She's Crafty

Something to show for it!

2011-10-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten some crafting done...and the pictures to prove it!!
First up my finished tv console I scored off of Craigslist this summer...all sanded and painted. I think if I had it to do again I would do a couple things differently, I always learn something new with each project but I am definitely loving this new piece.

Then for the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild challenge is due in a couple of weeks. So, I had grand plans to do a Cathedral Window pillow like alamode . I got my pillow top all done:

...but...there were little bits of the corners of the green fabric peeking out. :( I had visions of someone spilling something on the finished pillow and me sobbing in the corner from fear that the darn pillow would completely unravel! So, in consideration of my perfectionism/neuroticism I scratched the whole thing and decided to try something completely different. (also my empty pockets were talking to me since the Cathedral Window Pillow ate up like 5 yards of fabric already!!!)
Half square triangles seemed a little less risky and I could use what I already had on hand in my stash. So here's what I came up with for the challenge instead:

Here's to hoping that basting goes smoothly, because I would really appreciate if everything else went smoothly for this project!!

Crafting

2011-07-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe my last post was in April! I have still been sewing and crafting but not so great at documenting it. I have been working on a quilt for my mom. I got it all sewn together and it was so wonky I couldn't stand it! I tore the top apart and trimmed every.single.block so they are the exactly (pretty much) the same size. Lesson learned. Do not try to skip a step! Take the time to trim your blocks up front and you will spend much less time with the stupid seam ripper!

Next up, I found this beauty on Craigslist for $60! I am so excited about it! I am going to use it for a tv console table. Fingers crossed!

It's DONE!!!!

2011-04-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

I finally finished hand stitching the binding and I am soooo very happy to be done with this quilt!
Here is the front:

...and here is the pieced back which I am so in love with!!!

I used the pattern by Elizabeth Hartman called "Fenced In" from her book The Practical Guide to Patchwork which I won back in November
I was so excited to win and even more excited to see a project (actually quite a few) which didn't scare a novice quilter like me! I haven't measured it but it fits perfectly on my full size bed!

Up next...a hippie quilt for my momma!

Binding Time

2011-04-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

My week last week started out like this:

Now I am working on this:

It was such a beautiful day yesterday I took my quilt outside to sew on the binding in the sun. I have to say I really enjoyed that! Soaking up the sun under a new (almost done) quilt!

OMG Becky... I WON!!!

2011-04-12T08:34:00.001-07:00

I am so excited!!! I won the Tokyo Subway Map Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson! I am in love with this quilt! Everytime I look at it I see a new block I like and the quilting is just awesome!! It was such a great cause that she was raffle-ing it off for and I am so very thankful that it's new home is with me!!! Thank you so much Elizabeth!!

Sophie's Onesie Dress

2011-03-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one week (let alone in one month)! I made this little number using Prudent Baby's Onesie Dress Tutorial I bought a package of onesies at Walmart and dyed a couple with some fabric dye I bought at Ben Franklin. Here is one of them that I dyed:

What a cute little peanut!

2011-03-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm still alive and sewing I have just been really bad at taking pictures of everything (besides the fact that it has been dark, cloudy and raining buckets here for the last two months...not that I'm complaining! ). My friend Sarah took a picture of some pj pants I made for her tiny little peanut:

She's just so darn cute! I thought that lips flannel fabric was too cute! I made her a little onsie dress for it, but it is in size 3-6 months so I have to wait till she grows into it for a picture! I told you she was a peanut!!

Christmas Present

2011-01-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

I have been horrible about taking pictures of the stuff I have been making! I need to work on that this year! Here is one of the Christmas presents I made and actually snapped a picture of:

I had to try these iron on transfers for a project for my brother... since I still had some left over and they were so much fun to use I made them into wall art. I found these graphics at The Graphics Fairy

She has tons of vintage clip art on her site and it is all free! I found this pretty little nest and matching robin and printed it off onto iron on transfer paper. Then I just ironed it onto some pretty muslin fabric I had and stapled that onto a couple of canvases I found at Michaels! Easy and fun!!

