SEW WHAT?

Build a Dream Playhouse (Giveaway)

2011-07-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

Remember when you were little and you wanted to play house? Well, if you have little ones or know someone that does. I bet they would love this. My kids certainly got excited when they saw this post.

Head on over to Frugalmommyof2girls and enter for a chance to win this awesome playhouse.

Want a $100 gift card?

2011-07-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

Anyone could use a 100 bucks right? Well, go visit Frugalmommyof2girls and enter on her $100 giveaway.

Not so SPRING-y anymore 3/24/11

2011-03-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here and we've had continuous warm and beautiful weather, just PERFECT!!!
Then when I woke up yesterday morning, I was just BLAH! It's 'coz what I saw outside. I mean the blanket of snow was beautiful and just perfect and untouched, BUT, I was soooooo looking forward to that beautiful weather we've been having and now it's gone *pout*.

Anyway, I took some pics of what it looked like outside today. The snow started melting with the sun shining so brightly. Oh and I shoveled the driveway, which by the way was super heavy, from the icy rain.

I hope that's the end of the snow weather, but we could never tell with Western New York. We might have a heatwave tomorrow, you will never know.

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ETSY shop OPENING SOON! 2/15/11

2011-02-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking lately. I make a lot of stuff and most of them either sits in my closet / pile or I give them away. Giving away is much more fun, but it does cost to give them away. I love giving something that's handmade 'coz it's personal and the person you're giving it to always appreciate the time you take to make the gift.

I have a lot of friends and families that keeps telling me to sell the stuff I make. Well, I think now is the time to do it. Lots of supplies and all sorts of goodies that are just waiting to be made. I finally had the time to sit down and opened an ETSY account. I'm soooo super excited and can't wait to start posting my goodies online. Make sure you come and visit :-)

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Love Day 2/14/11

2011-02-14T06:49:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentines Day

" Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. "

Winter Wonderland 2/7/11

2011-02-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to take a breather from crafts. A few days ago the snow was pretty bad. It was super cold and windy. My daughter kept telling me that she keeps seeing a cardinal on our neighbors yard. It kept going to side of her window, I think trying to get in. So I grabbed my camera and took a few shots.

I also got a pretty neat shot when the snow was falling hard.

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Loom knitted kids hat 1/25/11

2011-01-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

When I first saw a crocheted dino hat, I fell in love with it. Since I'm not an expert on crochet (still learning) I decided to make one with my round loom for my little man. The scale part I crocheted and I actually did pretty good. I finished the hat in just a couple of hours, then added the scale. Ones his sister saw the hat, I knew she wanted one. I asked if she wanted one just like his brother's but she wanted one that's for girls. NO scales for me mom. LOL! OMG! My little girl is growing up and she doesn't want any baby hats or anything that has to do with baby stuff :-( *sniff* Oh, why do they grow up so fast? Anyway, enough with my crying.

So I made these 2 hats with a round loom and the kids loves them.

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Baking Blogsary Giveaway 1/24/11

2011-01-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

HEy everyone! Today my baking blog turns 1 year. So head on over for a GIVEAWAY. I will be giving away 2 cupcake pop mold. So, make sure you tell your friends :-) Click HERE to enter.

DO NOT ENTER YOUR GIVEAWAY ON THIS POST. Head on over to my baking blog and enter there.

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Green Bag Lady Anniversary GIVEAWAY 1/16/11

2011-01-16T19:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Want some freebies??? Then go and head to The Green Bag Lady's site and enter, NOW!!!

The polka dot one is number 12,000
"Bag number 14,000. . . made just for you, by little old me. . "

Check out all these goodies she's giving away.

DO NOT ENTER YOUR COMMENT HERE, click HERE instead and it will take you right to her SITE.

~~ Thanks for stopping by and make sure you say Hi ~~

Totes and Key FOB chains 1/15/11

2011-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

I made these for my kids teachers for Christmas. This is the only time I had to post them. I've been sick for a while now and today, I feel a little better.

I made about 12 bags, but 2 of those are for my kids Halloween bags. Last year their plastic bin bag broke in the bottom and they probably lost half of what they had. This year they will have a sturdy bag for Halloween.

I've also made some Key FOB chains for my friends and families. I sent some to them and some were given.

I will be making more to sell on Etsy. I've been told a lot of times to just sell what I make. I would love to make some money but I don't expect to get rich from it. I love giving them to families and friends more.

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Red Heart Yarn Loom knitted hat with yo-yo's 1/11/11

2011-01-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

I made this for my Aunt and gave it to her for Christmas this year. I used a Red Heart Yarn (Zebra) and placed some yo-yo's on the side.

I used the green round loom for this and it fits perfectly on an adult, who has a small - medium size head. I mention this 'coz I don't think my husband is able to fit into the hat. I probably have to use the yellow loom for his hat.

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TUTORIAL Freezer paper stenciling Pacquiao shirt 12/20/10

2010-12-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

This is the second time I've done freezer stenciling, the first one was the COCO shirt I made for my little man. Check it out HERE to see it.

This shirt is for my brother. He lives in another state so we don't see him much. Since it's Christmas and I make a lot of stuff during the Holidays, this is the only way for me to give him something. I'm a stay at home mom so I have no $, LOL! It's more from the heart that way. If it's something handmade, I guess.

Things you will need:
T-shirt
Freezer paper
exacto knife
sponge or paint brush (I think the sponge is better than the brush)
Matte color fabric paint (I'm using yellow from Tulip)
iron / ironing board
towel (used or something you can throw out if it gets paint on it)

First thing will be your font. Find the right font and print, then transfer it onto the freezer paper (SHINY SIDE DOWN - do not write on the shiny side) that's the part that will stick to the shirt.
When you get done with the transfer, make sure you set it onto a mat so you can cut the letters out with the exacto knife (be careful please). Sorry, I completely forgot to take a picture of some of the steps.

Make sure you save the little dots and parts, for instance, from the letters D, O, P and so on.
Set it aside, you will place those after you press on the sheet to the shirt.

Get the shirt ready on the ironing board and make sure you get the shirt straight. Lay the sheet (shiny side down onto the shirt) and make sure everything is straight. Then iron (DO NOT USE THE STEAM) just on a regular setting. Press good until it's the sheet is stuck onto the shirt. Try to pry on the corner of the sheet and see if it adheres to the shirt. Then stick the little pieces on to the proper letter, iron again.

After you iron don't forget to stick the towel under the shirt before you start painting.

Now you're ready to paint.

Spread the paint on top of the sheet and just use the sponge to dab on the paint. I do mine like I use a paintbrush to paint. Up and down or if you want sideways (that sounded dirty, LOL!). Try not to blot, or it will look blotchy on the shirt. When you get the first paint on, try to let it dry for an hour and repeat if needed.

