today I'm making...

Today is sewing day in this little ol apartment! I have three things that I want to at least start today, so create some accountability (gah! work terms creeping into every day life!) I'd like to share my projects here post-production!

I plan on making several of these little guys today

via

This skirt looks too simple NOT to try! I can't decide if I want to make it maxi like shown, or if I want to make a shorter one....decisions, decisions! 

via

And last, but not least, the one that I am probably least likely to finish today, but will definitely be starting, is this amazing pony dress that Elsie shared this week! 

via

I can't decide what animal I want to sport on mine though! top runners so far are :

fox

giraffe

cat

dino

elephant

Any ideas out there?!

what I made: part 1

Over the last several months I have finished several projects that I haven't yet shared. why? Partly because I forget to take pictures of every step of the way like I want, partly because I don't have a real camera so I'm a little iffy about my photos, but mostly because I just plain ole' forget until it's been several weeks. So, I'm starting a new series to share what I've made. At first, it will be in retrospect, sharing one or two projects a week that have long been completed, but the goal is to eventually get to the point where each week I can actually share a current project! SO, let's kick it off!

Last month Courtney and I went up to Portland to peruse Crafty Wonderland. Along with rows and rows of inspiration, I also picked up one of these little guys:

that's right, a DIY cross stitch phone case! This particular one is called the Neostitch, and when I saw it I had to have it. I think it took all of 2 minutes before it was happily tucked away in my bag. The one that I got is black, unlike what is shown above, but they also come in all sorts of cool neon colors!

I debated for a long time what to actually embroider on my case. It felt like such a big decision! Do I go the nerdy route and opt for one of my favorite Star Wars characters? Do I go classic embroider and make it a sampler? I couldn't commit to just one design, so I just started going, mixing patterns and colors as I went. 

I am so happy with how it turned out! Sometimes, I just stare at it and think "yeah, I made that!" Such a rewarding feeling. Here's a shot of the inside of it, to prove that it really is made of thread:

I'd love to know what you think! It feels almost cathartic to finally start sharing some of the things I've made :)

Next week: a skirt, a shirt, and.....well, that's all I got. 

Enjoy!

there's an app for that!

FINALLY! A blogger app! I don't w how many times I have tried to use mobile blogger...and failed. But not any more, now I can post wherever, whenever I want! With pictures! Like this preview of a DIY I have coming up, including the not-so-subtle Sully, who makes a better fabric weight than helper. Thank goodness for technology!

ps...just go ahead and ignore my toes down there at the bottom of that picture. my bad. :)

beg, borrow, steal

ok, mostly steal. I love looking at my favorite store's new lineups for several reasons. a) to drool over things that things that I know aren't in my budget (budget = $0, btw); b) to feel more inspired to try new things with the wardrobe that I do have; and c) to find ideas that I can borrow steal and make for my own! for example

banana

how perfect is this leather tote bag! perfect size, love the color blocking and stitching details...but at $120 I have no delusions that this will be in my closet any time soon. But, how simple to make out of a less extravagant fabric? I'm thinking paint-your-own canvas style...

and what about this belt:

j.crew

I mean...it even says "wrapped threads" right in the description! I definitely have a couple skinny belts that could use some spiffy-ing up...and there is no short supply of embroidery thread in this tiny apartment. 

What retail finds inspire you to DIY your own? I'd love to hear!

head start

this weekend i did something a bit out of character and started decorating the apartment for.....Christmas. before thanksgiving! i usually hold out much longer than this, not wanting to overload on holiday goodies before the holiday is actually here so that i'm still into it come december 25th...but i just couldn't help myself! i had a WHOLE day to myself, with nothing to do and nowhere to go and new martha glitter just begging me to break tradition--i was helpless against those odds. and now that i've started (and have tasted my first gingerbread caramel apple spice of the season!) there's no stopping this glitter train. here's a few of the DIY holiday goodies i put together this weekend!

this little bunting took no time at all to put together, the hardest part was cutting out the felt snowflakes...and being patient while the glitter dried! 

i'm also slightly obsessed with the tiny clothes pins that i found at Michael's that are holding the pennants up. it's like adding an instant adorable factor of about a million. 

i made this little "tree" out of a vintage woolen mill spool i found at the antique mall this weekend and some organic fiber yarn i already had. this took literally 5 minutes and i just love it.

