Rick Rack Rose Rings

 

I have to admit that the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge didn't go as well as I had hoped.  Out of the 30 days of crafts, I managed to do 15 (not including two or three unfinished projects).  I guess it's still not too shabby considering that I work full time among some other stuff I had been dealing with.  I definitely learned a lot, making things I might never have, content with staring at the projects on the screen.  I also learned a bit more with sewing and rediscovered my love and joy of making a new garment or bag.  

To conclude this Craft Challenge, I am ending it with the rick rack rose rings I made.  The tutorial from The Ribbon Retreat can be found here.  I've actually (and am also in the process of making more) made a few more which I will post later (I haven't taken any pics yet).  But overall, I loved how they turned out and already sold a few.  

BTW, it's never too early to start shopping for Christmas! :)

Project #14 - Craft Challenge - Hanging Dish Towel

 

Already had the hand towels (*ahem* washcloths) and the fabric so naturally when I saw the pin to make your own hanging dishtowels, I was stoked.  I only had enough attention span to make one but I would like to make a couple more to rotate around when they get dirty.  It was a pretty easy project and hardly took any time.  This is the pin/post I used for reference but as usual, I didn't follow it and did my own thing (even tho it still looked like I followed directions :)

Yay for hanging dish towels! 

Homemade Granola

I made a batch of peanut butter and chocolate chip granola bites the other day.  They came out moist and cakey unlike the store-bought, full of additives granola.  Since I don't have kids or a significant other, I brought the batch in share with my fellow massage therapists.  I was happy to see the container was empty within a couple of hours and that they loved them.

Here's the recipe I followed.  I did add in 3 tbs of cut up flax seed.  Note to self:  get the already grounded flax seed next time so you don't have to chop chop chop, chop chop chop, chop chop chop, etc with a large kitchen knife. 

Craft #13 of the Pinterest Craft Challenge - decorated keys

Decoupaged, glittered and baubled keys

 So, this is one of the easiest projects for the craft challenge, but yet, somehow I kept putting it off because although I liked it at the time pinned it, I just didn't love it.  But once I started glittering, I started getting all these different ideas.  I have a bunch of keys that I salvaged off of broken train cases that I used to decorate which was perfect for this project.  Although the keys are non-functional, they would look great with a ballchain to use as a pendant.  I'm not crazy about the glitter one I made, but I'm in love with the bauble one (surprisingly) and of course the pinup ones.  I plan on making more.  I still have a plethora of ideas :)

Which ones do you like and what would you like to see on the key?  One day, when I have time, I'll actually freehand some art on art it. 

The Inspiration:

            

#12 of the Pinterest Craft Challenge - clutch purse

I'm going to stop referring to days since I'm obviously behind and can't seem to catch up on my 30 day Craft Challenge due to work and other priorities that come up.  I'm still committed to doing 30 craft projects but until/unless I catch up, it's not likely it will be within the 30 days I had planned.  With that being said, here is #12: a clutch purse and the original inspiration.

 

Once again, as you can see, I did my own thing.  I added in an extra pocket and made my clutch more round. You would think I would have remembered just last week when I made this round zippered pouch that sewing round and round and I do not get along at the moment.  Definitely not perfectly round and definitely not perfect.  I can see all the flaws and I'm sure you can point out one or two to me.  However, once the challenge is over, I will be remaking another one more to my liking.  To think, this one was already my second attempt.  I really do like this and chances are, no one will notice the flaws anyway, but we are our own worst critic :)

Something pretty rad that I just noticed that was completely unplanned is that when the clutch is closed, the stripes seem to match up almost perfectly. 

Day 11 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Gather Skirt

 

The inspiration:  Gather Skirt (an Etsy tutorial)

 

My version: 

I didn't exactly follow the tutorial (no surprise there) but once again, I didn't have enough fabric so I added a white hem.  I originally added in a ruffle hem but it didn't look right.  Not to mention, the original ruffle I added was the same fabric print as the skirt but when I was near done, I realized I didn't have enough of the fabric.  So, out came the seam ripper, then added in the white ruffle, didn't like the way it looked, ripped that out and finally just added in the basic white block hem.  Although I pre-washed the fabric, it's still a little stiff so hopefully, after a couple more washes, it will soften up and lay not so poofy.  Overall, I do like the skirt and the cherry blossom print. Although the hem could use some ironing :)

  

Day 10 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Fabric Scrap Gadget Pouch

The inspiration from RaeGun Ramblings:




 My version:

I made my phone/ipod/camera pouch slightly different where I opted for a band closure opposed to a button closure.  I also added in an extra pocket to store the earbuds or charger.  Now that I think about it, I don't think I actually used her directions, lol. Raegun was definitely the inspiration but I ended up making the pouch my own way.