After the 2nd paint, I let it sit overnight just to make sure. Then I peeled it slowly, just to make sure no paint would come off. I did have some paint seep into the letters, but it's not that bad.

At this point, you can take a paper towel or just any thin towel and place it on top of the paint and iron again, on a regular setting. Just to make sure that the paint is really stuck into the shirt.

Wash the shirt inside out and dry.

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Yo-yo madness, no not the TOY! 12/15/10

2010-12-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

Yo-Yo? Who thinks of these stuff? I've seen this thing a while ago but never paid attention to it. Then the other day while I was at Joann's Fabric, I saw the Yo yo maker again. It was only $5 and I had a 50% off coupon so I figured I would get one and try it out.

So now, I'm making Yo yo's like crazy. I figured I'm already loom knitting some hats, I guess they could use some yo yo's. I did one hat already and I liked it. It's for a kids hat and someone already has dibs on it.

This is what it looks like. Comes in 2, top and bottom.

Just place a fabric in the middle and sew around.

When done, take it out of the disk and pull the string.

You can decorate it with buttons or anything you have in mind.

My model :-)

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Loom Knit kids hat 12/9/10

2010-12-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

I've heard of loom knitting a couple of years ago and immediately bought the Knifty knitter set from Joannn's Fabric. They have them at Wal-Mart as well. I made a lot of hat with this but a few months later I stopped. It wasn't because I didn't want to make hats, it's 'coz my carpal tunnel was so bad I couldn't do it anymore. I think it was because I was using it every single day and it wasn't good for the wrist. So the loom knits were put away for 2 years in the bin, along with those pretty yarn.

So a couple of weeks ago, my friend Mel came to visit and she brought her loom knit with her. She was making a big blanket (yes you can make blankets too). So, that made me took out my loom knitting stuff out of the bins. Now, I'm back to making more hats. I just need to pace myself and not make too much or do them for hours.

I made one already for my baby girl and she loves it. She loves it so much that she actually gave it to her cousin who just got here from the Philippines so she wouldn't be cold. She said "Mom can make me another one" Awwwww!! She's so thoughtful :-) I love my baby.

I also made a pink / purple one for my little cousin and she loves her hat as well.

* Merry Christmas Everyone *

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Make your wrist pretty 11/23/10

2010-11-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

Make your wrist pretty :-) Earrings get blings, Fingers get blings, neck gets bling, so why not wrist too.

I've made this along with the earrings I've made the other day, YES! The ones I almost lost an eye on. LOL!

I was more careful this time. I ended up with 7 bracelets.

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All sorts of earrings 11/20/10

2010-11-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

I almost lost an eye making these things. I was trying to crimp the last pair and I squeezed one of the beads and it broke and hit me in the eye. That was not pretty and it hurts pretty bad. Here I am trying to make some earrings and one of my eye is really red, but I managed to get about 6 pairs done.

Will make some more for Christmas as a present.

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Could you sew me some Pillowcases? 11/16/10

2010-11-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

Could you sew me some Pillowcases? Was what my mom said to me yesterday. I love doing stuff for my mom, specially since she does a lot for me. I mean A LOT :-0

So the least I could do is make her pillowcases. She needed 3 for smaller pillows. They're not a regular size pillow so I have 3 different measurements.

So, I asked her what she needs it for. I mean this woman has tons of pillowcases, and I'm not even over exaggerating, she has TONS! I guess it's because the ones she has are regular sizes and these pillows she found are small, kids pillow must be. She's getting it ready for some families that are coming up for Thanksgiving.

Anyway, I made the pillows today and it took me about an hour to make all 3, includes the cutting and pinning.

If you want to make your own PILLOWCASE, just click HERE. They are super easy and fast.

~~ Thanks for stopping by and make sure you say Hi ~~

Baby Room Before / After 11/7/10

2010-11-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

This is Joshie's room. It was our computer room but when we found out we were pregnant again (5 years ago) we decided to make our computer room into his bedroom.

We shampooed the carpet a few times and painted the room and put up a Classic style fire theme wallpaper border. If you see the room now, 5 years later, some of the border is gone and have been ripped off the wall. As soon as he found out he could stand and figured out how to rip them, he did.

~~ Thanks for stopping by ~~

HOW to fix a broken Nail with a Tea Bag - Tutorial 10/15/10

2010-10-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure this is a pretty common thing for those who have long nails. Fake or not. Ever since I was little I've always wanted long nails, but, when your go to a Private Catholic school there would be no such thing. So when I was out of high school that was one of the things / stuff I had to do, was grow my nails. Although I never had the luck of growing them nice. So I opted for acrylic nails. I had it for about 4 months but I hated the fact that I had to have it filled or it will look awful on your fingers. So, that got costly and I was just tired of going back to the nail place.

A few years later, my nails started growing and I started taking care of it more. I now do my own nails with no formal schooling or anything. I just like to do them and if you like what you do, you will be good at it. Anyway, enough with my babbles.

This is a tutorial on how to fix a crack in your nail or if you rip you nail and it's still hanging. You can fix it with something you might already have in your house.

The other day I opened the dryer door and my thumb got caught and I heard my nail snapped / cracked. AARGHHH!

What to do:
1. Make sure to wash your hands and have the nail area clean. If it has nail polish on it, just take the polish out and wash hands.
2. See the crack? I hate it when my nails break.
3. Grab your nail glue and get your nails pressed together so when it dries it won't have a crack in the middle.
4. Apply the glue and let dry.
5. The cloth like thing you see I'm cutting is just a Tea Bag. YES! That's what will keep your nails from breaking again until it grows out. Anyway, empty one of the bag and discard the tea. Cut whatever length and size you need.
6. Apply a tiny bit of glue to the nail so the tea sheet will stick, then apply enough glue to cover the tea sheet.
7. Use a stick something you can push down the sheet with so it won't bubble on top. Keep pushing till it's starting to dry. Keep an eye on the corners, sometimes it will curl up.
8. See when it dries up? You can still see the sheet but you can't see the crack anymore. Let it dry completely.
9. Buff with a fine or finer file softly so you don't file to the bare nail. When it's smooth enough and don't feel the sheet when you run your finger through it, you can apply another dot of glue on top. Let it dry and file again till smooth.
10. TADAAAAAA! The sheet is gone and my nail doesn't even look like it broke.
Proceed with whatever it is you have to do :-) You can paint your nails again.

Thanks,

Green Bag lady is giving away Vintage Fabric FREEBIE! 10/11/10

2010-10-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

As always The green Bag Lady is giving away from FREEBIES.

DO NOT COMMENT IN MY SITE, you have to go to HER SITE. Please leave your comment there for a chance to win some goodies.

Take a look at her stuff she's giving away.

