My DIY Bird Cage Fascinator

Having an affinity for almost anything vintage, head ware is something that went by the way side long ago. You look back at the women of the past and it was their hats, their fascinators that made their outfits complete and polished...and lets say it...totally fabulous! These days, yes they're making a little bit of a come back but lets be honest; it really depends on where you live and who you are. Where I live, its definitely not something you see people wearing and you'd most likely get hit with good shock or bad shock. I know you aren't supposed to care what others think of you, but come on. Who wants to be the "town freak", especially when it causes people to accuse you of trying too hard and being pretentious. (Yes, you did detect a hint of bitterness there.) But anyway! Moving on!

I decided I just had to make a little bird cage fascinator for myself. I saw other feathers when I made my * DIY Feather Headband * and then at the fabric store I saw they actually had the bird cage material. The two totally clicked and I just had to put them together. I was so anxious to see how it even would turn out I didn't even do step by step pictures. You will follow the same instructions as on the feather headband except you will want to replace the elastic head band with an alligator clip. It'll take a little while to get the bird cage adjusted exactly how you want it so be patient, play around with it. =)

Once you have your bird cage set, carefully apply hot glue to the felt attached the the feathers. While holding it in place, quickly cover the remaining area with hot glue and cover with a second piece of felt. To attach the clip, I applied a slip strip of glue to the back of the clip and pressed it onto the felt. Then with the clip open, I took a small strip of felt and glued it to the inside of the back of the clip and carefully let it dry. 

That's all! Super easy for a simple little bird cage fascinator. Now....I need some place to wear it! I've got a couple little ideas, so keep your fingers crossed that I'll get to do them and I'll post pictures asap if I do!!

Happy Creating!

Loves!

~Kels

Dimitri...Canvas

Sometimes, there are things that only make sense to me and maaaybe one other person. (That I actually know.) The movie Dr. Strangelove and some of the quotes from it is one of those things. =)

Take a plain canvas.

Select the size lettering you want. I used 2 or 3 inch Vinyl stickers.

Its advisable to use a ruler to get your letters even...but I was in a hurry that day!

To make my canvas at least a little different from all the others like this out there, I took heavy gloss gel...

And added paint to it.

This gives you more thickness and texture. (I'm all about me some texture.)

Because Dr Strangelove is about a bomb, I wanted it to look rough and in some ways mimic an explosion.

Once the yellow was dry, I painted over the center and letters with black.

Carefully I peeled away the letters once the whole thing was dry.

Its a great way to make something like an inside joke, favorite quote or lyric into "art" that you can put up in your home...and get a smile out of every time you see it! =)

Happy Creating!

Loves!

~Kels

Goals - Second Update

I am very proud and excited to get to cross another item off my * Goal List *!

24. Sell my first handmade item

A woman from my church saw my * Christmas Pillow * and asked me to maker her one. When I contacted her before I went to pick out fabric she went ahead and asked me to make a second. So thank you, Elanor! And way to go on getting your Christmas gifts taken care of WAY early!

Enjoy, Elanor. I hope you like them.

Here's to hoping for the opportunity to make more for others!

Loves!

~Kels

Sweatshirt Re-Vamp

I recently finally finished my sister's Christmas/Birthday presents. Yes, yes I know...suuupper late! It's kinda a thing with us. One thing I made for her was an upcycled shirt.

Upcycled tends to mean turning something you already have into something new. Well, I didnt have anything laying around that fit the bill, so I went and got a white long sleeve shirt. I had seen this DIY on * A Beautiful Mess * a few months back and thought I'd give it a shot. I love Elsie's blog (It's honestly what truly inspired me to get mine going. After seeing it things really clicked you could say.)

It looks cuter on than it does just hanging there, but I'm not as "blessed" in a certain area as she is, so I was totally falling out. (TMI. I know, I know!) Hopefully it'll look great on her and I'll get a picture of it soon. =)

Here's the link to the DIY

* Doilie Sweatshirt ReStyle *

Happy Creating!

Loves!

~Kels

Lightning McQueen Decopage

A while back my son picked out a Cars magazine that was in comic strip form of the Pixar movie. As with any magazine that lands around babies...it began to get destroyed. I knew how much he loved it and how much he just loves McQueen! So I went around and picked up every remnant I could find, grabbed one of my blank canvases, and some Modge Podge. =) I dont have pictures of the process, but I have some of the end result.

Using a paint brush or sponge, brush Modge Podge onto canvas after cutting and selecting your pictures. Layer back and forth between the Modge Podge and the pictures.

I took a lot of the pictures and wrapped them around the edges of the canvas to use up as much space and have as little canvas visible as possible. I will probably still go back and fill in areas.

