Other Craft Projects

MAN-day Monday – Alfie’s mini canvas

by Lesley Oman on 20 February, 2012

Hi everyone, it’s time for another MAN-day Monday, and today it’s a home decor item for all those little princes out there.

I made this little canvas hanging for little Alfie. He is at Piper’s nursery and is usually there in the same room when I collect P in the evenings. He is always hanging around P, playing with her or watching her from a distance. He even comes up to me with toys so I play with him or read him a book for a few minutes whilst the team get Piper’s day sheet organised. He is a sweetheart, and because of that I always say that he is Piper’s boyfriend.

You can pick up these mini canvases at some art shops- these ones I got in France yeaaars ago.

To decorate the canvas, first I cut a heart out of red scrapbook paper. Next I stamped the Friend Definition stamp from Hero Arts onto white card stock using the grey Pumice Stone distress ink. I stuck the heart to the stamped card and cut around it, leaving a border. I used wet glue to stick the paper together- Anita’s tacky glue, as I wanted to ensure that it had a firm hold and that it would withstand time. Next I popped a brad through the two layers, and stuck the whole thing onto the canvas.

The next bit was the tough bit- choosing which letter stickers to use. I decided to go with these doodlebug ones as they had a childlike, whimsical feel.

I thought about adding twine, but ribbon would secure better- i lay the canvas face down and placed the ribbon on top, securing to the back of the canvas with staples. I had to hammer the staples in a little bit (I didn’t have a staple gun, just an office stapler) but they were 100% secure.

Why not make a cute little wall hanging for your little princes and princesses!!?

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Valentines Treats – Paper Hearts

by Lesley Oman on 16 February, 2012

I wanted to do something special for the guys at Piper’s nursery who work so hard to make each day different, exciting, educational and FUN!
I always love reading the little section on her day sheet that tells us what she has been up to that day.

I got some jellybelly jelly beans {everyone loves those right?} and got crafty, here’s what I came up with…

First i took some copy paper and cut out a heart template, then i traced around the template, onto the back of some scrapbook paper. Next i cut out the hearts with my scissors {note to self: BUY some heart shaped dies!!!}.

I dug through my stash and found some mulberry paper – geez that was a blast from the past! I’m sure i bought it in Glasgow when I worked at Millers Art Shop. It’s also called Silk Straw paper in case you try to find it.

I chopped up pieces of silk straw paper that were bigger than the hearts and then took to the sewing machine. I wasn’t caring about being exact, so i stitched 3/4 of the way around the heart, pausing for a few moments to push in 3 little jelly beans in between the scrapbook paper and the mulberry paper, then i carried on sewing the rest of the way around the heart.

Next step – fraying! With a paint brush dipped in water i drew a line along the mulberry paper, just where the edge of the paper heart was. The water seeps into the mulberry paper and softens the fibres so you can gently pull away the excess paper, leaving a beautiful frayed edge around the heart.

A quick hole punched with my crop-o-dile and of course some bakers twine.

Next step…embellishing! I cut strips of cream coloured paper from the Slice Ledger paper stack (love that stack!). Using a square punch, I cut notches into the ends to make a flag type banner. I managed to find a stamp in my stash that said ‘Happy Valentines Day’ which was perfect for the occasion.

A couple of circles cut with my circle dies and my cuttlebug, and then it was all about the layering!

To finish I made little name tags for each of the girls – which was the worst bit because i was so paranoid that i would forget someone. Luckily i didnt…or maybe they were just too nice to tell me! LOL

I hope you had a lovely week, full of lovely LOVE!

Love and hugs,
x



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Mister foxy – a denim doorstop

by Lesley Oman on 18 January, 2012

Phew! Just back from a trip to Northern ireland to see the family. Exhausting, but also wonderful. I miss them, but they sure do tire me out when we go back for flying visits.

Piper was an angel on the flight. She looked quite the thing sitting up on her seat, looking out the window at all the clouds.

 

♥

I contemplated having a {slightly} late MANday Monday, but i think i’ll just keep the card I made for dads birthday until next week. Instead I want to introduce you to Mister Foxy

It was late, but I wasn’t tired, so I set up the iPad with a cheesy movie on LoveFilm (twilight of course) and started pulling out remnants of denim, cutting and stitching. I had no idea what the final piece would be, but it kinda just turned out like this. Isn’t he adorable!

I stuffed him with some stuffing that used to be inside a pillow and then i also filled his bum with rice so he has a bit of weight. He sits upright really well and can even hold the door open.

In the morning I showed him to Piper and she pointed at him and said ‘cat’. LOL. well, almost sweetie, almost a cat. :-)

Maybe i’ll give him some button eyes, or pick up some teddy bear eyes at the haberdashery department, but until then little french knots will have to do.

Have a good day everyone says Mister Foxy

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Repurpose Old Jeans – Dinner Placemats

by Lesley Oman on 5 January, 2012

A little while ago I shared a post on how i massacred an old pair of hubby’s jeans to make a storage box which i use to hold Piper’s toys (well, some of Piper’s toys, after opening a huge pile of Christmas presents she has significantly more now). Whilst i was making that project I thought, “hey, i should use the rest of this denim to make placemats.”

You see, we bought a new dining table and chairs before Christmas and all of a sudden we were very aware of the fact that we never use placemats or coasters, and we both agreed that it would be a good idea to maybe invest in some. I refused to buy any because i felt inspired to make some with the denim, and i even went as far as to buy material for the other side. In fact i did everything except actually make them.

My old grump of a sewing machine held me back. I didn’t want him to chomp up the fabric and rain on my parade. Boooo.

So on Boxing day, my new lady (aka my new Singer sewing machine) made her virgin voyage (aka first sewing project) and its no surprise that it was the placemats. That day we feasted on Turkey sandwiches (a customary dinner for Dec 26th), served on plates, resting safely on my new groovy placemats.

For my last project lots of people wants a template…confession time: i have never used a template. I’m more of a “lets wing it” kinda girl. BUT this time i took some step by step photos.

1. Raid your husbands wardrobe. Convince him that despite your fantastic sewing skills, those jeans are beyond repair. Cut off a leg and cut up the outer seam you’ll have a chunk of denim to play with.

2. Either use a quilting ruler, or use your noodle to find an alternative. You can see that I used one of Piper’s wooden jigsaws. It seemed the perfect size for a place mat so I simply cut around it with my rotary cutter. If you prefer you can mark it out with chalk or a pen and then cut it out.

These jeans had a design in them so there was an extra seam. I didn’t worry about this, it just meant that some of my placemats have a line across the middle. Adds a bit of quirkiness.

3. Cut the same size out of the coordinating fabric. Mine was a pretty red with hearts. Lay right sides together and pin them together.

4. Sew around the edges with a straight stitch, leaving a 2-3 inch gap. I used the edge of the foot as a guide for the edge of the fabric, this was the seam is pretty much even all the way around. Snip the corners off the fabric as in the photo.

5. Turn the right way round and sew around the edges again (make sure you sew up that gap). I used the triple straight stitch for this. I NEVER even knew about this stitch before, and I totally LOVE it. It gives a really cool look, almost as if it has been hand stitched. I think i will be using this a lot.

 Here’s a close look without the flash.

Isn’t it lovely.

I love my new placemats. To keep them all together in the dresser drawer i pinched a ribbon that came around one of Craig’s Christmas presents and used it to bundle all the mats together.

I wonder what else i could steal from my husband to repurpose…

Oh, seeing as I’m feeling inspired by my new sewing machine I’ve decided to make another category called ‘sewing’. This will make it easier to find all the fabric fun that I have. :-)

 

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