Sea Glass

A couple more sea glass pendants that I made :)

 

sea glass pendant



sea glass pendant



Sea themed Fabric Book! (pg 5 & 6)

Check out pages 1 & 2 of the cloth book, pages 3 & 4 of the cloth book
**update: pages 7 & 8 of the book here, pages 9 & 10 of the book**

 

Page 5 - the Crab

 

fabric texture book - crab

 

Does the red fabric look familiar?  It's a scrap piece from Hubby's Prince William costume from Halloween a couple years ago!

 

 

 Page 6 - the Octopus!

fabric texture book - octopus

Fabric scraps from a dress I made way back when

 

It's so much fun actually getting to use scrap fabric for a project, I love going through and remembering all the projects I've worked on in the past :)

 

Pages 6 & 7 will be posted soon!



Sea themed Fabric book! (pg 3 & 4)

Check out last weeks post to see page 1 & 2 of this fabric texture book! (and pages 5 & 6 of the cloth book!)

 

 **update: pages 7 & 8 of the book & pages 9 & 10 of the fabric book here**

 

 

Page 3 - Turtle

 

The turtles shell fabric was cut from a scrap of fabric that I made a baby blanket out of for my niece.  The ric-rac is leftover from a quiet book page

 

The turtle was attached to the page with iron on adhesive, and the ric-rac is sewn on. 

fabric texture book - turtle

 

Page 4 - Oyster

This orange & white material was leftover from a tank top type shirt that I made back in college.  The pearl is a layer of pearly white puffy paint, and then a layer of sparkly puffy paint, to give a slightly different texture.

 

The oyster shell & eyes were attached with iron on adhesive.

fabric texture book - oyster

 

Come back next week to see pages 5 & 6!

Burlap & Lace Wreath

I've been wanting to make a burlap wreath for so long!  But always forget about them when I actually get to the store, so it was perfect that I nearly walked into everything I needed for the project as it was set up on a cute display in the center of the aisle :)

 

burlap & lace wreath

 

I wasn't quite sure how to wrap the burlap, but thanks to the internet, found lots of helpful instructions.  I bought a medium sized wire frame for the wreath, and one roll of the burlap which had an overlay of lace attached to it.  I can't remember how long the rolls were... but it turns out I needed 2.  You could easily cut your own strips of burlap instead of using the rolls of it, which I may do in the future.

 

After securing the burlap, I attached a couple silk flowers to the wreath and that was it!  Super quick project, it took about 10-15 minutes to make. 

Last minute pirate Halloween costume!

Other Halloween costume ideas & tutorials: Thing 1 & Thing 2, Royal wedding style William & Kate, DIY petticoat, more pirate or witch costume pieces, (more mix & match pirate costume pieces), & Dorothy & the Lion

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This pirate costume is so simple to make and can be done very last minute!

 

I just made a basic skirt (with an elastic waistband), grabbed a tank top from my closet, and cut a sash from some scrap fabric and left the edges raw.  Then, I took a couple long strands of hemp and tied knots (maybe every 10 inches or so) and added beads & fake coins to it, and tied that over the other sash.

Simple & comfortable DIY pirate costume

 

That's all. You can easily pair this with an eye patch or bandana, or other accessories

 

 

Sea themed Fabric book! (pg 1 & 2)

Do you have a bunch of little pieces of fabric from old projects that are too big to throw out, but too little to do much with?  Yeah, that big ol' scrap fabric stash that you know you'd have use for in the future...  Well here's a great scrap busting project!  It's so much fun reminiscing on the projects all your scraps are from too :)

 

I made a sea themed fabric texture book for my sweet little niece, and will be sharing 2 pages at a time for the next couple of weeks, so be sure to stop on by again in the next weeks to check it out!

 

I made the cover from fabric leftover from a cut chenille blanket.  The main pages are also made from leftover fabric from that blanket - all the layers of flannel!  Basically the size of the book was determined by the size of those scraps.  I left the edges raw to add more texture.

 

Fabric texture book

 

I've also been super into making Quiet Book pages, so I have tons of pieces of ric-rac, which I thought would add a little pizazz

Page 1: Whale

 

I cut out the shapes of the whale and used iron on adhesive to attach it to the flannel.  The netting is just sewn on in a few places to secure it.

 

The light blue fabric was from this dress that oops... I never finished!  All the pieces are cut...

