PLease don't hate me...

I will be back and I will be crafting...another week of having the grad student home and then he will be gone and life will be back to normal again...

Until then...head over to the CreativeCrate and enter her giveaway for...

and I'll be back with a craft vengeance on June 4th, You have my word!!!

A craft is in the works...

...but in the mean time...having the grad student out of school is keeping me busy...so if for the next 2 weeks my posts are a little less than craft less...please forgive me...we are probably hanging out by the pool.

But once his residency starts after that...I'll be in full swing of things. Cause residency will run his life!!!

If you want a chance to win a gift credit to my shop don't forget to stop by Someday Crafts and enter, you have until Tuesday!

Or you can hop over to Craftaholic Anonymous, a fellow SYTYC Competitor, and checkout her review and enter the giveaway on her blog for a credit to my shop!

And one last thing...Thank you...thanks for following me and supporting me and encouraging me in doing what I love to do...for after all...this blog would be NOTHING without you followers! Thanks!!!

Cleaning Out House and Adding To Shop

So, I am determined to catch up on my children's scrap books. I'm so behind it's bad. Like real bad. My oldest who is 7 is oh, about 7 months in his books. Dang it all.

So this summer that is my goal! However, my scrapbook style changes over and over and over. When I sold Stampin' Up! I was really into it and had pretty much the entire collection of stamps. I sold alot of them before I moved but held on to my favorites. Well, let's face it. I am NOT going to use them...

So they are in the shop. Most of them haven't been used! And they are all under $10.00! Head on over there you won't want to miss it.

And...there is a giveaway going on over at SOME DAY CRAFTS for my vinyl shop! You can win a $30.00 credit to my store! Hurry over and enter! And give Michelle a big Hi from me:)!

Interview with RACHEL from ONE PRETTY THING

Have you checked out ONE PRETTY THING? If you haven't you are missing out! It's my most favorite place to go to get inspired. They have featured me over and over again and have led me to many of you who have in return inspired me! Because I love the site so much I wanted to get to know a little more about the genius behind it. And of course I want to share her with you! So I'd like you all to meet Rachel!

How did you choose the name of your business and or blog?
When I first started One Pretty Thing I had planned on sharing one DIY project a day. I would do the project myself, document my process, then link to as many other tutorials for that project as I could find. I blogged this way for about a week when I decided to switch gears and simply share my tutorial lists. Even though I wasn't showing just One Pretty Thing anymore, the name stuck.

What is your morning ritual?
I make a full press of green tea every morning! I usually take my first cup outside while I let my dog out and check on my garden. Getting a tiny bit of sun and nature is the perfect start to my day. The caffeine doesn't hurt either. Then it's on to my computer where I check the site, comments, Twitter and email.

What inspires you?
Bloggers. Definitely bloggers! A day doesn't go by where a blog doesn't give me an amazing idea that I just have to try. Usually I end the day with a host of new DIY projects, a new recipe, and an activity to try. I'm totally addicted to the creativity I find on blogs.

Do you prefer to sail, fly, or ride?
Ooh ride! On horseback, by car, by train, by elephant... ride sounds so adventurous!

What is a little known fact about you?
I'm one of those rare people who really enjoys speaking in front of large groups of people. And I think I'm pretty good at it too!

What is the furthest destination that you have traveled to?

I've been all over but the night when I slept three hours into the earth on the floor of a cave was the farthest I've ever felt from anyone and everything. I was only a few hours from home but I felt as if I was on another planet.

Share with us, your most embarrassing moment ever!
I was at a wedding once where my purse caught on a flag pole which fell over onto a canopy that was shielding a buffet of appetizers. Flag, flag pole, and canopy ended up falling into the food. I have no idea how it happened. It was so comedic and pretty embarrassing.

What is your favorite color?
I'm a blue girl. I love sky, ocean, and the refreshing peacefulness that blue brings.

Who is your greatest influence and how have the affected you?

Ooh my husband for sure. He's my opposite in so many good ways. Being with him has really rounded me out and helped me to grow in so many areas. The quickest way to become an early riser is to marry one!

