Pattern Testing : Little Bow Zipper Wallet

First off, let me introduce you to one of my favorite craft blogs:

I found Michael Ann Made via Craftgawker last year.  Her chalkboard painted cans caught my eye and I have been a follower ever since.  She always has something inspiring going on over there, her latest being a cute zippered wallet.  I happily offered to test out this brand spankin' new tutorial/pattern, which you can now purchase! 

Meet The Little Bow Zipper Wallet.

Isn't it just lovely!?  Michael Ann emailed me the 3 PDF files (pattern, tutorial with pictures, and text instructions) and I downloaded and printed them.  Although I predicted it would take me about an hour to complete, I ended up spending more like 2 1/2 hours on it. There are a few things you have to sew by hand which added a bit of time.  The tutorial was clearly written and very detailed.  The nice thing about this compared to a pattern you would buy at a store is that there are pictures!  It is really helpful to see how to do something before trying it.  Michael Ann also includes a few rather insightful tips!  This is a great beginner's sewing project.  You can purchase the pattern and tutorial here for just $5.50!  

*You may notice mine is just a little different than hers.  I decided to lay my ribbon down horizontally rather than vertically because it was not the same on both sides and it looked better this way!  It is also made for a left handed person (the zipper zips from the right side).  This happened by accident :)

Mini Dry Erase Boards

A few months ago, while blog surfing I discovered that I was the lucky recipient of $50.00 worth of supplies from craftvinyl.com!  Talk about a nice surprise!  I wasn't even aware that I had entered a giveaway.  I later discovered that by linking up to her party at Every Creative Endeavor, I had also entered Amanda's awesome giveaway!  So with my credit, I ordered a few sheets of dry erase vinyl and have finally gotten around to using them.  Isn't the mini dry erase board a fun alternative to the chalkboard?!  It's just as easy to make too!

I purchased the unfinished chalkboard at Joann's for a couple of bucks and then sanded off the rough spots.  I used acrylic paint to give it some color and then cut a piece of vinyl to fit inside.  

And now I can't wait for Jayna to wake up from her nap and try it out!

Mini Envelope Bookmark and a Book Review

I am having a lot of fun playing with and figuring out my Silhouette Cameo!  Today I made this cute little bookmark out of scrapbook paper.  Two sides are open and two are closed, letting it rest easy on the corner of the page.    

It makes finding your place even easier than a traditional bookmark does!  On the back side, I added a polka dot stamp and am now thinking I need to order the sketch pens for the Silhouette so I can finish it off with an address.

Have you read any good books lately?  My latest read was Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee.  Although I really didn't care much for all the profanity, sex, and infidelity, I found myself turning page after page to find out what was going to happen next.  I didn't enjoy the book, but I couldn't put it down either.  I give it 2 stars.

Loud, outspoken Graciela Jones, aka Ace, is a young high school art teacher who recently left her boyfriend and returned to Bugtussle Mississippi with her chiweenie, Buster Loo.  The drama begins when her best friend Lily bails out on a trip to Florida to spend time with a man she has been very secretive about.  Lily is also a teacher and the next thing you know, she's being accused of sleeping with one of her students and is fired.  The ridiculousness continues and escalates with the discovery that another friend's husband Richard has been cheating on her.  Ace and Lily set out to document his immoral actions and are successful.

All the while, Ace struggles with her body image and won't let herself accept the love of her ex-boyfriend who appears at her doorstep to woo her back.  In the end, Ace finds happiness and so do her two best friends.    

BlogHer Book Club provided me with this book and I was compensated for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.  To read more about Diary of a Mad Fat Girl and how Stephanie McAfee self published it, visit BlogHer.

Paint a Dish Towel

Guess who got a Silhouette Cameo for her birthday??!  Dreams do come true...I did!!  It arrived a few days ago and although my birthday is not for another week, I could see no sense in waiting to try it out.

First project on my list was a painted dish towel.  I found a whisk that I liked in the online Silhouette store, sized it, and had it cut out of contact paper.  I used the negative as a stencil and applied Tulip Fabric Paint like so:

The color is Lime Matte and you can find it JoAnn's.  It dried in about 1/2 an hour and will be okay to wash after 72 hours.

