Extra!! Extra!!!

EXTRA!! EXTRA!!!

SPREAD THE WORD!!!!

A discount code is available for LISD!!!

Go to Let It Shine Design , use coupon code: TOSN50 for a 50% discount for the whole site.

(I am still out of town, so any products that need conventional mailing will not be able to be shipped out until July 10th, all internet mailing attachments will be sent w/in the 24 hour time frame.)

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer thus far!

=) Kristina

OH... so THIS is how my mother and grandmother did it!

Tutorial Tuesday

I found another great lil tutorial I wanted to share.. 

Since 4th of  July is right around the corner, make a pretty wreath for your door! 

Sky has a great tutorial to make this beautiful wreath! 

Happy 4th of July! 

Tutorial Tuesday!

Since we are preparing to go on holiday, my computer time is very limited, but I still wanted to post a lil something.

I am going to be adding to my blog "Tutorial Tuesday."  I will be sharing some of my favorite tutorials that I find along my searches.

I found this adorable tutorial at MODA and wanted to share:

Happy Sewing!

=) Kristina

Our Holiday is beginning sooner!.. OH Boy!!

Hiya Mamas!   I wanted to jump in to let you know that I have not disappeared.  Will and I have been busy planning our trip back home to the Northeast.  2 days earlier than originally planned. EEK!

We are super excited to see our families, many of which we haven't seen in over 2 years! I love it here in the swampy south, but our families are up north... I'm always torn.

I will do my best to get a post up in the day or two for the Decorating Series AND the next subject of the Organize A Long.

I hope that everyone had a joyous, relaxing and creative weekend!

=) Kristina

Sewing / Craft Room Decor.. Bare Walls..Goodbye!

I look around my Room of Chaos (yes, that is what I call my shared office space), I look at the walls and they bore me.  They are contractor beige, dull and lifeless.  How can I feel inspired with such a lack of visual motivation?

In previous posts, I have shared sewing rooms to die for ... one thing in common, they are all decorated. They have a bit of this or a bit of that to make the room FEEL like a creative space.  Even a pegboard can make it look like SOMETHING is done creatively in that space.  (eh hemm Will.. that's a hint to hang my pegboard babe!)

Lately, I have been on a mission to find some nifty crafty decor to spice up my creative space and replenish my sewjo without breaking my wallet. I have found HUNDREDS of ideas but I have limited them down to a few of my favorites.  It was NOT an easy feat for me, trust me.. b/c I like so many of them.

I am going to start with wall decor b/c that is what I need the most in my room.

So grab your favorite drink, find a comfy seat and enjoy!

Amy shares her tutorial to make these adorable wall canvas pics.  I simply LOVE these! I even like these for Emilia's room as well.  This is definitely going on the "To-Do" list.

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A remake from a tutorial over at Jess's blog.

My friend Bonnie, the creative mastermind behind FishSticks Designs, shares a great tutorial on her usage of fabric and embroidery hoops. Not only are these cute but functional!  (and if your wondering, she is one of the most sweetest mamas on earth and I am blessed to know her.)

Janna also embroidery hoops to showcase beautiful quilting squares as wall art! 

BellaDia shares a tutorial on how to make fabric art canvas. 

Amy Butler  is a huge inspiration to me.  I created my wholesale account with her over 5 years ago and have many of her vintage fabrics which I covet. She is another talented mama I am blessed to have spoken with and enjoyed our conversations immensely. 

All People Quilt features the pattern for this cute wall quilt.

Better Homes and Gardens ( BHG) features not only a cute piece of wall art but also a way to use up some extra fabric scraps! 

Carla- the smart, witty and talented ScientificSeamstress, created this brilliant Sewing Elements Table. It's free to print out! I did, months ago, but I still need a frame for it.  I LOVE this! 

 I have always admired the Bob Mackie Barbie dolls, but the cost was outrageous.  Here's the next best thing. Thanks to ApartmentTherapy and her use of a calendar, I can get my Fashionista Barbie and wall art too! 

FRUGAL HINT ALERT: Want art but don't have it budgeted? ... do a google search of sketches from your favorite fashion designer or simply type in fashion design sketches. It's amazing how many awesome sketches there are!  If the image is large enough, you can print it out.. If the images are smaller, print them out individually and make a collage of your favorites! Awesome fashion art! 

