Whimsi Kel

Ten on Tuesday - Inaugural Post

2012-02-14T10:06:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Welcome to my inaugural Ten on Tuesday post.

1. I'm addicted to Pinterest. Since I (so far) put a lot of the great ideas I find into action, I think it's manageable for now. But I might need a ten-step course pretty soon.

2. Fueled, in part, by Pinterest, I'm now wholly addicted to fonts. I find more cool fonts all the time. There's a font round-up in the works, but in the meantime, check out this selection of roundups from my "digital freebies" Pinterest board:

My 3 Monsters

25 Fun Fonts for Snobs

100 Free Fonts at Sweetly Scrapped

Fonts at Going Home to Roost

3. I love the banner I made for Lincoln's monster truck cake. I have every intention of doing something similar to revamp my changing seasons wreath for the summer (maybe something kind of like this).

4. Last week, my friend Natalie made me the most amazing cupcake specimen art for my kitchen. She was inspired by this one at Patches of Pink. Didn't it turn out great?

It's the central piece for the latest iteration of my kitchen wall revamp that's been a work in progress for almost 5 years now. More on that later.

5. If you're interested in making your own specimen art, here's a link to Natalie's tutorial for a butterfly one she did.

6. My renewed interest in blogging has also created in me a desire to revamp my blog header. I'm actually still pretty happy with my overall blog layout, but I want something a little less amateurish for the header. (I like to think the layout is "simple" rather than "amateurish," but I have no illusions about the header.) I'd like to put my budding PSE (Photoshop Elements) skills to work. So add that to the list of things to come.

7. Have you seen these ideas for 5-year journals? There are other variations floating around as well. The important aspect to me is to write down only one thing each day. Do that for five years and see how things have changed. How clever! But index cards seem impractical, and I was hesitated too long to get the book in a reasonable time, so I just decided to do my own variation in a google document. I write one thing each day (or for the past 2 or 3 days, occasionally), and then leave it until tomorrow. It breaks journal-keeping into something I think I can maintain better long-term.

8. Speaking of journaling, is anyone doing Project Life? I haven't done a lot of research, mostly because I tanked at scrapbooking and didn't want to be reminded of that failure. But I find myself intrigued.

9. Any recommendation for iPhone camera apps? I've been using Camera+ a lot lately, but I'm wondering if there's something a little more robust and user-friendly.

10. I'm looking for a 5k to run in the area in the late May time frame. We'll be out of town over Memorial Day, unfortunately. Though, if there's a 5k in Boston Memorial Day weekend, that might actually be perfect. Any suggestions for either Huntsville or Boston?

Only An Aunt... (Free Printable)

2012-02-12T18:01:00.001-06:00

Since my crafty focus of late has been finally getting pictures and sundry on my walls, I decided to make my sister-in-law a little printable to go with a picture for her birthday last week. I've seen this saying in my pinterest walking, but I haven't found a printable of it yet, so I decided to make my own. I've been learning more about layers and textures in photoshop elements, so it was a fun little exercise for me.

Feel free to save and print for all those wonderful aunties in your lives! It's formatted to 5x7.

Monster Truck Birthday Cake

2012-02-06T12:00:00.001-06:00

For Lincoln's third birthday, the kid wanted a monster truck birthday cake. So, of course, I had to oblige.

Unlike last year, I didn't take very many pictures of the process. I did take a few to show how to make a monster truck fly over the cars on the cake, though. And at the end of the post, I have a quick list of the cake basics.

Making a Monster Truck Fly

First buy a monster truck and some bamboo kebab skewers. The matchbox brand of monster trucks have the following handy quality if you're using them for this purpose: a random hole in the bottom of the frame.

I don't know why, but I'm not going to question it. Check that your skewer will fit (flat side pointing in):

Now take the skewer out for a minute and squirt a nice glob of hot glue into that hole. Now quickly insert the skewer, hold it as straight as possible, and wait for the glue to dry (about a minute):

And seriously, that's it. Now break off however much you want to depending on how high your cake is, and stick it in the cake over the cars or the "road" or what-have-you. (It's not a coincidence that I used the superman truck for this part, either.)

(Note: If I do this again, I think I want to paint the skewer brown or black so it doesn't stand out so much.)

Lincoln loved his cake and couldn't wait to finally get to blow out the candles:

And then I suppose it shouldn't have surprised us that the kids thought they needed to drive the cars on the road:

All in all, a culinary birthday success!

Quick Cake Info:

2 stacked 9x13" cakes (I used a boxed vanilla cake on the bottom and chocolate on top with canned cream cheese frosting in the middle)
Buttercream crumb coat
Sides are frosted with wilton buttercream and then sprinkled. The best info I could find about how to apply the sprinkles was to just kind of throw the sprinkles on. I found it worked best to put them in a little bowl, cup a few in my fingers, and then try to gently pat them on. Then I wet the tips of my finger to pick up the sprinkles that had fallen and added them to the cake. I also worked in sections around the cake. (And I realized that I definitely don't have the patience to achieve something like this.)
Whip canned chocolate frosting and then apply to the cake top.
Scrape filling off of oreos and then coarsely grind the remaining cookie. I used about a third of a package and had more than enough. Use a big spoon to apply the cookie crumbs across the diagonal.
Press (washed) matchbox cars into the crumbs.
Add the monster trucks, happy birthday banner, and candles.

That's about it. Let me know if you have any questions! And if anyone uses any of these ideas, I'd love to see the results!

Printables (Including My Cupcake Printable!)

2012-01-31T19:27:00.000-06:00

I know, I've effectively fallen off the planet. I've actually been working on some crafty stuff (birthday cake, banners, wall decorations, oh and a baby), but I haven't been spending much time telling people about it. So here's a quick little post to share some links to some free printables I've discovered recently. One day I'll even share a picture of them on my wall. :)

(source)

And this next one is a little 8 x 10 printable I made up for my kitchen wall. A WhimsiKel original. My vision for that wall keeps changing, but lately I'm thinking cupcakes are a good place to start. (Side note: if you're having a tough day, go search "pink cupcake charm" on etsy. You'll feel better almost immediately.) So feel free to grab it if you want. I'll only be SUPER excited if you do. :)

Halloween Wreath

2011-10-25T20:34:00.000-05:00

No guarantees or anything, but I might start posting more frequently than every three months. I finished the project I mentioned in June 8 weeks ago today. Mason Bryce was born 5 1/2 weeks early at a healthy 6 lb 10 oz. He had to spend a week in the NICU, but all things considered, we feel very blessed that there were no other complications.

I've been working on quite a few projects the last few weeks, but one of them has been trying to fix a virus on our computer, so my blogging has stayed back burner. I did want to hop on really quick to share a picture of my Halloween changing seasons wreath, though.

It's inspired by my wreath last year and all the wreaths I've seen in my blog-walking and on pinterest that are wrapped-yarn. I still love those bats. And I'm still loving teal.

Fun Stuff: Cupcakes Giveaway - Closed

2011-07-06T20:43:00.001-05:00

Giveaway is now closed

I'm a little bit obsessed with cupcakes lately. Just ask my pinterest board. It's one of those daydream obsessions that rarely comes to fruition, though. The last time I used any of my cake decorating skills, it was for Lincoln's birthday cake. So mostly I just look at cool ideas online, but I have picked up a book or two as well (I find the ones that use candy to make the decorations particularly clever). So imagine my chagrin when I brought home with one of my "new" books, started looking through it, and realized I'd purchased the same book I'd bought the last time I splurged on one but with a different cover! Well, my lack of attention is your gain. For lack of anything more innovative to do with my surplus, I've decided to spread the joy and give it away! Just one way to enter: leave a comment with either a description or a link to a picture of a clever cake/cupcake decorating idea you've seen.

The book is Fun Stuff Cupcakes, and it has a host of fun ideas for decorating cupcakes as dinosaurs, lambs, pigs, etc, as well as some fun cake mix variations.

The book I'll be sending the winner features these fun bunnies on the cover, but I've compared the inside, and there's no difference. All in all, a fun book I'm excited to share with one of you!

Remember, to win just leave a comment with either a description or a link to a picture of a clever cake/cupcake decorating idea you've seen. I'll close the giveaway in one week, on July 13 at midnight CDT.

Giveaway is now closed

And I'm sorry for the shortage of posts lately. We're trying to get the house ready for the new addition, and it's taking pretty much all my extra energy these days. Hopefully I'll be back to a more ambitious crafting schedule in a few months.

My Latest Project

2011-06-13T21:00:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted in three MONTHS! Time really got away from me! But finally, here's a picture of my latest project:

So we're expecting a little BOY come October 6! He took ALL my time the first trimester, but the last 2 months have been MUCH better. I've even been doing some crafting! Not tons, but a little. I'm working on a quilt top at the moment for baby #2, and other than that, we're nesting. :) We rearranged the living room on Saturday and just bought the paint this afternoon to transition Lincoln's room (which is still nursery-green) into a Cars room for the boys! More on all of that to come, but the posts will most likely be few and far between for the next few months. Thanks for your patience with me!!

Frog's Eye Salad

2011-03-11T18:04:00.001-06:00

Natasha over at Samster Mommy is having a salad party. Of course I had to share my recipe for frog's eye salad. It has a crazy name, but it is crazy good. I love to bring it to potluck picnics because I love to share the goodness, and I love to eat the leftovers (if there is any left!). If you try it, let me know how it goes!

Frog's Eye Salad

1-1/3 cups (8 oz.) Acini de Pepe pasta, uncooked
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks, drained (save ¼ cup juice)
1-3/4 cups milk
¼ cup sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin orange segments, drained
2 cups frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
3 cups miniature marshmallows
½ cup flaked coconut (optional)

Cook pasta 11 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain well. In large bowl, beat reserved pineapple juice, milk, sugar and pudding 2 minutes. Gently stir in pasta and remaining ingredients; cover. Refrigerate at least 5 hours. 12 servings.

(photo source)

CSN Stores Giveaway Winner

2011-03-05T18:15:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the great response to the giveaway! I loved hearing what you guys would get with the gift card; it gave me some wonderful ideas to add to my wish list. :) The winner was Ashley, who said she'd get a new light for her kitchen. Ashley, I'd love for you to send me a picture when you get it installed! I've got an email on the way with the details for you. :)

I'm in Utah this week for a wedding, so it might be a little while before I get another post up, but I've been doing some craftin', so I'm excited to post some pictures soon!

CSN Stores Giveaway

2011-02-24T19:29:00.000-06:00

How many of you are familiar with CSN stores? They have 200+ online stores, ranging from everything from office furniture

to shoes.

I admit that I've managed to exercise some self restraint, so I haven't purchased from them (yet). But I could probably spend hours virtually shopping through all of their stores, which is why I'm so thrilled to announce that I was contacted by CSN and asked if I would like to host a gift card giveaway! To enter, just leave a comment telling me what you would buy with the $45 gift certificate (which can be used at any of the 200+ CSN stores). Only one entry per person. Giveaway closes in one week, Thursday March 3, at midnight CST.

Lincoln's Car Cake

2011-02-06T20:56:00.002-06:00

We celebrated my son Lincoln's 2nd birthday last week. He is absolutely obsessed with cars, so I knew that I wanted a car theme. Initially, I planned to try to make a car-shaped car. In my Thirty Before 30 list, I included that I wanted to learn to work with fondant, so that seemed a good opportunity. My husband is incredibly wise, however, and he observed that that seemed like a pretty complicated cake for my first fondant venture. He suggested I simplify, so I did a google image search on "car cakes" to get some ideas. I found a 9 x 13 that had a road frosted on it with cars, and that seemed like a good direction. So I did a google image search on "road cakes" (or something similar), and knew I hit paydirt when I found this one.

It's perfect! Two round cakes (MUCH easier than trying to shape a car out of cake), and I could incorporate fondant into the number 2.

So from there, I copied the picture into Microsoft Word and used the insert shapes function to insert circles, arcs, curves, and lines to overlay the cake image to approximate a blueprint for my cake. (sidenote: This is a technique I use a lot to approximate a shape. You could do something similar by printing out the cake you want to copy and tracing over it, or I imagine photoshop and maybe piknik also have similar capabilities. That's just what I know how to use. If you're interested in learning more about Word's drawing capabilities, shoot me an email and I'll find a tutorial.) Here's the "blueprint" I finished with.

I didn't do a detailed tutorial, but I did take pictures at each step. I started with two two-tiered 8" round cakes that I put a crumb coating on. I didn't take any pictures of the stacking or crumb-coating process (I am not an expert AT ALL), but if you have any questions, go ahead and ask, and I'll find a link to help explain. I used two types of frosting. I used the Wilton buttercream recipe for the crumb coating and for the grass on the top of the cake. Then I used cream cheese frosting from a tub for the sides.

Next I printed out the top of my blueprint (scaled to 8"), so that I knew where to cut one of the circles to fit the two together. Because I used buttercream frosting and refrigerated my cakes after the crumb coat, I could set the paper right on the cake to mark my line. After making my line, I cut the cake a little bit further in to ensure the cakes would fit together.

After that I placed the two cakes together on a large cookie sheet. (I could have cut cardboard to make a simple cake-board, but we were driving over to my in-laws and I wanted to avoid any disasters on the way.)

Then I used the buttercream I'd already mixed up for the grass to even out the transition between the two. It isn't pretty, but it gets covered up, so it's not a big deal.

Next, to make the 2 I had decided that rather than fondant, I would try this idea for modeling chocolate. I had come across this a while ago, and was intrigued because the number one criticism I've heard about fondant is that it tastes gross. I have been wanting to try marshmallow fondant to see if that's any better, but I figured nothing would be easier than heating up chocolate and adding corn syrup. It worked like a charm, though I did learn to make more than I think I'll need since I ended up making more, but I did find it was easier to do the 2 in two parts. I printed out my blueprint (again scaled to 8" which meant I needed to print it out on two pages and then tape it together) and cut out the 2. I placed the top half on my rolled out "circle" of modeling chocolate, just cut around the pattern, and then placed it on the cake. I then rolled the chocolate out again and did the same thing for the bottom half. I left a little overlap so that I could cut the transition as close as possible after placing most of the bottom half on the cake.

The transition's not too bad. If you look closely, you can see where there's a line in the middle of the cake, but by the time I finished, it blended really well.

