Flowery stuff

I have an idea for a project using these flower designs I made weeks ago. Maybe I'll get to it tomorrow; we'll see.

Shop update

Some more fabric book covers are now listed in the Etsy shop. And we've got my new Amusement Park fabric from Braemore just in, so you can expect some bags and buckets and things in new prints soon.

Quiz: Name that font

Here's a little typography quiz for you. You professional designers out there are going to pass with flying colors, guaranteed.

Projects for the weekend

Some DIY tutorials. Knock yourselves out!
Decoupaged chair from DIY Ideas (pictured left)
How to etch glass by Melissa Esplin (pictured right)
Pounded grass placemat at Martha Stewart
Matchbook announcements from Little Window Shoppe
Embellished clothespin magnets at Pin and Paper
Chunky book tutorial at Memory Makers
Fabric scrap baskets from The Sometimes Crafter

Mod Podged paper bowl

A little decoupaged bowl made out of songbook pages I found in the dumpster. Here's the how-to.

1. Get some paper (newspaper, scrap paper, packing paper, anything that's on the thinner side), Mod Podge or PVA glue, a bowl with a smooth bottom that will be your mold, and either plastic wrap or foil.

2. Wrap the outside of your bowl with the plastic wrap or foil. (Update: Having tried both now, foil is better.) Smooth it down as much as you can and fold the edges into the center of your bowl.

3. Rip up your paper into bits.

4. Flip your wrapped bowl upside down and set it on some sort stand, like a glass or jar. Coat both sides of each paper scrap with Mod Podge. (I dipped mine in the glue and used my fingers to smear it on.) Smooth each piece onto the outside of your bowl, overlapping the edges. (See here for pictures of the process on a similar project.) I kept adding paper until I had about 3 layers.

5. Wait for the bowl to dry. Mine took two or three days. Seriously. Wait until every last bit of glue showing through the plastic wrap dries clear.

6. Freak out a little bit, wondering if you'll be able to pull your original bowl out of the paper. Pull the bowl out of the paper. Breathe a sigh of relief. Remove the plastic wrap.

7. Use a sharp scissors to trim off the rough edges of the bowl.

8. Paint if desired. I was just going to do just the inside, but decided to keep going. (Note: painting your vessel white will make it look like a creepy mummified bowl, so be prepared to add some decoration. I used a DecoColor paint pen to draw on a design.

Please don't eat cereal out of your bowl and sue me when you get sick. It's not food safe! Use it for wrapped candy or keys or loose change.

Calliope fabric as tablecloth

A kind person emailed me a screenshot from Disney's Family Fun magazine so I could see this article in the May 2009 issue. A surprise! There's my fabric on the table, surrounded by crazy hats and cute girls. Who knew?

Hey You greeting card

Download a fun little printable card from the talented Larissa Holland. It comes in a standard version and a jazzed up model.

New in the shop

Reversible fabric book covers. Pair one with a good book for a unique Mother's Day gift, or keep nosy people from seeing what you're reading on the train.

Need photos!

Lovely readers, maybe you can help me with this. A publication has requested some quality, high res photos of my Amusement Park fabric collection made into stuff, particularly for the home. Chairs, curtains, pillows, bags. The magazine would credit the photographer. Since I don't really know where my fabric has gone out there in the world, it's hard to find pix. Has anyone seen (or taken) good shots? Thanks!

Everyone needs a lumberjack

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox arrived at my house via screenprint by The Little Friends of Printmaking. Aw, it reminds me of Minnesota, my home state. And it doesn't hurt that it's orange, too. Available here on Etsy.

Vintage trim gift tags

Apparently I'm on a sewing kick, so in keeping with the theme, check out these free printable gift tags from doe-c-doe. They're scanned packages of vintage trims with the labels altered in Photoshop. Something fun you can attach to gifts for your sewing friends.

Monday sewing

Yesterday I showed a friend the bag from the last post, and she said, "YOU made this? Are you feeling all right?" She's obviously aware that sewing makes me want to smash things. So get a load of this. I made another bag last night. Hell must be freezing over. This one is from the adorable, free Buttercup Bag pattern from Made By Rae, with Beads fabric. And I didn't even bleed on it like usual.

Saturday sewing

Eager to make something out of the new fabric, I tried out My Spare Time's free pleated purse pattern. I made the straps a little bit longer so I could wear a coat and still fit the bag over my shoulder. And since this is made of nice, sturdy canvas, I skipped putting in interfacing. This tutorial for inserting magnet snaps was helpful, too.

Yes, uh, "mistakes were made," so my seam ripper got a good workout. The moment it was finished I vowed I'd never sew another thing again, like I always do, but today I think it's cute and I've already forgotten the trauma. (Sounds like my mom friends describing labor. Ha.)

New fabric

I just got samples of my expanded Amusement Park fabric collection for Braemore. I love it! It's printed on 54" wide 100% cotton canvas in three colorways, with two reprinted designs and two new ones. All the prints are for sale at Fabric.com, and arriving at other home decor fabric retailers around the country (and internationally!) soon.

Calliope print

Beads print

Fireworks print

Stacks print

The Earth colorway is printed on unbleached duck so little cotton flecks show in the background. I don't think I've gotten that excited about beige ever before, but it looks so nice that suddenly I want to make 700 pillows for my living room. Along with a few other projects, so stay tuned.

Printable calling cards

Cameron Blazer of Cottage Industrialist has generously designed free, patterned "calling cards" you can customize and print. Add your contact information, keep some in your bag, and pull them out at the perfect moment. They're even designed to fit on Avery's standard perforated business card stock. Click here to get the PDF.

Easter projects you can make

Some last-minute crafts to whip up for Easter:
Baby bunnies pattern download from Larissa Holland's Etsy shop (above)
Origami bunnies from Canon
Easter clip art projects at Martha Stewart
Printable Easter card from Benign Objects
Rabbit embroidery pattern by Helen Dardick
Fabric eggs at Retro Mama
Printable Easter stickers and cards from Living Locurto

(Image from Larissa Holland)

Orange birthday yumminess

Thank you for all your warm birthday wishes last week! And to those who wondered if I'd be eating orange cake: YES. I stole this photo collage right off my friend Megan's blog so I could show you. Megan made graham cracker cookies with orange icing, Jamie made a chocolate orange marble cake, Michelle brought some amazing Ciao Bella blood orange sorbet, and Emery gave me the cutest orange card. I felt very celebrated by these dear friends. If you're interested in the recipes, clicking the names of the ladies will take you to their own posts with links. Thank you, everyone!