I have a sketchbook full of project ideas that I think will be perfect for Summer & so much fun! I want to use my ideas to make lots of tutorials to share with you! The projects will be based around two of my favorite Summer activities: camping & biking and there will also be plenty of Summer clothing projects! I need to raise some money to make it possible though. So, I’ve decided to have a little fundraiser! I’m going to share some of my inspiration with you below and if you enjoy it, please take a peek at the bottom of this post where I have several options for contributing.

Photo sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Camping: I love the idea of pretty camping or “glamping”, so I want to do some projects that will be great prettifying your campsite! I have ideas for decorated tents, sleeping bags, luminaries, etc.

Photo sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Clothing, jewelry, & accessories: I have ideas for some fun & easy skirts, dresses, and Summery tops! Some will be reconstructed & some made from scratch! There will be lots of fringe!

Photo sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Bikes: I’m going to show you how I made my bike basket liner + a couple other ways to decorate your basket. I have ideas for bike bags, streamers, and lots of stuff make with yarn! ;)

* I just want to point out that I will not be copying anything in the photos above. They are merely my inspiration for the projects I have planned. I do not want to give away my ideas so I’m not showing the actual project ideas.

Want to help me make these tutorials happen? Please consider any of the offers below! 100% of the money raised here (aside from shipping cost of the surprise boxes) will go towards supplies needed for these tutorials. 

*edit* I got a way better response to this than I expected! Thank you all so much! Rather than continuing to sell items on this blog post, I opened a store where I will continue this fundraiser. Please click here to visit. I currently have Surprise boxes and sponsorship deals available!

I have not made a hula hoop related post since November! What is that about?! I swear I still hoop all the time, I usually just don’t bother to post videos or pictures unless they’re taken somewhere pretty. Such as my very favorite beach spot! It has not been warm here lately. It’s been like 50-60 something (yes, to us spoiled Southern Californians that is SO cold!), so when suddenly it was 80 something this weekend, I knew a hoop at the beach day was in order!

I don’t really do doubles very often, but I’ve been trying to learn more moves with them. It is really not easy to have two of them on your body at once. Too much to think about! I don’t really know how people do it but I’m gonna figure it out!

Oh, and I think this is the first time I’ve shown both of my LED hoops here! I haven’t had them long. They’re great though! If you’re interested in buying one, they’re the Starfish & Fire Strobe styles from CitivaCreationz on Etsy. I love her hoops and recommend them to everyone! If you use my name “julieking” as the coupon code, you can get 10% off! :)

I’ve had some people tell me that they don’t know how to add their projects on Ravelry, so I’m going to show you how! It’s pretty simple and only takes a few minutes. When you add a project to Ravelry, it will be linked to both the pattern and the yarn you used. Have you ever bought a yarn just because you thought it was pretty but then didn’t know what to do with it? I like to go onto Ravelry, look up the yarn, and see what other people have done with it for inspiration! Plus it’s fun to see what other people have made using the same patterns you have! Not to mention, designers (meeee!) love to see what people have made with their patterns! So if you feel like sharing your projects, here’s how! :)

When you log in to Ravelry, click the “my notebook” tab at the top. This is where all of your projects are stored.

Click on the “add project” button and you’ll be taken to this screen:

You can name your project anything you want (my names are always suuuper creative! :P). “name of pattern” should be the actual name listed on the pattern or in the book, etc. This will help Ravelry link it to the pattern. If you were using a pattern that you bought from someone on Ravlery, one of mine for example, you would choose “website or download” and type “Gleeful Things” as the pattern source. When you click continue, it will take you to this screen:

If the pattern it finds is correct, click “choose this pattern” to go on to the next step.

On this screen, you can fill out as much or as little information as you want. I like to at least add the yarn that I used. I already wrote a blog post about my scarf so I put a link to that post in the notes section. You can also rate the pattern and the yarn by clicking the stars. Click continue when you’re done and the next step will be to add your photos.

Click the “add photos” tab at the top and it will take you to this screen:

Click the “upload from computer” tab and then click “choose files”. Find the pictures on your computer and click “upload”. The photos will appear above and if you have more than one, you can drag them around to rearrange the order they’re in if you want.

And this is what my finished project page looks like! Now it’s linked to the pattern and the yarn. If you were to click where it says “11 projects” under the “about this pattern” section, you’ll be able to see what other people have made using the same pattern! Let me know in the comments, if you have any questions.

Is there anything else you’d like to know how to do on Ravelry? I’d be happy to make more tutorials! :)

Happy New Year!! Better late than never, right? :P I love doing these year in review posts! It gives me a reason to look back through everything I’ve done in the past year and be proud! Here’s a little round up of some of my favorite things:

January: How to Read Crochet Patterns ♥ Snowflake Luminaries Mini Tutorial

March: Crochet Tips: Hook Grips ♥ Video: Cluster Stitch Tutorial ♥ Video: Puff Stitch Tutorial

April: New Pattern: Pinecone Slouchy Hat ♥ Free Pattern: Thumbless Mittens ♥ Video: Invisible Join Tutorial ♥ Crochet Project Bag Sewing Tutorial

May: DIY Tutorial: Plant Hanger From Fabric Strips ♥ New Pattern: Wildflower Barefoot Sandals

June: New Pattern: Gypsy Barefoot Sandals ♥ Free Pattern: Goddess Barefoot Sandals ♥ Video: How to Crochet with Beads

July: New Pattern: Spring Blossom Skully Hat ♥ DIY: Dainty Metal Beaded Bracelets Tutorial ♥ DIY: Beaded Skull Wrap Bracelet Tutorial

August: New Pattern: Sparkler Slouchy Hat ♥ Video Tutorial: Adding Sparkle to Any Yarn!

September: Glowing Bat Silhouette Embroidery Hoop ♥ DIY Faux Moroccan Lanterns From Old Jars

October: New Pattern: Sparkler Bag ♥ DIY Chalkboard Beer Tasting Glasses ♥ Funkin Candy Bowl ♥ DIY Tutorial: How to Make a Polypro Hula Hoop!

November: DIY Tutorial: Studded Hula Hoop Makeover ♥ Glitter + Feather Mason Jar Luminaries

December: DIY: Tassel Beaded Bracelet Tutorial

I found the most perfect spot to have day time hoop practice, right on the ocean! It’s so beautiful and peaceful! I’ve been all about fire hooping for the past few months so my regular hooping has kinda suffered. It was so nice to have a day to get back to regular hooping, learning new tricks, practicing flow, and enjoying the view!

That’s my new(ish) LED hoop on the left! I need to post more pictures of it soon because I love it!! :D

I realized it’s been a year since I made a non-fire video so here are two! These get a little repetitive, but I hope you’ll like em anyway! I feel like I left out sooo many tricks because I’ve gotten used to doing only fire friendly stuff (there’s a lot of tricks that you can’t do with fire). I’m excited for more regular hooping practice and getting my tricks back!