Saturday, November 20, 2010

Polymer Clay Buttons



About 2 years ago, I thought that it would be fabulous if I could make my own buttons from polymer clay.  I bought all of the supplies that I thought that I might need and put them in my sewing room.  That is where they ended up staying..... and are still hanging out there today.  Anyway, here is a great place to learn how to make your OWN BUTTONS.

45 Minute Hat


I am a TOTAL sucker for hats and I LOVE to make them.  I seek them out like I do chocolate.  Fabulous. I loved the idea of this 45 Minute Hat

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Polymer Clay Flowers

Monday, November 15, 2010

Easy Chiffon Flowers

Chiffon Flowers

Newspaper Flower


Floral Headband

Shabby Flower Tutorial
Fabric Dahlia





Rose Barrettes




Sewn Fabric Flowers

Chiffon Flowers

Chiffon Flowers are fun.  I LOVE how she used different colors of chiffon to create this look.

 Ribbon Anthrolpologie Pins

Fabric Flowers

A friend has asked me to help her make some fabric flowers for some Christmas gifts.  There are so many different ones out there, that I thought that I would post the tutorials that I love for everyone to enjoy. 

Fabric Flower

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

DIY Dish

Monday, September 13, 2010

Fun Things That I Want To Try

Beaded Bracelet!  Oh so cute!

Kissing Balls!  These would make any event festive

Faux Leather Hair Pieces. 

Granny Square Beret-  So Trendy!

Rocking Tutu- Halloween is coming!



Simple Votive Covers


Yoga Skirt- LOVE upcycling!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Monday, July 12, 2010

Sidewalk Chalk



Sidewalk chalk is fun and cleans up easily. So easy to make and fun to play with. Mix:

1 part Cornstarch
1 part Water
Food coloring

This is how I do it:

I put a whole box of cornstarch (3 1/2 cups) into my mixer and add 3 1/2 cups water and mix it. You can even do this with a hand mixer. I then pour it into those little wax coated paper cups and add 3 or 4 drops of food coloring to each cup. I keep a stirring stick in each cup because the cornstarch will tend to settle to the bottom of the cup. Use foam brushes to paint the concrete!

Kool Aid Play Dough **** SCENTED!!!!!!!

During the summer months, I am always trying out fun new things to do with the kiddos. I have decided to shared some of my favorites here! You can find a lot of recipes all over the internet. I have found my favorites and tweaked them so that they fit our family dynamic. Enjoy!



Kool Aid Play Dough

1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Salt
3 T. Vegetable Oil
2 Packets of sugar free Kool Aid (I use the brand name because the colors are brighter)
1 C. Boiling water (I use my tea kettle)


I do the easy thing and throw it all in my Kitchen Aid and mix it until it balls up. However, if you don't have a stand alone mixer, add the first four ingredients and mix with a fork. Then, pour in the boiling water. Continue mixing with a fork until it cools enough to handle. Knead it by hand on a counter top.

This dough will last a couple of weeks if you put it in air tight containers or zip lock bags and keep it in the fridge.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Shirred Tank Top


I am still not sure if this is a winner or a flop so I am putting it up on the blog and maybe I will tweak it later on. I am a penny pincher, but I like my kiddos to look cute. The other day I was at Target and saw these darling shirred tanks for girls. The price was $16 though and I wasn't about to spend that when I could come up with something on my own. This is what I did.

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a T-shirt for $2, washed it and ironed it.

With my handy dandy acrylic guide, I measured up 6 inches from the hem and marked it with dressmakers chalk.
Now I didn't show this part but, you have to hand wind a bobbin with elastic thread and put regular thread through the upper threader. Sew along the chalk line that you have drawn. Make sure you back stitch over the first few stitches or all of the elastic threading will come out.

After you finish the first line of stitching and using your presser foot as a guide continue making lines around the t-shirt. I did about 8 and next time I would do about 6. Just do it so that the waist is the width that you want.

Next, fold your t-shirt in half (don't mind that my ironing board cover is disgusting!)

