Disneybounding Merida T-Shirt DIY

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 | Heather

Ok, you may be wondering, what is Disneybounding? Here’s the concept in a nutshell…

Disneybounding: Creating a fashion look based on a Disney character by drawing from colors, or iconic design elements from that character’s clothing. Disneybounding isn’t simply making a costume, but instead creating a look you could wear on a normal day and hint at a favorite character. You know, bring a little Disney magic to your every day. 😉

Merida from Brave is up next in our little series. My mom chose her because she loves Merida’s color palette. Confession, I haven’t see Brave yet, but luckily Google images came to my rescue and gave me plenty of inspiration! This is an easy project, with VERY little sewing.

Materials:

Green t-shirt
Suede or faux leather cording
Small grommets or eyelets
Faux leather or brown trim
Coordinating Thread

How-To:

Here’s the design I sketched up, you can see how simple it is when you start with a t-shirt.
Measure, mark and apply grommets following the directions on the package.
Cut the cording to the desired length.
Measure/cut cording. Lace up your top. Tie knots at the end of the cording.
Measure/cut trim. Sew side seams together, pin and sew on trim.

Seriously, 5 steps and you too can Disneybound Merida. How’s that for quick, easy, fun! The countdown to Disneyland is on!

–h

DIY Disneybounding: Princess Aurora Tank Top

August 19, 2015 | Heather

We are heading to Disneyland later this month with my family and I can’t wait! I decided all of us girls should get to Disneybound one of the princesses. So I sketched up some concepts and let everyone pick. Watch for the entire series of posts!

My sister went for Aurora…Do you remember the legendary rivalry between Flora and Merryweather? Blue…Pink…Blue…Pink!! Well that rivalry is very real between me and my sister. I know you will be shocked to learn I am clearly in the superior pink camp and she is definitely in the blue camp. So, I’m making her a pink shirt. Because I can. Pink wins!

Materials:

Pink Tank top – I found one for $5 at Target
White Material – I used some I had in my stash (don’t ask, it’s a little out of control). The fabric you choose needs to have some structure and some stretch. You might need to use some interfacing if your fabric can’t hold the shape.
White Thread

How-To:

1. Measure from the center of the bust, to side of the arm. Then measure from the same spot on the arm all the way across the back to the side of the other arm. This will give you everything you need to create the simple pattern.

2. Draw out the pattern on some tissue paper or wrapping paper. You will notice there is an angle on the arm seams. Ideally, you would determine the angle by trying the piece on the recipient. I just guessed and then had to make some adjustments after the fact. Better to do this step now instead of later.

3. Place your patterns on your white fabric and cut out two front pieces and one back piece.

4. Right sides together, sew the two front pieces together at the center seam. Right sides together sew together the front pieces to back piece at side seams. Trim and press seams open.

5. Fold the entire piece in half length-wise with wrong sides together. Press.

6. Now it’s time to attach it to the tank top. With the folded side up, pin. I pinned the front at a slight downward angle toward the center front to give it the look I was going for. Zigzag stitch to the tank top all the way around (skipping the arm holes for now). Press down.

7. Press down the seam allowance in the arm holes, and top-stitch across the arm holes.

Tada! You’re ready to Disneybound Princess Aurora just in time for vacay! The shirt is PINK!

–h

P.S. Add a gold headband (or crown) if you really want to go for it!!

Marvel’s Black Widow Inspired Infinity Scarf

June 29, 2015June 29, 2015 | Heather

A big Marvel movie releases and there isn’t any Black Widow clothing or accessories to be found. How can that be? She quite literally kicks butt, but doesn’t warrant merchandise?

What’s a girl to do? Since I don’t want to make, much less wear a black leather jumpsuit (shocked, I know), I thought I could make a screen-printed infinity scarf with a subtle (or not so subtle) nod to this super heroine.