Next I frosted the sides with the cream cheese frosting. I colored it and the buttercream to be as close to the same shade of green as possible, and I think I got it REALLY close. I was pretty proud of that, actually.

The next step was one of the most intimidating. I had never tried frosting grass, but I knew there was a tip for it, so I just googled the number for the Wilton grass tip and picked it up at my local Hobby Lobby. When it came time to do it, I googled it again and watched the video tutorial. I practiced a few times and then just started around the border of the 2 and worked my way out.

Almost finished, and I was feeling pretty good! The final step was the yellow line, and for that I used some Wilton sparkle gel I had picked up at Hobby Lobby. I am not particularly good at piping, but it was easy to use and the little hesitations aren't too obvious.

And done.

We took it over to my in-laws to add the candles and the cars, and then it was done!

(We forgot to get a picture until he'd already blown out the candles and we'd starting taking off the cars.)

Happy Birthday, Lincoln!

Throw Pillow Round-Up

2011-01-30T14:33:00.001-06:00

Well, I have not done as well as Nicole on posting about my Thirty Before 30 list as I've been working on it. Part of that is because I haven't done as well at WORKING on it as she did. And part is just the general lack of blogging motivation the last few months. But I have accomplished some things from that list, so over the next few weeks I'll try to post some of those results.

#7 on the list was finish my throw pillows. In retrospect, that was just an ill-thought-out goal. I'll never be FINISHED with my throw pillows! There are too many fun new ideas that pop up each week, and I get too bored with the status quo to ever be DONE making throw pillows. Silly.

But I think that coming to that understanding accomplishes the same goal. The point was to cross something off my list so that it wouldn't be hanging over my head making me feel discouraged from my lack of completion and like I hadn't worked hard enough or stayed focused enough. That's done. Now that I've shifted my paradigm, the joy really is in the journey! So I've decided instead to show you all some of the MANY throw pillows I've bookmarked over the last little while. I will also add a linky at the bottom so that you can share any you like and recommend as well.

1. Petal Pillow 2. Sunny Summer Pillow 3. Felt Flower Pillows 4. Petal Pillow 5. Felt Flower

1. Chic Pillows 2. Quick Rosette Pillow 3. Chiffon Poppy Pillows 4. Gathered Muslin 5. PB Knock-Off Felt Pillows

1. Stripes to Chevrons 2. & 3. Box Pleat Pillows 4. Cascading Bottom Pleats with Bow Accent 5. Felt Butterfly Pillow 6. Button and Piping Pillow

1. Pleated Pillow 2. Pleated Pillow 3. West Elm Rosette Pillow 4. French Lingerie Style Muslin Pillows 5. Herringbone Tucks 6. Wide Braided Pillow 7. French Braid Pillow

1. Pottery Barn Knock-Off Christmas Pillows 2. Embroidered Paper Pillow 3. Embroidered Linen Pillow

1. Zig Zag Pillow 2. Pumpkin Patch Pillow 3. Berry Laden Branch 4. Aster Manor Pillow 5."You" and "Me" Pillows

1. Pillow with Ties 2. Big Bow Pillow 3. Give a Hoot Pillow

1. Ho Ho Ho Pillow 2. Floral Clustered Pillow 3. Scrap Buster Fall Pillow 4. Gathered Heart

Now it's your turn! Feel free to link up ANY pillow as long as a link is provided to give credit to the originator. Share pillows you've made or want to make. These don't have to have tutorials, either. Just something that inspires you to create!

Taco Soup

2011-01-21T18:03:00.000-06:00

I've been struggling with finding time to blog, so I apologize for the recent dearth of posts. There's nothing new or upsetting that's interrupting; I think it's just one of those things. I've considered just giving up on this blog, since I feel sometimes like I don't really add anything indispensable to the craft blogosphere. But I decided that even if I post sporadically and don't have thousands of followers, WhimsiKel still provides me a creative outlet that I love. Thank you to those of you that still come check to see what's new and leave me sweet encouragement.

Today, I was excited to see The Mother Huddle is doing a soup swap link party. Taco soup is one of my go-to recipes when I want to feel virtuous for cooking but with the least effort possible. In fact, we had it for dinner last night. I know there are a ton of variations, but here's mine.

Taco Soup

1 small can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz or 14.5 oz if you're not a big fan)
2 cans whole kernel corn
3 cans beans (whichever you prefer, I use black, dark red kidney, and pinto)
1 envelope hidden valley ranch dressing
1 envelope taco seasoning
meat (optional, 2 cans chicken (to just throw in with everything else), 1 pound ground beef, or 1 pound stew meat)

To prepare, you have a few options. I open up all the cans and dump everything into the crock pot in the morning, add about half a cup of water, and leave it on low all day, stirring when (and if) I have a chance. I
don't drain anything (except the canned chicken). Or you can drain everything and then add water.
If you want to add meat, I've tried several variations. The laziest option is canned chicken (drained). But you can also brown ground beef or stew meat and add it in the morning with everything else.

Serve with sour cream, cheese, and/or fritos. Enjoy!

(photo source)

Bags for the Girls

2010-12-31T12:42:00.000-06:00

For Christmas gifts this year, I decided to make bags for some of the girls on my list. Typically, I forgot to take pictures of half of them. I followed this handy tute to make a camera lens pouch for my friend Natalie. I used the rest of the tinkerbell material I got for a gift for my niece last year to try out this knot bag tutorial for the same niece. Then I just kind of guesstimated to make bags for two of my sisters-in-law and my sister (which I did, miraculously, remember to get pics of).

My sister got this one. It's a pretty simple bag, I made a seam with top-stitching down the center of each side, but other than that it's just a rectangle (reinforced with fusible felt) with the bottom corners squared.

And two of my sisters-in-law got these:

I've had a request for the pattern for the gathered bag, so it's moved up on my make-a-tute list.

Winter Wreath

2010-12-17T10:30:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned a month ago, I was planning to put up my only store-bought wreath for Christmas/winter, but when I got it out, all the paint was flaking off and making an unholy mess. So I went back to my idea for harvest and simplified it.

I finished cutting out a bajillion little felt circles (it took a while, but wasn't too bad. I finished in two shifts - one during Knight and Day and one the next day during How to Tame Your Dragon. I give both a thumbs-up, btw) and used pearl-tipped sewing pins to attach them to the wreath base. I was going for a sort of minimalist elegance. I feel like I came close, but maybe it could use a little something else...?

In other news, I'm officially withdrawing my photo-editing aspirations. My blog will never be one of those blogs with incredible pictures of crafty endeavors. Hopefully removing expectations for fancy pictures will make it easier to make time to post some!

Quick, Lined Drawstring Bag

2010-12-16T10:00:00.001-06:00

Have you ever sat down to make something one weekend and you just kind of winged it because you think it was probably basic enough to make without a pattern or tutorial? And it worked and you thought, "maybe I should make a tutorial for this?" But then you didn't make the tutorial because you were too lazy?

Did you then check your reader/blogs on Monday and find someone else had had the same project and thought but then followed through on the tutorial? So you thought you'd just put up your pics with a link to that blog? But then it still took you 3 months to get it posted on your blog?

K, just wondering.

On a completely unrelated note, check out this quick, lined drawstring bag I whipped up this fall for my son's toys. Then check out this tutorial which shows one way to do it!

Merry & Bright -- Shutterfly Giveaway

2010-11-25T08:07:00.000-06:00

If you haven't heard yet, Shutterfly is giving away 50 FREE Christmas cards to bloggers! And it is going to be close to impossible to pick just one. Look at some of these options!

I love the classic elegance of this first card. It's simple but stunning. There are so many options to satisfy my rarely-indulged minimalist side.

Is it any surprise that I like this next one for it's whimsy? The letters and pix in the blocks just make me smile. (Confession: I might also like it because I support pink becoming a standard Christmas color. But really, how cute is that with the girl's pink dress? Since we don't have any girls to put in pink dresses (yet), my husband can breathe easily for one more year.)

I usually got conscripted to write the family Christmas letter my last few years of High School. I have yet to successfully implement the tradition as an adult, though I've started several times. This next one (and a few other similar options at Shutterfly) would make the task unnecessary. Love it!

If you're more on the ball than I am, and you've already finished your Christmas cards, you can still find other fabulous cards at Shutterfly. I love this change of address card-- simple and effective.

I might volunteer to host a baby shower specifically to order these cards. How clever and cute to put an ultrasound picture?! I love it!

See something you like? Don't miss this! Here's the link to get in on the action!

EAT Kitchen Letters Tutorial

2010-11-22T21:10:00.000-06:00

As promised, here is the tutorial for my EAT kitchen letters! This is a pretty detailed tutorial; probably too detailed (don't be offended when I instruct how to trace and cut out letters, for instance), but I figured I'd cover as much as possible. :)

Supplies

Paper mache letters (E, A, and T) - you could use wood as well

scrapbooking paper

spray adhesive or mod podge

acrylic paint in a coordinating color

straight-edge (ruler or similar)

exacto knife

Start with your letters.

Use your acrylic paint to cover the sides of the letters. Also, paint a small edge onto the front of the letters. This will be helpful when you're ready to put the scrapbook paper on.

When you've painted all the letters, place your first letters on the back (or front, you won't see the marks when you're done) and use a pencil to trace around the letter.

It should look like this when you're finished tracing.

This next part is the most important for having clean lines on your letters when you're done. Use a straight-edge (ruler or box edge) to cut slightly inside your traced line with an exacto knife. Cut a little bit smaller than your traced shape so that a bit of the paint on the edge can be seen on the front.

Like so:

Now grab your spray adhesive or modge podge and glue the scrapbook paper to the front of all three letters.

There are several ways you could hang these up. You could glue a string or sawtooth hanger on the back. You could try some of those command strips. I wanted quick, easy, and totally flush with the wall, so this is what I did.

First, measure down 1" (or 1/2", the important thing is for it to be a measured, specific distance) from the top of each lette:

Then use a ruler to measure the center.

And mark your location. The point where the two lines meet is where you're going to make a small hole.

I decided to use a wood screw. I hammer it in enough to break through the layer, then I pull it in and out and move it in a circle a little to make the hole a little bigger. (Note: This only works because these are hollow paper mache letters. If your letters are solid, you'll need to use another method for hanging.)

Repeat with all three letters,

and now they are ready to go up!

If you make some of these, I'd love to see how you made them your own!

Quilt, Wreath, Lanyards, EAT Tutorial Update, & a Dress

2010-11-19T20:44:00.000-06:00

How is it already 2/3 through November? I kid you not, I still have to catch myself before writing "May" when I'm putting a date on something because it still feels like the year is just getting started.

I don't have a good excuse for no posts in the last three weeks. I have AN excuse, and that excuse is that I just started a new job. But, since it doesn't require any longer hours than my last job, it's a mediocre excuse at best. And this post doesn't really end the slacking because it's all talk and no pictures.

Moving on, the other day I just really wanted to spend some time piecing a quilt top, so I got started on a stacked coins quilt. My color palette is a little more muted, but I just got in the fabric I ordered for sashing, backing, and binding, so hopefully I'll finish that up and have some pix to share in the next week or two.

I finally took down my Halloween wreath on Sunday and started working toward a Harvest wreath. I originally wanted to reproduce this rosette wreath, but I'm pretty sure I would not have that much patience. Maybe if I win a silhouette and can find a swirl cutting shape...? I opted for a simpler design involving circles of felt instead, but I haven't made any more progress on that, so I might give up until after Thanksgiving and then put up the only store-bought wreath in my life.

Remember how one of my Thirty Before 30 goals was to make a new lanyard, and that's one of the few I've actually completed? I found out last week that with my new job I have to wear the bland official lanyard so no-one is in doubt about who my employer is (I'm a government contractor and they're more concerned than my last employers that no one mistakes me for a civil servant). Typical. But I guess that means someone may be getting a pretty pearl lanyard for Christmas...

I have finished the new letters for the EAT tutorial. I still need to take one or two more pics of how to hang them, and then do the tutorial. Should be simple, right? So, stay tuned for that. I solemnly promise I will not go to sleep on Friday without posting that tutorial. (Someone might want to remind me of that next Wednesday if you're really chomping at the bit for that...)

Finally, does anyone else follow Presser Foot? Since I don't have sufficient craft projects in my to-do pile, I've decided to join their Mad Men dress sew-along, and I invite you all to join me. I don't watch Mad Men; I've never even seen an episode (I have enjoyed Jon Hamm on SNL, though), but I love the pattern they selected for the sew-along. I've never made a dress, and in fact I've only made about one article of clothing that I considered a success, but with much more practice under my belt this time (and a renewed appreciation for following a pattern), I have high hopes. Let me know if you join in, too!

EAT my winner!

2010-10-28T09:37:00.000-05:00

The winner is#23, christyd, who said:

Congratulations, Christy! I don't have an email address for you, so please write me at whimsikel@gmail.com!

EAT my Giveaway

2010-10-20T09:56:00.002-05:00

Giveaway is now closed!

Does anyone else watch Cougar Town? When it first started, I thought it looked like a horrible show, but I caught part of an episode toward the beginning of the first season, and it turns out that it is remarkably funny to me.

I also love Jules's house. A lot. (I'm not the only one either. If you're interested, here's an analysis of all the main sets used on the show.) One of my favorite parts is the big letters spelling EAT on the wall in the kitchen. I noticed them the first time I saw the show, but I spent a few months trying to decide if I wanted to copy them or not. Since I was off work last Monday (thank you, Christopher Columbus), I hit Hobby Lobby to make me a set.

I was working on two other wall decor projects that day (which was really, really ambitious of me - I did have a 20-month old running around), so I did not take one single picture! But I think I might want to do a tutorial for these (they are serious bang for your time and money - I have to smile when I look at them!), and that means making another set. But what to do with a second set?? Give it away! So if you're interested in a set of EAT letters, leave a comment here telling me what color you would get on the edge of your letters.

I'll close the giveaway next Wednesday, October 27, at midnight.

Please ignore the horrible picture. My cell phone camera is just easier.

Batty for Wreaths

2010-10-15T09:13:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned here, I finally revamped my changing seasons wreath for Halloween. It turned out to be even easier than I had planned! So easy that it didn't even warrant pictures for the tutorial!

