Bucket Bangs + the George McFly

 We haven't gotten our hair cut professionally in over a year, haha. I cut our hair now, and I don't think we'll ever go back. It's saved us a lot of money, and it's kinda liberating to chop your own hair. Today I gave myself bucket bangs, and after watching the Back to the Future trilogy this morning, I gave Franklin a George McFly haircut. I think it looks super cute on him! :)

I still don't know what the heck I'm doing when I cut our hair, haha. I just sort of jump in, and hope for the best. The first few times were not so great, but I get a little better every time, thankfully. Also, guess what? I stopped using shampoo about two weeks ago, and I love it. I use baking soda to wash my hair, and apple cider vinegar to condition it. It never looks oily, and I get to feel awesome about saving money + using less chemicals on my body. Stickin' it to the man! or something.

-Elizabeth

DIY: Patchwork-layered Wallpocket

I started making fabric wall-pockets for the wall next to my bed, because I needed somewhere to put my book before dozing off. It ended up being the perfect solution to our nightstand-lacking problem, so I made another one to hold our glasses, too. The first ones I made were kind of plain, and not so sturdy, so I decided to make something a little cuter and more durable. Here's a little DIY tutorial if you want to make one for yourself...

PATCHWORK-LAYERED WALLPOCKET DIY:

WHAT YOU NEED:
-scissors
-iron
-sewing machine
-fabric (I used light grey linen for the pocket, dark grey for the back, and pretty fabric scraps for the patches)
-2 metal thumb tacks

I made this little collage of fabric as a sort of guide, so I can just refer to different swatches of fabric by their number. I don't know if that will make this tutorial seem more simple, or more complicated, but let's try it anyway. I used a heavier linen for fabrics 1 & 2. These will compose the main body of your wall pocket (1 is the large back-piece, and 2 is the small front piece). Fabrics 3-5 are just whatever pretty scraps you have laying around that look good together.

STEP ONE: cut your fabric!
Fabric 1: cut 2 pieces @ 6.5" x 9.5" and 1 piece @ 1.5" x 6.5" (this will be used as a patch!)
Fabric 2: cut 1 piece @ 5" x 6.5"
Fabrics 3-5: cut out patches in whatever size you want! :)

STEP TWO: sew them patches on!
This is the most fun part - you pick the size, placement & overlap, so play with it until it looks good to you. I like to fold back the edges and iron them, so the patches look all clean and straight, but I left some edges raw, 'cause I like the varying texture. I added some lace onto mine, 'cause it felt like it was missing something. I sewed a patch onto the large back piece of the pocket, to peek out from inside the pocket when it's all finished. Also - that long skinny piece you cut from fabric 1, is going to be sewed along the bottom edge of the front pocket piece, to sort of pull it all together by repeating that back color, and also reinforce that bottom edge.

STEP THREE: sew it all together! 
I don't have pictures for this, because it was the most frustrating step for me! Let me explain instead. First, you'll wanna get everything ready by folding & ironing and pinning (yawn!). Fold and iron the edges back 1/4th of an inch all around, and then place the big pieces back to back (so the folded edges are hiding) and throw that dolled-up front pocket-piece in front (tucking the folded, ironed edges between the two back pieces) and pin it so everything looks all neat and stuff. Then, slowly, carefully sew around that outer edge. I sewed as close to the edge as I could get, so those folded edges would stay put. Good luck! I almost lost my cool on this step.

STEP FOUR: tack it up on the wall and put it to use:

Hope you guys like the tutorial. I definitely wanna see what you come up with, if you decide to give it a go. They're surprisingly convenient little things. I wanna make one to put next to the front door, for my car keys - I always throw my keys on the floor, and I can never find them!

-Elizabeth

DIY Kitschy Christmas Wreath

When it comes to Christmas decorations, I can't have enough kitsch. If it isn't kitschy and just a little bit frightening, then it isn't Christmas. Today I threw together a super kitschy wreath for the holidays. It's so bad, it's good. It makes me happy. Ahh...the holidays are finally here. (please excuse the low-light & poor quality of these photos. I couldn't wait for daylight.)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
-a styrofoam or straw wreath from the craft store
-wide fabric ribbon (the busier the better! I found mine at the thrift store)
-a stapler, scissors, hot glue gun
-pipe cleaners (or pipe-cleaner-esque ribbon! which is what I used)
-cardstock
-watercolor (or whatever paint you wanna use)
-a focal piece (you can use an old ornament!)

