Found in the "Ali"

Office Nic-Naks for $4.50

2011-08-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Now that I have a new job I have less time to blog.

But now I have an office and it needs some love. So of course I went to Marshalls.

I bought 2 candles for $1.50 each on clearance. They are a nice cream color that goes with the colors in my office and it has a wood grain effect to them.

I got my new silhouette on Wednesday and I've been figuring everything out. This is one of my first "real" and "successful" projects.

I just used some white computer paper that I had to cut out a design. Then I used some clear contact paper that I had to secure it around the candle. I think it turned out really cute. A cheap simple way to give a boring candle interest.

I also bought this cute Candle votive for $1.50 on clearance because it had a little chip on one of the "petals". I figured for a $1.50 I could put that side towards the back ;)

It was a dark brown/black color which would have gone fine with the office colors but I'm not a very "black" person. Plus everything else was white that I had in my area. So I sprayed it white. I thought it went great with the frame that I got a few months ago ($4 at Marshalls) that I will also be taking to the office.

I'll post a picture when I have everything set up :)

A Little paint makes it A LOT better!

2011-08-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Remember this super cute ...uhh... thing... I got at the thrift store?

Well I finally painted it. I decided to go with white. I really like it white. It doesn't "blend in" as much as I thought it might. I really like it. What do you think?

This is where it is going to go:

So as I was waiting for my stuff to dry, this cat walked up the staircase outside and into my Apartment!! He was walking around like he owned the place. I've never seen the cat before. I shooed him out, but then he hung out on the porch while I finished my painting.

Crazy Cat!

I really like how it turned out. What do you think?

Yesterday I bought 2 candles for $1.50 each on clearance at Marshalls and I also bought this cute Candle votive for $1.50 on clearance because it had a little chip.

Tomorrow I'll show you what I did with them.

(I'll give you a hint: I used my *new* silhouette!)

NO-Sew Halter top: Updated

2011-08-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

One of my very first posts I did was a tutorial on how to make a Halter top from a Men's shirt. Since then I've gotten a few features and lots a wonderful feedback. Quite a few people have commented on how low it is and non "Bra-friendly".

I wore my top the other day and wanted to show you guys how this top will look with a spaghetti strap shirt layered underneith it. I wore a strapless bra.

You can also wear it with a tank top if you need to wear a full bra.

I still think this looks is just as cute with a tank as without :)

The great tasting-Not so great Looking Dessert!

2011-07-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

What makes a dessert awesome?

How about one with fruit to make yourself think its sorta healthy?

That has alcohol in it?

And you probably already have all the ingredients?

Really, what more could you ask for?

If you will excuse my last minute camera phone picture, I'll tell you how to make this yummy tasting (not so great looking) dessert!

First slice a banana in half "hot dog style". Lay it on a cookie sheet and spread some butter and cinnamon and sugar on it.

Then broil it, or BBQ it, until the skin starts to peel away from the banana.

Place it in a bowl and pour Kahlua over it (most of the alcohol will burn off because its hot, but I would maybe skip this if you are serving to kids. Go for chocolate drizzle instead). You can also sub the Kahlua for Baileys or any other dessert liquor of your choice.

Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Ta-Da!! Deliciousness!

Recipe courtesy of Tyler L :)

Cigar Box Ring Organizer

2011-07-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

My lovely friend Ali (doesn't she have a great name??) asked me to make her a ring holder. She had them all on a rod/stick/pole thing (technical terms) and she hated having to take off all the rings if she wanted one at the bottom. So after her explaining the gist of what she wanted, here is what I came up with:

Isn't it fantastic? I was pretty sad to give it to her.

(I have enough stuff to make me one too so don't feel to bad for me)

Read More and Ill tell you how I made it!!

First grab some foam or a chair cushion.

If you are trying to go "on hand" you could also use pillow stuffing.

Then pick out some cute coordinating fabrics.

And get a cigar box. If you go into any smoke shop they usually have tons of boxes. If you bat your eyelashes and ask real nicely they may give them to you. The one I went to didn't think I was pretty apparently and made me pay $2 per box. Still a pretty good deal tho.

You could also make your own box from a cereal box and tape and mod podge or any other boxy thing with low sides.

Now that you have your "boxy thing" cut out a square of foam that will fit. I used a box cutter for this.

Now slice up the square into rectangles. Try to be straight but they will be covered so don't freak out if they are a little jagged. Mine are about an inch but you can make them bigger or smaller depending on how many rows you want.

