DIY: String Art World Map

For months I've been trying to find just the right piece of art to go over my living room couch.  I wanted to do something a little more creative than just pictures in frames. Finally after doing extensive searching on etsy.com, I came across string art, and the RambleandRoost etsy shop.  The owner has a ton of string art pieces, and one that struck me was a world map. I decided to try my hand at making my own version.

 

Materials Needed:

2' by 4' (purchased pre-cut at home depot)

world map (purchased on amazon.com)

1 can minwax polyshades in mission oak satin (purchased from home depot)

paint brush

2'' nails

household twine

power drill

screws

braces (for hanging)

 

1.Set out 2' by 4' piece of wood

2. Stain the piece of wood, front and back and let dry overnight

3. Place map directly in the center of the wood

4. Hammer in nails around the edges of land

 

 

 

5. Tie string around one nail and start winding string around nails.  See string art tutorial here

6. As you finish each land mass, cut away the map underneath

 7. Using a power drill, drill screws through braces into the back of the wood; next drill screws into the wall... then hang!

 

 

 



DIY: Bridal Shower Custom Cross Stitch Gift

 

Recently for a friend's bridal shower I purchased a custom cutting board (from Etsy) with her future last name on it. The cutting board was a hit and everyone thought the customization was a nice touch.  When I started to take up cross stitch, I thought a great companion gift would be a custom frame with the bride and groom's initials as well as their wedding date. 

 

In order to craft the pattern I needed to find patterns for letters and numbers-- Searching on pinterest I came across a bunch, see my pin board here.  I used excel and a pattern as a guide and came up with the below.

For reference I used 14 count aida fabric, and colors: dark fuschia (heart) and 844 (letters and numbers).

For more details on how to cross stitch see tutorial here.

Quick Christmas Gift Idea: Chevron Cross Stitch

Need a quick inexpensive handmade gift? Why not this chevron framed cross stitch? It would make a perfect Christmas gift or housewarming present.

 

I was able to make this pattern in just a few minutes in excel. The numbers on the pattern are the thread colors associated with the pattern.

 



Cross Stitch: Home Sweet Home

After ages of wanting to learn how to cross stitch this weekend I finally found the time to hit up Michaels for supplies, and then head to YouTube for some trusty tips. I'd been seeing a ton of fun patterns on etsy, but considering I am brand new to cross stitch I thought it'd be best to start off small and simple.  On Pinterest I saw a cute "home sweet home" cross stitch and I thought it looked easy enough to recreate, but the problem was there was no pattern associated with the pin.

I thought to myself that there must be an easy enough way to figure out the pattern on my own.  The first thing I reached for was graph paper as the tiny squares on the paper are perfect for making a pattern.  To start I google searched free heart patterns; and copied down a small heart that was fitting for what I wanted.

 

 

Now that I had a portion of my pattern I decided it was time to prep my materials and try out cross stitch.

Materials Checklist:

14 Count Aida Fabric

Tapestry Needle

Wooden Hoop

Embroidery thread

 

Here's what I did:

1. I placed the hoop over/under the Aida fabric and tightened the tension

2. threaded the tapestry needle with 3 strands of embroidery thread (note: the thread comes in 6 strands)

3. Found the center of my fabric and pattern

4. Began sewing following the pattern (note: when threading the needle in for the first stitch make sure you leave a tail, do NOT make any knots)

 

 Now, for the second portion of the pattern I needed to create letters.  For this I was actually able to copy down the pattern by just looking at the picture I had for inspiration; to save you the work, the pattern is below:

 

 

Then, the only thing I had left to do was frame it! I cut the fabric to the size of the frame and that was it!

 

 

DIY: Embellished Sweatshirt

 

Over the weekend I teamed up with a few friends, one among them Ashley from Smashing Style, to bedazzle sweatshirts.  The entire process was beyond easy and inexpensive.   

I made mine out of a Hanes sweatshirt from Walmart and some gems from M and J Trimming.
I placed the gems out on the sweatshirt, then used fabric glue to glue each gem down.  From here I used a needle and thread to reinforce each gem. That simple!

 



 

Your Questions Answered: Crochet Open Shrug

I've been getting a few questions regarding this cozy Open Shrug I posted last year; I thought this week would be the perfect time to answer.

Reader Melinda writes "I absolutely love this but I feel very silly because I can't figure out how you actually put it on. Can you explain or show a picture? Feeling a bit daft"

Thanks for writing in and following Melinda, I hope the below GIF clears up any confusion you have! Also, don't feel bad, I made one for a friend and she was completely puzzled and didn't even know how to begin to put it on.

 

Also, regarding your second inquiry 

"Also, any suggestions on how to measure if I wanted to make this for a child or plus size adult? How did you decide on 29 in" 

 

Width can we calculated by measuring elbow to elbow with your arms straight out in a t position. Length can be calculated by measuring shoulder to waist and multiplying by 2.

 

Hope these tips help!

 

Happy Halloween!!

 

For the first time ever I decided to DIY my very own Halloween costume.  A group of friends and I decided to go as General Mills mascots: The Honey Nut Cheerios Honey Bee, The Hamburger Helper Hand, Betty Crocker, Trix Rabbit, The Lucky Charms Leprechaun, and of course the Green Giant. 

 

I immediately jumped at the Green Giant costume because I could visualize exactly how I was going to make it.

 

Materials List: 2 yards of green felt,

green zipper, fabric chalk, green thread, scissors, sewing machine; Green Long sleeve shirt, green tights

 

 

 

 

Turn Right Side Out

Using the fabric chalk, free hand draw a leaf onto felt, cut; then use this leaf as a pattern for all leaves (in total I cut 26 leaves)

Use fabric chalk to draw veins into each leaf

 

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Pair with green tights and a green long sleeve shirt, and you have yourself a costume!