Materials:
Black knit fabric (cut to 16″ x 75″)
Thread
Red fabric paint (I used Martha Stewart Tartan Red)
Mod Podge
Embroidery hoop
Nylon
Small paint brush
Credit card or gift card

DIY:
1. Ok, it seems like a lot going on, but it is pretty simple, I promise. I started by sketching out the design I wanted to print. I looked for some references online and created my own “black widow” symbol.

2. I found a great blog post on how to screen print using Mod Podge, check it out here. I’ll also give a brief explanation. Stretch your nylon tightly across the embroidery hoop. Then place it face down on your design and trace it with a pen (I used a Sharpie). Once you transfer the design, take your Mod Podge and carefully paint it on the parts of the “negative space” on the nylon. Basically what you DON’T want to show paint. Take your time, this is important. Two coats.

3. Next, I cut out my fabric to 16″ x 75″, I wanted a nice long infinity scarf. You might want to measure your favorite scarf to find the perfect size for you!

4. I laid out my fabric on a piece of cardboard and pinned it down securely. I then decided how I wanted my pattern to repeat and put pins in those locations. This image should demonstrate this step…

5. Now it’s time to screen print. A little frightening, I know. But truly, it was easier than I thought it would be. With the nylon face down against the fabric, squirt some red paint onto the nylon, then use a credit card, gift card, piece of cardboard, etc. to swipe the paint evenly across the nylon. You might swipe a couple different directions to make sure there is even coverage. Then carefully lift your hoop/printer. Make sure to hold down the fabric when you do so, this will save you some smears.

5. Repeat, repeat, repeat! Between prints, be sure to check the surface of the nylon (the side that goes against the fabric), if any paint has leaked out, wipe it up to keep your printing crisp. As you go, don’t worry if a few of the repeats aren’t perfect. This is a draped scarf so likely you won’t see the imperfect ones. Also, I like the idea of this looking a little vintage, hence the screen printing, so embrace those imperfections!!

6. Once you have printed the entire scarf, allow it to dry completely before sewing. Seems obvious, but if you get excited like me, you might forget. 🙂 I chose a fabric that I didn’t have to hem, so all that left is to sew the ends together. For a neat finish, a flat-felled seem is a good choice, but can be difficult to execute on knits. So I’ll tell you my cheater way to do it…basically a french seam sewed down. So, wrong sides together, seam then trim. Then flip it around and sew with right sides together so the original seam and trimmed seam allowance is inside. You now have a finished “flap.” Pin the flap down to one side and top stitch. Quite tidy and worth the extra 5 minutes.

Now all that’s left is to pair your brand new scarf with some killer boots and an attitude to match!

–h

P.S. As I was working on this scarf, I cut right through my “self-healing” mat. Exploring my own super-human strength apparently! 😉

Can’t get enough of Marvel or the Avengers? Check-out my Captain America quilt, Part I and Part II!

10 Tips for Painting a Rolltop Desk

May 29, 2015 | Heather

There is something so rewarding about taking an old and unexciting piece of furniture and giving it a completely new look! I love painting furniture, and our most recent project was this rolltop desk we were given. It has always lived in our office and while I didn’t love the finish, I LOVE all the little cubbies and drawers. It gives the illusion of organization at least. In our efforts to baby proof, we moved my craft table to the office, and now the desk is in our living room. Now that the desk is more visible, it really needed to be updated. So, instead of giving you the blow-by-blow, I thought these 10 tips would really cover the important points and convince you that anyone can do it!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

1. Use chalk paint.
Chalk paint rocks! You don’t have to spend hours prepping the surface, and it comes out with a great matte finish. There are a lot of great brands out there, but there is a local place that sells Shabby Paint and their colors are great. For this project I used Snow White, Licorice, and Sheer Vax to finish it.

2. Use spray paint.
Because I wanted to give the desk a distressed look with some “layers,” I used black spray paint (satin finish) on all the edges and corners of the desk before painting it all white with the chalk paint. So when I distressed the desk, you can see some great added dimension with the black layer. It really adds to the overall look in a big way.