First, I took off everything from my Spring wreath. Once I was back down to the wreath base I showed here, I wrapped two black feather boas around to cover the base. Next, I printed out my bat image in a few different sizes and cut several out of purple glittery foam. (Yes! They have pre-glittered craft foam at Hobby Lobby! I was prepared to use glue and glitter and make these the long way, but no need. How fortuitous that they had the purple I already had my heart set on!) Then I just pinned some bats onto the wreath and DONE! Super quick!

So here's my batty Halloween wreath. (I may have added a few more bats after looking at this pic...)

I found my bat image with a google image search and modified it slightly. If you'd like to use it, send me an email and I'll send you the word document. I'll try to get it loaded for download in the next few days, but as it took me 2 weeks just to blog about the wreath I finished on the 2nd, don't hold your breath...

I'll be linking to my fave parties on the left. :)

October Sky

2010-10-01T12:35:00.001-05:00

It's so gorgeous outside that it is basically a sin to be inside. Blah.

In other news, I haven't updated my changing seasons wreath in FAR too long. In fact, it's still sporting my Spring Wreath accoutrement. SIX MONTHS!? Yes. Yes, it has been.

So, this weekend, in between sessions of General Conference, I vow to change it up for some halloween fun. (Hint: it's going to involve glitter and the following shape...)

Also, can I get some feedback on my new header and color scheme? I've been seeing aqua around for years, but it didn't do much for me until this week. I'm so slow to get on bandwagons...

Winners!

2010-09-24T08:53:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to announce the winners for the Lia Sophia Jewelry and Blue Adventure Photography giveaways! First, the winner of the Out To Sea necklace is Collaborations, who said:

(I don't have an email address for you, so please be sure to contact me in the next few days.)

And the winner of the Blue Adventure Photography session is Denelle, who was having technical difficulties with blogger, but she emailed me to let me know, and I put her entry in chronologically (trying to be as fair as possible):

(Denelle, I'll give Natalie your contact info and have her get in touch with you.)

Congratulations, girls!

And for those who entered but did not win the photography session, contact me if you're interested in setting up a session with Natalie. Her rates are VERY reasonable, and she's a lot of fun to work with. Do you like to send pics with your Christmas cards? Christmas Eve is only 3 months from today!!

Thanks for reading!

Blue Adventure Photography Giveaway

2010-09-16T14:56:00.006-05:00

*also go check out the Lia Sophia Jewelry giveaway!

OK, ready for the second giveaway today? It's a photography session and high-resolution disc of photos from Blue Adventure Photography! This is only for local readers, I'm afraid. Though if you can get to Huntsville for the session, you're still in the running. :)

Natalie is a super-talented photographer. She's done a few sessions for us and we love all the pictures! Some of my favorites include family shots,

super-cute shots of my son a few months after he turned 1,

and the picture in my profile, which is one of my favorites of me with Lincoln.

There are two ways to enter.

1. Go become of fan of Blue Adventure Photography on facebook, and leave me a comment that you've done so.
2. Go check out the blog and comment on Natalie's post about the giveaway, and leave me a comment that you've done so

Please leave your email address in your comment so that I can contact you.

Remember this is only for local (Huntsville) readers.

This giveaway also closes in one week at Midnight CDT the evening of Thursday, September 23. Good luck!

Lia Sophia Giveaway

2010-09-15T11:53:00.005-05:00

*also go check out the Blue Adventure Photography giveaway!

I hit 100 followers this week! I'm so excited! And to celebrate, I'm hosting two giveaways!

First, is everyone familiar with Lia Sophia Jewelry? The item you can win is the Out To Sea necklace.

Beautiful, isn't it? Some of the other pieces I have my eye on include fabulous bracelets,

gorgeous necklaces,

and stunning earrings.

There are two ways to enter.

1. Go to the Lia Sophia catalog and leave a comment telling me your favorite piece.
2. Purchase an item (through my friend Denelle) on her website here. Leave a comment that you've made a purchase, and I'll confirm the sale with Denelle.

Please leave your email address in your comment so that I can contact you.

The giveaway closes in one week at Midnight CDT the evening of Thursday, September 23. Good luck!

Strippy Quilt or Finally, A Tutorial!

2010-09-07T10:18:00.005-05:00

I finally got my crafting bug back! I almost didn't know who I was without it. This weekend I worked on two projects that have been on my to-do list for quite a while: some hooded towels for an order (should be up in an etsy shop in the next few months!) and a Cars quilt for my son.

Lincoln is in love with all things car, so I decided to make him a quilt to encourage his habit. It's on the smallish side because I used a Cars panel for the backing, but this is a super easy quilt to modify to make bigger. It's a style of quilt my MIL has been making for years, and it's one I've not seen elsewhere. It goes together very quickly because you quilt it as you piece, so once you're done piecing you just bind and you're done!

Here's a quick tute:

Gather material - backing fabric and 3-5 (or more) fabrics for strips. I used 10 4" strips for a 35" panel and ended up a little short because I was just winging my seam allowance. You would need more yardage for a longer quilt - I would suggest 1/2 yard of 5 fabrics for a 2-yard backing fabric.

Start by laying out your backing fabric, front side down. Then place your batting on top.

Next place your first strip, right side up. So the first strip is wrong sides together with the backing. Pin that down.

Now, before you sew, place your second strip directly over the first, right sides together. It should look like this:

Sew along the bottom edge, then fold the second strip down so the right side is facing you and iron the seam open. Then move on to the third strip, placing it right sides facing with the second strip, like this:

Sew, iron, and continue for the length of the backing fabric. Notice how the front is being quilted with straight lines as you piece the strips:

When I got to the bottom, I had just a few inches left:

Since the panel is just a checkered piece on the bottom, I decided to cute an inch off rather than have a narrower strip. Depending on your backing fabric, you may or may not go with this option. If your backing fabric is not as forgiving, you'll want to pay more attention to your seam allowance and the strip width than I did.

Finally, bind along the unfinished edge, and you'll all done!

Easy peasy. I would love to make some of these with jelly rolls because the cutting is usually the most tedious part for me. I also think that embellishing the quilting with decorative stitches, stitching along the center of the strip, ribbons, etc, would be a fun variation. If you make a quilt like this, I'd love to see how it turns out!

I'll be linking to the parties on the left.

Dove Evolution

2010-08-20T10:02:00.004-05:00

If you haven't seen this, it's well worth a minute of your time.

(And I'm hoping to have a new tutorial up next week!)

Daydream Believer

2010-08-18T09:53:00.002-05:00

Has everyone seen Mila's Daydreams? Mila's mom creates images of what Mila might be dreaming while she naps. She is SO clever! Go see them all.

(Bookworm)

Virtual Lemonade

2010-08-05T15:41:00.003-05:00

One of my blogger friends mentioned in July that she and her kids were planning to participate in The Cure Starts Now Foundation's Make a Stand program to put up a lemonade stand and donate the proceeds to finding a cure for pediatric brain cancer. And to include those that live too far to conveniently drop by for lemonade, she posted about a virtual lemonade stand that we can donate to in order to support this great cause. This is such a great idea! Donations can be sent to:

The Cure Starts Now
10280 Chester Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45215

or you can donate online at:

www.thecurestartsnow.org

It's taking me a while to get in gear on this, but I'll be making my donation soon, and I would like to encourage everyone to donate just a few dollars to this or another great cause.

Books, Fish, and Pearls

2010-07-30T08:52:00.006-05:00

I love libraries. I used to go to the library all the time growing up. And I think I read most of the sci-fi section in our small local library during high school. Lately I don't have as much time to sit down to read a book, but soon after I started my first real job 3 1/2 years ago, I realized I needed some audiobooks for the commute. (Am I the only one who still calls them books-on-tape half the time? Even though they're cds?) So I'm well in to my 30 Before Thirty goal of reading The Chronicles of Narnia. I listened to The Magician's Nephew last week, and while it wasn't full of action, it was entertaining, and I found the symbolism fascinating. Now I'm waiting for The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, so I can continue the series.

In other 30 Before Thirty news, both of the red fish died. Lame. We'll get others this weekend at Petsmart, I think. Maybe guppies, since I kill fish even faster than I realized.

Also, I made my new lanyard for my badge at work. Fake pearls. I didn't want to tell until I'd tried it because I thought it might look dumb, but I'm a fan. They're super safety-conscious around here, so our lanyards have to have a breakaway (velcro or something that will release, so we don't get garroted or something. I don't know why. I work in an office. But whatever). I wasn't sure how to work that into looking "classier" until my friend suggested a magnetic clasp. Genius. Pictures to follow; I keep forgetting when I'm at home in the evenings, and the guys at work would give me such a hard time if I tried to get a pic at the office. :)

I'm considering stringing the glass pearl beads for the lanyard as making a piece of jewelry. That would make it a twofer. I love the word twofer.

Enough rambling. Happy Friday, Friends! Enjoy the weekend!

Another One Bites the Dust

2010-07-26T20:41:00.001-05:00

Now it's just ridiculous.

And Thus It Begins

2010-07-25T12:40:00.004-05:00

One dead fish. Already. One of the reddish-orange ones. And it didn't even have the grace to die and float to the top like a normal fish. It went into the "plants" to kick the bucket, and I had to fish (pun seriously intended) it out. Yuck. And I sound callous because I think it's ridiculous that I was upset after having the fish for only five days. We're definitely getting fish from Petsmart from now on. I don't care if Wal-Mart is 6 times closer (round-trip, that's no exaggeration). Sheesh.

In other news, the topic for the Relief Society lesson today was Journal Keeping. Further proof that Heavenly Father both hears and answers prayers and cares about my 30 Before Thirty goals.

I'm a Believer

2010-07-23T12:37:00.006-05:00

I've been needing tie-backs for the curtains (see the curtains?) in our master bedroom for, oh, about three years. (Coincidentally, that's about when I moved in.)

I saw some that had a leaf motif that I liked, but the color just wouldn't work with the palate I wanted in the room. Then the tiebacks I've been eying for three years went on sale, and I had to jump at the chance. I got two sets (I have three windows on that wall, one large and two smaller ones on either side. I figured 4 tie-backs should cover it).

And enter oil rubbed bronze spray paint. People have been raving about this on blogland forEVer, but I could never find any, and I didn't have a specific project in mind for it, so I kept putting it off. Now I had a project, and I couldn't wait to see what all the fuss was about.

I took out all the parts, laid them on newspaper and got to work.

I sprayed from every angle (as in, from each side if there was an imaginary square around it) and from the top. Let it dry, then one more coat. Once it was dry (and I gave it plenty of time) I flipped all the pieces over and repeated.

Ta da! The lighting doesn't do much for this pic, but trust me when I tell you they are perfect. A nice rich shade of brown with wonderful metallic accents as the light hits it.

I think they will go perfectly with the floral print on my valance boxes and bedspread.

Now I just need to hang them up!

Aquarium - Cross It Off the List

2010-07-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how quickly you can get things done when you have a list to cross off. Getting an aquarium was number 26 on my 30 Before Thirty list, and we took care of that 3 short days after I posted my list. Sweet! It's nothing fancy, but Lincoln loves it, and we all like to watch the fish.

Here's my question: why is the water already cloudy? We've only had fish in it for 24 hours. Any ideas?

We think there are more fish in this tank's future. Four (the sucker fish is hiding) still seems kind of sparse.

Polish Pottery and Melodrama

2010-07-21T12:58:00.004-05:00

Is anyone else familiar with polish pottery? This is a sad tale.

Background:
I spent my last three years of high school living in Germany since my dad was in the Air Force. My last Christmas, I knew I would be going to college in the fall, and I told my mom I would like some pieces of polish pottery to take with me. So for Christmas that year she surprised me with a gift certificate for polish pottery AND a road-trip to Poland to pick the pieces out on site! Swoon. That was definitely one of my favorite Christmas presents ever.

I didn't use most of my pieces at college until I no longer had roommates because I knew they would get broken. In fact, the one piece I took with me (my favorite mug) did get broken. Because my sweet roommate was doing her dishes and decided to wash mine, too. She was so upset! I was as well, but I could hardly be upset with her for trying to be a good roommate.

Now to this past week. I was cooking dinner, and Lincoln (almost 18 months) was getting into the cupboards and pulling out pots and pans and such. Whatever keeps him happy. I even saw him open the cupboard where some of my pottery is, but I assumed in my distraction that he'd go for the drawer in there with the spoons and such. No dice. He pulled out my pottery baking dish (which had another glass baking dish stacked inside). His poor arms didn't stand a chance to hold them up once they were out. They crashed to the floor, and the pottery cracked before I realized my mistake.

Just one of those things, right? At first I thought I could maybe glue it back together, but I would be pretty scared to bake something in a dish that was glued. I'm pretty sure glue isn't made to hold so well at 425°F. It's sat on the counter since (like salt in a wound) while I've debated the pros and cons of trying to glue it back together, and I finally decided I'm better off trying to replace it. I checked ebay, but nothing seemed to fit my picky bill. I'm open to new designs, but I tend to prefer the simpler styles. So I thought I'd share my woe and see if anyone has some ideas for me.

