One step forward...two steps back

Brent took the kids to their Jr. MYF church group tonight, so I thought I'd get some crafting done.

I wanted to start some more projects to fill my Etsy store with.

I wasn't prepared for the frustration that just escalated as the night went on.

I'm planning on making more framed cork boards, some pillows...  (similar to these, as well as some other designs)...

Paper covered composition books with embellishments (pinterest.com)...

some distressed wooden candlesticks similar to these wooden items...

and maybe a fall wreath or two...like I made last year.

I had plenty of ideas swirling around in my head, and yet, each thing I worked on, made me go one step forward and two steps back.

I fought with the sewing machine and we almost came to blows.

I struggled with getting the framed cork board just right and not throwing it out the window instead.

By the time everyone came home, I was severely frustrated.

I will try again maybe tomorrow night, and  hope it goes better.

By the weekend, I hope to have more things listed for you to see.

Thanks to all of you who have already purchased items from my Etsy store.  I appreciate it greatly!

The fabric of our lives...

Yesterday was Grace's 12th birthday.

I can't believe the years have went this fast.

I found her in the front seat of the van yesterday morning when I went out to the garage to go to school.  You see, it's legal now for her to ride in the front seat.  She was sitting there with a grin from ear to ear.

There goes my "storage" for my purse!  (Ha)

She also decided, since 12 was such a big deal, why not have 4 other girls over for the night, and why not have Evan have a friend over too.  (SURE, WHY NOT?)

So that's what we did.  She wouldn't allow me to take any pictures.  Not even of her blowing out the candle.

I kept getting wierd faces or hands over the eyes.  (She's the one on the right)

Have we really gotten to this point?

So, here is a brief view of SOME of the things from her get-together.

She's ALL ABOUT zebra print.  So, Wal-Mart had this Waverly line of plates and cups.  Crazy, I know.  Who knew Wal-Mart carried cool things...

She enjoyed cupcakes

pizza, and chips before Brent took them all to the Boys Varsity Basketball game.  The boys and I stayed home.  They had NO desire to go.

Brent told them, at 4:30 am this morning to get to bed.  Apparently they stayed up till 5am. At least that's what we heard.  We also found remnants of food all around the house.  So, much to her dismay, she took a nap this afternoon.  She has a big volleyball tournament tomorrow.  It's not for the weak of heart.

While she was sleeping, I made some cushions for the bar stools I got when I went with my cousin to an antique store several weeks ago.

I purchased these babies for $12 and $15 (I have NO idea why they were priced differently, they are the same chair.)

I originally wanted to make a cotton duck cushion and cover for the back.  I sewed a cover for the back, but it just didn't look right, so I just made the cushion.
I had left over pillows from the couch, that have been recovered so many times I can't even remember.

I used the same material I've used for other pillows I've made for the couch, and just added some bias tape for the ties in the back.

The final result...a more "cushier" seat.  And a little boost in height for when Evan uses the chair.

I might add a painted on number to each one when I figure out how I'll go about it.  I made each cushion have an overlapping back, so I can take the pillow out and wash the cushion if needed.

It's been a tiring weekend, with only a day more to go.

Happy rest of the weekend!

Transformations

Two blogs, Fun to craft, and The Shabby Chic Cottage have linky parties going on, showcasing crafty stuff, so I'm linking up to both, and maybe some more!

After Grace and I knocked out most of the rest of my Spring Break to-do list today, I sat down at my sewing machine and got to work.

I wanted to make some pillow covers for my pillows in the living room. Something that looked a little more spring/summerish. I also wanted to try my hand at another purse. What, you're rolling your eyes....another purse...give me a break! But I just wanted to perfect some of the ideas rolling around in my head.

Since I got my new sewing machine at Christmas, I've cranked out 5 purses.

They've all been a little different, and each time, I improved something just a little. Today I started with this. Some of my favorite material that just happens to be from a drape I found at an antique store 2 years ago. It's soft beyond belief and I love the pattern on it. I also got out 5 yards of some burlap/canvas material. First I made some straps with red thread detail. Then I got to work on the interior pockets. You CAN'T have enough pockets. I made 7 in all.

I've been using my zig zag stitch option A LOT lately. I 'm not sure why. On my 60 year old machine, it wasn't an option. I think it makes me feel like things are held a little more securely.

See, the material really is great.

Once the interior was done, I sewed it all together, and made a squared off bottom (my new favorite thing) and added the straps to the top.

And what is becoming my signature rose I'm afraid.

So, here's the final product.

I absolutely love it. The straps don't slide off my shoulders, and the fabric was just what I was looking for, and it has plenty of pockets. I will be using this one for awhile. (I hope.)

So, after the purse was out of the way, I started in on my pillow covers. I used the same burlap/canvas material. I made all of them with a folded over back so all I have to do is slip it off and wash it if the pillow gets dirty.

