the little green bean

Weekend Projects

2012-01-31T19:37:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I went to a wonderful cabin in Danburry Wi, with a bunch of fun girls from work! I spent most of my time sewing! Here are some of the things I was able to get done!

1. New ruffle tote. I created this pattern while I was there. Fun ruffles on the outside and lots of pockets on the inside! I was inspired by pinterest on the ruffles, but I did completely design this one!

2. I made another Mail Sack and a matching clutch. The clutch pattern is from Keyka Lou. I found it on pinterest of course! It was easy to follow and she has so many to choose from!!! Check her out!

3. Then I made this button bracelet. Another idea from pinterest! I am sensing a theme here!

The tutorial can be found at hope studios, and the buttons were bought from Michales, part of Tim Holtz design collection! I love his stuff!!

It was a fun and productive weekend!

Have you been pinspired lately?

Mail Sack

2012-01-26T19:38:00.000-08:00

I bought a great new pattern called the Mail Sack by Pink Chalk Studio.

I finally found something I wanted to make with my cosmo cricket fabric! I made the smaller bag, the pattern comes with 2 sizes, 12 x12 and 16 x16. It was very easy to make, the pattern is well written and very easy to follow!

Since this is the 12 x 12 bag, I did have to adjust the strap length to make it long enough for me.

This is the perfect size purse, this weekend I will be making the larger one to take on our vacation. I will share when it's done! I bought some fun bright fabric for that one!

Here is the link to their website:

Pink Chalk Studios

So many fun things!!!

DIY Wall Art

2012-01-24T19:12:00.000-08:00

When I painted my bar area, I also decided that I needed some new decor. I did not want to spend any money so I only used stuff I had on hand. Once I decided to hang the ladder on the wall, I thought I would make some fun art to place on it. I started by using some wood that I had already painted and glazed. Next I selected the pictures that I wanted to use, re-sized them in photo shop to fit by boards and print onto regular copy paper.

Decide where they will be placed on the boards. Remove the pictures and cover the board with a coat of mod podge.

Place the picture back on the board and add another coat of mod-podge over the picture to seal it. I used a brayer to help push out any air bubbles and to keep it smooth. Let dry.

Next I grabbed a bunch of fun embellishments and played around until I knew what I wanted. I used hot glue to attach everything, and that's it. They took maybe 30 minutes to make, and cost $0.

Here they are, all done! My bar area is coffee themed, so the photos I found-all on pinterest, were just perfect!

Color Change

2012-01-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

The plan was to repaint a small area in my kitchen. I wasn't really happy with the shade of brown and was in love with grey lately. So I bought a gallon of grey paint for an area that took maybe 1/4 of a quart! So I had all this paint left over.

Downstairs I had 2 walls that had been a golden yellow color, which I always liked until recently I made a wreath and hung it up and decided that I no longer liked the golden yellow. My hubby loves it when I do this!

Here it is.

Blech! So since I had all the grey left I decided to make a change!

I paint both walls grey, and once I started I could not paint fast enough. I was loving the grey!!

I had Mike hang a ladder on the wall to use as my new shelf.

I made the 3 wood signs on the ladder, a tutorial will be coming soon!!

Here is the same door shelf with my new wreath, it looks so much better I think!

I made a new curtain, it is made from the same fabric as the wreath. I just love it!!!

Now I better get back to the kitchen, that I have since painted back to brown, just darker than what was there before. I will post more later!! Have a great Sunday!

Put a bird on it

2012-01-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

So the other day a co-worker showed me this clip from a new TV show called Portlandia, if you craft, blog, pin, DIY, etc, I think you will find it funny. Put a bird on it!

I laugh every time I watch it, and the truth is, many things really are cutter if you put a bird on it!

I now have a pinterest board dedicated to just that, you can see it HERE.

Have fun, and if it looks too plain remember, you can always

PUT A BIRD ON IT!

Healthy Chai Tea Latte

2012-01-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

Every night I tend to crave a hot creamy mocha.

However I do not need the extra calories and sugar, especially before bed.

So I have created a great drink that does the trick and is just 45 calories and full of flavor!

Chai Tea latte

You will need:

1 Chai tea bag ( I use decaf at night)

3/4 c boiling water

3/4 c hot almond milk

1/4 t almond extract

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t cloves

1/4 t nutmeg

1-2 Packets of splenda

Steep the tea bag in the boiling water for about 5 min.

Mix spices and splenda and add to the tea.

Add the almond extract & hot milk.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Sure beats the ones at Starbucks that are 230 calories w 42 grams of sugar!

Enjoy!!

Fabric flower wreath tutorial

2012-01-09T16:37:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I made a wreath that I can leave out all year round. You will need:

1 18" wreath frame

4 felt squares, or any fabric scraps to wrap around it

Several 1 1/4 " strips of fabric more or less depending on how full you want the wreath to be. Mine were 16-24 inches long, the longer the fabric strip the fuller the flower.

Hot glue gun and lots of glue sticks

ruffler foot

Lets start!!

Cut your felt into 2 inch srips. Hot glue the edge of the felt to the inside of the wreath frame. Wrap felt around the frame and glue the loose end to the back. Continue to do this with the felt until the entire wreath frame is covered.

This is what it will look like when you are done.

Now it is time to ruffle (or gather if you don't have a ruffler foot) I ruffled all of my fabric strips at 3.5 stitch width, and on a 6. I did ruffle some of them at 1 which made for a really full flower, I liked having them a little different! I would guess that I had about 50 strips of fabric when I was all done.

Coil up the fabric into a loose circle. I would sometimes hold it tight at the bottom and let the top be a little looser, it all depends on how you like your flowers.

Spread some hot glue on the felt, make a round glue puddle and press the bottom of your flower into your glue puddle.

Press it down until it looks the way you want, flatten it out a bit, don't let the flower stand straight up and down.

Continue to this until your wreath is covered with flowers. Once I thought I was done I made some smaller flowers and added them in to any spot that looked like it was a little bare. Add a ribbon to the top for a loop to hang it from and you are done!

Here is it all finished!

You can see the large and small flowers and different colors & patterns all over. This can finally stay up all year and I can change my decor around it to work with the seasons!

Pinspiration Sunday

2012-01-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

As I browse Pinterst this Sunday morning while drinking my coffee I am getting some great ideas for so -re-do's I have been thinking about lately. I love the gray in this kitchen. I have all white cabinets so this could look really good. We have brown tile on the wall though, so I need to make sure I get the right shade!

My oldest son's bathroom, this room really needs a re-do. This would be a very big project, a complete transformation!! Love the colors here and the beadboard!

This is also inspiration for the bathroom, that armoire is amazing!

And I have been loving wall stencils lately! I could see this in these colors in my room for sure! Not sure if I am ready to tackle this just yet. Cutting edge stencils has some really great patterns out there, but this one just caught my eye!

What have you found on pinterest lately?? I know I am on there "pinning" way to much!

