28 Feb

UFO Lamp

“Retro” can mean different things to different people. For me, it means mid-century modern with a dash of kitsch, and alien space ships are definitely kitsch! This UFO light fixture is perfect for a little boy’s room. And the best part is that it’s made from simple materials — plastic lanyard lacing and stainless steel vegetable steamers.


The entire thing was a snap to make. I used a few basic tools to replace the glass shade on a standard halogen pendant with my UFO lampshade. Then I added the lanyard to make the ship look like it was spinning through the air.


And when you turn out the lights, you’ll discover that the lamp holds one last surprise. Yes, it glows in the dark! What could be more fun for a kid’s room?

28 Feb

Toothbrush Rug

I have always loved the look of toothbrush rugs, so I was excited to make one for “retro week.”

They add a unique feel to a room and feel wonderful on your feet because they’re extra squishy.

I used one of my favorite color combos (aqua and red) to create a fresh version of a traditional craft.

Toothbrush rugs are simple to make and require no sewing machine. One would look great in a kitchen, bathroom, or entry way. Constructing a rug is a super way to use fabric scraps you aren’t sure what to do with!

28 Feb

-closed-

Here is the winner of the Quilt Taffy $25 gift card! If you are Stina please let me know so I can pass your info on. Congratulations!!

——————————————————————–


Sweet Treats Without Getting Sticky

Corrie & Des enjoy creating on their combined blog – Taffy Talk. They’ve got tutorials, products & a weekly Thursday giveaway for your creativity. Des is Taffy Jane on etsy where she shares her passion for quilts with quilt patterns. Corrie runs Quilt Taffy.com and on etsy — carrying fabric, patterns and more. We’re here to be your online stash of fabric, patterns and goodies.


Come join us on the blog, we’d love to meet you.


You could win a $25 gift certificate to spend as you wish.


To enter just go visit Quilt Taffy or Taffy Jane and choose your favorite item listed. Come back here and leave a comment to let us know what it is! Remember to leave your contact info!

28 Feb

Retro – Week 4

Craft #1 – Toothbrush RugJenny

I have always loved the look of toothbrush rugs, so I was excited to make one for “retro week.”

They add a unique feel to a room and feel wonderful on your feet because they’re extra squishy.

I used one of my favorite color combos (aqua and red) to create a fresh version of a traditional craft.

Toothbrush rugs are simple to make and require no sewing machine. One would look great in a kitchen, bathroom, or entry way. Constructing a rug is a super way to use fabric scraps you aren’t sure what to do with!

Craft #2 – UFO LampKim

“Retro” can mean different things to different people. For me, it means mid-century modern with a dash of kitsch, and alien space ships are definitely kitsch! This UFO light fixture is perfect for a little boy’s room. And the best part is that it’s made from simple materials — plastic lanyard lacing and stainless steel vegetable steamers.


The entire thing was a snap to make. I used a few basic tools to replace the glass shade on a standard halogen pendant with my UFO lampshade. Then I added the lanyard to make the ship look like it was spinning through the air.


And when you turn out the lights, you’ll discover that the lamp holds one last surprise. Yes, it glows in the dark! What could be more fun for a kid’s room?

Craft #3 – Vinyl in FeltEmily

What’s more retro than vinyl records?? Being a music lover, I love vinyl records!! If I could collect them all and play them all the time I would! And what’s better than having a bit of vinyl in my favorite fabric…felt! These vinyl record coasters were so fun and easy to make. They’ll look so cute and they make great gifts for the music lover!



Just take a look at the detail, textured just like a real record!

Craft #4 – The Gidget DressKristin

Perfect for friends…..


Perfect for playing…..

Perfect for hugging…..


The Gidget dress is easy enough for a beginner. Made from linen, it lightly flows and is the perfect breathable fabric for spring and summer!

And as long as you are making one dress, you may as well make three so all the friends can match!

Made from a simple a-line dress. I will show you how I designed and made these simple dresses using clothes you own as a pattern OR by cutting up a cheap pattern to re-design your own.

These dresses have coordinating fabric buttons on the front (which I made with the linen from the dress). This dress also has a simple button down back that DOESN’T use button holes…So if you have been intimidated by button holes, there is no excuse to not make your own Gidget dress!

