13 But Lucky

I know I said I would have this list up yesterday, but never got around to it.  I was too busy starting on it, the first one is almost done.  This one isn’t the longest list I have ever had, but it might be the trickiest to complete.  Can you tell why?

Craft Project List # 13

• Sunflower dress
• Black headband
• Update pioneer dress
• Prettied up shoes
• Pleated skirt
• Wallet
• Makeover notebook
• Trim basket
• Forum

Noticed that last one?  While commenting about some failed craft forum sites a while back, I mentioned it may be easier to start my own then trying to revived a dead one.  With that idea in the back my mind, gears started to turn.  Uh-oh.  Anyway, I thought it would be really fun to get one going, and you can never have too many places online where thoughts and ideas are shared.  I will probably need plenty of help with it though, so feel free make a few suggestions if you wish.  I would greatly appreciate it.

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More Supplies and Festivities

I promised yesterday to show what I got from SAS (a discount fabric store in Tempe, AZ), so here we go.

On the bottom is some tulle that was 75 cents a yard.  I’m not sure yet what to do with it, but isn’t that always the case with me?  Above the tulle is a couple yards of an adorable poly-cotton print that was $1 a yard.  I’m going to use it for another dress and possibly a skirt, not a surprise.  Look forward to that later.  On the right is a card with two different kinds of eyelet lace.  It’s several yards worth of each and the card was only $1, same as the large spool of lace at the top of the photo which was the real bargain of the day.  There’s so much I will probably get totally bored with the lace before I run out of it.  That’s what I love about this store, too bad I don’t frequent it as much as I would like to, but the few trips I take are worth it.

I also mentioned something yesterday about something fun this weekend.  The Mesa Arts Center is having their Dia De Los Muertos Festival this Saturday and Sunday.  I stopped by it last year, but didn’t get to stay long since I had a funeral to get to, too bad.  Anyway, this year should be fun, and my family seems excited about it too.  Check here to learn more about, assuming anyone is in the Phoenix area or will be this weekend.

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Done Already?

Sorry I haven’t been around the last few days.  But I have a lot to go over.  I made a trip to SAS, that’s this really great craft store around here that sells stuff really cheaply, I will show what I got tomorrow.  And I have some good things planned for this weekend,  I will talk about that tomorrow as well.  Plus, I finished the rest of my list too.  Not all the pictures are very good though, camera troubles again.

First up, headbands, with one of the worst photos ever.  My birthday is in a couple of days and of course I needed something for my twin sister.  A while ago, she made some stretchy headbands for her and her daughter, but they didn’t come out that well.  So I think these lacy ones will help, I even made a matching wristband.  Hope she actually likes them.  And no worries about spoiling the surprise, she doesn’t read my blog.

 Next up, here’s my Halloween costume.  Anyone remember that green dress I made a while ago that didn’t come out quite perfectly (see Stick to the Pattern), well I did mention something about using it for a costume.  I took it in a little and shredded the hem.  The wreath for my hair is made from spiral notebook wire with strips of fabric and trimmings woven in it.  To finish it off, I made some odd arm accessories with strips of ripped fabric, some elastic and snaps.  If anyone asks, I’m a forest sprite, not Tinkerbelle.  The only problem with the costume is the weather.  Despite some assumptions about Arizona, it does get kind of chilly this time of year in the evening and I think my jacket would ruin this costume.  What to do?

Now this bag is an amazing work of recycling.  The fabric is from a pair of pants I didn’t like anymore, the clasp is from a vintage beaded purse that got chewed up by a dog I was sitting, and the lovely pearls along the clasps came from that same chewed up purse.  Now I have a nice new bag for practically nothing and it’s saving the planet too.  Yay.

Last but not least, I had gotten this sweater vest for 25 cents years ago but just got bored with it although I still love it.  Doesn’t make any sense.  What to do with it?  Chop off the top and make a skirt.  Now I have a cute sweater mini-skirt, perfect for Fall weather, at least when paired with tights and cute boots.

Here’s the updated list:

• Skirt
• Lamp shade cover
• Sewing machine cover
• doll makeover
• dress
• scrunchies
• head bands
• costume
• bag
• vest recon

10 down and out.  Of course I will probably have the next list up by Friday seeing as I now have about 5 new projects that I need to start on immediately.  More on that later.

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All Scrunched Up

Recently I have developed a love for scrunchies for my hair.  I can’t quite explain it really, I just think my ponytails look cuter with a wad of elasticized fabric tying them up.  It took a surprising amount of time for me to realize how easy it would be to make some, especially considering how much fabric scraps I have saved up plus the large amount of elastic I got from Goodwill a few weeks ago. 

