GIO: Bobbin Rings

Hopefully you don't have a container that looks like this, but if you do I have the PERFECT solution. PERFECT in this case means CHEAP & EASY/QUICK!

Notice the garbage twist ties? I've tried just about everything at this point, aside from spending money on an actual bobbin saver.

 Enter 10 feet of vinyl tubing that I purchased at Home Depot for $4.38 (The 20 foot roll was a better price per foot, but the Hubster kindly reminded me that it's not a good deal if it sits in a bin forever. I may have "hording" tendencies when it comes to craft supplies)! 

 I did not measure or mark the tubing before cutting the rings, just grabbed my everyday scissors & started cutting. If you want perfect rings you could cut with an Xacto knife and metal straight edge. Once the rings are cut you will need to cut each ring open, so that it will slip over the threaded bobbin.

SO PRETTY! 

So excited to have these little beauties in my sewing box instead of the tangle that they used to be! 

GIO: Get It Organized

Today is my first installment of "Get It Organized", "GIO" for short. I am excited to share some of my original ideas in this feature & some other AMAZING ideas I have come across. ENJOY!

ROLLED GROCERY BAG TUTORIAL: I used this great tutorial to turn this grocery bag mess in to 

 this stack of organized rolls.

These are so handy to stash in spots around the house and car & as for the time it took to roll them, I rolled mine while watching a little T.V. when I otherwise would have been doing nothing.

DIY: Baby Leg Warmers

I was going to put our little Jae Bird in jeans for our family photo session, until I remembered she had this cute denim skirt; why not show off those adorable chubby knees at the only time in a girl's life when it is okay to point them out! I've LOVED leg warmers since I was a child in the 80's and got my first pair! It was decided, Jae Bird had to have a pair & rather than fork out a load of money for a store bought pair, I decided to make them. I set out for Goodwill with less than 24 hours left before our photo appointment hoping to find the perfect cotton clothing piece that had been cast aside, just for me to find. Due to the time constraints I had to take these photos & prepare this tutorial after the fact, but at least now you get to see a few CUTE photos of Jae Bird from our photo shoot.

LOOK AT THOSE ADORABLE KNEES!

 Cute long sleeved cotton shirt from Goodwill. I opted to cut the sleeves off for my leg warmers, but I did leave a cute cap sleeve on either side, just in case I decide I need to wear the shirt someday (chances are it will find another purpose before that day comes).

 I cut the sleeves to 18.5" long and then used my rotary cutter & ruler to cut the seam off leaving each sleeve 3" folded (6" flat). I left the original wrist seam in tact & then sewed the length of each sleeve back up with a 1/4" seam.

You could stop at the last step & fold the top down & sew, but I LOVE a good slouch on a pair of leg warmers, so I used a pair of baby tights to give me just a little more control over how the leg warmers slouched. I cut two 7" lengths off a pair of tights and slid them over the sleeve that is turned wrong side out.

 Fold the top down over the tights & then keep pulling the rest of the length through until they are right side out & the top is completely tucked in.

Finished and ready to wear!!

Grandparents' Day 2012

Don't worry Grandparents' Day is not until September 9th, but I thought I would post this now to give you lots of time to get your ideas together. I decided that I might as well tackle this gift as I was working on Mother's Day & Father's Day gifts for my parents & then send them all out in one big box. One big box filled with lots of pictures of Granddaughter #1 will hopefully help me gloss over the fact that it will probably be September before I get to the Post Office to mail out the box.

Large frame from Ikea...I picked a cheap generic frame as my Mom is mid decision on paint colors for her house &  I wanted to wait to buy a nicer frame until the painting is done.

ALWAYS a sentimental "cheesy" caption from me!

This project isn't anything too difficult, but I do have a few tips & suggestions when it comes to the map.
There are loads of places to print maps from home, but I wanted mine printed on glossy cardstock, so I headed to Staples. I borrowed an Atlas they had for sale & went to work making it just right. Once I found the right cross section of the U.S. map (it certainly helps that the route we normally take is nearly a straight line compared to the other routes) I enlarged it to legal size (8.5" x 14"). I also played with the functions that adjust the color & cooled down the browns, yellows & greens to a nice cool "beachy" pallet. After I enlarged it I cut it down to just the cross section I needed & then copied it to the glossy cardstock (if the place you go doesn't carry glossy cardstock in legal size, they should carry it in ledger size (11" x 17"), so make sure to ask.
As for the stitching I took a needle just larger than the red cord I used and punched each hole along the route. Where the road is straighter the holes are farther apart, but the holes need to be much closer together to follow the curvier spots. A back stitch is perfect for this project! Sublime Stitching has a great series on basic stitches and here is the link to their How-To on back stitching. Rather than have a knot on the back I just taped the end of the cord down to the back of the map.

