Sew Can Do

I Heart The Craftastic Monday Link Party:)

2012-01-29T19:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday everyone!! I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a new week of fun projects and inspiration. I'm definitely feeling the Valentine's Day & Winter vibe lately so I love seeing all your best crafty ideas, decorations & recipes. The more, the better!

This week I've got some new tutorials I'm really excited to share with you. I hope you'll like them. This is also the last chance to enter my giveaway for a $20 Gift Certificate to Sugar Pink Boutique, one of my favorite sources for pretty, crafty supplies. Click HERE to get your entries in. You can also still take advantage of the 10% off discount code too. Use: SugarPink to save on your entire order. I did, and scored some great new goodies that I can't wait to use!

From this week's party features you can see that I've got pretties & hearts on the brain - check out some of these great links:

Teagan's Travels shared a tutorial for making a festive, felt heart wreath - a friend made one from it this weekend and they are even cuter in person!

The Latest Find created some lovely free printables for Valentine's Day:

How cool is this heart basket from Happy Hour Projects? It's made from yarn and cardboard. Love it!!

I also feature several more favorites on a special Craftastic Picks board on Pinterest. Follow me to see more great projects and if yours is one of them!

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links giveaways, shops, link parties or other people's work). Add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog somewhere. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love. We all love getting comments!!

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations all week long. Have fun getting crafty this week!!

Make A Sweetheart Glitter Cottage!

2012-01-24T08:00:00.003-05:00

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I'm all about the sweetness of Valentine's Day and what better way to show that with a Sweetheart Glitter Cottage! I caught my fever for making glitter cottages at Christmas when I made this winter-themed one last month:

It looked so lovely sitting on the mantle & added a little extra festive flair around the house. And even though it looked fancy, it was soooo inexpensive to make. So I knew I HAD to do another one - this time with a sweetheart theme for the upcoming holiday:

Glittery, sugary goodness makes my heart warm:) And once again, I got a lot of my special decorating goodies from Sugar Pink Boutique, my go-to source for sweet, pretty accessories. Want to make one yourself? Here's how:

You'll Need:
- Small wooden or cardboard house/birdhouse (From Joann's was just $1)
- Acrylic craft paint
- German Glass Glitter (from Sugar Pink Boutique)
- Pom pom ric-rac (from Sugar Pink Boutique)
- Baby pom pom trim (from Sugar Pink Boutique)
- Assorted heart beads (from the giant $6 plastic bead grab bag at Michael's)
- Wall spackling & sandwich bag (optional)
- Mod Podge
- Hot glue gun
- Foam brush, toothpick

First start with two coats of acrylic craft paint. I used bubble gum pink as the main part of the house, hot pink for the roof & base and white for the trim:

For the "frosting" on the roof, I used spackling piped on using a sandwich bag with the corner cut out:

Next apply a very thin coat of Mod Podge, a section at a time (since it dries fast):

Sprinkle the german glass glitter on until you get your desired level of sparkle. German glass glitter gives a lovely "sugary" look you just can't get with plain craft store glitter. Definitely adds that special something:

Once all sides & roof are done & dry, I carefully applied small heart beads around the opening and some larger ones as accents on the front and roof with Mod Podge and a toothpick. Again, doing these a side at a time means they won't slide around while drying:

Next I applied my ric-rac & pom pom ribbon using hot glue. That stuff dries fast too, so a side at a time is key:

Then my little Valentine's Cottage was done and ready to be loved:

Want to win some of the sweet supplies used here? Enter my giveaway for a $20 Gift Certificate to Sugar Pink Boutique!

ENTER HERE

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

Craftastic Monday Link Party & Sugar Pink Boutique Giveaway!!

2012-01-22T19:30:00.019-05:00

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This week's Craftastic Link Party is my unofficial kickoff for the Valentine's Day season. Hearts, love & sweet treats - it's one of my favorite crafting times of year! And what better way to get in the mood for love-themed projects than with a giveaway + discount for some lovely crafty supplies??

Sugar Pink Boutique is one of my absolute favorite places to get special crafting & decorative goodies. And they've got an amazing selection of Valentine's themed items --

Find unique things like these yummy looking Candy Lights:

Sweet berry beads for decorating & jewelry making:

Gorgeous ribbons for gifts, embellishing & barrette crafting:

And fabulous fat quarter fabric bundles for sweet sewing projects:

And the Sugar Pink Boutique blog is a great place to find inspiration. There's even a crafty link up party that starts on Fridays:

To celebrate Valentine's Day, Sugar Pink Boutique is offering Sew Can Do readers 10% off their entire purchase (excluding shipping) for this week only!

