Life of a crafter

Instructions to Make a Kindle Fire Cover

2012-01-12T17:26:00.001-06:00

Wow, I never knew a Kindle Fire Cover could be so popular! I pinned my creation on Pinterest and 34 people and counting repinned it! Someone even commented requesting instructions on how to make one. I wasn't prepared to write it up, my crafting isn't always good enough to share but I worked on it and made a few more and think I have created a pretty good pattern.

Here are the guidelines for making your own Kindle Fire Cover. If you aren't crafty and want to just purchase one, I have some on sale now at my store. Click on one of the images below to buy.

Fabrics Needed:

Decorative fabric for outside
Fabric for the interior
Stiff interfacing, I used the heaviest iron-on I could find
Flannel fabric (padding)
Thicker craft fleece (I found this in the interfacing area.) (This is the thick padding)

Notions Needed:

3/8" Elastic
Thread

Creating the pattern:

** Everything has a 3/8" seam

Cover Piece:

Cut a rectangle 11 15/16" x 8 13/16", mark the seam allowance, fold it in half and mark the half way point - draw a line on the right side of the center 3/8" in, this is the seam allowance for the right side. So the right side ends up being 5 1/16" wide.
Cut a 2 square and fold in half.
Place the folded square in each of the corners on the right side of the pattern. Draw a line, this is where you will place the elastic. When you cut out the fabric, cut a small slit in the seam to note where the elastic should go.
On the right side, mark 1 3/16" in from the right edge, this is where the elastic band will be stitched.
Cut one fabric, one interfacing, one padding, one thick padding

Right Side Interior:

Cut a rectangle 5 7/8" x 8 3/4"
Cut one fabric, one interfacing

Left Side Interior:

Cut a rectangle 5 7/16" x 8 3/4" (note it is 5 7/16", not 5 7/8" like the right side!)
Cut one fabric, one interfacing

Middle Interior:

Cut a rectangle 2 1/16"" x 8 3/4"
Cut one fabric, one interfacing

Pocket:

Cut a rectangle 5 1/2" x 8 3/4"
Fold in half. From the center, measure 3 3/4" from the left side to the center. From that point to the edge, draw a curved line. While still folded, cut along the line so both sides are the same. I used a drafting tool, you can also use a large can as a guide.
Cut two fabric, one interfacing

How to put it together:

Iron on interfacing to all pieces. ** I trimmed the cover piece interfacing 3/8" all the way around. You could create a different pattern for the interfacing that was the correct size but I cut these out all at the same time and trim, I find that is easier.
On the Right Side Interior piece, mark the lines from the pattern where the elastic should go (on the right side of the fabric). The bottom of the elastic goes on the line. Stitch elastic down.
One the Cover Piece, pin the elastic. The place you clipped into the seam allowance notes where the right side of the elastic should go. Stitch it to the Cover Piece.
Take the Pocket pieces and sew just the curved edge, clip, trim and iron. Turn the Pocket right side out and stitch the two pieces together so they are secure. The piece with the interfacing should be on the top.
Sew the Left Side and Middle together, top stitch on Left Side.
Pin the Pocket to the Left Side. Stitch all three sides.

Now you have a Cover Piece with the strap attached, a thick padding, padding, Right Side with elastic straps attached and a Left side with the Pocket and Middle attached.

Put the pieces together in this order, flat on the table; padding, Cover Piece (right side up), Right Side (right side down), Left Side (right side down make sure Middle is on top of Right Side). Pin. Sew all the way around. Trim selvage.
Turn right side out and use a corner poker thing to carefully poke out the corners. Trim the thick padding so it fits nicely inside the pocket you just made. I found out this is not an exact science. I trimmed off a tad bit more than the 3/8" seam allowance. Insert into the cover and smooth out.
Once you have this smooth and flat, top stitch around the entire thing.
Now, measure the distance between your top stitching. Cut two pieces of card board. The right side piece should be approximately 7 1/2" x 4 5/8" and the left side should be approximately 7 1/2" x 4 1/4". I say approximately because it depends on how far in your top stitching is.
Insert the left side cardboard first, all the way to the right. You will have to wrap it around the Middle edge so it slides to the left. Stick you hand in between the pieces and push the cardboard to the left. It should end approximately where the top stitching is of the Left Side and Middle piece. Put right side cardboard in, it should end just shy of the Right Side piece of fabric, you need enough room to top stitch over the edge. Smooth it all out and test it with your Kindle. It should fold over nicely and the elastic band should easily come from the back to the front, securing the front. Once you are satisfied, top stitch the Right Side closed, stitching all the way through all the pieces, top stitching will be on the back.

There you have it, your own handmade Kindle Fire Cover! If you make one, post your pics here!

Inside of of Cover

Cream and White Scroll Cover

Inside of Multi Blue Circle Cover

Handmade Kindle Fire Cover

2011-12-30T21:22:00.000-06:00

I made this Kindle Fire cover after looking for some online and seeing a few I liked but not liking the price. The best one I saw was a Kate Spade teal blue one that is $99 on Amazon. I love it; it seems so Tiffany-esque and Martha Stewart-ish yet has the Kate Spade cute little logo on it. LOVE IT! But, don't love the price.