I hope you loved this idea and I would love to see what my idea inspires you to create!

Dashcredible

Besides being Jae Bird's first Halloween, it was also the first for my nephew Dash. My sister had every intention of dressing Dash up in an Incredibles costume & letting Dash be himself for Halloween. Except on Ebay for way too many pennies, Incredibles costumes are hard to find, so I offered to make his costume.

Dash getting thanked by the princesses after he saved them.

Dashcredible all ready to go save the world!

Hanging out at home after saving the world!

                                     

Handmade Gift Exchange

I am participating in the Handmade Gift Exchange again. I had so much fun making something for someone who I had never met in person, but who I felt like I had gotten to know by asking a few questions & checking out her style by reading her blog. Head over to Craftaholics Anonymous if you want to participate.

~ Spinning in Style ~

I got a call from my Mom awhile back asking me if I could make an earring holder for a friend's daughter who was turning 12 and getting her ears pierced. I scoured the local Goodwill for things that would work & actually bought 3 items that I thought would work really well.

ENJOY the BEFORE & AFTER photos of the winning find!

BEFORE: a dusty little spinning picture frame, found at Goodwill for $3.99.

AFTER: a funky pattern & a new purpose!

I removed the glass, inserted plastic mesh & what was once a spinning picture frame is now a stylish earring holder.

Handmade Gift Exchange

Linda over at Craftaholics Anonymous hosts a Handmade Gift Exchange twice a year & I decided to participate in the one she held in June! What a fun experience! After you sign up, she gives you a partner  & then you make something for that person before the month is up & mail it to them! I met a great gal who blogs over at The Tootsie Wootsie. She has some great tutorials & makes AMAZING bib necklaces! Go check her out!

After reading her blog I found out that we had quite a few things in common, one of them being our love of turning "found items" into beautiful works of art. Here is a little photo progression of the gift I made her:

Initially the charger was an oil rubbed bronze color, but I forgot to take the true before picture.

Who doesn't LOVE gloss black?? 

A little fabric flower detail never hurt anyone!!

Hope this inspires you to take a closer look at what you already own or what can be found at your local thrift store, because there is beauty and often function to be found in much of what we cast aside!!

Ironman & a little vacation

I feel like I am finally caught up & ready to move forward after our last minute trip to Idaho. Jae Bird and I were there for a month & sure enjoyed our visit!

Our biggest reason for going was to watch my dad compete in the Coeur d'Alene Ironman which was held on his 54th birthday. It was his first Ironman competition & his goal was simply to train for a year & to finish before the 17 hour race time limit. He finished in 15 hours & 37 minutes! What an accomplishment (I'm tired after driving 140 miles in the car, but to swim, bike & run a total of 140 miles in 17 hours or less is CRAZY! The 1st place in the Men's Professional division came in at 8 hours & 19 minutes! CONGRATS DAD!

After crossing the FINISH LINE!!

We also spent some time with my sister and her family! Her son is about 6 weeks older than Jae Bird & we are so excited for our children to grow up together. They were waiting for some news about her husband's job & then would be moving to the D.C. area. So glad we saw them, because a few days later they got some GREAT news & packed up and headed out!

Hope you have had some fun this summer, but I also hope you are looking forward to some new Monthly Project Challenges and crafty time with me!!

~ Let Freedom Ring ~

A few weeks ago Travis let me know that one of his childhood friends & his family would be moving here to begin his residency, so I immediately told him to let them them know we would be there to help them move in & bring them dinner for that first night. I also really wanted to make them something for their new home, so I quickly logged on to Travis's Facebook to see if they had any pictures that would give me a good idea of their decorating style. There weren't really any that gave me a good idea, so I decided a little Red, White & Blue for their front door would have to do.

Here's what I used to make the wreath, if you'd like to make your own:
Scrap cardboard to make the wreath form
Craft paint
Hot glue
Colored cardstock
Rolls of crepe paper
White baking cups in extra large & mini
Fabric
Metal letters (found in the scrapbooking section @ Joanns
Wire
Buttons
Sewing machine & thread

First cut out the shape of your wreath from your cardboard & paint it whatever color you are okay with seeing if some shows through. Your cardboard will bow slightly, so just keep pushing it flat as it dries.
Next I ruffled my crepe paper & glued it down to the wreath form. Here is a link to Made where Dana shows all of her tips & tricks to getting the best ruffled streamers.
Now it's time to flatten some of those baking cups & make some embellishments for your wreath. If you are interested in making 3-dimensional stars Brandy has a really handy step by step tutorial.
With the exception of the crepe paper I used stuff I already had on hand, so start digging through your stash & you might be surprised what you can create.

