1.27.2012

Pinspiration: Things to Make

It's no secret that I love Pinterest.  I only joined a few months ago, but now I've got 20 boards with 377 pins.  As a creative person, I love being able to visually organize my ideas for projects and such.  Two of my absolute favorite boards are my "Things to Make" and "Kids" boards.

Pins from these boards have inspired a lot of my recent projects, like the ironing board cover, toddler picnic table, play kitchen, modern baby shoes, and baby apron.  Here are a few of my "Things to Make" board that I have been itching to try next.
Wedding Clutch via Purlbee

Mason Jar Pendants via Poppytalk
The jar pendants are more of a jumping-off idea.  I have some glass soda bottles that I would love to turn into a lighted garland.  We're still working on the logistics of the wiring on that project.
Basic Messenger Bag via mmmcrafts
Boxy Cosmetic Bag via Skip to My Lou
Sewing Machine Cover via Notes from the Patch
As you can tell, I've got a bit of sewing ahead of me.  I'm all caught up on Etsy orders, though, so I've got some free time again.  That is, if I don't spend it all on Pinterest!

1.25.2012

New for the Fabric Stash

I got some new kinds of fabric at Joann's yesterday for some new kinds of projects- apparel!  I haven't made many clothing items yet, and especially not for me.  So, in the spirit of trying something new, I bought a couple of red tag prints on apparel fabric and a couple of basic knits. 

I am starting to have a sort of fabric problem, but it hasn't been going on long enough to classify it as an obsession quite yet.  The top fabric is a beautifully soft cotton lawn, the green and brown print is a light poly linen, and the grey and black are both nice-quality knits.

The plan is for most or all of these fabrics to turn into skirts or dresses for me.  I'm anticipating a bit of mistake-making with these, but I have a few ideas and patterns, and one day soon I will get started on some clothes!  As it turns out, my new place mats are quite popular, so I am already doing another run (I'm currently in the midst of sewing them together, my least favorite part) and working on a new design for kitchen towels and place mats.

Winner of the Lazy Daisy Bows Giveaway

The winner of the Be Mine Headband from the Lazy Daisy is. . .
#14, who is. . .
Congrats, Ashley!  I've passed your contact info on to Jen. 
A big thanks to everyone who entered.  For the rest of you who didn't win, (Sorry; I never win, either) jump on over to the Lazy Daisy and get yourself some cute headbands.


1.24.2012

Blog Hop

I've joined a blog hop!  Click on the links below to discover some new favorite blogs, as I have.  You can also join up, too, for the next day or so.  Just don't get too lost in all the greatness out there and forget to do all that other stuff you are responsible for. . . No, I wouldn't know about that at all.

1.20.2012

Ironing Board Cover Tutorial

I have something to confess:  I have been living with an extremely ugly ironing board cover for years now.  Allow me to demonstrate:
Part of the reason this has been going on is that, let's face it, I don't iron much.  I really, really don't.  Usually, I do my best to pull things out of the dryer in time to lay them flat and hope for the best.  And, usually, it works.  But, now that I have been getting into sewing more and more (thanks, Pinterest!), I find that the ironing board has been making more of an appearance at our house.  An awful, awful appearance.

So, you want to see how I did it?  Spoiler: there's not much to it.  All you will need is about a yard of fabric, and batting if you need new cushioning.

Let's get going!  Remove that nasty old thing and take the string out of the casing.  Also, remove your padding if you want to replace that, too.  Save all of these pieces.  As you have probably guessed, you'll be using these pieces as your patterns.  Lay your padding piece out on top of the batting and cut it out.  I use the term "padding" loosely, because in my case it was more like foam tissue paper.
 Since I have been under-cushioned for so long, I doubled up the batting for extra plushness.
If your fabric isn't as long as your ironing board, you will need to do a little bit of piecing.  I actually ended up having to piece twice, since my fabric was just under a yard.  Cut your fabric in half lengthwise, then straight stitch along the shortest side to get one long piece of fabric.
 Since your ironing board is out of commission, just grab some bath towels to iron on for a little bit.  Press your seam open to reduce bulkiness.
 Now you are ready to cut out the pattern.  Pin the old cover down in a few places and draw around it, leaving about an inch for seam allowances for the string casing.
 I just grabbed a sharpie and traced around it.
 After it is cut out, fold the edges down and iron a 1/4" seam all the way around.  Fold it over again, this time 1/2", and iron again or just pin.  Leave a one inch opening to put the string in.  You will have to do some trickery around the curves, pleating here and there and pinning in place.  It doesn't really matter how it looks, because you won't be able to see it.
Starting at the back end, sew all the way around with a 1/8" seam, making sure to leave that one inch gap I talked about earlier.
 Once you are done, you can iron the casing down, but it will just get messed up again on the next step, so I'd skip it.  Tie your string to a safety pin and thread it through, all the way around to the other side.  This part was the worst.  My hands started cramping so bad!
Once your string is through, sandwich everything back together, cinch it up and tie it off.  You are ready to iron in style!
Once I paint my laundry room purple, this will match perfectly!
Linking up: Tatertots and Jello

1.18.2012

Giveaway: The Lazy Daisy Bows (Closed)

 For my first ever giveaway, I thought I should give away something that I really, really like.  That is why I chose the Lazy DaisyThe Lazy Daisy is the place to find unique hair accessories for you and your little ones!  We have lots of Jen's hair accessories at our house, and my girls always get so many compliments when they wear them.  Jen does have an Etsy shop, but she really specializes in custom orders, which are perfect for photo shoots or just to dress up the everyday.
 
