DIY Craft Pegboard: Stage 1

I've been wanting to make a craft pegboard for a while now to go in my sewing room.  I've been wanting one above my sewing desk to neatly store my scissors, thread, tags, notions, etc.  I bought the supplies for it the other day and started making it today after church...with the help of Justin.  It didn't take long at all!  I'm so excited about REALLY getting organized and getting rid of some of the clutter that is always on my desk!  I hope this helps.

Supplies:

DIY Baby Headbands

Good morning!  It was a great weekend and I am ready to get back to working full force on my pillows!  I am in the schedule again for this week to get a few more things printed!  I'm really excited!  I just need to nail down a few more designs.  Until then...I wanted to share this:

Headband DIY:

We recently got to see our friend's brand new baby girl.  She is a doll!  So pretty.  We are so happy for them.  I made some little bows from some vintage fabrics I've been saving up for something special.

I love making these because they are super easy and are such a transformation. I got my headbands at a local children's resale shop. They are usually in really good shape and lots cheaper than buying new...since you're tearing them apart anyways!  I spent $1.50 for all three headbands. (plus the cost of the fabric and thread you use to re-do them...but since I have TONS of that it was free for me;)  )

So...you start by taking apart the headbands you have.  The bows on the bands that I got were just hot glued on so they came off pretty easily.

Party Paper Wheels

We had the privilege of hosting and engagement party at our house. It was so much fun. We are so excited for the very special Bride and Groom.

We had lots of fun decorating for the occasion.  I wanted to share a few ideas with you.
Here is a really great DIY I found on how to make paper wheels...if you don't already know.  They are super simple and add lots of fun to a party!

Here's how our backdrop turned out.

Thanks to all the special people who helped.
 I have  a few more pics coming.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Swatches and Inks

I've been having lots of fun with this stage of the pillow process...pairing up the ink colors that I want with fabrics I have chosen.  There are SOOOO many options though!  I love having options, but it makes the decision making a little tough.  I brought home the ink swatch book from bigfish, where I will be getting lots of my designs printed. I'm so excited!

Here's my swatch board.  And there are lots more inks to choose from than what you see here.

 Justin has been such a big help and encouragement through it all.  We now have 2 designs that we are for sure going with. We've probably made 10 but that's what you have to do to get the cream of the crop=)

Oh...I also got two more pillow form sizes in the mail, the last ones I was waiting on . Now I can get the designs to the printer!  I have lots more to do...but it's coming along!

Hope you all have a great weekend.  We get to host an engagement party at our house this weekend.  I'm honored that we get to.  I'll share some decor ideas with you next week=)

Mustache Pillow DIY

Good Monday to you!  I've been a little slow with the posts lately.   A year ago, Justin challenged me that if I was going to blog, I should commit to it.  I should post every day and give it my all.  I didn't really know what that would look like or where it would lead. 

My year is up and I'm trying to figure out where I want it to go from here.  I don't want to be blogging just to blog. I want a purpose behind it.  I want to be making a difference. I want to help people. I want to be able to use the gifts God has given me and share them....my problem is that I still don't know what that looks like. I never wanted to get too personal with my blog. I've never been a fan of putting our lives online for all to see...but it's hard not to sometimes.  So, if I'm a little off and on for the next bit...I'm just figuring some things out.  

ON another note...

I wanted to share this DIY with you.  Have you seen these mustache pillowcases on urban outfitters?

WELL you can make them for approx. $8 (includes: pillowcases from Wal-Mart, 1/2 yard of fabric and the stitch witchery!)

----------compared to Urban's $34!

DIY Advent Calendars

I was thinking about making a fun advent calendar for Christmas.  I probably won't until we have kiddos in the house, but this one caught my eye. It's so fun!  I remember having one when we were little.  There were a bunch of really small little gifts individually wrapped, one on each day.  It was the most fun thing ever!  The anticipation was so hard to bear!  I remember asking multiple times in a day if I had already opened the one for that day or if I had to wait for the morning.  It was THE FIRST thing I wanted to do when I woke up.

