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!

How to update an old woven rug…

I won this great rug four years ago from Its Great To Be Home.  I was so proud of it!  Well that rug has been in constant use for four years now!  I use it in front of the front door or in the bathroom or where ever.  I use rugs a lot as they save the carpet and collect dirt at the door.  My dog Rachel always chose this particular rug to throw up on (sorry, TMI?).  She was an old dog and couldn’t help it!  And on a side note, please don’t judge my old blogging style! 

Here’s an up close of the rug…it’s woven but it has started to wear and fray but only at the ends.  I washed it this past weekend and even though the ends have been sewn down several times, it had frayed beyond repair.  So I was sitting at the sewing table with scraps from my last project around me.  And then I started thinking, and then this happened!

It’s a great update for this rug which still has a lot of life left!

I had some blue chevron fabric but the blues in the rug have faded a bit over the years and it is more of a blue grey color.  So the grey chevron scraps match/coordinate nicely!

I think this rug will last at least another four years!

Mama Kitty approves!

One of my better upcycle projects, if I do say so myself!

I might be linking to some of these great parties!

Upcycled Phone Case for Kate

My mom always says that it is hard to cook in someone else’s kitchen…I find it difficult to sew or craft away from home.  My niece Kate asked me to make her a new phone case…

So I challenged myself to create one from a few thrifted items.  I found a tea towel (50 cents) and an old wool/cotton baby blanket (I think $1) at the Restore in Loveland, Colorado.

I borrowed Kate’s sewing machine which was almost exactly the same model as one of mine, so that part was easy, I also borrowed her sewing supplies.  Problem was, her straight pins, well they just weren’t straight.  I got her a new pack of straight as machine rent so she doesn’t have to deal with this…

I found some 1” masking tape in the garage and used it as a guide for quilting. I quilted the tea towel with the baby blanket tucked inside and measured Kate’s phone and cut it to the appropriate size.

A Velcro closure and a iron on applique monogram were purchased to finish up the deal!  I would have used my serger and would have done the flap a bit differently if I could have used my own machines at home, but I still think it turned out pretty nicely!!

I love this photo prop rock at my niece’s house.  Tried to stuff it in my suitcase, but it just wouldn’t fit!  Such an interesting frond/leaf pattern.

I might be linking to these great parties!