Craft: Keepin' it Scouse

So I married a Scouser. More commonly referred to as people from Liverpool :) They have some lingo that is common to the area, or has unique spin when said in the distinct accent. When I first met Tom he would walk into a room and ask me if I was alright. Every time. I started to ask him what he meant? Did I sound sick? Was I breathing like Darth Vader? Well he was just asking me if anything was new/how's it going. I'm still getting used to it, and can do a pretty horrible impression, but for now I just make art. I've got some ideas to make this a bit better (i'm thinking of making it in sharpie and not in paint). Here goes version 1.0:

Craft: Matryoshka Dolls

One of my students got me a craft kit as a teacher gift. It was a paint your own Matryoshka Dolls kit (such a cute/thoughtful gift). Unfortunately because of the Calgary climate the smaller ones were stuck shut, so I could only paint 3 of them. They sure turned out cute though! Here's a picture:

Craft: Jewelry Box Fix-up

I find jewelry storage one of the hardest things. I'm the type of person who if I don't see it, I forget I have it, so I only wear like two necklaces. I got an old wooden jewelry box from my stepmom a few years ago and spray painted it. I never really liked it. Case in point:

This is what happens when you succumb to free spray paint! You get a booger coloured jewelry box . Anywho, I decided to fix it so I can store bracelets, earrings, and rings in it. So a few coats of turquoise paint and some mod podge later and here is what I have:

I'm cooking up something to hang my necklaces on now and will post when I've got it on lock!

Craft: The Wedding

The decor was perfect! The only issue was that those napkins were supposed to be grey, not purple. I only noticed when we sat down for dinner. Tom chuckled because he picked up on it when he got there for the ceremony and knew I would be a bit ticked. Purple really didn't look that bad anyways!

We had two guest books. The first one was a photo album with our engagement photos to sign. We also had a calendar and asked people to sign their birthdays so we could celebrate them throughout the year.

Our guest favours were these adorable personalized tea bags. We got them online HERE.

Our table numbers were just wooden hearts I got from Michaels, painted and strung ribbon in our colour. Our table wine was the perfect place to hang them.

I made a wooden box for our cards and put it on our gift table. Instead of a slide show (which I personally hate) I wrapped foam board in fabric. I then printed off growing up pictures of Tom and I and made boards of just us. Then one of the two of us together. People could look at it when they wanted to.

I got these cute lanterns from IKEA and they made the best centrepieces. Our hall had a no open-flame policy, so they added a little romance to the table.

For our dinner game we made Union Jack flags and Canadian flag and put them on all the tables. Our fabulous MC, Peter, asked questions about Canadian and British history. The first table to get the right answer got to line up for the buffet! It got a BIT competitive.

Craft: Archie Comic Bangle

Ever since I learned how to read I have loved me some Archie comics. I saw something similar in Segovia in a tiny little boutique. I had to say goodbye to it though as I couldn't justify the price they were asking for it. Well I got myself a brain wave a few weeks ago! All you need is a cheapo bangle from Michael's (mine was $1.50), some cut up Archie comics, and Modpodge. This whole project took me two episodes of Lost and an overnight drying time. I found it was best if you made little cuts around the comic cells so that they could conform to the edges of the bangle. Modpodge the bangle first, add the paper, and then Modpodge over. If you can do a bunch of layers to ensure the paper is safe. Once it's dry it is pretty durable! The only thing I'd change if I did it again was to use a wooden bangle instead of plastic to have a less slippery surface to stick too. Enjoy!

Style: Remake Black Clutch

So the other day I spent $2.00 on this simple black clutch from a thrift store. It's a black vinyl number that had splatters of what looked like gold dust in random places (previous owners nailpolish?) I know I couldn't just leave it be. The lovely Kinsey at Sincerely Kinsey did something similar. She wasn't dealing with slippery vinyl though. I didn't use the tacky glue, but instead just plastered that thing is Modpodge. I did one doily on one side and one on the other. I tried to cover the major spots that had the gold on them. I must say too that my Great-Grandmother who passed away two years ago made these doily's. I have a whole bag full of them that I've been dreaming of what to do with forever. Honestly it's not perfect (the Modpodge is somewhat outside of the doily and you can see it if you look close). I love it though, and am looking for a time to bring this beauty out!

Craft: Buttons

This isn't so much of a craft as a possibility. My Grandmother recently passed away and I inherited her buttons. She had a container filled with buttons that I'm sure she's had for at least 20 years. I have NO idea what I will do with these, but I just straight up love looking at them!

Craft: Pincushion

So I whipped up another super easy pincushion using a really cute ceramic bowl I had leftover when the candle inside was all gone. I just stuffed it with fluff, cut a circle in fabric the same diameter as the opening, and hot glued the fabric to the opening. Now it is another really cute pincushion to make sure Sofia doesn't bat around my pins while I'm sewing!

Craft: Plush Camera

 

There it is in all its plushy goodness! I didn't get to make it along with the live blog, but I've been looking for a time to whip one up. Sitting down watching Everything is Illuminated and Stranger Than Fiction afforded me some time. My fabric is a bit sheddy, but it's adorable. So glad that <3 Elycia and My Girl Thursday did this little Craft Night a while back. Now I need the perfect place to put it!

Craft: Mason Jar Pincushion

Wrap cotton batten in fabric and wrap around removable circle on mason jar hot glue into the main screw top of the mason jar. Store sewing notions within and give your pincushion an amazing hairdo!

Craft: Yearbook Candle Holder

I found this craft on A Beautiful Mess and have wanted to try it for a while. I took my Stepmom's Senior yearbook and photocopied a page which I thought had the "best" hairstyles. I cut them into strips and ModPodged them to the sides. It took a few coats to make sure that the pages weren't curling. For now I have plopped a tea light at the bottom, but I think it might need a bigger candle. They're a little eerie when lit, but absolutely fantastic. I want to make a few more since the hairstyles in the late 70's were fantastic!

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!

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)

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!