Tutorial: Memory Keychains

This project is so much fun to make and very rewarding when you're done!!  I know you're all going to love this tutorial!!

SUPPLIES

Wood shapes ("Woodsies")

Crop-a-dile (or other strong hole punch)

Acrylic craft paint

Decorations (photos, scrapbook paper, ephemera, lace, etc.)

Keyring

Chain

Charms or beads (optional)

Metal jump ring

Pliers

Step 1: MAKE WOOD BASE

The wood shapes I purchased were inexpensive and relatively thin so I chose to use 2 for each base.  If your wood shapes are made of a heavier wood, you could get away with just using one.

Pair up 2 wood pieces that are the same shape and size.

Punch a hole at the top center of one.  Line up your two pieces and mark where to punch the hole on the 2nd piece and then punch that hole.

Add a layer of glue (preferably wood glue) to the back of the two pieces and press them together.

Clamp the 2 pieces together using clothes pins or other method and let dry.

Once the glue has dried sand off the excess glue and any rough edges.

Step 2: DECORATE

There are so many possibilities for decorating these keychains!!   I'll list some of my ideas after the tutorial.

Paint the edges of your wood base using acrylic craft glue; you may need 2 or more coats.

Using a decoupage medium glue and seal your decorations onto the wood base, making sure to seal the painted edges too.

Step 3: ADD KEYRING & A CHARM

This is where we turn the little decorated wood shape into a keychain!!

Using pliers, add about 1" of chain to the keyring.

If you want to use a bead, rather than a charm, you'll need to add a headpin and a pair of round-nose jewelry pliers.

Once you have your bead/charm and keyring ready, add them to the wood base with a metal jump ring as shown above.

FINISHED!!

As I mentioned in the tutorial, there are so many possibilities when decorating your wood base!!  Here are just a few of the ideas I was able to come up with:

Vintage ephemera (shown in tutorial)

Photo(s) of a loved one

Mini scrapbook page

Map or image of a favorite place

Mini collage of something you enjoy

Your name

This list could go on and on!!  I'd love to hear your ideas so feel free to add them by commenting!!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Big Announcements

UPCOMING EVENTS

Between March 5th and March 17th, we'll celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a big ol' party!!  I already have some great tutorials in the works that I think you're going to love!!  There's also going to be an 11-day linky party where you can link up all of your St. Patty's Day projects & recipes!!

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS

For each of the events listed below there will be special tutorials, an extended linky party and more!!

Easter & Spring

This big bloggy event will celebrate all things Easter & Spring!!

Mother's Day

This will be a time to show your appreciation to the mothers and mother figures in your life!!

Father's Day

This will not just focus on fathers, but all of those special men (and boys)!!

UPCOMING GIVEAWAY

I'm so excited about our next big giveaway and I think you will be too!!

Do you remember me mentioning my lace supplier, Crystal's Lace and More?  I'm so very happy to announce that Miss Crystal is sponsoring a new giveaway next month!!

We're going to be giving away over 3/4lb of assorted gorgeous lace and 20 assorted colors & lengths of zippers!!  Here's a sneak peek at the lace...

I must say that when I saw the prize package for this giveaway, I was in awe!!  Despite my giant collection of lace, I was even jealous of the lace being given away!!  Then there are the zippers too!!  Some of them are super long; I'll have pictures of those coming soon!!

I'll be sharing all of the details for this giveaway with you very soon!!

PERSONAL UPDATE

I know many of you have been following my progress after my surgery so I wanted to give you an update.

Although I was doing really well shortly after my surgery, I've had some complications since then.  

First I noticed a lot of pain that wasn't going away.  Some of the pain was more of a burning sensation than the typical ache you get after a surgery like this.  When my hubby removed the dressing for the first time to clean it, we found that I had 2nd degree burns from the adhesive used to cover the wound.  That was the first ER trip.

The next day I noticed some additional pain and swelling and was concerned so we went back to the ER for them to check it out.  They really couldn't do much other than prescribe a 2nd narcotic pain medication.  The day after that, I went to see a PA in my surgeon's office who prescribed a steroid for 8 days to help with the inflammation that's causing the pain.  It has made a big difference already!!  I'm very happy to say I'm on the mend...for real this time!!  hehehe  

I can't wait to get back to blogging "full time", but still need to take it kind of slow right now.  Thank you to everyone that has kept me in their thoughts and prayers and to those that have messaged me as well.  You are all such incredible people and dearly care for each and every one of you!!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Tutorial: Lace Storage Solution (& WOYWW #4)

My love of lace had recently caused me a big problem... how in the world to store it all!!

