Callaloo Soup

Hearts and Butterflies Garland with Makin' it Cute

Who says you need a fancy cutting machine to get cute shapes like this? I made this garland using just my thick plastic templates from Me and My Sister Designs. You might remeber my post a few months ago using their Makin it Cute flower template? Well now they have two new sets: hearts and butterflies.

I've been in a redecorating mood lately, and just set up a new sewing corner in my office. What better to add than this garland?

You'll need: the plastic templates, patterned papers, scissors, a pencil, a hole punch, baker's twine and washi tape.

 

First, trace around the templates on the back of the papers

 

Then cut out the shapes.

 

I cut five hearts and four butterflies.

Now punch holes at the top of each shape

Next string the shapes along the baker's twine, passing the twine in from front to back.

Voila!

Space the shapes evenly along the twine, then cut and hang with washi tape.

You can leave as is, or use mini clothepins to add in some extras!

If you're not feeling the bright spring colours, you can always use Fall or Halloween papers to change the mood.

Thanks for stopping by! You can head over to the Fat Quarter Shop blog to find more links to projects using the templates. And they are giving away some templates too!

Ridiculously Easy DIY | Graphic Fall & Halloween Coffee Mugs

Did I get enough keywords in that title? (Imagine it was Chandler Bing saying that). Seriously though, these customised mugs are ridiculousy easy to do. If you remember my Valentine mugs, you know why. If not, read on!

All you need are plain mugs, Fall or Halloween themed rub-ons, scissors and a rub-on applicator tool.

Use the scissors to cut out the design you want to use. Carefully place on your mug, smoothing it down as you go

Use your applicator tool (a popsicle stick works great!) to rub the design onto the mug. Go carefully over the intricate areas. Remove paper and ta da!

You've got yourself some pretty coffee mugs! These will not be permanent, which makes this idea perfect for holidays and special events.

The best part is that it will take you all of five minutes!

Like this idea? Please pin the image below to share it!

 

 

I Love a Good Upcycle Project

I picked up a couple wooden cassette tape holders in April, thinking they would be perfect for storing my stamp pads (like this). It totally didn;t work for me though, the spaces were too small, and I didn't like how the cases looked on the wall above my table. So I nixed the idea, and they have been sitting in my office unloved since then. As Kieran and I were tidying his bedroom on Saturday, I had what can only be described as a brainwave! The stands would be perfect for storing cars!

After enlisting Lucas' help to remove every other shelf, we were in business! Kieran got busy putting the cars away. He has one holder in his room and another in his playspace.

(Eeeps! Blurry photo!)

Now maybe I won't find cars scattered all the floor now?

This is probably one of the quickest upcycle projects I have done. It helps that it was Lucas who actually did most of the work. I've shared some tips over on Craft Foxes on how to find the perfect items for upcycled decor.

 

Decorate This | Gilded Trinket Tray

I've found that I wear the same jewlery all the time, and it's simply because I am too lazy to go looking in my jewelry boxes for different stuff. I decided it was time to display my jewelry in a way I would actually use them. Enter this wooden Mancala tray that I picked up at the flea market months ago.

I added a few coats of my favourite pearlized gold paint and voila!

 

Now my earrings and bangles will see some more action.

For all the details, hop on over to Make & Takes.

It's Selfish Sewing Week!

I discovered Selfish Sewing Week last Spring when it was first held (I think). I couldn't participate, because it during Kieran's vacation, so I was excited to see the Fall edition scheduled for this week!

The idea behind the week is for sewists to focus on making garments for themselves instead of others. My focus is on doing something just for me. It's so easy for me to get caught up in my work for the shops, the blog and my other committments, and not do any crafting for fun. I have been saving a bunch of refashion projects to work on, and there's no better time to freshen up your wardrobe than when a season changes. So I'll be working on some projects for my Fall closet.

I also have a few items that have needed altering for a while now, so I will finally get those done. I plan to spend at least one hour a day working on my sewing. (Today's hour was spent organising the week, and writing this blog post!).

I might even attempt a made from scratch project (gasp!). It all depends on how the week goes.

The project is being run as an event on Kollabora, which is a great site for crafters to show off their projects. You can set up projects, and share your in progress photos and your process. Pretty neat.

