jane's apron

how to print on tags

Back when I had time to mess around on photoshop, I lifted these images from a vintage sewing book and a vintage sewing pattern for aprons (I even added color to the apron).  And then I printed them on tags.  Here's how I did it...

• Print the image on a piece of printer paper.
• Place the tag on top of the paper so that the image is centered under the tag.
• Tape the tag to the printer paper with a small amount of clear tape.  
• Put the paper/tag combo back into the printer and print the image again.
• Your tag should be printed...now just remove the tape and take it off the paper.

wallpaper for girls

I got a new phone last week.  I am now completely attached to it...I even let it charge in a cradle on my nightstand and let it wake me up in the morning.  

The first thing I needed to do to make the phone mine was to add some wallpaper.  I quickly learned that most of the wallpaper is designed by and for guys.  So, I did a little research and I made my own wallpaper for girls.  If you have an android-type phone, you should be able to click on the photo and set it as your wallpaper.   

 
 If you'd like to try your own, here's how I did it:

• crop your image so it is 960 x 854 px
• get the image on your phone (email, download from flickr, etc.)
• find the app called "Wallpaper Set and Save" and it takes care of the rest (giving a nice, clear wallpaper)

If you try using mine, please let me know how (and if) it worked.  If it works, I'd love to make some more to share.  

trivet frame

When I said I'd be back Friday, I meant last Friday....so let's get to it.   This is one of the images from Somerset Studio that I shared in the last post.  Do you recognize the frame it's in?  It's one of those metal trivets that are always sitting on the shelves at the thrift stores.  

I got the idea from my Flea Market Style mag and snagged a trivet for $0.25.  It was really easy to transform the trivet:

• snap out the tile
• sand the trivet to reveal some bare metal
• let the trivet sit in water
• remove and let it air dry
• ...and watch the pretty rust develop

I kept my collage simple and did some rough stitching around the edges to match the mood of the frame.  

Of course, I'll be back next week but I'm not making promises anymore.  You just never know what you'll come home to everyday...like discovering that someone has attempted to remove the copper gutters from your house with only partial success...because we all need a little extra stress and more items on our to-do list right?  

altered book tutorial

I've been meaning to share this tutorial forever and am finally getting it done because I accidentally ran across the instructions last week.  The tutorial is an altered book project that I did for the "yellow" month at a Year-of-Color.  I love this project because, though I did it pretty simply, you can take the ideas and add lots of your own to make your own unique book.    

 

The first step is to find a hardcover book.  I found mine at the library sale table for $0.25 and chose it because I like the uneven page edges.  If needed, tear off the library dust jacket.

 

Since the color theme was yellow, I gathered everything I might use.  This is always way more than I need but it helps me see what I want to make.  Just put everything in a big inspiring pile.

 

The tools to alter the book are simple.  I used an UHU glue stick, a bone folder, matte sealer, a flower hole punch, a sanding sponge, a set of flower stamps, ink,  staples, and bottled glue.  I also save my Anthropologie catalogs as my glue work surface…just place your paper on a page, smear it with glue, and then turn the page for a fresh surface.

 

Cut the papers you have chosen into patches…squares, rectangles, smaller, and bigger.   Glue the patches to the front and back covers of the book (keep the binding exposed until later) overlapping the edge by a half-inch or so.  Use two patches to easily work around the book corners.   I use the bone folder to smooth and secure the paper.  Cut a single piece of paper to cover the book binding edge.  Use a good amount of glue and your fingers to get a good fit. 

 

After your book is covered in pretty patches, measure the inside of the covers and cut two pieces of paper to fit.  Glue them to the inside of the covers.   At this point, I applied a light layer of matte decoupage glue to seal the papers.  After everything is dry, lightly sand the book edges and surfaces…this gives the book a pretty finished look. 

 

Now for the insides pages.   The first pocket we’ll make is a double folded pocket.  Choose two pages in the book and, starting at the top of the page, tear the first one (on the binding side) halfway down the book.  Fold the page down (this is your bottom pocket).  Now tear the second page (starting from the bottom) halfway up the page and fold it.  This is your top pocket.  Glue the inside edge of both pockets with a small line of bottled glue.   Next, you need to seal the open edges of the pockets.  I used a punched flower and a staple but you could also use glue or stitching.   To finish, I punched half of a flower in each pocket opening.  The pockets hold a vintage note card and a tag. 

