Weekly Craft: Crocheted Backpack!!!

 I really hope I haven't talked up my backpack too much.  I was just so excited that my very first crochet project is finished.  Yes, I finished others before this but...  This is the project I learned how to crochet with.

 It is just my style, too.  I love the colors and the fact that I made up the pattern on my own.  I think I have the bug because I want to make so many more!

 What do you think?  Do you like it?  I may be a bit proud.

What I Wore: Grandma's Dress And A New Backpack!

 This was my grandma's dress in high school.  I think it is so cool that I can wear the exact same thing she wore at my age!  She gave me this along with a few others she saved with the one rule that I have to wear them to school.  Done and done.

I also made a backpack!  I actually sewed everything in my sewing class last year.  It has just sat in a corner of my room for all of these months because I never bought a drawstring.  I finally got a brain and realized that I could just crochet a chain and call it good.

I took this picture later when I thought you might want to know what the blob on my dress was.  It is a bug!

Vintage dress- My grandma's! 

Vintage pin- Garage sale

Backpack- I made it!

Vintage shoes- Estate sale

Weekly Craft

 I finished my dress in sewing class!  It is a summer dress but I am going to wear it anyway as soon as I get it back.  I am sew excited to share it with you guys! Lame joke, I know.  My next task I am taking on is the dress on the far left.  I think it would be cool if I sort of documented the progress, so I might do updates on this project as I go!

Weekly Craft: My first crochet pattern!

I was so excited to share this with you today!  I crocheted a collar using a pattern for the first time!  I cannot wait to wear it!

Weekly Craft: Another Crocheted Blanket

I have been working very hard on my next craft project over the last few weeks.  I had gotten so far and so sick of this flower pattern when I realized that I have been crocheting with two different shades of white yarn.   Goodness!  Because I am a perfectionist, I am probably going to scrap  half of the squares and continue working in one of the two shades of white.  Because I am a bit upset with this project I  think I am going to take a break and start something new first.

Weekly Craft: 9-20-12

I am back!  I have missed my blog horribly!  I want to show you guys what I have been working on:  I finally finished my crocheted granny square blanket!  I am so happy and proud of myself for finishing a crocheted project!  Now that I have done this, I feel like I can crochet anything! ...well... We will see.

Weekly Craft: Glitter Shoes DIY!

 This week I glittered one of my favorite pairs of shoes!  I have had these for a couple years and wore them to death!  I am so excited to give them a new life and to wear them more!

 Supplies:

• shoes
• mod podge
• glitter
• foam brush

   1. Paint the glue onto a small area of your shoe.  I would do a smaller section than I did because the glue has less time to dry and you have a more even glitter coating

   2. Dump glitter on top of the glue and repeat until your shoes are covered.

   3. To keep your glitter from falling off the shoes every time you take a step put a top coat of mod podge over the glitter.

And you are finished!  Perfect!  A cute idea for shoe laces is matching ribbon or tulle!

Weekly Craft: Make Your Own Book!

This week I made my own book and I want to share with you how I did it!

Supplies:

• paper- I used 40 printer paper sheets
• needle- for handsewing
• thread
• mod podge & brush
• fabric
• cardboard
• fabric scrap 
• ribbon
• scissors

1. Get 4 pieces of paper and fold them in half inside of each other.

 2. Sew the four papers together.  I measured 1 inch into the paper and made the two stitches on each end 1 inch long.  Repeat until you have used all of your paper and have 10 sewn packs sections of paper

3.sew in and out of the holes you have made.  Go back and forth.

4. Mod Podge the end of your bound paper. Put heavy things on top of it and let it dry.  I left mine over night but you probably wouldn't have to.

5.  Cut out pieces of cardboard for your spine and two cover pages.  I just traced a real book.  You can do this while your bound pages are drying.

6. Put your ribbon (starting at the top of your book's spine) and place your fabric scrap covered in mod podge over it.  You want the scrap to be shorter than your book and wider than your spine.  Sorry, I don't measure things so I don't have measurements.  Make your piece of ribbon a little longer than double the length of your book.  You can cut it shorter later.

 7.Cut out your fabric to cover your cardboard pieces.  Make the four edges at least 1 inch longer than the cardboard.  Cover the cardboard in mod podge and place on the back of your fabric.  Leave a small space between cover-spine-cover.

8. Fold and glue the corners of your book onto the cardboard.

9. Fold and glue all four edges over the corners

10. Cover in mod podge and center the bound pages by lining spines together.  Press end pages on both sides of papers onto mod podge.  This will cover the fabric edges and make sure the book stays together.

I put heavy things on top of it again while it dried just to be safe.

 Congrats!  You made your first book!

Weekly Craft: Tote to Backpack DIY

Hello friends!  I wanted to share with you how I did this craft so you can too!  It is super easy and ends up looking great!  Just as a heads-up, I really don't have great sewing techniques and I just took one step at a time and made it work.  If my instructions don't make perfect sense, or your tote is somehow different, I say just wing it!  I have learned a lot this way! (:

Supplies:

• tote
• paint (optional)
• seam ripper/scissors
• drawstring
• safety pin
• needle
• thread
• tape & cup (optional)

1. Get your tote and if you want, decorate it first! I will show you how I decorated mine:

 2. Cut the front strap of the tote off and unpick the squares left so you can thread your drawstring.  If the second strap is too long for a handle like mine was, unpick one side, cut it, and sew it back on with the desired length.

3. Attach a safety pin to the end of your drawstring.  Thread it through.  When you hit the sides that have been sewn together, just cut a hole on each side of the seam and go around it.

4. Use your seam ripper to make a clean, small, straight rip in the back for the straps (two on top, two on the bottom). Insert three of the scraps into the hole and tie them in a knot on the inside of your bag/ backpack.  Sew around the rip to make sure the hole does not get any bigger.  Braid the straps and insert the braid into the bottom hole and tie another knot. Be sure to make sure you like the length of the straps and sew this hole as well.

Weekly Craft: Antique Jewelry Picture Frame

I have been collecting vintage broken jewelry to decorate a picture frame!  It took a while, but I finally did it!   To fill in the empty spaces I used pearls and rhinestones.  This was so fun!  I need to start collecting to make another!