This isn't really much of a tutorial. Just a little peek at some of the steps. You'll wanna wrap the wide fabric ribbon around the styrofoam wreath, so it's completely covered. (I secured it with a couple of staples in the back!) Then, make a scalloped edge using pipe cleaners, bending and stapling every couple of inches. I made a little watercolor banner out of cardstock that I attached with hot glue. The part that really pushes it over the edge with kitsch is that slightly disturbing santa figurine that I scored at a local antique shop (also attached with hot glue). Whenever I go into antique shops this time of year, they're BURSTING with horrifyingly kitschy christmas figurines. So, if you wanna find a good focal piece for your wreath, this is the best time to find something!

Happy kitschy crafting!

-Elizabeth

PS: Use coupon code SBS2012 to get 20% off your purchase in the shop, for small business saturday!

DIY: Colorblock Framed Messages

Yes. That is fake wood paneling stenciled onto particle board. Pretty awesome huh? haha. I can't take credit for it, though. I wish! This is a wall in our laundry room, and, it was begging for a pop of color and a little reminder for us to empty our pockets before running things through the wash. Which is a reminder we so desperately need, haha. So I made this color-block framed message out of an old thrifted frame I had laying around.

Here's a little DIY tutorial if you wanna make one, too:

1. Type something up in your favorite fonts, flip it horizontally, and print!
2. Use the print-out as a guide, and paint wherever you see negative space (everything but the letters themselves) I used about three coats of "antique white" craft paint, but you can use whatever you want! (note: because of the thickness of the glass, you'll want to look at the letters straight on as you paint, because the slightest change of angle when you view it, can skew the perspective of the letters.)
3. While that's drying, paint your frame! I used "golden yellow" and "roman stucco" for the short sides, and then mixed those colors with a bit of white for the long sides).

You can paint the glass all the way to the edge, but I kept the messy unfinished edges because I like the way it looked, and it fit the unfinished look of my laundry room, too. Do whatever looks best to you. I put some tea-stained graph paper and woodgrain contact paper inside the frame. You can use whatever you want, though - fabric, a photo, scrapbook paper, whatever. I think it'd look really cool painted to the edge, with a photo peeking through the letters. Hm, maybe I'll do that for a "home sweet home" sign, heehee. The possibilities are endless with this one. Below is a little sample of some signs I typed up for a 5x7 frame, and reversed. The links to download the reversed jpegs are below the picture.

right-click and "save as" to download:
home sweet home
check your pockets
home is where the art is
bless this mess

Have fun with it! :)

-Elizabeth

Organization is Hard.

Hey, I made you guys something! A month-to-month Blog & Project Planner, woot woot! I was having a hard time finding a planner that really worked for me, so I ended up making one. I realized that I need something small that only spans one month, and breaks down from an overview, to project-specific goals, down to the actual blog post. (It also takes into account the fact that I like to doodle and over-think details, heehee). I haven't tried it out yet, but in theory it seems to be a pretty solid plan. So I decided I'm going to post it up on here for download, and you guys can try it with me! I plan on having a new design ready for you right before the start of every month :) Let's see if I can keep it up, haha.

When you download this thing, there will be two folders within the main "Planner" folder called "Editable PDF" and "Printable". The Editable PDF files are for those of you who prefer to do everything on the computer. I turned those pdf files into "forms" with editable fields that you can input your information into. Sweet, huh? That way you can just keep them in a folder on the desktop and not a drop of ink will be wasted. For those of you who want to print it out, and have a tangible planner to keep with ya, then you'll want to print the files within the "Printable" folder.

This is the link that will take you to MediaFire, where you can download the planner: 
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PLANNER.ZIP

PRINTABLE PLANNER HOW-TO:

Step 1: Print out all the pages (your printer will warn you that some clipping may occur, and that's totally okay, because it's only going to crop away white from the edges. Make sure you don't select scale to fit, or your planner will be ridiculously tiny.)

Step 2: Trim to full bleed. You can be super hardcore and use an exacto knife & a ruler, if you want.

Step 3: Assemble the different sections according to the "Assembly Directions" or you can put them in whatever order works best for you :)

Step 4: Add some adhesive tabs (I bought the post-it brand tabs used for filing) to separate your different sections and make it easier to find what you're looking for. Ease is the key to staying organized, if you ask me.

Step 5: Staple everything together! I used about 6 staples along the edge to make sure it was bound nice and tight.

