T-Shirt Bag

Don't we all have an over-abundance of T-shirts?

Refashion them!

There are bags and boxes of T-shirts hanging around

the house, taking up space, that have been waiting

for a project.  They were destined for a memory quit,

 but I really love these bags made out of T-shirts.

Click here for the tutorial!

Modern tie dye

Tie-dyeing was all the rage

 in the late 1960s and early 1970s,

 identified as the hippie style.

The look is accomplished by folding the material into a pattern, binding it with string or rubber bands and applying dye to only parts of the material. The ties prevent the entire material from being dyed.

You can recreate the tie-dye look easily with fabric paint . . . really, it is all in the folding . . . you don't have to mess with all those chemicals if you don't want to!  Click here for the tutorial :)

There are so many patterns and

 techniques when it comes to tie-dye!

Want more information?

Click here for a list of tie-dye links

How to keep sheets on a huge mattress

One of life's biggest irritations for me has got to be

sheets that constantly slip off the mattress!

Missy at My Cottage Charm has come up with

an ingenious solution to this pesky problem.

Thank you Missy!!

If you'd like to fix the problem, click here

to go to her tutorial . . . and check out the rest

of her fabulous blog while you are there.

More ideas for recycling glass jars

Rachel at LDS Craft Project  created these awesome  spice jars made from  baby food jars.  Check out her website for display ideas with photo instructions.

More ideas!

Jar lamps are very cool and usual . . . check them out here.

Click here for more ideas on recycling glass jars and bottles.

Finding new uses for using glass jars and bottles is one of my

favorite recycling endeavors and I'm always searching for

 new and usual projects. Click here for my past blog posts

 with more ideas and projects.

Bistro-Style Window Treatment Magic!

What a wonderful way to enhance an odd window placement.

I love Julie's (Less-Than-Perfect Life of Bliss blog)

use of a black and white color scheme!

Click here for the tutorial!

  

Here is another example of a bistro-style window treatment

from Home and Garden Television.  hmmm not too fond of

their choice of fabric!

Click here for the tutorial.

Happy 4th of July

Mosaic table in outdoor garden setting

If only I would move this outdoor living
space into our back yard!  Love it!

I'm featuring the table and chairs.  Notice how the word LOVE is
 worked into the design of the chair?  Very cool!

For the longest time I've wanted to put a mosaic top on a wood table.

We have several wood tables that would make awesome projects.

In this post, I wanted to capture the beauty of the mosaic table in a

beautiful outdoor setting.  This is a look that I would love for a section

of our property.

Source:  Elle Decor

For other DIYers out there . . .
Mosaic table inspiration and tutorials

An excellent reference page from eHow.com

Christy's Thrifty Decorating - Making a Mosaic Table

The ultimate desk organizer!

My extremely small computer desk has been screaming for a reorganization and I've been trying to come up with an effective way to manage all those little things in a small area . . . then I visited an awesome crafty/DIY blog . . . The Diary of Dave's Wife . . . my desk reorganization problem is solved!

She has a way of organizing and decorating that is simple and beautiful!

Back to the desk organizer . . . another cool way to use glass jars that I hate to throw away . . . and I love the  splash of red against the black and white, it is my favorite color combination.

Click here to go to her post on "where she blogs" . . . I love her sense of style!

Lacy Votive Holders

Martha Stewart always comes up with the most ingenious

DIY projects!  These lacy votive holders are perfect for

any type of glass container that is suitable for burning a

candle.  This is an awesome project to use up those 

lacy remnants you have in your fabric stash.

Yet another great idea for those glass jars

that I hate to throw away!

Click here for the tutorial.

Beach Sarong and Flip Flop Set

Get ready to hit the beach, pool or just lounge around with this

 awesome beach sarong and flip flop set that is so easy to make.  

This set is so cute . . . I love the flip flops!!

How awesome would it be to make a beach tote to match?

Click here for the tutorial.

Outdoor living inside

This room in fashion designer Carlos Miele's home in Brazil is liking being in the tropical outdoors without the heat.  The floor-to-ceiling windows awesomely display the lush tropical landscaping, making the outdoors an integral part of the room.  My guess is that is it beautifully lit at night . . . just gorgeous!

The photo comes from Elle Magazine's website . . . click here for a slideshow and article entitled "One With Nature" featuring other homes with that outdoor feel.

Pleated Tote

Can a woman have too many purses or totes?

I don't think so!