Go to HER SITE now :-)

HOW to White French Tip w/ zebra design 9/30/10

2010-10-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

As far as I can remember I've always had long nails. Even when I worked with little tiny electronics and assembling lasers for handguns.The only thing is that I only likes the White Tips and nothing else. I try the red or darker colors but only when I trim my nails and it looks a bit shorter. I have not idea why my nails only looks good with dark colors when it's shorter. Beats me?!?!?!

So, anyway. If you're like me and who is cheaper than dirt, LOL! I can't get myself to have someone do my nails for the amount they charge here. I would rather buy shoes, but that's a different story and we're not going to talk about that. I mean, I can do it myself so why not? RIGHT?

Ok, I won't go any further with my rambling. A few have asked me how I did the nails so here's a little tutorial on how I did mine.

WHEN I did this the other day, it was my very time doing designs on my boring white tipped nails. Then I figured I would try something else other than white. So I googled nail designs and this was one that I figured I could do. So I tried it and I really liked it. So this photo, my nails started to chip on some part but it's ok. I have to start from the beginning anyway so I could show you how to do your own.

These are the basic things you need. The black art deco nail is from the Dollar General for a buck, Sally Hansen Clear Base / Top coat, Minute Quick Dry coat (which I got from the Dollar Tree and I tell you it works and it's the best one I've used so far), Wet 'n' Wild white. So that's about 5 bucks and you can keep using it till it's gone.

Make sure your nails are clear from old nail polish before starting. Take out any old polish and shape your nails the way you want them. I've always had the squared tip nails (it helps from having it crack all the time, I swear) Plus people always thinks it's fake when they see it. LOL!

Apply the clear base coat and let dry.

Like so :-) dum dum dum, hmmmm!!!

When the base coat it dry. Apply the white tip.

Start in the middle and work your way to the outside part. You can use those white strip so you can have a straight or even line if you want. I've been doing this for so long I can just eye it.

Ta-daaaaa... Just keep practicing if you don't get it at first. I promise it will get better :-)

Let it dry and then we will apply the black strips after.

Shake well and apply when the white tip is all dry.

You can apply it any directions you want. I wanted the zebra effect so I did mine sideways.

Let the black stripes dry and you can put another clear coat or the minute dry coat if you want or if you have it. Then enjoy all the compliments you get with your new pretty nail :-)

NOTE: I will do a tutorial on how to fix a crack or ripped nail with a tea bag so you don't have to cut your nail and have it look uneven.

Polka dotted to RUBY Red Shoe (Before & After) 9/17/10

2010-09-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

My adorable cousin who loves shoes like "Moi" stumbled into a polka dotted pink pumps thinking I would like it. I do, I love it, but I don't have anywhere to wear it. Since, Halloween was coming and I'm in need of a red shoe.... I figured, why not spray paint it. I've done it before and it won't cost me a dime. With a Ruby red pain can in hand and a free shoe, why not.

Green Bag Lady Giveaway FREEBIE 8/1/10

2010-09-01T14:11:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone GREEN BAG LADY is giving away free bags again. These are beautiful bags and if you get picked she will send it to anywhere in the world.

Go check out her site and enter. DO NOT ENTER HERE in my site, you have to got to HER site.

Here are the beautiful bags you will win.

Visit her SITE now and enter for a chance to get a bag.

2011 -2012 Cupcake Calendar Giveaway

2010-08-05T09:36:00.001-07:00

I saw this at Michael's a while ago and I never had the chance to post it here, till now. I've been so busy lately, specially on weekends. It's crazy when you have tons of families that have parties almost every week during the summer time.

Now, I finally have time to post, with the kids gone for while and no one here but me. I can finally do some blogging, ahhh!!!

So I got 2 cupcake calendars. Don't worry they are the 2011 - 2012. LOL! I have the big 12x12 and a little purse size one. The winner will get both of the calendars.

So this is how it's going to work:

** Sorry, giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only! Each of the following counts for one entry, please leave a separate comment for each one!! And please leave your email address in the comments section so I can contact you if you win. If you don't want spam mails leave your email address like this (youremail at yahoo dot com)

1. This one is a must, Follow my blog (this blog) :-) and leave a comment with your name and email and tell me if this would be for you or will be giving it to someone special. No reason at all, just want to know, I'm nozy, LOL! (1 entry)
2. You could also follow my Photo blog, which is another passion. (1 entry)
3. Do you love to bake or cook? What is your passion or hobby? (1 entry)

That's it! Not much to do :-) You don't have to blog or tweet about my blog. It's that simple.

** UPDATE: I'm so sorry, very, very sorry. I completely put the wrong ending date for this giveaway. I meant for it to end on Saturday and I am changing it to that. Again, I'm so, so, so sorry for my clutsy-ness :-( **

Good luck to the lucky winners that will be chosen at random on Saturday, August 7, 2010 @ 12:00 PM, New york time.

Diamond like buttons / ring 7/14/10

2010-07-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

I got this mini diamond buttons from a shirt that doesn't even remotely fit me. My kid would probably fit in it but I only bought it for the buttons. I knew I could do something else with those buttons so I did. I made another ring, I love rings. LOL! Even better since it looks like diamond.

Buttons that are waiting to be turned into something pretty.

Everything is all ready.

I actually had it set to 8, you have to set it 1 size bigger when you make a ring. It will shrink 1 size smaller when you are done with all the twisting and pulling.

All done and ready :-) So pretty!

Are those buttons? 6/26/10

2010-06-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Buttons are not just for clothing :-) I make rings out of them as well. I saw it first at Auntie's Beads, where I started buying all my beading needs. This is where I use to get my stuff when I was really into beading / jewelry making days. I still make them when I'm really really bored or bake or sew or come up with some other hobbies I haven't tried :-)

The button used on this ring, I bought at the dollar store and it came in 15 pieces for a buck. I was going to use it in one of my rain coats but I never got to it, LOL! I saw it the other day and I wanted to make a ring that would match a dress that I've had for a long time.

Saudi Arabia Bag 6/26/10

2010-06-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

My very first international bag was received last week and it went all the way to Saudi Arabia.

I'm no Britney Spears, Bolero top (re-fashion) 6/25/10

2010-06-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

Baby, Baby one more time.... That's one song that you would hear and sing for days. LOL! I'm really not going to be talking about the song but the outfit Britney wore on that video. She looks so cute on that outfit but I can't pull that off and I would not look cute on that outfit, definitely NOT!

Her white top has a collar and mine doesn't but it has that twist in the middle. Heck no, I would not be caught dead wearing something like that, unless its Halloween season.

Before

So, what to do with a nice white bolero like shirt that has a twist? You snip and snip and sew and make a cuter bolero that I can actually wear with a sleeveless dress or something to cover up my broad shoulders, LOL! Yes, I look like a football lineman and the chest area doesn't help either so I tend to cover that as well. LOL!