Step 6: Cover the spine with washi tape, to make it look extra cute and to cover up those staples. (I didn't have any washi tape that matched the planner, so I used some ribbon and mod podge instead, haha. I guess you could do that, too.)

Oh, and here are some free matching desktop calendars for September. I made them available in 5 different screen resolutions, so I hope one of them will work for you! I've found that, in conjunction  with the desktop calendar wallpaper, keeping the editable PDF planner files in a folder on the desktop makes me more likely to actually use it.

(right-click & select "save link as" to download)

1280 x 1040
1680 x 1050
1600 x 1200
1920 x 1080
1920 x 1200

If you have any suggestions or ideas on things to add (or subtract) for next month's planner, please share them, and I'll try my best to incorporate them into the next one :)

-Elizabeth

PS: I finally added that "Google Friend Connect" widget to my sidebar, in case any of ya were wondering where it was ;) haha. It's looking pretty lonely right now, that's for sure.

Floral and Denim

I bought this really sweet old floral fabric, and some light denim fabric at the thrift store a long time ago, and I wanted to make clothing with it. Whenever I take on any sort of sewing endeavor, I usually make some awful mistake that takes hours of me ripping stitches and crying in frustration. This was the first project I worked on where I didn't completely wreck everything, AND my sewing machine decided to cooperate with me. TWO FIRSTS. I think that deserves a glass of wine. Oh, what's that? I'm already drinking it? okay.

BEHOLD! My floral masterpiece!

I made the shirt and the skirt from scratch, huzzah! (oh, and the brooch!) I don't use patterns, but I do reference my own clothes, just to get an idea size-wise. The fit of the shirt is a little wonky, but I still dig it. The front is closed with snaps -- the buttons are just there to trick you. (bwahaha!) I've never sewed a button hole before and I have no intention to try, haha. The same goes for sewing zippers. Some things are better left unlearned.

Also, I don't know about you, but no matter how much table space I have in my sewing room, I always ALWAYS end up on the floor, cutting and pinning like a mad man. But whatever works, right? When it comes to makin' stuff, I live by this rule: THERE ARE NO RULES. If anyone tells ya different, then they're fools!

I made a matching bow with the fabric scraps (it looks pretty awful on the backside, haha) and I used this crazy 70s polyester for that sweet mismatched pocket, which I haphazardly sewed on using a zig-zag stitch (of which I am not very familiar with). I am not friends with my sewing machine. In fact, I think we might hate each other. Thread tension? I know it should be adjusted when you change stitches and material, but I always keep mine at 2. I don't even know what that means. Any tips about thread tension are welcome, by the way! I'd like to finally get the upper hand with my sewing machine. Too many times has it left me in tears, haha. Oh, I'm rambling! Here are some detail shots:



I think I'm going to make about a million of these skirts now. They're so easy! I made this skirt this morning, while Franklin made us breakfast! haha. The pocket is what really gets me. I'm so excited to make more! heehee. If I understood sizes better, I might even think about selling them. but for now, I'm just going to focus on frugally expanding my wardrobe.

-Elizabeth

In Slumberland

Our bedroom is still very much a work-in-progress, but here's what we've done so far to make our space a little more cozy:

I had some fabric lying around, and draped it from the ceiling to soften up the hard slants of the walls. I wanted to add more billows above us, like a canopy bed, but I ran out of fabric - drats! I added a hanging light so we could read in bed, and I sewed together some "book pockets" for the wall, because we don't have room in our little nook for a nightstand.

Franklin has an obsession with the old Nemo in Slumberland comics by Winsor McCay, so I wrapped some mustard colored yarn around some wire and spelled out "slumberland" in cursive. I wanted to dangle great poofy clouds from the ceiling, but I didn't have any poly-fil handy, so I pinned some doilies up, to sort of symbolize clouds? or something. Haha. I really want to get some kind of reclaimed wood headboard now. Wouldn't that look awesome against the fabric?! I think it would look pretty sweet, and it'd cover up all the rough edges of the fabric I was too lazy to deal with, yay!



a few details: 1. Franklin's book-pocket contents: Merlin 2. My book-pocket contents: Redwall (I'm almost finished!) 3. I sewed a pillowcase for Franklin, and screen-printed by hand an illustration I made of Little Nemo's bed. It reads, in French: Sweet dreams, my little Nemo 4. One of the MANY doilies I have leftover from our wedding.

That's pretty much it! Hopefully I can manage to purchase (or make!) the reclaimed wood headboard I see in my head. It'll be a while though. We haven't the means or the money right now. But someday!!

