BASKET DECORATING

How do you take a bargain basket and turn it into something your own?  You hit a 50% off sale at Hobby Lobby (original price $5.99) and then use some trim and crafting supply leftovers and you get exactly the look you had in your mind's eye.

BEFORE

  

AFTER

The lace is leftover from my living room sheers that I made years ago; the ribbon is from my daughter's wedding supplies, as is the wheat and the silver/gold trim.  The whole thing probably took me a total of 20 minutes tops!  Other than the supplies, it took scissors and a glue gun.

What's it for you ask?  Well, the wedding of course!

It's going to hold the Christmas ornaments that I made for the guests.    And after the wedding, you ask?   I think it may get used for the family brunch the next day.....after that, who knows, but I'm confident it will get used.

WALL DECOR

I really like the wall stencils that you can get at the major department and craft stores.  In fact, I have one in my living room that says, "May all who enter as guests, leave as friends."    I was hoping to put a quote on my sewing/design studio downstairs, but was struggling with how to do it.  If your walls are like mine, they are textured which makes it difficult to stencil clean lines, and I couldn't find large enough stick on letters (in a custom font) that would work so I chose to make a framed display instead.

I've always admired the work of Yves Saint Laurent.  I believe he was an icon in the fashion industry, a creative genius, cutting edge.  He paved the way for so many others.....

I was ecstatic to be able to see his recent exhibition at the Denver Art Museum this past summer.   Denver was the only North American location to host this incredible display of over 200 of his garments.  Incredible!    So, I love this quote of his.....and really wanted it on my wall.    

I found a double glass picture frame and used stick on letters, placing the letters on the inside of the glass to sandwich it between the two.  Add a bow and I now have a bit of YSL to inspire me every day!

WEDDING GOWN BUSTLE

My daughter's girlfriend asked if I could help with the bustle for her gown for her July outdoor wedding.   I thought I would share the technique I used since it took a bit for me to figure out a solution that would work.  

The gown had a beautiful strapless beaded bodice with a simple chiffon skirt with lace and beading at the hemline.  Very clean and crisp...it had summer wedding written all over it.  Just lovely.

I expected this project to be a breeze, but I found a few challenges. 

First -
The dress was constructed of three separate fabric layers; an under layer of tafetta, followed by a layer of netting, covered with a chiffon overlay. 

Second-
There wasn't any embellishment in the back of the skirt to hide the bustle points and it was clear once bustled we needed to show off the bow at the very bottom of the skirt.

Third-
Due to the three separate fabric layers, when I tried an  under bustle (french bustle) the netting and chiffon were fighting one another and it just wasn't going to lay nicely.  Bummer!  The under bustle was my first choice, since I would be able to hide the bustle points on the underskirt.

Below is a photo of the gown with the train extended.  As you can see, it has beautiful clean lines....so how was I going to make this work? 

I sewed three covered buttons to the edge of the bodice and marked where the three "loops" would need to be placed in order to showcase the hemline when bustled.

After several attempts, the final solution I chose was to use embroidery floss and fishing line to make the loops....sewn to a button on the underside of the skirt.  

 The picture below shows the loops...if you are having a hard time seeing them, good!  That's exactly what I wanted.  They barely peek up out of the chiffon, but they are also really strong since I used 10 lb. monofilament (fishing line).  My husband was so proud!  We could have hung three bass from that bustle!!  :)    Again, I just didn't want it to take away from the lines of the gown.   It passed the bride test....that's what was important to me.  She saw them when I asked her to look, but at a distance or for the average wedding guest, they wouldn't be noticed.

 So there you have it.  Just in case you ever need
 a discreet, yet strong solution; don't forget the fishing line!

SUNDRESS RE-STYLE

My daughter bought this cute full length sundress some time ago, but wasn't feeling really comfortable with the neckline.  It took quite a plunge, but she liked the rest of it.  So, what did she do?, she bought it of course, and brought it over and asked if I could help re-style it so that she could wear it.   No problem!  We chatted about a couple options and she also said she liked the big fabric flowers that are so popular right now.....so, here's a little before and after for you.

