It’s Apple Time!!

September 19, 2012 by 4 Comments

 I saw these stuffed apples in a magazine somewhere and decided to create my own.  I wanted to have this ready for September 1st – I am only 19 days late!  Oh well – life is busy – isn’t it!!

Here’s what you need to make your own bushel!

Supplies:
fabric – charm squares or scraps
stuffing
ribbon
green and brown felt
sewing machine
hot glue gun

Start by pieceing the front of your apple.  Sew the charm squares or scraps.  This is a great scrapbuster!  Press seams to one side.

Print out this apple pattern and size how you want.  Cut your pattern out

 Layer and pin your apple back, pieced front (wrong sides together) and the pattern on top (below photo)

 Cut around pattern using your pinking shears.  Leave about 1/4 inch allowance from pattern.

 Cut a ribbon loop and a brown felt stem.  Tuck these in between the front and back apples so they catch in the seam.

 Sew around the apple leaving a small opening to stuff.

 I also tried sewing around the apple with the pattern pinned on to help me get a perfect seam.  Use what ever seems easiest.

You can see where I started and stopped, on the flattest side of the apple.

 Stuff then sew shut

 I cut leaves out of green felt and hot glued them on – I ran out of time.  I wanted to stitch detail in the leaf using embroidery floss – but they look OK without the detail.

Hang as desired and give to all your friends!!


Filed Under: crafts, projects, sewing, tutorials

Painted Halloween Jar Candles

September 17, 2012 by 16 Comments

I made these jars a few years ago.  I have been asked a few questions about the process, so here is a more detailed set of instructions. 

Supplies:
jars, craft paint, white school glue, vinyl motifs cut from Cricut or Silhouette

1.  Collect glass jars – any kind: pickle, relish, molasses, spaghetti sauce, etc.  Mason jars can work – but it’s nice to have a smooth surface for the vinyl to adhear.

2.  Remove all labels, wash & dry the jars

3.  Put a fair amount of glue into a paper bowl and add some paint.  I didn’t measure – but it’s more glue than paint.  You are just trying to tint the glue.  The glue helps the paint to be transparent so you can see the flicker of the candle through the paint.

4.  Start painting the inside of the jars.  You can be real precise and get the glue/paint even, or I like to make it look drippy and spooky!!


5.  Let the jars dry

6.  I cut out trees, pumpkins, bats, spiders, etc. on my cricut.  If you don’t have access to a cutting machine, I have seen black Halloween silhouettes at the Dollar Tree you could Mod Podge to the outside


7.  I put real candles in my jars.  If you are worried about flamibility, you can use battery lights or even twinkle lights.

Hope this helps!  Happy Crafting!!

Filed Under: crafts, Halloween, vinyl

Burlap Halloween Banner

September 14, 2012 by 9 Comments

 I just discovered the fantastic world of spray painted burlap!  Where has this idea been all my life!!!  Here is how you can make your own super cute Halloween Banner:

Supplies:
Burlap (I bought mine at Joann’s – very inexpensive)
scissors
spray paint (white, orange, black)
sticker circles
double fold bias tape

Here is what you do:
 Cut your burlap into triangles.  I just used scissors.  I made a paper pattern and pinned it.  Not all of mine are perfect – burlap kind of stretches – but not to worry – it will still be cute!

Spray Paint White
I painted both sides of my triangles – I was worried they would blow in the wind & I wanted them to be colored on both sides.  Spray paint the burlap triangles white.  This helps the polka dots have a little more contrast.  My burlap doesn’t look bright white, it just looks not as brown.

Circle Stickers
Get your circle stickers (I got mine at Albertsons because that’s where I was).  Put dots all over both sides of the triangles.

Spray Paint
I painted half my triangles orange and half metallic black (that’s what was in the shed).  Paint one side, let dry, then flip over and paint the other side.

 Remove the dots and get really excited because they look so cute!

 Sew
 Measure your bias tape and cut it how long you want your banner – leaving extra to tie at the ends.  Open the bias tape and put the edge of the triangle inside and sew making sure to catch both sides of the bias tape.  I didn’t pin – just keep feeding the triangles in as you sew. 


 Hang as Desired!!!

 I Love it!!!

Filed Under: crafts, Halloween, paint, tutorials

Halloween Wreath

September 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The girls over at Eighteen25 are showcasing a new Halloween Project Tutorial everyday.  I decided to make one of the projects.  It’s a Halloween wreath.  Click HERE to see their featured wreath and tutorial.  This is my version!!

Start with a wreath from the dollar store.  Eighteen25 used a foam wreath – this woven wreath is all our dollar store had.  Then get black and white fabric.  I tore mine in 4″ x WOF strips.  I used about 5 strips.

 Hot glue the fabric every so often, kind of bunching it together where you glue it.  (I only burned myself 4 times!!!)