The pouch is the perfect size for an android or iphone even with it's protective case.  I think I am going to keep this pouch as I love the pattern combo I used!

Day 9 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Felt Flower Hair Barrette

The inspiration:  felt flower hair barrette by A Hoot And A Holler.

 

My Version: 

I didn't deviate too much from the original design but I think next time, I shall loosen up the petals so they fall more flat than round.  I kinda like how the petals are clustered together but I also like when they lay more flat.  I didn't have any wool poms for the center, so I just cut mine from a piece of felt.

Overall, I think it's just darlin' if I do say so myself.

Day 8 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Smelly Jelly Shark Bowl

The inspiration:  Homemade air freshener by Foodie With Family.

 My version: 

During my day with the BFF, we put a spin on the homemade essential oil air freshener pin (click on the first picture to take you to the post by Foodie With Family) we saw on Pinterest.  

We really didn't know how much gelatin we would end up with so we stopped by the dollar store to get an extra jar.  We knew when we saw the mini fishbowl shaped bowls that we wanted to embed the gel with a fish or two.  Off to the toy aisle to go fishing!  

We mixed the gelatin per the directions on  Foodie With Family's post.  Man, we were not expecting the gelatin to um, smell not-so-pleasantly.  If I had to describe the odor, it would be something like pickled fish.  Luckily, the smell dissipated and didn't linger.  We put 2 drops of blue food coloring into our respective jars and about 20 drops of essential oil.  We then filled the jars halfway with the hot gelatin and stirred to mix in the color and essential oil.  Once it cooled down some, we put the jars into the fridge for it to set but we were impatient.  Once it was in there for about 30 minutes, we took it out, saw that it wasn't quite ready yet so we put it in the freezer to speed up the setting.  Once it was somewhat set, we set the shark in my jar and a dolphin in Marisa's jar and poured the rest of the gel into the containers and stuck them back into the freezer.  Once they were done, they looked so awesome.  From the top.  From the side, there was 1 drop too many of the food coloring so you can barely see the shark/dolphin.  But if you looked at it from another standpoint, it was cool to see something lurking in the murky "water".  

I was having a hard time trying to get the lighting right for my sharkbowl. Not to mention my reflection in the jar was annoying so all you get is just the top view of our Craft Challenge project ;)

Day 7 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Striped Dress

Funny how so far, every project for this challenge that I've embarked on has not quite come out the way as they were posted and pinned.  This project was no different.  This is the original inspiration pin from Handmade Mess:

This is what I ended up with:

I really had all intentions of making the "easiest skirt in the world" but when I tried on the skirt, it was too long.  So I trimmed about 12 inches.  When I tried it on, it was too short.  I am way too old to be wearing a skirt 3 or 4 inches above my knees so I had to improvise.  First came the bodice, which took me a little while to figure out how I wanted to make it.  It started out as a tube top with straps but the fabric is really, really, really stretchy so that wasn't working.  The back kept bunching up, the front looked all wonky.  I then had a light bulb moment and I made some adjustments.  I cut out armholes and decided to make the top like how I made this shirt from my Day 3 Craft Challenge.  Perfect!  The back didn't bunch up anymore and the front became more flattering.  I added in a 3 inch ruffle to bring the dress down to my knees.  I didn't have the patience to pull the basting stitch to create the ruffles so I ended up using a piece of elastic I found laying around.  For the straps, I just looped in a raw strip of jersey knit from my stash.  You can't really tell the straps have raw edges but I like that look in moderation so I ended up leaving the hem of the ruffle raw as well.  

Overall, I really liked how it turned out.  I wore it out to lunch yesterday with the BFF (Marisa from Sukoshi Shop) and she was also rad enough to help me take some pix of me wearing the dress.

