New to Old & Lovely

Hello again, it's been a long while since I've posted but I'm back and wanted to share a tutorial that I am actually using today! I have my annual big craft show and every year I make a New pumpkin design. This year I made small, medium & large pumpkins that look like this 

In various colors & different fabrics. This pumpkin isn't finished but the other ones have leaves & wrapped with some vintage lace. 

But guess what? I ran out of lace - ( insert sad face) I went to Joanne's & couldn't find any thin cream colored lace... Enter today's tutorial

Here's what. You'll need a cup & a spoon plus a tray to lay stained lace on.

White lace

Coffee crystals

Hot water mixed with coffee crystals

  

Soak lace in coffee mixture - the longer you leave the lace in the darker the stain will look.

I left it in for 30 seconds because I wanted it to look like the vintage lace (below)

Super easy way to die any type of white lace, ribbon or fabric!!!

Enjoy and be sure to share with me if you try this technique!!!

Happy crafting

New Creation

A few weeks ago I was busy die cutting felt shapes and I made some fun little felt banners which I will share later...but I came up with a NEW CREATION that I needed desprately....A book mark (haha) but really a cool looking bookmark...

the premise behind the well needed bookmark - is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE magazines and I buy alot and well I usually only find time to read them in the bathroom (I know TMI) but I never seem to have a bookmark and I hate to fold the corners and sometimes I end up using a piece of toilet paper (weird I know) so this cool bookmark came into my mind and I set out to make it.

I used some elastic 

sewed up the meeting points - I cut the elastic a bit smaller then the full length of the magazine. So basically I pulled it and made sure it was tight then cut it - you want it tight so it doens't just fall off. while its holding your place.

 

then just took my die cut felt flower stack and sewed it on to the meeting point of the elastic to cover the thread up.

and here she is all finished - isnt shee pretty and the cool thing about them is that I can keep them in the bathroom with my other head bands and keep a few on my bedside table and one in my car - they are small enough to keep in my bag to - anyway - I think its pretty clever...Plan on making more and adding them to my shop - 

Happy Monday and happy crafting.

xoT

Playing with Felt

I am an avid crafter and even more dedicated scrapbooker and because of that I have all the tools needed in the paper crafting area. I used to have a cuttlebug die cut machine and sold it to pay for the Sizzix Vagabond and on occasion I pull the beastly thing out and die cut  all day long - My studio space is part of the living room so I I don't have all my tools out with easy access. One day..I will but for now I have to pull it out on the kitchen table and die cut my heart out.

This week I took a day and die cut felt flowers for use on some banners and some other projects but I had a specific project in mind.

Let me share - here I am die cutting - I like when I can cut a lot out of each run of the machine...

Here are all my flowers - just waiting for some fun projects...Made lots and it took a few hours...

So I found this cool felt pouch at a local thrift store and I thought I could use it for something - I was really hoping it would fit my IPAD air - it was only 1.99 so I figured - what the heck.

Heres the pouch... simple but well sewn.

This is what the front of the pouch looks like which I accented it with those felt flowers I cut

cute right?

and this is back of the pouch - didn't it come out great. Very girly but then again - I am a girls girl.

and best part was

It fit my IPAD - BONUS!!!!

When you stop to think about it - customizing anything that needs a little personality is quite easy and felt flowers well - you can't go wrong with those lovelies...

You can add this to the file of

THINGS TO TRY...

Here's wishing you a great weekend.

Happy Crafting

T

It's that time again.

It's August and already I am prepping for the FALL. Which Don't know about you but FALL, Autumn and Halloween are hands down my favorite season of the year.

So to get things stated I made a few albums and some sweet cards that I  wanted to share them with you...

Here is one of the cards, nice right?

How fun and cozy is this album? I love it.

Here is another card -

looking at these colors get me all happy inside because I am counting the days

until the leaves change and the weather cools down...

Just wanted to stop in real quick and share some fun new projects I am working on.

Happy Crafting.

xo

GoodWill Hutch - UPDATED

Three years ago - I made the ultimate find when I scored this cool HUTCH over at Goodwill for 70.00 and I shared the whole make-over on this post

this is what the original hutch looked like

It was a funky 1970's brown

totally needed a lot of work but what a steal

here was the finished pieced - I painted it a light gray with soft blue highlights and added a cream color on the inside

and here she was all put together with all my "STUFF" - not bad right, for a thrift store find?

Fast forward to this past weekend -- since I posted these photos (3 years ago) - we have gotten our kitchen renovated. New floors, new cabinets and new wall paint. So I felt it was time to change up our Hutch to match our new kitchen. It only took three years to decide to mess with perfection -

So this past weekend I did it - it went fast because here in Southern California it was 100' hot - so it dried really quick.

Here she is - looking dapper and FRESH

Yes I chose a white - not off white, or creamy white but solid WHITE and can you see there up close

Notice the change up in what I put into the hutch (much better looking - for sure)

Painted the entire inside white and

sanded the edges to give it that shabby rustic look - our cabinets in the kitchen are white and the walls are gray and the floors are gray wooden panels - so I think the white hutch helps you eye follow around the whole kitchen.

I will have to take a panoramic photo of the whole kitchen so you can see the whole thing put together!

Not only was this hutch a great find, it was also a great price at 70.00 and now I have had it for 3 years and its gone thru 2 changes in color and a complete over haul for my kitchen.

It also helped me purge the "stuff" I really didn't need inside the hutch - notice all the turquoise, white & red accents - kept it cohesive and un-cluttered!!!

Hope you like it and remember there is nothing embarrassing about shopping at thrift stores and you never know when you will stumble upon a gem in the rough :-)

Happy Hunting

xo