Cardigan re-vamp

Since it's been WAY too long since I posted something new (we came home from a long weekend to water damage all through our house, it has taken over a month to rip it all apart and re-build---more to come soon!)... I thought I'd post a quick little cardigan re-vamp I did thanks to a post I remembered here at Homemade by Jill! I got a cute sweater/cardigan at a big Layers warehouse sale today, (i had no idea it was so similar to jills!) but when I got home- and actually got to try it on in front of a mirror I realized it was totally big, baggy, and not-flattering. So... I took in the sides, chopped off the sleeves, and voila! Problem solved.

This is the shirt inside out just so you can see how to do something similar. I just chopped off the sleeve, cuff, and pin them together, sew around and you're done. If you need to make it smaller just sew inside the original seam a bit. Half way done... lookin much better!
OK it is SO not perfect, and I am not a seamstress, I just pretend to know what I'm doing. But, I like it!
Good thing I got a scarf at the sale too.. since it IS winter, and I just chopped the sleeves off!

Sick of my plain t-shirts! (nat)

Well being a stay at home mom and having boys with reflux means I have WAY too many plain, boring, spit-up proof shirts. I would love to have a totally new wardrobe but instead I just tried to find ways to vamp up my boring shirts! With just a little creativity and some digging through my scrap fabric here's what I've got so far. The possibilities are endless I began to realize. These ones are nothing special but at least I don't feel totally lame walking around in my sweats all day!

So this one looks a lot better on, the pleating on the shirt makes it cute which is why i got it originally but the white was fading and just wasn't lovin it anymore. I just traced over this area of the shirt with tissue paper, then cut it out and used it as a pattern. Cut the fabric and sewed it on. I didn't worry about finished edges and all that- too much work, and it's not like this is gonna be a date night shirt or anything

Here I just googled silouette of a bird, printed out a few and used those to trace onto a fabric I liked. I did use some interfacing under so it would be easier to sew it on and hold up a little better. Once again, no finished edges but I kinda like the frayed look. Although- word to the wise, adding birds to a shirt that doesn't fit well- doesn't make it fit any better!

Ok now we are getting a little fancier. This is probably one of those love it or hate it ones. After looking at a bunch of different images on etsy I just kinda threw this one together. I took one long piece of fabric, made pleates, ironed them in place then on that right side I just kinda rolled the pleates up until it made a flower. I just pinned everything on and used my machine to sew it on. I may have added a few stitches by hand to the flower part to make it extra secure. Final touch was a little ribbon to hide the stitches... hmm still kinda love it- still kinda hate it, I'm on the fence. Oh I did see a cute dress over at Make It and Love It and she shows you how to make a flower out of fabric similar to this.

OOh now this one I actually really like. Nothing fancy but it's so "me" And it was so easy. I just had a little flowery fabric left over from a diaper/wipe holder I made so I cut out some of the flowers, cut out interfacing to match, and sewed them on! You'd be surprised what you can come up with if you look at your fabric in a different light. Oh and of course I loved it when the lady behind me in costco said, I love your shirt where did you get that!? Ahhhh I made it!

Now this one I can totally give all the credit to Josey and our lovely little craft night. She found some pics of cute ruffly shirts and we gave it a try. Basically you cut a circle, and pinch it from the under side until it makes a little flowery shape. Then you just sew straight across the bottom to make the flower keep its shape. Later I happened upon this site which gives you a little tutorial and instead of sewing it straight on the shirt you sew it to a piece of fabric then attach with safety pins so you can take it off when you wash the shirt so you just have to use a glue gun- you can also move it from outfit to outfit- so smart! You can check out some other adorable flowers here!

After learning the technique I came home and tried it out. This is the only shirt I spent money on- I actually bought this shirt at target on clearance for 2 bucks! Then I used a purple shirt I already had to do the flowers/ruffles. I think I did 3 flowers then sewed them together, then sewed them on the shirt. I did handstitch these on in several places for extra security but if you have a decent machine I am sure it works great! Next time around I would totally go up higher to cover the whole collar (what was I thinking!) but I think I like it.

