My $9.56 Fall Mantle

I can NOT even believe this summer is almost over!  Or that I'm about to have another birthday, or that my little boy is almost ONE.  The past few months (more like the past year) have seemingly disappeared.

I am not particularly excited about the end of the summer because it seems like we didn't get the chance to do many fun summery things due to a busy schedule and the infernal temperatures for most of the past 3 months.  HOWEVER, the end of summer means the beginning of fall, which I am definitely excited about.

There is a new epic time-waster in my life (Pinterest) which I'll write more about later, but the upside to the countless hours I've spent on that dang website is lots and lots of inspiration for all kind of things, including fall decor and recipes.  I've been wanting to change up our mantle for awhile now, as it has been the same since we moved a year ago and it's not really anything to write home about; just a smattering of some random vases, candles, and so forth.  I got a lot of ideas on Pinterest for a fall mantle, but I really didn't want to spend a lot of money.  So here's what I came up with:

Things I already had: mason jars (they seem to be all the rage these days, good thing I have lots!), coffee beans (used to fill a couple of the jars), yellow vase, votive and pillar candles and jar candle (I seem to hoard candles, I forgot I had all these), candlesticks, and frame.

Things I bought on sale at JoAnn: garland ($4.79), berry sprigs (2 @ $1.79), and a package of leaves ($1.19) one which I put in the frame, and the rest I'll also use for a centerpiece.

I would be prouder if I had done it for less, but 10 bucks isn't bad, right?

Easy Summer Skirts

I saw this online awhile ago, and it is just BRILLIANT.  Luckily I already had some elastic thread in my sewing stash, so I quickly set out to make one of these. 

It turns out, they are so easy and fun that I've made 3 so far and have material and supplies to make even more!  I bought some men's 2XL shirts on a super-cheap clearance rack and made a couple following the directions (although, I found out I had to take in the sides of the top of the skirt about 4 inches BEFORE shirring). 

I also had some cute fabric that I wasn't sure quite what to do with, so I whipped up another skirt using plain old fabric.  I took a skirt I already had to use as a pattern, cut 2 pieces of fabric the width of the bottom of my pattern skirt, and cut a slight A-line to the top (but made the top much wider because the shirring takes in several inches).  Then I sewed the sides together and hemmed the bottom, and did a very simple hem on the top before shirring.  At first it was a little loose around the waist, but I was thankful later because washing and drying the skirt shrunk it to a perfect fit.  It took less than an hour, and the ones I made using t-shirts took even less--about 20-30 minutes!  So fun!

Excuse the bad picture--It's a self-timed shot!

Neglected on the Needles

That title sounds more than a little weird.  Ha! 

I accomplished a lot on vacation last week, including making several hats to build up my Etsy store inventory again (to be revealed soon!), three skirts (using an awesome new technique I discovered, I'll post more later!), and another big project that I can't talk about until after my brother's wedding.  :)

Now that all that is done, I want to work on a few treasures I found at the bottom of my yarn baskets when I organized my massive yarn stash a couple weeks ago.  My poor husband....I bet he never knew he would not only be marrying me, but also boxes upon boxes of yarn.  Hopefully I will finish at least ONE of these neglected projects before the end of the summer, given my tendency to start about 10 projects at once and then not finish 3 or 4 of them for a year or two.  Here they are:

This was going to be a tank top.  I started it over 2 years ago, and I really love the delicate yarn (it's knit with 2 strands at once) and how it creates a light, airy, organic texture.  The sad thing is, I don't think it would fit me now, if I kept knitting it in the size I started.  So, I either plan to start over in a bigger size (thank you, motherhood), or make something else out of the yarn.

This is the first of a pair of mittens.  The pattern is a really cool fair isle design, and I made a pair just like this (but in burgundy and white) for my mom a couple years ago.  That pair was my first experience with intarsia knitting, and it's really fun....it just takes me FOREVER.  I'm determined to finish this pair before this winter!