Craft #5 – Record PurseShannon

RETRO means something different for everyone. The items you categorize as RETRO will depend on the era you grew up in. When I think RETRO I think orange, olive green, and brick red, bold prints, shag carpet, records, huge ear phones, one piece jumpsuits, macrame, etc…

I have combined several of the items I consider to be RETRO to create…
a RECORD PURSE.
Not only having a new purse, (which we all LOVE) and helping the environment, (by saving records from the landfill) you can be a conversation starter! Everyone will want to know where you got yours from. And of course they’ll want one for themselves.
Up the sides I used a RETRO technique, macrame knots, to hold the records in place and add a pop of print. The fabric I chose combined the colors I consider to be RETRO (gold, brick red, olive green, and rust) and of course the print is Paisley.
I lined the inside of the purse with more brick red fabric. I included two small peek pockets for chap stick, gum, keys, and your cell phone. There is two large pockets for magazines or bills. And then the main pocket for your wallet, pens, and other purse contents. I finished off the strap with the same color and a big decorative macrame knot.
So poof that hair, stuff that purse full, and take the trolley into town…
You never know who you might run into or what might happen when you are carrying a RETRO RECORD PURSE!

Craft #6 – Flower Child DressKalleen

Who knew looking back would look so good. This flower child dress will change the way you think about the 70′s.

I raided my grandma’s sewing cupboard to find the perfect retro fabric and inspiring dress patterns. Once I got past some of her stuff that is old and outdated I found this floral silk. It’s 40 years old but still bold and fresh.

Of course I couldn’t stop with just a dress. This flower child needed some new shoes and a wide headband to complete her look.

Now I am just wishing the remnant was big enough to make me one.

Craft #7 – Retro Magnetic BoardSarah

I had a lot of fun going all out (or maybe… overboard!?) with the retro theme this week! I used both retro materials and retro techniques to create this magnetic board.

My Retro Materials: The board itself is actually an old tin ceiling tile that was salvaged and spray painted white. My grandmother gave me some old quilting squares that she got in the Florida Keys ages ago, and I’ve been saving them for the perfect project. Sometimes it’s hard to use fabric you love so dearly, but when it turns into something this beautiful it’s a little easier! My Retro Techniques: I’m not much of a quilter, but since this was just a teeny project, I decided to tackle it. After quilting the squares together I used one of the oldest crafting techniques there is… decoupage! This step was a little tricky, but in a winning tutorial I’ll share all my secrets!

20 Feb

Here’s the winner of the DECOmod $30 credit...

If you are Jessica please contact me so I can pass your info on to Ann. Thanks and Congratulations!!

—————————————————-


Ann at
DECOmod Walls wants another person to win a $30 credit to her Etsy shop! Here’s a little bit Ann had to say about herself and her shop:

I am a lover of decorating. I like simple and modern. I like the idea of vinyl because it is fast and is a not so permanent solution.

When decorating my kid’s bedrooms, I knew that I wanted some modern graphics painted on their walls, but wanted it done quick. I started to search online for vinyl, but didn’t find what I wanted. I decided I would design my own, and that is how DECOmod Walls was born. Our slogan is “design for the discerning decorator”. We hope to provide some never-been-seen-before vinyl designs and we’d also like to add our modern flair.


To enter just go visit her shop DECOmod Walls and choose your favorite item listed. Come back here and leave a comment to let us know what it is! That easy! The winner will be announced Monday!

20 Feb

For the Kitchen – Week 3

Craft #1 – Kitchen on the GoSarah @ Create Studio

Sometimes having a meal in our own kitchen doesn’t fit in the schedule. For those times we need a kitchen on the go! After much research, I created a food-safe reusable sandwich bag and a snack bag that is perfect for eating out.

I discovered that many types of oil cloths and plastic-lined fabrics allow harmful chemicals to seep into the food. I made these bags using freezer-safe gallon sized ziplock bags as the liner. To wash, just turn them inside out and rinse!

They close just like the old sandwich bags pre zip-lock. With these bags, you’ll be saving money and sticking to your eating goals in style even when you can’t eat at home!

Craft #2 – The Sophisticated PlacematEmily @ Skrpbook Mom’s Diary

As a mom of young kids, I often ask them to set the table for me while I’m making dinner and it never fails that they wonder where to place everything. I have seen placemats for kids to help them put the utensils etc. in the right places, but they aren’t really something that fits my style. That’s how I came up with this beautiful placemat…sophisticated enough to leave out on your table all the time!

