Sew Excited

Today I went shopping for upholstery fabric. I had picked it out a few weeks ago with my mother-in-law and as the sale ended this weekend, I thought I'd better get it purchased. We have a very comfortable well-worn armchair that has seen better days and she offered to help me recover it. But that's a project for another day. I guess that means a blog post for another day too.

As is often the case, I go into a crafting store for one project and get sidetracked into purchasing supplies for another. My daughter and I have been eying all those cute trendy aprons out there and I thought I'd pick up some fabric so that we could create one together. After finding some very cute fabric, I thought it just might make a cute table runner as well.

Isn't it darling? I love the fresh colors for spring and summer.



So in my usual creative mode, I had to get right to work. Never mind the dishes, I was on a mission. I tore strips of fabric in varying widths and then cut them all 17" wide. I actually have no idea how long it is. Just pieced it together in strips until I reached the right length. I knew I had some leftover white cotton for the backing. I was totally shocked that I had a piece leftover from a white smocked dress I had created ten years ago. The unbelievable part was that it was EXACTLY (no kidding!) the right length and one inch too wide.

Seriously. What are the odds?


So here's my super easy sewing project. It felt so good to sew again. I think I'm going to have to get back to more stitching.


While I was at it, I rearranged some of the stuff on the dresser. This was the old dresser I picked up and painted and am using as a sideboard in my eating area.

This is what it looked like late fall. I had just been thrifty and folded an old tablecloth into a tablerunner type thing. I loved the warm color addition then...




But I'm totally lovin' the fresh look of these prints now for spring and summer. Best of all, the project took me less than an hour. That's something to be excited about.

This post links up with Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special...


Have a great weekend!

Julia

Keeping it Together and a "new" magnetic board

Some weeks just fly by...just like my last one. I was feeling a little guilty that I didn't have a project to share but then I reminded myself, this should be about having fun and fitting into my life as I know it. Priorities are something that I believe everyone struggles with. How do I get everything done?

Here's the reality: you just cannot do everything you want to. I don't know if you've noticed a little quote I have on my sidebar. It's there because it is something I need to continually have to remind myself.

I forgive myself for all the things I don't have time to do.

I'm not quite sure where this came from. Someone had clipped it out of a magazine and put it on the bulletin board at my massage therapist's office. I just had to write it down.

This is something I try and teach my kids as well. Having one perfectionist daughter can make for lots of stress when all the school assignments arrive at the same time. Once again it's all about priorities, getting the most important things done and forgiving yourself for the rest.

I did finally get around to one project that will help keep me organized and it's been one I've had on my to do list for months. I had this metal sign I picked up at Michael's in my kitchen before my reno. I loved it but hanging it above my sink was not a great plan as it ruined the decorative paper on the sign. I knew I could make it over though so I kept it. Here's what I did this afternoon...



To start I peeled off the loose edges off the sign and then sanded off any bumps in the paper. I wanted to be able to get a good bond.


I actually got pretty excited about putting this project together quickly so this is a photo from another project I have yet to share but it uses the same idea. I used the Claudine Hellmuth Multi-Medium as an adhesive. You can also use things like ModgePodge or collage glue but I used what I had on hand and it worked well. Just brush on your surface generously and apply the paper quickly and smooth out any air pockets or wrinkles. It should dry quite quickly.



I used a patterned paper by Graphic 45 for this project. I cut it down to size and after adhering and drying, I sanding the edges for a distressed look. A sanding block is a great tool I use a mini one by Tim Holtz but you can use a larger one from the hardware store as well.

For this project I also stamped and inked up a quick tag to embellish the simple project. By layering the inks I came up with an almost exact match for my paper. Most of the stamps are from a stamp set I designed for Cornish Heritage Farms called On the Desk.


And here's my final project all hung up on a little piece of wall in my kitchen. Because the board is metal, I'm going to make some coordinating magnets and hang up photos or important notes I can't forget about.

That's it! Just breathing a little bit of new life into an old piece using things I already had on hand. I'm lovin' it! I'm so glad I found a little beauty here today.

Have a beautiful day!

Julia

This post links up with Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special.

