Front Porch Redo

 During the pandemic quarantine I was looking for things to do that would make me feel good about my home and my life.  Since I now had a lot of time on my hands I started looking at what I had around that I could use.  

Because I am a big sewer, crafter and quilter I had lots of supplies.  I had been wanting to give my porch a little "redo" for a while so I gathered my supplies and dove into the project.

It was also a good project to put on my newly started YouTube channel - Sew-Learn-Create.  Making the videos gave me a deadline and the extra push I needed to get the project completed.

Watch the videos below to see the before and after of my porch redo.  It was fun to do and it did help give me a purpose during the difficult times of the pandemic.

I hope this will inspire you to go dig through your supplies and start that project you have wanted to do for a long time.  

Keep creating!

Danna

Popcorn Bag - A healthy snack made easy

 Are you on a constant search for a healthy snack for you and your family?  I know it is sometimes a battle to find something that is healthy and tasty when there are so many other choices.

I recently came across a project that was a great solution to this dilemma - a popcorn bag.  The popcorn bag allows you to use regular popcorn kernels and cook it with no oils or butter.  This project joined several of my passions together.  I love to sew, in case you haven't figured that out, I love popcorn and I love to do my part to help the environment.

Watch the video below to make your own popcorn bag.  I sometimes add to my popcorn a little salt and some butter powder for extra flavor.  But by adding my own it is much healthier than the microwave bags, for you and the environment.

Happy sewing and eating!

Danna

Beginner Sewing - Let's Make a Popcorn Bag for a quick, healthy snack

Reusable Makeup Remover Pads

 Looking for ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and help the planet?  These reusable makeup remover cloth pads are quick and easy to sew.  They can be used not only to remove your makeup but to wash your face.

I made mine out of some flannel scraps that was gifted to me.  The flannel is soft and easy on the skin.  Adding the cotton batting in the middle gives them a little fullness and helps hold their shape when wet.  

Wash and dry them in a mesh bag with your towels and they are ready for another days use.  This will help reduce the need for those disposable cotton balls.  

Another bonus is using these around your eyes you don't get that stray cotton ball fuzz in your eye.  I can't tell you how many times I have gone all day trying desperately to find that fuzz I could feel but not see.

Trying to do my part to make this world a better place.  I would love to have you join me!

Just keep sewing!

Danna

Scrap Challenge of a different type

In a previous post Scrap Bag Challenge No. 1,  I explained the challenge I have set for myself to help deal with all of the delightful scraps my friends give me.  Well this challenge came from the donation of a fabric sample book. 

My friend found it in her sewing room as she was cleaning out and the bright colorful packaging made her think of me.  She brought it to me and said "I can't wait to see what you make with these."
Well, I couldn't turn down that challenge. 

Opening the sample pack I became more and more excited with the colors from each section.  It was full of bright, bold, warm and rich tones. 

The fabric sample pack.

Look at all of those colors!

Each page had a fabric swatch in that color range.

As I began to drool, I mean look at each color range the creative wheels were spinning out of control. There were so many possibilities of items that could be made from such a wonderful selection.  I finally settled on creating note cards and gift tags.  Since each page contained a small piece in a color array it was the perfect choice for a large collection of cards and tags.

I took each colorful page loose from the book. 

One page pulled off the book page.

Then I cut that strip in half.  This allowed me to use that color selection on a set of cards and tags.

The full page cut in half.

The pieces from one page pulled apart.  I had a great size
and amount of fabric to work with.

Then I began creating cards and tags using the fabric swatches as the background or base piece.  I added scrapbook papers, doilies, and book page flowers to create a stunning group of cards and tags.

This card is solid green card stock, scrapbook paper with a doilie in the center.
Then I layered the fabric and topped it with a book page circle and flower.

The center of the flower is a sequin.

This heart is cut from a discarded book.

Each bag contains 4 gift tags.

