$0.50 Hanging Planter

Since I work every Saturday, I've been hitting garage sales on Sundays. One of our teenage captains at work, (yes, you, Kaitlen...) says I have a problem: "If you're going to garage sales on Sundays, I think you have a problem." This is what she says to me as we're driving to classes every Saturday and I'm looking longingly at the garage sale signs we pass, instead of at the road. 

I don't have a problem. I just have a scheduling conflict. 

Well a few Sundays ago, Ivy and I left church to go scope out the sales. I found this beauty:

$0.50. That's right... $0.50!

Then the lady threw in a ton of trinkets for Ivy-- 

-#1 reader necklace/medal thing-y

-a Jasmine Trias single from when she was on American Idol

-some more Excellent Reader memorabilia

-a thick plastic red bangle (which I plan to steal from Ivy and Modge Podge vintage fabric to it...)

The wires were a little uneven, but they adjusted soooooo easy. 

I put it up on our lanai and stole a few flowers my mom had left over from her Sunday School craft. About two weeks later she finally noticed the hanging planter was up and said, 

"I was wondering where all the flowers went." 

(We live next door to my parents... it took her 2 weeks to even notice the planter... haha, I love my mom). 

 

I got that chime at my baby shower from some friends on Kauai. It was hung above Ivy's changing table for her to stare at. Now that she's done with the changing table, we hung it on our lanai. 

It's the simple things in life. Like a $0.50 garage sale hanging planter. How long till I brush it lightly with my go-to paint color, Shiloh?

--Becca

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No-Sew Fabric Covered Tins

I bought these tins for Ivy's first birthday in October 2010 (It was a ladybug theme). We put flowers in them and tied helium balloons to them. Totally fun. 

Well, I re-used them for her 2nd birthday in October 2011 (Elmo theme), and I put these little sesame street 3-D stickers on them, and after the party the stickers wouldn't come off! These adorable tins were starting to get ugly...

 

See the little Abby/Zoe (whoever it is) on the one on the right? She's still there...

I really wanted to give the tins a second chance. Remember my go-to color "Shiloh"? Well, since it's everywhere in my house anyway, I painted the insides of these tins, and the handles in that color. 

I usually stray away from the term "no-sew." I sew. So why would I want a project where I was trying to fake sewing? Well, for this one, I just felt like sewing was unnecessary for this project. 

I cut out strips of fabric that fit the circumference of the top of the tin.

The second fabric is awesome... It's from Sew Special, my go-to fabric store on Maui. My high school science teacher owns the store and her daughter picks out the BEST fabric. The first fabric (brown foliage) is from Fabric-Mart or something and was dirt cheap. I just thought it was a subtle, non-cheesy neutral. 

 Then I put little cuts on the bottom edge of it, so those cut be wrapped easily on the bottoms.

 Glue gun: on.

Need to find some modge-podge or whatever it's called, but can't seem to find it on this island yet...

After gluing the top of the fabric around the top of the tins, I wrapped the "slitted" edge around the bottom. But it still had an unfinished look. 

So I had fabric from some old sweat pants that were too long for my short legs, and I cut out circles for the bottom of the tin, so it would be nice and soft and easy to slide around.

 Glued on top.

 I'm not gonna lie: the area around the circle/handle part was tricky and not awesome. 

So I took twine and glued it a few times around it to cover up the awkward cuts. I really wanted to use vintage white rick-rack to wrap around it, but it's on loan right now to my friend Ajja. She's an awesome photographer and I made her Photo Booth Backdrop for her website launch party last Saturday, and all of my awesome colored ribbon/rick-rack/lace/etc. is still on the back-drop... 

Two tins complete...

...back in their old homes... 

...catching all the junk next to the couch...

 ...and the pens, hand-sanitizer and body spray on my Shiloh Desk.

One more to make, but I'm not sure which fabric I want to commit to. 

--Becca

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Valentine's Day Bunting

I've never really done any V-Day decor... so this year I decided to do something. One thing, to be exact. Bunting is the theme of my holiday season, so let's have it usher us into February's holidays as well. 

I wanted to do a different set of bunting then the triangle and circular ones I've been doing like these:

So I made a different template. (All my "templates/patterns" are made out of magazine covers.)

I also wanted a heart on some of the hanging portions, so I made a heart template too. 

 I chose some awesome pinks, whites, reds and even a yellow fabric... and started cutting.

Then I sewed the hearts on some of the pieces.

Then sewed the actual pieces inside out, then ironed them.

And here's how the pieces turned out:

I wanted to hang it on something different, so I threaded some twine through it. Here's the finished product:

--Becca

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