From drab to fab

 Last week I went on a much needed vacation.  Grad school is officially finished and I have my life back! That means fun refurnishing sewing projects can commence.  Sadie girl and I took off to the beach then stopped by  Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown on the way back.

I love checking out thrift shops when I travel, so off I headed to the local DAV just minutes from my hotel in Williamsburg.  And I stumbled upon this adorable little side table with a price tag of a whopping $3.99!!!  In the back of my car it went.

Once I got home I rushed off to the paint store and found a taster jar of off white paint for only $0.50!!  Several sandings and coats of paint later...

That wire looks super weird in my photos I just realized.  It's my hanging lamp.  Too lazy to take more photos.  :)  

TV stand to kitchen

I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I can't.  A friend of mine superbly transformed this entertainment center into a play kitchen.  I'm always seeing these old entertainment centers on the side of the road and personally I think they are a bit hideous, but amazing what a unique idea and a coat of paint will accomplish!

What's on my sewing table....

I decided to start making laptop/ipad covers again.  I was inspired after hanging out at Crafty Bastards the other week.  So off to the Goodwill I went and scored some sweet men's blazers and vintage pillow cases.  I'll be posting them on my Etsy side as soon as I get some more made.  I just love the sleekness of the covers.  I'm using new interfacing which is not so much fun to sew, so I need to work on my corners.  Tricky buggers they are.

New Dino Play Mat

For Christmas I made a couple of messenger bag play mats for my nephew and my friend's daughter.  Well, my friend love her daughter's play mat so much, she asked me to make one for her nephew.  I decided to do another dino play mat just because it's less tedious than the car mat; not that I didn't have fun making the car mat.  I decided to make some felt dinosaurs to go with this mat.

I searched the web for some sort of template to print and trace to get the baby dino shapes, I am not an artist so I knew that drawing a T-rex would not turn out so cute.  It took forever trying to find templates, maybe I wasn't using the right search terms.  I finally found some and had to re-size them in word; I totally saved that file in case I have to make these again.

2011 Ornament Swap

In 2010, I participated in an ornament swap with a friend of mine.  Five of us hand crafted ornaments and mailed them to each other in time to enjoy for the holiday season. I loved doing this because it's a great way to increase your ornament collection with pieces that 50,000 others have.  I love seeing what other people create and it's interesting to see everyone's crafty comfort level.  It also ties into my philosophy of supporting local businesses and having a more handmade lifestyle. 

In 2011, I participated again and am really late in sharing the ornaments I received, sorry!!   I decided to make felt sugar skulls.  They turned out kinda quirky cute.

I received a felt gingerbread house, yarn lion, paper ornaments, and a button wreath.

Handmade laptop case

Last month I purchased a new laptop and I needed a new laptop case to go with the new laptop right?  I searched some stores and did not find one I liked, so I decided to whip one up.  If you haven't sewn a laptop case before they are super easy. I did not use a template, but if you are one who needs a tutorial, then you can google laptop cases and tons will show up.

I decided to wing it and wrapped fabric around my laptop to see how much I wanted then cut, sewn, see if it fits. I used a 1/4" padding because I am rough on my laptop when I travel and I wanted to make sure it was nice and cozy.  If you plan on using padding make sure you add extra fabric to account for the added thickness. For the anal sewer this might seem like maddness, but that's how I roll sometimes.  After two hours here  is the end result and I love it!!

Messenger bag play mats

A couple of weeks ago as I started to think about what to make for my nephew this Christmas, I came across this play mat over at Serving Pink Lemonade.  Super cute dino play mat and I decided to make one; I though the mats would be perfect for him to play with when they go out to eat.  But as I starting thinking about it, I was wondering how in the world my nephew could carry it around with his dinosaurs.  Then it hit me to make a messenger bag that folds out into a play mat!  When I did some searching to find a easy messenger bag to make, I stumbled across someone else who had this great idea, Gingercake made one from corduroy.

I also decided to make a play car mat that folds up into the bag, so he'll have some options.  I had so much fun making these mats, I just finished a kitchen play mat for a friend's daughter (I'll post those photos tomorrow).

Valentine's Day on a Budget

I heard on the radio the other day the average man will spend $280 on Valentine's Day, if your wallet is a little thin these days and you are freaking out about what to do for your partner, no worries, I have ideas.

1. Think about what the two of you like to do together.  Do you like hiking? Go to the theater? Stay at home and watch movies? Showing love is about spending time together, what better day to to that on than Valentine's Day!

2. Cook dinner together.  Plan out your partners favorite meal and enjoy chopping, dicing, and sauteing together while some soft romantic music plays.

3. Do the chore your partner hates. If your partner is in charge of doing dishes, do the dishes for them. You should probably do this more than once a year, but it's a great way to show someone you are sensitive to what they dislike.  

5. Take a bubble bath together. 

6. Give each other hot oil massages.  

7. Dress up like cupid.  

8. Write a love letter.  You can even fold it into that little origami box like we did in 7th grade when we passed notes. 

If you are feeling crafty here are some of my favorite Valentine Crafts from fellow bloggers. 

Back in 7th grade I received my first mix tape and I loved it! Nothing says I love you more than making a nice melody of sweet love songs.  I've only ever received a mix CD from one boyfriend and I still have several that he made me.  Make a Mix CD Design Kit from Chronicle Books   

Baked Treat Bags from Twig & Thistle.   These are just too cute and you could even use this same idea to print on the bags for any special occasion. 

We Made a Great Pair from Saltwater Kids

Sewn Paper Valentine by The Purl Bee.

The Easiest Heart Garland Evar by Made by Rae