Don't throw out those old patterns! Here's why.... 

Another totally awesome idea from Amy at ModgePodgeRocks! I LOVE dressform patterns. I don't know what it is about them.. I am drawn to them. (hence the cover of TOSN)

I simply fell in love with the JunkDrawerDecor site! I could spend hours dreaming of all of the crafting and decorating possibilities! 

CutandKeep is a great site full of hodgepodge crafty ideas! This was a great one.

This struck me immediately as.."I have to make one of these!"  I am so happy Lynda shared her tutorial on making this adorable wreath.  I want to make one for my mom, who taught me to sew 34+ years ago. Without her taking her time to teach me to sew, I wouldn't be doing what I do today!

This is truly showing your love of sewing! Thanks Jess for such a cute idea!

Another cute wreath idea, but I would NOT use spools filled with expensive thread. I would use the thread and collect the empty spools. With the empty spools I would either do one of three things to create this.. (1) use fabric scraps and wrap them around the spools, (2) use ribbon to wrap around the spools or (3) paint the spools different colors. Still a cute idea! 

Desiree shows her tutorial on making these cute wall shelves.

Stencils and Vinyl Art has made it's way back into the craft world and decoration spotlight.  It seemed to have faded for a time and now it's back in full swing! 

I cracked up when I saw these Vinyl wall decals. 

Check out the FreckledHound for this wall funny.

 LacyBella not only shows off this great decal but look at that cool sewing space!

This one.. exactly!... ExpressiveDesigns hit the nail on the head for this one.  I simply NEED this!

Want more Decal Art ideas? Google: "Vinyl Wall Art Sewing" and them IMAGES...

aaaannnnddd... BINGO! 

I have looked and looked and looked for the original producer of the picture below. FINALLY, I found it.. it was a special order item from Etsy. The original producer is: RavenX from Dirty Pretty Things. Her shop and blog seem to be closed and outdated. 

If you wanted to create something similar, they appear easy to make and I found a tute on how to make them.  Do a google search for images using "sewing silhouette" and a multitude of pictures are available for printing. I would definitely print them out on cardstock.

I have had an enjoyable time creating this post and I hope you have enjoyed it too!

I like them all so much and I find myself wanting to make them all! 

Which one(s) do you like best?

Until my next post...

Happy Organizing & Decorating!

=) Kristina

Next Post Topic:  Shelf decor

Next TOSN Chapter will be covering: Elastics

Hand Sewing Needles...

Hand sewing needles, the concept has been around for over 25,000 years.  The very first of it's kind was found in Southwestern France made out of bone to sew animal hides together.  Simply fascinating!
I simply never REALLY thought of dating it that far back. When I think of hand sewing needles I think of women wearing gorgeous gowns in a drawing room during the Victorian era creating embroidery on hoops (don't ask me why, it's crazy, I know but it's the first thing I envision.)

I have done my fair share of hand sewing and finding the correct needle was always key.  Hand sewing without the proper "equipment" can cause havoc on your fingers, nails, hands and overall "like" of the craft.

I never really understood ALL the needles in a large 50 pack for $2.00. I always uttered.."I just need a darn needle, really?  Why so many in a pack?"  Well, after trial and error and reading about the needles, I know why there are so many and I'm going to share some of that with you.

There are Five (5) types of basic hand sewing needles:
* Sharps,
* Ball Points,
* Embroidery,
* Quilting (also called Betweens)
* Milliner's Needles (also called Straw Needles.)

There are also Specialty hand SEWING Needles:
* Darning Needles: (1) Cotton, (2) Yarn & (3) Double Long
* Needle-Arts Needles: (1) Beading, (2) Crewels, (3) Tapestry & (4) Chenille
* Heavy Duty Needles: (1) Curved, (2) Sailmakers & (3) Glovers / Wedged (used for leather)
* Bodkins
* Basting
* Applique

Specialty hand CRAFT Needles:
* Doll Needles
* Yarn Needles (generally plastic)
* Plastic Canvas Needles
* Twin Pointed Quick Stitch Needles
* Weaving Needles (for knitting projects)
* Raffia Needles (for ribbon and elastic)
* Cranked Weaving Needle (also called raffia wire needle)

After I started to create a chart of hand sewing needle information, I found that The Sewing & Craft Alliance has already created a very detailed PDF. So, I'm sharing it with you to help save me some time ( I still have a house of kiddos recovering from the stomach bug and have a full day planned of stripping beds and cleaning).  I recommend to print it out and include it in you TOSN in the needle chapter.