I know pillows don't mean diddly to my husband or kids, but when I see pillows in the store for $25+ it makes me sick. Especially since I know I can try to make something similar.

I'm trying to lighten up my living room in small doses, so I wanted all these to be the same light material, but slightly different.

First I hemmed the edges of the folded over back.

Turned the material wrong side out, and sewed them together. I added little bits of scraps from my other projects, and they came out like this.

The pillows by far were the less time-consuming, but I had fun with the purse too.

I'm glad I sat down to tackle this today.

I'm linking up to Fun to Craft

the Shabby Chic Cottage. and Paisley Passions

Have a great weekend everyone!

My new best friend

I've been trying to "become one" with my Christmas present.

That's right. You heard me. I'm trying to cozy up to my sewing machine.

This one is SO much better than the 60 year old one I was using.

I don't cuss as often (in my head) when using my new baby.

It runs so much smoother, and it has a back stitch feature. My other one did not. Oh the horror!

So, today with another snow day under our belt, I decided to whip up some things I had been only thinking about.

A couple weeks ago, Grace and I went to a scrapbook sale and bought several pieces of fabric.

She told me she wanted a purse. I guess that was a hint I was supposed to make it, and I told her I would get to it eventually.

I wasn't quite sure of what my design was gonna be until I came across this $1 purse at Goodwill last week.

I didn't like the design OR the colors, but I did like the handles. I knew I could replicate it for a "tween" looking purse for Grace.

First I sewed in a pocket. (She informed me she needed one for gum, etc.)

Then worked on the handles.

It was going great till I had to deal with some poor working conditions.

Namely, our cat Oreo who thought it would be a great idea to lay directly BEHIND the machine and not move. Each time we'd pick her up and physically move her, she'd come right back.

So, after all the cat shuffling, and the pocket making, and the sewing it all together, this is the final purse.

With a fashionable bow, of course.

She liked it. It's not too big, and not too small.


It'll hold her packs of gum, and her wallet, and even some other small items.

I was feeling a little revved up after this project, so I decided to make a quick pillow cover too.

About a month ago I won a freebie on the Painted Home's blog, and part of the prize was this IKEA kitchen towel.

I had the perfect sized pillow form, so I just sewed up the cover for it.

Works great in my red living room.

That's about all I did today with my "friend" the sewing machine, but I wanted to show you a couple of the other purses I've finished in the last couple of months. Each time I tweak something a little bit more. Maybe the pockets aren't so deep inside, or maybe the sewing job is a little better. I'm sure the more I practice, the better I'll get.


I'm also linking up to Freckled Laundry's textile Friday today as well as crazy domestic (click on button below). You can either click on their link in my sidebar, or right here to come see me, and visit some other talented people showing off their projects.



In the next couple of weeks, I'll be a sewing fiend if I get the time. I'm trying to grow a supply of pillows, purses, etc. to start an etsy shop.


Stay tuned and have a great weekend!

It NEVER ends

If it weren't for all the running around I've had to do this week, I think my body might just fall apart piece by piece. It's holding together purely by friction. I think.





I've had a meeting every night, and I'm trying to finalize my Christmas cards, which I won 50 free ones from Shutterfly, (read my earlier post on how you can too) I'm getting ready for the Christmas program at church (which I grudgingly agreed to be a part of), Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I've got all these creative ideas flying around in my head. Not to mention tomorrow is THURSDAY, which my wonderful husband reminded me is TRUTH THURSDAY.



What's a girl to do?



I've been wanting to post just some quick projects I completed over the weekend, but which I haven't had time to talk about. (Those of you who find time to post every day, please tell me your secret!)




First off, I saw some jars with numbers in an old Pottery Barn catalog. You know I'm a sucker for numbers in decorating, so.... here are the plain BEFORE jars.



Pretty unexciting, huh?


I used my trusty cricut machine and some black vinyl, and made these simple numbers to spruce up my jars.




Course I couldn't just stop there! I had to add some smaller ones to the IKEA pots I got this summer for $.79 ea.






THEN....I've been wanting to spruce up Grace's bed. It's kinda plain, and for $1.99/4 I found these perfectly plum dinner napkins at Target. I wanted to make her some ruffle pillows for her all white bed.





I hauled out my 70 year old sewing machine. I really like it save for the fact it's old. I have to manually backstitch everything, and it often breaks thread while I'm sewing, so I have to go back and sew over that. UGH!!! I really need a new sewing machine, but just haven't broken down and bought one.



BUT....moving on....I had in my head what I wanted these pillows to look like.

And...wa-la!

I'm happy with the outcome, and Grace likes them very much.

Now the kids want to start decorating for Christmas. Can't I just have a day to sleep in?