New Earring Holder

I, like many people am a pinterest enthusiast, and found many Pictures of different ways to hold earrings.

So I figured I would give it a go and make something more grown up than the Claire's teeny bopper stands. For space is a precious thing.

I am horrible at taking before pictures, but basically the frame was a boring varnished mess and I sanded, primed it (very important) and then painted it my favorite color of Robin's egg blue. Found some pretty lace at local Thrift store and step 1..2..3 and this is what I have.

Rather hard to get a good picture that was all shocked with the flash, but this is what I got. I didn't realize I had so many heavy earrings.

All in all I say it cost me a bit over $5.00 with frame, paint and lace, but I love it and now have more space on my dresser.

 

Whats Cooking in the kitchen

I wanted to show my new kitchen accessory. I love my local grocery store that has the bulk bin section, with grains and nuts and rice and really yummy yogurt covered pretezels...mmmmm

Anyway I also love that they have a bulk spice section too. I don't like spending $$.$$ on spices when they are said to only last roughly 6 months.

My mom has had the same spices in her cupboard for at least a decade, finally I tossed them for her, sshhh she still hasn't noticed.

 And I like to experiment in cooking and don't want to buy a big jar when all I need is a tsp or so, well as you can guess with all this spice purchasing I had tiny little bag filled with spices waiting to be used on a dish, probably for a few weeks cause I lost the recipe, and I had to be very careful cause I didn't want to put Chipotle Chili pepper, or garam Marsala in my Molasses cookies and Allspice in whatever else I am making, actually that might not be a bad combo.

So I was out and about one friday after taking my Bella to school and found a few yard sales, and low and behold I found an old spinney wooden spice rack, and it had all its bottles, and because it was at a yard sale the price was fabulous, a dollar. I at first thought of using it in my craft room as I had just read in my sewing magazine, but then I remembered all my sad little bags of spices and I figured I would use it as it was intended, but after a much needed makeover.

I am really bad about taking before pictures, usually cause I am so excited about starting a project that I don't want to hunt down my camera and then hunt down my battery charger. But I found a similar looking one online

 

Just mine was a bit more darker and had a lot of varnish, grease, yuck on it.

 

Well I spent 2 days sanding it, BY HAND, and after sneezing sand dust out of my nose I was down to the bare wood. (NOTE: to anyone who sands where a mask and protect glasses seriously)

 

Then already deciding to paint white I spray painted, let dry then again

(2nd NOTE: always prime pourous material, otherwise you'll be painting forever)

 

Then I took a 220 grit sand paper roughed up the lids of the bottles and using chalkboard paint painted them with 2 coats. I was so excited that the minute, okay the next day I added all my spices to there new jars and wrote on the lids with a chalk marker and lets just say, I am in love. Not all my spices fit, and I have another spice rack hanging on the wall in total I have 2 spice 'racks' one hold 9 and my new one holds 16. I am going to need a bigger kitchen soon.

 

Here is the finished product

 

 

Isn't it adorable?

 

Stats: Spice holder from yard sale $1

Paint white and chalkboard:$3.50 each

Painters Tape for lids:$2.50

Sandpaper: Already had from another project

Total: Satistifaction

Miss Betty Singer

Say hello to Miss Betty Singer. She is a 1851-1951 centennial Singer. I call her a Betty for that was the most popular name when these particular singers where created, and well.... doesn't she look like a Betty

I got her this past weekend at a local flea market, she was a steal at $20.00 and yes she works, even though if she didn't I still would love her. I can not wait to play with her. I do plan on using her, mostly for simple little projects. My goal is to make a small quilt with her, can't you just see it a quilt made by my Betty, oh so excited

I will say that the case she was put in was not her original, it was some cheap fake wood thing that was breaking apart, cause Betty here, she is a thick lady. I threw the case out since it was falling apart and had a very strong stale cigarette smell. Can not believe I used to smoke, cause those smells gross me out


Miss Betty Singer

Copy Cat apron

The first time I saw this apron I was in love, I loved the yellow, the way it looked more like a dress than an apron and I even loved the gray, though I am not a big fan of the yellow and gray mix.

I found it on Pinterest and I pinned it planning on making it myself, I figure the best way to learn to sew is to challenge myself, but also to repurpose and make old new again, so I already decided to reuse a mans tuxedo style frill shirt if I found one at a local thrift shop. Just another thing to look for on those fun treasure/thrift store hunts.

Here is a photo of the apron from Anthropologie,

And here is my copycat version using a mans button up shirt

I am very proud of my apron, so proud that I don't want to use it to cook for I don't want it to get dirty. I didn't take any pictures or write down what I did but its pretty simple and will give a tutorial for anyone who wants to know my version. I also plan on making another anthropologie apron here in a few weeks, after I make a few dresses for my Bella, for it is spring and her 2013 wardrobe is very bare.

