Giving Love

Some of you may remember this necklace…

A few people I work with sponsor a fundraiser for a co-worker that had passed away.  I wanted to take this moment to remind everyone we all have something special about us that can be a gift to another person.  When we all work together, I believe, it’s possible to accomplish anything.  So KUDOS to all the people who help put together this event, gave donations and showed your support.  This is something they are looking to do yearly.  I’m looking forward to giving a donation again next year.

Another exciting thing is I was told this necklace was quite the hot item!!!  I don’t know who won the raffle but I hope you are enjoying the necklace!  Below is an image a couple of hours after the raffle started…look at my cup!!! Yah!!!

 

But better than that, they raised over $4,500!!!

 

Remember, every little good deed counts!

 

 

With Love,

Rhianna

Easy Summer Shirt (Pillowcase Dress/Shirt)

If you search “pillowcase dress” (mostly for kids) or “pillowcase shirt”, a million options will come up for you to review.  I didn’t actually use a pillowcase for this shirt.  I found the material in JoAnn’s and I thought of my niece right away.  It was perfect because her birthday was approaching (last summer, that is)!

Basically, this is what you cut out from the piece of material…

In case my drawing isn’t clear, you are basically cutting the corners off your rectangle…that’s for your arm holes.  Hem back the edges before moving onto the next step.

You’ll add a tube seam across the top of the back and front.  This is where you will pull through your ribbon/sash for your straps.  You can use a scarf that’s long enough.  Sew scrap material into a tube.  Even use some ribbon.  I’ve seen some posts where they made multiple “strap” options that you could change out.

 

 

Finally, a seam around the bottom (optional) to finish it off.

 

 

 

 

The cool thing about this is you can also make your corner cuts go in further and cut down longer.  Then, you can have a shirt more like this that ties around the neck.  This is the closest one I could find demonstrating that.  Sorry, I haven’t made my own yet.  You can check out her post if you are interested…

 

 

 

 

 

It was a really quick project.  Great for when you need a new shirt at the last-minute.  It’s nice and flowy, perfect for summertime.  Here’s the finished shirt I made for my niece…

With Love,

Rhianna

Doggone Tired

An old friend of mine came out of the woodwork, which was awesome enough!  To add to that, he wanted ME to complete his dog bed.  My friend is super talented and makes all kinds of stuff.  He made this awesome dog bed out of wood for his puppers.

(A picture of a picture.  I feel like a sales rep for my day job, “we can use this, right?”.)

What’s missing?

A very nice cover and some pillows…duh!  He provided me with a piece of patchwork they had been placing over the old couch cushions that were glued together.  Hey, seems good enough for a dog…they aren’t too picky when it comes to where to sleep.  He had also sent me a picture of the dog bed they used to have. 

He was leaving the rest up to me.  Originally, when we talked he said about using the patchwork piece for the top.  Something in me wouldn’t allow that.  Maybe it was my stylish side reminding me off all the patchwork/hippie attire I used to sport…not sure but I had to come up with something that would fulfill his request yet also not make me shudder from flashbacks!

So, as I like to do, I threw all the ideas and materials into the “pot” (that’s my brain).  Suddenly, the light bulb got very bright!  I decided to make a dog bone or paw print out of the patchwork and applique it onto ( yes, one of my favorite materials) outdoor canvas!

This project was really fun for me.  I got to be creative and basically make it the way I wanted.  I got to do a lot of shopping around to get him the best prices out there.  It felt really good when I knew I was getting him the best deal or saving 40% on material (love you JoAnn Fabrics).  I also learned a lot of new things.  1) Foam is an expensive pain in the @ss.  There is a good way to cut it, but I must not have chosen the right method…hehe!  But it all worked out. 2) I’ve shared this before, but, seam rippers are your friend.

Below is the finished project.  The foam is covered in a muslim material and the cover was made out of the outdoor canvas.  It has a zipper across the back so it is removable to wash up, if needed.  The 2 roll pillows are also made from the outdoor canvas with the patchwork on the ends to bring it all together.

