{creating myself}

I'm guessing most of you who read have already received my Christmas (post)cards so I can finally share them on here (I like the magic of surprise this time of year!)



Last year, I made Christmas cards out of this design. This year, I wanted to switch it up a little. I started by looking through some favorite Holiday shots I've taken, mixed with my love of simple kraft postcards, and voila! A star was born.













The backing is just plain kraft paper, allowing me to write personalized and meaningful messages to all my favorite people.



I slipped them into clear plastic envelopes that I found at a LSS a while back. These are the same envelopes I use at shows when I sell postcards.
 I wrote the names and addresses right on the plastic with a sharpie!





I hope you like them, and if you received one in your mailbox, I sure hope it brightened your day! Happy Holidays, friends.

DIY: home sweet apartment.

I fell in love with this doormat from Urban Outfitters, but I'm poor. So after wallowing in self-pity and searching high and low for something less expensive and equally cool, I decided to make my own.

Materials:
white or cream colored doormat (mine is from Target)
posterboard or heavy cardstock
spray paint

Directions:
Cut out the letters, keep them as straight and positioned as possible with your fingers, and spray paint over them. Lift up cardboard letters and Voila!







How do my neighbors always know it's me?




Now I have to figure out how to make this one. :)

Playing Dress*Up: Tales From Behind the Machine...

Once upon a time, there was a creative little girl who's tiny fingers were getting tired from hand stitching.




She asked her mama for a sewing machine for her birthday.




First, she learned how to spin a bobbin.




Then, she learned how to thread the machine! This was a toughie, but she now has it down pat.




Then she got tired, so she took a break.




She stopped at the library for a couple of books. She is definitely a "complete idiot" when it comes to this machine. Hopefully these help... she hasn't had a chance to look them through yet, but she'll let you know how they are.




Then, a little pin of this, a little pin of that...




And voila! A pretty new shirt.


The End.


------------------------------------------------------------------

This post is part of a weekly feature called "Playing Dress*Up". Each Friday, I post fashion-related ideas and photos.  Some topics include handmade clothes, accessories, shoes, body art, makeup, hair, home, and jewelry.  If there is anything you would like to see or you have an idea for a contributing post, please e-mail me at amylapi@gmail.com. See past archives of Playing Dress*Up here.

Guest Blogger: Katie Robertson

Hi Guys! I am Katie from Smileyeyes!!! I am super excited that Amy let me share this Summer Plate DIY with all of you!



Aren’t these darling????  They are so perfect for a fun Spring Picnic, a Summer BBQ, and they even make unique gifts or even cute wall art!  And the best part is, they are super easy to make!!!

---------------------------------------------------------

Katie, Thanks for finishing off my month long blog party! This project is SO fun and summery and I can't wait to try it! Those doily plates are my faaave! :) xo

First off, you will need to get some clear glass plates, 2 (or more) colors of spray paint, and some stickers or lace or stencils to create a pattern.



Step one: Clean the plates! The paint will not stick well if there are finger prints!

Step two: Decorate the back of the plates in stickers, lace or stencils in the pattern that you would like!  A large piece of lace can be draped over the entire back to make a consistent pattern all over.  Another option is to paint a design on the back.

Step three: Place the plate concave side down on a piece of cardboard.  Spray a thin layer of paint (the main color you want to show through) on the back of the plate.  Wait 5 minutes and spray another layer.  (note… it is better to spray thin layers multiple times so the paint doesn’t run)

Step four: Hold the plate up to the light to look for any missed or thin spots.  If needed, spray on one more layer of the original layer. Let dry.

Step five: After fully dried (about 5-10 minutes), peel off the stickers/lace/design to expose the clean glass.

Step six: Spray a thin layer of the second color over the back of the plate.  Wait 5 minutes and spray a second coat.  Let dry.

Then enjoy!



Let me know if you have any questions!



You can find me at smiley eyes! Please stop by and say hi! Have a wonderful week! -Katie

Guest Blogger: Ashley Watts

Hi guys! It's Ashley from Almost Exactly!




As always, first of all I want to thank Amy for letting me guest blog! I'm really honored!


Okay, so I got to wondering exactly what I could post for you guys this time...and as I was thinking I just so happened to smell someone barbecuing outside (yum-o, right?). With warmer months ahead of us, I thought it would be a fun idea to show you how to make a cute springtime/summertime napkin rings! It's something fun and easy to do to spruce up your table either inside or out!


You will need:




-pair of scissors
-hot glue gun
-pretty ribbon
-a nice big button (that will pretty much cover the width of your ribbon)

**Make sure that you have enough ribbon and buttons to make however many napkin rings you need!**




The first thing I did was make my napkin (just your basic wrap-it-around-the-silverware) and secured it with a rubberband (so I don't go completely crazy if it unrolls haha)




Next, I wrap the ribbon around the napkin to measure how much I will need to cut off




(I wanted a little extra for my napkin ring, so I hot glued some pom pom fringe to the back of the ribbon)




Now you just hot glue the two sides together (one side on top of the other)!
Oops, it looks like I cut my ribbon a little smaller than I measured...




