6/30/12
craft room cabinet
We moved into our new home a couple weeks ago. It has been an adventure and compromise trying to figure out what we will do in our space and where we will keep things. For now I get to have a craft room/office! I'm very excited! And we were lucky enough that the previous owners of the home left us quite a few cabinets in the garage. I commandeered a couple that were kind if ugly and wouldn't serve any purpose in the garage. So they are kind of ugly...
But that has changed since I found some awesome Con-tact sheet paper. When I was a kid I only ever remember this coming in clear but now I have found that they have some great patterned stuff to. So I took what I had towork with and made it (in my mind) LOADS better looking...see for yourself:
For a half hour's worth of labor I think it's great! Can't wait to line the drawers next!
8/5/11
Dinner or Dessert?
It was my Dad's birthday this past week and I wanted to make something to bring up to celebrate this weekend. I had the day off today, it was a nice break to be able to bake again. It seems like it's been forever since I baked something fun.
So, here's what I made, aren't they cute?
I took the idea from a couple places, first Family Fun (which by the way, is just a fun website anytime you need inspiration on creative foods) and the second is the always inspirational Bakerella, if you haven't heard of her then you are surely living under a rock.
It's pretty easy to make these, just take some time and in my case some improvisation. Basically you need some brownies, Nilla Wafer cookies, and frosting.
I didn't have sesame seeds or coconut so I used granulated sugar on top of my buns as the "sesame seeds" and then just green tinted frosting for the lettuce.
After you assemble the ingredients and cut out your brownie "patties" you can assemble the hamburger. I did mine in stages. First pick out the best cookies in the box and put down a layer of "lettuce" then the "patty" brownie, followed by "cheese/mustard", then "tomato/ketchup", and finally the top bun.
Super easy and fun...hopefully everyone enjoys them up at the lake tomorrow!
So, here's what I made, aren't they cute?
I took the idea from a couple places, first Family Fun (which by the way, is just a fun website anytime you need inspiration on creative foods) and the second is the always inspirational Bakerella, if you haven't heard of her then you are surely living under a rock.
It's pretty easy to make these, just take some time and in my case some improvisation. Basically you need some brownies, Nilla Wafer cookies, and frosting.
I didn't have sesame seeds or coconut so I used granulated sugar on top of my buns as the "sesame seeds" and then just green tinted frosting for the lettuce.
After you assemble the ingredients and cut out your brownie "patties" you can assemble the hamburger. I did mine in stages. First pick out the best cookies in the box and put down a layer of "lettuce" then the "patty" brownie, followed by "cheese/mustard", then "tomato/ketchup", and finally the top bun.
Super easy and fun...hopefully everyone enjoys them up at the lake tomorrow!
9/15/10
Diaper Cover
As promised, I finished the diaper cover today to match the wipes cover. I don't have any diapers to show in the case, so just use your imagination. Here are pictures:
I did the Velcro in opposite directions to increase the ability to close the cover no matter how empty or full the case was.
I learned a few things during this project:
1. don't use adhesive Velcro, it gums up the needle on the sewing machine...such a pain!
2. Plan what you want the cover to look like before you start assembling. I hadn't decided how I wanted to embellish it until after I was finished...it's much more difficult to sew ribbon on a finished project than it would have been to sew it on before assembling!
3. Iron your seams! even if you think you don't need to, it makes everything so much easier and the project just lays better.
Glad I'm done. Now I need to finish some projects I started weeks ago before I took this lovely break to make a quick gift.
I did the Velcro in opposite directions to increase the ability to close the cover no matter how empty or full the case was.
I learned a few things during this project:
1. don't use adhesive Velcro, it gums up the needle on the sewing machine...such a pain!
2. Plan what you want the cover to look like before you start assembling. I hadn't decided how I wanted to embellish it until after I was finished...it's much more difficult to sew ribbon on a finished project than it would have been to sew it on before assembling!
3. Iron your seams! even if you think you don't need to, it makes everything so much easier and the project just lays better.
Glad I'm done. Now I need to finish some projects I started weeks ago before I took this lovely break to make a quick gift.
