It's Pinspired Friday! {My Very First Pin}

Good morning all! It's...

I thought today that I would showcase my very first "pin"! I was on Pinterest shortly after it started making it's rounds on the social media's and so I hopped on the bandwagon and never looked back! ;) I remember thinking... oh my word. This is crafts galore. And oh! That room is beautiful... and that outfit is stylish... pin pin pin... and suddenly found myself at over 1k pins. Yikes! As you've seen here on the blog, I do actually try to do or at least interpret the pins into something I would like to do and would actually do. I use it as a recipe book quite often now, pinning away foods I would like to make. I have a pin board for those pins I actually do - and I often write a little commentary so that if something I made was God awful, I'll remember it and maybe help someone out along the way as well. So without further ado... my first pin.

DIY Floral Pillows with Ultrasuede Petals

Is anyone surprised that it's a Martha Stewart tutorial? That wonderfully crafty (slightly crazytown) lady. I had no intention of making the pillows but I remember thinking the flower was neat. Where would I put it? I don't know. Would I buy ultrasuede to make these petals like our lovely Martha? That's a big nope. But, that's the beauty of Pinterest - you can see where you've come from, how your styles and tastes have evolved, and even release a little creative energy too.

SPEAKING of creative energy... You're probably wondering where all the tutorials are! I've been loaded with lots of different things going on this past week... and that's where my creative energy has gone. lol :)

First - Mr. LOC asked me if I would be willing to make him a bag for his tip ups, for ice fishing, and I said of course. How hard could it be?

Famous last words. ;) It actually was not TOO hard, it was a bit of trial and error as I had never made a duffel type bag, and the circles on the end were tricky. Since I wasn't following a pattern, I had to sort of...wing it when it came to measurements, and I made the bag a little long BUT, this way it actually can sling across his back vs. being carried on a shoulder, so it worked out. It was a neat experience and I had all of the materials, including that zipper (it was a super vintage one I picked up NIP at a garage sale), and he loves it so that's all that matters to me! :) And no, sorry, there will not be a tutorial since I didn't write anything down and was using scrap fabric, but I can tell you that those brown circles on the end were about 8" across.

My other BIG project of the week was a t-shirt quilt that I was commissioned to do for a friend from high school. I am THRILLLLLED (with that many L's, you know I'm pretty jazzed about it) with how well this came out as it was my first time doing a t-shirt quilt. I'll be writing a feature post next week on how this all came together. I'm very excited for my friend to receive it! :)

So tell me - what was your first pin? Why did you pin it? And do you think you would pin it again today? Thanks for stopping in!

P.S. I am not in any way affiliated with Pinterest or Martha Stewart either...! I realized about half way through that this looked like a giant plug for Pinterest. I just think it's a neat social media and a great creative outlet, that's all. :)

It's Pinspired Friday! {DIY Paint Streak Ornaments}

Goooood morning! It's:

I've got a fun, easy craft for today! It's all started when I came upon this pin:

From A Yellow Bicycle: Pinterest Challenge: Painted Ornaments

And thought... hey! I've got some extra clear bulbs from other crafty projects, I've got some paint and the tree could use a new ornament or two. Surprisingly, I really was not trying to copy the original source's paint... but subconsciously picked pretty similar colors.

So gather your supplies. You'll need:
• Some acrylic craft paint.*
• A clear glass ornament. I read some comments and plastic is a no go.

* Probably a smart idea to use craft paint that was bought at about the same time. All of these were bought at separate times and that midnight color was a bit... chunky

 If you want your ornaments to look like the original... you may want to follow her tutorial. She drips the paint down the side where I give mine a good shake. ;)

Drip some paint into your bulb. Try to get some on the sides if you want more streaks and less all over color.

 I dripped that lighter purple on the side because I wanted a patch of it to show through. Now, a few tips:
• Shake your bulb over the sink and shake vigorously but don't go nuts - some paint might try to fly through the top and you don't want to smack your glass bulb against the sink and have it bust in your hand... that would be bad times.
• I recommend using some sort of paint with some sheen to it... the shimmer really makes the bulb here.
• I read in some comments that people were having a hard time with excess paint drying in the bulb - use an egg carton and let the excess drip out before capping it if you experience any problems. 
• Someone also had a neat idea - they put the paint in and took a straw to push the paint around! I bet that would be very cool looking.
• Some also reported that the paint just dripped off the sides and pooled in the bottom... I hope I don't have a Pinterest fail on my hands but all seems well!  