At first, I had the lace rolled up in little zip lock baggies and stored in plastic shoe bins, like the rest of my craft supplies.  However, after my latest order of lace, I would've needed to use over 6 plastic containers to store it all!!  I just didn't have enough shelf space for that.

Out of necessity, I finally figured out a better storage method and today I'm going to share with you my Lace Storage Solution.

SUPPLIES

Plastic back-of-the-door shoe organizer

5+ sheets of 12"x12" chipboard

Paper slicer or scissors

Lace/trim to be stored

Step 1: CUT CHIPBOARD CARDS

Cut the chipboard sheets into cards that measure 3"x9".

You should be able to get 5 cards from each 12"x12" sheet of chipboard.

Step 2: WRAP LACE ON CARDS

Wrap your lace/trim on the chipboard cards as shown above.

Continue wrapping until all of your lace/trim is on cards.

Step 3: HANG SHOE ORGANIZER

Hang the plastic shoe organizer on the back of your door.

Step 4: ADD CARDS TO POCKETS

Place the lace-wrapped chipboard cards into the organizer pockets.

Note: I had so many cards full of lace that I had to put 2 cards in some of the pockets.  They did fit.

FINISHED!!

WOYWW #4

My hubby is out of town for a couple weeks and then I'm having my surgery so my mum is staying with me for over a month.  YAY!!  I'm absolutely loving having her here with me and will miss her terribly when she eventually has to go back home.

Since my mum needs something to do while I obsessively craft, I let her use my lap desk and laptop, which is my usual "work desk".  Here she is playing her games on my laptop...

As for me, I'm using a wooden painting station as my "work desk" and it's working out quite well!!

You can see the many projects I'm currently working on in the photo above.  Here's the list of what's on this little "lap desk"...

1) Wooden bird houses to alter

2) Clothes pins to make into magnets

3) A heart-shaped box to paint & decorate

4) Beads for pea pod pendants

I absolutely have crafting ADD!!  I can't just work on one or two projects at a time, I usually have about 5 going at once!! hehehe

For those that are new to my blog and my WOYWW, the reason I don't have a "real" work desk is because I'm disabled and spend most of my time in my recliner.  My lap desk and arms of the recliner are my work area.

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Version: Quick Fabric Covered Magnets

Talk about a super quick, really rewarding craft project!!  Today I'm going to show you how to make these Quick Fabric Covered Magnets in under 5 minutes!!

When using another blog's tutorial as inspiration, I always want to take a moment to tell you about that blog and the original tutorial. I just think that's the right thing to do, don't you?

Today's project was created based on the

Fabric Magnet Tutorial over at The Life of Jennifer Dawn.

Jennifer is a super sweet woman whose blog, The Life of Jennifer Dawn, is super family friendly!!  She has a bunch of great tutorials and inspirational projects for you to browse through.

If you don' t have time to make many crafts, you should check out her Etsy shop, Bluebird Cottage Designs.  

I thought that Jennifer's Fabric Magnet Tutorial was such a great idea, I just had to come up with my own version!!  The two biggest changes you'll see in my version is that I sewed my fabric around the wooden shapes, rather than glue them.  Also, I used super cheap wooden shapes that I purchased at Michael's in a bag of a few hundred pieces for just $5!!

At the end of the tutorial, I will explain the adjustments you'll need to make in order to cover square/rectangle and heart shapes with fabric.  They can be a bit tricky so be sure to read these "adjustments".

Here's the Quick Fabric Covered Magnets Tutorial...

SUPPLIES

Wood Shapes

Fabric

Felt

Magnets

Glue

Hot glue & glue gun

Step 1: PREP FABRICS

Cut Fabric: Cut pieces of  fabric about 1/2"-3/4" larger than the wooden shape.

Cut Felt Backing: Trace your wooden shape onto felt in coordinating colors and cut out.