The top of the placemat is muslin and the bottom side is cotton fabric…so that it can match with whatever decor you have in your kitchen. The outlines of the dishes are done with free hand stitching, twice over for that semi-messy look.

Now you can ask your child to set the table or if you’re like me and always forgetting which side the fork goes on, this placemat will help out and be sophisticated at the same time!

Craft #3 – Menu BoardJenny @ jennygarland.com

I try to stay on top of menu planning so I can steer clear of the 4pm “What in the world are we going to have for dinner??” panic! And it’s a great way to save money.

Before I made this magnetic menu planning craft, I simply wrote what we were going to eat for the week on a piece of notebook paper. Not cute. And one of the kids would grab it and suddenly our “menu” was MIA!

The menu planning board I made utilizes Scrabble tiles for the days of the week:

It has plenty of space to write your meal plans or use a magnet to attach a recipe you intend to use.

Interchangeably, you could use this project to write your weekly grocery list:

All of the pieces are magnetic and easily removable! This project looks great hanging on the refrigerator or sitting on an easel.


Craft #4 – Reusable Lunch Bags
Kristin @ Pea Pod Creations

Pack up some kitchen lovin’ with these reusable lunch bags, complete with matching reusable snack and sandwich bags.

Pick out lining to reflect who each bag belongs too. The reusable bags co-ordinate too, and are lined (with a ‘plastic’ like feel) so that they can be wiped clean. There is even a spot for your napkin and silverware to go.

Send them to school or pack them up for the park, just make sure you have your lunch bag packed and ready to go!

Craft #5 – Personalized Face PlatesKalleen @ At Second Street

I wanted to create something fun for the kitchen. Something to make mealtime more enjoyable for everyone. Something that would replace crying and threatening with laughter and smiles. These Personalized Face Plates did just the trick.

I’ve been wanting a ” Food Face” for a long time. But, I didn’t want a mass-produced plate, I wanted something personalized. I thought it would be more fun to dress and eat from the faces we already know and love.

Grandpa’s face is especially special since we lost him to cancer a few years ago.

My kids have shown everyone who enters the door their new toys and talk about who’s face they want to eat next.

Craft #6 – Flower Napkin RingsLinda @ Craftaholics Anonymous

For the Kitchen, I made Napkin Rings from a couple old belts that I don’t wear anymore. I thought they’d make some killer napkin rings….. and be a cool repurposing project at the same time. The hubs was a little worried, at first, when he saw me holding my belts with scissors in hand. I don’t blame him! I was a little nervous about ripping apart perfectly good belts, but man, these Napkin Rings turned out awesome!

The Flower Napkin rings are my favorite out of the different sets I made. The cute pink and green flowers are perfect for Spring! {And the romantic dinner the hubs and I had the other night….}

Using belts to make napkin rings was SO easy! I used things I had around the house and so it cost me nothing to make these beauties. Don’t ya just love a good repurpoing project that doesn’t cost a dime :)

Top: a few other napkin ring sets I made. Bottom: the Flower Napkin rings came from this fabulous belt.
Now I have some cool buckles to use for other projects. wahoo!


Craft #7 – Recipe Organizer
Shannon @ Shannon Makes Stuff

The Kitchen is NOT my favorite room in my home. And the worst part of my day is cooking. I don’t like deciding what to cook for the week and once I do and get the groceries by the time the end of the week comes I have forgotten what recipes I have the supplies to make. So I decided to create a place to put my weeks worth of chosen recipes!

You simply hang this over your pantry door or your cupboard door. It adds some fun to your kitchen as well as organizing those recipes you have picked out to use.

The front of the pantry door or cupboard will look like this:

Underneath that snazzy flower is a clip to hang the current recipe you are creating from so the card doesn’t get food all over it during the cooking process. And during the day you can hang notes or your apron from it!
The inside of the pantry door or cupboard will look like this:

Seven clips with your recipes attached. I started from Monday to Sunday because I shop on Monday and that’s the start of a new selection of recipes!
This ‘Weekly Recipe Organizer’ is a Great way to keep you in the Kitchen and out of the Drive- Through! Because simply planning a week worth of recipes is the hardest part! And what’s better than a little pop to your kitchen?


