, 4 doors into (and out of!) the kitchen, and no central air conditioning.  The good part is that we've got some awesome crazy antique awesomeness, like a hair collector (never heard of one?  It's a little porcelain bowl that has a lid with a hole in it.  Women used to collect their hair every day after brushing it, and collect it in these little bowls to use later for stuffing pin cushions.), and some really fun vintage holiday ornaments.

I decorated our tree this week, and became completely inspired by the glitter and felt ornaments of the past and just desperately needed to make some of my own.  So, if you'd like to add some quasi-vintage flair to your soap dispenser cover (or hats, or packages!) you can make some too!  Honestly, the hardest part is waiting for the glitter glue to dry!

Quasi-Vintage Holly Decoration
Supplies:
Green felt - 1 sheet of eco-felt will make at least ten 2-leaf decorations
3/8" red pom-poms
3/8" grosgrain ribbon (I used red, but if you've got white it would look cute too!)
Red glitter glue
Crystal Gel fabric paint (or iridescent glitter glue)
Scissors
Hot glue (or fabric glue)
A bobby pin, safety pin, or other item to put on the back of your decoration to attach it to other things
Parchment paper (optional)

**Junior Dynamos, please don't use the hot glue gun without adult supervision! Be safe!**

 Cut some holly shapes out of the felt.  I recommend drawing several holly leaves onto a sheet of paper and then picking the one you like best to use as a pattern.  The leaf is really just a series of U-shapes that meet to form the spikey points. It's so simple, I didn't upload a template for you to print out.  This is a really simple, basic shape.

I made my leaves in a variety of sizes, with the smallest about 1 1/2" long, and the largest about 2 1/2" long.  They look better if you don't make the leaves all the same size.  Don't worry if your leaves look a little wonky, no one is going to even notice!  We're going to distract everyone with the next step.

This would be a good time to lay out a sheet of parchment paper, if you're using it.  It will protect your work surface, and if you get a little crazy with the glitter glue in the next step, the glue won't stick to the surface and you can just cut off any wayward glitter (instead of it being forever glued to the top of the table!).

Now grab your Crystal Gel fabric paint squeezy bottle (or iridescent glitter glue) and draw a holly leaf shape on top of the holly leaves that you just cut out!  Kinda follow the outline of the leaf, but don't worry if it's not perfect.  Once it dries, it will get all sparkly and no one will even notice.  Add a line in the center to finish the leaf.  Set the wet leaves aside and wait for them to dry (maybe up to 24 hours, depending on the weather).

Once your leaves are dry (don't they look awesome?!), match them up with another leaf and using your handy-dandy glue gun (or fabric glue for those of you who want blister-free fingers this holiday season) glue them together at the base of the leaves. Glue 3 of the red pom-poms in a cluster just above where you've attached the leaves together (leaving a small area below to attach a bow in the next step).  Once your glue is dry, and everything is safe to handle again, use your red glitter glue and add some glitter to the tops of the pom-poms and on the leaves underneath the pom-poms.  Vintage-y awesomeness!

Using your grosgrain ribbon, make a bow!  I used about 12" of ribbon for each bow, but if you'd like your bows to have shorter tails, you can use much less ribbon for each bow.  You can heat seal the cut ends of the ribbon by running the flame of a lit match over them for, like, 2 seconds.  That will keep them from fraying!  Attach your bow using hot glue (or fabric glue) in the little space you left below the holly berries.  You can actually attach the bow going either way, so that the holly sprig is up, or hangs down.  Whatever you prefer!  Both look cute!

Attach a bobby pin, or safety pin, or pin back to the back using whatever method your prefer.  I glued the bobby pins on mine, so that I could attach them to hats and soap dispenser covers.

You're done!  Attach away!  Show off your vintage flair and awesome holiday style!

xoxo

These FREE projects were sponsored by Crochet Dynamite ebooks!  Perfect for your new holiday tablets and ereaders!

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Thanks! xoxo Jaime