Janet of All Trades

I have been very lax in the craft department lately and plan to get back to it this weekend. Of course it is Halloween so I will be busy handing out candy and decorating but I have a few things leftover from last few weeks that I will attempt to finish and show you the results next week. (1) I love this faux mink scarf and really screams to me DIY. Since it looks like just a few strips of fleece sewn to a scarf. (2) I make my Christmas cards every year and have a few ideas rolling around in my head. Just need to sit down with some paper and fabric and figure out the design. I might inspired by these pillows in a recent Ballard catalog. (3) Next is this lonely long sleeve that I bought last year at the Salvation Army for $2.99. I have wanted to apply to embellishing to it for about a year, but have not found the correct idea. I think I have it now. (4) I cam across this piece of wooden block art on Etsy and I am in love with it. I don't think I will try to copy it, just put my own...

Every year for Halloween I light the walkway to my front door with Luminaries. This year I have decided to decorate with them a little differently. First I started with these treat bags $.99 for 40 from Party City. I started with the pumpkin bag and cut the white part off the top and folded the white bottom and taped to the back. Then using these battery operated lights from the Dollar Store. I placed one in the treat bag and turned off the lights. And now I have a spooky luminary to greet the trick or treaters. I have several of them and plan to decorate my shrubs like this.. Easy, cheap and safe! I cant wait to for Halloween to see how all four trees look! Enjoy!

I like to follow fashion although I might not always dress as if I do,but it still is a little bit of an obsession. I like to see what is new for the next season and see if I can incorporate any of it into my not so fashionable wardrobe. Over the weekend I found these lovely art inspired dresses on some celebrities in Instyle magazine. They look as though they are wearing watercolor art and would look lovely hanging on a wall. Then I found these dresses in Do It Yourself magazine and you can hang these on the wall. No sewing involved with these dresses, just cut and paste and you have instant wall art. It's really not a costly investment to upgrade your wardrobe. Super Easy and you don't need a stylist or great shoes. I think I chose this option of clothing as art for myself since I think I can make this for less than buying new clothes! Enjoy!

I am mesmerized by the changing color and cloud formations of the sky.  And this weekend I found myself looking into the sky for answers for why a young life was taken so soon. The sky offers me comfort and beauty with it's every changing ways. I tend to notice the sky the most on my way to and from work and usually don't have a camera with me.  But try to capture all the beauty I can when I do have my Camera. Some are in my backyard and sometimes further way. But where every the sky is, it always amazes me with it's colors. Have a wonderful day and enjoy the sky.

I have a short list today for the weekend due to family tragedy and a heavy heart. I am not sure if I will have the time or the motivation to actually attempt a project this weekend, but if I do these here are some of the items I will be working on. (1) These Halloween Treat Bags that will become a decoration to greet the Trick or Treaters. (2) These felt 1/2 circles that I have been playing with a cutting out on my lunch hour. I have an idea just need to finalize the details. (3) Lastly a few minutes to relax and thumb thru some magazines. It a short one and I will see what I get to over the weekend. Have a lovely weekend and enjoy every minute with your family and friends since life can change in a second. Enjoy!

I am in constant search for the perfect fabrics for projects and I always end up at Tonic Living .  The have a large selection of fabrics and they are awesome when it comes to customer service. They are located in Toronto,Canada but ship to the US at very fair prices. I contacted them recently to have them quote me on two of roman shades and the price (which I won't reveal until I actually purchase them) was unbelievable and reasonable. They sent me images of past projects and I am in love with all of them. I love this Sweet William fabric and considering it for my Craft Room desk chair, but after seeing it in a roman shade it might be to pretty to sit on and better as a shade. I like this sunny yellow shade not only for the the color but for the symmetry of the pattern. I like a good geometric pattern but I think the color may not work. I found a few that might work but may order a swatch for only a dollar of possibly the following. But not sure yet since they may have too muc...