Use the code: SugarPink. Offer is good until 1/31, so hurry and get your discounted goodies!

~~~AND~~~

Sugar Pink Boutique is giving away a $20 Gift Certificate to one lucky Sew Can Do reader!

Use it on whatever you'd like from the shop: beads, candy lights, ribbons, fabric -- whatever you want. Get your gear for Valentine's Day or just treating yourself to some lovely new goodies.

To Enter:

Stop by Sugar Pink Boutique, check out the lovely items, then come back and leave a comment telling what your favorite item is. Be sure to include an email address if it's not on your profile.

For Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):

- Follow Sugar Pink Boutique's blog

- Become a fan of Sugar Pink Boutique on Facebook

- Follow Sugar Pink Boutique on Pinterest

- Follow Sugar Pink Boutique on Twitter

- Link to this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter

- Follow Sew Can Do

- Like Sew Can Do on Facebook

- Follow Sew Can Do on Pinterest

Giveaway will be open until 11:59PM EST January 31st, 2011. A random winner will be chosen and announced later that week. Good Luck Everyone!

Now let's see a few sweet projects from last week's party:

I was wowed by this gorgeous mural The Creative Imperative shared. So beautiful!!

Hungry Happenings made these cute polar bear cookies using my favorite treat making medium: modeling chocolate:

Want some custom colored buttons? Live Creatively Now shared this fab tutorial for dying your own buttons:

I've also featured several more favorites on a special Craftastic Picks board on Pinterest. Follow me to see more great projects and if yours is one of them!

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links giveaways, shops, link parties or other people's work). Add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog somewhere. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love. We all love getting comments!!

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations all week long. Have fun getting crafty this week!!

Pellon Bag Making Goodies Giveaway Winner!!

2012-01-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

It's time to announce the winner of the Pellon Bag Making Goodies Giveaway! There were a fantastic number of entries and lovers of Pellon which was great to see. The randomly chosen winner was:

Congratulations Heather! You've won a fabulous Pellon Prize Pack of products worth over $55!!

I'll be in touch on fulfilling your prize very soon. Thank you to Pellon for providing this terrific prize:)

Still want to win some crafty goodies?

I've got some more great giveaways coming up very soon, so stay tuned to Sew Can Do for more chances to win great gear for your stash!!

Seamingly Smitten Sewing Patterns for 2012!

2012-01-19T08:00:00.004-05:00

Is one of your resolutions for 2012 to sew more? Or just to learn to sew? A great way to make those goals happen is with fun & easy patterns. When I find patterns I love, I use them over and over. But finding the right ones isn't always as easy.

One of my lovely advertisers, Seamingly Smitten, makes patterns that are easy to follow, full of step-by-step photos and simple sizing charts so any skill level can make sweet, sewn things.

And Seamingly Smitten is offering Sew Can Do readers a special discount:

50% off your entire purchase by using the code: SEWHAPPY. What a great way to stock up on some patterns that are fun and versatile!

So check out Seamingly Smitten and get some new sewing plans going for the new year!

Make Your Own Elastic Shoelaces

2012-01-17T05:00:00.001-05:00

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DIY Elastic Shoelaces. I love elastic shoelaces. The look of laces + the ease of slip-on. Last summer I'd bought myself a pair of fancy-pants sneakers that had them and I wore those things EVERY day. Purely because of those laces. They were just so easy to get on and off while carrying bags, kids, etc.

Then my 2yr old got these cute high tops for her birthday and I ended up having to retie them every 10 min. And they got grungy immediately from being stepped on constantly. GRRR. So I thought about how I could duplicate those easy, breezy, elastic laces on her shoes and came up with this idea. Easy, fast and no more lace-related hassles!!

Supplies Needed:
- Fold Over Elastic (aka FOE). This comes in several widths usually 5/8in and 1 in. I used 1 inch since that's what I had on hand. Depending on the size of the holes, the 5/8 make be easier to use.
- Basic notions (sewing machine, pin, soluble/disappearing marking pen, scissors)

If you're not familiar with Fold Over Elastic this stuff is incredibly useful & versatile. I've got more info on what it is HERE and loads of tutorials and project ideas using it HERE. Now here's the deal on making elastic laces with it --

First you loosen the shoelaces slightly and then mark the laces about 1 inch from the outside of the top lace holes:

Then unlace the shoe and measure the distance between the markings and cut two pieces of FOE that length:

Fold the elastic lengthwise and trim the ends to a point (this makes it easier to feed through the lace holes):

Mark the center of the FOE and center that at the base and begin to feed the folded elastic through the holes like so:

Continue feeding folded elastic through until both ends meet inside:

With right sides of the ends facing pin elastic open:

Stitch together & backstitch over a few times for strength and then trim close to stitching:

Pull elastic to fold over the seam and evenly adjust laces. Now they're ready to wear:

Being folded means the elastic has some give, but won't get too floppy with wear. It's ideal for small kids' shoes since it takes the constant threat of tripping and needing to be retied off a busy mom's hands (as if there isn't enough for Mom to do!).

It's also a great way to add some personality & color to any shoes since FOE comes in a rainbow of colors and prints. I plan to freshen up more shoes with my stylin' FOE stash, how about you?

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

Craftastic Monday Link Party Time!!

2012-01-15T19:30:00.048-05:00

Welcome to the Craftastic Monday Link Party. We had over 200 great links last week and I hope we can have even more this week! I've finally gotten Sew Can Do set up on Pinterest to find & share my favorite crafty things. I'd love for you to join me there:)

AND I plan to Pin Craftastic Party links I love, so besides a chance to be featured here at Sew Can Do's weekly party, your projects may be featured on the Sew Can Do's Pinterest, so the more you link up, the more opportunities you have to get your work noticed!

Now here are a few creations I noticed last week:

Check out this cute doll sized mailbox tutorial from A Heart Full of Love. My kids will totally want one of these:

This Tricycle Diaper Cake from Maiden D'Shade was super clever:

Growing Flowers In The Desert made this amazing Dr. Who themed travel bag (even the accessories are themed to the show!):

And before this week seems "blue themed" (totally coincidentally!), check it this awesome homemade fruit leather from The Moody Fashionista. Totally on my to-do list now:

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links giveaways, shops, link parties or other people's work). Add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog somewhere. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love. We all love getting comments!!

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations all week long. Have fun getting crafty this week!!

Slipper Socks Pattern Review & Helpful Hints

2012-01-13T00:00:00.015-05:00

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I love coming up with my own patterns, but sometimes it's more practical to use a pre-existing one. Like for these slipper socks. Having 3 kids with ever growing feet, it was a lot simpler to buy a pattern with all the sizes included than keep resizing my own over and over. I used The Green Pepper's Polar Socks pattern (bought at my local Jo-Ann's) because it had all the baby & kids sizes AND sizes for adults.

I really enjoyed this pattern. And no, I'm not being compensated to tell you about it - I just thought this was too good not to share a great sewing find! It's only got 3 pieces and is super fast to make - I whipped out four pairs in less than an hour total, so it's ideal for any skill level. There are two styles to make (calf length and knee high). And the sizing is just perfect - they even have wide versions included too.

I make some with ultra cuddle like the penguins above and others with anti-pill fleece. They all feel heavenly (the kids don't want to take them off!!). All 3 pairs for my kids used fabric from my scrap bin, so that was an added bonus. It also doesn't hurt that they look really cute on.

I did make a few slight changes. The first being that I used FOE (Fold Over Elastic) as the finishing trim instead of fiddling around with making some ribbing like the pattern suggests. FOE is way easier - just sew the short ends together and then fold over the edge and sew into place with a triple zig-zag stitch:

And to make a fun pair for my 9yr old I cut out some eyes and a forked tongue from some small scraps, sewed on some buttons to make his into some slipper snakes:

The other thing I did was to sew on some Odegon DeOdor Tags to the inside soles:

These patches neutralize odors, are totally washable & chemical free. They seemed ideal for using in fleece slippers which tend to be worn a lot, but not exactly washed daily. I mean how many people wash their slippers every day?? And if you have young kids you know they get some sweaty little feet running around. So these tags will keep the stinkies at bay in between washings.

Add a little puff paint on the bottoms to give some anti-slip grip and they're all set! I totally plan to make more of these slipper socks (my idea of a perfect & simple gift idea).

Have a great weekend everybody:)