Here are some pics of hand sewing needles.

 

Other MUST HAVES for hand sewing:

Let's start off with Beeswax!  Yes.. Beeswax!  Why?.. do you ask? It does a multitude of things.. it strengthens/stabilizes the thread, reduces tangling and allows for a smoother glide through the fabric. You would slide your thread through the beeswax 2-3 times to get a good coating. Then press it.. BUT BEFORE PRESSING:  Fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise, put the thread in the paper and run a hot/dry iron over it. It saves your fabric from getting wax buildup while strengthening the thread. 

you can buy something fancy or use a disc of beeswax from your local bee farm. If you don't have a local bee farm, there are great sites like AURUM that have great pricing!

Next item on the list:  Needle Threader.  A needle threader has (2) parts: the handle and the wire. 

How to use it: The end of the wire that is away from the holder is folded. Place the folded wire of the needle threader through the eye of the sewing needle, place the thread into the wire loop, then holding onto the handle of the threader pull the wire part back through the eye of the needle, stopping when you have one thread through the eye of the needle. Remove the thread from the wire part of the needle threader. Knot your thread and sew!

Thimbles: 

we have ALL seen the standard silver thimble that comes with most beginner sewing kits and there also ones that are very ornate. 

I think these are so pretty, but sadly they don't quite fit my fingers:

there are also other "thimbles" available on the market and here is a glimpse:

        

I use and absolutely LOVE my quilting leather finger "thimble"..

and lastly, thread cutters... while scissors are the most practical, I find these thread cutters are practical while out and about. 

 

That's it for now! As always, thank you for taking a time out to stop by! Until next time..

Happy Organizing!

=) Kristina

Organize A Long #4... Needles & Storage Ideas

I know I'm skipping around TOSN's chapters, but after getting feedback, needles seemed to be agreed upon as the next item to focus on.  Many of the mamas following along are still inventorying and logging other items we have covered, so I figured needles would be an easy task.

My main focus today will be on Machine needles and tomorrow I will focus on hand sewing needles. I will create and make a free printable available for hand needles also tomorrow.

Now you have a handful of needles.. now where to store them....hmmm... I personally keep all of mine in a plastic pencil box, I don't really like the system, but it works for me.. (for the time being)..but I wanted to share some great ideas I found ...

Vicki's Fabric Creations shares with us a tutorial for this adorable machine needle storage organizer. I personally LOVE this...

Angie's Bits and Pieces shares a tutorial for her needle storage & organizer.

This next storage idea is simply brilliant!  I know I have a few of these around the house (I'm thinking.. bye bye pencil box!)  All it is is a weekly pill/medicine reminder case.  You can get these at your local dollar store for a buck! Also available are the 2-sided compartments.

                                                                               

more pill storage ideas.. I like this one as well.

Michie tell us to save those pharmacy plastic containers!  Simply wash them out, create labels and VOILA! needle storage! 

Plastic compartment boxes also provide great storage and can be found at almost any store that carries household and/or crafting goods.

I have expressed my love of wooden boxes. I'm sure anyone handy can remake this for much cheaper, but if not... this one is still quite amazing and can be found here.

Crafts2Do offers these great jars for sale. These are also great for buttons! 

Amazon offers a great selection of storage boxes.. the use of something like this is limitless.  

                                          

And finally.. if your hubby or someone you know has a fishing box that is not in use and isn't covered with smelly fishing adventure remnants ... feel free to snag it!  Fishing tackle boxes are no longer for fishing.. they offer a multitude of storage compartments that lock up safe to keep lil hands out!

I personally like this one..

Hope you find the right needle storage and organization for you!  If your storage solution isn't featured, please share yours, we would love to see it!

Happy Organizing!

=) Kristina