Follow me if you would like!

Fabric flower tutorial

2012-01-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

I have been making some fun things with my new ruffler foot lately, my favorite besides ruffles, is fabric flowers. The ruffler makes it so easy to do! Below I will show you step by step how to make these flowers. They take no time at all!

This is the latest purse I made with some great new moda fabric.
Ok here goes! This is my ruffler foot, you can get generic brand ones for about $30 at Hancock. If you do not have a ruffler foot, you can gather the fabric and still make these flowers.

Cut a strip of fabric 1 1/2 inches wide. The wider it is the taller the flower will be. My strip is approx 24" long. You can adjust the length depending on how large or small you want your flowers.

Place the fabric in the ruffler. I set mine to ruffle every 6 stitches, you can adjust the ruffler for 1, 6, or 12 stitches. I also set my machine stitch width at 3.5 Ruffle the entire strip of fabric on the edge. Leave about 1/8".

This is what it should look like.

Use a hot glue gun and turn in one end of the ruffle about 1/2 inch and glue in place.

Now make a circle of hot glue on a separate piece of fabric. I place interfacing on the back of it for stability. You need to work fast here so the glue does not dry.

Place the end of the ruffle that you glued down in the middle of the glue circle. Wrap the fabric round the glue circle loosely until all of the fabric is glued down.

This is what your flower will look like, you then need to press down the fabric into the glue to "shape" your flower.

This is now what it should look like. The you simply cut it out around the base.

You will have a fabric circle on the bottom. I usually glue my flowers in place, or you can attach a pin to make it removable.

That's it. These take about 5 min to make and you can make so many in several different sizes. I have added buttons and jewels to the center for add fun!

Happy Sewing!

How to make your cricut mat sticky again

2012-01-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

Do you feel like your cricut mats loose their "stick" rather quickly? Here is a quick and inexpensive way to "re-stick" them!

You will need a repositionable spray adhesive, I used Krylon. DO NOT use permanent! Tape, my favorite is FROG tape, and a scraper.

First scrape any excess paper or residue from your mat to clean it.

Then using the green edge of the mat as a guide, tape off all 4 edges. You don't want the edges to be sticky, it will not go through the machine properly.

Then simply spray your mat! Hold the can approx 12 inches away from the mat, you don't want it to go on to thick. Spray 2-3 light coats. Remove the tape and it is ready to use. This can be done over and over again! Saving you lots of money!

New Year, Clean Space & some organizing tips!

2012-01-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

After spending hours and hours in my craft room this season, I knew I had to get in there and do some serious purging! I spent way to much time "looking" for the right stuff and digging through bin after bin. This is what the room looked like Friday morning:

And here is what is was by evening:

I spent time going through ever bin, drawer, box, basket and cupboard! I emptied 7 full size totes and found some new solutions to keep items close at hand and more visible.

1st thing was hooks. I added several hooks to the side of my island where I find myself standing and cutting most of the time. I always seem to set down the cutter and then I can't find it.

This ruler did not have a hole to hang it so I used a binder clip from the office to attach it to the hook.

Next up my scrapbook supplies, all now neatly in order in clear containers or baskets that slide out easily.

I have clear containers all over the room, here is my loose stamps, glitter ribbon, etc. All now easy to see what is where.

Punches are all organized on kitchen towel rods from IKEA, super cheap there!!

I have more thread than I like to admit, here is just some of it out that I use the most often, I think I may need to get another storage rack for it though!

Fabric, I know many of you have seen this already, in fact this was my most viewed and pinned post of all time! I keep all of my fabric on mini bolts made from foam core, out where I can see what I have.
I did have a bin of fabric, most of it such tiny scraps I have no idea why I hung onto all of it. That is now gone. The original post is HERE, I show how to create the mini blots for fabric storage.

Cricut machine and many cartridges! I have slowed down my purchasing though now that I have SCAL. That software has been great!

Sweater scraps organized in clear bins by color, lace, ribbon, needle felting, etc. I now can see everything and grab the bin I need!

My cutting table. I bought 2 more cutting mats and am now able to cover my entire counter with self healing mats. I plan to flip them all over and duct tape the back side to help keep them all together and eliminate the seams.

Now that my room is clean and organized I need to get in there and make something, but I don't want to mess it up!!!

To find more great storage and organization tips look on pinterest, you will find a ton! Here is a link to one of my boards!

Pinerest-Home organization

DIY Roman Shades

2011-12-30T20:25:00.000-08:00

Today I was finally able to get around to hanging up my new Roman Shades that I made.

I found a great tutorial on Pinterest!

They are made from mini blinds and fabric. They were really easy to do and I love the look of them in my entry way!

Have you found pinterest yet??

****WARNING****

Pinterest is highly addictive, you will find yourself on there for hours at a time!

Have fun!

Burlap and Ruffles

2011-12-29T19:42:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas is behind us, I had to figure out what else to make for my shop. I have made some runners in the past, but wanted to add a bit to them. So I made some ruffles and fabric flowers!

I added some vintage buttons and gems for some fun detail.

Some birds have eyes, and some just a wing. They are all made with a soft ivory fabric with a light grey script print.

I have had a bin full of vintage lace I bought at a estate sale, I finally found a use for it.

I made some place mats to match, it looks great all together on a table!!

Any other good burlap ideas out there?? Maybe I will go and get some pin-speration!!

I blame pinterest

2011-12-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

I planned to do some holiday baking today. Nothing fancy, just a few different types of traditional holiday cookies, as I had several other things on my to do list for the weekend! That all changed when I logged onto pinterest! So my morning of baking turned into running around trying to find the perfect cookies cutters and to get more baking supplies. Then I spent the next 8 hours in my kitchen. Also not planned, I was going to wrap, and sew and address cards today. None of that happened! So here is my first attempt at royal icing decorated cookie cut outs.

Not too bad huh?? Now would I make them again?? NO they are so much work! and as I typed the word NO, I know deep down, I might make them again!

I also made peanut butter blossoms, my hubby's favorite!

& 2 different types of fudge and snickerdoodles!

I have a love hate relationship with pinterest, have you discovered it yet??

If not you should!

www.pinterest.com

Here is where I got my ispiration, great recipe and an even better tutorial!!!

Next week I may try these for Christmas eve appetizers!

Wine Bottle Gift Bags

2011-12-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

My SIL showed me some of these that she had spotted on a blog last week, they were made out of recycled sweaters and are adorable! I thought I would make some from burlap!

Since I am in love with my new machine, I decided to embroider one, and added a red stripe ribbon.

This one is more masculine, perfect for the guy who has everything!

And then for some fun, RUFFLES! This one is great for all occasions! Christmas, birthdays & weddings!

My SIL has made some from sweaters & has them on her ETSY site along with her amazing recycled wool sweater mittens!

New found fun!