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

Making A Laminated Messenger Bag

2012-01-12T00:00:00.019-05:00

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I love versatile bags and today's messenger bag tutorial is just that - VERSATILE. Great for use as a diaper bag, computer bag, book carrier or overnight bag. Using a good stabilizer gives it great shape and structure with too much bulk. With a laminated cotton outer fabric it's easy to keep fresh looking too. Padded inner pockets let you carry things large and small and keep them all organized.

And with two easy access side pockets on the outside, there's even more handy storage. Now if you're unfamiliar/nervous about sewing with laminated cotton, this is the tutorial for you. With no top stitching required, sewing this fabric is a breeze. I promise!!

I bought this fantastic laminated cotton from one of my sponsors, Just Laminates, and knew it would be perfect for a bag. It's Riley Blake's Fox Trails and I just love it. It's whimsical, but has a style that works for both kids and adults. I'm currently using mine as a diaper bag for my 2yr old, but when she no longer needs it I can totally snag it for myself;) Want to make your own?

You'll Need:
1 yd Laminated Cotton
1 yd Cotton for Interior
1 yd of Pellon Décor Bond
1/4yd Pellon Legacy Batting
1 package of extra wide double fold bias tape
Basic notions (sewing machine, pins, marking pen, shears/rotary cutter. etc.)

Cut the following pieces:
- Front/Back Piece 16"w x 14"h (cut 2 outer fabric, 2 lining, 2 Décor Bond)
- Side Piece 6"w x 14" h (cut 2 outer fabric, 2 lining, 2 Décor Bond)
- Bottom Piece 16"w x 6"h (cut 1 outer fabric, 1 lining, 1 Décor Bond)
- Flap Piece 15"w x 18"h (cut 1 outer fabric, 1 lining, 1 Décor Bond) To curve the bottom corners, use a glass or small plate to trace a curve shape and then cut.
- Strap 44"l x 5" w (cut 1 outer fabric, 1 lining, 1 Décor Bond, 1 Legacy Batting)
- Outer Pocket 6" w x 6"h (cut 2 outer)
- Inner pocket 16" w x 16" h (1 lining) and 16"w x 8"h (1 Legacy Batting)

Step 1 - Fuse the Décor Bond to the wrong sides of all the brown pieces. Set aside. Take folded inner pocket fabric and measure inward 5 inches on either side. Draw lines downward with marking pen. Insert batting into fold. Encase the folded end into bias tape and stitch in place.

Step 2 - Line up inner pocket along the bottom of back lining piece and pin together. Stitch down lines to form the pockets:

Step 3 - Fold strap in half as shown. Measure 1.5 inches inward on each side of folded end. Lay a ruler along this point and angle out towards the fabric edge about half way down the strap and cut to get this shape:

Step 4 - With right sides facing out, layer the outer strap and inner strap with the batting in between and attach bias tape on either side to complete strap. With right sides facing out on flap pieces, attach along sides and bottom with bias tape. Stitch bias tape along tops of outer pocket pieces:

Step 5 - With right sides facing stitch a side piece to either long side of the bottom piece with a .5 inch seam allowance.

Repeat with lining, but leave a 2 inch gap in the middle of side without inner pocket (this will be needed for turning the bag right side out at the end).

Step 6 - Line up the outside pocket with side bottom with right sides facing out:

Step 7 - Place these stacked pieces face down over the bottom side edge and stitch together - leaving .5 inch unstitched at beginning and end. Repeat on other side:

Step 8 - Next pull together long sides of side piece and front & back pieces and stitch together. Repeat on with other side. Do the same with lining pieces. Trim all the seam edges close to stitching.

Step 9 - Take flap piece and measure down 4 inches from raw edge on outer fabric side and mark horizontally. I use such a big allowance so it's easier to position the flap when pinning it to the bag & it's easier to hold in place when stitching together.

Step 10 - With the outer bag fabric turned wrong side out, pin together back side of outer bag with the flap along this newly drawn line. With the outer side of the strap facing the outer fabric of the bag sides, pin the raw edges together too.

Step 11 - With the lining bag's right side out, insert into outer bag so that the inner pocket is facing the inner side of the flap. Pin all fabrics together along raw edge:

Step 12- Stitch together all the way around with a .5 inch seam allowance. Trim off excess:

Step 13 - Pull bag right side out through the opening in the bottom of the lining. Smooth all corners into place and then hand stitch the opening closed. Now you're ready to tote in style!!

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

On-The-Go Knitting Bag Tutorial

2012-01-11T00:00:00.009-05:00

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One of the best things about knitting, crochet and other handiwork crafts is how portable they are. You can work on them just about anywhere. But throwing them into a purse isn't ideal and neither are a lot of the store-bought solutions. Have you seen some of the knitting storage totes? They're like carry-on luggage! And you don't always need to bring all your gear with you - just what you're working on.

This little bag is a great way to carry a few crafty items and then have a great workspace wherever you are. When it's time to pack up, just pull the drawstrings on you're ready to go. It's also an ideal solution for toting kids toys, use as a lunch bag, etc.

I was inspired to make this bag by the fabric itself. It's from the Timeless Treasures "Do Ewe Knit" collection. What better use for a knitting themed fabric than a bag for my knitting stuff? Ready to make one yourself? It's super easy. Here's how:

You'll Need
- Two 3/4yd cotton prints for outer & inner of bag
- One 3/4yd Pellon Shape-Flex® 100% cotton fusible interfacing
- Two grommets
- One yard of cording
- Iron & ironing board
- Basic notions (sewing machine, pins, marking pen, safety pin, shears/rotary cutter. etc.)

Start with cutting two 20 inch diameter circles from your outer & inner fabric and another circle from Pellon Shape-Flex. The Shape-Flex will give the bag extra strength and shape without being bulky or affecting it's "cinch-ability" - don't you like that totally made-up word?;)

Cutting the circles is easy if you fold the fabric in half lengthwise and then again widthwise and draw an arc, then cut along the arc and open.

You'll also want to cut a 5 inch high by 42 inch wide strip from the outer fabric (easy to cut when selvage ends are together):

Fold the strip lengthwise with right sides facing and stitch along the length with a 1/8 inch seam allowance. Then turn right side out, press and then top stitch along both sides of the strap:

Fuse the Shape-Flex to the wrong side of the outer fabric. Using a marking pen measure 1.5 inches in from raw edge of the outer circle and mark two points that are 2 inches apart. This is for setting the grommets.

Set the grommets according to the maker's instructions:

Now, with right sides of the circles facing, sandwich the strap in between them so its ends are in line with the raw edges of the circles and exactly opposite one another.

Pin into place and stitch around the entire circle with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a 2 inch gap for turning right side out. Clip around the circle so it will curve properly when turned:

Now turn bag right side out, press around the edges and then top stitch around the seam (this will close up the turning gap).

Then stitch all the way around the circle with a 2 inch seam allowance to make the casing for the drawstring:

Attach a safety pin to one end of the cording and insert into one grommet, snaking around the casing and coming out the other grommet:

Knot the ends of the cord,

and now the bag is ready to use!

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

Pellon Bag Making Goodies Giveaway!!

2012-01-10T00:00:00.009-05:00

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How about we kick-off 2012 with a fantastic crafting giveaway? Pellon, the maker of interfacing, batting & all the other "Magic In The Middle" materials, is featuring January as Bag Making Month on PellonProjects.com and to celebrate they have provided me with a super prize pack of their stabilizing products that are ideal for making bags. Purses, totes, diaper bags, lunch sacks, any kind of bag you want to make, they have a product that helps make it marvelous.

Here are a few examples of what you can do with Pellon items:

I used Décor Bond® in my Flaphappy backpack last fall. This thin crisp fusible adds stability and support without extra weight. Perfect for all the crazy (and heavy) things my little guy tosses in it.

To make this sturdy lunch tote, I used Peltex® I Ultra-Firm 1-Sided Fusible Stabilizer. It's similar to the weight of cardboard so the bag really holds its boxy shape well. You can get my free pattern & tutorial for this bag on the PellonProjects.com site HERE.

And this drawstring bag is a new tutorial that is coming up here tomorrow. It utilizes cotton Shape-Flex® to give slight firmness to light to medium weight fabrics without becoming crisp:

For the rest of the week I'll be sharing some new, easy bag tutorials (like the one pictured above) so you can see these products in action and be ready to make them yourself.

Another great sewing simplifier is their Tru-Grid® 100% polyester tracing cloth. When I'm drafting up a new pattern of my own or don't want to deal with temperamental tissue paper patterns this is the stuff I use. It's got a pre-printed 1” grid and big 45” wide size so it's great for creating, copying or scaling patterns. Unlike paper no rips or tears!!

And if making bags isn't "your bag", these products have loads of other uses too. Even if you have zero sewing skills, these products can be ironed onto fabric, cardboard or even wood, so the possibilities are endless.

