Sallygoodin

Crochet Today - Crochet Flower Potholders

2012-01-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

Wow! "Look at Me" Pretty Petal Potholders

Crochet today involves really wonderful colors and textures and patterns. To me the potholders look "new", although I made these crochet flower potholders based on a 1946 pattern. I only finished them an hour or so ago and can't wait to put them to use.

I have to say this vintage potholder pattern was first brought to my attention by the super talented Lucy at Attic 24. She adapted the 1946 pattern to fashion a vibrantly eye-catching pillow. (I featured Lucy's pillow here previously in a page all about DIY flower pillows.) Before even beginning the pair of pretty petal potholders, I used Lucy's instructions to crochet the simple white pillow pictured. (A sepia tone in editing was used strictly for contrast.) I wanted to show how the same pattern can go from subdued elegance to WOW!!! look at me!

Same pattern used to make this pillow - (Only bigger)

But I'm getting off track.....

I want to show you how I finished the potholders.

Trace same size circle on wrong side of fabric.

Machine stitch or hand stitch along traced line on fabric.

Cut 1/2" outside stitching. Fold along stitching and pin to back.

Slip stitch fabric to back of potholder.

Use crochet yarn to attach cafe ring to back of potholder.

These pretty petal potholders look right at home in my kitchen, don't they? :) (Speaking of potholders, I've written a whole page on all kinds of easy to make potholders here.) I guess what I wanted to get across in this post was I feel crochet today is an art that honors the lessons we've learned from crochet of the past. What do you think?

By the way, this craft project is my very first project completed for Finish It Friday. Bring along your finished project and join the fun here. Have a wonderful weekend!

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Felt Heart Pin - Felt Heart Garland

2012-01-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

I made a small batch of felt heart pins last night in a very short time. No pattern is needed.

All you do is free hand cut out the heart shapes (two for each pin). Embroider an initial (if desired) on the face of one heart.

Hand sew two heart halves together (wrong sides touching) with a simple straight stitch along the edge. Leave an opening to stuff a little fiberfill inside to make the felt heart puffy and continue stitching until heart is closed.

Add self-adhesive bar pin to back.

This felt heart garland was also a very simple project. I used three different colors of felt to make the garland, free hand cutting out various sized hearts as I went along. Then the felt hearts were simply stitched together on my sewing machine. This felt heart garland turned out to be 15 ft long.

Felt Heart Garland

Felt Heart Garland - Closeup

Felt Heart Garland - Sewing Hearts Together

There are a lot of different Valentine garlands on the internet. Everyone has their own version, so have a look around the net. Make a felt heart garland for Valentines and do it in your style. :) Have fun!
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A Few Good Tutorials.....

2012-01-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

Tutorials for DIY Projects

Over the years, I've really grown to LOVE the free tutorials offered on the internet. It's awesome the way bloggers are so willing to share their knowledge and expertise in a tutorial. I've posted a few in my time on this blog and I've gathered a few of my favorites too, which I'd love to share with you here. I've divided the tutorials into three categories: DIY Projects, DIY Gifts, DIY Crafts.

Tutorial for DIY Gifts

Tutorials for DIY Crafts

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Outdoor Living - Our Lanai

2012-01-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

Outdoor Living on Our Lanai

Our lanai is where we do a lot of outdoor living. What exactly do we do out here? Well, I'm typing this post on my laptop right now, sitting at the table with the blue tablecloth. The hammock is perfect for lounging around listening to the tradewinds tickle the bamboo chimes. A lot of lazy days have been spent just sitting here on the lanai and "talking story" as they say in Hawaii.

Mostly though, our outdoor living space is used for cooking and eating. We love the variety of food in Hawaii that represents so many different cultures. I've shared some favorite local style recipes here.

Kalua Pork Oven Roasted

Seared Ahi Tuna

Tofu Salad

Actually, it's getting close enough to lunchtime now. Think I'll go see if I can put together something to eat. :) Aloha!

Memory Ornaments

2011-12-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

I made and gifted several memory ornaments to family members at Christmas. (the one above belongs to my daughter, Riki) The fabric encased in the small 3" wooden hoop is actually a small piece of a favorite sweater worn long ago by my husband's late paternal grandmother.

The retro pin is just that....an old Christmas pin I found and pinned to the sweater remnant. They compliment each other perfectly, don't you think?

Each month I spend a day on Maui sorting through pieces of the family history. This memory ornament is very special because it serves as a reminder of a loved one who is basically responsible for my family being my family.

