Scarfapalooza 2011

Sorry my posts have been infrequent as of late . . . remember the "Breaking Dawn" purse from the last post?  Well, it was a hit and I got orders to make two more!  Not to mention, I've had tons of regular orders as well.  This holiday season has been awesome for my shop!

I have a lot of people to "gift" for, as I'm sure all you guys do.  I always like to make presents for the 4 nieces on my side of the family . . . sorry, in-laws.  You have too many dadgum kids!  ; )  Seriously, I love all my nieces.  I always like to imagine I'm the cool aunt that watches "Adventure Time" and makes cool purses.  I'm afraid that I'm actually the creepy aunt that makes my nieces ugly crap and makes them put it on so I can take endless pictures.  Sigh.  Oh well.  You decide . . .

I've had fun playing with t-shirt scarves lately.  Here's my first one:

I made it to go with this dress--it has a crazy pattern in crazy colors so I never have any accessories to wear with it.  I cut up part of an old "Whoppers" t-shirt from high school to make it.  I get tons of compliments whenever I wear it.  Here's a great tutorial showing the basic method to making this kind of scarf.  All you need is a pair of scissors, a 100% cotton t-shirt and five minutes.  Literally.

I like my crafts like I like my women: cheap and easy.  (That's a joke.  I like difficult crafts, too.)  I decided to make scarves for my nieces.  I only had one day to do it since 3 of them were going to Utah for Christmas.  I did 5 scarves total in one afternoon.  Some of them are a little crazy but I was going on what they said their favorite colors were and also their personalities.

This was the first one I made for my friend Shelonna.  I really like the chunky braid . . . if you can braid hair, you can make this scarf.

A different version of the braid one for my oldest niece.

Neon green and purple, with a tiny peace sign charm for the next one . . .

I loved how the scarf matched the outfit she was already wearing!

Next up, for my 6 year old niece who said her favorite color was "ice blue."  Where do they come up with this stuff?  Anyway, I cut up an old shirt of mine that had a ruffled neckline.  I cut the neckline out and used it as one of the strands.  I thought it came out really pretty but . . . 

You can't please everyone.  LOL . . . 

Finally, for my 3 year old niece who is a total diva . . . 

A ruffled scarf.  This is perfect for the Diva since it resembles a feather boa.  These are so adorable and require NO sewing.  They're a little more complicated but it doesn't require any special skills (here's a great tutorial for this one).  The little candy cane rosette is glued to a hair clip that can be worn in her hair (doy) or as an accent on the scarf.

Since she's only 3, I didn't think she'd get what it was since it's basically a pile of fluffiness.  (Tip: When you layer all the different ruffles together, sew a tiny stitch in the middle to keep from losing layers and to keep them together.)

But I tell you, she opened it up and gasped, "I got a pink scarf!"  She wrapped it around her neck right away and didn't take it off the whole night!  She loved it.

So if you're still scratching your head (or digging through an empty wallet) on what to do for Christmas, these scarves are a great option, not to mention fun to make.

My Regrets to Ron Perlman . . .

Every year, I carve a pumpkin.  I seriously look forward to it every year.  Unfortunately, this year I had surgery at the beginning of October so I've been "out of it" so to speak.  So, when I carved this pumpkin, I was not only "out of it" but I was in a fog of pain killers and well, pain.  Can you tell I'm giving all kinds of excuses for my less than stellar pumpkin?  I guess I'll never top my Sweeney Todd pumpkin.  Maybe I should just carve Johnny Depp from now on . . .  Sorry, Ron Perlman.  Sorry I failed you and your lion-esque jaw.  (Hangs head in shame)

This year I got some new tools: wood carving knives.  I've used pottery tools in the past.  Pottery tools require a pulling motion, whereas wood carving knives are pushed.  It was different, but I liked it.  The tools where much sharper and I got work done much faster.  I got this set at Hobby Lobby for $8.99 + a 40% off coupon . . . you do the math.  I don't wanna.

The tools.

I adore both the Hellboy movies and I've been wanting to carve Hellboy for a couple of years now.  Here's my inspiration photo:

The inspiration.

I pride myself on the fact that I don't use stencils and never have.  I simply sketch directly on the pumpkin, using a magic marker.  If I make a mistake, I wipe it away with a damp rag.  Then, I go over it all with an orange or red Sharpie.  That way, the lines don't show on the finished pumpkin.

Sketching . . .

More sketching . . .

The carving.

Again, I was in a hydrocodone haze so I really focused on the smaller shapes rather than the whole picture.  It came out okay, but not as I had hoped.  Sigh.  And, I managed to cut way too big of a hole in the bottom so some light is peeking out.  Double sigh.  There's always next year . . . 

Along Came A Spider . . .

Wednesday night was Trunk or Treat, our church's annual Halloween party.  We always go overboard on our costumes . . . I wind up stressing myself out trying to get it all done but every year I'm glad I did!  Our little man picked our theme: Spiderman!  The irony?  His was the only getup that required no crafting on my part.

