DIY Upcycled Vintage Jewelry Magnets

15 May, 2013 12:57 pm / 5 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Hello everyone! Sorry I have been mia the last couple of days. I have been under the weather. But I am back and excited to share this project with you all today! I am going to show you how to make these fun little magnets out of vintage earrings and brooches. These could not be easier to make, and they whip up so fast!

Here’s What You Need:

*Jewelry pieces like earrings, pendants, and brooches

*Heavy duty wire cutters

*E6000

*Round craft magnets (you can find these at any craft store)

Instructions:

These are so easy! The first thing you do is cut off the finding part of your piece. For example if you have an earring, you will need to cut off the ear wire or clip for clip ons. Get as close to the base where it is glued or soldered on and carefully cut away with your pliers. For brooches that have been soldered it can take a few cuts but they will come off. Once you get the finding off you can grind down any sharp spots with a dremmel if you have any that bother you. You can also pick at them with your pliers and that can get most of the metal off that is in the way. So to finish these off, you need to glue the magnet on. So, lay your jewelry piece face down on a flat surface. Now take your magnet and place a large dab of glue onto the back side of the magnet. Carefully squish the glue and magnet onto the back of your jewelry piece. Let dry. Once the glue is cured you are ready to use your magnets.

I absolutely love these magnets! They just couldn’t be any easier to make! You can whip up a batch in under fifteen minutes. The best thing is that they look so nice and special, like something you would find at a boutique. You can find vintage jewelry parts by the bag full at your local flea market or at antique stores and thrift stores. Of course brooches can be really pricey, but you can often pick up broken pieces or mismatched pieces for next to nothing. This would be a fabulous project to use for gifts for birthdays or Christmas as well. So go ahead and dress up your space with some of these fun little magnets! You’ll love them!

Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: 1930's, 1940's, 1950's, bee, birthday, brooch, christmas, crafts, decorating, diy, earrings, easy, enamel, flower, fridge, fun, gifts, handmade, holidays, home decor, jewelry, jewelry magnets, lovely, magnet, magnets, mid century, recycled, repurposed, retro, rhinestone, sparkly, style, sweet, turtle, tutorials, upcycled, vintage, vintage brooch

DIY Linen Phone Sleeve and My New Shutterfly Case

8 May, 2013 12:34 am / 1 Comment / My So Called Crafty Life

Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday! So, today I am going to share with you which of my Shutterfly phone case designs I went with, as well as an easy tutorial on how to make a protective sleeve for your phone. I was so excited when I got my new Shutterfly phone case this past week! It is just so ME! I decided to go with the simple chalkboard design with my #1 buddy Beaureguard. The little banner at the bottom means “the little pleasures” en Francais, and it comes from the saying “La vie est faite de petits bonheurs” or “Life is made of little pleasures” and I believe bonheur can also mean happiness or what makes one happy. And I’m sure I speak for most of us when I say my dog makes me happy!

My mom is a photographer, so I am no stranger to photo gifts you can get from a lab. Most of the time the quality in my opinion can be a bit lacking. I have to say though, I am very impressed with this case! The printing quality is fantastic, and it seems to be durable and nicely protective. It is a nice thick polycarbonate plastic that snaps on. When I first bought my phone, I got a designer case which was plastic and within a week the design was scratched off of it. For the last year I have been trying to find a case that was both somewhat protective and cute. This one totally does the trick!

Since I tend to wear a lot of skirts in the spring and summer, which means no pockets, I have made this little padded phone sleeve to safely carry my phone on skirt days. This sleeve is made for my iphone 4, but you can change-up the measurements to suit your phone’s dimensions. This is a really fast and easy project! It is a great way to use up scraps too.

Here’s What You Need:

