DIY: Typographic Pallet Art

I know I've mentioned a million times that I work for a print company. What I haven't embellished on, is that paper is shipped on pallets, so there's a TON of pallets in all shapes and sizes behind our shop. Seriously. And with this whole ReduceReuseRecycle fad officially a "lifestyle movement", I couldn't help but be inspired.

I've always been a lover of typographic art, but since the last month of Strong Creative has been all about graphic design, rather than the tactile arts, I couldn't help but be inspired.

A quick print out of our favorite song lyric in Arial at 150pts, cut out with an Exacto blade, made a perfect stencil. Note, I didn't say the stenciling itself was perfect…all these years of watching HGTV, and I forgot to stipple with a dry brush, rather than paint it on.

I have to say tho, I love the "perfectly-non-perfect" effect, and even better, my Trevor LOVES it. He's always proud of my work, but this is the first decor-y item he's been completely blown away and thrilled by. So, they'll be for sale in my Etsy shop shortly. (Edit: For sale now in my Etsy Shop!) Pick your own meaningful quote, of course ;)

Also, not too shabby, that the blue matches my new-to-me lamps from Napa's newest consignment store, Roost.

Late nights and tree skirts

My man is in Dallas for the next few days, so I've been using those lonely nights to get things off my Christmas list!

So far the past few nights have been very productive, but mostly cleaning and organizing before the baby's birthday party. I've rearranged some artwork, finished my lovely little forest banner from Purl Bee, and worked on a few Christmas surprises that obviously won't be made public until they're seen by the recipient ;)

I do have something to show for myself the past few days, however. We finally pulled out the Christmas tree at work, and I guess the tree-skirt was lost in storage somewhere. So, what's a crafty girl to do? Ask for petty cash to whip up a new one over night :)

It was SUPER easy! I used this tutorial from Design*Sponge. I did all my cutting while the baby was happily pulling DVDs out of the entertainment unit, and finished the whole thing in probably 45min total. What a difference a properly working machine makes!

To-Do: Master Bedroom

My bedroom depresses me.

Okay, not TERRIBLY, but its definitely one of the most sparse rooms in the house, and since it's not pretty, it often becomes a 15x12" laundry hamper. So then, I have nights like tonight, when I spend hours picking up dirty clothes with a baby strapped to my chest. (Let me tell you, my thighs are KILLING from the careful squats to pick things up without waking her!)

As you may know, I work best off of lists. So, a list of design ideas for our bedroom, to be bought when I have the money, or to to be recreated with crafty flair when I don't. (The latter is more frequent.)

Jewelry Storage

Gorgeous, hmm? I've been spending a lot of time up in my bedroom this evening, purging and organizing, and I came to the realization that I definitely need some sort of jewelry display. Too often necklaces end up in my undie drawer, and become tangled and broken. The picture above is from Design*Sponge. Who wants to buy me a jigsaw for my birthday?


I've seen variations on the framed jewelry board too, and if I found a particularly special frame, this might do. But, it does seem somewhat busy if you have a TON of jewelry, which I do not.

Then of course there is the ultimate lazy DIY version.

Bedding
Since we've lived together, our bedding has been cheap Tarjay/Walmart separates combined with retired duvet covers from my mom. Once, we stood in front of the wall of duvet covers at Ikea, and picked the most neutral one up there, because everything I wanted was too girly, and everything he wanted was too masculine. Ooh, grey tonal blocks. Exciting.

Ultimately, bedding is what truly makes a bedroom. It's the visual centerpiece that beckons for you to come spend more time between the sheets. Ooh, look how cozy I am. Come cuddle.


We currently have a dark cherry four poster bed, that's super high. Another mom handmedown, but it's a grown up step up from our previous Craigslist Ikea Malm bed. It's pretty similar to the photo, but the headboard is round. And it's up against our big window facing the street.

This ruffle duvet cover from Urban Outfitters looks like a great base to a cozy, dreamy bed. But for $128? Mmm, not so much. Broke, remember? This could be a great DIY project, however. My first sewing project was a bag similar to this. Same thing for their tuxedo ruffle set. Something textural and neutral, with awesome throw bright pillows. Yes please.


I'm also thinking I need to rearrange the room. With the bed in front of the window, we pretty much always need to keep the curtains drawn, which even with white curtains, makes our dark room even darker. I think I should finish Trevor's nightstand too. That thing has been sitting stripped in the garage for months now. Now if only I had the time to do any one of these things!

