Heart to Heart

Three

I started to photograph a tutorial for these sweet, quirky invitations that we came up with for my daughter, Natalie's, birthday.  But, I decided that they were pretty self-explanatory by just looking at the picture.  They were made very inexpensively, but with a lot of love.

A fateful trip to Hobby Lobby yielded the perfect party plates.

I'm feeling mighty blessed these days.  This brown-eyed girl brings an energy into our lives that we enjoy heartily. 

And don't judge my underwear-flaunting, shirt-lacking child.  We'll worry about the latter in later years.  She's simply wearing her finest.  Her birthday suit.  How fitting.

A proper display for a proper collection

My mother in law was so good about keeping special momentos from my husband's youth.  I gladly inherited at least 50 baseballs.  Each baseball represents a homerun he hit.  I displayed them for a while in a large glass jug, but it truly didn't do them justice so I came up with this display. 

The top pegboard still needs to be drilled in completely so it sits nicely against the wall.  This little project was so easy and it is so fun to walk by them and read the stats on each one.

 
Last year, Ethan played his first season of tee ball and at the end of the season he was awarded this ball.

 
One day, Daddy's Wall of Fame will become Ethan's Wall of Fame as we replace his homerun balls with Ethan's. 

1.  Buy 2 pieces of pegboard

2.  Paint the rough side so the paint adheres.

3.  Purchase these hooks

and you're in business.

This is another simple, cheap project in his room.  I'm always looking for interesting ways to display photographs so I grabbed 6 old clipboards from my husband's desk, some scrapbook paper and Mod podged it onto the  clipboard.  After they dried completely I slipped in the photographs (5x7's)

My next craft blog will be a quick tutorial on how to make this name banner.  It is so easy and cost me less than 10 bucks to make.

AND this room with THIS wall is my next project.  We've just purchased a shiny new piano and it was a great motivator to fix up the spare room/office/piano room.  I always get asked what paint color I used on this wall and I'll gladly share it as I searced a looooong time for the right red....not too bright and not too orange.  It's Sherwin Williams' Roycroft Copper Red.

   I'll leave you with one last image and let you drift off into your own decor adventures.  Thanks for etting me share.

  

At Home: Create with me

In case you haven't checked in this week (for shame) you may be noticing that I've changed the look of my blog.  I'm one for change even though I may tell you that I hate change.  I'd be more accurate if I told you that I hated the transition, but I DO like change.

I've reconfigured the categories over there ------------->>>>>>
you see?

I'll be adding a few more categories in the coming weeks under the 'At Home' section.  I've got a few guest bloggers lined up that will be blogging about things that behoove you and not necessarily recipes.  I needed to tidy up the blog and remove some old categories and add some new ones.  IF, IF, IF  you find my new system over there ----------->>>>>>>>>>>>  too fancy or hard to navigate then please let me know so I can make it user friendly.

We loaded up and went to Mimi's a few days ago to borrow her closet, turned craft room.  Isn't this neat?  I'd like to have one installed in my own home for unruly children and reinforced with a dead bolt. Oh, I kid.

While there, I worked on a little project:

It's so flippin cute that I would really like to add bows and ruffles to the rear-side of my Hanes.  But, I run the risk of turning cute into horrendous so I'll refrain from embellishing my own under-britches and stick to embellishing Natalie's shirts.  Deal?  Or no deal?

I first saw this t-shirt idea on the Family Fun website.  If you've never been on their site and you have small children, you should bookmark it and check it often.  I loved it when I was a teacher and I love it as a momma.

I bought these fat-quarter fabrics at an awesome fabric shop in Old Town Spring a while back and I loved the patterns and colors.  I was going to use them for a different project, but never got around to it so I decided to use them for this.

My theory for mixing and matching is choosing patterns that all have complimentary colors despite the pattern and throwing one that belongs on a totally different color pallette for quirk.  See the green on the far right?  It doesn't really match, but it's green and it works.

To start, you'll need a 1 inch by 12 inch strip of each fabric.  I'm giving measurements for those of you that must have numbers, but I didn't measure.

Next you'll need a plain tee.  Using a marker, make two parallel rows of dots.  One set for each strip.  Just see below because I know I'm not making myself clear.

You can see that I used a ruler to space them apart evenly and this is the result...

Using pointy, sharp scissors, cut a teeny slit on each dot.

Next you'll push a fabric strip across each set of slits like so

Tie each strip in a bow and do the same for the rest of the fabric strips

I added the ruffle at the bottom to balance the shirt a bit, but you don't really have to if you don't want to use a sewing machine.

All done!  Here's the shirt again.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

My mother is the original artisan in my family.  I suppose it was her 23 chromosomes that forged the innate desire in my own persona to create.  My dad is a pretty creative and smart dude, but creative and smart about dude things like buildings (award-winning buildings). 