 

 

 

I was really happy with this! From the picture, you can see this little stinky-pants likes it too!  “Mommy” & “Daddy” were also both pleased with the results.

There’s only one thing that I am disappointed with.  At first, I wasn’t going to include my disappointment in this post but I think it’s important for everyone to remember, we make mistakes…and hindsight is 20/20.  The only thing I wish I would’ve accounted for is the pillows.  I should have made the bone a little smaller horizontally so when the pillows were placed on the bed, the bone wasn’t partially covered.  There!  I said it!

But it’s still pretty freakin’ awesome, right???

With Love,

Rhianna

Purse for Christmas

Yes, I still have blogs to do from Christmas!  This one…and one other one.  Then, I’ll actually be, well, generally caught up, well, for Christmas projects, that is!

I am a very fortunate person.  Not only was I made this awesome, just naturally, but I’m blessed to have so many awesome and amazing people in my life.  There are many people who love to help my crafting efforts or whatever it is I’m doing here.  One of my blessings comes in the form of what I like to call my Mother-In-Law.  Now, many of you know I am not married…“so how do you have in-laws?” you ask?  I don’t.  I’ve stolen my brothers!

My sister-in-law’s mom does all kinds of great interior designing.  When she has left over scraps…she gives them to me.  I know, so blessed am I!!  Recently, well no, not recently, but close enough, I was given about 2 bags of material.  I’ll go through and pick out what I’ll use.  The rest I’ll donate to a local re-use-it shop, Lancaster Creative Reuse (while searching for their link, I see they moved to a new location…yah!  It looks bigger and more convenient than in the city…yah!). 

I came across this one piece of material and a bestie of mine’s name screamed out in my head.  I knew it was meant to be used to create something for her (another blessing in my life)!  I bounced around the idea of doing one of my beach bags for her since, like a year ago, she said she really liked mine and wanted one.  However, this material was too classy, too upscale for just a beach bag.  I decided to make her a purse.  The material made me think of Coach a little bit.

I did some research online for different purse ideas, through them into a “pot” and then pulled out my own pattern for her Christmas purse.  I bought some outdoor canvas, I used this for my beach bag and it was great!  It had a toughness to it but not so much that the material didn’t move.  The outer material was thin and delicate so I wanted to use something stronger so the bag would hold up.  I figure it’s like the opposite of most purses.  The lining is always so thin and rips and then you lose things in the holes.  This way, the lining is tough and the outside of the bag is delicate.  I also picked up a magnetic snap and off to creating I went.

I am so happy with this purse and she appeared to be happy with it too!  One of the best things about a homemade gift is it has a lifetime warranty ,or well, as long as you’re alive or friends still.  So far, it appears to be holding up to her BUSY schedule…but if something should tear, it can always be fixed by the creator!

Sorry my pictures aren’t better!  With the Christmas rush it became more about getting the gifts finished and less about taking pictures of them.

In addition, I have to give her props.  She doesn’t do too much crafty/sewing stuff…she lives in the world of photography, but this Christmas, she took the time to make me a handmade gift as well.  It was one of those no-sew fleece blankets.  She did a wonderful job and it keeps me warm on a daily basis…much like the love in our friendship! xo

With Love,

Rhianna

Baby Bedtime Bag

I think I might be a little behind on my blogging.  I know…what’s new?

So lots of friends are having babies.  I had some cute ideas but a lack of time, and well, a baby.  I don’t have kids and my niece and nephew are older now.  I have a hard time guessing what size something should be for a baby.

Luckily, one of my favorite bloggers to the rescue!  Jess at Running with Scissors has this lovely post on the Baby Bedtime Bags she made and you can buy the pattern for only $5 (in my budget)!!!  It also comes with a bonus newborn leggings pattern.  Her instructions were great and easy to follow. 

Below you can see the cute neck/shoulder snap detail and the best part…the bottom has a zipper opening for those easy diaper changes!  I know that happens a lot with babies.

And here’s the happy little baby…sneaking his little baby hands out!