Gifts were never a huge thing in our home. I think the advent calendar was a gift from someone to us kids, but it sure was fun.  My parents wanted us to always remember what Christmas was all about.  I am so thankful for them and the things they taught us...and are still teaching us. 

I do love though how gifts are a way for us to show others how much we love them.  After all, Christ coming to earth was in itself, LOVE.  It is so much fun to be able to bless others with a little gift representing love.

DIY Paper Flowers

Happy Monday to you all!  It's so crazy to me that it's December!  Time sure does fly.  This is such a sweet time of year. I love how many gatherings there are in December.  Craft parties, birthday parties, appetizer parties, white elephant parties, hot chocolate parties...and then all the festivities of Christmas.

I was thinking today how thankful I am for all the people in our life. We are truly blessed. I have been asking God to show me how to focus on the blessings in life.  The things HE has done for me, and not always wish I had something that I don't. It's amazing how my perspective changes when I do.  God is a good God.

I went to a baby shower recently and the room was filled with some really amazing women who are big parts of my life.  I am so thankful for friends.  I was asked to make some decor for the shower.  She is having a boy, so I made some blue, yellow, brown, and turquoise paper flowers. They were so much fun to make and I was honored to be a part of the shower.

They are so simple to make.  All you need is some fun scrapbooking paper, tissue, and some hot glue.

All you do is cut out some flower shapes and glue the tips together of each petal to make them 3-D.  They can be made in a million different ways, so just have fun with it!

Here are the boquets I made...

Baby Clothing: My current project

I hope you all had a great weekend.  We had a really good time with lots of family.  We are so blessed. I never got around to making our own Thanksgiving meal.  I guess I can always make another night special though.  There was just too much food already!

I'm so excited to be a part of a friend's new shop.  I can't wait to share details with you soon...as soon as she has everything in place. I have been making lots of fun projects for it. I love making children's clothing, and that's what I've been working on over the past few weeks.

Here is my mess of a sewing room and some color combo's I've chosen so far for some outfits.  I'm excited to share more soon.

Wall Art: Vintage painting with Text

Here's the finished product!  I had so much fun making these two pieces of art. I've had the matching floral paintings for a long time, but never really liked them the way they were. I loved the frames though!  So, I decided to give them a makeover.  I haven't painted in a long time. I didn't know how much I missed it! It was so relaxing.

This past weekend, Justin went hunting and I got really motivated to hang up a bunch of things at our house.  I always think he should do it (because I usually put way too many holes in the wall)...but I think I did ok this time.  I just went for it. Now we FINALLY have stuff hung up. I just had to get over my intimidation of more wall space, and just decide already!

I put these two on either side of our dining room window. Trying to figure out if I should paint the frames a fun color?  I like the antique look they have, but a fun bold color would be fun too.

To make one yourself...

*First, simply stencil or free hand your text on an old painting with a pencil
*Next, pick a color of paint and start painting around the outline of your text, to leave only the text  showing!
*Lastly...hang and enjoy!

It's time to decorate pumpkins!

We still havn't even gotten any pumpkins this season.  Last year we went to a pumpkin patch and both picked out our very own.  There's not much time left before November is here! I can't believe how fast this month has flown by.  I still have my September calendar up in our dining room that I drew on our chalk board.  I'm way behind.

I think I might just go for a cheap-o pumpkin and paint it this year.  I like these ideas...

Spruce Up Your Machine

I saw a simple pin cushion that someone tied around their machine for easy access.  I was inspired to make my own. I always have a huge pile of pins on my machine after I use them... So I decided to use velcro and make a really fun cushion that would make me WANT to put them where they belong.

To begin, cut out two heart shaped pieces of fabric. ( or any shape you want )

Next,  cut a smaller shaped heart out of different fabric and stitch it to the top piece of the heart with the machine (now is a good time to try out some of those decorative stitches on your machine if you have them).  

