Now that Spring is showing it’s first signs I’m getting ready for craft show season. I’m signed up to be in the Rebel Rabbit craft fair on May 25th (If you’re in the Portland, OR area be sure to check out their website: http://www.rebelrabbitcraft.com/ ) I picked up a cheap pack of tags to mark the prices on my stuff, but they seemed just a little to bland for me.

These boring white tags needed a little something, so I pulled out a piece of pretty scrapbooking paper, my Xacto, ruler, and rubber cement:

I cut the paper in 1″ squares and attached one to each tag. It didn’t take very long at all, this is such a quick and easy project!

I’m really happy with how they came out. I think they’re much more eye catching now and look better than the bland little guys they started out as.

There are so many great sources for materials and supplies for crafting out there.  It seems that with the current popularity of being crafty as being trendy, more and more supply shops are popping up.  Combine that with the amazing resources on the internet and you may never have to worry about finding just the thing you need.  One of the great resources for unique supplies, and one of my favorite sources for my personal crafting, is thrift stores and garage sales.

As much a game as it is shopping, you get a chance to hunt and dig, to stretch your imagination and find things to craft with that you may not have thought of otherwise!  I have seen so many great projects popping up that utilize thrifted, recycled, “up-cycled”, and trash materials to create fantastic one-of-a-kind pieces!  It’s really exciting!  Finding a new use for unloved junk, and saving us all a little bit from the landfill is a noble venture, indeed.

There are some things you’ll find the most while thrifting.  Old patterns and notions (bias tape, elastic, buttons, snaps, etc.) can come in handy and are generally dirt cheap.  You shouldn’t have to pay more than a dollar for any of this old stuff.

Click more to continue reading about Thrifting to Craft

Some thrift stores will have a fabric section as well, although generally limited you may be able to find decent fabric remnants at amazing savings.  Of course there’s always housewares like curtains and sheets that can provide unique fabrics, just be sure to launder them well!  Recreating old clothes into new ones is another great way to combine thrifting and crafting.  I turned a huge, frumpy old suit into a fun and unique outfit for Craftster challenge #23.  The challenge was to spend $20 or less in a thrift store and remake your item into something awesome.  There were so many great entries!

I also like to look for storage solutions to help me store my various supplies.  Bins, tubs, baskets and boxes that you’ll find in your craft stores are usually way overpriced!  I’ve collected file boxes and wire baskets of all sizes!  One thing I’m always on the look out for are these cute little vintage plastic boxes:

My grandma gave me my first one when I was a girl, and I’ve been collecting them in the same size and style ever since.  They’re perfect for sorting out smaller supplies.

Thrifting to craft may even inspire you to try a new craft. You might find a bag of macramé cord for a steal, or a little rug hooking kit.  How completing a half finished cross stitch sampler that someone abandoned?  I’ve seen all kinds of projects like that to consider.  One that I couldn’t resist was this great, old “Educational Weaving Frame”.  It was $3, and had never been used!  The practice yarn was even still in it.

Wait a minute…..

Can we get a closeup on that girl?

“Yes, Mother, I quite enjoy my educational weaving frame.  No, Mother, I won’t torture and hang my little dollies on the wall anymore.  But, Mother, he was such a naughty dolly”

That alone has to be worth the purchase.

Moving on…. Vintage supplies aren’t all you will find while out thrifting, though.  Just this week a happened across an amazing find!

More than 200 yards of zipper tape and 70 zipper pulls!  This find, worth around $100 was mine for just $10.  of course it’s thrifted, so you may not always get what you’re expecting.  None of these pulls actually fit this zipper!  It’s still a great deal, though, and it wasn’t hard to find the right size pulls.

So go out there and scour your thrift store, garage sales, and estate sales for the perfect supplies!  Open your eyes and your mind to find creative uses for unwanted junk!  Feel good about doing a good thing (most thrift stores donate profits to charities, and unsold items usually end up in landfills)!

Just be sure to leave a few good things for me, and have fun thrifting to craft!

It time again for another Craft Challenge! I posted a teaser photo of the Cuddly Cousins last time, and now it’s time to show those cute little teddy’s fate!

Click more below to read about the challenge, process, and final piece.

Click this link to hop over to Craftster and check out the contest entries.