I just fixed that by finding a piece of ribbon that was smaller in width than my original ribbon and glued it the the inside of both sides. Now it looks like this on the inside:







Just glue your button onto where the two ends overlap and you're finished and ready to slide onto your napkins!




And that's it! Pretty easy, right?
Of course, if you have any questions feel free to stop by my blog or send me an email and I'll be happy to help!

xoxo!
Ashley

---------------------------------------------------------------

These are the cutest napkin rings ever! And I love your nail polish! Thank you so much :)
xo, Amy

Guest Blogger: Amy Schubert

welcome welcome!

My name is Amy T Schubert – and I blog over at Lemon and Raspberry.

Thanks so much to Amy for opening up this space for me to share my NEW FAVORITE project!
Seriously, I want to put ruffles on everything.
 
Today, I'm going to show you how to make Ruffled Invitations (I just mailed a bunch of these out for my sister-in-law's bridal shower).
 



Supplies needed:
paper (cardstock, printed with invitation text, cut to 8"x4")
fabric (9"x1.5" per invitation)
ribbon (1/2" wide, 5" long per invitation)
thread
sewing machine
scissors
stick pins
 
I made 30 invitations, but you can scale this up or down depending on how many you are making.
 
(also, I’m not much of a seamstress. As in, I can’t even thread a sewing machine by myself. So if I can do this YOU can do this!)




We'll be making the ruffles first, and then sewing them to the paper with the ribbon.
 
On each strip of fabric, you need to sew 2 rows of very long stitches (probably the longest setting on your machine). Sew these stitches close to one edge, so the fabric ruffles only on one side.



 
Once those are sewn, you should have 4 threads hanging off of each end.

Choose one end, pick out the top 2 threads from just that end of the fabric, and pull gently.



 
This should cause the fabric to gather and ruffle.




You'll need to eyeball this part. Decide exactly how tight you want the ruffles and pull more of the thread for more ruffley.

I went with a looser ruffle which I found easier to work with for this project, and easier to sew on straight.

Once you have your ruffle, the fabric should be long enough to lay across the narrower part of the paper. Your ribbon piece should be about the same length.




Using your straight pins, pin the ribbon on top of the ruffle on top of the paper.

Your ribbon should be wide enough to cover the stitches on the fabric so it looks like just a ruffle coming out of the ribbon.

I used the ribbon as the straight margin against my text, with the ribbon coming off the right side. The edges of both the fabric and ribbon are folded over the paper and pinned in place (to give a cleaner look)

When pinning, I found it easiest to pin at each end and at the 1/3rd and 2/3rds of the length.




Now it’s time to sew it into place!

I left the pins in as long as possible and sewed very slowly. I still didn’t get it perfectly straight, but you’re probably a better sewer than I!

You will be sewing 2 lines down each – 1 on either edge of the ribbon.

It’s easiest to sew the side closest to the visible fabric FIRST because that will hold it all in place better for you to sew the other side down.




Once you’ve sewn down the length of the ribbon on each end you are all set!

Just cut off the loose threads and mail!




*Some hints:
the most time-consuming part is cutting all the pieces to the right size. If you get all the little pieces ready first (paper, fabric, riboon) you can fly through the sewing lickety-split.
since these are about half the size of standard letter paper, it’s really easy to find envelopes that fit
for a more ruffly ruffle start with a longer strip of fabric.

Thanks for stopping by! Can’t wait to see your take on this project!

Amy T Schubert blogs about arts, crafts, inspiration and photography at Lemon and Raspberry. She is a photographer, scrapbooker, writer, crocheter and amateur seamstress. Really, it’s just fun to play with the arts and crafts. Please check out Lemon and Raspberry’s most recent free ebook offering - Better Photography in 3 steps.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Amy,
These are simply GORGEOUS! I can't wait to try this technique!
Thank you so much!
love, Amy

Guest Blogger: Sarah

Hi,
I am Sarah from Glue and Paint.

I am so happy that I can share one of my favorite project from the last few weeks with you.


I am going to show you how to make your own spring/summer/fall/winter fashion minibook.



All you need is a fashion magazine or a fashion catalog, tape, a scissor, a nail and wool & a pen




First you need to choose which pages will be your front- and back-page (I chose thicker ones).
Than you have to fold up a part of the page and tack them



or if you use a doublepage, you can also tack the side



Then stick them together with tape



Afterwards you have to trim the pages you want to use to the same size as your frontpage



Glue them into the book (let the edges overlap, so that you can glue them properly)



Afterward, you can sew the whole book together.




