Archive for the ‘make it’ Category

I’d like to welcome Vanessa from V and Co. She is incredibly talented… and I never fail to find inspiration when I drop by her blog.  You are going to love her tutorial… she takes what is little more than a scrap of fabric and turns it into a lovely piece of fashion.  Thank you Vanessa for sharing your talents with us.

Hi there every one I’m excited to share with you this little flower ring tutorial while Calli is away having fun at Disneyland!!! Please come by and check out my other tutorials and I hope you enjoy this one!
Thanks Calli and hope you have fun!!!

here’s a perfect ring to give to a friend, mother, daughter, wife, or yourself.
with a few and easy steps you can make this lovely little (okay kinda big) fabric flower ring for whoever you chose!

supplies:
*one strip of fabric measuring at 1 inch by 10 inches.
*one adjustable ring blank
*hot glue

i have kits for this ring in my shop yes that’s right i’m making the move to big cartel.
paypal friendly, codes allowed for discounts, not nickle and diming me to death all made it easier for me to make the move. yes you will see my newer designs in my bc shop. i’ll keep my etsy open…but assuming all goes well sooner than later all will be moved and only operating through V and Co. the shop .
the kits come in three colors for now but if you are interested in another color just contact me either through email or through my “contact” in my shop and we’ll see what i can do for you!
each kit comes with enough fabric and a ring blank. okay i digress.

ready to get started? here we go:

first you will need to get your fabric cut to 1 inch by 10 inches. (it doesn’t have to be perfect we’re going for wonky)
dab a little bit of hot glue at the end of your strip and fold in half. secure.
dab another bit of hot glue and fold in half

dab a little bit of hot glue to the end again…

this time you are going to fold over like the picture above. (fold down instead of in half again)
now you are going to twist your fabric a little
and dab a little bit of hot glue to the “base”
i like to make sure my fabric is twirled a little on the tighter side(but not too tight!). this will make your flower smaller and tighter.
continue to twist and twirl your fabric all the while adding a dab of hot glue to secure your new twist to the last twist.

when you get your flower as big as you want it (making sure you leave a little bit of a tail)
add some hot glue to the bottom of your flower and fold and secure your tail at the bottom of your flower flat.
next cut off the extra tail that shows.
next you will get your adjustable ring blank
place a dab of hot glue on to it and
secure your ring. let cool.
what i love about these rings is that they are adjustable and comfortable so no matter how big or small your fingers are the ring base will work for you!
now get ready to wear your new ring!

buy your kit here.

Image via Martha Stewart

10 to 12 hours in the car is going to be a long trip for my kids.  It’s the longest drive we’ve ever made in one day.  To help pass the time,  I am putting together a travel car kit for each of them.

Luckily for me, Martha Stewart created a very stylish and free Travel Bingo game.  It’s a very fun little template for up to four players that I printed out.  I think I’ll laminate the cards so I can reuse them again for other vacations.

I also love her idea of including copy of the road map for the kids to follow.  That way they can get a sense of distance and direction as we travel.  I somehow don’t think that will stop them from asking, “Are we there yet?”  But at least I can say, “Who can find Cedar City on your map?  That’s where we are.” I simply went to Google Maps, typed our destination, and printed the map.  Each of the kids gets their own copy.

Also in the boxes, I’m including a sketch and activity pad, our 50 states license plate game, colored pencils and sharpener, a book to read, an embroidery, and a few small toys.

I’m also bringing along large envelopes for the kid’s to keep their postcards and memento’s in.  That way they can put it all together into a scrapbook of our trip when we get home.  My mom suggested taking a small essay book for the kids to keep a journal during the trip.  I kept a journal of my trip to Disneyland as a kid, and it will be fun to compare them when we’re done.  And I won’t forget to bring small jars for the kids to collect a bit of sand and hopefully a few shells in.  It’s their first time to the beach and I know that’s something they’ll love to keep.  With a little label saying the name of the beach and the date, it will make a nice souvenir of the trip.