Jewelry Organizer

I have other ideas for a jewelry organizer on here, but here's another idea. I just need to find the time to actually make one now!

From http://onmysideoftheroom.blogspot.com

A couple weeks ago I got a number of my necklaces in a knot. A big one. I mean a it-took-me-almost-two-hours-to-undo knot. I was, needless to say, extremely frustrated with it all. I don't know how many people have this problem but I do. This is probably because I sell jewelry on etsy, with almost half of my items being necklaces, so I have more than most. And a lot have very tiny, delicate chains, making it much easier to knot and much harder to undo.

Now, I have a beautiful frame jewelry organizer for my store jewelry that looks like this:And even two I recently made and did a tutorial for my own personal jewelry like these:
Heck, I even have a beautiful jewelry armior my husband got me when we were first married.

But alas, it was not enough. I just have too many necklaces! What's a girl to do? Here was my solution: an extreme jewelry organizer with 39 hooks and two bars to hold earrings!
It was very simple actually, all inspired by a Goodwill find.
I'm not sure but I believe this is one of those art cases you get for kids with different types of paint, pencils, and other art stuff.
I unscrewed the hinges and handles. I probably should have filled it with putty or something but I didn't, I knew where it was going and that area would not be seen by anyone so I didn't worry about it.
I then marked out where I wanted the hooks. I spaced it out every two inches and alternated every other row. On the bottom two rows I just put one hook at each end. This is where I put wooden dowels to hang earrings.
Then I went crazy with the spray paint! I sure am loving that stuff lately. It takes an ordinary, fairly unattractive piece and turns it into something new and clean!
On the hooks you can hang whatever you'd like.
I hung mostly necklaces but also bracelets and even earrings on the hooks.
The dowel is perfect for earrings, makes it easy to see and you can fit a lot on it!

I have had this up in my office/craftroom/jewelry making area for about a week and I am SERIOUSLY loving it.

Typewriter art

This idea is really cute. I don't know that I would do this exact thing, but the technique would work for other ideas as well.

From http://nikkicleary.blogspot.com/

a close up shot of the chiseled groovemom, using a paintbrush to really get in the grooves with the antiquing effect
antiquing the squares with the rag and paint
lori, dragging the chisel to create the grooves
our finished product


I have been receiving requests from women who googled "typewriter key wall art" (and from there they found my blog) and they have wanted to know how I made my Pottery Barn replica.
Well, here is how we did it step by step...

• found the typewriter font FREE here http://www.typadelic.com/typekeys.html, downloaded it and then created a document in photoshop, typed the letters/numbers in and blew them up to the size we wanted (if you dont have photoshop and are planning on making your board 25x25", e-mail me and I will send you the jpg files). We printed them out on cream cardstock and then cut all the circles out.
  
• cut a piece of plywood board 25x25" square
• marked a grid 5 lines evenly spaced horiz and 5 lines vertical. Then we used a metal straight edge ruler and dragged the corner of a chisel down the lines to create the grooves
• take a rag, wet a corner with odorless mineral spirits, dab where its wet onto the top of a tube of dark brown oil paint and use that to antique each square...making sure it really gets in the groove to make them stand out. (Hint: if you make it too dark, just wet a clean corner of your rag with the mineral spirits and wipe off till you get the desired effect.
• adhere your letters and numbers in the center of each square using either spray adhesive or a quick dry tacky glue. Brayer over them to make sure they are stuck down good.
  
• hammer tiny black nails (we found a box of 100 at Lowe's for about 3 or 4 bucks) into the four corners of your squares
• cut frame to size and nail together
• hang and enjoy!!

Magnetic Calendar / Chore Chart

from http://allthingzrelated.blogspot.com

Here is our project that we made exclusively for Everyday Mom Ideas, just in case you missed it ;)

Today we have a project perfect for busy Moms! I have 4 kids and Rebekah has 3 so we know what its like to juggle Dr. appointments and school programs…we think this might help! Or at least be a beautiful way to keep things straight!

Magnetic Calendar and Chore Chart

We both started our projects with a sheet of metal from $ Tree!

We found this metal mixed in with the matted art at $ Tree…It was a little tricky to find but worth the trouble! They are 12in.x12in. so this makes them great for a sheet of scrapbook paper! You might have to trim things up a bit but still…perfect!

I chose to draw out my “grid” for the chore chart…

but Rebekah found some beautiful paper that already had the grid on it at Michaels! Good find Rebekah!

For the chore chart…after I drew on my grid, I just took some tags I had printed out and glued them down and used some stamps to embellish each child’s square! I chose to stamp my girls initials on their square instead of doing their whole name. I also printed the days of the week off and cut them out for the top. Everything here has been distressed with an ink pad!

Time to decoupage this down on the metal! While that is drying we can make magnets!

We both chose to print off what we needed for our magnets…months…numbers…chores and a little bit of clip art!

Now you can decoupage them to what ever you choose to make your magnets out of!

Rebekah chose to use pieces of wood (painted) for her magnets!

