At CHA I was thrilled to see a whole lot of Ric Rac in pretty much every color you can imagine. I was inspired by all the colors and thought that I would make a project that featured ric rac. Here's what I came up with: Here's how to make your own super cute ric rac accent pillow: Materials: -2 fat quarters of fabric (one for the front and one for the back of the pillow) I'd choose a solid for the front because your ric rac is going to provide enough pattern on it's own! -2 yards each of 3-4 different colors and widths of ric rac -Aleene's Fabric Fusion glue -poly fill stuffing Cut the front and back piece of your … [Read more...]
Table-scape Class!
Where in the world has October gone? I'm really not sure, but I've been busy creating some new projects to share! I'll also be teaching a few classes right here in the Chicago area! This is next week's class that I'll be teaching at Craft Fancy. We'll be doing a complete table-scape, just in time for Thanksgiving! We'll be completing a custom placemat, place cards (or dish labels, whichever you prefer) as well as napkin rings and votive holders. Here's a sneak peek of the project: (Photo courtesy of Craft Fancy) If you want to sign-up just give them a call at 847.670.6065. There's two classes next Wednesday November 4th. One from … [Read more...]
Tutorial Tuesday-Copper Garden Decorations
I found some copper wire as I was cleaning out my garage to prepare for my move and got sidetracked in making some little garden decorations! (Because crafting is WAY better than packing!) These would make great Father's Day Gifts for those fathers that like gardening! Best thing is: They are super easy to make! Both of these took me about 15 minutes total! You can get various diameters of copper wire by the foot at Lowe's or Home Depot. Find a diameter that is easy enough to bend, but not flimsy. Bend them into shapes and leave about 12" of straight wire at the bottom so you have something to stick into the ground. I find that … [Read more...]
Tutorial Tuesday-Floral Arranging
I realize I haven't done a home decor tutorial in a while, so how about learning a little about floral arranging? We'll learn a little about arranging silk florals today. Here is a preview of the two projects we'll make. Before we get started there's a quick lesson. (Which can actually be applied to ANY design, whether you're designing a room, floral arrangement, quilt, card, scrapbook page, or fabric.) There are some simple principles and elements of design that any beginning design student learns to recognize. Then, using these principles and elements, can put together a cohesive, pleasing design. These are as … [Read more...]
Tutorial Tuesday: Patchwork Pillow
Yep, lucky you! More tutorials today! (I still have a few more also!) I made this for my dad for Christmas. He loves family history, and he's furnishing his home in Germany right now so I thought he might like this: My maiden name is Williamson so I found a Williamson family crest online, made it a little larger in Photoshop then printed it out onto printable fabric. You can buy these fabric sheets at most any craft store. They are 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of white or cream fabric with a paper backing on it. You just run them through your printer at home and heat set with an iron. The color turned out great! If you want to make one … [Read more...]
Tutorial Tuesday: Fat Quarter Accent Pillows
Oh the weather outside is frightful..... It's been a icy, cold day here in Texas. It was too icy to go into work so I used today to finish up all the Christmas gifts I've been working on. I even took a quick break from making gifts and whipped up some quick new pillows for my sofa: I LOVE this fabric and it has the colors of my home decor in it! Want to make some? It took me about an hour to make both! Here's how: You'll need 4 fat quarters total. 2 of the front fabric and 2 of the back fabric Polyfill stuffing for the inside I just took my fat quarters and made 18" squares with them. Pin a back and a front piece together … [Read more...]
Tutorial Tuesday – Tile Transfer Art
I wanted to post this earlier, but it took me a little longer than usual to write up this tutorial. Don't let the long list of instructions keep you from doing it, it's actually pretty easy and definitely worth it! Here's some examples of what you can make with this tutorial: Set of 4" tile coasters. (A little boutique store nearby sells a set similar to this for $40. Each tile only costs about .50 so you can make them MUCH cheaper yourself!) I made this tile for me to take to work. I have it sitting on my desk so anytime I want I can peek over and see my husband! It's a little more durable, and I think better looking than putting … [Read more...]
Countdown to my 100th post!
On to the countdown related stuff in a minute. I took a break from some paper crafts yesterday to do a purely embroidery project. It's another napkin, but this time no stamping, just pure embroidery. It all started with this book: I was searching through the selection of books at Half Price Books (I LOVE Half Price Books!!!) and pulled this one off the shelf. It didn't have a spine because it's a spiral bound 225 page book. From the cover I thought it wasn't going to be worth it, but I opened it anyway and the minute I did, I just sat there, so elated, that I had in fact decided to open the book. There are over 200 pages of embroidered … [Read more...]
Custom Picture Frame
This is what I started with: -Picture Frame (I got this from Target, my favorite store ever! It was a set of 5 different sizes for $10. -Scotch Transfer Tape (I'll have this in my store because it is the MOST AWESOME tape ever!! It comes in HUGE rolls and is really inexpensive, and it works for glass, plastic, paper, ribbon, and is permanent.) Terrifically Tacky tape will work too. -1 yard of ribbon per frame (I got all ribbons shown for $1 each at Hobby Lobby and Michaels.) Start with a frame of your choice. You don't even need to take out the glass, just make sure that the glass is clean. Tape your ribbon to the glass right up … [Read more...]
Page in a Bag Contest
So my local scrapbooking store has a contest once a month where they give you a bag of supplies and you have one week to make a project. It's been challenging because sometimes they are not the supplies that I would normally use. These were the supplies for the month: And here's what I made with it: … [Read more...]
