Tag: creative (page 2 of 5)

September 7, 2010 / 2 Comments

Oilcloth Lunch Bags

I love oilcloth. I love the feel of it. Especially the really nice oilcloth, that is like waxed fabric, I used to work in an interior design store and we had the most scrumptious Swedish oilcloth that had that lovely “waxed fabric” feel.

I adore the vintage oilcloth that is available now, reflecting the quaintness of 1940’s/50’s kitchens. I can just see June Cleaver now with her adorable cherry and polka dot oilcloth or her summer fruits oilcloth with its vibrant blue background laid out on her kitchen table, can’t you?

In honour of going “back-to-school” and to pay homage to oilcloth I am doing a feature today on “Oilcloth Lunch Bags” I found on the Martha Stewart site. So, gather your materials from my class “handout” and get ready to just have fun:

You will need:

Oilcloth (pattern of your choice)
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Thread
Velcro or a clothespin

Lunch Bag How-To
The same oilcloth that covers your kitchen table can transport your children’s lunches — or your own — in leak-free style. These reusable bags will cut back on waste since they can simply be washed with a damp sponge (oilcloth is not washing-machine safe). Use a single print for the whole bag, or cut out complementary patterns or solid colors for side panels. You can attach small Velcro tabs to hold the bags closed, or clip the tops with colorful wooden clothespins.

Cut main piece 29 1/2 by 8 inches and two side panels, each 12 1/4 by 5 inches.
1. Fold long panel, inside out, into U shape with 5-inch bottom.

2. Make 1/4-inch cut at bottom corners of side and middle pieces so bag folds smoothly. Sew-in side panels, leaving 1/4-inch seam allowance.

3. Turn right side out and top-stitch all around, 1/8 inch from edge.

The most important thing to remember while doing this is to use your imagination and just have fun!

I have my eye on some Cath Kidston oilcloth in my beloved “Provence Rose” pattern and as soon as I can get my hands on it, I plan to make my own lunch bag, perhaps with a vintage button to close it with!

(All images and directions are copyright Martha Stewart, for the original article please click here)

The gorgeous Oilcloth.com store are one of my favourite supplies and they have a whole variety of patterns to choose from!

July 23, 2010 / 1 Comment

"Beanetta"

I was commissioned last week to make a little bear for a brand new baby. Although, too tiny for the Tooth Fairy, this little bear can stay tucked away in her nursery until she is ready for it.

Affectionately known as “Bean” while she was in the womb, she became known as “Beanetta” once the parents found out they were having a little girl.

She was born July 9th, but still does not have a name that suits her. Welcome to the world Beanetta, I hope you have a name soon!

(Polka Dot border from a Pugly Pixel Freebie)

July 6, 2010 / 0 Comments

Above Water

Is this week over already? I am ready for it to be and it is only Tuesday! I got my biggest order yet from RosaBlue and I have been busily cutting away felt, embroidering pockets and faces on bears and bunnies, ironing wrens on fabric labels…

I am just trying to take it slow, to do them in color batches, so I don’t get overwhelmed. Between trying to keep the household chores up, take care of this order, go to work and prepare for my new job (in which I am doing the “handover” this week), I am endeavouring to keep my head above water.

But, when I feel overwhelmed and nothing seems to be getting accomplished, I take some “Jack Byrnes Wisdom” and I step back, take a deep breath, take a break and go back to it in a little while. It will all get accomplished, not everything all at once, maybe not as quickly as I intended or how I planned and organized it, but in the end it will all get done.

So, right now, I am just focusing on keeping my head above water, I’ve always liked a good challenge, so I am more than ready to take this on….