So I started looking online at other ones and found that several styles have the elastic bands around the four corners. This seems to be acceptable, though several reviews questioned the longevity of the elastic. There also seemed to be several that had plastic clips the kindle would "clip into", that seemed harder to replicate.

I also found a few reviews of a cover that had an elastic band around the front to keep it closed, similar to a Moleskin journal, which a friend pointed out to me earlier today.

So I thought to myself, can I make one of these? How hard is it? It's a square that folds over.

As I do often, I thought very carefully about the construction during the many savasanas in yoga class. No, we are not suppose to think during class and certainly not how to make cool crafts but sometimes the mind wanders and gets stuck on technical aspects of design.

By the time I was done with class I had decided I knew what I wanted and how to constructed it. I went to Jo-ann's Fabrics and bought two fabrics, a basic black faux suede, a decorative outer fabric and some elastic.

It took me a couple of try's but here it is! The custom made Kindle Fire cover.

Cover open with Kindle inside

Closed cover with elastic closure

Detail of the elastic bands around the corners.

Left inside flap with pocket to hold notes.


More up close detail of the straps.

I can only assume this is scalable to an ipad but since I don't have one I don't know. Anyone have a broken ipad they want to mail to me for free? :)

A Happy Father's Day card for my daddy

2011-06-19T08:37:00.001-05:00

As a busy crafter, sometimes I find I want to just but premade things instead of making them. I know, shame on me! Lol

Unfortunately or fortunately, crafting is a hobby and not my job so I sometimes run out of time to make cute and thoughtful things. On the flipside, I tend to feel guilty as store bought cards somehow make me feel like I didn't care ENOUGH to make time to make a card. What a dilemma!

Just fyi to anyone that receives a store bought card from me, with all the great card selections, it can be hard work finding the perfect premade card!

I did manage to have a few hours where I made my dad a card but it was only after I had gone through the above delimma in my head.

This card is not my own design. I'm pretty sure it was in a Cricut newsletter I got though I couldn't find it when I was trying to come up with what to create. I also am pretty sure it is a fairly standard design.

I measured out a shape for the tie and folded it over the blue piece of paper. I cut "DAD" out of red paper using the Opposites Attract Cricut cartridge. I popped it off the card with some pop dots.

Easy to Make Wool Dryer Balls

2011-05-28T09:15:00.000-05:00

Old dryer balls

I got these plastic dryer balls years ago in an effort to be more green and stop buying dryer sheets. I've really liked them, they fluff up the laundry and reduce static without chemicals. One down side to them is they are really loud in the dryer.

I recently discovered wool felted dryer balls. I think these are such a great idea! Eco friendly and relatively inexpensive. (And quieter!) I found a great blog post at goodmama on how to make these. These are great detailed instructions with pictures.

With what I felt was good enough knowledge in hand, I went to Michael's and purchased some wool yarn. I already have two huge bins full of yarn but not wool yarn, so of course I had to go BUY more materials. :) Thank goodness Michael's was having a sale and some of their off colors were discounted to $2.99. I bought 6 skeins of Paton Classic Wool medium gauge, 3.5 oz.

I wound the yard into a ball, measured and put in a panty hoses leg per the instructions. Instead of putting them in the wash I put them in a bowl with scalding hot water and swished them around. I'm not sure this was the best idea, obviously the agitation in the wash would have been better for felting the fibers together but I have an HE washer and I felt there wasn't a lot of swishing going on anyway. After the water was cool enough for me to stick my hands in it, still hot though, I squeezed the yarn balls and massaged them a little to help the fibers mesh.

After that I put them in the dryer. I let them set out for a day before I added more yarn, they weren't quite dry and I hate to use the dryer to just dry dryer balls.

I wrapped more yarn around and repeated the process.

Here are my finished dryer balls. I like them. They look like the ones in the pictures on the blog post and like others I found on the internet.

New pretty wool dryer balls

I will say though, I don't like the fact that they still look like yarn. Why go to all the trouble of "felting" if its still just going to look like a ball of yarn?

Also, even though each skein was the same weight, the multi colored one didn't go as far. I had to use a different color for the inside of the ball so the outside was the multi color. This of course was only discovered after I had wound one ball almost all the way and realized I wasn't going to have enough.

The solid red color was better, I used 1 full skein and maybe 1/4 of the second skein. I still have probably 3 full skeins left and could make another 4 balls.

A friend told me about another technique for felting and I'm going to try some other things with the other yarn, I'll post again when I get those done.

All in all, if you consider the yarn was only $2.99 a skein, I basically got two dryer balls for less than $6, not a bad deal. My old plastic ones cost me $9.99 at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

If you are curious why someone would even use dryer balls. Here are two things I found on the internet.

How are Dryer Sheets Manufactured?