In addition, I used black on the cubbies inside the desk. There really wasn’t a good way to get a paint brush into those tight areas. Just using a bit of spray paint made my life way WAY easier!

3. Take time to disassemble the desk.
It might seem like a bit of a pain, but you will save yourself quite a headache if you at least take off the top of the desk, and remove the rolltop. You will be even more pleased with your result if you take the time to do this step. Make notes to yourself as you take it apart to make re-assembly go smoothly.

4. Consider a two-toned look.
I really like the way this turned out. I decided I wanted the horizontal surfaces to be black. It adds interest and makes the finished desk unique. I love the contrast of black and white, but lots of other color combos would be cool. Maybe Vogue and Garfield Grey, Emily Ann and Lillian Grey, Paper Doll and Alamo White…

5. Paint the sides and inside of the drawers.
In keeping with the two-toned look. We painted the inside of the drawers black. This feels so good when you open the drawers and see a nice completely finished piece. Another fun idea, especially if you are going with one color on the desk, would be to paint the insides and sides of the drawer with a fun pop of color. This extra step is worth it! BTW, we used spray paint on this step too.

6. Dry brush the rolltop piece.
Every project inevitably has a lesson you learn the hard way. The good news is that you can learn from our mistake. I’m going to reiterate step 3, take the rolltop out and lay it flat. You then want to carefully dry brush this piece. It will take extra time, but you don’t want the paint to puddle between the slats. Otherwise you will end up with cracked paint you won’t be happy with. Take your time, it might take an extra coat or two.

7. Buy new hardware.
This desk had wooden pulls that just didn’t excite me so we decided to update the majority of the hardware. New hardware doesn’t have to be expensive (we paid like $1.79 per pull) but it can make a big difference!

8. Spray paint existing hardware.
While I didn’t love the wooden pulls, I do love the plate on the front of the rolltop as well as on the plates on outside of the little drawers. I just decided to get ride of the gold and spray paint them black. Looks super cool!

9. Have fun distressing.
You work so hard to carefully paint the piece, then you spend time destroying the perfection. I oddly love this step, go figure. It actually lets you off the hook, and you can embrace any areas you felt like were “mistakes.” We can celebrate the imperfections now! I use 60 or 80 grit sandpaper on a sanding block and go to town. Concentrate on corners and edges that would normally experience wear and tear. I also like to use it as an opportunity to highlight interesting details in the piece. I just try to maintain some distressing consistency as I go along, comparing to previous sections as I go.

10. Print fun tags.
Just a final touch. I picked a vintage looking (and FREE) font and had fun printing out labels for the fun little drawers. I love this finishing touch!

Feels like a brand new desk!

–h

Braided Headband DIY

April 25, 2015 | Heather

Spring is definitely in the air! It makes me think of fresh flowers, sunshine, sandals, and headbands! Ok, so that last one might just be me, but I was inspired to try making a fun new one this week!

This is a great DIY because you don’t have to sew a stitch! Yay!

Materials:
Fun cotton fabric
Elastic – I used 3/4″ because that’s what I had, but 1/2″ would be better
Ribbon
Thread
Hot glue & gun

Let’s Get Started:

Cut your fabric into strips, I did 1.5″ by 55″ for an adult-sized headband. I think I might go just a little thinner next time…1.25″.
Secure one end, and start braiding. I enlisted Ryan’s help to hold one end since it gets so long.
You might notice some fraying on the fabric, but that was the look I was going for. If it bothers you, fold in the sides carefully as you go.
I used binder clips to hold the ends in place once I was finished braiding.
Use thread to tie off the ends, just loop around a few times and you should be good. Trim thread and excess fabric.
Fold your braided piece in half, then try it on your head. Whatever gap remaining determines the length of your elastic.
**TIP: Don’t cut the elastic too short. Have you ever have the problem of a headband falling of the back of you head? The secret is that you want the headband to be secure, but the elastic shouldn’t be working hard at all.
Hot glue the ends of your headband to your elastic. I overlapped by about 1/2″.
Wrap your ribbon around the place the headband and elastic connect. The intent here is to make this look nice. You won’t be able to see it when you have the headband on, but why not make it look pretty! Then hot glue together.
Plan your spring outfit accordingly!

