Let it roll!

I'm always looking for quick and easy sewing projects, especially when they yield a super functional end product! I made this tool roll for my sister-in-law for Christmas and filled it will different types of fabric scissors. 

Here is a little ditty on how to make an easy tool roll like the one I made with the Daisy Janie fabric I bought from Etsy. This project is based on a knitting needle roll up from Cut Out + Keep.

What you'll need:

2 pieces of fabric 

Ribbon about 18"

*the size of fabric will depend on how large a roll you want to make

Cut a piece of solid fabric to be the inside lining. I used a 12" x 12".

Cut a piece of pattern fabric to be the outside approximately 4 to 6" longer than the solid on one side. This one is 12" x 17".

Place the pieces of fabric right sides together and sew along the 3 sides where the two pieces match up.  Before sewing this step, fold the ribbon piece in half and place between the two pieces along one of the sides. 

Below is the result after turning it right side out.

Fold and iron the three edges of the print as seen above. Sew along the end edge of the print to create a nice hem at the eventual top of the pocket.

Fold the print piece over and sew long the side to attached it to the plain fabric. 

Finally, sew vertical lines as far apart as you desire the pockets to be wide. 

Here is a close up of the vertical stitches.

A little wider shot.

The final product all rolled up!

This project is so easy, gives me that instant sewing satisfaction I love!

Cats Make Great Pillows

Sure, cats can be a pain, but they really are comforable. 

A bright ornament idea!

Monday night my creative buddy, Amy, had an ornament swap party. Pretty much what it sounds like, some tasty snacks and a little ornament trading among friends!  To keep the hand-made Christmas in tact, I whipped these up Sunday night. 

The only materials required were replacement lights bulbs from the hardware and some wire and beads I already had on hand. The wire is 18 gauge aluminum and it was the perfect stiffness to easily bend yet hold the shape.

I just wrapped the beginning of the wire around the bulb to make a quasi thread around the buld, threaded a bead on the wire, and then bent the rest of the wire into whatever shape I was feeling at the time. As you can tell most were inspired by the color of the bulb. (Not real deep, I know...)

The Collection

(on the right: Blue bulb and rain drop to celebrate Scott and his new job)

A red bulb and heart for the swap

A shamrock for my Irish buddy, Sara

A funky star because orange is awesome!

(With this one I made a little stand, I have no idea why, 

just thought it needed a stand...)

A Cozy Hat for Gryphon

The handmade Christmas continues...Here's a hat I made for our little nephew Gryphon who was just born in August. The pom-pom might be a little large for him, but I think he can pull off that look. The more pom the better!

I used this Martha tutorial for the inspiration. The tut also includes a size chart just in case you don't have access for a head measurement. I'll let you know how close those numbers are after Christmas...

Photo Weekend - Sunday

Red & Green

The jingle bells on my stocking

A few ornaments hung from our chandelier

Seems like this photo weekend just started yesterday...probably because it did! Anyway, thanks for everyone who shared their festive photos. Merry Christmas!

Photo Weekend - Saturday

Sparkle and Spirit

Today, I put up some more decorations and made some cookies to share. It's amazing what a few strands of lights wound through some garland can do for your mood. 12 Days till Christmas.

The sparkle on my ornament Christmas tree

The spirit of the holidays found making cookies

Shout out with a comment if you've found some sparkle and spirit today! And, don't forget tomorrow is red and green.

A quick color weekend?!

Anyone up for a Photo Weekend?!...I know it's crazy,  right, like there's not enough to do... 

But, I've been a little low on holiday spirit the last week or so. The only thing that can save the season is a quick and simple Photo Weekend. Here's the throw down:

Saturday: Sparkle and Spirit

Sunday: Classic Red and Green

If your game leave a comment below or on my Saturday or Sunday post. 

In case your new to Photo Week, here's the gist from Jen who put it beautifully when hosted:

"Photo Week has very few rules. The point is to get out there and use your camera, and observe the world around more than you usually do. To participate, simply take pictures any time this week (starting today). Just be sure to post your pictures on the appropriate day. If you can't participate every day, that's fine too. And don't worry about how advanced of a camera you have. Or how advanced your photography skills are. Just get out there and experiment and see how it goes."

And finally a little kick off photo:

Indoor Fishing

Sometimes the only way to find a fishing buddy for your husband is to grow one! I made this fishing game for our little nephew, Jack, for his upcoming third birthday. Hopefully, a few years from now after lots of fishing game, Jack can be Scott's fishing buddy at the lake...

Here is a little tut from abunchofkidsinc on making your own. I used felt stuffed with pillow fluff instead of fabric with batting because that's what I had on hand. Worked out pretty well, if I ever make it again, probably won't create such ambitious shapes! Also, I used a piece of bamboo instead of a dowel rod and then hot glued the string to the bamboo and magnets. (Much easier than drilling.) 

A gift for the pack rat...the stash book

My brother is a notorious pack rat and as part of my effort to make everyone something for Christmas, I've decided to encourage him. 

First, I bought this old book. Then I spent a few evenings cutting a rectangle out of the each page with an exacto knife. I did the first bunch and then used that hole as the template for the rest of the cutting.  

Here is the inside of the finished book. I glued the pages together from the inside using a basic washable glue. The I lined the inside with cardboard wrapped in corduroy fabric and hot glued them into place. 

Now Kyle has another place to put all those small items he just can't part with!

Christmas on the Square in Danville

A few pictures from our quick stop in Scott's hometown of Danville on Saturday. 

The Royal Theater, originally opened in 1914

The southwest corner of the courthouse

Jefferson Street strung with lights

Lions, Tigers, and Turtles, Oh My!

Yeah, it's official, I'm addicted! A pattern repeat from a picture I took in Grand Cayman of a beautiful sea turtle... gotta love the turtles. 

Original 

Repeat

Bokeh on the Circle

Throughout the fall, I've been trying to create a light distortion trick called Bokeh.  Here is an attempt to create music notes at the Soldiers and Sailors' Monument last Friday. Since the lights are wrapped around tree limbs, the notes look like they are being sung as they appear to float into the air.  A surprisingly wonderful affect!

Next time, I'll try to put a greater distance between myself and the light source, then hopefully, there will be more whole shapes. More to come...

A Washable Backsplash, Yay!

Know what makes a bad backsplash?? Flat paint...

Know what makes a good backsplash?? Tile!

A few weeks from looking straight down the nose of a stagnant real estate market, we've been doing some "enhancement" projects around the house. One of the first, was addressing the dirty backsplash in our kitchen. Since the surface consisted of flat paint, our options were pretty much limited to repainting the whole kitchen or installing some sweet subway tiles, so we picked the later. Already having all the materials except the tiles on hand, it was a pretty simple project. 

Before: The first row goes up

Midway: Tiles are up, no grout

After: Grouted and ready to be splattered with tomatoe sauce

After: Corner detail at the window

Since the total area was less than 25 sq.ft., we used a premixed mortar and grout. This saved loads of time opposed to mixing small batches of the powdered stuff. Great stuff! The brand was Tile Perfect, I'd recommend it to anyone with a similar project.