Mother's Day Gifts - Personalized Wall Hanging Tutorial

This Mother's Day, I wanted to make something special for my wonderful mother. But this particular Mother's Day was extra special for my family; my 89 year old Grandmother was in town, and my sister and sister-in-law have both had a baby within the last 6 months.  I wanted to do something special for all of them on this Mother's Day.  I didn't want to just buy them something, I wanted to make something personal, that would be special to each of them.  Here is what I came up with!

You could improvise this idea and  instead of a Bible verse, you could do a name and birth date for a new baby, a quote, memory, or whatever would be personal to you or the loved one you're giving it to. 

Supplies:

·         2 – 5” x 5” square wood blocks

·         Sandpaper

·         Black paint

       Foam brush

·         1 sheet of patterned scrapbooking paper

·         1 sheet of solid colored cardstock

·         Mod Podge

·         Photo – 4” x 4”

·         Double-sided satin ribbon

We start off with unfinished blocks.  

I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $1.33 each.

Sand them with sandpaper to smooth the edges, and help the paint adhere.

Paint them black (or your desired color)

Once they are dry, sand the edges to allow the wood to show through, creating an aged look.

Print out the desired verse or quote on a piece of solid card stock.  Cut into a 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" square.  I ripped the edges rather than cutting them to add to the aged look.

Cut the patterned scrapbooking paper into a 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" square. 

Apply Mod Podge to block, and back of scrapbooking paper.  Place paper on block, and apply more Mod Podge on top.  Apply Mod Podge to verse square, and place on top of scrapbooking paper.  Smooth out bubbles, and smooth a good coat of Mod Podge over all the paper. Let dry completely. Mod Podge will be clear when it is dry.

Attach 4" x 4" photo to second block with Mod Podge in the same manner.

Cut 1 yard of double-sided satin ribbon.  Attach with staples to back of blocks in a loop.

Tie extra ribbon at the top in a bow.

I was so happy with the finished product!

I bought brown paper bags, and cut the extra scrapbooking paper into a square to use as the name tag.  I attached it with skinny black ribbon, and packaged the wall hanging in white tissue paper. 

All the girls absolutely loved them! I hope this inspires you to make a personalized gift for someone special in your life.  Nothing is as special as a personal, homemade gift!

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Easy Gathered Skirt Tutorial

If you're looking for a super quick and easy skirt tutorial, this tutorial is for you! Some of the girls in my Junior Church class sang in the church service this past Sunday night, and I really wanted to make something for them to wear so they could all match.  I dreamt up this easy gathered skirt as my solution!
(I apologize for some of the pictures being blurry.. I had to make 6 of these in 1 day, and I was in a huge hurry!)

First I simply used the width of normal 45" wide fabric for the width of the skirt, and measured 24" down for the length.  I cut the length pieces, and trimmed off the selvage and the fold. 

I then put the front and back RST, and sewed a 1/2" seam allowance on each side.

The skirt then looked like this:  I then serged all the edges, but I forgot to take pictures of that

I then sewed a 1/2" hem on the bottom of the skirt. I ironed over 2" at the top.  I set my sewing machine on a wide zig zag stitch, and stretched and stitched the elastic on to the edge of the 2" casing.

The elastic needs to be cut quite a bit smaller than the finished measurement, since the elastic doesn't stretch back as small after being stitched.

I took black embroidery floss and stitched a loop on each side to keep the belt in place

I added a black satin belt

The skirts turned out so cute and looked great on the girls! I will try to remember to get pictures of them wearing them finished!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Treasury Love!

For those of you who practically live on Etsy (and blogs) like me (whenever I'm not glued to my sewing machine that is), I love treasuries! They're super fun to create, browse through, and be featured in like I was today!

My ADALYN bag was featured in this treasury 

Tasha created this beautiful treasury, and I wholeheartedly agree with the title! I'm so honored to be featured among so many talented and creative people! Check out the great items HERE

A great tip from a great blog!

Okay so here is a perfect example of why I love blogs! I am always inspired by everyone's creativity, and I love tips like the one I'm going to share today!

Ruffles and Stuff is a wonderful blog that I highly suggest following! The post today was so helpful to me I just had to share!

I may be the only one with this problem, but when it comes to taking pictures of aprons or clothes on people, I have the biggest issue with creating a nice, clean backdrop. Since I live in the desert and my backyard is a lovely backdrop of block walls, it's hard to find a professional, clean background to my photos! I can hardly wait to try this idea!

Your simple project starts with these:

Yes, those are shower curtain rings!


Go HERE to Ruffles and Lace to learn how to create this:

Eye Candy

Some days, you just need some eye candy! Anthropologie is always a great resource for inspiration. These items will get you in the mood for spring and summer!

I love how feminine these shoes are!

This dress is bright and sunny, yet delicate and vintage inspired with the ruffles! I love the combination!

Would love to make a knock-off of this necklace!

I am SO in love with this color!!

I hope that eye candy inspires you to create something beautiful!





I'm baaack!

I cannot believe how time has flown by since my last postings! Christmas came and went (and I scored a new sewing machine from my sweet husband!) Now a new year is here and all of a sudden spring has sprung! I am truly blessed with the wonderful life I have, though not without its trials! There have been many changes in my life the last year, and lots of creativity I have been slack in sharing! I plan to change all that! Keep tuned in for tutorials, links to other great blogs and ideas, new projects, shop news, and other randomness!

