**CATMAS SPECIAL** CRAFTING WITH CATS RERUN ~ HOW WE MADE The Purrsonalised Catmas Stocking ~ Level Easy Peasy

 Supurr Festive Greetings Pawesome Pals

Welcome to the third of our Crafting with Cats Catmas Specials.  

And apologies for those who were expecting The Purrminator Chapter Eight today. We sadly  ran out of days to share our crating posts, so Melvyn's origin adventure will be back on the 2nd of January. 

All of our previous CWC posts are on the Crafting with Cats Page, and mew don't have to be an expert in anything to make any of them.  Plus we offer workarounds and no-sew projects for those who don't like to sew.

*    *    *

**A quick note before we begin**

All Crafting with Cats ideas and creations are of our own design and we share them fur purrsonal/home use only.

  So purrlease do not copy fur commercial/resale purrposes.

Copyright ©BionicBasil®

*    *    *

This time we're making a pawesome easy peasy 

Ready fur Santa Paws to stuff full of goodies just fur mew!

What Mew Will Need:

Mini pom poms

Faux fur 

Burlap/hessian or a fabric of your choice

Ribbon

Red and white twine or a colour of your choice

needles/thread/scissors/glue gun, or regular fabric glue

optional sewing machine

>^.^<

Optional Cat ~ Smooch was today's Craft Room Snoopervisor

Lets Get Started

1.  Choose your fabrics and trims - get your supplies together

2. Make a simple boot/stocking shape template, ours is A4 sized

3.  Cut out 2 pieces

4.  Take your pom poms and make initial of your choice - glue in place onto one piece - use a piece of card so mew don't accidentally glue it to your table top

5.  Once dry - stitch both pieces together - right sides out - a basic zigzag stitch will be fine or hand-stitching will also be ok

6.  Take your faux fur trim and cut to size - ours was approx 5" or 13 cm deep and just over 2 times the width of the top of the stocking

7.  Make sure the nap [direction of the pile] on the fabric is correct - in this case facing downwards - test this before you sew in place

8. Sew faux fur approx 1.5" or  4 cm from top of stocking

9.  Fold faux fur into stop of stocking, so it looks like this and hand-stitch in place; a simple running stitch will suffice

10.  & 11. Next take your twine and a large needle, and sew in stitch of your choice around the stocking edge, ours is just a basic stitch

12. Finally, take a loop of ribbon and attach to the inside of the stocking, and mew should now have something that looks like this

Isn't is fabulous, and we made a few more so no-purrdy feels left out! MOL

And that furiends furry sadly brings us to the end of our third Catmas Crafting with Cats post, we do hope mew liked it, and if mew decide to make your furry own Catmas Stocking, we'd love to see, so feel free to tag us on social media @BionicBasil - Instagram & Twitter or @BionicBasilCats on TikTok.

Amber will be back tomorrow with her last review of 2024 and she hopes mew can join her in the library. 

In the meantime

Keep calm and have a niptini, well it is almost Catmas! MOL

Festive purrs

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team

Follow Us @BionicBasil®  at Instacat, Twitter and Facebook

Disclaimer:

We at BionicBasil HQ are not responsible or liable fur any injuries to person/s and/or cat/s, crafting addictions, glue on cats, paper cuts, misplaced pins and needles, cats stealing your supplies, broken scissors, cat fur stuck on your projects, or your project not turning out as planned.  By using this information you hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless BionicBasil and staff from and against any and all claims for personal injuries or damages of any kind arising from use of any Crafting With Cats posts we may share.

Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com and www.pizap.com 

**CATMAS SPECIAL** CRAFTING WITH CATS RERUN ~ HOW WE MADE OUR FURRY OWN EPICALLY EPIC CATMAS TREE SCRATCHER WITH VELCRO CATNIP ORNAMENTS

 Supurr Festive Greetings Pawesome Pals

Welcome to the second of our Crafting with Cats Catmas Specials.  