To recap, here's my dish looking very similar to how it's looked these last mumble-mumble years (if you ignore the slight crack lines):

And here's the bitter truth:

If you made it this far, blessings on your heads. And I sound (way) more melodramatic than I really feel, so don't worry that I'm crying into my soup at night. But I would love some links if anyone knows somewhere stateside where I could get something similar. Thanks. ;)

30 Before Thirty

2010-07-16T12:08:00.004-05:00

This is a shameless copy-cat of Nicole at Making it Lovely. I saw her original post regarding her 30 before thirty back in March, and she's mentioned it in the past few months as she's crossed things off her list. The idea has been growing on me, and the other day I realized 30 is creeping up on me much faster than I expected. I decided some concrete goals would be fun to work on for the next six months, so I made a list for myself. It's surprisingly difficult to come up with 30 realistic goals (realistic mostly meaning that it can't require too much money. So a trip to New York to see Wicked on Broadway is right out). Also, I would have loved to just copy and paste Nicole's list, but most of her goals don't really apply to me. For instance, I've dyed my hair red more times than I can count, and right now I'm trying to do no more than highlights and low lights. Also, I have no intention of giving up soda. I've done that, and I think my quality of life is significantly higher when it includes diet Mt. Dew. I did borrow some from her, though (like paying off the credit card).
But, enough rambling. I have until February 3, 2011 to complete the following (not in order of difficulty, though somewhat grouped by category):

learn to work with fondant
learn to juggle
read and study Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
try jewelry making - at least a pair of earrings
buy essential oil and use in a project
finish the clock project over the mantel
finish my throw pillows
~~make a prettier lanyard for my work badge~~
make blankets and/or host a drive for blankets for Project Linus
open an Etsy Shop
try geocaching
go to the zoo or aquarium with Tyler and Lincoln
find a treasure at Unclaimed Baggage
read The Chronicles of Narnia
write an ebook
compete in a mini-triathlon
unlock all the exercises on my Wii Fit
establish (and use!) a budget
resume keeping a journal
read Catch-22
ruthlessly de-clutter the house
hang pictures
finish the mini-reno in the kitchen
do the mini-reno in the master bathroom
organize three months of food storage
~~get an aquarium~~
get a bonsai tree
~~pay off the credit card~~
establish a habit of having Family Home Evening
??? (this one is a surprise! I know, I’m lame. But I’ll tell you when I’m done!)

Like Nicole, I'll cross these off as I finish. Anyone interested in joining me with as many items as your next birthday? I'd love to see some other ideas! Some of these are a bit of a stretch. :)

Poof Pillow Tutorial

2010-07-14T09:49:00.003-05:00

I know I haven't posted very often lately, but please don't give up on me! It's been a perfect storm lately, but I think I'm getting my momentum back. :)

A month ago I directed you to this tutorial I did for Ucreate. Now I'm sharing my gathered-ribbon poof pillow tutorial with you here!

So, begin by gathering your supplies:

3/4 yard of a solid color for the foundation fabric and the back
6-10 yards of ribbon (depending on width, how gathered you want it, and size of your pillow. color should coordinate with the foundation fabric but doesn't need to match exactly.)
pillow form

ruler
fabric marking pen
string (if you're going to follow my steps to turn a square pillow form into a circle)
sewing scissors
sewing pins

I'm going to first show you how to turn a square pillow form into a circle. You can skip this step if you have a circular pillow already or if you want to follow the tutorial but onto a square instead of the circle. One of the nice things about doing this, though, is that your pillow form ends up being very full and giving a great shape to your finished cover.

Transforming the Pillow Form

Begin by measuring the pillow and marking the center on all four sides. then connect the marks across the top of the pillow to find the center. Once you have the center, push a pin with string attached into the center and tie your fabric marking pen onto the string at a good length for you to be able to reach the center of one of the sides. Like this:

Now, keeping the pen at the same angle, drag it from one side to the adjacent side, so that you're drawing 1/4th of a circle. It should look something like this:

From here, push all the stuffing into the center of the pillow, and pin your mark to the back of the pillow:

Notice here that you can see two lines? I messed up, but it's ok because this will be hidden inside the pillow and I'm using a fabric marking pen that disappears. ;)

Now take it to your machine and sew (carefully!) along your mark. Make sure to take your pins out before you sew over them. Sometimes I risk it, so I have a bunch of bent pins and a few broken needles. Learn from my mistakes! (Or just buy lots of pins and needles.)

If, like me, you hate hand sewing with a passion, follow me and do this with your machine. If you don't mind sewing, I think this can be hand stitched as well. Just make sure your stitches are close and tight.

Next cut off the excess corner (sorry, no picture).

Continue and finish the other 3 corners, and now your pillow form should look like this:

Yay! You're just taken a square pillow form and turned it into a circle. This could also be modified for other simple shapes.

Cutting the Front Foundation Fabric and Back Pieces

Now take out your foundation fabric, iron it, and cut out a square an inch or so longer on each side than your pillow form is wide (hint: the original tag should show the dimensions. If not, just measure across one of the center lines you have marked). Once you have the square cut, fold it in half and then again in half the other way. Now you should have a square of material like this:

Take your ruler and measure out from the center of the material (which will be one of the corners of the folded fabric), mark half the width of the pillow plus 1/2" for seam allowance. Do this from the center all along the top of the folded material. Now connect the dots, following the edge of the quarter-circle, and pin along the curve you just marked. It should look like this:

Notice that I have the pins just to inside of the curve so that I can cut along the mark. Unfold, and you should have very close to a perfect circle:

Lay your circle of material on top of your pillow form to see if you like the fit or if you want to trim a little before you start:

Now cut two pieces for an envelope closure on the back. Cut one about 1/2 the height of the pillow, and one 2/3 the height. Fold and pin for a simple seam on each exposed edge. Use the circle front to get an overlap that looks about like this:

Then, starting at one side, begin pinning along the seam. This is the back to show the pins:

Now use your front as a template to mark the circle onto the back:

And cut along your marked line:

When you're done cutting the back pieces to the shape of your front, very carefully take the pins out one or two at a time and switch them to pinning just the two pieces of the back together so that you can work with the front foundation fabric. You'll want the back pieces to be pinned together until the very last step.

Mark the Front Foundation Piece

Measure the width of your ribbon, and mark a curve about 1/4" less than that away from the edge (so for a 1.25" ribbon, mark each 1"). To start, make a mark on the edge and another at the correct distance from the edge about 5" along the perimeter. So your line should look something like this to start:

Now continue along the perimeter:

Once you get your first line drawn, you need to mark a approximate distances across the whole surface of the front foundation fabric. To do this, I marked my center point and then put my ruler across that point and marked every 1-inch interval. After turning the ruler and doing this across the fabric several times, it looked like this:

Then fill in any emptier spots:

And a few more for good measure, if you're like me and can't draw a good curve without help:

Now begin at your outside line and spiral toward the middle following your starting point to make the jump to interior circles. It should look like this when you're done:

It gets a little tricky toward the center. Just do the best you can. You'll be covering this with gathered ribbon, so it's pretty forgiving.

Gathering the Ribbon

Now it's time to get started with your ribbon.

I combined the steps for gathering that I used here with this clever tip from Little Birdie Secrets. I created my gather along one side. To begin I did a back stitch.

Then, using my seam ripper to scrunch it, I sewed slowly as I pushed the ribbon toward the presser foot. After a few inches, it starts to look like this:

Keep doing this until you need a break or you reach the end of your first spool of ribbon (if you do reach the end, stop about 5 inches short and backstitch. I'll show how to continue to another spool in a few steps). I decided to switch back and forth between gathering the ribbon and sewing it to the foundation fabric, so I just back-stitched when I got tired of gathering and switched.

Sewing the Ribbon to the Foundation Fabric

Beginning at the mark starting on the extreme outer edge, start pinning along your line towards the center. Don't worry about the raw end of ribbon hanging off the side; we'll take care of that when we sew the front and back together. Now use a straight stitch to sew the gathered ribbon along the line. As I said before, this doesn't have to be a perfect straight stitch - the gather of the ribbon makes this very forgiving. When you've finished the first line, it should look like this:

Now continue gathering, pinning, and sewing:

Until you've finished the first spool of ribbon.

When you get to the end, pin the start of your new ribbon to the end of your first ribbon, right on top with a 1/4" overlap rather than right sides together as you usually do. Then use a zigzag stitch to attach the two. I usually go back and forth across the entire length to make sure it's nice and secure. It should look like this:

Now continue gathering, pinning, and sewing (and attaching ribbons depending on the length of a spool) until you reach the center.

When you get to the center, just fold the very end over about 1/4" and stitch the center down with a straight stitch in an x-shape at the center:

The gather should make it fluff enough that you can leave the center like this, but if you would like to add something, you could use a fabric flower, a fabric-covered button, or a decorative button just to give you some ideas.

Now you're done with your cover and ready to attach the back:

Finishing

The trickiest part of attaching the back is avoiding the first line of ribbon. Just fold the ribbon towards the middle at the free side and pin the cover and the back with right sides together. At the very beginning of the ribbon along the edge, sew the raw edge of the ribbon sandwiched between the foundation fabric and back. It should look like this along the edge when you pin it:

And this when you're done sewing:

Now carefully take out the pins holding the envelope closure together and flip it right-sides out through the opening. Stuff the pillow form into the cover:

And you're done!

If you make one of these, I'd love to see it! I'll be posting to the parties on the left.

Bag/Purse Patterns

2010-06-25T11:58:00.004-05:00

My muses have left me. I don't feel like sitting down and sewing or crafting at all. Which is really weird for me, but I assume the malaise will pass and I'll hit the ground running soon. In the meantime, check out (in no particular order) some very cute bag/purse patterns I've had bookmarked for a while but have never gotten around to making. But I will. Soon. Really.

Puffy Pouch by Pink Penguin as shown at Mary Janes and Galoshes

Pleated Purse pattern at My Spare Time

Phoebe Bag from Artsy-Crafty Babe

Japanese knot bag from Show Your Workings

Little Clutch Purse from 7 Layer Studio

Buttercup Bag from Made By Rae

What do you guys think? Which one should I start with, and in what color? And do you have any others to suggest I add to my list?

Silhouette Giveaway

2010-06-21T11:53:00.004-05:00

Would you like to win a Silhouette?? I would. Go check it out here.

Banana Muffins

2010-06-18T21:41:00.004-05:00

I used to cook. Really. And bake as well. But lately all my cooking involves pre-packaged freezer meals and all my baking involves cake mixes. To every time a season, I suppose.

Last night I decided to experiment with a cake mix banana bread recipe I found at Trendy Treehouse, and I am SO glad I did!

Here is her basic recipe with my tweaks (be sure to check hers out as well if you want a more traditional bread!):

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
cake mix (I used a white cake mix I had on hand)

1 pkg banana pudding (3.5 oz)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Lightly grease muffin tins (small or large, but two pans)

Mash bananas then add all ingredients
Mix well and scoop into muffin tins
Sprinkle a small amount of turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) onto the top of the muffins

Doesn't it look delicious?

Cook for 20-22 min (or more or less depending on your oven), let cool, and you are done!

Meg suggests lots of possibilities with cake mix flavors and mix-ins, so hop on over and see some of her ideas. I had to take one pan into work so that we wouldn't eat them all at home, so I definitely give this baking venture an A+.

If you try it, let me know how it turns out and what variations you try. Happy Baking!

Cardigan Chain

2010-06-18T09:32:00.003-05:00

I know I sound like an obsessed person, but please bear with me. What do you guys think about this little chain on Emma's cardigan?

Because sometimes I don't necessarily want to button my cardigans, but I still don't want them flapping in the breeze when I walk. What do you guys think?

P.S. How much do I love the little detail on the pockets!? Lots, that's how much.

I want...

2010-06-17T15:24:00.003-05:00

...this cardi and brooch. Don't tell me you don't feel the same...

I just bought a brooch on Ebay in fact. Though not that great. Ebay is the ultimate enabler.

Poof Pillow

2010-06-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

Today I'm over at UCreate sharing my tutorial for my latest pillow!

I still can't believe she asked me to be a creative guest!

Come on over and give Kari some love!

Glee

2010-06-11T11:07:00.005-05:00

My sister suggested Glee to me a few weeks after it started. We watched one episode, but because I didn't know the backstory very well, it didn't do much for me. Last night while we were waiting for Burn Notice (love it!) to come on at 8, we started watching the rerun of the first episode. Suddenly everything made so much more sense! And, more importantly, I found a character who's wardrobe I desperately want! I'm not the only one, either. I googled "glee emma wardrobe" and apparently it was the hot topic last fall. I'm so behind the times!

But here are a few looks/items that I would definitely love to get:

I don't even like gold! But she wore this clipped to a three-strand, jade-green beaded necklace, and I loved the look!

Again, I'm not a huge fan of mustard yellow, but I love the tone-on-tone look she's rocking! I would just need to go with green or blue or something...

And finally,

Obviously I need to go buy some beaded necklaces. I usually wear silver jewelry, but I like how she matches or contrasts her necklaces with her outfit, rather than the neutral look I usually have. My wardrobe definitely needs an overhaul. Do you guys have any inspiring outfits to share? I'd love to see!

Link to Flower Tutorial

2010-06-09T10:39:00.005-05:00

I got some really good feedback on my grandma flower throw pillow.

I'm so glad so many of you liked it! I had several people comment that they wanted a tutorial, and then I kind of just left you guys hanging. So sorry! But there's a reason: about three weeks after I posted, right as I was about to make another to take pictures for a tutorial, Ashley at Make It and Love It posted a tutorial for a very similar project (so did some other people, but I think hers is closest). I kind of ran out of steam and decided to try something else. (I made it and took pictures and now it's just a matter of organizing the tutorial. Next week at the latest! I promise!) In the meantime, if you'd like to see a great tutorial, click here for Ashley's flower wall hanging.

The only changes between her tutorial and what I did are:
1) I edged using a short, narrow zigzag stitch along the outside edge. My thread isn't a perfect match, and I was too impatient to wait until I could get to the store.
2) I sewed my fabric down (with a straight stitch) to the foundation fabric (which is the same as the ruffles) rather than gluing it.
3) I sewed the lengths into a circle before gathering on one edge and sewing the "petals" down.
4) When I got to the middle, I cut out a small central circle (which I edged the same way I had edged the the gathered circles) and used a fabric covered button for the very center.
5) And obviously, I made a pillow with my foundation fabric rather than a wall hanging. For a tutorial on making the pillow, I'm afraid I am no help. I actually put a zipper (!!!) on this throw pillow cover, but I was winging it the whole way, so I'm not at all qualified to teach that! This tutorial (also from Ashley) shows you how to do the envelope closure that I have used on my other throw pillows. You could also just leave an opening and sew it closed.
As always, if you make this, comment and let me know it went!

New Winner

2010-06-07T14:45:00.003-05:00

I hate to do this, but I never heard back from Alyssa, so I had to pick another winner for the hooded towel and washies. Gretchen, your efforts paid off! I can't find your email, so please email me ASAP to claim your prize!

Handy Tip for Color Matching

2010-06-02T20:16:00.004-05:00

Here's a quick tip for trying to match colors to your decor. You could bring a fabric swatch with you, but what if you have several swatches? If you can match ribbons to your particular fabrics, that gives you a more solid block of your desired colors. Remember this pillow?

