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Showing posts from November, 2012

I Heart Couch Repair

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Every once in a while, James digs his fat little fingers in our old furniture and wreaks havock.  In this case, our poor old plaid armchair- passed down from generations bore the brunt of his destructive little fingers and got picked down to the bare wooden frame (during one sitting of Curious George I might add).  In order to repair this, I looked in the garage for some basic supplies- a patch (which is really half of a beaded coin purse), some hollowfill, and a needle and thread, and just like that, within a few minutes, that eyesore of a crater disappeared and something much nicer to look at and touch appeared. He has no idea what he's even doing... in his defense, there was already a tiny hole there. However, this chubby hand is no saintly paw. Hollowfill stuffed. Heart patch sewn on whip-stitch style.  Voila!

Pom Pom Infused Tu-Tu

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As the years progress, the birthday parties keep on a'comin'.  We average about 4-5 per month and boy are they starting to get expensive at $20-$25 per gift.  So for our friend Ruby's (2 years old) birthday, I decided to try my hand at making her a homemade tu-tu.  What girl, big or small, doesn't want a tu-tu in her life?  Pink, fluffy, and totally handmade, I thought this would be a lovely (and less expensive) alternative to our usual gift of a plastique tea set. Fold a 3 yard piece of tulle into thirds.   Ruffle and sew to a ribbon long enough to tie in the back. This is the back. Inject with pom poms, feathers, and sequins.  Sew up back sides so they don't fall out. It's a party in there. Staggering the length folds will insure that the whole scope of the stuffing is visible.  Adding stitching to the ribbon is an easy way to add an extra bit of detail. Party on!

Rainbow Feather Headdress Party

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My friend Catherine is having a rainbow bird party for her son's 4th birthday this weekend and had a little craft party to make feather headdresses for it today.  She bought tons of gorgeous feathers from Lincoln Fabrics (sadly going out of business which is why she got so many feathers at a discount).  Too much fun...  I went crazy and made about 5, not sure which one to wear yet. Inspiration from Free People More inspiration from Free People. Having a feather frenzy with Catherine, Heather, and Anna. Cut a band of cotton about 4"x24" Fold into thirds, and hot glue a strip of feathers right at the mid-point on the top folded part.  Turn lower part of fabric up to cover the base of feathers.  Hot glue in place. Turn front ways.  Hot glue a decorative strip of beaded ribbon right below the feathers.  Sew a running stitch to finish the rest of the back of the headdress.  Gluing would make it too stiff to tie nicely. Tie behind your

Kitten and Mouse Shoes

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Ballet flats are a staple in any lasses' wardrobe.  This is a fun way to update them and add a little glitz and glitter to their otherwise bland demeanor.   Spread Tulip Glitter Glue across the tops, sort of Chanel-esq... Sprinkle glitter. Black for the cat shoes. Cut shapes out for the kitty and mouse features, here is a nose.  Paint whatever color you want if it's leather or suede. Messy... Kitty Kat Mousey Mouse

Tree Stump IPad Holder

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Tree stump projects are always good to know.  There are always stumps around if you just do a bit of searching, you won't have to look far.  Here is a project I did with an old Christmas tree stump.  Wood working tools help, and although you may not have any, perhaps a friend might or it might be worth the investment if you want to make a lot of these for Christmas presents.  Chop down to 4.5 inches  . Cut off bottom so there is one flat surface. Use chop saw to cut a 3/4 inch groove into the stump one inch back from the front end.  Use a chisel to  flatten and smooth the groove. Sand. Paint white. In action holding my IPad. Side view.

Reclaimed Wooden Boxy Shelves

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Living in cramped quarters, every inch of one’s walls become precious real estate, where storage must be maximized and stylized to get the most for your space. These shelves are a great solution if you have wood from another project or random pieces lying around. I happened to find some oak table leaves in the alley that came in handy for this project.  Click here for my directions on Craftzine!

Jean Patchwork Headboard Makeover

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When I saw this headboard in the alley behind my house I immediately saw the potential.  The shape was simple enough that all it it needed was new fabric- a change from the bland and drab 80s pattern that completely destroyed an otherwise awesome piece.  It was just what I needed for my house, too.  I just happened to have tons of jean legs from a bunch of jean short makeovers, plus some of my kids, and husbands jeans they couldn't wear anymore so I used these for the patchwork.  This is one of my favorite projects from my upcoming Marie appearance as well as my to look at in my home. The original headboard I found it in the alley behind my house.  It ended up being rather smelly too, so I steam cleaned it as well. Jean parts leftover from my jean short spree this summer. Jean legs split down one seam.   All our family jeans.  Figuring out the patchwork design. Leftovers. Made smaller patches from just the , then sewing all the patches together. I the