Valentine's Treasure Rock with Free Tag Download

Happy Valentine's Day!  

So, I wanted to give my son something other than candy to pass out to his young friends for Valentine's Day, so after many ideas we settled in on making a treasure rock. And let me tell you, these rocks are much fun!    

They look just like real rocks, but break it open and out pops a little treasure.  Fill the rocks with money, bouncy balls, plastic animals, really anything!   My son was so excited to pass these out to his classmates. Let's hope they love them as much as he does.  : )

Tag Front: "You Rock! Have a happy Valentine's Day. "

Tag Back: "Break open your treasure rock for a Valentine's surprise."

Break open the rock and SURPRISE! 

To make the rocks, I used a great recipe found on The Kitchen is My Playground.   It's made with coffee, salt, flour, sand, and water. Easy, easy, EASY. My kids were even able to help.  

For the tags, I've included a free download for you to enjoy. Cut the tags out and mount onto cardstock of your choice. Have your little one sign the back, hole punch the tags and tie it to the rock with bakers twine.   

To download the tags, just click below for the link!

Boy's Look

It's Boys Week at Project Run and Play!

I was ever so excited to sew something for my Wittle Wovie, Baby Wills. : )  Boys clothes are so very underrated, don't you think?

I barely squeaked this look out; as in I just started and finished the button down shirt and tie this morning.  Every single one of us (at different times this week) was blessed with a stomach bug that had us me scrubbing toilets and washing sheets for four days straight. YUCK.

So I'm feeling pretty good that I completed the design I had in mind.  : )

For boys it's all about seperates, separates, separates.  And so separates I sewed.  I decked baby Will's in some green skinnies, a cardigan, a white button down shirt, and a black skinny tie.  

                                            

                                                    

Alright, let's talk specifics, shall we?

The green skinnies were made using a pair of Baby Will's ready to wear jeans as a guide.  I followed Male Pattern Boldness's Jeans Sew Along found here (Peter is an angel, I tell you!).  I learned how to sew a flat felled seam thanks to Peter and I'm hooked!   Seriously, why didn't I try this technique before? Regretfully, I didn't get many pictures of this, but the jeans have a coin pocket and some super adorable pockets in the back, perfect for stashing his treasures.  I adore the jeans; the hubby hates them. Who's side are you on?? Or maybe you shouldn't answer that. ; )

The cardigan is upcycled from an old shirt of mine. I added some bias tape and buttons and it was done. 

The tie was made with a black sheet and my own tutorial found here.

The white button up shirt was made by looking at one of Baby Will's shirts as a guide.  I am honestly jumping up and down that I was able to sew this without a pattern. I  had some serious doubts that it was going to be done. : ) Just as a note, I used the rest of the white sheet from the white sheet challenge. Hooray! I decided to add some black piping to the pocket to tie the look together.  I can't figure out if I made the shirt look too much like a Mormon missionary with a black name tag. haha!  What do you think? 

There you have it.. A complete boys look all made with materials I had on hand.

If you have any questions on how I made any item, don't hesitate to email me

Loves,

Amber

From White Sheet to Bright Blue Aviary Dress

The White Sheet Challenge.

I had so many ideas for this week's challenge over at Project Run and Play.  My mind was bouncing in a million directions; I may or may not have cut out three different dress patterns (all my own patterns) before I eventually decided on this little number.   But I'll never admit that. : )

I decided to make my white sheet totally unrecognizable (the anti-white sheet). With some fabric paint, freezer paper, a hole punch, and an embarrassing amount of time later that white sheet became a thing of the past.  ; ). I'm well aware that the same effect could have been achieved by dying my fabric and reversing the hole punch, but my curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to see how painting the majority of the fabric would work out.  Much to my pleasure, it worked quite well.  The fabric is stiffer then what I normally work with. It ended up being similar to canvas or duck fabric.  And it surprisingly washes just fine. 

I'll show you how I did it below.  

What I love about this technique is that it opens up a world of possibilities.  Because I'm a little lazy and the fabric wrinkles very easily, I'm pretty sure I won't use this technique again for such a large article of clothing, but this would be perfect for a quirky pillow or a little boys tie (tutorial here).  

