While she offers no actual pattern, it is a basic peasant girls summer dress with a few fun extra details:

• Instead of putting elastic on the end of the sleeves, just hem them.
• As you can see, the front has 3 ruffles of various length added just below the front neckline.  They stop at the sleeves, so add them before you sew on your sleeves.
• Sew on a bow mid-front.

This is what you can see from the picture. As well, Stef explained that the single secret to this dress is to put the elastic on the remainder of the neckline, omitting the ruffled front section. This way the ruffles stay as you pinned them on initially. I hope she does not mind I am sharing her secret here. Anyhow, she has more photos and a lovely blog overall, so if you have some time, do visit her.

 
photo credit: http://www.thegirlinspired.com/2013/05/mustache-dress/

Where to Get the Amazing Mustache Fabric

You can it buy here, at our craft blog sponsor: Mustache cotton print fabric . It is 44" or 112cm wide.

Peasant dresses are the easiest of all girls summer dresses to make and there are many free tutorial on the web. It takes about a yard of fabric for girls up to 10 years old. Go for 1.4 or 1.5 yards or more if you want to add additional details or want your dress to be longer.

For the contrast fabric, use up a small remnant from your fabric stash. You will also need elastic for the neckline at the sides and back, and a yard of black/white gingham ribbon.

What did I say? Is this one of the cutest girls summer dresses, or what?! I never tell a lie.

Copyright Fine Craft Guild.com ~ All Rights Reserved. Beautiful, Green or Hip Home Decorating, DIY & Craft ideas+ tutorials.

This is cool. Crafts kids can do, and a perfect summer vacation activity: making origami animals. Have a look at how great these look.

Origami Fox

Origami Elephant

too cute!!!

Origami Whale

Via | photo credit: http://howaboutorange.blogspot.it/

Origami Tutorials & Free Printables 

• Download the Baby Fox Origami template.
• Download the Elephant Origami tutorial.
• Download the Whale Origami tutorial.
• Download the woods. (background for wall art)
• Download the sea. (ditto)

The woods and the sea templates allow you to make adorable wall art featuring your origami project. Or glue them onto a recycled cereal box cut into a stage to make a wonderful environment for your kids to play with their new paper toys.

Origami Butterfly

You might also like to try our very detailed step-by-step tutorial to make this stunning Origami Butterfly.

Bookmark and file this post so you can have fun with paper this summer!

Copyright Fine Craft Guild.com ~ All Rights Reserved. Beautiful, Green or Hip Home Decorating, DIY & Craft ideas+ tutorials.

Inspirational Craft Tutorials

Today, I am featuring a whole bunch of your creative projects that you’ve linked up, as there are just soo many good ones!

Free Tote Bag Pattern

Learn how to ‘mass-produce’ a whole bunch of bags…: this fabulous tutorial with tips on how to safe time is literally Godsend: Joy made it for a church giveaway party, and actually chose the most beautiful fabric. These are simple tote bags and they act as reusable gift bags. Fabulous. Well done Joy!

Mass Produce Bags by Joy’s Jotshots

Girls Summer Dresses – Free Sewing Pattern

Mie from SewingLikeMad is one of the most generous seamstress I know. And today, she’s sharing with us again a new free pattern to make darling girls summer dresses, just like this. She actually made 2 variations of this theme called ‘inner grandma’ dress…. Interesting concept, cute girl, cute dress!

Inspirational Pendant Jewelry Making Technique

Gorgeous Beaded Bead Caps. A jewelry making idea/tutorial going from good to great. Wonderful way to feature crystals within jewelry pieces. I think this is simply stunning. 

Note: Technique not shared, no tutorial. These pieces are going into a contest, and hopefully after she wins the contest, she’ll share with us how to make these peacock inspired pendant caps.  I felt these are so beautiful, that the jewelry makers among us would be inspired by them, so I am showing them here, regardless of having no tutorial.

By Nissa from Nissa Zaidi Designs

Inspirational Recipes

The most inspirational recipes, to me, this week are:

Chicken Korma

by Anjana from Happy & Harried

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

This is not your ordinary cupcake. It has a lemon mascarpone filling that sounds wonderful. Worth checking out if you are into making treats.

by The Tiptoe Fairy

Truly Vegan Recipes

Oh, I almost overlooked this post! This links not only to a delicious pumkin spice latte cake recipe, but rather to a mini cookbook of lovely vegan recipes!

by Mary’s Healthy Meals

Celebrate!!!

