brooch bouquet

I have been researching wedding DIY stuff like it is my job lately.  One idea that I am fully committed to doing now is a brooch bouquet.  What a fantastic idea! It never dies, it can be passed down, it holds treasures from love ones, and it is full on bling!  Flowers are lovely, but this idea is a great new tradition I would love to start in my lineage.

While visiting my mother in Texas last week, I shared this with her.  She in turn shared with me my grandmother's odds and ends jewelry.  Most of the items are gold, but she assured me that if I wanted to paint them up to coordinate no one would mind.

It is a great start to the collection for the bouquet.  My plan is to have those attending the bridal shower to bring one item to include in the brooch bouquet.  If you're not sure what I am referencing, check out Pinterest's brooch bouquets.

lace empire shirt

Do you ever get those free panties from Victoria Secret?  The ones that are one size fits all? The ones that don't fit at all, but have a handful of gorgeous lace?  Good, you're going to need those and a fitted shirt to complete this project.

Basically I hated seeing that lace go to waste... therefore I made it go to waist... line.  We all have a fitted top that could use a little embellishment.  The amount and width of lace from those panties are the perfect amount to wrap around for an empire waistline.  If there is not enough you can always just wrap lace in the front to get the same effect.

Cost: Free Time: 20 minutes Needed: old fitted shirt (owned) lace waistline panties (owned) scissors (owned) sewing machine (owned) sewing pins (owned) 1.  Cut it.  Cut the lace along the seams and remove the crotch area of the panties.  Hopefully you get one piece or two pieces of lace this way.  2.  Sew it.  With either one or two lengths of lace, sew the ends together by hand with matching thread to create a circle of lace. 3.  Pin it.  Put on your shirt and place the lace in the empire waistline position (just below your ladies and inches above your natural waistline).  Mark a place for your pins after taking your shirt off or if you're really slick, pin it into place with the shirt on.   4.  Sew it again.  Line up the seams of the lace and shirt before machine sewing the lace to the shirt.  Complete the other side as well.  You will want to then take some of the matching thread and secure a spot in the middle front and middle back so the lace does not shift too much.

ie voodoo doll

There comes a day when you realize not all browsers are created equal.  Most developers discover this early on, but most users do not.  Therefore, developers must support many versions of browsers that they wish would just crawl in a hole and disappear.

This is one reason I dealt with my frustration for Internet Explorer by upcycling a blue sweater into Iggy the IE voodoo doll.  Each time an IE bug is found, Iggy gets a pin. You can also make a voodoo doll.  It does not have to be for a browser you loathe.

Cost: Free Time: 1 hour Needed: old sweater (owned) scissors (owned) cutting board (owned) sewing machine (owned) stuffing (owned - old throw pillow) white fabric paint (owned) sewing pins (owned) 1.  Draw it.  Sketch a doll outline.  Don't skimp out, the fatter you can go - the better.   2.  Cut it.  Cut out your amazing sketch and trace it onto your inside-out sweater.  Cut the front and back torso panels at the same time if you can to keep the two pieces identical.     3.  Sew it.  Keep your pieces inside-out and start sewing near the inside of one knee.  Continue sewing around his outline stopping at the other inside knee joint. 4.  Stuff it.  Push the fabric through to turn him right-side-out. Stuff him trying to fill the outer extremities first (head, hands, feet).  Keep going until he is plump and full, then hand stitch up the last section. 5.  Polish it.  Fabric paint a dead expression on his face.  Keep pins close at hand. If you're really up to it, you should make a cake to celebrate making your voodoo doll.

top ten: pinterest projects

Too many pins, not enough time.  My goal before the end of July is to conquer at least one Pinterest inspired project.   There are just too many creative ideas out there now, and so my current top ten are below (not necessarily in order).  Feel free to chime in if I did not include one of your favorites.

1. resin jewelry
   I'm especially looking into the items with major glitter since the resin can contain the herpes of the craft world.
2. lace top
   Busy patterns seem to be the way to go since they can hide your trimming and hemming mistakes.
3. stamped jewelry
   Wedding motive here - amazing as bridesmaid gifts and I also may want this for myself.
4. recycling bins
   It is time.  Nick and I have lived in Colorado for over two years. It is time to start recycling at home.
5. lace cut offs
   Partly cute/partly white-trash, but I think if executed correctly they could be the go-to item for the rest of the summer.
6. fabric transfer
   Who doesn't want to use their fave photo in some memorable way? Pillows, shirts, curtains, etc.
7. bleach t shirt (try, try again)
   Yes, the first spin with this project did not go so well.  I am hoping with a better plan and supplies that I can do a one-eighty on this.
8. contrast pockets
   Just too damn cute.
9. elbow patches
   Ditto.
10. book pages gift bag
    I admit I have wedding motives behind this project as well.  They could work great as wedding favor bags.

bead earrings

Well, I took a first step towards planning my wedding.  Nick and I decided on our colors: sage green with a dodger blue.  So what was my next step? I made some beaded earrings for my bridesmaids.  They are fairly simple in design once you have your beads picked out.

Cost: $10  Time: 15 minutes Needed: blue beads ($3) crystal beads ($3) head pins ($2) earring hooks ($2) pearl beads (owned) flat nose pliers (owned) round nose pliers (owned) diagonal cutters (owned) 1.  Stack it.  Take a headpin and start stacking your beads in an arrangement you like.   2.  Trim it.  Cut your headpin about a quarter above your beads.   3.  Loop it.  Use your round nose pliers to start bending the tip towards the beads.  You many have to reposition the pliers to get a good round loop. 4.  Hook it.  Open your earring hook's loop with your flat nose pliers.  Pop your headpin's loop in there and close it back up. Even though it costs ten bucks to get started, you'll find that you can make many sets of earrings with your supplies.  I recommend getting strands of beads with different colors and shapes to give you plenty of options.  And yes, I did lay out my supplies in a smiley face.