 Go all the way around the wreath, then glue fabric around the inside and then the outside using the same bunch & glue technique.

Next  cut a 12×12 piece of Halloween paper into 4″ strips – you need three strips.  I scored each strip every half inch.  Then accordion fold the strips, glue them together to form a large rosette. 

 I hot glued a piece of black spiderweb paper into the center. 


 I added a vintage Halloween card to the front.  You can decorate it any way you want.  I think the fabric glued to the wreath is such a cheap, fast, easy base for any wreath for any occasion!!

Filed Under: crafts, Halloween, tutorial

Girl’s Camp

August 2, 2012 by 2 Comments

I had a lot of fun getting ready for Girl’s Camp.  I made these little first-aid zipper pouches for the girls to put their first-aid kits.

I made these bookmarks for them to have during their scripture reading each day.

Arise and Shine laynards.  To make the lanyard, I just used 2 1/2″ strip of fabric.  Press it in half then press the sides in & fold over (like double fold bias tape.)  Top stitch and put a clasp on the end.  They were fun to make!

I made little “hooties” for each of the girls.  They were part of a devotional about being a daughter of God.  Every owl is different, just like each of the girls.  They also have a sunshine on their tummy because they are letting their light shine!


The girls LOVED their owls!  They were so cute when they were choosing the one they wanted.  They slept with them and kept them on their beds.  During the week everyone would write little notes and tuck them into the owls wings. 

“Got my Shiny On” bottlecap necklaces

On of our girls had her birthday at camp.  I made this little birthday badge for her to wear all day so everyone would say happy birthday to her!


I made these flower headbands for the girls.  It looked cute when we all had them in our hair.

There were a few other things I made that I forgot to take pictures of.  Each day we gave the girls candy in their mail boxes: DOTS disciples of the Savior, You’re a Sweet Heart sweetarts, and Saver Life Life Savers. 

Filed Under: crafts, girls camp, owls, sewing

Blow Fish Tutorial at Riley Blake

July 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I haven’t been able to post any new projects but I did find this darling fish tutorial.  It’s from Riley Blake Designs and I can’t wait to make a school of them!!

Filed Under: crafts, sewing, tutorial

Tie-Dye Insanity

July 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Tie-Dye Round 3!
The tie-dye addiction continues.  This round started because we needed a few gifts & thought it would be fun to give a tie-dye shirt….and you can’t just die 2 shirts – you have to die a whole bunch so you don’t waste the die.  Here’s how they turned out.
Oh – we tried something different – this time we did not soak the shirts in Soda Ash.  We did learn that you CAN’T tie-dye a dry shirt like it says on the package.  We spritzed the shirts with water so they were damp.  I am thinking the Soda Ash step might be vital after all…hmmmmm.
 
 Three swirls down the side
 Colorful stripes
 Center circle – I love this one
 Center swirl
 Off-center swirl – boys
 Off-center swirl – girls
 More swirls
 Boy’s Bulls Eye
 Top and bottom swirl
 Top swirl& scrunch bottom
 Little Girl Stripe
 Triple swirl & scrunch – love it!
 Top & bottom swirl – love this too
 Ella’s heart – looks like an alien – don’t know why she gave it eyes!
 Swirl for Hannah

Overall I say they turned out good.  Right now they are drying – then I will rinse them in cold water – hopefully all the colors stay!

Filed Under: crafts, t-shirt, tie-dye

More Tie-Dye Craziness

July 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 One batch of tie-dye was just not enough.  So we launched into our second batch – which included more shirts!  This time we dyed almost 50 – yes we are crazy!  We followed the same steps as before. 

 It helps to wear tie-dye while tie-dying…just in case you spill 🙂

 The hardest part is waiting over a day to unwrap them & see what they look like!  I will try to post better photos of each of our favorite shirts!

The rest of our vacation we wore our shirts everywhere we went.  We attracted just a little attention!


Filed Under: crafts, t-shirt, tie-dye

Tie Dye Madness

July 11, 2012 by 2 Comments

I have been out of town for a while & now I am back!  On my trip to visit my family we discovered a new craft!  Tie Dye!  I must WARN you…. Tie Dye is extremely addicting so read the rest of this post at your own risk 🙂  Here’s how it’s done:


FIRST: Scour every Wal Mart, Target, Discount store for white shirts, white shorts, white dresses, white skirts, white fabric….you get the picture!


 SECOND:  Wash and dry all the white clothing.

 My sis with a large basket of clothes

THIRD:  Soak the white clothes in Soda Ash – just follow the directions on the box.  (I think this step is optional – but we opted to use it)

 FOURTH:  Wring out the Soda Ash and let the clothes dry until just damp – you don’t want them dripping wet

FIFTH:  Now the fun part begins!  Time to swirl, twirl, fold, and scrunch….oh and tie!  We looked up ideas and pictures on the internet for patterns.  You kinda just go for it & hope for the best.  That is where the addiction comes in – there are so many possibilities & they are so fun to do!


