Summery Stuff: Link Love

So, I haven’t mentioned yet that we are going on vacation in less than two weeks. Well, we are. I’m so excited!! We really never vacation anywhere (unless you’re counting the occaisional 4 hour trip to Austin to visit family and friends).

I feel very fortunate that my husband works for an amazing company that rewards it’s employees with a yearly trip for two if they meet or exceed that year’s goals. He earned the trip last year as well (which was to Hawaii!) but since crafty baby was only a couple of months old we decided not to go. ! I know! I have been kicking myself ever since. In my defense, I was under the influence of post-partum hormones and, at the time, couldn’t figure out how to get enough darn milk pumped to fill her little belly for an entire week.

We decided early on that if he earned the trip this year we would go, no matter what. I was happy to learn that this year’s trip is to the Bahamas resort Atlantis. We are taking Jonathan since he is definitely old enough to enjoy the fun, crafty baby will stay home with the grandmas (so thankful for that!).

Why am I rambling on about my vacation and how does this concern you?

Glad you asked

I’d really like to have some cute summery things to wear while we’re gone and (thankfully) my summer clothes from last year are a bit too large (still workin on those last few baby pounds). This prompted me to scour the globe (ok, the internet) in search of some ways to spruce up and add to what I’ve got on the cheap cheap. I found tons of great tutorials so I figured I would share the love with you and my fellow bloggers by compiling a linky list of my favorites. Here they are in no particular order

I’ll defintely be making this tomorrow. A super simple and super cute beach cover-up from Bored & Crafty. LOVE

fantastic print!

How about this gorgeous lemony skirt from Growing Home? Cute, huh?

Great color combo

I’ll bet you’ve seen this one on Pinterest, I have…a zillion times. This easy maxi dress from Sweet Verbena is cute and comfy!

I’m loving this Golden Oatmeal knit dress from Cation Designs. Sooo pretty.

This is probably the simplest of all and I love it! LeAna from A Small Snippet shows you how to make this dress long or short.

A must have beach bag from Elle Apparel. Cute Cute Cute.

I know there are so many more great ones out there but, I must say good bye and make dinner for my sweet family. On the menu tonight, Balsamic glazed chicken breast, caramelized brussel sprouts and spicy roasted cauliflower. I’ll share those recipes with you tomorrow

P.S. Please leave a link in the comments if you know of any good summer gear tutorials!

 

 

 

Craft Room, First Project – Thread holder

This is my version of the Not Yo Mama’s Thread Holder! that I keep seeing on Pinterest. I love a good chevron pattern and I needed a place for thread anyway so when I saw this a few weeks ago I knew I was definitely making it. I just needed the right piece of wood and I’m not the kind of person to go to a home improvement store and actually purchase lumber…ha, that’s absurd! So I waited. I got lucky last week on bulk day because I came across these old dirty shelves.

Not very cute but I knew they could be with a little love. There were three of them and I don’t have near that much thread so I used one for this project and have some ideas for the others that I’ll share soon. I didn’t do step by step photos because I basically followed the tutorial above. Except, I had to sand it down first and I used metallic silver paint instead of white and two different nail lengths, shorter ones for the bobbins. I love how it turned out and can’t wait to get it in my new room!

Easy Drawstring bag

I needed a little gift bag for some candles I just made (see previous post to make your own). I thought a little fabric drawstring bag would be cute so I grabbed some fabric and started cutting! This is a really quick and easy project and like most of my favorite projects it cost pennies to make.

You need:

17 1/2″ x 7″ rectangle of fabric – I bought a fat quarter for 97 cents and it’s enough to make 3 of these bags!

1/8″ jute twist cord – cut into two 14″ lengths

sewing supplies

medium safety pin

iron

To start, you will make the channel for the drawstring. Figure out which side of your fabric you want to be the inside of the bag and make sure that side is facing up. Then, on one of the short edges fold over a 1/4 inch and press until crisp.

Now fold that same edge in again but this time 3/4 inch and press.

Do exactly the same thing on the other edge then fold your fabric in half where the folds are facing out.

Pin each side up to the channel. When you get to the channel, lift up the folded edge and pin through the two layers of fabric.

Sew up each side (1/4″ in) stopping at the first crease where the channel begins making sure you do not sew over the channel.

Fold the channel back down and press with the iron again.  You will now sew each side of the channel 1/8″ up from the bottom edge of the fold stopping at the side seam and repositioning under your presser foot for each side. It takes some finagling. DO NOT sew your bag shut! It seems like common sense but with my daughter tugging on my shirt and bud in the backyard barking at God only knows what…I SEWED MY FIRST BAG SHUT! Ha! Then I realized that I lost my seam ripper! So, I had to cut a new piece of fabric and start all over. Not cool.

Once you have that done you can trim your edges if you like.

Now you need your jute cord and the safety pin. Grab one length of cord and attach the pin to one of the ends.

Feed it through one of the channels by gathering and straightening the fabric over the pin. Detach the pin and do the same with the other length of cord through the other channel.

Knot the two ends of cord together on each side of the bag. Turn it right side out and you’re done!

How cute is that for a small gift? And, you can make any size. I love it!