Now you only have to add your title, other sayings and cool text and pics of fashion trends you like.

Hope you had fun!!!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah, This book is SO gorgeous! I can't wait to make one just like it! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. :)
love, Amy

Pimp Your Refrigerator.

I participated in Janel's craft swap this time around (yay!)

As excited as I am to receive a box full of crafty goodness (THIRTY different crafts from artsy friends all over the country!) I was also excited to share my craft.

I used the faux polas from the shop to create magnet frames for everyone! I added hard backing and a small magnet strip and Voila! Refrigerator Decor.












I hope no one is disappointed I spoiled the surprise... but now you can choose your favorite photo and cut it to about 4x4" and have it ready to be framed! :)


♥, amy

DIY: Personalized Datebook!

I'm blog traveling today. :)

I'm a guest blogger over at Polka Dot Robot's blog party!

I wrote a DIY on how to create a sweet little guestbook to be cherished for years to come.

Click here for the DIY. Enjoy the party!



+via

i promised you all a DIY! :)

i still have plenty of items to update the shop with (update week will definitely be update two-weeks.) but every now and then, it's nice to post a little inspiration, art, and DIYs. this is one of those posts. i really love handmade items in my home, and i try to make everything myself. except when i run out of time. which is often.

this is a great project for those of you who don't have a lot of time on your hands. it's really simple, quick-drying, and spruces up a coffee table in no time! :)

let's make coasters.

you'll need:


clear glass coasters. here are some inexpensive ones (set of six!) that i found on amazon.


some great photos, flat stickers, patterned paper, or anything else you would like to decorate with. these are the ones i used.



modpodge. i like a matte finish.


remove rubber grips from the back of the coaster (the tiny things in the corner that grip the coaster to the table). use a foam paintbrush (or any paintbrush) to cover one side of the glass coaster and stick down a photo, stickers, paper, ribbon, whatever. (ooooh, ribbon.) then swipe a generous amount of modpodge OVER the decor. so you will have two layers of modpodge; one under the photo and one over the photo. allow to dry, and repeat the process on the other side of the coaster. replace rubber grips before the modpodge dries.

in just 30 or so minutes, you'll have coasters that went from this


to this


(front)


(back)

you asked for it: granny square help.

here is an email i wrote lindsay when she asked for some help/pointers to learn grannies.
i wanted to share it with you all, because after someone explained the correct method to me, i was *enlightened!*
this is a great opportunity to cross "learn to crochet a granny sq" off of your 2010 list, and your first one will probably take less than an hour.

again, to clarify: the SIZE for Operation GS does not matter. i will fit them together appropriately when i receive them.

anyway, here's the email:


here is a good written tutorial for grannies.

the thing about grannies is that they are really hard the first one or two times you try.
after that, they are easy as pie. you just have to be patient and practice. i am honestly convinced that if i can do this, anyone can. my first granny looked like a stop sign.

some more good links:
video one: solid granny
video two: two color granny
there are plenty of other videos as well , just search youtube for "granny square."

love, amy


more beauties:


+via


+via


+via

the journey of a painting

this is a custom painting made for a friend, and i thought it would be fun to take some step by step photos! this is pretty much how all of my etsy orders go down:


main elements (hearts, and some "paint-heavy" circles for texture.


background color: painted around the hearts but over the circles. (step 2 raised several questions + eyebrows from my family.)


added quote in middle + dark glitter around all hearts.



hug beautiful + happy customer.
love you, andi!
xo

p.s. i'm still taking orders for christmas... paintpaintpaintsleeppaintpaintcoffee.

handmade holiday, volume five. :)

this is a great project if you answer yes to any of the following:

• you want a superfast way to get crafty
• you want a supereasy project
• you need a supercute way to store your headbands, and find that you use your stuff more if it's out in the open.
• you need an inexpensive way to get crafty

(this is the bottom view, so you can see where i glued the fabric.)

if you have a roll of paper towels, a swatch of fabric, and a little fabric glue... you can make this! :)
i gathered the ends and tied them, first with a pink hair tie and then with a piece of lace. sort of like a candy wrapper.
but if you want, i'm sure you could tuck them in and glue them, like a wrapped present.
if you have any questions, of course you can leave them in the comments or e-mail me.

and in other "hand"made news... i finally grew out my nails long enough to give myself a french manicure!! :)

xo.

handmade holidays, part five.

a.k.a. my thanksgiving favors!

 

 

i made 4x6 prints of my thanksgiving canvas, framed them, and wrapped ribbon around them. it was super simple, but really cute + matched my mom's table settings perfectly (unplanned but not surprising).  i think it would be cool to emulate something similar for christmas favors. (click here for my holiday design.) you are welcome to make them yourself, but if you want some help or would rather take all the work out of it and have me make them for you, shoot me an e-mail. ;)

xo.