Party Animal Hemp Necklaces!

Adorable animals in party hats, guaranteed to cheer you up even if you are sick as hell! I found these little gems at Michael’s in the clearance bin for 49 cents. Mine! After that I picked up some hemp string, picked out colors from my embroidery thread, and found the clear casting epoxy (also thanks to Michael's).

So the first thing I did was create three basic hemp necklaces. The project was more about learning to use the epoxy, so I kept it simple. Here’s the standard hemp knots:

1. Follow color coated string placement

2. Repeat alternating sides.

This is what you ended on and
takes the place of the green
in the other drawing.

I chose a color for each necklace that fit with the animal. Then after realizing the threads tangled ridiculously, and spending way too much time unknotting, I tied them up except for a couple inches of working string. The first necklace turned out a bit wonky, but after a while I realized to look for the large knot and take the string from that side first. This worked much better than relying on my shady memory.

Interestingly enough the hardest part of this process was finding the right size molds. I came across some plastic cases for tea lights that were just the right size. I will never use these again. It might have been my refusal to by the $11 dollar lube, but I'm a lady. Anyways I ended up prying out the beads with pliers and got a gnarly blister. I’m getting ahead of myself. The clear epoxy is super simple. Measure out equal amounts of both mixtures, pour, and don’t get it in your eyes. I let the beads dry for 24 hours and then start the extraction process mentioned above. I’m looking for rubber molds next time.

Awe

Rawr!

To finish up the beads I sanded down the rough edges around the top. I really didn’t have any buffing options, so I carefully used fine sand paper. I drilled a mostly straight hole through the top of the beads then used a needle to thread the bead. Then I ran the string through the hemp necklace to attach the bead. Altogether this project cost me about $20. The epoxy was a tad expensive, but I only used about a fourth of a bottle. Plus I have an extra cute T-Rex bead. 

Pretty classy work station!

This project was a decent learning experience. I'd say it was a solid first attempt with the epoxy. I'm thinking about expanding into medallions made from fabrics. Might be kind of cute. As long as I can find rubber molds.

-Aubs

Holly Jolly January

Sorry about the little hiatus we've been on. I haven't been too motivated recently, but here are some gift ideas under $10...three weeks after Christmas. My family hasn't gotten their gifts from me yet, so it still counts. You should probably get started on your list for this Christmas now anyway. Remember how stressed you were a few of weeks ago?

Personalized Wreaths

My mom's Christmas list included three things that were supposed to suffice for three daughters and our dad. The gifts were bought before I even saw the list, so I was left with no ideas. This is usually how it goes. And she wonders why her husband got her a flat screen tv one year...

 

Merry Christmas, Mom!

She loves the American antique style, so I thought up this personalized wreath. I got everything from Hobby Lobby and with sales and coupons, it only cost $6 to make!

Wreath  $2.99 after a 40% off coupon
Letter $1.39 after a 30% off sale
1/4 yard of fabric $1.22 after a 30% off sale

The picture pretty much speaks for itself, but I'll explain how I completed the wreath. I decided to make my grandma one too, so I'll show you the process for hers.

Letter

I painted the letter with a tan base coat so that when I did the distressing, there would be color underneath. I propped the 'F' up on an old bowl, which made painting the sides a lot easier. Unbeknownst to me, this was my husband's "favorite cereal bowl!" Okay...sorry, it was ugly.

Next I painted on the red. After that dried, I started the distressing and realized I didn't have any sandpaper. I tried using a Brillo pad for a while, but that didn't really work. Then my husband suggested an emery board...what a good idea! It worked and was way easier to maneuver. I also used a flathead screwdriver to nick up the surface a little. Ruining something you just worked on for an hour is fun yet terrifying...

Bow

I folded the 1/4 yard of fabric in half lengthwise and then cut down the fold to make two pieces. Then I pinned one short end to the other and sewed them together to form one long piece. Bear helped, as usual. Ugh.

I folded the now long piece in half lengthwise, right sides together, and pinned the raw edges. You can also use nature's pins...cat paws! 
Then I sewed the edges together and turned the tube right side out...the most annoying part.

