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I just had to share this really cute tutorial I found today on SwirlyThoughts. She shows how to make padded envelopes using reclaimed materials.
It is such a wonderful idea. So many possibilities!
I have been been doing a lot of playing around with magazines lately. I saved a rather large stash from the trash at work last week. So as you can imagine there has been lots of cutting, folding, rolling and gluing (non-toxic) going on. Needless to say, it has been an interesting challenge coming up with different ways to reuse them all.
For the most part I have had great luck in making jewelry out of them. Earrings, bracelets and beads have all been fun. I’ll post about them later though.
Today however, I am very pleased with a tea wallet that I made. I love my tea, and always have a bag or two in my purse or pocket. Christy’s Creations had a great Tea Wallet Tutorial that I thought might be a fun way to reuse the magazines. The image I chose was a little small, but I love how it came out.
Surprisingly durable and very cute. I have been taking it to work all week, and absolutely love it.
I came across this great utensil holder project made from paper bags, over at Machine d’amour.
All you need is a paper bag, some vinyl and a sewing machine. It is really quite simple. Check out her instructions here.
This would also work great with magazine pages and left over paper scraps.
I have some extra vinyl laying around, maybe the girls and I will make some pretty placemats for when it’s warm enough to eat outside again. :)
My little Jade came up to me after finishing her homework and asked when I would finally teach her how to sew. I have to admit I was a little surprised by her question, so I asked her what she had in mind. She answered by pointing out my knitting project, the crochet needles and my sewing machine. Then she went on to explain she wasn’t sure witch one would be best, she just wanted to learn something new.
As a mom, who could say no! Well my little Rain didn’t want to be left out. So we decided to go with the sewing machine as it seemed the easiest for both of them. We grabbed a bag of clothes that Rain had grown out of and started plotting.
After much talking and planning Rain decided to make a bag out of her strawberry shortcake shirt and Jade went for a doll out of an old dress.
Rain loved her project and it was a great one to start her on as it was very easy and fast. I sewed the bottom of the shirt and she went to work on cutting off the sleeves.
It turned out pretty cute and she has been putting everything in there since. I am so happy she likes it!!!
Jade’s project took a couple of days to finish, but she did a great job. First we measured out the skirt and used a piece of news paper for her to draw up a design for her doll. She made a few patterns before she found the one she liked.
After it was all cut and pinned, she got to sewing. Jade was really excited to use my machine. She had a blast, and did a great job. I hand sewed the eyes for her. She did the seams and the mouth.
Stuffing it was a really fun part for her. She wanted to make sure it was super soft and cuddly, so she kept hugging as she went, just to be sure.
All and all her doll turned out very cute. Jade is thrilled and has been telling everyone she sees that this is her favorite doll and she made it out of her old dress.
I think she is very proud.
So am I!
Happy Day!!!
My Mom loves her earring holder. It turned out really nice, and matches her room beautifully.
Here are the pictures I promised. Sorry about the delay. Let me know what you think.
I backed the image with cardboard trimmed in black to add some depth and better frame the earrings. Also I applied a matte finish to complement the satin ribbon.
Here is a neat way to recycle your unused matchboxes.
I tried it the other day and it turned out pretty good. The picture I used was taken in 1921, I found it in a National Geographic.
Supplies:
Matchbox - with 12 matches
3 Incense sticks
Paper scraps
Exacto knife
Scissors
Decoupage Glue
Cut out paper to match the size of the box, leaving one side open to strike the matches on.
With the decoupage, glue your image onto the box using your knife to trim the edges.
While waiting for it to dry, cut the incense down to the size of the matches.
Scrape off one of the ends of each little incense stick. This provides better stability when they are in use.
When the box is dry use your knife to poke a hole in the top for the incense to stick in.
Fill the box with your mini incense and matches and you are ready to go.
Here is my new Vintage style portable incense holder.