After

See, now more tails. YEYYYY!!! So much better and I don't have to look like a Britney wanna be :-)

Calling all crafters - Project Gulf coast oil spill 6/4/10

2010-06-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

A friend told me about this link and I wanted to share it with everyone as well. If you've been watching the news about the oil leak. Then you all probably heard about all the see creatures that are affected with all the oil spills.Please visit CRAFT HOPE and see what you can do to help. Here's a little bit of clipping on what's said on their site:

So here is what we are going to do… They need hand towels and wash rags to clean all of the nooks and crannies of the dolphins and sea turtles. They only need small hand towels and wash rags, no large towels please.

If you can sew, knit, or crochet this project is for you. We are asking that you create sets of hand towels and/or wash rags to send. Preferably in sets of 10 or 20. These do need to be handmade since we are ‘Craft Hope.’ If you are crocheting or knitting, please send whatever you can. You don’t have to send a set unless it is something you are up for.

If you want to read more and would love to help you can click HERE.

(Close) Glass Pearl bracelet giveaway 6/1/10

2010-06-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

The giveaway winner is Adin from Kansas. Congratulation Adin, you will be receiving an email from me soon. Thank you everyone for entering in the giveaway. Please keep watching as I will be giving another giveaway soon.

Today I'm giving away a hand made Glass pearl bracelet. You will see this bracelet on THIS post. It's pretty simple to enter.

Now, here's how to win. I know you're probably used to the normal routine of having to tweet about giveaways, blog about the giveaway, etc. But, I will be doing mine differently. I don't tweet much so no point of joining my twitter page. I do love to bake so you can follow my baking blog or / and my photography blog for an additional entry below.

So this is how it's going to work:

** Sorry, giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only! Each of the following counts for one entry, please leave a separate comment for each one!! And please leave your email address in the comments section so I can contact you if you win. If you don't want spam mails leave your email address like this (youremail at yahoo dot com)

1. This one is a must, Follow my blog (this blog) :-) and leave a comment with your name and email and tell me if this would be for you or will be giving it to someone special. No reason at all, just want to know, I'm nozy, LOL! (1 entry)
2. Follow my cake blog, since that is my other passion besides this of course. (1 entry)
3. You could also follow my Photo blog, which is another passion. (1 entry)
4. What is your hobby? (1 entry)
5. What's the plan for Father's Day? Making something special? (1 entry)

Good luck to the lucky winners that will be chosen at random on Friday, June 4, 2010 @ 12:00 PM, New york time.

Wrist bling bling / bracelet 6/1/10

2010-06-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

When I took out my tools and beading stuff to re-do THIS, I kinda got crazy and started making more stuff, again. LOL! I can't help it when I make something and then I just keep going until I get bored with it. Then they go back in the corner and collect dust and wait for me to tinker with them again.

I then ended up with 2 bracelet, one was a funky one with danglers and one is faux pearls, you can use the glass pearls or any small pearl like beads. They are really really pretty. The one with the dangler is mine and I took it to our mini trip. The other one is just a really clean and just a classic look.

You will need bead stringing wire, glass pearl, clasp and claw, tools.

This is about a 7" and it's a perfect fit on my wrist.

I used a silver lobster claw and jump rings at the clasp. Do you want to own this Glass pearl bracelet? You can go HERE to enter to win this glass pearl bracelet.

This one is for me :-)

Loveeeeee it!

Handbag with zipper - Simplicity 2830 - 5/26/10

2010-05-26T13:52:00.001-07:00

It's very rare that I use a pattern when I sew, but when I saw this bag in BURDA style I knew I had to get one. I figured it look so easy and I already know how to sew, so how hard could it be? Well, it was hard, for someone like me, who hasn't really tried or made anything with a pattern. It's not that I'm bad at following an instruction, it's because I'm really bad at reading them. I tend to do whatever it is I like and I don't cut where it tells me to cut...... so on...

See how I made the bag HERE.

Anyway, this bag is the 2nd bag I've made. The very first one as you can see, NO pictures, well you don't see any. LOL! I did take some pictures but I deleted them and made the second one, this one, the next day. I liked how it turned out and I was going to sell it but my mom liked it so I gave it to her for her birthday.

I'm sorry I didn't take a step by step picture, but you can get your pattern at Wal-mart, Jo-Ann, or HERE.

I lined the inside too so there will be no frays shown. You can see more photos on how I made this bag HERE.

Earrings Re-fashioned, another addiction 5/18/10

2010-05-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

I bought these earrings at Icing's at the mall. I love it but the only problem was the ear hook was just crap and it was poking behind my ears and they hurt. It also looked like someone took a wire and just placed a loop and BAM! place the beautiful earring. It looked awful so I made it prettier, LOL! As many of you know I sew, bake, cook and everything else in between. I also make jewelry out of glass beads, swarovski crystal or whatever I can get my hands on. I have collected so much of these stuff that I could probably open a booth at some craft show and make money, hehehe.

Anyway, we go on to the earrings. It's already pretty as it is but I wanted to make it longer and change the hook. So here it is :-)

Yup, I have tons of these stuff. Soon I will make more earrings :-) I haven't really made any in a long time since I started baking and sewing again.

When I start something new or just go back to old hobbies I tend to forget about the other stuff.

I added the swarovski crystal to have a little bit of shine and sparkle.

So much better isn't it? I think so!

Sweet Blog Award

2010-05-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Adin from It's Sewtastic for giving me this award :-) I love all awards and it's nice to get them ones in a while.

Now the rules stated that I have to pass it on to 10 other blogs and award them this Sweet Blog Award and notify them as well about it. Some of you might have gotten the award already so you don't have to repost it over and over.

Christina from Viva Pinay
Hilda from My Manila
Adin from It's sewtastic
Jo from Blissful Nibbles
Jeng from Jeng's Home Cookies
Jenn from My Sweet Haven

Well, I'm supposed to have 10 but some are missing, LOL!

TAKE ONE MAKE ONE (Part II)--Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! 100 WINNERS!

2010-05-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Green Bag Lady is at it again, giving away 100 Bags. Holy bag-ness how does this woman do this? LOL!

If you want a free bag enter HERE to win :-) It doesn't matter where you are in the world she will ship it to you. So, what are you waiting for? Click HERE to enter.

❤ Claire's green blog ❤

How to line your tote bag - Tutorial 5/8/10

2010-05-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

This tutorial is a request from a friend. You have to bare with me since I'm not so good with tutes. This would be my very first official tutorial and there might be some spots that are not explained correctly but I will try.

So here we go, Oh, by the way I'm using The Green Bag Lady's pattern and you can get that HERE.
I did include how I sew mine from the beginning to end. I do hope this helps a bit and let me know if you think I missed something and so I can fix it.

After you get all your materials and fabric ready. Then you can start sewing. I like to iron all my fabrics before I start and fold before I sew.

