the cupcake fairy girl

wednes-diy

2011-09-18T13:19:00.000-04:00

rope swirl tapestries from the kind and generous folks at Free People.

I always knew their clothing was swoon worthy, however I now find myself lusting after the amazing tutorials!

wednes-diy May 18th, 2011 / Posted by fp julia / Permalink

a few of you have asked about the amazing rope swirl tapestries in our new store displays and you’re in luck because one of our display artists put together a tutorial on how to make them! it looks like such a fun rainy day project.

what you need: a large piece of cardboard, black marker, scissors, rope in various sizes and colors, neon twine, pompoms.

use a variety of different colors and textures to create a fun swirl – these purple and orange tassels are just another piece of string woven in with the others!

once you’ve got it down, you can make a whole bunch in different sizes and colors, to create a whole wall tapestry just like the ones in our stores :) i can’t wait to try this!

wednes-diy

project 13 :: security blankets for tornado survivors

2011-05-10T10:16:00.000-04:00

http://www.crafthope.com/
Put your talents and creativity to good use! Craft Hope is running two projects for you to choose from
.project 12 :: orphan outreach

project 13 :: security blankets for tornado survivors

If everybody did just one simple good thing to help the world the result would be amazing. Who doesnt love making bracelets? Its simple and you can go crazy creative.

they have a group so you can get ideas and see what others have http://www.flickr.com/groups/967135@N25/

What a fun way to change the world!

How to Make Yarn and Felt Folks - CraftStylish

2011-04-03T04:00:00.000-04:00

Photo: Diane Gilleland

Here is the cutest tutorial on how to make yarn and felt people!

How to Make Yarn and Felt Folks - CraftStylish

{make} Hedgehog Valentine’s Day Ornament

2011-02-10T14:51:00.000-05:00

Love Hedgehogs?
I know I do! Here is a great tutorial from indiespotting.com

{make} Hedgehog Valentine’s Day Ornament

wednes-diy

2011-01-06T13:33:00.000-05:00

A Beautiful Free project from the fine folks at Free People

wednes-diy

January 5th, 2011 / Posted by fp julia / Permalink

saw these adorable little fabric-embellished moleskine journals over on honestly…wtf and they’ve been hanging around in the back of my mind ever since! any crafts that involve taking a simple everyday object and personalizing it are always appealing to me – plus i am one of those people who does not go anywhere without a journal to jot down notes, song lyrics, doodles, and yes, even blog ideas. i love the little moleskines because they’re nice and small and can fit in any bag, or in my pocket.

what you need: moleskine journal of whatever size you desire, fabric, scissors, a needle and thread.

i’m going to go off on a tangent for a moment and say that one ofmy favorite place in our building is our visual display team’s workroom. they have everything you could possibly ever need for crafting! and yes i know how lucky i am that they lend me supplies for some of my projects :)

these beautiful scraps of fabric are from antique quilts our team finds in india… you may recognize them from many of our store displays! it’s nearly impossible to pick one because they’re all so special but the rich cerulean blue of one really stuck out to me.

cut the fabric to your desired shape. honestly…wtf recommends gluing the fabric to the journal first so it doesn’t move around, and then sewing with a sewing machine. while that would be much easier, i did it by hand, without any glue, and it worked just fine – and here’s my cute little journal!

i have a feeling this is going to become a regular thing now…

2010-12-23T02:51:00.000-05:00

After the Christmas crazy frantic fun has settled, give your soul the gift of the warm and fuzzies....

http://www.quiltsforkids.org/

Check out this site it is really inspiring. I kinda feel guilty because I think I love doing these things because it just feels really good. A safe natural high.

There are so many ways to help and they are appreciative for it all. Simply spread the word around on your facebook or send a twitter shout out. If you find yourself with extra fabric and are doing a clearing send some their way. They will even send quilters a kit to make and send back free of charge. You can send a little warmth and love to a child when they need it most, while doing something you love to do.

a free heart quilt pattern from Downy

Also please check out some of the companies that are helping this wonderful cause.http://www.downy.com/media/Quilt_pattern_instructions.pdf

here are a couple of cuties from the gallery..

Free Halloween goodies!

2010-10-05T12:07:00.000-04:00

Welcome Back! Due to an illness I had to take a break from my blog. However, now I am feeling great and ready to come back to the fun world of blogs, moms, and homemade treasures!

I love this time of year so I figured I would share some of the great things I have come across. Take some time to look around these great sites that also "share the love of share"

Store all out of Halloween treat bags? Been there!
try printing out some of these.

Halloween treat bags for you and yours

halloween treat holder
This site is a great resource for teacher and moms please check it out..
makingfriends.com

the cutest halloween money ever!

Remember everyone to take the time to enjoy the wonders of fall. Before you know it, Christmas madness starts. Enjoy yourselves!

Craft Hope Beanbag Project

2010-04-15T10:52:00.001-04:00

http://crafthope.com/2010/04/behind-the-bean-bags/

Got some extra time? A little extra fabric? Make some bean bags for Crat Hope!
This is a great way to do some good in the world. Combine your love of creating with the love of kindness and giving.