I promise the ribbons match the floral better than it seems. And more importantly, I matched that blue and the brown to other fabrics I want to use. So I just cut some short pieces and taped them to a 3" x 5" card:

I carry it in my planner in my purse. So when I'm at the store and find something I think might match, I can judge quickly (and accurately) how close it is. It's how I picked the fabric for this pillow:

And, as you can see, the salmon pinks match just about perfectly.

Anybody else have some tips for matching when you're out and about and looking for deals?

I'll be linking to the usual parties on the left, and be sure to check out this new one:

Winner!!

2010-05-30T17:08:00.006-05:00

The winner of the hooded towel and washies giveaway is:

Congratulations, Alyssa! I've sent you an email, so just write me back with your preferences, and we'll get those out to you!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered! I hope y'all are having a wonderful long weekend. I, for one, am very excited for my 5k tomorrow morning! I'm hoping for sun. ;)

Sweater Throw Pillow

2010-05-26T22:18:00.001-05:00

Well, the throw pillow projects continue, and I decided I'd like a simple pillow to pair with some of the more colorful ones. I had a brown cardigan that I LOVED, but even after losing the baby weight, it just never fit right. I decided it would be better served as a pillow cover, so my project began with that cardigan and a pillow I picked up, with another one as a set, for cheap on sale at Target. (Tip - you don't have to have a "pillow form." Sometimes just a neutral pillow will work great AND might be cheaper!)

Materials:
cardie/sweater
pillow/pillow form
matching thread
scissors

Step 1: Turn the cardie inside out and sew the bottom shut. I pinned and then sewed, but if you're more confident, you can just hold it even and sew. I found with the knit material that my walking foot was a lifesaver.

Step 2: With the cardie still inside out, place it over the pillow and do up the buttons. This step is necessary to see where to sew on the top. I was lucky enough (I thought) that the width was perfect, so I only needed to worry about the top and bottom. More on that later.

Step 3: Now pin where you'll sew your seams for the top and that little annoying part of the sleeve. I decided to ignore the problem and hope it didn't bug me much, but you could make more of an effort to find a longer cardie or shorter pillow/pillow form if you think that will bother you. I admit it; I'm a total enabler of OCD.

Step 4: Take out the pillow and mark where you'll sew on the side unless you modified so that you don't have a little bit of sleeve. Also turn your pins so they're easier to take out as you sew and less likely to stick you as you sew directly towards them. Ask me how I know this.

Step 5: Repeat with the top. The marking pen doesn't matter much since you'll be turning it right side out. I'm pretty sure I used a black sharpie because nothing else would show up. Oh, and as usual, please ignore the pics. I'm very haphazard about experimenting with the different settings on my camera. One day I'll have time. Sure.

Step 6: Cut the extra off. Be sure it's on the OUTSIDE of the seams you've just sewn. Then look at it, realize you need to square it up a little more, and repeat steps 4 and 6. :)

Step 7: Turn the cardie right side out, put it on the pillow, and admire your handy work. Um, admire? What's the bulk about? I don't want that when I wear a cardie, so I certainly don't want it on my pillow! Ugh! What to do...? The battle of the bulge on a pillow!?

Step 8: Take off the cover, mark a line an inch or more from the edge of the pillow, and sew that bad boy with a fairly short stitch to make sure it's secure. Then cut off the excess.

Step 9: Put the cover back on, wet it a little with a water bottle, pin where it tends to bulge, and let it dry overnight to get comfortable with it's new shape. This step is totally optional. Did I mention OCD?

Step 10: Step back and admire your gorgeous, chic, and practically FREE throw pillow!

I know I wanted neutral, but I'm thinking one of those felt flowers positioned kind of like a brooch could really add something. What do you think? I'll be linking to my usual parties on the left. :)

Button! And a Question About Painting Shoes

2010-05-25T14:58:00.007-05:00

I finally have a button! My friend Natalie made one for me.

Isn't it beautiful? As soon as I figure out how, I'll put it on the sidebar with the code, so you can grab it.

In the meantime, here's a question for you. I bought these shoes at Target the other day:

...and I love them so much that now I want to buy another pair to paint them a nice red. My red shoes finally bit the dust over a year ago, and I'm still in mourning. It's remarkably difficult to find a nice darkish-red shoe. These are kind of a canvas, though, so I think spray paint would ruin them. I've seen some spray-on fabric dyes used for clothing, but I'm not sure how those would work for shoes. Any suggestions?

Hooded Towel, Washies, and a Giveaway!

2010-05-24T21:58:00.004-05:00

**The giveaway is now closed**

Back in April, just before I did the March of Dimes March for Babies, I committed to hosting a giveaway by the end of May if I met my fundraising goal. And I did! $190 to the cause of helping sick babies heal and go home to their families. I'm so honored that I get the chance to participate in activities like that, and as promised (though at the 11th hour), I'm hosting my first giveaway!

First, some background. About 2 weeks after my promise, I FINALLY won a giveaway! I'd just about given up on them. But I won the My Bella Baby Little Washies giveaway that Stacey @ Fun To Craft hosted. I was so excited! And I was absolutely thrilled with the washies when I got them! They are to die for.

I toyed with the idea of saving them for a baby gift but decided I wanted to keep them for myself. They looked simple, and I thought that I could make something similar for future gifts.

And as it happens, I have two friends who's babies are getting to be SIX months, and I decided that I'd make hooded towels with matching washies for them. Let me tell you, I learned my lesson. The quality of Kayla's washies is absolutely unmatched, and it's obvious that she is a skilled and meticulous seamstress. Me? I don't have enough patience with much detail. I think I've mentioned once or twice that I hate hand sewing... So after making a few, I decided that in future I'd outsource. :)

So, before I announce the giveaway, I want to show you the hooded towels and washies I made. For the life of me, I can't find a tutorial for the hooded towel. I just kind of threw some ideas from various tutorials together. I'd also made a few in the past. I made the hood of the towel very similar to this tutorial, though I used the hand towel with the finished edge framing the face rather than sewn to the big towel (does that make any sense?). I also added one new feature this time (that I LOVE) and that is a little pleated detail in the center back of the large towel. I got the pleat idea from this tutorial, step 5. So, how did it turn out? I'll show you, but I warn you that the pictures are WASHED out. I do all my crafting in the evening, so the pictures are generally wretched. I'm learning.

Anywho, here's the detail of the ribbon framing the face:

And here's the little pleat in the back. I used a mixing bowl for the shape to round the back of the hood.

I love how they turned out! And here are the towel and washies together. Notice that the material for the washies matches the ribbon? Like, exactly? I love it.

Then I wrapped them all up around a bottle of this (cucumber melon baby wash!? Be still my heart. I can't wait to have a girl...):

...and tied a matching ribbon around it. One of my friend's gave me this at my baby shower for my son, and it's still one of my favorite gifts.

So, now for the giveaway! I wanted to give away a matching towel and washies, and I thought about making the washies for the giveaway myself, but I feel like since they're Kayla's idea, I don't want to try to edge in on her market. So I contacted her, and she's agreed to make the washies to match the towel!

So, the winner will get one towel with five matching washies. The winner will be able to choose girl, boy, or gender neutral (so pretty much any baby color for the towel). I'll then go fabric shopping (darn!) for a matching print in that category that has a matching ribbon. Kayla has minky, chenille, and terry cloth that you can choose from for the other side of the washies, but she usually picks trying to best match the cotton print. So unless you have your heart set on one of the three, I would trust her judgment. :)

There's only one way to enter: go check out Kayla's etsy shop and/or blog and leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite product is. The giveaway ends at midnight central time on Saturday the 29th of May. Make sure you leave your email address on your comment and/or your blogger profile is enabled with it for me to get in touch with you.

Good luck!

**Edited to add: Upon further consideration (and suggestions for the peanut gallery), I've decided to add one more way that you can enter. If you blog about it (and put the link in your giveaway) or post it in your facebook status or twitter, etc, (with the giveaway URL), come back and leave me a comment letting me know for one more entry!

Still Preoccupied with Fabric Flowers - Felt Flowers Edition

2010-05-21T11:46:00.003-05:00

One of my very first blog posts is a list of fabric flower tutorials that I want to try. That was almost a year ago, and I'm not sure I've tried even ONE of those original tutorials. (I've done some other things, but there are still not enough fabric flowers in my life. I'm sure of it.) So since it's taking me longer to get back into the blogging groove after my trip than I had hoped (don't worry, I have things to share! I just haven't gotten around to organizing my photos in any coherent manner to make a post!), I would like to share with you some of the wonderful FELT flower tutorials I've come across in my blog-walking the last few months.
I am completely smitten with these simple circle felt flowers from eighteen25. I completely agree with one of the comments that they remind her of Mary Englebright flowers. And since my blog header is inspired my Mary Englebright flowers, I am obviously a fan.

I love the sweet simplicity of these felt flowers from A Hoot and a Holler. She gives some great ideas for using them, and her tutorial has wonderfully clear instructions and step-by-step photos.
I used these felt flowers like eighteen25 used (not from their tutorial, but one from Creative Jewish Mom) for my Spring Wreath (and also for a brooch I've never bothered to take a picture of and share), but I couldn't think of a good way to incorporate them into a headband. Until now. I think this grouping might be the answer to making this look work for me. (Side note - how can I get my hair to photograph like that? Mine is always frizzy and weird even if it doesn't seem that way in the mirror right before snapping the pic.)

This beautiful rose from Molly's Sketchbook uses a similar rolled felt flower for the center, but then adds some simple pieces to the bottom to transform it into this gorgeous rose! With the provided templates and clear instructions, this would be a wonderful project with a lot of potential!

This hydrangea felt flower is simply enchanting, and I can't wait to finally make one! I think one with light purple and blue blooms would be simple fabulous. She has a wonderful template you can download and very clear instructions.

Part of the magic of this rolled felt flower at Wee Folk Art is the simple flower juxtaposed with the blanket stitch around the leaves. I'm usually too lazy for such details, but I think I could make an exception here because I absolutely love it.

I can see so much potential in this beauty from Epicurean Style. The instructions are very clear and require only the smallest amount of hand stitching (my kind of project). I've loved this look ever since I saw this elegant wreath at Christmas time. The idea of making ALL of those circles just made my head ache, though, so I only half-heartedly flagged it. This flower gives you that look on a smaller (and much more doable, in my book), scale. Also it's much more versatile.

I'm not sure how I've managed not to mention it, but I am more than a little obsessed with topiaries lately. I haven't made one yet because I'm still debating inside/outside, size, function, etc (I'm a little OCD...), but this one from lemon crafts has moved to the front of the queue. It just makes me smile. She provides a very clear tutorial, and since you're putting flower pins into styrofoam, once the flowers are all cut out, I imagine it goes together VERY quickly.

I love how I Am Momma modified this tutorial from V and Co. to creat this great felt corsage. I loved the original tutorial (of course), but since I'm focusing on felt flowers today, I thought I'd show an example of modifying the flower tutorials you find in blogland to suit your purposes, tastes, and materials.

My jaw absolutely dropped when I saw this gorgeous felt dahlia corsage from NotMartha that was featured on Holidash. She used fabric glue (and shared some great tips, after making several more, on her blog), but I still think I might try sewing the leaves. Hmm. I've seen some others around that other people have done using this tutorial, and they ALL turn out beautifully. A wonderful tutorial, and it has a clever suprise in the back that you might want to check out. :)

I know I've mentioned Lolly Chops before, but she really does have some of the most amazing flower tutorials I've seen. This one, for instance, is just such a clever blend of hard and soft lines, and I love the way that the layering and folding make it so that the shadows add depth and color to the flower. The layered buttons are the icing on the cake. (She credits someone else with the basic idea, but I haven't found more of a tutorial that what she gives.) This is just one of the little gems found inside her Wall Flowers Week (March 22-26, I think I flagged every day!), so please go see what other wonders await.

And finally, how wonderful are these felt posy's from Polka Dot Pineapple? I know, there's fabric on there, too, so I suppose it might be cheating, but I couldn't pass it up. She uses a punch for the original shape, but she shows such a clear picture of it that I think you could just trace it from the monitor if, like me, you don't have a similar punch. She then has a wonderful tutorial for making your own.

If you girls have some other felt flowers I need to know about, please leave a comment with a link! I really will make some one day. I just know it. :) Or if you've made some of the ones I've mentioned, show us how yours turned out! And I'd love to get some feedback on the tutorials and any hints or tips y'all have for making them easier! Also, please leave some love if you flag any of the links to make yourself! I know I love to get feedback, and I bet these girls would as well. ;)

**I've tried to give appropriate credit, but please let me know if I'm missed up a link or not given proper credit for the ideas.

Sunday Refashioning For My Man-Child

2010-05-11T11:04:00.006-05:00

OK, I lied. About being missing-in-action. But this is the last post for a while. Promise.
So, really quick, here are some pics from Sunday of the projects I was up until 1 am on Saturday working on for my little man to wear to Church on Sunday.

I used this tutorial from I Am Momma, Hear Me Roar to make sure that button-up shirt stayed tucked in. Great tutorial. Super-easy project. I will now be doing this with ALL his button-up Sunday shirts.

And this tutorial from s.e.i. lifestyle for that snazzy tie. Which I love. I found I needed a minimal amount of tie around the neck and more elastic in order to get it on. So I kind of winged it. :) I like the casual, long-day-at-the-office, loose-tie style he's working. I'll probably be making lots of these, too. :)

Missing-In-Action for a While

2010-05-10T07:00:00.003-05:00

I've got some more pics to put up, but this weekend was crazy. We're going out of town on Wednesday, AND I think I'll get a root canal before I go. No better way to start a trip, right? So stay tuned for more throw pillows (my latest obsession), a Ballard Designs knockoff (I might be biting off more than I chew here, so wish me luck), some Sunday refashioning for a 1-year-old boy, some baby-gift projects, and whatever else I can manage to find time for. :) hopefully in a week or two. Show me some love in the meantime, though. I'd like to know I'm missed. :) Remember I'd love to see links to any projects you've done that are similar (they don't even have to be inspired by me) to ones I've done. Also, if you see something you think I might want to get in on, let me know! I have a feeling my reader will be SORELY neglected for a while. Thanks, girls!!