Stats:
Mans shirt at thrift shop $2 after 50% sale
1.5 yrds Yellow Fabric $3.75 after 50% off coupon
2 pkgs Light gray bias tape $2.90 after 40% off sale
Total cost: $8.65
Cost of Anthropologie apron: $32.00
Savings: $23.35
The extreme pleasure and joy of making something pretty: Priceless

I am still here

I am not much of a blogger, though in my head I am.

For a few months now I have not been very active in my crafting, sad to say, and even sadder to realize, recieved some unwanted news a few months back after being extremely hopful and it put me in  a spiral of sorts and left me not wanting to do much, until recently, well since christmas time.

Christmas time luckily snapped me out of my funk enough to make a large order of pajamas and a dress for my little one, and now I am happy to say that I have an abundance of projects on either knitting needle, sewing machine, and luckily emboridery hoop.


Here are a few pictures of a little tea party I through for my baby and older niece. I mostly wanted to play with my dishes and having a tea party seemed the best way to go.

The part that tickles me the most is that everything is either Thrift store or yard sale. I love it!!

Will work on being a better blogger, right now need to down some Nyqil for nasty flu bug I recieved from little people.

Happy crafting everyone

What I have been up to

I am really bad about blogging, I have many things to write about and post but time gets away from me and I leave it for another day, which in turn this time turns into a month and a half.

But I have a good excuse, my beautiful little girl turned 6 on Friday and I have been spending the better part of July and August frantically finishing her presents.

I had this idea to fill a picnic basket to the brim with felt food. I had seen some from Pinterest, and I thought how cute, and I started off like a rocket, with a couple of slices of bread, some eggs and pancakes, but then I moved on to another gift that wasn't technically from me, but I was informed I was going to do. And since it wasn't really my plan I was hesitant and unethusiatic about it, so of course I messed up a bit on it and decided to wait until the night before her birthday to fix and finally add buttonholes, which I had yet to do, but I went for it and the giftee was happy with it as was the reciepent
here a few before and after shots of what I am talking about

A nurses smock turned into another dress for my Bella, however like I said this wasn't from me, this was from Grandma. I all worked out and I am not afraid of buttonholes now, which is good for upcoming pajama sewing.

As you may or may not see, my Bella is wearing another handmade gift around her neck, it is her very own shawl, the http://www.petitepurls.com/Winter12/winter2012_p_princess.html

except I didn't do the crown stitch I just did a garter stitch, my yarn wasn't be helpful.

So onto homemade gift #3 her felt food, I found many tutorials online, but I mostly just saw the pictures and went from there, pretty self explantory. I must say I had just as much fun making these as my Bella will have fun playing with them.

I plan on making more, I have more bread to finish, and pancakes, and I have to stuff and ice some donuts, but I am happy with what I was able to get done. For Christmas I am hoping to have turned an old $5 desk into a little kitchenette, wish me luck. I was even more surprised at how much my 10 yr old little niece was enjoying the felt food, I have a feeling she maybe getting a box for christmas.

So I have been a very busy girl, and I have several yard sale items to share but will leave it for another post.

Happy Crafting to all.

Logical thinking

The weather here as been hot as everywhere else, and its the yicky, sticky, sweaty hot that makes you not want to do anything but lay in front of the fan and not turn into a puddle. So for the most part I am not making much, no dresses no nothing.

Turning on my iron is not what I want. Sitting down is not even fun when you stick to the chair.

So what is the best thing to do in the heat, well for me it was baking, (did I mention I am a bit crazy in my thinking)  and baking the one thing that I have been wanting to bake for over 4 years and that is bread. I made bread once and it was hard as a brick and did not taste very good, so the other day I said screw it and I started the process of making Challah bread and let me tell you the satisifaction of watching simple ingredients like flour and yeast become this thing that you can eat, it was different then making dinner or a dessert, it was so rewarding that I danced with my Bella over the rise of my dough, and I had a good laugh with my mom at the fact that I had just made bread, I concered my fear of yeast and I made bread, by hand no machine and it tasted good.

The smell was enough to say I must continue making bread, and it put so many ideas in my head of gifts to give to friends and family, and of desserts and breakfasts' to make, and the one thought in my head was "Holla, I made Challah"

So to everyone out there I hope there are little things, and big things that you finally say I am going to do it and you do and you are proud not because you did it perfect, cause trust me I didn't but that you quite telling yourself you couldn't and faced failure and you learned something new, and you danced a bit, even if in your heart.