If mew missed any of our previous CWC posts, stop by the Crafting with Cats Page and see all our previous projects, and mew don't have to be an expert in anything to make any of them.  Plus we offer workarounds and no-sew projects for those who don't like to sew.

*    *    *

**A quick note before we begin**

All Crafting with Cats ideas and creations are of our own design, and we share them for purrsonal/home use only.

  So purrlease do not copy fur commercial/resale purrposes.

Copyright ©BionicBasil®

*     *     *

In today's Crafting with Cats, we're making the only Catmas tree mew'll ever need: 

Catmas Tree Scratcher with Velcro Catnip Ornaments

What We Used:

One x Road Cone 750mm or  29.5" high

Sisal rope ~ we used 60 m x 6mm or 196ft in black

Faux fur for bottom ~ we used dark green

Felt squares ~ we used red, white and green

Velcro tape ~ we used black

Ribbons for trim

stuffing/wadding

Optional sparkly pom poms

Catnip ~ organic homegrown extra-strong primo quality

scissors, non-toxic glue/glue gun, cotton thread, sewing machine, or needle

>^.^<

Optional Cat ~ Smooch was today's Craft Room Snoopervisor

Let's Get Started on The Tree

1. - 4. Get a road cone. We purchased ours from Amazon. We placed it on a lazy-susan turntable, which made it much easier to glue the sisal rope in place. Just glue a few centimetres/inches at a time until the entire cone is covered as above. This cone is 750 mm or 29.5" high and took approx 60 metres or 196 ft of rope. It did take a while to glue as mew can imagine, but it looks purretty nifty when done. Leave the last couple of metres/6ft or so until mew have finished steps 5 to 11.

5. Take your faux fur and cut to size, leaving enough to finish underneath.

6. Measure the circumference at the base of the cone; ours is approx 90 cm or 35.4".

7.  Draw the same size circle in the middle of the faux fur.

8. Cut out the hole, and mew should have something that looks like this.

9. Check that is fits properly, tucking it under the rope.

10. We used regular non-toxic PVA glue for this stage and coated the entire base in a thick layer.

11. Place the faux fur in situ and gently press onto the glue. Leave to dry and then glue the edges to the underside to finish. Finally, glue the last part of the sisal rope to finish off, we stuck ours to the faux fur and the rope above to make sure it was secure.

12. Mew should now have a finished Catmas Tree Scratcher, that looks something like this.

Let's Decorate The Tree

The Catnip Star Tree Topper

1. We created a simple 4 point design with a longer point at the bottom, so it can be stuffed into the top of the tree, but still easily pulled out.

2. Cut 2 pieces in your chosen fabric and stitch around the edge, leaving a small gap for stuffing and catnip.

3. BBHQ epically epic catnip.

4. Sew up the gap, and mew should have something that looks like this.

Pandora came to snoopervise at this point and to also do a bit of quality control! MOL

*    *    *

 The Velcro Catnip Ornaments 

1. We chose a basic square for a pressie, a shaped bauble and a bell for our catnip ornaments, but mew could make anything mew like.

2. Hot glue the soft-side of the velcro to the back of each toy 

3.  Decorate with ribbon. Stitch together and follow the steps for the Catmas Star.

4. Hot glue the rough/scratchy side of the velcro to the tree, attach the toy and repeat until mew have made all your catnip decorations. 

And mew should have something that looks like this...

Isn't it epically epic?

We added a few red and green sparkly pom-poms, glued velcro on to those too and attached to the tree.

It's supurr sturdy too, so don't worry about it toppling over, as it has a nice weight to it.

So what did we think to our special Catmas Tree? 

Fudge went straight for the star, Parsley and Melvyn also really enjoyed it.

Stop by our Instagram account as we'll be posting the video's there and mew can see just how much we love our tree and what fun we're having with it.

In all honesty, this project turned out so much better than we could have ever imagined and for all those kitties being yelled at for climbing real Catmas trees, get your staff to make mew one of these, and mew can pull the ornaments off to your heart's content, climb it, scratch it, steal the star and generally be as naughty as mew like and it doesn't matter a hoot!