Place your acrylic marker as I have and make a line with dressmakers chalk. I placed the marker about 1/2 inch under the lowest part of the collar. Then, cut along the line that you have drawn.

Your shirt will end up looking like this.

I again, didn't take pictures of this, but starting about 1/2 to 1 inch from the top of the shirt, start sewing with the elastic thread in the bobbin and normal thread up top. I did about 3 lines and really liked the look.

I didn't like the look the look of the sleeves so I cut the sleeves about 1/2 inch from the armpit junction up to about an inch away the shirring up top.
And this is what you end up with. A cute, flouncy tank top.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Sweet Pea Patterns Guest Giveaway

Hop on over and you may just win 6 DARLING baby shoes patterns from Sweet Pea!

Sweet Pea Patterns Guest Giveaway

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Placemat Fabric Boxes

I am in the process of cleaning out my home and getting rid of things that I don't need. I happened upon this lovely stack of dollar store placemats that I bought at Christmastime thinking that I would make crayon rolls with them. They didn't work for that purpose but, I couldn't just throw them out. They are perfectly good fabric and you can't throw fabric out (I have a bit of a problem and probably need a fabric intervention.)

So, when I came across them yesterday, I looked at them wondering what I could do and it hit me to try a box. Now, these aren't show stoppers by any means but, they are fun, functional and you can whip up a ton in hardly any time at all.

You will need only a dollar store placemat (or more expensive if you really want) and a sewing machine. You might be able to do this with glue.... I am just too lazy to figure that out right now. The placemats are perfect for this because they are already lined and have the interfacing sewn in so you skip about 5 steps right there. Here is how to proceed:



Start with a placemat and iron it to get out all of the creases and wrinkles.
Fold your placemat in half and measure a 3" square in the NON FOLDED corner. Cut out the corner the square and repeat on the other side.
It should look like this when you are done.

When opened up, it should look like this.
Match up the sides of the cut out squares and line them up from the top edge down and pin into place. You will see your box begin to take form.

Sew down the edge about 1/4" in.

Zigzag stitch over the raw edge if you don't want it to fray. However, fray is in right now so, feel free to leave it be.

Press your small edge in on top of the box as shown and line up the bottom part of the previously made seams. Finger press the line between the two seams and stitch between the side seams (does that make any sense???)
It should look like this when you are done. Repeat on the other short side.
When the short sides are sewn. Fold over the long edge and finger press that crease. Sew between the previously made seams. Repeat on the other side. When you are done, it should look like this.
It will be a little flimsy but, it is perfect for entertaining for holding chips or rolls or even bread for toast.




Thursday, May 20, 2010

Rolled Rosette

These fabric rosettes are all the rage and you see them everywhere. Although, I am sure that there are other tutorials out there, this is how I do it. Excuse me if the pictures are a bit off and if the instructions aren't clear. Leave a comment if you would like more detail.

I wanted to show how cute these rosettes are no matter what fabric you use. I chose an old vintage piece of gray, white and red. I didn't like it when I started but, I LOVE the finished product. This one is one of my favorites now!

Start off with a strip of fabric. I chose about 2" wide. Fold the tip into a triangle and press.
Place the tip of the triangle in the center of a square of felt (3x3) and stitch down about 1/2". Here is a tip. If your machine has a needle down feature, USE IT! This makes making these rosettes so much faster and easier!
After about 1/2 inch, twist the strip and turn it to go along side the triangle that you already sewed down.
Turn your felt square as you are sewing and sew along the middle of the fabric strip. Continue to twist your fabric and turn it around the center of your flower. Overlapping slightly will eliminate any chance that you will see your felt backing.
Continue to twist, turn and sew. Notice that my needle stays down the entire time.
Continue to turn around the center. Your flower will be getting bigger the more times you circle the center.



When you come to the size that you would like to have for your rosette, cut the remainder off of the strip of fabric.
Tuck the end under your rosette and stitch over that part concealing the end of your fabric strip.
Finished product on felt.
What the underside should look like.
Ta Da!