-Elizabeth

A sweet paint job

I bought this knick-knack shelf at the thrift store about a month ago, with the intention to give it a make-over. Today, I finally did. I come across shelving like this all the time at the thrift store, but they're usually pretty beat up. This one was no exception, haha. With some craft paint & some contact paper, I covered up all the rough bits and prettied it up a bit. I'm actually quite pleased with how it turned out.

BEFORE:

WHAT YOU NEED:
-vintage floral contact paper, preferably... (I used up the last of what I had, too. drats!)
-mustard yellow paint (I just use the cheap craft paint you can get for a dollar)
-sponge brush
-hammer (for removing replacing nails in the back, to take the back panel off)

I like using the sponge brush, 'cause you can dab the paint on and avoid those dreaded streaks and lines of paint that you tend to get with a paintbrush (time consuming, but worth it if you despise paint streaks like I do!). You can remove that chipboard panel on the back by prying the nails out with the back end of a hammer. Then, apply your favorite contact paper, and nail it back on!



AFTER:

Hooray for adding more kitschy cuteness to my work-space. I think I'll use it to display my finished brooches, maybe. I left the drawers the way they were 'cause the wood-grain really pulled it all together. Anyway! I'm excited to do this to more things, heehee.

-Elizabeth

Wedding Stuff: the bouquet

So, this was my bouquet! On the way back home, it was crushed, sadly. but I'm going to mend it, and hold onto it forever, I think. I feel too emotionally invested, haha. I made the paper roses using this tutorial I found here on 100 layer cake. Instead of just using pages from a book, I used tea-stained graph paper, pages of vintage magazines, super old sheet music and vintage maps of the Pacific Northwest. I added a feather, felt flowers and lace for color and texture, and you can't see it in the picture, but the handle is wrapped in burlap. So itchy!

This is definitely a time-consuming and frustrating project, but pretty rewarding in the end! :) 'specially 'cause it doesn't die on ya, like real flowers do! ;)

-Elizabeth

Wedding Planning is crazy stuff!

Hello, world! We haven't really made anything lately 'cause all our time and money has been going to planning our wedding which is coming up really fast. The end of April! So much to do before then, ahhh!!!

I figured, just because we're consumed by this wedding planning stuff, doesn't mean we should COMPLETELY neglect our blog! So I'm gonna start updating more regularly, only, pretty much ALL of my posts from now until mid-May are going to be wedding related, most likely. After that, we should be back on track. Working on music & fixing up our bikes and possibly maybe finding a new place to live - this place was HUGE when we didn't have any furniture, haha. Now it's starting to feel a little cramped :/

Anyway, onto wedding stuff!

I made invitations to send out to the people that haven't RSVP'd already, and people that we don't keep in contact with regularly enough to relay all those important tidbits of information to, like what TIME it's at! haha. I had almost forgotten. So anyway, with the invitations, I repeated elements that were in the save the dates I made a few months ago, and I really wanted them to be shaped like Washington. They were printed on cardstock, scored, folded & hand-cut by yours truly. What a pain in the neck!

Do you like my fancy blur-out-the-detail skills? I just get paranoid sometimes, is all! haha. Now I just have to remember to drop them in the mailbox tomorrow. Such a small step, but so crucial! I wish I wasn't so horrible at putting things in the mailbox, haha.

More wedding planning junk to follow soon,
-Elizabeth

project #1: Fix up an old bike

Yes! We found these rusty old gems at the goodwill last week. Franklin said, if they don't get sold soon, they'll get destroyed and tossed in the dumpster. A sad sad tale. So we liberated them! and are going to take them apart & fix them up. Neither of us have any experience with this sort of thing, but we're really good at being obsessed, and that's really all you need, right? Anyway, tonight, we're going to take them apart and try to salvage all the rusted chrome parts by using this old trick involving aluminum foil & cola. I guess the phosphoric acid in coke is great for removing rust? and the aluminum foil is just abrasive enough to scrape off the rust without scratching up the chrome. We tested it out on the handle bar and it totally works - hot dog!

Also, this bike project is project #1 in a long list of DIY projects we have in mind. Let's call it... Operation: Make Stuff. All of which, among other things, will be documented here. Hooray! Here are the rules: You must finish each project before starting a new one. It has to be something you've never done before. And most importantly - you have to work on it together!

Anyway, it'll be good for us! and we'll acquire some strange skills in the process, haha.

-Elizabeth