I chose to use strips of adhesive magnet strips and stick my print outs right to it.

Then we both decoupaged over them to give them a nice finish! So by this point your background should be GOOD and dry! It takes a while to make all these magnets! Lets see if the work paid off!

This is the chore chart all finished! The older kids get 3 rows and the younger kids get 2. I am going to reward my girls for every magnet they have on the chart at the end of the week!

Check out this beautiful calendar! Rebekah made cute magnets for holidays!

The heart is for anniversaries and the balloons is for birthdays! She used a Crop-A-Dile to punch holes at the top so she could hang her calendar with a ribbon! Wow…this calendar is going to make each month FUN!

Thanks for having a look at our fun with magnets! Please let us know what you think!

Frame for future grandparents

I think this idea is really cute! Not that I have any kids right now, but it would be fun to make when we have them in the future! :)

From http://livelaughmakesomething.blogspot.com

As you can tell by the date, Grandson and I made this little lovely several years ago. We made the original one for Oldest Daughter for Mother's Day that year. It didn't take me long into the process to know that I wanted one, too! Even though I've had this for quite a while, I thought that it's still a delightful gift that is sure to please! Be sure to make one for yourself as well... It would be tough to part with this little jewel!

Here's the step-by-step...

One 4x6 black and white photo with rub-on letters or a phrase along the top edge. Cut three 4x6 rectangles from white or cream cardstock.

I used letter rubber stamps to hand stamp my "definition" onto white cardstock. You could also print this from your computer.

Trace that precious little hand with a crayon onto white cardstock.

I used a different definition for each of us. I have a cheap paperback dictionary that I use to cut from for different projects. Allow a large border around the edges when you cut it out. Lay the cut paper on top of the hand print and pencil sketch a rectangle that is the size of the definition. Make a slit in the center and tear along your pencil line. Lightly ink the torn edges with an ink pad or marker. With adhesive, attach the definition to the back of the hand print with the definition showing through the opening. I used letter eyelet charms to spell out "age". You could also add a bit of white or cream acrylic paint to the letters and wipe away the excess if you'd rather the letters be lighter in color. I think Michael's still carries these letters by Making Memories. You could also print something similar from the computer or a small label sticker or rub-on. Add a sticker or rub-on number for the actual age. Later you will trim this to fit into the frame.

I had him draw a heart with a crayon. Notice from the lines that he first draws an open "m" for the top and then a "v" to make the bottom. Even to this day, he still draws a heart this way. So charming I think. I then told him to write his name inside. He said, "Gwanmama, can I write the "O" furss (first)?" "Honey, you surely can." answered his adoring grandmother. When Grandaddy walked in for lunch, he excitedly shouted, "Look Gwandaddy! We're making sump'in." umm.umm.umm. Don't date it yet.

Cut a piece of black cardstock to fit inside your frame. Mine is an 8x10. If your handprint is large, you'll of course need a bigger frame and maybe even a larger black grid in the center and a bit around the edges. I kept trimming my four 4x6 pieces until they fit into the frame. Ink all of the edges. Place the black cardstock inside your frame withOUT the glass. Trim the pieces to fit inside the frame. Make the top two the same size and the bottom two also equal to each other. I used scrapbooking adhesive to attach the photo and cardstock pieces to the black cardstock, leaving a black grid in the center. Date the bottom right corner. Now you're all done! Frame and collect the compliments.

Harvest Dress

Super cute dress for a little girl!

From Dana, via soyouthinkyourecrafty.blogspot.com

Harvest Dress TUTORIAL: Puffed Sleeves and Gathered Pocket

The pitch-forked Harvest Dress is fun on the go. With chunky buttons and a knobby-kneed length, today we'll be featuring it's PUFFED SLEEVES and Gathered Pockets.

Ever wanted to make puff sleeves? Well now you can! Gather your current dress project and let's get started. We'll be making two versions:

Skill Level: Intermediate
Needed:
* Sleeve fabric
* 1/4 inch elastic
Average Sewing Time: 30 mins
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Option 1 - Puffed Sleeve with Cuff

1. Pattern. Disclaimer: my sewing methods are not always exact. I usually make it up as I go by tweaking a little here, tucking a little there, adding more fabric there. So each piece is an evolution process. There are likely more precise tutorials and methods out there. But if you care to venture, I'll share my methods here.

If you have a pattern you're working with (or making up your own), a short-sleeved pattern piece looks similar to this:

To create the "puff", however, I've added more length to the curved part of the sleeve. To do this, I measured the length of my dress armhole and then added about 1/4 to 1/2 of that length to my pattern piece (not an exact science). The more you want it to puff, the more length you should add. The picture above shows my "lengthened" piece. My original armhole measured 9 inches. So I made the top, curved portion of my sleeve above 13 inches (just an arbitrary length I went with).

