Funky Reindeer Package Wrap

 

This is a version of Risque Reindeer my son came up with a few years ago (see below).  Instead of using a paper bag, I used the packaging the gift was mailed to me in, pulled off the sticker, cutout out the antlers, eyes lips and "jewel" from a magazine, used red glitter glue for the nose and silver glitter glue for the chain on the necklace and a bow I saved from last year.

    

See Risque Reindeer Gift Bag and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Bows 'N Tulle 20 Minute T-Shirt Refashion

 

I wanted to fancy up a t-shirt with a somewhat vintage feel and created this for $2 using only a pair of scissors - no sewing required!  (1st picture is bow tied onel second picture is bow tied twice).

Items used:

• T-shirt
• Roll of 6 inch wide tulle (Purchased at Dollar Tree $1 - found in the bridal section)
• Scissors
• Seam gauge or ruler
• 1 piece scrap paper
• Pencil or marking chalk
• Safety pin

At the neckline, measure and mark 1/2 inch below the binding and cut.








Using a piece of paper I folded a long triangle with the base being and inch and 1/2 wide and cut it out.  Place up against the bound end of the sleeve with the narrowest part at the top and the widest at the bottom and mark.






At the neckline, measure 3/4 of an inch down and mark all the way around.  Mark the center front and back on the shirt.  One inch from each mark will be where you want to start your 2 inch markings.

 From the 3/4 inch mark, measure two inches down and mark all the way around at two inch intervals.

On the sleeves, starting at the top of the sleeve, also measure 3/4 inch from the edge and mark, then measure two below that mark and mark on the sleeve at two inch intervals.

Make cuts where marked.  I found it easiest to fold the fabric in half on the line marked and begin the cut.  Repeats all the way around the neckline and on the sleeves.

For the neckline, I cut a piece approximately 2 1/2 yards of tulle and folded the bottom up 2 inches and the top down two inches and folded the end over and secured with a safety pin to make it easier to thread through the neckline.

Start threading two cuts below the right hand side on the t-shirt weaving in and out all the way around then tie into a bow.   Trim bow to the length you want.

On the sleeve,  start one cut down from the top and thread all the way around, tie a bow and cut ends to the length you want, repeat on the other sleeve.






This is for Day 22 for 30 Days of Creativity

Bicycle Dress from T-Shirt

 This size 3-4 girls dress was made using a free pattern and instructions by Dana from "Made" using a large t-shirt.  The only variations that I made is instead of freezer paper stenciling a banana for the "Warhol" dress, I used free clip art from The Graphics Fairy of a Vintage Bicycle and added a ruffle at the bottom using a decorative stitch.

Items used:

• Free pattern and instructions from Dana from "Made"
• The Graphics Fairy of a Vintage Bicycle
• T-Shirt (I used a women's large)
• 2 pieces of fabric 2 1/2 inches by 26 inch fabric for bow
• 1 piece of fabric 2 inches by 36 inches for ruffle
• Printer and paper
• Black fabric paint
• Scissors
• Iron
• Sewing machine and matching thread 
• Straight pins 

I followed the instructions up to cutting out and stitching armholes and gather stitching, but before stitching together I printed off a half-page image of the bike then played around with where I wanted to position it on the dress.

 Using the black fabric paint I went over all of the black lines with black paint the positioned it on the t-shirt with the paint side down and lightly patted it down to transfer the image (Note:  it will be a mirror image to whatever image you are transferring, so it won't work with lettering).




For the remainder of the dress, I followed the instructions.

I also added a two inch ruffle (approximately 1 yd wide) at the bottom, using an iron to press up a 1/2 inch hem then stitching down and using a gather stitch at the top.  I then sewed the ends together, pinned underneath the shirt at the hem then applied the decorative stitch to finish.

Linking up to:

"Friends" Themed Paper Organizer

This is for Day 7 of 30 Days of Creativity with the theme of "Friends".  I chose to make a file organizer (but could also be used as a magazine holder) for my son's college papers out of a cereal box and cover it will a collage of pictures of him and his friends.

