30ByHand Challenge – #1

Tis the season for resolutions, right? Well I’ve decided.. this year I will attempt…

30 [NEW] PROJECTS BY HAND

30 new skills. 52 weeks.

Here’s the rundown: They have to be projects the I have never attempted before. I cannot buy kits with all of the supplies included. I’ll probably be elated or incredibly frustrated. But every week or so, I’ll be documenting every success and failure.  Good or bad, you’ll see it.  All of this will be with the help of a few of my friends, of course

30ByHand #1….

A couple nights ago, my roommate’s girlfriend visited us. The two of them conjured up a pretty magical meal – like I said, most of my friends meet around a good ole’ fashioned home-cooked DELICIOUS meal. I have great friends. There was a basil leaf salad with roasted eggplant, sautéed pine nuts, goat cheese, drizzled with a really wonderful balsamic vinegar and olive oil. For the main course: homemade gnocchi with shitake mushrooms, english peas, in a lemony butter sauce. Like I said, it was magical.

Meet Lori. She plays cello. She loves food. So obviously, she’s pretty awesome. She’s also an arts&crafts addict, and showed me how to make needle-felted animals! I had seen some of her tiny penguins before, and I actually got the chance to make one myself! How does it work? Read about it on Etsy’s blog here.

Here’s a before and after:

  

Meet Peep! He’s a little buff, but that’s okay, he’ll hold up well in a fight. Honestly, it was a little trickier that I imagined it would be. But like anything, it takes practice, patience, and time. As for making something absolutely adorable in a small amount of time? So satisfying!

So there we go, #1 of 30 – COMPLETE! 

What are your favorite DIY/Handmade projects? It can be as inside/outside of the box as you’d like – tell me what you’d like to see me and some friends attempt.

What should be next?

MK