Allie Belle Designs

BYE!

2011-06-28T18:52:00.000-04:00

Hey friends & followers,

We are no longer posting on this blog. You can follow my family blog HERE, where I will be posting the occasional craft and lots of other stuff! Thanks for your support.

Butterfly Chandelier

2011-06-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

The inspiration: Pottery Barn's Butterfly Chandelier $30.

My lacking photography skills do not do this project justice but here is the tutorial.

What you need:

Embroidery Hoop

Butterfly Paper Punch

Clear Thread

Paper

($9)

Using the thread create a web by tying knots around the embroidery hoop as pictured above.

After punching at least a GAZILLION butterflies, (actually around 100), cut a long strip of thread and lay it on top of a butterfly with a dab of glue. Then stick another butterfly on top-as poorly pictured above. When your strip is as long as you like, tie it onto the hoop/and or the clear thread webbing. My strands have anywhere from 10 to 6 butterflies. Repeat this process until your chandelier has as many butterflies as you want.

I covered the outside of the hoop with some tulle and used another strip to tie around the center of my chandelier to hang on the ceiling.

Happy Flag Day!

2011-06-14T07:04:00.000-04:00

For a Soldier's Mother

2011-06-13T16:12:00.000-04:00

My son's teacher has a son serving in Afghanistan. As we can all imagine his deployment has been a deeply emotional experience for her. I found this quote and decided to frame it as her end of the year gift. I used the technique I describe HERE in my subway art tutorial. Then I added the flowers to dress it up a bit.

Grandma's Doily Shirt

2011-06-11T06:52:00.001-04:00

This project literally takes 5 minutes and I am happy to say requires NO SEWING. By, the way this isn't exactly Grandma's doily. It is one I found in the dollar bins at Michael's.

Place your doily on a piece of ultra strong Heat & Bond.

Flip it over and iron on the paper side, not the waxy side. You might want to put something under your doily or you will have sticky mess on your ironing board.

Peel it off!

Place your doily where you want it on your shirt, and carefully turn it inside out and iron.

That's it! If you feel it isn't sticking you can stitch around it but you shouldn't have any problem. Just wash inside out on gentle cycle.

Old Tights = New Flowers

2011-06-07T15:01:00.002-04:00

Wow! Just look how happy this project made me.
Ingredients:

Old panty hose or even kid's tights.

(Make sure they are clean, who wants to wear dirty panty hose their head)
Glue and/or Sewing Machine with coordinating thread

Scrap Fabric/Felt/Interfacing
Alligator Clips/Brooch Pins

Take the tights and cut one leg into two long tubes. (Each pair of tights will make two flowers) Fold both tubes in half and take a gathering stitch on the fold. If you don't have a machine just improvise with hot glue. When finished you should have two pieces that look something like...

Take one piece and shape it into a donut, gluing it in place like so...

Using a piece of scrap felt/fabric/interfacing cut a circle and glue to the bottom of your donut.

Now take your remaining piece of tights and fill in the middle of your donut attaching with hot glue. (Sorry no picture!) You can add an embellishment to the center if you like. Additionally, glue an alligator clip and a brooch pin to the back.

Clip it in your hair or pin onto your shirt.

SUMMER Block Party

2011-06-02T08:06:00.000-04:00

Can you believe that June is finally here? And even though my son still has 3 weeks of school left the weather has definitely been SUMMERY!

Here is an easy summer decor project!

I used an old 2x4 to create six equal blocks. These are about 6 inches tall. Then I painted each wooden block white.

Next I found some cute paper in my stash to create letters and a background color.

I Mod Podged the paper onto the block and let it dry.

I cut strips from a piece of canvas to create bows and I paper punched some flowers to CUTIFY (fake word) my blocks.

Crib Upcycle

2011-06-01T13:26:00.001-04:00

This is a real trash to treasure story. The other day I was driving down the road with all 3 kids when we saw an old crib sitting next to the curb with someone's trash. I slammed on the brakes, the kids squealed with excitement and then embarrassment when I started loading up someone's trash into the back of our mini van. Although I had know idea what I was going to do with this thing, I really couldn't resist. The crib was in fantastic shape with only a few chipped paint spots. Never fear, I figured out what to do with it. We made a reading nook.

