Janet of All Trades

I have so many things on my list that I not sure what I will be able to get them all done. I still need to update on one project from last weekend that went bad, seems like the theme for last weekend. But I am on to me new list and hopefully this weekend will be better. First is this modge podge project, still in the works but getting close to being done. After the wallet disaster from last weekend, I will be trying again. This time with a pattern that looks super easy.. I feel an obsession coming on again. Add this hand towel apron to the list since I think I really need to try to make since so many of you seem to be looking for a pattern for it and was featured in Southern Living. And lastly,I bought these painting instructions (for .97!) to help me work out some painting issues. I haven't painted in awhile and feel the need to, but needed some instruction before I attempt this next project. That is it for now. I am on vacation today and hope to get a head start on at least on...

I have a nice space to sew and craft in, but it's not always been that way. It is in our basement and it was cold and uninviting. I also use to have a bit of an organizational problem and my craft room started out looking like this. A mess with stuff every where and that ugly dark rug that showed every piece of thread. Not to mention the panelling which needed to be changed and the fact that I was not using the space very efficiently. The space just wasn't fun or inspiring to create in, until I started to paint. This space has actually been painted twice due to a flood we had 2 years ago and follow are the photos from the second remodel. The paint color is Honeydew Mellon (Maratha Stewart) and I am not sure they even make the color anymore but I have been carrying around this paint chip for years (used it in my bedroom as well, I like color!) We decided after the flood to create a wainscoting effect and a chair rail. (strips on wall are for shelves). I love the color cont...

I spoke last week about selling a few of my lovely mini totes and now here is your chance to get one of them. The first one for sale is what I like to call " Coffee Talk" Tote because of the coffee cup fabric. It measures 9 1/4" x 8" with handles that rise 3" from center. One of a kind and could be used for a lunch bag or small purse. It can be purchased here  , So go get it! Next up for sale is "Seeing Spots" Tote which comes with stuffed full of trial size samples. It measures 6" x 8" and with handles that rise 3" from center. Full of 26 Samples.Small and cute to carry toiletries or could be used as a small purse. It can be purchased it here . Go get it! And Last,  Everything is Coming up Zinnias Tote. This is my favorite! Comes without the book, but would be perfect for carrying your book and sunscreen to the beach. It measures 8" x 8 1/4" with handles that rise 3 3/4" from center. It can be purchased on Etsy! Sure...

Today is my First Year Anniversary for writing and composing this blog. I stumbled across a blog one day googling some sort of craft and I was immediately hooked. I have never been much of a writer and always dreaded writing assignments in school. I was the more creative type that would rather make something with my hands then type something out. But I have changed, just a little, by writing this blog. I have learned so much in the past year about blogging. I have come to learn that not every blog has to be the best one that I have ever written and not to force out the writing. I have also learned to proof read some hours later since I post in the early morning and I am not a morning person so I tend to either completely leave out a word or use one incorrectly. And lastly I have learned that there are thousands and thousands of bloggers out there just like me and I think that is the best part of the experience. It's just comforting to know that there are others out there that are o...

Well I think I can make anything. I am notorious for saying this when I see any item in a shop or a catalog. I get some weird sense of confidence that I can figure out how things are made just by looking at them. It's as if I have perfect pitch in the world of crafting,But I really don't since sometimes I am successful about 75% of the time and that isn't near perfect. Which leads me to this weekends list of projects. One project was to make myself a wallet. I started with two ideas and instructions. The first arrived on Saturday's mail in Ready Made Magazine. This was made from a comic book and is constructed from some simple folds and sewing. I planned to use the design as a guide since I did not want to make it out of a comic book. Next was the tutorial I found that is from www.burdastyle.com  and was for a larger than what I wanted but thought I could alter the pattern a bit to make exactly what I wanted. I wanted to make just the inside lower part for credit card...

I feel like I have so many things on my list these days and have not completed anything. A few of my projects are items I am working on for other people so it takes away a little of my creative time. Plus once again my brain has been day dreaming and finding some other ideas for me to work on. Here are more items I have added to the list. I do have another cute tote to be made out of this fabric and destine to be sold. Another project I would like to explore are these fishnet bottles. I will need to figure out how to knot or weave the fishnet first and then look for some interesting bottles to cover. Next on the list, a new wallet. This project might be out of my expertise in sewing but I truly need a new and smaller wallet than the one I have,so why not try to sew one! At lastly my decoupage project that I had an idea for early this week. I started it but need to focus more than a few minutes each night after work. I have progress but not finished yet to show photo. Here are the mat...

