Pallet Craft with My Pal

I spent last Saturday with my pal Stephanie and she had a fun pallet project planned for us, which was PERFECT because it was the first really warm day of the season and we were happy to spend our time outside.

Stephanie had seen a variety of pallet home decor. on Pinterest and wanted to make one of her own. Thankfully her husband has access to pallets, a circular saw, and a super willing spirit. What a sweet guy!

Once Cody had the pallet cut down for us we painted the corners a few other edges with black paint to show through once we sanded a bit of the top coat off. In order to protect the black paint we covered the paint with Crisco before painting the whole pallet cream.

After the whole thing was painted cream, front and back, we began to sand off the cream paint in the corners and on the edges where we had painted black underneath the Crisco to create a distressed/vintage look.

With all of the sanding done was wiped the dust off the pallet with a rag and sketched the Bible verse Stephanie wanted to paint.

Stephanie had to paint quickly because the sun was drying it as soon as she could get it on the pallet!

Wonder-Man Cody came to the rescue again and helped Stephanie hang her finished project, which apparently was no small task. I can't wait until I have a home and can do fun projects like this!

Flashback Friday

Oh boy, isn't this good for a few laughs? Now don't be hatin'. Remember this is flashback, all the way to the early '90s. We were on style for the era. The outfit that I am wearing is actually a rich coral color. You can see what Marissa has done with the scraps all these many years later, here. I made this top and skirt for my younger sisters bridal shower and then the later worn it for my parents 50th wedding anniversary party. My mother and I got crafty with the dark green velveteen and satin flower girl dresses that Marissa and Krista are wearing for that same wedding. Because our family is so frugal and the girls felt like princesses in those dresses they also wore wore them for the anniversary party. I hope you get crafty soon.

Happy May Day

Happy May Day from the ladies at I Get My Crafty From My Mama.

My tulips are in bloom and it was well into the 70s in Michigan today!

Feeling Lost...

without my sewing machine!

Last Thursday I dropped my sewing machine off for routine maintenance and hardly know what to do with myself this week. Since I can't sew in my free time and I am feeling very inspired thanks to The Great British Sewing Bee I decided to start a project that I could finish once I have my sewing machine back.

I got this vintage pattern at my local free store and am excited to use it because this blouse is back in style and the measurements seem to be a perfect fit for me. Thankfully my mother had some left over coral and coral polka dot material from a project she did years ago and was happy to share the left over material with me. So far I'm liking the cost of this project!

Stay tuned for the finished product!

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Fashion Star & The Great British Sewing Bee

I admittedly watch a little bit too much television, but recently I have been absolutely GLUED to Fashion Star and The Great British Sewing Bee. Why you ask?

I love Fashion Star for three main reasons. It mixes individual designers and the process they go through WITH buyers from major department stores AND you can purchase the clothing immediately after the show is over! Talk about an advertising major's dream.

Have any of you purchased an article of clothing that was designed on Fashion Star? I have been tempted, but it seems that Saks always buys the styles I like and sells them out of my price range. I have, however, been thinking about how I could replicate a few of the designs.

I have never wanted to be on a "reality" television show until I saw The Great British Sewing Bee. Honestly, if Americans were allowed to apply I would fly to Britain at the drop of the hat! America, lets get on this ASAP.

What makes this show so wonderful is that it truly tests the sewing skills of amateur sewers through a variety of tests including altering, tailoring, following a pattern, hand stitching, and refashioning for both men's and women's clothing. The winner of The Great British Sewing Bee will likely be a very well rounded seamstress!

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Floral Clutch Cover

Last summer I picked a few things up from the local free store. One of the things I picked up was a black velvet clutch that looked like it was in high fashion in the mid 80s. Thankfully it was still in great shape, and I had the perfect craft in mind for it, so I brought it home with me.

Any thoughts on what the craft may be? That's right, a clutch cover! And I had the perfect bright and springy fabric left over from my floral dress re-do last spring.

Pieces before.

First, I had to cut the remaining dress bodice open at the side seams and top straps then sew the two separate pieces together at the bottom to create enough fabric for the length of the clutch.

Plenty of material.

Next I had to begin engineering the piece, which took A LOT of measuring, pinning, and re-measuring. Both the bottom and sides of the original clutch were designed to expand and I knew that I wanted to be able to carry just as many things in my clutch once it was covered with this fun floral fabric.

Measuring and pinning.

Once I finally felt reassured that the measurements I had taken were correct I cut the material, sewed the top and bottom seam, and basted the side seams.

Mid-process.

The basting turned out really well so I sewed and serged the seams as well as sewing the bottom corners of the clutch to make a nice square, box shape for the clutch to expand.

Measuring out the bottom corners.

Once that was completed I was ready to iron my clutch cover and insert my clutch!

Ironed clutch cover.

Now my clutch cover is complete and I can take my newly updated black velvet clutch with me to a variety of spring events. And the magnetic closure still works through a few layers of material! I will continue to make additional covers for this clutch so that I can use it in all seasons, but may design the pattern a little bit differently next time as the back of the clutch cover doesn't fit as snugly as I would like.

Finished clutch cover.

Girlfriend Birthday

Hello, and happy spring!

I recently wanted to give a small token of appreciation to a girlfriend for her birthday. I thought of all sorts of options. I realized that what I had at home already, could become a thoughtful and beautiful gift. A handmade gift would let her know just how much I treasure her. She is a very sunny type person, so I got crafty with stamps and paper to make a batch of greeting cards for her.

I found paper colors that I found pleasing together and seemed "sunny". I fell back on a card layout that I use when ever I don't want to think up something new. The stamp set is Sew Suite, a Stampin Up set from a while back. I am really happy with the end product. Happy Birthday Girlfriend.