I say turkey, you say?
No thanks! I'm a vegetarian.

How do you spend your free time?
Searching for craft projects on blogs! I'm hopelessly hooked. Any spare moment I get I've got my computer, laptop- even my phone out and I'm blog surfing. I hope I never get tired of it.

Give me a list of your everyday must haves?
Besides friends and family? How about high speed Internet, a great cup of tea and a kitty on my lap? Oh and throw in a knitting project to keep me sane!

Do you have a lucky number?
Six! I was the best in my class at the six times tables back in the day. I've held on to that victory, and that number, ever since. I like to say, “good things happen in sixes!”

What are your hopes for your future in both business and your personal life?

I would love for my personal life to just keep on rocking the way it's going. I'm having a blast! As for my blog, I would love for it to continue to grow and become self-sufficient. More readers means more projects, more sharing and more inspiration. I would love that!

How would you spend $1000, with no strings attached?

My first lame instinct would be to save it, but if I had to spend it I would do a weekend away for sure! How about a wine weekend in Napa, CA?

If you could live your life again, knowing what you know at this very moment, what would you do differently?

I'm a huge believer in thinking that nothing is a mistake, they're all just learning experiences. That being said if I could go back I would definitely take more risks and make more mistakes. I learn the most from them and they make for the best stories.

If you could be a character from any novel what would it be and why?

When I was younger I was OBSESSED with taking my portable CD player back in time and becoming one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's classmates. I would bring my CD player to the schoolroom, blast some Madonna, and totally blow their minds. Then I would spend the next year going on sleigh rides, making hay with Pa and sewing with Ma. My ten year old self put a lot of thought into it. I even made lists of all the activities I would do with the Ingalls'. I think I would have to stick with it to honor my younger self.

Which genre do you feel gets the short end of the stick?
That horribly named “chick lit” genre! They're fun, relaxing and mindless. I love to pick one up every few months but I probably wouldn't take it out in public!

How do you juggle your real life and your blogging life?
I have a million little tricks for squeezing blogging into my daily life. Anytime I have a few minutes- in the car, in a waiting room- I pull out my phone and do email. I try to wake up a few hours before everyone else and get in some uninterrupted work time. I work ahead as much as I can- especially around holidays. This creates a ton of momentum I wouldn't have otherwise. I think the biggest thing is to not beat myself up if the site is taking up an insane amount of time any one week. Around the holidays I'm crazy busy with the site but then there are weeks where things are pretty calm. The pendulum will swing back eventually.

Which one of the seven dwarves best describes you?

I'd be Happy for sure! I'm optimistic almost to a fault. I think I could turn all the dwarves into Happy Dwarves- even grumpy!

Rachel, it's been so fun getting to know you! Make sure you all stop by and give her a big hello and thanks for all she does! One Pretty Thing is an amazing place to get inspired!

If you would like to see an interview with someone or like to be featured for an interview, please send me an email! It's so much fun to see what other craft bloggers are really like behind the craft blog scene!!!

Ribbon Rosette

I use these darlng and delicate ribbon rosette's on a lot of my crafts.

The easiest way to show you how to make them is by video:

Let me know if you have any questions. I love to hear your feedback!

Feathered Vintage Inspired Hair band

I have to admit that I have seen these vintage inspired hair pieces all over the place lately, and although I am still not convinced that I can really pull them off, I LOVE THEM. So, whether I look hip or not, you might just catch me sporting one! And they are incredibly easy to make!

Grab a feather accent. I purchased mine from Michael's. This way the hard part is done for you. They already come grouped together in a way that coordinates. You might have to do a little adjusting. Like in the picture below. I removed that tall feather hanging out above the rest.

Grab a scrap of felt and cut it into a triangle that fits behind the feathers.

Then take some wire cutters and snip a piece off of the end of the feathers that fits across the top piece of the felt.

Hot glue it on.

Then hot glue it on to the back of the feathers.

Turn it over and using as little of hot glue as possible, you don't want to be able to see any, glue the feathers down as flat as you can get them.