Oh and I made a little matching headband too. I already had one of these elastic headbands hanging around so I just added a group of 3 on here too- so easy!
Ok and I got really brave and even wore this to church.... and now I am getting REALLY brave and posting a totally cheesy picture for you to see too-consider yourself lucky!

Pillow Talk (amanda)

Pillows have got the be the greatest practical accessory item ever invented. They work in a variety of spaces and can instantly take your decor between seasons and in and out of styles. I Make almost all of my pillows if I don't make them myself. I buy them cheap and I mean cheap. I never spend more than $5 generally. You can't make them for that price so that makes it a bargain.
This my living room couch and pillows. All of the black and white toile I bought for less than $2 a yard and have been saving it. It made great pillows and curtains for this room and helped tie the whole space together. The black pillow I scored at Target on clearance for like $2. The satin pillow was $5 at Big Lots. The afgan was handmade by my aunt as a wedding present.
This is a great demonstration of how simple changes can really change a space. I have had this ocuch for like ten years and would like to replace it but I like the style and the color so it just keeps being reinvented. This is how we have it now with fall complimentary pillows. The slipcovers on the cushions come off and I have washed them and restuffed the back pillows by emptying them out refluffing and putting it all back in. Well worth it to get more life out of my sofa.
This is the picture of the same sofa - sagging a little with a slipcover and different pillows after we painted the Family Room last fall.
This is the bed in my master bedroom in my old house. Very blue (my favorite color) and a bit more country- notice the same throw from my living room. I love repurposing and finding new homes for things. I kept this loo for several years, but when I redid my master bedroom in my new house it was time for a change. I wanted a more sophisticated style. So what better way than to change bedding and PILLOWS!
I made these shams- very easy to do.

PILLOW SHAM TUTORIAL

Step1 - Measure your pillow add however much extra you want as a flange on the edges. In this case I wanted two inches so I added 2" to the measurement all around plus another 1" for the seams. This is for the top side.

Step 2- for the bottom piece add another 4-5 inches just to the width this helps have an opening for inserting the pillow.

Step 3- Cut the back piece in half and hem the two side pieces. This creates an opening to insert your pillow.
Step 4- Sew the top and bottom to each other with right sides together.
Step5- Turn the sham inside out and than top stitch two inches from the outside edge all the way around. Insert pillow and viola! A do it yourself sham.

Just a word about fabric. I love to find fabric deals online. Often you can get really nice decorator fabric for great prices. I also search clearance areas at Jo-ann's You can get better deals. Also don't be afraid to use apparel fabric or quilting fabric on pillows just about anything works.
These shams were made from lined linen that I got on clearance for $2 a yard. It is heavy great stuff. These shame were a little different to make because they had side ties and are square pillows. Basically I measured the pillow and made one two pieces. One piece the length and width plus a seam allowance the other the same width but with a longer length to fit around the edge of the pillow like a case. This piece was folded in and sewn to the inside just on the edges, so that I could still insert the pillow. I added ties by sewing long strips together and attaching them to the edge and had two new shams!
A bolster is tricky. You have to measure the width plus the length all the way around the pillow. Then sew contrasting pieces cut in circles to the ends. I added buttons. I covered them with the contrasting fabric. Coverable buttons are easy to find at your local craft store. I cut the length of this pillow a little too short so it bulges just a bit. I suggest measuring with just a little give around your pillow insert.
My new bedding all put together with pillows. The colors worked great around the room and helped bring in the wall colors and the fabric I also used on the curtains.
Other handmade pillows. I love mixing pattern with pillows and especially love the result when it works in a room.
The red striped pillow was another example of clever pillow covering. It is two napkins sewn together. I like the pattern and the edges were ready finished I just sewed around the edge and left the bottom open to insert the pillow. This particular red pillow is actually a green and yellow floral one that came with the love seat redone and matching much better. The other three pillows were all $5 store finds. The toile one is actually Waverly for $5! Gotta have it!

Boys room re-do (nat)

As soon as we found out we were having another boy I started planning out what I wanted to do to make the nursery into a cute boys room. So without major changes (wall treatments or re-painting etc.) I re-vamped the room to make it work for 2 boys. After about a million projects I think I am satisfied. Probably a few more things will be thrown in along the way but for now I'm happy. When we bought the house this room was painted a dark army green, it looks lighter than it was in the photo. So thanks to the help of my dad it has a totally new look!