this is not the greatest photo of these, but i was inspired by the new Ruche holiday lookbook to make some glitter candle holders. super simple, just paint glitter on the inside of a glass container (these are old jelly jars), swirl glitter of choice and let dry. i used gold, silver and plum glitter (all martha stewart) and they are so sparkly when lit! i also made the embroidery hoop picture frame that they show in the look book (thank goodness i'm finding new ways to use the dozens of hoops i have acquired! adam was concerned that all our walls would soon be covered with nothing by embroidery hoops)

i couldn't pass up the chance to make a new holiday treat either. i used this recipe via Jordan at Ramshackle Glam and let me just tell you, they are delish. i can't stop eating them. which makes me thankful that adam won't touch them with a ten foot pole...more for me! the little glitter cones next to them are a work in progress..i had visions of ombre sparkly trees, but so far they just look like muted candy corn.

what are some of your favorite holiday DIY projects? 

lyrical DIY

i finally got around to finishing a project that i've been thinking of non-stop since seeing the how-to on A Beautiful Mess (which, if you don't read, you are definitely missing out! Elsie is downright adorable, and i love every single post and project--so much inspiration!). in the original how-to she uses a scenic painting, but i had the hardest time finding one at second hand shops, or a paint by numbers to do myself, so i switched it up a bit and just painted my own background. here's my version of the song lyric wall art--enjoy!

supplies you'll need:

• letter stickers (mine are Martha Stewart, but next time i plan to use something with more sticking power, they did not want to stay down)
• paint brushes
• painters or masking tape
• paint--both white paint, and whatever colors you choose for the base
• canvas

Step one: paint your design

i chose to do stripes for this first go 'round, basically because they are so darn simple. i did them in two steps. first i used tape to create guidelines for the bigger stripes (shown above). then, once they were completely dry, i painted in the lines where the tape was, again using tape over the already painted areas to keep the clean lines (i didn't get a photo of the second round of painting, but the fourth color i used was a deep plum).

steps two & three: put your letters on and paint over them

i also forgot to snap a photo before i painted over the letters, but you can see the stickers through the paint here. like i said earlier, these stickers did not want to stay down, which led to some of the white bleeding into the letters. the lyrics i chose are from this song, one of my favorites. 

step four: peel the stickers and enjoy!

 i also taped off the left side of the canvas before painting on the white to show more of the stripe pattern, which i'm glad i did with how much white ended up getting into the words. right now it's home is on one of our bedside tables next to my jewelry. i can't wait to make another one, there are infinite possibilities for more because i have so many favorite songs!

pinspiration

it's no secret that pinterest is hands down the most inspirational and pretty way to waste time. if you don't know about it yet (have you been living under a cyber rock?!), pinterest is a visual bookmarking site that lets users "pin" images to virtual boards. you can follow other users to see what pretty things they pin, and you can search for items based on what you're looking for, plus the entire site is categorized to make searching that much easier. it's seriously a one-stop shop for anything and everything you could imagine, from DIY projects, recipes, fashion, celebrities, and just all around pretty images. i am constantly searching and browsing and pinning, sometimes inevitably for hours on end (you can follow me here! 

a lot of times i'll go to pinterest when i want inspiration for a project i'm working on, or when i want ideas for a new project. this week, i'm searching for the perfect design for this little guy that i've been dying to get on my desk at work:

it definitely needs to be prettied up. here are some of the pins that i've been eyeing for some inspiration--now i just have to choose!

love the neon...

scrapbook paper and modge podge never let me down...

but something about this au naturale look speaks to me

thoughts?! i'd love to hear your ideas!

diy decor: button coasters

I simply love buttons, and I don't hesitate to incorporate them into my crafts whenever possible. Having just re-stocked my button supply (gotta love the button bin at Creative Crafts!) and being in need of some new coasters, I decided to put those buttons to good use. 

I started with a blank coaster set (also from CC)

Add some paint...

and most importantly, the buttons!

Add a little glue, and voila:

And the box:

I can't wait to use them!

diy decor: record bowls

I love finding new projects, and I especially love projects as instantly gratifying as these fun bowls!

Who knew that old vinyl could be transformed into something so cute (and functional)! I first saw a how-to on these in a craft book during one of my many browsing sprees at Borders, but a quick Google search gave me countless instructional videos for a refresher. These bowls were super easy to make, and easy on my wallet too after stumbling across the $1 record bin at Happy Trails Music downtown! I selected a few of my 70's and 80's favorites to try out...

  

Aright, here's the low down: heat your oven to 200° and select your first victim (for me it was Maynard Ferguson's 1974 album "Chameleon"). Place the record on an inverted oven-safe bowl, and in the oven it goes! Set your timer for 5 minutes and let the magic begin.

Once time is up take the record out (use hot pads!) and immediately start molding it into whatever shape you want! I tried a variety of methods, from putting the record inside the bowl to shaping it by hand.  

(I didn't get a picture of the molding step, I wasn't sure how long I had before the record was set and didn't want to risk it!)

When all was said and done I was left with 5 awesome record bowls...now I just need to find places for them in the apartment!