 

The next pocket is an easy one.  Fold a page edge down until it meets the inside edge of the book.  Use a line of glue to keep the folded edge down.  Secure the folded edge page to the next page with another flower and staple.  This larger pocket holds a note card. 

 

The final pocket is simply an envelope.  Glue it to a page so the envelope opening is easy to use.   I filled the pockets with small cards, punched flowers, and pretty paper scraps. 

There are lots of ways to add details within the book and one of them is to punch a flower in a page and stamp an image on the next so it shows through the flower. 

 

To finish the outside of the book, I tore some round shapes from a book page, added a punched flower, stitched them together with a button, added a stem and torn leaves and added the flower to the front of the book…a pretty way to finish what turned out to be a pretty, flowery book.  

easy handmade journals

 

I've never attempted to make an art journal or my own scrapbook but I have a strong motivation right now to take things out of boxes and drawers and give them the attention they deserve. 

I made two journals...one for all of the cool little bits I've received from blog friends and one to store my Jane's Apron stuff that I want to keep (like postcards, business cards, and the first sewing pattern card I made).   

 

For the basic construction, I started with heavy scrapbook paper cut to 8.5 x 11 inches.  Then, without worrying about color, I folded the papers in half and nested them together.  I used a paper piercing tool to poke 5 holes along the spine of the journal and threaded the pages together with baker's twine.  I used 5 pieces of paper for each journal for a total of 10 pages.   

 

Again, without much planning, I added paper scraps, envelopes, and little bits that I liked.  The next layer added photos, moo cards, business cards, buttons, ribbons...much busier and chunky than I normally would do (but it was fun!).  I could keep going with stitching, paint, journaling...whatever.  The journals are pretty tough and have a heftiness when you hold them.

 

There's also plenty of room to add more stuff.  And plenty of other ideas in my head...I made 3 more journals to get some of my kids memories out of boxes and into their hands.  

patchwork clipboard - a tutorial

 

Patchwork clipboards are really easy to make.  Of course, they can be made in many different ways but this is my method...they are pretty, simple, totally usable....and very gift-able.  I hope seeing a few steps sparks some ideas that you'd like to try.  

First, gather the supplies:

• standard (letter-sized) clipboard
• 6x6 paper stack or paper scraps
• decoupage glue
• strong craft glue
• sanding sponge
• old magazine or catalog
• foam brush
• buttons and twine

Cut the paper stack or scraps into several 3x6 and 3x3 pieces.  I used a paper stack this time...it's an easy way to work with coordinating papers without much thought.  

 

Arrange the cut papers.  Keep the layout as shown but put them together the way you like.  Include two small squares for the top of the clipboard.  

 

This is the only hard part of the project.  Cut a small strip from one of the squares and place it on top of the clip hardware (the part connected to the clipboard).  Use your fingers to press the paper around the clip, lift it up, and cut around the indentations you made (it helps to look at the back of the paper to see the indentations a little better).  You should have a piece of paper that fits perfectly.  Do the same thing on the other side of the clip.  

Now we're ready to glue the pieces to the clipboard.  Use an old catalog or magazine...lay a paper piece on the catalog and use the foam brush to apply the decoupage glue to the back of the paper.  Place the piece on the clipboard and smooth it with your fingers.  With the arrangement I've shown, the pieces will overlap slightly in some places.  Flip the page of the catalog and repeat with the rest of the patchwork pieces.  Let dry.

The next step is important.  Sand the edges of the paper over the entire clipboard.  This gives a finished look to the edges and a little life to patchwork pieces.  I use a sanding sponge that you can find at any hardware store in the paint supply aisle.  I put the clipboard in my lap to do the sanding...paper dust gets all over my clothes and on the kitchen floor.   Here's a before and after sanding comparison:

 

 

See how much better the sanding makes it?  

The next step is to seal the papers so they are durable and ready for everyday use (one of my clipboards fell into a crockpot of chicken soup once and I just had to wipe it clean).   I hold the clip open, apply the glue under the right side, and slide a pen under the left side to keep the clip open while the glue dries.  Do the same thing for the left side.  Put a good coat of glue over the rest of the surface being careful to hit the edges too.  Let dry and give the entire clipboard and edges a light sanding.  