Here is a tutorial on making the bean bags:

Mama Mel Loves...: Alphabet Bean Bags

- Dr. Suess, The Lorax

Here are the links that will explain the project with all the details:

http://www.loeproject.org/

2010-04-06T01:36:00.001-04:00

From the Buzzy Blog:

Spring is Here!! Send in Your Photos for Free Seeds!

If the idea of purchasing on our website for free seeds didn’t appeal to you, how about this. Send me your gardening photos and I’ll send you free seeds! If you have BUZZY products, that would be ideal. If you send me a photo of your Buzzy grow kit (or even plants in your garden that came from Buzzy seeds) I will include a 2nd packet of seeds!

This is for a limited time only. You can submit your photos by emailing me at photo@buzzyseeds.com. Be sure to include your name and address so I can mail you seeds. Please note that your photos may be used on our blog or website.

I will accept photos for seeds until 5/1/09, so start now

http://www.buzzyseedsblog.com/?p=129

here are some of my garden shots

I find wishing and hoping for the best works well for me!

2010-03-23T07:02:00.001-04:00

Recycle Your Grocery Plastic Bag

April 14, 2009 by Craft Passion

in Tutorial, Tutorials

Love this post? Give me a thumb's up

10 Comments

Do you have the habit of keeping your grocery plastic bags? I do, and have plenty of them in my carbinet. I know that I will find good use for them one day instead of throwing them away into the dustbin and loading the landfill.

I emptied them out on the weekends as there were too many to keep. Looking at them and noticing that some plastic bags are so beautifully designed, it seems like such a wastes, so I made this!!! Fused plastic sheet for various crafts, you can even sew on them. At this point of time the outlook of the plastic sheet doesn’t seems appealing to you but it will be a great art when you put them together with other material. I am going to use them to make a recycled tote bag!!!

Let me bring you to the tutorial on how to make these fused plastic sheets. I will keep the recycled tote bag for another post in few days time, so please come back and check for the updates.

Material

2 sheets of blank white paper,

A pair of scissors,

a thick towel,

iron,

plenty of thin grocery plastic bags, and

a well ventilated room

Method

Cut the grocery plastic bags into flat rectangle sheet, i.e cut away the handles, the bottom and side seams. Stack 6-8 pieces of equal size together. The most top and bottom plastic sheet must be white and blank.

Sandwich 2 pieces of plain white paper in between the plastic pile. The paper must be bigger than the plastic so you won’t iron and melt your plastic and stick on it.

Set the iron to medium heat and stroke across the plastic pile slowly and evenly.

The heat from the iron will fuse the plastic sheets underneath. Remove the iron and press against the pile with a thick towel to let it cool down slowly. Please don’t touch the surface directly as it is quite hot for your bare hand to handle it. As it cools, the plastic pile will harden and shrink a little, you will hear some creeping sounds. If you skipped this step, your plastic pile will shrink and roll up while it cools, as a result, you won’t get a flat plastic sheet.

Take a closer look of how it looks after the fusing. See, they are bonded together!!!

You need to try out a few times to get the right temperature. The photo shown below was my failed trial. The reason being was that I set my iron temperature too high and the plastics were melted and formed holes. If you find that you plastics are not fusing, that means your iron is not hot enough, increase the temperature or stroke it longer.

If you have any questions, please do leave comments below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Good luck.

want more ?

For a tutorial on how to create plastic bag fabric....go here:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=178442.new#new

Save the Monarch Butterfly

2010-03-09T14:36:00.000-05:00

Free Milkweed Seeds

Help your kids save the monarch butterfly.

There are certain things I remember from my childhood summer days. The special trips we took as a family to the Catskill mountains were a favorite. I was growing up in a small suburb that was quickly turning into a city. We had a small patch of grass in the backyard and really scary neighbors who yelled at me. Needless to say, I avoided the back yard. So when our family spent summers in a little cabin surrounded by forest it was life changing to me.
Our first two weeks were unlike anything I have ever known. No electricity or running water. The utility companies were stalling because I think they had no idea how to navigate through the woods to get to us. Having no distractions from T.V. or anything else, my favorite activity was spending the day wandering down trails collecting huge bouquets of wildflowers. There were just never ending hills filled with them. Even though that by the time I came home they were a little wilty and bent, my mom would always find some place to put them on display.
So, why the trip down memory lane? There was one flower I should not have picked. It was big and beautiful. covers in orange flower buds. It was called common milkweed. Let me tell you this is a great injustice. This flower is way to pretty and special to be called that sad name. Remember those breathtaking orange and black butterflies that seemed to be everywhere? Well now they are disappearing. I am sure there are a ton of reasons why. The one thing I know is that milkweed is scarce. This is the only plant that a monarch butterfly will lay her eggs on. A food source for the caterpillars.
This spring please consider carving out a small patch of dirt and spread some seeds with your kids. They will love it. Worms, water, mud! What more can a kid ask for? Well, the joy on my little ones faces about 3 months later when we spotted our first monarch caterpillar was worth its weight in gold to me.