2011-12-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

This weekend I decided that with all the sewing I do, that I really needed a better machine. One with more options. So I bought a Husquavarna Viking Sapphire. It is a really nice machine. One thing that was a big selling point was the ability to embroider. Now it has to be done free hand, so it is going to take some practice. Tonight I embroidered a snowflake onto a tree skirt.

I simply drew the snowflake on the burlap with a fabric pen and followed the lines.

I was really happy with how it turned out, tomorrow I am attempting my first name.... YIKES! I have a feeling that may take some more practice!!!

Mitten Applique Tree Skirt & A Pillow!

2011-11-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

Still sewing away!! Yesterday I decided to make some applique tree skirts! This was my first one.

I found the mitten pattern for free on a website that had it in SVG format so I could use it with my sure cuts a lot and my cricut. I cut out 6 pair of mittens with heat n bond and then applied it to different pieces of recycled wool sweaters.

I ironed each pair in place and then glued on the yarn that connects each pair. It was really fun to make, but a lot more work than the others I have been working on!

This one has a double muslin ruffle and is 54" in diameter!

Here is a mitten pillow cover I made the night before! It makes it easier to cut up cute sweaters when this is the outcome!!

More Sewing!

2011-11-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a look at my most recent creations! I have been sewing like crazy lately, but I am having so much fun!

Mitten applique pillow...

Knit Stocking Applique Pillow

Happy Holidays!

Pottery Barn Pillow Knock off!

2011-11-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine sent me the link to a really cute pillow at pottery barn last week. The only problem, the pillow was $49 and that was just for the cover! You still had to buy the actual pillow! So of course, I knocked it off!

With some burlap, old wool sweaters and yarn, I was able to create this:

I cut the stocking from an old sweater, used heat n bond to attach and then sewed in place. I attached some yarn to the top with permanent fabric glue and sewed the pillow together!

I like it so much I think I may some more but with different prints and colors!

So what do you think? I do have this one available in my ETSY shop, for much less than pottery Barn, and mine is complete!

Here are a couple other pillows I made tonight. All 100% recycled products!

This was from a sweater that had really cute winter scenes all over it! I have cut them all out to use on various projects!

Chenille Snowman

2011-11-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to make a snowman using an old chenille bedspread that I bought at an estate sale last summer. I didn't have a pattern, so I just cut one large circle and one smaller one. Sewed and stuffed and he was done!

His nose is leftover from the fireworks on the 4th of July!

I made a few more owls this year! You can never have enough owls!

I am trying to keep up with my tree skirt sales! I was almost sold out, so I was busy all weekend making some more! Each one is different and all are made from recycled burlap, and different fabrics, many bought from estate sales, so each tree skirt is one of a kind!

Make your own CD Sleeves

2011-11-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

I have been making my own sleeves for my CD's for some time now. I often burn disk's for my photography customers, and I like to make a cute sleeve to protect their photos. Here's how!

I take a 12 x 12 piece of scrapbook paper and cut to 6 x 12.

I then score the paper. I use my fiskars trimmer for this, the scoring blade is great! Do not press to hard, this can still go through the paper. Score on each long side at 1/2 inch.

Then turn paper and on one end score at 2 1/4 inches from the end, turn paper around and score the other end at 4 7/8. When you fold the paper the top flap should over lap the bottom.

Fold all the scored edges.

I then use a round punch and punch a 1/2 circle out of the 4 7/8 side, and then used some type of scalloped edge punch to embellish the small flap.

Then trim off the 1/2 inch scored edge on each side.

This is now what your paper should look like.

I use tacky tape to hold the edges together, cut a 4 1/2 inch for each side and place on the top of the inside edge. make sure that the scored edges are folded in, remove the adhesive back from the tape and fold the sleeve in half.

Now you have a cute handmade CD sleeve!

Add your CD, and embellish if you would like.

That's all! It really only takes about 5 min to make one.

Have fun!

Gettin Ready

2011-11-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Halloween is officially over and it is time to start thinking about the holidays! I have been sewing for a few weeks now, and finally updated my shop tonight. I have changed up my tree skirts from the past years and added some ruffles and flower embellishments. I am still using recycled burlap coffee bean bags from all over the world! That part is so fun!

This one is my favorite! It will look great under someones tree!

I have also changed up the stockings a bit. This year I went for a more rustic look and used cotton muslin vs sweaters. Much of what I am using here is from recycled curtains.

What do you think? Should I make some with sweaters too? That could be this weekends project!

Well once I finish putting away the Halloween decor and getting out the winter!

I can't wait for it to snow!

Halloween Fun!

2011-10-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for Halloween??

This year Zach wanted to be a vampire bat, so we had to make a costume. I found several tutorials on how to make bat wings with an old umbrella, but I didn't have a black one. The next day a work, someone left a broken black umbrella next to the trash... so I put it to good use!!!

We took it apart and cut it in half. I then sewed the umbrella to each sleeve of the black shirt! Perfect!!!

No vampire bat is complete without fangs and blood!

Nicholas decided to be a Vampire, I better sleep with one eye open this weekend!

We all carved pumpkins this week too, such a wide variety of fun pumpkin looks!

Nicholas did Frankenstein

Zach did his own Sponge Bob with no pattern, he just wanted to copy the picture on the book.

And if you have an IPHONE for added fun you can download Zombie booth, my boys love this app!

Happy Halloween!!!!!

ETSY UPDATE!!!

2011-10-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!

I was finally able to take some more photos of my crafty itmes for my shop! I am now going to begin working on stuff for Christmas! The burlap tree skirts and stickings will be back soon!

Yes! These are the fat birds! I finally had some time to make more!

Thanks for looking!!

Get Closer with Keith Urban

2011-10-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

That was the name of the latest Keith Urban tour, however we took it as a suggestion and we defiantly got closer. We were at the front the entire night and it was an amazing show!

This is Lucky Lisa getting a high 5 from Keith!!!

Yup, I did. Can you blame me?

If you have never seen Keith in concert, you do not know what you are missing. He is absolutely one of the best performers I have ever seen! This was my 8th KU show and it was one of the best! He played for nearly 3 hours, went into the crowd twice, gave away a guitar and had 6 different audience members on stage with him!

I was able to get another KU squeeze when he came out on to the floor, he walked right by us, and I "grabbed" my opportunity!!

Can't wait to see him again soon!!!

Needle Felted Owl

2011-10-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Meet Milo...

A few nights ago I created this little guy, Milo. I have a bunch of wool roving at home, so I picked it up and stared shaping him with my very sharp felting needle!

Once his little body was done, I added the chest, wings and face

And them of course his feet! He stands all on his own and is about 3 inches tall.

Have you ever tried needle felting? It can be addicting! just be careful not to stab yourself, those needles are very sharp!

Be sure to check back Friday for a fun giveaway opportunity!!

New ETSY Listings

2011-09-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have 4 new listings to share with you! It is time to get decorating for fall!!

Polka Dot Pumpkins!

Birdie on a branch with fall leaves

patch work tote bag

And finally, a recycled wood post pumpkin!