You know the routine: if you are featured, congratulations!  do grab yourself an I’m featured- badge to prominently post on your blog and brag ! We love the link juice back and you deserve the accolade!

For the rest of us, please ensure that you are indeed linking back to the party in the first place.  Those who do, qualify to be featured in the  next week’s party.  And, if you have the name/url option open on your blog, I shall leave you a sweet comment, week after week.  How nice is this… I LOVE SEEING all your projects, week after week. It gives me such an creative spark!

And now it’s TIME FOR A PARTY!!!!!

Recipes

Made something yummy & healthy? Please link it up here! Note: This party still has the old code, but when I’ll open a new recipe party next week, I’ll move back to the basic code for this party section also.

How To Link Back to the Party

The only party rule = LINK BACK. Please do so. In-post (or sidebar) is best. A text link (Fine Craft Guild) in your post is fine!

Follow me

Let’s keep in touch!

Sign up for our newsletter. You can also ‘like’ me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter for all the latest updates. And if you want to know what inspires me, follow me on Pinterest. Stay informed.

Oklahoma

I have never even been to Oklahoma and to me it’s a dreamland from a song. However the tornado news today is anything but a dream but harsh reality for the folks in Oklahoma. May I inspire you to keep them in our hearts and minds. Here are some good ways to give, besides prayer and emotional support to those directly/indirectly involved:

• Text FOOD to 32333 to donate $10 to the OKC food bank
• Text REDCROSS to 90999 gives $10 to disaster relief
• Text “STORM” to 80888 to make $10 donation thru Salvation Army
• Give via the BGCO Disaster Relief Fund
• Volunteer in Oklahoma with Samaritan’s Purse or donate in support of victims of the disaster

Copyright Fine Craft Guild.com ~ All Rights Reserved. Beautiful, Green or Hip Home Decorating, DIY & Craft ideas+ tutorials.

I guess, I enjoy designing unique free certificates for you.  Templates are really useful, as they save time and offer community leaders/moms/teachers/trainers an opportunity to award people in a positive way. As well, I sometimes give one away as a lark, or a compliment, if not used professionally.

Math Expert of the Year – Achievement Award – Certificate Template

So, now then, what do we all need at ‘graduation’ time? Certificates of accomplishments!  Graduation certificates! etc.  Here are 3 more certificate templates for you, to celebrate achievement and performance:

• Math Expert of the Year- Certificate Template – for that one special child who deserves it.
• Best Student of the Year – Student Performance Award Certificate Template.
• Graduation Certificate – a fun way to celebrate a milestone and achievement.

Best Student of the Year – Performance Award – Certificate Template

Graduation Certificate

To obtain the large – file certificate templates (300 dpi – pdf), join our newsletter. The sign up form is on the top right of this page. The certificate templates will be automatically emailed to you, along with a list of many other freebies and patterns, once you click the link in the confirmation email you’ll receive.

Other free Gift Certificate and Other Certificate Templates

In the past, I have featured a couple of other certificates:

• Free Blank Certificate Template :: Since  it’s a neutral blank certificate that you can download, and can customize & personalize for any purpose, this certificate is not just suitable to give a certificate to Dad on Fathers Day!  A 100% professional certificate template.
• Certificate of Attendance Template :: this one is a bit feminine. I made it for a workshop I held and am sharing it with you.  Again, a completely customizable downloadable template.
• Gift Certificate Template ::  simply the hippest template Ever! Ultra feminine, fun and whimsical. Really lovely! Yes, free for you to download.

Copyright Fine Craft Guild.com ~ All Rights Reserved. Beautiful, Green or Hip Home Decorating, DIY & Craft ideas+ tutorials.

To make a recycled paper stool, best are .4” thick magazines (1 cm),  rolled up tightly. As you can see, to make this exact stool, you’ll need 27 magazines, however you can choose to make your stool a bit lower also. You’ll also need plastic fasteners.

Recycled Magazines Crafts & Furniture

:: Nifty Mag Stack Stool ::

photo credit: Green Issues by Agy

Recycled Craft

Thrifty use of (recycled) material…

It’s actually perfect for those magazines that you already raided for pretty colorful pages to make recycled paper beaded bib necklaces or chain necklaces with paper beads,  or eh …waste paper baskets, decorative recycled paper boxes, recycled paper mirrors, or picture frames, etc. etc.
Now you don’t have to throw the remainder magazines away but make great use of them.