Step 2: COVER WOODEN SHAPE

Stitch Edges: Sew a loose running stitch around the edge of the shape.

Cinch Fabric:  Place the wooden shape in the center of the fabric and cinch the fabric around the shape.

Tie a knot to hold the fabric tight around the wooden shape.

Step 3: GLUE FELT BACKING

Using tacky glue, attach the felt to the back of the fabric-covered wood piece.

Step 4: ADD MAGNETS

With a hot glue gun, attach a magnet to the felt side of the shape.

FINISHED!!

SQUARE SHAPE ADJUSTMENTS

Trim the corners of the fabric squares so that they are a bit rounded.

Follow the rest of the steps described above.

HEART SHAPE ADJUSTMENTS

Trim the bottom point of the fabric heart so that it is rounded.

Sew a running stitch around the edge of the fabric and then cinch it around the wooden heart.

Add a stitch from the bottom of the heart to the top indent and back to the bottom; pull the thread tight so the fabric fits tightly into the top indent.

Follow the rest of the steps described above.

Be sure to check out Jennifer's original Fabric Magnet Tutorial too for more great ideas!!

Thanks for reading!!  Until next time...

Version: Cell Phone Pocket

I have a fun and easy Cell Phone Pocket tutorial for you today that I think you're going to enjoy!!

When using another blog's tutorial, I always want to take a moment to tell you about that blog and the original tutorial.  I just think that's the right thing to do, don't you?

Today's project was created based on the original

Cell Phone Pocket Tutorial over at Fireflies and Jellybeans.

I must say that I have a great respect for Fawnda and Jeannine, the bloggers behind Fireflies and Jellybeans.   They've put together such a great craft blog that's packed full of great crafty ideas!!  I love to browse their collection over 140 tutorials!!

If you're addicted to linky parties like me, you need to add Show Off Your Stuff to your list of parties to link up to on Wednesdays!!  Each week, there are 3 categories to add your post links to - Sewing & Crafts, DIY & Home Decor, and Recipes.


When  I first saw the Cell Phone Pocket Tutorial on Fireflies and Jellybeans, I knew I had to make one!!  I just loved the simplicity of the project and the different ways you could "wear" it.  I mean, seriously, take a look at the image below and tell me that doesn't inspire you to make one!!

The original tutorial calls for a sewing machine and pinking sheers, which meant it was a no-go for me.  Then I thought of different ways I could tweak the project into a hand-sewn version that didn't require the pinking sheers!!  Here's the tutorial for my hand-sewn version...

SUPPLIES

Felt in desired colors

Velcro

Lace fabric

Lace Trim

Button

Embroidery floss

Fabric glue

Step 1: PREP POCKET FORM

Here are the original instructions on the dimensions for your felt pocket pieces:

1 rectangle of main color (about an inch wider and longer than your cell phone or Ipod)

1 rectangle + strap of main color (the rectangle is the same size as the other one - the strap is 1.5 inches by 5 inches - it should be all one piece)

Sew or stick-on your Velcro pieces to the top of both pieces (as shown above).

Step 2: CUT OUT APPLIQUE PIECES

Trace and cut out your pattern in both felt and the lace fabric.

Note: I used the template found HERE.

 Step 3: SEW APPLIQUE

Cut a 3rd piece of felt in your main color that is about 1" shorter and narrower than the smaller pocket form felt piece.

Place your lace piece on top of the felt applique and then using a blanket stitch, sew both pieces at once onto the center of the 3rd piece of felt.

Step 4: ADD LACE TRIM

Using your fabric glue, attach your lace trim under the entire edge of the appliqued felt piece.

Step 5: ATTACH TO POCKET FRONT 

Using a back-stitch, sew the lace-trimmed, appliqued piece to the front of the pocket form (smaller felt pocket piece).

Step 6: BLANKET STITCH POCKET

Blanket stitch around the bottom and two sides of your pocket form.  Do not sew the top, because you won't be able to put your cell phone in it!!

Step 7: ADD BUTTON (optional)

If you want disguise your Velcro closure to look like a button one, just sew a button on the front of the strap.

 FINISHED!!

Be sure to check out the Cell Phone Pocket tutorial over at Fireflies and Jellybeans so you can see how they made the original!!

Thanks for reading!! Until next time...