Suitcase Organizer

After finding some awesome vintage suitcases at a thrift store, I had to find the perfect use for them. After pondering these awesome finds for quite sometime, I decided to use this one for craft storage.

I began by ripping out the fabric on the inside because it needed major help.

 

I took some fabric I had in my stash and simply glued it down to the inside using the amazing modge podge...

...and added some trim with hot glue...

...and PRESTO! It looks completely new!

Now for the fun part.

 I used some peel and stick velcro(industrial strength) to secure small storage boxes into the suitcase.



Now I have an awesome place to keep my craft supplies easily accesible but also out of the way!

How To...

Make yarn from old t-shirts. I love using t-shirt yarn to make rugs with but the possibilities are truly endless when you think about it. I'm thinking about attempting a cushion of some sort with the stash of old shirts I have... We shall see how that turns out, but first to make the yarn.

Step one: Take an old t-shirt and lay out as flat as possible.

Step two: Cut small strips (about 1/2 inch to an inch) horizontally to about an inch from the side.

Step three: Continue this up to the sleeves and completely cut the top off.

Step four: Take the side where the strips are still connected and cut diagonally from one strip to the next. Continue this until you have cut all the strips and are left with one long strip of fabric.

Step five: Take the strip of fabric and roll into a ball. And as simple as that you now have a ball of t-shirt yarn!

Tell me what you like to make with old t-shirts!

How To...

Transfer a photo onto canvas! All you need is mod podge, a sponge, a canvas, and a picture (no need to be on photo paper, works well on regular copy paper). Also, if you're using a picture with words, mirror it before the project as the finished product is flip-flopped.

Step 1: Spread a generous layer of mod podge onto the canvas with a sponge.

Step 2: Lay the picture face down onto the canvas. Smooth out any bubbles. Let dry. You might put a book over to make sure the paper doesn't wrinkle back up.



Step 3: Once dry, take a sponge(or your finger) and dampen the paper. Don't soak it. Begin peeling the paper off. You will have to use your finger to rub off the layers of paper. Repeat this process until you get the paper off. You might be surprised how much paper is on there but remember the finished look is well worth it!

Step 4: Once you get all the layer of paper off, cover with a layer of mod podge to finish it up!

Here's my finished product. I love the aged look it gives the picture. Might just be my favorite quick project to turn to for gifts (or just for my house...)! 

Spring Cleaning...

Do you ever have left over bits and pieces from previous projects? What am I talking about, we all do, right... Well I had this canvas that I had painted on and just really didn't like the outcome. It had been sitting around for YEARS in the closet making me sick everytime I saw it so I finally put it to use. I took some fabric I had laying around (leftover from another project...) and covered the exsisting paint. Now it's a completely blank canvas again! I also had a bunch of leftover letters of sorts from other various projects so I decided to turn to a favorite song of mine (Take This Bread by The Felice Brothers) and put some lyrics on it. After some paint and some glue, this is my outcome! (And I got to clean out my closet a wee bit!)

This next project was an attempt to dwindle my recycle/find a use for pile. I get a weekly ad from a certain chain pharamcy and it is insane how much paper they use... I stockpile junk mail like that to either recycle or use (for paper flowers, wrapping paper, ect.) and my pile was getting rather large. I had also been wanting some sort of yarn basket but didn't want to spend a lot of dollars on one. It finally dawned on me to put those ads to work! I took those ads and rolled them up into a sort of paper yarn and started spiraling and gluing. After much twisting and gluing I ended up with a pretty awesome basket. And for just the price of hot glue!

 

That's all for now, I'll post some more of these projects soon!

Challenge Time!

I have a bad habit of letting my fear get the best of me. Weather it be fear of the unknown, fear of judgement, fear of imperfections, or just plain fear. I ALWAYS let it win. I try to make big jumps to correct this but that always results in failure. So now I am challenging myself to take baby steps to beat The Fear.

My first step is simply to remeber where my inspirations come from. So let's talk about the people that inspire me. Bob Fosse, Twyla Tharp, Isadora Duncan, Pablo Picasso, Kurt Vonnegut, Tim Burton, Charles Schultz, Audrey Hepburn, Gillian Welch. While these are just a few, I think it's enough to prove my point. Each of these people is either a)unconventional, b)child-like, or c)both. If I look up to these people because of these qualities, then I shouldn't view them as imperfections in myself.

My second step is to give myself 15 minutes of "No Judgement Allowed" craft time every day and 1 hour of "No Fear" goal time a week. In these times, I will ban negitive feelings in order to help myself accomplish more. I'm hoping that I will be able to dream about my goals (short- and long-term) while remembering that it is important to keep goals, even if they change.

That's it. I said baby steps didn't I? 

Just a Thought.

Many times my crafts take much longer to finish than they should because I tend to sit back and take in every little step. For example, when working with yarn (or t-shirts and sheets that I have turned into yarn) I love to admire every row and the texture that such a simple process yields.

It never ceases to amaze me. Isn't that what crafting is about though? Creating something awesome out of raw materials. At least that's why I love crafting. The instant gratification and the knowledge that I can make things instead of buying mass produced ones.

A Few Cleaning Solutions

A friend of mine inspired me today to post about some homemade cleaning products. Not only are they cheap, they are easy to use, clean just as well, and are great alternatives to the harsh, store bought, toxic chemicals that are typically used.

Surface Cleaner

1 part vinegar

1 part water

How to Use: Mix together in a spray bottle, spray, and wipe clean. No need to rinse.

Fancier Surface Cleaner

2 tbsp vinegar

2 cups water

1 tsp Borax

10-15 drops tea tree oil

How to Use: Mix together in a spray bottle, spray, and wipe clean. No need to rinse.

Heavy Duty Cleaner

1/4 cup vinegar

1 cup water

1 tsp Borax

10 drops orange essential oil

5 drops lemon essential oil

How to Use: Mix together in a spray bottle, spray, wipe clean, and rinse with water.

Glass Cleaner

1/3 cup vinegar (I've heard club soda also works in this one)

2/3 cup water

How to Use: Mix together in a spray bottle, spray, and wipe clean with newspaper.

Drain Cleaner

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup baking soda

(I've also been told to try adding 1/2 cup sea salt)

How to Use: Mix together and pour down drain, let sit for at least 10 minutes and pour some hot water down the drain. (When I'm in a hurry I just pour the baking soda down the drain and pour some vinegar over top and consider my next shower the hot water...)

Linoleum Cleaner

1 tbsp liquid soap

1/4 cup washing soda

1/4 cup vinegar

2 gallons water

How to Use: Mix together in a large bucket and mop away! (I normally do a once-over with water after but I don't think it's necessary)

Rug Cleaner

Sprinkle carpet with baking soda, let sit for about 15 minutes, and vacuum up.

Stain Remover

1/4 cup vinegar

1 cup water

1 tsp liquid soap

How to Use: On Carpet-Mix together in spray bottle, spray on stain, let sit for about 15 minutes and scrub spot.  On Clothes- Mix together in spray bottle, spray on stain, let sit for about 15 minutes, rub into spot, and wash as normal.

These are just a few of my favorites and I'm sure I'll be posting more some other day. Until then, try these out and let me know what you think. Or let me in on the ones you've be using for years!