Recycled Paper Projects

Tip: if you are going to use your pre-loved magazines with cutouts, be sure that the rolls are equally thick on both sides of the recycled magazine stack. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a stool with an angle. You don’t want to roll off.

Copyright Fine Craft Guild.com ~ All Rights Reserved. Beautiful, Green or Hip Home Decorating, DIY & Craft ideas+ tutorials.

The Features

Party Feature 1: Womens Summer Top (free sewing pattern)

By So-sew-easy.com

Party Feature 2: Gorgeous Backpack (free sewing pattern)

By CrystelleBoutique.com

Party Feature 3: Romantic Makeover with Paint & Decoupage of Darling Vintage Vanity (how-to)

By PHKdesignsOneofakind.blogspot.com

Party Feature 4: Enthralling Hand-painted Poppy Motive on Teapot (tutorial)

By Natandgang.blogspot.com

Party Feature 5: Plot and Plan Your Life w Post-it Notes (how-to)

By Organize365.com

Party Feature 6: Organize Summer Kids Activities (free planner)

TheBensosntreet.com

Party Feature 7: Kitchen Design:

How to make a tiled kitchen backsplash (step-by-step tutorial)

By FidlersUnderOneRoof.com

That’s it for the features. If you are featured, grab yourself an ‘im featured’-badge, place it prominently on your blog, and well, brag about it. We love the link juice back and you deserve the qdos! You did great work!!!

::

By way of my contribution to the linky party, here are creative craft tutorials & freebies that we just posted this week:
• Interesting Free Embroidery Stitching Book
• Polymer Clay Cane Tutorial: Tarot Inspired: Gorgeous Pentagram
• Pet Bed from Old TV :: Recycled Furniture :: Amazing makeover
• Dahlia Cupcakes: So pretty! Learn how to make these

The Party

In fact, there are 2 parties: a general one and one specifically for yummy, healthy-ish recipes ( + desserts).

General Party

All good, except recipes, which go below in their own party. Please do not link up homepages nor stuff for sale. All creative projects super welcome!!!

Recipes

Made something yummy & healthy? Please link it up here! Note: This party still has the old code, but when I’ll open a new recipe party next week, I’ll move back to the basic code for this party section also.

How To Link Back to the Party

The only party rule = LINK BACK. Please do so. In-post (or sidebar) is best. A text link (Fine Craft Guild) in your post is fine!

Follow me

Let’s keep in touch!

Sign up for our newsletter. You can also ‘like’ me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter for all the latest updates. And if you want to know what inspires me, follow me on Pinterest. Stay informed. Stay in touch.…

Copyright Fine Craft Guild.com ~ All Rights Reserved. Beautiful, Green or Hip Home Decorating, DIY & Craft ideas+ tutorials.

I just had a look at this free downloadable embroidery book and actually it is quite good! It has all kinds of embroidery advice with is perfect if you’ve never done any embroidery so you’ll learn the basics and all the embroidery supplies you’ll need.

Best of all, Simple Stitchery has an elaborate and quite beautiful stitch glossary in it, with step by step diagrams and instructions to that you can in-no-time master some of the most commonly found embroidery stitches.   What I like about this the stitch diagrams is that they show you the stitches in different settings, i.e. how some stitches are perfect to make flower centers, and others are better suited for flower stems. Etc.

Even just spending 10 minutes with the book, I learned a lot and and best of all: was quite inspired by it! 

When you think that embroidery is for grandmas, think again. Some of the most contemporary art and artists embrace embroidery as a technique of note! And adding a bit of embroidery to your projects in other media gives amazingly original results. 

Want one of my out-of-the-box ideas?  How about a bib necklace made with polymer clay featuring a hole pattern and then put cross – stitches into the holes…. perhaps reading a word or forming a symbol, like a peace symbol.  Fabulous!?

Bustle and Sew has a multi- pattern embroidery and quilting magazine, several pattern books as well as individual patterns for sale.   If that’s your trade, this site is worth a visit. At least, get your free eBook.

A hurray for Helen: if you decide to buy any pattern from Bustle and Sew, Helen is going to give me a nice commission as a ‘thank you’. So, ahum, don’t hesitate to…. (wink).