*Scrap fabric or around 1/8 of a yard of fabric

*Scrap Batting or 1/8 of a yard

*Leather Lacing

*Button

*Thread and Needle

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is cut your pieces. I made mine for my iphone 4. If you have an iphone 5 you may want to make it about an inch longer. I measured my phone and gave it a couple of extra inches around for seam allowance and wiggle room. So, cut two pieces for the outside front and back and two pieces for the lining at 4.5×7″. Cut two pieces of the batting at 4.5X7″. If you’d like a little pocket, cut a piece of your lining fabric to be 4.5×5″. I added a patch to the front piece of my sleeve. If you are adding any patch or embellishment sew it on now. Next, lay the outside pieces front and back on the front and back pieces of your batting face up. Stitch the batting to the fabric with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Now, take your pocket piece and turn it under 1/8″ and press. Turn the top under again 1/2″ and stitch down close to the edge where you turned it under on the wrong side. Now you are ready to stitch together your sleeve. Place the pocket piece on the front of your front sleeve face up and sandwich it in between the front and back pieces. The front and back should be right sides together. Stitch all the way around the three sides with a half-inch seam allowance leaving the top open. Stitch the lining pieces together the same way, making sure that the right sides are together. Clip corners and trim the seam allowance down a little on both. Turn the front piece right side out. Fold a small piece of leather lacing in half and stitch down to the pocket side of your outside sleeve. Now, shimmy your outside sleeve into the lining so that right sides are facing. Carefully stitch around the top with a quarter-inch seam allowance leaving an inch or so for turning. Now, pull your outside and lining out through the hole in the top. Press. Stuff the lining into the outer sleeve. Now top stitch around the top about an eighth inch away from the edge. Pull the loop over the top and mark where to put your button. Hand stitch the button on the back side. And that’s it. Pretty easy eh?

I absolutely ADORE my new phone case and padded sleeve! I love that it is a perfect size for scraps. I paired up natural linen with a scrap from an old vintage cutter tablecloth, and a retro quilting fabric for the pocket and the lining. This little sleeve is so versatile, you can really customize it to your style and taste by the patterns and fabric choices you use. This sleeve fits perfectly in the large pocket of my purse. In hind sight I wish I had sewn a loop of ribbon in the side seam so I could attach a clip to it and clip in on the handle of my bag. Will definitely have to try that next time. I hope I have inspired some of you to try out this little phone sleeve. You will love it! And definitely go check out Shutterfly’s IPhone cases Here. They are so fun and easy to customize. There are plenty of design options. They are on sale at 20% off right now too, so you can snag one for under $30. Pretty cool! I’ll be back Thursday with another fun DIY. Until then…

Happy Crafting!

*Disclosure: I was given a promotional code for a phone case from Shutterfly. No other compensation was given. All opinions are 100% my own. No foolin’, this phone case is awesome!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: beauegard, case, chalkboard, cottage, crafts, custom, diy, dog, easy, fabric, french, fun, handmade gifts, iggy, iphone, italian greyhound, navy, phone, phone case, photo gifts, photography, pictures, plastic, polycarbonate, recycled, red, retro, scrap, sewing, shutterfly, sleeve, sweet, tutorials, upcycled, vintage, vintage button, vintage inspired, vintage tablecloth, white, yellow

DIY Upcycled Vintage Tablecloth Duvet Cover

2 May, 2013 12:28 pm / 2 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Hi guys! I am so excited to share todays project with you! Today I am going to show you how to make a duvet cover for your comforter from a sheet, some fabric, and a vintage tablecloth. Some f you may know by now that I have a rather large obsession with vintage linens, especially tablecloths! I love to repurpose them! I usually buy them when they are more on the shabby side and stained. I cut them up and make bags and other fun stuff with them. I never use tablecloths on my table since I have three very naughty cats. So, when I came across this beautiful tablecloth last fall that was in perfect condition, I had to find something cool to do with it that did not involve cutting it up. I thought it would make a fabulous bedspread or duvet! I made this one for my mom for Mother’s Day this year. I think she’s gonna like it!

Here’s What You Need:

*Vintage Tablecloth

*Flat Bed Sheet

*Large Ricrac trim (optional)

*Quilting Weight or home decor fabric

*Velcro

*Scissors, ruler, pins

*Sewing machine and thread

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is figure out your measurements. Measure your comforter. I made this one for my mom’s king comforter which measured 102″x86″. So I cut my sheet down to size plus extra for seam allowance. I used 1/2″ seam allowance for the top and sides and 1″ for the bottom, so my measurements were 87.5x 103″. Cut your sheet to size. Now measure your tablecloth. Mine measured 56×70, so I knew I needed 48″ more to make up the difference. So my two side panels were 24″(1/2 of my 48″) by 86″ long. My bottom on top panels were 9.25″(87.5-69=18.5/2=9.25) long by 56″ wide. Once you have the fabric all cut, stitch the top and bottom of the tablecloth to the top and bottom fabric pieces right sides together. Press open seams. Now stitch the side panels to the sides of the tablecloth and top bottom panel piece on either side. Press open seams. You should now have a piece that has your tablecloth in the middle and is surrounded by four panels of fabric to make a top that is the same size as your sheet. If you are using trim, you can stitch the trim down with a quarter inch seam allowance around the sides and bottom. of the front piece. Measure your velcro piece. Mine was 30″. Mark the center of your front and back pieces. Measure your velcro and mark out from the center where you need to stitch your velcro. My velcro was 30″, so I measured out 15″ from the center on either side. Stitch down your velcro on the right sides of the bottom of both pieces where you marked. Now, starting at the velcro on one side, stitch the bottom using 1″ seam allowance, then turn and stitch up the side, top and other side with a half inch seam allowance and then back to the other side of the bottom with 1″ seam allowance. Clip loose threads and clip corners. OPen up the velcro and turn your duvet right side out. push the corners out with your scissors or a chopstick. Press your duvet and topstitch 1/8″ from the edge all the wa around. Stuff your comforter in your duvet and enjoy!