Yes, I still craft

2010-10-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest work in progress:

This quilt is going to be huge...I haven't measured it yet but trust me. It is ginormous!!! I saw this pattern in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting Easy Quilts magazine Winter 2009 issue. This pattern is called Lizzy's Parade by Cherri House. It is a great pattern and went together pretty easy. So far the hardest part is making the quilt sandwich and starting to quilt this monster on my machine. But even just pinned together I love it and have seriously thought about just using it with the basting pins! LOL!

Looooong time no post

2010-09-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I've had a chance to post anything crafty so I thought I would dip my toe in the water and start off with a mini project.

I just bought my first serger and was so proud that I was able to thread it myself!

We have a stray (who I am pretty sure is now officially our cat) who sleeps on our back porch and I thought he needed a new bed. I found a cute little basket at Marshall's for $4.00 but the lining was pink checks and I didn't think that went with Oliver's (see we named him and everything!) manly cat-titude. So I picked up some outdoor fabric at JoAnn's and tested out my new serger:

Coffee Table Facelift

2010-05-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

I finally tackled the coffee table that we bought last summer at Shipwreck days...It was a cute table before but I thought it could use a little update.

Here it is before:

...and here it is after (please ignore the CRAP in the background!):

I originally wanted to distress this but since this is my mom's house and she said she likes the table as is and not distressed I guess it is going to stay as it is...although I think the top might need a little something!

Makeup bags

2010-04-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a couple of things but all I have pictures of so far is a couple more makeup bags that I have given away as gifts.

I think they turned out pretty cute! The inside of the owl bag was a crib sheet that my friend wasn't using anymore. Gotta love recycling!

Travel Bag

2010-04-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

...or makeup bag or whatever you want to call it! I think it turned out pretty cute (once I figured the pattern out! I won't even show you the first attempt!) I don't know why the first time I make something it always turns out really homely but then the second one turns out really good. I guess I have to figure out how to do it step by step once and then I'm good to go.

Anyways here is the makeup/travel bag I made for a friend. I saw this super cute fabric and immediately thought of her!

I added an extra little pocket for the little bits and bobs (wow, I totally never get to say that!) that you might want to keep safe while traveling and hopefully I will get it sent of to her this week! Key word hopefully!!

Two posts one day

2010-03-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

I made this cat pillow for a friend who loves animal prints and has a little girl kitty. I've had this faux fur fabric laying around and couldn't figure out what to do with it. I used a black velvet jumper/dress thing I bought at the thrift shop for a couple of dollars and used the stuffing from two old pillows. I love reusing old stuff! This picture shows my kitty Furrgus "testing out" the new pillow and Finnegan is keeping an eye on him!

Flour Sack Towels

2010-03-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

I've seen some cute hand embroidery projects on different blogs lately and wanted to try my hand at it. I found some tutorials and patterns (can't for the life of me remember where!) and here are a couple of my first attempts:

I think they are cute and will look cute hanging in the kitchen(s) (I sent them out to friends).

Pillow Fight!

2010-02-09T18:54:00.001-08:00

I found this super cute fabric and immediately thought of my friend. I know that she has been having a hard time finding things to decorate her house with so I thought that I could make her some super cute throw pillows.
Here's a close up of the fabric:

and here is a picture of the front and back of the pillows:

I am loving how these pillows turned out! The chocolate fabric on the back of the pillows is super rich and my friends husband even likes the pillows too!

I'm linking to A Soft Place to Land - DIY Day!

New Jewelry

2010-01-26T20:16:00.001-08:00

A girl I know is getting married this summer and she was stumped as to what to give her bridesmaids as gifts. I came up with a couple of necklaces with birds because her wedding is having a garden theme and I know she loves birds.