Let me admit that I didn't build this myself. My hubby did most of the hard work. I asked him to take pictures of the process but he only took a couple and they are a little confusing to me. So, here is my piece of advice--do a google search of Cribs into Benches. You will find at least a million ideas of how you can upcycle an old crib into a bench or maybe something entirely different. Aside from the crib, the project also required two 2x4's to complete the seat and stabilize the bench. I also added a little quote with vinyl letters.

I really am in love with this project. The bench only required 1/2 of the crib, so now I can't wait to dream up something else for the husband to build.

Growth Chart

2011-05-31T21:06:00.002-04:00

This is the doorway where we use a PENCIL to mark the kid's height. This is also the doorway that my son thought he would decorate with a red sharpie because obviously it is an okay place to write. This is what I created and stuck on the wall to cover the mess!

How to:

Buy a board and cut it or have it cut to desired length.

Paint the board. I spray painted mine.

Use a tape measure/ruler to create the measurements on your board.

I used a Cricut to cut out vinyl numbers/lines to stick to my board.You could use a sharpie, paint, stencils, whatever.

Hang! (Shh! I hot glued my board to the wall. Glue usually peels right off when your finished.)

Egg Carton Dump Truck

2011-05-25T13:07:00.003-04:00

First, I should say that I cannot take credit for this idea. At the same time, I am not sure who should get the credit. I recently saw a picture of an egg carton dump truck but alas, I cannot find it again or the tutorial. Here is me winging it. So, whoever you are I am sorry and thanks for such a fun idea. This actually entertained my 4 year old son for at least 3 hours today.

Subway Art Tutorial

2011-05-23T15:20:00.008-04:00

Have you noticed Subway Art popping up everywhere! There are lots of great ideas, everything from art for newborn babies...

to family rules,

or even Seasonal artwork.

Here is how you can create Subway Art with your own personal touch!

First, go HERE to Picnik and download any photo. Picnik is a free site and it is very simple to use.

Now that your random picture has been uploaded to the site, click on the CREATE TAB at the top. Then select the STICKERS TAB. Scroll down the sticker window until you find BASIC GEOMETRIC SHAPES. A window, as shown on the left of the picture above, with various sticker shapes will appear. Choose the RECTANGLE, and stretch it to completely cover your picture. Now your newly uploaded picture should be a giant black rectangle. As you are stretching a pop-up box will appear that will allow you to change the color of your sticker.

Now that your picture is covered with a rectangle in the color of your choice. Click the TEXT tab. Begin writing your text, one phrase at a time, in the text window and playing with the fonts. Picnik has a plethora of fonts to choose from. As you type your text, another window will appear to let you change the color of the font. Then move the text around your rectangle and place it where you want.

I made this for my son's birthday. It describes him including his likes and dislikes. I thought it would be fun to make one every year and see how he changes as he grows up. You can also turn them into postcards or greeting cards. Oh! The possibilities!!!

Save your new masterpiece when complete. Then you can either print it from your computer or order it from Picnik, Shutterfly, Costco, etc. in whatever size you desire. Frame it and enjoy.

Cub Scouts Corner- Bean Bags

2011-05-17T11:10:00.001-04:00

I have been a cub scout leader for 6 years and I am always looking online for ideas. I thought that I would occasionally start putting some ideas that I use on our blog to help out other leaders. The great thing is that these ideas are fun for kids of all ages.

Bean Bags are a simple way to keep scouts hands busy and you can use them for all sorts of games. I like to fill bean bags with rice. It seems like it doesn't hurt as bad when you get hit with one. (which happens in cubs a lot!) I usually take my sewing machine to my den meeting and have the bean bags 3/4 of the way done before hand. Then I let the scouts fill them up and I finish the sewing. I serge mine but you can also make them with a regular sewing machine. Like these (made by my sister in law).

Here are some fun games found here. I love the challenges. They are quick and simple. I also made these targets for a bean bag toss. I used wooden bean bag game targets that my kids made at the home depot kid workshop. I painted them and then, I found the cub scout clip art. I printed it out and then I modge podged it onto the targets. I usually let the scouts take home 5 bean bags and a copy of the games so that they can play with their families. This activity will pass off Wolf Achievement 10b and also Wolf Elective 4d.

