Makeup Bag

My friend Lacy and I got together this week and made these cute little makeup bags.  They were easy and fun.  Lacy was the expert so I can't really take credit!  We used purple satin for the inside, and Lacy gets all of her fabric at fabric.com.

We cut out the pattern, ironed, pinned, and did a little basting stitch before sewing (that's lacy's trick for helping it stay together better for sewing)

Sewed on the zipper and...

whola! How fun is that?  I especially love the tassel!

Our happy helpers.  This little boy is Max. SO adorable and sweet.

If you'd like the pattern just shoot me an e-mail!

by Suzanne

Vintage Inpired Frame

As part of my bedroom redesign I wanted to change the frames above our bed. I decided to stick with a chunky frame.  I made them 12X12, which made my picture a 4X4.  Perfect for the look I wanted.  I went to Lowe's and had them cut the boards for me. 

I used gorilla glue for adhesive- be sure to use clamps when using gorilla glue to keep the wood even while drying.

After it dried I painted the edges an antique white.

Then I covered the wood with mod podge and pressed on the fabric.  After it dried I cut off the excess with a razer blade and sanded the edges.  Then I used my ALL TIME favorite distress ink,

 vintage photo around the edges.

I ADORE these picture hanging strips that don't leave holes in the wall. 

 They just snap right together, super easy!

About $4 a frame. Can't beat that!

Next up for the re-design, handmade throw pillows and curtains...not sure which will be first :)

by Suzanne

Lampshade Makeover

This is a fun, easy, and inexpensive way to change up any room!

Materials


-lampshade you are covering
- fabric
-chalk pencil
-mod podge or spray adhesive

My last lampshade makeover I used spray adhesive and I HATED it.  Most people use it, to each his own I guess :) (part of it could've been that I had a faulty bottle that wouldn't stop spraying...yes, it was quite a disaster haha!) Anyway, mod podge worked FANTASTIC for me.

First, use a chalk pencil, draw a line along the bottom edge of the lampshade while rolling it along the fabric. I started at the seam in the lampshade and stopped when I got back to the seam. Do the same with the top edge of the lampshade.
 

 
 Cut out the shape. I cut the piece about a half inch bigger all around so I could roll the edges over the top and bottom of the lampshade easily.
 
I spread the mod podge all over the lampshade in a thin layer so it wouldn't seep through the fabric  then positioned one edge of the fabric on the glue and pressed it in place.
 

After I pressed the fabric all over the lampshade, I had to trim some extra fabric away to give it a more finished look. I then brushed more mod podge along the bottom and top edges and rolled the fabric around the edge and pressed. It bonded quickly and was easy to work with.

 

I then folded over the excess fabric and used my glue gun to put it in place.

wa la!  VERY easy! It took less than an hour to make.

I said my next post would be curtains, I am currently deciding between two swatches...sometimes I am hopelessly indecisive.  My next post for the bedroom redesign will be some fun chunky wood frames!

by Suzanne 

Redesign with Toile

Those of you who follow my personal blog know that I just revamped my bedroom dresser drawers in November, yet here I am doing another redesign in March.  (Sigh) My husband is very patient.  Luckily it just took about 12 hours of hard work and 12 dollars from our budget.  Ok, with the mod podge make that $20 but still, I think it was awfully worth it...every penny :)

This is by far my favorite project of all that I have done.  I LOVE the feel it adds to the room, an antique elegant charm.  Even though this is only the first step of my bedroom redesign project I'm already feeling a lot better about the space.

First, I used primer.  A modern day wonder. Without this miracle worker I don't think I would have even attempted this project in the first place!  It seriously allows you to paint ANYthing.

In the past I have always painted using a brush however,  I saw a tutorial once where they used a roller so I decided I'd give it a try this time.  LOVED IT! It made the job go a lot quicker. I just used the roller for the bulk of it and then used a small brush for the trim.

A word to the wise, when painting DO NOT go cheap on your brushes. You will regret it! I know from personal experience, your job is hard enough with out the thing falling apart on you. :) Funny now, but not in the moment.

After the primer dried I sanded it, and then put on the first layer of paint.  I already had paint from a previous project that was antique white, the PERFECT color for the look I was going for. Again, I used the roller for this and then after that dried I sanded it again and applied the last coat.  Always allow the full drying time between coats of paint,  I always give it a little more time than recommended just to be sure.

