Top Projects of 2013

15.  Cement Candle Holders

14.  Old Bench Makeover

13.  Recycling and Reusing Containers

12.  Braided Leather Bracelet

11. White Sweater Pumpkins

10.  Brady’s Bandana Quilt

9. Wool Posies and Vase

8. Handmade Headboard

7.  Wool Wrapped Trees

6.  How to Make Wool Felt

5. Child’s Teepee

4.  Driftwood and Seashell Wreath

3.  Butterfly Eggs

2.  Free Washcloths

1.  Cement Garden Balls

Thanks so much for following and commenting on my blog!  I would be nothing without my followers!  Here’s to all sorts of new projects in 2014!

White sweater pumpkins

You know I love me a good pumpkin!

This used to be a whole sweater…found it at the Goodwill store, it’s not wool, but a winter white cabled acrylic/cotton blend. I thought it might make a nice pumpkin or two. 

 

Aren’t they cute?

The difference between these and the orange sweater sleeve pumpkins I recently made is the stems.  I used the ribbing at the end of the sleeves for the stems. 

Since I made three pumpkins and we can all do the math on that (two sleeves per normal sweater, three pumpkins, you get the picture) I used the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater for the third stem. I cut about a 6 inch section of the ribbing off and sewed the short ends together to make a circle.

I just ran my long needle under the part of the ribbing that sticks out…and kept going around the section and pulling the thread snug until it looked like a stem.  Think pull really really tight!

Just sew the stem on the top of the pumpkin and they are set!!

I gave these to my mom for her birthday which happens to be this month. 

I used the sweater which was $3, the stuffing (FREE) which a friend of my mom’s brought her (a bag of batting scraps which I tore up and used as stuffing), a needle and some quilting thread (mom already had) and about 30 minutes.  Very easy and very cheap!

I am going to make myself some as well from the body of the sweater after I get back home.

I may be linking to some of these great parties!

Folding Chair Makeover

I have had this folding chair in my garage for several (or maybe 10) years…I use it occasionally for when I set up at a craft show or when I have a garage sale.   I have been looking for a chair for the guest room and it occurred to me that this chair would work fine for that. But I wanted to paint it first.

I made chalk paint with some plaster of Paris and a free sample jar of Valspar in Posh Red. Love those coupons for free sample sized paints in the magazines I subscribe to (Coastal Living, HGTV Magazine, Country Living, This Old House). 

I put on two coats of the chalk paint and then waxed it really well with MinWax paste wax. Usually one coat of the paste wax is good, but I put two coats on this beauty! 

Love the satin sheen to the chair!  Turned out really well, there are some areas where the natural wood shines through, that’s what I love so much about the chalk paint, you can control how much of the original wood shines through. 

Loving the way the wax brings out the color of the chair!

I may be linking to some of these great parties!

Sweater Sleeve Pumpkins

I’m out visiting family in Colorado this past week and a half.  Actually I am nannying a sweet 16 month old great nephew while his parents take a 10th anniversary tropical vacation.

Here is my charge Brady and he runs 90 to nothing about 95% of the time he is awake!  He is so sweet and snuggly unless of course he has something to investigate.  Then Brady is a boy with a mission!  He is a great assistant!

This was my office while Brady took his middle of the day naps, taking in the beautiful Colorado scenery.  My sis was with me for part of this trip so we hit the Restore and Goodwill stores as we came across them. 

I found this awesome (but not wool :( ) variegated sweater in shades of oranges and a vague shade of pink here and there.  I cut about 6-8 inch segments of the sleeves to make the pumpkins, just straight across both thicknesses of the sleeve. 

With the sleeve right sides together stitch up what will be the bottom of the pumpkin with a long running stitch and heavy thread, then turn right side out.  Now stuff the pumpkin with Polyfil stuffing. You can make it as big or little as you want by adding more or less stuffing.  Now gather the top of the pumpkin with a long running stitch and heavy thread. 

This one I gathered the top really snug and used it as the stem, wrapping it with jute twine. I used the green mohair/wool sweater I found at Goodwill to make the leaves.  I just printed off a an outline of a pumpkin leaf and made two sizes.

I added curly willow branch cuttings for the pumpkin tendrils.

These all came from that same pumpkin…you can see the variations in color.  I got two pumpkins out of each sleeve and I made two more “sleeves” from the front and back of the sweater.

I added them to a newly spray painted plum color basket.

I may be linking to these great parties!