Snakes

2011-05-16T13:43:00.003-04:00

Here is something for the little boys in your life!

Start with some of your hubby's ugly ties or head to the thrift store for some cheap one's.

Once your tie has been selected, find some matching buttons for your Snake's eyes.

Reach under the lining on the bottom side of the tie and you will find an opening. This opening is on both ends. Sew your buttons on, making sure not to go through the lining, but rather the top of the tie only.

Cut a tongue from a piece of felt. Sew or glue it on the underside of your snake.

Begin stuffing your snake with fiber fill. I actually gutted an old pillow for this job. You can stuff from either end. You will need a pencil or long stick to get the stuffing into the skinny parts of the tie.

When fully stuffed, glue or sew the opening closed.

I added a bow for Belle's snake because we all know that not all snakes can be boys!

Cabochon Crazy

2011-05-15T20:54:00.003-04:00

I love the Resin Flower Cabochons showing up on jewelry designs everywhere. I wanted to learn to make my own. But, when I realized all of the steps required and the different chemicals & dyes I needed, I became a little intimidated. Then I saw this on sale for $4.99.

Sculpey Pluffy Clay! It is a modable clay that you bake to harden. There are easy baking instructions on the box and this stuff is really fun for kids too. Anyway, I thought I would try making my own Cabochons, the simple way-with clay. First, I needed some molds.

I found these HERE on etsy and I started creating.

Using an old cheap ring I found drowning in the bottom of my jewelry box, I glued this Cabochon on top and created a brand new look.

Belle got a few new embellishments on some boring hair clips.

Earrings too! Pluffy clay does not come in silver or navy, but by painting some white Cabchons the color possiblities are endless. Again I used some old earrings (circa. 1985) to make them new.

I think the blue and silver flower are a definite improvement to the big gold heart!

You can even roll the clay into balls to create your own beads. My son had a great time rolling the beads. They aren't perfect but they have personality!

I stuck toothpicks through the beads before I baked them. Obviously, this makes stringing them together much easier.

With one package of sculpey clay you can make at least 100 Cabochons. As you can see, you can use them in lots of different ways!

Olivia Pig Birthday Party

2011-05-09T10:50:00.002-04:00

My sweet princess turned one last week. Unfortunately, she was sick on her big day. We went ahead with the celebration, just without guests and not a lot of birthday excitement from Belle.

The Clothes

Her outfit consisted of red & white legwarmers, a red tutu, and a 1-sie! Ironing Heat & Bond onto some coordinating fabric, then cutting out the number one and ironing it onto her onesie is how I created this shirt. I also embroidered around the "1" with some red thread and sewed on a bow.

Tutu Tutorial

Legwarmer Tutorial

The Cake

Strawberry cupcakes with red and pink frosting topped off with Olivia on a lollipop stick. I went online and found Olivia paper plates for sale. I then copied the image into a word document and printed a few dozen on cardstock. Notice my cupcake stand is sitting on top of a cupcake wreath that I made for Valentine's Day. In fact, many of the decorations were recycled Valentine's projects.

Cupcake Wreath Tutorial

The Decorations

A little hard to see with our jungle of a backyard in the rear but the bunting says, "Happy 1st Birthday Harley Belle!"

With cooridinating black & red table cloths I decorated with Olivia books and red flowers. I made these cone tress with some fabric and tissue paper rosettes.

Cone Trees Tutorial

Umbrella Wreath

2011-05-04T09:45:00.000-04:00

A paper drink umbrella wreath just in time for summer. My wreath is actually hanging on Belle's bedroom door, hence the fuzzy picture. The hallway is a little too dark for picture taking.

Basic Supplies:

I had to break the umbrella sticks in half because they were a bit too long. Then I just stuck them into my foam, added a ribbon to hang, and a flower to make it even cuter.

Dinosaur Party

2011-04-30T16:41:00.003-04:00

Last weekend my oldest kid Ethan turned 7! He wanted to have a dinosaur party and so... here are some of the ideas that we did. It was so much fun and now we are exhausted!

The Decorations

I used a banner from my father in laws Green Bay Packer party and my sister wrote Ethan's name on a set of small pennants from the same party. We got green tablecloth's from the dollar store and crate paper and balloons to put around. My favorite thing was the dinosaur puzzles. We found them at Michael's for $1! We painted them with acrylic paint and then as we built them we used a little wood glue. We just used a little paint on a card and wrote the kids names for the dino's to hold. All the kids got to take these home at the end of the party.