Now cut a piece of fabric to fit and hot glue it around the foam.

*If you are using batting you will want to sew a "tube" and stuff it with the batting

Glue up the ends

Squeeze some glue in the box and place your roll as close to the front as possible.

Keep going until you end up with this:

Now place all of your fancy rings in the box

Where do you store your rings? Everyone is always looking for great ways to organize their jewelry!

Check out where I'm linking up:

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4th of July Layered JELLO!!

2011-07-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Want to learn to make some fun 4th of July Jello? I gave a little tutorial on my Facebook page.

Aren't they so cute?

And while you are there, enter my Giveaway!

Happy 4th everyone!! Have a safe Holiday!

Facebook Giveaway!

2011-07-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

I've giving away one of my scarves on my Facebook page!

All you have to do is leave a comment on the photo! Super easy.

To Win CLICK HERE!

This is one of the cute scarf accessories that I sell at all of my craft fairs and boutiques. I also have them for sale in a few local stores.

They are great for dressing up a T-shirt and jeans or even a dress. I wear mine in the summer with a tank top or in the winter with a sweater.

If you don't win but would like one, feel free to email me and I can send you photos of my inventory or make you a custom one.

Coffee Bag Pillows

2011-07-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Remember my awesome sofa I got? Remember how I told you I was going to show you more on my pillows that I made for it? Well here it is!

I know you've been waiting on the edge of your seat.

I showed you some Pillows that I wanted to make for the sofa when I first got it. And I finally got around to doing it after I covered the Chair that I found...intheALI

So here they are!

One side I used the coffee bag and on the other side I used the same fabric from my chair.

I think they turned out so great. I love them.

I think it coordinates well with everything in the room.

By the way........ I saw the fabric that I used in an article in Better Homes and Gardens. Man I'm just such a great fabric-picker-outer. :D

What I wore wednesday

2011-06-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

Shirt: Old Navy clearance $4.00

Shorts: Target clearance $3.75

Sandals: Steve Madden Sale $15

Purse: Consignment store- Fossil bag $29.00 (this was a big splurge for me. Sad, I know)

Yeap, Feelin Kinda cute :)

I need your Opinion!!

2011-06-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

So heres my little shelves:

And here is a little shelf nic-nak that I got at Marshalls for $1.50 (I'm just bragging). It kind of looks like a silver pomegranate.

Ok now for the question. Its about this little guy.

Click on over to my Facebook to see the question and help me answer. :) And while you are there, you should like my page! ;D

You can see a far away picture in the first photo. Its not as "brassy" as it looks here.

Beach Bag from Recycled Materials

2011-06-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

A few months ago a got a new mattress. I had nicknamed my old mattress "the crater". It was time for a new one. I got a memory foam mattress. Its the best thing that I've ever bought. I got a full size for $250 on Overstock. Such a great deal.

Ok Anyway, It came rolled and wrapped in this woven plastic wrapper (you cut it and it goes "poof" and it expands :P ). Being the "craft-a-holic" that I am. I thought "hmmm what can I make out of this??" So I saved it.

and I made this:

Read on to see the tutorial. ( you can use this tutorial to make a beach bag out of any material.)

Here is the plastic stuff that I used as my material.

First I cut out one long rectangle and folded it in half. The half should be the size of your beach bag.

Now cut a piece of ribbon (on hand)and sew it along the top for cute-ness.

(If you are using fabric you may want to hem it. )

I used a contrasting color thread because I'm fancy like that.

Now sew up all three sides leaving the top open.

Now you are going to pin the bottom corners, Like this. (a pictures worth a thousand words)

Here is a side view:

Now sew across the corners. This is going to give your bag a bottom.

Trim off the extra.

Now make some handles out of fun fabric and stitch those on there.

Using the same fabric I cut out parts of the fabric that I like. I hot glued them onto the bag since it is plastic. If you have a fabric bag you can sew it or use the iron fusing stuff

Here is the back

See how fashionable I am? ;)

Oooo, the other side!

Blog Guide book

2011-06-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this blog?

Not only do they have lots of tips about blogging, fun stuff and other great blogs, but they also have a whole bunch of giveaways this month. Go check them out!

4th of July Wreath

2011-06-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

If you've been following along, you know that I have one wreath that I inexpensively update for each holiday.

