make something new

Lately, I've been in a pretty hard nesting type of mood.  There's something about the feeling of a new season approaching that has me wanting to rearrange furniture, purge stuff that hasn't been used and make new things for our home to freshen this place up a little.  Here is a round up of a few things I've bookmarked recently that I've thought about making, any one of these will make a great weekend project!

raw energizing truffles

leather foldover clutch

cactus pin cushions

cedar bath mat

string wall hanging

moon phase garland

workshop: textile block printing

heyo portland friends!  i wanted to share with you a workshop i am co-hosting with cultivate portland- we are teaming up with a new local shop here, field trip, to teach some textile block printing.  as you might know, i joined forces with two amazing ladies and we formed a fun little collaborative group (read more about it here).  we hosted our first larger scale workshop back in june and have a few things lined up for the remainder of the year.  this workshop coming up is a bit more intimate with limited space and we are so excited to just get our craft on!

its a super chill night where we will show you how to create geometric foam block stamps that you will use to pattern print on tea towels.  there will be a shop discount to field trip for all students, some drinks and desserts and of course plenty of fun!  if you are local and would like to attend you can purchase a ticket at the shop or over the phone. hope to see you there! xx

BLOCK PRINTING WORKSHOP

thur. aug. 27th

7pm $20

@ field trip

3725 se division - pdx

971-703-4523

project: wood wall

Today I'm sharing a pretty darn easy (& incredibly affordable) way to give a plain wall a face lift.  We have a bi-level home, with our living quarters upstairs and the garage, a daylight studio space and a guest suite downstairs.  The studio space is where I work and I knew that I wanted a wood wall somewhere down there to add warmth and texture to the room, plus use it occasionally as a backdrop for photos (like I already have on my instagram a few times, below).

the weekly four // 03

I have just a few days left of cleaning at our old condo before turning in the keys.  I can't wait to be done and have time to work on some of my own projects for our home.  In the mean time here is a new edition of The Weekly Four, I hope you find the time to try one or try them all.  I know that I have full intentions of recreating that hanging table for one of our rooms, its just so good!

one: hanging table

two: leather storage bin

three: wood & copper necklaces

four: natural healing balm

Check out previous Weekly Four projects here! 

make: animal silhouettes

We currently rent a condo in Portland and because I know we won't be here, but a few more months I find it incredibly hard to want to spend much money on decor.  We are hoping to buy our first home this spring and without knowing what it will look like and with having a strong desire for simplicity, I've been finding ways to keep this place feeling like us without breaking the bank- or being wasteful.

I wanted to find an elk or deer silhouette print for the holidays and turned to google to search for free stock photos.  From there I actually ended up finding two prints I liked and originally planned on printing them out and then getting a draft copy to have huge prints in our home on the cheap.  However, a very cold day kept me in and I decided to bust out my trusty gold marker to try a different idea and actually loved it so I'm sharing with you this insanely easy & affordable print project that you can use in a variety of ways.

I'm a huge fan of foiled art and decided to try making a faux version with the gold marker.  This project really only requires a few supplies.  First find some free stock photos that you want to make your prints out of.  I used this & this.  Next print this to the size you desire, I used standard cardstock and printed in a gray tone so they would be easy to color over with my pens.  Now just start filling in the silhouette- I used a gold sharpie marker, but you can use any color pen or even metallic paint pens to get the job done.  After that you will trace the outer lines to really make your print pop.

Yep, easy as that! As you can see, the gold gave them a richer more foiled look.  I could totally see these being sold as prints at a store and would probably purchase them if I saw them before making this project myself.  As for other alternatives- try this with words or someones name, do a different design or even smaller scale like for gift tags!  The possibilities are pretty endless.  I spent more time looking for stock photo designs than I did on coloring over them, so the entire project isn't too time consuming.  Have fun!

make: large lyric art print

Hi friends!  Sorry I have been a little MIA as of late... seriously life is just being lived over here.  Lots of settling, exploring, loving, living, thinking, dreaming.. you know?  I missed this little place and after a few concerned texts & emails I know a few of you missed me too, so thank you! Lets pretend I was on an extended spring break and forget it mmkay? =)

If you have seen this project as a canvas painting diy (examples here & here), but haven't gotten around to doing it yet, then here is a great excuse to get on it.  Not only is this a simplified version of the tutorial, but its also more affordable.  No need for a large canvas, paint or brushes!

Only a few supplies are required for your DIY: standard size white sheet of paper, pencil, black marker, ruler if you want the lines more straight (i just free handed it) and your lyrics or quote. 