To form the bow, I tied one regular bow and was left with two long tails. I tied another bow with those to create a double bow.

I then folded the tails' raw edges under to sew the openings closed...but I didn't want to take the bow apart, so I just used hot glue...shhhh.

Done!

If the antique look isn't your thing, I also tried a more modern style for my mother-in-law.

Merry Christmas, Annette!

Beer Cutezies

Why??

Phew! Much better.

I don't know how beer koozies turned into the tackiest thing ever, but we don't have to stand for it anymore! No one needs a koozie that says "Old Fart's Beer" and when you're spending the night drinking PBR you definitely need some added class to cool your brew. 

These could potentially be free if you have any koozies lying around and a small fabric scrap. We, surprisingly, did not have any koozies, so I bought these for $1. Here's how they're done...

Cut out a 5" x 12" piece of fabric. (Thanks for my new fancy scissors, Margie and Erin!)

Next, fold down 1/2" from the top and bottom raw edges. I made a little template out of a greeting card that was 4" wide and used an iron so that I could get a clean and straight edge. Pin the edges down.

Sew along the pinned edges. Choose one of the short raw edges to pin and sew down too as it will be visible on the koozie.

 

 

 

 Using hot glue, glue down the raw edge onto the koozie. Place the glue along the folded edges so that any globs aren't as noticable. Then glue the finished edge over the raw edge.

(I forgot to show this step for the plaid one. Oh well, you get to see another koozie begging for a shirt).

Scholary beer koozie. 
Super classy. And smart.

I also made a personalized koozie. I cut a stencil out of paper and filled it in with paint (very surprisingly it didn't bleed).

Hands off my drink!

Fabric Bead Necklaces

The only thing I had to buy for these was wooden balls. The original tutorial I saw used wooden beads, but I couldn't find any at Hobby Lobby. These were $2.99, but 30% off, so the bag came to about $2.09. I can make five necklaces with two bags, so one necklace only costs me 83 cents.

First, cut out a 4.5" x 40" piece of fabric, fold the right sides together lengthwise, pin, and sew along the raw edges.

Turn the fabric rightside out...the most annoying part again. Now you have a tube.

Make a knot at one end, leaving a small opening for the ribbon.

After the first knot, drop in a ball or bead, and then tie another knot. Repeat this until you have just a small piece left on the other side. I usually use about eight balls. I made this necklace with upholstery fabric so the knots turned out a little thicker than I wanted. I prefer the look of the black and white one because I used a thin fabric.

Next you'll have to mess around with the length and see how long you'd like your necklace. I cut my two pieces of ribbon 21" each. You need them long enough to tie a bow. Turn the raw edges under and insert the ribbon. Pin the opening closed and sew everything together. And you're done! I made a couple for my sisters for Christmas...in time for Christmas. They're fun to make because they are easily personalized...and cheap!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season!
Bear and I are looking forward to many new crafting adventures in 2012!

Oh, Baby!

Babies have started popping out everywhere in my family during the past couple of years. With little ones around, I've been able to broaden my crafting horizons and am looking forward to making more things as they grow up. My sister-in-law, Tara, will be having a baby boy, Brayden, anytime now! Maybe this post will get things moving...

First up...doll beds!

  Eh.

I saw this doll bed at an antique store and immediately thought of my two year old niece, Delaina (Tara's first child). It was only $7, so I snatched it up with plans a brewin' to paint it and make a bedding set. The bed was made in North Carolina, which is the mecca for furniture in America, so painting it was probably "wrong" of me...but the bed was asking for it.

First, I spray painted the bed in Krylon's gloss ivory.

Mattress

  

I wanted to make a mattress/sheet, so I bought two squares of foam for $1.99 each. I cut them to fit inside the bed and had a little leftover for pillows.

  

I found some green fabric in my stash (recognize it from my headboard?) and placed the foam and a sized piece of plywood on top. Then I used a staple gun to attach everything together.

Sorry, dolls, your mattress doesn't look very comfortable. 