~~~So are you ready for a chance to win?~~~

The giveaway winner will receive 2yds of each of the following products:

SF101 Shape-Flex®. 100% cotton woven fusible interfacing. 20” wide.
987F Pellon® Fusible Fleece. 100% polyester lightweight low-loft fusible fleece. 45” wide.
71F Peltex® I Ultra-Firm 1-Sided Fusible. 100% polyester. 20” wide.
809 Décor Bond®. 90% polyester/10% rayon fusible stabilizer. 45” wide.
810 Tru-Grid®. 100% polyester tracing cloth with 1” grid. 45” wide.

AND a box of 4 Odegon deodorizing patches!

Want to keep a gym or laundry bag from being stinky? Just iron or sew in one of these patches to keep odors neutralized. Also great for clothing & entirely washable. And I'll be sharing some other ideas for using these soon too!

This prize has a retail value of over $55!! Holy mackerel is this a lot of crafting loot!

To Enter:

Stop by PellonProjects.com, then come back and leave a comment telling what your favorite project is. Be sure to include an email address if it's not on your profile.

For Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):

- Become a fan of Pellon on Facebook

- Like Odegon Tags on Facebook

- Sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the PellonProjects.com

- Link to this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter

- Follow Sew Can Do

- Like Sew Can Do on Facebook

~~Giveaway will be open until 11:59PM EST January 18th, 2011.~~ GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Giveaway is open to residents of U.S. and Canada only. The random winner will be chosen and announced later that week. Good Luck Everyone!

Craftastic Monday Link Party Time!!