 

We're almost done.  Adding the buttons is not necessary but it's a nice way to hide the brand name on the clip hardware.  I used three vintage buttons and threaded the middle one with a piece of baker's twine.  Glue the buttons to the clip with a strong craft glue (I use a version of wackytac).   

 

folded needle case

When I was sewing my daughter's communion dress this spring, I had to run to my mom's house for help with the zipper.  She gave me one of her quilting needles to hem the dress and told me not to lose it.  Not lose it? Apparently there are needles that are more special than others...I had no idea. 

My parents are Great Depression children and learned to keep and to take care of stuff...to the extreme. My mom seriously has a paint brush that she has been using continuously since before I was born.   Borrowing stuff from them makes me nervous.  So I stuck the needle in the hem of the dress and hoped for the best.  

When Barbara at Oodles and Oodles posted a tutorial for a pretty needle case, I knew what I wanted to make my mom for her birthday.  I put this together on the morning of her birthday using an embroidered dresser scarf that I bought for 0.50 and vintage bias tape and snaps.  I didn't have any felt so I ironed interfacing to the back of a scrap of ticking to hold the needles. 

I need to make a needle case for myself now...so I can take care of my needles, know where they are, and keep them around a little longer.   

altered gift box

This is an idea I had for A Year of Color but didn't quite get to in June.  It's a gift box/jewelery box that works as a shadowbox frame...a total "use what you have" project.  

I created the main collage on a 4x6 postcard and added a couple of embellishments to it.  I love the "SUGGESTED FABRICS: Gingham" text. 

 

For the box, I cut scrapbook papers to fit the sides and back and glued them to the outside and inside edges of the box.  I used a page from a vintage sewing book for the inside of the box.  I sanded the edges and then washed with an eggshell paint.

Almost done... I punched two holes at the top of the box and threaded a pretty seem binding ribbon as a hanger.  I added the collage inside the box with pieces of thick foam to give it a little dimension.  

I love the possibilities of a simple box like this.  Instead of the collage, you could add a favorite photo and/or dimensional mementos...ticket stubs, button cards, invitations, postcards.

play tents

I have said before here that I am a reluctant Brownie Scout leader.  This year is slightly better because I have a dedicated helper at the meetings and I've learned a few things from my teaching classes about classroom management and procedures...along with my Girl Scout Law addendum that states "and there is no crying in Brownie Scouts".  

Combining the need for something fun for the girls with the need for an item for our school auction, I found a perfect project for a play tent.   It takes only a few items...heavy cotton duck cloth, bamboo garden stakes, plastic rings, and grommets.   And some optional paint, ribbon, and beads.

I basically followed this tutorial with a few modifications:

• There is one major flaw in the instructions.  The tutorial calls for 3 yards of 60 in. wide fabric...folded in half to make a 60 in. square.  This is impossible because 3 yards will only make a 54 in. square. So...buy 3.5 yards and trim it by 6 in. to get a 60 in. square.  
• I used 7 stakes instead of 6.  You can never have too much structure.   
• When marking the spots for the plastic rings, it's much easier to lay the cut canvas on the floor, place the stakes on the fabric, and mark where the rings will go.   

I had my art teacher friend help with the painting.  The girls took turns painting the grass and then each took a turn painting a flower.  The girls also each had a ribbon and beads to make a pretty decoration for the top of the tent.  After everything dried, I went back and added some detail to the flowers and butterflies and added some clouds.  

 

The auction is next weekend and I think the tent will look really cute...a bright colorful display to go along with all of the other items.  Of course, my daughter wants me to bring this back home but we'll see...I have a feeling we'll be making another one for our house.  

stitched notebooks

Last summer, Erin at house on hill road asked for vintage sheet scraps to create a quilt she had in mind.  I had a green dot fabric I thought she'd like and sent it to her along with a few others.  She made a beautiful quilt scattered with flowers...and then shared the same pretty flowers stitched on notebooks.  I love my notebook...it's handmade, it's pretty, and it was such an unexpected thank you (the best kind).  

Inspired by the notebooks, I tried my own version using paper. 

 

Want to try it?  I ordered the notebooks from amazon, used a glue stick to create my collage directly on the notebook, and then used a simple straight stitch around the entire border.   Learn from my first mistake and start at the top right corner of the image (otherwise you might end up running the machine in reverse...not recommended).

I also made one with a ribbon bookmark secured with a zig-zag stitch and a vintage button.

I just love pretty and practical things.