I thought they turned out pretty cute!

A little crafting on the side

2010-01-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

Man, the holidays went fast! I've been kinda M.I.A. for crafting...I've been doing stuff but feel like I have nothing to show for it! Well, I do have a couple things:
Here's a little necklace I made with a cute bird on it. A little different than stuff I usually make but I think it's cute.

My friend gave me some coffee bags to play with so I made this purse/bag out of one coffee bag (with some material left over) and a kinda yucky shapeless jumper dress thing that was made out of a really pretty green linen fabric. I bought the dress at the Humane Society thrift shop for less than $3.00 and I still have some fabric left over!

Pottery Barn Knockoff

2009-12-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

Oh Pottery Barn, how I love thee...but dang it! Why can't you be just a wee-bit more affordable? I was browsing through the pages of the Pottery Barn catalog when I saw this wreath which was super cute!

But for some reason I just couldn't justify spending $79 on a cute wreath. I have seen other bloggers do imitations of things and I thought that I could try my hand at making this.

JoAnn's just happens to have plain wreaths on sale...I bought a 20" Canadian Pine Wreath for $1.99. Then I made a stop at WalMart to get some blue & silver ornaments for about $11, and picked up some green floral wire for $1.79. Here is what I came up with:

Not bad for less than $20 and I still have some ornaments leftover. I have to say that I am happy with the way it turned out!
Edited to add:
I think I am addicted! I made the red & silver wreath just for fun...I'm not sure where it is going to go. Then my neighbor came over the other day and said how much she liked my wreath...When I told her that I had made it she asked if I could show her how because she wants to make one for her door too! Last night she came over with her 2 daughters and we had a little arts & crafts class. I made the purple, pink and green wreath last night in class. They all walked out with their own wreaths and they all turned out great!

Some finished projects

2009-11-23T17:48:00.001-08:00

So, I have been blog lurking and loving all the crafty stuff I have been seeing and wanted to try my hand at a recycled/upcycled something.

I browsed through a couple of local thrift shops and found these two skirts/dresses...

...and turned them into this:

I love the outside fabric! I wish I had taken a good pic of the inside. The inside is a dark green cordouroy and I used the outside fabric to make 3 good size pockets. I have to say I love how it turned out!

Bad Blogger

2009-10-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have been a horrible blogger lately and I know it! I have lost my mojo and I can't find it!

I've gotten some crafting done and I actually remembered to take a picture of one of my projects. I made a purse for one of my friends and I just loved the fabric!

I got this fabric at JoAnn's and they also had the same pattern in fleece so I made myself a fleece blanket out of this too!

I've got more projects done and will try to post about them soon...hopefully!

Chair Redo

2009-09-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

So I took a little detour to the thrift shop to see if I could find a chair to set up my sewing machine at my desk instead of the kitchen table. I found this beauty for $7.99 and when the cashier rang it up it was 50% off! I didn't quite care for the wood color and the seat with stains on it isn't quite my taste but I saw potential and for 4 bucks who could say no?

A little primer, spray paint, new cushion and fabric and viola! New chair that is super comfy and stylish too! (well, at least I think so!)

I love the way it turned out...I may sand it down a little for that shabby chic look but for right now I like it as it is!

Shabby to Chic

2009-08-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

...Or at least I think so! I had this dresser in my room and have always thought it was butt ugly! So, I have been checking out some other blogs where they take old, busted crap and turn it into the new hotness and I figured I could try my hand at it.
Before:

After:

I love the "distressed" look of it! I love the turqouise color! I just freakin love it! I added some new brushed nickel handles, and got the lamp at Target on sale for $12 and I love the fuschia with the turquoise.

Now I am looking at my ugly desk and thinking...the next time we have some sunny weather I've got some painting to do!!!

Shopping

2009-08-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

Saw this post on 3 hearts and thought I would do some shopping of my own...

