Make it: The American Apparel Head Wrap

So I used my groupon to American Apparel awhile back to buy a few things, including this genius little wired headwrap (not pictured). I knew I could knock it off easily, but wanted to bring it home as a reminder and to figure out JUST how to do it. Have you seen them? They are the answer to my "wish I knew how to wrap my hair in a turban or wear a fabric headwrap" woes. I can never get any of that stuff to stay on my head. Enter the WIRED headband. problem. solved. And here is how you can solve your totally major head-wrapping problems too-------->

Materials:
Ruler (yardstick is best)
wire cutters
scissors
 1 yd of fabric
PLASTIC COATED WIRE (called "clothesline" wire) (NOT NOT NOT the wire I have photographed above)

TIP: Cut fabric to make a bunch at once. Its not a hard project, but you might be done with it after making one, so you might as well make a bunch at once!

 1.cut your fabric, I did 1 yd by 7.5 inches but you can make it longer and wider if you want (I think I will on my next one!). (NOTE: I did a layer of fabric and tulle on this headband, the tulle is the OUTSIDE ("right" side) and the orange is the inside ("wrong" side).
2. cut your wire 1 yd and bend the ends (the plastic coated wire will only need to be bent over one time unlike the photo shown).

3. take your long stip of fabric and fold it over so that the "right" side or what you want to be the outside (showing) is on the outside (we are doing a french seam).

4. sew a 1/4 in seam.

5.trim it down to about 1/8in or less. (important in a french seam)

6. turn it inside-out so that the "wrong/inside" of your wrap is now on the outside.

7.Now you are going to flatten the seam and sew ANOTHER seam. This will form a tube for the wire to be inserted into so make sure it is wide enough to easily fit the wire. Mark where you want to sew with a piece of tape to help guide your fabric.

8. this is what it should look like! almost there!

 9. turn it right side out.
10. see that french seam? Stick your wire in that, making sure both ends of the wire have been bent so they don't poke through the fabric.
11. tuck in both ends of the wrap, making sure you can sew with out hitting the wire! now sew it shut.
12. AND YOU ARE FINISHED!!

I couldn't get myself photographed in it either because of a bad hair/face day or because it was too dark/bad weather. So, alas, I turned to the mirror. I like to wear mine all twisted, like a faux bow, or like a turban (not pictured) but my mom is a fan of the extreme bow/bunny ears at the bottom. Fun, but I am sure it would elicit weird looks in conservative wellington, FL!!!!

I made a little mini version for Olivia out of a scrap of heart fabric. She actually kept it on her head!!!!!!! what? craziness.

Citrus-Herb Season Salt (makes a good gift!!)

wait. The holidays are over so why am I giving you gift ideas? well the good 'ol FAB.com sale took over my entire month of December so I am behind on all the things I wanted to blog about! Here is the small gift I made to give to friends during the Christmas season. <----- I am sure I could've made some sort of clever pun to go along with it but that's not really my style.

I liked this gift because A. I was able to make a big batch at once and then  I was done (and I had VERY little time to do things like this b/c of the Fab sale). B. It encouraged healthy eating and though I am a huge chocolate lover, sometimes I am greatful when I am not given a bunch more that I will likely consume before the day is over! I figure there must be others that feel the same... C. it is delicious and tastes good on meats, beans, hummus, etc!

I got the jars at the dollar store and I made the labels using photoshop!

CITRUS-HERB SEASON SALT
(adapted from Martha Stewart)
 combine:
1/4 C coarse salt (I used kosher)
2 T finely grated lemon zest (I used organic lemons cause ick on the shaving pesticide into the mix!)
4 t dried rosemary
3 t dried thyme
3 t dried oregano
1/2 t each of: sugar, paprika, and red pepper flakes
1 T tangerine zest  ** (I added this at the end, its my own addition to the recipe and it seriously upped the ante. It smelled delicious!)

I quadrupled the recipe, got cheaper herbs in the plastic bags, and made this an economical gift! But really, if its not the gifting season just make it for yourself. yum. I can see this being a good teacher gift? (Along with something else.) And if you grow your own herbs you could dry them yourself and put them in... yum! The possibilities are endless.

Make it for Your Man... The Handpainted (Vintage) Tie

Back when I was making all those holiday gift tutorials, I came up with this idea for the men. Unfortunately I never got to posting it until NOW! But V-day is around the corner, and oh are men the hardest to shop for...

While every guy might not like to wear vintage ties, the ones who do (like my husband and brother) are sure to like this gift (I gave these to mu husband and brother for Christmas and they loved them)!

Materials needed:
acrylic paint (either the art kind or the craft kind will do- I used both)
Vintage ties
paintbrushes
tape, contact paper, etc if you don't want to freehand it.

Some of my favorite of Franc's vintage ties ( I bought them all before we even met, and now he wears them).  For this project I actually used ties of his that I HATED instead. I wanted to try it out on something that I wouldn't mind messing up on before I ventured into the cooler ties! (I prob. won't touch the cool ones though, they don't need anything added)

There are many ways you can paint a tie. For this tie (which I don't have a finished photo of.... sorry), I used masking tape to paint some red-orange stripes of varying widths. I stopped just above where he would tie the knot around his neck. It really looked great, not even like paint in the end!

 For this one I layed down contact paper that I had cut into mountain-like shapes. The contact paper didn't stick very well (I think b/c the tie was 100% polyester), but it stuck enough to get the general shape. I then ripped it off and filled it in on my own.

I don't have a finished one of this tie either, and I ended up using a paint marker to add a few more details...

And lastly, this tie (my favorite). I just free handed it. It was probably the hardest one to do. NOT because it was free handed, but because of the rough texture on the brown parts of the tie. It made it hard to keep a smooth line as I painted.

