pot holders

I have been wanting to make fun pot holders for a relative (that desperately needs new pot holders) but most of the tutorials involved some kind of binding...and I still don't know if I have recovered from all the binding in my first quilt.  So then I stumbled upon this great photo here: cloud 9 fabrics, which led to the tutorial here: craftzine.  Simple to make, a good way to use scrap pieces of fabric, and an easy way to brighten up a kitchen!

clutch #1

A few weeks ago, my mom, sister, and I went to City Craft in Dallas, and I found this great Echo fabric.  Actually, I found tons of great fabrics, but I tried to show restraint - we were supposed to be Christmas shopping for the rest of the family.  I am going to be creating several versions of a small clutch that I can use to carry my iphone, keys, an id and credit card, and a lip balm.  I was inspired by the clutch on the blog cakies, but had a little trouble following the instructions so I designed my own pattern.  

Felt Stockings

These felt stockings are probably my favorite Christmas decoration in our house.  I made a pattern, and then cut out the stockings using pinking shears (two identical stockings of each color).  I embellished the top stocking (with my machine and by hand) before sewing the two layers together.  I added a small piece of felt for my "hook" and then stuffed with a little tissue paper to plump the stocking before hanging.

crayon rolls

Crayon rolls are nothing new, but there is no reason to know about them unless you have a squirmy toddler that you are constantly trying to entertain/keep busy.  They are really easy to make, and perfect to keep in your purse, diaper bag, carry-on when traveling, etc.  

my business cards

...and here they are, my stamped business cards.  I had a stamp made at Abbey Printing downtown, and I think they did a great job with the stamp.  The turn-around was really quick, and it only cost me twelve dollars.  I first printed on card stock that I cut business card size, but I wanted something a little more unique, plus the cutting was taking a looong time, and I am impatient.  So I bought a package of manila labels, stamped, and sewed a strip of scrap fabric onto the end of each label.

business cards in progress...

Next Friday I am selling some small bags and blankets at our MOPS meeting.  I want to have cards with my contact information, but don't want to commit to printed business cards yet, so I'm planning to make my own.  I had a stamp made with my info and I plan to experiment this weekend.  Here are some of the ideas I pinned:

source: oh so beautiful paper

source: craftaholics anonymous

source: bizuza digital art

source: oh happy day

more bags....

Makeup Bag

This was one of my favorite projects to date. The tutorial I found here: https://docs.google.com/View?id=dfhzndwh_3rszbxhn&pli=1 was really easy to follow, even though it was my first time to sew a zipper. I also looked at another tutorial on zippers here: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2007/05/installing-a-zipper-tutorial-by-michelle/ just to get a little more info (I had to shorten my zipper). All the fabric pieces that you need are small, so it easy to use scraps and it only took me a few hours to make.

Rating: Easy (beginner). Time: 2-3 hours.

My first quilt

I completed my first quilt this past weekend! I have loved quilts since college, particularly modern quilts like those created by Denyse Schmidt. This quilt is for one of my dear friends Beth, who is having her first baby this December. I selected fabrics from the same line that she is using for her baby bedding, and I used the pattern from here: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2009/10/elizabeths-fabric-focus-charm-squares-baby-quilt/ to make my quilt. I also used the hand binding tutorial from here: http://splityarn.com/2010/05/12/how-to-easily-hand-sew-a-quilt-binding.html. The binding was definitely the most challenging part of the quilt.

Play Kitchen

I am so proud of Byron for constructing this beautiful little kitchen. We were wanting to give Maddie a kitchen for her 2nd birthday, but I could not decide on one to buy - I kept returning to home-built kitchens that I found on Pinterest. We found the design from this site: http://ana-white.com. A great resource for tons of build-it-yourself projects. Byron built the kitchen in a weekend, but did have a little trouble with the oven door (he built four by the time all was said and done). The knobs are from Anthro, and the "burners" are actually wall mounted door bumpers that I spray painted metallic silver. The curtain was my main contribution. I found the fabrics at Stitch Lab, this great fabric store on South 1st street in Austin, and used the instructions from the Crafting Chicks: http://thecraftingchicks.com/2010/04/giveaway-2-custom-photo-backdrop-ana-from-knock-off-wood-my-latest-project.html - they made an amazing play kitchen.

We might not have saved much money building it ourselves, but are thrilled with the final result, and now Byron is looking around the house for more projects that involve a saw and hammer.

Napkins

About a year ago, I decided to quit using paper napkins and paper towels. For the most part it has been an easy transition. When I decided to quit using paper napkins, I made little napkins out of flour sacks and squares of printed Amy Butler fabric. At the time, I thought they looked pretty cute, but these days those napkins are looking extremely ragged. I decided to take it up a notch and make real cloth napkins, with linen on one side. I found the tutorial here: http://kirtsy.com/2011/07/25/cloth-napkins-how-to/?kp=YToxOntzOjE6ImkiO2k6NDAyO30=.

Wall Stenciling Finished!

Well, it took me a while to finally finish the wall painting, but I am definitely pleased with the outcome, especially from a distance. Some areas of the wall looks a little "painterly" when you get up close, but I'm just going to leave it as is.

Burp Cloths

I have been making these as gifts since someone gave me a set when Maddie was born. Super easy to sew...and an inexpensive, yet personal gift to give.

Wall Stenciling

I have been thinking about wallpapering our entryway for quite some time, but have absolutely no clue on even the basics of wallpaper, so while browsing Pinterest one day, I came across this: http://jonesdesigncompany.com/decorate/painted-wallpaper-a-tutorial/ - wall stenciling. I love the final result on her wall. I made a stencil almost exactly like Jones Design, and then saw another blogger use a metallic taupe paint for her design, and liked the idea of having something a little more subtle, so I decided to go with the metallic taupe as well.

Here is a photo after day 1. It is time consuming, but not hard...

Felt Pillows

I have been wanting to add a pop of color by the fireplace for a looong time, and thought it might be easiest by buying/making pillows to put on the two gray accent chairs. I saw these felt pillows on Pinterest, my latest addiction, and immediately wanted to make them. Etsy's How-to Tuesday gives great instructions: http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2009/how-tuesday-pillow-with-rosette-clusters-from-felt-furnishin/. I already had the felt, and the right color yarn so it was a cheap project. I cut out 3" circles of felt, bunched each one in the middle, and hand sewed every circle onto the front piece of felt. I think I used about 40 circles for each pillow. Then I used my machine to sew the front and back of the pillow together.

Key Rack

I saw this on Design Sponge http://www.designsponge.com/2008/02/diy-project-patterned-key-rack.html and thought it would be fun to make and put in our laundry room. I also made two smaller ones for the bathroom to hold my necklaces. I am not as crazy about the pattern I used for the jewelry racks, so I might change it, and then I will post pictures. Here is the one I made for the laundry room.

Chalkboard door

I have been wanting to do this for a long time, and it actually turned out like I had pictured in my head. I bought a can of chalkboard paint from Home Depot, taped off the area I wanted to paint, and then applied several coats alternating between a roller brush, and a standard paint brush, letting each coat dry about 30 minutes before adding the next coat.