We think it's one of the best things we've ever made, what do mew guys think?

Health and Safety

Here at BBHQ, toys with pom poms on are only available to The B Team when the P.A. is snoopervising the play session.

Use pom pom toys under supervision only.  

Or mew can just make the Catmas Tree Scratcher without the pom poms.  If your kitty is a total heathen toy destroyer, definitely make it without the pom poms! 

Mew should regularly check shop bought toys too, and throw away anything that is damaged, broken or defective.

And that furiends furry sadly brings us to the end of our second Catmas Crafting with Cats post, we do hope mew liked it, and if mew decide to make your furry own Catmas Tree Scratcher, we'd love to see, so feel free to tag us on social media @BionicBasil - Instagram & Twitter or @BionicBasilCats on TikTok.

So we'll sign off on this bright and breezy Monday and look forward to your company on Wednesday's Midweek News.

In the meantime

Keep calm and have a niptini, well it is almost Catmas! MOL

Festive purrs

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team

Don't furget to subscribe to our blog and never miss another post. 

Disclaimer:

We at BionicBasil HQ are not responsible or liable fur any injuries to person/s and/or cat/s, crafting addictions, glue on cats, paper cuts, misplaced pins and needles, cats stealing your supplies, broken scissors, cat fur stuck on your projects, or your project not turning out as planned.  By using this information you hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless BionicBasil and staff from and against any and all claims for personal injuries or damages of any kind arising from use of any Crafting With Cats posts we may share.

Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com 

**Spooky Crafting With Cats** **RERUN ~ PART SIX** How We Made the Epic **TWO-IN-ONE CAT SCRATCHER**

Supurr Spooky Greetings Pawesome Pals

Thanks for joining us for Part Six of our Halloween Crafting with Cats Rerun. Mew know we have so much fun making all this stuff and we hope mew enjoy seeing it!

If mew missed any of our previous CWC posts, stop by the Crafting with Cats Page and see all our previous projects, and mew don't have to be an expert in anything to make any of them.  Plus, we offer workarounds and no-sew projects for those who don't like to sew.

Previous Halloween Crafting Posts

Part One ~ Bertie the Bat, Yummy Plumpkin Tartes and the Purple Peril Kicker

Part Two ~ Spooky Haunted House + Catnip Pumpkin Toys

Part Three ~ Pumpkin Pouffe and Some Other Really Fun Pumpkin-Inspired Stuff 

Part Four ~ Gordon the Ghost Spooktacular Meowoleen Snuggle Mat

Part Five ~ The Trick or Treat Halloween Monster Truck aka MOG1

*    *    *

**A quick note before we begin**

All Crafting with Cats ideas and creations are of our own design, and we share them for purrsonal/home use only.

  So purrlease do not copy for commercial/resale purrposes.

Copyright ©BionicBasil®

*     *     *

The Two-In-One Cat Scratcher

Isn't it epic?

What We Used:

5 x pre-made cardboard cat scratchers (£17.99)

1 x  large cardboard box

Non Toxic glue + Glue gun

Black spray paint (+ face mask)

Black non-toxic paint

1 x cardboard tube

Mini Ghosts

White + black felt fabric

4 x pom poms

catnip 

stuffing

**See Gordon the Ghost link below, and just reduce the pattern size**

Let's Get Started

CHAOS IN THE CRAFT ROOM

1. & 2. We had bought these five cardboard scratchers from Amazon with the intent of making something totally different, however they were much smaller than we thought, so idea one, was literally tossed out of the window. And a few minutes later, we had another idea, and that needed one large Amazon box, too.

(Note: mew could make your own scratchers - see our tutorial here)

3. Making it up as we went along, this is what we decided. First, we cut all the flaps off. And cut the side of the box out. 

4. This is what it looked like.

5. 6.  We repeated on the other side, and this is how it looked.