I've done:

Halloween and Fall

Valentines day

St. Paticks day

Easter (just realized I never did a post on this one :P )

and Spring

And Now.................

4th Of JULY

Isn't it cute?? I love it. Its one of my favorites.

Read more and I'll give you the details.........

Start with the blank wreath. I just cut off the ribbon and flowers from spring.

Now get some Red, White, and Blue from your ribbon stash.

I started with blue and white (like the blue and stars) then switched to red and white (for the stripes....just in case you didn't pick up on that;) )

Then I hung my Dollar Tree sign in the middle of it

I thought the ribbons looked a little "firework-ish". I love 4th of July. I can't wait. I started decorating last week :)

I'll be linking up:

Shirt for 70 cents

2011-06-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

I bought this shirt at Marshalls on clearance for 70 Cents! Yeap! Be jealous.

But it was missing.... uhhhh... something. I don't know what was supposed to be there, but it was gone.

See?

But of course I thought "I can fix that". ......it took me a while to get around to it, but I got it done in time for summer. :)

(I got this sweater that same day)

So first I stitched the two ends back together:

Then, I took a ribbon from my stash that I think was from an old dress and looped around the top:

For some reason it looks like there is a stain down the front of it, but I swear there's not :P

So here's the finished result:

Quite an easy fix for $0.70

and I think the boyfriend would be proud that they are USC colors :)

The Perfect Baby Boy Gift

2011-06-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

There is SO much cute stuff out there for little baby girls.

But what about the little boys?

Its getting better. But lets be honest, there's way more for girls.

So when my friend Shanena found out she was having a boy, I knew I needed to make a baby gift that would be amazing.

Her husband is in the Air Force and the baby's room is airplane themed. So I decided to do some "airplane themed" onesies. I think they turned out so great. Super simple. And It only cost me some time and the price of a pack on onesies.

Read more to see the details......

They are super cute and really personal which I love. When I give gifts I love to make it something that is "perfectly them" or something they can't get anywhere else. I think I accomplished that :)

One was an airplane:

And check out the detail on the back:

I think they are so cute!!

The second one was clouds:

I cut the shapes out of scrap fabric that I had on hand. Then I used contrasting thread for some pop and fun stitches to stitch it to felt. This made it stiffer so it was easier to sew onto the onesie. It also gave it more detail and interest.

Shanena and Chris loved them. Mission accomplished. :) I can't wait to see little Gabe in his onesies!

The Other Summer Dress

2011-06-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

A few of you have been asking about the "other summer dress":

Want to know how I did it? Its super easy.

While I have your attention, Have you seen my FACEBOOK page? I'll keep you updated on my blog and let you know about lots of fun extras.

Facebook.com/foundintheali

Read on for the tutorial!

OK for the tutorial:
(sorry it was a "trial and error and more trial and more error" dress so there aren't any pictures :P )

You are going to want to check out the tutorial for the grey dress. (I answered a few questions that you guys had.)

You are going to do the same thing that you did for the grey dress but its going to be a little bit shorter because you want it to be the length from your ribs to the floor.

Now you are going to take a bikini top that you have and trace the triangles. I took the strings out and laid it flat. I cut two pieces and then sewed them matching sides in then flipped it right side out.

Now you are going to pin them to the top of the skirt. You are going to want to pleat or ruffle it as you sew/pin so that the top will be more of a "cup" and wont be flat so your boobies fall out the side :P Now sew them down.

(When you trace your bikini top it, the bottom of the triangle will probably be curved. This will help make that "cup" when you pleat it.)

Now you are going to make the belt that goes across. You can use this tutorial for the headwrap I made. Just make it a little bit longer.

I made it long enough to wrap it around and tie it in the front. You don't have to make it that long. You can just have it tie in the back if you like.

Now that you are done sewing your belt, just wrap it and tie it. You can sew it down and the top of the skirt if you like. I would just sew it around the front to allow the elastic to stretch when you are putting it on and off. ...or breathing :)

So I hope that was easy enough for you guys to understand. I'd love to see photos of anyone who makes a dress! Let me know if you guys have any questions.

(and don't forget to check out my Facebook page <3 )

Featured Love

2011-06-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

I was featured!! Yay

Thank you so much! And thanks to everyone who clicked on my link :)

And I was also featured over at Spunky Junky for my chair!

Check it out here

Thanks so much everyone. I feel loved!

