Embroidered 'Tea' Towel

Last night I busted out Jenny Hart's Stitch It Kit (which I found a few months back on the clearance rack for $5!!!). If you are a hardcore crafter and haven't heard of Jenny Hart, what rock did you crawl out from under?? She makes super cute embroidery patterns to stitch on just about anything. Not only is she crafty but really sweet, too (I met her at the Bust Holiday Craftacular a few years ago). I decided to spruce up my kitchen by embroidering a tea towel for my stove. I only really used split stitchs and french knots but I''m really pleased with how it turned out. I think I wanna make one for my mom now. What a nice Valentine's Day gift!

Subversive Cross Stitch

I bought this great little book last year from B&N and was instantly amused. If you've ever wanted to cross stitch some curse words, this is the book for you. My goal was to make as many of these, frame them and stick them in random spots all over my house. So far, I've only done two. 'Bitch in Kitchen' hangs on the wall leading into my kitchen (obviously) and I just finished up 'Bite Me' which doesn't quite have a home yet. I'm still wondering where 'Fuck the Dumb Shit' would be most appropriate.

I love projects like this because they are finished in a snap and I'm all about the instant gratification plus you can do them while you watch TV. The patterns are super easy to follow and really all you need to know how to do is stitch an x.

I just dropped $50 at Joannes Fabric and I have a few gifts I need to make for people. Maybe it's a good thing that Project Runway won't be on tonight; I might be able to get stuff done...

Necktie Fabric Brooches & Clutch

I decided to start a craft blog to help motivate myself to do what I like to do best; craft. I'm hoping that by posting all my projects and documenting them, I can try tons of things that I haven't tried before and maybe get new ideas from others. Last year I made things and sold them on Etsy.com but now I want to craft for my own enjoyment and pass my creations along to friends. Lets hope my crazy work schedule and a fresh subscription to Netflix wont slow me down.

My plan for today was to clean the house and relax; thats what usually happens on Sundays. I remembered that a friend of mine gave me a bag full of necktie fabric to play with. She asked me to make her some flower pins and a clutch bag. I busted out all my sewing supplies and after a cup of coffee, this was my final result...







I love working with old buttons and any type of vintage fabric in general. For the brooches, I back the flowers with felt and sew the pieces together with a tight zig zag stitch. After that everything gets layered to the way I like it and I hot glue everything together and stick a pin backing on it. The clutch is lined in corduroy with an extra layer of interfacing between it to keep it sturdier. A little elastic loop is tight around the button to keep it closed. This is truly the easiest bag to make...I have tons to match different outfits.

The new issue of Craft magazine just came out and I have already picked out all the stuff I plan to make. If you haven't looked into this magazine yet, you really need to. It's pretty much like a book and is full of craft projects and fun craft related articles to read. They are now selling a boxed set of all the issues they have had so far. Pretty cool.