I got to be Spidergirl!  I found the dress (normally $50) for $9 on eBay.  I'll never buy a new costume again!  I realize I look more like an ice skater than a superhero, but I still think it was cute.

Just like every other female in the world, I'm obsessed with Kate Middleton.  This year I vowed to make myself a fascinator for Halloween no matter what I dressed up as.  When else would I get an opportunity to wear something so frilly and ridiculous on my head?  So here's what I came up with:

Yes, it's more drag queen than Duchess of Cambridge but I still love it.  It was super easy, too!  I started out with this glitter spider clip from Undead Pinups (best shop name EVER) on Etsy.  I added blue glitter glue to the silver stripes.  I cut a black widow symbol out of red felt and coated it in red glitter glue, then attached it to the spider's abdomen with hot glue.  Next, I covered a headband base with blue felt and coated it in blue glitter glue.  I cut out about a 12 x 12 inch square of red sparkle tulle and folded it in half.  I gathered the cut ends, making the tulle into a half circle.  I hot glued the cut ends to the underside of the headband.  I cut a slit in the felt on the headband and slid the clip inside, and hot glued it for stability.  And, there you go! 

Next up was my hubby's costume: Doc Ock, or should I say Doc Ick.  This costume gave me such a headache!  We made the arms from vacuum hosing (at Home Depot for around $10) and wire hangers.  I made the claws from foam core and attached them with hot glue.  The Hub was insistent that the open claw had to have a light in it, just like in the movie (Spiderman 2).  He found an LED light at Radio Shack for $1.  I stuffed it in the tube, glued it and duct taped it into place.  We couldn't find a trench coat, so he just bought a shirt and I think it still worked fine.  

 The Hub made a harness out of an old backpack and a metal grill.  I ziptied the arms to the grill and there you go.  Doc Ock.  My hubby is very shy but he likes to get into Halloween.  He got a lot of attention and compliments at the party . . . I could tell he was really excited with how it came out.  

In the end, the hard work was all worth this picture of Hub and the Little Man:

Graduation Station

t's graduation season again! Last year, my first posts on this blog were tutorials on graduation-themed crafts, so I thought it was worth reposting . . . along with a cute graduation cupcake tutorial as well. Enjoy!

UPCYCLED DIPLOMA FOLDER GRADUATION SCRAPBOOK

It's been four years since I graduated from college. My college years meant so much to me and I honestly mourned school after I left. Making this little album was a great healing process for me (yes, I'm a total dork). I made it four years ago but I still think it's a pretty cool little idea.

Most diplomas are presented in a fancy folder with the school's seal on top like this one. Once the diploma is out and in a frame, what can you do with these folders?

The inside of my AASU one features a sketch of one of the buildings. When I first saw it I got a little lump in my throat because I recognized it as Gamble Hall, the dusty little English building where I spent most of my hours at AASU. Later I realized, duh, it could be any of the buildings on campus since they all look alike! The sketch endeared me to the folder anyway and I had to find a use for it. I decided to make a photo album out of it.

Since the folder isn't very wide, I was able to only fit six pages (3 page protectors) inside. I chose to make a horizontal album, since the building sketch was horizontal. The album would work just as well vertically if you prefer . . . in fact, you may have an easier time finding 8 x 10 page protectors that are vertical. I used 8 x 10 horizontal page protectors (by SEI--I'm not sure if they still make them, it's been awhile!) and sewed them together on the right side. You can also punch small holes up the sides and tie them together with ribbon also. I hot glued the back of the last page protector to the inside of the folder and voila! A cute, personalized graduation album. You or your graduate will treasure this for years to come . . . I know I do!

Let me know if you make one of your own. Send me links to your blogs . . . I'd love to see how you interpret this project into your own style!

GRADUATION MORTARBOARD CARD

I got the idea from a great book called Creative Card Making for Scrapbookers (by Memory Makers). I've had the book for years and in fact, it was a hand-me-down from a friend. Even though it's old and maybe out of print (Amazon was out), I've gotten endless ideas for cards from this book. This graduation card is just one of many really nice ideas. To make it my own, I added a nice extra element if you're interested. Here's what you'll need:

black cardstock
patterned cardstock
small tassel (I found mine at Hobby Lobby in the decorator fabric section)
black button or large brad
adhesive (Tombo Mono is my fav)
stamp
ink

2.5" x 4.5" strip of white paper (regular or cardstock will work)*
ribbon*
hot glue*
*these are the materials for my "add-on"

Here's the text from the book:

"Begin with two identical square pieces of patterned paper (mine were 4" x 4"); adhere together, patterned sides out. Fold glued square in quarters; crease. Open and fold diagonal so that the square collapses into itself along crease to form square one-quarter the size of the whole. Adhere black cardstock squares to top and bottom of folded form. Adorn with button and tassel to complete mortarboard. Stamp sentiment inside card. (by Jodi Amidei)"

I slipped my tassel on a big brad and pushed it through a black square BEFORE I glued it to the patterned paper. I also wet embossed the "Congratulations" for a little more texture. Here's what it looks like when you open it.