Once everything was painted I measured the fabric I would need for the drawer fronts.  I saw a picture with Toile that inspired me!  I adore the look of it.  I almost used wallpaper instead, but it would have been more expensive and complicated because of the size it comes in.  I was apprehensive about using fabric but I absolutely LOVE how it turned out and would do it again in a heart beat!  I used a simple sponge brush to paint on the mod podge.

 I used a GENEROUS amount placed the fabric where I wanted it and then smoothed it out with a credit card.  (I forgot to take pictures of this part!)  The process was smooth and I was surprised with how satisfied I was with the result.  Gotta love mod podge! To finish I added the hardware (thankfully what I already had was perfect)

Before

After

Before

 

After

I seriously catch myself just staring...:)

The colors of my redesign will be brown, antique white with this yummy color

Duck Egg Blue

Next post will be handmade silk curtains in this lovely shade of blue.

by Suzanne

Bundle of Roses

We want everyone to know that we are now selling the things you see on our website!  If you are interested in anything go ahead and send us an e-mail and we will give you the details!

Thanks for looking!

Here is another rose headband :) and I think it is my favorite to wear. 

Just a snapshot, but you get the idea of how it looks :)

by Suzanne

Spring Wreath

I absolutely adore a good wreath.  Anyone who has ever bought a wreath or tried to make one you know first hand how costly it can be.  Not only that I find it's hard to find something unique, so after our rose month I started thinking about how I could make one of my very own.

First, I bought the wreath base at Hobby Lobby.  Love that place.  I wrapped it in the same material I used for my flowers.  I used about a 2" strip of fabric until it was completely covered.

Second, I made my flowers.  I used the same tutorials as before only I made the flowers quite a bit bigger so I just double the amount of fabric that I used.

Third, I placed the flowers where I wanted them on the wreath and then attached them.  I used my glue gun for this and it was very secure (although I am unsure of how it would handle a tornado, hopefully I won't find out :)

Fourth, before I placed my last flower on I placed the tulle and feathers where I wanted them and also glued on my embellishments.

Total Cost- $8 Can't beat that!

There it is! I had so much fun doing it that I am already planning the colors for my summer one!

by Suzanne

Blooming Belt

Awhile back I saw this incredible rose belt on anthropologie, and as usual just knew it was something that wouldn't fit so nicely into our tiny budget.  So, I thought I'd give it a try!  I used some old material I already had, so I guess for being free it didn't turn out too shabby.  It was fairly easy to make, but I would make some adjustments next time around.

some fun spring bling!

by Suzanne

Divine

I have this old banana republic shirt that I love, but I wanted to add a little something to it so it can feel new to me again :)

This tutorial is pretty general, this flower is harder to explain because I wanted it to look a little less uniform so I just eyeballed it as I went. It was a little trickier, but LOTS of fun!

This rose is made out of silk.  I used felt for my base and did a couple of layers as shown below.  I just sort of pleated the material the way I liked it and stitched the material in place adding about 4 layers.

Here is just the silk flower, you could leave it like that if you like...

but I decided to add tulle for texture.

There you have it!

My original idea was to put three flowers on it, but this turned out too big and I liked the way it looked alone.  I wasn't sure how this one would turn out because it was just freehand, but I really like it.  I think I might add these to some plain spring tee shirts using brighter colors and multiple small flowers. 

Hmmm...another post to come on that!

by Suzanne

Brilliantly Beautiful

Well this title probably has more to do with my model than my work. Isn't she stunning? ;)

It's amazing how inexpensive it is to make something like this. Just a little side note, I get all of my headbands from the dollar store. I know....cheap, right?  They usually come in a pack of 6.  I buy the elastic ones for Grace and metal ones for me.  That is a total of $2 for 12 headbands, awesome.  I actually prefer buying them there because they have nice rubber on the ends so it doesn't hurt my head...the only bad thing about wearing a headband! Also, see what fabric you have to work with around your house.  You might be surprised what you can find, or what old clothes might be put to better use. :)   I will do a later post on my headband.  We are taking some spring family pictures soon, so I made this one to match her outfit.

It was fun to add a little variety with patterns, tulle, and ribbon. I think it was good to switch it up with a thicker headband too.  I want to add a few embellishments on this piece, but for now this is what it looks like.  Yet again a project to keep me occupied while the hubby is delved in his school work.  He's so wonderful.

she was cracking me up pulling all sorts of faces tonight! Oh and uh, don't mind the drool she's working on her second tooth ;)

by Suzanne