Happy Monday!

Hand painted Owl Rock Magnets

2011-09-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Since I have become addicted to Pinterest, I have come across many things that I have wanted to make. One project was these adorable hand painted rocks that look like little owls.

Tonight I finished them up!

My kids had a great time helping me find the perfect "owl shaped" rocks.

I glued magnets to the back and they make the cutest little addition to the fridge! Or in my case the tree I drew on my chalkboard!

For now they will hang out here, but soon you may find a group or 2 hanging out in my shop!

Thanks for looking!

New Etsy Listing Monday!

2011-09-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!!! My new goal is to update my Etsy shop on Monday's! Here are the latest things that I have made! Thanks for looking!

Burlap & Muslin Ruffle Runner

Burlap Patched Pumpkins

Owl Appliqued Pillow

Pumpkin Sign

Perfect Size Purse

Washboard Table

2011-09-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I made this table from old washboards & bead board. I painted the boards green, and once they were dry I applied a coat of stain that I brushed on and wiped off.

I have a huge collection of these old wash boards that I bought at a garage sale a few years ago, I need to find uses for them before the hubby makes them disappear forever!

Unfortunately the table is too big for where I had intended to use it, so it may end up in my holiday open house!

Old window turned memo board

2011-09-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

I had another old window in the garage that I decided to use for my craft room.

One pane was already broken, so I removed that along with one other. Then I covered the rest of the glass with sheet metal, covered 2 with paper and one with 2 coats of chalkboard paint.

I added some shelves with some old wood, and now it is a great memo board to help keep me on track for the fall craft season!

I had to have some fresh hydrangeas from the garden!

The perfect little spot when I need to take a break!

Burlap Ruffled Lampshade

2011-09-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Mike brought home this old table lamp, it has sat in the garage for about a year, it was in the pile to go to the dump until today!

It was one ugly looking lamp, but with some paint and burlap you would never know she was a roadside cast off.

Here is how I made the lampshade.

This is what it looked like before. I spray painted the inside just to make it look new. I left the fabric on the as a base.

I cut several strips of burlap, approx 3 inches wide.

I used my ruffler foot to ruffle all of the fabric, doing it by hand would have taken forever!

Then I started gluing! I started at the bottom, pressing it and gathering a little more as I worked my way around.

I continued gluing strips all the way to the top.

Once I was done adding all of the burlap, I cleaned up all the loose strings. I pulled them to fray the edges, and then cut them off.

I wanted to cover the glass, so when I saw this piece of burlap scrap that I had, I knew it was perfect. I cut out the circle and placed it over the glass and then put the lamp back together.

All finished! Perfect for my cozy little corner!

I got mine, did you get yours??

2011-09-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Flea Market Style is in stores now!

This is such an amazing magazine!! It is even better than last years edition and that one was awesome!

So many fabulous ideas! I just had to share a couple.

Between this and my new found addiction to Pinterest, I will get nothing done today!

Time for a new look-Suggestions wanted

2011-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with my blog design tonight and am really looking for something different. This will have to do for now, but it is not quite what I am looking for.

Do any of you know how to center the header? Nothing is working quite right, I would also like to make it larger without just stretching it. I am not afraid to edit the HTML if I know exactly what to do.

I am also looking for a great blog design web site, maybe it is time to pay to have this done?

Thoughts, comments, ideas?

Thanks!

Hand made bird nest pendant

2011-08-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

I found this great tutorial on how to make a wire bird nest pendant. So I ran to Michaels and got some supplies, came home and made 3 in about 35 minutes. These are super easy!

I think this one with the brown wire is my favorite!

See the tutorial HERE!

Wall Picture Frame Collage-finished

2011-07-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to finish all of my frames today. You can see the how I started HERE.

I had my photos all printed, and got to work filling the frames.

Once I was happy with where they would all be placed I had to attach the frames to the painted boards. I decided to use velcro, just in case I ever want to update the photos. Who knows! I just knew that I did not want to permanently attach them. I used industrial strength Velcro. It worked really good, those frames are not going any where!

Here is the "Before"of my staircase:

I took the old frames down, and cut old wrapping paper the size of each new frame and taped it to the wall to determine my layout.

I then attached OOK brand sawtooth hangers to the back of each frame, and the OOK photo hangers for the wall. I must saw these things are awesome! They went right in, and I didn't smash any fingers! I will not hang pictures with anything else, no more screws in the wall. They do not damage walls, and will hold almost anything, just buy the right size hooks!

I wish these photos did this wall justice, I think I need a wide angle lens though and maybe take the pictures during the day, not that there is much light in the stairway, but it might be better.

Here are some better daytime shots!

I am so happy with how this wall turned out! I have tons of great photos of Mike, the kids & even a few of myself, which is rare because I am usually the one taking the pictures! Now I have a great place to display them!

Im Back!

2011-07-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why, but I have not done a craft project in forever! But today I finally got out in the garage and dug out these old boards that I picked up from a junk pile on the side of the road last summer. My friend and I saw some really cute picture frames a few months back in Minneapolis and this very over priced little shop. Cute but very expensive! So today I finally started to make them.

I cut the boards to even lengths, 6 at 20 inches and 3 at 12. I also used some other scrap wood from the hubbs wood pile. I cut wood for 4 total frames. I sanded them a bit and painted each board with acrylic paint & let dry, which took all day since we are at 185% humidity here today!

I also had a bunch of these old doors, I think they were from an old attic. I painted 3 of them to match the panels I just painted.

Once the paint was dry I brushed them with wood stain the color was Jackobean, very dark, but I love how it looks. Once the stain was dry I then cut pieces for the back to hold them together and used a nail gun to attach.

Now to make them into frames! I bought a bunch of different size frames at the dollar store, plus I had some old wood ones here at home. I primed and painted them all white.

I then laid them out on the wood to see how to arrange them all. Once I get the photos figured out, I will attach the frames and hang all of them in my hallway going up the stairs.

I think this one is my favorite!

New wall photo collage coming soon!

A funny read

2011-06-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

A freind pointed out this blog on Facebook and this womans is HILARIOUS!!!!

Seriously you have to read the post about the metal chicken and insomnia!

Here you go! http://thebloggess.com/

Enjoy!

Fun & Easy Recycled Teacher Gift

2011-06-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

With the end of the school year approaching fast, I needed to get my teacher gift done for my son's kindergarten teacher. She is the best teacher ever, I am so sad that my kids are done with her!

I had these old metal TV trays, I took all of the legs off, jut knowing I could make something fun.

Step 1. Tape the edges using FROG tape.

Step 2. Paint 2-3 coats of chalkboard paint over the metal. Let dry in between each coat.

Step. 3 Trace the curved edges, and use mod podge to adhere paper. I used it on the bottom and over the top to seal it.

Step 4. Embellish! I added ric rak and used hot glue for the buttons in the corners.

Step 5. Use a crop-a-dile to punch holes for the ribbon to hang it.

