Tag Archives: crafts

Scrap Fabric Bowl

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4-DSCN5310Have you ever had something so long that you don’t even notice it anymore? It’s been quite some time since I crafted a project using liquid fabric stiffener. Actually, it’s been years. While tossing out some bottles of dried up adhesives my eyes finally registered a couple bottles of fabric stiffener. They were so old I was sure they would be dried up. Nope. Great consistency and no smell. Perfect! Now for just the right project.

A friend had given me a shoebox full of postage stamp-size squares cut from vintage fabrics. Rather than stitch them together, I decided to layer and stiffen them into a bowl shape.

1-DSCN5283I found a bowl in my cupboards to use as a mold. To protect my work surface (a cookie sheet), I covered it with a sheet of parchment paper. The bowl was placed upside down on the cookie sheet and the outside of the bowl was covered with plastic wrap.

2-DSCN5284Choices, choices. A variety of blue fabric squares were chosen for the bowl.

I poured the stiffener in a small bowl and added a handful of fabric squares.

After letting them soak for a few minutes, I squeezed out the stiffener and completely covered the outside of the bowl with a layer of squares.

Each square was smoothed out with my fingers, turned in different directions and overlapping each other.

Warning: It’s messy, but worth it.

Since this layer would be the inside of the fabric bowl, each square was placed face down so that the right side would be showing when the bowl was turned right side up.

3-DSCN5288Two new layers were added facing right side up.

Then it was time to let it dry. I don’t know about you, but I’m an impatient crafter. I like results right now. I figured with all the fabric layers it could take a day or more to dry.

No, no, no!

I set my oven to a warming temp and placed the cookie sheet inside. It was rock hard 3 to 4 hours later. Something to note…if you try this method of drying, don’t set your temp any higher than a food warming temp. You do not want to melt the plastic wrap or brown the fabric edges.

4-DSCN5310Peel the fabric bowl off of the bowl used for a mold. To help loosen the hold, I inserted a butter knife between the bowls. Once released from the mold, I used household scissors to trim the edges. It’s thick and hard, so don’t use your good fabric scissors or you will be very, very unhappy.

Enjoy!

Places I’m partying this week:

Monday

Keeping It SimpleSumo's Sweet StuffMakingCreative Corner Hop

Tuesday

PhotobuckethomeworkThe DIY Dreamer

Wednesday

The Fun In Functional @ Practically Functional - Wednesdays @ 8amAdorned From AboveWhite Lights on WednesdaysManic MotherFine Craft Guild{Primp}Daisy Cottage Designs
Wow Us Wednesdays

 

Thursday

shabby creek cottageCatch a Glimpse ButtonPhotobucketSomewhat SimpleThe 36th AVENUEThe Taylor HousePhotobucketA Crafty SoireeBeyond The Picket FencePhotobucketThis Silly Girl's LifeDesigned DecorDomestic Superhero


Friday

The Shabby NestBlissful and DomesticHappy Hour ProjectsI'm Lovin' It at TidyMomRooted In ThymeLadies Holiday

Saturday

Too Much Time On My HandsFunky Junk's Sat Nite SpecialYour Homebased Mom

Sunday

The Girl CreativeUndertheTableandDreamingDIY Show Off

Weekend

Homespun Happenings Lovely Crafty Home

Country Easter Egg Ornies

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Easter is just around the corner. Have you purchased a bag of plastic Easter eggs yet? My kids are grown, so I can finally skip the plastic grass and eggs. I still like decorating for the holiday, so I decided to try a more decor friendly twist using the old eggs I already have.

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What do you think about country western Easter eggs?

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I made this one into a hanging ornie, but I think several of them would look adorable in a bowl or basket. If making it into a hanging ornie, heat the end of craft wire in a candle flame and poke one hole in both the top and the bottom of the egg. Remove the wire. Ignore the two holes on either side of the center. They were there already, just not where I wanted them.

Ouchie Alert! You will want to keep a bowl of ice water nearby to dip burned fingertips.

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Starting at the top of the egg, apply a dot of hot glue. Don’t cover up the hole you made. Place the end of twine in the glue. Let it cool a bit so you don’t end up pulling it off. Note: I used baling twine, but jute could also be used for a similar look.

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Adding more hot glue as you go, wind the twine around the egg in a spiral. Push the new row snugly against the previous row. When you reach the bottom of the egg, don’t cover the hole you made. In my photos you can see the original color of the egg through the rows, but as I stare at it in my hand I can’t see it. Really! I wouldn’t lie to you! This project was done before the flash went out on my camera. I think the flash must have brightened the space between the rows. Yep, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

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Wrap a 1/2-inch-wide ripped strip from a red bandanna around the center of the egg and tie the ends in a knot.

5-DSCN4577I added a button over the knot using more hot glue.