And a lot of you are asking more questions about the dress that I did. I will answer all of those questions and a tutorial on the second dress on tuesday when I get home from Oklahoma :)

What I Wore Wednesday: Palm Springs edition

2011-06-08T11:51:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Palm Springs,CA!

I'm trying out my new blogger app so bare with me.

My boyfriends work has a golf tournament here so we get an awesome vacation too!

So for what I wore:
Bikini: $10 @ Marshall's last season
Hat: $3.24 @Target on sale.
Earrings: $5 @ the mall

I love my hat. You can roll it, pack it, smash it, and it keeps its shape. Great vacation hat :)

Hopefully all my pictures and everything worked. They are from my phone so no judgment ;)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.1

Super Easy Summer Dress

2011-06-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

This dress is super easy and super comfortable. Any beginning (or advanced) sewer can do.

"Read on" for the Tutorial!

First cut a big square of fabric. I would suggest using a jersey cotton or something flow-y and stretchy. You will want it to be about 6" longer than your measurement from the top of your bust to the floor. Leave it longer wide, than you are around for the gather.

*I started with about 2 yards*

Then sew it into a tube. (this is hard to photograph :P)

Now you are going to sew a hem around the top and make it a little wide for your elastic. Don't forget to leave a little opening to slide your elastic in.

Put a safety pin on the end of your elastic. (ignore the fabric on mine. I recycled it from a failed dress.)

Slide it all the way around your dress then sew the elastic closed.

Now take 3 long strips of fabric in a matching or coordinating color. Knot them at one end, braid the whole thing, knot the other end.

Try your dress on and measure how long you want your dress to be. Trim. You can either hem it or just leave it like I did. It's a jersey cotton so it won't fray. I like the way it flows better than with a seam at the bottom.

Now you are done.

You can either knot the braided tie around your waist,

Or you can twist it up and tie it around your neck.

Check out this other dress I made too. Click here for the tutorial:

A Chair "I Found In The ALI"

2011-06-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

The other day I went out to my car and a little chair caught my eye sitting in the alley.

The wheels are spinning... so much potential. A ran over and grabbed the chair and ran back to my apartment (yes, I ran).

Look at it! Great style, and easy to cover:

"Read more" to see the tutorial!

So excited. But its and ugly vinyl, and you can see the springs sticking out.

But it has such a great shape.

This is the fabric I picked out to cover the lil guy.

First I fixed the whacky springs on the bottom. I just used some wire to secure the spring back down.

Now the fun part! Tear that thing up!

Here's the naked little chair. I sacraficed and old pillow for some extra padding on the seat.

Then line up your fabric and start stapling under. I used a staple gun. I started at the front of the seat and worked around to the back, pulling and stapling the sides as I went. I must have gotten carried away because I forgot to take pictures of this part. Oops!

The back, I folded the sides around then pulled the top around from the front and stapled it underneath the bottom.

I'm SO excited about how this turned out. I love it. Its very "me" and goes with my living room really well.

Isn't it Great?!

Its really comfortable too. Surprisingly.

If I were to do it again I probably would have given the arms a little sanding and varnish. But since I live in an apartment and they really weren't too bad I decided to leave them. I think it turned out fantastic and I'm really happy with it.

The Free Sofa RE-VAMP

2011-05-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

About 2 months ago I got a new roommate. My old roomie took her couch with her, so I needed to get a new one. But the timing was Terrible and I could not afford a couch. My budget was about $50. I knew I could get something with potential for that price. I could always cover it or paint it or something.

After searching craigslist I actually found one for FREEEEE annndddd..... Look at this thing:

Seriously. Too good to be true! This... free. If I had unlimited money to get anything I wanted, this would be the style I would choose. But.... it was a little dirty:

Check out the photos and the "after picture after the jump".

(and you can also read the great story of how I got it into my apartment)

eww

Yuck

The left is the inside of the cushion, the right is the outside of the cushion.

And a cat got to the arms. Yikes.

So I washed and washed and bleached and washed the cushion covers. I sprayed and scrubbed the arms. I took scissors and trimmed all the cat-scratch off. Then I took a sweater shaver and shaved all the fuzzies off. Worked FANTASTIC!

Look at the "after":

You can't even tell that a cat got to it. Soooooo are you ready for the after?? REaaadddyyy?

TAAAA-DAAAAA:

Tell me that's not the best score ever! And you get a sneak peak of the new (bp knock off) pillows I made. And on the left side you can see the corner of my new chair. I found it in the alley behind my apartment and recovered it. I love it!