I was able to share my creation with my friends and still have leftovers.  If you allow your creative wheels to run wild you might be surprised with the results.  All of the cards and tags were embellished with discarded items such as book pages, paper scraps, sequins, and the fabric swatches. The only new stock I used was the card stock to make the card and tag base. 

A basket full of cards and tags ready to share with my friends.

The next time you are cleaning out and come across an item that is just too pretty to toss.  Get those creative wheels turning and let the ride begin.

Danna

Face-lift for the Dishwasher

This was the easiest DIY project I have ever done.  I was standing in my kitchen recently and looked at all of my appliances.  Yes, they are functional tools we use very day but let's face it they are boring to the eyesight.

I had seen people (on Pinterest of course) putting large vinyl decals on their refrigerators. I think this is really cool but just a little too much of a change all at once.  I like to  "ease" into things.  So I decided I would make the change to my dishwasher.

During my next trip to the Dollar Tree I dove into the wall decal section looking for something to "liven up" my boring dishwasher.  Since the front of my dishwasher is black I could not use all of the fun sayings they have at Dollar Tree.  My purpose was to spruce up the dishwasher without making it the focal point of the room.  This left out all of the bright colorful decals.  I kept digging and found exactly what I was looking for and here it is.

Wall Decal from Dollar Tree

 This project took five minutes to complete.  The color is a silvery grey and my placement is very close to the way they had it on the package picture.  There is probably several variations of the layout you could do. 

One of my concerns was the decal would peel up when the dishwasher got hot.  This has been on there for several months with no problems.  I only run my dishwasher on air dry so it may not get as hot as some others.

I was extremely pleased with the final result.  It was super quick, inexpensive and easy to transform from boring to fabulous.

Final product!

Are your appliances are making you yawn and need a quick and easy update that won't break the bank?  Run to the dollar store and find your favorite wall decal.  Just peel, stick and enjoy!

Danna

Crayons, Crayons & More Crayons!

At the end of the last school year I ask teachers to save their broken crayons for a project I was doing over the summer.  I was expecting to receive a bag of crayons instead I ended up with a box full of crayons. WOW! Who knew elementary school kids had so many broken crayons.

My copy paper box full of crayons.

The project I had envisioned was for the students in my Sewing Camps to make heart shaped crayons and then sew a bag to carry the crayons.  They could sew one for themselves and one to give to a friend.  At both of my sewing camps we made crayons and bags and the girls loved the project.

The two purple bags tied with ribbon are the crayon bags.

But, I still had a whole box of broken crayons left.  What to do? What to do? After spending hours peeling the paper off the crayons I had several ideas.

Peeling the paper off the crayons was in a strange way

kind of therapeutic. It was mindless work that was much needed

after a long school year.

First I made "crazy crayons" to pass out at my churches Trunk or Treat party.  I figured the kids would get enough candy so why not make something a little different.  This was a big hit!

Crazy crayons are made by putting a small piece of

various colors in the mold.  Each one comes out different.

Next I packaged in paper cupcake holders a small set of solid color crayons and a "crazy crayon" for my family and friends children and grandchildren for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

These paper cupcake holders hold 5 crayons perfectly.

I found my holders at the dollar store in a package of 24.

Each cupcake holder had 4 solid crayons and one "crazy crayon"

The remaining 500+ crayons I made will be used for student prizes in my husbands school classes and our daughters after school program.  It just goes to show that when you ask people to save some items that are destined for the trash can you need to be prepared for more than you thought you would receive.

The question now remains will I be able to distribute all of the crayons I made before the end of the school year, and will I ask for more?  Check back in June to see the result.

Danna

A Small Gift for a Large Crowd

I did not do the Christmas Countdown this year because of some health issues in my family.  I was able to make some unique and fun gifts for family and friends so over the next few posts I will share those with you.

As you know I am a very thrifty crafter.  I like to create new items out of old pieces.  One aspect of thrifty crafting is the challenge of making the same item for a large group.

At our annual quilters Christmas party I like to give each lady a small gift that has something of a quilting or sewing element in the design. Last year I gave each quilter a Christmas ornament made from an old wooden thread spool.  The ornaments were quick and easy to make and turned out quite nice.