Because the fabric was so bold, I opted for a traditional and simple silhouette with white accents (all from my white sheet).  I added some gold buttons to dress this up a bit and I called it good. 

Want to make your own painted fabric creation?

You will need:

• Freezer Paper
• Hole Punch
• Iron 
• Ruler
• Fabric paint (or acrylic paint and a fabric paint medium) If using the medium, see my notes below.

If you use acrylic paint and a fabric paint medium, use more medium then the manufacturer recommends. The medium I used said to put 2 parts acrylic paint to 1 part medium. The fabric ended up being waaaay too stiff (like unusable stiff).  The next trial I used 1 part medium to 1 part acrylic paint. The fabric is still stiff but usable.  So I thinned it out more with more fabric paint medium until I was happy.  I recommend playing around with the ratio until you get it right.



Here's what you do:
1.Take your freezer paper and using your hole punch punch a lot of shapes.  I ended up punching a ridiculously large amount those little birdies.

2. Iron the hole punched freezer paper onto your fabric. Be sure it is evenly spaced.

3. Using fabric paint or acrylic paint with a fabric medium paint your fabric.  Don't put gobs of paint on the fabric or it will be too stiff. Just lightly paint until you see only the color you want. 

4. Let it dry for an hour or so. It should be barely sticky to touch. Peel off the freezer paper.  Let dry 24-48 hours.  I recommend washing your fabric according to the fabric pain manufacturer instructions before you sew or add any notions. You don't want to have any color bleeding.   : )

You're done!

Loves,

Amber

Project Run and Play Fashion Icon Week

I have loved sewing along with Project Run and Play.  There is just no way I would be sewing this much if it weren't for these little challenges.  Much to the dismay of my husband, I am officially addicted to sewing.  ; )  

This week's challenge was to create a look inspired by a fashion icon.

                                               

I chose Katharine Hepburn as my fashion icon because she represents a strong, powerful woman who isn't afraid to take risks (she wore pants when women just didn't wear pants). 

I had some polka dot chiffon in my fabric bin and decided to go with that.  I knew I didn't want to do an exact replica of Katharine's looks because I wanted to put my own spin on it. 

Katharine was known to have a more tom-boy flavored wardrobe (which I love!), because of that I opted to add the black yolk on the dress.  High necklines were very popular in the 40's so I wanted to make a mandarin collar with polka dot ruffles peeking out.  I would love to do a tutorial on adding the yoke and the mandarin collar but I just kind of made it up as I went.  Honestly, I consider myself lucky that it worked out.. haha! Maybe next time I'll document my steps, for the sake of anyone interested as well as my own. ; )

I made the black coat from some boucle-looking fabric I found at the Walmart dollar-a-yard section years ago (man I miss that!).  The coat is fully lined!!! Woot, woot!

This is my first time drafting a coat;  I'll be making lots more coats in the future. 

Enough with the jibber jabber, here are way too many shots of the Little Lady. ; )

Spying on the neighbors.. oops!

A little bribery goes a long way. : )

Here's the get up without the Little One..

Loves,

Amber

Pattern Remix, PR&P

So Project Run and Play is having a little sew along.  I decided to join in. : )

This week's challenge was a pattern remix of Katy of No Big Dill's Very Biased Skirt. Which is adorable, yeah?  It think she is brilliant for coming up with this technique.  

I made a promise to myself I'd only use fabric from my own stash for these challenges, so I sifted through my two GIANT bins of fabric and found a tan polka dot print.  The tan fabric color was just too, well tan and because of that it sat in my bin for years.  For this Very Biased Skirt I envisioned layers of a peach and cream, but the tan was just not cutting it. 

So I bleached it.
And it worked!

Tan Fabric + Bleach =Peachy Pink Perfection. 

With this little discovery of bleach, I now look at my stash of fabric in a whole new light. Oh the possibilities!

For details on how to make the flutter sleeved shirt you can check out my tutorial by clicking here. 