After all, if this tiny woman (well under 5 ft tall) hadn't had the gumption and courage to travel by boat from Japan to Maui and to marry her Japanese plantation worker beau, my father in law would have never been born, therefore my husband wouldn't be here either. Instead, it all happened just like that.

Over thirty years ago, I met and married this courageous woman's grandson. We are proud and blessed to have had two healthy, happy, giving souls, our son and daughter.

Our "kids" are grown now and building the foundations for their own families. We owe everything to this magnificent woman. Merry Christmas to you, dear Taki!

Make some memories and please have a safe and wonderful New Year. Blessings and Aloha for 2012!

Vintage Hankie + Drop Cloth = Throw Pillow

2011-12-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

   It's been a while since I posted. Christmas this year involved a lot of gift making so I hope to post more of those projects very soon. And, since 2012 is just around the corner, I can't promise, but I will say that one of my goals for the New Year is to be more diligent with updating my blog.
   For now, I wanted to show you this simple drop cloth pillow I made for someone special to me who was born in Germany (in fact the town the hankie is from). All it takes is some inexpensive canvas drop cloth, polyfiberfill stuffing and one vintage hankie.
   Sew the handkerchief to the pillow front as close as you can to the rolled edges of the hankie. Then, of course, pin right sides together of pillow front and back, leaving at least 6" section open for turning. Turn sewn pillow right side out, stuff and slip stitch opening closed.
   You can find vintage hankies like these on Ebay or Etsy and many thrift shops. The drop cloth is available at any home improvement shop or Amazon has them also. See more of my drop cloth home decor projects here.

Caning a Chair Seat

2011-11-29T21:27:00.001-08:00

I found this old oak rocking chair exactly as it's pictured here. Very sturdy bones, but it needed a lot of attention. I used old dental tools to remove the spline holding in the cane on the back of the chair. As you can see, the caning in the chair seat was long gone and replaced with a piece of cheap wood. All that had to go.
Next I stripped off every last bit of the white top layer of paint and under that I removed a very faded shade of turquoise. Careful sanding took me down to the raw oak.
I then damp cleaned the wood thoroughly with Murphy's Wood Oil Soap and let it dry for several days. Topped this with several applications of matte finish polycrylic. In between coats I used very fine steel wool to knock off any spots in the finish.
I thought it was so beautiful and I was a little apprehensive about the caning part.
Research on the internet told me everything I needed to know and I found a wonderful seller on Ebay to purchase precut sheets of caning material (the kit includes the spline, assorted wood wedges and an easy-to-follow instruction booklet).

I decided to cane the chair seat first, figuring if I messed up the application it would be easier to cover up (with my big butt.) ha I soaked the first sheet of caning material in the tub in lukewarm water for 30 minutes and began the process. (Making sure the caning is put in straight is the main concern.)
I used a very sharp wood chisel inside the groove to clean the cane edges. Only a small bit of wood glue was required inside the groove and the pre-soaked spline was wedged into place.
The process was repeated to cane the chair back and the rocking chair was allowed to dry 24 hours before use. Seriously, caning a chair seat turned out to be a very easy project and the only tools I used were hand tools.

I love my "new" rocking chair!

Affordable DIY Thingamajigs For Everyone

2011-11-16T16:45:00.001-08:00

This handy and clever DIY tool is one of the best thingamajigs I've bought myself for DIY. (It's also incredibly affordable.) Wouldn't it make a great stocking stuffer? The paintbrush adheres to the strong magnetic top of this clip so it doesn't fall into the paint.
I've featured several of these inexpensive, invaluable DIY gadgets here. Check it out if you love DIY or know someone who does.

Knockoff Lampshade - DIY

2011-11-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

I saw the idea for this DIY silk roses lampshade on Knock Off Decor last week. What you see above is my final result. Final cost for this DIY lampshade transformation was less than $10.

You'll need one awl, enough silk roses to cover the lampshade (I used 60 for this project) and a hot glue gun to make this silk roses lampshade. Here's the lowdown on the DIY.....

1. Remove flowers from stems. (Make sure to clip excess greenery from flower as shown below.)

2. Begin poking holes at regular intervals 1/2 inch from the upper rim of lampshade.

3. Dab hot glue into hole, insert flower and press.

I now have a gorgeous DIY lampshade that was simple to make and very budget friendly. (Plus a whole ziploc bag of silk leaves waiting for another DIY project.)

I gotta say though some of the faux flowers available are simply beautiful, I don't normally use them in my home. However, once I set my eyes on the inspirational lampshade, I had to make my own. And whoever saw a lampshade made of actual roses? lol Besides, isn't this lovely? sigh........ :)

P.S. I just found this wonderful Round Tuit linky party and am linking up to Creating My Way to Success.