DIY: felt birdy mobile

No baby yet, but I've been plenty busy getting ready for her. We haven't had any extra cash (do we ever?) so I've been super creative with what I have around the house. Personally I think it makes everything better. I'm careful with the supplies I do have, with precise cutting and a 'slow and steady wins the race' mentality.

First up, that mobile I've been talking about for weeks. Some bright felt, and a couple mock-ups later, I came up with something sweet and simple that I couldn't be happier with. Trevor absolutely loves it as well :) As an extra bonus, I now have a pattern to make some cheap and meaningful Christmas ornaments for family/friends. Giving is something I love most about the season, and now I don't have to worry about showing up Christmas morning empty-handed.





Wait, what's that? Is that a different fabric on the rocking chair? I think it is.... That'll wait for the next post, because my iPhone doesn't take great pictures at night.

*edit* Ugh, sorry about that. This is my first blogger update via iPhone, and first time using my photobucket app. I know those images are size massive. I'll fix @ work tomorrow. -C

DIY: Simple Crib Skirt

This was ridiculously simple, and I made it a two-evening long project. Pathetic? No. I think my over meticulousness on something as easy as this was good practice for the more challenging sewing projects I have on deck.

Last night I measured the crib, and did a mock up with some $0.50/yard white cotton. I just turned the seams once, left strings hanging, etc etc. Trevor liked it and the dimensions were right. Can't ask for much more!

So today, I busted out a flat sheet from Target. My family has an aversion to flat sheets, so we have plenty to go around. This one was hot pink, from my middle sister. I checked sizing last night, and I have plenty to do the sheet and the outside panels of the bumpers.

Today I slowed down, and took a long time measuring and ironing. I promised Trevor that I'm going to do things to the best of my ability from now on. Former projects were done haphazardly... not half assed, but once I hit the point of less than 100% confidence, I'd just rush to get the job finished.

Not tonight tho! I cut 5 panels:

2 of 19x29
2 of 19x53
1 of 29x53

I used the big panel as the anchor, so to speak, of the entire skirt. Basically, its the piece pinched in between the mattress and the springs, keeping the skirt in place. The four other panels were sewed to it, making a big cross, or "t". I left an inch on every side, and made some fancy, professional looking seams. Turned and pressed once, then turned again and did a simple straight stitch.



It wasn't until I was putting the skirt in the crib that I realized you only see one sewn hem, and one other panel, since the crib is place in the corner - but again, the meticulousness will pay off later. And I promised :)




The bumpers will have the same pinks on the outside, and a still-to-be-decided contrasting/coordinating fabric on the inside. I'm going to go thru all the fabric I have and see if anything works with the other fabric/colors in the room - if not, I need to wait for a big sale at Hancock fabrics.

Oh, in other news, I finished the changing pad cover last night! The elastic was ridiculously easy to sew in. I owe a BIG thanks to the girls at Prudent Baby for giving me the confidence to jump in. And, of course, the Free Cycler from a few months ago that gave me enough notions to last a lifetime.



Now it's 1am, and I have heartburn, and work in the morning. I think it's time for bed.

:-)

Baby's Room : Finishing Touches

Anybody know where I can get a good tutorial for making a changing pad cover? Mine has contoured sides, and the cover that's on their currently has elastic along the bottom. I suppose I could do it without the elastic, and just use some velcroed straps or something.

BUT I've promised Trevor that everything I make for the room will look as finished and professional as possible. So any help is appreciated :) I know I can tear apart the current one, and use it as a template for the majority of the piece, its just that finishing fitted touch that only our dear friend elastic can bring.

I'm going to use the same fabric from that first baby blanket for the cover, and then for the rocking chair as well.



They're across the room from one another, and separated by lots of white furniture, so I think we'll be okay. And then, I'll use the remaining bits of it as the piping along the edges of the bumpers (using my favorite tutorial from Sew4Home), and maybe some scraps in the crib quilt as well. That way it's cohesive, but not too overwhelming. It is a pretty stinkin' bright fabric. The rest of the fabric used in the room is going to be pretty simple pimple. Maybe some sort of graphic floral for one side of the bumper, but a chill polka dot on the other. Or chill polka dot on both sides. Who knows. We'll see.

This reader-submitted version from the Sew4Home site is more up my alley:



Also! I've decided on the window treatments. Instead of curtains (which I'll have to hang new hardware for), I got some suede roman shades from FreeCycle, that I'm going to just put new fabric right on top of. That way, the suede acts as a black out when we need to have her go nappy, and I can still have something fancy and pretty facing into the room.