Are the Dangers Of Dryer Sheets Causing You and Your Family Serious Health Problems?

Yummy Treats on Mother's Day

2011-05-09T10:19:00.001-05:00

These great chocolate covered strawberries are from my sister in law, she runs Baby Cakes in Georgetown. They were so yummy!

My wonderful nieces explained how some had swirls and some wew decorated with smiley faces. The moms got smiley face ones. Either way, they were delicious!

Just the right touch for a special day.

Mothers: Happy Mother's Day! (Cards using the Cricut Design Studio Software)

2011-05-08T08:00:00.003-05:00

I decided to try the Cricut Design Studio software again and make a few Mother's Day cards. I researched the software a few months ago, bought a cord, watched a few videos, tried to use it and gave up. I encountered a few problems. I have a netbook, not a full computer so buying the cd was not an option as I don't have a cd player. I also wasn't too keen on purchasing the software without trying it out first. I saw lots of videos showing how you could download the trial version and just use the fonts on your computer but I couldn't make that work. The trial version does work with the cartridge that came with the Cricut but I must have been having a bad mental day because I tried it and couldn't make it work.

Earlier this week though I decided to give it another go. I had a choice, buy Mother's Day cards or make them. I opted to make cards since I have an entire room dedicated to crafts...I have a lot of craft stuff including an entire section dedicated to stamps, paper and other card making things - I'm like a mini Michael's Store.

My goal was to learn how to "weld" the letters together to make a continuous title. After a few messed up cuts I finally got it right! Wow, they looked great! Perfectly connected words ready to be added to cards or scrapbooking pages.

After cutting out "Mother's Day", I cut tiny flowers out of printed paper and backgrounds for the flowers out of complimentary solid colored paper.

Cricut cutting the flower backgrounds, beginnings of a card!

Here is the completed card. The letters and flowers are from the George and Basic Shapes that came with my Cricut machine. I added a matching printed backing and a pink ribbon in the corner. Each flower also has a colored brad as the center.

For myy second card I created a repeat pattern of "Happy" for the outside of the card and added glitter to each word. This could be used for any occasion, I might actually make up a few of these just as extra cards. For this one I added an all in one "Happy Mother's Day" to the inside of the card. I also added a flower background to the cut so it was all in one.

Front


Inside

Here is what the design studio software and Cricut set up for the front of the card.

My last card I used the same design of the inside of the last card and added more flowers. I used several different paper patterens for the flowers. The background for the flowers is part of the title and everything was done in grey. I used brads again in vintage metal tones for the insides of the flowers. A textured pink ribbon adds the final touch.

Happy Mother's Day!

Fabric bulletin boards made easy

2011-04-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

New custom fabric bulletin board I created for a client. These are fairly easy to do, below are the basic steps to create your own. This particular one is 2' x 2'.

Materials needed:

2' x 2' plywood. Thickness is up to you. I picked one that was thick enough for nail heads.
2 spools of grosgrain ribbon.
Ruler
Staple gun (I used 5/8 staples)
Decorative fabric
Coordinating backing fabric
Tape
Mallet
Needle Nose Pliers

For this one since the overall size was small, I used the ruler as a guide to space the ribbon. The larger the board the wider you can make the space between ribbons. I taped down the ribbons into place and wrapped the ribbon around the side so it was easy to staple down.

Once the fabric and ribbons were stapled on, I took off most of the tape and used the mallet to pound the decorative nail heads in. This takes some work. I recommend buying extra packages. I used the needle nose pliers to hold the nail in place while I hammered it in. You don't have to put nails in at the edge where the ribbons cross unless you are not framing. I frame mine so I don't use nails on the edges.

I added a backer piece of fabric just to finish off the piece. Not that anyone sees the back but it completes the work. Now it is ready for a frame.

I made one of these a few years ago and bought an old picture that had an awesome frame, took the picture out and put my bulletin board in the frame. I was trying to recreate the awesome bulletin board that was behind Rachel's desk on Friends. I'm not sure that was the best idea I ever had, the frame cost me $200. But, it was and still is an awesome looking bulletin board! If you are looking to frame yours, I suggest thinking about making your board the size of a standard frame that you can get for less money at Michael's or Hobby Lobby.

Here is my original fabric bulletin board.

Custom screen printed yoga mat towels

2011-04-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

Another success with the YUDU screen printing machine! I made these custom towels for the yoga studio where I teach. We had a grand re-opening party and honored several people that had been coming to the studio since the beginning. Each towel is custom printed with their name and date they started. (I removed the names for the sake of the posting.)

I used the Manduka equa mat towel. These towels are great to screen print, they are thick with a suede like texture. After screen printing I folded the towels and wrapped them with a ribbon to finish off the gift.

Mustache or whales? A tank with two tales...or tails as it were.

2011-04-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

I created a one-of-a-kind tank top for a friend, out of her own drawing, with my new YUDU screen printing machine. She drew a picture of a mustache, then, added a few extra details and made it into two cute whales. I thought it was so cute I made it into a cute tank for her as a going away gift.


