Me-cycling

What do you call it when you take one of your own crafts and change it up into something new? I'm calling it mecycling. Remember when I made my own version of Mark Montano's Urban Corsage project? These were so fun to make -- the perfect combination of sewing and crafting. I got a little carried away and made five of them. Well, fun to make, but not really my style to wear.

I've been doing a lot of blog surfing lately, and I loved what Lisa made for teacher gifts this year. Check out her bog -- she makes beautiful polymer clay buttons and much more.

It got me thinking that if I shifted the velcro just a bit, I'd have something similar.

Hers are much cuter and more functional without the extra embellishments, but my version works for me. Now I've got to stash one in the car so I can use it next time I hit Stone Creek.

Big A** Busy

A while back I wrote a mini review of the Big Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano. Well, this is what our copy of his book looks like, after Meredith flagged all the projects she'd like to make! This week we've been working on the Urban Corsage project, and thanks to Mark, I can post the directions for you. We made a few modifications, based on Meredith's taste (wristband -yes, flower - no) and materials we had on hand.

First, we started with a collection of printed fabric, flannel, and vintage buttons.

Next, we cut the fabric and the flannel to Mark's dimensions, and cut accent hearts out of the flannel.

I sewed the hearts on first, and then backed the fabric band with the flannel. I played around with the decorative stitches on my new sewing machine.

Then it was time to choose our embellishments. We veered from the directions a little. I knew I wanted to do a Velcro closure, so it would be easy for Meredith to put on/take off with one hand. But, I loved the look of the buttons on Mark's version. So, I used the buttons for my embellishment. You can also add ribbon, crystals, beads ... whatever you'd like.

The last step is to glue on the Velcro. For a project like this, it's important to use a strong glue with a flexible bond, like E-6000. You should always select your glue based on the requirements of your application. Since this was a wearable item, I knew I wanted a flexible bond. I can go on and on about glue ...

Here are my final samples:

Here's Meredith, good to go!

Click here to see Mark's Urban Corsage -- I really love his fabric, and honestly, I would have gone for the flowers, too.

Here are the directions for the Urban Corsage from The Big Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano:

Supplies:
2 pieces of 11″ x 3″ fabric (with edges that fray are the best)
Buttons
Rhinestones
Faux flowers & leaves
Ultrasuede
Amazing E-6000 Craft Adhesive
Different colors of thread
Sewing machine with zigzag stitch capabilities

Directions:
1. Place your fabric pieces on top of each other and zigzag stitch them all around, about 1/2 inch in from all four sides. One piece of fabric is the outside and the other is the inside. Kind of like a fat watchband with a button closure instead of a buckle.
2. Arrange your leaves and zig zag stitch them onto the cuff.
3. Take your faux flower apart and zig zag stitch it to the center.
4. Cut out hearts, stars, random shapes and zig zag stitch them around your flower.
5. Stitch three buttons to one side of your flower (for different wrist sizes)
6. Wrap the cuff around your wrist to figure out where the button holes should go and mark the placement. If your sewing machine has a button hole setting, stitch one in. If it doesn’t you can cut a slit and stitch the edges of the cut.
7. Using E-6000, add rhinestones to the center of the flower and the cuff.

Accessorize with your favorite jeans and t-shirt and show it off!

If you make one, send me a photo! And don't forget my glue give away -- you have until Monday to enter.

Big A** Book Review

I've been crafting for as long as I can remeber, and I edit craft books for a living, so I can be a harsh judge of projects sometimes. Imagine my surprise when The Big-Ass Book of Crafts, by Mark Montano, landed on my desk, on loan from a co-worker. Within 45 minutes I had ordered my own copy, and it just arrrived today. Why do I like this book so much? The ideas are fresh and diverse. They are well executed. The ideas are edgy enough to please my teenagers, but based on sound design and construction ideas that I can easily modify to my own taste. I'm not going to keep rambling on and on, just go ahead and buy yourself a copy.

While you're online, check out the Sweet Potato Queen's Big-Ass Cookbook and Financial Planner. It's been a few years since I read this one, but you might as well go ahead and make a batch of Pig Candy as a pre-holiday treat. I had no idea that people atually made this stuff, let alone ate it, but it's amazing. In fact, it's so adicting that I've never made it again just to save myself and my family.