2012-01-08T19:30:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for a new week of Craftastic things?! I totally am. Link up your sewing, crafts, knitting, decor, cooking, DIY, anything craftastic is fair game. Got more than one project? There's no limit on how many links you can add!

~~~This week is extra special because I'll be celebrating Bag-Making all week long. I'm sharing a bunch of free bag tutorials AND a super bag-making goodies giveaway starting tomorrow. Let's get the new year going with some new crafting ideas!~~~

Now let's check out some of the cool ideas from last week's link party:

Look at this great jewelry tutorial from Bilingual Crafting and Sewing. A lovely bow bracelet for a thrifty price!

Check out this awesome idea from Second Chances by Susan - she used vintage paper doll images and made magnetic paper dolls! I'm totally bookmarking these gorgeous girls.

Green Eggs and Hamm linked up her tutorial for some furry animal hoods to keep kids toasty and have fun at the same time.

How about this boredom buster from Making Memories? She shares an easy, fun (and not super messy) "soap explosion" that will have the kids totally wowed. Cannot WAIT to try this with my kiddies!!

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links giveaways, shops, link parties or other people's work). Add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog somewhere. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love. We all love getting comments!!

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations all week long. Have fun getting crafty this week!!

Hedgehog Critter Mittens Free Pattern + Tutorial

2012-01-04T00:00:00.031-05:00

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Today's tutorial is a fully lined, fleece Critter Mitten that I designed last winter. It was published in Sew Hip magazine in the UK at that time. With chilly weather finally coming around (and not being bound by exclusivity clauses any longer), I figured it was a good time to share this idea. Let more little hands stay warm! I'm a huge lover of all things hedgehog-related so making these was a lot of fun. And besides being fun mittens, they double as hand puppets too!

These mittens will fit most children between ages 4-8. I have a printable PDF pattern you can download to make it super easy:

DOWNLOAD CRITTER MITTEN PATTERN HERE*

You'll Need:

- 3/8 yard tan fleece
- 1/8 yard brown fleece
- 2 small Black pom poms

- 4 Animal eyes or small brown buttons

- Brown Thread

- Black Thread

- Sewing notions (ruler, rotary cutter/scissors, tailor's chalk/disappearing marking pen, handsewing needle, pins)

* Since I'm providing my printable pattern for personal use for free, please do not redistribute it elsewhere or try to sell it. That wouldn't be very nice.

Cut out pattern pieces from the folded piece of mitten fabric so that you have two mirrored pieces of each mitten part:

Mark eye placement on top pieces. To mark the quill placement, measure inward 4 inches from pointed side draw a perpendicular line. Measure another .5 inches to the right and draw another line. Repeat 3 more times. Cut out 10 strips from the brown fleece that are 3 inches wide by 4.5 inches high and mark each one down the middle. Place the first one's line over the line on the mitten top and stitch together on the line:

Fold the brown strip towards the left and repeat with the other strips and repeat on the other mitten:

Set the eyes on the markings according to the maker's instructions:

Then fold each mitten top over like shown with the first strip folded out. Hold a ruler over it's seam (to avoid cutting it) and then cut .5 inch strips to make the quills. Repeat with remaining brown strips, one section at a time.

Now take the large thumb piece and with right sides facing pin it along one side of a mitten top. Pin this piece to the opposite side of the other mitten top (so you don't end up with two mittens for the same hand!):

Now take the mitten bottom pieces and with right sides facing pin the small thumb pieces along the curve like this:

Do the same for the top and bottom lining pieces for both mittens:

With right sides facing, pin the top and bottom pieces for both the outer & lining mittens together like so:

Stitch together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance leaving the cuff ends open:

Turn the outer mittens right side out:

Insert the lining into the outer mittens and fold the raw edges of the cuffs inward 1/2 inch and pin together:

You can either machine stitch around 1/8 inch from the cuff edge or ladder stitch them together by hand.

Hand sew the pom-pom nose on to each mitten:

Now little hands can be cosy warm and cute too!

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

2012's First Craftastic Monday Link Party!!!

2012-01-01T19:55:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!! Welcome to a new year full of crafts, creations and most of all fun. My goal this year is to make Sew Can Do about truly enjoying our crafting. Sharing new skills & techniques, ideas to try and things that make the creative adventure easier, more special and the final results a real joy.

I also wanted to thank everyone who took time to link up or comment during the holidays when it's easiest to get lost in the festive madness online and in real life. When there is so much going on during the holidays it's extra special to have sweet friends still joining in:)

Now let's get this first Craftastic party of 2012 started by checking out a few of the great links from the very last party of 2011!

Creative Passage shared these adorable knit flying pigs. She found the pattern for free too!

Want to turn any pajama pants into footie pajamas? Melly Sews shared this clever idea for adding perfectly sized feet. Perfect for the winter (and could be used for adults too!!).

Sweet Bee Buzzings showed these amazing beaded bells. So impressed with the details!!

And Meggipeg shared this adorable fairy doll tutorial. My little lady would love these sweet & easy to make dollies!!

Since there wasn't a lot of feedback about doing a 2012 Kids Can Craft link party, I'm not setting that up yet, but the previous party and all its great links are still accessible from the tab at the top of the page.

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links to giveaways, shops, other link parties or other people's work - THEY WILL BE REMOVED). Just add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love.

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations. Have fun getting holiday crafty this week!!

A Crafting Wish for The New Year

2011-12-30T00:00:00.005-05:00

With 2011 coming to a close I want to extend a huge thank you to all the Sew Can Do readers. Seeing so many new followers, reading your sweet comments and having your great links at my parties has been so encouraging and helped me discover great online friends & blogs that I truly treasure.

I also wanted to thank my advertisers & sponsors who have provided great support, crafting resources, and fantastic giveaway prizes.

I've been thinking about what I really want to do with Sew Can Do in 2012 and it's come down to a simple idea: JUST HAVE FUN WITH IT.

It sounds simple, but it's easy to forget and get caught up in "I need to make stuff for the blog" mentality. Being a self-taught crafter, I'm not about absolute crafting perfection. I'm definitely not Martha Stewart. My house is frequently a mess. I've got 3 homeschooling kids constantly underfoot. I get serious crafter's block when I finally do get snippets of free time. Sometimes it's hard to remember to keep things fun. It's not about competing with other blogs by having tons of posts each week, gaining followers at breakneck speed or maintaining an illusion of crafter perfection. Enjoying the experience is what it should be about.

So 2012 is going to be about getting motivated. Crazy ideas, practical ideas, things somewhere in-between. And things that can be done with the slim amount of free time most of us have. Real world crafting. I hope you'll join me in the adventure and share yours with me too:)

Have a very Happy New Year everyone and see you in January!!

Craftastic Features and Pellon Prize Winner

2011-12-28T00:00:00.001-05:00

Ok, I finally got my act together and have our featured links from last week's parties to make the end of 2011 truly Craftastic.

I'm also thrilled to announce the winner of the Pellon Prize Pack Giveaway:

Congratulations Liza - you've won over $55 worth of packaged Pellon products, which includes the heavy duty interfacing for your bag project! Thanks to Pellon for providing this fantastic prize pack. Be sure to look for these new packaged Pellon products at your favorite craft stores or online:)

Still want a chance at winning some Pellon goodies? Want to make your OWN beautiful bags? January will kick off with some new bag-making Pellon prizes, tutorials & ideas you won't want to miss. I'll also be sharing some new wintertime themed projects and cute kid stuff, so get ready to start the year off with some new crafting fun!

Now let's see some of the great ideas shared by Sew Can Do readers recently:

Domestic Goddessque shared this adorable Christmas pudding biscuits. Easy & enchanting!!

I love the festive transformation Jellyfish Jelly did on a second hand dress - it even lights up. How awesome is that?

I was really wowed by this ribbon ornament tutorial from Modesty Matters. It looks so cool:

Fowl Single File had some adorable Night Before Christmas embroidery ideas:

The last Craftastic Link Party of 2011 is open now, so link up your own special creations by clicking on the link to it at the top of the blog!

And the Kids Can Craft party's "Pick of the Week" was from Sweetwater Cloth who shared this cute project made with footprints and bits & bobs from scrap fabric. Too cute!!

The Kids Can Craft link party has been an always-open link up of projects for kids to make (and for helping busy parents, grandparents & caregivers have a go-to supply of crafty boredom busters). The party is set to end at the end of 2011. Would you it to continue in 2012? I can keep Kids Can Craft rolling if people would like to keep linking. Let me know what you think!

Last Craftastic Monday & Kids Can Craft Link Parties of 2011!