Nesting panic.

Well, it's started.

We have 9 weeks left to go, and I feel 100% unprepared. Hah, new mom much?

I'm not quite at the "down on the floor with a toothbrush" panic, and I think that's simply only because I refuse to clean around clutter. So, this week I've really tackled the projects I've been procrastinating: Delaney's closer (formerly electronic chaos), the office (former post-move storage/staging area) and the garage (former dark dungeon of doom.)

Most of these projects aren't picture worthy, because it's mostly just clearing out a messy space into a blank one. There's been little to no actually "decorating" happening, just doing all the ground work. Money has been really really stinkin' tight around here, and I know Delaney will love us more with a roof over her head, than a 100% perfectly decorated home. (I mean, baby eyesight SUCKS right out of the gate, she won't be able to tell for a couple weeks).

While I've been bettering our home by cleaning and organizing, nothing's been very visually or creatively stimulating. In fact, this week two of my picture frames broke :( . So, I took some time this afternoon to make a super simple baby blanket out of some of the fabric I got from FreeCycle this week. It's blue flannel on one side, and a blue tiny floral on the other, so I added an applique pink heart in the corner. Too bad my sewing machine kept acting up, or my stitched border would have been better. But, it's adorable, and satisfied my creativity for the next couple days.

QFH, revisited.

Oh dear. Remember my quilt from hell? I blamed all my problems on the beautiful stretchy floral fabric, and after buckling down and piecing another 1/4 of it together last night, I realized the lady is not my problem.



It's that oh-so-soft micro suede. If you get something lined up perfectly, it slides, even WITH 5pins per 7" square. Bitter. From now on, I will only use REAL upholstery fabric to upholster things, cover pillows, or make dog beds. Pinky swear.

Today was the perfectly grey, rainy day I've been waiting for to work on the quilt. It's still NOT done, since piecing takes 4x longer than it should thanks to my obsession with texture. I have a hot-pink flat sheet from a step sister, that matches the hot pink on the inside of the flowers. I don't even know what the finished size is I'm planning on, but it's basically just something for Trevor and I to cuddle under. I was more than happy to sit with piles of fabric on my lap today to keep me warm!

I haven't gotten the laundry room set up yet, so my workzone is currently the living room floor.




Isn't this gorgeous? It's the color inspiration behind Delaney's room, so I'm going to use it to make her bumpers, and maybe some other decorative items around the room (sparingly, of course. No fabric covered lamp bases for me, thx). My only concern is that I bought it from Hancock Fabrics, and I can't find it online. I'm worried it might be gone forever. :(

Inspiration: Stick it to me.

So, the yardwork turned into a bigger project then planned... lets just say, when I got a little gungho with the power trimmer, I found out whoever painted the house last didn't do a thorough job. I've got some more to do out there to getting it looking nice.

Tonight, I'm obsessing about applique. More specifically, cute applique on baby clothes, like, perhaps a zip hoodie. I'm also particularly enamored with making one to coordinate with one I'll make for myself. Is that so wrong?










Anybody know where I can get plain zip hoodies for cheapy cheap?

DIY: Sweater Blanket

Awesome. Add another project to my "completed" list.

Remember this post? In about 4hrs total, I tore apart a favorite old sweater, combined it with some FreeCycle neon-pink stripey fabric, and made a little baby blanket. I do mean little, it's like 22x32 inches, thats all the usage I could get out of the sweater. Sure, there was the option of finding other sweater material, but I was determined to finish this, and wanted just the old pink one as the cuddling side.

I started with this sweater, from Tarshay 2 yrs ago. It doesn't fit anymore, and is long misshapen from Trevor doing laundry. Oops. (This picture makes it look more neon than it really is, bad lighting and still no digital camera. Birthday is only 1 month away!)



I pieced it together, specifically keeping some ribbing on there for extra interest.



Then I used this FreeCycle neon-pink stripey fabric for the backing, and didn't put a batting between. I just hemmed all the way around, and turned it inside out. I was having enough issue with the sweater stretching, and the stripey fabric is a little heavier, so I figured it'd be good for a light blanket. I did quilt it, following the lines of the stripes for a guide, but randomly spacing the lines of stitching.




Voila!

I haven't bound it yet, because I don't have any coordinating fabric at the moment, but I definitely will have to. There's points where the sweater stretched past the hem, and it looks messy, and a binding will cover that up nicely. Then, I'll also have a place to put a "to baby from mommy" message, or some other sentimental sappy momento. (PS, that cool pieced wood thing in the background is a table my grandpa made eons ago, from like 7 different woods. It'll find a place in my house eventually!)