Expect to see more Silhouette projects in the near future!

A Beach Bag

Last week I made this beach bag for my sister to take on her vacation to Hawaii!  What I would give for a white sandy beach and 80 degree weather right now!  Definitely jealous :) After searching for the perfect beach bag pattern and not finding it, I looked to my own stash of bags for inspiration.  I ended up choosing a tote bag from AE that I liked and began studying it's seams, trying to figure out how it was put together.  When I couldn't quite grasp what the pattern would look like for the bottom, I decided to do a little seam ripping. It made much more sense after that!  And I now understand the parts of a bag and the order in which to sew them.  If there were only more hours in the day, I think I could design my own pattern!

Fabric Checkerboard : X's and O's Edition

The inspiration for a Valentine version of this age old game came after I ordered some blank bottle caps from Pick Your Plum a few weeks ago.  I purchased them thinking I would make something entirely different, but that didn't pan out.  So I got to thinking and came up with the idea to use them as Checkers pieces.  And my incredible husband suggested using fabric as the board!  

Everything turned out just as I had imagined!  I was going for a tattered look on the board, so the edges are raw and in some spots a little turned up.

To show when a piece has been kinged, another X or O can be placed on top of it (as in the O on the third row from the bottom).

A competitive game - hugs and kisses style, and a bottle of Sparkling Cider sound like the perfect take-a-longs to me, for a romantic afternoon in the park!

A Lovely Valentine's Wreath

I don't normally do a lot of V-day decorating, but I thought I might get a little more into it this year.  So to start off, here is a lovely little wreath.  I used the same red berries it had on for Christmas, just bent them into hearts and then added a paper banner.  $.25 update!!

To make the banner, I cut a little notch at the top of each pennant, folded it over twine and hot glued it down.

Then I just found a space in between those twisted twigs, slipped the twine in and tied a little knot to hold it.  Twig wreaths are such great decor because they can so easily be changed with the seasons and holidays!

Birthday Gift Idea: Indoor Hop Scotch

This idea is pure genius!  Bubble wrap and Hop Scotch, together?!  What little girl wouldn't go crazy over this?  It's a perfect indoor activity for a cold winter's day.  And thanks to giver'slog, I am sending this as a birthday present to my niece first thing tomorrow morning!  I know she will LOVE it.

Want to make one too?  Here's how I did it:

Gather Materials:  Cardboard Box, Bubble Wrap, Yarn, Scissors, Hole Punch, and Sharpies

Step 1:  Cut 10 12"X12" squares of bubble wrap and 2 slightly larger pieces of cardboard.

Step 2:  Using permanent markers, write numbers on the flat side of bubble wrap.
Be sure to write them backwards!

So they look like this when right side up!

Step 3:  Punch holes along each edge of both cardboard pieces

Step 4:  Write the rules down on one of the pieces of cardboard.  They can be found here.

Step 5:  Tape a quarter to the other side.

Step 6:  Sandwich the bubble wrap between the two pieces of cardboard and  thread yarn
 through the holes.  I put a piece of tape around the end of the yarn for easy threading.

Step 7:  Decorate the front however you want!
I'm going to mail this, so I addressed it and it's now ready to take to the post office!

Go ahead, make someone's day!

Refinished Table and Chairs

It's finished!  Aah.  You may or may not remember that I started this project back in June. I posted about it in August after I got the first chair done.  Yes, it took another 4 months to finish the other 3 chairs and the table!  I really drug my feet on this one, but now it's done and there couldn't be a better way to end the year!

First I sanded everything down.  If there is one lesson I learned through this whole process, it is to sand, sand, and then sand some more!  I preserved the intricate table top design by staining it, then painted everything else.  I really like the dual color scheme. 

This was definitely not a beginner's project.  Perhaps that is why it took me so long to finish - I am a novice when it comes to refinishing furniture.  So I am proud of myself for pushing through and finally getting it done!

Needless to say, I LOVE how it turned out!  But I will not be attempting any more big furniture makeovers for a very long time!

Handmade Gift Exchange: Pretty Accessories

Yesterday I showed you what I sent my partner for The Handmade Gift Exchange.  So today I will share what Mary Katherine sent me.  First off, this ADORABLE hounds-tooth flower headband.

