Felt Roses Picture Frame

Hey guys!  Just popping in with a quick project idea for you.  Remember the felt roses tutorial?

Well, today Tyler and I ducked into Pier 1 to avoid driving home in a thunderstorm and I saw this felt rose picture frame.

Sorry this picture's not the best.

Naturally I thought of our felt rose tutorial!  It would be so easy to achieve this look on your own.  Simply make enough felt roses and hot glue them onto an unfinished wood picture frame from Michael's or Jo-Ann (they usually cost somewhere around $1 to $2).  You could paint the wood frame a color using acryllic paint, or just leave it wood.  Easy as pie!

Hope you're gearing up for Fourth of July with lots of patriotic craft projects.  See you again soon!

--CC

Tutorial: Chalkboard Garden Stake or Hanging Sign

Today I'm excited to share another MayFlowers tutorial with you:  Chalkboard garden stakes and chalkboard hanging signs.

While I was home in Missouri for my brother's wedding, I saw these cute garden stakes with little chalkboards on them in a local home decor shop.  I thought they were adorable, but there was no way I was paying the $20 asking price for them.  I knew I could make one for much cheaper.  (Chalkboard paint is $12 a quart which is a little pricey, but it can be used for a bunch of other craft projects besides this one.)

Then, after my mom hung sticky notes on the front door for expected guests to let them know we were out in the garden a couple times, I got an idea.  I thought a permanent, re-writable sign, like a little chalkboard, might be useful for leaving "be right back" or "I'm in the garden" notes when you know someone will be dropping by.

I also thought they might make nice little "back in 5 minutes" type signs for crafters who go to craft fairs/farmer's markets.  There are so many things you could do with a little chalkboard sign.  It's just a useful, environmentally friendly and, might I say, cute little way to leave a note. :)  So here's what I came up with:

So if you ever find yourself taping notes to your front door or you just want a pretty garden stake to label a row of peas, follow the jump to get the tutorial. :)

Informal Tutorial Review: Love Mail Valentines Tutorial from Noodlehead

Hello from Missouri!  I'm still on my trip but I haven't forgotten about you.  In fact, today I did a little craft project.

You might remember seeing this around Valentine's Day on Noodlehead.  I remembered it a few days back and thought, "You know, this could be easily modified for Easter."  But with all I've had going on, I'd forgotten all about it.

I scheduled my flight home so that my mom could still go to work today, so I had a few hours to kill this afternoon.  I decided to throw together the Easter version of the love mail tutorial and mail it off to my honorary nieces and nephews (i.e. my boyfriend of five years' actual nieces and nephews).  Since I'm without a car, I traipsed off to the corner store to get supplies.  How convienient to be in a tiny town, eh?  It took me just about as long to walk to the store as it does for me to walk to my mailbox in my apartment complex back home.  Wow!

And just on a side note, I haven't been to Missouri in the spring in three years and I sure have forgotten how beautiful springtime is here.  I really enjoyed my walk up to the store.  Here are a few snapshots so you can enjoy the beauty, too:

The craft aisle at this store was extremely limited (I'm talking crayons and poster board and that's pretty much it), so I ended up buying colorful cardstock gift tags and a clear, polka-dotted gift bag and cutting them up to be what I needed.  Then, borrowing my mom's sewing machine (which was a lot nicer than my own!), I sewed around the edges, stuffed in some jelly beans and sewed the tops shut.  They turned out pretty cute.

 

Then I scribbled the addresses on the back, stuck on some stamps and dropped them in the mailbox.

Certainly a fun and easy tutorial that can be used for various holidays if you've got little ones in your family.  Hopefully they'll make it there in time and don't get confiscated by USPS.  I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm off to gather my luggage and hop on a plane now.  It's back to work/school tomorrow, but I promise some pictures from the wedding and some craft projects I came up with on my trip soon.  Happy crafting!

St. Patrick's Day Tutorial Roundup

St. Patrick's Day is just one week away now, but in case you're still searching for last-minute decorating or school party ideas, I've put together a list of great St. Patrick's Day craft tutorials for you!  Click on any image to be linked to the tutorial.

Of course, I've already shared my Shamrock Flag and Kirstikoo's St. Patrick's Day Garland with you, but Kirstikoo also has a great Shamrock Canvas Art tutorial you could display along with your garland.

St. Patrick's Day Garland from Kirstikoo

Going for a more natural look?  Try the Shamrock Grapevine Wreath from Mega Crafty or the Lucky Burlap Banner from Lemon Squeezy Home.
 

