artsy-crafty babe

I'm forgiven

I spent a little quality time with my fabric this weekend.  We kissed and made up.  It was necessary because I bought one of these.

As much as I really, really, really wanted one of these, I couldn't bring myself to spend that much money.  Shoot, even what I spent on my much less expensive machine hurt a little.  I don't like spending large sums of money, especially on one thing that's just for me.  But it's done, and the store I bought it from has a really crappy return policy, so the new machine is mine.  I broke it in this weekend with some new bags, though sewing bags isn't why I bought it (I wanted some bells & whistles for sewing clothes).

This is something that I've had in my head for a while.  Eh, I think it looks cute, but it's way too fussy to make.  I think this will be a one and only version.

This is my new bag.  Yes, I made myself another new bag.  Do you see a pattern here?  I make myself a new bag, use it for a very brief time, then make myself another one, listing the old bag in my etsy shop for cheap.  It works for me :)

I love this style of bag.  Sometimes less is more, which is how I see this bag.  I love how it showcases one beautiful fabric, with a surprise on the inside.  I haven't decided, but I may make some more of this style for the shop.  I'm trying to use up some of my stash, which includes some more of these handles.  I think I need to go on a fabric diet - my stash is out of control! (let's see how long that lasts)

button flower tutorial

Here ya go, everything I know about making button flowers - enjoy!

To make a button flower, you'll need 5-6 smallish matching buttons, a larger button for the center, and if desired, a small button for the center of the big button.
The key to making these is the glue.  The three pictured above are some that I've used with success.  What did NOT work was hot glue, craft glue, and E6000.  Make sure the glue you use is meant for beads, glass, & plastics.

Make a ring out of your matching smaller buttons. Make sure the flattest side is facing up, this makes a better surface for adhering. Place a small dab of glue on each button.

Place the center button on top - flat side against flat side.  **You can make the flowers with the ridge side up on the bottom layer, but it holds better with the flat side up - it's your call.

Next, put a small dab of glue in the center, then place the small center button. Let glue cure for 24 hours.

If you want to make this into a brooch, you'll need a pin-back and a small circle of felt.

Glue the pin-back onto the back of the button flower.

To make things neat & tidy, glue the felt circle on top of the pin-back.  Once your glue is dry, your button flower is ready to use.  That's it!

Use your imagination to come up with all sorts of combinations!

preoccupied

I'm cheating on my fabric.  I'm kind of cheating on my buttons, but they're involved.  I've developed a love affair with beads.  Not just any beads, vintage plastic & glass beads.  Oh, how I love them!  What initially attracted me is how well they match my vintage buttons.  It's a match made in heaven. 

It all started when I stopped in a local bead shop that had some of these beauties.  Then I started searching on line.  Oh boy!  I have to control myself, really.

Look what I made. There are more in the works, along with lots earrings.  I find putting these together very therapeutic, though I must admit that I'm starting to miss my fabric.  By the way, these are in the shop if you're interested.

Lucky me, I have a friend who's supporting my habit.  Thanks Susan, I LOVE them :)

one step closer

I apologize for the horrible photos, but taking photos of a window is hard!

With the long holiday weekend I had grand plans of getting to all sorts of crafty projects.  Of course that didn't happen!  The only thing I did do was something that I didn't plan on doing, it just sort of happened.  Crazy, I know.

Friday night we had 2 less kids, so I made new curtains.  This was so easy, I don't know why I put it off.  I took the total slacker route and didn't line them or hem the sides, but I like them anyway.  Wait, I more than like them, I LOVE them. 

When we installed the first shade weeks ago, I really didn't like it.  Then I put my old curtains back up to see if I liked the shade any more.  Eh, I liked it a little more, but not much.  I decided to wait on my decision about the shade once I had the real curtains made.  Then I got my curtain fabric, which I was still questioning.  I procrastinated a bit, but once I got the curtains made and hung, I immediately installed the second shade.  I'm so happy I followed through with my idea.

