Repurposed Fabric Rope Bracelet

I first saw these cool rope cuff bracelets on a blog called
Sew.Craft.Create. They were so unique and bohemian looking
I couldn't wait to try them. So, I interrupted all my Christmas
crafting to do just that! But the no-sew way.

 Every where she said to sew, I glued with a low temp glue gun.
I  made three from repurposed fabrics-the blue from scrap fabric,
the yellow from a vintage napkin, the cream from a T-shirt.
Click here to view Heidi's detailed tutorial.

I love the variety of styles you can make with this fun tutorial and
that I  got to use some vintage buttons I had been saving.
I think the T-shirt one is my favorite because it is stretchy and
I like how the pattern looks. I plan on making more as
gifts with different colors and accessorizing my
wardrobe--the thrifty way, of course.

Linking up with these parties.

Bleach Pen Fabric Art

Have any plain T-shirts laying around that you're bored with? I first saw this fun idea on Pinterest by a blog called Show Tell Share and I couldn't wait to try it.

I think it made me reminisce to my '90's childhood days of designing shirts and canvas shoes with puffy fabric paint. (I thought I was so cool! )

I love that this technique looks a little like batik (and not so '90's).  Here's what I saw:

bleached T-Shirt designs from Show Tell Share

After seeing this idea, I went through some of my kids' clothes and some of my own to see if there were any with little stains on them that I could disguise this way. I also went to the grocery store and picked up my Clorox bleach pen-around $2-3.

I decided on a green shirt for my son that had a bleach mark already on it. This was so simple and fun to do!

Here's what you'll need: 
1. Clorox gel bleach pen 
2. Cotton shirt or fabric of your choice
3. Plastic to line the back of fabric (plastic bag, wax paper, or cereal box liner). 


First, lay the fabric out flat on table. Place plastic liner in between front and back of fabric so bleach doesn't bleed through. Then, draw whatever design you want-I did freestyle numbers for my son's shirt.

It's fun to watch the bleach slowly lighten up the fabric until you see your design. Be prepared for a bleachy smell in your house. Opening up windows might help!

The nice thing about the bleach pen is that it comes out as a gel, with two different ends for flow options.

Allow the gel to dry completely onto fabric for a few hours. Then throw in the wash and dry!

my son happily holding up his shirt

I'm glad my son liked his shirt! (I know my time is limited with them willing to wear what I make for them...) I'm excited to try this technique on some of my shirts, and maybe some pillows, curtains or a table runner. Does this inspire you to go color with bleach like it did for me?

Linking up with these parties!

Thrift Store Jackpot

I have been shopping thrift stores ever since my teen years and it seems like these stores are becoming more popular--probably because of necessity for many and because "cheap is chic", as Better Homes and Gardens wrote this month.

 When you are a person that likes to sift through garage sales and thrift stores, you know that it can be hit or miss a lot of the time. A cool shirt here, a table you can redo there. And you have to be able to stand the stale smell of the store and really use your imagination.  (Why don't they put air fresheners in those places?)

This week, I couldn't believe the jackpot of cool stuff I found between two thrift stores. I can hardly find clothes I like or in good shape and I found 3 perfect sweaters! And I found out  Savers has 25% off every Monday-how could I have not known that? 

Here is a photo stream of what I found:

  Pretty lemon yellow linen napkins, oh, what shall I make with these? 

A nice Tupperware cake carrier! -(my husband thinks it might have been his mother's from when he was little--Tupperware does last forever!) And a nice Pyrex dish in pretty cream and orange. 

I couldn't believe someone wouldn't want this Swan Creek Candle in Pumpkin Vanilla-these high quality soybean wax candles normally cost around $15! 

 A cozy cotton button up cardigan in perfect shape and one of my favorite colors originally from Sears.

Short sleeved Italian Mohair blend sweater from the Limited, in a deep peacock blue to match my door.

 Another cute sweater in perfect condition  from A.N.A. JC Penney ,one of my favorite brands-will be nice with leggings and boots.

 A ruffled Vera Wang scarf in a perfect purple!

When I came home with my bags full of goodies at such great deals, I felt so blessed. It's the little things that make this girl happy!

DIY 3 Layered Fabric Pouf Brooch

I have been loving those little fabric pouf brooch/hair clip duo's I've been seeing in stores lately and was determined to figure out how to make one of my own, so I searched the internet high and low and found a few tutorials that helped me create my own version.

I also took a trip to this great non-profit art supply place called Scrap 4 Art, that will let you fill up a big bag of donated items for $6. They have lots of fabric scraps there, so I was happy to fill up a bag bring them to life again.

I'm excited to show you  my version of the pouf using three types of fabric to add color and texture.