Divided Pie Pan = Happy Bakers, Happy Families :)

2011-10-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

No more arguments of which pie to bake. No more wasted pie. It's pie heaven!

A divided pie pan means less baking, less cleanup and less divided families. Apple pie? Pumpkin pie? Yes please to both!

DIY Ideas for Used Furniture

2011-10-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

Pictured is my son's house during his college days. As with most college students, he was on a very tight budget. I offered to help him set up his first home. (Of course, what's a mom to do?) haha

His house was comprised of mostly used furniture from thrift shops which I refurbrished and embellished and had a load of fun doing it. Read about some of the used furniture projects shown above and more here.

Ginger Chicken - Local Style

2011-10-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

This recipe for Ginger Chicken is from my husband who grew up here in the islands. I've included a step by step tutorial on Squidoo. Make it and serve with a pot of rice. Yummy!

Switch2Health Step is here!

2011-09-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

Walk or run to get your Switch2Health Step or the Replay. This company literally gives you reward points for every 10,000 steps taken (jogging, running or walking). You can then redeem your reward points with participating companies like Amazon, KMart and Sears for gift cards, etc. So it's like getting paid to exercise! I'm so excited!!! Find more info here and let's GET MOVING! :)

DIY Trick or Treat Bags Collection!

2011-09-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

I wish tutorials for DIY Trick or Treat Bags like this one were available when my kids were trick or treating. A scour of the internet allowed me to round up several of my favorites (like this hilarious mummy tote showcased on LilSugar). Visit the collection of Trick or Treat Bags - DIY style, here.

Decorating with Doilies

2011-09-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

There are so many decorating ideas using doilies all over the internet that I just had to compile several of my very favorite projects into one big Squidoo lens. Now I can drool over doilies any time I want to. :) Grab your inspiration notebook and crochet hook if you like to DIY and join me at Decorating Ideas Using Doilies.

Fun Gifts - Pajama Eaters!

2011-08-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

When I first saw the Pajama Eaters created by Jodi over at Sew Fearless, I knew immediately I'd be making several of these fun gifts. (How could you resist?) ;) Jodi has provided a wonderful tutorial so you can make your own Pajama Eaters.

Today I've finished the first of what I hope to be many Pajama Eaters to come. This pink Pajama Eater is a birthday gift for a sweet little girl in Oregon. Next, I'll be making four more for my great neices and nephews in Missouri for Christmas.

Pajama Eaters are lined and have a "dividing panel" inside so the pajamas are inserted in the zipper mouth in front. Behind this section the body is stuffed with fiberfill (making a pillow of sorts) so the Pajama Eater can sit up to eat.

My wish is to make at least a dozen to gift to Toys for Tots this year. A group picture of the charity Pajama Eaters will be posted when I'm done. I'm very excited about gifting these and would like to thank Jodi at Sew Fearless for sharing her creativity.....Thank you Jodi! :)

Sun Hat - Beach Hats, Floppy Hat - Free Patterns DIY

2011-07-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

I'd never made a sun hat of any kind until a few days ago, though I've had the free patterns for these two beach hats for a while now. Both sun hats are in the floppy hat genre.

Both beach hats were quick and easy to make. For the red sun hat, I followed this great tutorial by Novita of Very Purple Person. She shared her creativity with a guest post of her sun hat with the scalloped brim version here. I downloaded the free pattern for this sun hat, taped together the pattern pieces for the floppy brim and started sewing. The floppy brim of the sun hat can be either scalloped or left plain. Since this was my first time making a sun hat, I skipped the scallops, but aren't they fabulous?

The crocheted sun hat was easily finished in one night following this fast & easy step by step on All Free Crochet. I used 100% natural cotton yarn for the hat and a sunny yellow cotton yarn for the crocheted rose attached to the side of the floppy brim. Tipnut generously shares directions for 20 crochet flowers here.

Either of these beach hats can be made easily and inexpensively. A sun hat with a floppy brim also helps protect your face on those really sunny days. Plus, they're just so darn cute! ;) Speaking of cute......a big Mahalo (Thank You!) to Maile for modeling these beach hats. Aloha and Enjoy!

P.S. Beach hats + a good sun screen = beautiful skin!

Upcycled Leather Belts Seating

2011-07-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

Upcycled leather belts from the thrift shop were used to create this leather chair seat. It took 20 leather belts to cover the seat and when I originally completed this project several years back, the belts cost me 25 cents each for a total investment of $5. Here's how to make a leather chair seat of woven leather belts.