Isn’t it fantastic! I love it! Can’t wait to make one for myself! This project does take a bit of time, but it is well worth the effort. It took me an afternoon. I love that you can totally customize the design to suit your tastes and style! You can find vintage tablecloths at your local flea markets or online at Etsy or Ebay. So give this diy a try and add a little vintage sweetness to your bedroom!
Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: bedding, bedspread, blanket, blue, comforter, cottage, crafting, decor, decorating, diy, duvet, easy duvet, feminine, floral, gift idea, handmade, home decor, ladies, light, lovely, mid century, mint, perriwinkle, recycled, repurposed, retro, rose, sewing, shabby chic, stitch, sweet, tutorials, upcycled, vintage, vintage tablecloth, weekend, women

Repurposed Vintage Tablecloth Cross Body Tote

16 April, 2013 11:20 pm / 12 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday! Today I am going to share with you one of my favorite new tote bags! This fun and easy summer cross body tote is made from a fabulous old shabby tablecloth and features a luscious aqua leather strap with rivets. As many of you know by now, I just adore vintage tablecloths! I snag most every one I can get my hands on. I love to take an old tablecloth that has holes or stains and give it a new life! This particular tablecloth I knew would make a great spring or summer tote! The colors are fantastic! I found this gorgeous leather online at Endlessleather.com and knew it would be perfect for the tote! This is a pretty easy project as well, and can be completed in an hour or so, so it is perfect for a weekend diy!

Here’s What You Need:

*Cutter Tablecloth (one with stains, holes, etc)

*Lining fabric (I used some blue linen I had laying around)

*Ruler

*Scissors

*Leather Lacing 10mm ( I got mine Here)

*Leather Lacing 3mm (I got mine Here)

*Leather punch

*Small Rivets ( I found mine at Michaels)

*Vintage button

Instructions:

The first thing you want to do is measure and cut your fabric. Mark your width at 18″. Now go up and mark your height at 17″. At the top right and left measure in 2.5″ on each side. Now draw an angled line from the mark at the top to the bottom of the side seam, so the shape you end up with should be 13″ at the top width and 18″ at the bottom width with a 17″ height. Measure these dimensions on both the tablecloth and on your lining fabric and cut two of each. Now with right sides together, stitch the side seam, bottom seam and other side seam of the front and back tablecloth pieces, leaving the top open. Do the same thing with the lining. Press open seams. Grab the bottom corner of one side of your tablecloth bag outer. Match the side seam to the bottom seam, making a triangle. Measure down from the tip of the triangle at the seam 2.5″ and draw a line across making a triangle shape. Stitch along this line backstitching at the beginning and end. Now clip off the triangle to a half an inch away from the seam. Do the same thing for the other corner and the two corners on the lining bag piece. Once you have the gussets, press your pieces a bit more. Now, turn your tablecloth piece right side out and insert it into the lining piece, so that the right sides of the fabrics are touching. Pin around the top. Now, stitch around the top of the bag leaving a few inches in the center of the back of the bag open for turning. Pull the main tablecloth fabric out through the hole in the lining. Push the lining back down into the main bag and press the top. Cut a small piece of the 3mm leather lacing for your loop. Loop it and staystitch it between the outer and lining fabric in the middle of the back. Then Top stitch 1/4″ around the top of the bag. Fold your top over three inches and mark where you want your button to go on the front of the bag. Hand sew on the button. To add the strap, measure how long an area you wish the bag to hang with a tape measure. I measured 42″ long for mine. Cut your strap to length. Measure your holes for your rivets on the strap ends 1/2″ up from the bottom and then two more each a half inch apart from the previous, and then punch your holes with the leather punch. Measure and punch your holes in the side seam of your tote beginning at 3″ down from the top, punch holes. Insert the rivets into the leather and through the bag and then place the cap on the back. Hammer the rivets down flat. And now you have a fun tote to carry all your essentials for spring and summer!