Over the weekend I became obsessed with sewing mini totes. It really just started out as one project to use up some scraps and make something cute. It was slow going at first since I was not working with a pattern and just winging it. It took me some time to make at first, but once it was done there was no stopping me. I talked about the process on Monday for this cutie. Leftover fabric from pillow fabric and apron fabric. I can't wait to use it as a weekend purse! The next one I made slightly different and larger. The fabric is not my favorite but the tote is cute none the less with it's coffee cup motif. The handles are a very heavy canvas and perfect for a tote bag.This could be for carrying a travel coffee mug home from work or for carrying lunch or snacks. Lastly is this leftover fabric from the Zinnia apron and this one came out just right. Perfect for carrying a book,wallet and sunglasses to the beach. It is the perfect size when a big purse just won't work. I ha...

Who doesn't like to online shop? We have bought everything from furniture to clothing online at some point over the years so I am so excited to tell you that I will reviewing an item of  dinnerware   from www.csnstores.com  in the next week. They have so much to choose from I am not sure where to begin. It could be this set of melamine plates from Working Class Studios: I love the colors and I think the smaller plates would be good for appetizers and snacks. Or it might be this dipping set by Certified International Hot Tamale Set: Perfect for oil and bread and I do love the colors as well. Might be too pretty to store away and I will have to keep it on display. Or Maybe a serving set by NotNetural: I love the retro feel of this and how it looks like I found it at a garage sale. Some great items from CSN Stores and I will review one of them next week for you. So come back and read my review and then you can check out CSN Stores too!

I have been thinking,sometimes not a good thing, about on how to reuse cardboard or other recyclable items in crafts. The amount of newspaper and plastic that we recycle every week amazes me. There has to be something else we can do with it. Then in the mail comes Do It Yourself magazine and they have some great ideas for some recyclable items. First are these painting, they are old paper bags (if you still get them at the store) but I guess you could use newspaper or cardboard as well. A very simple idea of three strips of color and framed in white. I might have to try this before I throw out another piece of cardboard. Another idea is to take a leftover core from a roll of ribbon and make a bracelet out of it. I thinking I might have done this in Girl Scouts years ago with photos from magazines, but with all the fabric scraps that I have I could make at least ten! Just some ideas to get my brain thinking in a direction for now and see what it can come up with! Just while I was typi...

I have numerous scraps laying around from other projects and have been trying to find ways to use them up. I even had bought scrap pieces from www.tonicliving.com  hoping to gets some gems (I did!) So it was time to sort thru them and see what I could use. I came across this piece leftover from a pillow project. I love the colors and the retro feel of the design and thought it would make a interesting little purse or tote bag. I cut a piece about 18" x 9" for the body of the bag first. And then folded over both edges and pressed and ironed. Next are the straps, which I just eyeballed at how wide I wanted them to be. I didn't have a piece long enough to make the straps in one piece so I cut 2 pieces (next time I will cut just one,since it makes the bottom of the bag too bulky with two). Then I folded the edges,pressed and then topstitched all the way around. Next I laid out the straps on the body and pinned. Last step was to sew the straps on and then sew up the side...

I have always loved stripes, but checks I have not. I think it came from High School Home Education class and we had to make some sort of clothing. I picked a sundress and the fabric was a blue and white check. It was hideous and for the simple fact that I screwed up the straps, it never hung quite right when I wore it (if I wore it more than once). So checked fabric makes me think of the whole bad experience until when I saw these pillows in Ballard Design. I think it is the combination of the burlap and the check that has drawn me in, plus I think I like the green the best. I might have to put this on the to do list,so be sure to come back and check them out!

I attempted to create a few fabric flowers over the weekend that had been on my 'to do' list for awhile now. I started with three different fabrics that I thought would make nice flowers. I cut 2 strips 2 1/2" x 24"of each fabric. The I sewed two strips together to make one long strip. Next I folded the strip in half and zig zag stitched the edge and sides. Then I needed to gather the strip and this was the most amazing and frustration step of all. Per the instructions you are to increase your stitch length on you machines to the highest it would go and increase the thread tension as high as it would go as well. I did this and began to sew. I was amazed as the strip gathered beautifully off the back of my machine. It came out looking like this! Perfect!   My next attempt was not so perfect. The fabric did not gather and my machine just sewed along doing nothing. It came out looking like this. Well maybe I made it look worse since I think I balled it up and threw it ...