Drawing

I used Paint.net to edit the image so just the whales and waves were left.

Image after editing in Paint.net

I used an American Apparel tank in heather grey with black ink.

Final tank!

I love my new YUDU machine! It is so awesome to be able to make custom printed shirts whenever I want!

Does anyone really need a BIG green Cricut Plushie?

2011-03-24T11:46:00.000-05:00

I love my Cricut cutting machine but this is a little weird. I got my weekly email from Cricut today goodness, there is a BIG stuffed cricket as the first thing you can buy! LOL Who needs a stuffed green cricket?! Uh, not me! LOL

I am sure there will be Cricut lovers all over the place buying these up and finding a prominent place in their craft room to proudly show off their love for Cricut cutting machines..but please...isn't money better spent on cartridges or accessories? :D

Create Decorative Scrapbook Spines with Cricut

2011-01-22T08:00:00.012-06:00

I got a Cricut cutting system for Christmas! I was so excited. I played around with one at a scrapbooking retreat about a year ago. Wasn't sure it was right for me but every time I have to buy new sticker letters or die cuts, I think about the Cricut. And wow, I didn't realize just HOW much I would like it!

I took it with me recently on a scrapbooking retreat and used it the entire time I was there. Here are a few examples of some simple things I created. Still learning; these were pretty easy but really brought out the details of the page.

This page from Dash Down Greenville 5k Run has accents from the Sweethearts Cartridge. I used the Heart flowers in two different colors of green to make them look like shamrocks.

For this Snow in Dallas page I used the Ashlyn's Alphabet Cartridge.

This 4th of July journal box was made with the frame setting and cutting out the phrase "4th of July" from the Stand and Salutes Cartridge.

Once I got home I was reminded I need to get my albums embossed so I know what dates each covers. It can be expensive per spine and I have 8 to do! Then the Cricut came to mind. What if I made a sort of name plate and used some decorative ribbon to attach it? Hmmm....After a few trial cuts I think I figured out a good look.

This look depends on how your albums are created and how thick they are. My albums are all Creative Memories albums and all are quite thick.

Here you can see my already embossed album spines and my new date plate spine create with the Cricut.

I used the George and Basic Shapes Cartridge for the oval and Opposites Attract for the letters. The ribbon is cut from some sheer ribbon I got from Michael's. Mine happens to be grey/silver but you could use anything that coordinated.

I used the So Saffron yellow from Stampin Up. It was the closest I had to the color of yellow of the album. I cut the oval at size 4" and a shadow in black. Numbers are 1" tall from Opposites Attract.

There are lots of "tags" in the George and Basic Shapes Cartridge; I plan on trying some other versions later. If you try this technique, let me know, would love to see other ideas!

Glue numbers on, then thread ribbon through the top through the back, up through the bottom. Glue number plate (oval) to the oval back. Tip: Let it fully dry to make sure it is dry and secure. I noticed mine is pulling away a little on the sides.

Then tie to the spine securely with not very much wiggle room(but not to tight as to crease the spine) and wrap it so the knot is on the back side like below. You can move number plate up and down depending on where you want the label. If you want to make a bow or tie, leave the excess ribbon on the front instead of wrapping it to the back. Replace your spine.

This can be done with permanent spines too as long as you have room to thread the ribbon through top to bottom.

Inside of spine; knot is on this side unless you want a decorative tie.

Here are additional ones I created in silver instead of a color that matches the album.

I am fascinated with what the Cricut can do, I hope to post more of my creations soon!

First Crochet Project: Amigurumi Dolls

2011-01-21T12:17:00.000-06:00

I recently took some books to Half Price Books to see what I could get. (Purging) They have you wait in the store while they review what you brought, I am sure this is a purposeful tactic to get you to buy books. It worked.

I looked through the craft books hoping to find a book on knitting with sock yarn and stumbled upon a great book "Crobots". (See image to the left.) It is a great little book with the cutest amigurumi creatures. I particularly like the Geisha at the end; it has 4 wheels though, meaning it is hard, so I will tackle it after I have made a few more of the other ones.

One problem, I don't know how to crochet.

The book has instructions on how to get started and how hard can it be right? I knit. I sew. I can crochet. LOL

I bought the appropriate hook at Jo-Ann's and some cheap yarn and went home to get started. It says in the book a good crocheter can make one of these things in a few hours. New people, a little longer. I'm on the new side.

The instructions as they turn out are not that easy to follow. Maybe if you already know what you are doing, they are a good refresher. Me? I found them confusing and I read them S-L-O-W-L-Y and over and over again.

I finally gave up and went on youtube and found a bunch of videos on how to get started. Youtube is a GREAT resource to learn just about anything. There are good and bad videos so you have to search a little but I saw great tips in most of the videos I watched.

After a few tries at the "magic circle" I managed to make a few cute amigurumi dolls/monsters.


White Amigurumi Dog

This cute dog is my first amigurumi. A friend suggested the pink collar and I like it, it makes her sassy.