To learn how this ornament was made check out

Wooden Spool Ornaments

Since we have about 25 ladies in our group I try to design a gift that uses supplies I can get in bulk that only cost a few dollars.  This years gift uses Jenga blocks as the base.  They come 50+ to a box and if you have to buty them new only cost about $3.00 per box.  But if you can find them at a garage sale they cost much less.  I paid $1.00 for my box so each block costs about $0.02 each.  Here is the fun gift I made this year.

A small reminder of how our friendships grow in our group.

Using the Jenga block as my base I wrapped lace around the center of each block and glued it in place.  I then added a small piece of paper I stamped with the phrase "Friendships are sewn one stitch at a time."  I inked the edges of the paper in a coordinating color to soften them.  To finish the block I glued a small fabric yo-yo with a button in the center.  The yo-yos were made from scraps of previous projects.  

To make the hanger for my small sign I coiled some lightweight wire around a pencil and added a bead to each end and hot glued the hanger to the back.

Another example.

Now each quilter has a small sign to hang in their sewing area to remind them of the friendships they have in our group.

A basket full of gifts.  I wrapped each sign in a small baggie

with a few pieces of shredded paper in the bottom and a curly ribbon tie.

The saying still holds true that it is not the price of the gift that gives it value it is the love that goes into the gift that adds the true value.  So don't be afraid to be a thrifty crafter and add lots of love to each gift you give this year.

Danna

Picture Frame Wreaths

Who said a wreath has to be round?  Whoever it was would not appreciate the new trend of "Picture Frame Wreaths".  Yes you read that correctly - picture frame wreath. If you are on Pinterest or any other creative website or just driving through your neighborhood you will see tons of variations of this new trend.

Bring in any season with a picture frame wreath on your door.

The concept is fairly simple.  You take an old picture frame, any size will work, take out the glass and backing board then paint the frame if desired.  Next you decide if your wreath will follow a holiday, season or your present decor theme.  Now the fun begins.  Select something to decorate your corners, hang in the center etc.  Really the sky is the limit.

For the Fall wreath I found a yard wind chime on clearance.

I removed the chimes and added buttons to cover the holes at the bottom.

To spell out the season I painted a wooden banner blank

and added the letters in scrabble tiles.

To finish off your wreath add a large beautiful bow that fits your style or leave the bow off, what ever you like.  On the fall wreath I did not add a bow because the flowers in the corners were enough.  I hung the owl and wooden plaque from the center using jute twine.  You could make this part where it could be changed seasonally to extend the life of your wreath.

Here is another sample using a small 5x7 frame with a Christmas theme.

I like the smaller size for variety of locations to hang it.

For this frame I put each plastic ornament on a piece of gold ribbon and hot glued them to the back of the frame.  I then added the ribbon bow and glued an old Christmas pin in the center for the finishing touch.

The ornaments are plastic so they are light weight.

Be sure to secure your decorations well especially if the "wreath" will be hanging on your front porch or door.  For my wreaths I used garage sale frames, dollar store ornaments and flowers, old scrabble pieces and some ribbon.  The total cost to make each frame was about $3.00.

So dig around in your closets for those frames, take out the outdated pictures, gather some additional decorations, the hot glue gun and make your own Picture Frame Wreath.

Danna 

A New Adventure - Sewing Camp Bigger Projects

In the previous posts, A New Adventure - Sewing Camp and A New Adventure -Sewing Camp First Projects, I have shared about my sewing camp for kids.  I told you about some of the smaller projects the campers sewed both by hand and on the machine.  In this post I will describe our two larger projects.

Now if you have read other posts on my blog you will have come to the conclusion that I am a thrifty crafter.  This same thriftiness holds true in my seamstress projects as well.  Using old t-shirts the campers each made a pieced t-shirt scarf.

The tie dye t-shirts work great to add that fun element.

 The seams don't have to be perfect on this project.

A scarf ready for pinning the final long seam.