(Sadie didn’t understand why she couldn’t come outside and help…)

I absolutely LOVE how my bag turned out! I love the cross body style, and I love how it folds over, giving me security, but I do have the extra room if I need it. I love how easy this bag would be to customize to your style and taste just by changing up the fabric and leather colors! It would make a fabulous gift for your favorite gal too! So next time you come across a shabby tablecloth with a fun print, snag it for yourself and make this fun cross body tote!

Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: accessories, bag, clutch, colored leather, cottage, crafts, cross body, diy, fold over, fun, gift, girls, hand bag, handmade, leather, leather lacing, leather strap, market, mid century, purse, recycled, repurposed, retro, shopper, spring, summer, sweet, tablecloth, teens, tote, tutorials, upcycled, vintage, vintage tablecloth, women

Upcycled Record Earring Organizer

19 February, 2013 10:35 pm / 6 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Thrifting is something I have enjoyed for over half of my life now! One of my favorite items that I’m always picking up is old records. I started collecting them with my grandfather when I was a teenager. I have a small collection of records from some of my favorite artists like the Beatles and old hollywood musicals like Funny Face that I absolutely treasure. Some of them have been handed down to me from my mom, and some have been found sifting through the dollar record bins at the local thrift stores. Every time I’m at my local Goodwill I always come home with some more records. I LOVE to craft with the scratched and funny ones! I have made bowls, and coasters. Most recently I decided to make a jewelry organizer for my baby sister(who just turned 18 this week) for her growing collection of lovely earrings. It was really easy and fun to make!

What You Need:

*Record Bowl ( you can find a great tutorial here)

*Small 45 record

*Drill with a small drill bit 1/16 or slightly larger

*Plastic wine glass

*Little figurines (I bought mine from this shop)

*Single poker chip

*Pipe cleaner, yarn, ribbon, etc…

*Glue

Instructions:

The first thing you want to do is make your record bowl. Check out this tutorial. Drill holes as close to the edge of your 45, about a 1/2 inch apart all the way around the record. In the picture my hubby is using his drill press, you can also use a drill and put your record on a surface you can drill through to like a block of scrap wood. Once you have your holes drilled you are ready to assemble. First glue one of your figures down onto the center of the bowl piece. Now, run a bead of glue around your rim of your wine glass. Glue the wine glass upside down onto the middle of your bowl, encasing the figure inside the glass. Now run a bead of glue onto the edge of the bottom of the glass and glue down your 45 to the bottom stem of the glass making sure to keep the record centered and even. Glue the poker chip on top of the hole in your 45. Now glue the second figure onto the poker chip in the middle of the 45. You can add embellishments if you like. I added a sparkly pipe cleaner to the bottom of the glass where it met the bowl. Once you are done glueing and embellishing, you are ready to hang your earrings and enjoy!

My sister was so thrilled to get this fun little organizer this week as one of her bday gifts! She is a BIG music fan, and has a growing obsession with earrings! I do believe they are her favorite fashion accessory. The great thing is that since the bottom is a bowl it can serve as a catch all for other jewels as well as your earrings. This little organizer was so easy to make! I just loved making it, it was sooo much fun! I hope I have inspired some of you all to give this one a try, you’ll have a blast! Until next time…

Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: crafts, diy, earring, fun, gift, girls, hand made, holder, jewelry, music, organizer, plastic, record, recycled, rock, teen, thrifted, upcycled, vintage

14 Days of Love- Valentine’s Yarn Wreath

31 January, 2013 5:37 pm / 2 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Hello Everyone! Welcome to day four of my 14 Days of Love Valentine’s Special! Today I am going to share my Valentine’s wreath with you. I have always been head over heels for yarn wreathes! I love the texture of them! I made one back in the fall, which you can see Here, and had a great time making it! I have had these little fluffy white dog vintage salt and pepper shakers for a while now, and have been wanting to incorporate them into a wreath. So, I thought they would be perfect for a Valentine’s wreath since they are so cute and lovey dovey looking. I found that I enjoyed making this one even more than my previous wreath!

