Callaloo Soup

I Am Giving Away a Spiral Minibook!

Hello friends! I have been planning this little giveaway for a while and I am glad to finally get it up! A while back I posted about a mini that I made for write.click.scrapbook using the January kit from Cocoa Daisy.

I used it for a little book of things that I love:

(You can see more of it over on write.click.scrapbook)

When I was tidying up I realised that I could make another very similar one, and decided to give it away to one of you! It's a blank version of the one I made, with 12 double sided patterned paper pages, the spiral binding and wrap around cover as shown.

The ribbon is included but is not attached to the book, so you can opt to use it, or another method for closing your mini. Here are some more shots.

I made the book using the method outlined in this tutorial that I posted last year

So you can take a stab at making one of your very own!

But if you want to win this one, all you need to do to enter is leave me a comment below. You have until next week Thursday April 5th at midnight PST. Anyone anywhere in the world can enter! Wooohooo!

 

Recently, in photos

Friends

Spring Has Sprung!

Loving my Coils and Kinks

Being a Good Citizen

First Spring Afternoon at the Playground

Crafting

Weekend Fun

And how have you been?

Sister Sketch | Birthday Whimsy

Welcome to another edition of Sister Sketch! This month we're using this sketch from Page Maps

I loved the vertical split on the page and the photo layout, but I only used three photos, as mine were landscape orientation.

I also changed the location of the title and journaling, which seemed to work better for my page.

Here are some shots of the details:

I used the January kit from Cocoa Daisy, the same one I used for the mini album I did for write.click.scrapbook

I loved the bright colours which went perfectly with my photos. And of course bright colours mean I need to pop them against a white background.

I've noticed a trend too, if something happening twice can be called that: I am reaching for older photos that have been printed out when doing these sketches. It makes me happy to get some of them on pages finally!

This page is all about how I like to come up with fun birthday ideas for gift wrapping and traditions. Here's a closer look at my journaling.

Now you can hop over to see what Vernell did with the sketch.

We'll be back with another Sketch next month!

Tuesday To Do | "Home" Mini Canvas

 

 
Hello all! Today I will show you a simple masking technique using stamps that I used to make this mini canvas. This tutorial was originally done for Banana Frog when I was on the Design Team there.

 

Supplies

Canvas
Vintage book paper
Spray ink
Ribbon
Vintage Trim
Buttons
Distress Inks
Craft glue
Hiya Chick Stamp Set or stamps of your choice

 

First cover the canvas with the book paper using craft glue.

 

 

 

Then ink it up with some distress ink

 

 

 
Next you are going to arrange your stamps face down on the canvas, as shown

 

 

 

Then spray with your ink

 

 

Carefully remove the stamps and let the canvas dry

 

 

Now you can stamp the images in the blank spots.

 

Tip: Practise this on a piece of scrap paper first to see if you like the arrangement. You can see my test here

 

I have also found that this works best with stamps that don't have a lot of excess acrylic around the image, so I actually cut some of the excess off from my stamps.

Finally embellish with buttons, trim and ribbon

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy trying this technique! 

 

Project Simplify 2012 | Kieran's Toys

The first area we tackled this year was kid's clothes and toys. I usually keep on top of Kieran's clothing, so I had no real need to tackle that part, but the toy situation was out of control. Kieran was sick for most of last week though, so I wasn't able to do as much as I hoped. But I knew I had to tackle the major toy hot spot: the living room

BEFORE

 

 

 

 

It was seriously out of control. When we moved in we decided not to have a lot of toys in the living room, and he has quite a bit upstairs in his room, but then Christmas happened, as well as some other random toy giving episodes (not pre-approved by this Mummy) and we ended up with what you see above. I forgot to take a photo of inside the toy box, but it was filled with a number of smaller random toys that he hardly touched anymore.

While Kieran napped on Saturday afternoon (first time in eight months! He really was feeling poorly) I attacked. I emptied the toy box and filled a bag with the things he doesn't use anymore, like his first set of plastic cars, his V-Tech book and a few other random items. At that point I decided that I would put all the large vehicles in the toy box, as they were the main source of my irritiation.

I also separated out all the outdoor type toys, and will eventually get a storage chest for them outside once Spring is well and truly here.

I tidied up the shelf that held the train sets, crayons and markers, activity books and papers for art, and found a plastic box to use to coral his dinette sets and other loose toys. The rocking horse is also gone as he is no longer obsessed by it as he once was. Here's the result.

AFTER

 

 

 

A closer look in the toy box

 

 

And on the shelf

 

Ahhhhh. Much better! I can look across the room without getting all twitchy. I'd like to eventually get rid of the random plastic boxes and find a more unified storage solution though. I'll be keeping my eye out at flea markets and garage sales for unique vintage storage options!

 

Are you working on Project Simplify this year? How do you keep your toy clutter down?