See, these are long enough, unlike my last ones, which always bothered me.  These curtains are made of natural colored linen, which look pretty gray.  I love the look of the light filtered through these.  It really does give the room a whole new look.  It's all coming together, I guess I had better get started on that table quilt!

blank canvas

I have a confession to make - I easily get bored with making the same thing.  When the mood strikes me to make something, I know that I have to do it right then, because in a few days I'll lose interest and want to move on to something else.  As much as I love making bags, I'm kind of there now with them.  After updating the shop, it was time to move on (though I still have a few in the works).  I went on to buttons, then to sewing clothes, and now I want to try some applique and embroidery.  I must clarify - I have the buttons/jewelry/clothes making all going on at the same time - that's how I work.

I've been having the urge to do some type of little art quilt/wall hanging thingy, therefore, I must strike while the desire is there.  Last night I went though my little big scrap basket and put a few things together to get me started.  I went ahead and added batting and a backing, and did a little machine quilting to put it all together.  I'm thinking I want to do something for the girls, maybe something sister related.  I don't have all that worked out yet, but it's a start.  I look forward to the hand stitching and seeing my little creation come to life - and the best part is that I can do it on the sofa while watching mindless TV!!

prairie girl or grandma's housecoat?

I've decided that this spring summer I'm going to live in dresses.  I love dresses - they're usually flattering and pretty cool on the hot humid days we have down here.  I've been stocking up on dress patterns for years, but never seem to get around to making any.  Well, this weekend I finally made myself a dress.  I went with the Prairie Girl dress by Favorite Things.  I was going to dive in on my good fabric, but decided to hold off until I worked out the kinks.  Good idea.  I ended up using one of my thrifted sheets to make this "wearable muslin".  Eh, it turned out okay.  The pattern runs pretty true to size, in my opinion, though I did have to make a bit of a full bust adjustment (no surprise).  I ended up lengthening the bodice a bit to make sure that the empire seam fell under the girls, but I could have done without that.  I plan to take that adjustment out of the next version.  This dress went together very easily, though I'm not crazy about how the facings are handled.  I'll probably do something different with that next time.

Unfortunately, I think the dress looks better on the hanger than it does on me, though I think a lot of that has to do with the 7-8 lbs I've recently gained (yikes!).  My belly looks a little too pudgy in these photos!  I do plan to wear this dress, but probably not out of the house.  I don't know, maybe it's the fabric, but it reminds me of a granny housecoat.  I will make this dress again, but next time I'm using my good fabric!

buttons & beads

So, I made my first button pendant with my favorite orange button as the centerpiece.  I couldn't wear it alone, could I?  No, I had to make a pair of earrings to match.  I love it!  It isn't too springy, but I could totally see this with a brown linen sun dress.  I'm warning you now, button pendants and earrings are addictive...

lucky

Yep, I'm a lucky girl!  Sorry I've been absent, but the time change last week kicked my butt.  The longer days meant that I stayed up too late, then could hardly wake up in the morning.  I felt like a zombie all week.  Lucky for me, I was able to catch up on my sleep this weekend.

The weekend was wonderful.  We had glorious weather and did a whole lot of nothing.   We played in the yard, I cooked some good meals, and I fit in some crafting time (more on that later in the week).  I even managed to do a little shop update of pleated wristlets (I told you those were next).  I wish every weekend could be like this...

Hopefully the luck I found this weekend will last me through the week.  Happy Monday and Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

revisiting the buttons

Ever since I washed up those buttons, I've been thinking about what to do with them.  I decided I wanted to make some pendants. 

Much to my surprise, this is proving to be a little harder than I thought.  I think I'm having a hard time parting with these old beauties, there seems to be such a finality with using a vintage button - or maybe I'm having a tough time because of the colors.  Most of these old buttons are very earthy in tone, which makes them not so interesting when put together.  Maybe I should have attempted this project in the fall when I'm influenced by more of an earthy color pallet.  Regardless, I'm moving on, crossing another thing off my "to-do" list.  Let's face it, playing with buttons, no matter how challenging, is addictive. Vintage button pendants to come!

new shoes

Is it wrong for one to want to plan a whole spring wardrobe around one pair of sassy red shoes?  Man, I wish I had more red in my wardrobe because I want to wear these every single day!!