Fab Scrappy Bookmarks

Another swap inspired craft! I've been wanting to try this simple little tutorial from How About Orange but I'd never gotten around to it, until I signed up for a bookmark and tea swap on swapbot.

Ta da! I experimented with several different kinds of glue but Jessica is right, rubber cement is the way to go. Plain old Elmers was Ok too, it just took longer to dry and I want to see the full effect RIGHT AWAY.

A perfect quick craft, and so easy too - try it!

Drink Up

I'm doing a wine themed swap on swap-bot so I whipped up this little wine tote for my partner, TBA.

While I was at it, I made an extra for my etsy shop. I think it looks classy! You could put a bottle of $5 champagne in here and still make a serious impact.

31 cent scoop night TONIGHT!

Tonight is Baskin Robbins' annual 31 cent scoop night! The event helps raise money for America's Firefighters so its for a good cause to boot. From 5-10 pm this evening, ice cream is just 31 cents per scoop! So you could get 10 scoops for $3.10 if you wanted. Just saying.

Summer love.

Amazing, right?  I want this so much - THE perfect swimsuit.  I love Modcloth and only just checked out their swimwear department.  So many lovely retro suits, I want them all!  I only wish I could try them on...

April Showers...

Hello!  Welcome to a rainy April Monday (or at least here in NYC).  It rained here yesterday too but luckily I was able to spend the day crafting up a storm!  Including these little things...

Brian's mom asked me to put together a little white flower brooch for her sister and I came up with two.  The one is a little more modern - I used this tutorial by Made by the Mama Monster as a jumping off point.  (She also does a similar version here with a hot glue gun but the white ribbon I used kept melting.)   

I used a scrap of felt as a base and trimmed away the excess at the end. 

Here is another I made, using a faux flower.  This is more along the lines of what I think she was looking for - but I like to give options :)

For this back (I know the pic is sideways, not sure what that's about) I cut a piece of plastic from a berry container in the recycling bin and covered it with fabric, to give a sturdier base to attach the pin to, and so it would lie flat when worn. 

I think these would be fun for Mother's day too!  Maybe I will make a few more - what do you think?

Thank You Fabric Fairy!

I was so excited to have won an amazing giveaway hosted by The Creative Place blog!  Jozen from the awesome blog Lola's Girl (you must check it out) generously gave away 2 yards of beautiful designer fabric.

So so pretty!  I can't wait to use it. 

I love them both - I think I want to make a little sundress for my niece out of the pink one. 

And she also included an adorable flower bobby pin with this amazing package.  This totally made my day - a great way to start the weekend!  Thank you so much Jozen!  And Ashley for hosting.  Lovely ladies!

Grrrr!

Yesterday felt like a productive day.  I got up early, went to the gym, and was psyched that I'd get home sooner than usual and would have lots of time to sew my heart out.  BUT. 

That did not happen.  My machine was acting all cranky because I hadn't used her in a while and felt neglected.  I rethreaded, changed the needles, cleaned out the lint, added some oil...and that worked for a bit.  Until I tried to do a button hole and things went wonky again.  The upper thread kept slipping out of the needle/breaking/splitting as I sewed, no matter how long I made the tail.  And yes, it was a nice new quality roll of thread - and I even tried swapping it out for another just in case.  No luck.

So, I have no new (completed) project to share until I get to the sewing store this weekend and get some new needles.  I hope that works!  If not....I don't know!

I did come across this cool blog, It's Just Me, from a guy who works in a sewing machine repair shop.  It has some good posts on sewing machine care.  I may have to write to him if I can't figure this out myself!

Rock N Roll?

I'm at a loss. 

I have to help staff a work event next week at a hip SoHo space, and have it on good authority the dress code is "Rock N Roll Chic."  How am I, lover of all things polka dot and pink, supposed to pull that off?  Without spending a ton on clothes that aren't me, or looking like a total poser?  AND still being work-appropriate? 

Well, I guess I do like sparkle.  Sequins work, right?  And dark nail polish does not require a long term commitment. 

Any suggestions for low cost, low key glam? 

Cute Cute Cute

Undoubtedly you crafty kids out there have seen this cute tutorial for a Tie Applique Onesie from

Crap I've Made.  I finally got around to making it and it is freaking adorable!  And super easy too. 

It is such a fun idea for a baby shower gift, or for a new arrival!  Seriously, try it. 

Go Astros!

For our final evening in Houston, we checked out an Astros baseball game.  It was a ton of fun!

Minute Maid Park was very lovely - it reminded me a bit of the new Citi Field where the Mets play.  We had some sweet seats thanks to a friend of Liam's that works for the team!

Sisters in the stands.  The lady next to us kept falling asleep.  Weird. 

Crawfish Town!

Last Friday night in Houston, we went to a crawfish boil!  I don't eat meat (or fish) so I had nachos,  but it was very festive, even thought the little guys look like mini alien lobsters. 

Here we are enjoying the evening at Woodrows. 

Free Lunch!