Flip the chair over and remove the existing seat cover. It should be screwed into the chair frame. I used a ratchet screwdriver to make the job easier.

Once the seating frame is exposed, lay the leather belts over the frame in a pleasing pattern and begin to inter weave the leather belts. I had purchased two red leather belts and made sure one red belt was placed horizontally and the other vertically. Also, I tried to vary the textures of the belt during placement to keep the leather chair seat interesting.

Once the leather belts are woven in place on top, begin securing the belts on the underside to the chair frame. Pull each side taut, alternating sides and secure using a staple gun OR....

you could also use a tack hammer and upholstery tacks to attach the leather belts underneath the chair frame. (I used both methods when fashioning my woven leather chair seat.) Before securing belts to frame with the tacks or the staple gun, you may opt to trim any excess lengths of the leather belts using a sharp utility knife. However, as shown in the below pic....

I found that several of the belt lengths were perfectly suited to fastening as you would while actually wearing a belt. (That was certainly easy.) :)

Here's a closeup of the finished seat. And in case you're wondering, this upcycled leather belt seating is incredibly strong. This chair does not get everyday use, but it does come out when we have company and need extra seating. It never fails to bring me compliments and people are inevitably surprised at how very comfortable it actually is.

Moral of this story....don't throw away your leather belts! Here's some more ideas for up cycled leather belts.

Adult Tutu DIY - No Sew

2011-07-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

This tutorial is showing how easy it is to make a no-sew adult tutu. I wish I'd have made a pink tutu for my daughter when she was young. Instead, she asked me (as a grown young adult) to make one for her and a friend for a relay they're running soon. I started and finished both pink tutus today.

Anyone can make a no-sew adult tutu. Here's how I did it:

For each adult tutu you'll need:

2 yards of hot pink tulle and 2 yards of white tulle
5 yards 1" wide pink grosgrain ribbon
sewing scissors
tape
straight pins
sewing graph board
a few basic stitches on the sewing machine or by hand if desired

Fold the ribbon lengthwise in half. Cut to create two lengths at 7 1/2 ft each. Tape off ends of ribbon with clear tape to prevent unraveling.

Sandwich ribbon sections together. Fold in half and mark center with a straight pin. From that point, position another stick pin 15 inches off each center (for a 30" waist). This is a good medium to start from, the actual waistline can be easily adjusted to accomodate the wearer. **See the note below for more info.

At sewing machine, sew a straight stitch across the 1" ribbon at each marked edge of the 30 inch section. Next sew a zigzag stitch centered horizontally the length of the ribbon between the two previous stitchings. (Ribbons will now be sewn together for a 30" length centered with the remaining ends hanging loose.)

Time to cut the 54" wide tulle. (The sewing board was handy and made the job go much quicker.)

This was my first time dealing with so much yardage of tulle and I found it a little tricky. So, I simply cut off 1 yard at a time and worked with that.

Smooth out one yard piece of tulle and keep it folded in half (as it comes from the bolt.) Now, fold this piece UP lengthwise in half and then fold in half again. (As shown in pic below, you'll now be working with a piece that is 36" long and approximately 6" or so folded in height.)

Cut through all layers every 4 inches along this tulle, giving you 9 pieces for each section. Unfold each of the nine separately, *fold each exactly in half and cut along the fold giving you 18 pieces of tulle that measure 4" wide x approximately 13" long. (Your pieces may be a tad longer depending on the tulle you use....my tulle was supposed to be 54" wide, but it wasn't exactly so.)

* Do not cut these folded sections in half IF you are making a solid color tutu. I used a hot pink tulle and a white tulle together to achieve the look I wanted and it was necessary for me to make the additional cut giving me 18 pieces instead of 9. If you make a solid color tutu, you will be working with the 9 pieces folded as they are. This will give you the same fullness as shown in the finished picture. :)

Continue cutting the remaining yardage in this same manner.

Align one each of the pink and white tulle strips in your hand. Fold in half together and form a loop.

Slip the loop underneath a portion of the ribbon that is sewn together. (First portion of your slipknot.) Then continue making the slipknot by inserting the ends of the tule through the loop and pull to tighten over the ribbon. (see below what it should look like)

Secure ribbon with pins into your sewing board to hold in place while making your slipknots OR use something like the mannequin I have (shown below) to make it even easier. (Actually you could also probably tie the ribbon ends securely to two opposing, sturdy objects while you work on it, if necessary.)

Continue making slipknots all along the length of the zigzag waist portion of the ribbon and allow the end portions to move freely to be tied into a pretty bow when worn.