After seeing our friend's front door ready for the Fourth, I decided ours looked a little boring, so here is the one I made for us.

I used this tutorial, but instead of using felt I used red & blue fabric with white fused to the back. Please forgive this lame picture, as I'm still trying to figure out how to best hang it on our door without having to purchase a wreath hanger.

June Create With Me via Ucreate

Link to original "Create With Me" post

Link to June "Create With Me" post

I fully intended to start in January with their first project of the year, but then I had Jae Bird & kind of forgot all about it until last week when I was catching up on blogs. I've got a lot on my plate with my own "BFF Bag" Challenge, a craft exchange & the usual daily stuff, but I have wanted cute pillows for our couch for a LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG time & this seemed the perfect opportunity. 

The shag pillow will be staying in Jae Bird's nursery, but the  big bow pillow will be  making its home on our couch once the couch gets a little make over of its own.

Monthly Project Challenge ~ June

June's Monthly Project Challenge will be the "BFF Bag".

The goal of this project is to create a one of a kind purse, bag or tote to give as a gift to someone you know, but whom you'd like to get to know better. My hope is that you will increase your sewing skills and also gain a new friend when you give the bag away. 

For this project you will need:

A pattern for a bag, purse or tote & all required fabric, notions & embellishments, 

and most important, a not yet "BFF ( best friend forever )".

Please start your project no earlier than June 1st & post a link to the challenge on your blog, so that we can get more folks involved in the challenge. Also leave me a comment to let me know you are participating.

Monthly Project Challenge

I've decided to host a Monthly Project Challenge here in my little corner of blogland. There are a few things I want to accomplish through this challenge and I hope you'll join me. For myself, I am excited to learn new skills as I work through projects & I am so excited to see all the beautiful items each of you will produce. For just a moment I want to talk about the title of my blog & how I hope to apply it to these challenges. SEW . create . CHANGE in its simplest form represents my love of sewing, creating & changing items to meet my needs. On a different level the title represents my genuine desire to change the world around me; knowing that change comes through action. I often fall short of the lofty end result I was seeking, but because there was a goal, there is tangible success in what I was able to accomplish. I recently heard this statement "we are grateful that much is required" & I am grateful that I know in my heart what I am to accomplish, even though, it will require a lot of work. I don't always work as hard as I can toward that end, but I am going to keep moving forward one simple goal at a time. I want this blog to be about sewing, creating & changing, but really I want it to change me, challenge me & open me up to bringing that change to those around me. Starting with June's Project Challenge you will find out that I intend these challenges to be about so much more than sewing or creating a beautiful piece, but about creating a beautiful life for me, for you, for our families, communities and our world.

Pair of CUTIES

It is so nice to have my own model now, however, 

I may "$$ pay $$" for all of the "dress up" once she is a teenager. 

Until then enjoy my Jae Bird wearing a headband and flower made from one knee high sock (& not even the whole tube of the sock). One would only need the whole sock if planning to make an adult headband. I got my socks at Gap for 70 cents a pair, so for less than 35 cents & 1 hour of cutting, sewing, gluing & picture taking I had a completed headband and flower.  

I've got a few projects that MUST get done, so watch for the tutorial in the coming week.

Jae Bird's Flower Garden

Here is the flower garden I made to hold all of Jae Bird's hair clips & bows.

Find yourself a cute pot or planter & cut some green flower foam to fit the opening (I stuffed the bottom of the planter with grocery bags, so that I would not need as much foam). I've used moss in the past to cover the foam & I've also made a quilted piece with buttonholes for the stems to come through. I opted for gathered fabric this time to bring in more of the raspberry color to her nursery. Glue or pin the chosen medium to the foam & start clipping on your favorite hair accessories to the stems (aka dyed flower marking skewers from the flower foam/wreath isle at Michael's).

New Soul for these Soles

For my first post in this new corner of blogland I thought I would show you the fix-me-up I gave to one of my favorite things. These shoes are my "go to" favorites & that is evident by their condition in the following photo...

The first step of the makeover involved buying these GEMS

 and these too... just in case my plan went horribly wrong.  

 Here they are, my new & improved Steve Madden favorites. 

It's amazing what a little black paint & 2 dollars worth of black pleated ribbon can do. I tested them out on Mother's Day & would have shown you how great they looked, but I was & still am in desperate need of a pedicure first.