Here is my husband trying to model..... (he modeled the tie before it was finished).

Anyway, I hope this inspires you to try some tie-painting as well! I thought it was pretty fun, and it made for a fun, artsy, original gift. I feel bad when I make things for everyone and don't take the time to make something for my husband. Especially since he always tells me everything I do is so great. (he is ver supportive of my artwork and blue-eyed freckle ventures).

Handmade and Fabulous (gift series): Oldies, but Goodies...

  Want to upcycle a shirt for your girlfriend?  Then check out my "Wanna Be a Girl Scout" tutorial!

 And this one is good for just about anyone, young and old. The Placemat clutch and Big Bow (also good for pillows) tutorial!

Handmade and Fabulous: Agate Druzi Slice Necklaces

Simple, inexpensive to make (though if you try to buy a premade one they retail around $30-$100) and a really pretty gift to give!

what you will need:
jump rings
pliers
looong chains (or short if you prefer)
Agate Druzy Slices (I bought mine at a gem and rock show for $2 each, but you can get them here for about $5 each (when you buy 6)

1. Take your VERY long chain and double it over (if you want 2 lines of chain on each side, like the necklace on the far left) (or keep it normal, like the other 2 necklaces).
2. put one end through the agate's hole, and bring it up to meet the other end
3. At the base where the chain and agate meet, create a knot. (I just kept both sides of the necklace together as I did a regular square knot.)
4. Use a jump ring to connect the two ends of the necklace. (Use your pliers to pry the ring apart.)

DONE!

Handmade and Fabulous: Trendy Pillow---ornament

Striped Pillows seem to be all the rage these days (I love them too), and so I decided to make a miniature version of one for this simple ornament tutorial.  (see end of tutorial for another fabulous idea)

I had to make 22 of these for an ornament exchange thing I am doing with some ladies from my church, so even though I probably could have made something more detailed and "Blue-Eyed Freckle-ish", I decided to go with the pillows because you get to use fun colors and patterns, and its easy to make 22 of the same thing relatively fast.

Materials: 
2 kinds of fabric, you will need a little more than double the amount of one of the fabrics
leather, pleather, ribbon, ric-rac,trim... whatever you heart desires
scissors,sewing machine, hot glue gun (or needle and thread)
stuffing

 1. decide what overall size square you want, and then add 1/4" to all sides (i.e. if you want a 3" square, then it would end up being 3.5x 3.5).

2. Cut 2 squares the same size (your desired dimensions)

3. Sew them together with a 1/4 in seam (right sides together)

5. Trim down ONE of the sides (pick which pattern you want less of), so that the square becomes the right dimensions again (like 3.5x 3.5).

 6.  Sew your trim/leather etc.. down on top of the seam.
7. Cut another piece of fabric out as the back (same dimensions).

 7. Get your trim read, and make sure its a big enough loop to go over a needle-y branch.

 8. Make a sandwich, putting the trim loop in one of the corners. PIN DOWN.
9. Sew around all sides, leaving a small space on one of the sides.
10. Turn right side out and stuff it.
11. Hot glue or hand sew the opening shut.
DONE!

I love mine, and now I think I should make a large version for my bed! Wait!! I have a GREAT gift idea! Make this SAME PILLOW in a LARGE  (life) size and an ORNAMENT SIZE as a gift for someone!!! PERFECT!

Handmade and Fabulous: Painted Shoes

(Yes this is an old tutorial of mine.) 

This is not one of those "spray paint your shoes" tutorials. No, this is something for the artist-at-heart on your gift-giving list.  It involves some imagination (you come up with your designs), but it is SO MUCH FUN to do! For Gift-Giving I would either buy some inexpensive shoes, or some cool vintage heels from the thrift. I really want some painted dress shoes...
Here is the super easy tutorial:

Materials:
*an old pair of leather shoes
*acrylic paint (the art kind, not the craft kind)
*paintbrush
*pen (if you are scared to freehand)

1. decide what colors you want to paint the shoes, and what designs.
2. If needed, use a ballpoint pen to LIGHTLY draw out your designs
3. Paint directly on the shoe!!
4. Let dry for a few hours before wearing.

I painted these 3 years ago and they have still held up! hooray!

Handmade and Fabulous: Handkerchief Pillows

Easiest pillow ever, and its made from a vintage Handkerchief (a large one)! Here is how you can make it:

Materials:
1-2 vintage Handkerchief/tea towel (usually $2 or less at vintage and thrift stores)--larger the better
stuffing (not the kind you eat)
sewing machine
hand needle and thread

1. lay out your handkerchief(s). If you have small ones, then you need 2, if large then just one.
Iron them so they are wrinkle-less (or spray them with water and shake).

I dyed a whole bunch of the ones pictured above a pretty aqua...

You can also layer a few on top of each other and sew them down (dyed aqua one is the third layer in this pillow topper).

2. If you have one large one, then just fold it over and pin it on all three sides. If you have TWO, then lay them on top of each other and pin them on all four sides.
3. sew around the open sides, leaving an opening somewhere in the middle of one of those sides.

4. stuff it.
5. hand sew the opening shut.
DONE! Wasn't that an easy tutorial? For an only slightly more complicated pillow tutorial, try this one (scroll down).

(sorry its a different handkerchief than the one pictured)

Handmade and Fabulous: The Blue-Eyed Freckle Gift Series

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So I never do series' very well on my blog, but I really want to try a new one out for the holidays. "Handmade and Fabulous." I like to make my family and friends their Christmas/ Hanukkah gifts.  I thought I would share some of the things I've made in the past and things I am making this holiday season for the ones I love! And of course there will be tutorials. So get out your sewing, painting, and crafting supplies and lets bring on the handmade fabulous!