(Image: Esther Williams found on Flickr)

June 24, 2010 / 0 Comments

A Place to Be

It is warm here today, the sun is coming and going as giant puffs of cotton candy clouds pass by. It is the perfect day to find a cool place in the shade and just be. Just be with a book, with music, with yourself. This looks like a good place to just be, but looks can be deceiving. This place to be is actually inside here:

This is one of many adorable pieces created by The Rifle Paper Company. I discovered them a little while ago, while searching for something on Martha Stewart. I went to their website and followed that to their blog and I was enraptured! Look at this stationary:

If this doesn’t make you want to sit right down and write a letter to someone, I don’t know what would! I still believe in snail mail you see. For as much as I write online and e-mail, there is still a magic in sitting down and writing a good old-fashioned letter and posting it off into a shiny red postbox as it begins its journey to be popped into someone’s mailbox on the other side of the pond.

And, I look forward to them as well. Getting a letter from my Mom, my Sister or my Nana in the mail is like a mini Christmas. To touch what they have touched and see what they have written in their beautiful handwriting. Now, that to me, is worth more than gold!

To see this beautiful stationary for yourself, click on the link below:

(All images copyright: The Rifle Paper Company, embellished by: J. Michie, Polka Dot Frames: The Pugly Pixel)

June 19, 2010 / 1 Comment

Shirt & Tie

In lieu of the traditional shirt and tie for Father’s Day, I thought this card was quite cute and could hold tickets to a Summer concert or coupons, good for a day out with Dad.

One more day to go, so if you haven’t gotten something yet, this was just too cute not to share. I am loving the Japanese origami techniques…

Directions:

A shirt and tie are a traditional gift for Dad — a card to match is something new. Use legal-size (8 1/2-by-14-inch) decorative paper.

1. Place paper facedown. Fold in half vertically; unfold. Line up left edge with centerline fold, and crease; repeat with right edge. Unfold, and lay flat.

2. Fold top-left corner in to line up with outermost crease, forming a triangle; repeat on top-right corner. Using index fingers and thumbs, pinch together outside points of each triangle so they meet, and crease.

3. While still pinching triangles, fold down top edge (this will make sleeves).

4. Turn paper upside down, and flip it over. Fold down top edge 3/4 inch.

5. Flip paper over. Fold top left and right corners so tips meet at centerline.

6. Tuck bottom edge under collar, and flatten by creasing. For the tie, cut out an 8-by-1/2-inch strip of decorative paper. Knot paper. Snip close to knot on one side; trim other to a point. Glue to shirt.

(Images and directions copyright Martha Stewart)

June 18, 2010 / 0 Comments

Granny Knot vs. Wreath Knot

Now that I have my lovely new Birthday shoes (see: New Shoes), the question that begs to be answered is: Granny Knot vs. Wreath Knot?

Put This On, Episode 2: Shoes from Put This On on Vimeo.

After seeing this video, I think I will never go back… no more double knots for this little lady. You have to wait to the end too see what I am talking about, but it is worth it!

P.S. If you do not have Instapaper you should definitely get it, I have become an Instapaper junkie for those times I don’t have time to read what I want, I can instantly save it and I can then, go back to it at a later time or date. Now that, is just happiness!

P.S.S. Instapaper is not paying me to advertize for them, I just like their product!

May 16, 2010 / 0 Comments

New Blog Header

I have put a new blog header up. After a year with the same one, I was itching for something different to be up there! I have been playing around with this new design for a few weeks and I think I have finally tweaked it (with a bit of help from my adorable red-head)!

So I have gone from this:

to this:

I LOVE it! Especially the gnome….

I have also created a new button:

you’ll find it further down on my sidebar under everyone I love, so grab it and spread the ♥!

April 21, 2010 / 0 Comments

Light Box Happiness

I am covered in little pieces of felt at the moment and busy sewing away. I have another bear and bunny order.

So I have steadily been cutting and sewing and marking on little bunny whiskers and bear faces and this process has been made all the more easier by my new light box.

My adorable ginger was tired of seeing me use the lamp as my light box and one evening I came home and sitting on the table was a shiny new light box just for me! Now that, to me, is l♥ve! It has made my life a million-bajillion times easier! I am now, quite happily nestled in my little corner of the room I’ve carved out as my studio space, working away and listening to music.