 7. & 8. Next, it was spray painted - always use a mask - and #8 was after a couple of coats   

(we didn't have time to apply more paint). 

9. & 10. Next we glued four of the scratchers in place to the back.

11.  Then, we glued the last one to the bottom.

12.  Using one of the flaps, we measured to make an infill piece.

13. 14. & 15.  This is what the infill looked like, we scored the sides along the line and bent them into postion, before gluing in place..

16.   We repeated the previous steps to make infills for the other side and front.

17. 18. & 19.  Taking a long wrapping paper cardboard tube, we cut it in half and glued along the sides of the other scratchers. So it filled in the tiny gap, and this is what it looked like.

20. Next, we scored and folded the top flap in half.

21. We glued it together.

22. Then, we glued the flap down, securing it to the edges of the box. And we painted the rest of the cardboard black.

23. If mew look at the top corner, mew can see we added a corner piece, as when we initially cut the flaps off in step 2, we were a bit slap dash and didn't cut it level so were left with a small gap, and this piece just covered our butchery! MOL

24. And this is what your Two-in-One Cat Scratcher should look like now. 

And there mew have it, only 24 easy peasy, supurr simple steps to making your very own Two-in-One Cat Scratcher! MOL 

It took just over a couple of hours to make, so not that long, and that's us making something that we've never made before so, it should take mew much less time.

Plus, we made the two small catnip ghosts and added the catnip pumpkins from the Haunted House project. See links below for instructions and other Halloween crafting projects.

And we know mew're wondering why it's a two-in-one cat scratcher, well it was initially designed to go up a wall, thereby offering a nice tall scratching scenario, but then we realised that it could also be used flat, and it makes a wunderpurr bed and scratcher, so the choice is yours on what your purrsonal preference is, vertical or horizontal! MOL

Smooch and Fudge are demonstrating the horizontal position, and there's more than enough room for two cats, two ghosts and three pumpkins!

And Fudge demonstrates the vertical position.

Fudge has pretty much claimed ownership of it, and is currently reclining (Sunday Morning - we only finished it late on Caturday) in the horizontal position in the sitting room! MOL

And for those who'd just like to watch us make it, here is the video - it's only 28 seconds long for those short on time! 

Direct link to watch on YouTube

LET'S GET SCRATCHING!

What do mew think of The Two-in-One Cat Scratcher?

We think it turned out pretty well, given that we had no clue what we were making and that we were really short on time.

See our previous Halloween Crafting Posts Below:

Check out the epically epic Spooky House and Catnip Pumpkins 

Click here

and

The Halloween Crafting Special from 2019

Featuring oodles of fun projects including this giant furry pumpkin bed with catnip leaves and a catnip kicker stalk.

Click Here

Gordon the Ghost Spooktacular Meowoleen Snuggle Mat 2020

Click Here

The Trick or Treat Monster Truck aka MOG 1

Isn't it epic?

Here's how we made it ~ Click here! 

Check out our YouTube Channel for more fun DIY Cat Stuff videos.

And that furiends furry sadly brings us to the end of our sixth Halloween Crafting with Cats Rerun; we do hope mew liked it, and feel free to post your pawesome crafty pics or ideas on our Facebook page at:

Bionic Basil & The 'B' Team @Facebook 

We'll be back tomorrow with another spooky selfie, and if mew missed Fudge's selfie last week, click here.

Spooky purrs

MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team 

Don't furget to subscribe and never miss another post!

Disclaimer:

We at BionicBasil HQ are not responsible or liable for any injuries to person/s and/or cat/s, crafting addictions, glue on cats, paper cuts, misplaced pins and needles, cats stealing your supplies, broken scissors, cat fur stuck on your projects, or your project not turning out as planned.  By using this information you hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless BionicBasil and staff from and against any and all claims for personal injuries or damages of any kind arising from the use of any Crafting With Cats posts we may share.

Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com 

Music used under license from SoundStripe. Track:Rave Kids Artist: PALA