BEFORE

On my dress form, the middle of the bust is just above the black dot, and the  neckline was open all the way to the black waistband.   I had already stitched the two panels together from just below the black dot as step one.

AFTER

There are so many fun ribbon colors these days, that I decided to pick up some ribbon to create more of a peek-a-boo neckline versus the Hollywood va-va-voom!

Then I went to town on the fabric flower; I had several different black and white fabric remnants on hand; I picked up a couple of broadcloth pre-cut quilting fabrics at JoAnn's for .99 a piece to match the bright orange in the dress and started cutting circles.

I sewed a lapel pin to the back so that she can take it off for washing and/or move it wherever she would like to wear it.

She should feel much more comfortable in it now and there's plenty of summer left for her to enjoy it.

BRIDAL SHOWER

I mentioned in my previous post that I was on cake pop duty for my daughter's bridal shower, so of course I wanted to come up with a fun bridal shower themed display....after all, next to eating the cake pops, that's my favorite part!  So, I decided to use a parasol in the black and white colors chosen for the occasion. 

The tip of the parasol is a wine bottle stopper that I found in the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby.  What a find!!! 


So now that you've seen some of the detail, let me tell you about how I constructed it.  First, I picked up a styrofoam cone and a styrofoam heart;a roll of white tulle; black and white damask scrapbook paper; white ruffle trim; black flowers;and another find was the black curlique paper you see near the bottle stopper (they were also in the clearance aisle....they are paper napkin rings)

The cone obviously became the body of the parasol; I broke the heart into two pieces and cut a smidge off the base to become the handle.  To secure it into the body I took a piece of wire hangar and placed one end up into the core of the handle and the other into the cone.  For good measure, I used the glue gun as well. 

Then it was a matter of wrapping the cone with the tulle strips; I twisted as I went.  That way it resembled an umbrella when it's in the closed position and snapped tightly shut.

I wrapped the handle with the black/white scrapbook paper using ModPodge to glue it onto the handle and then I coated it with ModPodge to give it a nice finish.  The ruffle trim went around the top, near the handle.  I glued the entire parasol onto a foam core board I had wrapped with a black/white tissue paper.  I only put six pops into the parasol; the rest I put in little cups around the board.  I glued one cup to the board; the pop was sitting inside a second cup that could just be taken from the board.

Since I needed to drive it to the restaurant, I didn't put the pops into the parasol until I got there.  Those on the board I knew would be okay, if I took it slow.  So, after driving like a granny the entire way, and going over the railroad tracks in slow motion.....I made it and my "babies" did okay enroute.   
I had made some "pilot holes" in the parasol with a screwdriver, so that I could easily put the pops in without the sticks breaking or bending.

 

They were pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.  I made lemon cake and chocolate cake and had three different coatings: white, milk chocolate and dark mint chocolate.  I always have leftover cake when I make cake pops since I make a 9x13 inch sheet cake of each flavor.  I use half of each flavor and freeze the rest.   I know, I know I could make just one cake and call it good....but what fun would that be?    It was a great day.  My daughter looked especially pretty and so HAPPY!  We were missing some important family members, but that happens when family is spread out all over the country.  We were grateful to spend the afternoon with those who could make it and the wonderful friends we've made over the years, some date back to before Katie was born!

SUGAR SCRUB

 When I asked my daughter's friend how I could be of help for the bridal shower, she asked me if I could make some cake pops (she had been to the graduation party recently when I had a table full to choose from) and if I could also help with the favors.  She already had something she had planned, but wanted to have two goodies for the guests.  So, I asked what she thought of giving homemade sugar scrub.  I've given sugar scrub before for Christmas gifts and she thought it was a novel idea, so here's a look at an easy and fun gift giving idea.

 The first thing I did was find some cute jars.  The Container Store had some fun little jelly jars that I thought would be just the right size.  Next up, lid covers and labels....where else but my neighborhood Hobby Lobby, of course.  The color theme for the shower was black and white with pink accents.  That's so popular right now, that I knew I would have a wonderful selection of craft items to choose from.