When you turn it sideways you want it to look like this.

Then take your wire cutters and snip off the end of the wire.

Take an accessory that matches (this is a ribbon flower, tutorial will be posted soon, or you can find it under the tutorials tab) and hot glue it onto the bottom of the feathers to cover the green wire wrapping that is still there. (Pieces of tulle, scraps of pleated fabric, and pearls also look great)

Take this entire piece and run a strip of hot glue down the back and glue it onto a headband. You will want to place the bottom of it about 2-3 inches from the bottom of the headband.

And, like I always say...There you have it! I LOVE them, what do you think?

(If you don't want to create one yourself, and you want more styles to purchase please visit my shop)

Custom Painted Onesie

Since I had my fabric paint and my decals out I might as well attack this craft on my to do list while I am at it. Grab a blank onesie.

Place decal on it. (Be careful that it doesn't touch your table. Or it will tear off the clear coating that you just put on it, and it will make you very very mad. Because now you have to fix it.)

Slide the backing to the decal up inside the shirt.

Paint with fabric paint.

Let dry and remove the decal.

And there you have it! A one of a kind onesie!

Why do it this way? It's fast, it's easy, and it wears really well. I have done all kinds of screen printing, all kinds of iron on, and even with my iron press if you don't do it just right you won't get very much wear out of your shirt before it looks too worn to wear! But hey, that's just my opinion! Let me know if you try it out! (NOTE: this works great with vinyl cut from your cricket or freezer stenciling as well)

And if you LOVE this one...head over to my shop and grab it while it lasts!

Painted Fabric Pillow Slip Covers

(POST UPDATE: I have now listed a set of decals, the exact same thing that I used to create these, in my etsy shop. Normally this listing would be $51.00, but that is totally unpractical for such a craft, and because I have enough discontinued gloss vinyl that I need to get rid of these template decals are now yours for $20.00. This set comes with enough stencil templates for 8 pillows! Remember the finish and color of stencil vinyl doesn't matter as it will be removed, it is used for stenciling only, so I can't gaurantee the color of your stencil!)

We were lucky enough to have someone we know moving (that's not the lucky part) and we got some great couches for our empty living room. The couches came with a ton of ugly throw pillows. And they needed to be covered quick. So I picked up some white floor length curtains (I needed two panels for 4 covers) and some fabric paint. The pillows I am covering are 18 inches by 18 inches. So I cut the following pieces for each pillow:

(2) 12x17 inch pieces where one 17 inch side is on the finished side edge of the curtain.

(1) 21x5 inch piece

(1)17X13 inch piece

Take the 21X5 inch piece and place a vinyl decal on it. (You can purchase these here) or if you are WAY more patient then I am you can hand cut your design out of freezer paper with an exacto knife and then iron it on.

Take your fabric paint (I used the tulip brand 'slick' that you can purchase at Walmart.) and apply with a foam brush. Paint it all over, but not to thick. Be careful not to lift up your vinyl or your freezer paper by brushing to firmly. Let dry.

Remove the vinyl or the freezer paper.

Now take your 21X5 inch piece. Fold over one of the edges the short way 1 inch. Sew with a 1/8 inch seam down the side.

When you open it you get this little seam sticking up.

From that seam fold over 1 inch again and sew another little seam.

When you unfold you will know have two little seams sticking up.

Repeat this 8 times, until when it is unfolded you have 8 little seams sticking up. Your piece should now also be 18 inches by 5 inches.

Take this piece and pin it to the top of your painted piece. When you pin it make sure the seams are all going the same direction.

Sew this with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Head over to your ironing board and iron this open. You want to iron the seam on the back so it is facing the painted fabric so it will not be seen through the white top. (And note, for those of you making multiple pillows for your couch. You will want to vary the direction you sew the top piece on. You will want 2 for each couch headed to the right, and two headed to the left.)

You will know grab your (2) 12X17 inch pieces and iron them. Notice the hemmed edge already there from cutting on the edge seam of the curtain.