This post does contain graphic images of teddy bear disassembly

I just love these monthly challenges! I can’t resist them.

I went to the Dollar Tree with no idea as to what I was going to make, but I figured I’d probably be sewing. i decided that i wasn’t just going to blow $10 on crap that I wouldn’t use after the challenge, though, so it made it a little more difficult. There is quite a variety of materials you can choose from there, but when it comes to fabric items, they’re all pretty sad quality. I lucked out when I found some decent quality fleece scarves, though. They were nice and big, and not the same thin stuff they use for the other scarves and for their baby blankets. They only came in white, though. I grabbed a couple of them and wandered around looking for something to accent them with. It was when I came across the Cuddly Cousins that I knew I had found my muse.

I’m a big fan of using faux fur over the real thing!
I purchased 7 bears and 3 fleece scarves. I got quite a few interesting looks riding home on the bus with a big pile of teddys all around me.

Warm and soft I knew they would be perfect for lining the hood and adding a little flair, but first I had to get the fur to a point where I could use it.
Don’t worry, I was very gentle. I used my scalpel (Xacto) to carefully remove the stitches down the back of the bear, removed his fluff (all saved to be used for other projects), and disassembled the pieces of his body. Finally, I sewed the odd pieces of fur into straight strips to make a solid fabric I could cut my pieces from.

Stitching up the fleece body of the coat wasn’t too difficult, it was just a basic bodice with some darts in the back. I had a little trouble getting the sleeves right. I wanted to get both sleeves from one scarf and because of that I had to make up some funky gussets for the underarms. I probably should have used a pattern for them, since I’m just terrible at sleeves, but they turned out alright I think. I fur lined the hood, added ties at the top of the front with cute little fur balls at the ends, lined the cuffs, and made two pockets for the front (they’re fur on the outside and lined inside with fleece scraps) and bear ears on the hood (I only pinned these on, so I can take them off if I want). Finally I added the only material that didn’t come from the dollar store, an old zipper I had on hand.

If I were to do things differently, I would have used four scarves and six bears instead, I had one bear left over at the end. I call him Lucky:

I’m not sure what I’ll do with the left over heads yet, but I’s sure it will be interesting. For now I use them to practice juggling!

/\ Super cozy hood fully lined with fur

/\ The ties at the front in a cute bow

/\ Front, hood up

/\Back, hood up

It’s nice and warm. These photos were taken on a pretty chilly morning, and I was quite comfortable!

Take a look at my little collection here of Cuddly Cousins (as it says on their ear tags).  This is just a little teaser to show some of my supplies for April’s Craftster Craft Challenge.  I am a frequent visitor at Craftster.org, and I cannot resist a good challenge, so I try to come up with something each month to submit.  This month’s challenge is #26 Dollar Store Challenge Round Two.  The challenge is to spend $10 at a dollar store and craft something fabulous and unexpected.  I made a special trip last week to the biggest dollar store in town and picked up these guys.  Wondering what I’m going to do with a pile of teddy bears?  You’ll just have to wait and see! (entries are due April 1st-5th)
This will be my third time entering a craftster challenge.

previous entries:

#25 Biking in PDX guitar case

#23 Sad Suit to Ruffle-y Cute 

I recently participated in a craft swap on Craftster.  The theme this time?  Pin cushions!

Click “more” to see the rest of my photos and read more

First, this is the pin cushion that I received from my fantastic partner CarrieMe.  She did an amazing job of picking fabrics and a style to fit me.

Isn’t it just the cutest?

It came with a bunch of cute little extras that all fit inside the basket underneath the cushion.  There are a bunch of cute shrinky dink pins that I just love!

This is the cushion I made for my partner.  I think our swap organizer did a great job of pairing us up.  Our taste in fabrics is so similar!

I sent a few extras to my partner, too.  I included the rest of the pink polka dot fabric that I bought for the cushion and a little collection of vintage trim and buttons she can use for crafting for her pretty dolls (she has a collection of pullips and Blythes)

I really enjoy doing craft swaps on Craftster.  It’s a lot of fun to create gifts, make new friends, and share projects as a group.

I have a pretty big collection of pin cushions I’ve made floating around my various crafting areas. They’re a great project if you want to make something quick and easy, and they can make great gifts for crafty friends. I like to whip one up whenever I get down to the last little scraps of some fabric that I’ve fallen in love with (It’s great to be able save those little bits in a way that you can see them and use them every day). Now I know that there are probably a million pin cushion tutorials out there right now, so how could my blog be complete without adding my own?