–h

FREE Vintage Inspired Apron Pattern & DIY

March 17, 2015March 17, 2015 | Heather

I’m not sure why but aprons make me feel this happy nostalgia about being a woman, a wife, and now a mother. I have this fascination with them and what they represent. Maybe it’s like instead of superhero cape, the apron signifies our womanhood and everything that entails. And when I put one on, it’s like I live in a simpler time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super happy about like being able to vote and all, but I also love just being home, apron on, taking care of my family.

Sooo, the votes have been counted, and it was unanimous! Everyone wanted a pattern for this apron. I hope you love it, it’s definitely my fav too. Vintage inspired with a fun/flirty flounce!

Materials:
-1 yard main fabric – I use a pretty sturdy fabric when I make aprons, I particularly like the home decorator fabric section of Joann’s. Also, yay for polka dots!! #rockinthedots
-1 yard coordinating fabric
-Matching Thread
-Sewing Machine
-Iron
-Straight Pins
-Computer/Printer/Paper/Tape – for the pattern
-Quick Turn tool (optional)

How to:

Let’s start with the pattern, you here is the PDF: Flirty Apron Pattern by Heather
Ok, go ahead and print out the PDF.
I’ve numbered your pattern pieces. Line them up top to bottom, left to right. It should be two pages wide, five pages tall. Fold on the black dotted lines to fit the pieces together.
Scotch tape your pieces together, then cut out each piece.
Lay out your pieces on your fabric, like so…
Double check everything, then cut out your pieces. Pay attention to the pieces that should be placed on the fold and which fabric you should use.
Once everything is cut out, I start with the ties. Fold in half lengthwise, and pin right side together. Then sew one end and the long edge, (½” seam allowance throughout unless otherwise stated). Repeat for all three.
Turn the ties right side out. If you don’t have a “Quick Turn” tool, you might want one at some point, they are cheap and such a time saver. But you can use a straight pin and your fingers to work it right side out. Press. Fold in the raw edges on the end, press, and top stitch each end. Your ties are all ready to go.
Next, let’s work on the main body of the apron. Let’s start by finishing the sides. Fold and press ¼”, and then again. This will give a nice finished edge that won’t fray. Sew both sides.
Next, fold and press ¼” along the top. Then fold and press 1”. We are then going to pin the top tie to the top of the body.
Sew across the top, then reinforce the tie ends by sewing like so…
Next, we will work on the flounce. Hem the bottom. It can be a little tricky to hem the curved edge, but I just carefully press it with an iron and it seems to work out fine.
Pin the flounce to the bottom of the body of the apron. This is also a little tricky because of the two odd shapes, but just use lots of pins. Sew. Press.
Almost there… Pin the two side ties, and attach.
Now for the final touch, the pocket. You can use the coordinating fabric for the pocket or the same fabric, totally up to you. I used the main fabric and embellished with the coordinating fabric along the top edge.
Fold the pocket embellishment piece in half, wrong sides together and press. Then line up the raw edge with the raw edge of the wrong side of the pocket. Sew on. Then fold over so the folded edge is on the front of the pocket and top-stitch.
On the wrong side, fold in ¼” inch around the sides/bottom of the pocket, and press. Stitch onto the body of the apron (leaving the top open).

Drumroll, please…..You now have your very own Woman/Wife/Mommy cape! Wear it proudly ladies!!

–h

P.S. I hope you enjoy the free pattern. Please remember, it is intended for individual use only, not for resale.

Vote for a FREE Apron Pattern & DIY

February 28, 2015February 28, 2015 | Heather

I thought it would be fun to do an Apron DIY and provide a free pattern download to all my loyal followers (yes, all 10 of you) :-)! And, not to give away all my secrets, but I thought it might help generate more interest in my blog at the same time.

