Naughty Notions Clutch...just in the nick of time

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A few weeks ago I stumbled across the Naughty Notions Challenge and immediately signed up (because it's not like I had a million other things that I needed to get done first...and is it really necessary for me to get 6 hours of sleep a night?  I mean, how ridiculous am I? *wink*wink*).  But, I love a challenge and just can't resist.  

I spent the first few days contemplating my design.  The voices in my head debated over several different ideas...zippers and buttons and bias tape, oh my!  Then it hit me....eyelets!  Lots and lots of eyelets!  I decided I would use them to create an outline of something.  But what? After hours and hours and hours and hours of research on Pinterest, I decided there was no better inspiration for an accessory than Audrey Hepburn.

Sadly, it turns out that even though I have a high school diploma and a college degree, I am not even close to being qualified to operate the eyelet gun.  I apparently lack that skill and need to hire an eyelet installation tutor. So ashamed!

But, I picked myself up, dusted myself off and started all over again!  And here it is...

 My notions are tulle, ribbon, a button and elastic rope.  With a satin base, I attached rows of tulle ruffles focused from the center out.

Then I covered the bare center seam with a satin hounds tooth ribbon and attached a black and white cameo button from my collection.  A small loop of elastic rope was attached on the reverse side to allow for a closure.

I really wanted to have a little pop of color, so I decided to add it to the inside.  I had this great remnant of satin with blue circles that I used as the lining.

I love how it turned out!  I can't wait to carry it!  

And now I am ready for the next challenge!

Don't forget to vote!!

  

Last Name Wall Art

I am one of those people who loves giving gifts.  I love it!  I love to really think about what someone might want or appreciate.  I love to see their reaction when they open it.  I love to design/create something unique that you can't find at the store. I just love everything about it! I love it!

I knew when I saw this tutorial from Full of Great Ideas that I had to make one and I knew exactly who I wanted to make it for...my parents.  Their anniversary is on Christmas Eve.  This means that even if I don't draw either one of their names at Christmas, I still get to give them a gift without breaking the rules.

After searching (and searching and searching) through all of the letters, I finally decided on a good mix of colors and designs that I knew they would like.  It was pretty quick and easy to create the design.  

Plus, I totally lucked out and came across this great frame at an antique mall.  It was originally a picture of a shoe and I only paid $12.  That's right...I said $12.

All that was left to do was print the design.  But for some reason I couldn't get my act together and get that part done.  Next thing I knew it was Dec. 21st and I hadn't done a thing yet.  So, without taking the time to check out the prices at all the different places I could have it printed, I rushed down to Kinkos and just went for it.  I am sure I could have done this cheaper, but I didn't have the time.  There was only 3 days left to get it printed and in the frame.  But, I don't regret it.  I turned out just as I had imagined.  I was thrilled with the final result.  

And more importantly, so were mom and dad!!

The Best Seat in the House

My favorite part about giving a gift is seeing the surprise/excitement on the other person's face.  This gift got me just that exact reaction.  And I love that!

This past year the family decided we would have a nothing-new Christmas.  Not including the gifts for all the kids, any presents we gave had to be recycled, handmade, previously used or vintage.  Every year we each draw a name of another family member and have a $50 budget.  I drew my sister-in-law Laura's name.  She wanted anything for the house, specifically a bench for the entry way or front porch if I could find one.  She also said she would like to have something with their last name on it, if possible.

Challenge accepted.

I came across this cute little storage bench at an antique mall and it was quite a steal at $20.  All it needed was a little personalization and it would be exactly what she was looking for.

Luckily, I just learned how to do a Citrasolv transfer and had the perfect solution...

I printed their last name in a variety of different fonts on my handy dandy laser printer (in reverse of course) and transferred them onto the thick comfy cushion I made.  These transfers took under an hour!  How can you beat that???

Plus, I already had a piece of 4" foam that was the perfect size for this bench!  The whole thing ended up costing less than $30!  The only problem is now I am a little jealous...secretly I thought about keeping it and coming up with a different gift.  But, after seeing how much she liked it...I was glad I didn't.

Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes...

I am not quite sure how the time has gotten away from me, but it has been 2 weeks since my last post.  I am on the verge of putting my house on the market, so I have been spending all my spare time trying to finish up a few small projects to get it ready.

Hopefully I can get my act together and try to be a little more organized with my time.   Especially since I have joined the Naughty Notions Challenge and need to get my clutch done!  I have started my first attempt, but I am not all that thrilled with how it is turning out.  I think I just need to sleep on it and decide in the morning if I am going to move on to plan B.

Now, on to the superheroes in my life.

It all starts with a boy named George...

George is 5 and doesn't like to go anywhere without his superhero cape on.  So, I knew for Christmas I wanted to make him a personalized one.  (Since, I have 3 nephews between the ages of 3 and 5, I made one for each of them.)

(It was a little chaotic that day, so I didn't get pictures of each one wearing the capes, but this is what Charlie's cape and Connor's cape looks like)

George loved it so much that he wore it home.  Oh yeah, and they are reversible...

Even grandpa was a little jealous and had to have a turn being the superhero.  Which led to this...

and this...

It was fun to see them really enjoying the capes.