fabric birds

Waking up to birds chirping is one of the loveliest things about spring... which reminded me of these adorable fabric birds I pinned ages ago from Jen Loves Kev. The original idea/pattern is from Spool, and these are so fun because you can use up your pretty fabric scraps (I also picked up a few really inexpensive pieces from the remnant bin) and whip out a few rather quickly - and the possibilities are endless...

 

Start by downloading the pattern from Spool (here), and follow the instructions to cut out and assemble. I picked out springy fabrics from my stash and had fun mixing and matching patterns - you can even add a third pattern/color by tacking on some wings at the end.

The instructions on the PDF download are a little sparse (for a beginner sewer like me anyway) so I did a little search for others who had made these birdies, and I found some very helpful hints/photos for figuring out how to pin the body and belly pieces together at Lou Lou's Homemade. Check there for the detailed step-by-step; here's the quickie version:

Sharing here:

five things friday: spring projects edition

I never quite made it with my good intentions for most of the holiday/seasonal decorating lately, so I thought I'd better get a jump start on Easter/spring ideas if I want to make them happen... And these five ideas are so cute, how could you not want to do them all?

           

Source: purlbee.com via Debbie on Pinterest
1. Easter bags from the Purlbee (they always have the cutest ideas).

Source: marthastewart.com via Vicki on Pinterest
2. Hanging eggs on pretty branches is a great decorating/centerpiece idea.

Source: marthastewart.com via Ana on Pinterest

3. If you're impatiently awaiting outdoor blooms, you can make your own indoors!

        

Source: underthehighchair.com via Megan on Pinterest

4. Simple cupcakes fit the season with a few eggs nestled into the frosting.

Source: etsy.com via Anna on Pinterest

5. Spring makes me want to fill the house with greens after winter - moss-covered letters 

are a fun wreath alternative.

spring cleaning checklists

It's going to be chores before play (repainting my recent finds) for me this weekend - I haven't done any spring cleaning yet and really should. I have no excuse to avoid it on Saturday as (a) my hubby is working all day & all night and (b) it's supposed to rain a bunch.

For me, all tasks are more appealing when list making is involved and infinitely more satisfying to complete when I get to check them off, so I made a couple springy lists for myself. I adapted many of the items from Martha Stewart's spring cleaning and spring maintenance lists, left off a few that didn't apply, and added a few of my own. If you're inspired (or just feeling obligated) to do some cleaning too, you can print them too: indoors PDF, outdoors PDF.

 

While I was at it, I also adapted Martha's monthly cleaning list and added a few items of my own. I think I'll laminate it so I can reuse every month, and maybe those tasks I tend to neglect in favor of more fun stuff will actually get accomplished.

felt easter baskets

Recently I came across these adorable felt buckets for Easter at Target. They're only $2 apiece, but with my burgeoning sewing skills and the remnant bin at Joann's, I figured I could make three of these for even less.

 Target's

 

Mine

Supplies:

• Felt
• Fabric stiffener
• Sewing machine
• Flower pot or small bucket for template
• Paper/tape/scissors to make template
• Fabric glue
• Embellishments (ribbon, felt, embroidery thread, etc.)

 

To start, you need to make a template. I came across this idea from Make It and Love It: tape two pieces of paper together and wrap them around your flower pot/bucket prototype. Fold the edges around the bottom/top and mark the edges. After you remove the paper from around the pot, cut along the lines, and you'll have the template. You also need a template for the base - trace around the bottom and cut the template about half an inch bigger around. You can make the handle however long and thick you like...

Start by folding the bucket piece in half (inside out), pin, and then sew close to the edge. Then flip it and press the seam flat, and you've got your bucket shape.

At this point I painted on some fabric stiffener with a foam brush to make it a bit sturdier. Once my stiffened bucket was dry, I applied some fabric glue around the inside of the bottom and placed the circle inside.

 Once that set, I attached handle (which I had embellished with ribbon & fabric glue).

And while the above were drying/setting, I cut some egg shapes out of another felt color and decorated them with some embroidery thread. These got glued on with fabric glue at the very end.

End result - three cute Easter baskets for about $2  - that was just the cost of my remnant piece of felt since the rest I dug out form my craft stash (aside from the fabric stiffener, but I was planning on buying that for some other potential projects anyway). That means a savings of $4, which means more candy to put inside!

hydrangea eggs

Last month I made a hydrangea wreath out of paper and my handy Martha Stewart hydrangea punch ... and I knew I wasn't going to be able to stop myself from plastering petals on some other objects. My original inspiration came from fabric flower covered eggs at Pottery Barn, so eggs were what I did next.

See the how-to on the wreath project here; it's essentially the same process for the eggs, except of course you start with some plastic eggs (mine was a 99 cent set from Target) rather than a wreath form. I took my color inspiration from the eggs, that way if a little of the plastic peeks through, it doesn't totally stand out. Again, I used two close shades of the same color to give it a little depth.

 

I decided to cover all the way, rather than leaving a blank spot at the bottom for them for balance, but they seemed to stand up okay anyway. I saw some giant eggs at Michael's that would be fun to do for a bit centerpiece. You could also attach a ribbon hanger to the top before hydrangea-ifying.

 

Sharing here.

hydrangea wreath

Whether or not spring is actually appearing weather-wise, you know it's popping up in all the stores... Recently I've seen a couple cute hydrangea-covered items at Pottery Barn (egg-shaped ornaments covered with fabric flowers) and Michael's (round ornament covered with paper petals).
Because I liked those, and also because I apparently like making wreaths that take a long time (exhibit A), I wanted to take the above inspiration and make a springy wreath. Lo and behold, Martha Stewart makes a hydrangea punch, so after picking that up on sale, off I went.

Supplies:

• 5-6 sheets of 12X12 paper
• Hydrangea (or other similar flower shape) craft punch
  
• Wreath form
• Glue gun
• Ribbon for hanging
  

Directions are simple: Cut paper into strips. Punch out flower shapes. Fold up edges of flowers to give dimension. Glue flowers to wreath until it's covered.
Some tips:

• Consider covering/spray painting the wreath form something similar to your paper color. I didn't really think of this until it was too late - I don't mind the little bits of green peeking through that much though.
• Use two close shades of the same color paper to give it some depth, like a real hydrangea.
  
• Don't bother covering the back, this way it will lay flat.
  
• Line up some good stuff on the DVR as you'll be at this a while...

Even if it was kind of time consuming, I love the effect... and will definitely be hydrangea-ifying some other items soon!

spring fever

After a week of sunshine and above-average temperatures, I've got some serious spring fever. We're getting back to more February-like weather this week, but I'm hanging on to spring by rounding up some fresh and springy craft ideas for around the house:

Quilted coasters from A Pretty Cool Life on Tatertots & Jello

Painted acorn wreath from MADE

Spring napkins from the Purl Bee

Grass candles from Martha Stewart

Eggshell votives from Martha Stewart

Colorful silhouettes from Tatertots & Jello