Games

Jurasic Time Machine

This was Ethan's idea. He wanted to have the kids go into a time machine and turn into dinosaurs. We did this as the kids arrived before they played the Dino Tar Pit game. I made this with a hula-hoop from the dollar store. I just found the break in the Hula hoop opened it up and with my camo material I just folded it over and sewed a casing to tread the hula hoop through. Then I threaded the hula hoop through and put the hula hoop back together. We just pinned the sign on with safety pins.

Dinos in the Tar Pit

We played this game at the begining as we were waiting for all the guest to arrive. This is a game that is like musical chairs. Put out a table cloth or rug across the floor. I used a table runner. Put the music on and have the kids act like their favorite dinosaur and as the music plays they have to walk across the "tar pit" table cloth. When you stop the music the kids who are stuck in the "tar pit" table cloth are out. We just started it again until the all the kids got to the party.

(sorry that we don't have any pictures of this)

Pin the bones on the dinosaur

My sister found this game at a party store for $5. We blind folded and spun the kids around. It was funny you can always tell which kids cheat.

Homemade Lava

This was Ethan's favorite part of the party. I found a tutorial to make slime here. We just called it Lava. I made the one with clear glue and I cut the recipe in half for each kid. It made plenty. We put it in small disposable containers and made sure the kids knew not to eat it. (It looked a little too much like red jell-o!) This is a little messy so make it in a place where you can clean up easy.

Palentologist bags

I sewed drawstring bags and used yarn as the drawstring. Then, I used a cricut and freezer paper to stencil on each kids name with orange acrylic paint. We went to home depot and found a bag of paint brushes and painted them with a few coats of acrylic paint, used sharpie to write each kids name on the handle and put ribbon through the handle. Here is a tutorial for those. We also found the dust masks at home depot. I found the magnifying glasses at a party store. Other party favors that we put in the bags at the end were chocolate dino suckers, dino bubbles and dino stickers.

The kids are now ready for a Dino-Dig!

It was a rainy day so we had to bring the sand box in the house. Maybe it is because we rent but we are a little crazy like that. We hid plastic dinosaurs, dog milk bones, toy solders, and a few plastic snakes. The kids used their paint brushes and shovels to find things.

Dino-Egg Hunt

Since Ethan's birthday is around Easter it made it easy to find eggs for an egg hunt. I found these camo eggs at the dollar store. We put little plastic dinosaurs in them and hid them in our playroom.

Dino-Egg Relay

Using a few of the eggs and large spoons the kids did a relay.

Mento and Coke Geyser

Ethan's aunt sent this for his birthday. We bought a few 2 liter bottles of diet coke and shot this off at the end of the party. It was awesome!

Food

For Lunch we served Dino-nuggets, tatertots and fruit Kabobs
We also made Jell-o jiggler dino egg's. I used the jell-o beans mold. It was easy and the kids really loved them. We made red kool-aid as Lava juice.

The Cake

I cannot take any credit for the cake. My husband made it and I think that he did an awesome job. He made two round cakes and one bundt cake. Then he stacked all 3 and put a cup down the middle and frosted it. For smoke he used dry ice and a little water.

That is All! Happy Birthday Ethan!

Book Bag

2011-04-27T14:49:00.005-04:00

Another Mother's Day Idea

Materials: Table Runner (Clearance at Target), 2 Fabric Napkins or Coordinating Fabric, Thread, Heat & Bond, and about 2 hours.

Step 1. Cut up a napkin into several equal strips.

Step 2: Sew them all together.

Step 3: Fold this long tube in half, right sides together and sew down the side to create an extra long tube of fabric. After sewing turn right side out. It should look something like the picture below. Well, except maybe not heart shaped.

Step 4: This long tube of fabric will be your handle. Lay your table runner right side up and fold one end about 2/3 the way up the fabric. Then sew along sides.

Step 5: Attach handle by pinning along the side of the table runner like so, and then sew to attach.

Step 6: Turn the table runner right side out. The top will poke out a little bit because of the handles. Glue them or sew them to get the fabric to lay flat.

Step 7: Using the other napkin cut out a strip of fabric 6 x 12 inches and a strip of Heat & Bond the same size.

Step 8: Iron the fabric onto the Heat & Bond

Step 9: If you do not have a Cricut, write your letters on the back or the paper side of the Heat & Bond and then cut them out with scissors. If you have a Cricut, with paper still attached to fabric, use a Popsicle stick to thoroughly adhere the fabric, paper side down to the Cricut cutting board and cut out your letters. When finished line up your letters on the flap of the bag like so...

Step 10: Iron-on and you are finished.

Note: I would suggest using a darker colored fabric than I used for the letters. The white washed out after ironing and made the letters hard to read.

Pearl Ribbon Necklace

2011-04-26T16:53:00.002-04:00

Mother's Day Idea

I made this necklace for a friend's birthday this past weekend, but I was thinking that it would also make a great Mother's Day gift.

Unfortunately, the pictures I took while making this necklace, the same pictures that would be most helpful in explaining the process are HORRIBLE! Therefore, I will attempt to use words alone to describe the process. Good luck!

1. Cut an extra long strip of ribbon. I would "guesstimate" that the ribbon should be twice as long as your desired necklace length. Note: my ribbon was really fat so I folded it in half.

2. Burn the ends of the ribbon to avoid fraying.

3. Using an especially long piece of thread, thread your needle and make a knot in the end.

4. Starting about 1/4 of the way down your ribbon, pull your thread through from the back until the knot catches. Now thread a pearl onto the string.

5. Pinch your ribbon to make a fold and thread your needle through the fold and then onto another pearl.

6. Repeat until you are satisfied.

7. When you get to the last pearl, instead of pinching and folding just string your thread to the back, tie a knot, and cut.

Now that you are sufficiently confused. Here is a pretty similar tutorial, but guess what, she actually has pictures!

Egg -u- cational

2011-04-19T15:48:00.002-04:00

Capital and lower case letter match using plastic eggs.

SOURCE!

The Blues

2011-04-15T22:53:00.003-04:00

A few years ago I bought this hutch at a thrift store for $15.

There was something about it that caught my eye, probably the color. Unfortunately, I don't really have anything blue in my house. This little gem has shifted from room to room, never really settling on a permanent spot. A few months ago I put it in my living room, near my garage entry. It's doors conceal the kid's shoes and school papers. Perfectly functional, but still doesn't really go with the rest of the room. I decided I could repaint the hutch or get all new furniture. Neither solution seemed very appealing. Instead, I decided to add some blue to the room. I spray painted my lamp shades blue and...

I spray painted some Mason jars in a coordinating color. This happens to be Satin Aqua Blue by Rustoleum.

Then, I added my favorite flowers. Right now they happen to be these tissue paper cherry blossoms.

I am happy with the accents and excited to try some different flowers in the jars like these paper Dogwoods, I found on Martha Stewart.

Baby Legs with Flair!

2011-04-13T09:16:00.003-04:00

Okay, I know I have said it before, but I really do LOVE me some baby legs. I recently saw some at the store with an adorable tulle accent. I couldn't resist making some for Belle

Materials: A pair of women's knee high socks or little girl's over the knee socks, six- 2 by 10 inch strips of tulle, and coordinating thread.
(By the way, I bought the knee socks at Target. They are on clearance for $1. The tulle is from a tutu that no longer fits Belle)

Step 1: Cut the heel and the toe from the socks. You will then have 4 strips, 2 long & 2 short.

Step 2: Using three of the tulle strips, lie them on top of each other and take a gathering stitch along the top of the tulle.

Step 3: Turn the long sock strips inside out and fold the small strips inside of each other right sides out.

Step 4: Sew the tulle onto the small tube.

(sorry the colors keep changing, I was making two sets while taking photos)

Step 5: Stuff the small tube with the tulle attached into the large tube.

Step 6: Sew the small tube to the long tube.

Step 6: Turn right side out and put them on some cute baby's legs.

5-Minute Ruffle Scarf

2011-04-11T14:59:00.001-04:00

Since starting this blog I have begun looking at fabric much differently. Before, when I thought about fabric I immediately thought of the bolts you find at Joann's. Now I see fabric everywhere, especially in old clothes, sheets, blankets, etc. I love to purge my closet of things I no longer wear, but now I take a second look before donating. You never know what you can create out of a stained or no longer wanted article of clothing. The above pictured scarf is no exception. I made this scarf from an old maternity t-shirt in less than five minutes.