Funky Cosmetic Bags

Time is flying by as the most wonderful time of the year is approaching.. or is it already here?

Recently our church had their annual fall men's retreat, so my sister and I were both without our husbands for 3 days and 2 nights. Here in the big city, that can be kind of creepy! So we each had the girls of our class over for a sleepover. My sister wanted to give each of her teenage girls a cosmetic bag as a gift. She chose the fabrics, and here is what I came up with!

I had to make eight of them! Each of them had a shabby chic flower with a coordinating button as the center.

The interior was a fun stripe

A tab on the side makes carrying it easier

A lot of work, but the teenagers loved them! Their smiles were well worth the effort! Now I just have to find the time to make one for myself....



Name That Style!

I am very excited about the new bag I just finished.. but I have a problem! I cannot seem to come up with a name or title for it that describes its style. The exterior is a soft suedecloth material with a pattern that's earthy and organic with leaves and vines. The colors are deep and rich reds, greens, and creams. The interior of the bag has the same color scheme, but the pattern is much more modern. I know there's a style with that casual, rural, country or vintage almost look, combined with the modern, but I can't seem to put a name to it! When you see this bag, what would you describe its style as?
I need a title!!!

Marketing Handmade Items this Holiday Season

Fall has arrived, and winter will soon be approaching. The promise of joyous holidays spent with family and friends awaits, and people everywhere are pulling out their warm clothes and mugs of hot apple cider. This time of the year is busy, and gift giving is one every one's mind. Everyone wants to find that perfect gift for each person; something unique, different, and screams "I put time into this gift." However, the reality of the economy this year has left every in a deal-seeking mood. This is both a perfect opportunity, and a tremendous challenge to every artist that creates handmade things. Whether you've been in a business for awhile, or toying with the idea of possibly marketing that item you make that everyone always says, "You should totally try to sell that!", pricing, marketing, and finding a balance between perceived and actual value can definitely be a challenge. Don't be overwhelmed! There's a bounty of advice available from people who have been there, done that, and succeeded as well as failed. Don't fear failure; failure is how you learn! At least that's what I tell myself every day!

I wanted to share a link with you. It has a wealth of information, tips, and instruction for marketing, pricing, and running your own handmade business. Because face it: we all want to design, create, and inspire others, but few want to market, price, promote, and manage the business aspect of things. I know I don't! But reality has reared it's ugly head, and we had better get on top of things now! This time of year brims with people wanting and willing to spend money; so get on top of your marketing strategy, develop product lines they will want to buy, and make some money this holiday season! It is possible.

I had a difficult time choosing specific topics, so here is the link for the marketing page; I recommend reading as much as you can! CLICK HERE

Round-Up Sunday Project #1

This Sunday at our church we had our annual "Round-Up Sunday." This is a Western themed Sunday we have every fall to "round-up" all the people who may have strayed over the summer due to vacations, heat, etc. It's a fun day had by all with everyone dressed up, a big cowboy style dinner, and games for the kids. I especially love seeing all the little kids dressed up like cowboys and cowgirls!

One of my good friends had a little girl in January wanted a dress for her, but couldn't find one anywhere, so I offered to make one!


This little pillowcase dress is what I came up with in the short time I had! 

This cute navy blue western paisley patterned fabric made up the body of the dress, and I finished it off with an eyelet lace and red paisley ribbon.


Red ribbon with a white stitching design became the ties on the shoulders.

I couldn't stop there! I used some of the red ribbon to make a headband, and some fabric and ribbon scraps to make a matching flower.  Little Ellie looked adorable on Sunday! And I'm still kicking myself for forgetting my camera!

Fall Preview - Canvas Satchel

Fall has finally arrived!! Here in the Arizona desert, the temperatures haven't cooled down yet; leaves aren't changing, and it still feels like summer! However, this has not dampened my spirits! I am just excited about fall as if I could walk outside and see the trees putting on their coats of red and gold, and feel the brisk air! Okay, that was kind of poetic, so moving on!

This large canvas satchel is another bag I designed and created! The colors and pattern of the fabric reminds me of fall, and the large size makes me want to load up my coupons and lists, and head to do some early Christmas shopping!

The bag is made out of a sturdy canvas upholstery material, and features large wooden handles, grommets on the side tied with a suede cord, pleated design on the front and back, large shape, and a zipper and open pocket on the inside!

Tea Rose Home Giveaway

I'm very excited to share this fantastic giveaway with you! Tea Rose Home is a wonnnderful blog that I have so enjoyed reading! I highly recommend you check out her blog! Sachiko is celebrating her 2 year blogging anniversary, and Amy Butler Designs is giving her 5 patterns for a giveaway to celebrate!! Head over HERE to enter this great giveaway! Good luck!

Tutorial Tuesday - Long Stemmed Fabric Flowers

I have a very cute tutorial to share with you today! We can thank a lovely blog called Snowy Bliss for this great tutorial! I can't wait to add a vase of these flowers to my house!

Go HERE to see this tutorial, and add some of these beautiful flowers to your home!