Recycled Tag Tutorial

I have never EVER purchased gift tags- once again why buy when you can create! I have been recycling clothing and merchandise tags for a while now and the holidays are the perfect time for this simple project.

I keep a stash of recycled tags on hand in my studio ( I always save tags in fun shapes and unique sizes!)

Simply paint over tags- I painted mine with simple white acrylic paint for a clean slate and then started creating!

I stitched...

I beaded....

I dripped....

I collaged.... my way to an entire collection of unique tags for all of my holiday gifts!

Toilet Paper Roll Angel Tutorial

Here I go again with my passion for creating with toilet paper rolls! This is a project that I can remember making as a kid during one of the many crafting nights we had as a family. My mom and dad organized all kinds of fun projects for my brother and I every day leading up to Christmas day! I decided that this season I would put my own twist on this project- this is a great one for kids and adults and literally costs next to nothing!

Start by painting toilet paper and paper towel roll with a thick coat of white paint.

Once dry cut out a simple crown shape from the tops of the roll.

Paint faces on the surface of the rolls- I have always loved painting whimsical faces (inspired by my wonderful and diverse friends and family) and it is something that I find simple but if you are not comfortable with drawing and painting a face- try use a black and white photocopy of a faces and glue to the surface of the roll and then paint with bright colors.

Once satisfied with your angels, create wings from thick paper, fabric or canvas. I created my wings from Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky Back Canvas (of course!!)

Attach the wings to the back of the angels (with craft glue or even hot glue).

Use the angels on a mantel, on a bookshelf, in your holiday decorating...

Or use as a tree topper

Holiday Ruffled Top Tutorial

I am giddy over here because I FINALLY seem to have caught up with the major tasks on my to do list and while I am learning that being self employed kinda means there is always something to do, I am happy that I can start to enjoy some well earned down time here and there! And it also means that I get to hang out online with all of you and share more inspiration and tutorials in these last few weeks before the holiday madness really starts!

I recently noticed that everywhere I go ruffles, applique and unique adorned clothing seems to be everywhere and so far I have not found anything I like under $40.00 (too much $ for a bargain hunter like me!!)

And since this is the season for parties and entertainment, I set out to figure find a way to make a cute ruffled top for under $10.00 that I could wear to one of the many events that I will be attending in the next couple of weeks. While every project I come up with seems to be a favorite- this one is really my favorite!

Supplies-

Cotton white tank top from Target- $5.00

(when I buy "cheaper" tshirts and tanks I always buy a couple of sizes larger than my true size- I am a small size but I bought a size large in case of shrinking or to give a little room)

1 yard of white muslin- $1.49

Variety of shimmery white beads- $2.00

Needle and thread

Total= $8.49 WOW!!!

With the money I saved I bought (yet) another pair of earrings from my MOST FAVORITE etsy seller- Polished Two to match my new top!

Start with a plain, solid colored tank top.

Use a large piece of muslin and cut out circles and strips in a variety of sizes.

Start by adding a ruffle along the neckline from a few strips of muslin.

Use the circles of muslin to create lots and lots of ruffled flowers by stacking them on top of each other and sewing then together by hand.

Add little beads to the center of each flower.

Begin adding the the flowers along the neckline, on top of the ruffle.

Add as many flowers as you like- I added more to one side of the neckline.

And there you have it- a simple, chic and lovely little top for the holidays!

Vintage Inspired Fleece Hat Tutorial

In my never ending quest to figure out cool, simple projects to do with little money I came up with this tutorial after one of my many visits to fabric store (it feels like I am always there!!). I am a little obssessed with looking though the remnants bin- they are cheap and often I find fabric I could never afford in large quantities to use in smaller projects! This week I discovered that it seems this time of of year EVERYONE is buying fleece- I am assuming that winter fleece projects are popular right now? After digging through a huge pile of fleece remnants I found 3 great colors- 1-2 yard at $1.50-2.00 each...what a DEAL!!! I decided right there that I wanted to figure out how to make a hat out of the fleece that I could wear but would also be a great gift idea for all of you out there in blog land!! So here we go!

While I don't consider myself to be a really girly girl (I wear motercycle boots and black almost every day!) I do love a vintage spin and a little "throw back style" in my wardrobe (one of my favorite books of all time happens to be Anne of Green Gables!). So I decided I wanted a warm girly hat with a big flower that felt a little vintage.

Please note that I don't like patterns- they give me anxiety- so I came up with my own way to create this hat without using a pattern -I am sure there are lots of patterns and maybe even easier ways to make a hat but this worked for my simple brain :)

Start with fleece- I decided I wanted three different colors and I wanted a really pretty color- grey, plum and black combo (color is EVERYTHING!)

Measure your head by wrapping the fleece around your head and mark.

Cut a strip of fleece to size.
Keep in mind that this strip will be the main part of the hat so the taller you want your hat- the wider this strip will be.

Cut another strip of fleece in a contrasting color- this is option- but I wanted the look of band around my hat.

Fold the strip in half and sew down to the bottom of the wide strip of fleece making sure to sew only at the bottom of the band- this will force it to stick out a little on top and have a little depth to it.

Once the band is sewn on- turn everything inside out and sew the ends together.

At this point it should look like a hat without a top :)

Now it is time to make the top of the hat- You could have fun making the top a different color or use the same color as the bottom of the hat.

Trace the outside of the hat.

Cut it out.

Note- before sewing it down make sure the two pieces fit together you may have to trim a little excess off the edges to get a clean fit. It also helps to pin the two pieces together and then sew the top to the bottom.

Sew together- I chose to let the stitches show because the black stitching compliments the black band (and I just love the look of stitching!!)

At this point you could leave your hat simple or add a flower.

To make a flower- use a bright and colorful piece of fleece.

Cut out circles and stack on top.

The more circles the bulkier the flowers will be.

I used four layers.

Sew the layers together with a pretty button in the middle.

Attach to the hat.

I had quite a bit of leftover fleece so I whipped up a quick scarf that is made from the leftover squares and then stitched on the outside.

The end result is a pretty vintage combo perfect for the winter months :)