14 Days of Love- His and Hers Hand Embroidered Pillowcases

13 February, 2013 10:50 am / 5 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Hi everybody! I’m sorry that day eleven is late! It’s been a crazy week so far. On the plus side, today I will have two diy projects for you. This first project is a free pattern for these sweet and vintage kitsch inspired hand embroidered pillowcases. Embroidery is easy and really fun! I absolutely adore vintage embroidered pillowcases. These two cases are inspired both by vintage his and her cases and a set I had found a while back that were appliqued with his and her underwear. They were fantastic!

Here is the pattern:

The picture should print at an 8.5×11. To transfer your design you can use transfer paper or a marking pen. I held my cases up to the window with the printed out words in between the window and the pillowcase. Then I traced the design with a disappearing ink marking pen. You can use a light box as well to trace the design. Put your fabric into a hoop and embroider your pattern. I used mostly a basic back stitch. For the dots I did french knots. I used the full six strands of the floss for the outlining of the words and underwear. For the accented hearts and dots I used three strands. I could not find my stabilizer, but that also comes in handy to put on the underside of your fabric. You can kinda see in my pictures that the fabric is just ever so slightly wrinkled on my design where the embroidered words are. I believe stabilizer would have eliminated this problem. Once you are finished stitching, knot your end and snip excess threads. Now you are ready to enjoy.

I just love these! They are quirky and kitschy. You can use my pattern, or you can choose your favorite font to make your own his and hers pillowcases(or his and his, or hers and hers) You can change up this pattern really easily by just using different colored embroidery floss. I hope you all enjoy my free pattern! Be sure to tune in later for more fun valentines projects!

Happy Crafting!

Like my little vintage spool necklaces? Want to win one? I am going to be giving away one of these sweet little accessories this week in honor of Valentine’s Day. All you have to do to enter is follow my blog and then tell me in the comments below. To gain additional entries you can follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. I will be announcing the winner next Monday the 18th. Have a wonderful week!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY / Tagged: crafts, diy, easy, embroidery, fun, hand stitched, hers, his, love, lovely, mr, mrs, pattern, sweet, valentines, vintage, vintage inspired, vintage pillowcases

Favorite Vintage Finds of the Week- February 11th

11 February, 2013 10:10 pm / 2 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Happy Monday everyone! Since this coming thursday is Valentine’s Day, I have some fantastic valentine themed vintage lovelies to share with you all. I found so many amazing love and valentine goodies on etsy over the last few weeks! Here are just a few of my favorites:

Check out this fabulous 1950′s Vintage Toque Hat from The Vintage Hat Shop Here

Check out this sweet 1950′s -60′s Vintage Moonglow Double Strand Necklace from Rags and Rhinestones Here

Check out this lovely 1950′s Vintage Rhinestone Brooch from Antique to Modern Here

Check out this fabulous 1950′s Roses are Red Polka Dot Dress from Swell Farewell Here

Check out these awesome 1950′s Valentine’s Day Cupcake Toppers from Magellan’s Belly Studio Here

Check out these sweet Midcentury Unused Valentines from Zip Zap Kap Here

Check out these cool Vintage Letter Dice L-O-V-E from Elizabeth Wren Vintage Here

Check out this adorable Vintage Josef Original February Birthday Girl Figurine from Khadi Vintage Here

Check out this amazing 1940′s Collegiate Sweater from Aquanetta Here

Check out this cool Vintage Chip and Dip Bowl from Bee Jay Kay Here

Check out this lovely 1950′s Vintage Valentine Hanky from Frugal Fairy Vintage Here

Check out this fantastic Vintage Red and White Polka Dot Pillowcase from Fallaloft Here

Check out this fabulous Vintage Rhinestone Heart Brooch from Eratique Jewels Here

Check out these beautiful Vintage 1950′s Rhinestone Heart Shaped Earrings from Joon E Here

Aren’t they all just so sweet! I would love to have them all! I am totally swooning for that fantastic dress too! Be sure to check out these amazing Etsy vintage shops for more shopping fun! Until next week…..

Happy Shopping!

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Posted in: Vintage Finds of the Week / Tagged: adorable, febuary, hat, kitsch, love, pink, red, retro, sweet, valentines, velvet, vintage, vintage dress, vintage fashion, vintage home decor, vintage jewelry, vintzage

14 Days of Love- Chickens in Love

8 February, 2013 2:52 pm / 2 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Happy Friday everyone! Welcome to day ten of my 14 Days of Love special. Today I have a pattern and tutorial for these sweet little lovey dovey felt chickens. I have always loved birds, but I am fast becoming a chicken lady. There’s nothing like looking out the window and seeing my gals tail up pecking in the yard. They are fantastic pets, and they warm my heart. My little felt hen and rooster are easy to assemble with fabric glue, although you could sew them instead if you have the time. I really enjoyed making these little guys! They whip up pretty fast too.