Anyway, I can’t decide which apron I should do, so I thought you all could help a girl out. Here are three favorites I’ve made over the years. So, please comment below with your vote! I’ll do a tutorial and free PDF download next week.

Let the voting begin!!

–h

DIY Reclaimed Wood/Barn Door Baby Gate

February 16, 2015February 23, 2015 | Heather

I’m not sure how it happened. One day Kyrie was scoot/rolling, then literally the next day, she started crawling. Oh-no! We probably should have started baby proofing months ago, but now is good too, right?!?

So we have been rearranging furniture, moving things around, but the real problem is the stairs. And yes, she has discovered them and seems to look at them as some sort of challenge. She has a rather determined personality (that doesn’t sound familiar at all), so we need a baby gate, like yesterday.

So funny story, I thought we should run out to Target a buy a baby gate right away. But Ryan suggested we build our own gate instead. Hey, shouldn’t I have been the one to suggest that? 🙂 He did some searching online and found some ideas we liked and came up with the plan…

Part I – Construction

Materials/Tools:
Reclaimed Wood (from a deconstructed pallet)
Wood Screws (1 1/4″)
Orbital Sander
Measuring Tape
Square
Circular Saw or Miter Saw

How to (Ryan):

1. I started by cutting out the pieces:

2 outer frame side pieces: 30″ long, 5 1/2″ wide
2 0uter frame top pieces: 23 1/2″ long, 5 1/2″ wide
9 back pieces: 30″ long (various widths due to the wood available)
1 long “X” piece: 30 1/4″ long, 5 1/2″ wide, cut to a “V” on each end. I put this piece over the outer frame, and used the square tool to help mark and determine where to cut.
2 short “X” pieces: 12: long, 5 1/2″ wide, again cut to a “V” on one end. See above.

2. Sand like crazy. Because this is a baby gate, we went for an extremely smooth finish. Started with 80 grit and finished with 180 grit. I spent a lot of time getting each piece perfectly smooth as the goal of this door is safety. Look at the difference…

3. In order to keep the screws hidden, I assembled it essentially from the back forward. So the outer frame side piece was screwed to a back piece (from the back side). Then I grabbed another back piece, snugged the two back pieces up, and screwed into the outer side piece. Then I lined up the outer frame top and bottom pieces, and screwed them to the back pieces. Then continued with the back pieces all the way across, finishing with the other outer frame front piece.

4. Next I flipped over the door and fitted the “X”. Again, screwed it in from the back.

Note: I pre-drilled all the holes before putting the screws in to prevent the wood from splitting.

Part II – Painting

Materials/Tools:
Jewel Shabby Paint (chalk paint)
Hazelnut reVax Shabby Paint
Black Matte Spray Paint
Paint Brush
Sandpaper (60 grit)
Sponge

How to:
Like every other DIYer out there, I have discovered and love chalk paint. You don’t have to sand or prime your project, and it gives this great matte finish. It looks great!

1. I decided I wanted an extra layer of black paint under the Jewel color to add some dimension when I distressed it. So I started by spray painting the entire piece black. I really didn’t worry about great coverage except on the edges and corners. But I did use an entire can of spray paint.

2. After letting it dry I painted my first coat of Jewel Shabby Paint, let dry and added a second coat. The chalk paint really goes far. I used about 5 ounces of paint total. Flipped the door over and did the same on the back (2 coats). Pretty!

3. Now is the part I love/hate. I took out the sandpaper and started distressing the door. After the beautiful coat of paint, it always makes me a little sad at first, but I love the look after it is all done. I paid special attention to the areas of the door that would normally experience wear and tear — corners, edges, etc. There is no real science to it, you just sand areas until you like the way it looks. You’ll notice some areas the black paint shows through, and others I sanded down to the wood, again, all personal taste.

4. The final touch is the product they call reVax, I applied it as recommended with a damp sponge. It is a great topcoat for durability, and in this case, I used it to deepen the color and add to the distressed look of the piece. Seriously, the Hazelnut reVax was like magic, I was so excited to see it go on, it gave the Jewel a more greenish color which is exactly what I wanted. I la la LOVE this color combo!!