Items used:

• Cereal box (I used Captain Crunch)
• Scissors
• 8-12 photos
• Glue stick
• Clear Contact paper

Cut the top off of the box and cut at an angle on each side and straight across the front.

Pick out the photos you want to use and arrange them on the box then glue down.

Apply clear Contact paper (I purchased mine at Dollar Tree for $1) over the photos.

Jeans to Tote Bag

 This is for  30 Days of Creativity and the theme for Day 4 is Trousers, so I decided to turn a pair of jeans into a girly tote bag.   I used tulle as an accent through the belt loops but any fabric or even a belt could be used.

Items used:

• Jeans or pants with belt loops
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine and thread
• Rope 
• Tulle (off of a roll from the Dollar Store - approx. 12 inches wide  & 3 yds)

Cut pants off straight across above the crotch.

Zigzag around all edges to prevent fraying.

Turn inside out and pin together at the bottom and stitch 5/8 inch away from the edge.  Trim corners and turn right side out.

For the handle, I cut 2 pieces of rope a little over a yard long each and sewed to the pants 3 inches away from each edged on each side.  If the rope you use is polyester, you can seal the edge using a lighter or candle before applying to the jeans.


Cut the tulle at a diagonal on the edges, thread through the loops and tie in a bow.



Linking up to:

DIY Monster Hoodie in 30 minutes

This is based on this tutorial at Cut Out and Keep by Cuppy Cake Girl  decorating a hoodie using 3 different colors of felt.

See Monster Hoodie! Roar! and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep
Instead of using felt,  I used outdated or damaged clothing I had on hand.  The "teeth" are made from an old pair of white polyester shorts s, the "iris" of the eye from a silk dress and the "pupil" was off of a pair of parachute pants. 

I also changed the eye to look more reptilian and placed farther apart so I could make it look like a "normal" hoodie with the hood down and I could tuck the "teeth" inside.

I sewed mine and from cut to finish took a little under half hour, but it could be possible to make using a craft glue that works on fabrics and it might take even less time.


Item I used:
-  1 old hoodie
-   Paper and pen
-  3 different colors of felt or fabric
-  Straight Pins
-  Sewing Machine and Thread
-  Sewing Needle
-   Heat N Bond
-   Iron

For my teeth, I drew I folded a piece of paper and cut at an angle to make a triangle on paper 41/2 inches wide and 4 1/4 tall, but if you have drawstring hoodie you might want to make it longer.   I then pinned to the shorts and cut out each one then flipped the pattern upside down next to it (as illustrated in blue in the picture below) and repeated until I had a total of 8 teeth.

For the eye, I folded a piece of paper into quarters and cut off the edges to make somewhat of a semi-circle that was 4 1/2 inches wide and 2 3/4 inches tall

Here is the "eye" unfolded.  I made the "pupil" by folding paper into quarters then cutting a triangle that was wider at the bottom and sharper curve inward toward the top that was 1 1/8 inches wide and 4 1/4 inches tall (pictured on top of the "iris".

I drew the eye and pupil on top of the Heat N Bond and cut out then ironed on to the back for the fabric for the "eye" and "iris"

On the "pupil", peel off the backing, position where you want on the eye and iron on.

Peel the backing off of the "iris", position it on the hood.(you might pin then try on and check first).  Once it looks the way you want on the hoodie, iron it to the hoodie.

To keep the fabric from fraying and secure it to the hoodie,  I zigzagged around the edge of both the "pupil" and "iris" using a sewing machine.

For the "teeth", I had to position the edges behind the string in the hoodie (about an 1 5/8 inches from the edge), pinning four "teeth" on each side, overlapping slightly and stitch into place around 1 1/2 inches from the edge.

I also hand basted the "teeth" along the edge of the hoodie to help keep them in place.




 You now have monster hoodie to wear:)

Be sure to check out the other participants in the blog hop for May Monster Madness!

