Fabulous Steampunkery!!

Song of the day: Storybook Love from the Princess Bride movie.

So on my favorite craft site, Craftster, I’ve done some swaps with other people. Swapping is where you join in a group and a leader matches you up to your likes and dislikes and skill level. There are tons of different types of swaps: Disney, Dr. Who, Harry Potter, household stuff, hoopla, etc. I just finished a Small Steampunk Swap. I absolutely love what I received, but that’s not what this post is about.

I stepped out and tried making something new. I sew a bit here and there for me and my kids. But steampunk is new waters for me. I made her a tie on bustle

which was what she specifically wanted in her questionnaire along with an embellished tea tin

 and some wrist cuffs. While I love the bustle and tea tin, the cuffs are my favorite! I got the pattern from a book called Seams to Me and they came out fabulously with some cute little brass buttons! What do you guys think?

I’m doing a craft fair in Sacramento at the end of next month and I’m thinking of making a bunch like these and selling them. If that goes well, I might just set up an etsy shop. J We will see how it goes. Comments and constructive criticisms are welcome!

Have a great week everyone and have a great Memorial Day! Remember to thank a veteran and thank current military too!

Freezer Paper T-Shirts for kids

Song of the Day: Season of Love by Shiny Toy Guns

Hey everyone! I know it’s been quite some time since I posted but, what can I say? I got a job! So yay for me!

 As a result, I will probably be posting something every day for the next few days to play catch up. :)

 The neat thing about having a job is that I now work in a craft store so I can get crafty new things just about every day. That works perfect since it means El and I can do more things for a cheaper price. The other day she and I made t-shirts for her and her best friend. I created a stencil and copied it onto freezer paper, cut out the parts that needed cutting out and ironed the shiny side down onto the shirt. Then we painted in the stenciled parts  (making sure to put some freezer paper or plastic under the shirt and on top of what you're painting on!!) and let them dry (since we both have little patience regarding just waiting we used a hair dryer). They came out super cute!

And I think we are going to make a few more now, too. My family sponsors two kids through World Vision and these are perfect for sending through the mail. El and I have been talking and we really want to make some way cool shirts for the boy and girl we sponsor and I think it will help to show El how we can show love and create beautiful and useful things for others even if we have never met them face to face.  If you’ve never heard of World Vision, you should look into it. And if you have, but haven’t sponsored a child yet, go HERE and get started! It’s a wonderful thing to do. 99% of what is donated goes straight to the kids. It makes it so that they can have clean water and food and clothing. It also makes it so that they go to school and are able to learn what they couldn’t if they didn’t have this money. We may be in a depression or coasting in the United States, but there are places all over where children don't have enough to survive on. Even in the USA.

Ok, that’s my soap box message.  Make cool shirts, sponsor a child through World Vision.  Have a fantastic  week!

Sewing Blogging Anniversary: Japanese Edition link!

Hey you guys! If you haven't heard of or read The Sew Convert you totally should! She is such an inspiration: constantly making stylish and easy clothing for herself and her family. And to celebrate her blogging anniversary she is hosting a fantastic giveaway! Check it out and have a great day!

Awesome Memory Boards!

Song of the Day:

Roll Away Your Stone by Mumford and Sons

Hey everyone! This week has been pretty fun craft and non-craft wise alike. It was my sister’s birthday this week so I made her something special that I knew she wanted. She has two kiddos of her own. Her son is in kindergarten and her daughter is getting ready for preschool and my sister had told me several times how she wished she had something to put their achievements on other than the fridge. I was only more than happy to obligeJ.

I created some cork memory boards! All I did was remove the glass from some large picture frames, put down two layers of rolled out cork onto the backs of the frames and covered it with some beautiful fabric. You could use a staple gun, but I used a hot glue gun instead, to apply the cork to the back of the frame and making sure it stays flat in the middle (no saggy middles, please!). After that, I cut some fabric to reach just an inch or so around each edge of the back of the frame and the cork, gluing (stapling) all the way around to keep it tight. To finish, I just slipped the border back into the glassless frame and the fabric and cork board back into it’s space, making sure to firmly pinch the tabs down. Voile! You now have a fantastic memory board! Now go and get some cute push pins and you have a super personalized memory board. J

The fabric I used for her sons board is called Golden Afternoon and I couldn’t help getting the skull push pins. They are too cute and very boyish!

The fabric for her daughter’s is called Mama’s Cottons and went perfectly with the cupcake push pins. J Thank you all so much for your comments and thoughts!