First up take your paper and plan out the placement and size of the words you are using and draft  them in pencil.  This might take a few tries, but the imperfection of this is what gives it so much charm.  After its looking all fine & sexy make it permanent with a marker!  When you are done go back through and erase as much of the visible pencil markers as possible as they will show up when enlarged.

The artwork itself took me in all about 5-7 minutes and the longest part of the project was driving to the printers!  I headed over to Kinkos because it was closer than Staples, but they both run about the same price.  Kinkos (fedex) charges 75 cents per square foot and Staples about $4-6 total depending on size.  When you print these you will ask for a 'blue print copy'.  They will scan your artwork and print it out in black & white pretty quickly for you- I actually get a lot of artwork that I purchase made into blueprint size (with the artists permission of course) because I love huge art!

As you can see the size comparison of an 8x11 to the fullsize blueprint is quite different, isn't it amazing??  Now remember with blueprint copies, things can get a little fuzzy (pixelated unless its sized to be enlarged) and it shows all flaws- but like I said, thats the charming part!

For the purpose of the tutorial I hung this up by my couch, but I actually made another one after this and used lyrics from Iris by Goo Goo Dolls because I walked down the aisle to that. Awww!  I hope you like this revised tutorial of one of my favorite DIY projects out there, if you end up making something- share it with me! xo

make: printed fabric

Projects for the home are one of my most favorite to do.  Don't get me wrong I love shopping for decor, but at the end of the day seeing something I made feels just a little more special.  Since we recently moved to a new city, I've been trying to come up with more projects I can do that have a high impact with low cost (because lets face it, moving isn't cheap!).  I've seen this plus sign print all over lately, but in my quest for pillows one case having a price tag ranging from $38-52 wasn't doing it for me- this is where the diy saves the day! (i originally shared this diy on gussy sews)

You can use this tutorial for any sort of fabric project you have, but today I'm showing you how I made new pillow cases for our future home.  The supplies I used were fabric paint, brush applicator, stencil and pillow cases.  I used a thin piece of cardboard for my stencil, which was hand drawn & cut out with an xacto-blade.  Tip: Pre-wash and dry your fabric so the chemical base the manufacturer uses on the fabric comes off and it accepts your paint better.

If you are going to be making a lot of prints with your stencil make an extra copy as the paint can weaken your stencil as it gets wet.  Place a piece of cardboard or some sort of protector under the layer of fabric you are working with so it doesn't bleed through.  Tap your brush in paint and dab-dab-dab like this to fill up your design with paint.  Tip: if you aren't a stencil type, opt for stamps!

When you finish lay flat or hang to dry for a minimum of 24 hours and wash & dry your fabric again (or follow the manufacturers instructions from the paint you are using).  This project is great because it really can be used for so many things like tote bags, scarves, baby stuff... enjoy!

If you have ever painted on fabric how did it go?  If you have any tips or tricks, share with me!

make something: instagram coasters

I shared this insanely easy tutorial on Gussy Sews last fall and I thought it would be fun to share here in case you missed it.  Have you tried making your own coasters yet?  If you did and you had any questions about this tutorial or you have any new tips & tricks, make sure to share!

Since instagram is all the rage and the photos are already a square I decided to save a few photos from my feed* and print them on the paper.  Cut your photos to fit the frame of your tile and apply a thin layer of Mod Podge directly to the tile and place your photo on top.  Project tip: allow your printed photos to dry completely or use Mod Podge for paper for the first layer to prevent ink bleeds.

Smooth out the print to remove bubbles and allow for an even coverage then apply another layer of Mod Podge over your photograph.  Allow some drying time and repeat to build up a few layers.  Once completely dry use clear sealer (spray or liquid- your choice) to prevent drink condensation or spills from ruining your work.  Project tip: I used clear spray sealer, simply place tiles on paper and in a ventilated area just spray each piece following manufacturers instructions.

To prepare the bottom for table top use you can purchase pre-made felt sticky pads, some cork board or just make your own like I did.  Cut small circles of felt for each corner of the tile or a square large enough to cover bottom then adhere to tile (I used hot glue). Project tip: to get the best use out of your new coasters, lightly wipe clean or gently hand wash when needed.

This project is not only easy to make, but totally customizable, which makes it a fun project to do with friends or to use as a gift.  You could snag a couple photos from one of your friends IG feeds and surprise them with a new set of personalized coasters.  Have fun!

*to print photos from your instagram feed just visit your own
feed via instagram.com or email the photos to yourself from your phone!

make: felted ball garland

Today I asked Dani from Be Good Natured, to share a felting project with us.  I've seen the felt ball garlands around and since she is an amazing felter I thought it would be fun to start from beginning to end so you can learn how to felt as opposed to just purchasing the pre-made pieces.