I did follow Katy's pattern directions (which are fabulous by the way!) with a few variations, which I documented below. 

Click below to see how I made my version.

Quick Gift Idea..How to Make a Fabric CD or DVD Case

It's already the end of August. YIKES!  The holidays are on their way. Can you believe it? 

I feel as though I'm often scrambling to prepare everything. But not this year.  Yes, this year I'm starting early.

 During the holidays, my go to neighbor gift is a CD of our favorite holiday tunes.  

This year I wanted to improve the presentation of our gift so I searched online but didn't find anything that I loved. So I headed to the craft store and came up with this... 

 

This would make a really easy and amazing holiday gift, wedding party favor, or photographer packaging. Just slip a CD or DVD with anything  your heart desires and you're good to go.   

Despite the lengthy tutorial, it is a quick and easy project that can be done in no time! 

Click below for the instructions!

Designing Your Own Fabric {Painting a Pattern on Fabric}

So I have a confession; I'm a bit of a cheapskate.  

I blame it (lovingly) on my mother who required me to purchase my school clothes with my own money after I refused to touch the wardrobe of clothes she had purchased for me. (The clothes I picked were not much better, I assure you. : )

To this day I won't buy clothing that's not on sale. It's ingrained in me.  

When my little lady was growing out of her clothes the cheapskate in me came out.   I had a very specific idea for a dress that I wanted to make her but none of my fabric on hand fit the bill.  So I went to work. 

A white sheet, fabric paint, freezer paper and hole punch later I had the perfect fabric, designed by yours truly.  Oh happy day!

                          

Want to design your own fabric pattern? 

Here's how..

First up, gather your supplies. You will need:

• Fabric
• Fabric paint (I used acrylic with a fabric medium)
• Paint brush
• Freezer Paper (Enough to cover your fabric)
• Ruler
• Decorative Hole punch (I used a regular hole punch which made the process a bit more labor intensive.  Martha Stewart makes holes punches that work all over the page.  This would have saved me some major time.)
• Iron

Here's what you do:

1. Plan out your pattern.  (I wanted my fleurs de lis to be two inches apart horizontally and 1 inch apart vertically.)  Using a ruler, mark on your freezer paper where you want the design to be.  If you don't have a hole punch that can punch all over the page (like me), cut your freezer paper into long even strips. Your strips should be as wide as you want your vertical pattern to be.  For example, I did 1 inch strips because I wanted my pattern to be 1 inch apart vertically.  After your strips are cut out, mark where you want your pattern to be horizontally (I did 2 inches apart). 

2.  Using your hole punch, punch out your design.  

3. Iron your freezer paper onto your fabric using the wool setting.  Because I had strips, I staggered my pattern so the fleurs de lis lined up diagonally, horizontally and vertically (See the  the photo below). 

4.  Using your fabric paint, paint your pattern. Be careful not to get fabric paint where you don't want it! 

5. Let dry then peel off the freezer paper.  You're all done!

I can't wait to show you what I made with my custom made fabric.  Here's a sneak peek:

Loves,
Amber

DIY Anthropology Tee.

Hey, I'm up and running again after a bit of some computer problems. : )

I just finished up a top that I am just crazy for.  

The inspiration for this top came from this lovely number at Anthropology.com.

The Starred Chiffon Tee, $88.  

I adore that it is a super simple tee in the front with a very feminine surprise in the back.  Very well designed.

 I just love it, but with the low reviews (reviewers say it was waaay too big) coupled with the price, I just couldn't bring myself to purchase. 

So I made my own out of an old t shirt and some chiffon fabric. 

Anthropology's version cost $88. 

Mine cost me $5 plus an evening with the old sewing machine. (Fabric from Hancock Fabric)

Not too bad, yeah? : )

This shirt is so comfy, and spices up my day to day wardrobe perfectly.  

Paired with some skinnies and some flats, I'm good to go. 

 

So I went from this...

to this in just a few short hours. : )  

Front

Back

The dolman style sleeves makes this super quick and pain free.  
Ready to make your own?   I'll show you how..

Just click below to expand the entire tutorial and to see this top dressed up.