As long as I can remember my mother has created with her hands.  So, I can't apologize if at times I seem overzealous.  Perhaps, my desire to dabble in all things from photography to yo yo quilts has at times annoyed you.  Did you want to throw up when I posted pics of my Halloween decor?  I can't help it.  It's in my genes.  It's her fault. 

She's always dabbled in floral artistry, but has recently taken on clients interested in her high-end floral art.  I went with her to a client's home recently to take pictures of her work for her portfolio and I had to share some of her work with you because I'm so very proud of her and glad to have been formulated in her creativity-infused body.

my very favorite

At Home: Yo Yo Quilts - A totally do-able quilt

Happy Monday!

I'm back to shooting schedule this week and next before leaving town for a week.  So, I'll be posting some this week, but not everyday as I have the kids full time and a few commitments this weekend that will require some attention during the week.

But...

Like many of you, I've always got a mental list of 'projects' I want to start and ideally finish, but this one I wanted to share with you as it is an easier alternative to a traditional keepsake quilt.

I'm no seamstress.  I can thread my sewing machine and sew a straight stitch like it's nobody's business, but the buck stops there.  As much as I would love to concentrate more on improving my technique I'm just not that passionate about it. 

Let me preface this project tutorial by telling you that I'm no packrat, but I am rather sentimental about certain objects - one of them being my kids clothes.  When I recall events or milestones in their lives, I tend to associate them with the things they were wearing.  I really wanted to create a keepsake for them using swatches from favorite shirts, but as you know I'm no seamstress so a traditional quilt is realistically not gonna happen.  However, I've discovered the simplicity of yoyo quilts and I'm giving this a go.  Yo yo quilts can be used as coverlets or you can affix them to a backing for a more traditional look.  I haven't quite decided what I'll be doing, but I have plenty of time to decide as this will be a long on-going project.

The basics:  Creating a fabric yoyo

1.  Cut a template out of cardstock of a circle with a 4 inch diameter.  Use this template to trace and cut circles out of your fabric.  In my case, I'm using my son's shirts.

2.  You'll be using a simple running stitch along the perimeter of the circle, but you'll have to turn the edge down roughly 1/4 of an inch.  I'm not about precision here. 

3.  With your needle, you'll create a simple running stitch.  With a running stitch you just go in and out of the fabric.  There's nothing fancy about it.

Here's what your stitch will look like.  Notice, that mine is not even at all and it is just fine.

4.  You'll run the stitch around the entire circle.

5.  Once your stitch has gone all the way around, you'll pull on the thread and cinch the material.

6.  You may have to loosen the pull just a little to get this cute, flat, puckered yoyo.  Be sure you secure a good knot before cutting off the needle and thread.  Here's a handy video I found on the web to show you how to properly do this.  My tie-off technique is far from proper. 

This is a fabric yoyo

Once you've sewed several yoyos you can start putting them together.  I'm going to make blocks with my yoyos so I started by sewing lines of three...

And then I will sew the three lines together to make a yoyo block!

This is not an overnight project by any means, but I've loved working on it because it's such a portable project.  In the afternoons, when I take the kids outside to play I take my stuff with me and work on it while they play.  It is very relaxing and it's a great feeling to make something with my own hands that my son will be able to treasure in future years.

I hope some of you will try this!

At Home with Buffy a.k.a. BJane

After reading about Buffy's sewing applique technique  I asked her if she  would be willing to share a picture tutorial with all of you.  She agreed to come over with sewing machine in hand to demonstrate for you how this is done.  I'm so flippin' excited to know how to do this.  Don't be surprised if you see me strolling around town with a "V" or a "29" appliqued to my shirt.  Don't you put it past me.  Hell, I may applique a shirt for all who live under this roof.  Just because I know how.

Meet Buffy.  Buffy maintains a fun blog over at BJane Brewing  and she had the audacity to tell me she's not photogenic.

Here are some basic supplies you'll need:

Buffy suggests that you wet and dry any fabric you'll be using to ensure that it won't shrink on you later on.

For this tutorial, Buffy is demonstrating an ice cream cone applique. 

1.  Create a template on card stock and cut it out.  In the picture above you'll see the orange ball and orange cone template.  Once you've got that ready, you'll trace it onto the Wonder Under (available at fabric stores) and cut it out.

2.  Once you've cut out your shapes from the Wonder Under, you will place the rough side of the  Wonder Under on the back side of your fabric and iron together.

3.  Cut around your shapes using regular scissors or pinking shears for a decorative effect.  Repeat these steps for your cone shape.

4.  Peel off the Wonder Under from the fabric.

5.  Position the cone shape onto your garment and iron over it to affix the shape onto the fabric.

6.  Before ironing on the icecream ball, you'll be stitching on the cone for extra detail and enforcement.  You can be creative with your decorative embellishments and hand sew or blanket stitch instead of using the machine.  Sew just inside the edge of the shape. 

