loving fall ... stick wreath

It's been a long time since I have been on here. Mostly because I got a new job a few months back, and had taken on a couple things that reduced my productivity in the craft world.

I missed it, as I have been perusing Pinterest, getting awesome DIY project ideas. I figured I would try this one, which seemed so sweetly fall. Here is how my twig wreath turned out!

Look how pretty the crisp fall sky looks... the trees are orange and red and lovely.

these were the tools i needed:

scrap cloth ( i used ripped up sheets)
hotglue gun
twigs
circle/doughnut shaped cardboard cutout
sharp knife
ribbon to hang wreath

Basically, i took twigs from my backyard and broke them down to size, about 9-12". I then made a doughnut cardboard cut out from a old box. I hotglued the sticks around the circle cardboard. I then made the rosettes from long skinny peices of fabric (about a 1/2" thick, and maybe 3-4 ft. long). I twisted the cloth around to make shape of rose. Here is a tutorial. :)

I hotglued those to the sticks (to cover the parts that had cardboard showing through a bit).

So fun, now i have a Fall and Christmas looking wreath, i will probably add some distince berries to the wreath soon.

Hope you can make one, its super natural, easy and cheap!

Love
Leanna

I'm always trying to win people to my side that it is waaaaay  more fun to create a look, rather than pick one off the rack. We have tons of fashionistas in Columbia, putting together unique outfits that you can't buy at the mall. Here are some ways I create fashionable looks rather than duplicate them.
Blog stalk!

Make sure you follow some pretty awesome bloggers! There are a PLETHORA of DIY refashionistas on the web. Pick a few you like, and when you get a creativity block, get on the internet!

Check out this chica, she is one of my favs.

Be resourceful!

Use a shirt you have not worn in the past few months, or years, and decide to make it into something else. We have all sorts of fabrics and styles of clothes that once were so near and dear to our hearts, only to be thrown aside because it doesn't fit the same, or your style has changed a bit. You can play around with a cut or style you are wanting to recreate and start cutting!

photo from Prayergrove (me)

Creative Details!

I cannot tell you how often i have take a scrap of fabric i just cut off my shirt and made it into an extra ruffle or flower to pin onto a shirt.. It adds so much character to a otherwise boring plain tee.

Resize and cut!

Its been extraordinarily inspirational to see different cuts in knit t shirts that make a totally different product. Even just taking a graphic off a smaller shirt and putting it onto a shirt that flatters your bod, is a unique way of decorating. Keep in mind, we have all sorts of fashions that are flowy and oversized. Picking a big plain t shirt  ( from say, your significant other's closet) and cutting a big neckline to show off your shoulders says "i love you" in a special way, because you are wearing their favorite band or team! (or whatever)

Photo cred goes to Cotton and Curls blog!

Utilize those scraps!

Ok, so quilting is totally in! make a goal to make a big bag to carry around town by quilting your favorite special patterned scraps together. I promise  you will get all the compliments on it! (don't forget a liner!) Also, one of my favorite skirts to see recently was made my Whimsy Vintage from our handmade market! She used a skirt that was plainer and added some yoyos to it using different pattern cloth... ADORABLE!

got this pic from the awesomeCoMO collective! Skirt by Whimsy Vintage

What piece of clothing do you want to use for the next upcycle!
*heart*
Leanna

I had a knit pillowcase...

I haven't been able to use this pillowcase since I was 19 when I moved out from my folks house. I down sized my bed so this particular pattern for my bed was no longer usable. Since then, my tastes for home decor have changed quite a bit, but I noticed today that the pattern was very pretty and would make a good summer fabric!

I turned this pillow case into a summer tunic!

 I cut out the shape of the neckline of another tank i liked.

 Then i used the brown tank to get an idea of where the arm holes should be, too.

 It was big! so i had to resize.