You could have your kids join with you or even do this as a project on their own if they're a little older. If they're younger they can help you pick their favorite pictures to use. This was a great way to make "Art" for T's room while recycling...or upcycling...something I already had literally laying around the house. =) Cant beat free art!!

Happy Creating!

Loves!
~Kels

DIY Feather Headband

These head bands arent new, but I'm still excited to have finally made a couple myself. When browsing through Michael's, I found a couple feather pieces that were basically ready to go. All I had to do was attach them to something. Since often regular headbands can hurt my head, I opted for the stretchy elastic ones. If these are the type you go with, be sure that you get the no-slip kind!

Cut yourself a piece of felt that matches the shape of your piece. Heat up the glue gun!

Lay out a strip of hot glue across your feather piece and carefully press the elastic band across it. Let set and cool a minute or two.

Apply glue to the felt all the way around the edges and throughout the center. Flip, and carefully press onto the back of the feathers and over the band.

Here's all the steps shown:

With the thin band, it looks more like a fascinator than an actual head band.

C'mon girls! Lets bring back the hats and fascinators of days past! hehe

Happy Project Thursday!

Loves!

~Kels

Past Projects

Shortly before my girls were born, I up and decided I was going to sew and make everything for them myself; even all the way to cloth diapers. (But after not being able to find the right material and two stints in the hospital, those ended up just getting purchased.) I very much surprised myself with my outcomes because everything I've made - minus two or three articles of clothing for myself - has been my own creation and done completely on my own. Never be afraid to just go after something and try it out! 



The first pair of shoes I made. Hand sewn

I was a little more creative with these.

Car Seat covers. I started off with a pattern, but it didnt really fit the dimensions of the seats, so I did most of it on my own.

Drapes I made for the car seats. I was so in love with this Tudor Rose patterned fabric!

And the underside. I attached snaps to the ribbons and the outer side of the fabric and they could be detached to use as a blanket. I didnt want them to be useless later especially with how much I liked the fabric.

These are crib dividers/toy holders. I felt quite ingenious when I came up with these for my twins to share a bed until they were bigger without rolling over on each other and bothering the other.

Bibs

These were my first try at bibs but I cut them too narrow and was pretty much just wrong all around. BUT I took the mess up and turned them into bath mitts.

Ribbon edged burp cloths.

Reversible Bedding

Reusable bags. I made these with the intention of using them for used cloth diapers when we were out. But they can be used for anything; snacks, etc.

I cross stitched these for a long time. I didnt use a pattern, I just happened upon pictures of this cupid and thought it was so cute. I was able - after lots of charting and agitation - to figure it and the lettering out on my own. I love the little bow that I added after the rest was done. They just needed to be a tad more girlie. I cant wait to finally get these nice and framed up and add the girls' pictures to the opposite side of the cupids (where the "x"/cross is)

Happy Creating!

Loves!

~Kels

Christmas Crafty Pillow

Yes, Christmas is over. But I thought I'd share the poinsettia pillow I made for my Aunt for Christmas. It was very simple and I can see myself making several variations of it so it isnt just a Christmas-only decoration.

I started out picking a pillow from the fabric store. Once you choose your pillow, you can determine how much fabric you will need. I was lucky and found a remnant that worked perfectly. Its a sort of suede-like material. Next I picked up red and green felt squares and after much deliberation-and multiple trips to the store- I finally chose beads that I wanted to use.

Since I only had about an hour for this project and it isnt an article of clothing, I opted out of washing and drying the fabric. I instead ironed out the fold creases. Always start with ironed fabric before cutting. I laid my pillow on the fabric and cut two squares, giving myself extra room for seam allowances, about 1/4 inch. Lay right sides of fabric (the sides you want showing on the outside when your pillow is complete) together and pin three sides. Sew three sides together. Flip right-side out. Take your felt squares and cut out your leaves and petals and lay them on the pillow or fabric to see how you want them to lay.

After three of four attempts of trying to hand sew through all the layers of felt to attach it to the fabric-while also bending my needle!- I ended up stitching them on one layer at a time. I did the petals first attached the leaves last in case the petals shifted. Next I sewed on the beads in the center of the smallest petals. Once the flower was complete, I stuffed the pillow inside it's new case. It was incredibly snug and I couldnt even get the fourth side closed. I had a baby melt down and then decided to remove the polyfil from the pillow and hand stuff it into the case. To do this, I flipped the case inside out again (carefully) and sewed the fourth side closed, leaving 3 or 4 inches to stuff. Once the pillow is completely stuffed, you must hand stitch the rest of the opening closed. I'm not going to lie, its something I need practice on. But it being my first pillow, I was pleased with how it came out. : )

My Aunt loved it. She thinks I could-and should-sell them. From her mouth to God's ears. hehe

Happy creating!

Loves,
~Kels