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Cut a 4-inch length of craft wire. Insert the wire through the top hole and out the bottom one. You will have wire extending from each end of the egg. Thread a red wood bead on each wire end. Grasp one end of the wire with the tip of needle nose pliers. Curl the wire around the plier’s nose and remove. This creates a loop. Repeat on the other end of the egg.

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For hanging, thread a bit of twine through the loop at the top of the egg and tie into a hanging loop.

Enjoy!

Places I’m partying this week:

Monday

creative corner blog hop Keeping It SimpleSumo's Sweet StuffMaking

Tuesday

PhotobuckethomeworkThe DIY Dreamer

Wednesday

The Fun In Functional @ Practically Functional - Wednesdays @ 8amAdorned From AboveWhite Lights on WednesdaysManic MotherFine Craft Guild{Primp}Daisy Cottage Designs
Wow Us Wednesdays

Thursday

shabby creek cottageCatch a Glimpse ButtonPhotobucketSomewhat SimpleThe 36th AVENUEThe Taylor HousePhotobucketA Crafty SoireeBeyond The Picket FencePhotobucketThis Silly Girl's LifeDesigned Decor

Friday

The Shabby NestBlissful and DomesticHappy Hour ProjectsI'm Lovin' It at TidyMomRooted In ThymeLadies Holiday

Saturday

Too Much Time On My HandsFunky Junk's Sat Nite SpecialYour Homebased Mom

Sunday

The Girl CreativeUndertheTableandDreamingDIY Show Off

Weekend

Homespun Happenings Lovely Crafty Home

Jute Web Heart Pocket

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Jute Web Heart Pocket

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Don’t ya just love this stuff? I don’t think I have ever used it for its intended use, but when I find it during my junking journeys I just can’t pass it up.

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For each heart side I cut two 7-inch long strips of the webbing. Why 7 inches? Glad you asked. I’m not sure if all webbing is created equal, so I doubled the width. This measurement will provide hearts as wide as they are tall. One end of each strip was rounded to shape the heart bumps.

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Two strips were stitched together in an “L” shape for each heart side. My sewing machine makes loud squawking noses and beeps obnoxiously when I try to sew through thick or hard things. To eliminate the drama this causes, setting my machine to sew long straight stitches seemed to do the trick.

The two sides of the heart were layered together. A piece of old trim was inserted between the edges to create the handle, then I stitched around the sides. I left the top open.

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I dug through my button collection and found two buttons to stitch to the pocket where the ends of the handles were stitched.

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Fill it with a small bouquet of flowers, yummy chocolates, or something small and shiny for Valentine’s Day, or use it anytime of the year as an accent decoration. I’m considering making some with a heart or words stamped to the front, but for now I like the simple look.

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Enjoy!

For 2013 I am embracing the phrase “You never know if you don’t ask.”…So, if you enjoyed this post and this blog, would you consider following this blog?

Thank you!

 

Places I’m partying this week:

Monday

creative corner blog hop Keeping It SimpleSumo's Sweet StuffMaking

Tuesday

PhotobuckethomeworkThe DIY Dreamer

Wednesday

The Fun In Functional @ Practically Functional - Wednesdays @ 8amAdorned From AboveWhite Lights on WednesdaysManic MotherFine Craft Guild{Primp}

Thursday

shabby creek cottageCatch a Glimpse ButtonPhotobucketSomewhat SimpleThe 36th AVENUEThe Taylor HousePhotobucketA Crafty SoireeBeyond The Picket FencePhotobucketThis Silly Girl's LifeDesigned Decor

Friday

The Shabby NestBlissful and DomesticHappy Hour ProjectsI'm Lovin' It at TidyMomRooted In Thyme

Saturday

Too Much Time On My HandsFunky Junk's Sat Nite SpecialYour Homebased Mom

Sunday

The Girl CreativeUndertheTableandDreamingDIY Show Off

Weekend

Homespun Happenings Lovely Crafty Home

 

 

Wow Us Wednesdays

Valentine’s Day Party

tessacotton

Prim Wool Heart Pins

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8

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Need a last-minute Valentine’s Day project? If that’s the case, dig out your old wool sweaters and do some laundry…

Yep, these prim heart pins were made using recycled wool sweaters that were felted in my washer and dryer using the hottest settings. Easy peasy felting!

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I love making things from wool, but new wool can be a little expensive. If you don’t have the colors you want in your closet, hit the yard sales or thrift stores. I pick up most of my wool at yard sales when the weather is fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk hot. Yay, Me! Because of the heat, most yard sales that have sweaters up for grabs will sell them for practically nothing. I can usually score a rainbow of colors in one weekend that will last me the entire year.

heart pin 1

I made my pattern with three rectangles of card stock. The biggest rectangle was 2 inches wide by 3 inches long. The other two were each cut a half inch smaller than the one before it.

heart pin 2

I folded the rectangles in half and cut long hearts. Each heart shape is a layer to the valentine pin, but each heart is not an exact mini replica of the one before it. I think that’s why I love the primitive look to the finished pin. Yep, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. ;)

heart pin 3

I cut two identical felt hearts using the large pattern and one each from the remaining two heart patterns. Hint: To get exact shapes without pen marks on the felt, use freezer paper. Trace the heart shapes onto the freezer paper and iron the paper to the wool. Cut out the shapes and peel off the paper. You can even reuse the freezer paper several more times.

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This project is super quick! The smallest heart is blanket stitched to the medium heart. Then the medium heart is blanket stitched to one of the large hearts. Place the last large heart on the bottom and blanket stitch the sides together.

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For an added embellishment I stitched a button to the front of the heart.

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Turn the heart over and stitch on a pin back.

I used traditional valentine colors for these heart pins, but using other colors will allow you to wear these prim pins any time of the year.

No wool? No problem. You can use craft felt, but you may need to add a tiny bit of stuffing between the two large hearts so the pin will hold it’s shape. Craft felt tends to be thinner than felted wool.

Enjoy!

For 2013 I am embracing the phrase “You never know if you don’t ask.”…So, if you enjoyed this post and this blog, would you consider following this blog?

Thank you!
Places I’m partying this week:

Monday

creative corner blog hop Keeping It SimpleSumo's Sweet StuffMaking

Tuesday

PhotobuckethomeworkThe DIY Dreamer

Wednesday

The Fun In Functional @ Practically Functional - Wednesdays @ 8amAdorned From AboveWhite Lights on WednesdaysManic MotherFine Craft Guild{Primp}

Thursday

shabby creek cottageCatch a Glimpse ButtonPhotobucketSomewhat SimpleThe 36th AVENUEThe Taylor HousePhotobucketA Crafty SoireeBeyond The Picket FencePhotobucket

Friday

The Shabby NestBlissful and DomesticHappy Hour ProjectsI'm Lovin' It at TidyMomRooted In Thyme

Saturday

Too Much Time On My HandsFunky Junk's Sat Nite SpecialYour Homebased Mom

Sunday

The Girl CreativeUndertheTableandDreamingDIY Show Off

Weekend

Homespun Happenings Lovely Crafty Home

 

 

Wow Us Wednesdays

Valentine’s Day Party

tessacotton

Bird Nest-Tutorial

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16

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These nests were made using miniature vine wreaths that I picked up for cheap after the holidays. Since they didn’t really scream “Christmas”, I thought the natural vine would be a perfect base for a bird nest.

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I placed the wreaths on burlap scraps, traced around them and cut them out. The circles were hot glued to the bottom of the wreaths.

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This created the bowl for the nest.

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A handful of Spanish moss was glued inside the bowl of the nest. I burrowed out the center of the moss to keep the bowl shape.

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A few strands of raffia roughly rubbed together in my hands was then glued inside the bowl of the moss. At this point the nest was done, but…

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…what’s a nest without eggs? I rolled 1-inch balls of polymer clay, then shaped them into little egg-shapes.

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After baking, I painted each egg a robin’s egg blue, then splattered them with black. A note about the paint: While making this project, I realized robin’s egg blue is a color that is wide open to interpretation. I had several bottles by different manufacturers and none of the colors matched. Basically, your paint color probably won’t match mine, but if you are happy with the blue color you choose, nothing else matters.

Hot glue your three painted eggs in the center of the raffia.

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I finished the nests with little tags that I stamped with the word “NEST”.

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Does this make you dream of spring? Warmer weather? Birds chirping?

Enjoy!

For 2013 I am embracing the phrase “You never know if you don’t ask.”…So, if you enjoyed this post and this blog, would you consider following this blog?

Thank you!

 
Places I’m partying this week:

Monday

creative corner blog hop Keeping It SimpleSumo's Sweet StuffMaking

 

Tuesday

PhotobuckethomeworkThe DIY Dreamer

Wednesday

The Fun In Functional @ Practically Functional - Wednesdays @ 8amAdorned From AboveWhite Lights on WednesdaysManic MotherFine Craft GuildPhotobucket{Primp}

Thursday

shabby creek cottageCatch a Glimpse ButtonPhotobucketSomewhat SimpleThe 36th AVENUEThe Taylor HousePhotobucketA Crafty SoireeBeyond The Picket Fence

Friday

The Shabby NestBlissful and DomesticHappy Hour ProjectsI'm Lovin' It at TidyMomRooted In Thyme

Saturday

Too Much Time On My HandsFunky Junk's Sat Nite SpecialYour Homebased Mom

Sunday

The Girl CreativeUndertheTableandDreamingDIY Show Off

Weekend

Homespun Happenings Lovely Crafty Home

 

 

Wow Us Wednesdays

Valentine’s Day Party

tessacotton