Comforter

For the comforter, I cut two pieces of fabric to form a reversible blanket. I pinned the fabric right sides together and stitched around the perimeter, leaving a hole large enough to insert batting. After turning it right side out, I placed the batting inside and stitched all around the edge to close up the seam and give the comforter a more finished look.






I also added buttons covered in the reverse fabric. 

Pillows

With the leftover foam, I made a couple of pillows and pillow cases. They are very accurate...the pillows are as hard to get into the cases as in real life. Ugh.

I also made accent pillows with Delaina's initials. (I'm pretty sure they will get lost in about five minutes, but oh well).

 

and...

 

Ta-Da!

 

I don't have any dolls, so you know I had to use a cat...

Bear wanted to be on it too, but I didn't want him to break it.

Merry Christmas, Delaina! I hope she isn't reading this.

Next up...appliqued onesies!

I stumbled upon a tutorial for appliqued onesies after my sister (the "hot mom") had her first baby, Benjamin (the "adorable, fashionable baby"), so I gave them a try. I thought they turned out cute, although not perfect.  And of course a new baby, Brayden, is on his way so I gave them another shot. 

The preparation is pretty easy, but the sewing is a little annoying. You can make your own template or print one from the internet. I made my own because I was too lazy to plug our printer into the laptop and mess with sizing. After I made my templates, I traced them onto the fabric, cut out the shapes, and placed them onto the onesies using a light fusible web. The fusible web is like a thin, sticky piece of paper that makes adhering the fabric piece to the onesie easier than pinning since you need a flat surface.

Then all you do is stitch the shape you chose onto the shirt! After I made my first batch for Benjamin, I thought the zig-zag stitching looked messy, but it turns out that the problem was just my sewing skills. For Brayden's first onesie, I tried a regular straight stitch, but I think the zig-zag is a lot cuter, even if my stitches zig and zag all over.

The most important thing to remember is to make sure you are not sewing the onesie front and back together. They are so small, so getting them bunched up and sewn together is really easy if you don't pay attention. If you're sewing along, feeling confident about your onesie....you've just sewn it to itself.

I made three for the new baby in various sizes....

#1: A tie

Because he might have to go to a business meeting. 

#2: Baaaby Baaaluga

#3: An elephant...this one is my favorite!

"Hello. I'm a cute baby elephant."


Warning: These may turn your baby into a male model.   
Work it, Benjamin!

And lastly...owls! 

I have to admit I would have made these whether I knew any kids or not. I'd probably just set them around all over my apartment so I could look at them anytime I please. They are just so cute. They were my obsession before the scarfs, as you will see from all my pictures. I'm not going to explain how to make them because they are a very original idea from another blog and I am jealous that I did not think of it.

Check out New Green Mama's tutorial for instructions.

The owl is very easy to make, but it is also very time consuming. The legs are the worst part. I despise them. I can never seem to finish one without ten problems and legs being thrown across the room. That's probably due to my sewing skills again. The eyes also take a lot time because you have to hand stitch the three layers. One owl probably takes me at least three hours from start to finish. They're worth it though...just look at 'em!

I made this fella for my one year old nephew, Nathan. I heard he loved it so much he started ripping off its legs (that's okay...they only took me an hour each).

This owl blob is baby Brayden's. I figured he didn't need any wings or legs to put in his mouth.

Benjamin with his owl. Hoot!

 
Here is Delaina holding her owl. So sweet! (It matches her bed.)

Then I ran out of babies and started making them for adults....

This one is Aubrey's. She named him Olivander. He's British.


I made these lovebirds for my bosses' 50th wedding anniversary. I added Velcro to the underside of the wings so they could hold hands. I didn't want to deal with the legs, so I added sand to the bottom, allowing them to sit upright. I don't know what use they have for stuffed owls, but I made the them anyway... Must. Make. Owls.

These three ideas would be easy and affordable gifts for any babies or toddlers on your Christmas list.  I used fabric scraps for everything, so I only had to buy a couple items to complete the projects. If you decide to make any of these crafting endeavors, have fun!

Aubrey, you need to have a baby so I can make you baby gifts...

-Kt