1. Get your fabrics ready, cut and then cut the end for when you fold it later. I'm using a sold blue as my liner. You would do the same to your main fabric, cut and then cut the bottom end to sew later.
2. You snip off 2 1/2 at the bottom end and you do the same thing on the other side and the other fabric.
3. Get the handles all ready and cut. Sometimes I copy Teresa's measurement and sometimes I make them longer and wider. Just make sure you don't go any shorter than the 18 inch she recommends and not less than the 3 inch wide. I used 21" and 4" wide. I also use a fusible light fleece interfacing to make it a bit sturdy and not to flimsy.

4. This is the ironing part. I fold on one side and iron all the way.

5. Then you fold the other side as close the the already folded one and iron.

6. Do the same to both. See how close I folded it to the other one.

7. All ready, just set aside and do the other stuff. You will saw this later when everything is all ready to go.

8. This would be the other stuff. I fold about an inch on the top where the opening is. Fold it in to the wrong side of the fabric. Do the same thing with the liner.

9. Iron the folded part (liner too) and then turn it inside out (liner too).

10. Ok, now you can grab the bag handle and sew. I like to sew as close to the edge, about 1/8 of an inch. This is the part where I wish I had serger but you don't need one. I used a regular sewing machine for this.

11. See how close it is to the edge?

12. Now you sew the sides for both the liner and main fabric, make sure you're sewing it inside out.

13. I sew about 1/4 inch from the edge. Then sew the bottom part.

14. Fold the open part of the bottom and line it to the seam then sew. You can also do what Teresa mentioned. You can place dots and then pinch both dot in both hands and pull so fabric is flat then sew.

15. Like this (picture below) Please make sure you do back stitch when you start and when you finish.

16. This is the liner part. So you turn the main fabric inside out again(wrong side) and the you turn the liner the other way around. If you look at the picture both the seam are on the same side. Yah! do it that way then pin, pin, pin (sorry I thought I took a picture but I guess I didn't.

17. This is also the part where you pin your handle. Make sure you do both side at this time.

18. Sew and make sure you line the main fabric and liner straight. Sew all the way around and make sure you sew it straight, LOL! I sew about 1/8 of an inch from the edge.

19. As you can see I also sew it twice to make it more sturdy. It's about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch apart.

20. Turn it out and it's all done and ready to use. This is usually the part where I go, Oh crap! this is too pretty, maybe I should keep it to myself. LOL!

21. Another close up of the opening and last part you sew.

This bag is for my sister in law :-) She loves Tweety bird and I saw this fabric and had to get it for her. Hope you like it Darling :-)

❤ Claire's green blog ❤

Bag crazy 5/7/10

2010-05-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got the Bag fever from the Green Bag Lady, I've been making bags here and there. Most of them I tagged and some I forgot, LOL! I also keep track and numbered the bags as well. I will need to order more tag for the bags. I'm in the hunt for some cheap or good price clothing label. Anyone of you out there finds one let me know, please? Thank you!

So anyway, I've been busy with making bags for the past 2 days. I made 5 Wednesday and 5 yesterday. Finished 10, YEY! I'm so used to sewing them now that I can make one in under 30 minutes from start to finish. All my fabrics have been cut already so I just sew, sew, sew.

The one on the very left is already gone and that was my last fabric for that :-( I do have some scraps and that is for an another project for my kids.

The black one in the middle is mine, LOL! I love the diamond pattern and it's really thick. The very last one on the right is for my daughters art teacher.

I follow Teresa's instruction on how to make the bags. You can make one as well. If you are interested go HERE and get the instruction. All the cuts are the same and the only difference is that I added a liner on the inside so you can turn the bags inside out and there will be no visible seam showing.

See the inside part? I placed a lining inside so there would be no seam visible.

These are the bags I've made in 2 days. All the fabrics I used are either from yard sales or from the thrift store and they were all under a buck. I have tons of them. I will probably have more when yard sale season comes along. Some of them are given to me as well, from my mommy :-)
So when I make the bags, some I can only make 3 or 4 out of the fabric and that's it.

❤ Claire's green blog ❤

Green Bag Lady Goodies are here 5/5/10

2010-05-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

I got home Monday from my daily errands and came home finding this (below) by the doorway.
I knew exactly what it was and I was super excited :-) It was my winning from the Green Bag Lady Giveaway.

I couldn't wait to open and it this is what I got (below). I had to try the shirt on right away and it fits perfectly. I was a little sad when I saw S on the tag and thinking, OH NO! it's SMALL but it wasn't. I would like to think it's small and I fit into a small but I don't, LOL! It made me smile for a moment thinking I was wearing a size S.

My baby wanted to get into the action so I took a picture of him with the shirt as well :-)

Thanks again Teresa, for such a wonderful package you sent :-)

Earth Day Freebie Winner, YEYYY!!!!

2010-04-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love freebies and to win them is even better :-) I've won several giveaways already and it does feel good to get something cool. I've entered to a lot of giveaways and some you don't win, but it doesn't matter, it's fun.

So when I saw that Teresa, The Green Bag Lady, was doing another giveaway and I saw what she was giving away, I knew I had to at least try and see if win, and I did, YEYYY!!! I was so happy, I was literally jumping for joy, LOL!

Before I get to carried away again, I would like to thank all my friends and families for all the comments you left in her site. Without all your help I wouldn't have won the Prize Pack she was giving away. So, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me win :-)

The goodies that you all helped me won :-) YEY!!!

**NOTE** If you did leave a comment and your email, please make sure you keep an eye and see if you got an email from her about getting a bag. She was giving away 40 but she had such a huge response and so many of you left comments, that she's giving away 80 bags instead. So, make sure you check and see if you got a free bag as well. Also check your spam mail, sometimes her email goes there.

Piano bench refurbished 4/22/10

2010-04-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

I have been in search of a Spinet piano for a long long time. So when I heard from my cousin who told me she found one for free, I quickly emailed the guy and told him I was very interested. A few hours later I already had some friends lined up to help just in case I do get it. The funny thing was one of them actually had a piano they have been wanting to get rid off and it was the perfect size. This way I didn't have to pick it up right away. I also said I was trading it with him for some cake balls.

See, when I was little I took piano lessons and I loved it. I played for over 8 years, and I was pretty good, I think :-) So now that I'm older, I'm really glad and surprised that I could still read the notes. I'm also happy that my daughter wants to learn as well.

When we got the piano it was in great shape with some scratches here and there, nothing I can't fix *wink*. I love refurbishing / painting furniture. Although I didn't really want to mess with the piano since it's old. I just bought some oil based cleaner and had to just cleaned it a few times and let the oil soaked.

Now, the bench wasn't such in great shape. I mean, it's still sturdy but the lid is pretty banged up with tons of dents. So I sanded the crap out of it and stained it again. I used minwax and the clear gloss to seal it in.

Sand, sand, sand.... I think I inhaled way too much dust, LOL!

This is what it looked like after I got done with it :-) YEY!!!