 Or try joining in the festivities with one of these great tutorials.

Lucky Bunting Wreath from Miss Lovie

Pot o' Gold Party Favor from It Is What It Is

Plaid Cookies from The Decorated Cookie

Shamrock Barrette from Holiday Crafts and Creations

Don't have much time to decorate for St. Patrick's Day?  Try these free printables!

Note that there are a lot of other great tutorials on that last link to The Tomkat Studio! :)

That's all I've got for you on the crafting front for now.  I'll be on a plane to California for a week this Saturday, so I'll craft with you again when I get back.  Enjoy these tutorials and have a happy St. Patrick's Day in the meantime!

Tutorial Review: Dyeing Elastic from MADE

Today I finally got around to dyeing the elastic for my teal polka dot circle skirt.  Instead of using the directions on the dye package (which require a lot of time, effort and water), I used Dana from MADE's tutorial for dyeing elastic.

I chose Royal Blue liquid Rit dye, to match the dark blue polka dots on my teal polka dot fabric.

Halfway through Dana's dying process, my elastic looked like this:

I left the elastic in for an hour and a half, which was as long as it took me to vacuum the living room and clean the bathroom.  Of course, I set a timer and stopped to stir the dye bath every 10 minutes.  Then I rinsed and put the elastic in the wash, like Dana instructed.  Except instead of washing the elastic by itself, I washed it with dog and cat blankets that needed to be washed so I didn't waste water.  I didn't care if the blankets turned blue since their only purpose is for the dog and cat to lay on so that fur doesn't get all over my couch and chairs.

When I put the elastic in the washing machine, it was a brilliant blue and I was pretty pleased.  Dana warned that the dye would wash out a bit and look a little lighter once washed, but I was quite disappointed when I got my elastic out of the dryer and saw just how much it had faded.  It looks like this:

It wasn't streaky at all before the washing, but afterward it was.  And the color was like 10 shades paler than before it went through the wash.  I guess the dye rinsed out a LOT and quite unevenly, I'd say.  There were still stretches of the elastic that looked okay and I can still use them, but the color doesn't match the fabric I had intended to use it with.  I guess I'll have to dye it again.

All in all, I was just disappointed in the way it turned out, but that shouldn't reflect on the tutorial.  Here's what I think of the tutorial.

Accuracy: 10

Clarity of Directions: 9

Helpfulness of Pictures: 10

Difficulty: 1

Overall Rating: 9

Time: ~2 hours, including washing

Details:

Now, even though my elastic didn't turn out how I'd hoped it would, I don't blame it on the tutorial.  It's probably because I chose such a dark shade or maybe because I didn't stir enough.  It might even be something about washing it with some other things when I was going through the rinse process.  Basically what I'm saying is I don't think it's the tutorial's fault at all.

The directions in the tutorial were really simple to follow.  The pictures were really helpful and the tutorial even linked to another tutorial about dyeing fabric in general that helped me out a lot, too.  The only thing I wasn't clear on was how much water to use.  Neither the fabric dyeing nor the elastic dyeing tutorials specified how much water to use with the dye mix.  I used the dye package to figure this out.

Overall, I'd say it was a great tutorial.  So, why aren't I recommending it, you ask?  Because I'm not convinced doing it this way is better than the way the dye manufacturer suggests.  So, before I recommend this tutorial, I'm going to give the dye another shot with the instructions from the package and tell you which turns out better.  So stay tuned!

Tutorial: St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Flag

Hello sewing world!  The other day when I made my St. Patrick's Day garland, I had leftover fabric and whipped up something for my door, because, let's face it, it's just too soon to put up the Easter egg wreath.

The wind was blowing a LOT the day I took this.  Sorry it's crooked!

And I thought you might like one, too.    So are you ready for another exciting new tutorial?!  Okay, let's get started. :)  Follow me after the break to learn how to make your own St. Patrick's Day Flag! :)

Pink Party Skirt

 It's finished!  I'm really excited to share this one with you because I'm so, so proud of myself.  It turned out really well and I'd say it's my best project yet.  So, presenting the Pink Party Skirt!

 

This picture situation is getting pretty pathetic.  My iPhone takes better pictures than my current camera, and neither has an auto setting, so I apologize for the horrendous pics.  I am, however, really proud of the new skirt!  Here's a close up.

So, technically I was supposed to tie the sash into a bow, but I have an inability to tie bows.  So it became a knot.  I still think it looks cute.  The sash is also detachable so I can wear the skirt with or without a bow/knot.