This is what I have playing in my ears at the moment from the Away We Go soundtrack. I really liked this movie. It is just about being, about finding who you are and where you belong and who you belong with, its story was sweet.

I have also been busy ironing away this morning, making more Jenny Wren labels to be sewn into little bear and bunny legs, so now, I am going back to stitching on fluffy bunny tales and putting teddy bear ears together….

March 29, 2010 / 0 Comments

Some Bunny Loves You

These bunnies are too cute for words! I saw them this weekend posted at The Purl Bee blog. They would be adorable set around a child’s place setting at an Easter table (or for grown-up kids too). I would love one at mine!

I come from a very large family of extended aunts, uncles & cousins. Both of my parents are 1 of 8 children and it doesn’t matter how old I am, or how long I have been married, I am still at the children’s table when we go to my grandparent’s house for family events. But, hey, you have more fun with those little people anyway, and with these little finger puppets we would be having a ball!

These bunnies would even be cute tucked in an Easter basket as a surprise from the Easter Bunny, you just have to have one small fun thing hidden amongst all the jelly beans and peeps and chocolate placed in the Easter grass of your basket!

To make your own little bunny Fu-Fu finger puppets follow the directions here:

(Images copyright The Purl Bee, embellishments, Jennifer Michie)

March 25, 2010 / 1 Comment

Pom Pom Bunny Girl

This elfin sized Pom-Pom Bunny, by the very lovely Jennifer Murphy has been in my little project file for awhile now. I don’t think she is going to be made this Easter, with all the other projects I have on the go at the moment…

But, her vintage sweetness would look very cute on my kitchen table or next to my Easter egg tree. I need the rain to hold off on Saturday so we can go on our twig hunt. Easter is almost here and I haven’t collected twigs yet for my tree, once that is done we can get the eggs out to hang up and really feel like Spring is here.

To make your own Pom-Pom Bunny Girl follow the directions below:

Tools and Materials
Yarn
Waxed thread
Scissors
Felt
Felt glue (such as Beacon’s)
Hemostat
Tiny black beads
Pink embroidery floss
Needle
Heavy thread
Chenille stem
Paper cupcake liners
Pinking sheers
Ribbon
Vintage flowers (optional)
Small circle of wood
Off-white paint
Paintbrush
Pink paper

Pom-Pom Bunny How-To

1. Print Bunny How-To PDF to follow along with when creating the pom-pom bunnies. Make two separate pom-poms of equal size by winding yarn around two fingers. Tie pom-pom tightly in middle with waxed thread.

2. Use scissors to clip loops and create frayed ends. Trim a larger pom-pom into an oval for the body. Trim a smaller pom-pom to create a head.

3. Cut ears out of felt. Fold and glue the bottom of each ear to give it dimension, and hold into place with a hemostat until dry.

4. Glue ears into the head with felt glue.

5. Glue bead eyes into place.

6. String pink embroidery floss through the space where the nose should be. Trim.

7. Knot a double-threaded needle with heavy thread; pull through and clip long for whiskers.

8. Open a space in the body for the arms and legs made of chenille stems. Glue chenille stem into pom-pom body.

9. Fold chenille stem in half so cut end gets hidden inside the pom-pom for both the arms and legs. Fold legs vertically, and arms horizontally. For the legs, fold them so the bunny becomes the desired height.

10. Glue head onto body.

11. To make the bunny’s skirt, cut the circular bottoms of two paper cupcake liners with pinking sheers.

12. Glue the two pieces together at the waist.

13. Tie a bow around bunny’s neck using ribbon.

14. With glue, tack the skirt onto the bunny on the front, back, and under each arm. Dab small dots of glue around the top of the skirt and attach.

15. Bend the bunny’s arms. Glue on vintage flowers for decoration.

16. To create a base, paint a small circle of wood off-white. Trace the circle on pink paper.

17. Cut just inside line with pinking sheers and glue onto the wooden base.

18. Bend the bunny’s feet at the ankle. Glue feet onto the wooden base.