Grab a paper towel and set it down to try once you've got the colors you wanted and the entire inside is covered.

Wipe off any excess paint on the outside. Admire your handywork and smile at the easiest DIY ever. I love the gold-purple color almost better than the streaked/marbled look! :) And now, some obligatory tree shots. ;)

Did you enjoy this easy DIY? I'd love to see your creations or hear how this worked for you in the comments! Thanks for following along!

 

It's Pinspired Friday! {An easy, last minute Christmas Gift! - DIY Ear Warmer}

Happy Friday! Christmas is just around the corner, and hopefully you're well on your way to figuring out Christmas gifts. If not, have no fear! I've got an easy, cheap, and warm gift tutorial for you today.

It all started when I pinned this about 4 weeks ago:

At Second Street: Fleece Ear Warmers

I thought... those look pretty easy, and what a great way to use up fleece scraps! And so I set off to make my own.

This is a very easy tutorial. This would probably be a great beginner craft for a child or teen even.

I was given a bunch of fleece pieces by my grandmother's associate and friend - they all ranged in sizes and shapes and colors. I grabbed this fun piece of "rock" fabric and some black fleece, and went to town. Want to recreate this? You'll need:

• 2 pieces of fleece fabric (coordinating or contrasting), 24.5" x 3.5" long (May need shorter for child)
• A button (I used a 1" size)
• Sewing Machine and needle and thread for attaching button
• Felt for flower (see below)
• Something circular to round corners.

If you're going to make the flower, you'll need about 8-10 2" or smaller circles cut out of the felt. They don't have to be perfect as you're folding them.

Cut out your two pieces of fabric, 24.5x3.5". You might need to go smaller if you're making this for a child or teen.

Lay your two pieces together. You'll want to place the fabric right side up as we're just going to sew around the edge... no turning inside out here. Fleece thankfully doesn't fray. Using a very scientific method of tracing a ribbon spool (or cup, whatever you can find that works), trace your corners.

What is so nice about this project is that it is very forgiving, which makes it such a good project for someone young or for someone just getting into crafting and sewing.

Now with your corners cut, and your fabric lined up, get your sewing machine ready to sew. I used black thread - the thread sinks into the fleece just a little so it's not very obvious.

Sew around the outside with a 1/4" seam allowance. I use my zipper foot because it's just easier for me to line the side of the fabric with the side of the foot. I recommend not starting in either curve, but right after a curve.

Your fabric might get a little wonky with shifting and such (fleece is kind of notorious for this) so trim up your edges so they match.

Cut your button hole by folding the fabric over and making a small slit. Be careful not to cut it too large. Because it's fleece, we won't need to sew around the hole as it won't unravel. Yay! I cut my button hole to 1/2" for a 1" button (it stretches quite a bit!), so that's about a 1/4" cut (because you're cutting into the fold. :))

On the other end, sew your button. You'll want to sew your button on the top of the fleece that faces outward, unless for some reason you don't want the button to show (this will be harder to fasten, too)

Now, if you're going to make the flower, proceed: if not, go ahead and put on your ear warmer! How easy was that?

Cut your circles, if you haven't already. I ended up using about 8-10 circles. Get your thread and needle ready. You'll want a fair amount of thread.

Pinch the circles in the midle like so. They kind of look like fortune cookies! Align them up on your head warmer and start sewing them to the fleece. I imagine you could hot glue them too if you wanted, but I think in this case thread and needle might be easier. Sew them in a cluster until a flower starts to form!

And there you have it! A cute, easy gift for someone you love or even a gift for yourself.

A weird angle - the flower is definitely more circular in real life!

Did you like this tutorial? Help me out by pinning it to Pinterest! Got to have it? It's available in my Etsy shop! Thanks for following along!