I like things like tarot cards as well as positive ancient symbolism. They lift my spirit. Usually.

That’s why this pentagon polymer clay bead making tutorial immediately caught my eye. Velody, from Tree Gold and Bee Gold, showed us how to make these lovely beads with pentagram shape using the polymer clay cane technique. It’s real simple, and the result really powerful. What a strong design.

Polymer Clay Pentagram Beads

These round beads make fabulous charms for charm bracelets as well as necklace pendants, etc.

The image tutorial below shows all. The only other tip to complement this already complete polymer clay tutorial is that one should endeavor to get the cane to reduce more evenly. So here is your polymer clay jewelry making tip of the day: double the red outer layer, and you’re good to go. So simple a tweak! Works like a charm when reducing. 

Polymer clay caning is  a super cool crafts for kids too!  They may not be so inspired by pentagrams, but flowers are usually a knock-over.

Polymer clay canes are easy to work with: just slice, poke a hole and smoothen the beads, bake ‘m and string ‘m into jewelry.

What’s nice about polymer clay canes is that you can make other creative things with them too. Cover any heat-resistant object with a pattern of cane slices and then bake it. Jewelry and other projects made with polymer clay canes often turn out really beautiful.

photo credit: treegoldandbeegold.com

Meaning of the Pentagram Tarot Suite

Here’s some Tarot information for you, that might transform making jewelry with this lovely pentagram-shape into a meaningful art:

• To me, Pentacles are about prosperity. They are also about realization of an idea, things coming to fruition and generating results. (Maybe hang a few pentagrams on our blogs… might help … )
• In a Tarot card reading, if you’ll get many pentacles, it means that ideas are taking physical form and that (your) wishes are in the process of being realized.  In other words, a great suit in the tarot card deck!

Pentacles = 5 pointed stars. Which way is up?

Unless you’re versed in the various connotations of this ancient spiritual and religious symbol, here are 5 things for you to know about pentacles:

1. In Chinese Feng Shui, the 5 pointed diagram represent the 5 elements in nature: Fire (火 huǒ), Earth (土 tǔ), Metal (金 jīn), Water (水 shuǐ), and Wood (木 mù).

2. Pentagrams are truly ancient. The first known uses of the pentagram are found in Mesopotamian writing dating back to 3000 BC. It was an important religious symbol for the Babylonians as well as the Pythagoreans in ancient Greece.

3. That was then. Now it’s used by Wiccans as a positive symbol of faith.

4. And there’s more: the pentagram is used by Christians as a symbol for the 5 wounds of Jesus. In the Jewish community it is referred to as the Star of David. 

5. Last but not least, so pay attention: if you are going to use pentagram beads in jewelry be sure that you use the beads with the single star point directing to the top. Otherwise you reverse the strong positive power of it symbol!!

Tutorials

We feature tons of jewelry tutorials.  Here are a few examples:

• How to make & work with Beads  – out of all kinds of (recycled) materials
• Tutorials for Crafts for kids
• Jewelry tutorials – range of jewelry making materials, including recycled materials

e.g. Polymer clay Bracelet and Earrings tutorial – also using the caning technique

Shop Amazon – Jewelry Making

Copyright Fine Craft Guild.com ~ All Rights Reserved. Beautiful, Green or Hip Home Decorating, DIY & Craft ideas+ tutorials.

photo credit: Sara Allaman

We have all seen unsightly TV’s by the side of the road. Giant monsters! Well, self-acclaimed Pinterest-‘addict’ Sara Allaman knew just what to do with it!!! 

The 1,2,3 how-to DIY instructions

There’s not an official how-to, but more of a story. Let me summarize:

• She took out the TV tube, the plastic liner, plus 35 hard-to-remove bolts and 55 tight staples, and voila she had her dog house castle.
• OK. It turned out that the frame was wobbly after that, so she applied 12 corner braces to secure the old TV frame’s shape.
• Then she gave it a good sanding and a darling color paint.

And voila! Here is her dog bed.  I love this!   The details of the dog house’s side panels are just so swell.

Tip: It takes just 5 minutes to take the TV tube out. It’s easy. However, do this outdoors, and wear protective glasses.  Avoid having it in your house. I have never thought of it as something that could break/explode but Sara was worried about that… Just in case, be careful. I think you will want to wrap the tube a.s.a.p. into a thick plastic bag and dispose of it right away to avoid problems.