There are many sites that will send you milkweed seeds at a very low price. They are trying to get this native natural beauty back where she belongs. Click the link on top for some free seeds to get you started, or get a jump with a plant.

Trendy Treehouse: ★ Marketing Mondays Blog Hop ★

2010-03-08T07:09:00.000-05:00

Tre ndy Treehouse: ★ Marketing Mondays Blog Hop ★

come on over and join!

Made by Petchy: FREE PATTERN : BABY DRESS/TUNIC

2010-03-07T19:57:00.000-05:00

Made by Petchy: FREE PATTERN : BABY DRESS/TUNIC

what a great design!

2010-03-05T08:56:00.001-05:00

come join the fun!

or just check out how cute this place is.

Reclaiming The Home: Stripey Hippie Skirt/ Shirt Tutorial

2010-03-04T08:25:00.000-05:00

Here is a great tutorial for a child's hippie top/skirt. I really like this one because the instructions seem easy to understand. I have been working on a similar skirt and will post some pics when I am done. I am loving the stripes.

Reclaiming The Home: Stripey Hippie Skirt/ Shirt Tutorial

Printable Snoopy and Woodstock Peanuts Cartoon St. Patrick's Day Greeting Cards - I-Love-Cartoons.com

2010-02-27T16:02:00.000-05:00

Here is a great site for free printables, coloring pages, and more. I have been a huge charlie brown fan forever and there are lots of great pictures of the Peanuts gang and any other cartoon character you can think of. Have fun!Printable Snoopy and Woodstock Peanuts Cartoon St. Patrick's Day Greeting Cards - I-Love-Cartoons.com

Cute 'n' Cool Blog Accessories: ^Free Blog Buttons

2010-02-25T14:36:00.001-05:00

*Cute 'n' Cool* Blog Accessories: ^Free Blog Buttons

this site is awesome. so artistic and cute at the same time. check it out!
This site offers some great freebies for your blog.

Nature Brights Kitchen: Cool & Cozy Pet Bed - Sew4Home

2010-02-25T13:49:00.001-05:00

Great pet bed tutorial posted on Sew4Home. Thinking that since I will be stuck indoors for days, thanks to new jersey snow, I should start on this before I crazy.

Nature Brights Kitchen: Cool & Cozy Pet Bed - Sew4Home
Anybody have any pics of pet beds they have made? I really have been dying to attempt one.

Join The Hunt for Bees! | The Great Sunflower Project

2010-02-25T00:11:00.000-05:00

Join The Hunt for Bees! The Great Sunflower Project

Join the Hunt for Bees!
Four steps to participate
DONATE!
Instructions and Data sheets
Printable garden description
Many studies have been done on our agricultural bee populations and in recent times the commercial beekeepers have experienced colony collapse. What scientists had not studied on a large scale was how the wild bees were doing and what effect that has on pollination of garden plants, crops and wild plants.
In 2008, we started this project as a way to gather information about our urban, suburban and rural bee populations. We wanted to enlist people all over the US and Canada to observe their bees and be citizen scientists. We asked them to plant sunflowers in their gardens so we could standardize study of bee activity and provide more resources for bees. Sunflowers are relatively easy to grow and are wildly attactive to bees. Since 2008, we have expanded the list of plants studied to include Bee balm, Cosmos, Rosemary, Tickseed, and Purple coneflower.
So far we've found that the on average our gardeners are likely to see a bee pollinate every 2.6 minutes. Surprisingly, over 20% of our gardens never saw a bee! We want to thank all of our citizen scientists for being our observers.
You can participate by getting annual Lemon Queen sunflower seeds from us, at your local store or through one of these seed sellers. The instructions are here. Do join us!
It takes less than 15 minutes.
It's easy.
No knowledge of bees required!
Enter your bee counts online or send us your paper form.We would love to have you join us; let’s help our most important pollinators together!
We love having beekeepers participate.
Supporters
FAQ
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i love the way she blogs

2010-02-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

i love the way she blogs This site is really beautiful. Lots of informative links

Buy Mom Made

2010-02-24T15:53:00.001-05:00

Buy Mom Made

take the pledge!

Comcast True Fan Trivia

2010-02-24T08:56:00.000-05:00

Comcast True Fan Trivia

This is a fun trivia game if you are a pop culture junkie.
only takes a few seconds and you can win instant prizes. Good luck!

Crafty Wedding: Garden Flowers: "Our Love Blooms" Seed Paper Favor | FaveCrafts.com

2010-01-19T14:56:00.001-05:00

Crafty Wedding: Garden Flowers: "Our Love Blooms" Seed Paper Favor FaveCrafts.com

I love, love, love, paper products embedded with seeds. I can't wait to try this.
These are perfect for invitations, cards, favors, and so on. It's like getting two gifts in one!