Dani is the sweetest so make sure you check out her blog where she writes about her felting adventures, DIY projects and about how she works at a zoo! How fun right?

SUPPLIES USED: 
Wool roving or batts / Felting Needle / Foam
Large sewing needle / Embroidery Floss / Scissors
For some of these supplies check your local craft store, etsy or even livingfelt.com

I'm a sucker for rainbows, and I'm longing for some Springy colors, so I chose lots of bright wool for my garland.  You can easily customize the color based on your own design needs!

Decide how big you want to make the balls.  Keep in mind that you they can't be any wider than your sewing needle, otherwise you'll lose your needle in the ball as you thread them up. :)  Compact the wool in your hand to determine how much of the roving you'll need for the size balls you want.

You can go ahead and divide all of your wool into this amount if you want.  It certainly does not have to be exact.

Time to felt! Grab your felting needle and foam. Livingfelt.com has most of the supplies you will need and tutorials that are easy to follow if you feel lost at all make sure to check them out or do a quick google/youtube search for more resources!

Keep your ball compacted, and carefully begin to shape it with your felting needle.  (If you've never needle felted before, here are some tips:  Always felt on top of some kind of foam. The needle will go through your wool, poking into the foam as you felt. Never look away and always be mindful of where your fingers are. These needles are sharp and barbed, folks. It hurts when you miss...)

 As you poke, the barbs are compacting the wool fibers.  So, turn the ball as you poke, making sure to cover the entire surface.  The more you felt, the smoother and less lumpy your balls will be. 

Voilà! Just a *few* more to go.

After you've felted to your heart's content, now decide what order you want to string up your balls.  To go with my rainbow wool, I thought it only fitting to use some rainbow embroidery floss.

The wool provides enough friction on the embroidery floss, so you shouldn't have to secure each ball in place. 

To finish off your garland, you can tie small loops at each end or leave the floss a little longer to wrap it around a nail, depending on where you will it. 

Hang it up and enjoy your wooly decor!

make: painted fabric prints

Yay!! We are all moved & finally have internet, I will catch you up on everything soon.  But today you can catch me hanging out with Maggie of Gussy Sews, sharing a fabric printing project that is so insanely simple you might get in trouble for painting on anything & everything you can find!

Head over to check it out & let me know if you have any fun tips or tricks for fabric painting!

merry thriftmas: glitter animals

I know Christmas is seriously right around the corner, but I love this tutorial by Colleen from Paisley Boulevard so much that I had to share.  This is a perfect project to do with kids, friends.. etc.  It would be so fun to make these for any time of year, since little toy animals and glitter are appropriate all year long.  Obviously.

I thrift a LOT, because I find that sometimes there are more charms in the things that people toss than a dollar clearance at Target. I saw this bag of animals on the toy shelf the other day and they almost jumped into my arms. There are SO many things you can do with plastic toys, and toy animals are the mother load. I knew for $3.00 I could make this bag look like a lot more.

 

I took all of these plastic animal toys and spray painted them a pretty metallic rose gold color. (2 coats to make sure I could flip them a bit.) Once they dried, I used a hot needle to poke through the plastic backs and inserted eyelets that I had on hand for jewelry making. After that I just hand-painted Mod Podge where I wanted to and coated them in champagne colored glitter. A pretty silver cord made super simple tree ornaments that you'd never imagine where a discarded toy!

   

If you don't have the eyelets, you can easily coat your critters and display them on a shelf. My little guys are hanging on the tree and a few will also be accenting gift tags on the gifts that we give this season! Thanks so much for having me Heather! Merry Christmas everyone. xo, Colleen blog/twitter/fb

to-do list project

Head over at Gussy Sews for a quick little to-do list project tutorial I'm sharing!

make: holiday place setting

Today I'm over at Gussy Sews sharing a super cute holiday place setting tutorial that just requires a couple supplies, but makes a great impact on your decor!  

What are some holiday decor projects you are planning to do?

make: paper flat bags

Today you can catch me hanging out with Mandy from Miss Indie!  I'm sharing a simple project that you can easily make with just a few supplies.

(image via miss indie)

Flat paper bags are a great alternative to wrapping small items, they can easily be given any time of year or used in your own product packaing.  We sell a version of handmade & machine made bags in our shop, this is a simple style for you to make on your own though- enjoy!

Head over to Miss Indie to see this tutorial xo

make: instagram coasters

Today I'm sharing a simple & cute tutorial on how to make some instagram coasters over at Maggies blog, Gussy Sews.  This is a perfect weekend project that requires minimum supplies, so have fun!