Lounge Brigade.com

Once again Christmas is coming and people all over the internet are giving beautiful presents in the shape of free patterns and free tutorials.
With these you can make gifts to give loved ones or ornaments to decorate your house.
It’s wonderful!

• You can put together delightful Bitsy Elf Clogs if you follow the pattern given by Jenny B Harris from Allsorts:

  

• Sew pretty mini Christmas trees out of fabric with the Stacking Fabric Christmas Trees
  tutorial by Sarah Neuburger from The Small Object:

  

• Assemble lovely Christmas Pixies with The Pixie Pattern and Tutorial made by Juliette from Chickpea:

  

• Make a festive Champagne Bubbles necklace made by Cyndi Lavin from Jewelry and Beading:

  

• Stitch up this adorable Little Pig On Wheels with the nice pattern from Hillary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls:

  

Thank you for all the great presents, folks!

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All the photos are from the mentioned sites and are copyrighted to the respective authors.

I collect a lot of links. I love the internet and it makes me happy to find things that are cute, easy, inspirational or just plain fun. “Happy Links” is a selection of links I think you might like. Enjoy!

• Octopode Pattern - A cute crochet pattern of an amigurumi octopus;
• Fortune Cookies Charm Tutorial - Made of Sculpey and uber cute!!
• 12 Dangerous Food Additives - An interesting article about food additives that are bad for you;
• Kitchen Myths - A list of myths about food and cooking;
• Guidelines for Cats - A guide for your cat. It’s a list of things a cat must do to control their human. I find this hilarious!!
• The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun - Inspiring flash animation.

Previous happy links here.

I love crochet. And because of that I’m always trying to look for new patterns. But if you google “free crochet patterns” you’ll know that there is a lot of crappy stuff out there. So I’ve rounded up 5 links of patterns that really rock!

• Baby It’s Cold Outside - The simplest pattern for a baby sweater. Easy, quick and pretty!



• Field of Flowers - A pretty afghan for your baby made of pretty squares. I’m making this in two shades of yellow;



• Ruffle Scarf - I just love this pattern because of it’s simplicity and wonderful effect in the end. Very feminine scarf;
• One-Skein Crochet Scarf - Last Christmas I made a batch of these to give to friends. They loved it! - Note that sometimes the Patons site is down and doesn’t display the patterns.



• Shells & Roses Poncho - This poncho is great for summer. Made from cotton in any fresh color. It was one of my first crochet projects. Very easy. You just need to pay attention so you don’t miss stitches.

I hope you enjoy these patterns as I have. I really like them all. I’m very grateful to their authors for giving them for free. Hurray for the internet!

Ideas for delicate sandwiches, fresh salads, romantic desserts and other picnic food. All in the name of the Perfect Picnic for Two!

Beverages:

• Mint Iced Tea - put it in a thermal flask with lots of ice and take some mint leaves to garnish the glasses;
• White wine - cool it at home, in the refrigerator, and take it in the cooler;
• White Peach Sangria - or any other Sangria. Remember to do your Sangria the night before, to really mix in the flavors;

Sandwiches:

• Smoked Salmon, Sour Cream and Cucumber Sandwiches - elegant and delicate classic sandwiches;
• Caprese Sandwich - nutritious and colorful;
• Baguette with Pesto, Peppers, Cheese and Prosciutto - Oh, so French!

Savory Pies:

• Quiche Lorraine - the mother of all picnic classics;
• Spinach Quiche - a variation on the quiche Lorraine;
• Savory Tartlets - these little savory pies are perfect to win someones heart. And they are bite-sized too!

Salads:

• Watercress, Pecan & Blue Cheese Salad - summery and fresh;
• Citrus Spinach Salad - remember to take the dressing in a little container and mix it in on the spot;
• Chickpea Salad - what can I say… I really love chickpeas;

Desserts:

• Mayan Chocolate Cupcakes - or any thing chocolaty. Chocolate is the ultimate romantic food. And cupcakes too!
• Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes - strawberries are sexy;
• Grand Fruit Salad - or any fresh fruit salad. Remember to use in season fruit for best flavor;

Other things you want to take with you:

Lots of Ice - for drinks and for the cooler;
Extra salt, pepper, and olive oil;
A camera;
A paper folding fan.

For the first part of this article click here: Preparing a romantic picnic - part 1

- Fold a Star - Making origami stars;

- Light bulb Window Vase - Recycle light bulbs and make a nice flower display;

- Rub on Decals - Make your own rub on decals;

- Necklace Tutorial - Revamp your old silver/gold necklace.