All ready and she's already using the piano. She couldn't wait for it to get dry.

Arizona Bag #4

2010-04-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is a friend of mine who also did the pass on forward and commented on my post. I sent her a bag and she uses it for school.

40th Earth Day FREEBIE -- 40 FREE BAGS! Giveaway!!!

2010-04-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

In honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, Green Bag Lady is doing a FREEBIE and giving away 40 FREE bags!

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. Have you visited Teresa, The Green Bag Lady, yet? If not you better head over to her site for some bag giveaways. She's giving away 40 bags to 40 people so if you want a bag, you can go here. She will ship anywhere in the world so go right on now. If you do make sure you tell her Claire from Leroy sent you.

Good luck!

My Le Creuset stock pot I won 4/15/10

2010-04-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

I never really joined or enter any giveaways until I started blogging. Now, I'm addicted to it and look for giveaways all the time. It's fun and when you do win it's exciting, LOL! What can I say, I love free stuff. So when I visited one of my fave blog, The Coupon Goddess, I saw that she was giving away a beautiful stock pot and those are some expensive pot. I just couldn't contain myself and I had to enter. Winner or not, I had to, you never know until you try.

The pot she was giving away was a Le Creuset Stock pot. So when the giveaway ended I was so happy that I saw my name as the winner, YEY!!! I received my pot last week and I just have the time now to post it here.

I still have no idea on what to make but I will figure something out :-)

My daughter knew what it was since I told her that I was expecting it.

Here it is, isn't it beautiful? I Loveeeeeeee it, soooo happy!

They didn't waste time taking the box away from me. They used it right away and played with it for the rest of the night. LOL!

Spread the word for Charity 4/7/10

2010-04-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

I recommend HotelsCombined.com and sent $20 to The Salavation Army!

You can shout and help too.

If you like to donate or give a little, visit THIS site. If you become a fan in facebook they will donate $5.00, Twitter $10.00 (if you have a couple of followers) and if you blog about them $20.00, on the charity of your choice.

Here's what they said on their site.

We’ve built a great service now we want people to know about it... We thought; let's donate to charity every time someone helps us spread the word. This way, we can then benefit from your word of mouth (or mouse in this case) whilst at the same time being able to donate what we normally would have had to spend on advertising!

So go right on over and fan them, tweet about them or blog about them too.

New York Winner Giveaway 4/7/10

2010-04-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

This is Marci, my blog bag giveaway. I had 2 giveaways and this was one of the bag winners.

Hi Claire,

The yellow flower tote arrived today! THANK YOU! I love love love it. Bright and cheery. The coordinating plaid on the inside was a pleasant surprise--I love the colors. I'm so excited to be one of your first giveaway winners. This was a fantastic treat for me. I'll put it to good use :)

Thank you so much!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Marci

Thank you to my new friend 4/6/10

2010-04-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

Internet is awesome, you can find new friends and even old ones you haven't seen or talked to in years.

This blog is about my new friend Jodes and she makes beautiful stuff. She just started a new blog and she's got some awesome stuff in there already so make sure you check her out.

Ok, I have to admit that sometimes my memory is just bad. There are times that it's crazy, like remembering something when I was 4 years old. Anyway, I completely forgot on why I got really cool stuff from Jodes, but I think it had to do with my giveaway and my pass it forward giveaway.

So she sent me these really cool bags and for the life of me I could not figure out how she made the, LOL! Normally, I would look at something and say, I can make this. This one I couldn't :-( hahaha! I'm stumped. She sent me a big bag and a smaller one which my daughter decided it was hers. LOL! She also sent me these beautiful fabric flowers and one she attached to a clip. I have to get more of those clips so my daughter can use them on her hair.

Thanks Jodes for the beautiful goodies :-)

❤ clairebakescakes ❤

Another mans dress shirt turned into dress 4/6/10

2010-04-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

I've made this dress before and I really liked it. Even the teachers at my daughter's school liked it, and they asked me to make one for their daughter. My daughter is a great salespersons if ever she becomes one. LOL!

This time I made the sleeves different. The first dress was a bit harder to do but this one is super easy. With Teresa's idea I made this dress much faster than the other one and my daughter loves it.
So, I want to thank Teresa, The Green Bag Lady for the sleeve idea :-)

Here's what I did:

Old (used one in the back of the closet or from a thrift store man's dress shirt

Any printed fabric or old dress, this one had some cigarette burn holes in the back so chop chop

Make a pattern of one of your daughter's dress, cut mine in half.

Sleeve too, I got mine from Teresa.

Mark the paper pattern so you won't forget, LOL!

Fold the shirt in half and trace the pattern with the shirt inside out so you can write on the shirt.

With all the arms, collar and bottom cut off. Get ready for some sewing.

All ready to sew.

All done :-) YEY!!!

The back

The front, with my smiling model :-)

❤ clairebakescakes ❤

Mom! My bathrobe doesn't fit anymore

2010-04-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

( A note: This is not a tutorial)

I love robes and I love the soft ones. I got the kids robes so they can dry and wait while the other gets their bath. I can't give them both baths together so one has to wait. They use their robe to wait. Lex got one for Christmas so it's fairly new and still fits her. The little one has a smaller one that I got at Goodwill (brand new with tags) for .99 cents but it doesn't fit him anymore so he asked for a new one.

The only problem is that robes are a bit expensive for me so I opted to just make him one. Went to Joann's fabric, with my 40% off coupon with me, of course. I headed down isle after isle looking for a soft fabric and not too expensive just in case I mess it up, then I won't be too ticked about it.
I got into the flannel area and I found one that was soft and it's one of his fave, dino. It was $6 a yard and it was on sale for $2 a yard. SWEET DEAL for me :-) I got 2 yards, perfect for my 4 year old frame.

I don't have a pattern so I just used the old and smaller robe that he used. I didn't cut it so someone else can use them when I take them to the Salvation army to donate.

The fabric I picked for his robe, it's flannel and it's super soft

His small robe that he's overgrown, LOL! I just turned it inside out and measured

What I ended up with. So now I start putting them together.

First I sew and fold all the hem. I sewed them twice since I don't have a serger and I wanted a clean fold.

I like sewing really close to the edge to make it look clean.

This is the hood, I folded and sewed the back part to make the hood part. You will know what I mean when you see the pic below.

See, you sew the curve part. You sew from the top to bottom.

Turn inside out and press the end.

Sewed the back pieces together and press.

See? It's getting there, I think?

This is the last part of the picture coz I completely forgot to take a picture of the next step. I was so excited that I got the arm in correctly. This is the arm part by the way. The pic below is the finished robe :-)

My little one loves it and now the girl wants one too. I can't make her one yet since she has a brand new one, but she knows that and she understands :-)

❤ clairebakescakes ❤

Giveaway bag 3/4/10

2010-04-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

These are the fabrics that the 2 lovely ladies picked for their bags. I made and shipped them last week and hope they got them :-)

Would love to see you got them ladies and hope you don't mind if I post it here :-)

Thanks and hope you have a Very Happy Easter!