Vinyl Scraps

I have a hard time throwing things away. It's always amazing that there can be so many uses for one product. The other day when I was creating some vinyl wall art, I was left with some scraps of vinyl that were too small to work well in my Silhouette Craft Cutter. This got me to thinking about whether I should throw them away or whether I could use them for something else.


I could cut these pieces by hand, with a paper trimmer or I thought it would be fun to try running them through my die-cut machine, the Cuttlebug. I found the above sweet little die and tried it out.



The Cuttlebug is super easy to use and you can just layer your die over the vinyl between two B plates. If you don't have a die cut machine, usually a local scrapbooking store will allow you to use theirs for a small fee or if you take part in a crop night. Just turn the handle and the die will pass through the machine.


This die left me with both a positive and negative shape. I'm actually loving the negative shape best but I'm going to use them both up. The flower ended up on a little tin...

and my negative shape was super quick to apply to this tin canister I use for storage in my craft room. Here it is on the shelf...


Wouldn't this be a fun idea to personalize things with? How about letters on storage containers in a kid's room or to organize things in the back hallway? To personalize a vinyl binder? Hmmmm.... I wonder what else I can come up with!

Do you have some fun ideas for vinyl?

Happy creating!

Julia

c is for....

create

I'm just finishing up some of those pesky little details so that I can call my creative space finished. Or mostly so for now. I'm sure along the way I'll may a few changes but there were a few things let undone that were driving me crazy.


You may have noticed my C the other day and wondered what it was for. None of my initials start with C.

I found this C vinyl wall decor in Home Sense a couple months ago. I think Home Sense is the Canadian equivalent to Home Goods but am not quite sure. It had been marked down to $5 and I loved the big square shape. I do have a Silhouette Craft Cutter that I'm having fun cutting vinyl with but it just doesn't cut that wide. I decided to bring it home and mix the two.

This is the original vinyl tranfer...



And here it is with a little diy love added to it.



NOW it makes sense in my craft room and added some very inexpensive decoration. I didn't even worry that the two black vinyls were a little different. One is glossy, the other matte. Unless you stand at a very strange angle...you just can't tell.


So now if I can just get the last door handle installed...I'll be a happy girl!

Do you like vinyl wall decor? Have you ever altered it?

Nine Nifty Magnets

I've been collecting for my creative space for a very long time. A few years ago I had a store credit at my local scrapbooking store and invested in this great Making Memories Magnetic Boards for my room. They've been patiently waiting in a closet and are so glad to be out in the sunlight. I've hung them on my craft room wall right beside my desk to help me stay organized.

My little boys had taken them over but I cleaned all the lovely crayon drawings off the other day and reclaimed them for myself. I didn't have any magnets so I picked up a package of blank magnets and set out to make my own. Now if you're worrying about the prolific artwork pile and some hurt feelings...it's all good. Mommy has a plan for them that they are excited about. I just need to find a little more time to work on that next.

So here's how to make nine nifty magnets....

Flowers: simply hot glue them on the magnet. Isn't this Prima flower stunning? What more could you need?

Buttons: For this sweet and easy magnet I wanted a vintage look. This darling little chipboard button was tied and then adhered over a white blossom. Simple and sweet.




Stickers: Add some letter stickers to personalize a purchased magnet. I picked two of these up at Michaels. (Note to self: ceramic magnets don't do well when dropped on concrete floors.) I did rescue it and turn the magnet into the stamped magnet variation.



Printed Chipboard: I have a lot of beautiful chipboard pieces. Glue together, add a little heart and you're done.



This and That: Mix it all up. I found all these sweet little pieces in a box of loose embellishments. Layer, layer, layer and use it up.

Stamped Magnet: Stamp and ink up a piece of chipboard, cardboard or whatever and add some goodies.



Fabric: Now I think this one is my favorite. A piece of Prima canvas fabric is adhered to the back of the acrylic piece. (I used Ranger Glossy Accents but any clear liquid adhesive should work). Allow to dry and then adhere a few found items from your drawer.





Felt: I love these colors! Stack the felt, add a button and you're done.



Ribbon: I love ribbon! Here it's mixed up with a flower and some sweet Maya Road scrapbooking product



So here they are all together...