Step 6. Make cute coordinating magnets!!

Tomorrow I am going to let Zach write on it himself and write her a letter about his favorite things he learned in Kindergarten that I will attach with the magnets!

Growing

2011-05-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here and all of my flowers are starting to bloom!

My tulips are in full bloom, I love all the colors I planted last fall.

Begonia's for the front porch, it is what my grandma had on her porch every summer.

This is the Orchid that I have had since December, I can not believe that I have managed to keep it alive this long! It is blooming like crazy right now.

Happy Spring!

Mothers Day Gifts

2011-05-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day to all of you Mom's out there!

I spent some time last night making gifts for my Mom and Mother in law. Hopefully they don't see this before we go and visit! 1st one is photo cubes. These were made with wood blocks that were 3.5 x 3.5. I used mod podge to adhere the paper and the photos. The photos were printed on card stock, otherwise they would smear.

Once dry I sanded all of the edges, rubbed with brown ink, and embellished!

I had all kinds of fun little cut out and words that were perfect for the cubes!

Next gift is this photo shadow box. I basically made a scrapbook page and put it in this beautiful shadow box frame that I bought at Michaels.

And last was the gift that I received from my wonderful boys! A Lisa Leonard Design!!! If you have not seen her work, be sure to check it out! She makes beautiful things!! I love this necklace and it is perfect to wear everyday!

Have a wonderful Day!!!

Jayda turns 1!

2011-04-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Took pictures of my sweet niece Jayda tonight! I can't believe that she is already 1!!

Online Sale!

2011-04-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring! It is time for some spring leaning, so
Everything in my ETSY shop is now 25% off!!!!!

Just enter the code HappySpring25 at checkout and you will get 25% off!!

Thanks for shopping!

A fun reason to re-do your closet!

2011-04-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

So one of the best perks at my new job is a little something called sample sale. Twice a year we get to shop all the samples of clothing that we have received. Well last week was my first sample sale, and let me tell you, it was AMAZING! 20 minutes to shop, people who take your items to the checkout as your arms fill up, and it was so organized and well put together. In my 1st 20 minutes I was able to fill 9 large shopping bags! We were also able to go back after work hours and at lunch!

So after I hauled my 14 bags of clothing home I realized I had no where to put it all.

I do have a nice size closet, but the hubs and I share it, and my side was already pretty full. That's what happens when you work in retail! :)

So I decided to clean out the work/junk room.

YIKES! Amazingly I found a space for everything!

Time to paint.

This room is 5 x 9. We went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of shelves, and then I filled it up!

I love this wall cling that I bought, it fit perfectly over my little dresser.

I even still have some space left. I love that I can have all my cloths out for all seasons, especially in Northern MN. You never know when we may need to pull out the sweaters!

Now there is just one more item that I need for this room, other than a mirror,

how did I forget to buy that???

But this is what I really want.

I just may need to order it!

Riley Blake Spring Purse

2011-04-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well I bought some new fabric yesterday out at Hannah Johnson's.

I could not resist this new line by Riley Blake!

Both flowers are removable, and there are 2 pockets on the inside, one with a zipper.

The pattern is my own design, that is half the fun!

Lovin Riley Blake designs!! Sew cute!!

Owl Makeover!

2011-04-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

I picked this guy up at an estate sale today for $5 bucks!

Not bad as is, if it were 1972. So I spruced him up with some spray paint!!

It took a few coats, but luckily it was nice outside today!!!

Love Estate sales! I also got 8 yards of fabric for $1.50! Score!!!

Happy Saturday!

New spring porch decor!

2011-04-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today was the 1st day of Snowman Hill's spring sale!!! I went right after work and got some great new things for my front porch!

This one was my creation! :)

I heart him!!!

Spring is finally on its way!!

Be sure to go to Snowman Hill and get some great stuff!

Burlap Inspiration

2011-04-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

I find inspiration everywhere! I had taken this picture of this lampshade cover at a shop in Minneapolis a few months back just waiting for the moment to strike, and today it did! Now I don't have any lamps that this would work with, so I pulled out an old window instead!

Here is how I made it!

Plain old solid pane window. Cut burlap to fit the glass, iron.

Then I got several scraps of fabric, ribbon, zippers, buttons & trims and started pinning my flowers on the burlap.

I made the stems and leaves and pinned them down as well.

Now sew everything on! I used a variety of stitches to give it a different look.

Once you have everything sewn in place, a few of the flowers were too bulky to sew, just use hot glue instead. Now its time to put it all together!

I used super 77 adhesive spray to attach the burlap to the glass pane. Now I know the burlap doesn't cover all of the glass, so I took some long scraps and used my ruffler foot to make 4 ruffles for the edges.

That's it!

What a fun spring project! Now I need to figure out where to hang it, I think it will go best in my bedroom.... I just need to find some wall space!

101 things to make with burlap

2011-04-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have not made 101 different things, but I have made several! My blogging friend is having a fun linky party on burlap this weekend, so I thought I would put all my burlap creations together in 1 post! I have too many to choose from!!

1. Pillows

Owl Applique Pillow

Flower and ruffle pillow

2. Home Accents:

Place mats and table runners

Cover step stool

Table made from and old electrical spool

Owl

3. Holiday Decor

Burlap Pumpkins

Bunnies

Stockings

Tree Skirts

Burlap Angel

5. Re-usable Goods

Coffee clutch

Tote Bags

These are just a few of my burlap creations!! Many of my items are available on my ETSY shop too.
Now hope on over to FUNKY JUNK INTERIORS and check out even more made with burlap!!

Do you Cricut or Silhouette?

2011-03-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

I cricut but am drawn towards the silhouette. But I am way too invested in my cricut! I have the expression, 25 cartridges, design studio, and sure cuts a lot software. So to abandon my cricut is really not a justifiable option. I do wish there was a way to use the designs for silhouette with SCAL, so if anyone out there knows how to do that, i would love to know! I would also love to know any great places to find CUTE SVG images for SCAL.

So since I have the cricut I thought I would show what I like to do with mine, other than the basics for scrapbooking.

Now if you are a cricut user, you know the mats loose their tackiness pretty fast. Well all you need to fix that is some frog tape and Krylon Easy tack repositionable spray.

Tape off the edges of the cutting mat otherwise the wheels in the cricut will get sticky.

Take outside and spray a light coat and allow to dry 5 min. That is it! Now your mat will be nice and sticky! I do this especially when I am cutting out fabric, and yes you CAN cut fabric with your cricut. Here's how!

You need a very sticky mat for this so it sticks well while cutting.

Iron heat n bond onto the wrong side of your fabric.

Place fabric side on the cutting mat, so the paper back is facing up.

Select your shape & size. Be sure the pressure is set to high, and it is best if you have a new blade, I keep one separate just for fabric cutting. You also want the speed to be on low.

Cut your desired shape.