Techno Monster

This guy is so cute. He originally had old style head phones on that went over his head. I modified to to make them white and gave him a little "mp3" player.

Audrey

Audrey is my favorite. She is quirky, made from random things in my house. I didn't quite have everything the book said so I improvised and I think she came out better. I particularly love her hat.

I'm having a lot of fun making these...I can't wait to get started on my next one! If you want to see the rest of my amigurumi, check out my etsy store.

Fingerless Gloves Galore!

2011-01-02T17:50:00.000-06:00

I wanted to post these before the holidays but I got an order for a bunch of these and that pretty much kept my hands busy till Christmas!

Handmade fingerless gloves

I decided to pick up my knitting needles again and see if I could make something function, that I could sell on my etsy site. This all started because I ran in the 2010 White Rock Marathon Relay and I was really wishing I had some of those cheap throw-away gloves. (People wear them when they start but once they are warm they just toss them to the side, volunteers come by and pick them up and usually donate them to a shelter.)

But in my crafty mind I was trying to think of how I could make some myself. I taught myself to knit so I only know some basic stitches. I've seen plenty of tv shows and videos on how to knit and all of them seem pretty complex when it comes to knitting in the round, like for fingers. During yoga sometimes my mind wanders and it starts to think on its own about things. Most recently it was about gloves and how I could knit some. I decided fingerless gloves would be perfect. I could tuck my fingers into them to keep them warm but they would also allow me to still use my fingers (important in today's tech world). And the best part....no fingers to knit!

After a few attempts, I made what turned out to be a pretty nice looking pair of fingerless gloves.

Green fingerless gloves

During the holidays I let my nieces try them on. They were too big but it did give me the idea to make smaller ones for girls. Here is a picture of some I made recently for my niece...I knitted tiny flowers for the front of them too.

Enjoy...and don't be shy, feel free to buy some on etsy!

Handmade Wristlet Makes Running Around Town So Easy!

2010-08-15T10:47:00.000-05:00

My new handmade wristlet!

I have a wonderful Coach wristlet that I love, my BFF gave it to me several years ago as a birthday gift. It's beautiful but I wanted one that was a little bigger and one I didn't mind sweating all over since I am now doing yoga all the time. In case you don't know what a wristlet is, it is a wallet that has a strap so you can carry it - on your wrist. It is like a mini - mini purse, usually only big enough for credit cards, money and a tiny lip gloss.

I prefer mine to be big enough for my phone, a wad of credit cards, cash and lip gloss. Yesterday I set my mind to making my own to fit all my stuff. I went to the store, picked out 4 complimentary fabrics and started piecing them together. My first few tries were not very successful. After making one that was too narrow and too tall, I cut parts off and adding parts and whola! found a good size.


Front and back are the same

Inside view

Here are the measurements and instructions if you want to make your own. If you do, please let me know how it turns out. I had a problem with the zipper so if you have a better process, please share.

Materials:
4 complimentary fabrics - I got 1/4 yard of 3 and 1/2 yard of the lining since you use that for the outer piece and lining. (If you do one fabric, you will need to add the measurements together.)
7" zipper
thread
ruler
rotary cutter
cutting mat
scissors
seam ripper (or at least I needed one!)

Pattern: (add your desired seam allowance to measurements, I used 1/2". Measurements listed are finished size.)

Outer Fabric (wristlet)
2- Band across top - 8" X 1 1/4"
2- End stripe - 1" x 3 1/2"
2- Middle stripe - 1 1/2 " x 3 1/2"
4- Center double print - 3" x 1 3/4" (cut 2 of one fabric and 2 of a different fabric)

Strap
1- Strap - 12" x 1"

Lining
1- Lining - 8" x 4 3/4"
1- Inside Pocket - 4 5/8" x 7 1/2"

Sewing Instructions:
1. Sew the 2 center double prints together, finished piece should be 3 1/2" (plus your seam allowance).
2. Sew middle stripe to each side of the sewn center double prints.
3. Sew the end stripe to each side of the middle stripe. Make both the front and the back.
4. Finished piece should be 8" x 4 3/4" (plus your seam allowance all the way around.)
5. Sew band to the top of the piece.
6. Fold strap in half, iron flat. Open and turn in 1/4" seam on each side, iron flat. Folded piece should be 1/2". Top stitch closed.
7. Sew strap to front left side of the bag, just below the band, or on the band, whichever you prefer. I also sewed a basting stitch across the band about an inch in to make sure it would stay straight when I sewed the two pieces together.
8. Sew the front and back together, sides and bottom.
Lining
9. Fold the inside pocket fabric right sides together, sew sides. Flip inside out, iron flat.
10.Sew onto lining.
11.Sew lining together, sides and bottom, right sides together. Clip corners.
Finishing
12. Fold under seam allowance of band, iron flat.
13. Fold under seam allowance of top of lining, iron flat.
14. Insert lining into wristlet, pin in place.
15. Open zipper, fold end down and put between lining and outer fabric. Using zipper foot, top stitch outer fabric, zipper and lining together.