And here they are beside my desk.


The best things about this project, they used up scraps of stuff I had on hand, they personalize my space, keep me organized and it was a super quick project. I'm pretty tickled with how cute they look.

Which one do you like the best?
Have a great weekend!

This post links up with Funky Junky Interior's Saturday Night Special

Simple Custom Photo Frames

I'm busy trying to get over the flu, get caught up around the house and squeezing in a few minutes here and there to finish up my creative space. I'm so excited...it's almost done! The other day I came up with this super simple project to customize one of the photo frames that I purchased for my room.

I bought it on sale, of course, and loved the clean lines and great look. I have this thing for square photos. Now this frame is not square but the photo opening are and I just love it. I brought it home and sat it on the shelf. It looked great but then I got the idea to give it a finishing touch.

Rub-on transfers look beautiful on glass. Did you know that? I've used them on frames before and thought that I'd show you just how easy it is. Rub-on transfers have been a bit part of the scrapbooking/crafting market over the past few years and I've amassed quite a collection. I love how clean and easy they are to work with and they can be rubbed onto a lot of different sufaces. Glass, ceramic, paper, cardboard, plastic, wood. Fun huh?

This particular rub-on was found in my drawer. I love the sentiment...Life is Good and the very pretty ornate border. While the style does contrast with the clean lines of the frame, the shape coordinates well and I love mixing up past with present. You won't be able to find this particular rub-on transfer any longer as Daisy D's has gone out of business but a visit to your local scrapbooking store should give lots of options.



May sure your glass surface is very clean and dry. No fingerprints, dust or oils as they will interfere with the adhesion.



Trim out desired rub-on from sheet. Remove backing and carefully apply where desired.



Use a popsicle stick (most packages come with one) or a rub-on transfer tool to rub firmly onto glass. Be careful not to shift the rub-on.



Keep rubbing until all of the design is transferred. You will see the image become lighter. Remove film carefully.



Turn film over and lay over your rub-on. Lightly burnish to make sure you have a good bond.



And that's it!

Enjoy your pretty frame.

Happy creating!


This post links up with Kimba's DIY Day at a Soft Place to Land

Banner Fun

Banners are super hot right now and sooo fun to create. I like the idea of making one that you can leave up all year though. How about a magnetic banner? Sound fun? This banner is made from Magnetic Masking Material and I've placed magnets on the back of my letters so that I can spell whatever I wish, whatever the season. I started off making three pennants but I'll be adding more. I'm thinking WISH, DREAM, CREATE, LOVE, GROW etc. depending on the season.

This is a project I created for the CLASSroom. You can check out the tutorial and step outs here if you wish.

This post links up with The Twice Remembered Cottage's Make Your Monday linky party.



Happy Monday!

Julia

A Hostess Gift for the Holiday Party & a Digital File

I'm excited about this little hostess gift I put together for a holiday party I'm going to tomorrow night. The hostess is a sweet friend of mine and I wanted to put together something special but still inexpensive.



For the base of my gift I picked up this pretty frame at Home Sense. It has some wonderful scrolls and dimension and can be used to put a family picture in. On top, a couple mercury glass votive candle holders and then tucked in some sweet jingle bells and some silver glittery accents from a Christmas pick. I love it all lit up. Of course, I'll put in some new votives before I give it. I'm going to wrap it up in clear cellophane with a bow and a little card.

To give this gift, a piece of scrapbooking paper would be sweet inside the frame instead of the faux picture is comes with. I actually created a fun little digital file that I printed out onto photo paper to put inside the frame. It's fun and Christmassy. I know...the graphic style and the ornate frame look a little eclectic together but a little funky is fun some times.




And as a little gift to you for stopping by my blog, feel free to use this digital file for your own holiday projects. Put it in a frame or make tags or cards from it. Enjoy! To use, just click on the image to enlarge and then save as a file on your computer. If you're looking for something a little more vintage, you can also check out ideas from Every Thing Creative.

please use this file for your personal use only.
please do not redistribute this file. thanks!

This is a little more gift orientated than party orientated but it's what I'm doing for a party this year. This post links up with



Happy Creating!

Julia