Here's the back view:

BTW, this dress was finished on the 8th but I had internet problems last night after I came home when I was trying to post this entry so here it is now :)

Day 6 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Thank you Tip Jar

I made this tip jar for the Craft Challenge to use for my massage practice.  This was the inspiration post/pin I kept seeing on Pinterest.  I also embellished the front like I did with the reclaimed pump bottles I got from work.  I used a mason jar I already had, silver paint and heavy scrapbook paper (from the Rock Queen Mat Stack collection) for the top. 

This is definitely much more pleasing to the eye than a white envelope taped to the door for my tips :)

Day 5 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Circle Skirt

I love love love circle skirts and dresses so it was a no brainer when I saw this post from iCandy on Pinterest that I would be making this.  Drafting my own pattern was easier than I thought but this did take me longer than I expected because I'm super picky and kept trimming and trimming until I was satisfied.  Then it took me over a half hour to add on the black and white piping only to realize when I was finished that I wasn't loving it.  I didn't like how it makes the bottom of the skirt a bit wonky because it tends to curl.  And it made it a bit more fancy than I wanted for every day wear.  I think if the trim was on a stiffer cotton material opposed to the jersey knit, it would not curl as much.  I wanted to post this up to make sure I wasn't slacking for the challenge but I'll be removing the trim this week so that it will be more simple.  I'll just save the trim for another dress. 

Day 4 - 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Round Zippered Pouch

 

 

Day 4 of my self-imposed 30 Day Craft Challenge.  I was a bit short on time yesterday so I had to find a quickie pin for yesterday's challenge.  This is the Inspiration by Dog Under My Desk.  My version is shown above.  This project has proven that I can't sew circles perfectly.  Perhaps I should have made more time but I had some people to massage :)  Still, not too shabby if I do say so myself.  I just have to keep practicing.  I sure do have enough fabric scraps to do so.  Overall, I do love it bunches and it will be awesome to use to hold the crystals I use for massage. 

Day 3 -of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Black and White Striped Top

When I saw the below top on Pinterest, I fell in love.  I originally thought this was recon shirt but when I clicked on the link, there wasn't a tutorial so I decided to wing it and figure it out.  It was actually pretty easy and the shirt is very similar in style to Bandana Pillowcase Dress I made for the 1st day of the Craft Challenge.  Except, I adapted it to make it into a shirt for a grown woman and not a kid.  I loved how this turned out so I'm definitely going to make a few more.  A girl can never have too many tops for a night on the town.  That is, if I actually went out.  

The Inspiration:

UPDATE 12/25/13 - There is now a tutorial to make your own!  
http://lotusbomb.blogspot.com/2013/12/pillowcase-top-tutorial.html

30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Day 2 - Messenger Bag

 I made this cupcake themed messenger bag yesterday afternoon for Day 2 of my self-imposed 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge.  It was inspired by this reversible messenger bag by Crazy Little Projects.  In true me fashion, these pins generally serve as inspiration before I end up changing it somewhat.  I had in mind my just-turned 8 year old niece when I came across the pin for the reversible bag.  I changed it up slightly by making it a larger bag and adding two front pockets and making the bag non-reversible.  I used some retired Robert Kaufman cupcake fabric and just brown and turquoise dot fabric for the lining.  I also used interfacing to give the bag some stability.  I am really pleased with how this bag turned out and I hope that Ali likes it too.  I definitely want to make one for me now!

Day 2 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge Contest

Day 2 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge is now complete.  I'm going to make you wait until tonight to post the project because I have to go massage some folks :)  In the meantime, do you have any guesses?  Take a look at the my board and see if you can guess what I made.  If you're right, I'll send you a magnet a set of your choice :)   Leave your guess in the comment section.  One guess per person please.  You can earn another guess by leaving your guess on my facebook page.  Don't forget to mention the contest if you're leaving a comment separate from the fb post :)

In the event that more than one person guesses the right answer, a random drawing will be held to pick the winner.  Good luck!

Contest ends at midnight tonight :)

Day 1 - Pinterest 30 Day Craft Challenge - Bandana Pillowcase Dress

This bandana pillowcase dress I made today is the first project of the Pinterest 30 Day Craft Challenge based on the crafty pins on one of my boards.  My project was inspired by this bandana pillowcase dress by Trey and Lucy and this patriotic pillowcase dress by Aesthetic Nest.  I love the ruffled hem from the patriotic dress and when I saw the bandana dress, I knew I wanted to combine both pins into one project. Wish I had a handy kid around to model this dress!