Here are the instructions:

First, trim the hem off of the t-shirt.

Next, cut 2 or possibly 3 (depending on the width of your t-shirt) 6 inch strips from the bottom of your shirt.

Now you have 2 or 3 tubes of t-shirt fabric. Make a cut up the side of each tube so that the tubes are no longer tubular :0)! Now you should have 2 or 3 long strips that need to be sewn together to create a longer strip. Place right sides together and stitch across the top of one end. Once sewn the strip will seem extremely long, but it will only be about half the size when complete.

Finally, you are going to make a stitch down the center using elastic thread. You can find elastic thread HERE or at any fabric store. Note, it is usually with the elastic not with the thread. When using elastic thread you will need to manually wind your bobbin. Don't wind too tightly or the elastic will break while sewing. You should use regular sewing thread in a coordinating color on top of your machine.

Voila! Now you have a pretty, light-weight Spring scarf.

Cuff & Clutch

2011-04-07T17:10:00.001-04:00

I am going to call this my Tiffany's inspired Cuff & Clutch. It was that beautiful Tiffany's Blue that caught my eye and made me NEED to create something with it! Here is what I came up with:

Can you guess what it is made from? Placemats, napkins, and an empty Mountain Dew Can!

(All from Target)

This project took about 30 minutes and I love the result. Click the READ MORE BUTTON below for the full tutorial.

Here are the supplies for the clutch:

1 or 2 placemats
(using 1 placemat might make sewing easier)

2 napkins

Velcro, snaps, buttons, or magnetic clasp

First, we will make the orange ruffle from a napkin. Since, I am on a jewelry kick doesn't the design look a little Chanel to you? LOVELY

Cut about a 3 inch strip from your napkin.

Fold it in half right sides together (long ways) and stitch across the raw edge. You should have a long tube at this point.

When finished turn it right side out and make a gathering stitch down the middle to create a ruffled look.

To gather, set your machine on the largest stitch setting or basting stitch. When finished sewing, gently pull the top stitch to create a ruffle. Then pin it onto the placemat you want showing on the outside of your clutch. Make sure to tuck the edges over the placemat as pictured below for a cleaner look when finished.

Now that your ruffle is pinned in place, pin both placemats together as pictured below and stitch around the entire perimeter.

Turn it over and fold the bottom up. Stitch it to form the bottom of your clutch. BEWARE! I broke 3 needles during this process.

You probably can tell that not even the sewers at Target are perfect. Neither of these placemats were perfectly proportional. Just do the best you can. Pinning helps a lot. Next, add Velcro to keep the clutch closed. Sorry, for the funky colored picture.

Using a 2 inch strip of the remaining napkin, make a fabric rosette and glue it onto your clutch. (If you aren't sure how to make a rosette do a Google search there are millions of tutorials.)

Now, onto the cuff. I don't have many pictures for this but I am sure you can figure it out. First, CAREFULLY cut a 2 inch strip out of an aluminum can. Then, glue fabric around it. You may have to double your fabric to keep the soda insignia from showing.

When the aluminum is covered you can glue the ends together to create a bangle or leave the ends open. Make a few more fabric rosettes to glue on and you are finished.

Letter Jars

2011-04-06T14:13:00.003-04:00

Counting Coconuts shared some great ideas for creating I SPY Jars. Check out some of her fabulous creations by clicking above.

Borrowing from her is how I made this oh-so-fun and educational letter jar.

First, I dyed my rice to create the boy's favorite color.

Add a drop of food coloring to about a tablespoon of water. Stir until smooth.

Add rice and stir well.

Place dyed and damp rice onto some paper towels and allow to dry completely.

I used craft beads found HERE and added them to my rice. Then I poured them into a canning jar.

I printed out a label on sticker paper to place on the lid. It might be a FANTASTIC idea to glue the lid in place.

Next, I created a bunch of alphabet lists that I connected with a ring. Now he can circle the letters as he finds them.

By the way, big brother also loves the Letter Jar. He likes to create words with the letters he finds.