Take your finished front piece and set it down right sides up. Then take one of your back pieces and place it on the edge of your front piece with right sides down. Now make sure you place this one the right direction. You don't want the first opening for the back the same way as the seams are like shown in the picture. This is NOT the piece you want to lay down first. It will be the piece you see on the back. So if your seams are on the right side you want to lay the first piece from the right side to the left.

Then take your other piece and lay it coming from the other side, right sides down with the finished seam in the middle. (NOTE, I am not sure why I pictured it backwards but you will be laying yours the other way. The right one down first, then the left one last)

Make sure where the seams are again that they are all headed the same direction. Pin around the entire outside.

Sew around the entire outside with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Then sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance on both sides where the back pieces are doubled up for extra support.

Turn inside out and iron flat. Where the seams are after you iron take your hand and rub across them to make them stand up.

And there you have it! A new and fabulous slip cover for your ugly couch pillows.

To put your pillows in turn them face side down.

Slide your pillow under the top layer.

Push the pillow down and pull the second layer up over. Straighten out the back.

Then fluff. I do this by grabbing two corners and literally whacking the pillow on the ground. Then grab the opposite two ends and whack the pillow on the ground. Trust me, by the time you are done both you and your kids will be laughing, and your husband will be embarrassed to admit you are his.

BUT, YOUR COUCH WILL LOVE IT! It will never have looked this good!

Such a fast easy way to completely transform the look of your sofa, and it's affordable too! If they get spilled on, take them off and throw them in the wash!

Look what I've Been Creating...

Pillow covers for our new (new to us) couch, love seat, and chair. See the old one behind it. Yuck! Using the same pillows just creating my own slip covers it's a complete transformation!

I'm almost finished with them...and then I'll be back with a tutorial! Hopefully by the morning! If you want to get started you can pick up your supplies. White curtains, fabric paint (NOT DYE), a foam brush, and a vinyl decal for each pillow.

Congratulations!

To the winner of the $60 gift certificate to the CSN stores.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:33
Timestamp: 2010-05-11 06:43:18 UTC

That means...

Emily said...
I'd love the KitchenAid artisan stand mixer!

e.estt[at]yahoo[dot]com
May 5, 2010 5:29 PM

Is The Winner! I'll be sending you an Email Emily! Congratulations...

As for the rest of you that entered keep coming back and commenting I love to hear from you! And next week...my giveaway for reaching 200 followers is going to start! You won't want to miss it!

This better be the last time.

That I recover these chairs or have to fix them.

Sometimes it's so frustrating living with rambunctious obnoxious boys. Every time my oldest would sit down on a chair he felt the need to rub the back of his jeans up against the back leaving marks where the buttons on his pants are. Then my middle son felt the need to pick at the iron on vinyl along the seams until it is now all lifted up.

What gives? Having an awesome looking table and being anal about it, or having a table that you worked so hard at be ruined before your eyes but not having to yell at the boys?

So this time. I repainted the chairs, restained them, and put on a clear coat really thick this time. It should solve the problem. I went to the store and picked up a Better Homes And Garden Vinyl Table Cloth. I recovered the cushions with the table cloth. They wipe clean right away and there isn't anything for my son's to pick at.

Keep your fingers crossed! I think this is my last hope at keeping the chairs to this table in beautiful condition while there is still boys here!

And just a reminder. You have 4 more hours to enter this giveaway! And then I'll draw the winner for the $60.00 gift certificate.

Ray Of Sunshine Shirt Tutorial

Why do I call this shirt Ray Of Sunshine? Hello just look at it! It's only competition is the sun itself!

I've been wanting to jump on the ruffles on the shirts refashion world for quite sometime. Okay, I actually already have...you can find it under the tutorial tabs under neckline fluff. Only it's kind of a disaster shirt and I made it over a year ago before they were cool.

