DIY: Painted Trinket Dish

I can't believe I never posted this project from back in December!

It's so inexpensive and easy and it makes a great little hostess gift, whether it's for the holidays or just as a small gift for someone for something special.

Like a day that ends in the letter 'y.'

Materials:
-Small clear glass candy dishes (I found these in the dollar bins at Target for $1 each)

-Cheap nail polish (I used NYC brand in black and white and some other neon pink one I had on hand)

-Glossy spray paint
-Sticky back felt (I found mine at Hobby Lobby)

I don't have photos of the actual process because it was so easy that I actually had monkeys do this for me and they are highly unphotogenic so the pictures were terrible.

Step 1:
Lay out a drop cloth in a well-ventilated area and lay your glass dishes on it, upside down.

Step 2:
Spatter paint the backsides of the glass dishes using the nail polish and let it dry completely.  You could even do polka dots or, if you're the artistic type, paint something really wonderful like the Mona Lisa or something.

Step 3:
Spray paint OVER the dried spattered nail polish and let dry completely. You may need 2 coats of the spray paint to cover thoroughly.

Step 4:
Once the paint is completely dry, cut out sticky back felt circles to fit the bottom of your glass dish and adhere to bottoms of dishes.

Step 5:
Smile at your own awesomeness!

For jewelry

On an entry table to hold keys and spare change

For holding paperclips and other supplies on your desk

In the bathroom to hold bobby pins and hair bands

Or be super creative and use it as a candy dish

My favorite is the one using neon pink nail polish. I use it in my bathroom.  This one doesn't have the felt pad on the bottom so the paint edges have worn off slightly...easy to fix though.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Made With Love: Preppy Hearts Sweater

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I have been working on some handmade gifts for my 3 kids for Valentine's Day.

Today I wanted to share what I made for my older daughter.

Her style is a bit preppier than my younger daughter so I wanted something that was a little bit along those lines.

I decided that some heart elbow patches would be a great way to update a classic preppy sweater!

(My apologies in advance for the poor lighting and photo quality!)

I found this J Crew wool and angora blend sweater at the thrift store for only $2.00!

(You want to make sure the weave of your sweater is a smaller type weave.  You could also use a sweatshirt instead if you prefer!)

 

The thrifted sweater option was perfect just in case I totally jacked this project up and had to throw it away. 

For the patches I found this cute plaid fabric at my local Hanocock Fabric Store.

It was on sale plus I only needed a very small amount.

It cost me about $2.00 (if you're keeping track that means I am at less than $5 for this project!)

I also used this white cotton fabric that I had at home for the back of the hearts to give them more weight.

I cut out a heart template to the size I wanted using some regular printer paper.

Then I pinned the heart template to the plaid and white fabrics layered one on top of the other.

I cut them out then pinned the two heart fabrics to the backside 'elbows' of the sweater.

Since the sleeves are fairly snug and the sweater fabric stretches a lot I decided it would be best to sew the patches on by hand.

You want to be careful that you don't sew the front and back of the sleeve together!

Because I used a very simple hand stitch and the fabric naturally unravels a little on the edges, my patches have frayed looking edges and the stitching is very visible.

I actually wanted this sort of 'homespun' look.

But...you could probably use some FrayCheck beforehand or maybe glue some rickrack or sequin trim to the edges with fabric glue.

And here is my finished Preppy Hearts Sweater!

The total cost was about $5.00!

It did take me a couple of hours to complete the project because the hearts were hand-sewn 

(with love in every stitch of course!)

You can also check out the Sweetheart Sweatshirt my younger daughter is getting.

It was a 1 hour project that cost about $7.00!

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

 

 

 

 

Made With Love: Sweetheart Sweatshirt

No, I'm not dead.

It's just been mega crazy busy around these here parts.

But I have finally gotten around to working on some projects I have been planning for a while.

The first is a Valentine's Day gift for one of my girls.

I've been even more enamored with the idea of handmade gifts lately and wanted to make each of my my kids something special.

For this project, I started with a plain dark gray Hanes sweatshirt 

(mine cost $2.00.)

I didn't photograph it but you know what a plain gray sweatshirt looks like.

I purchased 1/3 yard of this red wool and sequin fabric at Hancock Fabric Store.

It was expensive but was on sale and I only needed a little.  

I think I spent around $3.00 for 1/3 of a yard and I still have plenty leftover.

Then I cut out an asymmetrical heart template from an old shopping bag.

I wanted it big enough to stand out but not take up the entire front of the sweatshirt.

Then I layered the red fabric on top of some plain white cotton I already had on hand (to give the heart more weight), pinned the template to it, and cut out both pieces.

I laid the layered heart pieces on top of the sweatshirt (the white is the under layer, of course) and pinned them to hold them in place.

I did choose to use a sewing machine rather than hand sewing the heart because I wanted a thick sewn border around the heart. 

The stitch setting I used is the third from the left. 

Not the easiest stitch/sewing job I have done but I am a major beginner!

Anyway, I stitched around the entire heart,stopping periodically to make sure it was still laying flat and not puckering.

And here it is, ready for Valentine's Day!

The entire project took me about an hour and cost me around $7.00 total!

Check back tomorrow to see my Preppy Hearts Sweater project!

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney