Thursday, June 13, 2013

Part 3- Rag Tie Wreath- 3 Quick Patriotic Handcrafts

My front door has been un-decorated for quite some time now... its been begging for a summer wreath.  The door was screaming "Give me some Red, White, and Blue!".

With SOOOOO many adorable patriotic wreath ideas on Pinterest it was hard to choose which direction to go with my wreath.  However, I've been having a lot of fun with "rag tie" projects lately, such as my Rag-Tie Bunting Banner and other custom orders I've had in my Etsy Shop lately, I decided it would be fun to try a rag tie wreath- in similar fashion as a tutu wreath.


My mom was over visiting from her Lavender Farm in Sequim, WA- so we got to make these together- and she had one to take home too.
We started off by cutting strips of fabric (2 inches wide and about 9 inches long.)


We cut Red, Blue and Burlap.  Then we cut the middle of the shrink plastic out of our straw wreaths my mom had for likely 20+ years and never did anything with.



Then we simply just started tying knots! 


 Mine had about 5 red strips in each red section, 2 burlap strips and a big section of blue.



And this is what it looked like after it was fully tied.  It needed something more- so I added some left over stars from my Starry Banner Handcraft.  And it turned out GREAT!





This concludes my 3 part blog series of 3 Quick Patriotic Handcrafts.  If you missed part 1 or 2 you can find them here:

I hope you'll take a few minutes and add some Patriotic Flare to your home for the coming holidays.  
Did you blog about a quick handcraft I can link up here?  Please leave me a comment!



Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Part 2- God Bless America Sign- 3 Quick Patriotic Handcrafts

My mantel decor is almost never complete with out a sign of some kind...and this time I didn't have one already made that would suffice.


The hubby and I were in the garage working on my Shutterfly and Looksi Creative Brand Collaboration Challenge and I spotted a VERY OLD piece of scrap wood that would make a beautiful sign.  I picked the piece off of a garage built in the early 1900's in downtown Renton- it was a piece of molding around a window.  The gracious owners also let me purchase the doors off the garage- they were original barn style garage doors- beautiful- and still in my garage awaiting the perfect home (against the will of my LOVING husband).


I cut the beautiful board into 3 equal lengths and used a scrap 1x2 to secure them together.  We hadn't yet replaced our finish-nailer that was stolen during our break-in so I had to use screws, a bit overkill- but oh well!


Because this wood is SOOOO old, I took extra precautions when sanding its rough edges after I cut the boards.  I was worried about the paint- so I wore a mask while sanding.  I sanded more than I typically would, because I used another one of these boards for one of my You Light Up My Life Lamps and I struggled to get the vinyl to stick on that project.  I was hoping some extra sanding would take care of this issue.


With it all sanded up, and secure together I took it inside and applied some vinyl!


I left the bottom pannel empty because I wanted to do some embellishing.  I splurged, with a gift certificate my lovely sister gave me for my birthday last year, on some burlap ribbon.  This is the look I wanted since I knew I would be using burlap in my wreath (part 3 of my patriotic tutorials) and its always nice to tie things together.  
So, I tied a simple knot with some burlap- decided it needed some color and added in some bright blue rick rack.  
Finished it off by hot gluing some small white stars left over from my Starry Banner and a simple  button heart.  
And THAT'S ALL!  Simple, quick and easy!



Our final and part 3 to our series will be a Patriotic Wreath- I hope to get it posted tomorrow- but we have a new baby to welcome to our family! I am determined to go see Madisyn's new baby cousin, Arabella, at the hospital tomorrow night- so you might see our Patriotic Wreath post on Thursday!  Can't wait to share.



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Sunday, June 9, 2013

3 Quick Patriotic Handcrafts- part1- Starry Banner

For my summer Mantel I wanted to create a Patriotic theme that could last from Memorial day to Labor day with the highlight of Independence Day, of course.


Part 1- Starry Banner

I knew I wanted a banner or garland of some sort- and had pinned a few different ideas. After creating the Jelly Bean Banners, I decided a quick and easy way to bring some RED, WHITE, and BLUE would be to use the same technique, but with star shapes.
I used my Silhouette to cut out 3 different sized star shapes in 3 different colors.  White was 1.5", Blue was 2" and Red was 3".  I sewed them on to wax paper leaving space between each star.
 


After they were sewn, I carefully peeled off the wax paper revealing just the thread and the stars!  I had enough stars to create two 4' garlands and I LOVE them both on my mantel!  I even had enough little white stars left to add them into my two other Patriotic Handcrafts to tie everything together!


I can't wait to share another tomorrow... stay tuned!






Monday, June 3, 2013

Summer iPhone Wall Papers!

I LOVED my spring iPhone wall papers I created so much, and I'm feeling VERY summery these days, so I figured it was time to update my backgrounds!

