Holiday Trinket Boxes

I was going thru a batch of craft supplies that I had tucked away, when I ran across a bag full of small paper mache boxes I had purchased some time ago.  If you are like me, you have supplies that you forgot that you had!

I decided to do something with them. Since my theme for this season's holiday shows is primitive kraft items, these cute little boxes were perfect!

You are welcome to follow along and make your own cute box~maybe a little box to keep ornament hangers in?  So . . . add to the mix some Mod Podge, sponge brushes, and material of your choice. That's it! Although you might want to decorate yours differently.

 

 Supplies ready:

 

As an option, I had previously painted one of the boxes red and never finished the project!  You know, those UFO's lying around.

I finished it first, of course!  Had to!  Added plenty of Mod Podge to the box top, picked the fabric for it and covered it.

Did another box top that would match my theme, leaving the bottom unfinished.  Again, you can decorate your box however you want. Use your imagination!

I decided to add a little button to the top; actually the glue is not dry in the photo--it will dry clear.   

All ready to house my ornament hangers.  Yay!

Whatcha think?

DIY Light Table

I will be house and pet sitting again this week and next, at the same place that we have been before. Remember . . . the house with a huge sewing studio!    Pet sitting for the birds, the cat and the little dog, Maya, who sits at the door of the studio and waits for me to go downstairs.

The last time I was there, I took some pictures of my friend's light table.  I forgot to post them, and thought some of you might like to see it!  The light table sits in the yarn section of her studio:

She loves the Latin flare and Toucans, so her studio is very colorful! I hope you can get the idea for the table and maybe build your own, if you have the room for it!  (This is not meant to be a tutorial, just something to inspire your own creativity!)

The light tables covers the top of a normal wood table, which my friend has covered with a Mexican blanket to match her decor!

The table itself is handmade, just a frame that holds the glass top and some risers to hold it up.

Underneath the glass sit two florescent light fixtures.

Here is a top down view.  You can see that she has a light above too.  She keeps tape rolls under the glass for handy use in securing her paper--she reproduces her own rug hooking patterns for sale.  Of course, those of you who use a light table for photos, you could get a frosted, less transparent glass top.

Hope this helps those of you who need a light table!!

T-Shirt Makeover and Give-Away!

Enter to win this restyled T-Shirt!  

(But first, let me tell you how to make one like it!)

I needed something to get me creating again, after a long crafty layoff, while I did some writing.  So what did I do?  I googled "T-Shirt Makeovers".  Looked at several styles, but finally decided on a tank top style with a front vest attached that basically looked like this:

(Stay with me to see how to enter & possibly win, this re-styled T-Shirt----finished t-shirt picture at the end of the post.)

The style I chose did not have any instructions, just a picture, so I decided to write instructions myself while I made one!  This shirt will be will be given away on June 1st.  Enter below.

Instructions for the tank shirt with a front-only vest:

You will need a sold color t-shirt (not a tank top) and a scarf (at least one yard square.)
I used a new XL solid blue T-Shirt and a scarf that I had stashed away in my closet.

scarf and blue t-shirt

I cut off the rib knit neckline, scooping out the front neckline lower to suit myself, and made the tank style by also cutting off the sleeves. (Save the sleeves--you will need them later.)

Next, cut the shirt up the side seams to the bottom of the armhole.  Leave the shoulder seams intact.

The scarf that I chose was square, so I cut it down the middle to make to separate rectangle pieces to fashion left and right front vest pieces.  I then cut the rectangles using the front bodice piece as a pattern, cutting accordingly, allowing for seam allowances on all sides.

The pattern I chose, did not have the vest top extending all the way up to the top seam, but was a little lower for a fashion characteristic.  (This is optional.)  

Next, rolled hems were sewn to the bottom and center front seams of the vest pieces, as these hang free.  If you need to see this, click on the picture and enlarge to see the seam.)  Next, I pinned the two vest pieces to the bodice front, centering the two pieces on the scooped neck at the center . . .

and then I folded under the top edge of the vest pieces and sewed them down to the bodice, as shown, with a double seam about 1/4 inch apart.  Do not sew down the neck seam yet but do sew up the side seams creating closed armholes. There will be three layers of fabric, front and back shirt pieces with the vest material in-between.

Before finishing the neck and armholes you will need small facing pieces. Use the discarded sleeves to cut 3/4 inch wide facing pieces.  Cut up the
length of the raw cut side as shown.
Cut several pieces and stitch them together longways with a scant 1/4 inch seam to create a long bias binding.  Create the facing by sewing the bias binding down.  Start at the back of the neck, working around to the front and back with right sides together.  Use a a straight stitch.  Then  turn the facing toward the inside and stitch down with a zigzag stitch.  (Knit fabric will not fray.) Do the same with the armholes.

Add a flower rosette made from the shirt scraps and attach to the center front. 

My finished t-shirt will be given away by random drawing on the June 1st.  To enter, just follow this blog and leave a comment telling me that you are a follower.  (If you are already a follower, please just leave a comment reminding me that you already follow this blog.)  Extra entries are possible if you share by any social media post, leaving a separate comment with the link, one comment for each post, i.e. twitter, FB, blog entry.  One comment equals one entry. Good luck!  

 Don't forget to follow and comment!