Done! Now you can use then for applique, or what ever you want!!! Very simple to do!

Last I am going to show you freezer paper stencils.

Cut your desired shape with your machine, using freezer paper, waxy side down. I used my SCAL for this design. Once you have it cut out you will need to place your pieces onto the fabric, this was a little tedious, but well worth it! The iron will melt the wax on the back side of the freezer paper so that it will stick to your fabric.

Once you have your design placed and ironed then you may apply your paint.

I use a dry brush and acrylic paint.

Once you apply all your paint remove the pieces with a tweezers and let dry.

This is going to be a pillow, so I added some script with a stamp and staz on ink.

Here is the finished project:

So do you cricut or do you silhouette? If you cricut with SCAL I would love to know any tips, tricks, and places to find good stuff!!

De-Cluttering the craft room!

2011-03-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today I realized that I need to find some balance in my crafty life.

I take on a ton of projects and then never have time for my own "stuff". The last 2 times I went to a scrapbooking retreat I ended up sewing, so I have not scrapbooked for over a year and I really miss it.

So I have decided to take on less and make some time for me.

The 1st thing I had to do was to re-organize this room! My sewing projects had taken over and I truly had stuff everywhere!! It was such a mess that when I sat down to start to scrapbook all I could think about was the mess in the room all around me. I can not relax in a messy room.

So I cleaned and cleaned and finally my room is put back together.

This cabinet holds all of my stamps, magazines, scrapbooking embellishments, ribbon, and misc stuff!

Above it is all my paper, photos, misc sewing supplies, and my wall o punches!

The fabric storage is put back together, I even have one cubby open!!

Cricut and painting corner.

And finally my work table, which I could easily transform back to sewing without it being a big transformation.

Under cabinet storage, lots of sweaters, burlap and fabric.

Lots of 12 x 12 bins that work great to store many different items!

So that's it, my room feels clean and organized so now I feel like I can finally sit down and get something done!!! If you could see my pile of photos you would know why I need to get back to it!

And in April, when I go scrapbooking, that is exactly what I am going to do!

Happy Spring?!?

2011-03-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was beautiful here, 40 degrees outside, snow was melting and I made a very exciting discovery.....

My spring bulbs were coming up!! Yeah!!

Last year we planted over 100 new bulbs tulips and daffodils!

So now that they are poking through the ground I need to protect them from the bunnies and deer!

Soon they will be blooming, well that was my thought yesterday.

Today we woke up to 2 fresh inches of snow.

These tulips are now not even visible!

Happy 1st day of Spring!

Flower Tee Applique Tutorial

2011-03-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Flower appliques are everywhere right now. I was inspired to DIY one I saw in a magazine. I chose 2 coordinating fabrics, and a basic cream v-neck shirt. Cut your fabric 3 X 10, I cut 3 of each print, fold in half lengthwise and iron.

I used my ruffler foot to gather the fabric, this can also be done by hand, the ruffler foot is MUCH faster! Mine was set to ruffle every stitch, and stitch length was at a 2.5

Gather each piece with your ruffler, then put your regular foot back on. You will need to to sew the seam shut.

Now you are ready to sew on your buttons! I have a wide selection....

As I sewed the button on, I pulled the center together even more so the gathering stitch didn't show. Once you are happy with your flowers, you can add them to your shirt. I arranged mine first, then tacked them on with my needle and thread. I added a few extra stitches to the tops because the flowers are a little big and you don't want them to flop forward. That's it! This project took me maybe 45 minutes to complete.

Just for fun I added one flower to the bottom of the shirt too. What a fun way to dress up a basic tee!

The fat birds are back but with a new twist!

2011-03-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to think about how to make my "fat birds" for spring, and today it came to me!! Fat Spring Chicks! So here are the first two!!

I made the one below first and just loved her!!

And then I had another thought, I modified my pattern a bit, made an egg and she's done!

Keep your eyes posted, these little cuties will be making an ESTY apperance soon!!

How to make an apple blossom tree

2011-03-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

Spring is just around the corner, and today I was itching to get stuff out and freshen up my house!

I pulled out all my spring stuff from last year, it was so full adding greens and yellows!

The birds and bunnies are back!!

I decided to spring up my winter branches! It is really easy to do. I had a jar of painted branches that I mixed with dogwood.

I used a punch to punch flowers out of printed pink paper. Then used hot glue to attach them randomly all over the branches. I added buttons to the center and a few random silk flowers too.

That's is!! A faux little apple blossom tree!!

Are you ready for spring? even though I am, the weather out side is not, it is snowing today with talks of a huge storm on the way! Oh well, at least it is soring inside!!

Time for a little giveaway!!

2011-03-03T17:28:00.001-08:00

Come over to the DIY Club and see me!! I am the TGIF for the week. The giveaway will start tomorrow and go all weekend, I am giving away this tote, I call it the grocery getter!! Perfect for grocery shopping, target, and anything else!! Be sure to read the rules and register at the DIY CLUB to win!!! Thank you DIY Club for the feature!!!

I'm Back!!!

2011-02-25T17:24:00.000-08:00

And we had a blast!! Perfect weateher the entire time we were there. Lots of fun at the Walt Disney World Resort and all 4 theme parks, tons of delicious food, and the best company ever!!! It was a great vacation. Here are just a few photos!

Do I have the best parents ever or what?? Thanks again Mom and Dad!!!!

Sunny days ahead

2011-02-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is what is out my front door, lots of dingy, dirty snow!! And even though it is 35 degrees outside today, I cant wait for tomorrow.

There will be no more of this, and lots of..........

THIS!!!! Walt Disney World, here we come!!!

See you all in 10 days!

Trying a new style

2011-02-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

Oh Miss Mustard Seed, what can I do to copy you??

This was a nit more of a challenge for me, my typical style is more funky junk, but I am drawn to miss mustard seed as well, so this challenge was fun for me!! I chose 3 projects to do, a chair cushion, a desk, and a magazine rack.

Here are the before and after of the desk and chair, no before of the magazine rack, but it was a dark stained wood, with a plastic cover over the top....ewww!

I started with the chair cushion, I love how she paints on fabric, so I used freezer paper & my cricut to make my own stencils for this project.

Freezer paper works great!! You just iron it on and it pulls right off when you are done leaving now residue! I then made a ruffle and piping to go around the edge of the cushion.

The magazine rack is up next! I gave it 2 good coats of black spray paint, using rustoleum 2 x coverage! I took the top of and recovered with burlap. Now to Miss Mustard Seed it, I added a muslin ruffle to the bottom edge, and finished it off with a crocheted ribbon around the top edge, I used hot glue to attach it.

I then hand painted this little design on the front, just to add a little character. I love how it turned out! Normally I would have stopped at the burlap, but I am glad I pushed myself to go further for this challenge!!

The desk. This desk I repainted this summer, you can see that post HERE. But for this challenge I wanted to add something fun! I started by taping off the top and painting it with black chalkboard paint.