Before...
After
Details of the different projects are below.
To the left- changing table, pics, diaper shelf etc. This changing table is just a dresser we begged off of my husband's grandma when we were snooping in the basement! It was painted white and mustard yellow. With our first, I just repainted it and painted the knobs- gotta love it when things are free!

To the right- rocking chair, shelf, reading/toy area
This rocking chair I picked up with our first too at DI (local consignment shop) i think it was like 20 bucks. I touched up the white paint and made new covers for the seat cushions that you can un-zip, remove, and wash. I still need to make a pillow for this chair and a pillow sham for the bed... hmm someday. Oh and I used to have these letters above the bed done in really cute scrap booking paper and ribbon but i can't find a picture of them anywhere. I haven't put up new letters yet, I'm waiting til we pick a name for baby #2!

Now here are some of the projects close up- I had a lot of fun with these pictures. I love the look of pictures stretched on canvas but it is soooo expensive. So I got creative and bought 3 canvases at joann's (at 40% off) and then had pictures printed out on computer paper at kinkos (like 1.50) then I used good ole' mod podge to wrap the pics onto the canvas, just kind of like you are wrapping a present. Not perfect but definitely worth the price tag. I think it turned out pretty cute. These pictures are what inspired a lot of the room. Add some cheap square frames from the dollar bins at target, scrap booking paper, and vinyl lettering- voila

I tried to do the mod podge streaky to make it have more of that canvas/rustic effect. Hard to tell in a picture but you get the idea.

Onto the sewing projects- I made the duvet cover. Couldn't find anything I liked in the stores at the price I like to pay so I made one. Just used an inexpensive sheet on the back, and two coordinating fabrics for the front, added some buttons to close it all up. The great thing is since I change my mind so much now all I have to do is make a new cover instead of buy a whole new set when I get sick of this one. Oh yeah and if you look back at the first couple pics I made the window treatment too. It keeps the heat in and the light out perfectly at nap/nightime and is just rolled up during the day. Here's a tutorial if you are interested in making a similar window treatment for yourself!

I re-did this shelf awhile ago but it had like stars and moons cut out on the back which I got sick of so I took some cardboard, covered it in fabric, and put it on the 3 back sections. Perfect size for housing diapers

Finally, stuff on the shelf. Found these boxes super cheap at Michaels, covered them in scrap booking paper etc. Not the greatest close up but whatever.

The great vintage car my mom bought me for my birthday and a cute pottery barn plane I got at the after christmas sale since it's actually an ornament.

Make Your Own Christmas Stockings (nat)

I did these stockings last year and I think it's probably one of my very favorite sewing projects so far. It was a lot of fun and I learned so much by doing it. I love that I know I'll use them every year for many years to come! I'll try my best to add a tutorial, ask as many questions as you need if you want to try yourself and the instructions aren't clear. It probably sounds really complicated but it's really not, I just gave all the details.

** Linking up to the Holiday party at The inspired room

CHRISTMAS STOCKING TUTORIAL

1. This is the stocking pattern that I used (thanks josey!). I didn't really follow all those directions, I just used the shape of the full stocking that's on page 3, but make sure you enlarge it 200%

2. I looked online at Coloring Book Pages to find the images that I wanted to put on the stockings first. There are a ton out there that are free to print. I thought this site had really cute one's though so that's what I used
http://freechristmascoloring.com/Christmascoloringpages.html

3. Once I found the images I printed them the size I wanted and then traced them on to graph paper. I labeled each part the color I wanted it to be.

4. Next I headed to the fabric store. The stocking fabrics I just used whatever material looked cute. Cotton, home decor fabrics, whatever you want. Mine are all different. And I tried to make them coordinate. Then for all the pieces for the images I bought Wool Felt. It is pretty pricey but you only need the smallest amount they will sell to you b/c it doesn't take much. You can use regular felt, it just doesn't look as nice or hold up as well. I used wool felt for the top of the stockings with the names too. I also bought embroidery floss for all the embroidering (it was like 3 bucks for a pack of 20 colors) and i got any little embellishments like a pom pom for the santa hat and wood stars etc. I also got interfacing. I used interfacing on the actual stocking to make it thicker but i also got iron on interfacing for the images that go on. You don't need much and its cheap.