Sometimes I think I have a great idea and then sometimes I wonder if I subliminally absorbing images while browsing thru magazines and sale ads. I recently came across two items that look very similar to projects that I have completed. First is this scarf in a recent Sunday Target ad. The purple scarf, second from the right looks vaguely familiar to my grey scarf I made a few months back. I swear I never say it at Target and came up with the idea while playing with my sewing machine settings. I thought I was dreaming when I saw the ad and then thought I was going crazy when I saw this in the recent issue of Martha Stewart Living. Now this looks very similar to my Pumpkin poofs or poms that I just blogged about yesterday. Now I really think I am going crazy since I thought of this idea before I even saw that image in Martha Stewart. I am not trying to pat myself of the back, since both images were probably created months before I had my idea but I am just trying to figure out it they...

I have always loved Japanese Lanterns and have grown them in my garden for years. A friend once told me not to grow them since they would take over my garden. Well 8 years later and they are completely gone and don't have any to decorate with. So I had to improvise this year and make my own. First I started with a roll of crepe paper which is super inexpensive at $.79 at Party City. I then cut it into strips of 18" long and then fed each piece thru my sewing machine with a large stitch setting. Gathering it as is went thru and feeding each strip one after the other. Leaving just a loose little thread in between each piece. I ended up with a piece that looked like this. Next I gently pulled the thread from both ends and pushed the paper along the thread. Then I tied both ends of the thread together and pulled as tight as I could without ripping the paper. I was left with this orange poof. Last step was to use them in my home. I have this vase of reeds and stems that I thought ...

Some years ago I whipped up a ribbon choker a few hours before a Christmas party. It was pretty easy and looked great with my dress. It was just a length of ribbon and an antique cameo sewed with a little velcro on the back. I thought I could use the same technique for a scrap fabric choker and an antique button. First I started with a scrap of my favorite green fabric. The a length of bias tape in brown that I made knots in every few inches. I made the choker par much like my headbands by turning the edges and top sewing and finishing the ends. Next I sewed the bias tape with the knots on to the fabric. Stitching directly thru the knots since I wanted them to lay flat. Next I applied the velcro. Pretty easy,just need to make sure that it does show when you look at it from the back. Then lastly applying the button to the center. And you are done. I think it looks wonderful and plan to make more since it only takes less than an hour to make and the results are lovely. Super easy and an...

Tomorrow we will be married for 11 years. We normally don't exchange gifts for our anniversary but buy something that we really need for our home. Last year it was bedroom furniture, which is the first I have ever had in my life. It was all yard sale and hand-me-downs from when I was a teenager (many years ago). So this year we have a few interesting items on the list for our Anniversary. The gift for eleven years is Steel. Now this is a tough one since what is made of steel any longer?Well I thinking I can put a spin on this suggestions. First we will be shopping for a new flat screen TV for my craft room. To watch all those sappy movies that I can't get enough of while I craft my next idea. I am sure we will get this TV for a Steal! Then for my husband, I will be making a curtain to block the light from craft room that sneaks it to his Home Theater room. This will give him to tranquility and darkness to steal awhile time from the outside world. So Steal it is! Oh and my Husb...

Normally I make my list for the weekend on Friday but tomorrow's blog will be different for a reason, come back and find out why. But on to the Weekend thinking list since I have a few projects in the works already I have a few that I need to think about, figure out and decided whether to move ahead or not. So let me get started with the list. 1. Readymade Challenge. It was just announced yesterday the Readymade 100 Contest. Winner receives $500 and trip to NY City and your project on the cover. Now I love a contest as long as I win. Yes I have serious competition issues, but they are also picking 100 other winners as well so maybe I have a chance. I am going to start thinking about it and see if I can come up with something amazing. Read the details here . Good Luck! I will let you know after the contest closes Dec 15th what I submitted. 2. I am loving these embroidered pillow from Target and wondering if I should try my hand at making a few. Years ago I was a mean cross stit...