My facebook giveaway / Pay it forward

2010-04-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

(It was exactly what I needed today! Thanks again ~ Diana)

Diana was one of the few that actually responded to my pay it forward / giveaway.

Here she is with her bag :-)

Box into trash

2010-03-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

I was sitting here the other night and I was wondering what to do. Then I went to the bedroom to do something and I saw a bunch of tiny threads all over the floor and little scrap here and there. So a little light bulb popped in my head... Ahhh, DUH! I need a little trash bin or a scrap bin. So at 11:30 PM or so I went outside and look for a good size box and I found the perfect size.

So here's what I did...

Don't look at the box, Ohn now you're looking at the box. Yes! it's a beer box, LOL! It's the only one I could find that's sturdy enough and high enough to make it into my trash bin.

OK, so tape the very top part (floppy part) of the box and tape it good. I used the shipping tape just to make sure.
Then you cut up a heavy type plastic with a sturdy handle. I found this in the back closet and it was perfect. Cut it on one side and lay it flat.

Cut the handle part, make sure you cut low so the handle won't come off.

Then just start, taping the plastic all over and make sure you cover everything. I also taped anything that was open or where there was a gap. Oh, I used the low heat glue gun to attached the plastic to the box.

Attach the handle with the glue gun and tape around to seal.

I used a heavy duty upholstery fabric that I got from a yard sale last summer (5 yards for like a buck) but I don't have anything to upholster that's big so I just cup up what I needed and stuck the rest back in the bin.
Here's what the finished box look like all polished and pretty, just waiting to be used. I actually used it today to make the bathrobe for my little man. No worries I will show the bathrobe tomorrow :-)

❤ clairebakescakes ❤

Win a Lenox Napa Valley collection

2010-03-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Do you love giveaways? Who doesn't? I'm not giving it away this time but a fellow blogger is and she's giving away a Lenox Napa Valley collection. If you want a chance to win this beautiful thing head over to her site right now and leave a comment.

Here's and idea of what she's giving away from LENOX and some snippet of what she wrote on her blog (below)
The new Lenox Napa Valley collection of high quality, break-resistant, non-lead crystal wine glasses is designed to expand the personality of the wine - it's color, bouquet, and flavors. The different glasses in the collection include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Champagne. All are beautifully packaged in a reusable poly storage box with handle. A great ready to go gift selection! You can find this collection at Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond and of course Lenox.com.

So head over to the Coupon Goddess site right now so you too will have a chance to win. Oh, by the way you need to stick around her site and make sure you check out how she can get groceries for super super cheap price. Why do you think she's called The Coupon Goddess for?

Furoshiki (Japanese Bag) 3/29/10

2010-03-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

I was browsing and searching google for some new bag patterns and I stumbled into a Furoshiki bag. I love how it's super simple it is to make and you can pretty much do a lot of designs. I've tried it and I liked it. Here's my Furoshiki attempt. LOL!

This is just a sample and I want to see how easy it is to make. The fabric I used is a bit hard for this bag. You need a shinier fabric for this but something that will hold the knot or your bag might untie.
Start with 105 cm cloth (square cloth) and fold in half.
Tie the ends and make sure it's the same size. Please see the video at the end of this blog to see how you actually make it.
Knot....
One of the bags they showed on how to make

Here's another one they showed on the video. Video below will show you how to make your own Furoshiki bag.

Claire

The winners of the Bag Giveaway 3/28/10

2010-03-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Congratulation to

Emily said...: Just became a follower of your cake blog!
e.estt[at]yahoo[dot]com

and

june_spirit2628 said...: I love #3--the yellow flowers!
june_spirit2628 at hotmail dot com

Generated by http://www.random.org/

** Would love to see you with your bag :-) so I can post it here in my site :-) **

Please send me your complete mailing address at clairepfendler(at)yahoo(dot)com

2 Green Bags giveaway (Close, winners have been choosen)

2010-03-24T06:48:00.000-07:00

New blogger giveaway here.... Everyone loves freebies...

I'm not really new at this blogging thing but this is a new blog, I just made it a couple of weeks ago. I already have a cake blog but I want to promote this blog by giving away something. The reason I made this blog is to also show how I help mother earth by using / re-using things so it doesn't get thrown out and sit in the landfill somewhere. This all started when I stumbled into the Green Bag Lady's site. I was hooked and started sewing again.

So here's the giveaway:

I will be giving away 2 bags to 2 random winners.
You can pick which fabric you want out of the 4 fabrics shown.
The pictures of the bags (above) are just samples of what the bags will look like. The bags are lined inside for sturdiness.

Now, here's how to win. I know you're probably used to the normal routine of having to tweet about giveaways, blog about the giveaway, etc. But I'm super new at this giveaway things so I will be doing mine differently. I don't tweet much so no point of joining my twitter page. I do love to bake so you can follow my baking blog for an additional entry below.

So this is how it's going to work:

Sorry, giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only! Each of the following counts for one entry, please leave a separate comment for each one!! And please leave your email address in the comments section so I can contact you if you win. If you don't want spam mails leave your email address like this (youremail at yahoo dot com)

1. This one is a must, Follow my blog (this blog) :-) and leave a comment with your name and email and tell me which fabric you would like. So I will know what to sew for you when you win.
2. Follow my cake blog, since that is my passion besides this of course.
3. Do you have a hobby yourself?
4. Do you have anything planned for Easter?
5. How are you helping the planet?

Good luck to the TWO lucky winners that will be chosen at random on Sunday, March 28th, 2010 @ 7 PM (NY time)

Claire

Teachers Bags

2010-03-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Remember when I made this dress for my daughter that was made of a man's shirt? Well, she's been bugging me about wearing it to school. I finally gave in and I had her wear it for the day. Wouldn't you know she came home and tells me that her teacher wanted one for her daughter as well. I wasn't sure about that idea since I don't really know the little girls size and to me the dress I made wasn't really that good *smirk*. It wasn't 100% all that and a bag of chips. So I told my daughter to tell her teacher that I would make her something else.

The next day she comes home from school and tells me, Oh! MOM, she already knows what you'll making her. I asked her how, and she said b'coz I told her about your website, LOL! Ahh, I love my baby girl :-) she advertises for me, LOL! So the next day I sent her some fabric swatches so her teacher can pick which one she wanted. She comes home all excited and giddy and I knew something was up. She then tells me that she showed it to 3 teachers and they all wanted one, hahaha!!! Oh, she wasn't done, she also told the bus driver that I make beautiful bags and to pick out from the swatch. OH My! I love how she tells everyone that mommy is the best at making things and I'm happy for that.