9/14/10
Diaper Wipe Cover
First off, let me say that I have a new found respect and admiration for crafters who do the step-by-step photos for their crafts. I was trying to take pictures of the different steps and it was SO much more time consuming having to pause and figure out an angle. So, this being my first step-by-step craft post I hope it works out. I know the pictures aren't that great, so I will work on improving my photography skills next time.
I was invited to a baby shower for this Saturday, but don't really know the mother-to-be very well (she's the daughter-in-law of my mom's best friend...yeah...). I was trying to figure out a gift since she's not registered anywhere, and I remembered seeing these awesome Boutique Diaper Wipe Covers. Figured these were pretty universal, of course the pattern of fabric could be unique to an individual, so I went with a black and white theme since that seems more universal.
Here's the finished product, I think it turned our really well, and it was tempting to just say it's a clutch, add a wrist strap and take it out on the town, but I put the wipes back in and intend to give it as a gift on Saturday.
To make this I followed inspiration from 3 different blogs:
Make It and Love It
Sew Dang Cute
According to Kelly
So if you get lost, reference these blogs because they have done a thorough job in explaining what to do.
Materials:
Fabric 9"x11"
Batting of Felt (some kind of padding) 9"x11"
Decorative Trim - 1 yard
Embellishments (if wanted)
Hot Glue
Mod Podge
Scissors
Travel diaper wipes case
Cut your material and the felt/stuffing material
Mod Podge the batting/felt to the case and be sure to glue the spine. We are ignoring the pop-up top and covering it. I was going to attempt to make the fabric fit around the opening but wasn't feeling that ambitious...maybe next time.
Open the case to let the case dry for a bit (I waited about an hour and folded laundry in the meantime).
Next you'll Mod Podge the fabric to the batting/felt. One blog suggests putting the Mod Podge directly on the fabric, which is what I did, but beware, if your fabric is on the thinner side it will "leak" through to the surface your fabric was on. I used an old shoe box, so no harm there. Another blog suggests you hot glue the fabric, but every time I hot glue stuff I can usually see the hot glue "trails" under the fabric, so I avoid using hot glue to adhere large pieces of fabric. Open the case bookstyle again to let it dry.
Once it's dry, trim the batting close to the edge while leaving the fabric to overhang the edges, you will probably need to trim the corners. Then hot glue the edges of the fabric down.
On the bottom side of the case you want to make sure the fabric doesn't go over the ridge. Fold the raw edges under on the spine but don't glue them down yet because you need to insert the trim here.
The final real step is to add the decorative trim. I taped the ends to keep them from fraying. Put a dab of glue under the folded over edge and insert the trim, then hot glue the trim all the way around on the top then bottom (or vice versa). It's easier to do it in two pieces so cut that yard in half and make sure to tape the ends.
Here's the finished product, now just add whatever kind of embellishments you want. One tip though, if you plan on putting a ribbon across the top do it while you're gluing the trim so you can hide the edges of the ribbon.
Hope you enjoyed this! I really enjoyed making this, tomorrow I'll do the diaper case that is on Make It and Love It after the wipe case tutorial. I think I'll just post the after pictures since she does a good job of explaining the process, and I don't know if I can do more than one step-by-step tutorial in a week.
I was invited to a baby shower for this Saturday, but don't really know the mother-to-be very well (she's the daughter-in-law of my mom's best friend...yeah...). I was trying to figure out a gift since she's not registered anywhere, and I remembered seeing these awesome Boutique Diaper Wipe Covers. Figured these were pretty universal, of course the pattern of fabric could be unique to an individual, so I went with a black and white theme since that seems more universal.
Here's the finished product, I think it turned our really well, and it was tempting to just say it's a clutch, add a wrist strap and take it out on the town, but I put the wipes back in and intend to give it as a gift on Saturday.
To make this I followed inspiration from 3 different blogs:
Make It and Love It
Sew Dang Cute
According to Kelly
So if you get lost, reference these blogs because they have done a thorough job in explaining what to do.
