Easter Wood Craft Classes

I hope you like what I came up with for our Easter Classes!!! If you don't live near me and would like to purchase wood... finished or unfinished, please email me at anisascholes@gmail.com. Dates: Tuesday, March 16th 10am-noon Thursday, March 18th 6-9 pm Saturday, March 20th 10am-noon Bunny with Egg: $18 Chick: $15 (can be put on a yard stake) Bunny Trio: $10 (stands are $5)

Swimsuit Alteration

About 5 years ago on a little getaway with my hubby, I bought my first 2 piece swimsuit. I've only worn it that weekend and maybe once or twice since them. It's such a cute bathing suit, but I have to say I felt a little uncomfortable in despite the fact that it was a tank top instead of a bikini one. With a trip to a warm and tropical location coming up and without the kids, I thought I'd risk pulling that old suit out. I tried it on and still felt uncomfortable, but thanks to all the great posts different crafters have done on clothing alteration I felt not only the inspiration to make my own alterations but also the courage to try it! Here's what I started with (I apologize in advance for any and all wrinkles you may see): See that little gap between the top and the bottom? Not so pretty on a mother of 3. (At least not me.) I headed to the fabric store to check out their Lycra selection and found just the color I needed to add a few inches to the bottom of my tank. I only purchased 1/3 of a yard and probably could have gotten away with 1/4 yard. What I did: 1. Unpick the hem around the bottom of the tank. If the holes from the seam are too big, you may have to trim the fabric just above the hem. Mine turned out just fine, though. Iron flat. 2. Lay your fabric down and your tank on the top edge. Follow the natural flow of your top to cut out your new piece. Don't forget to add a little extra for seam allowances. 3. You should have two pieces of fabric now. Sew the sides together and fold in half, seams inside. 4. Pin your new fabric band to the suit, matching side seams to side seams. 5. Using a stretch stitch (check your owner's manual), sew together. The stretch stitch will allow for extra movement and will prevent all your hard work from coming apart the first time you use your newly altered swimsuit. 6. Iron again with seams pointing up. If you are lucky to have a Serger or at least have access to one, you can serge your raw edges for a more finished look. Here's what I ended up with: It was a quick, inexpensive refashion and bonus-no swimsuit shopping this year!! (BTW-It was so much more comfortable to wear on the beach and swimming. )

Lucky You!

This shamrock pillow is a cheeky way to let your husband know that he might not want to wear green on St. Patrick's Day this year... To make your own draw a heart. It can be any size, but it should be broad with a shallow middle dip. Here's mine with my hand to show scale.

Take your heart and rotate it as you trace it as each of the leaves (you can do three or four). I used a disappearing fabric pen. Then I cut it out with a rotary cutter.

Here is the whole cut out. You can kind of see the traced lines here. This green felt was left over from a Christmas craft and was purchased in a package I got at Roberts Craft. The wrinkles steamed out easily.

Next I stamped my message (as I am probably the only crafter who has not yet used freezer paper) with white acrylic paint.

Next I added a little decorative flourish with white embroidery floss. I used one of my favorite stitched called the split stitch.

To balance out the flourish, I added a red heart button. You could add a leprechaun-themed charm or gold buttons here instead.

To finish off the pillow, I pinned wrong sides together and used a zig stitch around the edge. Stuff this pillow lightly or it looks all warped and you lose the shamrock shape. I had to work a bit to get the stuffing to look just right. I closed it with the zig stitch when I was done.

From start to finish, this easy project took me just under two hours. If you have any other fun ideas for a good phrase for this pillow, leave it in the comments. -C

Zipper Flowers

Last week I discovered such a cool craft blog: Craftaholics Anonymous. Linda made the most fun and funky zipper flower bracelet. It was love at first sight. I had to have one.

Here's my new zipper flower bracelet! I love, love, love it!

You can get the tutorial here. I did change one thing on my flower. Before rolling it and gluing along the way, I did a basting stitch by hand and gathered it. It's a little different from Craftahoics, but it's got my own bit of flair to it. :) When it was finished, I grabbed my bead box and made a 3 strand bracelet for my new little bud to sit on. I have to say, I'm diggin the finished product!

If you're into this cute zipper thing, she has a few other zipper project tutorials on her site. (Lucky me, my mom gave me an entire gallon sized bag of old zippers. Play time!)