This is a pretty scarf/wrap I started last summer while I was pregnant.  I thought I'd make something for myself before my knitting time became forever scarce once the baby came.  Then, a couple weeks later, I learned how to crochet and haven't touched it since.  I'd also like to finish this before cooler weather comes again!  (and as a side note, I'm pleasantly surprised how much time I still have to knit/crochet, even with how busy Liam keeps me!)

This is about 1.5 hours' worth of work on a really gorgeous felted oversize tote bag.  It has a floral pattern on one side, and reminds me of those really pretty tapestry bags.  The pattern is from a book I got for Christmas, so it's the newest of these neglected projects--so I may finish the others first, but I WILL get this one done, sometime!!!

I'll update this post when I finish these projects...which will happen between my never-ending list of things I want to make for my Etsy store, plus winter things I want to make before winter comes, plus Christmas gifts...sigh.  I think somebody has a skewed sense of what she is able to accomplish in a reasonable amount of time!

Tutorial: Embellished T-Shirt

 

















Yay, my first tutorial!  I've been seeing a lot of embellished t-shirts in stores lately, and am aghast at how much they sometimes cost, since they can be made so easily!  So, I decided to make one to show you how easy they are.  The one I made doesn't require much sewing skill at all, in fact, you could totally make one without even owning a sewing machine.  It really is that simple. 

I was inspired by the nautical theme that seems to be the trend this spring, plus these embellished shirts from Anthropologie:

($48?? Really?)

And from Target ($15, but still...):

Anyway, here's how I made mine for under 5 bucks.   I found this shirt at Wal-Mart for $4 (regular price)!  They had lots and lots of colors, and I plan on going back soon to get a couple more.

I'm a sucker for seersucker (ha!).  It's just so summery and versatile and preppy.  I got a couple yards a few weeks ago for around $5 on sale.  I plan on using the rest to make a skirt for myself, or an outfit for Liam (or both!).  

(I didn't bother ironing the fabric--the end result is supposed to be a little 'raw' and messy.  As you can tell, I usually don't iron my tablecloths either.)  Next, I cut 4 long strips of the fabric, about 1 1/2 inches wide and running the width of the fabric (44 inches).

There are lots of ways you can make fabric flowers, but for mine I used a similar method to making a flower out of frosting...start in the middle and coil around, twisting the fabric as you go.  I made a couple stitches every 1/4 way around or so.

It doesn't have to be perfect--the goal is 'shabby chic.'  I tucked the end of the strip behind the flower and stitched it into place.  I ended up making 7 flowers, making some much smaller (by coiling around less).

I also cut some leaves (4 fabric thickness) and pinned everything the way I wanted it to look.

Then stitched it all into place! For added texture, I stitched 'veins' on the leaves.  Note: you totally don't have to do this on a sewing machine...it just takes longer by hand. 

All done!

I really like how it turned out!  (Not the greatest picture, it's hard to take a picture while wearing the shirt.)  And for just over $4 and about an hour and a half of my time, not too bad of a deal!

Homemade Easter Treats

It's been a few days since my last post, but oh my, it's amazing how busy the past week has been!  The week before Easter is always a busy time for us, but it's also always very special and meaningful...lots of wonderful church services and family time. 

It was so fun to put together Liam's first Easter basket.  I found many reasons not to do it this year (he won't know if I don't, he doesn't really need anything, I shouldn't spend any money, blah blah blah) but I couldn't resist.  It really was fun, and I was able to do it very inexpensively.  I found a couple of great online tutorials, which I used to make a couple cute little toys which cost (together) less than $5 to make.  Then Rob picked out Liam's first Hot Wheels car (a Dolorean, of course!), I added a cute pair of baby sunglasses, a sippy cup to try out in a couple months, an illustrated Bible, and a little duckie to a basket I got half-price at JoAnn Fabrics.  Here's the links to the homemade toys:
Crinkle-bots

Amish Puzzle Ball

And of course, here's our handsome man with his basket and goodies, and also with mommy and daddy:

Hope you all had a blessed Easter!