Flower Boxes

2010-05-09T20:02:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, Heather over at Lulu's Tiles posted about these fantastic flower boxes she had come across. And they are very cool, don't get me wrong. See?

But then she said, and I quote, "If you can top these babies, leave a comment with a link to the flower boxes I gotta see them" (no emphasis added). And, coincidentally enough, I had been noticing some incredible flower boxes every time we left my in-laws' after Sunday dinner. So of course I took up the challenge but just finally today got some pictures. Do you see what I mean? Look closely...

She's hung vintage windows from the porch and then put window boxes hanging from them! Aren't they beautiful? Sadly, our porch isn't big enough to accommodate something like this, but one day maybe. :)

So, what do you think, Heather? At least as good? ;)

Mother's Day Gifts

2010-05-06T10:33:00.004-05:00

If your name is Mischell or Machiel (ironically, both pronounced like Michelle) and you're my mom or mother-in-law, look away!! Otherwise, keep reading.

No, really. Look away.

For Mother's Day this year (unlike previous years) I decided to actually DO something. And I saw this fantastic idea over at The Inadvertent Farmer:

Isn't it fantastic? She did it for Valentine's Day, but I thought it would be fun for Mother's Day. Now my mom is Nana to her grandkids (2 with another on the way! not me...), which works really well for the 4-picture frames, but we call my Mother-in-Law (MIL - look! you learned some techno-shorthand!) Gramma, so I wasn't sure how that one was going to work. Luckily, my husband had the great idea to do some pictures with two letters in them.

But I digress, we'll talk about the Nana pics first. It was pretty straightforward. I got my SIL (sister-in-law, get it?) to take some pictures of my 3-year-old nephew holding an N and an A. (I just formatted them for an 8.5"x11" printer paper; no fancy stuff when you're trying to pull it together with someone 2,000 miles away and send it another 1,000 miles to the Nana.) A 3-year-old can understand holding a paper and getting his picture taken, so those worked out great. The two with MY son are the comedy-of-errors pictures. He's just basically doing whatever he wants, and my husband's holding the paper while trying to stay out of the picture. I like them, though. Then I used a BW action from one of my photographer friends in town and also added a sepia tint to complement the frame. And I love how it all came together. But after all that rambling, you'll have to wait for a picture! I completely forgot to take one before I sent it. I'll upload at least the pics later tonight so you have an idea and then get my mom to take a picture when she gets it. :)

My MIL's was a little easier because all her grandkids are here in town. We decided we'd try one pic with the G and the R and the three oldest grandkids (4, 2, and 1 - we didn't want to risk the brand-new baby in all that fuss). My nephew and niece on that side ALSO understand the concept of holding still for a picture, so we have a few where Lincoln (my 1-year-old) is kind of thrown in and we tried to get a pic before he crawled away. I happen to think those are pretty dang cute. Then we tried to get one with my niece holding an A in front of her belly. That one she didn't get it. It was either in front of her face or over her head. (In fact, the R is over her head in the first pic, too.) Also very cute. Then my nephew held the two M's like a champ! Definitely the most straight-forward pic. And we used the same A for my MIL's as for my mom's. Handy, that. I stuck with the BW action since my MIL's frame is black, dodged in a few places to lighten some shadows, but did very little editing all-in-all, and here's my finished product!

(Click on the pic to see it larger. Also, the picture quality is kind of bad;
it's rough to take a picture with the glass in the frame!)

I LOVE how it turned out. No surprise I used varied fonts for a more whimsical look. ;)

I'll be linking to the parties on the left.

Continuing My Throw Pillow Quest

2010-05-04T12:06:00.004-05:00

Recalling this pillow (which really defines the color scheme for all ensuing throw pillows),

and remembering that I then made this one to accompany it,

I would now like to get some feedback on my latest attempt. I'm trying to keep things eclectic because I'm not a huge fan of matchy-matchy. Also, I LOVE different textures, so I'm trying to use a variety in this project of making a gazillion throw pillows for our new couch.
I'm kind of buying in to ruffles lately. Thanks in no small part to Disney. So when I was checking out some throw pillows on the Pier 1 website the other day, I thought I might like to try my hand at something inspired by this one:

I wanted to stick with my color scheme, though, so I chose some green material I'd already purchased. Also, I didn't think I had enough material to do one quite like the pier1 pillow, so I did a variation. What do you guys think?

The whole time I was working on it, I kept asking my husband, "Do you like it? I don't usually go in for ruffles this much." He laughed about the fifth time I asked and reminded me that I kept asking him. So I just forged ahead. I didn't even take pics for a tutorial because I was winging it the whole way. In the end, even though I call it the granny pillow, I kind of like the result. I like that it kind of looks like a flower. I might choose a different color if I was to do it again, but I think a darker color actually helps ground the others I'm working on. So in moderation and paired with the other two I've done so far (see below), I think I'm heading in the right direction for my eclectic vision.

(Sorry the picture's so dark. I was using my phone camera.)

If you'd like a step-by-step, let me know and I'll work one up.

P.S. When I say, "What do you think?" about a project that is DONE, I really only want positive feedback. Though if you don't like it, don't lie and say you do. But things like "That's ugly, Kelli, you should throw it away" are NOT the feedback I'm going for. My ego is far too fragile. Thanks. :)

May Flowers and My Wreath

2010-05-03T10:01:00.005-05:00

(This post has three unrelated thoughts which will come together to make sense by the end of the post. Promise.)

Thought 1: Remember my Spring Wreath?

I've had it for about a month now, and that's about as long as my attention span can handle. So I've been thinking of changing it, but I wasn't sure what else I wanted to do with it.

Thought 2: I LOVE fabric flowers. In fact my second post on this blog was about fabric flowers. But I haven't done anything with them. The only flowers I've tried so far are the kind on the spring wreath. So with May coming up, I was toying with the idea of doing a May Flowers feature this month and showing (or more likely referencing) a new flower each day of the month. I even came up with a button for it:

But trying to get a new post up every day is more than impractical, it's impossible, so that idea never really took flight. Which is sad, cause I thought a month of May Flowers would be a lot of fun.

Thought 3: Then today I was flipping through my reader and came across this post over at LollyChops. And I absolutely fell in love with this new wreath she's done:

Check out the close-up. Isn't it incredible?

She even has a few flowers similar to those on my spring wreath (see the white one below?).

Combining the thoughts: I think I'm going to take the flowers I already have on my spring wreath, make up some more of the others that I've been wanting to make (a LOT being from Lolly Chops, in fact) and revamp my wreath LollyChops-style. Since I'm still in the middle of about, oh, 5 projects, we'll see how this turns out. I'll try to update as I try new flower tutorials, as a compromise on a new May flower post every day. I would LOVE if you would leave me links to some of your favorite flower tutorials that you think would work for this new wreath-vision. Wish me luck!

My Sweet Tooth

2010-04-30T12:00:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure what the deal is lately, but my sweet tooth seems to be the dominant one for about the last week. And the blogosphere is just supporting that with all the great recipes people have been posting. Here are the last three cookie recipes that have caught my tooth, er... eye.

Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies at Some of This & Some of That.

Misty's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies at Creative Itch.

Cake Mix Cookies (an old favorite I haven't made in forever) at Trendy Treehouse.

Seriously, how's a girl supposed to stay motivated to exercise after work when she really just wants to whip up a batch of cookies and watch tv with her cute 15-month-old until hubby gets home? Such a tough life.

The Great Color Debate

2010-04-19T14:44:00.004-05:00

My husband swears that mauve is not a color. I bet all of your husbands (and boyfriends, dads, brothers, coworkers, random guys in the elevator or laundromat) would agree. So, here it is, Girls. Settled once and for all. The Rosetta Stone of colors so that men and women can communicate peaceably about the new color for the throw pillow. Click on the picture to see the full-size pdf file.

*I originally saw this here, and I loved it so much I decided to spruce it up and share it with all of you. So, sorry, this is NOT a Kelli-original idea.

Shadowbox Flower

2010-04-18T14:46:00.008-05:00

This is the story of a sad little shadowbox frame that has been sitting on the window seat in my kitchen ever since I moved in. It used to have a cute porcelain sunflower in it (with this fabulous Japanese print background) that was just a little thicker than the shadowbox is deep so I had the back hot-glued on. It worked in the kitchen of my old apartment (and I LOVED it; I wish I had a picture), but the move broke the hot glue seal and the back came off, and I never got around to fixing it. Now my vision for this house has taken me away from mustard yellow accents...t o pinks. Much to my husband's dismay - ok, actually I don't think it really bothers him. What a keeper! I think he'll be ok only as long as the pinks remain the accents rather than the dominant color.
But back to the story. I found these to-die-for silk flowers (silk flowers? yuck! I know, right, but I sold out. Just goes to show you, never say never), but I couldn't quite decide how to display them. The decor in my house is coming along so so slowly. Today I had a brainstorm, and of course couldn't wait to put it into action.

So, start with a shadowbox. Size is irrelevant depending on what you're putting in it. Mine has a mat, but again, that's optional.

Disassemble it. All of it. The mat, the frame, the back, the glass, the little square that ensures the mat stays at the back of the frame. All of it.

Now switch gears to your flower. Isn't this one gorgeous? (OK, you can see the one I'm actually using in the top of this picture, but I forgot to take a pic before I did the next step, so I'm showing this step on my other flower.)

Next take your wire cutters, take a deep breath, and cut the stem off about 1 1/2" - 2" from the base of the flower. Then use pliers to turn the stem so it lays flat along the bottom of the flower (this will make more sense in a few pictures).

And back to the frame. My flower it big enough to cover the empty space behind the mat, so I just used white printer paper. If yours is smaller, use a coordinating colored paper. Tape the paper to the front side of the back of the frame. Make sense?

Then place the mat. No need for tape here.

I used red tape on the bottom of the flower to secure it to the paper. The color only really matters depending on whether it will show or not. In this pic, you should be able to more clearly see what I meant about bending the stem stub back.

Then tape the flower to the backing paper (NOT the mat; you want to be able to change it out easily when you get bored!), and you're so close to done!

This next step is a little tricky because my flower is thick enough that I've decided to forgo the glass. But that means I need to support my frame up a little higher so I have room to put the backing on the frame. So I grabbed my super-expensive, made just for this kind of project, lifts.

See? Deluxe.

Put the backing in (remember, no glass unless you have enough room), turn it over and voila! Sorry the lighting isn't the best, but I think you get the idea.

Cost estimate:
shadowbox frame - I had it on hand, but I saw one at the thrift store the other day for about $2. Or you could splurge and get one for $10 at Target.
flower - on hand, but originally $5 at hobby lobby (but I always buy my silk flowers when they're 50% off, which is about every other week, so it was $2.50 several months ago).
Tape, printer paper - on hand

Total:
FREE!

I'll be linking my the parties on the left.

OK, quick question. I found this gorgeous dress at the thrift store yesterday (it's a little less, um, vibrant in person), and at first I was planning to use it for a throw pillow or two because it's a few sizes too big. But it's just SO cute. Should I try to alter it (which I've never successfully done, so it's iffy, and would then only be able to wear once a month when I'm not preggo), or turn it into a pillow sham (to add to my eclectic throw pillow collection and be enjoyed daily? (Don't worry, there will be more colors in that collection than pinks. Pinky swear. (Ha! Seriously. No pun intended. But I love it.)

Thoughts? Obviously I'm leaning toward the throw pillow sham. But if someone had a compelling enough argument, I certainly wouldn't MIND a cute dress. Oh, and keep in mind that I would need to salvage enough material to add sleeves (without losing length. Riiiiiight.).

Watermelon Sugar Cookies?

2010-04-17T12:04:00.001-05:00

We LOVE the sugar cookies at Target. If you don't know what I'm talking about just from that statement, send me an email. Cause we need to talk.

So here's a warning for all you other sugar cookie lovers. When you see a box of mini sugar cookies that looks like this:

...and after you go through the initial horror of "what did they DO?!" you approach them a little closer and realize they used food coloring and sprinkles to make them look like little watermelons! Cute, right? And food coloring doesn't have as strong a taste as it used to, so you think, "hey, they're sugar cookies! What could go wrong? Let's give it a try."

Mistake! They also added flavoring! I am talking back-to-third-grade watermelon bubblicious taste! Yuck. That taste belongs only in bubblicious. I think the whole rest of the carton will end up in the trash. I didn't even finish the one I took a bite of. Moral of the story - stick to cookies that are cookie-colored (and flavored). And if you want to do a fun watermelon dessert (which I FULLY support), I have a great low-fat cake recipe that was a hit at a Relief Society event a few years ago. The trick is to have it look, not taste, like watermelon. Thank you. This has been deep thoughts by Kelli Williams.

*also posted on my family blog. Too good of a story to limit it to just one of my audiences. :)

March For Babies

2010-04-14T12:44:00.007-05:00

This is just a quick note to beg for help. This Saturday I'll be walking in the March of Dimes March for Babies. ( If you're unfamiliar with the March of Dimes or March for Babies, you can read more about them here.) A few weeks ago I started toying with the idea of doing a giveaway in which you could get one entry for every dollar you donate to help me reach my goal. But it doesn't quite seem right to try to make you buy into a cause, so I kept putting it off and putting it off. Now it's the eleventh hour, so this is the compromise I've arrived at: while I'll almost certainly do a giveaway one of these days, if I meet my March of Dimes goal, I commit to hosting a giveaway by the end of May. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait patiently. :) So, if you feel like this is a cause you'd like to support but you weren't sure how to, here's an easy way! Just click on my March for Babies link to the right -------> and donate however much you feel you can. I won't publish names or amounts; you have the option to leave a comment when you make the donation, though.
Quick background information - I've thankfully never needed the services that March of Dimes is committed to, but when my son was born over a year ago, it was the end of a VERY rough pregnancy. I had preeclampsia for the last month of my pregnancy, so Lincoln had to come 4 weeks early. We felt SO blessed that he was healthy enough not to spend more than a 4-hour transition in the NICU, but I felt the immediacy of how many things could have gone wrong. It really opened my eyes. And I simply can't do much to help those families and babies who aren't as lucky, but I CAN walk a few miles (that's a blessing as well, come to think of it) for such a wonderful cause.
Enough babbling. I'd really appreciate y'all's support. Thanks!