 

I whipped up five so far, they only take about five minutes each, that’s with taking my sweet time.  I could theoretically have one or two to coordinate with just about everything in my wardrobe.  Maybe that would be a tad excessive, they would be great for gifts though.  Like stocking stuffers for the upcoming holiday season.  Can’t forget about that.

Here’s the updated list:

• Skirt
• Lamp shade cover
• Sewing machine cover
• doll makeover
• dress
• scrunchies
• head bands
• costume
• bag
• vest recon

Six down, four to go.  The next couple have to be done by next Friday, for a very special reason.

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Just a Tip

Raise your hand if you have a craft blog/site/shop/etc.  That’s most of you right?  Now how many of you need a great way to promote it?  Who doesn’t, so here’s some help.  Crafty Tips is a craft directory site, lists tons of craft related sites for your viewing pleasure, plus you can add your own for free.  The only catch, you have to submit a craft tip with it. They would prefer tips that aren’t too general, but it can be things like a tutorial for a project or a way to do something quicker.  Whatever you can think of, it is actually kind of fun. 

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A Little Bit Country

So I finished the dress from the list, and of course yesterday I wore it to church.  I think people are starting to expect me to show up in dresses that make me look like “Little Bo Peep”. 

This one I thought had a sort of country flair to it, maybe that explains why someone called me Dorothy again.  Guess I shouldn’t have paired with that woven straw purse.  I use a floral print I got at Goodwill, it was only a dollar, so cool.  The print seems a little busy to me, at least from a distance.  To balance that, I kept the embellishments simple with tiny bows and eyelet lace on the hems and such.

I added some shirring on the back for ease, I think I am getting better at doing it.  In fact, I think I have greatly improved in dressmaking since my first one.  I finished this one super quick, maybe it is about time to make more elaborate dresses.  The problem is that if I made a more elaborate (i.e. Frilly) dress, would I still wear it? 
Here’s the updated list:

• Skirt
• Lamp shade cover
• Sewing machine cover
• doll makeover
• dress
• scrunchies
• head bands
• costume
• bag
• vest recon

Five down, five to go.  The next one should be up in the next couple of days.  It’s going to be really fun.

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Prettied Up

I know I said I would have this up yesterday, stuff happens. 

Anyway,  Remember that porcelain doll I found at Goodwill a few weeks ago that was in horrible condition, but had a certain charm to her? (See Another Hidden Gem)  Well, I finally fixed her up.  

Here’s the before photo.  Her hair was so tangled up, she was a bit dirty too which probably didn’t help the cracks on her face, and the outfit was horrible.  Is that suppose to be a dress?  To make matters worse, the color from the pink ran off on the white parts of the outfit, and no shoes to boot.

Now the after shot.  I cleaned her up a bit and combed her knotted hair, she actually has some lovely curls and the bangs are quite pretty.  I made her a new dress from a nice blue cotton fabric, the color really sets off her eyes.  The matching hair band really finishes the look, and I recycled part of the old outfit to make her bloomers.  I couldn’t really do anything about the cracks on her face, but I don’t think they are quite as noticeable now with all the other improvements. 

Here’s the updated list:

• Skirt
• Lamp shade cover
• Sewing machine cover
• doll makeover
• dress
• scrunchies
• head bands
• costume
• bag
• vest recon

Four down, six to go.  Next one will definitely be up by Monday at the latest.

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Dressed Up Appliances

I finally got around to finishing the next two projects.  I first must apologize for the lousy photo quality.  I had some camera trouble, as in my mom wouldn’t let me use her nice one, something about not putting it away when I was finished.

Anyway, here’s my lovely new lamp shade, after I improved it.  I forgot to take a before photo, but you probably wouldn’t have wanted to see it anyway.  It looked so awful before, the ugliest lamp shade ever.  It just took some scraps of fabric and tulle, some lace, and a glue gun to give it a new lease on life.  The fabric I used came from a dress I cut up for last year’s Halloween costume, I am still finding plenty of uses for it.

Moving on, I had this t-shirt that I thought was really cool but not good for me color-wise.   I also had a major need for a cover for my sewing machine.  Put two and two together and we have… a t-shirt for my sewing machine.  It is made sort of like a pillow cover, except instead of cutting the bottom hem to size, I folded it up and stitched it for pockets.  It’s a great spot the stash the cord when not in use and various other supplies.

Here’s the updated list:

• Skirt
• Lamp shade cover
• Sewing machine cover
• doll makeover
• dress
• scrunchies
• head bands
• costume
• bag
• vest recon

Three down, seven to go.  The next one should be up tomorrow, either that or some shopping scores.  I am going to Goodwill tomorrow, hope I find something good.

