DIY Storage Containers from Glass Jars

May 16, 2014

Simple, useful upcycle for your glass jars. Update the lids with scrap fabric and creative handles for use in the craft room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and more!

I use these jars (with and without lids) in my sewing room to hold buttons and other small collections, and really love them in my daughter’s room to contain all her little treasures. Now I just need to find one big enough to hold all the legos!

Hope you have a great weekend, crafters! I’m going to be finishing a gift for a wedding this weekend – nothing like leaving it to the last minute, huh? Be sure to let us know what you’re sewing, gluing, knitting, upcyling lately!

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Shoe Saturday: Update for Last Years Sandals

May 10, 2014

quick sandal update

Weekday mornings consist of an hour commute to take kids to school and back home to work. There is a Missouri lottery sign on the way there and a Kansas lottery sign on the way back – the joys of border town living! And when we’re not playing “I Spy” or the alphabet game (name as many words with each letter as you possibly can), I’m thinking about what I’d do if I won either of those huge jackpots. I never play the lottery, but I still somehow think that I’m gonna win. Like the winning ticket will blow across my shoe as I’m walking down the street. And then I start to think about shoes. All the shoes I could buy with all that cash!

Then traffic, gridlock, reality. So I shift my thoughts to updating the shoes I already have.

This week I was thinking about last years red sandals – the ones I picked up for $10! They are super flat, and not entirely my style, but they were cheap. And I love cheap…you know, because I’m ummm not a lottery winner. Yet.

red sandals

I grabbed a gold Oil Paint Sharpie and set to it. My sandals have a braid pattern on the toe straps and flat leather across the ankle. I colored every other braid to make an alternating red and gold pattern. Be sure to let each area dry before moving onto one where your hand might rub.

diy shoe update with sharpie

Learned this the hard way. If you smear, or even just change your mind, you can use rubbing alcohol with a tissue or a Q-tip to remove the oops.
rubbing alcohol to remove sharpie

After the toe straps were dry, I added small little polka dots across the ankle straps. I’m obsessed with polka dots.

polka dot shoe makeover

These took about 10 minutes and while not earth shattering, this subtle update made a world of difference!

These are perfect for lounging on the porch when I should be mowing! Who decided that a perfectly manicured lawn was a good use of time and energy?! Wish I could plant a garden in the front, but it’s illegal  – which is crazy! So I’ll have to grab these other shoe redos and get to it!

diy sandal makeover

Have a great weekend, loves! Hope you’ll grab a marker and update your kicks. I’m gonna go get a pedicure. Yikes, sorry for the bad toe polish!

xo, Jennifer

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The 5 Minute DIY: Farmer’s Market Bags

May 9, 2014

My favorite thing about spring is the farmer’s market. I love wandering around, smelling the amazing smells, and shopping for all kinds of yummy things. But I always forget to bring bags. At a few of our markets the vendors do not have plastic bags or any way for you to carry your stuff, so you need to bring your own. I decided that if I made them I might be so full of myself proud that I might actually remember to bring them.

And guess what?! It worked. Hooray! Maybe it’ll work for you, too. Check out how to make your own farmer’s market bags from t-shirts in about 5 minutes.

You’re going to want to make a million of these. I promise you! So grab a bunch of different size t’s and get to it!

xo, Jennifer (And the farmer’s market vendors who are so thankful that you buy their stuff and bring your own bags!)

P.S. I especially love the ones I made from Lola’s old tees because they work great inside the bigger bags for more fragile items. And it’s always fun to look at the teeny-tiny stuff that she used to fit into!

 

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We’re Not Sewing All Month Long!

April 28, 2014

You win this time, sewing machine_craftforest.com

I have an irrational fear of my sewing machine,  it’s right up there with spiders in my car (happened this weekend! Ugh. I pulled over and had to think about what to do. Lola was like “just drive, it’ll be fine”. It was huge and fuzzy, and black. And still in there!) and maybe drowning or something equally as harrowing.

I can sew. I have sewn. I’ve made lap quilts for gifts, mended stuffed animals, some straight lines to close pillows and such. But beyond that I get stuck and am easily frustrated. It’s something I want to work on. Just not today. Or even for the next 30.

So I give you, No Sew 30! We’re gonna share no-sew projects each week and in our tutorial videos for the next month. We’ll start working on a new topic each month like upcycling, embroidery, more in-depth metal stamping, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to sewing. Maybe.

Here are a few must try no-sew projects from around the interwebs.

no sew pillow

The easiest, cutest no sew pillow around. I think I can handle this one from 346Living.

Totes-Featured-2

I’m in love with these DIY belted storage bins made from cardboard boxes. Thanks, Brit+Co!

DIY Fabric Floor cloth

Finding the perfect floor mat just got a lot easier! Make these no-sew fabric rugs from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar.

5069f20dfb04d60a610008ef._w.475_h.497_s.fit_

No sew up some cloth napkins for your next dinner party. Or just to say “oh, those. Yeah, I made ’em.” These are from Apartment Therapy.

top-10-adorable-diy-aprons_04

We all know how great I am at sewing aprons, maybe I should I have started with this one from Scarves.net instead!

I can’t wait to not sew all of these and more this month! Hope you’ll join us! Be sure to share pics of your no sew projects on our Facebook!

xo, Jennifer

 

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Upcycling is for the Birds: DIY Feeders & Houses

April 25, 2014

I mentioned this video earlier in the week in my post about Earth Week DIYs. As a family we’re really working hard on making something from “nothing” as my oldest, Riley, would say or “diggin’ for some treasure islands” is what Lola called it when I caught her going head-first into the trash. We’re big on cardboard toys right now and have given up soda (begrudgingly; I would mainline cherry coke if it were socially acceptable), but luckily our neighbors have been saving their bottles for us to create all kinds of goodness.

Check out this post for DIY birdfeeders from a Pringle’s can (I was forced to buy/eat (a lot) of these for the birds. I did it for the birds, you know.), some spoons, and various plastic bottles. And bird houses made from found (around the house) objects like tea pots!

We’re having so much fun crafting things together as a family. Look for all sorts of cardboard armor and shields from Riley, he’s obsessed with Spartans right now. And Lola mostly likes to poke holes in things and tie some yarn on it, so be on the look out for that soon, too.

Happy Earth week/month/year my sweets! No go raid your trash for “treasure islands” or just random stuff needing a second chance!

xo, Jennifer

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