I wanted to make some embellishments, so i gathered tightly some white cloth i had from my previous shirt DIY.
I added some darts by my arms, after sewing the sides in to fit me. I wanted the shirt to be like a tunic, so sewed down the sides to my natural waist, and then tapered down to my hips so it was looser.
After the shirt fit me, I added some definition to the shape by adding elastic under my bust, in the center.
I also made the gathered fabric into some flowers, which I can affix with a safety pin. 

What can you think of to make out of a pillowcase?

Have a happy Memorial Day!

Leanna

ruffles add interest, on an otherwise uninteresting top :)

I have been really drawn to the refashion idea for awhile now, and as the garage sale season is up and coming, i can't help get excited at all the new ideas that can come from an otherwise boring article of clothing.



Here is what i did with a *clean* white undershirt Jeremy had laying around.

If you haven't already done so, go get your clothes out and start sorting through some things you were tempted to throw away... see what you can come up with! And then, send me the pics!! ;D

I look forward to seeing what you have refashioned!

Leanna

we dont have to have plain walls...

I spend a lot of time on DIY blogs, getting inspiration for what I want my living space to be. We just moved into a new space we really like, the only problem is that we are renters! so, we are not allowed to paint the walls. I wanted to find some pretty cool ways to go around this problem, and I am still researching... but should you find yourself in the same predicament, might I suggest a couple of ideas:

For some specific instructions go to this cool blog, they have tons more ideas too.

For the idea above, i took paper that I got from my wedding scrap booking album, they were leftovers that my mom did not use. I also stamped some of the plainer looking paper with stamps from our wedding (red cherry blossom *sigh*)... our wedding colors were red and white,  so it was perfect for our home which boasts a lot of red and tree figures :)

I love this site, because they have the how to on making your own starch decals (and tons of examples)! including the recipe :)

So, I know there are cool ideas out there, please feel free to inspire me by leaving a post below, It's much appreciated :)

Deco the furniture ;)

I promised back in my repurposed furniture post that I would send updated pics of my finished product once everything was put together. It was a lot of work to do the sanding, but it was worth it, as the decorum of the room is dark wood, and matches our bedding.

I didn't have contact paper for this project, so when I was making the tree stenciling on the mirror, I  used clear packing tape in strips at the places I wanted the shape of the tree.

Next, I took a brown eye/wax pencil to get the outline of the branches, how I wanted them to look.

I then used an exacto knife to get precisely on the those marks. Afterwards, I discarded the tape that was inside the tree/branches shape I had drawn.

Finally, I spray painted the inside brown. I discarded the rest of the tape after the paint dried.

Simple, right!?

Here it is!

Do you have any furniture that you are wanting to change up? Give me some ideas!

DIY- Wall hangings, and scrap upholstery material

We just moved into our new home, in College Park, so cute, and in my opinion the best neighborhood in Columbia. We are Central to town, and still close to work. There are trees everywhere! It's like a forest by us.

One of the things that I have been excited about doing, is decorating. As I normally spend a few hours a day looking at blogs with amazing house ideas, and DIY projects, I get inspired to try all the new things I learn, or at least do my version of it ( I can't help it, I try to be resourceful by using what I already have). One of the fun things I have gotten to use my upholstery scraps (thanks Adam) for is to make some easy wall hangings. They are really simple, and if  you are like me, you can make all sorts of coordinating parts so that you can have a collage of wall hangings, or at least display coordinating colors.

All you need is :

-random cardboard, ( shoe box lids, jewelry boxes, old book boxes for single books, pretty much any box that has a fairly shallow depth to it)
-scraps of fabric, that you think will match or want to match ;)
-hot glue gun
-nails, or tacs since they aren't that heavy

I don't have the pics of putting it together, but I believe in YOU and your crafty ness, and plus, they are simple, so just emulate what you do when your wrapping a open face gift :)

As you can tell at the bottom, I have a lot more deco work to do:) I would love to see your finished collages, so post away!

with heart coming to Columbia!