 

I made the skirt from the Party Skirt Tutorial at Creative Spaces.  For the zipper in the back, I used the Invisible Zipper Tutorial from Clever Nesting.   I've decided to do reviews a little differently after this sewing experience.  (I plan on doing 1-10 ratings for different categories and then an overall rating/recommendation.)  You'll get a very detailed review on both the Party Skirt Tutorial and the Invisible Zipper Tutorial soon, and be prepared because it's going to be interesting.

Until then, I'll be proudly wearing my skirt around town (since it's already 85 degrees out here in Florida).  I already wore it to Starbuck's tonight!

See you next time!

Tutorial Review: Circle Skirt from MADE

Today we'll be reviewing the Circle Skirt Tutorial from MADE.

So here's how mine turned out:

 

Looks pretty good, huh?  I can dress it up like this to wear to work, or I can dress it down with a t-shirt and my Sperries.  And guess what?  The fabric was 60% off at JoAnn's, so the skirt cost me a total of $4 to make.  That's what I call dressing on a budget!

 

I also made a toddler sized version for my niece.  It's in a jersey knit (also purchased on sale) with colorful giraffes on it.  It didn't turn out quite as well due to my inexperience with knits.  The fabric seemed to gather and quit moving through the machine if I didn't stretch it, but got wavy if I did.  (I guess it's about stretching the right amount?)

 

The waviness of the skirt hides the waviness in the fabric pretty well, though, so it still looks alright.  Although, I think I made the skirt waaay too long for a two year old.  I might have to go back and re-hem it.

On to the tutorial review:

As always, Dana's tutorial was EXTREMELY simple to follow.  (If you haven't already, you should really check out her blog!  Lots of great, easy-to-follow tutorials.)  The tutorial walks you through making your own pattern in this tutorial which is always a daunting thing for new sewers.  But Dana's incredibly clear directions break down the geometry so it's as easy as pie.

She even tells you which fabrics will work best with the tutorial.  I didn't happen to follow that advice because I got such a good deal on the fabric I used and I didn't want to waste the good polka dot satin fabric I picked out until I tested my pattern on something cheaper.  The fabric does bunch around the hips like the tutorial said it would, but it's not too noticeable.  (Be looking for the satin polka dot circle skirt when I review the elastic dyeing tutorial from MADE.) 

The tutorial didn't take too long start to finish and was a good afternoon project.  I would recommend this tutorial for even the newest sewers, so try it out today!

Valentine Bunting, part 2

I finished my Valentine's Day bunting!



I ended up buying Steam-a-Seam and using that to put the hearts together, so it was really more of an ironing project than a sewing project. The most sewing I did was when I sewed on the little loops. But it was still a fun craft project. I think it looks cute and it certainly spiffies up my apartment for Valentine's Day!



This project has really inspired me to do some more decorating for Valentine's Day, so I can't wait for the All You Need is Love series over at Craftiness is Not Optional. Be sure to check it out yourself!

Poinsettia Dog Collar Embellishments

NOTE: I've now made a dog collar embellishment tutorial which can be found on the tutorials page.

A couple days ago I had to pick one more last-minute Christmas present, so I headed to the open air mall near my house. Shoppers frequently bring their dogs to this mall and on this particular outing I saw a Yorkie with a giant flower bow attached to her head. Inspiration hit!

Our Pomeranian, Monica, refuses to wear bows. She's always pawing them off her head...I guess they irritate her. So my mom started sewing bandannas that slide over her collar about two years ago. I decided I could easily make a flower slide over her collar in the same way.

Since it's the Christmas season, I decided what better flower than a Poinsettia to embellish her collar? I didn't have a tutorial in mind, so I turned to Google to help me out with the details. I just searched for "Felt Poinsettia tutorial" and came up with this tutorial to guide me through my own flower-making extravaganza. I used the pattern to cut out the felt, but sewed it together my own way. This is what I came up with.



I ended up making two. One of them with a lot of petals...



And one of them with fewer flower petals.



I cut a short piece of elastic and sewed it onto the flower on one end with a zig-zag stitch to make sure it was nice and secure. To make the loop, I just tucked the other end of the elastic under and hot glued it down.



Then it was all ready to slip onto her collar! Doesn't she look adorable?



I think they turned out pretty well. This was a fun, quick little craft project and Monica will look so festive when we go up to see our family for Christmas! A more rounded flower petal might even be cute all year round. I may make a tutorial for this some other time when I'm not so busy with the holidays.

Off to Missouri for two weeks on Monday, so don't expect any posts from me for awhile. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year until next time!