 

 

Tutorial | Denim Capri Re-style with Vintage Trim

Happy Friday friends! Earlier this week I said I'd be sharing a fashion upcycle using vintage trim, and here it is! Disclaimer: I am not a fashion blogger, or a professional seamstress. You have been fairly warned.

 

So a couple summers ago I got these denim capris that were like my uniform, I pretty much wore them everywhere. But I couldn't really stand the length, they just seemed to hit at an odd spot.

 

 

So I wore them rolled up like this

 

 

(as you can see I had a helpful assistant)

I really wanted to do something different before starting to wear them again this summer though. I decided to add a vintage boho look with some vintage french trim from my stash!

 

 

Here's how I did it.

First I measured how long I wanted the capris to be and cut off the extra piece

 

 

Then I measured around the opening to find out how much trim I needed

 

 

 

 

After cutting the trim I then pinned it to the edges

 

 

I started and ended the trim at the inside seam where the join would be hidden. Then I stitched it on with my sewing machine, but this could easily be done by hand.

 

 

I used hand stitching to join the two cut ends

 

 

 

With the small bit of trim that was left I added a detail to the watch pocket. I did this part entirely by hand.

 

 

And ta da! Or maybe I should say voila!

 

 

 

(There's my cute assistant again)

In all I used about 1 yard of trim for this, and it took me less than an hour (you'd probably be faster without the cute assistant). And if you're wondering what to do with the cut off pieces, Kieran has the answer!

 

 

Here's another close up of the pocket detail

 

This really gets me in the mood for summer! If you're looking for a source for vintage trims you can check out my shop on Etsy.

 

Do you like doing fashion restyles? I find they are a great way to freshen up wardrobe staples when the seasons change.

 

If you enjoyed this tutorial please do share the link with your friends via the share buttons below :)

 

 

What's On Your Plate This Month?

Not your literal plate. Unless of course you want to share some yummy recipes? I'm talking about all your plans and projects? What do you want to achieve in March?

Apart from all the Etsy stuff I talked about yesterday, as well as my usual commitments, I am taking on a couple extra projects this month. First is the 30 Days of Lists, which I did last year (ok, total disclosure, started).

 

This time I am keeping it very simple, with just a small spiral notebook, some washi tape and a date stamp. One of the lists we made so far was goals for the month, which was the prompt for this blog post incidentally.

The other big thing is Project Simplify led by Tsh at Simple Mom.

 

I also did this last year and loved it, so I was very excited when she decided to run it again.

And this is already done, but it's March Mini Madness at write.click.scrapbook this month, and I got to make a minialbum with the January kit from Cocoa Daisy.

 

You can see more about it in my post over there.

So, as I was saying...what's on your plate this month?

 

 

A Few Updates About My Shops on Etsy

Hello friends! Just a quick little post to share a few things about my shops on Etsy. I have been a very busy bee getting the new Vintage shop stocked and running. I still have more to come before I see the end of my stash!

 

 

I have currently listed vintage buttons on cards, vintage doilies, and a variety of vintage trims, either in single lengths or as assortments. There's an item for every taste and budget! Still to come are loose buttons, vintage darning and embroidery threads, and vintage French book pages.

 

Pair of Vintage Trims

If you love crafting with trim and lace, you might want to check out my board on Pinterest dedicated to this subject. You don't have to be a member to see it, but if you do want an invitation just let me know in the comments.

 

My original shop is still stocked with my printable posters and chalkboard stickers. I am currently working on a line of journals and notebooks which will be appearing there very soon!

 

 

(Just a tease)

 

I recently launched a Facebook Page for the two shops, and would love it if you would "Like" my page. This is where I will be posting most of the updates and promotions about the shops, as well as hosting giveaways and freebies. You can click "like" over in the sidebar, or just hop on over to Facebook directly. I already have 57 fans for whom I am truly grateful!

And that's what's been happening in the Callaloo Soup Shops world! I'll be happy to answer any questions in the comments. I also welcome any suggestions you may have about items you'd like to see in either shop.

 

P.S. I almost forgot! Look for a tutorial using vintage trim for a simple fashion upcycle project on Friday!

 

 

A Bunch of Random Things I've Thought Over the Last Few Days

Well I totally wasted that extra day we got this year. It just doesn't feel like it's extra though. It shouldn't be part of the regular week. It should be it's own special day that we can really take off, then go back to the real week on March 1st.

March came in like a lamb. Maybe even a kitten. What does this mean for April?

Really glad for sunny skies and warm weather right now though.

Oh, I can't wait to see if my tulips will come up!

I need a peonie plant for this garden.

If I plant these partially sprouting bulbs in a pot, will they grow?

I really need to decide on a theme for Kieran's birthday.

Man, I totally forgot how like a canteen the "restaurant" at Ikea is.

Mmmmm, Swedish meatballs!

My living room looks like a day care. Time for a toy purge!

Why did my husband leave these caramels in plain sight? Why???

 

Happy Friday friends! What's been on your mind lately?