When was the last time you did something just for you? If you don't sew maybe you can have a Selfish Knitting Week, Selfish Crochet Week or Selfish Scrapbooking Week?

Join me!

 

Temporary Chalkboard Canvas Art

As you may know I have a love affair with chalkboard and have quite the stash of chalkboard contact paper. But you may also know that DIY chalkboard paint has been popular for a minute, and I have finally made my own! Because finding unsanded grout in France is next to impossible (how does one even translate that?), I used calcium carbonate to make mine, and for an extra twist I made a chalkboard canvas!

This formula worked extremely well, producing a very smooth and creamy paint. I am pretty hyped that now I can mix up my own chalkboard paint in every colour of the rainbow!

Get all the details over at Make & Takes. And check out their brand new design too.

 

Process Not Product | Organic Art With Kieran

This drawing by Kieran happened in a completely natural and organic way. He didn't set out to make a drawing of a pirate ship at all. I like to let him do open-ended art, and on this day I set him up with some "art starters"

The first one was using negative shapes: I punched some shapes out of a piece of paper and gave it to him with some markers

He started by drawing around the shapes, than drawing lines between them

 

Then he noticed that since he was drawing on his big art book, that the punched paper acted as a stencil

So he doodled on a bit on the drawing he created by chance.

He then turned the original punched piece over and continued drawingm this time around the cut-outs.

When he was done, I gave him another starter: a sheet with two squares stuck on

He was totally warmed up by now, and drew and drew

Then he asked if he could have some stickers. I grabbed the first set I found, all about pirates. He started sticking them on, then decided to get the blue marker to colour in the sea.

And that's how we ended up with his latest piece of art!

I love how self-directed this activity was. Apart from providing the starting points, there was no involvement from me. And he will spend lots more time working on open-ended projects like these, than ones where we are working towards creating a specific outcome. That's a win-win for sure!

Want to see some more open-ended kid art? Check out my latest post at Make & Takes

Watercolour Background with the Makin' It Cute Petal Pack

Today I'm sharing a new product and technique. This product comes from an unlikely source: The Fat Quarter Shop! 

Yes, it's fabric store, but they reached out to ask if I would be interested in trying a new set of templates from Me & My Sister Designs, the Petal Pack of templates

These thick plastic templates are helpful for cutting flower shapes out of fabric and paper, and the shapes can be layered to create flower embellishments. The pack contains 3 flower shapes in different sizes, a leaf shape, and a circle shape.

I decided to use mine a little differently for my layout about Kieran's fifth birthday party

I used the templates to trace shapes on my cardstock using a waterproof pen (Copic Multiliner)

Then I coloured the shapes in lightly with watercolour crayons.

I chose three of the colours from the candles

With a wet brush I coloured over the shapes

Then spritzed the entire background with spray ink

Once everything was (mostly) dry, I continued on with the layout.

I used vellum papers under the photo, so that the background could still be seen.

Some close-ups

Now head on over to The Fat Quarter Shop blog for more information about the Petal Pack, and links to other ideas using the template. They are giving away 20 of the Petal Packs, so be sure to drop by and check it out.

Crafting With Kieran | Paper Tube People

Kieran and I crafted up some little people for his small world play. Don't let the sizes fool you, it's a family: dad, mom and two sisters.

He worked diligently and made two out of the four.

And they're a hit!

See how we made them over at Make & Takes.

Easy DIY Photo Backdrop

I've been wanting to make a clean looking wooden backdrop for my project photos for a while now, and it finally happened! Here's how I pulled it together

Supplies

Fake Kapla planks (or you can use paint sticks)
Foam board
Wood glue
White fluid acrylic paint
paintbrushes

Instructions

I laid out the planks in a basic pattern on my foam board, then stuck them down with wood glue, using a paint brush to apply the glue.  I only used glue at the bottom of the planks.

Once I was sure they were mostly stuck on, I painted one coat of white acrylic paint.

I did a really thin coat since I still want to see the woodgrain through the paint. It dried really quickly!

And now I have a nice backdrop for smaller objects like my souvenir viewfinder collection

or these egg holders destined for the vintage shop.

It's perfect for food and decor photos too.

In case you're wondering, the vertical backdrop is a sheet of cork that I also painted white and tacked to my wall.

Simple. Easy. Done

Pin the image above to save this tutorial!

P.S. Here's another project I made using these same planks