Craft #8 – Modern Dish Towel
Kim @ The Sassy Crafter

One of my philosophies in life is to elevate the everyday to the extraordinary whenever possible. Take dish towels, for example. I’ve been known to splurge and spend $15 or even $20 for the elegant ones sold at Anthropologie. But despite their beauty, I’ve found that those towels fall short… literally.


Many people (myself included) hang their dish towels from the oven door handle. It’s a convenient spot but not always the most practical. The problem is that every time little hands tug on them or you’re standing at the stove to make dinner, the towels fall to the floor. To solve this issue, I created my own dish towel that is both stylish and practical.


The towel is made from 100% cotton jersey that is super absorbent. I deconstructed two men’s T-shirts and used stenciling, reverse applique, and embroidery to create this look. I was inspired by techniques in Natalie Chanin’s Alabama Stitch book, but the design is entirely mine. A great thing about this project is that the sewing is so simple that even a beginner can do it — you don’t even need a sewing machine.


And thanks to two buttons at the top, the towel stays put, even if little hands pull on it. When it’s time to dry dishes, all I have to do is unbutton it and it’s ready to go.

20 Feb

Modern Dish Towel

One of my philosophies in life is to elevate the everyday to the extraordinary whenever possible. Take dish towels, for example. I’ve been known to splurge and spend $15 or even $20 for the elegant ones sold at Anthropologie. But despite their beauty, I’ve found that those towels fall short… literally.


Many people (myself included) hang their dish towels from the oven door handle. It’s a convenient spot but not always the most practical. The problem is that every time little hands tug on them or you’re standing at the stove to make dinner, the towels fall to the floor. To solve this issue, I created my own dish towel that is both stylish and practical.


The towel is made from 100% cotton jersey that is super absorbent. I deconstructed two men’s T-shirts and used stenciling, reverse applique, and embroidery to create this look. I was inspired by techniques in Natalie Chanin’s Alabama Stitch book, but the design is entirely mine. A great thing about this project is that the sewing is so simple that even a beginner can do it — you don’t even need a sewing machine.


And thanks to two buttons at the top, the towel stays put, even if little hands pull on it. When it’s time to dry dishes, all I have to do is unbutton it and it’s ready to go.

20 Feb

Recipe Organizer

*Project by Shannon @ Shannon Makes Stuff*

The Kitchen is NOT my favorite room in my home. And the worst part of my day is cooking. I don’t like deciding what to cook for the week and once I do and get the groceries by the time the end of the week comes I have forgotten what recipes I have the supplies to make. So I decided to create a place to put my weeks worth of chosen recipes!

You simply hang this over your pantry door or your cupboard door. It adds some fun to your kitchen as well as organizing those recipes you have picked out to use.

The front of the pantry door or cupboard will look like this:

Underneath that snazzy flower is a clip to hang the current recipe you are creating from so the card doesn’t get food all over it during the cooking process. And during the day you can hang notes or your apron from it!
The inside of the pantry door or cupboard will look like this:

Seven clips with your recipes attached. I started from Monday to Sunday because I shop on Monday and that’s the start of a new selection of recipes!
This ‘Weekly Recipe Organizer’ is a Great way to keep you in the Kitchen and out of the Drive- Through! Because simply planning a week worth of recipes is the hardest part! And what’s better than a little pop to your kitchen?

20 Feb

Flower Napkin Rings

For the Kitchen, I made Napkin Rings from a couple old belts that I don’t wear anymore. I thought they’d make some killer napkin rings….. and be a cool repurposing project at the same time. The hubs was a little worried, at first, when he saw me holding my belts with scissors in hand. I don’t blame him! I was a little nervous about ripping apart perfectly good belts, but man, these Napkin Rings turned out awesome!

The Flower Napkin rings are my favorite out of the different sets I made. The cute pink and green flowers are perfect for Spring! {And the romantic dinner the hubs and I had the other night….}

Using belts to make napkin rings was SO easy! I used things I had around the house and so it cost me nothing to make these beauties. Don’t ya just love a good repurpoing project that doesn’t cost a dime :)

Top: a few other napkin ring sets I made. Bottom: the Flower Napkin rings came from this fabulous belt.
Now I have some cool buckles to use for other projects. wahoo!
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Hi! I'm Missy and I'll be your host. “So You Think You’re Crafty” is a head-to-head crafting competition - the first “reality” blog.  Every 10 weeks a new group of crafters is selected.  Each week the crafters are given a theme and YOU vote for your favorite.  

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