Here’s What You Need:

*Felt (2-3 colors)

*Pattern

*Embroidery Floss

*Feathers

*Thick gauge wire

*Fabric Glue

*Wire Tinsel Garland

*Pipe Cleaners

*1/4″ Dowel

*Paint

*Ribbon, trim, embellishments…

Instructions:

The first thing you need to do is cut out all of your pattern pieces. Draw in or embroider the eyes on the front head pieces. Now on the wrong side of the front head piece glue on the comb, waddle, and beak down facing out. Now glue the wing onto the front body piece. Next cut a long strip of wire and bend it in half loosely. Glue the wire into the back body where you want your legs to be. Glue a couple of feathers onto the back body tail end. Then put a generous amount of glue onto the back body piece over the wire and the feather ends too and glue the top body to the back body. Now add glue to the back head piece, and glue the body down onto the back head piece. Add more glue to the head and glue the top head to the back sandwiching in the body. Now you are ready to add the chickens to the dowel. I painted my dowel with regular craft paint. Once it dries lay out your hen and rooster where you like. I tried to make mine look like they were kissing. Wrap the wire around the dowel three times and then snip to about 1/2 inch or so and wrap around the leg at the bottom. Now twist three pipe cleaners together. Lay it out over the chickens and their perch and clip the excess pipe cleaner off. Now wrap the wire heart tinsel around the pipe cleaners leaving about an inch and a half on each end. Wrap this excess wire from the tinsel around each end of the dowel so the chickens are framed below the dome of the tinsel wrapped pipe cleaner. Embellish with little hearts, flowers, etc. Now loop a length of ribbon and tie a few inches from the top for hanging.

I really like my little hen and rooster. They look like they love each other, don’t they? You could make these as little birds as well if you leave off the comb and waddle pieces. You can also change up the look by using different color felts, and embellishments. I think these little chickens would look so sweet hanging from a window or on a door. You could also use them as a mobile and hang over a crib or bed for your little one. I hope you all enjoy this free pattern! Be sure to tune in next week for more Valentine’s fun, including a giveaway. Have a fantastic weekend!

Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: chickens, chickens in love, cottage, crafts, decor, decoration, diy, felt, free pattern, hen, love, lovebirds, mobile, pink, red, retro, rooster, sweet, valentines, window hanging, wreath

14 Days of Love- Sweet Vintage Spool Necklaces

7 February, 2013 9:18 am / 23 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Hello! Welcome to day nine of my 14 Days of Love special! Today I have a sweet jewelry diy for you all, vintage thread spool necklaces. These little necklaces are simple to make and are really sweet. You can find vintage thread spools on Ebay and Etsy’s wonderful vintage shops. They come in various sizes. I would categorize these as medium. They are about an inch and a half long. You can find a lot of vintage charms and beads on Etsy too. These are pretty fast to make as well. You could make a whole batch of them in an afternoon.

Here’s What You Need:

*Vintage Wooden Spools

*Scrapbook paper, wallpaper scraps, etc…

*Buttons

*Wire

*Charms, beads, etc (optional)

*Chain

*Jump rings, eye pins, headpins…

*Jewelry Pliers

*Modge Podge

Instructions:

The first thing you will need to do is decoupage the spools. Cut a strip of paper a little smaller than the middle part of the spool. Glue the paper down to the spool with the modge podge. Then paint a layer of modge podge onto the top of the paper. I used the matte modge podge. Once your modge podge dries you are ready to make the spool into a pendant. Start with a long strip of wire. Make a tiny loop at the half way point and wrap one end at the top of the loop a few times. Thread your button face down onto the two ends of wire and pull it all the way down to the loop. Now twist the wire to secure the button taught and insert the wire through the hole in the spool. Now thread the top button face up onto the wires. Pull the button down the wire to the top of the spool. Twist one wire around the other at the base once or twice. Trim this piece down and stuff the end into the top of the spool back through the button. Now loop your other wire and wrap around the loop several times and end wrapping at the top of the button. Snip excess wire off and press wire down so it is not jagged or sticking up anywhere at the end. Thread beads onto an eye pin, snip the wire and make a loop. Attach the dangle and any charms you may like onto the bottom loop of the spool. Now add your pendant to a chain. I used a dainty ball chain. I then tied a little piece of ribbon around the top of each spool pendant where the top loop is. Snip the ends of your ribbon and you are ready to wear.

