Glitter gift tags!

I found photos I had taken for a tutorial quite awhile ago and had forgotten to post it! 

You may have noticed in my Flickr photos that I have made quite a few glitter gift tags and cards. They are really quite easy to do so I thought I would share how I do it. 

Materials:

A stencil (or you can freehand your image)
A skewer and/or toothpicks
Glitter
PVA glue
Blank card

1. Gather your supplies!
2. I chose to use a shell stencil for this gift tag so just line it up where you want the picture to be - think ahead of where you will be writing.
3. Because we are using glitter we don't want to see pen or pencil marks where we outline our image. Use your skewer just like a pen and create an indented outline in the card.
4. As you can see it is a little difficult to see the outlines but it looks much better when finished.
5. Using a skewer or toothpick start filling one section of your image with pva.
6. Once it starts to dry around the edges you will need to glitter that section and move onto the next.
7. You can carefully complete sections next to already glittered parts - it is better if you can do each section in one go.
8. Once you are finished leave the pile of glitter on top until you are sure it is dry.
9. Tap off the excess glitter and your glittered tag is ready!

Unfortunately my husband put something on top of mine while it was drying. All I was worried about was the cat jumping on it - I know better now. 

Go ahead and make your own cute gift tags using glitter!

Cross stitching in the car

Before we left for Canberra I was trying to think of a couple of crafts I could do in the car. I chose to take along my 2 inch paper squares to make origami cubes and I chose to take along some cross stitch. 

I did take my large cherry blossom cross stitch just in case, but as I thought, I didn't end up doing any of it - it is just too big to do in the car. 

Instead before we left I decided I would make a couple of cross stitch magnet kits. I opted to create my own pattern based around a tree from my "Two-hour cross stitch" book by Patrice Boerens. I could have simply used her pattern but I wanted to make the most of the space available on the magnet. 

As you can see it is still quite similar but mine is taller and not quite as wide. Because this isn't my own original pattern, I won't be sharing it with you. It does show that you can easily make an existing pattern work for your needs with a little alteration! 

I had two magnets left so I chose to do a red one for Ray and a blue one for me!

Simple fix for a slipping peg basket

I know this isn't very interesting, but in my defence I was so excited to finally figure out how to keep my peg basket in place on the laundry trolley! 

You're probably thinking, why not just buy a different peg basket? The answer to that is I love this peg basket, and threw the others away. I like my pegs being lined up, facing the same way and this rectangular basket is perfect for my slightly OCD requirements - go ahead, everyone laughs when they see my peg basket! 

Originally I used zip ties to hold my peg basket in place - but it didn't stop the basket sliding down the sides, plus when you cut the ends off it is quite sharp. 

My new solution, that has been great so far is simple hot glue. It stops the basket sliding from side to side and I can easily take the basket off when I need to. 

My laundry trolley stays in the shade so using my hot glue gun won't be an issue, but if leave yours outside you should use something like silicon. Saying that though, your plastic pegs will last longer if they are kept in the shade. 

If you have a peg basket that won't stay put, try this out - it certainly saves you having to pick up all your pegs (and then lining them up again)!

Sewing machine storage for feet

As you might remember I got a new sewing machine for my birthday - a Janome 3160 QDC. The accessory storage for this machine can be pulled open without removing it, which is great because it came with a lot of feet! Unfortunately it got rather annoying digging through looking for the right one, and it will only get worse as I buy more feet. 

Originally I made a pouch for all my sewing machine supplies, which had plenty of room but still had the issue of needing to dig around to find what I wanted. 

In the end I chose to make a cardboard insert to sit on top and create a second level for the feet. 

Now I have my most commonly used feet in the top section and can see at a glance which one I want! 

Measuring this was a bit of a pain but since I used cardboard I could trim it where required. As I get more feet I might create dedicated compartments for each foot - since most are small I can always create more levels in each section. 

If your sewing machine has accessory storage like this you may find it very convenient to create your own insert.

July 2012 - Create for 365 Days

My summary for July 2012...


You can check out all of my photos here at Flickr.

123: Gold wire wrapped shell disc pendant.
124: Tulip cross stitch magnet.
125: Tulip cross stitch pattern.
126: Inifinity scarf from a thin stretch fabric - I just sewed the ends together since it won't fray.
127: More framed blobby drawings.
128: Yellow rope dog toy for Trixie - kind of followed this tutorial: http://www.yellowdandy.com/2011/03/diy-dog-chewtug-toy.html
129: A new black and white floral type cushion cover.
130: Another cushion cover with blue polka dots.
131: Another origami multiplex ball.
132: More origami multiplex balls.
133: A little zippered pouch - I used a zip from an old t-shirt.
134: More origami multiplex balls.
135: More origami multiplex balls.
136: More origami multiplex balls.
137: More framed blobby drawings.
138: Repaired the rip in my paper parasol - see this post where I explained how I did it.
139: Fabric tissue case - I used this tutorial: verypurpleperson.com/2010/02/tissue-case-tutorial.html.
140: Blobby drawing based around a scotty dog - posted about here.
141: Red, black, white and grey striped cushion cover.
142: RC helicopter foam bag insert for my husband.
143: Another fabric tissue case - I used this tutorial: verypurpleperson.com/2010/02/tissue-case-tutorial.html.
144: More origami multiplex balls.
145: Origami cubes - similar to the multiplex balls.
146: Another fabric tissue case - this time I used this tutorial so that all the edges were inside: http://coco-stitch.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/reversible-pocket-tissue-case-tutorial.html
147: Black and silver stamped swirl gift tag.
148: Wall plaque of me at the Japanese Gardens.
149: Black and silver swirl stamped gift tag.
150: Black and gold swirl stamped gift tag.
151: More origami multiplex balls.
152: This is a copy of a beaded headband I had as a teenager. The original had elastic connecting the bottoms but I cut it off and pinned it into my hair.
153: Bamboo stamped gift tag.