5. Cut out the stocking fabric for the front side.

6. Then cut out the shapes for the image from your graph paper and cut out the wool felt accordingly.

7. The part that took the longest was adhering all the tiny image pieces to the stocking and then embroidering. It's not hard at all, just tedious.

8.You don't have to fuse all the image pieces on with interfacing, I just found it to feel much more durable that way and the lady at the fabric store recommended it. Then with embroidering the pieces on. I mostly just used a really basic stitch. Start from the bottom, go up, come back down. Over and Over. I did look on You Tube to see how to do a French Knot to do things like the snowman's mouth and the dots on the ends of each letter in the names at the top. For the names I used a backstitch which I guess is best for fine details.

9. Oh and for the names, I just found a font I liked on my computer, printed out the names and then traced them on before embroidering.

**Ok I think that's about it. A lot of info I know, and I won't be offended in the least bit if you don't use any of it. I just had several people that asked a ton of questions to so I thought I would share the wealth!

Make your own fruit bouquet (nat)

I threw a little party at my house celebrating all things spring and I wanted a healthy treat to go with all the junk! I've always thought those fruit bouquets I see on commercials and stuff are really cute but I figured I could probably make one myself. It was super easy and fun.

FRUIT BOUQUET TUTORIAL

What you need:
-Pineapple, strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe,
-head of ice berg lettuce, some green leafy garnish
-some sort of planter or basket or plastic container (got mine at the dollar store)
-wooden kabob skewers
-flower cookie cutter (found a cheap one at a party supply store)
-melon baller

1. Put the lettuce in the bottom of your container
2. Slice pineapple into thin slices, then cut out flowers with the cookie cutter
3. Use melon baller to make balls out of your cantaloupe
4. Put the different fruits on kabob skewers just however it looks cute to you!
5. Place kabob skewers into lettuce. I cut mine different lengths to give it some dimension and different height.
6. Put your leafy garnish on top of the lettuce to cover it up
7. Enjoy!

Make a simple window treatment (nat)

I've had this dilemma with the big window in our kitchen for quite some time now. It was a weird space for drapes, too big for pre-made valances, etc. I made a few things that did not turn out well, shopped at a million stores, and finally I found the solution and love it. I have a good friend (thanks josey!) that is quite the seamstress so she told me an easy way to make a valance without a pattern (since i HATE patterns). So I tried it out and here is the result....a little funky but I like it!

WINDOW TREATMENT TUTORIAL

1. Pick out 2 types of fabric that coordinate. I used drapery fabric but it does tend to be a bit more expensive. Get both fabrics cut long enough to cover about 3/4th of your window and wide enough to cover your window plus about 4 inches or more. get an addition half yard or so of the fabric you want for your ties. I used the fabric on the backside.

2. Buy Velcro. I found it cheapest at walmart. You want it to be sticky back on each side so you don't have to mess with sewing or ironing etc.

3. Start measuring! Measuring everything so that it hangs just where you want it to on the window was the trickiest part. So once you have that figured out, then you can start everything else.

4. Cut the two fabric pieces so they are exactly the same size.

5. Use the excess fabric to make your ties. The ties should be long enough so that after you tie them, they fall where you want them to on the window. You need 4 ties so cut out 8 strips of fabric. Take 2 strips, pin them together- back sides out. Sew around 3 edges, leaving the 4th short edge un-sewn. Inside out the tie- set aside, make other 3 the same way.

6. Lay back fabric down face up.

7. Lay all 4 ties on top of that with the un-sewn edge in line with the top edge of the back fabric. Make sure the ties lay where you will want them to hang on the window. Lay two on one spot and the other 2 on the other spot.

8. Lay the top fabric ontop of everything else face down.

9. Pin everything together.

10. Sew everything together leaving part of the bottom edge un-sewn so you can turn it right side out.

11. Turn it all right side out, finish the bottom edge

12. Stick velcro on the top backside of the valance, and then velcro on the top of the window.

13. Hang, roll towards you, tie, and admire your beautiful, easy, new creation!