**To sew the zipper in I started at the end, folded the tail of the zipper down, top stitched down the zipper, folded the other tail under, top stitched a tiny bit of the wristlet without the zipper, folded the other tail of the top of the zipper down and top stitched down the other side of the zipper. When I got to the end though, I couldn't finish top stitching, the zipper end was preventing the fabric to lay flat. I just hand stitched the rest of the zipper and wristlet together. I am sure there is a better way but that was what I did since I was at the end.

And there you go! Now you have a wristlet with a cute pocket on the inside, for what I don't know. I like to have options though a a pocket on the inside lets me put my id or something else I need quickly in a more accessible place rather than rummaging through my cards finding what I need.

Enjoy!

The Crafter in Me Made a Yoga Mat Bag for the Yogi in Me

2010-03-11T17:53:00.001-06:00

From Comfy Crafter

I just finished this cute yoga mat bag! It's completely my own design although, there isn't much room for creativity, a yoga bag is a pretty standard size. It fits a mat that rolls up to be about 5 inches in diameter. I put an extra strip of fabric inside to give it pockets and added padding to the handles for comfort. I think the contrasting fabric inside is nice but you don't see enough of it, I should have made the whole bag out of the paisley fabric and made the pocket out of the contrast. It's also made from cotton fabric so it is easy to wash.

Here is the inside:

From Comfy Crafter

What do you think? Would YOU carry this yoga mat bag? :D

Playing with Fondant with My SIL

2010-03-04T10:37:00.000-06:00

Fondant Fairies

From Drop Box

I spent yesterday with my sister-in-law hanging out; we had a wonderful time making these adorable fairies out of fondant. It is really very hard,so much detail work! I had never worked with fondant before so I helped with the simple things like the legs. :) I tried to make the arms but they looked more like linebackers than fairies. We made several versions before we settled on these. Aren't they adorable?

My sister-in-law makes cakes and has a wonderful blog with recipes and cake decorating ideas. She is making a fairy cake for a client that these little fairies will sit on.

Life Lessons by "Sleepless in Seattle"

2010-02-16T21:05:00.000-06:00

Watching "Sleepless in Seattle" on E and the part where they are in Annie's office talking about the phone call just came on. The guys in the office are fascinated over the fact that 2000+ women have called in to talk to this guy and state, "You are more likely to get killed by a terrorist than get married if you are over 40." Really? This is what we said in 1993? Frightening. If this is the case, I should have married my first love in college. Little did I know I was setting myself for better odds of being killed by a terrorist!

I am now not paying any attention to "Sleepless in Seattle", I am now freaked out about almost turning 40 and not being married! I think my first order of business tomorrow will be to get out and meet the man I am suppose to marry! LOL

Aren't Cats Suppose to Dislike Plastic?

2010-02-01T07:13:00.001-06:00

This is my cat Ginger. She likes to pee on things I use all the time, like this couch. I put plastic down to discourage her from sitting on it and using it as a litter box. That seemed to be working until today when I was sitting at the computer, I look over and she has hopped up on the couch and decided the plastic is not so bad! I bought a Scat Mat for the bed, I think I might need to get one for the couch!

I've Enjoyed My One Yr Relationship with MAKE Magazine

2010-01-24T08:00:00.002-06:00

Make: Technology on Your Time Volume 21

A friend of mine gave me a subscription to the magazine, Make, last year as a gift, this was was my last issue. I think I am ok with that. While I have thoroughly enjoyed reading or trying to read each issue, I think the DIY magazine is a bit over my head. The projects and articles are often about outrageous creations that are more "inventions" than crafts and half the time I don't even know what the darn thing is saying! The materials or processes use such technical words I find myself skimming the pages looking for words I know or pictures. This issue must have known it was my last and wanted to give me a good farewell, I found several things of interest. I opened it to a page that showed a camper in a shopping cart and then flipped to a DIY project making gourd lanterns. Both intrigued me and made me read the rest of the magazine and skip the packing I had to do.

The shopping cart camper was made by Kevin Cyr. He is quoted in the magazine as saying, "he hopes the Kart will stimulate conversation about ...mobility...shelter." I don't see how it can't! It really is a shopping cart with what looks like a pop-up tent camper built into the cart. My first thought? This is the Cadillac of shopping carts for homeless people, they no longer are homeless, they now have a mobile home. Now granted, it has no bathroom, kitchen or big screen tv but at least it is a dry place to sleep. I would just want a way to manage the breaks on the wheels so someone can't send me rolling down the street in the middle of the night.

