By Kristin

March 21, 2017

Ikea Hack: LÄTT table & chairs

When I was in the market for a table and chairs for my toddler, I wanted something cute but durable, and I didn’t want to spend too much on something that would be outgrown [or possibly destroyed] in a few years. I came across the Ikea LÄTT set, $25 for a table and two chairs.

On its own the set is a little rigid and plain (pictured above), but I learned from a friend several years back that if you search for “Ikea hack [insert product name]” you can find a ton of ideas for jazzing up your Ikea purchase. It didn’t take long to find some inspiring makeovers! I think I was sold when I came across the makeover done by Ruffles & Rain Boots. Not only is her Ikea hack darling, the author also includes helpful tutorials and testimony that the product stands the test of time.

I chose to personalize our set by:

adding 1″ padding to the chairs (using the tutorial linked above)
painting the bottom 4″ of each of the chair and table legs gold (I used painter’s tape to get clean lines, and applied 2 coats of acrylic paint with a foam brush)

One note: there is very little wiggle room when inserting the chair seats, so I used a thin fabric for this project.

We use the table and chairs in the kids’ play area, so it is not used for food, drinks, or messy crafts. If you are thinking of using it for such things, however, I would highly suggest applying some sort of protective spray on the fabric (Scotch Guard, perhaps?) and wood (clear top coat).

Thanks for viewing!

March 5, 2017

DIY Hairbows – a quick craft with endless possibilities!

Good evening! This past week I was craving a project, but was limited on time. When putting my daughter to bed in her new Minnie Mouse pajamas, she pointed out Minnie’s bow and asked for a polka dot bow like Minnie’s. Making hairbows is fun, relatively straightforward, and has virtually endless possibilities–I found my craft for the night 🙂

I didn’t have any super wide polka dot ribbon on hand, but I found some that would suffice; also a couple accessories that I had forgotten about that proved to be fun additions. The photo at the top shows the four hairclips I created that night. For instructions on how to create your own hairbows, read on!

To construct the bow itself, I prefer to use needle and thread. There are a few ways to do this; some tutorials I found helpful are at Notes From The Patch and Pretty Prudent. Or, you could try my streamlined method outlined below.

To get an idea of how much ribbon to cut, I like to first loosely construct the bow by hand. I don’t use the same measurements every time because I work with several different types and widths of ribbon, which may look better or worse as different size bows. So, I eyeball it. After cutting to size, use a candle/flame to seal the cut edges of the ribbon.

Next, I assemble the bow using one of the methods linked above, or, if I have already pinched the ribbon to my liking, I insert a threaded needle through the center of my pinched ribbon, and wrap it around 3-4 times before tying it off.

To complete the bow, cut a piece of coordinating ribbon just a little longer than the length around the center of the bow. On the backside of the bow, use a dot of hot glue to adhere one end of the ribbon, wrap the ribbon around the center, and use another dab of glue to secure the opposite end in place. Trim excess ribbon.

The last step is to adhere the bow to a hairclip. I found these hairclips at a local beauty supply store, Sally’s, and paid $6.39 for 100. To add a little extra to the look, I often use hot glue to cover the clips with 3/8″ ribbon (start the ribbon on the inside of the clip, glue it around the outside, and end back in the middle). To add the bow to the clip, apply a thick strip of hot glue to the clip, center it on the backside of the bow, and press in place until cool.

Tada! All finished! Simple, right?

Thanks for viewing, I hope that you enjoy this project as much as I do!

February 22, 2017

Sweet Toddler Sundress

I just adore little girl dresses! This week the weather has been unnaturally warm for Minnesota, and I was reminded of this darling dress that I had made for my daughter a couple years ago. If you love making dresses too, check out the tutorial for this sweet sundress on Sweet Emmelie

Looking at these photos, I think I need to make another one ASAP in size 3T for this summer! The fabrics for this project came from both Jo-Ann Fabrics and SR Harris, a local discount fabric store (http://srharrisfabric.com/).

Thanks for viewing!

August 20, 2015

DIY Sewing Machine Cover

Bonjour et bienvenue! Hello and welcome!

As my site name implies, I do a lot of crafting. I get energized by putting a project together, resulting in my ongoing guilty pleasure of staying up too late.

Since having kids, more of my projects are being worn/seen/inquired about; even more so now that I have a daughter (ribbons, frills, and bows, oh my!!). So I decided to give blogging a try in an attempt to share with others the resources I find.

Some projects to expect to see from me include: sewing (girls’ clothing, ladies’ clothing, bags, baby accessories), hair accessories, home decor makeovers, and paper-crafting. When choosing a new project, I usually select blog tutorials that are easy to follow, and that provide patterns. When helpful, I will try to include my own tips (and errors) to help make the process easier and more enjoyable for you.

For my first blog, I selected a project that I look at every time I sit at my desk: my sewing machine cover.

I love this project because it’s practical, straightforward to create, and SO cute! The tutorial I used came from: Sew Delicious

Here are a couple more shots of it:

The fabrics for this project came from both Jo-Ann Fabrics and SR Harris, a local discount fabric store (http://srharrisfabric.com/).

Thanks for viewing!