Here’s What You Need:

*Straw Wreath Form

*Yarn about 2 skeins

*Felt Flowers

*Valentine heart picks

*Wood cut out plaque

*Pipe Cleaners

*Tinsel Heart Wire (not exactly sure what this stuff is called)

*Vintage salt and pepper shakers, millenary birds, etc…

*Hot Glue

*Ribbon

Instructions:

To view more detailed instructions on the process of a yarn wrapped wreath visit my first wreath tutorial here. Start by wrapping your wreath form completely in yarn and tie off the ends or glue them down. To make the platform for your figures you first need to drill a couple of tiny holes with your smallest drill bit into the top on each side for the pipe cleaner you will put in later. Now prime and paint your platform. I sealed mine with matte modge podge. Let dry. Glue your choice of figures onto the middle of the platform. Take two pipe cleaners and twist together at the ends to make one longer pipe cleaner. Insert the pipe cleaner into one side of the platform, then bend it around and trim the end to where you want it. Now, take the pipe cleaner and wrap the wired tinsel around it, then insert both ends into the holes in your platform making a nice rounded shape over your figures. Now put a generous of hot glue onto the bottom of your platform and glue into place in the bottom curve of your wreath. Arrange your flowers and heart picks in the way you like best, then glue them all down to your wreath covering any gaps between the platform and the wreath form. Tie a length of ribbon to the top of your wreath and hang.

I absolutely LOVE how this wreath turned out! I may just have to keep it around inside throughout the year somewhere. These wreathes are quite a bit of work, but in the end they are well worth the effort. You can use other things than vintage salt and pepper shakers too. Birds would be really sweet too, or maybe a hand stitched felt creature. I hope I have inspired some of you to give this one a try. You will seriously have a blast! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for another fun valentine DIY! Until then…

Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: cottage, crafts, diy, dogs, fun, hearts, love, pink, puppy, red, retro, shabby, tutorials, upcycled, valentines, valentines wreath, vintage, vintage repurposed, vintage salt and pepper, white, yarn wreath

Earth 911 Reuse Design Challenge Contest

24 January, 2013 7:58 pm / 2 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Hi everybody! I have been meaning to post this little blurb for a few days now, and time has gotten the better of me this week. I am participating in Earth 911′s latest blogger design challenge. We were asked to come up with a project for a gadget case that would be functional and use recycled components as it’s main materials. I chose to make my ipad case and my mom a case for her kindle using a padded mailer and record covers from my ever growing collection. It was a lot of fun to make! Earth 911 is a fantastic website and blog. They have info on where you can find your nearest recycling center, and their blog is full of cool ways to repurpose lots of stuff. Their design contest is going on until the January 30th. I’d be just delighted to have my lovely readers vote for me You can vote on their website Here. Once the contest is over I’ll be posting the tutorial for it on the blog. Until then….

Happy Crafting!

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DIY Sweet Hankie Bracelets

4 September, 2012 9:06 am / 21 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Today I have a sweet and shabby chic DIY for you! I am going to teach you how to make a braided bracelet from an old handkerchief. These are easy to make and a great way to repurpose your stained and tattered vintage hanky stash. You can customize the design to your liking as well. What I like best about them is that they are fast to whip up.

Here’s What You Need:

*Vintage Hankies

*Scissors

*Twine or Thread

*Chain(optional)

*Metal End Caps

*Jewelry findings (jump rings, clasps)

*Beads and Charms

*E6000

*Jewelry Pliers

Step 1: Cut your hankies- Gather up your tattered hankies. Cut them lengthwise into strips that are about 1.5-2″ wide.

Step 2: Braid- Gather up three hanky strips. At the very top of the gathered strips tie them with a piece of twine and snip the ends of the twine off after you knot. Then braid your strip, and secure with another piece of twine at the end. If you wish to add chain, replace one strip of hanky with a couple of lengths of chain and braid it in. Once you have tied off your braid, clip off the chain ends close to the twine.

Step 3: Glue- Carefully snip off the ends of the hanky braids close to the twine as possible. Place a little E6000 into your bead cap and mush in one end of your braid wiping off excess glue if you have some push out. Let dry overnight or at least for a few hours.

Step 4: Add Clasp and charms- Using your jewelry pliers add your clasp to your end caps with jump rings. Make bead charms or add ready-made charms and add to your clasp with jump rings. And there you have it!

I love these little bracelets! I think they are a great way to repurpose less than perfect hankies! They look so sweet by themselves or stacked together. I made a batch of them for my shop, but I think I will be making some of these for holiday gifts as well. You can make a whole batch of them in under an hour. And the best part is that you can have so much fun customizing them in your own way. One of a kind wearables! Hope you enjoy!

Happy Crafting!