Fabric Houses Wall Art

So here is my second completed project for the silent auction.  This one has me biting my nails since this will depend on personal preference and taste.  But I am also hoping things like this will be in my  soon to be Etsy shop. This particular piece is in a glass frame but I like working directly on canvas.

 The materials I used were all from my fabric stash: burlap, linen, old towels, an old bed skirt, and yarn.

This would be so perfect for a little girl's room. I kept the fabric pattern colors light and playful.

I love the look of handmade stitches.  They are imperfect, childlike and whimsical.  

And the frayed edges of the fabric give it just the right texture.

I am loving the swirly blue sky and green grass too.

I hope someone likes this enough to bid on it!  

Do YOU like it? 

(be gentle)

Off to sew and create some more!

My Abiding Obsession with Garlands Continues...

Well here is another "future" shop item. 

(Will it ever open?  Dunno.)  

And yep.  Another garland. I can't get enough of 'em.  I really can't.

This one is made with hot pink (fuchsia?) felt and fishing line. I decided to add some rings at the end for easier hanging in case this would be a permanent fixture in a little girls room or simply for easier hanging.

 Here is my oldest daughter thinking it is extra long bling. Isn't she so squeezable?

 I just sighed with all the happy feelings this pinky goodness brings me. 

P.S.  I do apologize for some blurriness. 

I suspect it is due to the teeny people fingerprints I found on my lens.

Textured Ball Garland

Love. Completely, totally, in love with this garland. I can, in fact, have this much of an emotional attachment to an inanimate object.  Oh yes.

This is a product of the genesis of me brainstorming ideas for my Etsy shop.  I am struggling with transitioning from being  a crafter who lives with the imperfections that come with handmade things and suddenly making them for someone to buy.  With like, money. It is terrifying to say the least.  But I have wanted to come up with something of my own design, totally me, and exemplifies my type of crafting.

 

This garland began with me experimenting with texture. I am drawn to anything with textures that evoke comfort, casual elegance, and depth. I love the juxtaposition of fine china on a distressed table or silver candlesticks on a rustic mantel. It is so peaceful and calming to my often preoccupied soul.  Looking at things like this and living with them is like a sanctuary of peace for me. So I set out to do just that with my one of my favorite things to make: Garlands.

I made each individual ball shape unique.  I experimented with linen, yarn, and satin creating beautiful rosette spirals, colorful stripes, and shabby textures. It is pure loveliness to me.

 

I wanted this garland to be classy and more grown up without being fussy.  Casual; not too fancy.

As you can see, the amount of photos I took depicts my intense infatuation with this garland.  I may need a garland intervention.

I  decided a rustic twine was the perfect complement to string them together and I am just so happy with the final result.  The garland measures 5 ft long and the balls can slide so you can make it as wide or close together as needed.

I sure hope you like this. I had so many of you in mind when I made it. You have all been more then fabulous spurring me on to do an Etsy shop and you helped me believe it is really possible.  Thank you so much for that. I was so nervous this project would not work out but it exceeded my expectations. Hope you enjoyed the first of many sneek peeks!  

P.S.  I have been manic crafting as I have been on deadline for the magazine; hence the crickets on this little blog.  But I got fun stuff to share coming up soon!

Stitched Paper & Felt Valentines

 

So I am gearing up for Cati's Class Valentine party and as the "Party Mom" (that title cracks me up) I have been busy working on a ton of crafty goodness to decorate.  Of course, no Valentine party would be complete without...well...valentines. :)

 

I wanted to make homemade ones and since I heart all textures like fabric, felt, and yarn... I wanted to incorporate some of it into a Valentine card where Cati could still sign her name and put her classmate's name since she is learning her letters.

If you want to try this yourself here is what I did:  

Materials: 

white card stock, red craft felt, embroidery floss various colors, colored pencils, and craft glue.

1. Cut your card stock (I used a craft mat and rotary cutter) to the size you want.  Mine is 6 x 3 inches.
2. Cut your red felt backing slightly larger.
3. Cut out little felt hearts

 

 Use running stitch to sew heart to the top of card stock.

I used colored pencils to write out the "To" and "From" with the same color as the embroidery floss. Then I sewed over it using the colored pencil letters as a guide.

Glue card stock to felt backing.

There is your simple and unique Valentine's with some homemade flair. 

 Just the way I like it. :)

Tiny Hands Christmas Ornaments

Just wanted to pop in real quick and show you  these Christmas hand ornaments I made for the girls last year. I was inspired because I love hand and footprints in their memory books...they are so teeny! So I thought it would be so cute to  make them with felt and hang them on the tree.

Gift Wrap Ideas: Day 3

Felt +Yarn on Kraft Paper

Gift Wrap Ideas: Day 1

I am so excited to share some simple and frugal ideas for gift wrapping presents that can be ideas to use throughout the year!  I am still not done with the week's line up but I plan to have a few tutorials throughout the week showing you how to make some easy little gift adornments.

Tick Tock I Made a Clock

Impressed?