I think these little spool necklaces turned out so sweet! I love the vintage charm they have! These are great because they are so customizable to your style. You can easily change up the look by the type of paper and the charms and embellishment you use. These would make great gifts too, or a great craft for girl’s night! So go ahead and make a bunch for all your favorite gals this Valentine’s Day! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more sweet Valentine projects! Until then…

Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: crafts, decoupage, diy, jewelry, jewelry diy, love, necklace, necklace craft, retro, shabby chic, spool, sweet, valentines, vintage beads, vintage repurposed, vintage spool necklace

14 Days of Love- DIY Sweetheart Cake Bunting and Picks

6 February, 2013 6:14 pm / Leave a Comment / My So Called Crafty Life

Welcome to day eight of my 14 Days of Love Special. Today I am going to show you how to make this sweet cake bunting and party picks. You all know how much I love buntings! And who wouldn’t love one of these sweeties to liven up their Valentine’s desserts! These are super easy to do and only require a few inexpensive supplies. The best thing about this easy project is you can make the bunting and picks in under half an hour!

Here’s What You Need:

*Patterned Paper/ Scrapbook paper

*Heart Punch (You can also draw your hearts and cut them out with scissors if you don’t want to get a punch)

*Double Stick Tape

*Twine

*Ribbon(mine was 1/4″ wide)

*Bamboo Skewers

*Toothpicks

Instructions:

These really could not get any easier! The first thing you do is punch out a bunch of hearts. Keep your patterns separated if you are going for a specific design repeat like I did. You will need a front and back to create one heart. So, if you want your bunting to have a strand of nine hearts, you would punch eighteen. For the bunting you first want to cut a length of twine. Now put a piece of double stick tape on the wrong side of a heart. Lay your twine in the middle of the heart on top of the tape. Now cover the bottom heart with a top heart, sandwiching the twine in between the two. You want to have the wrong sides of the paper facing in and taped up with the twine, and the right sides facing out. Once you have a line long enough you are ready to tie. My top strand I made to be seven hearts across, the bottom strand is nine hearts across. Tie a knot after the last heart on each side. Now split the twine strands in half and untwist until you have two separate strands. Tie one side onto one of your skewers about an inch from the top. Then tie the other side to the other skewer about an inch from the top. You can use one strand, or you can tie another strand of hearts on like you did the first. Snip excess threads. Now tie a little ribbon onto each side where you tied the heart strands. Your cake bunting is now finished. The picks are easy too! All you do is sandwich a toothpick in between two hearts with some double stick tape. It’s just like the bunting, but instead of twine in the middle you have a toothpick for each heart. Easy peasy!

This little bunting is just too sweet! And the picks turned out pretty cute as well! These will be a fantastic addition to my Valentine’s day goodies! These are so quick to make up, they would be great for a party! You can change up the feel of these really easily too by just using different patterns of scrapbook paper. So fun, right! I hope you all will try them, you won’t regret it! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for another sweet Valentine’s Day project! Until then…

Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: Bunting, cake bunting, cake decorating, cottage, crafts, cute, desserts, diy, hearts, love, mini bunting, party, party ideas, picks, retro, shabby chic, sweet, tutorials, valentine's day, valentines, valentines sweets

14 Days of Love- I Wear My Heart on My Sleeve Tees

5 February, 2013 6:39 pm / 6 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Hello There! Welcome to day seven of my 14 Days of Love special! Today I have a super fun project for you! I am going to show you how to add a reverse applique heart to a plain tee to show your love for Valentine’s Day. Reverse appliques are really easy! You can do them by machine or by hand. I chose to do mine by hand. I think it gives the tee more of a sweet feel. You can use solid or patterned fabric. I used vintage sheeting.

Here’s What You Need:

*Tee Shirt

*Sweet Fabric

*Lightweight interfacing

*Disappearing ink Marking Pen

*Embroidery Floss

*Needle

*Embroidery Hoop

*Sharp Small Scissors

*Heart Shape Cutout (I just drew a heart onto some cardstock and cut it out, you could print one on cardstock as well if there is a shape you really like too)

Instructions:

The first thing you want to do is cut a small piece of fabric a few inches larger than your heart. Iron your interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric. Trace your heart onto the fabric with your template and marking pen. Inside the heart write the name you want to be on the heart. Put your fabric into your hoop. Thread your needle with the floss color of your choice. Now stitch the name. I used a simple back stitch, but you can use a satin stitch as well. Once you have embroidered the name knot the end and clip the excess thread. Now, decide where you want to have your heart. Mark the spot and turn your shirt inside out. Trace your heart on the wrong side of your fabric. Now lay your fabric with your right side of your fabric onto the wrong side of your tee where marked. Sandwich the tee and fabric into the hoop. Now, stitch around the heart you drew, making sure that the right side of the sleeve has the right side of the stitching. Once you have stitched your heart down, finish it off with a knot and clip threads. Trim the excess fabric around to about a quarter inch around the heart. It should now look like a patch on the inside, and the outside should look like an embroidered heart. Now snip into the top layer of your tee and cut the fabric all the way around the inside of the heart cutting close to the stitching. This will reveal the under fabric and you now have a reverse applique. Pretty cool, huh?

I absolutely ADORE these little tees! I made one for myself with Beau’s name on it and one for my sister Hannah with her dog Sadie’s name on it. You can do these appliques anywhere you like on your tee. I chose the sleeves. I think it is a sweet and fun way to show who you love, or who your valentine is. Now you can really wear your heart on your sleeve. I hope my appliqued tees have inspired some of you to give this a try. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more Valentines fun! Until then…

Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials / Tagged: applique, crafts, diy, diy tee, embroidered, fashion, hand stitched, heart, heart on your sleeve, love, mid century, redo, refashion, retro, reverse applique, shabby chic, style, sweet, tee, tee shirt, valentines, vintage, vintage inspired

Vintage Finds of the Week- Febuary 4th

4 February, 2013 8:57 pm / Leave a Comment / My So Called Crafty Life

Hey everyone! I have been really pressed for time today. So, in lieu of doing a full vintage finds post, I am posting a fully clickable treasury list that has all 16 of my fave finds with the theme of Love, for Valentine’s Day of course. I will hopefully be posting a full valentine’s vintage special next Monday. Until then, I hope you all enjoy these fabulous vintage items!

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Posted in: Vintage Finds of the Week / Tagged: ceramic, cottage, favorite, love, mid century, red, retro, sweet, valentines, vintage, vintage dishes, vintage dress, vintage figurines, vintage hearts, vintage love

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

14 Days of Love- Valentine’s Day Bell Jars

29 January, 2013 11:58 pm / 6 Comments / My So Called Crafty Life

Hello there! Welcome to the second DIY in my 14 Days of Love special! Today I will be sharing some fun bell jar ornaments with you. I had originally made some of these for the holidays with sweet miniature trees and figures in them. You can see the tutorial Here. To my great delight, a lot of you made some of your own. Two of my favorites were These made by Amy of Inspired Ideas Magazine, and These from Jess at Made By Jess. They inspired me to make a batch of little bell jar ornaments for my Valentine’s tree with cut out paper valentines inside. They were a lot of fun to make! My mom even made some with me.

You can find the full tutorial Here.I have attached a set of free printable valentine cards to cut out and use as you wish. To make the valentines for inside the jar, crop and print them off to be about 2.5 inches tall. Cut around your subjects with a air of fine scissors. Leave a small strip at the bottom that is about 1/2 inch by an inch. Once you have your bottoms made for your jars, bend down the paper tab at the bottom of your valentine, and glue the bottom of the tab to the jar bottom. You can add little embellishments like tiny paper flowers in your jars too. One of the other things you can do for a topper for your jars is to use buttons instead of beads. I threaded twine through my buttons for hanging before I glued them to the top of my jars.

The best thing about these fun little jars is that your imagination is pretty much your only limit. I absolutely love how mine turned out! They are so cute on my tree! You can change the style of the jars by using your own valentine images and totally customize them to your liking. I hope I have inspired some of you to give these little valentine cuties a try! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for another fun DIY! Until then…

Happy Crafting!

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Posted in: Crafting, DIY / Tagged: bell jar, bell jar ornaments, cloche, cottage, crafts, diy, free printable, love, retro, sweetheart, terarriums, valentines, vintage, vintage inspired, vintage valentines

Valentine’s Altered Art Boxes

14 February, 2012 12:50 pm / Leave a Comment / mysocalledcraftylife

My mom and I got together the other day for some valentines crafting. We made mini altered art boxes. Aren’t they cute! We bought little paper mache boxes and used some of the oodles of scrapbooking stuff we’ve been hoarding. I think the deer is my favorite. The little gal was super cute and easy to make, you can find tutorials on these cute little gals, as well as all kinds of other cuties on Creative Breathings Blog here: http://creativebreathing.blogspot.com/2010/11/sledding-ornament.html#links

Happy Valentine’s Day!