Craft: Cat Stocking

I couldn't be happier with how incredibly CUTE this thing is. I went to Michael's Craft today to pick up a little Christmas tree to make my room feel more festive. I spied these plain little stockings hanging on a shelf for $1.99 and thought: my kitty needs a little stocking. I made the little face with a scrap of gray felt and decorated it with fabric paint. My parents were so impressed they want me to make one for the family cat!

Craft: Book Covers Explained

So I figured I may as well take pictures as I made this book cover for myself this past weekend. I must say I ABSOLUTELY love it as I never have to worry about loosing  my place (bookmarks hate me) or smooshing my book (I'm not very gentle with the contents of my purse). I picked up this fabric at the awesome thrift store that I got my suitcase from. It was only $1 so I was pretty happy! And it's so cute and so appropriate for the winter weather Calgary is throwing at us right now (4cm of snow anyone?). Here's a bit of an explanation of how I make these:

1. Roughly measure the book you want to cover (I picked a size that is the usual for the books that I read), and add a centimeter or two to each side
2. & 3. These go hand in hand. Basically wrap the fabric on the book in a "mock" cover to see if it all fits
4.  Fold the sides that the pages will slip into, pin, and sew in place (I hand-stitch so I go over these twice to ensure that it wont unravel)
5. Sew on a bookmark (this was elastic that I had in my sewing kit, but ribbon works nicely as well)
6. Make a closure by sewing a fabric tube (fold a piece of fabric over and sew one side) and attaching to the back of the cover. Attach a button to the front cover and fit a loop from the tube to the button. I used the elastic here as well incase some books are thicker than others.

That's about it. Because I am sewing machine impaired I hand-stitched this entire thing. I assure life would be so much easier if you used a sewing machine for these. Remember that measuring is the most important part. You don't want it too be too tight or too loose on your book. These make amazing gifts for those of us who still read paper books!

Book Review: Liz Curtis Higgs

That's one handsome looking dude eh? Oh random people who pose for cover art. As cover artists go I would say that this guy is like the Fabio of Christian novels! Anywho! This was a three book series: Thorn In My Heart, Fair is the Rose, and Whence Came a Prince. I didn't expect to commit to a new series when my stepmom handed me the first one. I was kinda hooked after that... which wasn't great because each book is about 500 pages. You know after three books I now feel like a few friends are gone (I'm sappy I know).  Essentially it is a retelling of the story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah from the Book of Genesis but set in 18th Century Scotland. It's all about boy falls in love with girl, but secretly get married to her sister (who isn't as pretty), and then a whole lotta heartache. Basically you are upset the whole time you read the books, but have no fear as last few chapters make you feel better! Oh Love! Oh Scotland! Oh descriptions of pretty clothing! I'm not sure I sold it well, but seriously... read it!

Craft: Book Covers

So this is a bit stingy on the way of a tutorial, but I think it might be very easy to figure out... maybe when I make one for a notebook I'll remember to take pictures (fingers crossed). I made this Bible cover for a wonderful woman in my life who has an amazing ministry called Total Woman that's run right here in Calgary! I made her a Bible cover and few years ago and it was still alive when I made her the new one (sometimes a girl just needs a new accessory). And yes a Bible can totally be an accessory! She asked for purple and I made sure that this baby came with a snap closure and a ribbon book mark. Really though the more I look at it the more I want to make one for myself! Hummm weekend project perhaps!

Craft: Thanksgiving Addition

What's that? Oh... Canadian people are saying "Brittany, Thanksgiving was a month ago!" In answer to that... yes it was, but this was decorating our mantel since then and I forgot about it! OOPS! So this was a last minute decision on my part, but it still worked out 90% like I wanted it too! While talking to a wonderful Englishman via Skype I cut out those lovely leaves from construction paper (and yes we had 15 people for dinner so it made quite the strand). I recommend talking to interesting people while cutting out shapes, as it makes the task less daunting. ANYWAYS! You then carefully ask your guests to fill the leaves with things they are thankful for (I may have had to be persuasive with a few people) and string them along a thread (I will choose a nicer thread next time). Hang along your mantel or on a wall and it makes for lovely and inspiring decorations!

Here's what I learned on how to improve:

• Thicker cardstock
• Different leaf shapes for variety
• Twine to stick with an earthy feel (perhaps not purple yarn)

Happy really late Thanksgiving Canada (or early if American)

Musings: Monday

YEP... that's about how I feel today. Monday is usually a mixed bag for me. I can love it, or I can hate it, or well... it just exists. Surviving on a job where I am perpetually on-call means I never know how my week will be. This one started off a bit shakey. Not only did we get our first snow fall of the year (yay prairie weather), but it melted during the course of the day. I never got a job call so I spent the day cleaning and crafting (the second was so much more enjoyable). And since I am such a Scrooge I am retreating to a movie theatre tonight rather than handing out candy (never been a big fan of Halloween). I'm sure when I get a call tomorrow to work and I'm jumping into my car and speeding off to some unknown destination I'm be reminising about my blase Monday and wishing it were the present. So here's to a relaxing start to a potentially busy week!

Craft: Fabric Covered Suitcase

So, originally I found this fantastic DIY over at A Beautiful Mess, one of my favourite blogs in the universe! I decided to try it for myself. I must tell you that finding a vintage suitcase in Calgary is a bit of an issue. I found this great thrift store the other that I will totally check out if I need an furniture or fabric (Calgary MCC). Inside was only one hard covered suitcase in a particularly mossy green with a golden interior and a falling apart mirror. It was only $4.00 so I figured "what the hey". They had this lavender fabric with a white leafy scroll pattern on it that caught my eye. I went home buzzing about my new project.

The mess that was before:

The beauty that was the end result:

I'm sooooo excited to fill it with pretty things!

Craft: Homemade Silhouette

So Silhouettes have been popping up in my life a lot lately. Mostly in the form of Cameo's (which I have quite the collection of). If you want to get technical... Cameo's aren't silhouettes, but let's not get finicky. ANYWAYS! I had a plaque that my brother picked up for me at a thrift store a million years ago. It's kind-of old fashioned and was not really my style anymore, so hopefully he will forgive me. I sanded down the lacquer and applied a coat of white paint. Using a steady hand (you might want to tape around the white when dried) I painted the edge black. I let this dry for many many days as I figured out the best way to do the next step...

Find a nice picture of yourself in profile. Size it to fit the plaque you're using and print it out as is. Cut around your face trimming off the background of the picture. Now you should have a good outline of your head and a bit of neck. If you want to get fancy and are slightly anal-retentive (such as myself), Sharpie the print off to make a paper silhouette. This way you can judge if you like the way it looks. Place it centred on the plaque and trace. You should have the exact shape of your cutout faintly on your plaque. Using black paint go over the outline and fill in the middle. Let it dry, and display wherever you like!

Not bad for my first try at silhouetting. Now who has a really bright lamp and wants to have an old-timey silhouette party!? Common! You know you want to be a dork with me!

Book Review: Vinyl Cafe Stories by Stuart McLean

I've had a few friends lately who've been asking me what to read. I picked this up at a cute little used book store in Canmore called Second Story. It has an inscription from the proprietors inside and a coffee ring on the front. I love books that have a little added character.

I've always been in love with Stuart McLean's recordings and decided to try him in print. I must admit the stories lack a little something without his monotoned wit, but it's the same Dave, Morley, Sam and Stephanie. If you like family quirks with little doses of Canadiana I'd totally recommend him. 

As an added bonus he is coming to Calgary in December. I NEED to snag some tickets!