OK are you ready for the best story ever? My fantastic boyfriend and his wonderful friend ~~offered~~ were forced to bring my couch upstairs for me. My apartment is on the second story.

First the boys brought it up the stairs to the front door... but then couldn't make the turn. Ohhh nooo the couch is too big! I REFUSED to give up this couch. Then they took the feet off.. still too big.

..... I eyed the sliding glass door to the balcony. Kyle sees me eyeing it and gives me the "I don't freaking think so" look. *I batted my eyelashes and flashed a smile*. Then we measured...Then took the screen door off.... and the sliding glass door off....and measured again. Oh yea... It was totally going to fit.

So Kyle goes downstairs and lifts the sofa up long ways (did I mention I'm on the second story?). Me and his friend Matt went out on the balcony and lifted it over the railing. Then, because I have this little overhang, as it was teetering over the balcony railing, we had to rotate it the other way to slide it through the doorway.

Whew! We finally got it in!

*Kyle looks at me* "When you move out, the sofa stays"

I LOVE my Sofa :) (and my boyfriend)

Spring Wreath

2011-05-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Now I know its almost Summer now, but I did this project about a month ago so it was more appropriate at the time. And it still looks cute for summer :)

I'm sure there are tons of tutorials on these flowers but I posted how I did mine for this one. This is the first time I've done this sort of flower. I really like how they turned out.

Read more to see how I made the flowers and attached it all....

First cut a circle out. The bigger the circle, the bigger the flower.. obviously.

Then, cut it into a spiral.

Now with your hot glue, dab a little glue, then roll it up. I suggest doing a practice roll before the gluing if this is your first time.

Once you have a few different sizes that you like, you can start laying them out how you like.

Last, I added little stones as a center for the flowers.

I always wrap my wreath in yarn or ribbon so that I can keep reusing the wreath each month. (I don't have room to store 12 wreaths)

Then I hot glued the flowers to the ribbon and I'm all set.

I really like the color combination. I'm not sure I like the ribbon. Maybe its too shiny. But apparently I like it enough to leave it up for the last month :)

Last Minute Headwrap

2011-05-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! Where have I been??

Ive been finishing up one of the hardest semesters since I started school. I had to make a portfolio of all of my work which took me about 160 hours just to assemble the books. And of course I procrastinated and did all 160 hours back to back. It was about 10 days of NOTHING but portfolio.

But I'm done!! and I was accepted into my program! Yay! There were 35 people who submitted and 22 made it in. So I'm pretty proud of myself :D Then we did a gallery showing of our stuff. Lots of Crazy-busy-ness. (Yea that's a word.)

But now I'm BACK! And I have lots of fun projects building up to show you. So lets get started, yea?

First up: Super easy Head wrap....That doubles as a belt!

I have this lovely little sundress that I love but I have no jewelery or anything to go with it. So while I was waiting for my roommate to finish getting ready for our outing, I made a headwrap. Headbands give me a huge headache almost instantly. Thats why I like head wraps because I can make them tighter or looser.

"Read more" to see the easy tutorial..

First step is to find some fabric you like and cut out 2 long skinny rectangles. I made mine a little fatter in the middle and skinnier on the ends. (could have sworn I took a photo of this)

Then sew them inside out leaving a little space so you can flip it right side out.

Now flip it right side out

Pin up the hole that was left

If you are fancy, get out your iron and press.

If you are sorty fancy, use your hair straightener (that was already sitting on the counter).

If you are not fancy, skip this step :)

Then sew a top stitch around the whole thing.

Then you are all done!

And if you leave it long enough you can also use it as a belt!

Love it!

And it seriously took me like less than 5 minutes.

What I Wore Wednesday: My First Time

2011-05-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

I would like to take this opportunity to brag about my outfit today:

Sweater from old navy: $8 brand new at a thrift store
Roxy Dress: $4 at a thrift store
Sandals(not shown. oops): $7 on sale at New York and Company

Not bad eh?
Lets see if I can get even cheaper next week. Er.. I mean, More Thrifty :)

Personalize your coffee

2011-04-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

I used an extra piece of the chalkbord vinyl that I had to cover an insulated cup that I have. Now I can write whatever I want on it.

"Don't talk till me until this is finished"

"MMmmm.. Caffine"

"Ali's Life Saver"

"The highlight of my Day"

I'm sure you get the picture :)