**Edited to add: If you can post about this and get the wider blog world aware, that would be fantastic, too! Maybe other people can find someone they know who is walking that they can support. I also think the walks are at different times in different cities, so it's never too late to support this cause. The important thing is for the donations to get to the right place! Thanks! :)

**Another edit to add: Check to see if your company can match your donations. Mine does, so if yours doesn't and you want to see your donation go further, get me your info to make the donation in my name so my company can match it.

Another Accent Pillow

2010-04-13T10:39:00.008-05:00

I made another pillow a week or so ago to go with the pillow I blogged about here. To make it, first I found a yard of fabric remnant in a nice salmon-colored linen, and then followed this tutorial from Make It and Love it. The only changes I made were using a marking pen to mark my lines rather than just using pins as a guide and gathering all of the lines a little bit before sewing anything down. I thought I had a nice red quilting cotton to use as my base fabric, but it turned out that I didn't, so I used brown felt. It worked! Go figure. I then used some of the linen fabric for the back, which I made just about the same way Ashley did in her tutorial.

I'm really happy with the way this turned out, and as you can see (a little bit) in the picture, it goes nicely with my woven ribbon throw pillow. I'll continue to post more as I make them.

**Edited to add that I'll be posting to the parties on the left. And notice how much neater my party list looks? I got the idea from Sweet Little Smoothie! Head on over and join me in begging her to post a tute! I'm sure she would do a much better job explaining it than I would!

Blast From The Past

2010-04-06T13:05:00.003-05:00

I painted this chair one semester when I was staying at my parent's and not taking classes. I couldn't find a job for just 3 or 4 months, and I REALLY needed a project. It was inspired by Mary Englebright and Alice in Wonderland. :) I painted the desk a year later in the summer of 2004. They were well-loved for the 2 1/2 years I was in school at Auburn, and when I moved to Huntsville and had to choose between storing them or giving them away, I decided to give them to some great girls I know. They're still well-loved, so I think I made the right choice. :) I come across fun painted furniture all the time in my blog-walking, and I realized that I didn't even have pictures of some of my first projects. I'm trying to track them down, and I'll share one every now and then as I get them. I hope everyone else's week is going faster than mine. :)

Spring Wreath

2010-04-05T09:48:00.004-05:00

The Easter Wreath to Spring Wreath transformation is only slightly more work than the St. Patty's Day Wreath to Easter Wreath transformation was. I don't even have any tutorial pics because I knew where a great tutorial was. All you need is a few sheets of felt in whatever color(s) you want, safety pins (optional), and pearl-headed or other pins.

So, here are the steps:
1 - follow this tutorial to make as many little flowers are you want. I chose to cut a sheet of felt into 4 rectangles and used those to make ovals rather than circles. It worked just as well. And if you're like me and hate hand-sewing, use two safety pins across the back to secure the flowers. Since these are going on a wreath rather than to be worn as an accessory, you can get away with this. Though I have sewn these before and they really are super easy.
2 - remove the eggs from your Easter Wreath and either store until next year or let your 14-month old use them to continue to learn about gravity, like me. (If you don't have the Easter Wreath to start with, you can follow this tutorial to make a wreath base for the Changing Seasons Wreath and then follow this tutorial to add the greenery.)
3 - place the flowers as desired on your wreath using a pearl-headed pin (or another sewing pin if you can't find any - just push the tip of the pin in further if you don't want it to be visible.) I tried to put them near the felt "leaves."

And you're done! Super easy and will last until you get bored. I might add some more (and bigger) flowers over the next few days.

I'll be linking to the parties on the left.

Am I the Only Person...

2010-03-31T20:11:00.011-05:00

...who dreams up a project from scratch, dives in with no specific directions but a clear vision of the end goal, fully achieves that masterpiece of a project, and then steps back to look at it and thinks, "huh. Is it just me, or is that kind of ugly?" Because that's how I feel about this project, and it's kind of sad.

(This is your official warning that the following post is super-long and wordy. You're all getting a glimpse of what a conversation with me is like.)

It all started June 24, 2009 (I know because that's the date I emailed myself the link) with this project.

I looked at that bag, and the woven ribbon reminded me of happier, simpler times, when a fun project was to be had by all using only construction paper. For instance, I had a woven construction-paper basket with origami daisies in it in my room for YEARS. (In High School, no less, which I probably shouldn't tell people but just did.) But I digress. The point is the weaving. I loved it. So the idea of using this ribbon weaving in a purse or a throw-pillow has been in the back of my mind ever since (what's the connection between a purse and a throw-pillow, you ask? Just me, I think).

So then one short month ago on February 25, 2010 (remember, I email myself links to projects I like), I came across this post, and fell in love with this pillow.

But all throw-pillow projects had been on hold until we got a couch (that's a tale for another day), so when we finally got one 2 1/2 weeks ago, I could not wait to put my plan into action. I almost immediately drove to Hobby Lobby, where there was some floral material I'd had my eye on and a (different) decorator print my husband and I had agreed could work. Well, the one I'd been eyeing had a lot more pink than I remembered, but the decorator fabric my husband and I had agreed on was $30/YARD, so I decided he could live with the pink. It's kind of salmon-y anyway. I found another print that had the perfect shade of blue I wanted (which isn't in this post) which just happened to match accents of blue in my floral print. Success! I picked up some cream, brown, and blue ribbon which perfectly matched my vision for the bevy of throw-pillows I would whip up, some basic cottons as well (including some green and red which matched the floral), and took off.

(Side note - me liking florals is foreign and weird to me. But lately I've wanted a really loud, big, bright floral-print chair. I figured I'd start small.)

Back to my entirely-too-long tale. I had to find a stopping point on my felt house, too, but then I dove right in. I even started to take pictures for a tutorial, so I'll throw some of those in to break up this wordy post.

I began with my ribbon collection. I was pretty sure I had a pink that might work. I found a green as well, which was close to the same width, and it seemed as though the stars had aligned. I selected them as my vertical ribbons, and taped them to my cutting mat like so:

I then cut shorter strips of the brown, blue, and cream and taped them on for the horizontal strips:

And then the weaving began:

And continued, taping as I went:

When I finished, I followed the vaguely-remembered instructions involving Heat'nBond:

Trimmed the edges, and then sewed a zigzag stitch 1/4" in all around for a nice edge to work with:

Here's where the picture-taking ended because I called it a night. I needed some time to ponder the transition between the woven ribbon and the floral. My inspiration pic used ric-rac, but I've never used it before. Anyway, when I picked it up the next night, I decided to just try it and see how it looked (because I just happened to have some green ric-rac? I don't think so; I think it was kismet). Anyway, no pics for that (right sides together with the ric-rac in between and a 1/4" seam, then press toward the ribbon). And finally finished my pillow front! (Note how great the ric-rac turned out. Especially for a first attempt.)

I sewed two quick seams for an envelope closure on the back (I picked up pillow forms at IKEA; if you would like more info on my cryptic reference to the back closure, let me know), et Voila! My masterpiece!

(The colors aren't exactly true in the pic. The pink ribbon really is more salmon-y, and the blue is a little more steel-y.) So what's my beef with it? It looks JUST how I imagined. Except maybe the dimensions? Should I have gone with the square pillow form instead? Or am I just too critical of my work? This is where it might seam (ha! no pun intended) as though I want genuine constructive criticism, but I don't. I want only to be reassured that my problem is that it's dwarfed by the new couch and when I finish the other wonders in my mind's eye it will be a dream come true. Because the cover is done. I'm not changing it. And I really don't want to hate it. Thoughts?

I'll most likely link to the parties on the left. It depends on how harsh the initial feedback is though. ;)

My First Award & A Little Hint

2010-03-31T09:45:00.003-05:00

My first award! I feel like I've finally arrived! Thanks to Erynne from Heartfelt Originals for stopping by, checking out my blog, and liking it enough to send some sunshine my way!

The rules of this award are as follows:

Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
Pass the award to 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

It was virtually impossible to pick just 12 blogs. But I did my best:

Be Colorful

How About Orange

Lulu's Tiles

Martha Shmartha

Ruffles and Stuff

Someday Crafts

Somewhat Simple

I am Momma, Hear Me Roar

Just A Girl

My Craft Discovery

Miss Crafty Pants

Fireflies and Jellybeans

And here's a little hint of something I'll show more of in my next post...

Felt House-A-Long DONE (Pt. 1)

2010-03-28T19:21:00.008-05:00

OK, I have a confession. This is Pt. 1 of DONE (much like I have documents at work that are final, final-final, final3, etc) because there are a few other things I need to do to the house before it's really done, but it's done enough for now. Some things it needs are grass. And fruit in the tree. And greenery in the planter boxes. But right now Lincoln's young enough that he could care less, so I'm putting the finishing touches on hold for right now. I'm burned out on felt, and I have several other projects I'm itching to start.

So, let's take a little tour. Starting with the front, I decided to simplify and not try to put a window on the front. But I did think it looked kind of plain, so I added a planter on the "front porch." One of these days, it will be abloom with greenery.
Also, I'm still working on the doorknob. For those interested, it involves felt, hot glue, hand stitching (which I hate), a washer, a blank button back, and the cap from a can of spray adhesive. That's all I'll say for now. ;)

Moving to the left side, it's fairly plain. It has a window with an empty planter box, and a chimney. The cool thing (to me) about this chimney is that some of the bricks are velcroed on, so Lincoln can be a brick-mason like this great-uncle when he's in the mood. :) Also, notice that it sticks up past the "roof." You can kind of see in the picture of the front that it's visible from all sides. :)

The right side has another window (with empty window box) and one side of the tree. It's tough to see the detail from here, but I free-motion quilted the greenery on the tree, and I'm really pleased with the effect close-up. This side will be a lot more exciting with fruit, grass, and maybe some flowers.

Finally, the back. It has the other side of the tree, a "sliding glass door," light fixture, and the awesome hose I blogged about earlier. Notice though that I added the knob where he can "turn the water on and off."

So that's my house! It took a little while (but not too long) for Lincoln to decide he loved it. I'm not sure if there is a better reward than a grin like this:

I'll be linking to the parties on the left.

**Edited to add that I'm also linking to:

Whatever Goes Wednesday @
Someday Crafts

Felt House-A-Long Weeks 3 and 4

2010-03-20T10:00:00.006-05:00

I'm slowly getting caught up with this felt playhouse, and I am really loving the potential I'm seeing. If you remember from my Week 2 post, I chose to work with two panels rather than 4. I didn't want to try to do half of a tree. I'm not sure I would suggest that, but so far I've managed to make it work. I also decided not to put the grass along the bottom until I've sewed everything together (the roof and all four sides), so I can use it to even up the bottom as necessary. This might come as a surprise to some of you, but I'm a little CDO (it's like OCD, but in alphabetical order, the way it's supposed to be).

So, here's the left side of my house. Yes, I put a picture behind the window so you could tell that it's see-through. Otherwise you just see the grey that's on the back of the adjacent side. :) And don't mind the huge bare spots in the brick chimney, those are where I've sewed velcro so that the bricks can be taken off and replaced.

Like so:

So for now, that about finishes up side 2. I'll add the grass at the end, and greenery in the window box eventually. I'm mostly trying to get the "structure" up and running right now.

The back of the house has the right half of the tree, a "sliding glass" door, a light, and a hose. Notice that the tree looks a little less wonky when you're just looking at half of it.

And let's get a close-up of that hose.

It's not QUITE finished. I'm going to add a knob that can be used to turn the "water" on and off, and I still need to finish off the end, but isn't it gorgeous? And all the credit goes to our babysitter. While she was here watching Lincoln, I told her that is she got bored she could use this doohickey (I picked one up at Hobby Lobby with only the vaguest idea of how it worked, but fairly certain it could do what I wanted) to knit my playhouse hose for me. WHAT a trooper! She took it and ran with it, and I am SO grateful. I'm fairly confident I never would have gotten the hose done otherwise, and it turned out JUST how I had hoped. Thanks, Savannah!!

So, still a little more to do on those sides, and the front is just barely getting going, but there's a little update for everyone.

**Edited to add that I'm linking to the parties on the left and:

Picture Clock

2010-03-19T10:01:00.005-05:00

Does anyone else get Real Simple? I LOVE it. I've had a subscription off and on for the past few years, and I'm so glad I got a new one for this year because I LOVE the cover idea on the Anniversary issue this month!

I think using different images for the numbers is so clever and whimsical! It allows for you to change the images as a new fancy strikes without having to spend tons of money on a whole new clock. Plus it allows for a BIG clock that doesn't look so big. I'm already on the hunt for images. I might have to use this one for the 1:

...even though you can hardly see the 1 on that cupcake 'cause you're laughing so hard at the look of determination on my cute baby. Maybe a little selective coloring in photoshop... Any thoughts?

Easter Wreath

2010-03-18T08:39:00.015-05:00

Remember my St. Patrick's Day wreath?

In this post, I'll show you my super-quick costume change from that St. Patrick's Day wreath to this Easter Wreath!

First, gather your supplies. I got a bag of cheapo plastic Easter eggs from Target, though you can find them pretty much anywhere. I also needed some quilting pins.

Now, if you're lucky (like me), your Easter eggs will already have these handy little holes at each end and therefore on each half of the egg. If you're not as lucky, I can think of a number of easy ways to make similar holes. My first stop would involve a candle, a nail, and a pair of rubber-handled pliers. :)

So, pop the egg in half and notice how the pin slides nicely into that handy hole.

Place the half where you'd like the egg to be and just slide the needle all the way in. Your egg will now look something like this.

Pop the top half on, et Voila! An Easter egg which is VERY easily removable.

Now repeat the previous steps for as many eggs as you want to use. I varied pinning the bottom or top half for my karma (also known as OCD), but however you prefer to do it is great. I opted not to use the green eggs because I didn't think they would show up very well against all the other greenery. Finally, the finished product!

I admit, they kind of look like Christmas lights to me in this picture, but they're VERY Easter-y in person. Trust me. ;)

I'll be linking to the parties on the left.

**Edited to add I'm also linking to:

Whatever Goes Wednesday
@ Someday Crafts

Easter Decor Roundup
@ Growing Our Own Garden

Table Runner

2010-03-17T12:31:00.003-05:00

For my easy-storage seasonal decor, I was planning on getting a plain colored tablecloth and making different runners for each season. Stacey over at Icing on the Cake gave me a new and even less-to-store idea!