I don’t think I’ve seen any cushions out there quite like this one. I really like it because it is nice and sturdy with it’s flat, weighted bottom, so I’m less likely to knock it over. It’s a good size for me; it holds plenty of pins and is harder to lose. I can also pick it up confidently without having to worry about getting poked by pins poking through to the other side.

(click more to read the tutorial)

-Fabric - about 8inches square
- Stuffing - a handful should do
- Rice - this will add weight to the bottom of the pin cushion. I used rice, but you could also use beans, pebbles or anything else you have on hand
- Ribbon, lace, trim, or additional fabric to cover the side of the can
- A button
- Glue gun (and spray adhesive, if you like)
- Needle and thread

Using your needle and thread just run some stitches around your square of fabric. Since this side of the cushion won’t show, it doesn’t have to be particularly neat, it just needs to hold your stuffing in.

Stuff the cushion:

Fill your cushion with a handful of stuffing and pull the thread nice and tight to close it. Knot your thread.

Add the button:

Push your needle up through the center of the cushion to the top, run it through your button and bring it back down to the bottom. Pull the thread as tight as you like and secure your thread to the back of the cushion with a few knots.

Get your gun:

Add your weight to the bottom of the can. You don’t need a lot, just enough to cover the bottom. Next, use your glue gun to add glue all the way around the inside of the can. You want to make sure to get all the way around so that none of the rice will slip out. Work quickly and push your cushion into the top of the can.

All that’s left to do is cover the can with your trim of choice. I used brown ribbon and some pretty sequin trim and attached them with spray adhesive.

I’ve entered this month’s Craftster challenge: Represent your hometown. I decided to pay homage to Portland’s Bike culture with a Guitar case I made for a friend of mine. He’s big into rebuilding bikes, so that was the theme I used.

With Spring right around the corner I’ve been eying my favorite skirts and dresses and looking forward to getting a chance to wear them comfortably. I whipped these little legwarmers up to help me a get a headstart until the temperatures come up a little more. I thought I’d take photos to share so you can make your own. They’re really easy! You can make yourself a pair in an hour and wear them out tonight.

Due to high demand, I’ve made up another pair now available in my Etsy shop . Or place a custom order to choose your own colors, size, and height!

Step 1

Gather your supplies. This project only requires a few supplies.

1.Fleece- This is a good use for scraps since the pieces are pretty small. You’ll just need two pieces as wide around as your calf and 10 inches tall

2.Lining Fabric- Used to give stability to the buttonholes and buttons. I used cotton quilting fabric I had in my stash. You’ll need a piece 12 inches wide and 10 inches tall.

3. Buttons- 10 buttons 1inch to 1.5 inches across

Step 2

Cut out your pieces. You won’t need a pattern, but you should use a ruler or tape measure. First measure around your calf about as high up as you want the warmer to go. This will be your width for the fleece. Cut out two pieces of the fleece 10 inches tall and as wide as your calf measurement, making sure that there is plenty of stretch width-wise. Since there will be overlap for the buttons if the fleece doesn’t stretch this way the warmers will be too small . Cut four pieces of lining fabric 3 inches wide and 10 inches tall.

Step 3

Iron a small hem along one long edge of each of the lining pieces.

With right sides together, sew a lining piece to each 10inch side of your fleece. Sew just around the three sides that have raw edges. The sides that you ironed will be facing in to the center. I find it to be much easier to sew with the lining layer facing up and the fleece down on the feeddogs. It prevents the fleece from stretching out as you sew.

Step 4

With your lining layer up, mark five button holes on one side of each warmer. Space them about two inches apart. Sew your buttonholes according to your machine’s directions. Snip your buttonholes open, mark and sew on your buttons.

that’s it!

you’re done!

I am excited to announce that I’ve created my own webpage!

The page is still in development, I’m doing it all myself and learning as I go. Css is tricky! I’m working hard to get new stuff up, though. Recently, I added info to the About me page and wrote up a bunch of information about making custom orders including a page filled with questions to get you started. Next I’ll be working on photo galleries of some of the fun things I’ve made or sold and my featured items, so look forward to it!