I totally need one of these bags:

These sunglasses are just too cute:

This dress:

THESE SHOES!!!!

I Don't Wednesday

2009-08-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

*I don't like Jon Gosselin anymore...what a jerk!
*I don't Twitter...maybe I should
*I don't wear makeup often...sometimes I wish I could be more high mantinence...hmm.
*I don't like it when people with scary feet wear flip-flops...crunchy, corny feet are best left under cover of socks!
*I don't like the smell of patchouli...nothing against hippies but it just smells funky and makes my eyes water!
*I don't want my best friends to move so far away, even though they have been living far away for the past few years. :(

For more I don'ts head over to Jenna's blog

I don't

2009-07-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Jenna over at Jenna's Journey came up with "I Don't Wendnesday" so I thought I would play along.

*I don't eat mashed potatoes...it's a texture thing and they totally gross me out!
*I don't like being too hot, I would rather be cold!
*Just like Jenna, I don't eat seafood...fish is grody to me.
*I don't wash my car very often...once or twice a year if I'm lucky...poor car!
*I don't get the "Bump it" I already have poofy hair I don't want it any poofy-er!
*I don't blog as much as I should, but it has been way too hot to get anything done so that is my excuse!~

Not so much sewing

2009-07-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't gotten much crafting done...it's just been way too hot...and I've been just a tad (okay, a LOT) lazy.

We got a new kitten to cause trouble around the house. His name is Finnegan.

I hope to get back in the swing of things soon.

Crafty Swap

2009-06-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Back in April I joined the Crafty Mama Creations swap and I sent off my package on Monday. Jen got her package today so I think I can show what I made for her:

On her survey, Jen said that she loves black, red & white so this is the combination I came up with. I really like the way this apron turned out...maybe I will have to make another one for me!

Jen also has two little ones and I didn't want to leave them out of the fun. I bought a cute tank top and cute t-shirt and did a little applique-

New Dress

2009-04-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

Spring should *hopefully* be just around the corner and a I know a little girl who could use a cute little spring-y dress. I love the color combo of this fabric and I think this pattern is really adorable! I am pretty excited at how this dress came out.

New York & Birthday

2009-03-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Did you know that in upstate New York they have buggy parking at WalMart? I didn't and I wouldn't have believed it if someone had told me. I think this is one of those things that everyone should get to see once in their lives. Too cool!

Well, New York was cold for the most part but there were a couple of warm days and I had fun visiting with my friend Sarah who I miss dearly!

Then after I came back home I celebrated my 25th birthday and so many people made sure to point out that I am now a quarter of a century old. Thanks so much for that! LOL!

My First Quilt

2009-02-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

I have finished my first quilt and absolutely LOVE it!

It is already in good use for those cold winter nights (which have been many lately! Yargh!)

My cat Furrgus also is making good use of it!

New Bag

2009-01-22T17:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a new bag I made which is going to be used as a diaper bag for the mommy of a little boy. I made two for her to choose from with different themes to the fabric. The top picture is the doggie themed bag and the lower picture is the Pirate theme.

Lil Stinker In Use

2009-01-21T17:22:00.000-08:00

Freezer Paper Stencils

2009-01-03T13:18:00.001-08:00

I am officially on the "I Love Freezer Paper Stencils" band wagon!!

How freaking cute is this onsie?!?! I want to make one for me too!!!! I think I am going to stencil everything. My family better hide their underwear cuz I am officially addicted!!!!

Purse Fabulous-ness and Happy New Year

2008-12-31T19:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a purse I made from the Tiny Happy shoulder bag tutorial: http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/2006/06/shoulder_bag_tu.html

This is the inside of the bag

This is the outside. I love the hippie feel of the fabric!

Ok, well it's New Years Eve so I should be off to think about what I want to accomplish in the new year...I hope that everyone has a happy and healthy new year! Cheers!

