Craft Wars

I was recently approached by Pippa Armbrester of Pippa Patchwork to take part in a new series on Buzzfeed called Craft Wars. It pits two or more crafters against each other in themed contests, how great is that!? For my contest, we had to repurpose an old book or magazine (the original request I received was for a home decor item made from an old book or magazine). Above you will see the project I came up with: a book clock. A very fabulous book clock at that!

Having recently moved, the hus and I found ourselves in need of a new living room clock, so I decided to use this opportunity to whip one up! You can go here to check out the step by step tutorial and vote for your favorite project (even if you don't vote for my clock)!

Also, get ready for some more recycled book and magazine projects coming to the blog very soon, as I actually had several projects in the works because I couldn't decide what I liked best. Included is a new paper flower tutorial on Gerbera Daisies that I am especially excited about, and will be posting next week!

Polka Dot Table Runner

I've been trying to come up with ways to keep myself from turning my dining room table into a catch all. Every tie I clean it off, it seems within seconds to be covered again by mail, craft projects, to do lists and more. So far my best defense has been trying to keep some kind of decoration on it, but a centerpiece isn't always good enough. So the other day I thought up this table runner! It's so cheap and easy to do, that you could change it almost every day if you wanted. It would also be super cute as a party decoration!



To make your own all you need is:

Scrap book paper or Card stock (here I used card stock)
Large circle hole punch (you could use a fancier shaped punch if you prefer)

That's it! Two supplies! How great is that? I will also point out that as long as you don't feel the need to attach these to a backing of some sort, you can re-use your punch outs in several other crafts later on :)



I am addicted to ombre color schemes lately, so I chose several shades of orange for my runner, but you could use any combo of colors or patterns. Start by punching out your polka dots. I punched out about 3 12"x12" card stock sheets worth of dots for my table (53" in diameter). You could also arrange your dots in a sunburst pattern, in which case you'll likely need more dots. Experimentation is key here, and you can't mess up!



Once you have your dots punched out, arrange them as you see fit! I started with my white dots on one side spaced pretty far apart, and then went to light orange, orange and dark orange. PLay with your spacing and colors until you come up with what looks best for you and your table.



In the end, I couldn't resist adding my ombre pom pom centerpiece as well. Complimentary colors make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Book Review: Sewing Made Simple

Hey Everybody! I have a ton of sewing projects lined up over the course of the next few months, so I decided to get a book review up for those of you that might not yet be well versed at sewing! Sewing Made Simple is a great sewing primer by Tessa Evelegh, and is published by one of my favorite independent publishers, Chronicle Books . I would highly recommend it not only for sewing newbies, but seasoned vets, as it is full of great tips, and has about 20 projects that utilize and build upon the skills shown including clothing and home decor projects.



From a purely aesthetic standpoint, it is a beautiful book, with great photography and the kinds of special details I come to expect from pretty much all Chronicle Books. No white borders here, your pages are trimmed with lovely fabric prints in colors and patterns that will inspire you to pick up the book and start sewing as soon as you lay eyes on it. There are also tons of full color photos, as well as some cute, hand drawn diagrams.

There are some really great sections on sewing machine anatomy and tips on buying a sewing machine (which I actually found incredibly helpful as I inherited my current machine from my mom when she bought her new one, but I have been thinking about the possible upgrade to a machine that does more stitches and fancy-pants work like one touch buttonholes and the like). It definitely helps you to get a starting place for what you may need or want in the wide world of sewing machines! If machines aren't your thing, there are also lots of tips and techniques on hand sewing (including "must know stitches" complete with diagrams!).



The total sewing novice will appreciate all of the labeled and numbered photographs the book provides you with on different types of threads, needles, scissors, buttons, etc. Heck, those who have been sewing for years may have their eyes opened to something you just never used before because you didn't really know a good application for it!



My favorite part of the book is that every section has helpful little tip "bubbles" that give you a tip or trick on how to make a technique easier. If you used to steer clear of zippers, or pin tucks, it might have a tip that makes them your new favorite thing (I know I'm excited to try out pin tucks on lots of new projects!).

My one and only gripe for the entire book is that some of the patterns in the back need to be taken to a copy store and blown up to a usable size. I love instant gratification, so to have to go someplace to get my patterns blown up before I can use them is a little irksome. Other than that I think this is the perfect book for anyone that sews or wants to learn!


Chronicle Books provided me with a copy of this book for review. All statements and opinions above are my own.