Materials:
Fabric 9"x11"
Batting of Felt (some kind of padding) 9"x11"
Decorative Trim - 1 yard
Embellishments (if wanted)
Hot Glue
Mod Podge
Scissors
Travel diaper wipes case
Cut your material and the felt/stuffing material
Mod Podge the batting/felt to the case and be sure to glue the spine. We are ignoring the pop-up top and covering it. I was going to attempt to make the fabric fit around the opening but wasn't feeling that ambitious...maybe next time.
Open the case to let the case dry for a bit (I waited about an hour and folded laundry in the meantime).
Next you'll Mod Podge the fabric to the batting/felt. One blog suggests putting the Mod Podge directly on the fabric, which is what I did, but beware, if your fabric is on the thinner side it will "leak" through to the surface your fabric was on. I used an old shoe box, so no harm there. Another blog suggests you hot glue the fabric, but every time I hot glue stuff I can usually see the hot glue "trails" under the fabric, so I avoid using hot glue to adhere large pieces of fabric. Open the case bookstyle again to let it dry.
Once it's dry, trim the batting close to the edge while leaving the fabric to overhang the edges, you will probably need to trim the corners. Then hot glue the edges of the fabric down.
On the bottom side of the case you want to make sure the fabric doesn't go over the ridge. Fold the raw edges under on the spine but don't glue them down yet because you need to insert the trim here.
The final real step is to add the decorative trim. I taped the ends to keep them from fraying. Put a dab of glue under the folded over edge and insert the trim, then hot glue the trim all the way around on the top then bottom (or vice versa). It's easier to do it in two pieces so cut that yard in half and make sure to tape the ends.
Here's the finished product, now just add whatever kind of embellishments you want. One tip though, if you plan on putting a ribbon across the top do it while you're gluing the trim so you can hide the edges of the ribbon.
Hope you enjoyed this! I really enjoyed making this, tomorrow I'll do the diaper case that is on Make It and Love It after the wipe case tutorial. I think I'll just post the after pictures since she does a good job of explaining the process, and I don't know if I can do more than one step-by-step tutorial in a week.
9/1/10
Wonders of Bleach
I went to a concert last weekend and really wanted to make a shirt that no one else would have. So I decided to test an idea I had. I took a plain black t-shirt, a few cotton swabs, and a little bit of bleach in a cup. I simply dipped the cotton swabs in the bleach and free-handed my design onto the shirt. The change was almost immediate, but it never did turn completely white. So after completing the design I washed it in cool water then dried it. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I imagine this technique would work with any colored shirt. Good simple project to get a unique look.
Here's a couple pictures of the finished project:
Here's a couple pictures of the finished project:
8/18/10
Beaches and Weddings
A friend of mine got married recently and honeymooned in Hawaii, so for their wedding gift I hunted the beaches of Pismo for the best sand dollar and created a Christmas ornament that I hope they'll cherish forever!
I hand painted the front with acrylics then sealed it with a glossy top coat and glued on the "birds" for the sunset. The "birds" are actually little things found inside the sand dollar, I got these ones from a separate sand dollar. The back I just sealed with the letter "B" for the newlywed's last name. I'm pretty happy with the results and I hope they enjoy it!
I hand painted the front with acrylics then sealed it with a glossy top coat and glued on the "birds" for the sunset. The "birds" are actually little things found inside the sand dollar, I got these ones from a separate sand dollar. The back I just sealed with the letter "B" for the newlywed's last name. I'm pretty happy with the results and I hope they enjoy it!
Christmas PJs
Every year my family has matching PJs for Christmas. We usually take a picture in November and then my mom uses that picture for that year's Christmas card. It's so fun, and I always look forward to seeing what our PJs are going to look like. Well, this year I found really awesome flannel on clearance and I decided I was going to make my and Brad's PJs this year. I bought a pattern and have made stuff up along the way, because honestly those patterns sometimes are written in a language that does not compute in this brain. So here's the end product:
I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. I had a bit of a scare when I accidently made Brad put my PJs on and they were too small, but then we realized the mistake, whew! I can't wait for Christmas!
I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. I had a bit of a scare when I accidently made Brad put my PJs on and they were too small, but then we realized the mistake, whew! I can't wait for Christmas!
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