This was a great project for learning to sew short straight seams. The t-shirt knit is forgiving if the seams aren't perfectly straight.  It is also a great way to use old t-shirts you have outgrown and keep those memories alive.  The pattern and tutorial for the t-shirt scarf are on this post Repurposed T-shirt Scarf Tutorial.

The final project was a small monogram pillow.  The main body of the pillow is made from a canvas painters drop cloth.  The drop cloth canvas is a nice weight and a neutral color.  Be sure to wash and dry the drop cloth first to soften the canvas.  One other nice benefit to the drop cloth is the amount of fabric you get for a small price.  To see some other big projects made with drop cloths check out these posts.  Drop Cloth Table Runner and A Couch Refresh.

Our final project - a monogrammed pillow.

To see a tutorial on how we made the pillow go to my Instructable Beginner Sewing Project -  on Instructables.com.  

Sewing Camp 2015 was a success and I have already started working on the plans for 2016.  Since camp I have been told by several moms that their kids have been sewing on something each week.  They are excited and proud of the projects they are making.  Sharing your knowledge of a talent and passion you have is essential to keeping the craft alive in future generations.  I thoroughly enjoyed teaching these kids my passion for sewing and it brings joy to my heart to hear about the creative spark that has been ignited in their lives.  So be sure you are sharing your gifts and talents with the younger generations so you can share in the joy of igniting a new creative passion for years to come.

Danna

Drop Cloth Table Runner

In the post A Couch Refresh I show you how I used a canvas drop cloth the recover the cushions on my couch.  With a piece of the leftover drop cloth I made this table runner.  It is perfect for Spring or Summer and goes together quickly.

With the soft pastel fabric it is perfect for Spring or Summer.

 

Using a piece of drop cloth I cut a section that was approximately 19" x 46" with my pinking rotary blade.  I turned the pinked edges under approximately 1/2" on each side and sewed a finished hem all the way around.  So my finished runner size was approximately 18" x 45".

 

A painters drop cloth is used for this runners base fabric.

 

Using coordinating fabrics and the pinking rotary blade I cut strips that are 2 1/2" wide and the full width of the fabric (approximately 45" long). 

 

I love the soft pastel fabrics.

The pinking rotary blade keeps the edges from fraying.

 

Using my favorite gathering method I gathered each of my strips.  My favorite gathering method is found in this YouTube video Gathering Fabric Fast.  The only change I made was to sew down the center of my strips to gather them not the edge.

 



From plain and drab.

To Fab!  Quick and Easy gathered strips.

 

Stack your strips on each end, sew them down and you are done.  To see some other ideas using this gathering method check out this post More Dish Towels.  The little girls tea set is the perfect table setting for this table runner.

 

The tea set is one of my daughters when she was younger.

 

If you need a quick table runner for your room.  Grab some fabric you love and a painters drop cloth and it will be made by dinner time.

 

Danna

Check out this linky parties at Shabby Nest , Chic on a Shoestring &

 

Use It or Lose It!

As I stretch myself to begin the process of using the things in my home that I love and tossing the things I don't I have a new approach to my craft supplies. You have probably figured out by now that I am a person who does not like to have any waste or scraps from project. I tell myself there has to be some use for those left over pieces.  This thought process has served to uproot my deepest creative ideas and bring them to the surface. I am beginning to learn in this journey that some things you really just need to use or lose.

All of my friends in quilt group know that I will take the scraps from their projects so they will bag them up and bring them to me.  I really do love this, but in the past I would bring the bag home and stuff it in my cabinets to deal with at a later time.  Well, now I am forcing myself to bring them home, sort them and decide right then in what projects they will be used.  It is a slow and steady process but I am beginning to see that it has great benefits down the road.

Here is an example of a recent scrap bag gift from my friends and my new process.  In the bag was a selection of selvage strips, some small pieces cut off the end of quilt blocks, several drop out circles of fabric and larger pieces from a baby gift, and the scraps of a twister quilt.  So my process begins.