This table runner involves the same basic material for the entire runner with seasonal ribbons and shapes you can change out. Brilliant! I'm definitely putting this on my to-make list!

St. Patrick's Day Printables

2010-03-08T18:02:00.008-06:00

Inspired by Kimberly's clever St. Patty's Day printables, I designed some for a dessert social a friend and I are hosting next week. While I loved the clever poem Kimberly provided, I decided I'd prefer good ole' candy for my bags. Here are two possibilities I came up with for the bag topper:

The first is a plain white lunch sack, folded down and then in to match the width of the bag topper, and the other is just saran wrap! I probably would have used a plain zip-lock sandwich bag, but there were none to be found in the house!

In addition to the bag topper, I designed matching invitations to send out. While I don't have a picture of the ones we used, this is a generic one I modified:

So after all that designing fun, I'd love to share them with each of you! Just click on the image of the invitation (above) or the bag topper (below) to be taken to a printable pdf file that has four of each per page.

Please let me know if you end up using these, I'd love to hear the details!

I'll be linking to the parties on the left as well as to these:

Someday Crafts Categorically Crafting

Whatever Goes Wednesday

Technical Difficulties

2010-03-06T09:10:00.003-06:00

Please ignore how uglified my blog is right now. I'm having technical difficulties. Why doesn't blogger have a three column template to choose? Ugh.

*edit - I got most of it back!! Now I just need to fix the header. But I have a sick baby right now, so that will have to wait...

Seasonal Decor Blocks pt. 2

2010-03-04T14:38:00.015-06:00

I edited my Seasonal Decor Blocks post when I thought I'd found a really clever way to add one block to the original seven and get four more words than just the original 16. Later, I went to the original post at Little Birdie Secrets where I found even MORE great ideas in the comments section! With only TEN blocks, you can create THIRY different words! None of the words use all the blocks (though if someone sees a word that works, PLEASE tell me!), so you may be wondering what to do with the extra blocks while you have one word displayed.

Here's one idea:

Just use ribbons, other knick-knacks, or notions to accessorize (and don't take a picture from the side!). Another idea - maybe you can make two short words with the blocks and display them in different locations? I'm not sure if any of the words lend themselves to this, but it sure would be fun.

So what are the magic blocks and words? The blocks are as follows (with the first 7 being the original 7):

Block One: H Y E D
Block Two: A C R S
Block Three: R P E T
Block Four: V N L O
Block Five: E O M D
Block Six: S M K I
Block Seven: T F B W
Block Eight: U A G L
Block Nine: P J I H
Block Ten: F P S C

And all the wonderful words you can make (in the most haphazard order!) are:

Harvest
Welcome
Faith
Family
Spooky
Friends
Winter
Freedom
Blessed
Snow
Home
Hope
Monster
Mother
Dream
Easter
Lucky
Love
Santa
Glory
Romance
Pumpkin
Frosty
School
Autumn
Spring
Summer
Father
Fall
Happy
Merry
Fairy
Fairies
Jolly
Flowers
Wishes
America
**Edited to add:
Birthday (Thanks, Tiffany!)
**Comment on the original Little Birdie Secrets post by Kalynne also gives us:
Flake, Hearts, Christ, Jesus, Bloom, Flag, Irish, Sun, Swim, Pool, Ghost(s), Witch(es), Vampire, Fright, Thanks, Leaf, Treats, Turkey, Jewels, Cuddle, Pillow, Party, Heart, Smile, Wonder (that's a total of SIXTY words!)

If you make a set, please post a link in the comments section. I would LOVE to see how y'all took this idea and ran with it! Have fun!

Linking to the parties on the left and:

Someday Crafts Categorically Crafting

Whatever Goes Wednesday

Felt House-A-Long Week 2

2010-03-03T21:03:00.007-06:00

Well, I'm a little behind (still), but this is what I have so far. As a reminder, I blogged about my plan here. I made the decision to work with two sides at once rather than one at a time. This is because I didn't want to work with the tree in two halves. I might come to regret that decision, but so far it's working ok. :)

So to begin I cut my three main pieces (roof, side 1 [ which is the right and back sides of the playhouse], and side 2 [which is the left and front sides of the playhouse]). I set the roof and side 2 aside to focus on the side with the tree in the middle. I wasn't sure at the time whether I would finish the right side or the back side for week 2, but kind of just winged it (wung it?) as I went.

Working with the first piece, I folded it in half to center the tree (I free-handed the trunk while it was folded in half):

I unfolded both the side 1 felt and the tree and pinned liberally around the perimeter of the tree.

I don't show the next step, but for the top and bottom I used a long stitch to mostly just baste it. I knew I would have grass on the bottom and leaves on the top to reinforce those stitches. I used a wide (4 or 5) short (1 or 2) stitch (often referred to as a satin stitch in embroidery) for the sides of the trunk. I wanted to make sure they had a nice clean edge.

I couldn't find a green I liked in the felt yardage, so I had to make do with the little 9"x12" sheets. That's the main reason I didn't copy Tina's tree, which I LOVE the simplicity and elegance of. So I grabbed my sheets and the bowl nearest to the width of my sheets that I could find and started cutting circles:

After cutting five, I placed them on the felt and filled in the blank spaces with scrap pieces of the darker green and "leaves" made with a lighter green. It looks pretty wonky, but when you think about the fact that you'll only see one half at a time, I decided it would do.

I decided to use free-motion quilting to sew the "leafy section" to the felt. I was hoping it would add to the leafy effect, and I actually think it turned out quite well. I sewed a simple long straight line and three cross-lines on each of the leaves. It wasn't until I finished one and stepped back that I realized it looks kind of like a football. Oh well. This is for a boy-child for now, and in the south football isn't exactly gender specific, so it shouldn't be a problem when (if) a baby-girl comes along. ;)

For the shutters my initial plan was to use painters tape to mark my lines and sew straight lines across to mimic louvered shutters.

After trying to take off the first piece of tape, I realized I needed to change my strategy. The back side looked great, and the painters tape added some stability to the felt, so I decided to go ahead with my lines and use the back side as the front side. Make sense? I also trimmed the sides slightly to cut off the paint and slightly uneven sides. Here's a pic comparing the front and back:

I don't have any pictures of how I made my windows. I cut 9"x9" pieces of a shower curtain liner remnant I used to recover my kitchen chairs. Then I sewed 1/2" strips through the center. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that sewing plastic isn't the greatest thing for the machine needle, but it hasn't broken yet, so we'll see how it makes it through the other plastic sewing.

I then took the window and the shutters and pinned them where I wanted. I kind of followed Fawnda's guidelines for my window placement. I did another satin stitch all around the borders of the shutters. A slightly thinner (3) satin stitch for the "top" of the window, and a much thinner (2) and longer (3) satin stitch for the bottom. I knew that would be covered up with the window box.

So after cutting the window box, I used that same old satin stitch to sew the bottom and sides. I left the top along so that we can add greenery and flowers and whatever that kid's imagination dreams up. I haven't done the grass because I'm hoping Hobby Lobby will have the green I like by the yard. I'm not too excited about trying to piece all the grass. It's kind of tough to see (since it's laying on the floor), but I cut out the felt behind the window. Kind of like a reverse-reverse applique. :)

I'm hoping it's crooked because I had to take the pic from the top to avoid getting my shadow in the way. So, that's my week 2 progress. I'll try to get the Week 3 (the back side) up this weekend.

So,what do you guys think? (And by that I mean that I want only positive feedback. The time for constructive criticism is past, I'm afraid. My poor ego couldn't handle it, even though I generally LOVE constructive criticism...) And if you have any questions about the how-to, PLEASE ask. I have to do another window on the other side, so I can take more pictures of that if you guys want. And anything else that is unclear, let me know and I'll do my best to clarify!

Seasonal Decor Blocks

2010-02-27T18:22:00.017-06:00

**For more fun ideas, check out post 2 when you finish reading this post!**

These have been floating around the blogosphere for a while now, but it took me a few months to finally pull everything together to make my set. I first saw these when Little Birdie Secrets posted about them, but I modified it slightly. I love that you can make up to sixteen seasonal words (maybe more?) with only seven blocks.

I started with a 4"x4" I picked up at Lowe's for a few dollars. I wanted blocks bigger than 1.5". In retrospect, I think the smaller blocks would have worked, but I do like the larger blocks. I found out that I needed to get the lumber when I had my in-laws' truck because the 4"x4"s are too wide for them to cut down for you in the store (unlike the 2"x4"s, etc). I then took it over to use my FIL's miter saw (which I totally covet) to cut the 4"x4" into cubes. It made 19 cubes, so I have enough for another set and perhaps some blocks for my son.

I got tired of waiting for the weather to warm up, so I tried spray-painting them while it was at least light outside even though it was still below freezing. I don't recommend it.

I wanted a combination of colors that would be neutral while allowing me to combine them with seasonal specific colors, so I went with black and ivory. The first coat was a very minimal coat of black just on the edges.

I probably could have gone darker. Live and learn. The next 18(ish) coats (reminder: I really don't recommend spray painting when it's freezing outside) were Krylon Ivory. When I finally decided it was enough and that I should just decide to like the texture and grain of the wood showing (which didn't take long; I do like it), I sanded them all down. I sanded a little extra on the edges so that the black would show through a little.

I used my MIL's cricut to cut the letters out of plain black scrapbooking paper. At first I intended to use vinyl, but I decided I was too cheap). I bought some mod podge to see what all the fuss was about (I know, how can I call myself a crafter? thankfully I saw the error of my ways. Mod Podge does rock). I attempted to accomplish a slightly more whimsical (pun definitely intended) effect by varying capital with lower case letters and the letter thickness from block to block. This is the result:

I think that I do like the result of the varied letters. I haven't decided where to put the blocks, though! They look awful on my white mantel, but the living room furniture is in flux right now, so hopefully you'll see them soon (with other seasonal decor!) on a bookcase or end table.

This is the list of letters you need for each block (borrowed from Little Birdie Secrets):

Block One: H Y E D
Block Two: A C R S
Block Three: R P E T
Block Four: V N L O
Block Five: E O M D
Block Six: S M K I
Block Seven: T F B W

And these are the words you can make:

Harvest
Welcome
Faith
Family
Spooky
Friends
Winter
Freedom
Blessed
Snow
Home
Hope
Monster
Mother
Dream
Easter

I'll be posting to the parties listed to the left.

**edited to add: I got to looking at this list last night and realized that if I add one more block, I can make 4 more words. Adding a block 8 with the letters U A G L, you can make the words Lucky, Love, Santa, and Glory. Can anyone see any other words we could make with those 8 blocks? Maybe one that uses all 8?

**another edit: also posting to -

Bizzy Bee Creations

Whatever Goes Wednesday

Crazy Nine-Patch Quilt

2010-02-22T20:57:00.007-06:00

By following this tutorial from Oh, Fransson! I was able to turn this pile of loveliness...

...into this fun and quirky crazy nine-patch quilt top (please ignore the mess. and the awful picture. which I blame on the bad lighting in my office/craft-room)...

...that I have no idea what to do with OR which print to use for the backing fabric. On the plus side, that's a lovely dilemma to have. But any suggestions? It's on the smallish side (42"x42"), which could make it a nice throw. Should I keep it all for myself? Or hope that one of my preggo sisters-in-law has a girl so I can use that delicious pink swirl minkie loveliness? As I said, a lovely dilemma.

Also, please take a moment to admire the gorgeous mitered corners:

I can't find the tutorial I saw MONTHS ago that showed how to do these, but I'm so glad I remembered the gist of it. If someone knows where it is, please leave a comment so I can give credit where credit is due. Or even just a similar one, so we can share the joy.

**Edited to add that I'm linking to these parties:

St. Patrick's Day Wreath

2010-02-22T17:29:00.018-06:00

Remember this wreath?
What do you think that wreath has in common with this wreath?

They're actually both THIS wreath!

When I finally got around to it, I took down my valentine's wreath and in about 2 minutes had the boas and felt unpinned and stuffed into a gallon ziploc bag:

That ziploc bag is the whole motive for this wreath - VERY minimal storage during the other seasons. I may be singing a different tune when I try to refluff all that in a year, but until then, so far my plan is working perfectly. :)

So how did I turn my plain wreath into a St. Patrick's Day wreath? First I gathered about nine yards of 3"-wide green fabric (I happened to find a twill that was a shade of green I liked, but just about any cotton would work). I blogged in more detail about my extremely accurate gathering process here. I also grabbed a spool of green tulle. I wanted some of the fluff that the valentine's wreath had but less diva-ish.

My first step was to gather the tulle as well. I just gathered until I got bored and then started pinning it onto the wreath. When I ran out of length, I gathered some more. To pin it on, I started on the back side and just pinned in a zig-zag around the wreath:

When I got back to where I started, I continued the zigzag pattern but in the bare spots between the previous zigzag. Like the technical explanation? I hope it makes sense. So this is what I had when I was finished with the tulle.

I then grabbed my gathered 3" cotton and began pinning the same way I pinned the boa and felt for the valentine's wreath:

THIS is the monstrosity that resulted. It's TERRIBLE! I thought it looked like iceburg lettuce which is NOT the look I was going for!

But it was late, so I slept it off and the next day (or two) decided to try a change of tactic. I unpinned the cotton (which took about two minutes), and started pinning it down in the same zig-zag pattern I'd used with the tulle. When I finished, I was MUCH happier. But it still wasn't enough (sorry, I forgot to take a picture). I grabbed a sheet of cheap green felt (none of that expensive wool stuff for me), and cut it into triangles 3" wide and 4" long (or so). I then used a pin along the short end to do a kind of "running stitch" like this:

Then I pinned it tightly into the bare spots:

Which then looked like this:

I then used some of the tulle to hang it from the wreath hanger so that it was in a more pleasing position on the door. No other rhyme or reason.

So for the next few weeks, my changing season's wreath will be all-green for St. Patty's Day, but I've got plans for a quick costume change after that, so stay tuned!

Linking to these parties:

Someday Craft's Whatever Goes Wednesday

Bizzy Bee Creations

Someday Crafts Categorically Crafting