Oh and that dark blue fabric sure looks familiar.... from Hubby's Prince William Halloween costume

The blue netting was leftover from fixing up an old butterfly net that had holes in it & also made a tutu with I believe (apparently I'm more behind on blogging than I realized!)

Fabric book - whale page

 

I wrote the words and did accents with puffy paint, thinking the texture would be cool.  But, I'm not so crazy about how the lettering came out & next time would use stencils.

 

 

Page 2 - Jellyfish

 

I used iron on adhesive for the purple part of the jellyfish and the eyes.  I stitched a line at the bottom of the purple fabric for added security that the ribbons would stay in place.

fabric book - jellyfish page

 

The purple fabric was leftover from a pair of pajama pants I made on my travel sewing machine while in college (many years ago)!  One day I'll post about that too... it was kind of funny :) 

 

The ribbon sewn on the bottom of the jelly fish was ribbon used for favors at my wedding!

 

**Pages 3 & 4 of this cloth book**
**Pages 5 & 6 of this cloth book**
**Pages 7 & 8 of the book here**
**Pages 9 & 10 of the fabric book **

Sea glass charms!

Some of my most recent sea glass charms!

 

sea glass pendants

 

I absolutely love making these :)

Yarn!

I didn't bring much yarn to school with me... thinking I wouldn't use it much, but I have already made several things and knew my yarn wouldn't last all term.  Not knowing if/where you can buy yarn here, I just figured I'd have to plan better next semester.  Well, my classmate went to the States for the weekend, and offered to bring things back for people!

 

I asked for yarn, if she had space, and here is what she brought back!!  I am beyond excited :)  I was thinking she'd bring a skein or, if I was lucky maybe 2.  WOW!

 

I currently have 1 of hubby's slippers done (made from the same blue yarn as my crocheted slippers) and have other projects in mind!  I crochet or knit on my study breaks to relax :)

Old towel = New heating pad

I got some cute scrub tops on sale this weekend, but have yet to sew the tops that I bought fabric for.  Today I cut a pattern (based on a top that fits me well) and fabric for one top.  Here's hoping it goes together nicely :)

 

The weekend went quick, but I did fit a little sewing in... making a rice heating pad for my Mom.  My Grandma has hers right now, and I just thought it'd be crazy to run to the store to buy another one... when they're really easy to make (and MUCH cheaper to DIY).

 

I folded an old hand towel in half lengthwise and stitched it into a tube.  I then added handles on each side, leaving a small opening on one end to add rice into the newly formed pouch.

 

 

 

After the rice was added, I stitched up the hole.  That was that!  I think it turned out kind of cute, especially for recycling old household items :)

 

Started another knitting project since I bought MORE yarn this weekend, lol.

 

Luggage Tags!

I hate the mad search for my suitcase after a flight.  I get all excited, thinking I see mine rounding the corner of the conveyor belt... only to be let down (and fear the worst... that it didn't make the connection!).  In the past, I've put pom poms and strings on my bags to help identify them, but now have something new.

These make it really easy to spot a bag!  I'm not sure which one I'm going to use yet, but I've posted all of these on etsy :) 

 

Check out my new Etsy shop CrazyBeagle  (update:  I have LOTS of new tags available now!)

 

These could also be used to label diaper bags, camera bags, laptop cases.... and so much more

 

Or, how about as a gift tag?  Lots of options!

Braided pet bed

Look what I found while sorting through boxes of junk from my childhood bedroom....

A big ball of braided fabric.  This was meant to be sewn into a rug a few years ago, but I was sewing it by hand which took forever, and other things came up.

So, I figured I might as well finish what I started... and threw the braided fabric on my sewing machine (much quicker) and used a zig-zag stitch to sew it together.

Instead of making a rug, I decided to make a cat bed or cat basket.  (since one of my dogs chewed a hole in the fleece cat bed I made for them before, it was time for another)

One of the cats is always occupying the new bed...

To make this, it's the same idea as making a braided rug (which if you google search it, there are several great tutorials).  Except, you braid a little tighter, and let it coil up while sewing.  (every now and then I'd do a slight overlap of the connecting braids)

Update:  Apparently my cats prefer the basket a little shorter on the sides than it was... they folded the edges over on the pet bed and use it that way now.