Then, turning good sides of fabric facing each other, sew around the heart, leaving a small section opened ( to flip )

I used scrap fabric as my stuffing.  It is a great way to get rid of some of your scraps and still be able to use them!

So it begins...

I've had enough.  I realize that I make excuses for myself.  A lot.  I'm sure my husband would probably agree with me.  He is so patient with me though.  I decided that I don't know what I'm waiting on.  I can either be sad for myself and mope about not having a cute little storefront, or a booming online shop...OR, I can just work towards it!

Here's the fabric I bought to start working on a new dress.

Fall Projects

I've had a few projects I've been working on. I just finished ten new pillows for Pickwick House.  They are a part of Sharon's fall inventory.  We spruced them up a bit this time with some textured ruffles.  Here's a sneak peak.

 
I also saw this cute idea for a fall garland on Elsie's site.  Becky and I decided to begin our fall crafting season by making this and some fabric pom poms.  I'll share photos of ours soon, but here's Elsie's Isn't it cute??

Have a great weekend!  See you Monday.

My Chalk Board Calendar

Well, I gave the calendar a try. I love changing my chalk board...it is a soothing thing for me. You get to wipe the slate clean, and begin with a new piece of art. Here's what it was before...

And here's the calendar now...

I just got online, found a calendar set-up that I liked, and found a font that caught my eye.  Here's the font I used...or shall I say "attempted to use."

 Hope you are all able to enjoy this weekend with family.  Thanks for stopping by.

How time flies...

It's time to change my great big chalk board. I was thinking I'd like to make it into a big calendar.  I love type and bold numbers, so I'll have to give it a try.  I can't believe it's already September! It seems like yesterday we were so excited to turn off our heaters and open the windows up to let in the fresh air...now summer is coming to a close.  How time flies...  Have a great weekend!  I hope you get to enjoy a day off.

I love this photo montage calendar of different numbers and images.

DIY Cork Board Walls: Post Two

Now that you have your cork cut, you are ready to insert it into the frames you have gathered. Next, simply arrange on the wall.

Thanks to Katie, I only put a few holes in the wall while deciding on where to place my frames.
She had a great tip for hanging art on your walls.  Just cut out paper templates of the general shape of your frame and arrange them on the wall where you like.  This way, you can re-arrange as many times as you need to without putting lots and lots of holes in your wall!  I loved it.  So I gave it a try. 

Here are my templates...

DIY Cork Board Walls

I was so put up with our blank slate walls I had to do something about it.  I started in our office/sewing room where we spend a lot of time during the day.  I loved some of the cork boards I saw here, and wanted to try a few of my own.

I went to the local flea market and picked up some super cheap tiny frames.  Hobby lobby had some small packages of cork sheets and I went to work.  It was a really fun project that didn't take lots of time.  Simple, quick and cheap...that's what I like.  So here's the first part of my process.  I'll post the other tomorrow.  You should make some...or maybe you already have.  I'd love to see them!

Artsy decor

love these...

I like the simplicity of the white on grey wall and then the fun pops of color.  Fun fun.  

How fun would this be to make?  It just looks like a bunch of vintage book pages rolled and glued together.  I'd love to try.

Hope you're having a good Monday!

trendirs.com, earthfirst.com

shadow boxes

Happy Monday to you! 

My sister just got a shadow box from Hobby lobby this past week.  She said they were really cheap and a really fun simple craft.  She just got a wooden one and painted it white.  I'll have to post a pic of hers soon...it's so cute!  Here are a few others I like too.

DIY Corkboards

I've been wanting to put up some fun covered cork boards in our office.  I thought they would be great for Justin to put fresh inspiration up for his graphic design jobs and I could use it for all my crafty endeavors.  They are a great, cheap way to mix up your decor in just the push of a pin.  Here are a few I like.