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Autumn Enough Yet?

Yesterday, I wore a special outfit to church.  This capelet should look familiar to a few of you, it’s from my last project list (see 1, 2, 3). You can’t see the shirt underneath, but it’s also a previous project, one that I mentioned I had a vintage skirt that would look great with it.  Here’s that skirt.  I got it for about 25 cents and only needed to shorten it, that’s how I got the material for the matching tie on the capelet.  What makes this outfit really special is that it only recently got cool enough around here to wear it.  That’s Arizona for you, Summer weather doesn’t quit until October.  Great if you like your tank tops, bad if you make super coordinated Fall themed outfits that you are dying to wear.  But for now, I am enjoying the weather.  Hope everyone else is too.

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Thinking Back

I posted this on one of the forum sites, but I didn’t get any response, how surprising.  Anyway, does anyone have any great stories of their earliest crafting experiences?  Here's mine.

When I was about 7, my mother got the idea to have me and my sisters start making quilts with our old clothes. The idea was to keep on adding to them as we grew up, then we would have a quilt full of childhood memories.  I didn't get very far on it at the time, but it was the first time I held a real sewing needle and I was proud of that. The quilt got put away, and many years and projects later, I found it in the closet and started working on it.  So sometime after I turned 21, I finally finished that quilt.  Sadly, I learned by comparing the older stitches to the more recent ones that my hand sewing skills haven't improved that much over the years. :(

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Now I Know My ABC’s

Anybody out there who loves to crochet and has young children or relatives to amuse.  I found this tutorial for crocheting the alphabet.  It has each individual letter broken down for easy instruction, and they also threw in a question mark and exclamation point for fun.  You could crochet signs, like maybe a bedroom sign?  Could make a good gift for someone.  Hmmm.

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A Little Side Project

A couple days ago, I embarked on a special “mission” of sorts.  Of several forum sites I frequent, two have seen better days.  I have mentioned this about Get Crafty but Daily Crafter needs help too.  They both would be wonderful sites if more people posted on them.  And I don’t mean spammers!  Daily Crafter has been hit hard with those.  I have decided to make sure to post to each of them at least once a day, mostly replies to a few older messages.  In fact, my first tactic for this is to post replies to old posts that have yet to receive a reply.  Several of the posts are from people asking for help for something or for feedback and they deserve a response, even if it takes two years for that response.  Yep, some are that old.  With any luck, more people will eventually show up to help with my “cause”.  Hint, hint.

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Like Sunshine

Of course I finished the skirt from my list already, the amazing part is that I put it on the list before making it.  It’s a gathered rectangle skirt with a partially elasticized waist band and waist ties to make it fit better.  The focus is is the strands of lace running down the front and about 2 inches from the bottom hem.  The spots where they intersect have little rosettes made from lace.  A cute idea, I just can’t remember how I thought of it, maybe I saw something similar in a magazine. 
As with all those “interesting” dresses of mine, I wore this to church today and everyone loved it.  They were also amazed by the little bonus project, the top I wore with it.  I made it an old t-shirt that was way too big for me.  All it took was a little cutting, sewing, some elastic, a some lace a ribbon.  Perfectly compliments the sunny yellow skirt.
Here’s the updated list:

• Skirt
• Lamp shade cover
• Sewing machine cover
• doll makeover
• dress
• scrunchies
• head bands
• costume
• bag
• vest recon

One down, nine to go.  Next two are things I desperately need.  Look forward to them.

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Number 12

I made my new list in record time.  Now if I can complete it in record time, then that would really be something.

Craft Project List #12

• Skirt
• Lamp shade cover
• Sewing machine cover
• doll makeover
• dress
• scrunchies
• head bands
• costume
• bag
• vest recon

I have technically already started working on this list, so the first one should be finished by tomorrow.  Don’t miss it.

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Spooky Fun

In case you haven’t checked the calendar, today is the 1st of October.  Only 30 more days until Halloween!  In honor of it, and to help the few people who haven’t already started making Halloween crafts, I have compiled a list of a few tutorials to get you started.  This covers some basics; a few decorations, some costume ideas, and a couple of treat helpers.  Enjoy.

• Skull soap
• Sock skeleton doll
• Spider cakes
• Bat treat holders
• Bloody Pillar Candle
• Coffee filter cobwebs
• Eyeball wreath
• Ghost vases
• Glass pumpkin bowl
• Spider Lantern
• Crocheted witch costume for dogs
• Super hero cape for kids
• Ladybug costume
• Octopus costume for kids
• Makeup, bruises, and fake blood

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