2011-12-26T11:51:00.001-05:00

Sorry to be a little late with getting this week's party started. I'll be sharing the last party's features and announcing the Pellon Prize Pack giveaway winner later this week so we can all grab a little recovery time from the holidays (at least me anyway).

These are the last parties of 2011 since next Monday we'll be in 2012, so show off you best 2011 goodies - anything you've made in 2011 is good to link up so there's no limit to how many links you can add!

Here are the usual party rules so let's get these parties started!!

The Kids Can Craft Party is for projects kids can make. It's always open to add your links and the projects do not have to be new (so if you've got a good one from last year, throw it up there!). You can link up ANYTIME. Just click HERE to get to that party. Please remember to link back or put the Kids Can Craft button on your blog so you have a chance to get featured:)

Ready to link up?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links to giveaways, shops, other link parties or other people's work - THEY WILL BE REMOVED). Just add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love.

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations. Have fun getting holiday crafty this week!!

Last Minute Gifts 101: Candy Cane Soaps

2011-12-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

I want to start off by saying this idea is not originally mine. I saw it on the blog Gluesticks a few weeks back and thought it was so cleverly festive yet simple to do. I've been making soap for years, yet never thought of this! If you haven't made melt & pour soap, you're missing out. It's fun, easy on the budget and practical too.

It's an ideal gift for just about anyone because everyone uses soap (at least everyone you'd want within 3ft of your nose). So it's great for your mom, your in-laws, the kiddies, second cousins once removed, dogwalker's hairdresser, you get the idea. And when you use fun molds, scents or designs like this it really makes it look special.

I had all the ingredients on hand so it was a quick project, but even if you don't it's pretty simple to do. Using melt & pour glycerin clear soap base, bar-shaped molds and peppermint essential oil you make small batches at a time by melting the base in the microwave and then adding a few drops of fragrance. Then alternate adding red coloring and either white soap base or add titanium dioxide (like I did) to make the clear base opaque to get the striped layers. The trick to getting the nice smooth lines is to let each layer harden for about an hour and spray it with rubbing alcohol before pouring the next one. Then immediately after pouring the top layer, sprinkle on crushed candy canes and let it sit for a couple of hours.

I used freezer paper trimmed with scrapbooking scissors to wrap up each pair and then tied them up with curling ribbon.

Due to the realities of wrangling kids, my design work & all the other commitments that take up time, I'd given up on the thought of doing homemade gifts this year. But then I remembered this idea (thanks to Brandy at Gluesticks) and thought "Genius!" because it meant everyone could get a handmade gift AND they could all be done at once. Handcrafted gifts and I still have most of my sanity left. If only the rest of the gifts could wrap themselves I'd be all set!

Happy Holidays Everyone & Have a Wonderful Weekend!!

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

A Little Christmas Dressing

2011-12-21T00:00:00.095-05:00

It's been a little while since I shared some sewing projects, so how about a double dose of Christmas-y Dresses? The first was this little kimono dress. I saw this cute nativity matryoshka print cotton and immediately knew I wanted to use it with my favorite kimono pattern.

My fave, well worn pattern for this style is from the book Sweet Booties by Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader, but with a few modifications. Since the pattern only goes up to 18 months, & my little girl is a 2T, I extended the sleeves and length by several inches & added an extra 1/2 inch seam allowance to all pieces. I also used snaps instead of ties so it doesn't easily come open. Lastly, I lined the entire kimono with fleece so it would be cuddly soft and practical for the cold weather.

I thought bringing out the soft yellow in the print with the butter colored trim & lining would give it a more unique holiday look than the green/red/white combo usually seen in Christmas clothes. Pairing it with some white tights & the new Reindeer Barrettes I recently made, we'll have a great look for the holiday.

I also had about 5/8yd of some cute gingerbread knit leftover from a previous project and thought I should use it before we reach the day when <1yd cuts aren't enough for outfits anymore. I also wanted to try out a new pattern book I got, Kwik Sew's Sewing for Toddlers, by Kerstin Martensson (I plan to share more info on my adventures with this book in 2012). I used it to make a drop waisted pullover dress with puffed sleeves. The bonus with this design, she'll definitely be able to wear it again next year.

I also had some plain red knit so I used an old Ottobre Design pattern to make the legging style pants (they're called Lola from a 2009 issue) and for the collar and cuffs of the dress. The pants are ideal since they go with both dresses and several other items in her closet. And now she's totally coordinated with her Little Mrs. Claus. All these items were pretty quick to make just before the holiday season started, so we've been getting some major festive mileage out of them all month long:)

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

Craftastic Monday Link Up & Crafty Gift Ideas

2011-12-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the last Craftastic party before the holidays! I know this is the week everyone is super busy - this week I'll be wrapping up some craft related work, making a few last minute gifts and sharing a few holiday items that are actually finished (yay!!!):) Are you still racing to make a few things? Looking for some special gifts or maybe need to direct someone to a place to get some crafty goodies to give you?

Then check out the lovely Sugar Pink Boutique. This shop is my idea of a gift paradise.

It has all my favorite crafty goodies like ribbons, glitter, embellishments, beads and pretty fabric sets, but has loads of other great gift ideas for other people too. Gift the people on your list (and gift yourself a little crafty treat too while you're at it!).

Like lovely Cath Kidston stationary sets:

Pretty, yummy-looking candy lights for decorating:

Gorgeously sweet garland:

And present perfect ribbons to top it all off with:

My recent Glitter Cottage & Reindeer Barrette tutorials were both made using supplies I bought there, so there are some real treasures to be found. And if you're like me and totally remiss on cluing people into gift ideas for you - tell them that Sugar Pink Boutique does gift certificates. I think the best gift for a crafter is time to leisurely pick out some special goodies!

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Now let's see what festive goodies got linked up last week and see some of yours now!

I just got a plain hat I planned to embellish with a flower and saw this fab fabric poinsettia headband linked up by Melly Sews. Thanks for the ideal tutorial timing!!

Folk Haven shared her results with a sophisticated salt dough ornament tutorial. I LOVE the combination of this pear and colorful beads. Definitely want to try this:

Check out Garden Therapy's DIY Holiday Planter idea. Lovely and will still be pretty after the holidays too!

And the Kids Can Craft Link Party's "Pick of the Week" was Stitch 2 Buttercups's easy bird seed wreath. Every winter I mean help the kids make some bird seed items, but this year I've got the perfect how-to!

Ready to link up?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links to giveaways, shops, other link parties or other people's work - THEY WILL BE REMOVED). Just add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love.

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations. Have fun getting holiday crafty this week!!

Seamingly Smitten Patterns Giveaway Winners!

2011-12-17T20:51:00.000-05:00

It's time to announce the winners of the Seamingly Smitten Patterns Giveaway! The winners were:

Congratulations ladies! Using those extra entry opportunities pays off!! You've each won your choice of to patterns from the Seamingly Smitten Shop. I'll be in touch on fulfilling your prize very soon. Thank you to Seamingly Smitten for providing these fantastic prizes:)

Sew Can Do readers can still use the coupon code SEWCRAFTY in the Seamingly Smitten Etsy shop to get 25% off their entire pattern purchase!

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And remember The Pellon Prize Pack giveaway still going on for over $55's worth of packaged Pellon crafting products, so click HERE to enter now.

Dashing Through The Snow: A Reindeer Barrette How-To

2011-12-14T00:00:00.004-05:00

This was my first try at making barrettes, let alone themed ones. I totally loved it, which doesn't surprise me since I've been waiting for SO LONG to make some! My daughter is 2yrs old, but her hair has taken it's sweet time coming in (hence all the hairdo hats and headbands you've seen here). We can finally do tiny ponytails, but that's about it. Most barrettes still just slip right out, but thanks to a friend who is a barrette making expert, I got hold of some great snap clips that really hold her wispy locks. So all I needed was to make them look cute super quick.

To make this pair of barrettes, you'll need:
- Shaped satin ribbon ( I get mine from Sugar Pink Boutique)
- Scraps of red & white felt
- 1/8" wide red satin ribbon
- Scalloped Circle Die + Cutting machine (I used my Cuttlebug, but cutting with scissors works too)
- Snap lip barrettes
- Hot glue gun

First I cut two flower shapes for red & white felt with my die and Cuttlebug:

I cut a single reindeer from this cute shaped satin ribbon (I had to trim the back leg a bit to fit my background shape):

Then I tied on my red ribbon for a jaunty scarf:

Then I put a bit of hot glue along the face of the barrette:

And centered the red felt over the barrette. After pressing in place I dabbed a circle of glue on the center of the red:

Then placed the white over it having the scalloped parts alternate:

Next I placed a bit of glue on the back of the reindeer and then placed him in the center of the white shape:

I also placed a small bit of glue behind the head and at the ends of the scarf so the ribbon would stay in place. Now my little girl's tiny ponytails have some holiday reindeer flair:

Fun, fast and they actually stay put!! I cannot wait to make more and am looking forward to building up a little DIY barrette collection in the coming year:)

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

Craftastic Link Party & Pellon Prize Pack Giveaway!!

2011-12-11T20:00:00.007-05:00

Hey crafty people! Are you ready for a new week of great links AND a fabulous goody giveaway?!?! Today I'm excited to share something new coming to your favorite sewing & crafting stores: Packaged Pellon Products!

Pellon, is the maker of "The Magic in the Middle" materials like stabilizers, battings and fusible webs that are a sewing enthusiast's best friends. For apparel, embroidery, decor, crafts and quilting these are the products that give your projects professional polish and durability.

I've used their products in many of my bags, kid's items and home projects, but wasn't familiar with all the different materials and their uses until I found out about these packaged products. They take the guesswork out of finding the right supplies for making your projects turn out perfectly. You can quickly and easily see how to use these items from their straightforward packaging:

Looking for something to fuse materials together? Check out the Pellon Wonder-Under® items. Working on some clothing and need to strengthen cuffs, collars, etc? Try the Fusible Sheerweight. Want to give machine embroidery a go? Grab some Stitch-N-Tear! Got some scraps of batting? Use the Batting & Seam Tape to join them together for a bigger project. Even if you're not sure what you need, Pellon has made it simple to figure it out. They're even color-coded by project type. Endless possibilities!!

And if you're looking for project ideas, head over to PellonProjects.com for loads of free downloadable patterns and tutorials for all skill levels. Yours truly is a featured artist with a few Pellon-exclusive projects over there;)

The super people over at Pellon have provided me with some of their great new packaged products to try out and....

They have given me a full set to give away to a lucky Sew Can Do reader!

This Pellon Prize Pack is worth over $55!
It includes:

- Pellon Fusible Sheerweight - 3yd package

- Heavy Duty Wonder-Under - 3yd package

- 5/8" wide Wonder-Under Tape - 20yd roll

- 5/8" wide Wonder-Under Paper Backed Tape - 20yd roll

- Extra Firm Stabilizer - 2yd package

- 1 1/2" wide Easy Knit Tape - 10yd roll

- 1 1/2" wide Easy Knit Tape - 30yd roll

- Stitch-N-Tear 3yd package

With so many versatile items, this is perfect for all that sewing you plan on doing in the new year! Ready for a chance to win?

To Enter:

Stop by ShopPellon.com's new products to check out these items, then leave me a comment telling what your favorite product is. Be sure to include an email address if it's not on your profile.

For Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):

- Sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of the PellonProjects.com

- Become a fan of Pellon on Facebook

- Tell what you would make with these Pellon Products

- Visit PellonProjects.com and tell us your favorite project

- Link to this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter

The giveaway is CLOSED ~~will be open until 11:59pm EST on December 20, 2011~~. Giveaway is open to residents of U.S. and Canada only. The random winner will be chosen and announced later that week. Good Luck!!

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Now let's see what goodies got linked up last week:

Since I'm fresh from my glitter cottage creating, I really loved these glitter lollipop ornaments from Brown Paper Packages:

Want some real sweet treats? Check out this fondant penguin tutorial from Fowl Single File. Beyond cute AND doable.

And here's another great edible item: Oreo Christmas Trees from Lady with the Red Rocker:

Check out this cool ink blot shirt tutorial from Shannon Sews. A great and easy gift idea!!

And for those of us with small kids - check out this genius Play Felt Tree (to keep them away from the real thing) from Johnny In A Dress.

The Kids Can Craft party's "Pick of the Week" was Happy Whimsical Hearts flower peg people. A cute little creation for the kids to make - would make some adorable Christmas elves!

Ready to link up?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links to giveaways, shops, other link parties or other people's work - THEY WILL BE REMOVED). Just add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love.

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations. Have fun getting crafty this week!!

My Sweet Little Glitter Cottage & Tutorial To Make Your Own!

2011-12-06T00:00:00.003-05:00

I can't tell you how much been looking forward to sharing this project - I truly loved making it! My Little Glitter Cottage:) I first found out about this sweet craft via one of my advertisers, Sugar Pink Boutique, and was totally enchanted with the idea. Pretty like gingerbread houses, but permanent and with that magical extra shimmer:

So when I bought some sweet, crafty goodies like glass glitter, berry beads and tinsel from her shop I knew I had to make one of my own.

It was so much fun I plan to make a little village of them. I thought I'd share how I made mine for anyone else who wants to give them a try. Being easy, fun and lovely to look at, it's a really wonderful seasonal project. I started out with this plain wooden gingerbread house from Michael's - got it on sale for $2.50:

Then I painted it with a foam brush and two coats of acrylic craft paints - some of them were left over from a stenciling project...from 9 yrs ago. I know, the fact that I even have paints that old means I'm a total crafting packrat.

This was my favorite part - I "iced" the house with wall spackle piped on using a sandwich bag with a corner cut off. The spackle has the same consistency as royal icing so the effect is pretty realistic and it dried about as fast.

Next, working quickly and one side at a time, I brushed on a thin coat of Mod Podge with another foam brush:

and sprinkled on german glass glitter - the more the better and so much sparklier than regular glitter:

Once everything dried, it was time to decorate. I used a cotton swab and dabbed on some tacky glue to attach the oblong beads for the "jimmies" on the roof:

I used these sugary looking berry beads along the trim:

Small assorted beads decorated the snowman, tree and door and some lovely iridescent wired tinsel around the base for a finishing touch:

I unrolled some batting to go underneath and added the candy light bulbs and sweets garland I also got from Sugar Pink Boutique to make our mantle have a full sparkle effect:

And with twinkle lights under the batting, when lit up at night, my mantle looks like a magical winter wonderland:)

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

Craftastic Monday Link Party & A Double Pattern Giveaway!!

2011-12-04T22:27:00.001-05:00

Welcome to a new week of the Craftastic Link Party! Last week I was seriously wowed by all the great crafts everyone shared! This week I'm looking forward to seeing even more AND to share a new Sew Can Do sponsor giveaway!! Sew Can Do's newest sponsor is Seamingly Smitten - a shop that offers fun & easy patterns.

Seamingly Smitten sewing patterns are written for beginner sewers and have:

TONS of detailed PHOTOS

Easy-to-follow, step-by-step direction

Photo for each step

Sizing charts to get the right fit

Tutorial style directions

These patterns are a great way to get started sewing or for someone with more experience to make cute things super quick (just in time for the upcoming holidays)!!

Jenny, the owner and designer, also has a great crafting blog, also called Seamingly Smitten. She has a special holiday event full of tutorials, giveaways and gift ideas that's kicking off today:

AND Seamingly Smitten has a great offer + giveaway for you here:

Sew Can Do readers can use the coupon code SEWCRAFTY in the Seamingly Smitten Etsy shop to get 25% off their entire pattern purchase!

~AND~

Two winners will each receive 2 FREE sewing patterns of their choice from the Seamingly Smitten Shop!!

To Enter
Leave a Comment For Any of the Following (choose any or all for more entries!):

- Follow Seamingly Smitten

- Follow Seamingly Smitten on Facebook

- Post about this giveaway on your blog or Facebook

- Check out the patterns at Seamingly Smitten's Etsy shop or on YouCanMakeThis.com and comment which is your favorite

For Even MORE Entries:

- Follow Sew Can Do

- Like Sew Can Do on Facebook

The giveaway is closed ~~will be open until 11:59pm EST on December 13, 2011~~. Two random winners will be chosen and announced the following weekend. Good Luck!!

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Now let's see what goodies got linked up last week:

Flexible Dreams shared some super ideas for a Lego-themed birthday (I may have to use these for a "just because" day since they are so fun!):

and she also shared this adorable melted snowman ornament tutorial:

Check out this cute wooden gingerbread house from Cozy Home Scenes. Love the seasonal charm it brings:

How about this cute and tasty mini-pumpkin pies from Pampers, Playdates & Parties? Festive and sweet!!

Then there was a tasty truck cake by Stephanie's Scrapping Station. I love this idea!

And the Kids Can Craft Link Party's "Pick of the Week" was Reading Confetti's Double Handprint Reindeer. What a great way to make a holiday keepsake and give the kids a fun craft to make!

Ready to link up?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links to giveaways, shops, other link parties or other people's work - THEY WILL BE REMOVED). Just add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love.