Part III – Installation/Finishing

Materials/Tools:
Hinges
Barrel Bolt
More wood screws
2 Trim pieces (30 3/4″ x 1 1/2″ x 5/8″)
Antique glass doorknob

How to:
1. Almost there! We started by cutting our two trim pieces, which will be mounted to the wall on either side and the door will connect to. On the top, cut a 45 degree angle (this just makes it look a little more finished). Then we painted them to match our wall color.

2. Attach the hinges to the gate and hinges to the first trim piece (prior to installing them on the wall). Remove the pins from the hinges so that the trim piece can be attached to the wall without the weight of the gate. Once the trim piece was secured to the wall (we were sure to find a stud and used 2 1/4″ screws), we lined up the hinges on the gate and reinserted the pins.

Note: The screws pictured here were used to attach the doorknob.

3. Next, we attached the second trim piece to the other side of the wall (again 2 1/4″ screws into a stud).

4. Attach the barrel bolt approximately 1″ from the top of the door (on the back), then extend the barrel and mark the spot to drill into the trim. Drill and done.

5. Attach the glass door knob (I spray painted the plate of the antique doorknob black).

And…done! Phew!

–h & r

DIY Knitted Mini-Scarf Invitations

February 10, 2015 | Heather

Anyone else out there find January and February to be kinda depressing months? The rain, the cold, the lack of sunshine, the holidays are over, just back to the daily grind… Ok, I’ll stop, I don’t want to induce depression if you aren’t already there. 😉

One of the bloggers I follow, Shay Shull, has this great idea she does in the fall — a scarf exchange with her girlfriends. I love this idea, you can read about it here! The basic premise is that they meet at a Starbucks, and everyone brings a wrapped scarf. They sip coffee, chit-chat, and do a traditional “white-elephant” type exchange. Again, simple, easy, and no one has to clean their house!

So a co-worker friend of mine and I decided to host a scarf exchange of our own to help beat the winter blues. We set the date, picked a local coffee spot, and decided to create invites to remember! Yes, that means I knitted mini-scarfs for each invite. Naturally.

Materials:
Coordinating scrapbook paper (we used white and a few fun prints)
Coordinating yarn
Knitting Needles
Crochet Hook
Exacto Knife
Envelopes (we used 5×7)

Knitting the Mini-Scarfs:

This was just too much fun! I cast on 5 stitches (check-out this post for help casting on).
Then I knitted until each mini-scarf was 15″ long. And cast-off (again, see this post).
Next for the fringe, I cut 16 pieces of yarn around 6″ long.
Then I used a crochet hook to thread the yarn between the stitches on the ends. Two pieces per.
And tied like so…
Continue, trim, and done.

Assembling the Invites:

Meanwhilst, my friend took the pertinent details and designed the text. The fonts she used were Novecento and Halo Handletter. You can find these for free online.
She printed out the details on the white cardstock, and we cut down this piece to 6 1/2″ x 4″.
We then cut out the printed scrapbook paper to 6 3/4″ x 4 3/4″.
We lined up the two pieces of paper and cut slits to thread the mini-scarf through.
Next, I simply tied the scarfs on.
My friend is great at calligraphy, so she addressed all the envelopes.

The result, totally unique invites to our super simple scarf extravaganza!

Oh and BTW, we all had a great time!

–h

Rockin' the Dots

DIY, home, and general craftiness!

Author: Heather

Disneybounding Merida T-Shirt DIY

DIY Disneybounding: Princess Aurora Tank Top

Marvel’s Black Widow Inspired Infinity Scarf

10 Tips for Painting a Rolltop Desk

Braided Headband DIY

FREE Vintage Inspired Apron Pattern & DIY

Vote for a FREE Apron Pattern & DIY

DIY Reclaimed Wood/Barn Door Baby Gate

DIY Knitted Mini-Scarf Invitations

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