I just love how it pops open, sort of like origami.

Once I made the card, I realized that I had no room to write a note. (No, seriously. I didn't figure that out until it was time to write a message!) So I wrote a small note, rolled it up, tied it with a ribbon and glued it to the top of the card to make a little diploma. Here's how to do it:

Write your note on the slip of paper. Starting at the BOTTOM of the note (that's important!), roll up the slip of paper around a pen.

While the scroll of paper is still wrapped around the pen, tie a ribbon around it.

Squeeze a line of hot glue at the very top of the scroll (just inside the top edge). Push the diploma on a corner of the mortarboard card. Now, when your graduate opens the ribbon, your note should spring open! Cool, eh?

GRADUATION CUPCAKES

A couple of girls at my church just graduated high school, so I wanted to make them a treat. I found these ideas online . . . I LOVE the internet. Check out these cupcakes!

I actually changed a few of the ingredients. I used a Ghiradelli caramel square for the top of the cap rather than a chocolate-covered graham cracker . . . I thought the cracker would be too heavy (not to mention not the right scale!). The cap was made by "gluing" the square and a mini Reese's cup with melting chocolate, then gluing a Fruit Roll-up tassel to a mini blue M & M. (If you want to make these, I suggest using a toothpick as a dowel . . . the cap is pretty heavy, and won't stay put!) The diploma, in the original recipe was made with fondant . . . uh, I've never worked with that stuff, so I found these new Golden Oreo straws that I covered in white chocolate . . . and the ribbon is again, Fruit Roll-ups. Everything went very well, except the frosting. I suspected I made it too thin, not to mention it was a super humid, rainy day. The frosting totally fell, so that's why it looks so pathetic in the picture! Anyway, I thought they came out really cute. (BTW, I have worked with fondant since then and it's not so bad . . . but I think the Golden Oreo sticks--if you can still find them--are much tastier)

My DIY Halloween

This Halloween is the first year I actually sewed something for myself. I've thrown costumes together from pieces of thrift store finds but I've never actually made something new for a Halloween costume.My son loves Batman and has been asking to be Batman for "Edd-o-ween" for months. He got a great costume from his uncle for his birthday last month so he is set.

I asked him what I should be for Halloween and he answered, "You be Wobin." That means, "Robin." I was so touched that he wanted me as his sidekick (and all of us moms know that this won't last for long!) that I was determined to be Robin at any cost. I was surprised to find that they actually make Robin costumes in women's sizes. Two problems. Problem #1: It looks like this:

For those of you out there who have this costume, more power to you. It's just a little too, er, tarty for my taste. Plus, I'm lacking in certain areas to fill out the costume as expertly as this model does. Problem #2? It costs $40 at the least, not including the leggings I would need to wear to cover my pasty legs. So, this price was totally out of my budget. I would have to make my own. Here's what I did:

I made the skirt and cape from scratch. I used this tutorial to make the skirt. It's the first skirt I've ever made and it only took about an hour to make! I bought a red v-neck shirt and the red elbow gloves at Walmart. One of the gloves fit fine but the other one was made for a woman with kielbasa fingers . . . seriously, it was huge! So I "took in" the fingers of the glove with my sewing machine and it magically worked out. For the logo on my shirt, I used craft foam and hot glued it on. That's the beauty of costumes . . . you can totally jimmyrig them with no worries! I prefer the foam to felt because it offers sharper edges and colors. Finally, the belt and boots were already in my closet. So, the final cost adds up to this:

Skirt and cape materials: $10.00
Shirt: $3.00
Gloves: $3.00
Foam: $0.99

Final: $16.99

MUCH better than $40, not to mention I had over 2 yards of fabric and lots of foam left over that can be used for other projects (I overbought!).

Another perk of making your own costume is that you can do anything you want . . . and if you're like my hubby, he has some unusual requests. Our Batman wanted the Hub to go as Killer Croc (from the cartoon). Er, a giant, spiky gray crocodile man seemed a little out of my league so we settled on The Penguin. I thought we should go for the classic 60s show look but the Hub preferred the 1992 "Batman Returns" look. Finally, we decided on an amalgamation of the two. There was just one thing the Hub had to have . . . webbed gloves. Insert groan here. But, amazingly (I was full of luck this week!), they worked out okay. I drew around my husband's fingers and cut out some knit white fabric. I don't have a serger so I was surprised my regular little machine did such a good job of sewing the gloves. His hands look more Ninja Turtle-ish to me, but I'm still happy with it. I also made his vest (it's not a whole vest . . . I only sewed the front and pinned it on his shirt), bow tie and pocket square. Because he wore a suit he already had, borrowed a top hat from my brother and carried our umbrella, his costume cost a whopping $10.00 (including the makeup). Nice!

I'm really proud and happy with how our costumes came out. Batman approved and we had a great time at our church's Trunk or Treat last night. I was surprised at not only how easy all this was but that I had fun doing it. I might just have to make our costumes every year!