So happy with my purchase and I will be able to use it for years to come!  Check out Jess’s blog…and buy some of her patterns!  Keep Crafting Alive!

With Love,

Rhianna

Patchwork Scarf for Christmas

It looks like one of my favorite parts from the movie The Sweetest Thing! Look at the class and sass coming off of this sweet child!  She HAD to be the model since she is the biggest fan of my Patchwork Scarf!

I had made these scarves last year at Christmas time for my niece and my good friend’s daughter. Well, I’m not sure about my niece, but my friend’s daughter just loved it. I would often hear stories about why she needed to wear it that day and all the “powers” it seemed to bring her. Honestly, that is the best gift in the crafting world. When something simple you make can mean so much to someone else.

This Christmas was approaching and I heard someones scarf was getting a little short…turning into more of a bow-tie! I decided I would make her a bigger, “grown-up” version. I also made another one for one of my other good friend’s daughter.

What I love about the patchwork scarves is, in the end…they go with everything. It’s a great way to use up some scrap material. On the ones I make, one side is patchwork and the other is a soft flannel to snuggle with. I included some trim balls…cause, well, balls are fun!

I still have yet to make one for myself. For now, it’s just great to bring warmth and comfort into the lives of those you love!

With Love,
Rhianna

Necklaces for Christmas

Where have I been? I’m such a lazy blogger!

Lots of Christmas projects were in the works and I had to wait till Santa came to show the goods!

One of the projects I did for Christmas was The Washer Necklace. You see these tutorials pinned all over Pinterest. I read a few different ones and then combined them into my own action plan. They were pretty easy. The washers are all around $0.10-$0.25. I got a few sheets of card stock scrapbooking paper. I bought the Glossy Accents, there are a lot of options out there but this was the one I could find in my craft store. Mod Podge, already on hand, although, I didn’t find this to be the best glue. The paper started to pull away. Once I put the Glossy Accents on, we were fine.

The first ones I did were just single sided. Then, my Mom said, “you could do it so they are reversible”…good idea Mom! Anyone else noticing a theme? My Mom always seems to find some way to improve the product, it usually adds more work, but that’s not the point. That’s how I did the 2nd round. Everyone who received one of these necklaces seemed to love them! My one friend even commented that the metal washer wasn’t as heavy as she thought it would feel. Patience is a must in this project. There is some dry time involved but if you’re anything like me, you get excited and start touching it too soon…don’t do that! Keeping air bubbles out of the Glossy Accents isn’t easy either. Just try not to get them in there in the first place. You can get them out with a needle, but it’s not easy.

 

The next necklace project for Christmas was for my Sister-in-law. She had a necklace that had fallen apart. She wanted me to create a new necklace for her with the beads. Honestly, I’m surprised these beads were put together in the first place. It was made of Lava stones and a red/brown stone for the focal point. I knew I would be separating these and making 2 necklaces. I got a bunch of natural stone beads for each project and tada!

I love the new necklaces…especially the red/brown one! I made a little bracelet to match the Lava Stone and green/black stone necklace. I think she was pretty happy with the finished products! I know I would wear them!

 

The final necklace project for Christmas was for my Mom. I had seen this pendant on Pinterest and my first thought was, “Mom would LOVE this!”, my second thought, “I can totally make that”.

The first one, which is actually the one I gave her Christmas day was…okay. It didn’t meet my expectations but I didn’t know how to achieve that (it’s a hard thing to do). After Christmas, we talked about the necklace. She had some thoughts, I had some thoughts and we agreed that I would give it a second attempt. I love the second attempt (as did she)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that’s the necklaces I made for Christmas. More Christmas gifts to come and lots of other goodies. On another note…

Unfortunately, we had a death at my workplace a few months back. Sadly, children were left behind. Some co-workers are planning a benefit for the children. I am donating the necklace below for a raffle. If you like it, get yourself to that benefit and give…even if you don’t like it…get yourself to that benefit and give! I’ll post more details as they come.

With Love,

Rhianna