Here is a FREE lock screen and home screen for your iPhone!  
CLICK IMAGES TO BE DIRECTED TO IMAGE TO SAVE- DIRECTIONS BELOW (if you need them)


"Summer" For your LOCK SCREEN


"Summer2" For your HOME SCREEN


Here's How:


  • Just click the image and you will be redirected to where you can save it from on my website.  
  • If you do it right from your phone, hold your finger down over the image until the menu comes up and click "Save Image".  
  • Then go to your Photos on your home screen and find the image you just saved.
  • Click on it to open it to full screen size.
  • Click the arrow in the bottom left corner.
  • Then click "Use as Wallpaper" in the bottom right corner.
  • No need to crop or move, just press "Set".
  • Then use the first one with the large frame in the middle as your Lock Screen.  Save "Summer" as your Lock Screen.
  • Save "Summer2" for your Home Screen using the same steps above- and

ENJOY!!!


LOVE the background image?!  I found it and SOOO many others that were hard to resist at Doodle Craft!  Please comment on this post if you use any of them for something creative- I'd LOVE to see!

Here's so Summer Days!


Sunday, June 2, 2013

*Shutterfly and Looksi* Photo Storage and Display Cabinet Update











The Power of 3

We have had 3 sessions working on the photo cabinet so far, and I think it'll only take 3 more!  I wanted to give a little sneak peak, because I LOVE the way its coming together.
Having three Capable and Creative Minds working together on this project has definitely been a benefit.  My dear friend Serena, and the Hubby and I have combined inspiration from the following 3 sources:

Beautiful Yellow Cabinet



I was not able to find an original source for this photo- but this is the style and design we decided would look best to incorporate the vintage window for the door.

Ana White Plans


Because of the size of the windows we are using for the doors, we decided for this project, to make it a one door cabinet.  Otherwise it would have been a very large price of furniture, and that is not the intent.  The goal for our finished piece is for it to house 12x12 scrapbook albums, regular photo albums, two storage bins and some mini books.  We don't need a two door cabinet for this.  SO, we modeled our design after the cabinet above, but made A LOT of modifications, specifically for height, and to work around the window.

After completing our design and getting most of our wood cut in the first session with the three of us, I got the frame complete in the second, short session and tonight, Kyle and I got to the point where we were able to decide on a finish.

Two-Toned

I came up with the idea of having a stained wood top to the cabinet in our first session, but with all the beautiful wood we've used, I wanted to showcase it more throughout the piece.  The solution I've talked Kyle into= stained side panels, top, and interior shelves with a painted frame!  When I first thought of it, I wasn't sure it would look good, so I did a quick search for "two-toned cabinet- paint and stain" and came up with this BEAUTIFUL chest of drawers created by The Golden Sycamore.


So, it is settled.  The frame will be a beautiful "slate blue" and the rest will be stained dark.  Check out our progress!!!!



What do you think?
My final result for the Shutterfly and Looksi Sponsored Project will be posted no later than June 17th!  Can't wait to share!  A Big thanks to Serena and Kyle for all their help!  Its much more fun with 3!




Saturday, June 1, 2013

Sewn Applique' Rag Tie Bunting Tutorial and Candy Land Themed 1st Birthday Cake Smash Reveal

Before Madisyn was born, I came across the facebook page of a local Newborn Photographer.  She had a Newborn Photography special I just could not pass up.  We bought one for our little Sweet Pea and one for our friends due with Little Baby Hunter 6 weeks before Madisyn.

A few days after Madisyn was born we had our first major outing- Visiting Miss Lindsay Porter at her studio she had at the time, in downtown Snohomish (which is a SUPER cute little town, if you've never been- GO!).  We had so much fun taking photos of our sweet babe and scrunching her up in the funniest little poses- Lindsay was such a professional and I adored her personality.

Needless to say, our relationship with Miss Lindsay did not end there.  Madisyn has had the pleasure of being photographed by Lindsay Porter Photography every couple of months in her first year and a half of life.   I am so glad that we took the time and expense to have these photos done- they will be treasured FOREVER.

Over the last 20 months I have gotten to know Lindsay a little bit better at each photo session.  And as the bunch's product line in Baby Galore, 1st Birthday Outfits and Accessories grew, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to offer these adorable outfits to Lindsay's Clients as well.

What better way to launch our co-branded effort than for a  CANDY LAND THEMED CAKE SMASH!?  I had SO much fun creating the outfit AND Lindsay asked me to handcraft a Sewn Applique' Rag Tie Bunting for her photo-shoot backdrop.

I found a few tutorials here and there- but none of them had the step by step with photos like I longed for... SOOOOO- here is one for you!!!

Cut, Iron, Sew

The first step is to figure out how big you want your bunting triangles to be.  I wanted about a 3 foot banner total, so I eye balled the length on my ruler and decided they needed to be about 9 inches tall and 6 inches wide at the top of the triangle.  I used my fabric ruler to measure and rotary cut 1 triangle.  Then I laid that triangle on top of my ironed fabric and the ruler over the top of that and rotary cut along the edges, using my first triangle as a pattern.  I cut a total of 6 triangles (You will need two for each finished triangle.  
I used my Silhouette to cut out my letters with interfacing and ironed on my letters onto 3 of the triangles.