Next, trace the pattern piece on to your fabric with a marker or fabric pen and cut out two sleeve pieces:

Your sleeves should look like this:

You also need to cut out two sleeve cuffs. Measure around your upper-arm, where the sleeve should fall. I usually add an extra inch or so to this measurement (to account for the seam and to allow a tiny bit of "give" room so the sleeve isn't super tight on the arm). That measurement is the length of the rectangle piece above.
Decide how wide you want your cuff to be (the harvest dress is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide). Whatever width you want, double that (since the cuff will be folded in half) and also add 1 inch (so that the cuff edge can be ironed over on each side).

2. Sew. Okay, time to sew the gather for the sleeve. Set your machine on the longest stitch length:

I prefer my sleeves to be only be puffed at the very top of the sleeve, near the shoulder (therefore, the seam area and armpit area are not gathered). This is just preference. You can gather the entire sleeve if you'd like. So, if you're doing a "partial puff" like I did on the Harvest Dress, I start at the beginning of my sleeve curve (about 1/3 of the way into the sleeve, where it starts to curve/arc) and I sew a line about 1/4 inch in from the edge of the sleeve (do NOT stay-stitch at the beginning...or back-and-forth stitching). I stop sewing my line when I get to the other end of the curve (about 1/3 of the way from the end of the sleeve):

Then repeat this same step, sewing 1/2 inch in from the edge of the fabric so that you have two parallel lines to gather:

With right sides of the fabric together, sew the ends of the sleeve together (make sure you switch to a normal stitch length) and serge or zigzag off the edges:

Next, we'll gather the cuff area of the sleeve. This part of the sleeve will be gathered all the way around. So start at one end of the seam and go all the way around to the other end of the sleeve, 1/4 inch in from the edge of the fabric (do NOT stay stitch, and sew with your longest stitch length). Make sure you don't overlap the beginning and end of your stitch or it will be difficult to gather.

Repeat the step a second time (just as you did above), 1/2 inch in from the edge of the fabric, to create two parallel lines for gathering.

3. Gather. Taking both threads (from the same end and same side of the fabric), pull the threads and push the fabric so that it gathers up. Continue gathering till the length of the sleeve fits inside the armhole of your dress:

Do the same for the bottom of the sleeve, gathering till it's the length of your upper-arm measurement.

Your sleeve should look something like this:

4. Sleeve Cuffs. Iron your cuff in half, with one side just slightly higher than the other. This is trick I use so that when sewing the cuff on, the inside part of the cuff is slightly higher and guaranteed to be sewn on (since I'm only watching how the outside portion is being sewn on).

Next, iron the edges in about 1/2 inch on both sides:

Then, with all the folds opened up and the right sides of the fabric together, sew the two ends together:

Then turn the cuff right-side out and fold all the folds in. It should look something like this:

5. Finishing the sleeve. Slip your sleeve edge inside the cuff about 1/2 inch. This can be tricky to do but it will wiggle it's way in there.
*NOTE: You will have a lot of long strings hanging from your sleeve. Though you may be tempted to cut them off (since the sleeve is gathered), do NOT do this. It will cause the gather to unravel. The strings are annoying, but you can stuff them in the cuff or cut them soon after sewing your sleeve on to the dress.

When you get the cuff on the sleeve, pin it down (remember that whichever side of your cuff was slightly wider, should be on the inside of the sleeve right now):

It should look something like this:

Then, very carefully turn the sleeve inside-out (trying not to stab yourself with pins. Or you could have skipped this step by pinning the cuff inside-out in the step above). Then also, very carefully, sewing close to the edge of the cuff, sew it on to the sleeve:

Turn the sleeve inside-out and you're done! Attach it to a dress as you normally would with any sleeve (or follow the instructions on your dress/shirt pattern):


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Option 2 - Puffed Sleeve with Elastic casing
as seen on the Christmas in July dress.

Follow the same pattern, cutting, and TOP sleeve gathering steps above. When it comes to the bottom of the sleeve, start here.

Serge around the entire bottom of your sleeve. If you don't have a serger, do a double-folded iron-over (iron 1/4 inch over on the sleeve edge, then fold over 1/4 inch again and iron). This keeps the edge from fraying over time.

After gathering and serging, your sleeve should look like this:

Iron the edge of your sleeve over about 1/2 inch, creating a casing for your elastic:

Sew the casing down, leaving an opening for the elastic to come in and out:

Cut a piece of 1/4 inch wide elastic. The length should be the measurement around your upper-arm. Connect a safety pin to one end of the elastic and attach the elastic with another safety pin to outside of the casing. Push your safety pin through the casing, pulling the elastic through as it goes and comes out the other side:

Sew the two ends of the elastic together using a zigzag stitch (make sure your elastic is not twisted anywhere inside your casing):

Sew your casing closed with a normal stitch:

Your sleeve is done and ready to be sewn on to your dress or shirt!

* For the Harvest Dress POCKET Tutorial, see the GATHERED POCKET TUTORIAL and scroll to the bottom for additional notes.

*The Harvest Dress was made using a simple A-line dress shape with the front piece cut in half.

Now enjoy the extra puff in your life because being a girly girl is way too much fun.