Before you get started, you need to know that this project is not hard, but took me about 2 hours to do, so plan ahead!

Here's what you'll need:

1. two fabrics of your choice (I used one cotton vintage patterned and one polyester solid)
2.  tulle
3. thread
4. sewing needle
5. traceable object (like a jar lid)
6. sewing scissors
7. brooch pin back
8. glue gun
9. marker

Trace four circles on the fabric you want the base to be.

    Cut them out!

    Fold each base circle in half, then in half again.

   Pinch each circle at the corner, then sew a stitch through one corner at a time, connecting each corner with the thread. Knot in place.

   Now it's time to trace circles onto your top fabric. The amount will vary, but I used about 15-20 circles.

 Cut the circles out.

Fold them in half and in half again, repeating the same process as above. Pinch one corner at a time for the next step.

 Next, hold each pinched corner of the folded circle and make one stitch through the entire brooch into the corner. Stitch again, all the way through connecting circles in the same way until the pouf looks tight enough. 

    Next, I cut out about 8 strips of tulle about 5 inches long, knotting them in the center.

    Place the knotted center in between the two different colored fabric pieces and sew a stitch all the way through, repeating this process all the way around the circle with tulle strips until tulle evenly covers the pouf.     

If you want to make your tulle curl up a little and look vintage like mine, hold the ends of the tulle carefully about 6 inches above a lit candle. They will start to curl up pretty fast, so start further away from the flame and slowly warm them. And watch those fingers! 

If you want to see a picture of how I did this with some other fabric brooches I made this summer, click here.

And here is the finished 3 layered brooch! 

                 

                 

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Rock Your Ugg Boots

It's that time of year around here in the Midwest-time to get out your warm boots and prepare for the cold. Ugg boots are a warm, comfortable fashion staple for many of us this around here this time of year. (Of course, being a thrifty momma I got my knock-off's from Costco.) 

Ever since discovering cloth rosettes, I have been pretty much addicted to making them--and now that I know how to make the felt ones, I love these even more. Thanks to Stelabird for the tutorial!  Well, I thought it would be fun to make my knock-off Uggs stand out a little and add some pretty felt rosettes to them. 

Here's what you'll need: 

1. felt-I like using Eco-Fi made from 100% recycled plastic bottles
2. fabric scissors
3. pin back
4. glue gun
5. marker or pen
6. round traceable object-like a jar lid

Here's how I did it:

Trace a few circles onto felt

Cut them from the outside in into a circular swirl (see pic below)

This is what the swirl should look like

Roll the felt circle into a rosette shape, adding a dot of glue along the way

Glue gun a pin back to make it removable 

Here's how they should look! Don't worry if they don't-it took me a few tries .

I pinned them to the seam so it wouldn't damage the suede

Ta da!  I'm rockin my Uggs

Do you love rosettes too? Share a few ideas with me of what you've made with them by posting a link in the comments box and I'll post a few pictures  in a post and link back to your blog!

Linked up with these parties.

How to Make Cloth Vintage Inspired Booches

I was in a department store this week and noticed some pretty flower pin/hairclip combos in accessories, and not feeling like paying the price tag for them inspired me to try to make them myself. So, I went to a craft store and picked up some vintage looking flowers, pin backings and a roll of bridal tulle and went to work researching on the internet. What I have made below is a combination of various tutorials I found online, as well as some ideas I thought of my own.

Here is a little trick for making tulle curl up in a bowl and crinkle around the edges:

First cut out a tulle circle, then hold it carefully above a candle flame to melt it a little-make sure you don't hold it too close or the whole thing will burn!

After the circles were crinkled enough for me, I then layered three of the circles cut in different sizes, glue gunned the flower and pin backing to them for the finished product! Would be pretty on a summer dress, plain T-shirt, or tote.

The all-cotton brooch was inspired by embellished shirts I have loved but not loved the price tag on either, along with wanting to brighten up plain shirts with a fun, fresh look. The ones I made below were created entirely from a shirt I no longer wear because of a stain, but I still loved the pretty sequins and lace enough to want to find a different use for them. Are you ready to get out the needle and thread and those sock-stitching skills ? And, you will need a nice pair of fabric scissors too. Ready, set, sew!

First, I cut out little "B" shapes-out of folded in half fabric in different shapes and placed on top of each other at a slight angle.

Add caption

Then, I cut out a piece of the lacey sequin for the center.

 Next, I made a stitch with needle and thread throught the center, tightened to gather the fabric together in the center, and knotted on the back.

Finally, I glue gunned the pin backing to the back to finish. You could combine two together for a larger brooch, or even sew directly onto a shirt if you want, too!