OK...because um...it's not real.  In fact, it is made of felt and scrap fabric. 

 FUN! FUN! FUN!

It's a practice clock for my little pre-schooler. And I have fallen in love with this cute little project and I wanted to share it with you.

Before I get into this little project of mine, let me just tell you guys why I have been kinda MIA.  We have so much stuff going on here at my TWO SHADES OF PINK household.  We are remodeling the master bathroom and this process requires way too much decision making. It's akin to removing teeth sans the Novocaine. I hate CHOICES!  I can't even decide what I want at a restaurant and usually succumb to asking the server which meal I should choose.  This usually occurs on a server's second night working there and they look at me panic stricken that they may suggest a dish that I will ultimately send back.  See?  Decision making is stressful for EVERYONE! 

Then school is starting soon for Cati.  This will require a whole other post.  It is only pre-K but she is going to school that is part homeschooling as well so I will be teaching my child.  I think I just heard that ominous du du duuuummmm sound somewhere above me. This is a terrifying prospect for me since I possess a degree in Human Resources and am only equipped with the education to hire and fire people and reiterate corporate policies. That I did like 10 years ago.  I pray my child comes out of this with more than a knowledge of business policy guidelines.

So to sum up...I have been busy. I promise I will be more consistent when life begins to die down but we shall see.

Now back to the clock.

It all started when I found this little practice clock in the $1 section at Target.  

Cute but I thought this could be soooooo much cuter! And because I have a mad obsession with all things fabric, felt, or yarn related I decided to combine these craft loves into a little project.   

But prepare yourself.  I had no idea what I was going to do which is my usual "winging it"  approach to my crafts.  But I get an idea in my head and I HAVE to see it though.  So I took pics for a little tutorial for you but not as detailed as it should be.

Wait...maybe you just yelled yippee that I finally found the ability to be concise.  Yet if I did, you would not have had to read 103 paragraphs so far when I have yet to tell you how I made this.

Moving on...

What you need:

Fabric and Felt

Jelly Roll fabric or strips of fabric (Your choice for width and sizes)

Ribbon, yarn, buttons, embroidery floss, etc

Eyelets and eyelet kit

Polyfill

Here is the fabric I used in all of its un-ironed glory.  

I picked two fabrics for the front and back of the clock, a felt piece for the face of the clock and a coordinating fabric from a jelly roll and to put between the front and back to make it more dimensional. 

I traced around a large bowl for the two large circles and then used a smaller plate for the face. 

The ribbon is to tie the hands of the clock together. And before I go on...I used all fabric and stuff from my stash.  I am a big believer to use what you have.

I first started off by sewing the jelly roll fabric around the edge, right sides facing each other.  And yes, I used a SEWING MACHINE. I know.  Shocking. The heavenly angels in charge of sewing grace smiled upon me and allowed me to complete this project and then the machine stopped working. I can't get into it or the machine will come to its demise if I dwell on it.  Apparently I am like a sewing Cinderella and had a time limit to this wonderful accomplishment of mine.  I mean you do remember the bean bags right? (I used the same fabric too)

I took the jelly roll and cut it in half lengthwise to give me the length I needed to make it around the circle and sewed those two pieces together lining it up with the fabric.

And you get this.

I made the clock hands using adhesive backed, stiffened felt.  I just placed the fabric I wanted and free cut the hands to my liking.  USE FRAY CHECK!  Totally forgot until later.

I wanted the hands to work smoothly so I used eyelets with an eyelet kit. I also put an eyelet through the face of the clock.  I did all of this before sewing the face to the front fabric.  Follow directions on your package for the eyelets. 

By the way.Not sure why my hammer got in this picture.  I never used it. Hmmmm...

Then I made the face of the clock where I used my creativity.  I made each number unique using what I had in my stash.  Yarn, embroidery floss, ribbon, patterned felt, buttons, and little pom poms.  Get as creative as you want.  I really wanted to spell out numbers like two or ten but I figured that was not best for my preschooler.  Way too confusing but totally cute idea to use later. I threaded the ribbon through the face and two hands from the back to the front. I tied a bow in the center ensuring the hands would move smoothly. 

I sewed the face to the front of the clock.

I then sewed the other circle with right sides facing and then turned it inside out, stuffed it, and sewed it the rest of the way closed.

 Here is the edge of the clock.  Now let's talk about my over exuberance stuffing this thing with polyfill.  I did not want it to look all chunky like this but apparently I do not know when to say when.  

And I kid you not, I sat on it to flatten it. It worked.  I mean, you have to get creative even with your methodology, right?

Now my Cati has a fun clock to learn how to tell time with.  Maybe you could even make it into a pillow? Or actually make it into a working clock?  I so would use it and hang it in my kitchen. It would be kinda funky and fun. 

Hope you liked my felty and fab clock.  I will be linking up to some crafty parties this week to put a little bloggy pizazz into my week. As usual, thank you for coming here to visit my little blog.  You guys make me so happy!