Pinterest

For the longest time I have been holding out on joining this site. I figured I didn't need another site that I felt like I had to keep up with. I probably still don't need it, but after so much talk about how great it is, I finally caved and joined up!

So far I am enjoying it and I can tell it will be an endless source of inspiration. The downside is that I don't have an endless amount of time or money to spend on those inspirations. For now, I'm keeping it simple. One board for my projects, one for projects I want to do, one for recipes and another for home decor. Talk to me in a week to see if that has changed- better yet, follow me at http://pinterest.com/kindallw

If you aren't on Pinterest, you are welcome to message me with your email and I will send you an invite. I hear requesting it from the site can take awhile, but a friend of mine sent me one and I got it immediately!

Happy Pining!

PS: I'm hoping there is a way to not get emails every time someone re-pins something. Within an hour I had 11 emails- not cool

Monogrammed Art

 

This is a different take on my previous fabric art.

   

For this I used Steam-a-Seam to adhere the monogram onto the base fabric. Then I stitched around each letter with a black zig-zag stitch to help it stand out a little.

I just printed out the monogram and then traced it onto the steam a seam backing backwards.  I am sure there is a more exact way to do this, but I have never been one for exactness.

This was actually a gift for a dear friend of mine who got engaged this weekend.  It was waiting for them when they arrived at the “just engaged” party!

Her new last initial and there first initials. The maroon and white colors are a nod to Texas A&M!  A school near and dear to both of them (and me)!

Congratulations Mark and Dean-na! I am so excited for you guys!

Make a frame, make some art!

I know some girls get things like clothes and makeup for Christmas, but for the past few years, my Dad has been stocking me up with awesome tools! It started with a basic tool kit, but as the years have gone on, I guess I have proven myself worthy of the big stuff!

This year I received my very own Compound Miter Saw! Isn't it lovely?

I'll admit, that blade is a little scary, but it sure does make this project I have been working on so much easier!

I have been making a lot of these fabric wall hangings and I need frames for them to wrap around. Theses are so cheap, and take no time at all now that I don't have to manually saw each of the boards!

Just take a 1X2 piece of wood, figure out the size you want your frame to be and make 45 degree cuts. Once you have your 4 edges, just staple them together at the corners. I used 2 staples on each corner, then flip it over and put 2 more staples again at each corner. Pretty simple and very sturdy.

Now, on to the fun stuff!

These fabric wall hangings are so much fun and the possibilities are endless. What I love about this is that you don't have to use a lot of fabric so you can raid the remnant section at Hobby Lobby and find all sorts of fun fabric without paying a ton and having a lot left over.

I just cut out whatever shape I want, lay that over a contrasting fabric, sew around the edges and then add some detail! Once everything is sewn on, just stretch it across your frame and staple it to the back.

Here are some examples. I really love them and they make great gifts!

Here are some up close

And here are some others I did ...

Easy felt bunting banner

For my roommates Birthday, I made this easy felt banner.

Basically, I cut some triangles out of felt and sewed them on to some thick bias tape.

Then I cut the letters out of felt and just stuck them on to the flag.

I didn't sew those on because I figured I can re-use this banner for all sorts of occasions. Just cut out more letters to say things like "Happy New Year", "Celebrate"... anything really!

I think it added a lot of fun to her day!

More Metal art

For Christmas, my Mom asked me to make something she could give to her co-workers and a couple of close friends.

We settled on one of my past projects. These are made from soft metal, pressed in with an embossing tool and then filled in with a paint marker.

I think she was happy with the way they turned out.

For more examples of this you can check out this post!

Cake Stands

This weekend I helped in putting together a fundraiser of sorts for a Baby orphanage I visited while in Kenya last summer. The lady who started the orphanage was actually a member of my church, but she moved to Kenya about 5 years ago. Not only does she run this orphanage, she also has a ministry to the local hospitals, and some single mothers. You can learn more about her ministry here.

The single mother ministry is what we were focusing on this Saturday. To support themselves and their families, the women are taught how to knit and sew. Trena works with the mothers to advertise their products and since she has been in the states, she is trying to sell as much merchandise as possible for them! That’s what Saturday was about. Come, eat and buy!

We decided early on that we would serve a little cake, fruit and tea. Nothing too big, just a nibble! And for decorations, it would mainly be just things we had on hand, plus some fun fabric for the table. I was in charge of making cake platters since we needed some height on the table.

The fabric that was chosen was hot pink zebra stripes and a little bit of hot pink and green floral. I wanted to match the fabric, but not be overly matchy-matchy either!

These were actually really easy to make and cost a total of $17 for 3 stands. The way they were put together allows for them to be taken apart for storage and could be repainted to match any event.

Here is what I did:

1. Buy 3 wooden plaques- Hobby Lobby

2. Spray paint them white

3. Buy 3 candle sticks of various heights (I already had 2 I found at goodwill) the other was from HOB LOB

4. Spray paint them whatever color your heart desires!

5. After the tops were dry, I wanted to make them a little more festive. I grabbed some fun scrapbook paper – in zebra print and houndstooth, and modge podged them to the tops. 2 coats of m.p was all it took.

To put the stands together, I first drilled a small hole in the tops and the sticks. That way when I screwed them together, the wood wouldn't split.

7. At first, I was just going to leave it, but they were a little top heavy, so I also added a small base to each stand. That made them a lot more sturdy. I had these 3 pieces of wood already so that was nice. But you can buy them at Hobby Lobby also if needed.

I think they turned our pretty cute!

In case you are wondering, those are miniature bundt cakes from "Nothing Bundt Cakes"! If you have a store close to you, I highly recommend them- they are delicious!

Here is the whole table!

The event was great, we raised a lot of money and had a wonderful time hearing about what the Lord is doing in Nukuru through His Cherished Ones Ministry .

Items for sale made by the Ladies

* I link my projects to the following blogs whose links you can find on my side bar

- Todays creative Blog

- Someday Crafts

- Somewhat simple

Burlap Hoop Wreath

I haven't done anything crafty since the dining room re-do so I was getting a little antsy!

On a weekend trip home, my grandmother insisted I come for a visit because she had something she wanted to give me. I wasn't sure what she was going to pull out for me, but boy was I surprised when she handed me this old box of giant plastic buttons!

Not only were there about 100 buttons in the box, but they were such fun colors and so big that I knew I could do a lot with them! I was thrilled. Honestly, as random as it is, I think it was one of the best presents I have received from my Grandma; Mainly because it proved she knew me well enough to know that I would appreciate something like that!

I took the buttons home and knew I needed to use them right away! It just so happened that 2 of my best friends are about to celebrate their 30th Birthday, so that was the perfect excuse to spend some time crafting.

I have seen lots of wreaths and decorations using those crochet hoops so I thought I would jump on board!

I wanted the texture of the burlap on the wreath, but also needed something more sturdy when sewing, so I put a piece of linen behind the burlap.

I sewed on the buttons, and then used a back stitch to sew the letters and stems on the flowers!

I added some ribbon to hang them with and viola! I think they turned out really cute!

Later, I went back and spray painted the hoops a bright green color.

Happy Birthday Lori and Emily! And thank you Grandma for the awesome gift! I'm sure there will be many more projects using these buttons in the future!

*What would you use the buttons for? I would love some suggestions!