The next page I flipped to showed a cute DIY project, gourd lanterns. Now this peaked my interest. This has to be the first I've ever seen in Make that I thought I actually could do, and would want to do. I of course immediately start trying to think of how I could grow my own gourds, where I would grow them, when the best time of year is to plant, where I would store them to dry, etc. As I looked over the how-to article, it was clear I wasn't going to be making any gourd lanterns. It requires a pumpkin knife and drill and they are both used on round surfaces. I am prone to accidents and I can see it now, I am working on a gourd, about to drill into the side and oops, there goes the drill into the side of my hand. Earlier this year I sliced my finger with plant trimmer scissors trimming a bush. I'm not meant to use sharp objects. So the gourd lanterns are pretty but not a project I plan to attempt anytime soon. (I will keep the idea though, just in case!) If anyone wants to make me some, they would look lovely on the deck I plan to build...some day.

On a whim I decided to read a few more of the articles, even though I knew I wouldn't understand most of them. I came across an article on snow science. Snow Science? Yes, snow science. It explains how snow can help show heat islands. As I am reading, I think to myself this might be good information, I am going skiing tomorrow and there will be snow. My mind starts to form a scenario of being stranded in the snow and having to survive...my solution will be to find places where the snow has melted around an object (heat island). This will indicate to me the object is conducting heat, enough to melt snow, probably enough to help keep me warm. Survival skills are important, you never know what type of situation you will end up.

One issue of Make showed how to build an igloo. I found that fascinating and good information in the event I got stranded in the snow. By the time that happens though I will have forgotten how to build the darn thing and I'll probably freeze to death; this is why the snow science article peaked my interest. Finding heat islands seems a heck of a lot easier.

Then the snow science article got really interesting when it started to discuss the particles that might be in the snow. Words like spore and fungal were mentioned, not two words I want to hear when white snow is being discussed. In my head a new event comes to mind....I am going down the mountain....I trip, roll down the mountain and get a face/mouth full of snow...and spores and fungal. YUCK! I will have to make sure I fall on my back since falling is inevitable.

I was ready to put the magazine down when I flipped to a DYI project I plan in trying, a magic photo square. It seems easy enough, take 8 blocks, tape them together per instructions and add photos. There are no sharp tools necessary except perhaps scissors and I have a ton of photos. So watch out my friends, everyone is getting a magic photo square for Christmas this year!

Serious Scrapbookers Can Tackle 409 photos at a Retreat, that is Not Me Apparently

2010-01-12T13:44:00.001-06:00

I went to a scrapbooking retreat this past weekend at the Summer Mill Retreat Center in Belton, Texas. It was so nice to get away and focus on something besides work or exercise. I've been a bit remiss in my scrapbooking over the last several years; I seem to get more behind by the day. Sad too since I spent quite a bit of money last year reorganizing my craft room so I would be able to DO more scrapbooking and card making.

Digital photos have also contributed to my lackadaisical attitude towards scrapbooking. I tend to never get around to printing them...except when a retreat comes around, then I just click "all" and print. I printed 409 photos for this retreat. I think I discarded at least 30 - 40 because they were blury or I had too many of the same basic shot. There was a discussion at the retreat about digital scrapbooking but to me there is just something about cutting pictures and adding embellishments to a page that can't be duplicated 100% through digital scrapbooking. I'll stick to the "manual" version for now and hopefully stay more on top of things in 2010.

I did manage to get over 60 pages scrapbooked which gets me up to the yoga competition I participated in last year in November. Just two more major events; the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon and Christmas to scrapbook and we can call 2009 done!

It's a far cry from the over 100 pages I use to finish in my "younger" days but it is pretty good for a rusty old scrapbooker. I've decided scrapbooking is like running, you need to train if you are going to go the distance. I shouldn't expect to complete 100 + pages when I haven't done anything to prepare for the event! Heck, I printed photos the day before I left. Plus, my mind hasn't thought about scrapbooking since the LAST retreat.

And they had a Cricut there for us to use, oh my gosh, it is awesome. But everyone probably knows that right? I think I must be the last person in the world to try and use one. It made amazing letters and shapes, very versatile. I sat there for quite some time cutting out words for all my pages. It was great, I had the choice of size and font type and it cute letters out perfectly. But man, what a time sucker! I spent hours at the Cricut, time I could have spent putting pictures on a page. Does anyone else feel like the Cricut is a like a catch - 22? It is great; gives lots of options for adding words or embellishments to pages but it takes a lot of time to glue the letters down and just figuring out which font to use took time.

I see 2010 being a year to refocus my life towards many things I have let fall to the wayside, scrapbooking being just one of those. I'll post more throughout the year on my progress. If you have scrapbooking stories, would love to hear them!

Four handmade dresses for girls and dolls, so cute!

2009-12-20T13:47:00.000-06:00

From Dresses

I just finished making these cute dresses for my nieces and their American Girl Dolls! I haven't sewn anything but squares in some time so my first attempts at the dresses was what I would like to call a practice run; good thing I had extra fabric! I'm so pleased though, they are done and the four dresses, with patterns cost less than $50, way under what matching dresses would have cost at American Girl.

I used McCalls pattern 4338, Simplicity 4786, See & Sew B4161 and McCalls Easy Stitch 'n Save M5351. I made slight modifications to the McCalls 4338 and Simplicity 4786 to get the doll dresses to look as close to the young girls dresses. The patterns have other garment choices so future outfits can be made which is good, I have a feeling now that I've made these, the girls will want more.