1.  Take all the selvage strips and place them in the jars above my work station sorted by color.  I really do use these all the time to tie up gift baskets, ties for gift tags etc.

2.  Pull out the larger pieces of fabric and place them in my fabric stash drawers so I know what fabrics I have to use for future quilts and projects.

My smaller pieces of fabric.

For more info check out this post Fabric Storage.

 

3.  I took the small cut off ends and sorted them by color.  Since they were from a quilt project they already coordinated beautifully.  I cut the larger pieces down so they were roughly 1" x 4" strips.  I then sewed them together using a zig zag stitch down the center to form a garland.

 

Small leftovers from a quilt project. 

I will post more on how the garland was made later.

 

4.  The drop out circles were used to create as many Yo Yo's as I could get out of each circle.

 

Large circles left from a baby gift project.

I cut down the larger circles to create a selection of yo yo's.

 

5.  One batch of the twister quilt scraps were an odd shape cut on the bias.  I did not think these would work well cut into smaller squares so I used them to make a nice grouping of Yo Yo's.  I have a box I keep all my pre-made Yo Yo's in so when I am working on a project I can just pull one out and I don't have to stop and make one.

 

6.  The remaining scraps from the twister quilt were used to embellish a dish towel to be sold in my Etsy shop. I had just enough to create a great looking towel.

 

The blue and white fabric are the twister scraps.

The green yo yo's are from the odd shaped scraps.

 

There, all of the scraps were either used immediately on an existing project or prepared for use in a future project.  A bonus of this process is that I do not have a small bag of random scraps "stuffed" in my cabinets.  There was only a small amount of "trash" from the bag and it was easy to toss them. 

 

My plan is to keep this process going every time I bring home a gifted bag of scraps.  I do still have several "stuffed" in the cabinet I am beginning to work on now.  It is refreshing to use the things I have to create new projects and clear out some space in my cabinets.  Who knows what I will create using the next bag of scraps but I am excited to get started.

 

Danna

 

 

Book Cover Sign - How To

In the previous post Fall Book Cover Signs  I posted about using discarded library books in some new creations.  This post will give a detailed description of the process I used.  Here are the signs I made for Fall.

The rich colors in the sign would be warm welcome anywhere.

A great reminder to always give thanks for all of your many blessings.

 

For the Welcome sign I used dyed coffee filters and diluted glue to secure them to the book cover to create a rich background for the sign.

 



The dyed coffee filters were in the recycle bin and I snagged them. 

Someone had cut out leaves for a bulletin board.  I bet the leaves were beautiful.

To dye the coffee filters you take washable markers, color the filter and then spritz with water to let the colors run and bleed together.  The colored effect of these was beautiful.

Using regular white glue diluted with water I glued the filters to the painted book cover.

 

Before gluing the filters to the book cover I painted it first.  Since the cover was a newer one and had no texture I thought it would allow the filters to adhere better.  I also tore the filters so they would have a softer looking edge.  I extended the filters past the edge of the book cover so I could wrap them around to give a nice finished edge to the sign.

 



Wrapping the filters to the back provided a nice finished edge.

The coffee filters did bleed slightly since they were done with washable makers. 

Once I finished I put a sealer coat on the filters.

 

Once the background was finished I glued my scrabble tiles in the pattern to welcome family, friends and guests. 

 



I started with the word WELCOME in the center and built the other words off of it just like a scrabble game.

The ribbon is glued to the back at the top and bottom and the center. 

The flowers were a scrapbook embellishment.

 

The other GIVE THANKS sign was made on a book cover that was textured.  I did not have to paint the cover since the color and texture was nice looking.



 



The wooden leaves were covered with the same coffee filters as above. 

I painted the edges with a gold sharpie.

 

Adding a polka dot bow was the perfect finishing touch.

The overall look of these signs is really eye catching.  Just by using someone else's leftovers before they went into the trash provided the perfect palette for some really cool signs.  So, let your "trash" or leftovers be your next inspiration.

 

Danna