Don't forget to take advantage of FREE SHIPPING in my Etsy store until 12/25/12! Use coupon code LITTLEOAKCHRISTMAS12 when checking out!

Now offering FREE SHIPPING until 12/25/12 in the Etsy Store!

I've got a pretty cool blog post for you today!

In the spirit of Christmas, I've decided to offer FREE SHIPPING on all of my products in my Etsy store until 12/25/12! Obviously, the sooner you order, the more likely your item will arrive before Christmas, so order today!

Use coupon code 

 LITTLEOAKCHRISTMAS12  

(all caps!) to receive free shipping. Find my Etsy store here.

Can't figure out how to use a coupon code? Etsy has a pretty good article on their website about how to use a coupon code. You have to enter the code for the free shipping to work, it is not automatically deducted. :)

Terms: All items purchased with this coupon code will be shipping through the United States Postal Service. Items can take up 2-9 days to arrive. Items may ship parcel post, depending on size and weight, but will always be shipped with the utmost care and protection for your item. Items will ship from Michigan. Items purchased after 12/15 carry the risk of not arriving before 12/25. Please allow 1-2 days to process. Coupon code expires 12/25/12.

So have you had your eye on that birdie wedding cake topper set? Or maybe that mouse shaped catnip toy? Now is the time to grab it! :)

Thanks for looking and Happy Shopping! Pass the news on to your friends!

Can you guess what I'm working on... Revealed!

So you may be wondering what the heck I was referring to in this post back on the 28th of October... a little teaser post with an owl picture?...

Earlier in October, I posted my first bird mobile on Etsy and within just a few seconds of sharing it on my personal Facebook, one of my friends contacted me and wanted to know if I would be willing to do one in owls for one of her expecting friends. I had never done one in owls... heck, I'd only ever done one of these things and this was it. But I thought... why not? And we got in touch to plan out the perfect little owl mobile.

We spent some time together picking out the perfect fabric, and I got to work.

 

A prototype :)

We picked colors that would work for either gender and using a mix of cotton, a flannel and embroidery thread, these owls started to take shape. 

 A slight alteration of the pattern...

 Picking just the right ribbons...

And making sure all of the fabric matched... I had 6 tiny owls with big personalities on my hands. :)

Sorry, this photo is slightly blurry, but I thought it was a nice close-up for showing off the details. Each one, and each piece on each owl is hand-embroidered for that cute little "primitive", or "young" look. No sewing machine here! I love the machine but sometimes for things like this it's more headache than just sewing it by hand.

And finally, after quite a few days of deliberation on perfect ribbons and colors, we had a completed mobile.

I can honestly say I am THRILLED with how this turned out and I could not have worked with a better client. She put up with all of my cryptic texts that probably made more sense in my head than written out about fabric choices and ribbon selection and was just awesome to work with. It was awesome stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something I had never done before!

I am coming up with a new way of creating a mobile that I think will be just as cute if not cuter (more cute?). I am not sure I will be taking any more custom requests on this style of mobile any longer BUT I am planning a new style that will be much easier to ship and faster to complete, so stay tuned for more information on that! :)

Thanks for following along! If you've got any questions or comments, I'd love to hear 'em! :)

More Goodies Added to the Store! {Just in Time for Christmas!}

Hi all! I just wanted to stop in real quick and talk about some of the goodies that I added to my Etsy store yesterday. I added a few handmade items and a few vintage items too!

First off, I added a one of a kind owl plushie made out of vintage fabrics. He can be used as a door hanger in a nursery (he doesn't have any sharp or small parts, so he's okay around little hands! :), an ornament on a tree, a gift tag, pretty much anything!

OOAK Owl Plushie Door Hanger Nursery Gift Tag Ornament Cute Boy Blue

You might recognize that pattern from my little teaser post in late October... and don't worry, I'm going to reveal what that little purple owl was up to real soon (keep your eye on the blog on Monday)! Just like the others, he's hand-stitched. He's a steal at only $5.99.

Next, I posted a vintage trivet/doily in phenomenal shape, believed to be from the 1950's or so. The colors are vibrant and the grapes are intricate and cute.