So grab a t-shirt. This one I purchased at Walmart in the craft section for $4.00. Yep. It's my size, if I were to wear a plain t-shirt. I grabbed one of my Shade shirts that I love and that fits. I then turned the t-shirt inside out as well as the shade shirt. Line up the shade shirt with the seams on the shoulders to the seams on the t-shirt. Then cut 1/2 inch away from the shade shirt up either side until you reach the armpit seam on the t-shirt. Once you cut pin the sides of the t-shirt together. I like my shirts long and I have a long torso So I continued the length to the end of my shirt. Plus it's fun to scrunch the bottom of your shirt up when you are wearing it.

Once you get to the t-shirt armpit seam you want to barely clip over the seam like this. Don't get to carried away, you are going to use the excess material. just a tiny clip.

Then cut up the seam as close as you can on the side of the sleeve, not on the side of the shirt. Do this to both sides of the shirt.

You will then have this. The edge of your new sleeve will have a little sewn seam on the edge.

Using either an un-picker or your scissors unpick the stitching on this seam.

And remove it all the way around. Do this on both sides of the shirt.

You want to remove them by un-picking because then it will cause your shirt sleeves to roll under just perfectly.

Sew up the sides of your shirt using 1/2 inch seam allowance, up to the sleeve opening. Do this on both sides.

Turn your shirt right sides out. Then grab your left over pieces which should look like this. Cut off the bottom edge by the seam on the long part.

Then cut across the tops as close as you can to the seam.

Take these two pieces and split them apart. Just cut up them until they get to the same size on the split part and the single part.

Take it to your sewing machine and either baste and gather, or have your sewing machine do the gathering. Start at the single edge and stay to the right once it forks, when I was about 1/8 of an inch from the edge I slipped the fork from my second piece under so it slightly over lapped and continued gathering down to the single edge. Then I gathered from the stitch line at the fork down to the edge about 1/8 inch as well and connected to the other forked edge of the other piece and sewed to the stitch line at that fork. You will be overlapping these pieces on the shirt, so this just makes it easier.

Lay it out on your shirt by placing one of the single edges on the seam of the shoulder on your shirt. Drape it across the front of the shirt like this.

Then take your two sleeves that you have left and cut them open as close to the seam as you can.

Cut off the seam and cut off the excess shirt left on the sleeve as well.

Then take your un-picker or your scissors and cut up the seam on the edge of the sleeve.

Open this seam. It will give you about 1 inch more to work with. Do this to both sleeves.

Then cut two strips from the seam edge you just unpicked.

Take the piece that is arched out and fold it in half cut up from the fold until you make a split piece that is still connected on the ends where it starts to narrow.

Gather the straight pieces separately and then gather the forked pieces separately as well. You will have 4 straight pieces, 2 split pieces, and your original 2 forked pieces that you have already gathered and set on your shirt. We will now place these on your shirt to look like this.

Here is a break down. On the part that says half of a straight piece, you will take your last straight piece and literally cut it in half. It is not on this shirt yet but this is where it will go, so go ahead and set them in place.

Pin all of the pieces in place down the middle part that is gathered. Make sure you only pin through the first layer of your shirt. And as you pin pull the ruffles out so you won't get any funky gathering as you sew them on.

Head over to your sewing machine and sew them on. Try on your shirt. Look in the mirror and realize that it looks like your last ruffle piece frames your girl parts. Not good.

So, unpick the last ruffle, reposition it and resew on. In other words. Here is my recommendation for you, to save you this step. Before you sew your ruffles on carefully put on your shirt after you have pinned your ruffles down to make sure the placement isn't awkward or attention grabbing. Here is how I adjusted mine. Notice how the bottom ruffle now goes across these parts and doesn't look like it's holding them up? Much Better.

Here is an up close view of the other side.

And here is the finished result! And I LOVE it. And even my husband commented on it when I put it on this morning. (And if you know my husband...you know that's HUGE)

I think I finally got the clothes makeover bug. About three weeks ago when I started losing my weight (almost at 15 pounds lost, hurray) I pulled all of the clothes out of my closet that I literally haven't worn for years and put them in my craft room to make over, because on my grad school budget new clothes aren't an option. Well, they are finally going to get done! Hurray for new clothes that are virtually free!