Project Thursday: Hoop Art Wall Hanging

In anticipation of Spring (I know it's right around the corner), I made this sweet little wall hanging.

It requires only basic sewing skills and is a great way to use up fabric scraps.

The "frame" is an embroidery hoop.  I found some cute colored options, but in the end decided to use the traditional bamboo version.

I used a onsaburg fabric for the background because I like how the neutral color makes the bright accents pop, but any simple patterned fabric would work fine. 

Simply cut the fabric to size and place into the embroidery hoop.  Tighten the top screw to secure the fabric in place.  Don't worry about the excess around the edges - we will cut that off later.

For this particular design, I decided I wanted a grassy bottom and realized that needed to be sewn onto the background fabric before putting it into the hoop. 

No worries - it's easy to take apart.

I gathered an assortment of fabrics, buttons and embroidery thread to make the grass and flowers. 

The green strip of fabric was sewn to the bottom using contrasting green thread and a fairly large Running Stitch (I wanted the stitches to show).  I also pulled at the top edge of the fabric to "fray" the ends so it looked like blades of grass.

 

Once the grass was in place, I positioned the hoop and cinched it in place (see directions above).  Then I marked where each of the flowers would be positioned using a fabric marking pen.

The Large flower is made from a fabric Yoyo with a blue button center.  The Orange flower is a decorative button (tied with a blue bow) and the Pink flower is embroidered using a Lazy Daisy petal stitch and French Knot center.  

 

The stems are stitched with a running stitch using green embroidery thread.  A tiny felt leaf is stitched with lighter green thread. 

Lucky Me - my mum has a collection of nearly every color embroidery thread.

Once the  stitching was done, I cut the background fabric just slightly larger than the hoop.  

 

On the backside, the fabric is wrapped around and hot glued to the inside of the hoop.  

To cover up all the untidy threads that show on the backside, I cut a piece of white felt to fit inside the hoop and also glued that in place.

I glued the Yoyo and button flowers atop their embroidered stems.   

And added a polka dot ribbon to the top of the hoop.

 

The perfect little Hoop Art Wall Hanging.  Can't you just imagine a grouping of these stitched art pieces in all different sizes.  A sure-fire way to bring the feeling of Spring inside. 

Thanks for reading along...

Project Thursday: Holiday Planner

The past few years I have made a very simple version of a Holiday Planner to keep myself (and our family) organized.

 

They were made from store bought spiral notebooks divided into sections with a tabs and a few embellishments. 

This year I wanted to make something that better suited our needs.  

Not only a place to keep everything noted and organized, but also a way to document our lives and activities throughout the Holidays.    

 I used the Bella BLVD Christmas Cheer Line of papers and embellishments.   

I started with lined notebook filler paper (5 1/2" X 8 1/2") since I wanted to have lots of plain paper pages for notes and planning.  

I cut off the punched holes (so I could bind the finished book myself).  Each of the section dividers were cut from double sided paper to a matching size (5 1/4" X 8 1/2").  The back cover is made from chip board covered with paper.  

The front cover is made of several layers stitched together with ribbon, string and button embellishments.  Because I will carry this book around with me everywhere for the next 6 weeks, I was sure to use lots of adhesive to keep everything in place. 

 

The inside of the front cover has a pocket stitched in place.  

My favorite things about this planner are all the different tabs, although I may regret that decision in a few weeks if they end up getting torn and tattered (from being carried around).

I added 9 sections to our Holiday Planner each one with a different Tab:

 SECTION #1:  GIFTS

An envelope added to this section will keep Gift Receipts together.  I'll probably add a closure and a label to dress up the envelope a bit. 

In addition to the lined paper behind each section - I created some colorful graphic pages.

Keeping track of Gift Ideas and Gifts Received (OOPS - just noticed a spelling error).

 

SECTION #2:  CARDS

Another graphic page I created to organize all the details of getting Holiday Cards mailed. 

I'm hoping this will actually help me get ours out and mailed on time this year. 

The back of the Cards section includes a glassine envelope.  I added washi tape to the edge to make it more durable when bound into the book.  This is where I will tuck those torn corners of envelopes with return addresses that need updated in our master list.  

SECTION #3:  DECORATE 

(it was supposed to read DECORATING but I ran out of space)

SECTION #4:  FUN

The envelopes work well to hold small items - I added one in this section for tickets and invitations.

Another graphic page with our Holiday Bucket List.  We can add stickers (or sequins) to notate what we do instead of "crossing" them off the list.  

SECTION #5:  GIVING

Somehow this tabbed page didn't make it into the wire binding (another OOPS).   I thought a 3/4" size binding wire would be big enough, but since I'll be adding things into the book - it looks like I need a bigger size.  I'll fix this tab when I replace the binding, so there is plenty of room to for pictures and memento.

 

SECTION #6:  ENTERTAINING

SECTION #7:  TO DO

I'm a big list maker, so this section has lots of lined paper for grocery lists, shopping lists and all the other Holiday To Do's.

SECTION #8:  SANTA

There is another envelope - this one is for the letter to Santa (you are never too old to believe).  

I included plain white cardstock pages throughout the book.  Perfect for drawings and pictures.  

SECTION #9:  NEXT YEAR NOTES

This is the place to write reminders of what needs done for next year.  Things to buy.  Gift ideas.  What worked.  What didn't.   
 

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words...so I include a few pictures to remind me how my favorite decorations were arranged.  Slipped inside another glassine envelope.  

I am so excited to have finished our Holiday Planner and can't wait to start using it.

Thanks for reading along...

Project Thursday: Chalkboard Clip Board

I have a bit of a Chalkboard obsession.

My latest project involved painting a set of Clip Boards with Chalkboard paint. 

I found these adorable Clip Boards in the dollar bin section at Target (they were actually $3 each).

There is even an upside down heart embossed on the clip.  Sweet.

Other materials I used for this project were:  Blue painters Tape, Wrapping paper, Mod Podge and Chalkboard Paint.

I find the spray can version of Chalkboard Paint to be easier to use than the type that is applied by brush (which always seems to leave rough brush strokes), so I used the spray version for this project.

 The hardest part was taping over the sliver clip.  Since it's permanently attached to the board, it's hard to tape off all of the silver portions (especially under the clip).

I covered most areas, but some of the inside parts are just going to have to get painted black.

You could certainly paint the entire board (including the silver clip) with the Chalkboard Spray for a different look, but I like the idea of keeping the sliver clip for contrast.  

It takes several coats to get good coverage - especially with this clipboard (the fiber board base really soaked up the paint).  After the paint has dried, remove the painters tape.

One perfectly painted Chalkboard Clip Board - done!

Love how the shiny silver clip stands out. 

For a little added detail, I used a sheet of newsprint wrapping paper to cover the back of the board.  Cut the paper to the shape of the clip board, brush on a layer of Mod Podge add the paper and smooth it out.  If the Mod Podge brushes on too thick (like mine did), it may be easier to drizzle it on and then spread with a brush. 

One final layer of Mod Podge on top of the paper gives a final protective coat (just be careful not to spread onto the chalkboard side).

 

I think they are just perfect as they are....

 ... but since it's almost Halloween.  I clipped on a few Bold Graphic Letters.

 And jazzed them up with some colorful ribbons.

Now they are part of our Halloween decor.

Thanks for reading along...