DIY Hand Stitching, part 2 - LA Last week, I started a DIY Hand Stitching series and began with how to hand stitch your own handwriting. I stitched onto paper and showed a method for transferring the pattern by poking or drawing dots as a guide on the surface. The same technique can be used when stitching a simple pattern onto fabric but when you stitch more than one color or there's a lot of intersecting lines (like these), it's much easier to use a piece of tear away backing. You will need: Fabric (linen, muslin & thick cottons), Needle (i use a #5 Embroidery Needle), Embroidery Thread, Scissors, Pencil, Thumbtack or Piercing Tool, Masking Tape or Low-Tack Tape, Tear Away Backing (available at fabric & sewing stores), Emboidery Hoop (optional) 1> Cut a piece of tear away backing, a bit bigger than your pattern. Tip: For your first time using tear away backing, try a simple silhouette like a heart or banana. 2> Poke holes along the line(s) of your shape, with the holes spaced 1/4inch apart.
Jewlery Resin Looking for a quick and easy gift for Valentine’s Day? This project fits the bill. Remember this post on patriotic resin jewelry? The process is the same, except I used Valentine’s Day sprinkles instead of red, white and blue. Supplies: Magic GlosPendant and earring bezels and desired jewelry findingsA sunny day, or UV curing lamp; I use Lisa Pavelka’s and it works like a charmToothpicksTile small enough to fit into lamp to cure your pieces onSprinklessmall mixing cup Instructions: Pour some sprinkles into the cup, along with a few drops of Magic Glos and using toothpick, mix resin and sprinkles so that sprinkles are coated. Use toothpick to pick up a clump of sprinkles/resin and spread into bezel. Once cured, add another layer of resin to get the dome effect and cure again. TIP: Use toothpick to “pull” resin from middle of piece out to the edges I just love this UV resin.
Custom Color Chalkboard Paint - Martha Stewart Organizing Crafts Thanks to paint that dries into a chalkboard finish, your board can be whatever size you desire and placed wherever you like. Store-bought formulas come in traditional green and black. But you can also follow our recipe to mix your own batch in any shade. Cleverly applied chalkboard paint means new places to track appointments, keep lists, and leave messages. Or simply use the surface to draw or doodle, which will appeal to kids and the kid in everyone. Choose from the following ideas or come up with your own homemade chalkboard location. Tip: Start with flat-finish latex paint in any shade. Wall Calendar A home office is the ideal spot for a family planner. Mudroom Mural The bottom half of a mudroom wall is just the right height for pint-size Picassos -- when coated with store-bought green chalkboard paint. Message Center Write-on paint needn't be applied only to walls. Pantry Reminder
For the Love...: I {heart} gift wrap guest post: DIY burlap gift bows My first guest in the I {heart} gift wrap series is Carrie Stroud of The Rowdy Stroudys. She's the sweetest mom who takes fabulous pictures and always has classy taste. She and I both like to throw a good party. I'm so glad she was willing to participate, because I've never seen a project of hers I didn't like. Hello For The Love fans! I am the oldest from a family of 11 children. After buying the brown paper (paper grocery bags would work perfectly), I hit my stash of fabric and pulled out a few different kinds with textures and colors that I thought would work well together. This gift wrapping idea is ridiculously easy, which is very necessary in my busy life right now! 1. 2. 3. I used canvas, burlap, and a sheer stiff cotton (a curtain at the thrift store) for fabric. I love grouping them together to show the texture.
Repurposed Etched Glass Spice Jars... As an avid recycler, I often find myself admiring the numerous boxes of glass bottles in our garage, awaiting their fate. When I noticed more than a dozen empty bottles from one particular product, I knew I had a problem there must be something else I could do other than toss them into a recycling bin once a week. In order to justify my purchase of a caffeine-laden treat, I decided to repurpose and upcycle the glass containers from my favorite splurge. And no, we're not rich. With a few supplies, and as many glass bottles as you can find, you can quickly organize a spice cupboard or pantry in a very attractive manner! Drink bottles, salad dressing bottles, there are so many options, so many different sizes and shapes. Come on, let's see what we can come up with!