The perfect accessory for Baby J's winter outfit.  I love it.

Second, this pretty tweed brooch.  I was really impressed with the quality of this flower. I've made and bought lots of flowers and this one seems to be put together really well.  The petals were sewn together and the pin on the back is secured with thread as well as glue.  I know it is going to be super durable and am excited to wear it.

And lastly, a set of orange embossed thank you cards that I had been eyeing since I discovered her shop.  Check them out here.  Be sure to hop on over to MKMathews and take a look at all the pretty accessories she has for sale!

Thanks for the handmade gifts Mary Katherine!!

Handmade Gift Exchange: Embroidered Dish Towel

Have you heard of The Handmade Gift Exchange that Linda from Craftaholics Anonymous put together?  It is such a fun idea and I decided to join in the Holiday 2011 Edition.  After signing up, you are paired with someone for a handmade gift exchange.  Each person receives one other person's contact information and mailing address and then it is up to you to get to know that person and make something for them!

I was partnered up with Mary Katherine who blogs at Mathews Family Happenings about crafting, decorating/renovating her home, and her wonderful crazy life.  This woman has some awesome talent!  She is not only a wife and mom, but a singer, music teacher, theater director, and actress too.  Plus she blogs!  She has got to have some serious time management skills!!   

It was fun to "meet" a new blogger and challenging to figure out what to make her.  I read through her blog and stalked her on Pinterest as well as looked for ideas among her Etsy favorites.  I finally decided to try my hand at embroidery and made her this dish towel. Isn't it cute!?

I printed off the free pattern from Wild Olive and followed her simple directions.  This cupcake requires only 2 different stitches, so it is a perfect beginner's project.  Since I had never embroidered before I followed these thorough instructions for making the backstich and these for the french knots.  

I also sent each of her kiddos a package of Reindeer Noses.  I'll be back later with pictures of what she sent me!

Using Sticker Negatives as Stencils

Merry Christmas in Hawaiian

Sorry for the lull in posts lately.  I've been on Maui for the last week soaking up the sun and relaxing!!  But I'm back now and have been busy unpacking and tidying up.  The babe has been running a fever and has been very sleepy so I even managed to get some crafting in.  I ran a coconut giveaway last week on my other blog:  A Real-Life Housewife and decided to paint a little message on it before sending it off.  Instead of digging out my Cricut to cut stencils, I grabbed some stickers and used the negatives.

This is a great method if you don't have a cutting machine! 

It worked great!  I was debating about drawing a rainbow next to the message but realized my painting skills are not that great and decided to keep things simple.  I hope the winner likes it!

Hop on over to A Real-Life Housewife to learn some useful household tips as well as to get to know me a little better.  You might just be inspired to clean your shower head or shine your glassware!

Free Printable Treat Bag Toppers for Reindeer Noses

Are these the cutest Christmas treats you've ever seen or what?  I got the idea from Zoe at A Personal Touch.  She used real scrap booking supplies, but I cheated and designed them in My Memories Suite.  I found the cute little reindeer clip art here and used embellishments and monograms from the software to create the rest.  I am just loving this digital scrap booking stuff!  It has come in handy for all sorts of things.  I think I may make a Christmas themed header for the blog with it next!  They just came out with Version 3 so I've been playing around with it and there are definitely some improvements!  They even fixed one of the things I complained about in my review!  There is now an easier way to find your store purchases.  And I really love that they made custom sizing available.  You can set your paper size to just about anything you want. 

   

If you would like to try it out for yourself, use code STMMMS54717 for $10 off, making it only $29.97!!  Plus this will give you $10.00 of in-store credit to buy some supplies!  This would make a great Christmas gift! 

I filled each bag with 8 Whoppers and 1 Sweet's Christmas Fruit Sour (can be purchased at Walmart).  Click here to access the free downloadable tags (via freepdfhosting.com)!  I recommend printing them on some nice paper like Premium Presentation Matte.  Once they are printed, simply cut them out on the dotted lines and fold in half.  Staple to your treat bags and you have a fun and cute little gift or favor.