One lucky Audzipan Anthology reader will win this "Be Mine" Headband!
This adorable headband is perfect for your 24 month all the way up to you! The "Be Mine" Headband is part of the "Addison Headband" collection.  I think you'll agree all these elements come together to create a stunning and complementing contrast. The "Be Mine" Headband has five adorable assorted flowers. The flowers measure approximately 5" long and 2.5" wide. The flowers range in sizes from 1"-2" each. This headband is very comfortable with a 3/4" red soft stretch elastic. The "Addison Headbands" add texture, color and a little pop to photos and will not leave indents or marks. Perfect for special occasions! Guaranteed to get many compliments.

UPDATED: This giveaway is now closed.

1.17.2012

Red Feather Valentine's Wreath Tutorial

Ready to glam up your Valentine's Day decor?  I've got the perfect project for you.  It's fancy, easy, fairly inexpensive, and a little bit unusual-- the Red Feather Wreath.  This was a project that my mom did first, then I followed her creative lead (and used her leftover feathers).  I ended up having everything else I needed for this wreath, so it cost me nothing!  

Here's what you will need, besides a few hours and a little bit of patience.
-Wreath form.  You can really use any kind, since you will be covering it up.  I had an extra styrofoam form in my closet.
-Red fabric.  I used five 2-3" strips, so you should be good with about 1/2 a yard.
-Red feathers.  Mine are from Hobby Lobby, and I used two packages.
-Glue gun
-Ribbon for hanging.

First step, cut your fabric into 2-3" strips if you haven't already.  Plug your glue gun in, and get wrapping those strips around the wreath form, gluing as you go.
You don't have to do a perfect job, as you will be covering it up anyway, but you do want to make sure that everything is glued down tight so you have a solid base to work with.
Now comes the fun part!  Starting on the inside, glue your feathers down in a staggered row, like this:
*This part is very important!!  Glue each feather along the bottom half of the stem only.  This will allow you to finish the wreath when you have glued feathers all the way around the form.  Following your first staggered feather line, glue feathers overlapping the stems about halfway.

When you get all the way around (you will get there faster on the inside of the wreath), slide the stems underneath the feathers that are already there and glue in place.  Since each feather has only been glued down halfway, you should easily be able to fill any other holes you might have where you can see the fabric underneath.
I just love the feather texture!  If you don't want to hang this, you can just stop at this point and be done.  This wreath would make a great centerpiece with a big glass jar of Valentine's candy in the middle, or with whatever else you have that is round.
If you do want to hang it, grab your ribbon.  I just did a giant loop of ribbon and tied it in a knot.  Since I have a hook on the inside of my pantry door, I put the ribbon over the top of the door and hooked it around the loop, like so:
If you don't have a setup like this, just do the ribbon loop smaller and tie a knot where you want it to hang on the wall, like I did with my Halloween tulle wreath.
I'm loving this wreath so much that I am tempted to make another one in brown for the fall!  I also thought that a couple of little white doves would be a cute addition, but I haven't found any yet.  I probably won't change it, though, because I like the simplicity of the feathers, and the texture is already so interesting.

Also, here's a little announcement that I already made on Facebook:  Since I received such an overwhelming response on my Valentine's Subway Art Printable, I will be doing at least one free printable on the blog per month.  If you have any requests for themes, quotes, art, etc. that you would like to see in a printable, leave me a comment or send me an email.  Most of the printables will probably be seasonal, but I'd love to hear what trends you would like to see.
Linked up: Tatertots and Jello, Michelle Paige

1.13.2012

Valentine's Day Subway Art Printable

Since I am still in the middle of some bigger projects, I wanted to do a simple printable for Valentine's Day.  I haven't seen too many subway art printables that I love, but I am kind of particular when it comes to word art.  I like to keep things simple and clean, only using one font in different sizes.  With my printer, I ended up with a red version and a pink/purple version.  In the photo above, the red is on the left and the pink is on the right.  Although they are very similar, the red works with more traditional Valentine's decor, and the pink is a little bit more fun if you are decorating with other colors besides just red.
Red Version
Pink/Purple Version
As always, my printables are free.  To download the printable, click on the image.  It will take you to a new page, where you can right-click and save the photo.  Then, just print the image the original size, and it will be ready for use.  You can frame it in a document frame, put it in a tabletop easel, hang with clothespins, or whatever else you can come up with!  Any questions or requests?  Send me an email or just leave a comment.
Linked up: Tatertots & Jello, Michelle Paige