Show your monster spirit

1.	Annie Walls	15.	Horror Author Vanessa Morgan	29.	blackdragon
2.	Little Gothic Horrors	16.	Cayce @ Fighting Dreamer	30.	Jurassic Goth
3.	Pensive Pumpkin	17.	It Came From The Man Cave	31.	Monsterfink's Midnight Monster Spookshow
4.	Queens of the Wild Frontier	18.	It's On Random	32.	Residentgamer
5.	Lady Bethezda	19.	Not This Time, Nayland Smith	33.	nitebyrd
6.	Le Professeur Gothique	20.	Artwork By Living Dead Girl Nicole	34.	Everything You Want
7.	wicKED	21.	Metamorphosis	35.	Kweeny Todd
8.	Shingle Creek Manor	22.	Crafts and Creations with KMOM14	36.	Ghost Stories and Haunted Places
9.	Daph's Dark Little Corner	23.	skarlett	37.	Jess @ Wickedly Bookish
10.	Jenny Krueger	24.	Dani Harper, Paranormal Author	38.	GingerRead
11.	Holly's Horrorland	25.	Manvshorror	39.	Lynoire
12.	blackwood	26.	Horror Shock Lolipop	40.	HorrorSmorgasbord
13.	Punk You	27.	Bob @ Beauty in Ruins	41.	The Purple Broom
14.	Kharisma Rhayne	28.	Precious Monsters

(Collection closed)

Link tool by inlinkz.com

LARGE DRAGON EGG

Welcome to the first day of Monster Madness Blog Hop running from May 1 - 7th.  Check out the other participants at the link at the bottom.
My first project is a dragon egg that you can make out of an empty 2 liter bottle. 

-  1 empty 2 liter plastic bottle, rinsed and label removed
-  Scissors, Xacto knife, hot blade or box cutter & Sharpie
-  Duct Tape
- Glue Gun and Hot Glue Sticks
-  Spray Paint (black) and Glitter Glue (gold)

I used this to hold a small present for my son for Easter - it does make a unique package!  He uses it to hold miscellaneous items. 

The first step in making it is to measure up 4 inches from the bottom of the bottle and mark using a Sharpie.  Cut the top off the top of the bottle (I used a hot knife) then measure 3 1/2 inches down and mark with a Sharpie.  Cut along the lines (I used a pair of scissors as it allows better control).  It will look like the pieces below when you are done.

Cut a small square of duct tape, enough to cover the opening on the top.

Put the top inside the bottle and an angle and wiggling it until it fits snuggly, the use the hot glue gun to give it texture.  On the very top I put swirls on the tap and down about and inch then made oval shapes all the way around and added other squiggles in the middle, but don't cross over to the bottom of the bottle.   On the bottom I mostly did different squiggles; on this too, don't cross over to the top of the bottle.

I used a few coats of black spray paint on the outside, allowing it to dry between coats, but you could use any color that strikes your fancy.

After completely dried, I also then used glitter glue on mostly on the "veins" created by the hot glue gun  to give it sparkley, mystical look, but it you could omit it if you wanted a different look.

GOTHIC ROSE TRASHION NECKLACE

See Gothic Rose Trashion Necklace and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

This is for Day 27 of 30 Days of Creativity for the theme "Extinct Media".  As I have lots of old VHS tapes around the house I decided to craft a necklace using the magnetic tape inside the cassette.

The finished necklace looks much better in purpose because the shiny surfaces catches and refracts the light.

Trashion Jellyfish Necklace

This is for Day 15 of 30 Days of Creativity www.30daysofcreativity.com and the theme is Sea Creatures and I decided to make this Jellyfish Necklace from the bottom of a water bottle, clear ribbon from used correction tape, glue, a headpin and clear beads and stretch elastic and a lobster clasp.

I have posted a tutorial for this over at Cutout + Keep
Happy crafting:)

Picnic Themed Trashion Necklace

This picnic themed necklace for Day 13 "Picnic" theme for 30 Days of Creativity www.30daysofcreativity.com.  When I think of picnics I think of gingham table cloths, plastic utensils, 2 liter bottles of sodas and ants.  

