Bandana Halter Tops

Bandanas are great for all kinds of crafts . . . they are inexpensive and available in a wide array of colors and patterns.  More posts to come on crafts using bandanas. 

Today's journey took me on a search for halter tops made of bandanas.  I have stacks of bandanas left from my retail days and the thought of making some halter tops came to me.  

These are not the design I was searching for, but they are a start.  I'm thinking of a top that ties in the front . . . guess I'll have to create my own pattern.

Click here for tutorial

Click here for tutorial

Click here for tutorial

Happy crafting and sewing!

Love DIY? Click here!

These days of  poor economy times are finding more and more of us looking for ways to do projects around the house ourselves.  For me, it started back before home and garden cable networks, in the early days of Martha Stewart's rise in popularity as my husband and I explored the adventure of living a one-income lifestyle.  The result was the discovery of my creative side as I had never experienced it before.

I'm always on a search for awesome websites and blogs for inspiration and instruction.

Click here for a blog post of Best DIY Sites . . . 

I can't wait to dig in and discover blogs and websites that are new to me!

Cute Tissue Pouches

My fabric stash is overflowing and I love finding new and useful ways to use them.

These tissue pouches are easy enough for a beginning sewer and so much prettier to carry around than those plain wrappers they come in.  They are so cute and would make a thoughtful gift.

Sachiko at Tea Rose Home recently featured this tutorial on her blog written by Christie from Lemon Squeezy.  Click here to go there.  

Both are awesome blogs . . . check them out for more creative projects.

 


Happy crafting!

Cool paper tassels

What an awesome idea!

Since I first saw these cute tassels, my mind has been on overdrive with ideas for earrings, bracelets, fringe as well as tassels using both paper and fabric.  What I'd love about using fabric is matching an outfit or upholstered furniture and pillows.  

Love this creative way of recycling old magazines or fabric scraps!

Click here to go to the tutorial.

Design Your Own Lamp Shades

The possibilities are endless for taking an old lamp and giving

 it a new life with a new custom lampshade to match your decor.

This project is perfect for a garage sale or thrift store find . . . 

something beautiful and uniquely yours . . . dare to be different!

Click here for the tutorial from the Teeny Blessings blog.

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!