Happy Tax Day kids!  There are a bunch of free/discount promotions out there but I know where I'm going for lunch - Energy Kitchen!  You can get one of three free sandwiches for free today with the purchase of a drink.  And there is even a veggie option - woo hoo!  Go here for locations - they are only in NYC (and one in Hoboken). 

Fore!

My cousin is obsessed with golf.  I get frustrated playing put-put.  However, when given the opportunity to drive a golf cart on a beautiful sunny day, I gladly said yes.  Here I am taking off!

Check out Heart Handmade!

Check out this cool idea on what to do with yoyos via Heart Handmade!  You can make scraps and an old frame into some sweet wall art. 

Thanks for the idea, and the shout out, Claire!

My First Trip to Hobby Lobby!

For those of you who live near a Hobby Lobby this probably won't seem that exciting.  And since I live in NYC, arguably the greatest city in the world, home of fabulous museums, shopping, Broadway, music, culture, amazing pizza 24/7, and reliable public transportation around the clock (just to name a few things) I don't expect pity either. 

But damn I FREAKED OUT when we drove by a Hobby Lobby only a couple of minutes from my cousin's house!  DREAM COME TRUE! 

Deep in the heart of Texas!

Hi I'm back from Texas!  I had such a great time with my cousin and my sis - and have a TON of fun pictures to share!  It's going to take all week I think, so get ready!

So, my cousin lives in Houston.  Apparently Houstonians eat out more frequently than any other city in the USA, and they seem to have every single chain restaurant that you can imagine.  And also many that you can't.  Like, the Kolache Factory! 

Texas Travels

Hi there!  I'm in Texas for the weekend so I won't be posting the next few days.  Have a great weekend and I'll be back next week! 

Happy Birthday Bessie!

Happy Birthday to my sister Bessie!  She is 26 years old today!  I'm very excited to celebrate with her tonight - deep in the heart of Texas! 

Here is a silly card I made for her. 

I'm on the Craft Map!

 

Check it out - I'm on the Craft Map!  What is it, you ask?  A cool website that connects all sorts of fun blogs and craft sites, so you can search for ones that share your interests or find new ones to expand your horizons.  You can even look for fellow craft bloggers in your area!

You can submit your blog to the map too.  The more people that use it, the better it gets. 

Thank you to Maria Isabel - you can find her blog here - for alerting me to this fun new site! 

Cake Fail

I just wanted to share with you my INSANE lamb cake from Sunday.  I know it looks nuts, but it still makes me smile. 

My dad has a strange aversion to food shaped liked animals (not meat, though) so I made the face extra weird looking with the candies we had lying around to freak him out.  I think it looks especially creepy with the orange mouth and green jelly bean eyes. 

My first foray with boiled frosting didn't go so well - as you can see it got kind of melty - but the whole thing tasted good at least!  Hee hee!

Travel Crafts?

Hello Everyone!  I hope you had a happy Easter for those of you who celebrate it.  I ate so much candy yesterday I still feel like I'm going to puke, but other than that, it was a fun weekend with the family. 

I'll be traveling to Texas later this week to visit my cousin, who just recently bought a house in Houston!  I am very excited to see him but am in a dither as to a portable craft to bring along with me for the plane ride.  I'm a sewer, primarily, and I can't really tote my machine along.  I like to make cards too but with airport security being what it is, the supplies I would need might be a hassle to get on board (scissors, glue, etc).  And, I don't knit.  What is a crafter to do? 

Heather Bailey has this tutorial on how to make yo yos - never done it before, but if I cut out the circles ahead of time I would be able to make a bunch of them.

Maybe now is the time to take up embroidery? 

Any suggestions?  Let me know!!

Before...

The other day I had to buy soy milk.  I actually bought some during my lunch break but forgot it in the fridge at work - darn!  I considered just waiting to bring it home the next day, but after eating my frosted mini wheats doused in yogurt I realized that was not the best idea.  So, I swung by the grocery store on my way home from work.  

It was trash day, so people had put large items - broken furniture, lamps, etc - by the curb for the garbage man to pick up the next morning.  I saw a man unloading this table,  but I carried on to the store.  After picking up my milk I retraced my steps and the table was there!  I snagged it and brought it home with me, balancing my purse, gym bag, and soy milk on top.  (Luckily I was only a few blocks from home). 

I know, its not pretty.  But I think I can do something with it!  Its wood and seems pretty sturdy.  Yet I haven't decided what to do with it - paint it?  Cover the top with tile, or try my hand at mosaic?  Decoupage?  Put some fabric on it with mod podge?  Lots of possibilities... 

What do you think?  I would love some ideas! 

Postcard Bunting

Hello everyone! And welcome to my new swapbot followers/friends. Thanks for stopping by! Here is my latest attempt at decorating on the cheap - or in this case: FREE!

So I've seen bunting all over the place lately, and came across some postcard bunting too (here and here, par example). It looked so easy I thought I'd rummage through my collection of cards and make one myself!

I like it! So easy too - I just used a regular hole punch on each of the top corners of the card and strung twine through. I used an extra long piece of twine so I can add more as I receive them - more postcard swaps are in my future, I do believe!