Some sewing for a little dude

2008-12-24T19:49:00.001-08:00

Here's what I worked on yesterday for my nephew Jaiden. He is very into helicopters and he's 3 so I think he'll like it!

Wordless Wednesday - My Knitting Helper

2008-12-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

Cabin Fever

2008-12-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

What's a gal to do when snowed in? Get some knitting done! Right now I'm working on a wee baby hat but I really want to make some of those arm warmers that look super snuggly for this cold and snowy weather we are having this year!

Snow, Snow, Snow!

2008-12-22T19:41:00.000-08:00

Oh geeze! To say that it snowed here would be an understatement. When I went to get the paper (from the box not the store) I sunk in the snow up to my shins!!! What in the world?!?! This is Washington not Alaska! I do think that the snow is kinda my fault as I have been wishing & hoping for a "White Christmas" I just didn't want it quite so...much. It is beautiful though.

Sick

2008-11-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

I hate being sick! The sun is shining outside for the first time in days and I am stuck at home inside!

One dress down!

2008-11-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

I finished the baby dress/jumper! WooHoo! Slightly busted sewing machine aside it went together pretty easily. I forgot to get permission from the model so I figured I would just blur the face that way I could still show off the finished dress.

Successful and...not so much.

2008-11-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

I tried a new recipe again today. It's a sneaky granola bar recipe from the book "The Sneaky Chef" and you add good for you frou-frou food into normal food to trick the picky eaters in your family! It worked great in spaghetti! We added zucchini, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and carrots to the normal jar of pasta sauce and I couldn't even taste it! And I am the really picky eater! So I figured I would try another recipe from that book, the granola bars which you add ground up rolled oats (I hate oatmeal, but I know it's good for me so I thought if I could sneak it in...) and you mix in rice krispies, raisins, honey, canola oil...some other stuff that I can't quite remember but am not going to get up and find the book. But anyways, I baked it according to the directions and both times it turned out looking like...brown cat litter. So not what I was going for!

So both batches ended up in the trash. At least I can say I tried!

Giveaway!

2008-10-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a new giveaway to take a peek at!

Yargh!

2008-10-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been saying that I need a new sewing machine for a while now. But if the one I have now doesn't shape up...I am just going to heave it out the window! Every once in a while (never while I am in sewing class, so that the teacher could tell me what I'm doing wrong, I might add!) it decides it wants to drive me crazy. Right now I am in the middle of making a cute little cordouroy jumper for my friend's daughter. I am trying to sew the facing to the front part of the jumper and my machine just throws up thread on the inderside of the garment! So FREAKING FRUSTRATING!!!!

Quilt Giveaway

2008-10-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

I found this quilt giveaway on http://bridgetbaxter.blogspot.com/
I hope I win!!!

Goodness!

2008-10-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

I am sitting on the couch watching tv and cringing! There is a program on called "101 Things Removed From the Human Body"...Ick! Other than that, I got some fabric cut out for a purse I am making. I will hopefully get some sewing done at my friend Krista's house tomorrow. Other than that I had a good day at work. I got to work on a table project I saw on one of those HGTV or home improvement shows. You take a decorative paper napkin and decopage it onto the table top (or other piece of furniture) then seal it. I love how it turned out and will have to take picture.

Day 1

2008-09-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

So, I've never done the whole blog thing...It's always seemed a bit weird. But I figured that I could give it a go and see how I like it. Today the weather was good crafting weather (i.e. overcast and drizzle-y) but I had to work most of the day and then once I got off work, my crafter's A.D.D. kicked in and I couldn't decide what I wanted to work on. I am learning how to sew and am really excited about making my own stuff, I just don't quite have the skills yet. Oh, well hopefully if I keep at it I will be able to make stuff for other people and not have them hide it in a closet somewhere! So I fell back on my knitting at least for a few rows. While I knit, I'm watching "What Not To Wear" and thinking to myself...'I could look better too if I had $5000.00 to spend!' Sheesh, clothing envy!