New Stuff I Have Done

When I came across this tutorial for Clothespin Dolls, I was in love. (Thank you Going Sew Crazy for the tutorial!)  I think these will be really cute as a take home for my daughter's birthday party coming up in mid June. I plan to put a little candy in their "hands" or maybe a "thank you for coming" note.

I picked up a jewelry box from goodwill for $3.00 the other day. There was not really anything wrong with it, but I wanted to give it an "adult" update. I need to add the ribbon around the front and bottom to be done. I am really happy about how it has turned out.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Like always, I have more stuff I am working on.

Thanks for coming by!

Flower Lantern

I saw a paper lantern "makeover" on craftynest. They show the large lanterns redone. I marked it as something I wanted to remember for future use.

Today at the dollar store, I found a paper lanterns with battery tea light and decided to try it out.


HOW TO:

materials-
1 paper lantern
3 flower stems
hot glue
string and tac (to hang)


Assemble the paper lantern. (I hung mine from my kitchen cabinet so that I could work on it.)

Take the backs of the flowers. Glue the center and petals together. Trim the back off the center so that it is flat.

Glue the flower to the lantern. Make sure the flower petals overlap. Glue some of the petals to the lantern where the flower petals fall away too far.

 

To further fill the space, trim extra flower petals and glue them in where needed. Use them to fill where the lantern images are easily seen.

WHAT I LEARNED:
* Next time I will use smaller flowers. That way can cover the lantern completely. (Like craftynest.)
* I will use lighter colored flowers as well. My lantern had print on it so I needed to cover it, but I think yellow flowers would look really cute as well.
* The lantern I purchased had a tea light that changes color, so having some of the original lantern show was a good idea.
*The whole project took a little over an hour, but next time it should go faster.
* In order for these to be table top, the flowers should not be so close to the bottom.

 The tea light changes colors so I tried to take some pics where you could see that. Sorry for the blur, I could not get my camera to cooperate. (purple, red and green)

 Thanks for stopping by!!

It's COLD outside

We had a record breaking snow fall yesterday here in the DFW area of North Texas. 12 1/2 inches!!

Of course, living in Texas, my daughter does not have a winter hat. I always have fleece laying around. I like to buy inexpensive fleece blankets to cut up when I want to try a pattern.

I went online to find a pattern for a fleece hat for my little girl. I did not find a pattern that I liked. Then I thought about a scarf. Through the magic of internet I ran across a "hooded scarf." On about.com I found a great pattern.

Like always, the great thing about fleece is that you don't have to finish the edges. I did add some ribbon around the hood to be tied around the neck. I spent more time ironing the ribbon in half and pinning into place than sewing it.

Great quick project, easy to follow instructions and beginner sewing skills OK. How great would this look with a pom pom on the top, or ribbon around the whole scarf, or in PINK!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Valentine Cards

I know I am not the only one that is watching their wallets this year. For my son's school,  he needs 22 cards for Valentines Day. The other day I found this wonderful option. Thank you to the Long Thread for sharing.
If you have little kids, you probably have more crayons that you need. What a wonderful way to put them to work.

I did not have a heart mold when I began. I was walking through Target and spotted some ice trays for $2.50. They where made out of silicone, but did not have a label which stated they where dishwasher safe. I was wondering since I planned to put them in the oven. So I looked online for the general degree resistance of silicone. Sure enough, it would take a ton of heat to melt them.

I put them in the oven at 250 degrees and they came out fine. Also, I did this more than once. The first time I made the crayon hearts, I used rose art crayons. Those came out with a wax that had floated to the top. This wax does not draw. I then used a crayola crayon. Once again, they prove why they are my favorite brand.

Let me show you some pictures:

$2.50 ice trays: probably could put some pam in the trays to make the crayon not stick so much

Finished cards. Stuck the heart on with sticky squares from the dollar store. (already on hand)

Ohh, let me share one more thing. My new favorite shoes what I got for $7 on clearance at Marshall's.

Thanks for coming by!!

Staying Busy

The work on my desk has come to a stand still. It is too cold to try and stain it. I know that I would be wasting effort if I stain now. So, I am waiting for Texas weather to get back to normal. Meaning, get back to being warm in the winter.
I found this tutorial a long time ago at Make and Takes. I have actually had all the supplies on hand as well. I ordered Diamond Glaze right after I saw this. I finally got around to making some tiles. I am not going to use all of them as pendants. Some may become push pins or magnets.

Here is what I have made:

I have some other items I am working on...coming soon.