DIY pom pom luggage id

We're heading on a trip soon, and I have been procrastinating on packing, big time.  I haven't put much inside the bag, but I have been making pom poms to identify my luggage from the outside!   (the muted toned yarn I have on the suitcase handles needed an upgrade)

Here's a simple DIY tutorial for making luggage pom poms

Supplies:  scissors, thin ribbon, fabric (I used stretchy scraps from a swimsuit I made in the past)



1) Cut long strips of fabric (about 1/2" wide)

2)  Decide how long you want the pom pom strings to be on one side.  Double that width.  Find something of that width to wrap your long strips of fabric around, over and over (see below)

3) Tie a ribbon tightly into a knot around the center of your fabric bundle (in my pic above, the knot went between my ring and middle fingers.  *Leave a long tail of the ribbon so it can later be attached to your bag*

4) Cut the loops (see below)

5) For extra security that the strips of fabric won't loosen and fall out, take 1 strand from each side of the ribbon knot and tie them together.  *Repeat* with all strands, this secures the ball, and fluffs it out better.

3 step Christmas centerpiece

Here's a quick, easy and cheap Christmas centerpiece idea.  Chances are you already have everything you need to make this!

Supplies:
Candle (in a jar) - Mine is evergreen scented
Flat bottomed tray (or bowl with a large flat portion in the center)
Christmas ornaments
Gift wrapping ribbon

I ended up buying a new black tray for my centerpiece.  It was only a few bucks at Hobby Lobby, in the party section.


Directions:

1) Set your candle jar on the center of the tray and make sure it is stable.

 2) Add a few ornaments around the base of the candle jar (I used a package of 6 red glitter ornaments from my collection)

3) Cut long strips of wrapping paper ribbon and drape them over the ornaments.  I didn't curl the ribbons, they had a natural "large curl" just from coming off of the roll.

Halloween 2011 - Royal Wedding - bouquet

Another accessory I decided to make for our Royal Wedding Halloween costumes was a bridal bouquet.

Although I was hoping to find silk flowers of the actual types used in Kate Middleton's bouquet (sweet William, lily-of-the-valley, myrtle & hyacinth) I had no such luck. So, I just bought some silk leaves and little white flowers and went with it. I adore how much meaning went into every detail of William and Kate's actual wedding though *sigh*, how perfect.

Anyways, I ended up with 2 stems each of 2 different white flowers and one stem of leaves. I already had some floral wire and tape on hand (though I didn't end up using the wire).





I cut the flower stems apart and started bundling them (not knowing how large I'd be making this bouquet) and taping them together.



Then I added some leaves, then more flowers and went back and forth arranging the stems while taping more into the bouquet.


About 10 minutes later, this is what I ended up with, which for costume purposes works just fine:

Here's the side view:

I bent a couple of the long stems around to make a handle for the bouquet and wrapped them in floral tape.

To see more posts on the making of our William and Kate Halloween costumes, click on the "William and Kate" label on the side of my blog. There are quite a few instructions (especially for making the wedding gown) and they're fun DIY costumes.

For a link to other essential accessories for the wedding day "Princess Kate" costume, check out this post

Halloween costume ideas & tutorials!

Halloween is almost here! What are you (or your kids) going as? If you are still unsure, here are some ideas for costumes you can make. Some are quick and easy, others are more involved. Click on the links for each costume discription if you want to see how it was made.


Thing 1 & Thing 2 this post gets a lot of attention on my site. They're fun & everyone knows who you are!






Prince William & Kate Middleton, Royal wedding style are the costumes of choice for Hubby & I this year (while, of my choice, thanks Hubby). They're works in progress right now, but here's the first post on the making of Kate's dress. Many more posts to come on these costumes, check them out in the future.  (** check out the completed William & Kate costumes**)

If you're wearing a full dress check out my petticoat tutorial to make your own for a fraction of the price they ask at the stores.


This skirt which can be used for a witch or pirate, is a classic. Depending on your mood and time, you can make these costumes simple or go all out. Here are some other mix and match pirate costume ideas.



Dorothy & the Lion are fun costumes. You can add or remove more characters from the Wizard of Oz to fit your group size (or go alone as one of them) You never know if you'll run into the rest of the cast while you're out. (Hubby & I went out and there just happened to be a duo of the tin man and scarecrow, crazy chances)


Whether you're a lion or another large feline, here's a way to spice up some paws or if you go the lion route, make your mane extra cool.