Vintage Crocheted Grapes Trivet Doily Grapes Great Condition Great Grandma or Mother Gift

I think this would make an excellent gift for a grandmother or mother this Christmas, especially for one who loves grapes or has a grape/wine theme going on. Priced at $9.99. I can't crochet to save my life but I can just imagine the time this took to make!

Then, I added a baby pink garter! I hand-sewed each bead and sequin to the garter. I actually have been making these for years - back in high school, I used to put them on eBay for a little extra spending cash. I thought this would be prefect for a bachelorette party, prom or a wedding.

Baby Pink Garter Handsewn Sequins and Beads Perfect for Wedding Prom Bachelorette Party

What is neat is that the beads don't fly off when the garter is stretched. The way that they are sewn into the elastic helps this. :) Priced at $6.99, I think this would even be cute to attach to the bachelorette's gift!

Up next, I added a pair of "Christmas Tree" earrings that I created. They aren't actually Christmas trees, but I think the wire wrapping and the triangular shape makes them look that way! I can't help but think they would be cute for a holiday party or New Years.

Chandelier Earrings Blue/Turquoise Pearl Wire Wrapped Triangle French Hooks Costume Jewelry

They're stainless steel and a "steal" at $5.99.

This next one is kind of fun: They are vintage "dice" earrings. Two little red dice are surrounded by a little goldtone cage and hang off of goldtone hoops. I was actually surprised when I found others on Etsy like these!

Vintage Dice Dangle Earrings Cage with Dice Pierced Ears Las Vegas Casino Goldtone

Others had theirs priced up to $22.00, but I think these would be fun for Las Vegas or a Casino and I doubt you'd want to spend all of you casino money on earrings, so I priced mine at $7.99. ;)

And last but not least, where would we be if we didn't add a birdie to the mix? I created this little guy out of Moda "Reunion" fabric, which is just gorgeous and fun to work with. I thought he would be awesome perched up on a shelf in a nursery (he's got some sharp parts, so he unfortunately is not a toy) or would even make a cute birthday cake topper.

Grey Plushie Bird Freestanding Handsewn Nursery Home Decor

He's very cute and priced at $5.99. He also comes in a little gift box for easy gift giving!

So there you have it... my latest additions to the store! I wanted to add some decently priced goodies because I know the holidays can get tight budget-wise. Keep checking back for more decent priced holiday gift ideas!

It's Pinspired Friday!

It's Friday already??? Guess that means its time for...!

Well guys, I am sharing something near and dear to me today... about two years ago now, I ran across this pin:

 

This is the Land of Nod baby bird mobile. It's unfortunately not available on their website any longer, but I do remember looking at it on their website and it was something like $80.00.  Holy mackerel. It's cute and all but I wasn't sure it was worth 80 bucks. I was inspired (Pinspired!) to make something like that but even more cute and more affordable.

Now, if you're anything like me, I like to copy EXACTLY what I see on Pinterest. If it doesn't match pretty dang perfectly, I get a little bummed. It's such a bad habit, because I know Pinterest is there to spark creativity but sometimes it's hard to not compare yours to the perfectly photographed, perfectly lit, perfectly coiffed version. I actually read an interesting blog post on this once, I'll have to see if I can dig it up.

BUT, I was determined this time to be inspired, not run out and grab blue, green and white yarn. A lot of that was determined by the fact that I can't crochet, knit, etc. to save my life. Haha. What I can do though is sew, so enter my version:

I used a variety of grosgrain ribbons, a super cute monkey and "baby" fabric and it was all done in green so it's unisex... a great gift for those expecting but waiting to find out the sex. I did hand sew each of the birds (it gets faster the more you do, haha). This project was really a matter of trial and error... it was really awesome to just be creative with a general idea in mind, hence why this project is so near and dear to my heart... it was really a release of creativity and it was just an awesome feeling to see it complete!

It is available to purchase... hence why no tutorial (and the fact this took me almost 2 years to complete means no in-progress pictures... sorry about that.) It's available in the Little Oak Creations Etsy shop, please check it out sometime!

Thanks for reading! I hope that you can find inspiration from this post... take something you see and make it your own and make it awesome! :)