One of the teacher is having a birthday this Friday and my little princess wanted the bags done fast. Good thing they only take me about 30 minutes to make, thanks to this GREEN BAG LADY for sharing such a super easy pattern. I made all 4 bags in under 2 hours :-) Oh, the crayon roll holder is for the teacher that wanted a dress for her daughter. I made this for her since I can't make her the dress. I think she will enjoy this more better than the dress. LOL!

Claire

Thank you to Mom and Green bag Lady

2010-03-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

She's changing the world one bag at a time. Check her link HERE. I'm so touched by what she's doing that I started sewing again.

3 or 4 years ago my hubby bought me a sewing machine for Christmas and I used it a few times. Then comes summer time my mom always brings me fabric she gets from yard sale or garage sales for .10 cents or for a quarter. They're not little pieces of fabrics, these are yards and yards of them. So after a while I just stopped sewing and I have put away the machine.

So when I saw, the Green Bag Lady's site a couple of months ago, I took out my sewing machine to clean and oil it. I've been busy with the sewing every since. I've made several bags already and will post them here soon.

So I would like to thank my mom for getting me all those fabrics and to the Green Bag Lady for inspiring me to sew again.

Claire

I miss COCO :-(

2010-03-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

Conan "COCO or CONANDO" O'brien was the only show at night hubby and I look forward to watching. It's the time I usually head to bed and that's our time to settle in for the night and wait for CoCo to be on. Ever since they took him off the tube, we don't even bother turning the TV on at that time anymore. Most of the time I sit here in the computer and him on his computer.

The other day I check all my fave sites, which I have its own folder on my to check everyday blogs. I was in Dana's site and I saw her post about Conando, which is a spanish character he does on his show. She made a cute shirt for a little cutie, you can see in her site. It was the Conando character, I knew I had to make it too. Hubby loves Conan so I was going to make him one but he said NO, Conando was part of the NBC show and I hate NBC now. So I made it for my little boy instead and he doesn't even know Conan. LOL! Hubby wants a team COCO shirt instead, which I will make for him :-) of course.

I want to thank Dana for sharing on how to make this AWESOME shirt. I would have never made anything like this without her super easy tutorial that she shares. Who would have thought of using freezer paper to make a shirt with. I usually just use them for my beef and chicken, LOL!

First you need to get the PDF so you can print it. The PDF is from Dana's site.
Transfer it to the freezer paper, shiny side down. Trace and then cut.
When done, you place the shiny side down on the shirt and iron, DON'T steam.
This is what she recommended as well. It's under $2 so it's perfect for my cheap self. Oh, make sure you place something underneath the shirt so the paint will not seep through.

Paint away, just don't rub or the little cut up pieces might come off. Next time I will use a small brush. When everything is painted wait overnight or 4 to 5 hours, that's what the instruction in the back of the bottle says. If you're like me who can't wait, yes, I'm very impatient. I used a blow dryer to hurry the process.
Tadaaaa, all done! Now, I wait for 72 hours to completely dry and bond to the shirt then I can wash it so my little man can wear it :-) When the paint has set and dry, make sure you heat press it. Lay flat and cover with cloth, press with the hot iron for a minute or so. Just make sure you do this step or the pain will run when you wash it. Thanks again to DANA for the comment and telling me to do this step. If not, I would have washed it without knowing.

For a complete instruction on how to make your own visit Dana's site. She will explain everything to you.

Fabric hunting

2010-03-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

I'm a fan of thrift stores and yard sales. We have winter weather in NY so we don't have yard sales during those time. In the meantime I go to thrifts stores and look for fabrics. Not only they are cheap, they have tons of them. Well, it depends on where you go. We have tons in our area.

Salvation Army - They have Wednesday as Family Day where everything 50% off but 1 color tag.
Amvets - 50% off color of the day
Volunteers of America - 50% off color of the day and .99 cents color of the day
Goodwill - I don't go to this store much, since the prices are a bit high for used clothing. They do have 50% off certain colors on certain days. They do have brand new things inside the store like house decorations.

So I went and visited Salvation Army the other day, yes it was Wednesday and I went straight to the fabric area. I found a bunch of beautiful fabrics and I had to grab them all. I spent less than $4.00 on all of the ones I grabbed. The fabrics I got were mostly over 2 yards each.
I got 7 fabrics and they were pretty heavy fabrics too so that's a bonus.

I like those 2 up there. I wonder what will become of those, LOL!

These 2 are going to be lovely shopping bags.

Not so sure what these 3 are going to be.

Soooo pretty all together.

Claire

Camera Strap

2010-03-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

I love, love, love my new camera strap. Not as much as I love my new camera, but close. I saw this tutorial from Amy, she has some amazing things in her site and her store. She sells them but she is nice enough to actually share and do a tutorial on these.

Mine is nice (love my own, LOL), but hers are just perfect. When I get as good as her with this sewing thing, I will make nicer ones and with more expensive fabric. For now I will just keep on sewing with the fabrics I have in my fabric box.

Claire

Bar chair got a new cover

2010-03-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

The bar chairs are out, YEY!!! They have been hiding in the garage for 6 years and they are finally back in the house. Why were they in the garage you ask? Well, our kids started walking and they they wanted to climb so we just got rid of it. So now that they are back, I didn't like the old cover. It was all faded and with food stains.

I dug around my fabric bin and found a large enough fabric to cover 2 chairs, I have 2 more in the garage I have to do and I think I might have enough fabric left.

Naked chair and waiting for the padding.

New chair with the new padding. I didn't even get a chance to take a picture of the old chair :-(

Sewing up a storm

2010-03-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

All this blogging thing started when I visited Bakerella's site. From then on I told myself that I need to blog again, yes I had a blog before but I deleted it. So now I had to start all over again, all the way from the beginning. This blog is just for my projects and other things I made or do at home. Since I've been making a bunch of stuff lately I didn't want to crowd my baking site with my projects. So going green is born :-)

I've been sewing back again lately since I've seen what Teresa, from Green Bag Lady, does for mother earth. She makes bags and gives them away, for FREE. Yes, that's how she helps mother earth. So out goes my sewing machine again, form a long hibernation. I got it all cleaned and oiled. It's been over 2 weeks now that I've been making things. I've made bags, crayon roll, camera strap, a .99 cent shirt turned into a dress for my daughter and all other things.

Here's some pictures of what I've done lately.

The .99 cent Men's shirt from Goodwill turned into a girls dress. Not bad for a first timer.
My Green bag (grocery bag) tutorial for this bag you can get here.
Bag's I've made so far. Small, medium and large :-)
Even our 10 year old chair had a makeover, please refrain yourself from laughing.
Ok, ok it's a bit yellow but I didn't spend any money on this chair. I even fixed the squeak and now it's squeak free. You can laugh now but it grows on you. I think?
Little man even got his crayola roll :-)

Have you done anything green today?

❤ clairebakescakes ❤