{ Bjane Tip 1 -  you should make sure your machine stitch is not too tight so your fabric doesn't pucker.}

{ Bjane Tip 2 - when you begin a machine straight stitch, be sure you go backwards over the beginning of your machine stitch to lock it in place...I didn't know this. )

7.  Next iron on the icecream ball and stitch around it.

8.  Last, attach the button embellishment.

You're done!  If you're worried about fraying, BJane recommends the following product, but we agreed that a little fraying would just make it cuter.

Buffy made two onesies and the owner of one is Crystal Chesser's new baby girl, but she kindly made an extra for a blog reader.  Leave her some love in the comments section and she'll be choosing a winner from these names tomorrow at 5 pm Crosby Standard Time. 

Now, go make your icecream shirts.

At Home: A different kind of recipe

The cast:

1 sander
1 gallon of paint
1 smaller can (quart??) of a different shade
1 roller
1 brush
and a helpin' of elbow grease

Let it be known that I don't blog to gloat (unless I'm blogging about my daughter's bum).  I blog what I do hoping to provide encouragement.  So, if you're of the attitude that I blog to make others feel bad, then you're probably no friend of mine and I will now  (sweetly) ask you to refrain from checking my blog.  :)  BUT, if you love looking at photography, if you love finding new ideas, if you love learning and crafting AND sharing then you're my kind of pal and DO stick around.  I'm always drawing inspirations from others' knowledge and creativity so when I 'figure something out' I like to pass it along.

Great.  It's off my chest.  I feel better.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.

I am so upset that I didn't take a 'before' picture of this dresser bought almost 6 years ago to serve as a changing table for my son when he was a wee little one.  It was an unfinished set of drawers that we painted, laid a changing pad on top and used as his dresser/changing table. 

The years have taken their toll on this piece of furniture.  The paint was scratched and the wooden knobs broken.  But look at her now...

I'm still missing the knobs on the right drawers, but you get the idea.

I started with a paint card (with the colors that go from light to dark).  I picked two paint colors from the same card that were right next to each other for a monochromatic look.  If you want something more contrasty you can pick color shades further apart on the card or two different colors altogether.

I lightly sanded the entire piece in about 20 minutes using my newly-inherited sander.  Thanks, Dad.

I painted the whole piece using the lighter shade and a roller brush.  Once it was completely dry, I used painters' tape to tape off the center 6 inch stripe down the length of the drawers.  I then used the darker color to paint within the pieces of tape.

After the paint dried completely, I used a piece of brown paper bag to lightly sand any bumps created by the paint.  I sprayed a couple of coats of polyurethane on the dresser, let it dry, sanded and done with the paint.

I purchased the knobs at Lowe's for $1.37 and replaced the broken wooden knobs for a more custom look.

It was SO easy and only took a few hours.  I was ready to get rid of this dresser, but for about 30 bucks she cleaned up quite nicely.

Now, I'm looking for things to paint around my home.  My legs are looking a little ghostly these days.  Wish I could brush on a coat of 'tan'.

Our Halloween Recap

Inspired by my October issue of Southern Living and Martha Stewart's awesome Halloween ideas, I decided to surprise my family with a "Boo Bash" before heading out to the church festival and Cousin Dan's for trick or treating.

The fun pinwheel doo-dads hanging from the ceiling were from Martha Stewart's Living website and were a cinch to make.

I coffee-stained some cheesecloth and it turned out to be just the right amount of eerie.  I saved it to use next year for Halloween.

And on the menu:

Mummy Dogs and Fritos

Spider web dip for the mummy dogs

and Ghost Cookies

Admittedly, it was a bit tedious but worth every ounce of trouble to see this face when he walked in to the Boo Bash Surprise

And then we were off to the church carnival.  Ethan decided at the last minute that a magician was not what he wanted to be.  His happy face was short-lived and replaced by this I'm-angry-at-mom-for-not-letting-me-be-something-different-at-the-last-minute face.

Alas, we arrived at the carnival with the grumpy magician and his fat non-disappearing bunny.

and frowns were turned upside down in a jiffy

despite the bunny's refusal to partake in any magic tricks with her magician brother.

The Master Copyteer

We had a great playdate today with the Phillips and when Kristy went into Nat's room she noticed my latest creation:

Now, before you get too impressed let me tell you that it was 'inspired' by this Pottery Barn Creation:

I feel like a somewhat creative person with original ideas, but I'm also darn good at replicating looks I like with my own spin when it comes to decorating.  This project was so easy with no technique involved.  All I used was a pencil, paint, and a round lid to trace.  Voila!
Here's a picture of Natalie's room.  The wall that this mural is on is the side where her changing table is.  The secretary desk in the corner belonged to our Mimi when she was a little girl and what an honor to have inherited it.  Not only that, but Mimi refinished it and painted it to match Natalie's room.