Not sure yet what I wanted to do, I just started playing around with my paints.

I ended up with a giant tree, I added in a few birds and owls for fun!

So there you have it, 3 fun projects to copy MMS!! I had fun doing all 3 and know that I will be doing more like this in the future!!

I also entered Donna's Challenge over at Funky Junk Interiors, you can see that post HERE!

Now be sure to stop by both MISS MUSTARD SEED and FUNKY JUNK INTERIORS and join in the fun!!

Pretty up your pillows!

2011-01-31T19:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I have been a little M.I.A. here in blog land lately!

I started my amazing new job last week, and by the time I got the kids down for bed each night I was just too exhausted to do anything else! But slowly, I am adjusting to my new daily routine, and and finding some time to get back into the craft room! This weekends project was to make some pillow covers for my super boring and non matching couch pillows!

Pillow covers are so fast and easy to make. All of the ones I am going to show you here are 17 x 17. They can easily be removed and washed as often as needed!

Here you have blah blah blah, and now.............

Ahhhhmazing!!! So much better!! I had a ton of this fabric on hand, and finally knew what I wanted to make with it! It is a gorgeous Valarie Wells print. I made 5 different covers that all coordinate with each other.

I knew I wanted flowers and ruffles, and a hint of lace! Had to keep the birds and branches too. I love that they will flow nicely right into spring!

DIY Lunchtote-Pattern Included!!

2011-01-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

I recently came across this great website Sew 4 Home, my good friend Janet from Hannah Johnson Fabrics gave me the info. It is a website full of free sewing patterns for all kinds of fun stuff. I decided to make this little lunch tote for work. I bought this Amy Butler laminated Cotton from Hannah Johnson's for both the inside and out.

It has a handle and lots of room inside for all your goodiesIt was super easy and very fast! Check out Sew 4 Home and find something fun to make this weekend, or what is left of it anyway!

Bedroom Enhancments

2011-01-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

Ha ha!! Did that get your attention??

About a year ago I "accidentally" re-did my master bedroom, and it turned out great. You can see that entire post HERE.

Well recently I have been inspired to "copy" one of my very favorite blogging buddies for a challenge that she will be hosting very soon. Check out those details here so you can join in the fun! So I re-did the master bedroom, nothing major, we can just say that I enhanced it a bit! The results are even better than I imagined they would be!! So here goes...

1st thing I did different, I moved the dressers, now they feel like they are in the right place. I also made burlap and muslin ruffle runners for both of them.

Next, I did what I have always wanted to do, I made our bed into a 4 poster bed, using Deck Posts!! We had to extend the frame out 9 inches and then add the posts. I then painted them white and antiqued them with my Ralph Lauren smoke colored glaze.

Pillows, pillows, pillows! I made 6 of them. They are all different fabrics and textures and it really helps to pull the entire room together.

This is for you Donna!! :)

Flowers, I bought a blend of dried flowers and I also bought a bunch of silks that have lights in them, and together they are perfect! I wish I could do them justice in the photos!!

Dried and painted hydrangeas from my summer garden

Sweet little birdie pillow!

This didn't change much, I added burlap behind each of the pictures. I sewed the photo to the burlap and then used super 77 to adhere them to the window.

This is my version of the white trash bedroom. Thanks Donna for the inspiration!!!

Check out my Inspiration and Donna's post here!

This was fun, now it is time to copy MMS!!

This and That, and a sneak peak!!

2011-01-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

I don't decorate a ton for the spring holidays, but I do have a few fun Valentine things that I like to put out. This is in the front entry way, the dish had candy in it, for about an hour!

Here is my fun new Owl I got yesterday in the Christmas clearance section! Score for me!

My word of the year with a few of my favorite snowmen.

Twigs, pinecones and garland balls tend to stick around all year long.

This little guy sits in my jar o twigs, want to learn how to make one?? You can get the pattern here. They are very easy and just so dang cute!! Thanks Denise!

Now have you heard about the Copy me Challenge going on at Funky Junk and Miss Mustard Seed?? Be sure to stop by and get the scoop, it's going to be fun!!
Well I am not quite ready for my reveal quite yet, but here are a few sneak peaks....

More to come soon on this room!!

Missions Acomplished!

2011-01-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

Charging station is hung and in working order! Couldn't wait for the hubs to hang it anymore, so I hung it myself!

I love that it is right next to my desk, and everything has a place.

New lined tote bag with matching mini purse, done! I have had this fabric since before Christmas and wasn't sure what to make with it, so I decided a new tote was in order! The fabric is momo by moda, from Hannah Johnson's of course! The bag is lined with fabric and pockets inside and there is a layer of batting inside so it can be used for my laptop if needed!

I love all the coordinating fabrics!

This is what got me, the owl of course!!

And the rag quilt is done!!! Washed and dried and ready to curl up in.

Now it is time to make a birthday feast, my oldest is 16 today! Wow, how time flies!!

Charging Station like no other!

2011-01-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

This day and age almost everyone I know, has a ton of different gadgets. From IPhones, Kindles, I Pods, blue tooth, cameras, Blackberry's, you name it, it needs to be charged almost daily. I decided to create some type of charging station, we have at lest 5 of these items that go on a charger each day and it seems like there are chargers everywhere on our house. But no ordinary station would do. It starts with this old door. It is 4.5 ft tall and about 16 inches wide.

I gathered my misc "junk" from my stash and started to lay it all out.

Once I knew where each item was going to go, I drilled the holes with paddle bits. Most of the holes are 7/8 of an inch wide.

Next I grabbed my trusty gorilla glue to help re-enforce an old sewing table drawer, this was going to be the compartment that hides the cords. There were already groves inside the door, so I just cut a piece of leftover plywood to make the cover.

Here is the basket to hold all the gadgets!

Next I took some old pages of sheet music and used my Mod Podge to attach them to the middle of the door.

Added some fun junky embellishments...

Some old wood checkers....

The perfect Kindle Holder!

Ready to see the whole thing??

Hidden compartment, door easily slide open if you need to remove any chargers!

No more ugly cords everywhere!

I love the old hardware, left it on just for looks.

Some fun old wood spools I found this fall.

And here is where it will go, hopefully we can hang it tomorrow, it weighs a ton, so I am gonna let the hubs hang it properly!!

I am linking this up to the Awesome party at the DIY Club!! and

Big Changes for 2011

2011-01-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

I have been dying to clean and re-organize my closet, but I was waiting for 1 key thing, to hear on weather or not I was going to get the new job I had been interviewing for. I have a lot of "banker" clothes and knew that if I were to get this new job, I would need to "retire" several things in my wardrobe. Well I heard back this week, and YES I got a new job and could not be more excited!!! I will now be working for Maurices Corporate Office in the Visual Merchandising department. It will allow me to be creative at work, and I really feel like this could be the best job ever. I have never been this excited about a job ever in my life. So this weekend was time to re-organize some things around the house, starting with my clothes!!!