I found a package of blank white labels.  On the front side, I decorated and titled the tags "Sugar Scrub".   I had fun with paints, markers and glitter decorating them all.

On the back of the card I wrote:

"Made by my hands for your hands"

                              Chris

I found some great black and white damask looking scrapbook paper.  I traced the lid size and went to town cutting circles and gluing them to the lids. 

Sugar scrub is so easy to make, and most gals really like it.  It's a special treat for the hands and heels of your feet too!

You'll find all sorts of more extravagant versions available, but I keep mine simple with just a few ingredients needed:

• Use a simple 2:1 ratio of sugar to grape seed oil
• You find both of these at your favorite grocery store

• Add whatever type of essential oils you want to add for fragrance. 

•  I have used grapefruit and lemon; I love both since they are light and citrus based versus really perfume based.  They remind me of summer and give a special spa-like feel. 
• I found the oils I used at a health food store, with the other aromatherapy goodies.                              

• Food coloring 
• For this project is was a touch of red to make it a light pink.           

 That's all there is to it!  The scrub itself, depending on how much you are making takes five-ten minutes tops.  Then spoon the mixture into the jars, add some ribbon, the label and attach a little spoon.  I found these at World Market.  So, add another ten minutes for each jar and you've got a simple and special calorie free treat that will be enjoyed for weeks to come.
Oh.....and don't forget to make a jar for yourself! :)

 

                                                                                                     

WEDDING INVITATIONS

I've been anxious to share these with you, but wanted to wait until they were in the mail since some of my readers are also invited to the wedding and I didn't want to spoil the surprise.  I always love getting wedding invitations in the mail; the beautiful handwriting, wedding stamps, special envelopes....not to mention, feeling so very special to be a guest at such a special occasion.    For me, the invitation says so much about the families and the couple, plus it sets an expectation for the guests. 

I still remember when my daughter and I spent time at Hobby Lobby choosing the papers (it was months ago) we were going to use.  We chose three different types of paper; a hard card stock in green, a natural fiber paper with a leaf and fern imprint and a vellum.

 As you know from previous posts, the wedding is in September, so the autumn theme is throughout all aspects of the wedding; from the invitations to the flowers to the decor.    We were really excited when we found the papers; the green background of the card stock would be a great frame and the leaves coming through the vellum would add just the right touch.   I've always liked the clean and elegant look of vellum invitations, so you'll see that the RSVP cards are made with a vellum overlay as well.

I will tell you, I was a bit nervous about how my printer would handle vellum.  It's been known to have fits with some unique papers.  But, I was pleasantly surprised that it went very well.  My daughter brought a paper cutter home from her work and I went to town trimming everything to just the right size in a fraction of the time it was going to take with my pattern shears.  The picture below shows the backside of the invitations.  I chose to purchase pocket cards to assemble the invitations.  I used glue dots to adhere the invitation to the front side and then added the map, RSVP card, "Things to do in Colorado" (for the out-of-towners) and a silk leaf.  I liked the nice, neat presentation with everything all organized inside the pocket.

 To the right are the three papers that I used.  I made the leaf paper and the vellum about 1/8" narrower on each side than the green cardstock.   I placed two holes at the very top and tied a bow with a sage green velvet ribbon to hold the layers into place.

 I ordered the pocket cards and all the envelopes from lci paper.  There are a number of companies available to choose from; I found their selection and pricing hard to pass up.  To the right is the response card with the vellum overlay.  I'm in love with the font; dafont.com is a great resource.  I've gotten lost in that website for hours looking for just the right font for something I was working on.   So, the guest lifts up the vellum, and either accepts or declines on the card beneath.  Cool huh? 

 As you can imagine, I'm looking forward to checking the mailbox over the next several weeks.   While we have a pretty good idea who will be able to attend, it's still going to be fun to check the mail.  Anything other than bills is a treat and for something as special as your daughter's wedding, I'm tickled!