Fabric Flowers

I have recently come into possession of a ton of fabric. Maybe you are the same. Or, perhaps you have always had a ton of fabric, and aren't sure what to do with it. Here's an answer! Fabric flowers are super easy, super cute, and a super way to use up fabric scraps!
What you need:
-Fabric. I'm using silk because I have it. Use whatever you want
-Something to trace circles (the size you want your flower)
-Hot glue gun
-Buttons or beads to use for the center
Optional: a few episodes of Star Trek or something fun

1. Cut 5 circles of fabric in the size you want the flower to be. Cut 1 extra circle (#6) a little smaller than the others.
2. Lay one of the large circles down. It will be your base. Fold each of the remaining circles in quarters (in half, then in half again), gluing each one to the base.
3. Put a generous dot of glue in the center, and lay your smaller circle directly on top. I scrunch it around a bit before the glue dries to make it look more organic and leave a dimple for the center.
4. glue on your center piece, and voila! A perfectly sweet little flower

Extra: I got some hair clips to put the flowers on, and I found it's best to back the flower with a piece of felt or cotton before attaching to the barrette.
Other things you could make:
-flower wreath
-pin/brooch
-flower crown
-cuff bracelet
-attach smaller ones to bobby pins
-perhaps a mobile.

Would you like to see me attempt any more of the above? Let me know! I will brave the great unknown for you.

Lace Painted Table

Good afternoon, dear Reader, this post is about the 'Phantom Table'! The Phantom Table came into my family's possession when we moved into our current residence. It is a well-made circular table with a heavy (removable) glass top, and was painted a kind of mellow orangey pinky brown. It is also
-too short to sit at (as a small craft table)
-too tall to sit with (as a coffee table)
-too wide and circular to fit into regular bedroom furniture
Since no immediate use could be found, the table became a forgetful presence in our house, always around but never very useful. My sister and I painted (most of) it with crazy colors and brought it to school, where it also sat around.

No longer!

My brave plan was to re-vamp the table into something clean and fun, and finally USE IT FOR SOMETHING. Namely, to display all my finished crafts so they're not hiding in bins until someone wants one. I decided to paint lace onto the table top, really an easy project if you have a table, lace, and spray paint.
let's do it!
- Have a table- any size or shape as long as your lace will fit on it, and as long as it's prepped for spraypaint
-Paint- my rule is to get the second cheapest. For this, I'm using a bright Robin's Egg color
- Lace- and lace you don't mind getting painted.

1. Get your table prepped and in a garage or outside where you can paint

2. Test your paint! stretch your lace over a piece of cardboard to find out how close or far you need to spray to get the kind of coverage you want. Practice quick, light strokes to get even transfer.

3. Spread the lace on your table top. I tied the corners with hairbands and binder clips to keep it tight and also a little weighted. As long as your lace doesn't have creases and is reasonably heavy, you shouldn't have a problem.

4. Paint away! Remove the lace carefully while still wet, and let your table dry according to your paint can's specifications. Or until you remember it's still hanging out in your backyard and it's going to rain.

And that's it! Maybe I'll put up another 'finished' photo when the table is set up with all kinds of crafty goodies. What do you think?

Fabric covered bulletin board

Dear Reader, I have a confession to make. I am not a patient person. This can make crafting very difficult, but it also provides opportunities to make bulletin boards out of canvases because I'm too impatient to go out and buy cork boards!
 This tutorial can be easily applied to covering cork boards, never fear, patient reader.

1. Gather your supplies! you will need:
-your canvas or bulletin board (mine is a 20 x 30 canvas)
-fabric of your choice, a few inches bigger than your canvas/board
-staple gun. With staples, preferably.
Optional: felt to line the back of the canvas. I thought the pushpins might need a little extra to hang on to, though in the end I'm not convinced it's necessary.
Optional: refreshing alcoholic (or not!) beverage of your choice

2. If you're doing the felt, glue it to the back of your canvas. I used Mod Podge because hot glue was too gloppy. And no one likes gloppy glue.

3. Lay your fabric face down on your work surface. I'm using a rustic outdoorsy picnic table because it's the only horizontal surface I could find that didn't already have stuff on it! Then lay your canvas face down on your fabric and trim around, leaving 2-3 inches extra around each side. Clip the corners.

4. Now for the stapling! The trick here is to pick a side, do not start near the corners. 1 staple in one side, then the opposite, pulling the fabric taut. Do the same with the remaining sides (total of 4 staples so far). Then go back and work your way from the center of the first side, putting a staple every couple inches or so. Then the opposite side. Then remaining sides (I sense a pattern), remember to keep pulling taut. Leave a couple inches around each corner staple-free.

How to start stapling- sides first!

5. The corner. This is the tricky part, only because it's difficult to explain. Ordinarily, when covering a canvas you just pick whether it will be horizontal or vertical. Then you fold the corners down so that the excess fabric lays along the side you won't see. I figured to find a way around that, and have no unsightly fabric overlap! Smooth the side edges together, then lay the corner fabric overtop (should be square/diamond shape) and staple like crazy. If you're not sure you get it, consult the image and then compare to the sweet origami square base, it's the same basic principle.

OR
Just make it work! So long as you are happy with it, and it gets done. Am I right?

6. Polish off your delicious beverage and admire your handiwork!

Isn't the patio lovely?

Vintage Button Earrings

The Button Saga
Two years ago this weekend, my older sister Adrienne got married to a man I can hardly tolerate. He's a perfect addition to our family :). Really, Jeremy is great, and their wedding was a reflection of fun and sophisticated downtown Fredericksburg. But because we are not native Virginians, or really natives of anywhere (our dad was in the Marines), Adrienne found a way to incorporate part of our family in a fun and frugal way.

Buttons.

Our Grammy has been collecting buttons for over 20 years. Flea markets, yards sales, goodwill, wherever. She buys jars full, bowls full, and on one occasion, a suitcase full. This lady is dedicated. During Spring of 2010 my little sister and mom went to visit her and Pepier (grandpa) in Rhode Island, and they came back with pockets full of these old buttons.It wasn't long before we were making 'button flowers', button pins, etc etc.

And then- inspiration! Add buttons to the wedding! It was a huge hit, and Grammy was just as pleased as could be. She sent us more buttons than I'd ever seen.

 On to the Post
Now, two years later, we still seem to be leaking buttons. And the shame is, a lot of these buttons are so cool that it's a waste just to leave them in jars and in craft bins. So I went and got earring parts! Now, don't ask me why, but when you go to get earring posts and backs, the backs will come in packs of 60 and the posts will come in packs of 30. And there will be like six different kinds of posts but only one pack of backs, and it will be hidden behind barrettes.

In the end I made 30 pairs of earrings in one go, and have PLENTY of cool buttons to make more.