 We like to alternate swimming and tying!  Above is my sis-in-law Megan & brother.

SIXTH:  Mix the dye according to the directions – we used the Tulip brand they sell at Wal Mart & Michaels.  You have to work fast on the next part because the dye is only active for up to 45 minutes!  We had about 35 shirts to do – yikes!

 I guess we did too much swimming because it got dark & we ended up dying all the shirts in the dark with flashlights!  I don’t recommend this 🙂  You have to have a clean surface for each side of the shirt – so we had to hose off the area to keep it dye free.  It was a little crazy.

SEVENTH:  Dye the shirts.  You are supposed to put the light colors on first, then add darker colors.  There are lots of fun pictures & videos on the internet showing different ways to color them.  After a while we were just squirting dye at random!

After you dye the shirts, tie them up in a plastic bag and let them sit for at least 24 hours – longer is better.   Then the fun part begins – it’s like Christmas!  Unwrap each shirt and behold your creations!!

 Megan’s SF Giants shirt

 Tie Dyed fabric
 Megan’s scallop

 Melinda’s single swirl
 My triple swirl


 Ella’s Heart
 Mallory’s striped shorts

 Logan’s spiral
Final Note:  After you unwrap your shirts hang them up to dry completely.  Ours were still pretty wet & drippy.  Once dry, rinse them in the washer (no soap) and dry.  I am careful to wash tie-dye together just in case it runs or bleeds in the wash.
Filed Under: crafts, t-shirt, tie-dye

Ruffled Bag Tutorial is Here!

June 6, 2012 by 6 Comments
I am linking this post up to Family Ever After’s “Pinspired…Rewired” Link Party.  I had seen ruffled tote bags all over on Pinterest.  Here is the bag that was my inspiration.  There wasn’t a pattern or tutorial so I came up with this one on my own. 

What you need:
1 tote bag
6 strips of fabric 3.5″xWOF.  4 strips are for the ruffles, 1 strip for the trim, and 1 strip is for the flower.  You can use ribbon instead of making the top trim.
1 button (I made a covered button)

Here is my lovely denim blag.  It measures about 12″ x 12″ not including the handles.  

 Cut your fabric into strips 3.5″ – this is a great Stash Buster project!!

Here are my fabrics

Do a narrow rolled hem along the 2 short sides of the 4 strips and the bottom of the strip. 

So the top of the strip is a raw edge.

 Turn your stitch length up to the maximum and sew 1/4″ gathering stitch along the raw edge of all 4 ruffle strips.  Then pull strings and gather each ruffle like this:

 Take your tote bag and mark a line 3″ from the bottom.

 Then mark 2″ from your first line.  Repeat every 2″ until you have 4 total lines drawn.

 Pin your bottom ruffle to the tote bag matching the raw edge of the fabric to your first marked line.  You kind of have to scrunch the bag to get it pinned.  This one is the hardest.  It SOOO doesn’t have to be perfect!

  Sew along your gathering stitch.  Again, this one is the hardest, the rest get easier.  You have to bunch it around your machine – but it will work!

Then go over your seam with a zig zag stitch to keep it all from fraying.
Repeat this process with each ruffle matching the raw edge of the ruffle with your marked line.  Stitch along your gathering stitches and then zig zag to finish.  You don’t have to zig zag the last ruffle because we will cover it.

 Take your “trim” piece of fabric and cut it so it is just slightly longer than your bag.

 Press this piece in half

 Then open it and press the two sides into the center fold.  Then bring these two sides together to make a trim piece with no raw edges. 

 Fold one end in and pin in place.  Adjust the length and trim if necessary.  Fold the other end in and pin in place.  Top stitch all the way around the trim piece.  You can totally use pre-made trim, double-fold bias tape, or ribbon.  Your bag is almost done!!  Just the flower is left!

 To make the flower, take your last 3.5″xWOF piece and fold in half – don’t press in half – you want it to puff a little.  Use your gathering stitch again and run it 1/4″ along the raw edge. 

Pull up the threads to ruffle – you want it as ruffled as possible – careful not to break the thread.  Since the fabric is double thickness, it needs a little extra care.
Then tuck the end of the fabric under so you can’t see it and start to twirl it around.  You can play around to get the look you want.  Here is where I got the hot glue gun out.  I added glue each time I turned.  You can sew it too.  I was just in a hurry:)  Once the flower is done I hot glued a fabric covered button in the center.  You can use any button that you like.  Then I hot glued it to the bag. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you get the chance to make one!

Filed Under: bags, crafts, sewing, tutorials