DIY Stone Sconces This is a super easy project that anyone can do on the super cheap. I wanted some nice sconces for my guest bath downstairs. I looked high and low and couldn’t find anything I wanted and the ones I did like were about $20 a piece….story of my life. I couldn’t bring myself to spend $40 on 2 sconces for the guest bath. A few weeks back I was strolling the Dollar Tree trying to see if there was anything that I could fashion into a sconce. Anyway let us continue. I walked back into the Dollar Tree and grabbed 2 bags of decorative stones, glass tealight candle holders, a pack of glue sticks and some sponge brushes for $6. I already has some wood at the house and some dark brown paint. We had a wood board that was 1/2 inch thick. Once the paint dried I nailed the picture handing hardware to the back, top part of the larger rectangles. Then hot glued the small bottom piece onto the back. Using a hot glue gun, glue the candle holder to the bottom in the center, add a candle and ur done!
2010 Planner Kit: Instructions - Red Velvet Art Blog Hi Everyone! These are the instructions for the 2010 Planner Kit. I am going to share with your the specific steps I took to assemble my planner. Please remember, though, that these planners are meant to be customized! Feel free to take out things your wouldn't use and add ideas to make your daily life more organized! step one: unpack your kit and line the back of the page dividers with a contact paper or scrapbooking paper (it's much easier if you do this before you cut them out!). note: i picked up this wood grain laminate from a local hardware store. Next, choose which font (typed or handwritten) you want to use for your monthly tabs, shuffle your cards however you want and add the tabs. Next up: adhere your monthly calendars to something sturdy (I recycled boxes from my house for this step!). Then, just cut them out. :) The Next step was the most fun for me. Make extra pages to fit your fancies. the felt on this page is about 4x4 inches. SO adorable!! next, you need to punch holes. yay!
How to make a Tulle Pom Pom Ball - Influential Mom Blogger, Parenting, Community - StumbleUpon 148.2K Amazing Shares Facebook 62 Pin It Share 1.2K 1K+ Twitter 9 Google+ 7 StumbleUpon 146.9K Email -- Email to a friend 148.2K Amazing Shares × How to make a tulle pom pom ball for wands…otherwise known as, “how to make a cat toy” in my house. I made a tulle wand the other day and I was going to give it to my friend Kims daughter, but she is pretty young and if she were to pull the pins out, it could mean a dangerous situation. Not wanting to responsible for my best friends child’s untimely death by lace pin, I decided to get to work on a tulle ball tutorial for all those in the same situation. Except instead of a tulle wand, I’m going to turn my example into a cat toy for Gwen. It could also be used for hair puff pony-o’s, cheer-leading pom poms, decorative shirt..um…decorations. Here is your How To Make a Tulle Ball {So you can still give it to the baby girl/kitten in your life} tutorial: 1) First you have to decide the size of your tulle ball. Ribbon cream. 5) Moving on to your tulle.
Urban Comfort: Handmade I was out of town last week, one of my husband's birthday gifts to me being a ticket to New York. I had a great week, on lots of different levels, which I'll share as the week progresses. But for now, I'll get back to the blog post I had planned to publish last week. I like to celebrate the seasons as much as possible, turning the natural materials just outside my door into art supplies. I also like to make temporary decor for my home, pieces that can be put away after the season just as I do with holiday decorations. It keeps things fresh, and even if I bring it back the following year, I find that I can use it in a new way or mix it with whatever new finds I've incorporated into my basic decor. Spring and summer are all about botanicals for me. Here's how I made it: Materials: Step 1: Collect and press botanicals For the most part, I find that it's easier to handle plants on a dry day, when the leaf edges are crisper. Step 2: Cut fabric to size and create a basic arrangement Done!