Washi tape phone cover

 

I saw this and thought, “why not?” Washi tape is so dang popular that it’s been used to cover everything!  It’s like the classier cousin of duct tape.

I’ve been having this tutorial in my archives for quite sometime and I had a moment to write it up and publish it.

 

This is a quick little project and all you need is a roll of washi tape and a razor blade.

 

Depending on your phone, you may have to take off the back cover.  I know you iPhone users don’t have a removable battery so this wouldn’t apply to you.

Start on one side or start in the middle.  Either way is fine, just be careful to follow the pattern on your tape if needed.  Leave a little extra hanging off the ends.

Don’t worry about holes and extra tape, you’ll trim that at the end.

Using your razor blade, trim off the excess and any holes you have.

I have a clear rubber case for my phone so you can still see the tape through it and it helps to protect the tape from dirt and rubbing.  If you don’t have a clear case, no worries, you can give it a coat of modpodge or clear nail polish to give it some protection.

And… done!  Happy crafting!

How to make button earrings

Sometimes I see so many cute buttons but don’t always have a use for them.  So why not make them into earrings?  Here is probably the easiest tutorial I have ever presented to you.  You’ll want to make several of these!
 


You’ll need a pair of buttons with shanks and two earrings.



With a pair of wire cutters, snip off the shanks.  Mine didn’t get snipped all the way off.



So I used a pair of nail clippers to snip off the rest.  A nail file would probably help too to get the back nice and smooth.



Using craft adhesive, glue the earrings to the back of the buttons.



Smoosh down and clean up any of the excess glue.


Voila!  Sweet little yellow rose earrings! 

Notebook organizer

K&Company Smash* has some really cool crafting accessories at Wal-Mart right now and I recently stocked up on some washi tape and page tabs that they have.  I also saw this elastic pen band that they have to slip over your journal and it holds your pens.  I thought the idea was brilliant and it wasn’t really expensive but I have a general rule that I don’t buy things that I can easily make.
So I figured out how to make one for myself and now I want to show you how to do it too.  It’s probably not going to save you any money to make one yourself but if you already have the supplies on hand to do it, you might find it’s worth it to make one.

I used a piece of 1.5” wide elastic and slightly stretched it around a notebook.  I cut it to size, joined the ends and zigzag stitched it together.

For the fabric I cut a piece out at 3.5”W x 8.5”L.  Fold in half lengthwise and stitch down the edge using the end of the presser foot as a guide.  The ends were folded in a quarter of an inch so that when I turned it right side out, the raw edges would be neatly tucked inside.

I pressed the strip with the seam going down the middle so it wouldn’t be seen in the finished product.

I top stitched both long edges just for good measure.

Then I laid the strip down on top of the elastic with the seam lying against the elastic and pinned in place. 

Then I sewed the ends across and a few more stitches about an inch apart to make room for pens, markers or pencils.  I left a large part open for a calculator or other larger item that might need to be toted around.
Now everything is held in securely and of course, pretty and personalized!  Hope you find use in this project!

Make your own seed packets

I've got a fun little project for you with a little garden education mixed in!  I want to show you how to make seed packets.  They make great little gifts and if you are an Etsy seller, could also be perfect for that extra something special to include in your orders to say “Thanks!”
 

Recycle a belt 3 ways

Got any belts you don’t wear anymore but might be nice as something else?  I’ve got 3 projects we can do that are super fast and super easy.
 

I’ll show you how to make a hair pin, a bracelet and a headband.  Just as practical as a belt, right?

Flower halo | Flower Chandelier

Hi guys!  I owe you all some crafts so I’ve come today with two!


That sweet little girl above is my daughter Ellie.  She recently went to the most fabulous birthday party I’ve ever seen.  It was a fairy themed party complete with costumes for all the girls to wear and keep.  They included fairy wings, a tutu, a top, a large fairy wand with flowers and ribbon attached to a bamboo stick and those sweet little flower halos.  The moment I saw the halo on Elliott, I knew I had to make some.

Fabric block coasters tutorial

I love looking through my mom’s fabric stash.  A lot of the fabrics remind me of special times.  I get my love of sewing from her and we’ve been through a lot of adventures together just since I started sewing.  From the time she taught me to sew at her first sewing studio to the trip we took to Ohio to buy the fabric for her fabric store.  We’ve brainstormed many ideas together; some awesome and some not so great.  We are both really bad about not finishing projects or making things and not doing anything with them. 

As I was looking through her fabric, I found a bunch of these that she had been making for Christmas some years back and I remember always liking the idea.  She used to make them as ornaments but I really like them as coasters.  I think these would make a sweet hostess gift.

So today I’m going to show you a really easy tutorial on how to make these fabric block coasters.



This is a perfect scrap buster project.  It requires small pieces of fabric and is soooo easy.



You need five squares of coordinating fabrics.  I cut mine out at 4” but the size is up to you.  The finished coaster will be 1/2” smaller than that.



Decide which square you want to use as the bottom piece and set that one aside.  Fold the other four in half and press.



Next, assemble the pieces, one by one, like above.  Be sure to lay them out with the raw edges to the outside of the square.



Now lay the bottom piece on top of your assembled square with it’s right-side down and pin.



Sew around all four sides using the edge of your presser foot as a guide and clip the corners.  Don’t worry about leaving an opening like you would on pillows and such.  Just sew all around the square.



Flip it over and using the opening in the center, turn it right side out and give it a good press with your iron.



I’m using mine as I type up this blog post.  ;) They are much more absorbent than tile coasters and they can be thrown in the wash if needed.




Thanks, Mom, for the inspiration!  I must say, I’m your biggest fan!

Make a spin drum

Remember the end fight on Karate Kid II when Daniel-son is getting his butt kicked and the audience started pounding those tiny drums that led to his victory?  Yeah.. I loved that part.  Well I wanted to make some for my kids and my fabulously lovely boyfriend gave me the greatest idea!  He also went to the store that night to get the supplies so that I could get to work on some spin drums.  So here’s what we came up with, only ours don’t have the Japanese flavor of the “Den-den Daiko” as they are called.  The kids loved them so much they hardly gave me a chance to show them how to do it.  They just wanted to play with mine until I got theirs done.

So here’s what you need to make your own:

• 2 balloons
• 2 mason jar lids (same size)
• twine
• 2 beads
• 1/4” wooden dowel
• craft glue
• scissors
• hammer and screwdriver

First, cut the necks off of your balloons.

Next, remove the inner discs of the lids.  You don’t need them.  Using a hammer to pound a screwdriver, make a dent in both of your mason jar lids.  This is where the dowel will fit in.

Now stretch the balloon over the lid so that the open part of the balloon is on the inside of the lid.  The tighter, the better.  You’ll get better sound that way.

Line the perimeter of the inside of the lid with craft glue.  Lay your twine across in the middle and lay a dowel on top resting in that little ditch you made with the screwdriver and hammer.  A little more glue on the dowel will be helpful.

Sandwich the two lids together and rest something heavy on top, like a book.  Wait for the glue to dry.

Tie on a bead on both sides so that the bead hits the middle of the drum.  Then decorate as you please!

Here’s mine (above) and my son’s (below).  Now pass them out to all your kids and curse yourself later as to why in the world you gave them all noise makers.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t prompt them to start kickin’ butt like Daniel-son did!

Thank you, baby, for your marvelously crafty idea!!  I love you!! <3