Cooling Eucalyptus Sleeping Mask

Gift Tag

We can all thank my mom for this one! She saw my Scented Warming Neck Pillow and suggested I do something similar but as a sleeping mask. Fantastic idea! I couldn’t wait to make one and now that I have, I am in love! I used eucalyptus because of the soothing and sinus clearing effects but you could use almost any essential oil based on what you hope to achieve. Ylang Ylang, for instance, reduces stress and tension. Put the mask in your freezer for about 30 minutes and it’s even better. Puffiness gone! The absolute best thing about this is that after all is said and done it cost me about $2 to make. Can you beat that??

Here is what you need:

1 cup of wheat bran

Eucalyptus essential oil (you’ll need about 15 drops)

Funnel (I made one out of paper)

18″X5 1/2″ fabric of your choice (plus the same for lining if applicable)

18″ length of elastic (or whatever length is long enough to go around the back of your head from temple to temple plus an inch for sewing)

sewing supplies

This template (thank you, Crafts for all Seasons)

Sheet of paper

Print and carefully cut out your template. Fold your fabric in half (short way) and center the template on top. I am using a thin waffle knit fabric so I thought a lining would be a good idea. I just used a gray jersey knit for that. If you feel you need a lining, cut each out separately rather than trying to cut through four layers of fabric. This template includes about a 1/4 inch seam allowance so no need to go any bigger.

Layer your fabric with one piece of lining on the bottom (if applicable), your two pieces of outer fabric facing each other and then your other piece of lining on top. Sandwich your elastic (cut to length) between the outer fabric with a little hanging off each side.

Replace your top fabric and pin everything together making sure you securely pin the elastic in place. Leave a couple of inches of space at the top unpinned where your opening will be.

Sew everything together with a sturdy stitch starting from one side of the opening and working fluidly around to the other side.

Now trim your excess all around EXCEPT where your opening will be. You want enough there to fold it inside later.

Turn it right side out and be sure to fluff out all the seams. You could iron it for a second at this point to crisp up your seams but…I didn’t

Now get your wheat bran into a bowl, add your oil and mix thoroughly. Then, holding it over your bowl, scoop into your mask and distribute it evenly.

Fold in your edges where the opening is and pin in place.

Sew it up! I had to do a whipstitch by hand because it was just too thick to do with my machine. If you do it by hand make sure it’s tight. You don’t want any of that wheat escaping!

Now, stick it in the freezer for a few and then plop down on the couch with it and take a break!

Scented Warming Neck Pillow

I made this today This is sort of the marriage of two different projects with my own little twist. A while back I made a hot pack for my neck using a tube sock and rice…that’s it. It works great but I don’t really like the smell of the warm rice and it’s certainly not as cute. It is SUPER simple, though, just fill the sock with rice and knot the end.

Tube sock filled with rice

So a couple of weeks ago I found (via Pinterest, of course) a tutorial for DIY Therapy Sacks. These are so cute! I have yet to make one according to the directions but I came up with my own based on the perfect shape of the tube sock for the neck and the idea of adding essential oils from the therapy sacks. This ended up being really inexpensive since I already had everything I needed except the filling. I decided on Wheat Bran because it’s cheap (if you get it from the bulk section of your grocery store. I paid 99cents/pound), odorless, and has a light fluffy texture that makes a great pillow. Here is what I came up with.

Supplies:

Bulk Wheat Bran – I used 9 cups for this size

Essential Oil – whatever you like

Scrap of fabric – I used an old cotton shirt!

Sewing supplies – make sure you have thread in a coordinating color

Optional: funnel or printer paper

Double layer your fabric and cut to the size you want. I made a neck pillow so long and narrow was what I was going for. You want about a 1/4 inch seam allowance on all sides except one. You need a little extra on the side that you will leave open for filling so leave at least a 1/2 inch. The final measurements of my pillow are 15″X5″.

My fabric is a little thin so I used a piece of white fabric that I had in my scraps as a lining. Once you have your pieces cut line them up with the right sides facing each other and the lining (if you’re using one) on the outside of each. Then pin together for sewing leaving one of the short sides unpinned. This will remind you not to sew all four sides. Sounds silly but I’ve done it.

Start sewing at one of the corners next to the unpinned side so you can easily turn each corner as you sew without stopping and starting.

Once you have all three sides done you can trim off the excess fabric. I’m a lazy, self-taught sewer…so my measurements are not exact and I don’t bother cutting in perfectly straight lines, because of this, I have a lot of trimming to do.

Once it’s all trimmed turn it right-side out. Now you need a large bowl, your essential oil, the wheat bran and your funnel (or paper rolled into a funnel). If you are making one the same size as mine just measure out 9 cups of wheat bran into your bowl. If you are making a different size then you can scoop the wheat bran into your sack until it’s almost full and then pour it out into your bowl. Make sure you keep track of how many cups you use so you can skip that step next time. Once your wheat is in the bowl add your oil. I used probably 30 drops for my 9 cups but it’s really a personal preference.

Guess it’s time to take off that red polish… :/

Once your oil is in make sure you mix it up well so it is evenly distributed. Now hold your sack over the bowl with the funnel and fill ‘er up! Don’t fill it to the brim or you won’t be able to close it up and you just don’t want it to be too fat. I left about 3 inches of room.

Ready to fill

Now, there are a couple of different ways to close it up. Being the lazy sewer that I am, if this is just for me and not a gift, I’m just going to sew straight across the open end and cut off the excess. If you are giving it as a gift or just can’t stand a raw edge, fold each side under and sew.

Voila!

Put this bad daddy in the microwave when your neck is feeling tired or sore, or use it on your lower back, or anywhere…it’s fabulous! Please share pictures if you make one of these!