Fortunately, I had all of the item in my stash and it is is made entirely of recycled/upcycled material except for the crochet thread holding it together and glue from a hot glue gun.

The ant is off a purchased cake, the fabric "bead' from scraps of two different types of gingham, a washed knife and spork, two diet coke caps.   I have now posted a "How To" over at Cutout + Keep
and would love to see any inspired pieces that someone else would come up with.

I was excited to see this featured on One Pretty Thing

Happy Crafting!

Geeky Chic Einstein Inspired Necklace

This is for Day 13 of 30 Days of Creativity www.30daysofcreativity.com and today's theme is Albert Einstein and decided to make this necklace using the circuit board of an old remote and gold dimensional paint with the obvious "E=mc2" but to the side of that add the elemental symbol, number and atomic weight of Einsteinium, which is name after Albert Einstein and is and artificially produced radioactive element and the 99 of the Periodic table of elements, represented by the letters Es and an atomic weight of 252 then sprayed it with a clear coat.

The black part of the necklace is part of an old keyboard cord from a keyboard I salvaged.

To further represent the Einsteinium I made two beads out of polymer clay using a small straw to make the hole in one and made it big enough on one end for the cord and the shape of the plug on the other bead and a partial hole with a small straw on the other side then baked for 15 minutes, let cool and then painted with red spray paint.  To give it a radioactive effect I used green glow-in-the-dark fabric paint and painted over the red.

I used two headpins and twisted them then put them in the other side of the bead and secured with high strength adhesive.  I added a few jump rings on the the circuit board and then connected them to to head pins.

I used two headpins and bent them to resemble coils to attach to the ends of the circuit board.

Cow Belle

 This is for Day 9 of 30 Day of Creativity http://30daysofcreativity.com/ and the theme is "Cow Bell".  When I was brainstorming trying to come up with ideas, my son suggested this and I loved the idea and it is going to be our new outdoor decoration underneath the eaves.

I cut the top off a 2 liter soda bottle using a hot knife and then painted it gold with spray paint.  I added a little tutu to make the cow more girly and into a "belle" and tied a piece of crochet thread around the neck and two pop tabs for clangers and then screwed the top over the thread to secure it.  I added a bow to dress it up and for the hanger a Christmas ornament hanger used a piece of metal tape to secure it.

I have also posted this at Cutout + Keep

UNDER 1 MINUTE MAKEOVER FOR A CHAIR

This is for Day 8 of 30 Days of Creativity http://30daysofcreativity.com/ 
and the theme is "recycle".

This computer chair was dumpster bound due to tears in the fabric/staining but given a makeover in less than a minute and requires no special skills.

It is accomplished using a King sized pillow sham (bought on clearance at Walmart for $1).  All you have to do is open one of the back flaps, shimmy it over the back of the chair and you are done!

Entry in to Craftster Challenge 34 - Thrifty & Stylish Wraps - "Wraps from Scraps"

I entered the above challenge with the following:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=285682.0

The Guitar Shaped Gift Bag

This is the guitar gift bag for smaller gifts that was fashioned out of a magazine page, plain paper, a ribbon and glue stick with a template made using old CDs. I posted a How-To on Cut And Keep: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/guitar_shape_small_gift_bag

The Shrektacular Corseted Reusable DVD Wrap

This barely made it in on time for the challenge as I had to get batteries for my camera to take pictures.

I had a design sort of in mind before I started to try to prevent peeking by making it hard to get into and it worked out well, but as I wasn't sure it would work out at all I didn't document the process as I went and now will backtrack to make a tutorial.

Recycle Gift Wraps From Magazine and Catalog Pages:

I also posted recycled wraps from magazines and catalogs. I posted a How-To on this at Cut And Keep:

http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/recycled_gift_wrap

WRAPS FROM RECYCLES BAGS AND PAPER Here are wraps made out plastic bags with the tags made out of paper. The idea for the plastic bags were from the following:

http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/reusable_christmas_gift_wrapping/versions/1