Now, it's time to clean out the fridge, take out the garbage, and cut squares out of the finicky jersey I talked about here. I've decided to suck it up and finish. Nights are getting chilly in the North Bay!

DIY: Current projects

Man. I wish I had my fancy digital camera so I could take some teasing photos.

Anyway, right now I'm working on a mobile, cut out a million stars from 20yr old paper swatch books I got from my mom a couple weeks ago. I love the different textures of the expensive paper, and sitting there cutting and pasting reminded me of when I was a kid, using those swatch books instead of construction paper.



Also, I currently have some crazy neon pink striped fabric in the washing machine, a free-cycle gifty. I'm getting ready to tear apart my old pink sweater, and create a super simple baby quilt, just follow the lines of the stripey fabric. Guess it's time I learn to bind?

Trevor wants me to work on a blog of his - he's apparently taking full advantage of his flight benefits, and we're heading to every NHL stadium this season. I know, I know, I said "really, the same season we're going to have a new born?", but Trev doesn't ask for much, so I'm going to indulge him. Our 4yr anniversary was yesterday, and I'm still enamored with his spontaneity. So, he's blogging about his travels, and I'll need to help him with the blog design and such.

On that note, I think I'm going to major in graphic design. I've dabbled in English, Chiropractic, and business management, but nothing has stuck. So, I don't go to class, and just work all the time, haha. I've been immersed in graphic design my whole life, thru my mom. (She's a huge influence on my style and creativity, don't know if she knows) I get frustrated, because I'm not as good at is as I'd like to be. I can feel my way around the Adobe Suite, and PageMaker (from Journalism in HS) . It can only help me understand colors and form even better, and give me that daily creative outlet I'm desperately lacking at the moment.

Now I need to get off the computer, and work on that sweater-blankie project. I swore I'd complete *something* by the end of the night, and if tearing apart a favorite sweater is the one thing I accomplish, so be it!

Kitch Love: Emily Peacock Hug Kiss

I saw this on OhDeeDoh this morning, and when I found out it was cross-stitch, it made me want it even more!!



Two pillow kits, to do the colorful hug and kiss. These would look great ANYWHERE in our house. Either on me and Trev's bed, as bolsters on the couch, or in Delaney's room. The somewhat muted colors (while varied) aren't too "rainbow", but definitely break up the monotony of the solid, neutral colors they'd be sitting on.

I'm planning on being done working by Thanksgiving, and I see much crafting in my future. I also have a birthday in a month and a half. Who wants to buy the set for me?

Also, I went a little crazy last night, and realized with a paint color change, and new window treatments, my living room is basically finished. I drew mockups of everything, and colored with pencils for like 3 hours, lol. I'll scan them in eventually. This week is a little ridiculous, and I don't have my big car to get ugly free things with, so any posts will probably be web-browsing based.

Completed Projects

For Home:
Reupholstered FreeCycle couch, or the life of.
Living Room Photo Project (post to come soon)
Ironing Board Cover
Quilt From Hell
Fresh-Quilting Inspired Pillows

For Baby:
Rocking Chair makeover
Rocking Chair Twice
Sweater Baby Blanket
Crib Skirt
Painted the Nursery
Baby Blanket
Felt Birdy Mobile
Applique Pilates Onesie

For Me:
Long Sleeve Refashion
Business Card Holder

For Others:
Carly's Laptop Sleeve
Trevor's iPad Case
Office Tree Skirt
Hannie's Purse and Jeni's Horsey Bag

Future Projects

My "Honey-Do" list of projects I swear I'm going to accomplish. I have SO so many things I want to do, and I get overwhelmed. A little list of things will be VERY beneficial. (Note, links to not necessarily depict my ideal color scheme, but fabric is a personal choice!)

Please comment if you've done any of these, and link your pictures!!

For Delaney:
Baby Sling
Peasant Top
Crib Bumpers

For Alabama:
Roman Shades
Duvet Cover
Shower Curtain
Paint ceiling in master bedroom (paint color undecided)
Drywall laundry room
Put vinyl faux-tin tiles behind stove as backsplash
Recushion the reupholstered FreeCycle couch
Recover office chair
Restore weathered patio furniture
Spraypainted Chandelier

Quilts:
Wedding Quilt
Color Wheel Quilt
Cloud9 Sunburst
ABC Quilt

Gifties:
Black Apple Dolls
Car Caddy