Once the letters were ironed on, I sewed around the edges of each letter with a coordinating color thread and puled the loose ends through to the back side of the fabric.  Because this isn't a peice that will most likely be washed very much, or at all, I didn't tie off the loose ends of the thread, they should be fine just pulled through to the inside.


With all 3 of the letters Applique'd, I then laid out the triangles without applique' over the top of each letter triangle (right sides facing), pinned and stitched around 3 sides (leaving the top open).


Cut, Flip, Iron

After you've sewn around the 3 sides, cut the tip of the triangle off (the excess fabric outside of where you sewed) so that when you flip it inside out there isn't a lot of bulky fabric preventing you from getting a pointy tip on your triangle.
I used a chop stick to carefully poke the tip of my triangle to get all the fabric pushed inside out.  Once you have it all flipped, iron it to get a crisp finished look.



Trim, Measure, Bind

After you sew your 3 triangles and flip them right side out, they won't be perfectly straight across the top (unless you are perfect, I obviously- AM NOT).  Use your rotary cutter and ruler and trim the edges so you have a straight edge to enclose in your binding.
I purchased premade Extra Wide, Double Fold Bias Tape from Hobby Lobby to use as the ribbon for my bunting.  I cut the bias tape to 3 feet long and then folded in half to find the middle.  I marked it with a pin.


I arranged my bunting triangles on my cutting mat with the spacing I wanted to allow for room for the rag ties between each triangle.  Notice my center of the bias tape pin is the in center of the middle triangle.


And then I pinned each triangle inside of the bias tape fold so that the raw edge was covered.


Sew, Rag Tie, and Done!

After pinning each triangle, I used my widest zig-zag stich on my sewing machine and started at one of the ends of the bunting and sewed all the way to the other edge, taking out the pins as I went.  After it was sewn, it looked like a finished project, but I wasn't done yet.  I used strips of coordinating fabric and tied knots in each strip between the triangles until there was no exposed bias tape remaining... And that's all there is to it!






What do you think?  Easy to make, right?!  Stay tuned to see a few photos of the cake smash session with this set as a prop and maybe even a little Photography Special and Etsy Coupon Code!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Shutterfly Brand Ambassador- My First Sponsored Project Idea


Super Exciting News!!!

We are So, So, So excited to announce that we have been chosen to participate in a project through Shutterfly and Looksi Square, which means we are working on OUR FIRST SPONSORED BLOG POST!  A very exciting milestone to achieve  and only after 5 months of blogging!  

The Task at Hand

Shutterfly and Looksi Square have challenged the bunch to come up with some sort of display for 4 x 6 photo prints.  I've thought, and thought, and bounced ideas off Kyle and my good friend Serena and together, we've come up with a concept!

See those old, dirty windows up there?  They will become cabinet doors for a furniture piece similar to a small china cabinet or buffet- but its purpose will serve as photo storage.  Albums, Scrapbooks, Mini-albums and even Photo Boxes will be able to be tucked neatly inside this piece of furniture.  I am SUPER excited about the idea of having a home for all of our photos- IN ONE PLACE.  

But That's Not All----

The Cabinet will also have a built in Photo Display!  The window frames will become a sweet place to display family photos and can be switched out with the seasons of life! 

I am super excited about the concept we've come up with, and even more excited that I get to work on this project with one of my best friends, Serena.  
We are getting together next week to begin construction, but not without a challenge of course.  Nothing is ever simple, or easy it seems.  

Dark Shadows

Two nights ago our house was broken into in the middle of the night.  They came in our sliding glass door from our back patio and quietly walked through the craft/play room into the garage (moving my laundry bins out of the hallway) and packed out most of my beloved woodworking tools, a friend's bicycle, some wheels and tires, Kyle's chain saw and more.  Then, they came into the kitchen and took Kyle's keys and 1 credit card out of his wallet.  
I keep reminding myself that these are just THINGS and I am SO THANKFUL that no one got up to see what the noises were- it scares me to think what could have happened if we met face to face with these terrible people.  Needless to say, yesterday was wasted with insurance claims, police and getting our vehicles re-keyed so that we didn't wake up this morning and have no cars in our driveway.  
It is so frustrating that there are people out there who are brave enough to violate someone else so terribly and enter there "safe space" while they are sleeping.  We have a long way to go feel safe again but all of our "things" are replaceable.  With this project on the line, they will just have to be replaced sooner, rather than later!  And all through the process I will remind myself-

"Keep your face always to the sunshine, and the shadows will fall behind you"-unknown


Stay tuned for updates- and the finished project will be revealed in the middle of June!

Please, make sure your homes are as secure as possible- and write down the serial numbers of all important and or valuable items you own- without documentation of these, if they were ever stolen, they can't be reported stolen and looked for without serial numbers.


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