I am incredibly honored and excited to be apart of the team that is making With Heart, which is Columbia's newest handmade market. What is different about With Heart you ask? The art community that is so unique to Columbia is what has inspired us, as well as all the individuals who are creating culture through their craft, giving it their all. We are asking crafters who have contemporary and unique style to be apart of this market so they can showcase themselves locally. 

We are are currently in the process of asking local companies to sponsor our event that will take place on June 25th of this year. It is fast approaching, and I get the opportunity to recruit crafters and artists of Columbia to be apart of our market. I learning more and more that the art community in Columbia is diverse and very gifted. One of the artist who's work I am especially drawn to is CoMod, visit here. What I love about this craft is the newness that he brings to an already amazing vintage piece.  The product is amazing, and you should check it out for yourself :)

 

Anyways, With Heart is coming to town, so get excited!

Repurposed Furniture!

I decided that in addition to making repurposed clothing and bags, I could also try my craftiness with some old furniture that we have in the house! It's not like we can afford to buy new stuff ;)


I have been especially inspired by designspongeonline.com which has all sorts of DIY projects from bloggers across the country. They also have some pretty amazing comeback stories of junky furniture under their "before and after" tab. I recommend you check it out! I started working on my old dresser, but I am not finished yet. I still would like to change out the hardware for the knobs, by painting the existing ones. I also would like to add a painted tree to mirror that is attached. I will upload some pics once I have finished...here are some of my process pics

I didn't like the knobs we bought, so I will paint the other ones with a design that matches the tree theme for the mirror, once it is all finished! :)

Rio de Janeiro

It's been so long since I have written! Going to Brazil was amazing, and I look forward to going back with my church. The people there are beautiful and vibrant. This is my friend Ellen.

I got the wonderful job of taking photos while we were in the favelas or slums. Although they don't have much by our standards, the people are full of life. It has nothing to do with how much money they have, but it is about relationships and experience. No culture is perfect, but Jeremy and I can see ourselves going back and connecting at least short term with Restore Brazil. We would love get training and experience for long term missions there.

It was such a good and growing experience to be around my brothers and sisters in Rio de Janeiro. They taught me a lot about serving and loving fully, with no reserves.

new crafts, home decor ;)

 I made some new crafts!! Decorative coasters :) I would like to work on some table runners as well as throw pillows. It should be fun!

The coasters are made out of scrap material from a batch of home decorating upholstery my brother donated to Prayergrove. The colors are fun and the prints trendy.

That is it for now! I added some pictures of Jeremy's (my hubby) 25th bday! I am so impressed, I made improv icing from sesame paste added
to the vanilla icing. We enjoyed fun-fetti cake, yum! You can see Jeremy working on

 his "Warhammer 40K" models while I took this picture...hence, the cake with an ax :)

What special thing have you done this week for a loved one? It matters! :)

Cute Coasters

re-purposed fabric, appliques, and purpose

I have found what I want to focus on most! In addition to the promotion of women Fair Trade items and justice, I would like the theme of my items to be re-purposed fabric! I have spent so many years in the past idolizing over the latest fashions that are exorbitantly priced. I now want to put an emphasis on creation that shows personality, using fabric that we already have. It may not always be possible, but I love the idea and want to pursue it.
I also love appliques too. I think it adds a focus to the item, something cute and unique. I am really into color coordination, and trying interesting mixes of patterns. I try to make appliques with these thoughts in mind.

Well, here goes; Spring is on its way!

Snow Day in Columbia

It's snow day in Columbia. Most major and small business' have closed due to the blizzard that is dumping up to 29 inches in our area, and across Missouri. It's exciting! Jeremy and I are spending this time to work on our house, our taxes and of course our crafts.

I finished a couple of projects today. Jeremy helped me paint eyes on the white buttons I used as eye balls for the owl scarf I made. He also helped me model my new messenger bag. I'm going to take both to Maude V to sell.

But Today, I wanted to show you the products!
  

I made this bag out of a pair of pants!

my husband, and the strap of the bag