If you have other patterns you have used to make matching girl and doll clothes, I would love to know about it, please comment!

Ginger finally decides to get some exercise

2009-12-05T09:01:00.001-06:00

From Ginger

My cat Ginger decided 2 am was an appropriate time to being her exercise program, right on my bed. I was sound asleep and all the sudden I realized something, apparently Ginger, was rustling around and making circles on the bed. She was in stealth mode as if she was hunting something. I opened one eye to see her crouched down seemingly staring at something but of course I couldn't see anything, I was half asleep. I thought I say a firefly but I think it was just my imagination. Then I thought, on no, there is a bug on the bed and she is trying to get it!

I keep the house at a cool temp at night so the bed is covered with blankets. The top one is a crochet one that has holes it it. ginger kept poking her paws through the holes and moving the blanket around. She thought this was great fun, she must have been at it for at least 5 minutes. Perhaps the longest she has EVER exerted so much energy.

I tried to get her to come sit with me but she was too focused on what she was chasing. I was too tired to care if there was a bug. I figured if there was one, she would get it. And she kept jumping up from time to time so then I thought it might be a moth, she loves to play with them. They on the other hand hate it.

Then, for no obvious reason, she jumps from the bed and runs to the living room where I can still hear her running around. I'm glad she is getting some exercise but really, is 2 am an appropriate time?!

Michael's Goes Small in Manhattan

2009-10-22T17:29:00.001-05:00

I just read an article about Michael's Arts and Crafts opening a store in Manhattan. They stocked the store with items geared towards small living spaces. I'm so jealous! And do you know why? Not because they are selling smaller things, although, tiny things do make me want to buy them. No, I am jealous because they expect Martha Stewart to come by! Michael's sells the Martha Stewart line of craft items and she tapes her show there in Manhattan. One of the benefits to Michael's is the opportunity for Martha to make appearances on television. What great brand recognition! I wish I lived there, really want to go to a taping of the Martha Stewart show.

Besides Martha Stewart, I also think it is great Michael's is catering to small space living. They should probably consider that in other stores as well. So many times when I need something all that is available are oversized, over stuffed items. It seems to be an epidemic in America. So it is nice to see they specifically thought about their target market and stocked smaller, slimmer Christmas trees and wreathes, just as an example. The next time I am in NY, I will have to make a point to go by and see all the great things!

To see the full story, click here.

Ford is Looking for Outstanding Individuals, Top Award is a 2010 Ford Taurus

2009-10-19T22:03:00.001-05:00

Ford Motor Company is looking for ten outstanding individuals who excel in their profession as well as contributing to their community. "Taurus Top Ten" is an online contest open to the public that invites influencers who are in the fields of philanthropy, business, entertainment and sports to enter for the chance to be named Ford's 2010 Top Performer in America. In addition to their role as it relates to their profession, each candidate must also work to make a positive impact in the world around them. Once entries have been received, the field of candidates will be narrowed down to the top ten with each finalist campaigning for the top spot. The "Taurus Top Ten" Grand Prize champion will be determined by the community at large and the winner will be announced during a high-profile professional basketball experience.

Potential candidates are encouraged to submit an essay or video to www.fordurban.com/topten stating why they should be considered among Taurus' Top Ten no later than November 15, 2009. Consumers will vote on the winner during online voting December 1 through January 15, 2010. In addition to the Grand Prize of a Ford Taurus, nine finalists will win a trip for two to the "Taurus Top Ten" culmination event and a $2,500 donation to the charity/organization of their choice.

For more information on the program or to enter, please visit www.fordurban.com/topten.

Submit your email to win The Beatles Rock Band free on Wii, Xbox or PS3 http://tinyurl.com/ygfgxog

Get a Wedding Dress for $249, if You Dare!

2009-10-13T17:20:00.000-05:00

Filene's Basement is have a Running of the Brides sale on wedding dresses THIS Friday. Dresses on sale for $249! A record number of brides-to-be are expected to rush doors with their helpers to get the dress of their dreams from $249 - $699, regular price could be as much as $10,000! Now that is a sale!

This reminds me of the Friends episode where Monica, Feebie and Rachel go to the discount store to get the wedding dress of Monica's dreams. They like the people on Friday plan to do rushed the doors and scrambled to find the dress. I wonder how many cat fights, pushing and shoving matches will go on Friday as women search for the dress that is just right for their perfect day. I suggest if you don't want to get trampled, stay away. If you feel confident and have a plan, go to Filene's Basement in Warrensville Heights, Ohio and snag yourself a deal!

The Running of the Brides(®) sale takes place at Filene's Basement, Harvard Park Shopping Center, 4045 Richmond Rd. in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. Hours are 8:00am to 9:00pm. Checks, credit cards and cash are accepted. For more information go to www.filenesbasement.com.

For more information, click here.