Here it is, and I had so much I was even invading the side behind the door! Now I know, and those of you that know me also know that since I am again working in retail, it will not take me long, to creep back over, but for now it is so much better!!

After I tackled that one I was inspired to keep going, I don't know how all these hidden spaces get so messy! This is a drawer in my bathroom.

It drove me nuts everyday this has all my makeup and things in there that I use everyday. I decided the drawer needed dividers. I went out into the garage and cut some left over bead board. But 2 pieces 9 3/4, by 3 1/2. I also cut 4 pieces 4 x 3 1/2. Got out my trusty gorilla glue and glued it in place.

I proped some books in the back to give it pressure while it dried.

And now things are much better!

Just had to share!! I was inspired to organize from my pal Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors, she is having a party all about organization so if you need some great ideas stop by and visit her!!

Rag Quilt Part 3-In the home strech!!

2011-01-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

Well today I finished the sewing portion of my quilt! Whew! The hardest part was making sure I kept the pieces in order!

Once I finished making all the X's, I the pieces to make each row, and then sewed the rows together.

This is the back side.

Now for the part I have heard is the worst, clipping all of the seams! But I got the spring loaded scissors so it shouldnt be too bad, I hope!! This will be a "sitting and watching TV job" so I hope to have the finished product early next week to show. That will be after I take it to the laundry mat to wash it, I also heard, that is one thing you dont want to do at home!!

Happy Snipping!!

To see the complete tutorial you can view step one HERE. and step 2 HERE.

Raq Quilt Tutorial Part 2

2011-01-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to start sewing?? Well it is time!

Grab your 1st stacks, 1 f & 1 b.

You want to place a piece of batting in between your pieces, wrong sides together, you will be sewing your X on the outside.

want a little tip?? Get a walking foot. It makes this process go so much smoother.

Now place your square under your walking foot and sew corner to corner to make an X. Do this for each set of squares for row 1. Make sure to keep them in the right order.

Now you will take your 1st set of squares, and 2nd set, place them back to back and sew them together leaving an inch seam allowance. Add each set of squares all the way down until you have completed your 1st row. My thought is to complete all of your X's, then sew that row together, then you wont mix up any of your pieces.

Here is the 1st row! Now time to finish the rest of my squares and rows, and can put it all together.

The last 2 steps will be clipping, and washing. Stay tuned!!

Riley Blake Flannel Rag Quilt Tutorial Part 1

2011-01-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

When I saw this adorable Riley Blake Fabric a couple of weeks ago out at Hannah Johnson's, I knew I had to make more than just my flannel pants out of it. I fell in love with the entire collection! So I decided to make a rag quilt from it. I have never made one before, but knew it wouldn't be too hard. I looked and looked for a good tutorial, but had some trouble finding one that really gave me all the directions. I am making an adult size quilt, many of the patterns are for children. So I am going to do my best to lay it all out for anyone else that would like to make one!

My quilt will be 60 x 72 once it is finished.

You will need 6 yards of flannel fabric for the entire quilt. I had 6 different fabrics.

You will also need quilt batting, a full size roll should do.

Cut squares 7x7. You will need 240 squares of flannel, 120 for each side. You will also need 120 squares of batting cut to 6x6.

Now once you get all of your squares and batting cut, it is time to lay it out and decide how you want it to look.

I played around a little with it so it was exactly how I wanted it. Once I laid out the front, I did the same for the back. I kept each row in it's own individual pile so once I begin sewing I will know what goes with what! This is where it could get confusing if you don't pay attention!

I labeled each pile with the row number and an f or b for Front and Back.

Here is all my fabric ready to go. Tomorrow I will begin sewing. To start you take the 1st piece from row 1 front, the 1st piece from row 1 back, sandwich a piece of batting between the 2 wrong sides of fabric ( you will sew on the right side) and sew an X through the square. That will be 120 batting, flannel, X sandwiches! I will post more pictures tomorrow!! This was just to get you started!!

Stay tuned tomorrow for part 2!!

Fun Kitchen Accesories

2011-01-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

So today I was working on some fun projects for my ETSY shop and came up with this cute little kitchen set. There is a ruffled towel, a set of 4 place mats, and a pot holder! Here is how I did it!

1st, the place mats, I used recycled coffee bean bags for the actual mat, and sergered the edge to keep it from fraying. I then used my cricut to cut my owls. You can cut fabric with your cricut by simply applying heat n bond to the back side, place fabric side down, and cut!! I hand cut the tree branch's and applied them with heat n bond as well! I glued on black buttons for the eyes.

Next up, the ruffled flour sack towel. Before I applied the ruffles I used my cricut again to cut my shape, but this time onto freezer paper. Iron the freezer paper to your fabric to use as a stencil. Paint your shape and let dry. The freezer paper will simply peel off. Once dry you can add your accents. Next I applied the ruffle.

I cut 3 long strips of fabric and ran them through my machine using my ruffler foot. It makes the best ruffles!! I attached each one to the towel starting at the bottom. When I got to the top ruffle I applied a row of boas tape to finish off the edge. Above that I stitched on a row of pink ric rak.

Lastly the HOT MITT! This is a oven mitt / hot pad. I began by making my own bias tape to finish the edge of the mitt. I used my bias tape maker by clover, slick little tool! The mitt has 2 layers of batting inside the main mitt, and layer on the top that goes over your hand.

It is basically a hot pad with 2 pockets on the back. The entire mitt is quilted and has a ribbon loop to hang!

Now your hand will be covered when you reach into the oven, no more burning your hand on the racks!!

I used basic grey fabric for my entire project, I can not get enough of it!!! What fun additions for any kitchen!

Now I am participating in CRAFTING WITH THE STARS season 2, and I need your help!!!

Between now and January 15, they will be accepting entires, and will choose the top 12 projects! So if you like my stuff, please stop by sew dang cute and take a look!!!

Thanks for stopping!

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DIY DVD Bookcase

2011-01-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

I have this problem, we have DVD's & Wii games here there and everywhere. There is no real good place for all of them. They never get put back in their cases and the kids have them every where! I looked online for a media cabinet and I could not find one I liked that would hold the amount of DVD's we have, and the ones that would work were over $300! In sticking to my word of the year, Simplify, rather than running around from store to store to buy something, I got to work on a plan.

I sketched a plan for the bookcase I wanted. My hubby looked it over and made his adjustments.

He said that he would build it for me, he has some fun new tools that he wanted to try out! We had enough scrap wood in the garage to make it!!! Mike built the box and routered the sides for each shelf. They are 6 deep by 20 wide.

Then he added MDF to the back, some decorative trim to the front, and that is it!!! It is perfect

We primed it and added 2 coats of black paint.

We now have a complete library for our movies and games!!

The kids think that since there is more room on the shelf, that we need to buy more games!

This shelf will hold over 200 movies and games, and cost less than $50!!

Need for a media cabinet-SIMPLIFIED!!!!