** Note I used 30 inches as a guesstimate. The adult tutu can be sized to custom fit by either spreading the strips of tulle a bit apart on the ribbon or squishing the strips closer together. Adjust the sewn poriton of the ribbon waistline according to the approximate size of the wearer when starting this project.

I'm so tickled how these no-sew adult tutus turned out. Really a quick project. Now my only problem was how to get these in one box for priority mailing without smashing? Well, space bags of course! lol

I smoothed the two no-sew adult tutus with my hands, and with the help of my husband got them in the space bag. Now all the girls have to do is remove them and give them a good shake and they'll bounce right back into marvelous pink fluffiness! :)

Vintage Linoleum Wall Art

2011-07-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Once a month I fly to Maui to work with an elderly relative on my husband's old family homestead. There we are salvaging bits of his family history from the ancestral home which is in a horrible state of disrepair. I'm amazed at the "treasures" we've found and I've decided to share a few now and then on my blog.

This is a piece of vintage linoleum found on the floor of one of the bedrooms. In bad shape, it still cut easily with my utility knife. It's very worn and the colors are muted, but as they say, "if only it could talk."

I brought it home to Oahu and happy to hear my mother in law state this linoleum was in all probability a small rug purchased by my FIL (now deceased) for his own mother back in the very early 40s. (The Hawaiian islands in the 40s......more posts to come.)

My father in law worked during his high school years as a door to door salesman for a dry goods store. Linoleum was a popular item with the housewives on his door to door route. ..... So, vintage linoleum as wall art? You bet!!!!!! :)

P.S. I've shown several other DIY wall art ideas here on my Squidoo lens, Wall Art - DIY and On the Cheap. Linking this post to Craft Gossip's Linky Party; join us!

DIY Flower Pillows

2011-07-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Flower pillows are so varied. Some are incredibly lifelike and others are more stylized. Together, they make beautiful bouquets for your home and the best part is you can make them yourself! This chrysanthemum pillow designed by the folks from JoAnn Fabric is just one of my favorites.

Flower pillows - I picked a bunch of my online DIY coveted flower pillows and consolidated the links to the free tutorials for these decorative pillows for your convenience. See the flower pillow tutorials from here.

640 Square Feet of Paradise - Making the Most of Small Spaces

2011-07-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Our single-family home in Hawaii is comfy for sure, but it is small. Compared to the square footage of the average American home, my husband and I probably have to make a little more concentrated effort to keep things organized and "in their place" in our tiny home.

I've learned a few tips and tricks along the way which I'm sharing on my Squidoo lens, Square Footage - Making the Most of Small Spaces. What kind of tricks do you use to extend square footage in your home?

Habitat for Humanity ReStore - Heaven for DIYers!

2011-06-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

If you haven't checked out a Habitat for Humanity ReStore yet, you are surely missing some awesome bargains. Even the folks at Better Homes and Gardens know what treasures can be found at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The kitchen pictured above was put together using discount building materials purchased at their local ReStore.

Our local ReStore on Oahu is only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday and you'll find that each ReStore's hours will vary by location. Speaking of location and ReStores.......find out all about Habitat for Humanity's ReStores and where they're located, plus samples of merchandise here.

Let us know what you find at your ReStore and remember to pass the word along. These stores are a win-win for both the consumer and, of course, the worthy cause they support.

Frightened Fruits and Veggies - and some Scary Dairy too!

2011-06-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

The title is not a typo. These fruits and veggies absolutely talk. Some are endearing and adorable and there is one really annoying orange, but you should probably see for yourself.
They are showcased on my Squidoo lens which serves as a sort of shout out to the genius, Daneboe, who actually created these characters. I'm just helping to bring these to your attention, so if you like what you see, please pass it along. Have a safe weekend and eat healthy! ;)

uShip - Affordable Movers - Shaking Up the Competition

2011-06-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

uShip is unique for the savvy consumer who appreciates saving money and great personal service. This is the experience I've had with the website, uShip, while searching for someone to haul a few pieces of furniture from one state to another.

My cargo didn't contain priceless antiques as you can see, but priceless to my daughter in sentiment. And price was very much a factor. I don't know anyone "made of money" and we are no exception. lol

Talk about customer service! The driver blanket wrapped and saran wrapped the pieces and then sent me a picture of them before they even left the pickup location. In fact, I got his email before my son (who had been storing these pieces for his sister) had even thought to call me to let me know the shipper had come and gone.

Everything completed timely, very affordably (and via PayPal). Our thanks to Frank and Lois of seattledriver who carried the furniture to its destination safely and quickly. If you've been looking for a similar service and want to learn the savings of LCL (less than container load shipping), read more about uShip here.