If you have time, go read Sara’s personal write-up of the project as it made me laugh reading it. She’s funny.  (endorsedbyigor.blogspot.com/2012/02/igors-home-console-to-dog-house.htm; blog discontinued)

Some practical info for you, as after all, this is a DIY blog:

Pet Bed Materials Needed

You’ll need someone to help you take that heavy TV tube out of the frame, and walk it with you straight to the recycling center/dumpster +

• Tool set to remove screws and staples, and to screw in the corner braces.
• 12 corner braces.
• Paint brush.
• Paint.  TIP: because your dog will spend quite a bit of time in this environment, I really suggest you choose healthy zero VOC paint. It’s way better for you, your dog and the environment. 

 

Recycled Furniture is Fun!

I love recycled furniture, home decorating and creating wonderful small spaces. Hence, I’m sharing this amazing recycled TV project.  


 

Over to You!

Are you ready for the weekend? What are you going to do this weekend??? Make this??!! Some other recycled furniture DIY? Or, try out any of our jewelry making projects that I posted over the last few weeks?!!

More Dog Beds, Cat Beds and other Pet Crafts

Besides this dog house, there are several other pet beds and pet crafts here at the FineCraftGuild:

• Recycled Furniture :: Octagon Cabinet = Amazing Dog Bed !
• Gorgeous Quilted Dog Bed (I want this for ME, so beautiful!)
• Dog sweaters – free knitting pattern
• Cat Bed Dome * crochet pattern
• Felted Cat Bed Basket
• Kitten Mittens  = Fun Cat Toys to DIY.

Copyright Fine Craft Guild.com ~ All Rights Reserved. Beautiful, Green or Hip Home Decorating, DIY & Craft ideas+ tutorials.

I think my friend will prefer to get the whimsical swimming pigs in mud- Kit at cake. I, on the contrary, love these romantically sweet Dahlia cupcakes.  That is: I prefer the look of them as I don’t really eat cupcakes.  Maybe that’s why I admire that pretty floral icing. I’m not going to mess it up but just look at it.  Having said this, this icing coloring is so naturally peach, that I might even dare to try a taste …

photo credit: Robin ~ Bird on a Cake.

BTW. Did you see the hydrangeas cupcakes that I posted last year? Also out of this world, so beautiful!

::

Cupcakes & Mothers Day

These Dahlia flower cupcakes looked so pretty, I just wanted to show you.

Quick 1,2,3 How-to Make Dahlia Cupcakes 

And if you want to make them, hop over to the ‘Bird on a Cake’- blog.  Robin will tell you all! And she’s quite the expert. She wrote tutorials for half a dozen of cake designs, if not more.

But, in short then, to pipe this kind of flowers, you’ll need a Wilton Decorating Petal Icing Tip #104 and make a series of U-shapes starting at the cake center, going all around. Do 2 layers and place the pearls in the center. Done.    Robin will tell you the rest.

Now, on the topic of icing difficulty: these Dahlia petals appear to be a lot easier to make than the 2-tone hydrangeas flower petals, which uses another piping tip altogether, the Wilton large closed star 2D tip.

If you are into playing with icing, perhaps ‘someone’ give you a personalized Amazon Mothers Day Gift Card. Then, you could choose Wilton’s Master Tip Set as  your Mothers day gift.  While you are at the site, look at this too:

• You will need a piping bag, e.g. this Wilton 10“ (or larger) Featherweight Piping Bag. Great bag! If you don’t have one yet, get this one.
• As well, Wilton makes Certified-Kosher Icing Colors.  Now those are pretty colors and it looks to me these are a bit healthier than the supermarket variety of food coloring.

* BTW Amazon gift cards have come a lonnnggg way. You can now get an email card, Facebook card, you can upload your own photo onto the card, etc. etc. It’s a 100% personalized gift now, and a perfect last minute gift idea for mom, as they sell everything these days at Amazon, from stunning dresses to diamonds to well… Wilton piping tips … and books and kindle accessories.. etc. Worth looking into if you haven’t yet. Comes with free printable gift greeting card.

Copyright Fine Craft Guild.com ~ All Rights Reserved. Beautiful, Green or Hip Home Decorating, DIY & Craft ideas+ tutorials.