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations. Have fun getting crafty this week!!

Make The World Prettier Gift Certificate Winner!

2011-12-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

It's time to announce the winner of the Make The World Prettier $20 Gift Certificate Giveaway! The winner was:

Congratulations Tanya! You've won a $20 gift certificate to use on the fabrics & ribbons of your choice in Make The World Prettier's shop. I'll be in touch on fulfilling your prize very soon. There are some great items like the ribbon above available so enjoy! Thank you to Make The World Prettier for providing this fantastic prize:)

Another fabulous sponsor giveaway is coming soon so stay tuned!

Looking for Link Parties - Share Yours Here!

2011-12-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Do you host a link party? Is there a link party you love to visit? Tell me all about it! I'm updating my Parties I Go To page and am looking for some fresh link parties to add in so I and your fellow Sew Can Do readers know all the good places to link up things we've made. Share parties for things like Crafts, Sewing, DIY, Kid Stuff, Recipes, Etsy shops & other related themes. You know, all the stuff we love! Just leave a comment below with:

Party Name
Type of party (all crafts, just recipes, etc.)
Party Day
Link to blog hosting the party (or where to find your party button)

I'll be happy to add your party's button to the my parties page and will look forward to linking up to some all new places. This is an easy way to get the word out, so go ahead and comment so we all know where to find you!

Seasonal Sewing - A Toasty Tiny Trench Coat!

2011-11-29T00:00:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have something that's been on your "to-sew" list for so long it seems like you'll never get to it? That was me with this coat. I'd fallen in love with this fabric last fall, but just couldn't get the time to make it into anything. This year I was determined to carve out some time so my little lady could get some wear out of it and it wouldn't have to wait another year on the shelf!

I thought it would be ideal as a coat so it would be worn more than just a handful of times. I used a pattern from the 1/2010 issue of Ottobre Design. It's called Variksenmarja (try to remember how to spell that one!). I just loved the tailored look and inverted pleats:

I have to admit I have a love/hate feeling about using Ottobre Design patterns. On the one hand the European designs are really lovely and give more stylish, well-fitting options than most other pattern makers. And it's great to get so many patterns in a range of sizes in just one issue, some of which I have used many, many times over.

Yet, not having any visual directions makes it pretty hard to decipher things since they are translated into English from Finnish. In paragraph form. If you get confused or don't understand a technique they are using you're out of luck. And just having one finished item photo, from one angle, doesn't help much either. I'm definitely not a sewing novice, but the instructions for this coat seemed so convoluted to me that I literally just cut the pieces and then put the coat together the way it seemed logical to me, side-stepping their directions all together.

But as a result of doing it my own way, I was able to swap in roll up cuffs instead of the non-functional cuff straps in the original design. Now this little coat can be worn a bit longer and show off the cuddly, fleecy lining fabric. I got this fab knit in a fabric store in Canada this summer and wish I knew exactly what it's called! I love how it's plush fleece on the one side and sweater knit on the reverse. I used the fuzzy side for the coat's inside and sweater side out for the underside of the collar:

I also love how it's practically an outfit on its own and how the plush interior keeps her toasty warm. That it makes Miss Fancy Pants come running to put it on (because she enjoys wearing it too) makes it well worth the wait:)

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

Craftastic Monday Link Party - Bring On The Crafts!!

2011-11-27T20:48:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone here in the US had a great Thanksgiving and everyone elsewhere had a fantastic weekend! It was so nice to see so many great links last week so a big thanks to everyone who linked up.

This week I've got a bunch of new sewing things to share and am hard at work on some upcoming projects for the upcoming winter festivities. I'm really up for the holiday season this year - crafts, foods, so be on the lookout for a lot of new crafts over here:)

Also the current giveaway for a $20 gift certificate for fabric and ribbon at Make The World Prettier ends tomorrow, so get your entries in for your chance to win. Who couldn't use some extra goodies for their stash? Click HERE to enter now.

Now let's take a look at last week's highlights and get this week's party going:

Artsy Fartsy Mama shared this super cute turkey applique idea - will have to remember this one for next year!

Now that I'm getting into the spirit of winter I'm all about decor ideas like this snowflake wreath House of Noise:

I loved this sweet book page wreath by Twigg Studios:

Keeping It Simple shared this clever & thrifty idea - using tights to turn a t-shirt into a long-sleeved shirt:

And the Kids Can Craft Party's "Pick of the Week" was Craft Linky's pop-up plate snowman is fun and easy for kids to make. Perfect for the upcoming holiday season:

Ready to link up?

Party rules are simple:

As long as it's crafty and made by you it's Craftastic (no links to giveaways, shops, other link parties or other people's work - THEY WILL BE REMOVED). Just add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog. The code's on the sidebar ->
Check out some of the other great links and share some crafty comment love.

I leave the party open until 11:59pmEST every Friday, so there's plenty of time to add your newest creations. Have fun getting crafty this week!!

How To Slipcover DVD Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-26T00:00:00.002-05:00

It's time to announce the winner of the How To Slipcover DVD giveaway! The winner was:

Congratulations Donna! Using those extra entry opportunities pays off!! You've won a copy of to learn how to make some awesome custom slipcovers yourself. I'll be in touch on fulfilling your prize very soon. Thank you to Slipcovers by Shelley for providing this fantastic prize:)

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And remember, there's another great giveaway still going on for a $20 gift certificate for your choice of fabric & ribbon at Make The World Prettier, so click HERE to enter.

Guest Post: the decorated cookie's Thanksgiving Marshmallows

2011-11-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Need a quick & easy food idea for tomorrow's Thanksgiving meal? My lovely friend Meaghan from the decorated cookie has a fun and fast treat tutorial from her festive files to share. It's also a great way to keep the kids busy while everyone else is working in the kitchen!! Take it away Meaghan:

As seems my pattern, here are some last minute Thanksgiving treats: marshmallows! All you need is a set of edible writers and some marshmallows. You can even add a lollipop stick if you like. And if you need more Fall-themed ideas for drawing on marshmallows, click HERE and HERE.

supplies
edible writers. For all of the designs you'll need: black, brown, red, orange, and yellow. I suggest a set of Americolor Gourmet Writers or the FooDoodler Fine Line set. Find lollipop sticks (if using) in the baking aisle of the craft store. And use the standard marshmallows from the supermarket. For tips on finding supplies, click HERE.

what to do
Draw on the marshmallows. Use the step-by-steps below if you like. That's it. A few tips: It helps to let the marshmallows sit out for a couple hours to stiffen on the outside. You can't top a color with another, so try and keep the colors separate. Unless you want the colors to blend (like for the feathers). Use black last for the outlines, eyes, details, etc., as black will layer on top of other colors. If you don't want colors to blend or bleed, let them dry about ten minutes before switching markers.

activity idea
Last year for the two kids at my Thanksgiving, I had a cookie decorating activity (see it here). An idea for this year? Drawing on marshmallows. All of the drawings below are pretty easy and kid-friendly, especially the turkey. Only the pumpkin pie is a little tricky. Package some markers and some marshmallows in a jar or favor bag and tie with ribbon. A great way to keep kids entertained before... or maybe better...after dinner. Just for you, I made a printable instruction sheet of the how-tos below. Just print on a letter-size piece of white photo paper or cardstock with your color printer. CLICK HERE for the printable.

the drawings

feather

1. draw a brown line
2. draw a bunch of red lines
3. draw a bunch of orange lines in between the red lines (the colors will blend a bit, that's good)
4. add some yellow lines around the edges
5. add a black line along the brown line and outline a few spots around the edge

pumpkin pie

1. use black to draw the whipped cream
2. make three brown dots
3. make a lying-down "L" shape with brown
4. fill in the pie with orange
5. outline the pie with black

mayflower

1. draw the sail with black
2. draw a line with a triangle
3. with brown, draw the top of the boat (a line with a semicircle in the middle)
4. with brown, draw the bottom of the boat (three lines)
5. fill the boat with brown
6. fill the flag with any color
7. outline the boat with black

turkey leg

1. draw and fill a light bulb shape with brown
2. draw an upside down question mark with black
3. repeat in the opposite direction
4. outline the brown with black

turkey

1. draw and fill a brown circle for the head
2. draw and fill a brown oval for the body
3. draw a yellow triangle for the beak
4. draw a red dot next to the beak
5. draw red lines for feathers
6. draw orange lines in between the red lines
7. draw a dot for the eye and two legs (vertical lines with three lines at the feet)

Thanks so much Meaghan. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!