Small Summer Indulgences

It's true.  Not everyone wants to wear a statement piece in their hair!  I mostly sell bridal pieces, veils and fairly good sized flower fascinators, but there are some items under $20 that are a bit smaller and would look great for summer!  Here is a sampling.

Baby Blooms, $16 for 2

Small feather fascinator, $12

Petit Duo Comb, $16

Petit Rose mini comb, $8

A little bit of Linus...

We were able to escape the dreary Northwest weather for a bit this past week in scorching hot Arizona!  My friend Laurie who runs the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, kindly offered to check in on the kitties while we were gone and captured some great photos of our Mr. Linus, a former IBKC foster kitten.  Go check out her amazing kitty-centric blog if you want to die from cuteness overload. 

She's helping raise funds for the local Humane Society right now as well - so please take a look and make a donation!  Even a small donation can make a big difference.

Laurie does such an amazing job of narrating the lives of her foster kittens.  The photos are incredible.  The movies are hilarious.  The set she built for the fundraising shots is unbelievable!

Need I say more?

Some color for summer

Summer officially starts next week, so I thought I'd share some colorful new pieces for sale in my Etsy shop!  They go perfect with suntans and sunglasses...  ;)

Lemon Yellow Peony Fascinator with vintage jewelry center and feather accents

Periwinkle Peony Fascinator with vintage cluster bead jewelry center

Deep Pink Peony Fascinator

Magenta Floral Fascinator

Rose Simple & Sweet Pink Peony Fascinator

Deep Blue Peony Fascinator

Feather mini fascinator with vintage leatherette button

Don't forget to take advantage of the summer sale - many of the items in my shop are marked down!  And through the end of June you can get free shipping with the code JUNEFREE. 

Happy summer!

Real Wedding - Sara in a vintage style headband

Every once in a while I get a very special email from a bride who shares her photos with me.  It makes me cry every time!  The best part about my little veil and fascinator shop is knowing I get to make someone feel extra special on their wedding day with a handmade piece.

Sara chose this piece for her wedding day

Very elegant yet very simple.  Her look was customized with a vintage blue rhinestone brooch.  It was one that I painstakingly replaced some of the jewels in to bring it back to life!  Gotta love handmade... ;)

Here are a couple more shots of her looking gorgeous.  Thanks Fort Mill Photography for the use of your lovely photos.

Congrats Sara!  Thanks so much for sharing!

Vintage Fabric Clutch - Quickie DIY

Ahhh.  It feels so good to be using the sewing machine again!  I've been avoiding my stash of fabrics for months now.  Sewing in the cold months is just not as satisfying or enjoyable as sewing in the sunlight with the window open.

Vintage Fabric Clutch - Quickie DIY

I have been longing for a new clutch ever since I saw my friend with one the other night when we went out together - it was cute, turquoise and just the right size for all of her necessities - cash, card, ID, phone and lipstick.  No strap, no fuss, no big purse to carry around all night!

Today I made this little number in about 20 minutes.  It was very easy, quick and satisfying.  I love these vintage fabrics and the little button.  I think mine turned out cuter than my friend's too (but shhhh, don't tell her I told you!!!)  Here's how you do it:

You will need:

• Two 9x14" rectangles of vintage cotton fabric
• 9x14" rectangle of light to medium weight interfacing
• 2x8" fabric scraps
• Scissor or rotary cutter and mat
• Pinking shears
• Sewing machine
• Needle and thread
• Vintage button

If you haven't done so already, cut out the 9x14" rectangles of fabric and interfacing.  I chose a brown cotton for the outside and a coordinating cotton print for the inside.

Layer and pin the rectangles in this order - outside fabric right side up, lining fabric right side down, interfacing on top (if you're using the fusible kind, you want to fuse it to the wrong side of the lining fabric before pinning!)

Sew around outside edges with a 3/8" seam allowance, leaving a gap wide enough to turn fabrics along one edge.  Trim corners, turn.  Press, pin and topstitch close to the outside edge, closing gap as you sew.

Gap left for turning

Turn, turn, turn

Fold the piece into thirds lengthwise to form the clutch. Pin and stitch in the ditch along the inside "purse" edges to close (but not the top flap.)

Stitch along the sides to make a "purse"

Cut two 2x8" fabric scraps with pinking shears.  Place wrong sides together, fold a few "ripples" (don't try to be too perfect here!) and tack in place where you want it to sit on the front of your clutch (I used the sewing machine to sew a Z to tack in place.)  Attach a button, brooch or embellishment of choice.

I chose a vintage button...

You're done!  A cute little clutch just in time for summer.  These are so fast and cute - you can whip one up for every day of the week!  ;)

Send me a picture if you make one!  Can't wait to see!

Happy crafting... ;)

Skirt to shirt!

I got really excited the other day when I saw a Martha Stewart Crafts Department tweet about a quick and easy sewing project that transforms a long skirt into a dress.  I was so inspired, I made this!

Don't be fooled by my SUPERB modeling skills - I made it myself!

It was quick and easy - I found a little number at the Goodwill that was a just below the knee length skirt.  I decided it was too short for a dress (I'm 30 something and I don't really do "mini" anything anymore.) so it would be a fun, swingy top that I could tie a ribbon around to belt it if I wanted to.

I found a rainbow-y ribbon at the back of my ribbon drawer that had long been forgotten.  Turns out it was perfect for this top!

What do you think?  I think it'll be my new gardening top...

Yes! Me too.

8x10 Inspiring Photographic Print by EeeBee, $12.

A good lesson this week.  From time to time we all need to remember how important it is to make art for the sake of making art.  Refill the well!

Have a lovely weekend!

Finding beauty in the little things

I've been feeling rather deflated as of late.  It was go go go for so long and now that I have a moment of rest, I can find no peace.  The kids are nearly out of school so they are restless, which makes me restless.  The budget is feeling especially tight as June begins, and as much as I wanted to take a nice long vacation this summer, it might not happen after all.  The weather has been less than great (great = sunny) in the Northwest, as usual for spring, but for some reason it's really getting to me.

I woke this morning with new determination.  I will find a reason to smile.  I came across these photos I snapped last week when I was looking around my house for some inspiration.

Little collections.  Another jar idea...

lovely bits of vintage

A piece by Sarah Ogren recently purchased from Ghost Gallery in Seattle

The wreak havoc on my garden, but are beautiful for sure

What do you do when you need a pick-me-up?  I'd love for you to share!

Fabric Harvesting

It's time again for some sewing.  I need a productive, creative outlet that will provide me with something useful, so I've decided to make my kids some summer clothes, and maybe even attempt a little something for myself.  I bought some patterns at Joann's on sale for $1.99 each.  I would have bought these used, but I always seem to have bad luck with used patterns (pieces missing, no directions, wrong size, etc.)

I'm still trying to hold fast to my handmade pledge, so my next stop was the Goodwill.  I looked through and three dresses and a skirt on sale with enough fabric to harvest for the girls clothes.

I saw this shift dress tutorial tweeted by the Martha Stewart Crafts Department, and thought it sounded easy enough.  I think I might give it a go with the skirt fabric.  If it doesn't fit me, I can just alter it a bit for one of my girlies!

So I've got four sewing projects for the week.  Will post some photos when all is said and done!  ;)