Create your own tote wardrobe to match your

outfits . . . I also love the possibilities for using

the tote for home organizing, like storing socks.

How about an awesome beach bag?

Click here for the tutorial.

Stylish pony tails

The pony tail is timeless!  

Fast, easy and so very stylish when adorned with hair accessories,
it is one of those hair styles that never goes away.

Hair accessories are one of those items that I will be featuring
when I reopen my online store, LaBelladiva.  Can't wait to dust

 off my sewing machine and craft area to get started creating.

Vibrantly bold home decor

Designer Jonathan Fong's home

 is definitely quirky . . . and I love it!

Jonathan says in an excerpt from a post

on the LA Times blog . . .

While I know it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, my home always puts a smile on my face. A big reason for that is it totally reflects who I am, quirks and all. In designing spaces for my clients, I know that a home has to be as individual as each person, almost like a fingerprint. After all, you can’t spell “home” without a “me.”

The kitchen cabinets were embellished with Andy Warhol posters using Mod Podge.  Ingenious is all I have to say . . . and with my kitchen cabinets halfway painted with primer and no definite decisions for the final look, Jonathan's project has got my mind racing with all kinds of quirky ideas.

Both the Captain and I have bold and vibrant taste and as we plan a revamping of the entire house to reflect our personalities, Jonathan's design style will be a major inspiration in the design process.

Check out the blog post from the LA Times featuring Jonathan's unique design style . . . click here to go there.

I love Mod Podge and all the possibilities!

More Flip Flop Fun

Last month I posted a creative flip flop tutorial and since then I have seen many more.  Refashioned flip flops are a big thing these days!  Everyone loves flip flops :)

Heather at A Couple of Craft Addicts has been hosting an awesome two-week series of flip flop tutorials with all kinds of creative ideas for refashioning your flip flops.  Click on the graphic to go there!

Patriotic table setting

Anneliese's blog, Aesthetic Nest, is full of very cool

ideas for themed parties with awesome table settings

and tutorials to help you entertain in her style.

These napkins look so fresh and festive . . . and so

simple!  Click here for a tutorial for these napkins

and other elements for a beautiful and patriotic

table setting.

Check out the rest of her awesome entertaining

ideas and festive table settings.

Happy Memorial Day . . . remember the reason for

the holiday.  I am so grateful for our military and

their families who have sacrificed so much.

Bath towel slippers

All it takes is a pair of flip flops and a bath towel to make these

comfy looking bath slippers!  Click here for the tutorial.

Love these type of slippers :)

Get organized with cigar boxes

Now I know what to do with the stacks of festive

 cigar boxes I have been saving for a special project!

I also have boxes and boxes of jewelry findings that

desperately need organizing.  Here is my solution!

Cathe Holden at Just Something I Made came up

with this cute idea to use cigar boxes for storage. 

Click here for the complete article and tutorial.

Paint Chip Art

Wouldn't I love to have this on my wall!!!?!!!

This gorgeous example of mosaic art comes from 

Ballard Designs catalog . . . 

it also comes with a pricey price tag.

Never fear . . . I have found a couple of tutorials

 that were inspired by this piece of art.

The first tutorial comes from Hope Studios . . .

The second tutorial comes from

Jennifer at Live, Crafts and Whatever 

Of course I have some ideas of my own! 

One idea would be to experiment with some metallic or pearlized 

paint together with foil specks to give it more of a shimmery finish 

after using the stain.

Like I always say with crafts . . . the possibilities are endless!

Laundry tips

Feather pillows are my favorite, 

but are a little tricky to wash, 

but not impossible.

First of all, make sure that there are no slits or tears in the covers.  What I have done with some of my older feather pillows that I didn't want to toss out . . . placed them in a pillow case that has no holes or tears and securely sewed the sides, giving the pillows a new cover.

Load two pillows at the same time for balance.  Set the washing machine on the delicate cycle, using a small amount of detergent.  Make sure to put them through a second rinse cycle.

For drying, I use the low setting, throwing in some tennis balls to help them fluff up and dryer sheets to promote a fresh and clean smell.  The pillows will take much longer to dry than a normal load.  Take them out and fluff them up by hand periodically . . . this will break up any clumps.

Yes, it is a tedious process, but well worth it!  You will love the results :)

Note of warning:  Make sure the washing machine is set to the delicate cycle . . . I ended up with a machine full of feathers when I used the regular cycle . . . what a mess!