Don't forget your pets! Here's DIY posts on making a Santa hat, antlers, and Tin man hat. As always, be careful to make sure your pet knows these are costumes, not their treats!


Happy costume making!


(I haven't posted about them yet... maybe some day, but I've also gone in recent years as Boo from Monsters Inc when she's in her monster costume, and Pippi Longstockings)

Flip Flop Failure

You know those flip flops with extra wide straps meant for decorating? Well, my little and I (big brothers big sisters) decided it would be a fun project for a rainy day to decorate some summery sandals.

We went to the store, picked out our flip flops and some "bling" aka strips of adhesive rhinestones specifically meant to decorate these flip flops.

It was simple to apply/decorate the sandals.... but after about 1 hour of wearing them (and trying to fix them over and over), here is what mine looked like:



Major bummer. I wonder how my Little's held up... probably about the same.

So, I'm thinking I have 3 options for these lovely flip flops
1) remove the rhinestones & decorate them with something else
2) remove the rhinestones & leave the flip flops plain
3) try gluing the rhinestones back on with another type of glue

I have quite a few plain flip flops so I'll probably try option 1 or 3 some time. (We had a box of "dancing shoes" aka flip flops at my wedding for people with sore feet... so there was no excuse not to dance! Apparently I over bought though, as there were lots of extras lol)

Bracelet / Headband

I love making loop chains (I don't know what this is actually called... do you?). I used to do this a lot with yarn when I was younger, so for old times sake figured I'd try it out again.

Instead of yarn, I grabbed a spool of ribbon (one of the many left over from my wedding :) ) and made a loop chain (finger weaving?).

To do this, make a loop at the end of the ribbon big enough for your fingertips to fit through it. Next, stick your fingers through the loop and pull the ribbon through. This forms a new loop through which you will stick your fingertips in and pull the next loop.

(sorry for the blurry picture)

Continue this looping process to the desired length.


I made my loop chain long enough to be a bracelet wrapped around twice.

OR, it can be used as a headband. I think it would look better to make another chain so the headband had two spaced a little bit apart.

Classic bow hair clip

Here's how to make a classic bow hair clip. For a change up, this bow could also be put on the headband from yesterday or something along that line.



1. Cut a strip of ribbon for the bow (longer or shorter depending on how big of a bow you want) my ribbon probably started out about 5" long which gave about a 2 1/2" bow at the end.

2. Make a circle with the ribbon you just cut and pinch it together so the two raw edges of ribbon are in the center of that pinch

3. Sew the ribbon together where it was pinched

4. Cut a small piece of ribbon that is big enough to wrap around the center "pinch" of the piece you just created.

5. Put tacky glue on the backside of the bow and glue the new little piece of ribbon down (see below)



6. Let it dry

7. Push a clip through the back of the ribbon (the loop you just made) or stitch some loops on the backside so a clip can be hooked on that way.





I stitched loops on the back of mine, so a bobby pin can be used.


You can also make the center piece of ribbon tighter, for a slightly different look.

This takes about a minute, and only costs a few cents. MUCH cheaper than buying one at the store! (and pretty easy too)

Button hair clip

Here's another super simple, ultra fast hair accessory that you can make with things you already have in under a minute.

Supplies:
Buttons
Felt
Hair clip
Tacky glue



1. Cut felt piece large enough to cover the hair clip, and hold whatever you will be gluing onto it.
2. Glue the felt onto the hair clip
3. Glue the buttons on
4. Let it dry, and it's ready to go!

Tutorial : Quick & easy hair accessory

This week is "accessory week" on my blog. I bought a bag of hair clips to decorate, and busted out some scrap fabric to make a really simple hair accessory. This is a NO-Sew hair clip. It's the perfect project for this busy holiday season!

Here is how it was made : (it only takes a minute or two)

1. Grab a scrap of fabric from your stash, and a hair clip.

2. Cut the fabric into the shape below (cut it larger or smaller based on how big you want your bow. My fabric was roughly 3 times the length of the hair clip to start)

3) Use fray check around the perimeter of the fabric you just cut to prevent it from fraying too much. (though it is not supposed to look too finished either)

4) Tie a knot, it will now look like the picture below.

5) Slip the hair clip through the knot you just tied, but on the backside of the bow.

6) That's all! The best part is that you could easily tie several different bows, and change them out on the same hair clip, depending on which accessory you wanted that day.

* you could also tie this bow onto a headband or hair tie for a slightly different look*