Wild Wednesday, April 25! BOGO--Gerbara Daisy!

Yes, Buy One, Get One Free! But wait: for my Wild Wednesday fans, you will get an additional FREE THIRD daisy in your package--the Black/White Zebra print, just mention Wild Wednesday in the comment box, along with 2 other color choices, during check out. Head over to the Etsy shop and grab 3 flowers for the price of Only One:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/75032635/sale-bogo-free-gerbera-daisy-bling-for
Offer ends at midnight tonight. 


Happy Wild Wednesday, everyone!

Earth Day--Jean Jacket Makeover DIY

Happy Earth Day 2012 to all! 

I want to share my latest "makeover" project with you.  You may want to give it a try.  

Recently, one of my favorite hosts on QVC (I'm addicted--sorry!) was wearing the cutest jean jacket that had a "shabby chic" appearance.  I called The Q to find out the item number, only to be informed that it was her personal item and not offered by QVC--darn it! 

I made a "mental not to self": Grab a jean jacket at a thrift store soon and make it myself!

Here's what you'll need:

1.  denim jean jacket, I paid $3.50 for mine--whoopee!

2.  sewing machine and your choice of colored thread (optional)

3.  sharp scissors

4.  pillow case and thick rubber band

5.  washer and dryer

Step 1.
Decide where you want your "shabby chic" fringe accents.  I chose to only "enhance" the collar, cuffs and down both sides of the front.

Step 2 (optional).

Using thread (your choice of color) and sewing machine, sew an extra row of stitches about 1/8" from the button holes and buttons along both sides of the front.  This is to allow more fringe to form and still keep the layers intact.  I used a caramel colored "jean" thread by Coats and Clarks.  My "buttons" were actually riveted metal buttons, so I had to be extra careful when sewing near them.  Don't worry if your stitches are perfectly straight, as the "fringe" will hide it anyway.

 Step 3.
Cut away the garment's edge of all the areas that you want to "fringe".  If your jacket has top stitching close to any of those edges, just remove it with a seam ripper.  You can now start the fringing process.  Pull out and discard the threads of the fabric that run parallel with the edge.  This can be time consuming, so make yourself comfortable and plan to have a mess to clean up once you are finished.

Step 4.
Place your jacket in the pillowcase and close the open end of the pillowcase using the thick rubber band. This will save the LIFE of your washing machine--hmmm, I speak from experience, and not a pleasant one!
Add this to your washing machine and wash on a regular setting.  I used hot water, but I think the results would be the same for cold water, too.   Once the wash cycle is complete, add the pillowcase with the jacket still inside to your dryer.  I let mine dry for about 30 minutes, then paused the cycle and removed the jacket from the pillowcase.  At this point, my pillowcase had lots of lint, threads, etc. on the inside, so I turned it inside out and took it outside for a good shake, shake, shake.  Turn your jacket inside out and add it back to the dryer, removing or trimming any random long threads first.

Step 5.

Once your jacket is thoroughly dry, remove it from the dryer and turn it right side out.  Using your sharp scissors, trim away any stray or random threads along all the edges.  Put that puppy on, add some jewelry, and go "Rock Your World".

Have a Happy Day!

Karen Turns 50!

Karen, who has been Tom's PA for almost 20 years, turned 50 this week.  Since I just happen to have a vintage magazine collection, I love to find issues from a person's birth year and give it as a gift.  This is the May 1962 issue of McCall's that I chose for Karen's Special Gift!

Here's a short video showing her reaction when she opened her gift:




I just love all the ads from these vintage issues.  Here are just a few:

Enjoy!

This week's Wild Wednesday has begun!  Save 15% on all Collars with Fun Bows today until midnight.

Lots of cute selections still available, too.  Hope to see you soon!

Mini Hats for Pets!

I've been trying to make a few new "bonnets" to offer in the Etsy Shop.

I had a little extra time this afternoon after the kiddos left to return home.

I think I will mark this one as a Wedding Photo Prop.

Each hat has an adjustable elastic chin strap to keep it "atop" your fur baby's head.

Wild Wednesday, April 4, 2012

 

Today's Wild Wednesday Sale:  Save 15% on all collar designs that have a Paisley Print.  You can find these collars here: Wild Wednesday Special 

Wild Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Today's Wild Wednesday Special:  Save 25% on all the CFC tutorials!
You can view/shop for them here:
Shop Section: DIY/Tutorials/Ebooks

Old Born Ballet Flats Repurposed

When I cleaned out my closet last week (see this post for pics),  I came across these Born ballet flats that I had bought a few seasons ago.  You know the type--big flowers on the front. Well, I put them on and decided I felt as if I was walking around wearing swim flippers.
"Shall I donate them or try a "redo" with them?",  I thought.

Here's what I did:
See those big flowers?  I noticed that they were just stitched on to the top of the shoes.  Using little embroidery scissors, I very carefully snipped the stitches and had them removed in no time at all.

Next, I chose some clear rhinestone buttons I happened to have on hand, and cut off their shanks.  I applied glue (E6000 or use your glue gun) to the back of each button and placed them where the flowers had been attached to each shoe. 

After the glue had thoroughly dried, I was out wearing them around town!

I now have 2 super cute leather distressed silver-tone flowers that I can use on a couple of dog collars!

The most difficult part of the project was just deciding which pair of rhinestone buttons to use.

I loved the outcome on the metallic flats so much, that I decided to adorn a pair of simple, plain Clarks ballet flats with rhinestones, too.

I think they now look more Spring-like!

Dig through your closets and see if you can find some shoes to repurpose.

Spring Cleaning: My Closet Purge!!!

Last weekend I finally got around to cleaning out my closet. It took me 4 hours and I was exhausted, but elated, when I finished.

Here are a few BEFORE pics:

And here are the AFTER pics:

One of my FAVORITE things in my closet is this hanging jewelry organizer:

It holds lots of necklaces, plus I use it for my big flower corsages!

I also found that if you alternate the way you add your shoes to each shelf, it makes more room!

Any of you had the notion to purge your closet, too?

Happy Spring to all!

Wild Wednesday: March 14, 2012

This week's Wild Wednesday event has begun: Save 15% on all Pet Tags and Quick Links!
Head to the Etsy shop and browse awhile!